THE THIRTY NINTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
Potentia
INTRODUCTION
Coriolanus Snow returned as president of Panem, ruling over the nation with his usual iron fist. Also, Yarrow Dawnbloom returned for his seventh year as Head Gamemaker. Continuing down the ordered sequence of districts, the arena for the thirty-ninth Hunger Games would be modeled after District 2. Yarrow struggled with this, as the terrain of the quarry district was harsh and an arena that accurately depicted it would host a boring games with lots of deaths from natural cause. Even so, Snow knew he could trust him to pull off these games, and the Capitol couldn't wait to see what he cooked up.
The career pack this year was slightly weaker than average. Overall, District 1 produced the weakest pair. Their male was calm and calculated and rather level-headed, preferring to go behind the scenes to work things out. He was more of a logical thinker than a brute force attacker. He loved the mace and centralized his plan-of-attack around it. The female would have gotten a higher score, but she tripped and sprained her ankle during the reaping because she was so excited. She was bloodthirsty and vicious, but her sprained ankle still held her back and could not recover by the time that the games started. District 2 produced a pair that were astoundingly skilled. Their male was vicious and deadly in every aspect of him. The knife was his weapon-of-choice, its versatility and elegance catching his eye. His district partner was not unlike him. This girl was tall and muscular, preferring the knives as well. She was actually close friends with her district partner. Their resemblance was striking. District 4 produced a pair that was rather unconventional. District 4's male, a famous surfer in his district, was your typical vicious career but also displayed kindness and thankfulness as some of his personality traits. He used the trident with skill that bespoke years of practice. District 4's female, the daughter of an influential District 4 politician, was similar to the District 1 male in that she preferred to use the logical aspects of battle over the physical ones. When she had to fight with guns, germs, and steel, however, she chose the spear. The training scores of the careers spoke for themselves that this year's batch was a lacking group. Two tens, two nines, one eight, and one seven were scored among their ranks.
Outside of the careers, it was District 12, of all places, that stole the show. Their male and female both scored eights, the highest scores outside of the career pack. Their male was a rich merchant boy whose muscle strength from lugging around carts and the like proved to help him with brute force weapons like the mace. District 12's female was a miner's daughter. Ever since her father had died in a mine accident eleven years prior, the girl had volunteered as much of her time to the mines as possible to build a good tribute just in case she was reaped, which happened. Much of the audience thought that the two stellars would ally, but they didn't. There was, however, an alliance outside of the careers. It was between Quark Dowler of District 5 and Diesel Nobility of District 6. They both managed to score impressive sevens, Quark with his knife skills and Diesel with his axe skills. The only sevens besides the allies were Leo from 10 and Almond from 11. The rest of the tributes scored between six and two in their private sessions. There were three volunteers outside of the careers. Pascal Horace from District 3 had been diagnosed with severe depression prior to the reaping and volunteered in lieu of suicide. Satin Danatello from District 8 stepped forward in place of her cousin, and Leo Tharamel from District 10 volunteered to escape the angry hands of his abusive parents. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Chiaroscuro Sylvester, 16, (8) 8-1 and Bijou Eloe, 16, (7) 13-1
District 2: Scorpio Barnsetti, 18, (10) 3-1 and Thama Violette, 18, (10) 3-1
District 3: Pascal Horace, 16, (4) 26-1 and Dell Haviaras, 14, (4) 35-1
District 4: Keaton Lunar, 18, (9) 6-1 and Penelope Turek, 18, (9) 4-1
District 5: Quark Dowler, 17, (7) 12-1 and Inertia Maniatis, 14, (4) 33-1
District 6: Diesel Nobility, 17, (7) 12-1 and Morgan Skelisky, 18, (5) 19-1
District 7: Cedar Berridge, 13, (6) 28-1 and Juniper Kendricks, 13, (5) 30-1
District 8: Linen Arduino, 18, (6) 18-1 and Satin Danatello, 18, (6) 18-1
District 9: Flynt Geyser, 14, (3) 40-1 and Talia Macintyre, 15, (3) 37-1
District 10: Leo Tharamel, 16, (7) 15-1 and Raven Lanzoretta, 16, (6) 17-1
District 11: Almond Quayle, 18, (7) 13-1 and Daffodil Masten, 17, (3) 30-1
District 12: Valerian Douglas, 16, (8) 11-1 and Pickaxe Ishikawa, 15, (8) 12-1
THE GAMES
The arena consisted of two different parts. The cornucopia stood in the center of a coniferous pine forest. The trees were tall, their sap was edible, and pine needles littered the ground. The scent of sweet sap and fresh pine needles was always fresh in the air. The cornucopia was made of logs stacked in alternating directions like a child's crayon tower. The cornucopia only housed a few types of weapons this year: knives, axes, bows, maces, ropes, and a few others. Yarrow hoped that the small variety of weapons would promote creativity among the tributes, but time would tell if this would work out. Crunchy snow covered the ground, and snow would fall sporadically throughout the games. The coniferous forest stretched on for miles. Far off into the distance, looming over the rest of the arena, was a mountain. Its rocky slopes provided little of sustenance and virtually nothing of comfort, but the tributes could learn to live off of it if they were wise. The moss that clung to the rocky slopes of the feature was edible, and the snow was edible if melted. About halfway up the mountain, there were trees. Their roots were firmly planted into the ground so that they could stay up on the mountainside. But, above a certain point, there was nothing but bare landscape. Nothing but crunchy snow and scattered boulders. The oxygen was much sparser up there; any human would need to breathe more heavily to supply their bodies with enough oxygen to function properly. A series of foothills lied at the base of the mountain. Sheep roamed these foothills.
District 2 would certainly have the edge this year. Not only were they the most powerful of the bunch, the games would take place in an arena that they were comfortable with. It was a very real possibility that each district themed arena would give an advantage to the tributes of that district, but Yarrow hoped that since every district had a turn it would be fair for everybody. Of course, advantages and disadvantages are still a very real thing in the games. Perhaps this year's games would be won by an unassuming outlier who was able to hide in areas where the careers wouldn't think anyone could survive. The harsh and varied terrain was incredible to look at. The crowning feature of the horizon, the mountain, cast a long shadow across the arena. This gave the arena a rather creepy effect. Of course, the games are naturally creepy. Twenty-four enter, twenty-three leave in coffins.
When the loud peal of the gong rang through the arena, two tributes turned around and fled. They were Quark from 5 and Diesel from 6. After entering the coniferous forest they met up and began looking for food.
At the cornucopia, Scorpio led the onrush, letting out battle cries as he leapt toward a serrated knife that sat humbly in a cluster of pinecones twelve yards from his pedestal. Scorpio picked up the knife, and, holding it firmly by its hilt, shoved it into the abdomen of a boy who had sprained an ankle mere seconds prior and was hobbling toward the cornucopia. The boy screeched as the knife sawed into his chest. Scorpio ripped the knife out of the boy and cackled with glee as sticky droplets splattered everywhere. The boy fell, wheezing, his hot blood melting the virgin snow around him.
Pascal Horace, District 3 Male: 24th, Killed by Scorpio, Bloodbath
Thama was practically at Scorpio's heels. She rarely left her friend's side and was loyal to him at all moments. Thama took a knife of her own that lay down in a patch of crumbling rocks near Pascal's blood-lathered form. Thama heard shuffling behind her. She turned sharply on her heel and swiftly thrust her serrated knife forward. It landed in the torso of a girl that was trying to off her with a knife of her own. The girl screamed and crumpled to the grass. Scorpio quickly polished off the sobbing girl, throwing the serrated edge of his knife into her forehead and watching with satisfaction as blood drizzled from the wound.
Inertia Maniatis, District 5 Female: 23rd, Killed by Thama and Scorpio, Bloodbath
The second that the gong rang, Valerian had darted over to the girl whose pedestal was adjacent to his. Strong Valerian grabbed the frail girl and threw her to the ground. Valerian crouched down beside her and, holding her firmly by either shoulder, bashed her head against her pedestal. She was knocked unconscious, but even then Valerian did not stop. The muscular District 12 boy lifted the limp girl into the air and hurled her onto the pedestal. Several cracking sounds were emitted by her body. Valerian walked away, a torrent of emotions overwhelming him after making his first kill.
Talia Macintyre, District 9 Female: 22nd, Killed by Valerian, Bloodbath
Penelope had run all of the way into the cornucopia to grab a spear. She closed her dexterous fingers around the weapon's metal shaft and darted out of the darkness, her footsteps echoing around inside of the metallic horn of plenty. In the clearing, Penelope spotted a glimpse of a sinewy boy falling to his knees beside a black backpack. Penelope ran toward him. He was too shocked to scream as the District 4 girl drove the sharp point of her spear into his neck. He gurgled and spasmed violently as blood began flowing from his nose and mouth, having leaked into his lungs and filled up his respiratory tract. He fell backward and sank into the white snow.
Flynt Geyser, District 9 Male: 21st, Killed by Penelope, Bloodbath
Having swept up a spiked mace that leaned against the side of the cornucopia, Chiaroscuro swung the weapon around with a sort of elegance that bespoke years of practice. The District 1 boy smirked as he whirled around and slammed the weapon into the head of a nearby girl that was zigzagging to avoid attacks as she raced toward the cornucopia. She yelped, but her cry of pain and fear was abruptly cut short as her skull was bashed in. A loud crunch was all that it took before the girl fell forward into the snow, her brain and skull having been beaten to a pulp.
Juniper Kendricks, District 10 Female: 20th, Killed by Chiaroscuro, Bloodbath
Mere seconds later, Scorpio spotted Juniper's district partner leaping over crates and trying to escape the bloodbath with a lighter and a loaf of bread. Scorpio called for his own district partner, and the two worked efficiently together. Scorpio leapt forward and sank the tip of his serrated knife into the District 7 boy's skull. Unconscious, he was easy work for Thama, who lodged her knife between two of the boy's ribs. She wiggled the blade around a bit before pulling it out and washing it in the snow to clean off the stringy blood that had clung to it.
Cedar Berridge, District 7 Male: 19th, Killed by Scorpio and Thama, Bloodbath
Keaton saw a redheaded girl on the ground, crawling away from the cornucopia. She was wheezing. Blood poured plentifully from a gap between her fingertips, which were clapped to her side. She had sustained a dire injury from Chiaroscuro mere seconds prior. Keaton snatched up the nearest weapon—a bow—and went in for the kill. The still target was easy for Keaton to strike, and the pitiful girl actually appreciated it when Keaton ended her suffering. Keaton ran to her side to tear his arrow out of her head before returning to the horn.
Raven Lanzoretta, District 10 Female: 18th, Killed by Chiaroscuro and Keaton, Bloodbath
Penelope needed only to walk three steps before a high-scoring boy ran across her field of vision. Penelope instinctively held out her foot. The running boy tripped on the outstretched limb and fell. He tried to scuttle to his feet and escape, but by the time he could even process what was happening Penelope was thrusting her spear into his head. He yelped as the sharp tip drove through one side of his head and protruded from the other. Two kills under her belt, Penelope smirked with satisfaction.
Leo Tharamel, District 10 Male: 17th, Killed by Penelope, Bloodbath
Bijou hadn't managed to land a kill yet, and this was understandable given that her right ankle was sprained during the reaping. She had managed to pick up an axe in one graceful swipe and plant it into the head of a nearby boy the very next second. This was impressive, and it was the action that first displayed her elegance, even in injury, to the audience. The boy cried out as he crumbled to the snow and splattered Bijou with heavy scarlet beads.
Linen Arduino, District 8 Male: 16th, Killed by Bijou, Bloodbath
Chiaroscuro noticed a weak girl run into the cornucopia and crunch herself into a dark corner. The District 1 boy brandished his mace and ran toward where the girl shook with terror, trapped against the horn's interior wall. She cried out choked pleas as Chiaroscuro lifted his mace into the air and slammed it into her head, bashing in her skull. Chiaroscuro's kills were holding little to no bloodshed, but he still chose the mace thinking that it would be as impressive to swing the heavy tool as it would be to slash a knife or stab a sword. His kills were swift, so he wasn't exactly a favorite in the Capitol.
Daffodil Masten, District 11 Female: 15th, Killed by Chiaroscuro, Bloodbath
Thama made the final kill. She had spotted Morgan, the District 6 girl, running into the coniferous forest with a backpack hastily slung over her shoulder. Thama chased after the girl with her knife. Morgan had a headstart, and she was nimble enough to outrun the career for a few minutes. In the end, however, she just wasn't a match for the trained career. She yelped with terror as Thama's knife dug into her back and she collapsed to the ground beside her. Thama took a quick moment to pillage the girl of her supplies before returning to the horn. Thama lined up each of her footsteps with each of the eleven cannon shots that fired across the arena.
Morgan Skelisky, District 6 Female: 14th, Killed by Thama, Bloodbath
The careers were waiting for Thama by the time that she got back to the cornucopia. They didn't even take a minute to organize their supplies before they immediately went hunting. They foraged the coniferous forest for prey, knowing that its darkness would be alluring to the weaker tributes. It began to grow rather chilly around noon. It was Thama who suggested that they split up, and the groupings weren't random. Bijou and Chiaroscuro were left at the cornucopia to guard and sort through the supplies. Scorpio, Thama, Penelope, and Keaton were paired into groups of two. Scorpio and Keaton were in one group; Thama and Penelope were in the other. Scorpio and Keaton headed for the mountain, hoping that lots of tributes would be there. Thama and Penelope combed through the coniferous forest for prey.
Two allies, Quark and Diesel, certainly had a head start. After running away from the bloodbath, they met up behind a thick tree with a wide trunk. After a quick moment of deliberation, they headed for the mountain. Although the forest was dark and cozy, the mountain was the dominating feature on the horizon, and it was a natural focal point from virtually anywhere. The allies went toward the mountain, Diesel in the front. He had gotten a hatchet from a sponsor that was intrigued by his alliance with Quark, and so he travelled in front and was on the lookout for any predators, or, to a lesser extent, prey. At the foot of the mountain, the two allies set up camp for the night. It was a humble abode, consisting of two beds of leaves shoved behind one of the foothills, but it was better than nothing. Food and water would be the top priorities for the two allies in the morning. Satin from 8 headed for the mountain as well. She was a weak but nimble girl. She reasoned that the mountain, with its dark shadows and icy slopes, would force tributes away from it like identical ends of a magnet. On the icy slope, Satin's survival skills were rather tested. She had to cling on to the rocky side and try not to slip on the ice. More than once she nearly fell to her death. But, miraculously, she reached a flat area on the mountainside. The oxygen was noticeably thinner, but not to an extent that Satin could notice it. She slept in a corpse of bushes that night, with no method of protection against the cold and no method of protection against the others besides her axe. Dell stayed in the coniferous forest. She wasn't a very strong girl, and her frail body couldn't reach the mountain in one day. She had about twelve hours after the bloodbath before the first songs of sunset began, and she was determined to be in a good place when that happened. When the sun dipped below the horizon and Dell still hadn't found a place to call home, she just dug out an area of snow, revealing the dead, crumbly glass below. She slept wrapped in a cloth that she had retrieved from the bloodbath, but could never sleep for more than fifteen minutes at a time because of nightmares. Satin headed for the mountain by walking. Soon, she began to grow dreadfully cold, and she began running to increase her body temperature. This made her lose energy and fluid faster. She felt a raging thirst and hunger. She eventually plopped some snow into a small cup and melted it with her body heat before drinking it. An amateur survivalist might just eat snow, but this is a bad idea for anybody as it will reduce the temperature of the drinker significantly. Satin had a steady supply of water. She was hungry and decided to try some of the sap from the nearest tree. The thick liquid drizzled into her mouth, and she instantly gagged. She leaned to the side and heaved herself dry from the disgusting taste of the sap. She was hungrier than ever, and she cried herself to sleep in a ditch that night with nothing but a package of wires (useless to her) and a coil of rope.
After the bloodbath, Pickaxe had been combing through the coniferous forest, firmly grasping the weapon after which she was named. Pickaxe's feet left trails in the snow. She had been hunting for a few hours when she realized that another tribute could easily track her down by her footsteps, so she settled down against a tree, not sure what to do. As if in answer to her plea, a snowstorm began. The snow covered up her footsteps and she could begin hunting again. The snow shooting through the air landed in Pickaxe's face and made her squint her eyes; it was difficult to see clearly. Suddenly, once the storm had stopped, the District 12 girl spotted a figure on the horizon. It was Valerian, her very own district partner. The boy had had a hand chopped off by Scorpio during the bloodbath, and he had been prowling through the arena hoping that it would increase his body temperature. Pickaxe ran forward, realizing that the boy was in no state to fight back and was in fact weaponless. Valerian uttered a choked, but certain, please, and Pickaxe went in for the kill. She lifted the sharp point of her pickaxe into the air and slammed it into Valerian's head. He went unconscious instantly, ending his suffering. Pickaxe wandered away back to her hiding place against the tree. Valerian was left to die from hypothermia on the ground.
Valerian Douglas, District 12 Male: 13th, Killed by Scorpio, Pickaxe, and Hypothermia, Day 1
Almond from 11 had been wandering through the coniferous forest with a bow and its accompanying quiver. Suddenly, Valerian's cannon shot boomed through the arena. Almond leapt ten feet into the air and whirled around. He fired an arrow out of paranoia. The arrow disappeared without hitting the target that was never there. Almond was still not shaken out of his state of panic. He picked up his things and he ran. He tripped and fell. He hissed with pain and clapped his hands toward his ankle, sticking out at an awkward angle; sprained. Almond panicked. He had no idea what to do. Did he wash it with water? Did he try to correct the crooked bone? Almond reached down and tried to twist it back He yelped as the stretched skin broke and blood oozed forth. He had gotten to his feet within five minutes, but within five steps he fell back down and landed directly on the already sprained, now bloody, ankle. Almond cursed and crawled toward the nearest hiding place, burying his face into his hands with despair.
The careers did not return to their camp on the night of Day 1. Instead, they remained away, leaving Bijou and Chiaroscuro at the cornucopia. Thama and Penelope had been searching the coniferous forest for prey. After realizing just how unrealistic it was for anyone to be there, they travelled toward the mountain. They actually ran into the other duo of careers, and all four decided to unite as one pack.
On the mountain, food was the main priority of Quark and Diesel. Quark was the more intellectual of the group. At first he scraped the edible moss off of the mountainside for food, but he and his partner quickly became fed up with the stuff. They actually caught a squirrel around noon. With no method of cooking the meat, they had to chew and chew until their jaws were sore. While he was doing that, Diesel travelled down the mountainside a bit to where there were bushes. He picked off some of the berries that he recognized as edible and gathered them in a basket. Warmth wasn't an issue for them as a sponsor had delivered them a blanket that they shared. Dell, in the forest, had an episode around three o'clock in the afternoon. A snowstorm had started. Not just any snowstorm, but a windy one. Before she could lift a finger to grab it, the wind blew away her backpack. She sprang to her feet and ran after it, but it was a goner. She had run so far that she was unable to find her way back to where she had been. She was lost with nothing. Tears burned the back of her eyes. Soon, she decided that she wasn't doing herself any favors by laying around and wallowing in her misery. She got up and ran a few laps around a nearby tree to warm herself up. Then, she shinnied up it. Her skills were graceful albeit a little clunky. She reached the top and plopped down. She spent the next few hours amusing herself by catching an ant and watching it crawl over the back of her hand. Satin had been travelling through the forest looking for food when she spotted a fleck of pink peeking out from behind a rock. She ran forth to investigate and saw a beautiful pink flower. Although it was just a flower, it meant so much more to Satin than that. It was a symbol of hope. She delicately picked the pretty flower and put it in her hair, which was braided into a ponytail. Pickaxe spent the day hunting for other tributes. She received a sponsor gift around six in the evening. It was a hand warmer that would produce heat when folded and kneaded. She was so thankful for the gift that she bowed and gave a heartfelt thank you to the Capitol and its generosity and forgiveness. She was perhaps inspired by Porter Tripp of the year prior, who had behaved loyally so that Snow, who needed loyal victors, would keep her around. Almond spent the day tending to his sprained ankle. He had received a note from his sponsor, Seeder, along with a small plastic baggie. The note instructed him how to care for his wound. Almond broke icicles off of the trees and filled the bag with them. He tore off part of his clothing and placed it over his ankle. Then, he applied the ice bag his ankle. It was so cold even with the cloth that he bit his lip, but he eventually got used to it. This, Almond hoped, would prevent swelling or clotting of the wound. Time would tell if this would go as planned.
The sun rose on Day 3, and the careers changed strategies once more. They were beginning to grow cold on the mountainside, colder than they had been on the ground. Less they all freeze to death, they spent the better half of the day travelling downhill. They eventually reached the horn, where they spent about an hour warming themselves up with hot drinks and a fire that Bijou had crafted. Proving their endurance, they immediately got to work hunting through the snowy forest.
In the forest, Dell's ant had been long dead from the cold. The only way that she could occupy herself was to sing. Her voice was absolutely beautiful. It was said that even the chickadees and the robins of the forest stopped to listen to her. She sang folk songs that had been passed down in District 3. Knowing that her death was immediately inevitable, she found a sort of peace in dying in the mindset of home. The careers heard her singing and ran to her. Keaton nocked an arrow into his bow and aimed for the girl, but hesitated. Her voice was beautiful, and Keaton couldn't resist to destroy such talent. He lowered his bow, unable to do the deed. I'll do it myself, Scorpio spat as he marched toward the girl. By the time she noticed the crowd of kids standing beneath her, Scorpio's knife had already lodged itself into her head with perfect precision. She tumbled out of the tree, allowing Scorpio to retrieve his knife. The careers went back to the cornucopia to warm back up. They ended up staying at the horn for the night, planning to go hunting in the morning.
Dell Haviaras, District 3 Female: 12th, Killed by Scorpio, Day 3
Satin's flower had begun to die and wither in the bitter cold of the arena, and she was about to throw it away when she spotted the same pink glint coming out from behind a pile of snow. Satin smiled and picked the pink flower, perfectly shaped. A few feet further, she spotted another pink flower. And another one after that. She spent Day 3 collecting the flowers, and she arranged them once she was finished. It wasn't in an effort to survive or anything, just to occupy herself. Quark and Diesel had been walking up the icy side of the mountain for days, and they finally reached the top a bit after noon on Day 3. Up there, they had a fantastic view of the entire arena, but they didn't stop to admire it. They got quickly to work. Quark, the intellectual of the duo, made their shelter. Diesel, the more creative and artistic boy, made an intruder alarm system. He found the only place where anyone could directly reach the plateu that they were on and covered it with a wall of rocks. Then, surrounding this wall, were stones precariously perched on top of each other. Any intruder would have to carefully walk over the wall of rocks, during which there was a high probability that they would knock it over by accident. If they did manage to get past, they would step on a path of squishy, damp moss that Diesel had laid out. This would bring the moisture to the surface, where it would knock down some of the rocks and make a squelching sound that would hopefully awaken the duo. It was a very clever build, and it earned him many sponsors. No tribute had ever made an alarm system before. Pickaxe had long foraged the coniferous forest for foot to eat, but found none. As her last resort, she travelled to the foothills at the base of the looming mountain. There, she found a flock of sheep grazing. Pickaxe produced her pickaxe and attacked one of them. The sharp edge of the weapons slammed into the side of the sheep. It baad with pain and kicked the girl in the stomach. She was sent reeling, the wind knocked out of her, before she slammed into the ground. She took a few seconds to reach her senses, at which point the animal was charging toward her. She leapt to her feet and slammed the weapon forward, abandoning all caution. She drove the pickaxe into the sheep's head as it crumpled into a limp form. It was dead within a few minutes, and Pickaxe was able to slice out sheets of its meat for food. She dared to start a fire, but she started it nestled between two of the foothills, where she hoped to remain hidden from the sights of the watchful careers.
On Day 3, the unthinkable happened. Almond's sprained ankle became infected. Red streaks surrounded his ankle, and strange bulges occurred. Yellowish foamy powder began to fall from the wound. Almond panicked. What did he do? He had no idea, so he urgently asked his sponsor Seeder for guidance. Quickly, Almond received a strange medley of objects. He received a bottle. Almond opened the bottle and found a single blue tablet inside. He also received a cup. Thirdly and most strangely of all, he received a piece of paper that was folded in half. Almond unfolded the piece of paper and found a rather strange message. Making up the phrases and sentences were not letters but strange, blocky symbols. What did it say? The District 11 boy spent a few hours puzzling over the message, before finally decoding it. Though puzzled by the instructions, Almond followed them carefully. He dropped the blue tablet into the cup with a clatter. He found a small stone and crushed the tablet until his hands were sore. Almond gathered a heap of snow and plopped it into the cup. Almond hissed at the stinging sensation that followed. He clenched his teeth and grabbed onto a nearby sapling to withstand the pain. He looked down and saw that the injury had gotten significantly better. He smiled, hoping he did have a chance of recovery after all.
The careers got up bright and early on the morning of Day 4. Chiaroscuro, Scorpio, Thama, and Penelope went hunting this time, whereas Bijou and Keaton stayed at the cornucopia. The others were disgusted at how Keaton had hesitated to kill the District 3 girl the day prior, and they figured he would be of no help during their hunting spree. Bijou, well, she just wasn't up to doing the intense physical work that came with hunting with her sprained ankle. She desperately wanted to go hunt but the others insisted that she had better stay at the cornucopia. Out in the arena, Chiaroscuro and Scorpio headed for the foothills and the mountain, whereas Thama and Penelope embarked on an adventure through the forest to look for prey.
The careers didn't have to look for long. Chiaroscuro and Scorpio had been walking through the foothills for less than an hour when they heard a crackle from behind one of the hills. The two careers climbed up the hill and looked down upon Pickaxe, roasting some tender mutton over her blazing bonfire. Pickaxe didn't even notice that the careers were mere feet from her, and by the time she did notice it was too late. Chiaroscuro was the first to pounce down. He bashed stunned Pickaxe in the skull, and she died so quickly that there was no time for Scorpio to have any part of the action.
Pickaxe Ishikawa, District 12 Female: 11th, Killed by Chiaroscuro, Day 4
Satin quickly realized that she couldn't continue to survive in the harsh environment that the forest held. She travelled to the foothills on Day 4, seeking its warmth and plenty of food. It was, of course, much warmer there, and she got to work on a shelter immediately. Almond needed more care for his wound. He decided to go tribute hunting to get sponsors. He showed signs of pain from all of the movement, and within hours he began to form painful clots of blood around his infected, sprained ankle. It was painful to even watch as he lay down, tears burning the backs of his eyes as he gritted his teeth and hissed with the throbbing pain of his grievous injury.
Up on the mountaintop, Quark and Diesel decided to disembark from their home. It was cozy up there, but it was just to cold and food was in too short of a supply for two boys to sustain themselves. They travelled down the mountainside and toward the foothills on Day 5, where they began crafting a shelter in a ditch surrounded by several corpses of bushes.
Almond's ankle was beginning to grow inflamed. The sponsors knew he was a goner and didn't even bother to send him anything worthwhile. Satin was heading toward him, and, coincidentally, the two tributes stumbled across each other at nine o'clock in the morning. Satin, seeing that Almond was in no shape to fight well against her healthy self, went in for a fight. Satin smacked hobbling Almond across the mouth. He reeled and spiraled backwards. He quickly ran forward with his hand balled into a fist and slammed it into Satin's shoulder. Fights of pure hand-to-hand combat were rare in the games. Satin rebutted Almond's blow, spinning around and kicking him in the groin. He fell backwards into the snow. Satin kicked him once in the ribs and then walked away, leaving him to die. He quickly succumbed to hypothermia, reducing the tribute count to nine.
Almond Quayle, District 11 Male: 10th, Killed by Satin and Hypothermia, Day 5
After Almond's death, little of consequence happened for the rest of Day 5. With a kill under her belt, Satin received sponsor gifts galore. She eventually travelled to the foothills, where she set up camp in an area heavily populated by the peaceful sheep that grazed the area. The careers continued to hunt, but they made no kills. Back at the horn, Bijou and Keaton sorted through the supplies. Bijou was beginning to grow restless on Day 5, and she wanted to venture away from the cornucopia just for some adventure to brighten up the boring day. Keaton refused.
But, she wouldn't take no for an answer. Bijou woke up bright and early on Day 6 and travelled to the foothills. Her sprained ankle had gotten significantly better over the days, and she was able to warm normally enough. She eventually found herself in a cloud of fireflies. She admired their beauty before travelling on. Suddenly, she stepped on a—wall of rocks. The wall crumbled down, awaking the two boys that had built it. Quark and Diesel grabbed their weapons and ran toward the career girl. She had taken an axe with her, but she had mindlessly set it down when she was in the firefly field. Defenseless and unable to see where the boys were coming from, she picked a direction and ran. The boys caught up to the disoriented career quickly. It was Diesel who did the deed, slashing his knife across Bijou's throat. She fell, gurgling and crying out choked pleas, to the ground. She was the first career to perish in the thirty-ninth Hunger Games.
Bijou Eloe, District 1 Female: 9th, Killed by Diesel, Day 6
That left the final eight: Chiaroscuro Sylvester from District 1, Scorpio Barnsetti and Thama Violette from District 2, Keaton Lunar and Penelope Turek from District 4, Quark Dowler from District 5, Diesel Nobility from District 6, and Satin Danatello from District 8.
After the incident, Quark and Diesel couldn't get back to sleep. After several hours of tossing and turning, they decided to go tribute hunting. They got up and grabbed their weapons. They travelled in one big lap around the mountain. In all actuality, this wasn't for hunting purposes, just to get their blood flowing. They were in for a nasty surprise when they returned home to their camp.
Yes, they were in for a big surprise, because Satin had been waiting merely a hundred yards away from their camp. Satin knew that they were the most well-stocked tributes outside of the careers. The instant that the glow of their flashlights disappeared around the curvature of the mountain, Satin got to her feet and darted toward their camp. She pillaged a loaf of bread first and stuffed it into her shirt. Satin managed to grab a knife, but dropped it. The clattering alerted the duo to her presence. They instantly ran back around and caught Satin red-handed. Picking the knife back up and clutching it for dear life, she ran. Satin was nimble, and she lost her pursuers in the darkness and thick of the mountain.
Day 7 came about with lots of movement among the careers. The four that were away travelled back to the cornucopia on the morning of seventh day. They wanted to restock on supplies. After seeing her face in the sky, the others had abandoned Chiaroscuro for reasons that nobody is still quite sure of to this day. He travelled back to the cornucopia and met up with Keaton.
The other careers travelled back to the cornucopia. Scorpio was in a raging mood. He had not make a kill in several days, and he was eager to bump off a few of his weaker allies. When he got back to the horn, Scorpio grabbed Chiaroscuro and threw him to the ground, yelling about how he killed Bijou and how he was traitor and that he deserved to be killed. This was nonsense, as Chiaroscuro had been with the careers when Bijou's face had appeared in the sky, but Scorpio just wanted to kill him. The others, not daring to dabble into the fiery antics of the District 2 boy, watched as Scorpio reached down and grabbed Chiaroscuro by either side of the neck. He twisted to the right so savagely that the boy's neck snapped. He collapsed back to the ground, dead. When he began barking orders to his allies, they obeyed without question. They know knew the sheer bloodthirstiness of the boy that they were dealing with.
Chiaroscuro Sylvester, District 1 Male: 8th, Killed by Scorpio, Day 7
After having raided the camp of the two allies, Satin ran away from the mountain as fast as her legs could carry her. However, on Day 7, she turned around and ran back toward the mountain. That was where the careers would be hunting, she assumed, but it would also be the place with the most protection. She settled into the mountain's rocky side. She was at first stunned by the bitter cold but got used to it in due time.
The little alliance of Diesel and Quark couldn't last forever. In the games, you don't get to be the second person to betray your ally. Around eleven o'clock at night on Day 7, Quark awoke, his ally gently snoring beside him. Quark grabbed his knife. He did the killing quickly. He couldn't bear to watch and had closed his eyes, but what was certain were the screams of agony and terror that Diesel let out as the knife dug into his head. The knife had pierced a vital artery. Blood poured plentifully from the wound, painting the ex-allies' blanket an evil crimson. His screams faded away to silence, immediately followed by an earsplitting cannon shot.
Diesel Nobility, District 6 Male: 7th, Killed by Quark, Day 7
The morning of Day 8, the four remaining careers headed for the mountain. Their four members (Scorpio, Thama, Keaton, and Penelope) all stayed together as they trooped toward the figure, but then split apart at its base. Keaton and Scorpio actually travelled together, whereas Thama and Penelope travelled alone and separate from the others. Thama went down the eastward face of the mountain and mostly stayed in the lower altitudes. Penelope ventured to the higher altitudes and made wide sweeps across the face of the great natural wonder. Scorpio and Keaton sprawled across the whole mountain with hopes of finding prey more efficiently.
With every tribute on the mountain, the gamemakers had them right where they wanted them. The gamemakers had long been bottling down the fact that the mountain was in fact a volcano waiting to blow. They had silenced the tremors to the point that the tributes could dismiss them as tummy problems. They had taken every precaution possible, and it had worked. On Day 8, finally, the gamemakers could unleash the full-fledged power of the volcano. At the top of the mountain, a huge chunk of rock fell into the bubbling pit contained in the volcano's core. The lava rose and rose. It drizzled out of the top of the mountain and travelled downward, creeping up upon the last remaining tributes in the thirty-ninth Hunger Games.
Penelope faced the most immediate danger, as she was closest to the top of the volcano when the eruption occurred. She heard the loud rumbles immediately preceding the eruption and had time to run down. Soon, she was barreling down the mountain's rocky face with no sense of direction or time. She suddenly slammed into a tree and fell. Penelope started rolling down the hill at a fast rate, with no control over her actions. She came to a stop on a small shelf of rock. Penelope climbed down the mountainside from there and reached the bottom. She was untouched by the lava, but was severely battered and bruised from the long ride down.
Thama was about halfway up the mountain when a torrent of lava burst through a nearby boulder and engulfed her right arm. She screamed as the skin was melted away. She raced down the mountainside but slipped and began making the rocky roll down the side of the deadly volcano. She came to a rest and was too tired and confused to get up and run. A torrent of lava swooshed down and swallowed Thama, killing her in due time.
Thama Violette, District 2 Female: 6th, Killed by Volcanic Eruption, Day 8
The duo of Keaton and Scorpio had abandoned all caution and were now racing down the mountainside away from a huge rush of lava that was closing in from behind them. Suddenly, in some sort of archaic sacrifice to the gamemaker gods, Keaton reached over and shoved Scorpio into a bit of hot lava that was pooling up beside him, as if it would somehow slow its flow. Scorpio died immediately, leaving only four tributes remaining.
Scorpio Barnsetti, District 2 Male: 5th, Killed by Keaton, Day 8
No other tributes died for the rest of Day 8. Penelope and Keaton, the only remaining tributes, trekked back to the horn, both battered severely from the run. They tended to their more urgent wounds for the rest of the day. Satin was so traumatized from the eruption that she hid in her hiding place all day, refusing to leave the place lodged between two foothills even to go to the bathroom. Quark went out hunting for Satin, his knife his chief weapon. These actions continued into Day 9. The careers didn't go hunting on Day 9. Satin hid, and Quark hunted.
Day 10 promptly arrived, and Yarrow saw the perfect opportunity to unleash chaos upon the tributes. Thus far, the games had been empty of muttations. The careers went hunting on Day 10 for the first time in a while. Quark was out not only hunting but also gathering natural resources that would help in his last few fights. Satin ventured out for food, which she got from a patch of berries that sat near her humble abode.
Each tribute was pursued by a wolf muttation. They had silvery fur that shined in the sunlight, and their nails were as sharp as daggers. They had teeth to match, too. The careers could fend them off with ease. Penelope took a trident from the cornucopia, and Keaton took a spear. Keaton managed to gore the creature through the eye, whereas Penelope stabbed it with her trident. The careers' second wolf arrived. This one was bigger, stronger, and more bloodthirsty than the last. The creature roared and leapt toward the two tributes. Penelope held out her trident and swung around the three-pronged weapon in an attempt to slash the creature. Meanwhile, Keaton got in close-range and tried to stab with his spear. Keaton managed to lodge his trident into the creature's flesh. Enraged, it let out a mighty paw and slammed Keaton to the ground. Engrossed in toying with his body, the wolf muttation was easy work for Penelope. She planted her trident firmly into its back. It howled with fury as black blood burbled forth. The mutt withered and died, and Penelope ran to help her ally.
Quark couldn't get in any close-range blows with his knife, so he decided to run away from it. He eventually shinnied up a tree to escape. He began sawing away at the branch that was directly above the wolf. The branch fell and crushed the wolf to death. Quark climbed down the tree and ripped out one of the wolf's fangs. It could be useful later on. All Satin had to fend off her pursuer was the knife that she had scavenged from the allies' camp while they were away. She tried to give the wolf muttation a quick slash, but the creature had already knocked her to the ground. It raked its chorus of talons across her torso, and Satin could only lay and scream as the wolf tore her to a pulp. District 8's chances of victory were now extinguished entirely.
Satin Danatello, District 8 Female: 4th, Killed by Wolf Muttation, Day 10
Day 11 came about with little of consequence. When Keaton and Penelope went out to hunt, they split up to find Quark. Keaton travelled through the coniferous forest. Penelope went to the mountain. The lava had already hardened into stone, and it wasn't unlikely that Quark could have flocked there seeking its protection. Quark had been wandering through the carnivorous forest looking for food. The frequency of his sponsor gifts was beginning to drop drastically; gifts were getting more expensive with time, and Quark was increasingly dependent on his wits to survive in the wilderness.
Another snowstorm began at noon on Day 11. This one was the toughest yet, and it stretched out across the entire arena. The snow cut into the tribute's faces like daggers and obscured their vision almost completely. The sun rose on Day 12. The second the sun rose up from the east horizon, a group of wolves was unleashed after every tribute. Quark had his knife and could fend them off. These wolves, unlike the wolves from two days prior, could climb trees. Quark would be no safer cooped up in a tree than on the ground like a slice of meat. He quickly ran around the trio of Wolves and stabbed his knife into one's heat. It roared and instructed its comrades to chase Quark along with him. Quark eventually resorted to running through rough terrain. He was running up the side of the mountain within half an hour. In the rocky terrain, he lost the wolves one by one. One wolf tripped on a crevasse and was sent rolling down the mountainside. Quark tricked one of the wolves into a patch of cooling lava. With only one pursuer left, he could afford to play the offensive game that the other tributes were playing. He dove forward and planted his knife into the mutt's long and slender snout. It whimpered and scampered away down the side of the mountain.
Back at the cornucopia, the careers seemed to be having varying degrees of success in fending off their bloodthirsty wolf pursuers. These wolves were bigger, faster, and stronger; their old strategies for killing them were now obscelete. Before the careers could do anything to harm the creature, it lifted up a mighty paw and raked its long nails across Keaton's torso. He collapsed, pain exploding through his body, as the wolf sank its sharp teeth into his torso and tore them out, piercing his heart.
Keaton Lunar, District 4 Male: 3rd, Killed by Wolf Muttation, Day 12
Day 13 largely consisted of the final remaining tributes preparing for the final fight. Penelope spent the day at the cornucopia picking out the array of weapons that she would have with her for the final battle. Quark spent all of his time wandering through the arena and practicing his knife skills. The cards were stacked against Quark, but the games are filled with surprises and it was impossible to know for sure which of the final two would emerge victorious.
On the morning of Day 14, the gamemakers concluded that it was that time again. Time for the final battle. With Penelope at the cornucopia, all they had to do was drive Quark toward her. Those same silvery wolves emerged again. Quark was strolling through the woods and practicing his knife skills when he spotted a glint of silver from around a tree. His heart leapt into his throat as he turned sharply on his heel and ran. The wolf, discovered, leapt out from behind the tree and raced after Quark. Quark breathed a mile a minute as the creature chased after him. Less than a minute later, Quark tripped on a rock. He flailed around his arms and flew forward before plopping onto the ground with a hollow noise. The wolf lunged toward him. Yarrow grabbed the controls and tried to draw the wolf away from Quark. He wanted a final battle, and that couldn't happen if Quark died. Panicked, Yarrow's shaking hands couldn't find the right controls fast enough. Quark gasped with horror as the beast smashed a mighty paw into his chest, knocking the wind out of him. The wolf raked one of its sets of sharp nails across his torso, opening five long gashes from which blood burbled. When he died, the wolf prowled away, satisfied. A symphony of trumpets pealed across the arena.
Quark Dowler, District 5 Male: 2nd, Killed by Wolf Muttation, Day 14
"Penelope Turek of District 4, you are the victor of the thirty-ninth annual Hunger Games!" Yarrow cried out as a hovercraft descended to collect the nation's newest victor.
Penelope wrinkled her eyebrows and looked around in confusion for her final competitor that she hadn't even killed.
Penelope Turek, District 4 Female: Victor of the Thirty-Ninth Hunger Games, Day 14
AFTERMATH
The final battle of the thirty-ninth Hunger Games had been one of the most anticipated in history. With Quark dying prematurely, the fight could not happen. This marked the first time in history that no final battle occurred, and it made President Coriolanus Snow furious. In most instances, Yarrow would be executed. However, Snow was not about to kill one of the most beloved head gamemakers of the first Hunger Games century. Snow gave Yarrow exactly one chance to redeem himself. If next year's games were a success, he would be forgiven. If not, well, he would meet an ucky-mucky end. Penelope was heavily booed by the nation. She had spent the games fading into the background, not being powerful to the point that she was a target but not acting weak to the point that she would be seen as fodder. There was nothing really about Penelope that made her special, and the fandoms for Quark and Keaton's victory had been much greater than hers. Penelope was largely degraded by the nation, and she would turn to alcohol later in life to quiet her demons.
She settled into the Victor's Village of District 4, the eighth victor to do so.
Her victory tour was a mess; the districts heavily ignored and degraded her. Even her own district found a way to sprinkle in some ill-will.
Penelope would live to the age of sixty, dying from liver disease around the time of the eighty-first annual Hunger Games. In her lifetime, she would never have children. For most of her life she would struggle with alcohol abuse. However, in her late forties, she attempted to make a recovery and succeeded, doing so for the man of her dreams.
NEWS
Penelope moves into the Victor's Village of District 4, the eighth victor to do so.
Amelia Bankston decides not to marry her fiance, Kelan, as it will cause legal issues. Instead, she opts to remain in a romantic and committed relationship with Kelan, just sans marriage.
Troy Stiles has his first and only child with his wife, a girl named Sunflower.
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)
26HG: Thor Rosner (#8, District 2)
27HG: Magnet Lisagor (#4, District 3)
28HG: Maria Dutra (#3, District 4)
29HG: Discordia Komine (#9, District 2)
30HG: Barley Chisolm (#1, District 9)
31HG: Marlin Coppi (#4, District 4)
32HG: Wyatt Kerdler (#5, District 3)
33HG: Molly Soltan (#5, District 4)
34HG: Grover Handa (#1, District 7)
35HG: Troy Stiles (#6, District 4)
36HG: Lana Voltaire (#10, District 2)
37HG: Lucy Said (#7, District 4)
38HG: Porter Tripp (#3, District 5)
39HG: Penelope Turek (#8, District 4)
A/N: Next chapter should be out super-duper soon, probably tomorrow at the latest. It's Beetee's games, and the games are only going to be two days long, so it'll be quick to write. I hope you've enjoyed, and please review if you can. Until next time :D
