THE TWENTY FIRST ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"Windy Willows"
INTRODUCTION
After taking a short break to aid his wife and newborn daughter, Lorenzo Chastain returned for another year as Head Gamemaker. However, Lorenzo was not doing well. He was getting old, and was not nearly as healthy as he once was. He had pneumonia. He could not live forever, and he had no intention of trying. it would only be a few more years before he would be forced to retire and give somebody else a turn to lead the Hunger Games. Lorenzo promised that the arena for the twenty-first Hunger Games would be the most extravagant yet. In order to build up the hype even more, Lorenzo released a teaser trailer for the games. In the twenty-one second-long clip, the camera panned across a slab of wood embossed with the seals of the twelve districts of Panem. Then, the camera turned sideways to reveal the sight of a whimsically tall mushroom surrounded by a grove of trees that stretched to the sky. The ground was covered with sunflowers, and the little light that was able to filter through the leaves of the tall trees was bright and golden. Upon the release of the teaser, the media flooded with 'leaked information' concerning the arena, the mutts, and the dangers in store. None of this information was actually true, and very few people actually fell for the fake news.
The career alliance of the games consisted of six members, as it usually did. The District 1 male was, rather strangely, the only eighteen year-old old career. He was tall and muscular, and he was just as confident and arrogant as all those who had come before him. The Capitol audience loved his sureness-of-self as well as his confidence, and all of that combined with his impeccable talents with the sword and baton scored him a ten in training. His district partner, the District 1 female, was just as dangerously clever and confident as he was. She liked to play with her food before she ate it, and she promised the Capitol that she would make the games a roller-coaster of thrill. She preferred the whip as her weapon because of how drawn-out it made its victim's deaths. The District 2 male was rather similar to the District 1 male, and he was one of the finest products of District 2's combat academy. He stood out to the audience due to the long gash running across his face and down to his chest. He got it when he accidentally stabbed himself while training for the games when he was thirteen, and it still had not healed. He actually quite liked it, and thought that it represented his strength and determination. The District 2 female was the niece of Olivia Seager, the victor of the sixth Hunger Games. If she won, she would become the first victor to be directly related to a previous victor. She was very skilled with the knife, axe and bow. But, that was not all that she had up her sleeves. She was a dangerously mysterious girl, her build and her eyes keen and clever. The District 4 female was recognized throughout the Capitol as an amazing comedian. But, she made it very clear that she had a dangerous side to her as well. She wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, and her impeccable talent with the trident and throwing knives earned her a ten. The District 4 male earned an eight, making him the only career not to score a ten. He was fifteen, and so this was understandable. His aim was absolutely perfect, and he could hit a target with amazing accuracy with almost any weapon.
Outside of the careers was a plethora of sevens. Three sevens were earned. They were scored by Barney from 10, Janelle from 11, and Dudley from 12. The rest of the tributes scored between six and two in their private sessions. Two outliers were the District 7 tributes, who both scored eights with their axe wielding skills. There was a single volunteer outside of the careers: Tandra Hyland, the girl from District 8 who volunteered for her disabled younger sister. In total, five tens, four eights, three sevens, two sixes, one five, three fours, four threes, and two twos were scored. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Cutter Denault, 18, (10) 9-1 and Jade Vincent, 17, (10) 10-1
District 2: Jason Ripley, 16, (10) 10-1 and Freya Digard, 16, (10) 9-1
District 3: Pallas Trenholm, 15, (3) 31-1 and Vesta Bracelente, 17, (5) 24-1
District 4: Crowlan Ruben, 15, (8) 15-1 and Inchtalla Couhlin, 17, (10) 9-1
District 5: Jaxom Hinkle, 16, (4) 26-1 and Zanna Riggs, 16, (3) 33-1
District 6: Orion Hilyard, 17, (3) 25-1 and Matilda Rioux, 14, (4) 30-1
District 7: Cypress Beade, 16, (8) 14-1 and Juniper Del, 16, (8) 14-1
District 8: Jamey Cote, 15, (2) 79-1 and Tandra Hyland, 16, (3) 60-1
District 9: Arla Carver, 12, (2) 125-1 and Marcelina Cloud, 17, (6) 17-1
District 10: Barney Fischer, 16, (7) 15-1 and Cyndy Wenger, 18, (8) 13-1
District 11: Rory Balderas, 13, (4) 66-1 and Janelle Woodworth, 18, (7) 15-1
District 12: Dudley Hopper, 17, (7) 16-1 and Bianca Burkett, 16, (6) 18-1
THE GAMES
The arena of the twenty-first Hunger Games was an enchanted forest that looked to be straight out of a fairy tale. The cornucopia stood in a clearing in the center of the arena. Made of stone, vines climbed up the sides of the cornucopia and moss had taken root in its cracks and crevasses. The pedestals that the tributes were to rise into the arena atop of were made of stone also. Surrounding the clearing was a huge grove of trees that stretched hundreds of meters into the sky, their leaves a mash of magenta, lime green, and whimsical periwinkle. The ground was covered with flowers every color of the rainbow. Some of the trees in the arena were dozens of meters in diameter, and one could open a door that was carved into the side to get inside and access the small little homes inside of them. Tall mushrooms cascaded into the sky, the sun blocked out completely underneath them. It would rain often. Swift rivers cut through the landscape, the melodic hum of their rushing water almost hypnotic to the tribute's ears.
The tribute's hearts all skipped a beat when they rose up into the arena, drawing in a collective breath. The arena was the most breathtaking place imaginable. The beauty of the enchanted forest left many of the tributes standing on their pedestals and taking in its splendor, grandeur, and sheer beauty until the moment the gong rang, signaling the start of the twenty-first Hunger Games.
Tributes burst forward and backward. The number of tributes that ran away in the very beginning was much larger than in other years. This was likely because the arena was so bountiful that the tributes reasoned that it would be easy to survive without any supplies from the cornucopia. The tributes that raced away into the forest the moment the gong rang were Pallas from 3, Matilda from 6, Barney from 10, and Cyndy from 10.
Back at the cornucopia, Freya lead the charge, her golden blonde hair rippling in the wind behind her as it glistened in the brilliant light of the golden sun overhead. Freya leaned over and picked up a bow that lay waiting for her in the lime-green grass thirty yards from her pedestal. Freya hastily threw the quiver of arrows over her shoulder and nocked one arrow into her bow, pulling back the bowstring and scanning the clearing for easy prey. Freya spotted a capable girl with a decent training score running past her, and she was on her like a hound. Exhaling, Freya launched an arrow through the air. The arrow made a straight path through the misty morning air before lodging itself into the girl's shoulder, sending her slumping like a stone onto the damp, dew-covered grass. Freya ran over to her side to rip the arrow out of her body as the bloodbath began in earnest.
Marcelina Cloud, District 9 Female: 24th, Killed by Freya, Bloodbath
Inchtalla, another fast sprinter, grinned with thrill when she spotted a four-pronged trident lying in a cluster of azure blue flowers at her feet. Inchtalla leaned over to pick up the trident, her dexterous fingers closing around the cold bronze as her feet formed into a solid stance on the ground. She glanced around for a bit before planting the trident into the nearest boy. He fell to the ground, the trident sticking out of his chest at a strange angle as he moaned and gurgled for a few seconds. Once she was sure he was dead, Inchtalla pulled the weapon out of his chest and wiped off the bloody trident in the grass.
Dudley Hopper, District 12 Male: 23rd, Killed by Inchtalla, Bloodbath
True to the fact that he had been training his leg muscles his entire life, Cutter raced towards a knife that he had spotted on a table in the cornucopia. He almost tripped multiple times, but always regained himself. Cutter picked up the knife off of the table, suppressing a smile as he glanced at the jagged-toothed edge of the blade. Cutter hurled the knife through the air, giving it time to sink into the chest of a nearby boy. He was killed almost instantly after the knife wormed its way into his heart, and Cutter reveled in his first kill as he whooped triumphantly.
Jaxom Hinkle, District 5 Male: 22nd, Killed by Cutter, Bloodbath
It was only a matter of time before Freya made her next kill, and when she spotted a girl attempting to worm her way past her, she was onto her. Freya pulled back her bowstring and launched an arrow through the air, letting it race thirty yards before sinking into the back of her head and sending her face-planting into the ground. By the time Freya ran over to the girl's throbbing body to retrieve the arrow, she had already died.
Janelle Woodworth, District 11 Female: 21st, Killed by Freya, Bloodbath
Crowlan raced across the clearing, the wind roaring in his ears as he ran as fast as possible towards a throwing axe that lay on the ground about a hundred yards from where he stood. Crowlan picked up the axe and curiously ran his finger across the serrated edge of the weapon that was soon to make his first kill. Crowlan tossed the axe through the air, causing it to sink into the chest of a nearby boy. The boy slumped like a stone amidst an explosion of scarlet, gurgling as his body began to shut down from the fatal would that Crowlan had dealt him. Despite the boy's attempts to remove the axe from his chest, he bled out and died within a minute.
Jamey Cote, District 8 Male: 20th, Killed by Crowlan, Bloodbath
It was then that the careers suffered their first loss. Cypress, the District 7 boy with a remarkable training score, picked up an axe that lay in the grass a few yards from where he stood. He clutched the weapon so hard that his knuckles turned white as he sneaked over the nearest career, Jade from District 1. Cypress lifted the axe into the air and brought it down upon Jade's head, splitting it in half and killing her almost instantaneously. Cypress chickened out after this moment and darted away from the cornucopia that moment that he was sure that Jade was dead.
Jade Vincent, District 1 Female: 19th, Killed by Cypress, Bloodbath
Inside of the cornucopia, Juniper and Bianca grappled over the only axe that had not yet been taken by another tribute. Bianca ripped it out of Juniper's hands after a long fist fight between the two. Bianca knew that she had to do some intentional killing to return home faster, and so Bianca used the axe to decapitate Juniper in one clean slice. Bianca recoiled in disgust as Juniper's head tumbled to the floor, and Bianca's stomach was purged of its contents when she vomited herself silly all over the ground in the cornucopia.
Juniper Del, District 7 Female: 18th, Killed by Bianca, Bloodbath
Cutter was quick to make his next kill. When he spotted a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye, he whipped his head around and spotted a terrified boy right behind him, his eyes and mouth wide open as he shook with terror. Cutter stabbed the boy in the stomach before he had time to scream of run away, and the knife lodged itself between two of his ribs as he died quickly from the grievous wound he had received.
Orion Hilyard, District 6 Male: 17th, Killed by Cutter, Bloodbath
The Capitol hoped to see at least one more career death in the bloodbath; the games got a little boring with six careers still alive after the bloodbath. Whenever that happened, the gamemakers usually had to throw in something or other to kill off a few of them. The Capitol's wishes were granted when Tandra, the only volunteer outside of the careers, picked up a baton that lay on the ground. Taking infinite care to not make a sound, Tandra pranced up towards Crowlan, who was facing the opposite direction. Tandra smashed her baton into Crowlan's head, causing his skull to implode and his brain to receive a serious dent. Crowlan passed out immediately. Tandra, assuming that Crowlan was dead, darted away from him and away into the forest. However, Crowlan was not quite dead yet. Crowlan's own ally, Freya, stumbled upon his half-dead body and realized that he was beyond saving. In an act of mercy that cut Crowlan's suffering short, Freya shot him in the heart with her bow and euthanized him.
Crowlan Ruben, District 4 Male: 16th, Killed by Tandra and Freya, Bloodbath
Only one more kill was made in the bloodbath that day. Once all of the tributes had scurried away from the cornucopia, the careers were confused as to why the cannons had not yet rang. They hurriedly began throwing aside crates and boxes and cases in the cornucopia in an attempt to find the stray tribute that they knew must be hiding somewhere. Jason was the one that ended up finding him; Jason threw open a crate and found a helpless girl inside, quivering with terror. She was a laughably easy kill, and Jason's sword found a home in her torso. The girl was mere moments away from death of blood loss from a wound she had received from another career a few minutes prior, and she barely felt it.
Vesta Bracelente, District 3 Female: 15th, Killed by Jason, Bloodbath
Lorenzo was happy with ten bloodbath deaths. It was not nearly as large as the twelve or thirteen deaths that usually occurred, but ten was still a good number. And, some of the more entertaining deaths, like those of Juniper and Crowlan, made up for the fact that the raw number was smaller. At the conclusion of the bloodbath, the fourteen remaining tributes swelled across the arena and spread out, travelling away from the cornucopia where the careers sat sorting the endless bounty of supplies and piling up the corpses in a far-away corner of the clearing.
Those that stayed in the clearing were certainly testing their luck, as they would be in direct sight of the watchful careers. However, the upside to this is that the careers would never explicitly search the meadow for prey, and so they would hopefully be spared. Only two tributes took this route: Zanna from 5 and Tandra from 8. Zanna spent a few minutes jogging away from the cornucopia before settling down in a ditch on the outskirts on the clearing. Zanna unzipped the only backpack she had received from the cornucopia. Inside, she found a bundle of rope, a knife, a thermos (empty), and a small plastic baggie of dried fruit. Zanna grinned. She zipped the backpack back up and held it close to her body. Tandra, on the other hand, was much more rowdy than Zanna. Tandra did not settle for a naturally occurring ditch, instead digging one of her own with a shovel that she had salvaged from the cornucopia. Many of the Capitolites cringed at this move of stupidity. It was a questionable strategy to even stay in the clearing in the first place, and Tandra was kind of being disgraceful to her district by being so stupid. Perhaps it was not her fault. Perhaps she was just so pumped with adrenaline that she couldn't think straight. But, somehow, she managed to make a rather cozy looking shelter underground by sundown without attracting the attention of the careers. Tandra settled down that night with her own hands as her pillow, with no blanket. The night was surprisingly warm, and she slept soundly through it until the morning of the next day.
It was a much more popular strategy for the tributes to venture out into the enchanted forest to hide for the night. The north portion of the arena was where the very thick grove was. Its trees were so tall that they seemed to scrape against the azure blue sky, and the canopy of leaves was so thick that it practically blocked out the sun. Many tributes headed on this route, perhaps reasoning that the darkness of the place would make it easier to hide from the bloodthirsty careers. Pallas from 3, Arla from 9, Cyndy from 10, and Rory from 11 all traveled there. Cyndy certainly led the charge, as she was a very fast runner. She spent the entirety of Day 1 alternating between walking and jogging as far away from the cornucopia as possible. Very slowly and gradually, the ground began to curve upward. It became harder and harder to keep running as the slope increased at an increasing rate. The arena was a sort of bowl shape. Cyndy settled down amongst a field of bushes that night, tucking her feet under her body and throwing a blanket she had received from the cornucopia over her body. It was very comfortable, and the natural sounds of the arena put her to sleep in mere minutes. Pallas went for a similar strategy, but since he was a much slower runner it took him substantially longer to settle in for the night. Pallas decided to settle down near one of the lakes toward the edge of the arena. That lake was the source of the arena's longest river, and Pallas reasoned it would be good to always be within range of a good water source. Rory was, strangely, the only tribute to realize that the trees had rooms inside of them. Rory was running his hand across one of the wide trees in the arena when he felt something shift under his hand. Shocked, he pushed further and further, revealing that the tree was hollow and that he could hide inside for as long as he wanted. The door opened outward, and so it would be impossible for him to block it with something large. But, Rory was content to light one of his lanterns and lay there on the dry wooden ground, assured that he was safe from the watchful gazes of the careers. Arla went with the rather unseen strategy of wandering around for the whole night, not really staying in one place. He was a hunter-gatherer of sorts, drinking water when he was thirsty and picking berries when he was hungry but never settling down. By one in the morning on Day 2, Arla nestled himself between two trees in a lower-leveled area of the arena. It was rather comfortable in his little den, and he was glad to have someplace to call home for the first time in a while. Arla was a very nature-loving boy, and he entertained himself throughout the night by identifying the animals that wandered by him and even playing with some of them.
Travelling south was a much less popular approach to the night. Only one tribute went with this strategy: Matilda from 6. Matilda's shoulder was severely damaged from a blow that one of the careers had dealt her at the cornucopia, and despite scattered sponsor presents the pain could never be entirely numbed. Matilda ended up settling down in a cove right next to a river, consumed by the comforting darkness of the small out-cove. When she was having trouble sleeping, she threw one of the sleeping pills into her mouth and fell asleep almost instantly.
Cypress and Barney went west, their backpacks bumping familiarly between their shoulder blades as they traversed the vast arena. Cypress had gone to the cornucopia, and the endeavor had wielded him two items: an axe and an empty water canteen. Cypress ventured across the arena for a bit before laying down on the forest floor, covering himself with a layer of moss and leaves like a blanket. He crawled under the natural waste, and went to sleep. Barney had not travelled to the cornucopia like Cypress had. As such, Barney spent the entire rest of Day 1 collecting food for the rest of the games. Barney fashioned himself a basket out of bark and grass and began collecting berries from throughout the arena. He only picked familiar berries, such as blackberries, strawberries, and elderberries. By the end of the day, he had a basket overflowing with the things. Comforted in the knowledge that he would have enough food to eat for the rest of his time in the arena, he fell asleep almost instantly.
Barney woke up with a start around five in the morning on Day 2. At first, he had no idea where he was. Then, he remembered he was in the Hunger Games. Out of habit, Barney reached for his basket of food that he had collected the day before. He had done so every few hours, just to make sure that the berries were still there. But, without fail, every time he checked, they were still there. But, this time, they weren't.
Barney's eyes and mouth opened wide when the true meaning of the situation settled in. Barney reached for the basket and pulled it towards himself. It was completely empty, without a single berry in sight. Barney turned the basket upside down and shook it, as if expecting something to fall out. But, of course, nothing did. He needed to be quick on his feet. If an animal had eaten the berries, it would have been messy and left juice stains behind. These berries were eaten by another tribute. Barney leapt onto his feet and began barreling through the forest in an arbitrary direction, hoping to get away from whatever tribute had eaten his source of food. While he was running through the arena, Bianca emerged from behind a tree nearby, holding all of the berries she had stolen from Barney. Even though Bianca was from District 12, she recognized that killing as much as possible would do wonders for her chances of emerging victorious. Bianca lifted her throwing axe into the air and hurled it towards Barney. Miraculously, the edge of the throwing axe sank into his side as he slumped to the ground amidst an explosion of thick blood, appearing black in the night. Barney's cannon was quick to sound through the arena. Bianca's face was completely void of expression, as if he was feeling every positive and negative emotion and that they were all cancelling out like the sides of a math equation.
Barney Fischer, District 10 Male: 14th, Killed by Bianca, Day 2
The rest of the night passed in complete peace, with no interaction between the tributes whatsoever. The sun rose on Day 2. Day 2 would see two tribute deaths.
That morning, the career pack was apprehensive about hunting down their prey in one big pack of four. It was common knowledge that one or two trained careers could easily take down most any enemy, and so it would be impractical to put four careers to work on one tribute. As such, the group decided that they would split into two groups of two, and that they would go throughout the games in those duos.
Jason wandered out of the cornucopia and asked a sponsor for a sheet of paper. The gift only costed a couple of cents and so they received it quickly. Jason tore the paper in half. Then, he placed the two halves on top of each other and ripped them in half in the opposite direction. He took a pencil stub of his and labeled each one.
"Jason," was what he wrote on the first one, followed by "Cutter", "Freya", and "Inchtalla". He folded each slip of paper into halves, then into fourths, then into eights. Jason dropped them all in a steel bucket.
The first group will be… "Freya and Inchtalla," Jason announced after drawing two names from the pail. The two girls walked towards each other, smiling.
"And, that leaves me and Cutter to be group two, I guess," Jason said.
"So, I guess we'll go our separate ways. But, at the end of each day, we'll all come back to the cornucopia. Sound like a plan?" Freya asked. The others nodded.
The first group, which became known as the alphas, ventured out towards the dark and shadowy grove in the north portion of the arena. The rest of the forest, though beautiful, was far too open for anyone to really feel safe without having some sort of shelter or cover. They reasoned that a tribute could not build a sufficient shelter in just a few hours, and so they headed for the grove which looked very safe indeed. Wherever all of the other tributes wanted to go was where the careers wanted to be.
The second group, which became known as the betas, travelled to the east. They reasoned that it contained the arena's longest river, and that any tribute would be better off being right next to a river. It would be a stable source of water, the most critical human requirement for survival. Although it would be nice to be in some far-off corner of the enchanted forest, the betas said, it would be even nicer to be promised an infinite source of water.
Around nine in the morning, the betas laid eyes on the stocky Cypress from District 7. The instant that Jason laid eyes on the boy, he called for his ally and went in for the kill. But, Cypress had a significant head-start, and he was the fastest runner imaginable from working in the lumber industry for his entire life. After a few hours, Jason and Cutter needed a few seconds of rest. They stopped for a single moment, but Cypress' impeccable endurance was still being held. Cypress escaped, and the careers cursed under their breaths.
Then, at almost exactly noon that day, the alphas made their first kill. Freya and Inchtalla had spread apart a bit, and were walking parallel to each other about fifty yards apart. Freya was prowling through the arena, tossing aside bushes and combing through every place imaginable. That that when she heard the whimper. It was so quiet that Freya thought for a moment it was just her vivid imagination. But the sound was too high-pitched, too genuine to be fake. Freya prowled toward the source of the squeal, throwing aside a bush and finding Arla behind it, quivering with fear. Freya pulled back her bowstring and launched an arrow into Arla's chest. The arrow wormed its way into his heart and triggered his cannon almost immediately, proclaiming the end of the boy's life.
Arla Carver, District 9 Male: 13th, Killed by Freya, Day 2
The next kill of the day was also made by the alphas, but this time the killed was Inchtalla instead of Freya. Inchtalla had wrapped the handle of her trident in gauze in an attempt to keep it from glistening in the overhead sun too much. Too many times had an outer district tribute seen the glow of her trident before she saw them and been able to get away. Inchtalla locked her fingers around the shaft of the weapon so tightly that her knuckles turned white when she saw a pair of eyes glaring at her from the bough of a tree. Inchtalla looked closer and harder and made out a girl's form. Inchtalla climbed up the tree, using her trident almost like a climbing pickaxe to climb up the large tree. Inchtalla slid the trident into the girl's tired-out form, and she fell, dead.
Matilda Rioux, District 6 Female: 12th, Killed by Inchtalla, Day 2
Days 2 thru 4 passed, deathless. In that span of time, not much happened at all in the arena. Each day, the careers split up into two groups of two and ventured out. But, each day, their endeavors were fruitless. They were beginning to grow painfully frustrated, and so decided to join forces as one group of four in order to see if it would be a better plan-of-attack.
Then, on Day 5, when the frustrated careers were prowling across the east sector of the arena, they saw a flash of movement above them. They whipped their heads up and spotted a terrified Tandra curled up in the bough of the wide oak tree. Grinning, the careers pulled out their weapons and began aiming for the girl. But, their efforts were futile. The layer of leaves was simply so thick that their weapons would always get caught and wouldn't make contact with Tandra. The careers then resorted to trying to climb the tree, with various degrees of success. The career that made it furthest was Freya, who used two of the arrows from her bow to dig into the tree and pull herself up. Allies cheering her on, Freya was mere meters away from helpless Tandra. That was when the shaft of the arrow that her entire weight was on, snapped. She tumbled backward to the ground, and a sickening crack filled the air when she did. Freya grimaced and whimpered with pain, trying to seem strong and proud for her home district. But, she eventually burst out crying nonetheless. She could not control it. The others understood, and requested medicine from a sponsor. Quickly, they received a case of several different ointments and pills, as well as an instruction manual. Over the course of the next few hours, the others put back together Freya's mangled back. By the time they finished, it was almost midnight. Trying to walk back to the cornucopia would take forever, and so the careers decided to camp out underneath Tandra. She couldn't stay up there forever, and the careers swore that they would be ready when she did.
Tandra, tucked away in the top of the tree, began formulating a plan once she was sure that all four of the vicious careers were asleep. Taking infinite care, Tandra pulled out a coil of rope that she had retrieved from the cornucopia. She used it to bind a sturdy stick and a sharp rock together. She had created a sort of saw, and even though it was not a very good saw it still worked. Tandra got to the long and tedious work of cutting the branch that was above the place that the careers were sleeping. It was painful work, and by the time she had made three millimeters progress she was drenched in sweat. Tandra kept herself motivated by thoughts of her family and friends back home in District 8. Within three hours, she was almost halfway there. Tandra's arms screamed with pain as she sawed through the wood. Back and forth and back and forth, with a constant rhythm. Then, seven painful hours after she had started, the branch cracked. It plummeted towards the earth, towards the small grassy patch below the tree, and most importantly towards the careers.
Freya bolted awake instantly when she heard the cracking sound, and when she saw the branch falling from above her she scrambled up and ran away, screaming for her allies. Awaking instantly was Inchtalla, who was able to scramble away just out of the path of the falling branch. A hollow thump sounded when Cutter flew up into the air and fell back down outside of the path of the branch. Jason was not so lucky, and by the time he realized what was happening the branch had smashed his body to a pulp. His cannon sounded less than one second after he had been struck by the branch.
Jason Ripley, District 2 Male: 11th, Killed by Tandra, Day 5
Day 6 passed, deathless. On Day 7, one tribute dropped from dehydration.
Zanna Riggs, District 5 Female: 10th, Dehydration, Day 7
One tribute died on the eighth day in the arena. It was another career kill, and it was administered by Inchtalla. Inchtalla plunged her trident into Rory's chest when she found him hiding in a small ditch amidst a patch of strawberries.
Rory Balderas, District 11 Male: 9th, Killed by Inchtalla, Day 8
That left the final eight: Cutter Denault from District 1, Freya Digard from District 2, Pallas Trenholm from District 3, Inchtalla Couhlin from District 4, Cypress Beade from District 7, Tandra Hyland from District 8, Cyndy Wenger from District 10, Bianca Burkett from District 12.
The gamemakers realized that they hadn't interfered at all throughout the entire games, and so decided to throw in a twist to spice things up a bit.
The gamemakers unleashed a horde of muttations into the arena. Ten feet tall and made of solid stone, vines climbed up their rocky bodies and strangled their torsos. They were humanoid, and their mouths opened wide to reveal an arrangement of fangs, each one six inches long. Their feet thumped over the earth as they terrorized the tributes.
Then, three hours after the mutts had been unleashed, Pallas needed to stop for a short break. He had gotten substantial space between him and his pursuers, and he reasoned that he would be fine if he just stopped for one second. He could not be more wrong, and the moment he stopped running the mutts caught up to him. They beat his insides to a pulp and then buried their fangs into his body, sucking out his blood and then throwing him aside like an empty juice box.
Pallas Trenholm, District 3 Male: 8th, Killed by Pallas, Day 9
Day 10 saw two dehydration deaths, mere minutes apart. The gamemakers were disappointed with three dehydration deaths in the games so far, and they even considered delivering water to all of the tributes. But, they didn't because that would just draw out the games even more and make them more boring.
Bianca Burkett, District 12 Female: 7th, Dehydration, Day 10
Cyndy Wenger, District 10 Female: 6th, Dehydration, Day 10
On Day 11, Cypress tumbled out of the tree that he was hiding in and fell to the ground, smacking his head against a rock. He was going to die within a few hours, and without sponsorship he would die. Fortunately, a generous sponsor delivered him a packet of medicine after watching him for a few hours. Too late. He was already dead.
Cypress Beade, District 7 Male: 5th, Fell Out Of A Tree, Day 11
The gamemakers concluded that it was time to drive the final four tributes inward for a bloody finale that would crown their next victor. As such, the gamemakers made the arena pitch-black and herded the tributes together via fireballs. Hot and made of hard stone, they almost perfectly modeled real meteors. One of them smashed into Cutter and killed him instantly. The number of tributes had been reduced to three.
Cutter Denault, District 1 Male: 4th, Fireball, Day 11
Freya, Inchtalla, and Tandra all met up at the cornucopia. Freya brandished her bow, a quiver of arrows resting on her left shoulder. Inchtalla held her trident, glistening in the light produced by the asteroids that were flying overhead. And, Tandra held the saw that she had used to chop off the branch that fell and killed Jason a few days prior.
Freya and Inchtalla, as one could imagine, did not take kindly to having their allies killed. As such, so rapidly that Tandra barely had time to react, the two girls lunged towards her and pinned her to the ground. Inchtalla held her to the ground, and Freya stood nearby, ready to shoot an arrow straight into Tandra's torso. Now that she had Tandra, nothing on Earth was going to entice her to let her go. Inchtalla lifted her trident into the air, and Tandra squeezed her eyes shut and Inchtalla speared her heart with the sharp prongs of her trident.
Tandra Hyland, District 8 Female: 3rd, Killed by Inchtalla, Day 11
The final battle of the twenty-first Hunger Games was between Freya Digard of District 2 and Inchtalla Couhlin of District 4. They were two of the most beloved tributes that year. Freya was one of the finest products of District 2's combat academy, and she had brung pride aplenty to her home district throughout her time in the arena. She was the niece of Olivia Seager, one of the nation's best victors. Inchtalla was the cross between a fisher father and merchant mother, and had endless talents. From hula-hooping to dancing to memorizing lists of random numbers, Inchtalla certainly would be a great victor to add to the nation's lineup.
The final battle began, and it was almost thirty minutes before Freya triumphed. Freya had cornered Inchtalla against the cornucopia, her back pressed against the damp wood as Freya pulled back her bowstring. Inchtalla was trapped, and all she could do was pray that her death would be quick as Freya released the arrow.
Inchtalla Couhlin, District 4 Female: 2nd, Killed by Freya, Day 11
"Freya Digard of District 2, you are the victor of the twenty-first annual Hunger Games!" Lorenzo roared across the arena, voice surging with thrill.
Freya held her bow and arrows into the air, whooping triumphantly as a hovercraft appeared to collect the girl. Freya grinned madly as she climbed into the craft, waiting to be taken away to the fame that would engulf the rest of her life.
AFTERMATH
The nation was enthralled by Freya, and many were very excited to see Olivia Seager's niece follow in her aunt's footsteps and return home to District 2 victorious. District 2 gave Freya thunderous applause; now that they had Freya they had a whopping seven victors.
Freya's victory tour was nothing out of the ordinary, and many regarded her as another arrogant career that they needed not pay much attention to.
Freya moved into the Victor's Village of District 2, the seventh victor to do so.
Freya would live to the age of ninety-four, dying in a car accident around the time of the ninety-ninth annual Hunger Games. Four years after her victory, she would marry a man that she would stay married to until his death a great many years later. Freya would never reproduce and would never adopt any children, and after her husband's death she would live a quiet and reserved life to herself.
NEWS
Freya settles down into the Victor's Village of District 2, the seventh victor to do so.
LIST OF VICTORS
1HG: Cordin Frey (#1, District 3)
2HG: Sapphire Waber (#1, District 1)
3HG: Molly Toliday (#1, District 4)
4HG: Amelia Spangler (#1, District 2)
5HG: Misty Sablone (#1, District 12)
6HG: Olivia Seager (#2, District 2)
7HG: Flux Stafford (#2, District 3)
8HG: Brandi Coyne (#2, District 1)
9HG: Isaac Crandall (#1, District 5)
10HG: Velvet Farrow (#3, District 1)
11HG: Mags Flanagan (#2, District 4)
12HG: Slate Ogston (#3, District 2)
13HG: Woof Dozier (#1, District 8)
14HG: Blaze Skalnik (#4, District 2)
15HG: Dina Wilmarth (#2, District 5)
16HG: Beatrice Toland (#1, District 6)
17HG: Amelia Bankston (#5, District 2)
18HG: Markus Gardd (#2, District 6)
19HG: Odius Ruttler (#6, District 2)
20HG: Seeder Kaiser (#1, District 11)
21HG: Freya Digard (#7, District 2)
