THE EIGHTY THIRD ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"Primrose Path"


INTRODUCTION

Cassia Obsidian voluntarily stepped down from the presidency five months before the eighty-third Hunger Games. It had been three years since her marriage to wealthy Capitol businessman Galvan Taverns, and she was now pregnant with his child. Their son, Theophilius "Theo" Ajax Taverns-Obsidian would be born about a month after the games came to a close. President Obsidian's right hand man, Scorpio Talen, took up the role of president during the months that Cassia was on the sidelines of Panem's political system. Much like Obsidian, Talen constantly offered rewards to the citizens of Panem for completing their work on time and with quality. However, his treatment of the poorer districts like 8, 9, and 12 raised eyebrows around the nation, as he raised labor quotas, floggings, and executions in these areas in a Snow-esque way. Violin Turpin also stepped down from the role of head gamemaker for one year; six entire years steering the games ship had been thrilling but exhausting, and she needed a short break. She reassured the Capitol that she would be no less idealistic or enthusiastic when she came back. An older man named Draymond Armidale took her place for the year. Cadmus Flickerman and Daria Pennypacker returned for their third year as the amicable hosts of the Hunger Games. Their morning talk show continued airing on Panem's televisions five mornings a week. All that was needed was a table and two cups of coffee and the two hosts would delve hilariously into various facets of life in the first Hunger Games century.

The career pack was much weaker this year, with only four members. They offered acceptance to the boys from 7 and 9 to make up for the missing careers, but both boys declined. District 1's tributes were more eye candy than anything else, as neither one was particularly smart. The boy was a walking stereotype, tall and blonde and skilled with a spear, while the girl was pretty and conceited and dim-witted. District 2 provided the cream of the crop this year: the boy was charming and sarcastic, and the girl was an intimidating, well-muscled warrior. Both were formidable fighters, and both scored tens. District 4 did not provide careers this year. The chosen male volunteer, seventeen-year-old Guppy Rochford, freaked out at the reaping and refused to volunteer. As a result, an untrained boy was sent into the games. He wasn't completely helpless, but he would undoubtedly be one of the pack's biggest targets. The chosen female volunteer, sixteen-year-old Dock Elizabeth, broke her leg the morning of the reaping. There wasn't enough time to select another volunteer, and a tiny boy-obsessed thirteen-year-old girl was sent into the games. The pack's four members had decent scores: two tens, a nine, and an eight.

The outliers were a memorable bunch this year, as there were a number of intriguing personalities and strong tributes. Two tributes scored impressive eights. Erik from 7 was tall, muscular, and a wizard with an axe, and he was engaged to be married to his high school sweetheart, which helped with his memorability factor. Meanwhile, Luc from 9 was short, fast, and had quick reflexes, and his survival skills wowed the nation. Sevens were earned by Pixel from 3, Adelaide from 5, Cerise from 7, Orford from 10, and Remi from 12. The rest of the tributes scored between six and three in their private sessions. There were a number of other standouts. Pixel from 3 managed to score a seven despite being only twelve years old; she was witty and sarcastic and one of the early favorites. Orford from 10 was a clinically psychopathic, schizophrenic boy whose disabilities had prevented him from realizing there was anything wrong with him. Insane tributes were never allowed to win the games, and unless the boy made a recovery he would almost certainly be doomed to death in the first few days of the games. The last standout, Hopper from 12, was one of the most mischievous tributes the games had ever seen. He figured the best use of his last few days on Earth was to scale the wall of the presidential mansion during the chariots rides, rob the refrigerators on the train, and barge into the midst of the career pack in training and start snoring loudly. There was a single volunteer outside of the careers: Jaro from 11, who volunteered out of desperation; his younger sister was ill with terminal cancer, and in a move of family chivalry, he volunteered knowing that the only hope of treatment was to win the games. Here are the tributes:

District 1: Declan Benitoit, 17, (9) 7-1 and Sangria Ashworth, 18, (8) 11-1

District 2: Nero Ryker, 18, (10) 4-1 and Jaehaera Blackfyre, 17, (10) 3-1

District 3: Joule Merchiers, 13, (3) 57-1 and Pixel Watt, 12, (7) 17-1

District 4: Cyan Costas, 18, (6) 18-1 and Dory Krillgood, 13, (6) 22-1

District 5: Arthur Wattson, 17, (5) 24-1 and Adelaide Hampton, 16, (7) 15-1

District 6: Lincoln Blitz, 16, (6) 19-1 and Lexus Beltran, 16, (5) 25-1

District 7: Erik Nordskov, 18, (8) 9-1 and Cerise Yew, 15, (7) 14-1

District 8: Caden Yarnn, 16, (4) 45-1 and Twilla Weaver, 13, (3) 59-1

District 9: Luc Everett, 16, (8) 10-1 and Harper Lamb, 12, (3) 62-1

District 10: Orford Shaw, 18, (7) 14-1 and Mavvi Levist, 17, (6) 23-1

District 11: Jaro Veldt, 15, (5) 25-1 and Adelia Faye, 15, (5) 24-1

District 12: Hopper Vigo, 12, (1) 100-1 and Remi Gardner, 17, (7) 15-1

HGBO Bets: 20% on Jaehaera, 19% on Nero, 16% on Declan, 14% on Sangria, 5% on Erik and Luc, 3% on Pixel and Cerise, 2% on Adelaide, Orford, and Remi, 1% or less on Joule, Cyan, Dory, Arthur, Lincoln, Lexus, Caden, Twilla, Harper, Mavvi, Jaro, Adelia, and Hopper.


THE GAMES

The arena this year was rather vanilla at first sight. The cornucopia was situated in the middle of a rolling green meadow carpeted with fuzzy green grass. It held a wide variety of weapons, though knives and bows were in particular abundance. A sweeping aerial shot showed that the meadow stretched for miles in all directions, and it was dotted with a number of small pools. Just beyond the cornucopia, there was a sparkling blue lake that looked like polished glass. Surrounding the meadow was a thick forest. The branches of the trees were whimsically crooked, like trees in a fairy tale. Many thin streams scissored through the forest. To the north, there was a tall range of purple mountains capped with snow. The mountain slopes weren't particularly steep, but it would still be a physically demanding climb for any tribute. That was just what was visible at first sight, though. In reality, the entire arena was teeming with fantastic mystical creatures. The forest was jam-packed with mutts like centaurs and unicorns. A large blue kraken with undulating tentacles inhabited the lake just beyond the cornucopia. Even the mountain range, which seemed beautiful in every way, was occupied by a yeti with razor-sharp claws. The star of the show, though, was a single humanoid demon that inhabited the forest. Its skin was slippery and white. The demon had glowing white eyes, and it used its hypnotizing gaze to attract tributes. Whenever the monster attacked a tribute, it would die and the tribute would become the new carrier of its vicious curse. Many suspected this dangerous creature was an homage to the spooky ghost mutts of the eighty-second annual Hunger Games.

The morning wind was warm and comforting as it whipped at the tributes' uniforms. They were standing in the dead center of the rolling meadow, and a few of the more attentive tributes spotted the forest and the mountain range on the horizon. The air carried an inviting flowery scent that invited them all to curl up and sleep without a care. The Capitol cheered as the countdown dwindled closer to zero, and then the tributes were off.

When the gong rang, two tributes fled into the meadow: Pixel from 3 and Mavvi from 10. As the two girls sprinted toward safety, the others burst forward, hoping to gather useful supplies in the opening minutes.

Nero raced in the direction of the cornucopia, and he locked his fingers around a long sword that glittered in the light of the overhead sun. Nearby, a smaller girl was zigzagging back and forth, trying to evade the careers as she thundered toward the cornucopia. Nero thrust his sword into her chest, and she collapsed, bouncing up and down like a dying fish before falling still.

Lexus Beltran, District 6 Female: 24th, Killed by Nero, Bloodbath

The insane Orford from 10 tackled the slim boy from 4, nearly knocking him to the ground. Orford was armed with a number of knives, and the boy was defenseless, so he was helpless despite his best efforts to defend himself. Orford buried two knives into his waist, cackling, and he was gone in moments.

Cyan Costas, District 4 Male: 23rd, Killed by Orford, Bloodbath

Jaehaera, wielding a sword, ambushed Sangria from 1. The self-proclaimed princess had stopped halfway between her pedestal and the cornucopia to check her reflection in the blade of a throwing knife. Jaehaera lashed out with her sword, cutting into the girl's side, and Sangria screamed that she was ruining her hair. Jaehaera pulled back her sword and watched the life force fade from the prissy girl she'd come to dislike.

Sangria Ashworth, District 1 Female: 22nd, Killed by Jaehaera, Bloodbath

Declan was the last career without a kill, but as he surveyed the cornucopia field, he spotted a tiny boy sauntering casually amongst the other tributes, shouting insults and jokes and cussing off the other careers. Declan intercepted the boy and skewered him through his chest, ending his life of mischief for good.

Hopper Vigo, District 12 Male: 21st, Killed by Declan, Bloodbath

Having tugged his sword out of the dead Lexus' chest, Nero attacked his next victim. A nearby girl with a curtain of violently red hair was holding a sword of her own. She put up an admirable fight, but she was no match for the trained career boy. Nero carved his sword into her side and wiggled it back and forth, slicing open organs and drawing out torrents of blood.

Twilla Weaver, District 8 Female: 20th, Killed by Nero, Bloodbath

Erik and Cerise, the allied tributes from District 7, were sabotaged by a small boy from one of the upper districts. The boy was young and foolish and thought he could take down the two tributes, and he didn't realize they were armed with hatchets until it was too late. Erik shoved him to the ground, ordering Cerise to do the deed as he held down his flailing limbs. Cerise screamed as she brought down her hatchet, severing the boy's left leg.

Joule Merchiers, District 3 Male: 19th, Killed by Cerise, Bloodbath

On the other side of the cornucopia, Jaehaera zeroed in on her second kill. She'd been chasing a tall boy back and forth for several minutes when she finally caught up to him and knocked him forward like a domino. The boy fell onto his front, wheezing, and Jaehaera dug the razor-sharp edge of her sword into his back, ending him.

Arthur Wattson, District 5 Male: 18th, Killed by Jaehaera, Bloodbath

Nero, fellow sword-wielder, made a sudden movement with his sword. The nearest boy threw out a pack in an attempt to shield himself from the blow, but he missed and his killer only drew nearer. He screamed as Nero buried the tip of his sword into his abdomen, twisting it farther and farther through until the point grew from his back.

Caden Yarnn, District 8 Male: 17th, Killed by Nero, Bloodbath

Declan made the last kill. Several minutes prior, a twelve-year-old girl had collapsed inside of the cornucopia. With the bloodbath near its conclusion, the girl hadn't budged; she was still rocking back and forth, crying softly and having a panic attack from the stress of the games. Declan quickly went in for the kill. The pitiful girl was killed immediately, and she barely felt it.

Harper Lamb, District 9 Female: 16th, Killed by Declan, Bloodbath

This year's career pack was one of the most dysfunctional in decades. They all had different views of how the pack should be run, how duties should be divided, and how hunting should be approached. The three careers largely sprinted around the cornucopia for several minutes, refusing to settle down for any specific task. Declan sat down after a few minutes to sift through the weapons, and he noticed an excess of blades and bows. He noticed the other two careers acting down in the dumps, and he tried to cheer them up but failed. Nero was having his doubts about the career group this year; with such a small, mixed group, he felt as though it would just be harming him to stick around. He tried to keep these thoughts to himself as he went about his business. Jaehaera paraded back and forth, yelling orders to the others. Leadership skills were valued in career tributes, but the 2 girl was just acting bossy. Bored, the careers quickly left, leaving Nero to guard the supplies while they were away.

The outliers sprinted in all directions. Pixel was one of the fastest runners this year due to her small size, and she raced in the direction of the purple mountain range, hoping the high ground would allow her to spot danger early. She was too weak to reach her destination in one day, so she leaned against a thin tree on the outskirts of the forest to sleep. Dory silently sprinted east and expertly killed a small weasel with her knives. She was smart enough not to start a fire, so without means of cooking the meat she had to chew until her jaw was sore. At nightfall she climbed into the lowest bough of a tree and tried to sleep. Adelaide had a decent stock of supplies: a shovel, a blowgun, and five darts. Upon reaching the forest, she dug a large hole, hoping to use it to trap tributes and mutts. Lincoln had shoved a pack of wire into a sleeping bag before racing from the bloodbath, and as soon as he settled down he began assembling snares to garner food and keep himself healthy. Erik and Cerise raced toward the sparkling blue lake beyond the cornucopia. After killing Joule from 3, Cerise was a sobbing mess, and Erik tried to comfort her as the lake drew nearer. The duo settled for lunch, and they kept catching fleeting visions of the kraken mutt hiding in the depths of the lake, but they were so short and infrequent that the 7s didn't pay them much attention. Luc scampered noisily through the trees before settling down in a bowl-shaped ditch. It wasn't much, but it would do at least something to hide him from the view of other tributes. Orford was indecisive about whether to stay in the meadow or move to the forest, but eventually decided on moving to the forest. When he was too tired to move on, he collapsed on a hill overlooking a marshy swamp. He vowed to find a better home the next morning. Mavvi, the deaf girl from 10, traipsed aimlessly back and forth through the forest. It finally grew dark, and the girl settled at the base of a tall tree, thoughts racing through her head. When Jaro reached the forest, his mad sprint slowed to a creep. The forest was beautiful and mysterious all at once, and he knew he had to tread carefully. Jaro spotted a large rock and placed his handprint on the grimy surface; twenty minutes later, almost a mile away, he spotted the same exact stone. Creeped, he curled up on the ground and tried to sleep. Adelia and Remi, the allied girls from 11 and 12 respectively, practically dragged themselves up a tall hill that had a stunning view of the entire arena. Both girls were exhausted, and they slept like rocks for most of the light hours of the day. Despite taking up somewhat less than a third of the arena, fourteen of the fifteen tributes were in the forest at the end of Day 1. While these tributes had the most cover, they also faced the most threats, from mutts to other tributes. Time would tell how this would play out.

Remi shook Adelia awake at sunrise the next day. Adelia was exhausted, as was Remi, but she wanted some time to explore the area and gather food before the temperature reached its peak. After a long argument, they reached a compromise. Adelia stayed on the hilltop and rested while Remi sprinted away to explore. Remi had been running for only a few minutes when she came across a series of bushing bearing bright-red berries she recognized. She shoved the berries into her pockets and piled them up into her arms, then raced back toward camp. Suddenly, Adelia's screams shattered the silence of the forest, and Remi dropped the berries, running toward Adelia's screams to help her. Remi burst onto the hilltop just as the first arrow entered the other girl's chest. Three centaur mutts surrounded Adelia in a triangle shape, trapping her between their lines of fire. Remi ran away, terrified, as the centaurs planted their arrows into her ally's body.

Adelia Faye, District 11 Female: 15th, Killed by Centaur Muttations, Day 2

Remi darted through the forest, shoving branches out of her way and letting them snap back into place once she moved past them. She heard Adelia's cannon shot and figured she would be the centaurs' next target. Nero was circling around the cornucopia, doodling in the dirt with his sword, when he heard the commotion and raced toward it to investigate. Adelia ran right into the point of Nero's sword, and she fell to her knees, gasping and shaking. Nero tugged his sword out of her torso, pursing his lips as blood dripped down its blade.

Remi Gardner, District 12 Female: 14th, Killed by Nero, Day 2

At the same time that their alliance was eliminated, an alliance was being formed. Pixel from District 3 heard Adelia's screams and leapt to her feet. Through the thick layer of branches, she saw the thrashing 11 girl, and, terrified, raced in the opposite direction. Pixel soon came to the place where the deaf Mavvi was standing, and she held out her hand, offering an alliance. Mavvi agreed, smiling, and the tributes sat cross-legged on the ground next to each other to rest.

Orford broke camp at dawn and got moving. The hilly marsh wasn't the least comfortable place in the arena, but it stank to high heaven and Orford couldn't stand the bugs. In a few minutes, Orford arrived in a clearing that featured a stone the size of a pickup truck. A large area inside of the stone was hollowed out, allowing the boy to crawl inside and still have room for his supplies. Suddenly, Orford fell out of the stone and jumped to full height, panicked. His eyes were fixed on the immediate foreground, where there was nothing but a patch of grass. The stress of the games was getting the best of the mentally-ill boy, and he was having a hallucination. He imagined there was a clone of himself standing in front of him that had the same voice, appearance, and personality. Orford sat down on the ground and cleared out a spot for his imaginary companion, having a conversation with him for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, Declan and Jaehaera continued hunting. Jaehaera was frustrated and disappointed; her entire life had been building up to this moment, but she hardly felt like a pack leader when there were only two other careers that she thought had negative IQs. Declan tried his best to cheer her up by making puns and witty remarks, but Jaehaera just grunted and told him to do his job.

Erik and Cerise woke on the morning of the second day completely unscathed—having camped out so close to the cornucopia, they were surprised to be unharmed. They refilled their thermoses using water from the lake and then wolfed down a sponsored breakfast. Cerise sorted the duo's supplies while Erik waded in the lake to see if there were any edible fish or other useful entities inside. Erik let out a scream, and Cerise looked up from her pack, dumbfounded with shock. The kraken mutt had wrapped its slippery blue tentacle around Erik's ankle, and the 7 boy was now suspended in the air. The kraken slowly rose out of the water like a pile of blue spaghetti. Its ugly, rope-like tentacles were lined with suction cups. Cerise screamed and raced toward Erik, but the kraken just hoisted him farther into the air to tease her. Cerise screamed and covered her eyes with her hands as the mutt squeezed Erik's torso with immense force and slammed him repeatedly into the ground. The mutt sank back underneath the waves, and Cerise ran to the groaning Erik's side. He was far too injured to survive; Cerise tried to heal him, but his wounds were too severe to be fixed with the simple medical kit she'd grabbed from the cornucopia. In the long run, she just drew out his suffering. Now only half of the tributes remained.

Erik Nordskov, District 7 Male: 13th, Killed by Kraken Muttation, Day 2

Several miles away, at the edge of the forest close to the force field, disaster struck. Adelaide from 5 continued digging her hole farther and farther down in to the ground. Every scoop was more physically strenuous from the last, and she was exhausted. Once, she slipped and fell straight into the hole. She tried to hoist herself out, but the opening was already blocked by a layer of scaly green vines: snakes. Panicking, Adelaide shoved through the weave of serpentine bodies. She only realized after her escape that one of the snakes had bitten her in the pinky finger. The pain came in waves from the site of the bite, and it felt like fire. Adelaide knew she had no choice. She grabbed the knife she was sponsored the day prior, gritted her teeth, and sawed back and forth. Her screams pierced the forest as she sawed the finger straight off of her hand and then bandaged it over with pieces of her clothes. Fortunately, there were no tributes in earshot.

The terrifying white demon that inhabited the forest had remained largely passive throughout the first day, but when Dory from 4 came nearby the creature opened its glowing white eyes and let out a cold, mirthless laugh. Dory was on the hunt for food when she suddenly froze in her tracks, the hairs on her neck standing up likes the bristles of a nail brush. She felt the demon's slimy hand close around her ankle, and Dory wiggled free, screaming. The mutt was fast, but the terrified 4 girl was faster. She thought she'd escaped the mutt, but she swore she caught glimpses of its eyes in her peripheral vision at least five times throughout the day. She was too terrified to sleep; she just lay against a tree once night fell, crying softly to herself.

On the morning of Day 3, Declan and Jaehaera decided to return to the cornucopia. They were low on supplies and were in desperate need of a restock. On the way back to the cornucopia, they were intercepted by a trio of unicorn mutts. Jaehaera screamed for Declan to take cover, and Declan's chest would have been cut open by the tallest unicorn's sparkling silver horn if he had been a second too slow. The careers tried to run, but they were overtaken almost instantly; the unicorns moved extremely fluidly through the wood, whereas the terrified careers were more clumsy. Jaehaera managed to send one of the unicorns reeling with a blow of her sword, and then Declan dispatched a smaller horse with his spear, a pretty stallion with a shining diamond horn. As the matriarch comforted the dying stallion, the two careers quietly scampered away. They finished their journey to the cornucopia in hours more, and they were both unharmed.

Now that the careers had escaped, the unicorns galloped toward the next nearest tributes: Pixel and Mavvi. Both girls were sleeping under the thick layer of foliage on the forest floor when Pixel woke to the rustling of the mutts. The deaf Mavvi was unfortunately unable to notice the presence of the unicorns until it was too late. A glob of sparkling saliva landed on her face, and Mavvi bolted to a sitting position, screaming. Pixel ran to her side to help her, but the unicorn had already drilled its horn through Mavvi's chest. Her dying moans were sickening, and Pixel ran for her life in the direction of the thicker trees, hoping the treacherous path would deter the unicorns if they decided they wanted seconds.

Mavvi Levist, District 10 Female: 12th, Killed by Unicorn Muttations, Day 3

The remainder of Day 3 was deathless. Orford kept up his conversations with his imaginary clone. Whether he'd conjured up the image of a companion due to loneliness, stress, or merely insanity, would never be determined. Around noon, Orford starting telling his clone jokes to entertain himself, but since he knew all of the answers it was no fun. Declan and Jaehaera returned to the cornucopia and saw Nero in the worst condition a career had been in in years. He was emaciated and terrified, and every minute he had fleeting thoughts of abandoning the pack. By bottling his feelings down inside of him like a volcano he was just getting more stressed, and he seldom spoke as he refilled the others' packs with food and other supplies. Dory kept up her frantic sprint. The demon was on her trail, but the girl was a fast runner, so she managed to stay ahead of it for most of the day. It only caught up to her once or twice, and when she saw its signature white eyes glowing from the darkness she whimpered and ran even faster. Terrified out of her mind, Dory repeatedly wiped her nose on her shirt sleeve, wondering what she could do to throw the demon off of her trail.

The first half of Day 4 was deathless. Declan and Jaehaera decided to skip out on hunting that day, as they were tired and in desperate need of a short break. Nero didn't talk much. He only leaned against the interior walls of the cornucopia, shifting slightly every few minutes whenever some part of his body fell asleep. Pixel was somewhat disappointed at her inability to keep her allies alive: the fourth day wasn't over and she'd had two alliances (with Hopper from 12 and Mavvi from 10) that had both failed within hours. She knew she should have been continuing her quest for the mountain range, but she largely remained inactive, napping under the foliage until the sun set. The bloody stump of Adelaide's severed pinky finger was coming along well. She eventually came across a river that was laced with healing medicines. Adelaide washed her bandages in the river and managed to stop the blood flow completely in minutes. Lincoln was searching for food in a large, open valley when a torrent of water exploded out of nowhere. It was really being pumped out of the ground into the valley, but to Lincoln it looked like it was appearing out of the thin air. Terrified, he climbed the only tree in the valley. Panic settled in his gut when he realized he was trapped; the orphan boy couldn't swim a yard if his life depended on it, which it did. Lincoln just relaxed on one of the branches as the glassy surface of the floodwater rose higher and higher before stopping feet below him and staying there. Cerise was going mad from grief; it turned out she'd had feelings for the dead Erik, and she collapsed in a small cave, moaning and crying to herself. The events of the past few days had triggered both an emotional and existential crisis for the 7 girl, and she attempted suicide multiple times but failed. Luc knew he was among the least memorable tributes this year, despite his best efforts to stay relevant to the story line. He spent most of the fourth day assembling a shelter from branches, but even then he got about twenty minutes of screen time total during the whole day. Orford continued interacting with the boy that his imagination had conjured up. However, he was getting increasingly creeped out. He wanted answers. Why was a clone of himself even there in the first place? Why did he refuse to eat anything? Orford tried to coax the answers out of him, but the other Orford just shrugged and said he didn't know. Jaro continued his advances through the forest. The only thing keeping him relevant was the fact that he was the only volunteer outside of the careers, but even that couldn't shield him for much longer. The 11 boy lacked a permanent home, instead preferring to sprint around the forest and settle for the night wherever his whims carried him.

Shortly after nightfall on Day 4, Dory submitted to her demon pursuer. She'd been slowly running out of energy for days, and she was helpless as the mutt wrapped its fingers around her abdomen and dug down into her skin. Suddenly, Dory's weakness melted away, replaced with a newfound strength and a thirst for blood. The demon crumpled to dust, and when Dory looked up her eyes glowed white. She was still recognizable as Dory Krillgood, but every part of appearance seemed to be horrendously altered in some way. Cackling, the 4 girl got to her feet and moved quietly through the forest, thirsty for blood.

A few minutes earlier, Declan and Nero had left the cornucopia to refill the pack's thermoses with water. Declan had finished screwing the cap onto the last thermos when he spotted Dory's glistening eyes staring at him through the darkness. Declan dropped the thermoses, and several of them cracked open, spilling their watery contents over the soil. Declan stumbled backward, shocked, and he tripped, falling onto his bottom. Dory tackled him; Declan morphed and transformed, while Dory crumped to small, unrecognizable pieces.

Dory Krillgood, District 4 Female: 11th, Killed by Curse, Day 4

All the while, Nero had been hiding in the shadows, watching the scene play out from his safe hiding place. When he saw Declan's transformation, Nero raced toward the cornucopia to warn Jaehaera of the situation. Nero had a head start, but the demon was following him, however slowly. Jaehaera immediately barked for Nero to help her gather firewood. The pair from 2 got a fire going just as Declan's mangled, monstrous form came into sight. Nero ducked into the cornucopia, terrified, while Jaehaera slowly backed away, holding out her sword. Jaehaera eventually managed to kill the mutt by standing in front of the fire and diving to one side when it charged, causing once-Declan to land in the flames. The demon moaned, and it hissed out something unintelligible as it burned to death.

Declan Benitoit, District 1 Male: 10th, Killed by Jaehaera, Day 4

Jaehaera lowered her weapons, jaw set and lips formed into a solid line. She was trying to look as emotional as possible. The next morning she told Declan she'd seen a similar creature back home in 2 that had killed a friend of hers. The entire thing was a massive lie, but the gullible Declan and much of the audience believed the story, and Jaehaera's quantity of sponsor gifts increased by almost threefold.

The light hours of Day 5 were uneventful. Pixel finally got to her feet, wiped the mud off of her clothes, and continued her journey toward the mountain range. A number of events had transpired to throw her off of her path, but she was now back on it, and at her current speed it looked like she could reach the mountain in two to three days if she was determined. Adelaide continued to rest at the side of the healing river, regularly washing her bandages in the water to make the most of the water's special properties. She found that the taste of the river was heavenly as well, sweet, almost like honey. Lincoln racked his brains for some way to leave his treetop prison. Surrounded by water, his first instinct was to build a raft, but there wasn't a large enough area to build anything large enough to fit his body. He asked his mentor Apollo for inspiration but received nothing. Cerise's depression and suicidal thoughts were growing more and more intense with time. Inside of her small cave, she would randomly alternate between thrashing and screaming and falling perfectly still, crying quietly. Her inactivity was getting boring for the Capitol; unless she picked herself up soon, the gamemakers would have no choice but to unleash their worst. Orford was getting more and more frustrated with the lack of answers his clone was giving him, so in the middle of the night he decided to tie him down and get the answers he needed on threat of death. Orford fashioned a rope from vine and tried to bind the imaginary boy down, but he was made of air; the vines passed straight through him. Terrified, Orford ran for his life, roaring with fury. Jaro was exhausted from his travels in and around the forest, so he decided to settle down for the day. Jaro found a cave and crawled inside. It was pleasantly cool, and he fell asleep quickly.

The last tribute the cameras showed was Luc. Luc had been a fraction of a mile from the lacking career team for several hours when they spotted him. Jaehaera shushed Nero and quietly raised a finger, pointing at the 9 boy moving clumsily through the trees. When Luc stopped to drink beside a thin stream the width of his hand, Jaehaera saw her chance. She lunged forward, tackling Luc, and Nero halfheartedly followed suit, holding him down while Jaehaera hacked him open with her sword.

Luc Everett, District 9 Male: 9th, Killed by Jaehaera, Day 5

That left the final eight: Nero Ryker and Jaehaera Blackfyre from District 2, Pixel Watt from District 3, Adelaide Hampton from District 5, Lincoln Blitz from District 6, Cerise Yew from District 7, Orford Shaw from District 10, and Jaro Veldt from District 11.

On the morning of Day 6, Pixel arrived at the foot of the first mountain. She was weak and only twelve years old, but she was determined and resilient and somehow managed to reach her destination days earlier than anyone had guessed possible. As she ventured up the shimmering purple slope, Pixel was more shocked than she should have been at how cold it was; temperatures were near twenty degrees Fahrenheit, so she wrapped her arms around her torso, shivering and chattering. A sponsor sent her a crossbow and at least a dozen arrows, which made her feel more comfortable.

Adelaide felt she'd spent enough time lying around and stood up before walking away from the healing stream, carrying only her dart gun and darts. Her curiosity was piqued when she spotted a large, yawning opening in the ground. She threw a number of rocks inside to make sure nobody was home. Nobody was. Adelaide crawled inside and slowly lowered herself down; her feet touched solid ground. She found that the hole led down to a large underground area that held a pleasant, earthy smell. Adelaide didn't know it, but it was the place where the unicorn mutts lived before they were removed by the gamemakers. Adelaide spent most of the day practicing with her darts; now that she had only nine fingers, there were a lot of skills she needed to rework.

Day 6 was also the day that Lincoln escaped his treetop prison. After days of steeling himself, Lincoln dropped down into the cold floodwaters. For a moment, he panicked, then he flailed around, reaching for something, anything. He grabbed onto a root and pulled himself along, then grabbed onto a rock. In this way he was able to move along very slowly. The surface grew closer and closer. By the time his head broke the surface, his lungs were screaming for air. Finally, Lincoln dragged himself to shore, gasping, shaking, and coughing up water.

Jaehaera and Nero returned to the cornucopia at noon. Jaehaera knew she could easily overpower Nero, and she also knew that she would have to kill him off sooner or later. However, the 2 girl didn't want to bump him off yet; despite being just one extra competitor, he was useful for tasks around the cornucopia. Jaehaera resolved to kill him off at the final six, after one more death occurred.

At eleven o'clock in the morning, a cannon shot shattered the peaceful quiet of the forest. The gamemakers had been far too kind to Cerise, and on Day 6 they declared she was pointless to keep around. The gamemakers caused a nearby stream to overflow, making water pour into the cave. Cerise just sighed as the water engulfed her.

Cerise Yew, District 7 Female: 8th, Killed by Drowning, Day 6

By Day 6, Orford had gone completely insane; his friends and neighbors had always known he was off, but they never knew he had the capability to be so unnerving. Orford sprinted through the forest, hiding in the shadows, cackling and curling his lips into smiles that seemed just a little too wide to be possible. He was evidently on the prowl for prey, but there were no tributes nearby. The gamemakers held off from killing him for the time being; his constant mood changes were keeping the Capitol on its toes, if nothing else, so he was benefiting the entertainment factor of the games at least somewhat.

On Day 7, a wandering Jaro arrived at the ditch where Adelaide was hiding, not knowing that the girl was inside. Jaro slid down through the narrow tunnel before dropping into the open area underground. Adelaide's flashlight beam hit him square in the chest, revealing his position, and Jaro shoved himself back into the entrance channel, hurriedly trying to escape. Just before he escaped, one of Adelaide's poison darts landed in his calf. A trill of pain ran through his leg, and Jaro ran for his life in an arbitrary direction, vowing never to enter a dark area without checking inside first.

At the cornucopia, Nero shook Jaehaera awake. He'd already prepared breakfast. While Nero walked behind the cornucopia to change, Jaehaera pulled a vial out of her pocket that contained a bright-orange liquid. She slipped the poison into Nero's soup and discarded the vial just before Nero came into sight. Jaehaera began wolfing down her soup, hoping Nero would do the same. When Nero took his first sip, he collapsed, clawing at his neck, gasping and shaking as the highly acidic solution ate away at his neck and mouth.

Nero Ryker, District 2 Male: 7th, Killed by Jaehaera, Day 7

Only one more notable event occurred before Day 7 was over. In the mountains, Pixel was dangerously close to the cave where the yeti mutt was sleeping. It was nighttime when Pixel sprinted into the cave, too tired to bother checking for threats before she settled down for the night. Her eyes opened wide when she heard the growling of the yeti, and both Pixel and the yeti stretched to full height. Pixel grabbed her crossbow and sprinted out of the cave, racing down the slope of the mountain without paying any mind to caution. She finally came to a wide, freezing-cold stream, and Pixel grabbed a large branch, using it like a raft to float across. When she was finally safe, Pixel sprinted farther down, the moonlight shining on her glossy black hair.

By the start of Day 8, there were only six tributes left in the arena. Jaehaera, the only remaining career, discarded, destroyed, and buried most of the cornucopia's supplies and then abandoned ship, sprinting in the direction of the forest. She hunted for the light hours of the day. When the sun set, Jaehaera found a spot where a number of whimsically curved trees had collapsed in a circle, creating a fortress with wooden walls. Jaehaera crawled inside and quickly fell asleep. Pixel continued her journey down the side of the mountain; it was a long journey, but she was fast and swift and adrenaline trilled through her veins. When she reached the mountain's base, she collapsed near a warm stream, exhausted. Jaro was dangerously close to death from Adelaide's poison dart when a silver parachute landed at his side. The carriage of the sponsor parachute carried a single hypodermic needle filled with bright-green liquid. When he pushed the plunger, a cooling sensation overwhelmed him, and he passed out for nearly ten hours.

Adelaide had a nasty wake-up call on the morning of the eighth day. The night prior, she'd abandoned the open underground space and settled a number of meters away in a patch of fuzzy green grass. In her sleep, the girl rolled into a patch of vines. It was almost as if the girl's movement woke them up; the vines instantly began moving, undulating back and forth. By the time Adelaide realized what was happening, her ankles were both bound. She tried to run, but she just fell forward, barely managing to catch her fall with elbows. Adelaide was helpless as the vines wrapped around her torso and legs, pulling her tighter and tighter until liquids literally started squirting out of her body.

Adelaide Hampton, District 5 Female: 6th, Killed by Choking Vines, Day 8

After several days of hunting, the insane Orford finally found his victim: Lincoln from 6. Orford stuck to the shadows and followed Lincoln around the forest for the entire day. He was quick on his feet and quiet as a mouse, and Lincoln only peered over his shoulder two or three times throughout the day, thinking he'd heard movement behind him. At nightfall, Jaro found the perfect place to sleep. A tree was growing on a slope, and the room under the raised roots was large enough to fit him, with room to spare. Jaro settled down in the open space, and the moment he stopped moving Orford leapt out of the shadows. Jaro screamed for help, but Orford clapped his hand over his mouth, telling him he'd kill him if he said another word.

Orford buried his knife into Jaro's chest so savagely that this screams were already choked by the sound of blood. Orford dug through his torso for several minutes, pulling aside long, thin innards and scooping out handfuls of blood. He finally pulled out the boy's heart and pulled it to his mouth before taking a big bite, grinning with the energy of a madman.

Moments later, Orford felt a sharp bolt of pain fire through his arm before his world cut to black. The gamemakers had had their fun keeping Orford around, but it was too much to risk letting an insane boy move any further than they'd generously let him.

Lincoln Blitz, District 6 Male: 5th, Killed by Orford, Day 8

Orford Shaw, District 10 Male: 4th, Killed by Exploding Tracker, Day 8

Day 9 was the last day of the eighty-third annual Hunger Games. The three remaining competitors were Jaehaera Blackfyre from District 2, Pixel Watt from District 3, and Jaro Veldt from District 11. On the morning of the ninth day, the flooding began. The water started rising slowly and gradually rose faster and faster with time. Jaro, who had moved to the meadow, woke up to t he thundering of the water. He peered into the nearby valley and couldn't believe his eyes; the valley was almost completely flooded with water. The roar was deafening as more and more water appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Terrified, Jaro ran for his life in the direction of the cornucopia, which was the highest point in the arena.

He was less than a mile from the horn of plenty when he was intercepted by Jaehaera from 2. The girl leapt out of nowhere, and Jaro only barely managed to scurry out of the way fast enough. Jaro pulled out his axe, and their duel began. About one hundred feet away, a sheet of water was slowly moving over the grass, consuming the meadow and rising higher and higher with each second. By the time Jaehaera cut open Jaro's torso with her sword, they were both standing ankle deep in water. Jaro fell to his knees, sending out a wave of displaced water, and Jaehaera fled from the scene, finding dry footing nearer to the cornucopia.

Jaro Veldt, District 11 Male: 3rd, Killed by Jaehaera, Day 9

Several miles away, at the edge of the meadow nearest to the mountain range, Pixel was running for her life. She was being chased not only by the rising surface of the flood, but also by an enormous black mutt the size of an elephant. The mutt was reminiscent of an extremely oversized hound dog, and it had razor-sharp teeth that glistened whenever it opened its mouth. The terrified 3 girl had a head start, and the gamemakers ordered the mutt to slow down slightly, allowing Pixel to pull ahead. It wouldn't do to kill off a competitor before the finale.

Pixel was about a mile from the cornucopia now, and she came across the site where Jaro's dead body lay still on the grass, his blood still fresh. Pixel didn't know why, but something nagged at her, telling her this was important. Without really knowing what she was doing, she reached down and tore off a clump of grass stained with Jaehaera's blood and shoved it into her pocket. Something told her it would come in handy in the future—so strongly it was creepy.

Jaehaera was standing on top of the cornucopia, waiting for her final competitor. Pixel leapt onto the roof of the cornucopia next to her. The flood was closing in on them in all directions. There was a circle of dry footing around the cornucopia maybe fifty feet in radius, and it was shrinking quickly. Jaehaera made the first move, and the blade of her sword grazed Pixel's shoulder. The 3 girl leapt out of the way. For about a minute, the two girls dueled back and forth, inflicting small cuts and scrapes but nothing major. Once, one of Pixel's darts landed in Jaehaera's shoulder, but the wound wasn't deep so it hardly bothered her.

Before long, water started splashing over top of the cornucopia, and they were ankle-deep in seconds. In seconds more, there was too much water to stand, and they were both swimming. Jaehaera dragged herself onto a flimsy wooden board that had broken off of the cornucopia and evened out her weight, struggling to stay afloat. Pixel climbed into a wooden barrel and used her arms to keep the barrel balanced. Multiple times, she almost capsized.

Suddenly, Pixel remembered something. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the bundle of grass stained with Jaehaera's blood. Then she tied the grass around a stick and tossed it to the mutt. The huge canine munched on the bloody grass and lunged toward Jaehaera for seconds.

"Lucky girl. Not even a single kill," Jaehaera stammered before the creature tore her in half.

Jaehaera Blackfyre, District 2 Female: 2nd, Killed by Dog Muttation, Day 9

"Pixel Watt of District 3, you are the victor of the eighty-third annual Hunger Games!" Cadmus and Daria exclaimed.

Pixel panted heavily, struggling to stay afloat as the hovercraft descended to collect her.

Pixel Watt, District 3 Female: Victor of the Eighty-Third Hunger Games, Day 9


AFTERMATH

District 3 welcomed their tenth victor with open arms. They were the first outlying district to reach double-digits in terms of victor count, and the celebrations were endless. Pixel would go on to say it had always been her dream to be so notable that kids were let out of school in her honor. She had accomplished this dream. The Capitol liked her for her sarcasm, wit, and playful spunk. She got along well with Cadmus and Daria, and her victor interview would go down as one of the most memorable of the first Hunger Games century. Though Pixel lived a great victor life, she couldn't always keep the memories away. The most notable toll the games took on her was her intense phobia of dogs. She also got nervous around deep water. She was the nation's first twelve year old victor, though not the youngest—that record would always go to Surge Upsdell. She and Surge were also the first two victors to win the games without making a single kill. The two would become great friends as they older, and Surge would even walk her down the aisle at her wedding.

She settled into the Victor's Village of District 3, the tenth to do so.

Her victory tour was alright, though District 2, thirsting for their twenty-first victor, was sour.

Pixel would live to age sixty-nine, dying on April Fool's Day the year of the one-hundred fortieth annual Hunger Games. She would marry and have two children. Pixel had a crazy life, and there were ups and downs, but she enjoyed it thoroughly.


NEWS

Pixel settles into the Victor's Village of District 3, next door to Wiress' home.

Mags Flanagan adopts her tenth child, a young boy named Garrick.

Klink Byrae marries his fiancée, Annie "Anna" Rhodesian.

Augustus Braun, the victor of the sixty-seventh annual Hunger Games, is poisoned to death by one of his party guests.


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)
77HG: Router Lowell (#9, District 3)
78HG: Surge Upsdell (#7, District 5)
79HG: Kasey Slosser (#5, District 6)
80HG: Tarquinius Orfe (#20, District 2)
81HG: Talisa Plummer (#12, District 4)
82HG: Poplin Amsden (#3, District 8)
83HG: Pixel Watt (#10, District 3)


A/N: I tried to keep this chapter from getting too long, because I've already written almost 100,000 words on these tributes. Any favorites, least favorites, thoughts, or random remarks are appreciated in the reviews. You guys are the reason I can get these chapters out so quickly :D