THE SEVENTY SIXTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"Smooth Sailing"
INTRODUCTION
The nation of Panem was in chaos from the moment Struve Lockman emerged from the third Quarter Quell with a sweat-laden face and a toothy smirk. The producers of the Hunger Games reality television show tried their best to doctor the clips before they could be shown live, but their efforts were futile; thousands upon thousands of people had already seen clear as crystal what had happened. It was no surprise to anyone at all when Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane mysteriously disappeared less than fifteen minutes afterward, which of course meant the recently vacated slot needed to be filled before games time rolled around. The trouble was that no Capitolites were ready to take the position, as none wanted to run the risk of having such a high position of power while the nation was in as much turmoil as it was. District 8 had long since been known as the single most rebellious district of Panem, so, once again, it was no surprise when the first riots of the rebellion began there. The small textile-manufacturing towns of 8 were so numerous they were given only numbers to distinguish them, and it was in Town 265 that the first shouts and shots of the rebellion took place. A group of two-hundred rebels, inspired by Struve's cause, kidnapped 8's head peacekeeper and forced all the information they needed from him on threat of death. Using what he'd told them, the rebels bypassed the security measures and launched an attack on the peacekeeper housing facility in Town 265. A scene as horrific had truly never been seen since the Dark Days. What had once been the strong, bulky building was a column of swirling flame, and screams were cut short as flaming wooden boards fell from ceilings and walls. Rebels dropped and blood squirted here and there as peacekeepers fired their guns every which way. News of the riot (which would go down in history as Collard's Massacre after its leader) spread at incredible speeds across the nation, and in months riots were innumerable. Thousands of peacekeepers and rebels were killed. Rebellion was especially prominent in the known rebel districts of 3, 6, 9, and good old 8. Mere weeks before the seventy-sixth Hunger Games was set to begin, President Coriolanus Snow, desperate for the head gamemaker that refused to step up, appointed himself for the position—marking the first time in Panemian history the president and head gamemaker positions had been occupied by the same person.
The career pack this year wasn't the best, and unlike some other years not all of them scored well. District 1's tributes were polar opposites in a variety of ways, though their scores were the same, eights. The male was a cuckoo-crazy fortune teller who claimed he was in contact with a supernatural realm he called the Graithnecia, and his tribute token was the deck of tarot cards that had been passed down his family line for centuries. The female tried her best to stand out as an honorable 1 career but only succeeded halfway. She acted sexy and tantalizing enough but ultimately came off as desperate and socially awkward. District 2 offered forth the cream of the crop this year; both were well-bred and well-fed, ferocious fighters. The male was fiercely ambitious and had some of the fastest reflexes 2 had ever seen, and he was distantly related to Victor Discordia Komine, which certainly helped with his popularity. The female was the one who stole the show this year. The eighteen-year-old Coama Victimize was steely and ice-cold and didn't give a crap about any of the pre-game festivities, and she was one of the best sword fighters the academy had had the privilege of training in games history. District 4's tributes were both decent as well. The male had the natural body of a swimmer and the mind of a master sailor, and his senses of direction were impeccable. The female was a weaker replacement who stepped up after the chosen volunteer broke her left arm. She still scored a nine though, being quick on her feet and having a knack for knives. The scores of the pack were slightly lower than average: two tens, two nines, and two eights.
The crop of outliers wasn't terribly memorable this year, but there were still numerous standouts to make the games interesting. Two nines were earned. Voltanna from 5 was a pretty girl with curly black hair and an extremely seductive aura around her. Her looks as well as her trap-making and weaponry skills helped her earn her score. Kete from 10 was a smaller boy, though he was very good-looking and had impeccable throwing knife skills. Hauling around sacks of animal feed from an early age had built his muscles quite a bit as well. Alongside the two nines, there were two eights. Otto from 8 was a hipster boy with fiery-red hair that ran to his waist, and despite having never touched a weapon he had excellent manual dexterity and a ready mind. Foltra from 10 was another weirdo: a profane gangster who was into doing favors for men twice her age, and her knife skills were decent. The scores this year were almost entirely based on how well the tribute could use a knife, as these were the only weapons provided in the cornucopia. Sevens were earned by Tuncay from 5, Chrysler from 6, Jacques from 7, and Zachry and Ginevra from 12. The rest of the tributes scored between six and two in their private sessions. There weren't many other standouts, but there were two very sad ones. Harold and Lola from 11 had been one anothers' only forms of comfort after their parents abandoned them on the streets at age five, unable to care for them. Knowing their deaths were imminent, the two twelve-year-olds were glad to have one another in their final moments. There were no volunteers outside of the careers. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Porcelain Wing, 16, (8) 12-1 and Loraselle Rainer, 15, (8) 11-1
District 2: Vesuvius Ascuro, 18, (9) 5-1 and Coama Victimize, 18, (10) 3-1
District 3: Pi Steinkeller, 12, (2) 57-1 and Captcha Maitlen, 17, (5) 24-1
District 4: Nautilus Reeves, 17, (10) 3-1 and Anilyne Satta, 18, (9) 6-1
District 5: Tuncay Saint, 18, (7) 14-1 and Voltanna Evans, 18, (9) 7-1
District 6: Crystler Camara, 18, (7) 17-1 and Justine Monts, 16, (5) 25-1
District 7: Jacques Hareven, 12, (7) 17-1 and Conna Ren, 14, (3) 40-1
District 8: Otto Wompanog, 17, (8) 12-1 and Caroline Luther-Vise, 18, (6) 21-1
District 9: Wayne Drummard, 18, (5) 21-1 and Tillie Mayberry, 13, (3) 42-1
District 10: Kete Pedroia, 18, (9) 7-1 and Foltra Major, 18, (8) 12-1
District 11: Harold Bishop, 12, (2) 69-1 and Lola Sparkman, 12, (2) 70-1
District 12: Zachry Tunis, 16, (7) 15-1 and Ginevra Harness, 18, (7) 14-1
HGBO Bets: 18% on Coama, 16% on Nautilus, 14% on Vesuvius, 11% on Anilyne, 10% on Porcelain, 9% on Loraselle, 6% on Voltanna and Kete, 5% on Otto and Foltra, 3% on Tuncay, Crystler, Jacques, Zachry, and Ginevra, 2% on Caroline, 1% or less on Pi, Captcha, Justine, Conna, Wayne, Tillie, Harold, and Lola.
THE GAMES
The state of Panem was so disorderly that virtually no time at all had been spent on arena design; in fact, this year's arena would go down as one of the blandest yet. When they first entered the arena, the tributes would find themselves in a curious location: the wooden deck of an enormous cruise ship. The cornucopia was made entirely of panes of glass, which shone so brightly in the sun the horn was almost impossible to look at for more than a few seconds. Its supplies largely consisted of life vests and waterproof cases in which food, batteries, and matches could be kept. The only weapons provided this year were knives; Coriolanus was a man who liked blood and he wanted a good amount of close-range combat this year. The ship had a total of twelve decks, with two solely reserved for crew. Of the remaining ten decks, eight consisted of passenger cabins while the remaining decks contained the public rooms: reading and writing rooms, lounges, a sauna, and even a swimming pool, a theater, and a bowling alley. The ship was docked in an enormous circular atoll consisting of hundreds of small islands, and the water contained in the lagoon was warm and comfortable albeit salty. If a tribute left the cruise ship, they'd have to swim nearly half a mile through the lagoon to reach dry land, a swim some tributes would undoubtedly be unwilling to take up. The waters of the lagoon were filled with harmless sea turtles. The islands of the atoll were largely populated by palm-like trees bearing pineapple and light-pink fruit with a sweet flavor. There was also an abundance of butterflies; they flew in swarms based on their color and could be rather picturesque with the azure-blue sky as a backdrop.
The feel of salty sea spray was strong on the tributes' faces as they rose up into the arena on their pedestals. They were standing on the wooden deck of the enormous cruise ship, and in the distance they could see a faint green smudge that meant dry land. To their left and right there were two doors that led into the depths of the cruise ship. In the center of their circle was the cornucopia: made of glass so bright it was nearly impossible to look at directly.
Surprisingly enough, when the gong rang not a single tribute turned tail and fled the carnage; none were willing to take their chances with what they could find in the cruise ship itself.
Coama sprinted at the head of the onrush, her dark hair rippling behind her. She scooped up two knives that sat twenty yards from her pedestal and turned sharply on her heel, deftly hurling both of the knives at the morphling-withdrawn girl from 6. The girl staggered to the deck of the ship, coughing up blood, and she was gone in moments.
Justine Monts, District 6 Female: 24th, Killed by Coama, Bloodbath
Nautilus, another fast runner, swept up a belt of throwing knives that was curled up about halfway between his pedestal and the cornucopia. A nearby boy screamed as one of Nautilus' knives dug into his chest. His lungs swiftly flooded with blood and that was the end of him.
Pi Steinkeller, District 3 Male: 23rd, Killed by Nautilus, Bloodbath
The ever-bloodthirsty Coama from 2 landed two more kills shortly after. The pitiful Harold and Lola from 11 had crumpled in terror and were rocking back and forth in each other's arms, tears streaming down their cheeks. Coama was more than happy to give them the sweet release of death they were begging for. Lola was the first to fall as Coama's knives carved out part of her chest, and as Harold crawled away he found one of the blades in his forehead.
Lola Sparkman, District 11 Female: 22nd, Killed by Coama, Bloodbath
Harold Bishop, District 11 Male: 21st, Killed by Coama, Bloodbath
Vesuvius was a bit disappointed that there weren't any swords in the cornucopia but he didn't waste time moping about it. He was quick to find himself a pair of whimsically-curved kukri knives, and he tossed them between his hands for a few moments, admiring the way they perfectly caught the light reflected by the cornucopia. Vesuvius lunged toward a nearby boy, a taller one from an upper district, and drew a heavy line down his back. The boy moaned and toppled over, and he was out by the time his body made a loud thud against the wooden deck.
Tuncay Saint, District 5 Male: 20th, Killed by Vesuvius, Bloodbath
Cuckoo-crazy Porcelain from 1 seemed to have set aside his ridiculous prophecies and his glossy tarot cards for the time being. He armed himself with a cleaver and a serrated dagger, reminiscent of Haymitch from the second Quarter Quell, and hurled himself at a cowering girl nearby. She was too stunned to sidestep before Porcelain sawed his knives into either side of her body. Despite the girl's best attempts to clap her hands over the wounds, she couldn't staunch the blood flow.
Ginevra Harness, District 12 Female: 19th, Killed by Porcelain, Bloodbath
The two tributes from 4 teamed up to make their next kill. Nautilus held onto his belt to keep the knives inside from rattling too much, and Anilyne clutched her two daggers extremely hard for fear that she might drop them. They were creeping toward a somewhat chubby girl who was kneeling on the ground, taking inventory of the contents of an orange pack. She spotted the 4s too late to be saved. By the time her brain registered what was going on, Anilyne had stuck her daggers into her body. Nautilus only barely had time to hit her with a throwing knife before she died.
Caroline Luther-Vise, District 8 Female: 18th, Killed by Anilyne and Nautilus, Bloodbath
Loraselle was the last career without a kill, but as she surveyed the wooden field around the glass cornucopia her lips curled into a smile. Just inside of the cornucopia, a dark-haired outlier was flopping and moaning, bleeding out from a wound inflicted by Porcelain. Loraselle approached and finished the job her district partner had started. Her knives found their way to his heart with perfect accuracy.
Wayne Drummard, District 9 Male: 17th, Killed by Porcelain and Loraselle, Bloodbath
Vesuvius' kukri knives cut through the air like nothing as he sprinted into the direction of a strong and good-looking boy nearby, Chrysler from 6. Soon enough, Porcelain joined in on the chase. With the boys from 1 and 2 after his blood, it seemed as though Chrysler had no hope of escape. In his panic, he grabbed up a diminutive girl nearby and held her in front of him. The weapons of Porcelain and Vesuvius slammed into her body. Wanting to end her suffering, Chrysler quickly snapped her neck before fleeing, untouched by the careers' weapons.
Tillie Mayberry, District 9 Female: 16th, Killed by Porcelain, Vesuvius, and Chrysler, Bloodbath
Anilyne made her next kill shortly thereafter. A dark-skinned girl about ten yards away was shaking like mad and trying not to cry as all of the carnage transpired around her. Anilyne thrust one of her daggers into her back. She whipped around, eyes wide-open, gasped, and then crumpled like a torn paper doll. She would never rise again.
Conna Ren, District 7 Female: 15th, Killed by Anilyne, Bloodbath
Kete and Foltra from 10 had allied before the games, and they were some of the most ambitious tributes their district had ever seen. As soon as they found good supplies for themselves it was no question that they were going to murder the strongest tribute. Kete had to jump in front of Coama, not directly in front of her but still in her peripheral vision. As Coama lunged at Kete, he darted to the left. Coama turned into just the right position so that Foltra could thrust her knives into her back. Coama roared and fell to the ground, bellowing out curses. Kete and Foltra didn't wait for the moment reinforcements came; they left quickly.
Coama Victimize, District 2 Female: 14th, Killed by Foltra, Bloodbath
Vesuvius made the penultimate kill of the bloodbath. With only a few tributes left around the cornucopia, his plate of options was much more limited. His next victim was the miniscule girl from the technology district who wasn't much of a threat anyway, and a girl as small as her was killed almost instantly from that close range.
Captcha Maitlen, District 3 Female: 13th, Killed by Vesuvius, Bloodbath
The last kill of the bloodbath was a surprising one. Loraselle had been fading into the background throughout the entire bloodbath, and she knew she was the weakest link in the pack. Her only hope was that she would be able to impress the leader of the pack into letting her stick around, and so she had spent the whole of training getting to know the 2 girl. With Coama dead, her plan was collapsing around her, and in a fit of panic Loraselle fled from the cornucopia, making a mad dash for the edge of the ship and abandoning her allies. Nautilus, the fast swimmer that he was, dove into the water after her without a moment's hesitation, and she was hopeless. Nautilus only had to hold the thrashing 1 girl underwater for a minute or so before she died off, triggering the thirteen bloodbath cannons.
Loraselle Rainer, District 1 Female: 12th, Killed by Nautilus, Bloodbath
With the bloodbath at its conclusion, the careers hung around at the cornucopia. They were leery of going hunting this early, as most of them were exhausted and motion sick from looking at the sparkling cornucopia. The instant the bloodbath was over Porcelain grabbed his deck of tarot cards and started following the others around babbling his insane predictions. He told Anilyne that she should have died eight days ago, Vesuvius that his hair would soon become curly if he didn't eat meat that Friday, and much, much more. The others put up with Porcelain because turning on one of their members that early in the games would undoubtedly cause them to fall out of favor with the Capitol. Vesuvius took up the job of reducing the cornucopia's shine, as he, like the other careers, hated looking at it. He found a barrel of rope in the back of the horn as well as large quantities of cloth, and the 2 boy got to work fashioning the opaque sheets over the glass. Nautilus left the cornucopia with the expressed purpose of finding the wheelhouse, the room where the captain could steer the ship. He eventually discovered it, but the door was locked, and a note was carved into the door saying that the key was hidden somewhere. He spent the whole day hunting for the key, and even enlisting the help of Vesuvius he couldn't find it. Anilyne delved into the depths of the cruise ship and reached an extravagant dining room which she raided of several exotic fruits as well as some more familiar dishes like bread and pasta. She carried them back up to the cornucopia for lunch when it was time.
The seven surviving outliers scattered every which way, some of them staying on the cruise ship and some paddling away through the lagoon. Voltanna had two knives, a backpack of rope, and a case of crackers, but unfortunately no life vest. She found that if she blew into the backpack to inflate it and then zipped it, the air could be trapped inside, creating a flotation device. She made it about halfway to dry land when she was forced to settle for the night, and the 5 girl dragged herself onto a small island sporting a single palm tree. Chrysler was a bit shaken up after narrowly escaping death in the bloodbath, so he wasn't willing to take the risk of leaving the ship. His travels took him to one of the nicer cabins, where he took a quick wash and laid out his knives, his only possessions in the world. Jacques was the only twelve-year-old left in these games, and he was terrified: all he had was a pack of three crackers and he was alone wandering through the upper decks of the cruise ship. Jacques eventually discovered a room filled with electronic games. He was drawn right in, and he whiled the day away playing chess and backgammon with the computer to take his mind off of the games. Otto was a surprisingly good swimmer for a boy from 8, and even without a life vest he was the first tribute to reach the sandy beaches of the atoll. He shook one of the pineapple trees until it dropped its fruit and munched on them the whole day long, staring at the far-away cruise ship, now a faint white smudge on the horizon. Kete and Foltra hunted tirelessly through the cruise ship after setting their supplies down in a food court. Both were filled with determination and passion and they had their hearts set on making at least one more kill before the day was out. The 10s even had the guts to leave their supplies unguarded in the food court, a testimony to their spunk. Zachry was exploring one of the reading and writing rooms on the ship when he heard the footsteps of the careers coming his way. Trying not to panic, he glanced back and forth in search of an escape route. The only hiding place was a dusty, unused closet nearby. The boy thrust himself inside and closed the door behind him, and he slid to the ground, refusing to leave until the footsteps of the careers faded into silence.
The morning of Day 2 came in the form of a cannon shot. Kete and Foltra from 10, absolutely determined to keep making kills and remain the most popular tributes, quickly left for their second hunting trip as soon as the sun rose on the second day. Their victim was less than a hundred feet away. The night before, Jacques had fallen asleep playing chess with the computer, and as Kete and Foltra peered into the room they saw the glowing screen telling the sleeping boy it was his turn. Kete gingerly turned the doorknob and crept toward the sleeping twelve-year-old, Foltra at his heels, and then they went in for the kill. Jacques awoke screaming as Kete buried his knife into his waist, and as blood squirted this way and that Foltra finished the job with a stab to the neck. The tiny boy bled out quickly; his rooks and pawns would be left untouched for eternity.
Jacques Hareven, District 7 Male: 11th, Killed by Kete and Foltra, Day 2
At the other end of the cruise ship, Zachry woke up with a start, hitting his head on the shelf above him. Even after the careers left, he refused to exit the small closet in which he had imprisoned himself. He couldn't shake the thought out of his head that one of them was waiting outside of the door, ready to kill him. Eventually a sponsor sent Zachry a note that the careers were gone (the small drone had to slip the note under the door). Relieved, Zachry wrapped his fingers around the handle. It wouldn't budge. He'd locked himself in. Panicking, Zachry banged against the lock, but it refused to open. There was a small hammer behind him which he used in his attempt to break out. Unfortunately, he just broke off the handle, leaving the locking mechanism in-tact. Zachry slid to the ground, crying, unable to fathom the misery of being trapped in that pitiful little closet until his death.
Nautilus and Vesuvius had been taking turns keeping guard for the whole warm night, and as the sun rose both of the boys quickly left the cornucopia. Nautilus was incredibly eager to find the key to the wheelhouse, and Vesuvius agreed to help him in exchange for a little extra food and a few of his knives. They were both puzzled when a silver parachute came down to them containing a single slip of paper. The paper was split into thirds, and each third contained a puzzle. The boys figured that the solutions to the puzzles would tell them where to find the key, and they quickly got to work. They managed to solve the first puzzle after less than an hour, but the other two were substantially more difficult. Nautilus took one of them and Vesuvius took the other, but even dividing-and-conquering they couldn't solve both of them before the day was done.
Porcelain and Anilyne, the portion of the pack that was hunting, were really doing more exploration than they were hunting. Anilyne was a curious spirit, regularly opening closets just to note the colors of the shelves and collecting rocks from the decorations that looked like eggs. She was determined to explore the whole cruise ship, and Porcelain was always at her side, feeding her his strange fortunes. Porcelain seemed almost as curious as Anilyne but sometimes got bored with her antics and had to sit down on some bench or other fiddling with his tarot cards while Anilyne wandered away.
The duo was exploring the lower decks of the ship together when their flashlight beams fell onto an ancient-looking door labeled "storage". Surprisingly enough, the handle was unlocked. Inside, there were crates of oranges, apples, and other fruits neither of them had seen in their lives. There was also a wide variety of colored fish, and this piqued Anilyne's curiosity. They were certainly below the waterline—if she could peer out of the ship somehow, wouldn't she be able to see all of the colorful fish swimming in the lagoon? Porcelain sat down nearby, and Anilyne got to work prying away one of the wooden boards on the back wall. She was expecting a bit of water to pour in, but that wouldn't be a big deal—the board was the size of her arm and she could easily put it back. Anilyne finally managed to pop the board free, and all hell broke loose. With thousands of pounds of water pressing down on top of the hole, a jet of water flew into the room so strong it hit Anilyne in the chest and knocked her to the ground. Multiple other wooden boards were collapsing around the one she'd removed, only making room for more and more water to come in. By the time Anilyne got back to her feet, the water was up to her waist. All around, hundreds of crates of cargo bobbed on the surface of the water. She screamed Porcelain's name, but he'd already left the room, closing the door behind him. Anilyne drowned as the room flooded completely, but fortunately for the other tributes the flooding stopped there. This would not be a repeat of the fifty-first Hunger Games.
Anilyne Satta, District 4 Female: 10th, Killed by Drowning, Day 2
Day 3 was deathless. Voltanna had been resting for the entirety of Day 2 but she decided to set aside the entirety of Day 3 for swimming. Her end goal was to reach the narrow green strip of land surrounding the lagoon, but of course there were many steps along the way; she had to "hop" between islands for breaks to keep from getting too exhausted. She finally reached the atoll just before nightfall, but Voltanna was too fatigued to do anything other than collapse on the beach and fall asleep. Chrysler go work on an elaborate mechanism he'd designed the day prior. To build it, he'd have to steal one of the wheelie carts from the dining room. He would place it on a ramp facing the door of the room, connected to a rope or string. Chrysler wanted the cart to roll toward the door whenever it was opened, barreling over the intruder before they could sidestep. Fortunately, he managed to grab everything he needed without being seen or heard, and in no time he was off to work. Otto had been nonstop eating pineapple for several hours. His stomach was not taking kindly to it all. He had gotten horribly sick and had thrown up multiple times. Otto dragged himself into a copse of leafy ferns with his legs curled up, willing the things to work their way out of his body. Kete and Foltra, after two days of hardcore energy, were finally getting exhausted; well, one of them was. Kete wanted to hunt, hunt, hunt and Foltra wanted to rest, rest, rest, and if they didn't come to a compromise sooner than later their alliance would be in trouble. Zachry tried with all his might to break down the door of the closet in which he was imprisoned, but it was useless. He was far too weak to make a splinter in the thick, glossy wood. Dehydration was claiming him further and further every hour; the boy would certainly die in there if he didn't find a way out soon.
On the morning of Day 4, Nautilus and Vesuvius finished the last few puzzles on the sponsor sheet. At the bottom of the page was a collection of spaces in which the location of the key would be written. Over the course of a few days Nautilus and Vesuvius had managed to gradually fill in the letters by completing the other puzzles. Now, the completed message read "starboard and aft side, twenty feet down keel, behind wooden panel."
Both boys were extremely excited to find the key they'd been working toward days. They eventually discovered that the markings they'd made on the paper had bled through to the back, creating a bold arrow that pointed them toward the key. When they arrived at its location, they quickly discovered retrieving it was much harder than it had originally seemed. There was a small wooden panel twenty feet below them, but how would they reach it?
Vesuvius had a plan. He sprinted toward a nearby rack of lifeboats and pulled two of them down. "I'll get into one of these lifeboats," Vesuvius explained, "and you'll lower me. When I'm twenty feet down I can get the key and then you'll lift me back up."
The plan seemed simple enough. Sea-savvy Nautilus had no trouble sending Vesuvius down. When he finally reached the panel, he found it swung open smoothly as silk, and inside was a sleek metallic key. Smiling, Vesuvius hurled it upward for Nautilus to catch. He called for his ally to lift him back up. That was when disaster struck. The excited Nautilus was pulling up the lifeboat too quickly, causing it to scrape against the curved side of the cruise ship. Before he knew it, Vesuvius had fallen out of the lifeboat. He grabbed onto the side of the ship for dear life, screaming for Nautilus' help. The panicked 4 boy sent down another lifeboat to help him. The boy eventually managed to grab onto the second lifeboat and swing himself onto the first. Unfortunately, the automatic crank didn't stop lowering the second lifeboat, and before Vesuvius could scream the boat landed right on top of him. A three ton object on his body was enough to squash him to death in moments.
Vesuvius Ascuro, District 2 Male: 9th, Killed by Nautilus, Day 4
That left the final eight: Porcelain Wing from District 1, Nautilus Reeves from District 4, Voltanna Evans from District 5, Chrysler Camara from District 6, Otto Wompanog from District 8, Kete Pedroia and Foltra Major from District 10, and Zachry Tunis from District 12.
Nautilus returned to the cornucopia majorly humiliated, if not exactly traumatized, after accidentally killing Vesuvius. Being a career he didn't mind killing but the fact that he'd been stupid enough not to stop lowering the lifeboat after Vesuvius had boarded the other one made him feel more than a little timid. Other than Nautilus, there was only one career left in these games: Porcelain Wing. As soon as Nautilus told him the story Porcelain's mouth started moving a mile a minute, babbling about how he had predicted disaster with his tarot cards just that morning. Nautilus was so bogged-down by everything that he didn't bother to unlock the wheelhouse: he would put that off 'til Day 5 after he caught up on his sleep.
On far-away dry land, Otto continued suffering through the misery caused by his stomach-aches. He wasn't popular enough to receive any kind of medicine. The only way he could get rid of the pain was to wait through the agonizing hours of each day.
Back on the cruise ship, Chrysler was in a bit of a sticky situation. After several hours of work he completed his little cart, and immediately after he climbed onto the serving tray. He gave the contraption a bit of a kick and then he was off. But in seconds he had spiraled out of control and went crashing sideways into one of the tables. Chrysler screamed and fell onto the table, knives and forks impaling his flesh every moment, and the table snapped under his weight. It broke into two pieces. For a moment there was the terrifying screech of metal against metal and wood against carpet and Chrysler was unconscious. It took several minutes for him to regain consciousness, and after that he was far too bruised to do anything but sit around and wait for his body to heal itself.
On the morning of Day 5, Nautilus returned to the wheelhouse, instructing Porcelain to keep guard over the cornucopia while he was gone. Nautilus reached the wheelhouse and slid the key into the lock. To his pleasure the door clicked open as smoothly as silk. Inside he tore the covers off of all the joysticks and levers and whatnot, ready to steer the ship. Captain Nautilus pulled the large lever to lift the anchor, and then he was off. Nautilus planned to steer the cruise ship in one large loop around the lagoon, a feat that should have been do-able in a day or two. He felt so at peace steering the ship, and it all reminded him of home.
Two deaths occurred on Day 5, and they happened in rapid succession. In the locked closet, Zachry knew he was dangerously close to death from dehydration and starvation. He had given up all hope of escape and had since made peace with his own death. Wanting to leave the world as quickly as possible, Zachry grabbed onto the broken handle and drew a heavy line down his arm with the sharp edge. He fell against the back wall of the closet, screaming in agony, until he bled out five hours later. The hovercraft ended up having to punch down the door to reach and collect his corpse.
Zachry Tunis, District 12 Male: 8th, Killed by Himself, Day 5
The next death occurred less than a minute later. On the sandy beach of the atoll, Voltanna had been largely doing nothing for hours other than lying around basking in the light of the sun. Head Gamemaker Coriolanus Snow had been largely disappointed with the lack of death in his games so far, and, just to keep the Capitol satisfied, decided to take out his wrath on the most lackluster tribute in the games at that point.
Voltanna woke up screaming as the first of the crab mutts closed its pincers around her arm. They weren't poisonous, but they were strong enough to draw a fair amount of blood. Voltanna leapt to her feet, struggling to shake off the crab mutt, and, when that didn't work, she tried to tear it off with her other hand. By the time she'd picked it off, a good dozen or so had crawled out of their hidden dens all over the beach. The girl, who wasn't thinking very clearly at the time, jumped into the ocean with some kind of notion that she'd be able to swim away. It turned out that the crabs were ten times faster in water than on land, and before she knew it she was overwhelmed. Her blood painted the seawater red as she bled out and drowned over the course of a few minutes.
Voltanna Evans, District 5 Female: 7th, Killed by Crab Muttations and Drowning, Day 5
The next day, Day 6, was deathless. It wasn't entirely boring though. Even with his tarot cards to keep him occupied, Porcelain was growing rather bored. He was really curious to see what Nautilus was doing in the wheelhouse. On the morning of the sixth day, unable to hold his curiosity at bay any longer, the foolish career boy abandoned the cornucopia and trotted toward the wheelhouse. Porcelain arrived about ten minutes later to find the door locked.
Porcelain knocked twice. Inside, Nautilus was lost in the controls, one with the ship. When the 1 boy knocked, Nautilus jumped so suddenly he yanked one of the controls suddenly to one side. It didn't do any damage to the ship, but the 4 boy was furious that Porcelain had interfered with his work. He pulled the door open and yelled at his ally for a good five minutes and ordered him to the return to the horn. Porcelain was intimidated, and took a quick peek at the controls before starting back to his post.
By early morning Chrysler had healed from his minor wounds. The shuddering of the ship when Captain Nautilus jumped awoke Chrysler from his morning rest immediately. Thoughts raced through his head, and he somehow came to the conclusion that the ship must have been sinking. Chrysler raced out onto the ship's deck and hopped into the nearest lifeboat. He managed to lower himself successfully. Over the course of the next six hours, he used the paddles to make his way toward dry land. When he finally arrived at the atoll, Chrysler collapsed on the beach and fell asleep instantly. The last things he saw were a few harmless monkey mutts staring at him from about twenty yards away… harmless at least for now.
Otto was more miserable than ever. The pineapple had finally worked its way out of his system. Now that he was back to health, he refused to eat anything he found, terrified he would have the same allergic reaction to it. He only ate a small portion of berries he recognized.
On the cruise ship, Kete and Foltra kept up their relentless hunt for tributes. Foltra had been exhausted for several days, and even Kete was beginning to grow rather bored. One of their sponsors sent them a note instructing them to rest, and both were happy to comply. They rested in one of the lounges on the ship, grabbing snacks whenever they got hungry and thirsty.
Day 7 was similarly deathless. Otto continued striding aimlessly along the beaches of the atoll, staring longingly at the fruits and plants he longed to gobble down but was too paranoid to eat. Chrysler woke with a nasty shock as the three mysterious monkey mutts attacked him. It turned out they weren't very smart. Chrysler drowned the first, suffocated the third with a handful of dirt, and killed the third by tricking it into wrapping its own tail around its neck. He rested that afternoon near a lake with cool leaves pressed against his skin, enjoying the beautiful day.
That was also the day that Kete and Foltra finally split. Strangely, there wasn't one single moment that they broke their bond. They just met up more and more rarely until the producers stopped counting them as an alliance in their tribute list. By the end of the day, Kete was in the upper decks of the ship, while Foltra was in the deepest levels where there were smaller cabins and fewer public rooms.
Day 8 was, once again, deathless. Toward the middle of the day, temperatures rose substantially: from the mid-seventies to the low-nineties. The tributes on the ship didn't notice it, as the cool sea spray made it difficult to differentiate temperatures. Porcelain and Nautilus, the two careers left in these games, were therefore largely unaffected by this change. Kete and Foltra didn't notice because of the air conditioning on the inside of the cruise ship. Far away on the land, Otto and Chrysler didn't notice much change.
By that point President Snow had had enough. Three consecutive deathless days meant that a large portion of the Capitol audience had flicked off their television screens. But Coriolanus never did anything halfway. He declared a feast a noon the following day, and while attendance wasn't technically mandatory, it might as well have been.
"My deepest congratulations to the final six tributes of the seventy-sixth annual Hunger Games," rasped the snake-like voice of the president. "At noon tomorrow, a feast will be held at the cornucopia."
At that moment, a beacon of light shot into the sky at the location of the cornucopia so that everybody would know where to head.
"But there's more. Any tribute who fails to attend the feast will have their life ended slowly and painfully. May the odds be ever in your favor."
That was enough to get each of the tributes to attend. Nautilus left the wheelhouse to join Porcelain at the cornucopia. They hung around for the day, running over battle tactics and refining their skills. Kete and Foltra both moved to the uppermost decks of the ship so the horn would be as close as possible when noon arrived the next day.
The real chaos was going on with the boys on the beach. As soon as the announcement finished Otto ran for the nearest pineapple tree. He couldn't eat the fruit, but he could touch the leaves without allergic reaction. He spent nearly half a day assembling a raft from the leaves and branches.
Chrysler got back onto the lifeboat and paddled back to the cruise ship. He then grabbed onto one of the dangling ropes and tugged himself up. By nightfall on Day 8 all six of the remaining tributes were on the cruise ship, nervously preparing for the feast.
By the morning of Day 9, the heat had increased once again. Temperatures were in the low one-hundred tens, and the tributes were sweltering on the deck of the cruise ship. Kete had an excellent circadian rhythm, and he woke himself up at exactly eleven in the morning on the day of the feast. He hurriedly stowed his things away, grabbed a few weapons, and trekked in the direction of the cornucopia. By the time he reached the horn it was noon. A few minutes earlier, Porcelain and Nautilus had been driven away from the cornucopia with a cluster of crab mutts, so Kete had the horn all to himself. In front of him there was a rack of sickles, several pairs of shoes and changes of clothes, packages of food, and, most temptingly, a cooler of freezing-cold water. Kete grabbed a few thermoses and filled them with all the water they could carry. Then, after grabbing everything that he could carry with him, he stormed away back into the ship.
In the upper decks of the giant cruise ship, Foltra woke a few minutes before noon. Thinking she had plenty of time, the 10 girl took up a leisurely walk toward the horn. A sponsor note told her that the careers were away from the cornucopia. Unfortunately, by the time Foltra got there the two boys had returned.
Foltra was less than a hundred feet from the sparkling horn when she was intercepted by Porcelain. The 1 boy leapt out from behind a pile of crates, and a stunned Foltra almost fell prey to his knife. Foltra fell to one side, and Porcelain's knife grazed her cheek; if she had been a second later, she might have been killed. Shaking with panic, Foltra stumbled away, but only to find herself face-to-face with a grinning Nautilus. Trapped between the two boys, Foltra made an attempt to leap off of the ship, but Porcelain reached her first. She was in ribbons by the time he was finished.
Foltra Major, District 10 Female: 6th, Killed by Porcelain, Day 9
What the careers didn't know was that while their fight with Foltra was transpiring, another fight was going on at the cornucopia. Chrysler and Otto had reached the cornucopia at exactly the same time and were now engaging in a violent fist fight over the supplies. At one point Otto nearly managed to escape with a sack he'd filled with water, but Chrysler hurled his knife like a projectile, popping the sack and causing Otto to slip on the puddle that resulted. Their fight only broke up when they heard the footsteps of the careers. When that happened, both boys stopped fighting, grabbed everything they could carry, and sprinted into the shadows. The feast of death was over.
With the feast having reached its conclusion, the living tributes returned to their dwellings. Porcelain and Nautilus were a little disappointed at having only made one kill, but they figured they could make up for it by hunting particularly dutifully for the next few days. Porcelain lost his tarot cards and spent a few hours looking for them while Nautilus returned to the wheelhouse to steer the ship around a little more.
The only three outliers left were Chrysler, Kete, and Otto. Chrysler returned to the dining room as soon as the feast was over with a pack of assorted supplies he'd snatched from the feast. He ended up settling down underneath one of the countertops, hidden from sight by the tablecloth that draped down to the floor. Otto ran to the bottom of the ship and found himself in an extremely creepy dimly-lit corridor lined with old, rusty, unused doors that looked like they hadn't been touched in centuries. He eventually collapsed inside a storage closet, where he hummed a series of tunes to himself to keep himself occupied. Kete was one of the other tributes who went to the very bottom of the ship; after the feast he wanted some quiet time to gather his thoughts. As Day 9 progressed, Otto and Kete couldn't help noticing a strange growling sound coming from around them. They both should have known it was a kraken mutt but dismissed it as the creaking of the huge ship.
Around that time, the Capitol sent a few cameras under the surface of the water to give the audience a good view of the kraken, making its third appearance in games history. It was about half the size of the cruise ship with tentacles as strong as steel cords, and even from their warm homes the Capitolites couldn't help feeling a sense of sheer terror at the sight of the massive beast. It'd been lurking at the bottom of the lagoon for nine days and it was finally ready to unleash its wrath.
Nautilus was in the wheelhouse with his hands on the controls when the sirens began wailing. He tapped a few buttons and received a message from the sonar that a large object was detected under the ship. The 4 boy peered out of the panoramic window and spotted the large shape beneath him, and he instantly deduced that it had tentacles given the way it was moving.
Nautilus yanked the controls suddenly to one side. He knew that if he was fast enough, he might be able to avoid the mutt, but the increased movement of the ship just woke the kraken up, and from there the ship was doomed. Nautilus screamed as the kraken wrapped its first hideous tentacle around the hull of the ship, lining the glass window with suction cups. At that moment he knew it was hopeless to try and escape the mutt. He ran for the exit, but he wasn't halfway there before the window shattered and cold seawater poured into the wheelhouse. It was enough to kill him instantly.
Nautilus Reeves, District 4 Male: 5th, Killed by Drowning, Day 9
At the cornucopia, Porcelain was sleepily standing guard when one of the kraken's tentacles shot out of the nowhere and tore the glass cornucopia straight off of the deck. The 1 boy screamed and ran for cover, but ironically inside was the worst place to be. The bottom decks of the ship were already flooding with water. The Capitol predicted that the ship would be fully submerged in at most one hour. Porcelain collapsed in one of the cabins and fell onto the bed, hurriedly pulling out his tarot cards for some kind of guidance as the cruise ship rumbled and shook from the force of the kraken.
Down at the very bottom of the cruise ship, it was chaos. No sooner had water begun flooding into Otto's corridor had the lights gone out, bathing him in pitch black. For a moment he was too shocked to move. By the time he pulled his foot off of the ground, the seawater was up to his waist. Otto paddled aimlessly, screaming for help as the corridor gradually filled. He eventually found a staircase going up, and he made to climb it but stopped in his tracks.
At the opposite end of the corridor, Kete was trapped. He'd been flushed there by a tide of floodwater that had splintered the wooden door of his room, and now the 10 boy was trapped against the wall by the current.
Otto paddled toward Kete's screams before he could stop himself. By helping the 10 boy he was risking his own life, but he didn't think he'd ever be able to live with himself knowing he'd let somebody die right under his nose. Otto was a strong swimmer, and he managed to reach Kete with no problem. They locked arms, and Otto helped Kete move back toward the stairs. But they just weren't fast enough. Otto had underestimated how quickly the level would flood, and oxygen deprivation was quickly lethal for both of them.
Otto Wompanog, District 8 Male: 4th, Killed by Drowning, Day 9
Kete Pedroia, District 10 Male: 3rd, Killed by Drowning, Day 9
In half an hour the cruise ship was already half-sunk, sticking out of the water at an almost forty-five degree angle. The only two tributes left in these games made their way toward the safest end of the ship, both aiming to stay on board as long as possible. Porcelain only left the cabin as water started seeping in. He fell out into the hallway and then out into the scalding summer air, racing aft with his soaking-wet deck of tarot cards clutched in hand.
Chrysler was in much more of a sticky situation. The dining room was in one of the highest levels of the ship and was thereby one of the last rooms to flood. He was cowering in the kitchen, in denial of the sinking of the ship, and when the tools started sliding off of the counters he finally forced himself to move. Chrysler left the room and found the dining room half-flooded. China floated off of tables and silverware clattered here and there. All of the doors were sunken so he ended up having to smash one of the windows to get out onto the ship's deck. He sprinted in the same direction as Porcelain, avoiding the flailing tentacles of the kraken mutt and screaming with terror.
When the 1 boy and the 6 boy met at the tail end of the ship, they didn't even think about fighting each other. They were too busy trying not to fall straight off of the angled deck. At that point, the kraken roared with a noise reminiscent of maniacal laughter, seeing the destruction it had caused. Then it slid back under the waves, not to be seen again for nearly a decade.
It only took a few more minutes for the ship to go down, and when that happened Porcelain and Chrysler were left floating in the lagoon. Porcelain, the best swimmer, paddled for the distant palm trees. Meanwhile, Chrysler dragged himself onto a floating wooden beam and used another wooden beam as a kind of oar to drag himself to dry land.
Porcelain collapsed on the beach after the hours-long swim, panting with exhaustion and limbs burning like fire. The water was so clear that Porcelain could see the wreck of the cruise ship sitting at the bottom of the lagoon like the skeleton of some fallen beast. He didn't bother to set up a shelter. He fell asleep almost instantly, not even realizing that his tarot cards were gone or that there were only two tributes left in the games.
Chrysler took a lot longer to reach the sanctuary of dry land. It was nearly midnight when his hands felt hot sand, and the 6 boy fell onto it gratefully. He'd never looked like much, but he'd proven himself pretty resilient throughout the games and with all of 6 rooting for him it was far from impossible to imagine he would take home the Victor's Crown.
On the morning of Day 10, Head Gamemaker and President Snow set the tropical forest ablaze. Fires started in the north and south, tearing over the wildlife and burning it like paper. Chrysler was in the north, and Porcelain was in the south, and they were driven together. Chrysler was awoken instantly by the smoke in his eyes, and he turned around to see the wall raging toward him. He quickly grabbed his knife, his only possession, and then he was off. Porcelain reached for his tarot cards for guidance only to find them missing. He ended up grabbing a few leaves and tossing them into the fire in an effort to communicate with the supernatural, but he didn't get a good reading and figured whatever was beyond the veil wanted him to charge into the fight alone. He was a career after all.
The two boys spotted each other around noon, and the fight was won from the start. Porcelain had the better weapons and the better skills and the better reflexes, and Chrysler was just an exhausted boy who wanted to go home. Chrysler's initial strategy was to stand his ground and fend off Porcelain however necessary, but after Porcelain cut a gash across his chest he realized that strategy wasn't getting him anywhere. The next instant Porcelain had knocked his knife out of his hand, and the next instant the 6 boy was pinned to the ground. Porcelain slit open Chrysler's throat. He was gone in moments.
Chrysler Camara, District 6 Male: 2nd, Killed by Porcelain, Day 10
"Porcelain Wing of District 1, you are the victor of the seventy-sixth annual Hunger Games!" Coriolanus shouted as the hovercraft descended to collect the famous youth.
Porcelain stared at the clouds with a blood-smattered face and a toothy grin. The games had been a great experience, but he was ready to go home.
AFTERMATH
Porcelain wasn't all that well received when his victory first came to light. He was without doubt the kookiest victor 1 had ever seen, but over time many would learn to love him. The day he returned home he started his own little fortune shop. It wasn't terribly popular, but Porcelain enjoyed the quiet life. He couldn't possibly picture himself being constantly in the spotlight. That life just wasn't for him. He would remain a somewhat reserved man as he grew older, almost always preferring to settle down with a book and a mug of coffee over going to some party or other. About a year after his victory the Capitol sent a fleet of submarines down into the wreck of the cruise ship to retrieve his tarot cards, and they only managed to recover two of them. They would be preserved in a glass case on display for hundreds of years.
He moved into the Victor's Village of District 1, the thirteenth victor to do so.
His victory tour was alright. He could be awkward when he spoke in front of crowds, but in a cute way.
Porcelain would live to the admirable age of ninety, dying in a car accident on his way to the reading of the sixth Quarter Quell twist. He would never marry nor have children, but it was widely accepted as fact that he had a lifelong crush on fellow victor Iuna Mosier.
NEWS
Porcelain moves into the Victor's Village of District 1, the thirteenth victor to do so.
Cecelia Rieffel adopts young triplet sons: Connor, Theodore, and Gabriel.
Victor Xhang and Remus Daley have their first child via Victor and a surrogate mother.
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)
40HG: Beetee Latier (#6, District 3)
41HG: Radiance Clinton (#6, District 1)
42HG: Technik Hartline (#7, District 3)
43HG: Dylan Levitt (#9, District 4)
44HG: Rye Boyum (#2, District 9)
45HG: Chaff Korsmun (#2, District 11)
46HG: Nolan Wrack (#11, District 2)
47HG: Klink Byrae (#4, District 5)
48HG: Brutus Cordley (#12, District 2)
49HG: Wiress Freid (#8, District 3)
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)
51HG: Lyme Mabbett (#13, District 2)
52HG: Ruby Rayfuse (#7, District 1)
53HG: Lily Eckel (#3, District 11)
54HG: Blight Holzer (#2, District 7)
55HG: Emily Pollick (#5, District 5)
56HG: Sally Vasilia (#6, District 5)
57HG: Mason Kittridge (#14, District 2)
58HG: Margaret Cartmill (#1, District 10)
59HG: Tiger Sterne (#8, District 1)
60HG: Cecelia Rieffel (#2, District 8)
61HG: Valerie Easton (#15, District 2)
62HG: Enobaria Rigatti (#16, District 2)
63HG: Gloss Linden (#9, District 1)
64HG: Cashmere Linden (#10, District 1)
65HG: Finnick Odair (#10, District 4)
66HG: Victor Xhang (#17, District 2)
67HG: Augustus Braun (#11, District 1)
68HG: Iuna Mosier (#12, District 1)
69HG: Alexander Westlake (#2, District 10)
70HG: Annie Cresta (#11, District 4)
71HG: Johanna Mason (#3, District 7)
72HG: Remus Daley (#18, District 2)
73HG: Apollo Reinold (#4, District 6)
74HG: Meredith Powell (#4, District 7)
75HG: Struve Lockman (#19, District 2)
76HG: Porcelain Wing (#13, District 1)
