THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"The Iron Furnace"
INTRODUCTION
Head Gamemaker Garnet Russo was in great standing with President Stinn Hawke. The previous two Hunger Games were so delightfully gory that the humiliating failure of the fourth Quarter Quell had been almost completely erased from the public eye. That being said, there were still scant riots in the outlying districts; Rimno Kiely's spark had lit the fire of rebellion, and it would be many more years until its coals were stomped and cooled completely. To create hype for his upcoming third year as the leader of the Hunger Games, Garnet resorted to the tried-and-true strategy of releasing teaser clips of the arena. The first clip was less than ten seconds long. The camera showed an expanse of golden sand, eventually resting on a block of limestone with the words "The 103rd Hunger Games" embossed in silver lettering. There was the faint cry of an exotic wind instrument, and then the clip abruptly ended. The Capitol exploded into speculation and hype, with many speculating there would be some kind of desert-themed arena this time around. While President Stinn Hawke continued to rule Panem, there was one minor change in the games team this year. Titanius Lafayette, the man who had served as Master of Ceremonies for decades, fell suddenly ill the month before the games. His life wasn't in danger, but he was far too weak to perform his usual duties this time around. He was replaced by Ciara Grant, a tech-savvy capitalist queen who'd worked her way up from a life in the rich estates of District 1 to a place in the president's most trusted inner circle. Stinn Hawke knew he could trust Ciara to keep things running smoothly. As they say, the third time's the charm. Would Garnet Russo's third year as head gamemaker cement his position as a priceless contributor to the annual Panemian game of death? They would have to wait and see.
From the very beginning, the most notable thing about these games was the incredible career pack. They were the strongest group of careers the games had seen in decades, all of them scoring at least a nine. Moreover, they got along with each other very well. They were sure to be viciously lethal in the arena. The male from District 1, Lord, was a jack of all trades; though he wasn't a master of one weapon, he had a wide variety of skills, from swordplay to archery to plain agility. He was well-liked enough to score him a ten, but just barely. The girl from 1, though, was the real standout. Chalice Vonnegut was dangerously beautiful, violent, and enterprising. She was the first tribute to score an eleven in years, and all eyes were on her from the moment she took her place among the tribute team. She was a master archer, as was the staple of girls from 1, but she also liked axes. District 2's tributes were cousins, and they were thick as thieves from the very start. The boy, Invictus, had a great mind and a quick pair of feet, and he was very strong. The girl, Ismene, was slower but brawnier. Her strength was enough to break a human body with only her bare hands. District 4 offered up a male, Zander, who had the greatest aim the academy had seen in years. His district partner, meanwhile, was more laid-back compared to Zander's blunt and brash disposition. Her name was Manta, and she reminded many of a District 2 tribute; she was strong and loyal like a fierce canine. With such a powerful pack, it was guaranteed that carnage would ensue in massive quantities.
The outlier team contained more than just a few standouts. The boy from 10, Damascus Rothschild, was tanned and muscled from years doing hard labor, and he was the highest scorer, snatching a near-impossible nine in his private session. He teamed up with the pair from 7, Seth and Cherry, who had been looking ever since the reaping for a group of well-grounded outliers like themselves to counter the deadly force of the careers. Their scores were nothing to sneeze at: Seth earned an eight, while Cherry settled for a seven. Cherry in particular made an impact on the crowd right away: she was funny and sexy and confident. She was everything the Capitol loved in a tribute. She sure knew how to please a crowd. The last standout was Lorry from District 6. He wasn't particularly strong, but he knew a million ways to kill someone with a knife. Moreover, he was very fast and very smart. This was sure to carry him far. Excitement in the Capitol was at its highest level since the Quell as the pre-games festivities brewed. These games were sure to be, no pun intended, killer. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Lord Byse, 18 (10) 4-1 and Chalice Vonnegut, 17 (11) 3-1
District 2: Invictus Brewster, 16 (10) 4-1 and Ismene Cavat, 17 (9) 6-1
District 3: Radian Pollard, 12 (2) 45-1 and Kordine Horton, 16 (4) 29-1
District 4: Zander Craual, 18 (10) 3-1 and Manta Leman, 18 (9) 6-1
District 5: Watt Lansky, 15 (5) 27-1 and Therma Ludwig, 18 (5) 25-1
District 6: Lorry Kinchla, 18 (7) 15-1 and Tracy Jewell, 15 (3) 38-1
District 7: Seth Carbone, 18 (8) 12-1 and Cherry Perlman, 17 (7) 16-1
District 8: Braiden Laplume, 14 (4) 31-1 and Weft Sterling, 15 (3) 36-1
District 9: Fonio Jung, 16 (4) 30-1 and Evelyn Greengrass, 12 (3) 41-1
District 10: Damascus Rothschild, 17 (9) 8-1 and Belinda Grunt, 18 (5) 23-1
District 11: Neem Wainford, 16 (3) 37-1 and Orchid Daveiga, 16 (4) 30-1
District 12: Adonijah Flint, 15 (2) 42-1 and Zabby Young, 12 (2) 48-1
HGBO Bets: 20% on Chalice, 12% on Invictus and Zander, 11% on Lord, 10% on Ismene, 8% on Manta, 7% on Damascus, 4% on Seth, 2% on Lorry and Cherry, 1% or less on Radian, Kordine, Watt, Therma, Tracy, Braiden, Weft, Fonio, Evelyn, Belinda, Neem, Orchid, Adonijah, and Zabby.
THE GAMES
Deep in their launch rooms, the tributes were given extremely simple uniforms: loose, light cloth garments. The boys wore knee-length shirts or rudimentary cotton kilts: they were dressed for hot weather. The girls were spangled from head to toe with jewelry: golden amulets and bracelets and rings on every finger. The stylists had worked extra hard to make the uniforms fit the arena this year. The tributes were imprisoned inside of an enormous limestone pyramid, hundreds of feet tall, constructed with a painstaking degree of accuracy to an actual pyramid from ancient Egypt. The cornucopia was in a cool, dark stone chamber in the deep heart of the pyramid, and it contained period-related weapons: crooks and flails, whips, curved swords like scimitars, clubs, and scythes. A dizzying network of tunnels sprouted out from the central chamber. There were false endings, turnarounds, stairways, optical illusions, and many other devices meant to trick the tributes into going mad. The halls were haunted by mummy mutts with razor-sharp teeth and deadly poison on their linen wraps. At night, the mummies returned to their homes: small rooms in the deep part of the arena where they had been laid to rest thousands of years ago. Outside the pyramid, there was a burning-hot land of sun and sand. The Egyptian desert spread out for miles. It was inhospitable and rather dangerous; toxic snakes and spiders roamed its hilly expanses, with vicious black cat mutts also inhabiting the arena. The arena was circled by a broad brown river meant to represent the Nile, the river that powered the ancient Egyptian civilization. The land near the river was dark and airy, with lots of plant life including food. But the tributes didn't know that. For all they knew, this was another one of Garnet's entirely-indoor arenas. As time passed, it would grow hotter and hotter within the pyramid: those who did not take water from the cornucopia would be sorry. The bloodbath this year would claim thirteen lives, a massive number.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Chalice was both the first to reach the cornucopia and the first to grab a weapon. An ancient-looking battle axe, modeled after a real weapon from the ancient Nile civilization, was tucked amidst a pile of coarse supply sacks a few meters from her plate. If her eye was only slightly less sharp, she wouldn't have seen the weapon. As it was, she hoisted up the blade and brought it down on the nearest tribute. Weft from 8 shrieked suddenly as the blade connected with her abdomen, her life force leaving her instantly.
Weft's district partner, Braiden, rushed to the aid of his friend, trying to tug her away from Chalice's deadly proximity, unable to accept that the girl was already dead. Chalice signaled for another career tribute, Zander from 4, to attack Braiden from behind. Zander nodded once and slammed down his crook into Braiden's head, sending him spiraling into a daze. He fell faint on the stone floor in a matter of seconds, where Chalice finished him off with a single swing of her axe.
Weft Sterling, District 8 Female: 24th, Killed by Chalice, Bloodbath
Braiden Laplume, District 8 Male: 23rd, Killed by Zander and Chalice, Bloodbath
On the outer edge of the circular chamber containing the cornucopia, the pair from 2 ganged up on a small dark-haired boy who was trying to escape with a scythe and a pack of bread. The scythe weighed him down significantly; he wasn't strong enough to lug the weight of the heavy blade, which spelled his doom. The pair caught up to him in moments. Invictus, who was armed with a crook and flail, made the first mark, slashing open the boy's arm with a rapid burst of energy. He screamed and careened into the wall. From there, he was easy prey for Ismene, who slammed him in the head with a wicked stone club.
Radian Pollard, District 3 Male: 22nd, Killed by Invictus and Ismene, Bloodbath
Chalice Vonnegut, the strongest tribute in these games, wasn't content with the reputation she'd already established. It was time to take things to the next level. As outliers fled every which way and the pair from 2 busied themselves attacking the nearby girl from District 12, Chalice ran her battle axe through her fingers and pondered. Was it worth it? Did she dare?
She decided to wait a brief moment before making her next move. The girl from 12, meanwhile, had burst into tears of terror, unable to move or even scream as Invictus and Ismene circled her. Invictus snagged her neck with the curved end of his crook, shoving her into a stranglehold against the wall of the chamber. Soon, her face turned purple, and with a sudden twist of the curved weapon her brain stopped working.
Zabby Young, District 12 Female: 21st, Killed by Invictus, Bloodbath
Chalice lunged into action, her axe whistling through the air in a path of sheer fury. The nation was aghast as Chalice grabbed the girl from 4 by her ponytail, slamming her into the stone floor. She had to work quickly; with every second, there was a chance another career would see her and attack her from behind. Chalice knew the other careers felt threatened by her immense skill and prowess; the best strategy, her parents had advised her, was to abandon the pack early on so they couldn't betray her. Before then, though, it couldn't hurt to take out one or two of them just for good measure. She'd been hoping to take down a stronger career like Lord or Zander, but the girl from 4 would have to do. Manta was in shock, unable to do anything but stare in horror as Chalice gashed open her abdomen with her deadly weapon. In moments she was gone.
Manta Leman, District 4 Female: 20th, Killed by Chalice, Bloodbath
The pair from District 7, Seth and Cherry, had committed to killing at least one career during the bloodbath. This would cement their place as the strongest outliers from the very beginning. Fortunately, the opportunity was handed right into their laps. Lord Byse, having just escaped a duel with Damascus from 10, came to a panicked stop near the back of the cornucopia, panting. He didn't want the cameras to see his exhaustion, afraid of tarnishing his image as a relentless killer. Seth and Cherry crept out of the darkness, wasting not a single moment in killing the vicious boy from 1. He fell under their blades without even knowing what had hit him. Now the career pack had only three members left.
Lord Byse, District 1 Male: 19th, Killed by Seth and Cherry, Bloodbath
Seth and Cherry did not escape without retribution. Zander from 4 saw the foul deed play out, causing red to rush to his face. He was close friends with Lord and knew he had to seek vengeance. Zander pounced with his crook and flail lofted high, slamming the whip-like weapon into Seth's back. He let out a roar of agony and fell to his knees, shaking with mortal agony from the cruel bite of the weapon. He died as Cherry fled for her life, meeting up briefly with Damascus from 10 before fleeing the horn.
Seth Carbone, District 7 Male: 18th, Killed by Zander, Bloodbath
Invictus and Ismene made their next strike. Belinda from 10 found herself trapped between them, and they attacked without warning, lunging out of the scuffle and attacking her from either side. She tried in vain to escape but was ultimately powerless while she was cut to ribbons by the vicious pair from 2.
Belinda Grunt, District 10 Female: 17th, Killed by Invictus and Ismene, Bloodbath
Cherry and Damascus were still running, racing aimlessly through the labyrinth of tombs and tunnels in their mad rush to escape the bloodbath. "Stop!" Cherry cried, urging Damascus to a halt. She saw the faint outline of a tribute moving through the hallway up ahead. They hung back slightly as the tribute came into sharper focus. It was Fonio from 9, one of the tributes who'd fled from the bloodbath the moment the gong sounded. Damascus didn't want to attack him, fearing he was being used as some kind of bait, but Cherry could not be shaken. Her blades worked quickly, and Fonio was nothing but a bloody corpse in minutes.
Fonio Jung, District 9 Male: 16th, Killed by Cherry, Bloodbath
Chalice finally made the decision to run away from the cornucopia. After killing Manta, she'd tried to kill Invictus, angering his district partner. She knew she had mere seconds to live unless she ran for her life. However, two tributes stood in her way. A pair of outlier girls, foolishly believing they could take down Chalice with only their bare hands, blocked her exit, ready to kill the young woman from District 1 or die trying. It was the latter. Chalice grabbed the younger of the two girls by her ponytail and slammed her into the wall, sending her into a dizzying trance. The other girl tried to attack Chalice from behind, only to find herself trapped in a stranglehold. They both fell victim to Chalice's ruthless axe game, falling into a heap on the floor without so much as a single coherent moment to say goodbye to their families.
Kordine Horton, District 3 Female: 15th, Killed by Chalice, Bloodbath
Orchid Daveiga, District 11 Female: 14th, Killed by Chalice, Bloodbath
Zander was still on the prowl. He'd made a healthy two kills so far but was determined to make a third before the bloodbath reached its conclusion. Watt from 5, an outlier who shared Zander's goal to make a kill in the next minute or so, tackled Tracy from 6, a small girl who'd hung around a little bit too long. Watt wasn't particularly strong, but Tracy was utterly unprepared for an attack from such an unassuming tribute. She fell under the blades of her unlikely killer, her guts spilling out as Watt gashed open her body with alarming power.
Tracy Jewell, District 6 Female: 13th, Killed by Watt, Bloodbath
Watt rose to his feet and immediately screamed. Zander slammed him into the ground, smacking him in the mouth with enough strength to send him spiraling out of consciousness. The other careers gathered around as Zander made the final kill of the bloodbath, finishing off the 5 boy after about fifteen minutes.
Watt Lansky, District 5 Male: 12th, Killed by Zander, Bloodbath
The three members of the career pack were quick to realize that something fishy had happened minutes earlier. Ismene and Zander swiftly pieced together that Chalice had killed Manta and then ran for her life. They raced back to the horn, where Invictus was fuming over Chalice's betrayal. Invictus wanted to go hunting immediately; killing Chalice, in his opinion, should be their ultimate priority for the time being. Zander agreed, but Ismene was more hesitant; maybe Chalice was trying to anger them on purpose to raise tensions and destroy the alliance from within. Whatever her motives, they couldn't just sit around all day, and before long it was time to go hunting. Invictus stayed behind while Ismene and Zander left the horn, delving into the shadowy recesses of the pyramid in pursuit of their prey.
Chalice bathed in the glory of her successful betrayal, feeling confident and maybe a little cocky. The sponsors gladly fed into her ego, sending her a case of steaming mashed potatoes and a whole set of mixed greens along with an entire belt of knives. She wanted to quickly survey the pyramid before hunting for real, so she ran aimlessly for several hours, getting a grasp on the nature of the maze. Strangely, she found none of the pyramid's many exits; she thought the stony hallways were all there was to this year's arena. She would discover the truth in due time. For now, though, Chalice came to a stop in a small, dark tomb. She kept her head up to look like she was awake, knowing no outlier would dare to attack her.
There were seven other tributes, and all of them were in good standing. Therma from 5 had fled the bloodbath without any supplies. Not weighed down at all, she tore through the hallways quickly, even encountering a mummy mutt before the first day was over. It was slow and clumsy, so she made an easy escape. Even so, she was terrified. Therma found a room filled with gleaming jewels and settled down for the night, wondering how much it was all worth. Lorry from 6 was used to enclosed spaces and long hallways; back home, he worked in a storage unit, with conditions somewhat similar to those of the arena. Many tributes would lose their minds in these games, but Lorry would not be one of them. Keeping his cool, she spent a few hours exploring the pyramid once the bloodbath was over. He was the first tribute to find an exit: a long, thin hallway ended in a crack of light, where burning desert air blasted into the inside of the pyramid. He vowed to leave the pyramid the next day, but was too exhausted for now to do such a thing. Trusting him to keep his promise, the gamemakers left him alone as he settled down for the night. Cherry from 7 and Damascus from 10 were part of an ally trio, but they were now only a duo since Seth's death. Neither of them were traumatized by his demise; Cherry was close to him, but it wasn't like anyone else could be spared if she wanted to make it back home. Cherry and Damascus veiled their tiredness well, resting in the upper levels of the pyramid as night fell. Evelyn from 9 was the only twelve-year-old left in the arena. So terrified she could do nothing but cry, she ran aimlessly through the arena all day. She was the second tribute after Lorry to exit the pyramid. She was flighty and fast, quickly reaching the floor of the desert. She explored the network of tombs and discarded limestone blocks, her eyes naturally settling on the river in the distance. Evelyn would try to reach it tomorrow. Neem from 11 was the only tribute who fought with a mummy mutt on Day 1. He'd taken a stone sickle from the bloodbath, and the gamemakers wanted to see just what he was capable of, thinking he might not have been showing his full potential in his private session. True to their suspicion, he was a vicious warrior. He had no trouble cutting the mummy mutt to ribbons. A few sponsors, starstruck by this sudden display of strength, sent him food and water enough to last for two or three days. Adonijah from 12 also had his share of fans: he'd made an attempt at killing a career during the bloodbath, but failed due to sheer misfortune. Now, he was bloody and tired, but his willingness to act violently was still seen by many. Now armed with a sponsor-sent knife, he wandered the pyramid with vigor, keeping his head high in a way that not many District 12 tributes ever did. Things were pretty peaceful in the arena as night fell. Day 1 had reached its conclusion.
Day 2 was filled with movement. By the time the sun rose, Damascus and Cherry were on the prowl. They were near the very top of the pyramid, where it was swelteringly hot; already, the desert sun had infiltrated this area of the pyramid with its burning heat. A note from Cherry's mentor cryptically informed her of a world outside the pyramid, instructing her to find it as soon as possible. Damascus wasn't sure, though, not understanding what the note really meant. Despite being the most powerful outlier, the stress and confusion of the games was weighing down on him heavily.
Evelyn, the only tribute outside the pyramid, was like a child in a mysterious wonderland. After travelling the entire morning, she reached the river, removing some of her clothes to bathe in the cool water. She was far too young to be suggesting anything provocative. Afterward, she removed her shoes to feel the spongy dirt near the river between her toes. After so long trapped in the stuffy stone pyramid, it was a marvelous feeling to be out and about in a place so damp and open. This, Evelyn must have been thinking, was a wonderful place to die.
The career tributes didn't kill anyone on Day 2, but there were a few close encounters. Chalice was midway through her day-long hunt when she caught a glimpse of movement up ahead. Adonijah had been out and about for only a few minutes at that point, having left his camp from the previous night for the sole purpose of not falling into the background by staying in the same place all day. Adonijah realized instantly that he was being followed and broke into a run. Chalice was fast and vicious, but Adonijah had the head start and the adrenaline boost of running for one's life. He escaped without much trouble.
Lorry, likewise, had a close call. Invictus and Ismene were hunting, while Zander stood guard at the horn. Lorry was relaxing in a circle-shaped chamber when the pair from 2 burst out of nowhere, weapons held high. He ran like he'd never run before. In an open arena, such as an outdoor landscape, he probably would have been killed. As it was, the twisting hallways made it easy to escape. He didn't stop running for hours, eventually collapsing in a heap a few hundred feet from the place where Therma was resting.
The early morning of Day 3, the tributes were greeted with the first cannon shot since the bloodbath. Invictus and Ismene were hunting ravenously still, determined to make a kill by the time the day was over. They accomplished this, but with a cost. Half an hour earlier, Therma had risen from her slumber with the goal of finding supplies. She imagined the sarcophagi placed sporadically through the pyramid must have been hiding something useful; she'd seen a few of them the day before but hadn't bothered to investigate. Therma explored for a while and ultimately came to a stop in one of the largest tombs in the arena. It was the first one she'd seen when fleeing the bloodbath on Day 1. The walls were engraved with ancient depictions of the Egyptian afterlife, the walls lined with candles tainted with a queer syrupy scent. She approached the coffin slowly, gently coaxing the lid off of the golden sarcophagus with shaking fingers…
A shriveled black hand shot out of the coffin, yanking her so sharply she let out a scream of pain. Therma turned and ran for his life, escaping the tomb just as the mummy extended to its full height. Invictus and Ismene, attracted by Therma's terrified yelp, sprinted in her direction, careening into her line of sight as the mummy chased after her from the other end. Escape was impossible. Did Therma submit herself to the mummy, or allow herself to be killed by the pair from District 2?
The careers reached her first. Invictus lashed out his blade and swiped it over Therma's chest, drawing a dark line of blood. She fell into the mummy's path, twitching wildly as it sank its razor-sharp fangs and claws into her chest. Ismene tried to land a blow that would finish off Therma's life, but Invictus tugged her away. She was already done for, and now it was time to return to the cornucopia and tell Zander what had happened.
Therma Ludwig, District 5 Female: 11th, Killed by Invictus and mummy mutt, Day 3
The remainder of Day 3, and the entirety of Day 4, held relatively little action. Chalice stayed within the confines of the pyramid, even though she knew about the desert surrounding it. She figured more outliers would be hiding inside because it provided cover and shelter, meaning hunting would be easier and faster. The shock of her ally betrayal was starting to wear off; she'd have to do something soon if she wanted to keep herself at the top. Invictus, Ismene, and Zander were doing just fine; there were few tensions in their group, and they were well-stocked and well-trained. They had fallen into a flawless rhythm by this point: rising around six in the morning, hunting all day, and returning at nightfall. They resolved to spend at least two days hunting outside the pyramid by the end of the first week.
Lorry was the only tribute targeted by a mummy mutt on Day 4. It was a slow, clumsy creature; it wasn't meant to kill him, only to drive him out of hiding. He came within thirty feet of Adonijah at one point, but by some remote chance they did not see or hear each other. Lorry was the last tribute to learn of the desert outside the pyramid, guided there by a sharp current of warm air issuing through a gaping hole in the slanted limestone wall. He made his way to the ground and curled up there, covering himself with a small amount of sand to hide him from sight. Damascus and Cherry continued hunting. They knew they were a single kill away from exceptional popularity, but after four days of fruitless hunting it was unclear what the next plan of action should be. Damascus finally conceded to Cherry's plan of leaving the pyramid, though they planned to spend one more day inside of it. Damascus had a good feeling that they'd find a tribute that day. They did – Neem from 11 – but he escaped quickly. Evelyn finally left the river and explored the desert. She was the farthest tribute from the pyramid, but she was not free of danger. A terrifying, bright-yellow snake mutt attacked her in the early afternoon, nearly sinking its fangs into her wrist before she beat it to death with a rock. Evelyn was far from popular, but she was not done for yet.
The last two tributes, Neem and Adonijah, decided to ally on Day 5. The gamemakers triggered a loud growling noise beside each tribute, causing them to run toward each other. They met in an ornate silver hallway engraved with runes from floor to ceiling. The perfect place for a creepy rendezvous.
"Let's do it," Neem murmured, his eyes moving wildly up and down.
Adonijah grunted, taking a step back. He couldn't tell whether Neem was suggesting an alliance or a duel.
Neem blinked hard, realizing he hadn't been very clear. "Team up, why don't we? Four careers left." Every word seemed to take a massive effort to form.
He was hesitant, but ultimately found no reason to be suspicious of Neem. They were from the two lowest districts, after all, and banding together might just be their ticket to the final eight. They travelled together for the rest of the day, debating whether to stay in the pyramid or move outside. Adonijah told Neem about the river he'd seen, sparkling in the gem-like sun beyond the ancient necropolis. Adonijah wanted to venture toward it, but Neem thought it would be pointless.
"It's probably meant to keep up us away from the force field," he reasoned, which Adonijah hadn't considered.
"It can't hurt to move toward it, though. Garnet won't like us like this. Bunched up in the center."
While they began their long voyage, many other tributes were also on the move. Cherry and Damascus finally made the decision to leave the pyramid, traipsing down the steps with surprising speed. Their shoes were peppered with holes, and Cherry let out a groan of pain as the burning-hot sand seeped into them over her feet. Every night from now on, the two of them would have to nurse the burns on their feet. This was especially painful for Damascus; because his feet were so large, the sand ground against them whenever he walked, creating painful friction burns and tears in his skin. He couldn't wait to soak his feet in the river, once they reached it.
By the time evening arrived, only Chalice and Evelyn were moving. Chalice was on the horns of a dilemma: her gut told her that raiding the cornucopia would make a real splash: the kind of splash that would ensure her place on Victor's Row. Even so, she kept stopping herself from making real plans. Chalice was blunt, but she wasn't stupid. If all three of the careers attacked her, she probably wouldn't make it out with her life. The key would be to target the horn when only one person was in attendance. That would make things much easier.
The other indecisive mess, Evelyn, couldn't decide whether to return to the pyramid or to continue exploring the necropolis. To force her into a decision, the gamemakers sent an enormous spider mutt in her direction. It was the color of bright yellow sand, with legs as long as hockey sticks and poison dripping from its fangs. Evelyn wondered: should she run to the river, where she would be safe from the spider, or into the pyramid, where it wouldn't be able to reach her? Deciding it would be better for her reputation, she ran for the pyramid. There was no use making herself look lazy by straggling out near the river for another day, and besides, she'd lost her weapon and hoped she could scavenge a replacement from within the structure.
Around noon on Day 6, Cherry and Damascus began hunting in the immediate vicinity of the pyramid. Previously, they'd visited the river, having taken the entire morning to rest in the water. However, the riverside seemed almost completely clear of tributes (Evelyn had managed to remain unseen). Returning to the pyramid, they were about to settle down for lunch when Cherry spotted an abnormally-shaped lump of sand. Damascus pointed in its direction, and Cherry nodded, opening her mouth to speak.
"Just when I thought this couldn't get any easier."
Lorry, wrapped in a deep cocoon of sleep, had no idea his death was near as Cherry and Damascus drew closer. There was the slamming noise of an axe, the crunch of bone under a blade, and then his cannon fired. His mentor later told the press he was glad Lorry had gone so quickly and so painlessly.
Lorry Kinchla, District 6 Male: 10th, Killed by Cherry and Damascus, Day 6
The rest of Day 6 and the first half of Day 7 were deathless. Chalice was solidifying her plan to raid the cornucopia, and things were falling into place very soundly. She took a few moments of every day to get as near to the horn as possible, identifying the tribute or tributes guarding it to get the idea of the pattern they were following and what time the hunters came home for the night. Cornucopia raids almost never worked, but Chalice was the most spectacular career the games had seen in years and she was confident she could pull it off if she had all her proverbial cards put in order. Invictus, Ismene, and Zander still got along well. They were cooperative and rhythmic to a degree that was starting to get the tiniest bit boring. If Chalice didn't execute her raid within the next few days, the gamemakers planned to either drive the careers out of the pyramid or to send a horde of mummy mutts to spice things up.
The five outliers were divided into two duos and one loner. The first duo, Cherry and Damascus, was better-stocked and better-armed. Killing Lorry had really put things into perspective for Cherry; she felt terribly guilty for the advantage they'd had by finding Lorry while she was sleeping, and the advantage she had by being from a district where children learned to wield weapon-like objects by the time they were reaped anyway. She tried to bring up these doubts to Damascus, but couldn't bring herself to. Damascus, meanwhile, acted as their scout, guiding Cherry in a zig-zag path between the pyramid and the river. It was an exhausting trek, but it helped them cover the most ground and stay on the cameras as much as possible. The mutts the gamemakers sent to attack them were minor and easy to kill. It wasn't time for the big guns. Not quite yet.
Neem and Adonijah were also getting along well. Despite initial tensions, they quickly learned to trust each other. By the end of Day 7, they'd settled down near the river, occasionally moving but mostly relaxing. The gamemakers would allow this for two more days at most before sending a mutt in their direction. The daughter of the river, Evelyn, returned to its waters as well at the very end of the first week. She'd spent her fair share of time at the pyramid for the last three days, dodging mummies and careers. She wanted to swim again. What she didn't know was that the careers were also heading toward the river, urged to do so by their mentors. Things would get very bloody very soon.
Even sooner than one might think. The defining moment of the 103rd Hunger Games occurred on the morning of the eighth day. The scene was later depicted in a popular painting, hung over President Hawke's desk in the oval office of the presidential mansion. For a brief moment, all nine of the remaining tributes were within twenty meters of each other. It was truly spectacular.
First, the careers finished their journey toward the river. They reached it around eleven in the morning on Day 8. They were initially suspicious of eating the plant life, but Zander assured them it was all perfectly healthy and safe; he was an expert of agriculture, hailing from the part of District 4 where unique crops were grown near the ocean. As Zander gathered food in a large basket, Invictus and Ismene were just being teenagers, flinging water at each other half-naked in the river. Invictus asked Ismene if tributes had ever had sexual intercourse in the Hunger Games. Zander rolled his eyes. He thought it was all terribly stupid. He wasn't even attracted to women.
Invictus and Ismene came to the riverbank and suddenly heard a faint rustle in the plant life: something too big to be an animal. There was a human lurking nearby. They didn't know that it was Chalice; she'd been sponsored a kind of map that pointed her to the place where the other careers were hiding. Her plan to ambush the careers at the cornucopia had fallen on its face; they'd left before she had time to pounce, taking all the supplies with them. Feeling more than a little humiliated, Chalice was ready to let her violent side show. She'd seen them from about fifty feet away and crept silently through the bushes, exploiting their hormonal moment of distraction to draw her weapons and prepare to go in for the kill.
Chalice burst out of her leafy shelter, targeting Invictus. He opened his mouth in shock, falling onto his face with blood pouring out of his chest. Chalice leaped to full height, brandishing a new bow: one she'd taken surreptitiously from the horn half a week prior. Invictus died almost instantly, and Zander and Ismene grabbed their weapons, ready to take down the girl from District 1 who held the arena in an iron grip.
Invictus Brewster, District 2 Male: 9th, Killed by Chalice, Day 8
That left the final eight: Chalice Vonnegut from District 1, Ismene Cavat from District 2, Zander Craual from District 4, Cherry Perlman from District 7, Evelyn Greengrass from District 9, Damascus Rothschild from District 10, Neem Wainford from District 11, and Adonijah Flint from District 12.
It was a long and difficult fight. Chalice ditched her arrows in favor of a better weapon for short range: the battle axe she'd been using since the bloodbath. Ismene had an axe-club hybrid weapon, while Zander was armed with his powerful crook and flail. Ten minutes later, all three of them were covered with blood, groaning in rage and mortal agony as blood leaked from their bodies. They were caked with dirt and sweat and looked rather revolting on camera. Would Chalice take them down, or would Zander and Ismene take Chalice's life? In a few minutes, Panem would know.
Suddenly there was a rustle in the leaves, and Damascus and Cherry came careening into the scuffle. They'd heard the noise of the fight and ran in its direction, desperate to contribute to the bloodshed and keep themselves relevant in the minds of the Capitol viewers. Damascus stabbed Chalice in the back of her torso, just opposite her belly button, and she roared with fury, turning so sharply that Damascus didn't have time to sidestep or counter her blow. The axe landed squarely in his chest, and he crumpled like a rag doll, never to rise again. Cherry screamed with grief as he fell into a lifeless heap on the ground. Chalice died moments later. Damascus had succeeded in killing her, but the cost had been dear.
Damascus Rothschild, District 10 Male: 8th, Killed by Chalice, Day 8
Chalice Vonnegut, District 1 Female: 7th, Killed by Damascus, Day 8
"The hell?" Ismene stammered, and Cherry smacked her in the mouth, sending her reeling backward. Zander pounced, tackling Cherry straight off her feet. They tossed and turned on the riverbed for nearly a minute, Cherry desperately dodging Zander's swerving crook and flail. She realized quickly what he was planning to do: draw her to the very edge of the river and then hold her underwater, drowning her. A minute later, his plan reached a victorious conclusion. Zander shoved her backward into the river. Panic took over Cherry's limbs as the brown water flowed over her mouth and nose. This was the end. She was done for.
Suddenly, Zander loosened his grip on Cherry's throat, and she rolled out from underneath him. She jumped to full height and almost swung her axe at the person standing right in front of her: Evelyn, who saw the fight and had come to help. The sharp stone she'd used to knock Zander unconscious was still clutched in her grip. Evelyn's entire body shook with terror. Cherry didn't waste time finishing the job Evelyn had started, chopping Zander's torso nearly in half with her blade and then shoving him underwater.
Zander Craual, District 4 Male: 6th, Killed by Evelyn and Cherry, Day 8
Cherry was so relieved, she didn't even realize that Ismene was missing. She tried to find the words to thank her savior Evelyn, but all she could do was cough up the muddy brown water she'd taken into her lungs during her brief waterside residence mere seconds earlier.
"How did you hear?" Cherry eventually asked, sitting cross-legged across from Evelyn amongst the reeds.
"I was right over there," Evelyn responded, pointing. "I saw you were in trouble."
Cherry stared at her lap. "Thank you." Evelyn shrugged. "Always my pleasure to help a friend."
They'd never spoken before in their lives.
The terrifying and somewhat comedic thing was that Cherry and Evelyn were being watched. On one side, Ismene was hiding in the brush, glaring in their direction with a look that was vicious and searching and almost feline. She wondered at exactly what moment she should pounce, killing both Cherry and Evelyn in one fell swoop. On the other side, Neem and Adonijah were watching. They'd heard the fight and ran to see what was the matter. When they saw the sheer number of careers present, Neem wanted to turn tail and flee, but Adonijah urged him to hide near the scene instead. Maybe they could jump in and steal some of the glory.
Days 9 and 10 constituted the most terrifying game of cat-and-mouse the Hunger Games had seen in a long time. Cherry and Evelyn slowly traveled down the riverside, exploring the bank and feeding on the plenteous greens provided by the nurturing water. Cherry loved music and books and her voice was surprisingly classy and firm for someone her age. Evelyn, meanwhile, was a lover of nature. She was indistinguishable from a child except for the look in her eyes when she was focused on something. They got along quickly, and their friendship quickly became popular in the Capitol, where they were nicknamed Cherrylyn by viewers. It was a clunky name but still cute.
Their pursuers followed close behind. Ismene was always right behind them, staying silent and laying low. She was close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation, but she wasn't really paying attention. All she could think about was how much she wanted to kill both of them. She was all that was left of the once-mighty career pack. It wasn't just her ability to destroy these two girls as totally and violently as possible; it was her solemn duty.
Meanwhile, Neem and Adonijah trailed behind. Adonijah insisted they make their attack by the end of the day, but Neem wanted to wait just a bit longer. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but he kept hearing a third tribute spying on Evelyn and Cherry. Adonijah told him he was crazy, but Neem couldn't shake the growing evidence: footprints, sudden movements in the tall grass, and even the noise of a human cough in the late evening of Day 10. Adonijah shook them off as terrified fantasies, but Neem wasn't so sure.
On Day 11, Ismene finally went in for the kill. Her feet were tired from crouching in the grass for over two days, and she was sore and bored and sweaty. Her stalking expedition had been fun, but she was ready to get this over with. The girls slept in shifts; at the current moment, Evelyn was sleeping, while Cherry stood guard. Ismene lunged out of the grass, her weaponry sparkling in the moonlight. She drew closer and closer to Cherry's side, ready to kill her…
Neem and Adonijah joined the party. Neem let out a single cry of "I told you!" and then they both targeted Ismene from behind. She turned suddenly around in confusion, smacking Neem in the mouth. Adonijah retaliated by slamming a rock into Ismene's chest, but this ultimately did little to deter her. Adrenaline raced through Ismene's veins instead of blood; she was ready to kill every one of these pesky outliers or die trying.
Cherry and Evelyn scrambled to their senses, Evelyn taking up her little blade and Cherry readying herself to swing her axe. Evelyn was surprisingly brave for a tribute so young; she dove straight into the action, trying to tear Ismene to the ground as Ismene fought against Adonijah from the other direction. At last, the two of them dealt a series of crucial hits strong enough to lead to her doom. Cherry landed an ill-aimed blow in her back, cutting her open only slightly. It was still painful though, and she lost her concentration for a single instant. Adonijah took advantage of this single instant of distraction, knocking her off her feet like a battering ram. Ismene fell to the ground, sending a spray of mud in all directions, and ultimately died at the hands of the three outliers. BOOM! Four tributes left.
Ismene Cavat, District 2 Female: 5th, Killed by Evelyn, Cherry, and Adonijah, Day 11
They stood in a quadrangle around Ismene's dead body. Cherry was so utterly worn down from days of battle and psychological torment that she could hardly stand. Evelyn was in tears, blood leaking down her abdomen from a wound inflicted by Ismene. It was more than her little mind could handle. Neem, having gotten back to his feet, managed to keep his head high, but his eyes swam with panic and confusion. Adonijah was surprisingly stoic, though his hands shook at his sides. Nobody knew what to do.
Neem hesitantly broke the ice. "Thanks for your help, everyone."
They nodded silently. The air was glass.
"We're the only four left, aren't we?" Evelyn asked. Cherry responded with a short nod.
Adonijah moved just a little too suddenly, and the others narrowed their eyes in suspicion. Did he want to end the games right here, right now?
"Tell you what," Cherry said. "I know what to do. We should split up. Go where we please. The pyramid or the desert or the river. You know what Garnet's going to do, don't you? Ramp up the natural threats. Make it a hundred fifty degrees. Send spiders and snakes and cats and mummies from everywhere. And we'll all fight for our lives. That's the best thing to do."
None of them had any better ideas, and, none of them wanting to draw blood at that particular moment, they ran their separate directions. Neem offered a short pleasantry of "may the best tribute win" and then raced into the desert.
Neem decided to settle down in the necropolis, finding the shadiest area possible. He predicted the gamemakers would raise the temperature significantly in the near future and wanted to find a cool place to stay. The pyramid was out of the question: without doubt, it would be burning hot inside: certainly inhospitable. Cherry stayed at the riverside. She knew it would place her at the greatest risk of mutts, but it was worth it to be so close to such a huge water source. Adonijah also stayed near the river, gathering as many greens as he could. He predicted the gamemakers would make the plant life wilt and die, so he wanted to garner as much food as he could right now. Finally, Evelyn returned to the pyramid. It was horribly hot and stuffy in there, but there was adequate shelter and supplies and even a small amount of leftover water. She wanted with all her heart to stay near the river, but her head told her to leave; the pyramid was her best bet. It provided the most shelter from whatever threat the gamemakers would put over the arena.
Now there was nothing to do but wait. Wait to be tested in the direst of circumstances. Wait to live, wait to die.
On Day 12, the gamemakers unleashed Armageddon itself.
The river turned into a churning mass of dark-red liquid that smelled like iron. The sky turned black as night. Thousands of fireballs were sent flying toward the ground. There was an enormous earthquake, a twister, an enormous outpouring of every mutt the arena had to offer. Bombs fell all across the arena, sending up clouds of dust that covered the sky and filled the air with pollution. It was a hundred and sixty degrees, so hot that every breath felt like you were choking on poison.
Before anything else, though, the gamemakers needed to flush Evelyn out of the pyramid. They did this by sending an entire swarm of fierce cat mutts to chase after her. They had razor-sharp claws and teeth and she would have been torn to ribbons if she stopped running for a single moment. She ran from one nightmare into another, emerging from the pyramid into the most abominable catastrophe she had ever seen. A whistle filled Evelyn's ears as a series of bombs blasted against the pyramid. There was the scream of collapsing stone, a single moment of silence, and then the entire structure descended into rubble. Evelyn raced down the steps as quickly as she could, abandoning all kinds of coherent strategy in favor of moving as fast as possible. She was battered and bruised when she reached the bottom but it was better than being dead.
The two tributes near the river, Cherry and Adonijah, were fighting for their lives against swarms of animals. At first, frogs began pouring out of the river: thousands of them, so many frogs that they trampled the tall grass and made the ground look like a field of greenish-brown ooze. Cherry was kneeling on the bank of the bloody river when the frogs emerged: a curtain of amphibious death as far as the eye could see. Se batted away the first row of frogs, sending them spiraling backward into the blood river. One hopped onto her leg and sank its razor sharp teeth into her high. Cherry screamed in agony and stumbled backward, fighting her way backwards through the grass while fending off the frogs for all she was worth. There was an explosion a few feet to her left and the air filled with dust. Coughing, Cherry staggered to the ground, screaming louder and louder as the frogs overwhelmed her.
Adonijah was sleeping when the apocalypse began. A fireball landed on the opposite end of the river from where he was standing, splattering him with a spray of mud and blood. He jumped to full height, whipping his head wildly around in anticipation of a human attacker. There was none. Adonijah squinted in confusion at a faint humming sound coming from across the river: a bomb preparing to explode, perhaps?
He didn't even have time to breathe before the swarm of locusts appeared out of nowhere, millions upon millions of the savage insects crowding the sky and blocking out the blood-colored moon. There were too many of them to fight back: all he could do was run for his life, hoping a stray bomb or fireball wouldn't blow him up. At that very moment, a cannon sounded. So, who had died: Cherry or Adonijah?
It was neither. Neem, exploring the necropolis, had come to a stop a few hours earlier in a building that held something like an ancient well. For a few minutes, the structure protected him from the debris created by the explosions happening around the arena. Eventually, he was driven out by a swarm of fierce cat mutts, twisting and turning his path around the arena to avoid the swarms of frogs and locusts coming from the red river.
He wasn't fast enough. He was so distracted by so many different dangers that he hardly even noticed as the swarm of locusts overtook him. They landed all over his body, covering every square inch of his flesh in a buzzing, humming black curtain of pesky insects. Every one of them injected its venom into his body at once. Neem hardly even felt it. There was only an odd throbbing in his chest as all of this body parts went numb. The locusts worked quickly, killing him in moments. After the games, the gamemakers had to spray that area of the arena with toxic mist to kill the locusts so they could collect Neem's body.
Neem Wainford, District 11 Male: 4th, Killed by locusts, Day 12
The sun was high in the sky, casting a brilliant red aura over the entire arena. The pyramid was in ruins by this point, a humungous mushroom cloud of limestone dust billowing into the sky from its collapse. The mutts coming from the river lightened up somewhat as the next hour passed by. Garnet wanted to kill one more tribute himself. Then he would force the final two tributes together to kill each other.
The three competitors were still on the run for their lives. Cherry, having managed to fight off the frog horde with an admirable degree of strength, finally abandoned the river completely. The center of the arena, while free of mutts, was a wasteland of dust clouds and black spots where the bombs had made impact. Cherry briefly considered abandoning her axe, which would allow her to run faster, but decided against it. She thought the gamemakers would still want the last kill to be made by a tribute, and she would need her weapon to carry out that task.
Adonijah was in terrible condition after the locust invasion. They'd bitten dozens of holes in his body, and blood now dripped from the spots they'd left in this flesh. As he ran for his life, trying not to cry out in pain with every step, he briefly stopped worrying about death to appreciate how lucky he'd been. He was from District 12, the poorest district in Panem, yet he'd made it to the final three. That was a deal to be happy with. He didn't waste time being sappy about it, though; if he stopped running for a single second, he would certainly be overwhelmed by the various threats surrounding him. By this point the entire sky was veiled by a noxious black haze, ashes tumbling down to the earth in flaming-hot jets of dust. Adonijah came mere inches from death at one point, so close that the ash singed the back of his neck. He yelped in pain and clapped a hand over the back of his neck, fighting to urge to let out a guttural scream as the temperature of the arena rose higher and higher.
Evelyn had a strong will, but her body wasn't physically capable of powering forward once it had reached a certain threshold. She'd been on the run for half a day now, having had two near-death experiences involving a fireball and the frog horde. When the first ash pillar reached down its deadly finger to claim her, Evelyn could do nothing but scream helplessly. Surrounded by the roaring column of flaming-hot ash and air, her skin was burned black almost instantly. Evelyn collapsed onto her knees, coughing ferociously as the dust infiltrated her lungs. She was gone in seconds.
Evelyn Greengrass, District 9 Female: 3rd, Killed by suffocation, Day 12
With only two tributes left, Garnet caused the apocalyptic scene to gradually clear. The sun turned from red to white, filling the sky with a heavenly blue glow that became more and more visible as the ash layer cleared from above. The frogs and locusts returned to their holding place at the other end of the river, and within hours it was completely still.
Cherry Perlman and Adonijah Flint, the last two tributes, did nothing but lay down and will their bodies to heal for the next two days. The gamemakers had pushed their bodies to the breaking point, and they deserved to rest. Cherry was still near the river, which was completely dry. The gamemakers hadn't been able to turn the river from blood back into water, so they'd caused it to run dry. Her thirst was satisfied by scant sponsor gifts of water, but these only barely kept her alive. Adonijah, meanwhile, was in much worse condition. He was almost completely deaf (courtesy of a fireball) and he was covered from head to toe with so many gashes and scrapes it looked like his body was preparing to shatter into a million fleshy pieces. The sponsors tried to help, but healing materials were expensive and there wasn't much he could do other than wait.
Day 15 was the last day of the 103rd Hunger Games. The audience was starting to get a little bored after the total uneventfulness of the last two days, and Garnet wanted to get the games over with so that the audience would have a victor to focus on while he relaxed from the intense responsibility and stress of this year. The frogs emerged again, driving Cherry toward the center of the arena. Also, Garnet sent a trio of deadly cat mutts from behind Adonijah, beckoning him toward the same location. The finalists saw each other at around nine in the morning on the fifteenth day. Now it was time to vie for the Victor's Crown.
The fight was won the moment it started. Adonijah had a couple of knives, but his strength was nothing compared to Cherry's. He could have put up a good fight if he was in better bodily condition. But, as it happened, this was a battle of strength, not skill. Cherry knocked Adonijah off his feet in less than a minute, then hoisted up her axe, ready to end the life of her final competitor.
"Just make it quick," Adonijah whispered.
She nodded, then brought down the axe.
Adonijah Flint, District 12 Male: 2nd, Killed by Cherry, Day 15
"Cherry Perlman of District 7, you are the victor of the one-hundred third annual Hunger Games!" Ciara Grant cheered.
The new victor just ran her fingers over the handle of the bloody axe, deep in thought.
Cherry Perlman, District 7 Female: Victor of the One-Hundred Third Hunger Games, Day 15
AFTERMATH
Cherry was rushed back to District 7 with thunderous applause and total elation. It had been only two years since their last victor, Aspen, claimed the crown. None of them had been expecting another victor this soon, so Cherry was celebrated and liked. After Blight died the previous year, the four living victors from District 7 were glad to add Cherry to their circle. Despite her trauma, she integrated into the victor life rather well, and she managed to live with what she'd done without the use of drugs or alcohol. The games made her incredibly introspective and thoughtful, and the other victors said she always seemed lost in thought. Cherry quickly established a career in poetry. Though her poems received rather bad reviews in the Capitol, she loved the art form and ended up dedicated her entire life to it. She was used scantly as a prostitute but was ultimately overshadowed by the more popular, seductive victors in this regard, saving her from an entire lifetime of being bought and sold.
The payouts on her victory were quite good, as 2% bet on her.
Her victory tour was pretty average. She was a great public speaker and strung her words together in a way that held people's attention even though they were angry at her.
Cherry would live to age eighty, dying from heart disease five months after the one-hundred sixty-sixth Hunger Games. She would marry and have two children.
NEWS
Cherry moves into the Victor's Village of District 7, next door to Sycamora Bromley.
Seeder Kaiser dies from a previously undiscovered pox-like disease.
Lucy Said dies from appendicitis.
Chipson Harris enters his first marriage with a woman named Kordine.
Mars Talbot bears his first child, Ceres Talbot.
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)
84HG: Dock Elizabeth (#13, District 4)
85HG: Sycamora Bromley (#5, District 7)
86HG: Bobbin Chern (#4, District 8)
87HG: Organdy Karat (#14, District 1)
88HG: Sickle Salgato (#3, District 9)
89HG: Admired Thompson (#15, District 1)
90HG: Chipson Harris (#11, District 3)
91HG: Mars Talbot (#21, District 2)
92HG: Arnold Scruggs (#3, District 12), Wystella Knapp (#22, District 2), and Robina Caite (#3, District 10)
93HG: Taj King (#16, District 1)
94HG: Steer Drudgers (#4, District 10)
95HG: Diode Cooper (#8, District 5)
96HG: Pluto Talbot (#23, District 2)
97HG: Vine Lilard (#4, District 11)
98HG: Larke Jean (#5, District 10)
99HG: Poseidon Odair (#14, District 4)
100HG: Rimno Kiely (#12, District 3)
101HG: Aspen Sprout (#6, District 7)
102HG: Dandelion Linwood (#5, District 11)
103HG: Cherry Perlman (#7, District 7)
