THE TWENTY FIFTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES, THE FIRST QUARTER QUELL
"Gem of Panem"


INTRODUCTION

It had been a quarter of a century since the Hunger Games were enacted upon the citizens of Panem. Twenty five years, each one seeing the deaths of twenty-three district children. In penance for their uprising, over five hundred district children had been killed in the Hunger Games. Yet, the districts had refused to let the cooling coals of rebellion burn out. Riots were happening all over the nation, now more than ever. The rebellion that had ended twenty-five years ago had been a tiny spark. The people joining the cause were like kindling being added to the fire. In a feat of rebellion that pleased the districts immensely, a District 7 man snuck in to the presidential mansion and murdered President Roxann Shannon. The killer, a man named Grover Pisani whose daughter had been reaped for the Hunger Games of the year prior, was tried and hanged for treason. The presidential throne was left empty. That was, until a man named Coriolanus Snow rose to power. Coriolanus was already a prestigious government official, which certainly helped. But, he did not earn the title of president in a normal manner. He invited some of the highest ranking government administration in the country to an elaborate dinner part in which he poisoned the wine. He proposed a toast at the end of the party. To avoid suspicion, Coriolanus drank the poisoned wine along with everybody else. All of the others died within minutes. However, Coriolanus produced his vial of antidote from his pocket and chugged it down. He was safe from the poison. But, the wounds on the inside of his mouth inflicted by the poison would periodically spout blood for the rest of his life. This act scared the rest of the Capitol so much that they let him assume the title of president without question.

At a mandatory viewing that night, the nation watched as Coriolanus Snow produced a wooden box. Inside the box were hundreds of envelopes, neatly aligned in rows. "One of these envelopes is to be opened every twenty-five years," Coriolanus proclaimed, his eyes sparkling in an almost childlike way. "Each envelope contains a rule twist that that year's games will follow. Those special games shall be dubbed Quarter Quells. I shall read the first one right now," he declared as he reached into the box and pulled out the very first one, clearly labeled '25'. He unfolded the square of paper and smoothed it out, reading aloud the twist for the first Quarter Quell to the terrified nation. "On the twenty-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children are dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district will be made to hold an election and vote on the tributes who will represent it". At that, Coriolanus folded the paper back up and placed it back in the envelope. Then, the screen cut to black. The words that Coriolanus had read from the envelope were exactly what happened the next week. Shipped off to every district were thousands of sheets of paper. At the reaping that year, one paper was handed to each citizen aged twelve thru eighteen. Every teenager in the nation was to write down a boy and a girl that they nominated to represent their district that year. Then, the peacekeepers would come around to collect the slips of paper. The ballots would be carried into the Justice Building and counted by the mayor of the district. This instantaneously silenced all rebellion, something that pleased Snow immensely. He had stomped out the cooling coals of rebellion, and he had no intentions of loosening his grip on the presidency any time soon. Those that had lied, cheated, stolen, or gotten others arrested walked up to the stage with their heads held low after the votes were counted up. The odds were not in their favor.

As the tributes were elected, volunteers were not allowed in the Quell. Because of this, there was no clear-cut career pack. However, the strongest tributes were likely to band together anyway for supplies and company, and to hunt for outliers. The tributes from 1, Erasmus and Diamond (the second tribute in history to score an eleven) were especially likely to ally, along with Max from 4, who scored a ten. Here are the tributes:

District 1 Male: Erasmus Pritchett, 16, (10) 6-1 Chosen because he led a riot, causing hundreds of civilian deaths.

District 1 Female: Diamond Griego, 17, (11) 3-1 Chosen because she was a serial killer.

District 2 Male: Invictus Moseley, 16, (4) 27-1 Chosen because he was a pickpocket.

District 2 Female: Peyton Corlette, 13, (2) 75-1 Chosen because she was an orphan and would not be missed.

District 3 Male: Daniel Oliphant, 16, (4) 30-1 Chosen because he lit the Justice Building on fire, killing the mayor and three children trapped inside.

District 3 Female: Zanna Hilsbery, 18, (5) 21-1 Chosen because she regularly shoplifted.

District 4 Male: Maxx Burkholder, 18, (10) 5-1 Chosen because he was a sociopathic murderer who killed eight people.

District 4 Female: Talisa Lapierre, 17, (7) 15-1 Chosen because she liked to steal from homeless people for fun.

District 5 Male: Jaxom Rozinov, 18, (6) 16-1 Chosen because he attempted the murder of his ex-girlfriend the year prior.

District 5 Female: Esther Rubia, 14, (3) 69-1 Chosen because she destroyed a power grid, killing twenty workers.

District 6 Male: Casey Frondell, 18, (5) 20-1 Chosen because his father crashed a plane that he was flying, killing many passengers.

District 6 Female: Hazel Brizycki, 18, (4) 25-1 Chosen because she was the daughter of District 6's corrupt mayor.

District 7 Male: Willow Baldwin, 17, (8) 14-1 Chosen because he was guilty of identity theft.

District 7 Female: Eva Knott, 18, (9) 13-1 Chosen because she broke and stole many objects.

District 8 Male: Cordell Bollinger, 18, (3) 35-1 Chosen because his father was a drug-dealer primarily to teens and young adults.

District 8 Female: Savannah Reynolds, 16, (6) 23-1 Chosen because she was a computer hacker who defaced websites with rebellious words and phrases.

District 9 Male: Florencio Goldsmith, 15, (4) 39-1 Chosen because he was an orphan and would not be missed.

District 9 Female: Marisa Isaac, 18, (6) 22-1 Chosen because she blackmailed and extorted thousands of dollars from several people.

District 10 Male: Santos Severson, 17, (7) 14-1 Chosen because he often shot and killed livestock for fun.

District 10 Female: Anette Sneade, 18, (7) 13-1 Chosen because she lit a field on fire, killing hundreds of livestock trapped inside.

District 11 Male: Christian Lavenia, 13, (6) 29-1 Chosen because he lied and caused nearly twenty innocent people to be imprisoned for his crimes.

District 11 Female: Arletta Gaddis, 16, (10) 8-1 Chosen because she was guilty of murdering two people over the outcome of a professional sport event.

District 12 Male: Andre Plunkett, 18, (9) 10-1 Chosen because he accidentally caused a coal mine to collapse, trapping two-dozen men to die inside.

District 12 Female: Miccah Hendricks, 12, (1) 201-1 Chosen because she was an orphan and would not be missed.


THE GAMES

This mighty Quarter Quell needed a mighty Head Gamemaker. Coriolanus Snow decided to hire an old gamemaker that had been a Capitol favorite. Leto Spitz had been the Head Gamemaker for the second thru fifth Hunger Games. He had produced such victors as Sapphire Waber and Molly Toliday, and every single one of his arenas had been some of the most spectacular the nation had ever seen. Leto appointed a team of almost five-hundred gamemakers to work on what he promised would be the grandest arena in the history of the Games. He did not disappoint. The arena for the twenty-fifth Hunger Games was, in a sense, a replica of Panem. The grand golden cornucopia stood proudly in the very center of the almost ten-kilometer long circle. The cornucopia was almost fifty feet high, and it was stamped with Capitol insignias inside and out. The circular arena was split into twelve equal slices, each slice representing one of the districts of Panem. The twelve slices met at the very center of the arena, which represented the Capitol. The District 1 slice was the most breathtaking place imaginable. It was a rolling green meadow with lime green grass. Pathways made of ruby and diamond stretched across the landscape. Marble statues of previous victors covered the arena. Rainbows stretched across the azure blue sky. Every single feature was absolutely gorgeous. District 2's slice was a mountain range, with tall mountains whose icy slopes stretched to the sky. It was a very comfortable temperature in the morning but could drop to below zero degrees Fahrenheit at night. The slice modeled after District 3 was a maze. The labyrinth's twists and turns were enough to confuse any tribute. However, an argosy of valuable supplies were scattered throughout it. The fourth sector was populated by a vast sea. Obviously representing District 4, fish jumped from the water. They would be great sources of food. Throughout the sector were islands: spits of sand in the middle of the vast ocean. They had little resources but would be great hiding places for the weaker tributes. Scattered on the sea floor were sparkling golden tridents. District 5's sector was a field of cement that was built over by a power grid. Inside of the main control panel was a huge crate filled with bottled water. The section for District 6 was a large runway with a massive airplane parked on it. The interior of the airplane had air conditioning, a clean and virtually infinite water supply, and even a working toilet. However, there was only one entrance. Given the thinness of the aisle way, any tribute that stood in front of the entrance would trap any other tributes inside without hope of escape. District 7's slice was an oak forest with trees so tall that they stretched to the sky. The District 8 slice was a textile mill. Inside of the mill was a bountiful supply of food and water, as well as knives. District 9 was, unsurprisingly, a field of wheat dotted with small ponds. District 10's was a rolling meadow, with cows, horses, pigs, goats, chickens, and sheep roaming the landscape. District 11 had a peach grove. Its peaches were juicy and sweet all the way through. District 12's slice was a thick forest of spruce trees. In the very center of the area was a deep hole that descended into the earth. After about one hundred meters down, the cave leveled off into a long hallway and then split into the three different shafts. This would be a great hiding space, but would be risky for similar reasons as the District 6 slice.

The loud, mechanical hum that the nation knew all too well flooded the tribute's ears as the arose into the arena atop their pedestals. The bloodbath of the first Quarter Quell was arguably one of the more thrilling of the first Hunger Games century. It would claim the lives of ten tributes.

When the gong rang, not a single tribute turned tail and fled from the get-go. Every single one of the twenty-four tributes surged forth, scooping up supplies and weapons and whatever else they could find strewn in and around the golden cornucopia.

Diamond was the fastest of the four careers. Her legs were strong, and she had a determined disposition. Surprisingly, little Esther from 5 was able to match her pace, as despite lacking in other areas she was an incredibly fast sprinter. Although Diamond had no weapons on her, she was not about to let the opportunity to kill Esther slip past her; Esther had humiliated Diamond rather strongly in training by hiding all of her favorite weapons and making jokes about her behind her back. Diamond ran over to Esther and grabbed her firmly with both hands. Diamond threw Esther aside like a rag doll. She crumpled to the grass. Diamond leaned down to where she laid thrashing on the ground. Diamond grabbed either side of Esther's neck with her strong hands. The snap was sickening to hear as Diamond made the first of ten bloodbath kills.

Esther Rubia, District 5 Female: 24th, Killed by Diamond, Bloodbath

Erasmus was only a few paces behind Diamond, spurred on by the sight of a knife that lay in a cluster of pink blossoms approximately fifty yards from his pedestal. In one graceful swoop, Erasmus leaned over and locked his eager fingers around the serrated knife. Erasmus began to slow down, scanning the field for easy prey. When the computer hacker from District 8 ran right past him, it was too easy. Erasmus dove forth, plunging his knife deep into the girl's torso as she fell to the ground with a hollow thump. The rest of her death was quick work for Erasmus, and when he was finished he wiped off his bloodstained sword in the grass.

Savannah Reynolds, District 8 Female: 23rd, Killed by Erasmus, Bloodbath

Maxx grinned when he spotted a four-pronged trident leaning against the exterior wall of the golden cornucopia. He ran over to retrieve it, closing his fingers around the cool metal as it sparkled magnificently in the round, gem of the sun overhead. Maxx turned around. He smirked delicately as he tossed the trident through the air. The trident sailed into the shoulder of the nearest boy, spearing his throat and lungs in one swipe.

Santos Severson, District 10 Male: 22nd, Killed by Maxx, Bloodbath

Now, Arletta from 11 was the only one of the four careers that had yet to make a kill. When she spotted one of the weaker girls mere yards to her right, the opportunity was too sweet to resist. Arletta looked around for whatever weapon she could find, picked up the nearest one (which happened to be an axe), and swung it into the girl's neck. She screamed as she fell limp on Arletta's axe.

Miccah Hendricks, District 12 Female: 21st, Killed by Arletta, Bloodbath

Clever Anette from 10 developed a plan with hopes of eliminating at least one of the more powerful tributes early. Anette's father was an engineer who designed electric fences, and so Anette had some knowledge of logic and physics. In a remote area of the clearing where she could remain hidden from the watchful eyes of the careers, Anette snatched a bow and arrow. She pulled the bowstring back and tied it in place with a rope. Next, she fastened the bow to the side of the cornucopia. Then, holding the other end of the rope tightly in her grasp, Anette turned around the corner of the cornucopia and waited. Here is how her plan would work: whenever some tribute ran across the area where the bow was fastened, Anette would let go of the rope. This would, if her plan worked, cause the arrow to land in their body without Anette having to do any work. At least, that's how it should have worked. Mere moments later, Christian from 11 ran right across the arrow's path. However, when Anette let go of the rope, the built-up elastic tension caused the bow to fly around the wall toward unsuspecting Anette. The arrow bombarded her torso, and it wormed its way perfectly into her heart. Anette had been killed by her own booby-trap. How ironic.

Anette Sneade, District 10 Female: 20th, Accidentally Killed by Herself, Bloodbath

Maxx ripped his trident out of Santos' limp form, already hungry to make his next kill. Maxx spotted the sinewy orphan girl from 2 about forty yards from him. The career jogged forward, sporting his trident. He tossed the weapon through the air once he had a distance of less than ten yards. The girl whipped her head around and instinctively ducked, the trident sailing over her head and landing in the grass behind her. They were both defenseless. In a fight of sheer strength, Maxx could easily empower the little girl. As such, she decided to flee the scene. But, Maxx would have none of it. He grabbed the girl's torso and chucked her to the ground, causing several snaps and pops to emanate from her body. A few more bangs later and Maxx decided to walk away and let time do the talking. Seconds after the smirking career walked away, however, Arletta stumbled upon the 2 girl's half-dead form. Arletta used a curved sickle she had found to slice upon the girl's chest, finishing the job that her ally had started mere moments prior.

Peyton Corlette, District 2 Female: 19th, Killed by Maxx and Arletta, Bloodbath

It was then that the career alliance lost their first member. After Arletta killed Maxx, she began pillaging her of her supplies. She ripped Peyton's backpack off of her blood-lathered back and unzipped it, investigating its contents. She reached her hand inside and counted the objects inside. This was a rather unintelligent decision, for moments later a tentative Eva from 7 ran up behind her and hacked her head in half with her axe. Eva recoiled in disgust as a spray of dark, sticky blood assaulted her body.

Arletta Gaddis, District 11 Female: 18th, Killed by Eva, Bloodbath

Now that Eva had killed one of the careers, she decided that she might as well kill a few other tributes before she departed the bloodbath. Unlike a career, Eva only decided to go for what she considered very easy prey. She scanned the clearing for a few moments before setting her eyes on the boy from 8. He had a low training score, and his sinewy form would make him an easy target. Eva darted forth and slammed her axe into the boy's shoulder. It cut through his flesh before stopping a few inches above his waist. He didn't have time to run or scream before he collapsed to the ground, splashing Eva with yet more sticky blood.

Cordell Bollinger, District 8 Male: 17th, Killed by Eva, Bloodbath

Maxx was in business when he spotted a girl running past him as fast as her legs could carry her. Maxx pounced upon the girl like a cat and stabbed her through the neck with his trident, sending her tumbling backward onto the cool grass. He ripped his trident out of her neck, opening up four holes from which blood spouted. Next, Maxx shoved his trident into her stomach. The golden prongs protruded from her back. When her body went completely limp, she slid off of Maxx's trident. Maxx pillaged her of her orange backpack.

Zanna Hilsbery, District 3 Female: 16th, Killed by Maxx, Bloodbath

The clearing around the cornucopia was completely empty except for the careers and one other tribute. The sinewy Christian Lavenia was the only tribute besides the careers, and he sat inside of the cornucopia taking inventory of the contents of a black suitcase. The careers all stood around the yawning mouth of the horn, trapping him inside. It was several minutes before Christian actually realized that he was trapped. After collecting the supplies he wanted, he turned around, got to his feet and ran. Consequently, he ran straight into Diamond's serrated dagger. Diamond, Erasmus, and Maxx all gathered round for the full hour that it took him to die, watching him scream all the way. When Christian's eyes rolled back into his head, ten cannon shots boomed across the arena.

Christian Lavenia, District 11 Male: 15th, Killed by Diamond, Bloodbath

With the bloodbath at its conclusion, the fourteen remaining tributes spread out across the vast arena. Erasmus, Diamond, and Maxx stayed at the cornucopia for a few hours after Christian's cannon. Most of this time was spent organizing supplies and piling up the dead bodies in a far-off corner of the clearing. Each career had a job, and after thirty minutes they would rotate tasks. Erasmus started out on sorting supplies, while Diamond started out on corpse duty and Maxx did the foraging around the clearing for any stray tributes. He found none, unsurprisingly. After half an hour, the careers rotated jobs. It was a haphazard system, and sometimes they needed to stay at their posts for much longer than half an hour to finish up this or that. After about ten rotations, they were all itching to get hunting. Erasmus and Maxx ventured out leaving only Diamond behind to guard the supplies. They told Diamond somewhat comedically to assume that they were dead if they weren't back by midnight. That actually wasn't too remote of a possibility, given how strong the crop of tributes was.

District 1's sector was certainly alluring to many a boy or girl. With it marble statues and rolling green hills, it was the most breathtaking place imaginable. Two tributes entered the sector at the conclusion of the bloodbath: Talisa from 4 and Eva from 7. Eva was a much quicker runner than Talisa. By the time the first bit of the sun dipped below the horizon, Eva had reached the edge of the arena. It would be lying to say that she wasn't exhausted; she was dripping with sweat and her muscles burned like fire. She needed somewhere to sleep for the night. After scavenging around for about forty minutes, she found the perfect place. About twelve statues had fallen down into a ditch. By crawling underneath the spider-web of victors and presidents and gamemakers, Eva was hidden from the sight of anybody that happened to wander by. She actually had quite a decent amount of room to move around in her little den. She had several supplies on her. She had snagged from the cornucopia: ten yards of rope, a pot, and a package of just add water pasta. At this point, companies had begun to take the Hunger Games as an opportunity to advertise their products. The company that produced the pasta saw their sales skyrocket when Eva ate the pasta and smiled at the delicious taste. Apart from Eva, Talisa also ventured into the District 1 sector. Although District 1 had few places to hide, the number of muttations inside of it was relatively small. Of course, Talisa didn't know this when she chose it. Perhaps she went there because of its sheer beauty. However, looks can be deceiving. Around eleven o'clock at night, Talisa spotted an array of beady, black eyes staring at her from underneath a broken marble fountain. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she slowly backed away. The creatures leapt out of their hiding place and pounced upon Talisa. They were rabbits: cute and fuzzy and adorable. But, they were killers. Talisa was able to fend them off. She pulled her katana out of her backpack and prepared for a fight. The closest mutt to her was a rabbit that was chocolate brown and had a puffy tail as white as snow. She decapitated it in one clean slice. The muttations were gaining on her. All of the sudden, a lightbulb went off in Talisa's head. Talisa ran over to a fountain that had filled with dirty rainwater and looked to be the home of an ecosystem of fungus and algae. With all of her might, she pushed on the fountain until it tumbled over and dumped out. All of the rabbits were washed away by the current. After the water soaked into the grass, the rabbits were able to regain their senses. But, their fur was so wet and heavy from the water that they couldn't move. Talisa had outfoxed them! She laughed with satisfaction as she watched the creatures struggle to move, their fur hanging straight down toward the ground.

District 2 only attracted the attention of one tribute: Invictus from 2. He himself was from the masonry district, and perhaps the majestic mountain reminded him of home. His mother had died while giving birth to him, and his father worked long hours in a quarry. When goings were slow, Invictus would have to pickpocket. That was the reason why he was voted into the Quarter Quell by his peers. Invictus was determined to get home to his family. That thought was enough to boost his confidence, and he ran and ran all the way through the night. Then, only two hours into the second day, he heard voices coming from around the corner. Quickly, he ducked behind a corpse of bushes and crumpled himself up into a ball. He listened to the voices having their conversation.

All at once, the two careers pounced upon the helpless boy. Weaponless, he couldn't defend himself apart from a few scattered fist blows and foot kicks. The careers tied him to the ground with sturdy rope and walked in circles around him, obviously trying to draw out Invictus' death as long as possible. Sometimes, one of them would lunge forward, causing Invictus to scream into his gag. They must have been getting tired of him within an hour. They were wasting time, after all. Erasmus delivered the blow that ended the pickpocket's life, plunging his knife deep into his torso and sitting back as his blood crawled across the terrain like water.

Invictus Moseley, District 2 Male: 14th, Killed by Erasmus, Day 2

District 4's slice attracted a single tribute: District 12's Andre. Andre was a new look for 12: his tall, jet black hair and stocky form was a contrast to 12's usual brunette hair and brown eyes. Andre had managed to salvage a rather large bounty of materials from the cornucopia, not the least of which were a bag of ten matches and two entire just-add-water steaks. Andre's parents both worked as fishers, and so he was knowledgable on how to use and operate a boat. Andre found a canoe resting on the ocean's shore and leapt into it, using the oars to force himself into the water. It starting out rough, and it took him a while to get use to the sea's rough currents. After about an hour of sailing, however, he reached a rather nice island with a flat area that he could sleep on. It was so dark he could barely see as he fumbled to find materials substantial to start a fire. Once he had a teepee primarily made out of driftwood, he pulled out a match and began lighting little bits of tinder on fire to throw in. The fire spread quickly, and he soon had a nice little bonfire. Andre took out a small container and filled it with some water he had. He carefully set the steak into the pot and fastened a little harness for it. He held the steak over the fire, and watched as it turned red and juicy all the way to the core. It was delicious, and after he ate it he doused the fire with sand from the beach. His camp that night was under a tree, between two banks of sand.

By the time the sun set, the District 6 sector had two human inhabitants: the two tributes from District 9. Florencio Goldsmith and Marisa Isaac (allies) had settled into the airplane. It was very warm, and with the addition of two sleeping bags it was rather cozy in there. The airplane had a working toilet and sink. The door could be locked. It seemed completely safe, and it was. At least for now. At roughly three o'clock in the morning on Day 2, the tributes were snoozing away when the lights flicked on. Marisa and Florencio jolted awake, grabbing their weapons and leaping to their feet. What they found was a flight attendant mutation a few yards from them.

"Thank you for choosing Capitol Airlines!" the flight attendant chirped cheerily, beaming at the two tributes. "Can I help you?"

Marisa and Florencio glared at each other, not sure what to do. "Yeah. Can I have a snack? Maybe some popcorn?" Florencio asked, breaking the pensive silence.

"Sure thing!" she replied, and then wandered off, her heels clicking across the floor. Marisa remarked she didn't trust the lady as far as she could throw her, suggesting she was a mutt. At the mention of the word 'mutt', the flight attendant burst back around the corner, her eyes bloody red and wielding a knife in each hand. She darted toward the tributes, her skin beginning to glow red and her clothing catching in reddish-purple flame.

"Run!" Florencio screamed. The two tributes stumbled toward the nearest window and began banging on it, trying to escape. But, the glass was too strong for them to break. The flight attendant mutt had caught up to them, and it went for Florencio first. The lady tore open his stomach, revealing its contents. She began to destroy Florencio's body, and within moments the boy was dead.

Florencio Goldsmith, District 9 Male: 13th, Flight Attendant Muttation, Day 2

Whilst the mutation was killing Florencio, Marisa had some time to escape. She had made a break for the front door. She threw it open and tumbled out, running down the staircase and darting over the cement runway. She had a significant head start, and she was able to outrun the lady (who was in heels). After about ten minutes of chasing, Marisa acknowledged that she would get nowhere without trying to kill the mutt. The mutt carried immense momentum, but she wasn't good at changing direction quickly.

Marisa stood still, her back pressed against the large building. Then, the moment before the flight attendant hit her, Marisa dove to the left. The mutation crashed into the building, and she was trapped under the weight of the rubble. However, a huge chunk of rock hit Marisa as well. She was stuck against the rock as it skidded across the ground, battering her to a pulp. She had killed the flight attendant, all right. But, she had killed herself as well.

Marisa Isaac, District 9 Female: 12th, Crushed by Building, Day 2

The District 7 sector attracted the most tributes. By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, four tributes were in the forest. They reasoned that the forest had lots of places to hide, and they were right. With its comforting darkness, it certainly seemed like the safest place to be. But, it had the most muttations of all. They would see. The sector's four inhabitants were Jaxom from 5, Casey and Hazel from 6, and Willow from 7. Willow was the fastest runner of the quartet. He had spent much of his life running through his local grape grove picking grapes, and so he had quiet feet that leapt over the terrain. Never once did he let a stick crack under his weight, and never once did he make a single sound. He had looks to match his grace, too. Needless to say, sponsors lined up and down the block for him. Once Willow grew tired, he settled down for the night beside a small lake. It was a rather cozy place to be, and the sounds of the birds chirping merrily put him to sleep quickly. Hazel was the runner-up in terms of speed; she made it about halfway to the force field by the time she had to go to sleep.

Jaxom and Casey, from 5 and 6 respectively, spotted each other at around five o'clock in the morning on Day 2. Casey thought that Jaxom had not seen him and so he tried to scamper away silently. But, Jaxom had seen him. Unsheathing his knife, Jaxom thundered toward where Casey lay crouched down behind a corpse of bushes. Casey immediately leapt to his feet, pulling out his only weapon. Casey's axe glistened in the light of the setting sun as he held it in the air, ready for a fight. Everybody knew that Jaxom could outlast Casey any day in a fight. But, Casey was clever. Jaxom made the first move, lunging at his opponent and attempting to slit his throat. But, Casey leapt out of the way and ran around the disoriented boy, slamming his axe down into his enemy's shoulder. He ducked, and the axe swung over his head (searing off a few of his stray curls along the way). They, Casey tossed his axe into the air. It lodged itself perfectly into the branch of a tree, and the protruding arm of the branch began hurtling toward the ground toward oblivious Jaxom. The branch instantly crushed him to death. It was quite a bloody show, and Casey recoiled with disgust as he was splashed with Jaxom's blood.

Jaxom Rozinov, District 5 Male: 11th, Killed by Casey, Day 2

The sun rose on Day 2. The rest of Day 2 was empty of conflict between the ten tributes. However, there were a number of close encounters. The first occurred at around eleven o'clock a.m. The gamemakers saw how much Willow was beloved by the audience, and they were itching to see what he was capable of. And so, they sent a swarm of Satyr mutts after him. They leapt across the floor of the forest as they chased after him. Willow's only weapon was his hatchet, and he managed to fend them off for an hour. He shinnied up a tree like a squirrel and dropped rocks on them, picking them off one by one. The second encounter of the day occurred only a few minutes before midnight. District 6's Hazel had a close scrape with death when she heard two voices a few yards away. She ducked behind a tree and watched as Diamond and Erasmus walked straight past her without noticing her presence. After the two careers disappeared over the horizon, Hazel sighed with relief.

The morning of Day 3 came in the form of a cannon shot. Daniel had been wandering through the arena when he hit the force field. He immediately shot back, a powerful electric current coursing through his body and running through his heart and brain. He promptly died, and his dead body skidded against the ground before smashing into the stump of a felled tree with a thump.

Daniel Oliphant, District 3 Male: 10th, Collided with the Force Field, Day 3

Around nine in the morning on Day 3, something monumental occurred in the first Quarter Quell. Maxx and Diamond had been out hunting, while Erasmus stayed at the cornucopia to guard the supplies. Maxx and Diamond split off from each other and went their separate ways, agreeing to unite at the foot of the mountain in District 2's sector at sundown.

Diamond was wandering through the arena, newly felled snow crunching under her feet in the most satisfying way. She stopped herself mere feet from the force field. She took a deep breath. She had nearly suffered the same fate as Daniel. Diamond began throwing rocks at the force field to amuse herself. She had spent much of the dark morning hours hunting, and so she was tired. She deserved a break. She threw her first stone. It hit the force field and shot back. Diamond caught in in her hand. She repeated this process a few more times, catching the stone each time.

Diamond threw her twelfth rock. The rock flew on its path and flied past where the force field was before completely disappearing from Diamond's vision. Forehead wrinkling in confusion, Diamond tossed another rock in the exact same spot as the previous one. It disappeared over where the force field should have been.

There was a hole in the force field.

What had actually happened was this: the cost of the elaborate arena had not left much money over for construction of the force field. This led to the existence of multiple spots where the force field was weaker, or even simply nonexistent. Diamond jogged forward, intrigued. She cautiously reached her hand out toward where the hole in the force field was. Her hand went right through. She moved her finger across to find the edge of the hole. After about four feet, her finger hit the sizzling force field. Diamond pulled her finger back. Spots of it were charred and reddish-brown. Diamond bit her lip as she fashioned an ice pack and placed it over the wound. Her curiosity finally got the best of her. Diamond climbed up into the hole and threw herself outside of the force field.

Diamond Griego had escaped the arena.

Diamond plopped out of the arena. She was standing in a huge field of cement, whitish-grey stony ground spreading out as far as she could see in any given direction. She turned around and looked up at the arena. It was a huge steel building, nearly a mile tall and many miles long and wide. It was a pleasing sight to see all of the supporting shafts and screws and rods of metal working in harmony to keep the building up. Back at the arena, Diamond wandered further. She was breaking the law, and she knew it. She was defying the Capitol with every breath she took outside of that arena.

Diamond's heart leapt into her throat when a pair of peacekeepers burst around the corner, foreheads hot with fury.

"What do you think you're doing?" they roared. Diamond tried to make a run for it, but she was grabbed firmly by the torso. One of the peacekeepers wanted to shoot her instantly, but the other was merciful and decided to let her back into the arena. "If you value your life," he hissed, "You will go back in there right now. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" he barked, and Diamond shrunk back.

"Yes. Sir," she said finally before running back into the arena that loomed over her.

From that moment, Diamond knew that she couldn't just sit there and do nothing. She looked back at what the gamemakers had done to tributes that had made the Capitol look foolish. If any tribute made a single sign of rebellion, they were killed instantly. No exceptions. Diamond knew the gamemakers would kill her unless she did something. But what could she do?

She knew exactly what she could do. Diamond ran over the terrain, picked up her supplies, and ran over to District 12's sector. She knew about the huge ravine, and that would be a good hiding place. Diamond entered the ravine, going down and down and down in the elevator. She searched meticulously for a space with no cameras. Then, she crawled inside a hollowed-out cove of stone. She looked around. No cameras here.

Diamond pulled out her knife and brought it to her neck. Biting down on a sapling she had found, she cut the knife into her skin. She screamed as red was exposed, but she kept digging deeper. A desire to show the Capitol that they couldn't control her motivated her more than anything else ever would. Finally, the blade clanged against something metal. She reached up and pulled it out of her shoulder. Her tracker.

She smashed her tracker against the stone wall. It was tough, and after about ten hard strikes Diamond had made a dent of a few millimeters in depth. After about twenty minutes of smashing, she delivered the straw that broke the camel's back. Diamond smashed it into the wall, and the tracker exploded in an explosion of electric-blue liquid. With her tracker destroyed, everybody thought she was dead. She smirked as she leaned back against the wall. The gamemakers would send no threats after her now. She could last as long as she wanted down there, with her gallon jug of water and packet of just-add-water meals. All she had to do was wait.

Day 4 was the most boring day yet in the arena. Progress had slowed to a crawl. There was literally no movement outside of Erasmus and Maxx, who thought that Diamond was dead. Day 5 was similarly deathless, although Andre had a close scrape with death with a pack of lizard muttations.

Day 6 would see the death of one tribute. It was a combat death. The fight was between Talisa from 4 and Eva from 7. The moment that the two locked eyes from about fifty yards apart, they ran towards each other and clashed their weapons. They both knew that, with the dwindling number of tributes, killing as much as possible would do wonders for their odds of survival. Talisa was very, very talented with the knife, and the edge of her blade cut soundlessly through the air. Moreover, she had attained a rather handsome number of sponsors, primarily via her looks. However, Eva was from District 7, born to a lumberjack father and author mother. She had an impressive two kills under her belt, and she was the stronger fighter of the duo. After a ten-minute long fight, Eva triumphed. She thrust her axe forward, and it lodged itself perfectly into Talisa's stomach and protruded from her back. She fell backward to the ground, signs of life draining from her one by one until her cannon sounded.

Talisa Lapierre, District 4 Female: 9th, Killed by Eva, Day 6

That left the final eight: Erasmus Pritchett and Diamond Griego from District 1, Maxx Burkholder from District 4, Casey Frondell and Hazel Brizycki from District 6, Willow Baldwin and Eva Knott from District 7, Andre Plunkett from District 12

Day 7 offered great thrill and excitement to the Capitol audience: two lives would be claimed on that day.

Around noon, the gamemakers sent a herd of huge lizard muttations after Andre from 12 and Hazel from 6. The lizards were almost ten feet tall, and they were rainbow colored. Their eyes glowed brilliant red and their tongues flickered in and out, hissing menacingly. They started out slow and then gradually started to grow faster. About ten minutes later, Hazel managed to kill one of her pursuers. She hurled her knife toward the creature, causing it to die instantly. However, the two other lizards were still chasing her. Andre managed to decapitate two of his, killing them. For Andre's third lizard, he managed to slice off one of its legs. This did not render it immobile, but did make it much more difficult and awkward for it to move.

Then, at two o'clock that evening, the two remaining lizards had chased Hazel to exhaustion. She tried to shinny up a flag pole in her panic, the flag of Panem snapping in the wind above her as she shinnied up it. However, the lizards began gnawing away at the bottom of the pole. Hazel watched with panic as the flagpole fell to the ground, smashing her to a pulp and killing her.

Hazel Brizycki, District 6 Female: 8th, Killed by Lizard Muttations and Falling Flagpole, Day 7

Andre was able to successfully kill the third and final lizard mutation. He plunged his axe into a nearby tree, causing it to fall on top of the lizard and squash it to death. Andre had killed all three lizards, and he was so tired he could barely lift a finger. He fell to the ground and fell asleep right there.

Four o'clock that evening came in the form of a cannon. When Andre's final lizard mutation had been killed, its guts had splashed everywhere. Some of them had landed on Andre. The guts were extremely poisonous, and they ate through Andre's skin and consumed his flesh and bones. He woke up, screaming, as his entire body was eaten away. He tried to reach for a nearby bush of poisonous berries to commit suicide, but the reach was too far for him. Andre was killed there on the forest floor, but even then the acid did not stop. Within an hour, Andre's body had disappeared and not a single trace of his existence remained.

Andre Plunkett, District 12 Male: 7th, Killed by Acidic Lizard Muttation Guts, Day 7

On Day 8, Willow met his end. He was scavenging for food when he let a stick crack under his weight. Unfortunately, this was enough to attract the attention of nearby Erasmus and Maxx. The two whipped their heads around, and Willow was assaulted by their weapons before he had time to move or scream. The two charged forth, and Erasmus planted his dagger into Willow's forehead as Maxx thrust his trident into his stomach. Immediately after Willow died, another tribute appeared out of nowhere: Casey from 6, who had run out of water. He was a day at most away from death by dehydration, and he figured dying in combat would be faster and more painless than slowly succumbing to thirst and hunger. Maxx was happy to comply after Casey begged for death.

Willow Baldwin, District 7 Male: 6th, Killed by Erasmus and Maxx, Day 8

Casey Frondell, District 6 Male: 5th, Killed by Maxx, Day 8

On Day 10, the gamemakers believed that there were three tributes remaining. As such, they herded the tributes together via fireballs. They sent them after Eva, Erasmus, and Maxx. The three were fast runners, but Maxx was just the slowest of the trio. A fireball landed mere feet behind him, and the scalding debris assaulted his back. He fell into the crater, screaming as he was burned to death by the hot earth that the rock had left behind.

Maxx Burkholder, District 4 Male: 4th, Burned by Hot Fireball Debris, Day 10

The ravine that Diamond had been hiding in all this time was beginning to fall in around her. She made the quick decision to leave the ravine, or else be left behind to be crushed to death. Needless to say, the gamemakers were very shocked when they saw the girl that they believed to be dead running across the terrain, very much alive and functioning.

"It's not possible," Head Gamemaker Leto Spitz mumbled when he saw the girl running across the terrain. "Septimus!" Leto called for his most loyal gamemaker. Septimus snapped to attention. "Kill that Diamond girl this instant! She's a rebel! We can't let her win!" Leto roared.

"We can't just kill her, though!" Septimus protested. "They love her. She's the first eleven in twenty-three years!"

Leto surged forth and grabbed Septimus by either side of the neck, seething with fury. "Now, I'm going to speak slowly so you can understand," he said as he restricted Septimus' breathing. "If you value your career and your life, you will blow up that girl's tracker immediately!"

Leto released the gasping man. "Yes. Sir," he said as he rushed to the controls. He returned moments later, wringing his hands in shame and embarrassment. "Sorry, sir. We can't do that. Her tracker's gone. Maybe it's ruined or something. Maybe she broke it," Septimus reported, cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.

The head gamemaker roared in rage and knocked his crony aside, grabbing hold of the controls. Screaming with fury, he tried to launch a fireball at the girl. It didn't work. When a gamemaker launches a fireball at a tribute, he is actually launching the fireball at his or her tracker. Since Diamond had no tracker, the fireballs did not work on her. Diamond had beaten the system.

Meanwhile, back in the arena, Diamond smirked as she burst into the clearing. Her plan had fallen perfectly into place. Diamond hurled her knife as hard as she could toward Erasmus' back, and he saw her just as the knife entered his chest. Diamond had no time to make Erasmus' death a bloody show. She simply ripped the knife out of his chest and continued on.

Erasmus Pritchett, District 1 Male: 3rd, Killed by Diamond, Day 10

That left Diamond Griego of District 1 and Eva Knott of District 7 to vie for the crown. Eva had been disarmed of her only weapon, her axe, in a duel with Erasmus mere minutes before. Diamond cornered Eva toward the edge of the golden cornucopia so that she had nowhere to run. Diamond cut her down. She had all the time in the world to make Eva's death a bloody show, and make it a bloody show she did. She drew out the girl's death for hours, and by the time she was practically begging for death Diamond plunged her knife deep into her heart, leaving Diamond the only remaining tribute.

Eva Knott, District 7 Female: 2nd, Killed by Diamond, Day 10

"Diamond Griego of District 1, you are the victor of the twenty-fifth annual Hunger Games, the first Quarter Quell!" Leto roared, his voice laced with fury inside and out.

Diamond just smirked delicately as she climbed into the hovercraft. Snow would make sure that she never saw the end of this. He would make her life hell for as long as she lived.

Diamond Griego, District 1 Female: Victor of the Twenty Fifth Hunger Games, The First Quarter Quell, Day 10


AFTERMATH

Diamond returned to District 1 and found her mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, two uncles, and best friend mysteriously gone. This was no coincidence. This was a warning from President Snow. Diamond had made the Capitol look foolish with her stunt with her tracker, and Snow made sure that Diamond never saw the end of it. Whenever Diamond made a new friend, they mysteriously disappeared within hours of Snow hearing about them. Diamond lived cold and alone for the rest of her life, and she turned to alcohol to dissuade her demons.

Diamond's victory tour went terribly, as many were disgusted by her tactics in the arena. Most extremely was District 7, who showered her with hate for the entirety of her stay. Of course, there was also the very real fact that Diamond was a serial killer; that was why they had voted her into the games. However, from the day she left the arena until the day she died, Diamond never whispered a single word of crime or disobedience forevermore. Coriolanus' move of killing her loved ones had worked. Now that she had nobody to love and nobody to be loved by, the Capitol was Diamond's only source of life and nourishment. She respected their rules and commands without question. She would bow to them forever.

Diamond moved into the Victor's Village of District 1, the fifth victor to do so.

Diamond would live to the age of fifty, dying from liver cancer around the time of the forty-second annual Hunger Games. In her lifetime, she would never marry or have children.


NEWS

Diamond moves into the Victor's Village of District 1, the fifth victor to do so.

Velvet Farrow marries her first and only spouse, a man named Lucius Kritz.

Freya Digard marries her fiancée after two years of courtship, Pharoah Hinters.


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)
22HG: Gold Carson (#4, District 1)
23HG: Ashlyn Breston (#3, District 6)
24HG: Dayta Albrand (#3, District 3)
25HG: Diamond Griego (#5, District 1)


A/N: Merry Christmas everybody! I hope that your holiday is filled with festivity and warmth. Happy holidays, and I'll see you next time with number twenty-six!

P.S. I'm running dangerously low on arena ideas for future games! If you could leave any arena ideas in the reviews or via PM, that would be greatly appreciated :)