A/N: Just a warning that there is a TON of stuff in this chapter. It's the third longest chapter of 23 Cannons (after the two double-tribute quells) and sort of central to a big shift that is going to happen very soon in the history of my Panem. This is my favorite chapter I've written in a while… hope you love it too!
THE ONE HUNDRED FIFTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"Flower Power"
INTRODUCTION
Much was abound in the shining Capitol of Panem, caused by a sudden shift in the political climate. Stinn Hawke, who had sat on the presidential throne for nineteen years, finally faced a non-trivial threat to his position of power; a new political party was emerging, a group that would change the face of both Panem and the Hunger Games over the several decades of its existence. The group had been forming quietly for years, but only now did they become a real threat. Their official title was the Panemian Coalition for Capitolian Transparency (PCCT), though they were more frequently referred to as the "Coalition" or by the informal name Morning Star. Their mission was to re-form the government of Panem into a much more open system, encouraging trade and travel between the districts and releasing information about the inner workings of the Capitol to the general public. Though they seemed like a frivolous countercultural movement, they gained humungous popularity; they'd attracted thousands of people from all twelve districts and the Capitol to their cause, with support growing each week around the nation. Stinn Hawke did not deem them a serious danger to the Capitol, at least not quite yet, so he observed the political group from afar. A presidential assassination seemed very unlikely; the PCCT was not a terrorist group, and besides, a coup seemed unlikely given the levels of security present in the Capitol. The Hunger Games host, Ciara Grant, returned for her third year. She was still planning something terrific, something that would distract the districts from the shenanigans of the Morning Star. She would most likely execute her plan shortly after the 105th games ended. Garnet Russo remained head gamemaker, ready to impress the nation once more. Last year was another big success; he'd pulled off a freezing-cold arena without making it dreary or boring on screen, which was objectively impressive despite slightly-lower-than-average watch counts and streaming stats of the games. He stuck with the tradition of releasing a trailer clip for the new arena. This year's clip was the shortest yet, showing a thick canopy of bright green leaves accompanied by the chirping of birds and the humming of jungle wildlife. This year's tributes were clearly in store for a tropical arena – Garnet was being somewhat safe after his intense frigid gamble the year prior. Even so, the Capitol was sure to love Garnet's newest arena and the carnage that would occur within.
As per usual, all six slots from Districts 1, 2, and 4 were filled by well-trained and well-liked careers. The girl, Sienna Thibault, was the first of the four Thibault sisters that would compete in the games. They hoped to establish a reputation similar to the Talbot family, who had sent eight of their children into the games near the very end of the first century. Sienna was the usual curvy blonde bombshell; she'd been instructed to act that way by her family, as they were testing the waters to see how her younger sisters should act if and when they were chosen to volunteer. Her district partner, Topaz, was much more silent and brooding. They were both axe fighters, a trend that had grown for District 1 tributes in recent years. District 2 provided the strongest pair, two dark-skinned sword fighters. The boy was especially vicious, and he specialized in throwing knives, while the girl preferred close-range combat. Their names were Lepidus and Ferris and they were sure to make District 2 proud. District 4's boy, Jonah, was a bit of a strange animal; he was very short, scarcely five feet tall, and he didn't seem terribly vicious to the Capitol. However, he earned a nine, which showed he had some kind of hidden power up his sleeves. The girl was much more traditional, an olive-skinned fisherman girl named Vienne with fast feet and a smart pair of eyes. Not a single career scored lower than a nine.
The outliers were an impressive group this year. In fact, the tribute with the highest percent of bets was an outlier. His name was Fox Sikorski, and he was a teen celebrity, having starred in several high-profile Capitol movies and fashion shows. He was also a fitness model, strong and muscular and so attractive it was almost creepy. He was distinct for his fiery red hair and deep voice, a critical part of his brand. Over the last three years, he'd established an enormous social media presence, with thousands of die-hard fans in the Capitol and in his home district of 5. He actually lived in the Capitol most of the time; he was registered as a citizen of District 5 for obscure legal reasons only. Fox allied with the boy from 6, Evander, who was a popular tribute despite being overshadowed by Fox. By combining their strengths, they hoped to go far. This year featured one of the first anti-career alliances in a long time. It consisted of Terran and Cacta from 7, Graham from 9, Muskat from 11, and Larkspur from 12. None of them were particularly powerful or popular, but by banding together they hoped to take down the careers or at least diminish their power significantly in the arena. The last standouts were the tributes from 3, Lux and Candela Satterfield. They were siblings, which charmed the audience even though there wasn't much else to make them stand out. There were no volunteers besides the careers. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Topaz Waring, 18 (9) 7-1 and Sienna Thibault, 17 (10) 4-1
District 2: Lepidus Wolf, 16 (10) 3-1 and Ferris Blanc, 17 (10) 4-1
District 3: Lux Satterfield, 15 (4) 28-1 and Candela Satterfield, 13 (3) 35-1
District 4: Jonah Gillevet, 17 (9) 8-1 and Vienne Tuttle, 16 (9) 8-1
District 5: Fox Sikorski, 18 (9) 7-1 Flemie Guemes, 14 (2) 35-1
District 6: Evander Channon, 18 (7) 14-1 and Pelly Fenske, 16 (5) 24-1
District 7: Terran Pierpont, 17 (5) 23-1 and Cacta Salvatore, 17 (6) 20-1
District 8: Oxford Gay, 14 (3) 33-1 and Marcela Pullen, 15 (4) 29-1
District 9: Graham Salcido, 17 (4) 26-1 and Oryza Pratap, 12 (3) 38-1
District 10: Abel Silber, 13 (4) 37-1 and Galla Moyles, 18 (6) 19-1
District 11: Muskat Yeat, 18 (5) 24-1 and Rolfa Protter, 16 (6) 21-1
District 12: Dirk Lowell, 14 (5) 27-1 and Larkspur Gronback, 14 (3) 37-1
HGBO Bets: 20% on Fox, 18% on Lepidus, 16% on Sienna, 15% on Ferris, 11% on Topaz, 8% on Jonah and Vienne, 3% on Evander, 1% or less on Lux, Candela, Flemie, Pelly, Terran, Cacta, Oxford, Marcela, Graham, Oryza, Abel, Galla, Muskat, Rolfa, Dirk, and Larkspur.
THE GAMES
While the heat was oppressive, it was not the worst thing about the environment of this year's arena. The worst thing was the humidity. The air was so damp the tributes felt as though it clung to them like a sticky blanket. The force field kept the humid air from escaping, keeping the tributes trapped like bugs under a glass bowl. The ground was thick with knee-length grass and overgrown with vegetation, from ferns to creepers to layers of choking ivy that would grab and strangle any unsuspecting tribute. The cornucopia, which was fastened from branches in a whimsical and almost elfish way, held mostly axes, knives, and bows. There were no spears, which would not bode well with the tributes from 4. What the tributes may have not realized was that the arena was an enormous greenhouse. There were flowers the heights of trees and clovers that towered over like canopies of leaves, making them feel like tiny insects trying to survive in the dog-eat-dog world of nature. The mutts of the arena were stunningly well-designed: enormous bugs including earthworms, grasshoppers, and spiders, which crawled through the undergrowth in search of human blood. There were also tracker jackers and nightlock, the two staple threats of forest arenas. Water was plentiful, though not in a form that was edible; it was so muddy that no tribute could drink it safely without passing it through some kind of filter. Because the arena provided so much natural shelter and sustenance, nearly half of the tributes ran away from the bloodbath. As a result, this year's bloodbath only claimed eight lives.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
There were three packs of tributes this year: the careers, the anti-careers, and the duo of Fox and Evander. All three groups dealt lethal damage during the bloodbath. The careers were the first to reach the cornucopia, Topaz and Sienna sweeping up their axes while the pair from 2 held back to cut down tributes in the cornucopia field. Ferris grabbed a whimsically curved sword that lay in the grass a few dozen meters from her pedestal and leaped into the fray, bombarding little Flemie from 5 with a fist to the neck and then going in for the kill. Flemie fell with the blade through her throat, gurgling momentarily before she fell still.
Flemie Guemes, District 5 Female: 24th, Killed by Ferris, Bloodbath
Vienne from 4 gave up searching for a spear after about half a minute, instead grabbing an axe from a pile of yellow blossoms near the cornucopia. Galla from 10 went down in a spray of blood as the axe connected with her chest, and Vienne ripped the weapon free, continuing to hack and chop until she stopped twitching.
Galla Moyles, District 10 Female: 23rd, Killed by Vienne, Bloodbath
Topaz and Sienna from 1 were both armed, having taken two hatchets each from a shelf in the horn where four of them were stowed. Immediately outside the cornucopia, the siblings from 3 were running for their lives; they'd grabbed several backpacks from the horn and were now making a break for it. The brother screamed as Sienna's first hatchet lodged into his back, immobilizing him. The sister froze in place, dumfounded with shock at the sight of her brother in mortal peril. She died moments later, falling victim to Topaz and his deadly axes.
Lux Satterfield, District 3 Male: 22nd, Killed by Sienna, Bloodbath
Candela Satterfield, District 3 Female: 21st, Killed by Topaz, Bloodbath
Fox from 5 and Evander from 6 were determined to make at least one kill during the bloodbath. Fox knew he was the most popular tribute by default, but that wasn't enough; now he needed to show the audience that he was a powerful killer. The tributes from 8, Oxford and Marcela, were nearby; Oxford had fallen to his knees, hissing in pain from a wound inflicted by Jonah, and Marcela tried to tug him back to his feet. Fox grabbed two knives and tackled her, pinning her theatrically down just like the characters he'd played in the Capitol's favorite action movies. The Capitolites yelped in thrill as Fox's famous red hair shined in the sun, blood splashing over his famously attractive face.
Marcela Pullen, District 8 Female: 20th, Killed by Fox, Bloodbath
Her ally, Oxford, ran for his life; he wasn't going to waste a single moment staring at the carnage while he could be making his escape. Unfortunately, Evander was waiting for him, poised to attack with a bow gripped tightly in his right hand. Oxford saw him drawing the string and hesitated for a single moment, freezing just long enough for Evander to fire. It went straight through his chest and protruded from his back, killing him instantly. Fox and Evander left the bloodbath shortly afterward.
Oxford Gay, District 8 Male: 19th, Killed by Evander, Bloodbath
The anti-careers did not escape the bloodbath without casualties. At this point, they'd all grabbed the supplies they were hoping to take: a few simple packs for Cacta and Graham, a wider range of weaponry for Terran and Muskat, and large stores of food and water for Larkspur. The pair from 2, Lepidus and Ferris, were not going to let them slip away that easily, however. Lepidus hurled a throwing knife into their midst, and it missed Muskat by a breadth of only a few inches. Panic ensued as they scrambled for their weapons, only narrowly preparing themselves before Ferris careened into the group. Graham fell in a dark-red explosion as the sword collided with his waist, and his allies ran in all directions. Cacta and Terran met up near the edge of the cornucopia field, while Muskat and Larkspur met elsewhere. Back at the horn, Graham died quickly, the fifth wheel forgotten completely as his surviving allies paired off and fled.
Graham Salcido, District 9 Male: 18th, Killed by Lepidus, Bloodbath
Muskat and Larkspur were almost free from the cornucopia field when they were attacked by an unexpected enemy. Pelly from 6, a lone outlier, had originally resolved to attack Fox and Evander during the bloodbath. But after they left, she decided to take down one of the anti-careers. She didn't expect Muskat and Larkspur to be so heavily armed, however. Muskat drew twin daggers, ready to kill, and Pelly chickened out, turning tail and running for her life at the sight of the blades. Muskat made the split-second decision to pursue her, chasing her nearly half a mile through the undergrowth before slicing her torso open under an enormous red blossom the height of a building. There were eight cannon shots; the bloodbath was over.
Pelly Fenske, District 6 Female: 17th, Killed by Muskat, Bloodbath
The careers paraded around the cornucopia, quickly getting to work and deciding how they would run things in this arena. All six of them were still alive, something that hadn't happened in years. Maintaining order would be difficult in a group so large but they would try their best to make it work. Topaz volunteered to stay back at the horn; he'd been injured during the bloodbath, sliced across the chest by Terran from 7. The wound wasn't lethal, but it was incredibly painful. Sienna, who'd grown up in a town of healers, thought the injury had a high chance of becoming infected. Topaz was worried, but optimistic that a day of rest was all he needed after she'd applied the disinfectant and the bandages. Lepidus and Ferris from 2 were eager to go hunting; they were disappointed by the careers' subpar performance during the bloodbath, and they were eager to prove to the audience that they were worth investing in over Fox and the anti-careers. While they chatted quietly, Jonah and Vienne from 4 sorted the various trinkets and tools. Jonah mostly focused on rations and Vienne focused on weapons. The latter was an easy task, since there were only a few kinds of weapons in this year's cornucopia, but it was still heavy work and Jonah helped her out once he was done with his work. Sienna even popped her head in to help out. About two hours after the end of the bloodbath, the five hunters wished Topaz fast healing and then ploughed out into the dense greenhouse jungle, ready for the kills and thrills the 105th Hunger Games would provide.
There were ten remaining outliers, four of which were loners and six of which were grouped up in pairs. The first pair, Fox and Evander, covered the most distance on the first day. Fox was experiencing a level of popularity that had simply never been seen before in any Hunger Games tribute. He received effectively infinite sponsor gifts on the first day, enough food and supplies to keep both of them well-stocked for weeks. There were also dozens of encouraging notes from his fans in the Capitol. Due to high temperatures, Fox spent most of the day with his shirt off, revealing the foxy (pun intended) upper body the Capitol had seen in his famous model shoots. Evander felt pretty sour at the lack of attention he was getting – Fox's popularity overshadowed his like a thermonuclear bomb overshadowing a firecracker – but as long as Fox was willing to share his food and supplies with him then he had nothing to complain about. Fox and Evander stopped at nightfall near a huge pool of water surrounded by tall reeds. After a short scuffle with an earthworm mutt, they settled down for the night, taking shifts of an hour each to stand guard. The second duo, Muskat and Larkspur, covered much less distance on the first day. Larkspur had spent the bloodbath gathering nothing but food. It was enough to keep them both fed for at least a week, though they rarely had to tap into this store because the arena itself provided so much. Around nightfall, Muskat made a foolish decision; thirsty after a few hours of traipsing through the muggy landscape, he scooped up a branch of dark berries, eager to chew and swallow. Larkspur jumped so suddenly he almost screamed; coming from District 12, she knew about nightlock and its dangers. Muskat was shaken, glad he had Larkspur as a companion. After night fell, they rested on a steep slope covered with ferns, tying themselves in with rope to keep from rolling away.
The final pair, Terran and Cacta from 7, wasted a lot of time being indecisive. Terran insisted on getting the high ground, if for no other reason than so that they could get a feel for the terrain of the arena and its various land and water features. Cacta was apprehensive; she wanted to lie low as much as possible, at least until the number of competitors was cut down somewhat. Far after nightfall, they discovered a huge dirt mound that towered over the clover canopy and the tree-sized flowers. Terran sprinted up it immediately, hesitantly followed by Cacta, who kept glancing over her shoulder in an almost uncontainable fit of paranoia.
The careers were just about to put up camp when they saw Terran and Cacta rushing briskly through the dense foliage. Lepidus was quick to charge, but this was a foolish choice; he snagged several roots in his rush, creating a rustling noise that alerted Cacta to their presence. Cacta grabbed Terran from behind, urging him to flee, but he could not be stopped; he thought Cacta was simply in the midst of one of her silly anxious fits and ignored her. Terran conceded though that it was time to settle down for the night, and they sat on a picnic-blanket-like cloth for the night.
Cacta lay awake long after Terran was asleep. Already, she was regretting her decision to ally with Terran, who was so brash and never listened to her complaints. She felt more comfortable when they were part of the large anti-career group, and probably wouldn't have split away so early if there had been more friends to keep Terran's reckless behavior in check. All at once, Terran snored loudly, and Cacta made the split-second decision to run for the hills. She grabbed both of their packs and raced eastward down the slope, straight down to the place where the careers were hiding. Jonah crept out of the shadows, heart beating fast as he pulled back his bow. There was a single hollow thud, and then Cacta fell to the forest floor, squirming and squealing from her painful injury. The other District 4 tribute, Vienne, rushed in to finish her off with a swing of her hatchet, burying the blade deep in her chest. Cacta's cannon promptly fired, and Terran scrambled awake on the picnic blanket uphill. He had no idea the threat that had taken Cacta's life was about to come for him.
Cacta Salvatore, District 7 Female: 16th, Killed by Jonah and Vienne, Day 1
Terran jumped to his feet, quick to notice that his ally was missing. He picked up almost instantly on the path of disturbed soil where Cacta had run. He gazed downhill to the place where Cacta lay, lit only barely in the greyish light of the setting sun. He was too worried to feel angry at her betrayal as he raced down to the spot where she was curled up lifeless on the dirt, tears gathering in his eyes. He didn't see or hear the careers crouching down in the shadow of a nearby bush, ready to attack.
He knelt at Cacta's side and immediately jumped back to his feet. There was something fishy about the scene; the nearby scuffle of footprints was awfully suspicious. Unfortunately, he was already caught in the careers' web. He turned and ran, only to be followed closely by the pair from 2, who jumped out of the darkness while the other careers held back with bated breath. Lepidus was onto him like a hound, throwing a pair of knives into his back. He was dead before Ferris had time to land even a single blow. The careers allowed themselves a few moments to celebrate their triumph before pillaging the camp and making it their own.
Terran Pierpont, District 7 Male: 15th, Killed by Lepidus, Day 1
There were four more tributes for the cameras to cover: those who had struck off by themselves, forgoing the alliances that the other tributes had settled for. Oryza from 9 was one of the many tributes who'd run from the bloodbath, confident she could garner food from the arena itself. She was from a small travelling group of traders and gatherers back in District 9, giving her a great eye for what was safe to eat and what wasn't. She occupied herself weaving a basket from reeds while she walked, filling it with everything edible she could find. At nightfall, Oryza collapsed near a little brook near the outer edge of the arena. It was infested with mosquitoes (normal-sized, fortunately) and by morning she was covered with itchy bites. Abel from 10 had less of an aptitude for keeping himself from getting poisoned. Halfway through the day, he kneeled near a large pool and prepared to drink. Moments later, a small rodent drank from the water and died instantly. Terrified, Abel retreated farther into the forest, still thirsty and on-edge. There was a region ahead of him consisting of huge white mushrooms towering into the sky. They provided adequate shelter and shade, and even water when he tapped into one like a maple tree. Rolfa from 11 was the only loner who'd actually attended the bloodbath. Her yield consisted of a set of bowls – seemingly useless, but there was no reason not to hold onto them – a few matches, and some dried fruit. She ate half of the fruit on the first night, saving the rest for the morning. Rolfa was the first tribute to actually house herself in the vegetation, scaling a big red blossom like a tree and hiding among the petals. It was sturdy and stable and rather comfortable. The final tribute, Dirk from 12, was much less calm. He ran around the arena like a headless chicken, actually exploring most of it because he never stopped moving. Eventually, he was too exhausted to continue any farther. He lay down in a cocoon of fallen green branches a few miles from the mushroom forest and then went to sleep.
Before the day ended, the cameras showed one last glimpse of every tribute: Topaz resting at the cornucopia, the rest of the careers curled up on the picnic blanket. Fox and Evander in the reeds, Muskat and Larkspur in the ferns, Oryza near the river, Abel in the mushrooms, Rolfa tucked in her petal home, and Dirk in his branch nest. The program cut straight to black rather than featuring a grand outro, an unusual artistic decision. Then the first day was over.
The morning of Day 2, the first thing the nation watched was a long chase. The careers were up bright and early, eager to knive and thrive on the second day and ideally make at least one kill. Sienna and Vienne were the most amicable pair. Despite being from different districts, they had similar personalities and interests. Vienne was passionate about fashion, which helped her form a connection with the girl from District 1. Lepidus and Ferris were also absorbed in conversation as the day passed. They were listing off the victors they'd spoken to during their time in the Capitol and comparing the advice they had been given. Jonah was off by himself, holding up the rear of the group, but he didn't mind that. He wasn't much of a social butterfly anyway. In fact, Jonah was the only one to notice little Abel from 10 scampering quietly up ahead. He shook the others to attention, and they burst into action, chasing after Abel in hot pursuit. He'd lost them within the hour, but he didn't stop running. At last, Abel collapsed at the base of a large blossom – by some insane coincidence, the exact flower that Rolfa was hiding in. She stayed quietly cooped up until Abel left later that day. Rolfa never identified the tribute underneath her, as she didn't want to risk making unnecessary noise by peering over the edges of the petals. This would not be the last time Abel and Rolfa met.
Before the halfway point of the day, the cameras shifted to Muskat and Larkspur. They left the fern-laden region of the arena and travelled parallel to the widest stream they would find, keeping a few dozen meters gap between themselves and the water to avoid the tributes who would doubtlessly have staked a claim to part of the riverside. They passed by Dirk around noon, but he didn't notice them and they decided not to attack. Larkspur, eager to feast after an entire morning of travel, coaxed Muskat off of the animal path they'd been taking and down a nearby slope, where the reeds were higher than usual. The allies peered through the reeds and recoiled immediately; they'd agitated a pair of humungous mosquito mutts and would now pay the post. The creatures had legs as long and thin as tent strings. Neither of the allies were killed; they took down the first creature by gashing it in the side and the second one by loping off its blood-sucking apparatus. Figuring they'd proven themselves to the gamemakers enough that day, Muskat and Larkspur returned to their path near the river and resumed their journey.
Dirk may have been let off the hook by Muskat and Larkspur, but less than an hour later he met another tribute who was much more punishing. Feeling queasy after drinking too much water without purifying or filtering it first, Dirk lay down in a copse of regular ivy and hoped to sleep off some of his pains. In such a vulnerable position, it was only a matter of time before he was found. Fox and Evander had reached a lull in their journey shortly before, and they were about to settle down for lunch when Evander spotted Dirk snoozing quietly in the bushes. Evander was on the fence about whether to go in for the kill, but Fox knew what the task was and he did not hesitate for a single moment. Evander hung slightly back as Fox drew his twin daggers and approached, his features raised in a clever, enterprising glare some of the Capitolites recognized from the big screen. Dirk heard one of his feet drag through the grass and groggily opened his eyes. He caught only a single glimpse of Fox's distinct red hair before everything went dark. Fox scooped up Dirk's supplies and raced away into the forest with Evander close behind. Suddenly he wasn't so sure about his decision to ally with Fox.
Dirk Lowell, District 12 Male: 14th, Killed by Fox, Day 2
The careers made the decision to re-locate to the mushroom forest. It was atypical of a career pack to make such a drastic change of plains when they had spent so little time on their current expedition, but they all agreed it was their best bet; more tributes would be hiding in the shadowy, sheltered recesses of that region. However, they faced a minor mishap. At one point, Jonah wandered a few feet away from the rest of the pack to relieve himself. Afterward, he picked up a cluster of pink flowers with an incredibly sweet fragrance. Jonah instantly screamed; the pollen was poison, clogging his respiratory system for a scary second. The mishap wasn't fatal, but it meant the careers would have to stay still for the rest of the day while he healed. Back at the cornucopia, Topaz had almost completely healed from his bloodbath wound. He highly suspected that Fox would attempt to raid the cornucopia, but he never did such a thing. Topaz was gladdened by this because he wasn't sure he could counter such a strong tribute in his injured state, especially if he was accompanied by Evander.
The last tribute the cameras showed on Day 2 was Oryza. She continued to fill her handmade basket with whatever food she could find. She also made a small pouch and filled it with nightlock, just in case she needed a weapon in the near future. She smeared herself with the dark, airy dirt near the river, helping to further camouflage her already dark skin. Oryza didn't have much, but she was calm and relaxed near the river, somewhat resigned to her likely death.
Day 3 was deathless. The careers had promised Topaz that they'd return to the cornucopia on the third day. Most of them wanted to break their promise and keep exploring the mushroom forest, but Sienna convinced them otherwise, reminding them of the supply restock they needed. They returned to the cornucopia with ease, reaching it shortly after noon. They ate lunch with Topaz, sharing highly embellished stories of the things they'd seen in the arena. Topaz was eager to get hunting, wanting to prove to the audience that he wasn't as lazy as he'd made himself seem over the first two days. He was accompanied by Sienna and Vienne, who were similarly in the mood for more hunting. The careers who stayed at the cornucopia were Lepidus, Ferris, and Jonah. They agreed to meet again at midnight and raced off toward the mushroom forest, as ravenous as ever and travelling very quickly with a smaller group.
Fox experienced a shift in the types of sponsor gifts he received on the third day. Suddenly, companies in the Capitol saw him as the most fantastic advertising opportunity in all of Panem. Companies sent him all different kinds of food, clothes, and other supplies, hoping to score the greatest publicity imaginable by having the most famous teenager in Panem endorse their product during the most watched television event of the year. While Fox offered his reviews of the products they sent him, Evander wandered away to gather food, dropping berries into one of the hydro-coolers a popular sports drink company had sent Fox. Evander was feeling very overshadowed and somewhat humiliated. It crossed his mind more than once to be somewhat suspicious of him; Fox might kill him in the night or while he was distracted, deeming him bothersome or unnecessary. He didn't consider him a threat, but Evander knew he would do well to keep his eyes peeled for anything suspicious.
Oryza did not stay at the riverside all day; she was chased away by a variety of enormous bug mutts, including a grasshopper and a ladybug. The mutts weren't meant to kill her, only drive her in the direction of the other tributes, where she could add to the commotion of the games. She wasn't the kind of tribute who was willing to kill, but her store of nightlock indicated she was at the very least prepared. Shortly after Oryza returned to the central part of the arena, a new alliance was formed. Abel, still terrified after his near-death experience involving the careers, ran wildly and sporadically, never settling in the same place for more than a few hours. Not realizing how threatening he seemed, he bowled into the clearing where Rolfa was sitting gathering berries in her lap. She screeched and jumped to her feet, drawing her only weapon, but Abel calmed her quickly. They were both scared and starved of human company, and they decided to ally rather than flee or harm each other. Abel and Rolfa spent the rest of the day talking quietly between themselves rather than moving, knowing Garnet would be fine with this because of the new alliance they'd brought to the table. The other pair, Muskat and Larkspur, brought their shelter-making skills to new heights (pun again intended) on the third day. A large yellow flower had notches carved into the side like rungs of a ladder, allowing them to climb easily to the top. Muskat, who was slightly braver than Larkspur, climbed up first, settling down in the bed of soft petals at the top. Larkspur followed close behind, laughing with joy as she rolled back and forth over the soft top of the flower. Up there, they were safe and out of sight. It was the perfect home.
They woke on the morning of Day 4 to a terrifying realization. Larkspur heard a series of suspicious stirring noises coming from deep beneath the flower. She dismissed these at first as the rustling of the thick undergrowth in the wind, but when she began to hear human snores she could not peg them as figments of her paranoid imagination any longer. Larkspur peered over the edge of the flower and saw five career tributes snoozing underneath. That morning, they'd left the horn as one large group, leaving only Ferris to stand guard. Larkspur gently shook Muskat away and gestured downward to the place where the careers were resting. They had a decision to make, and they had to make it quickly. The only reason the careers hadn't noticed the notches in the side of the flower was because they'd only seen this area at night. Once they found the notches, they would surely investigate. Larkspur and Muskat would have to make a run for it as soon as they could. It was unlikely that none of the careers would wake up, but if they were fast enough they might be able to escape.
Larkspur ordered Muskat to ready his weapon. They couldn't climb slowly down the rungs; the creaking of the flower would surely wake the careers. They needed to jump down. Larkspur would target Lepidus, while Muskat would target Jonah. Then they would run like they'd never run before.
Only one of them succeeded. Larkspur missed Lepidus by several feet, landing on his side on the dirt about a yard away from his target, the boy from 2. But Muskat's aim was perfect. He landed his knife straight in the back of Jonah's head, pushing it through with unbelievable momentum that made his entire upper body break open like a rotten melon. They didn't give the careers time to realize what had happened; they ran like mice running from a pack of angry cats. Miraculously, they both escaped before the careers could lay a finger on either of them.
Jonah Gillevet, District 4 Male: 13th, Killed by Muskat, Day 4
The careers scrambled to their senses, and Vienne pointed out the two tributes running like headless chickens up ahead. They picked up the chase, but ultimately they could not catch up with the allies who had so much of a head start; they had escaped. By the time they returned to the site of the ambush, Jonah's body had already been taken by the gamemakers. There was no reason to stick around so they started hunting again. They stayed in that general region of the arena for the entire day, knowing Muskat and Larkspur were likely to be near and that other tributes might be attracted to its thick, lush greenery and plentiful water supply. Sienna was the only career in less-than-perfect condition; Larkspur had knocked into her in her descent, severely bruising her upper body. It was so sore that she groaned in pain whenever she turned her head. Topaz was nice enough to dress up her injury somewhat, though there was little they could do but wait for the bruises to heal on their own.
The careers were not the only tributes hunting. Abel and Rolfa, the tributes who'd allied the day before, ventured in a wide arc around the perimeter of the arena under the pretense that they were hunting. They weren't actually looking forward to spilling blood, but saying that they were hunting helped them stand out more to the Capitol and it probably helped with their popularity more than just a little. What they didn't know was that they were travelling toward the area of the arena that was the most dangerous. The next day, Garnet planned to light a broad slice of the arena on fire, flooding the entire greenhouse with smoke and deadly flame. Abel and Rolfa weren't very friendly toward each other – they didn't have similar personalities or interests – but they kept each other from getting killed so there wasn't any downside to walking together. Rolfa wasn't ready to share any of her supplies with Abel, but Abel hoped he could gain her trust by being a loyal ally over the next few days to make her willing.
Fox and Evander were on the hunt also, but unlike Abel and Rolfa they actually found a victim. Fox was a walking billboard, wearing a full athletic outfit sent by sponsoring businesses, including braces, knee-pads, gloves, and a thin suit of body armor, the kind invented the year of the seventy-fourth games. Evander had also had a change of clothes, dressing himself in the things that were comfortable but not flashy. Their hunting path took them through the area of the arena with the most mutts – mostly spiders, terrifyingly – but they fought their way through, and now they were near the river, the wide brown stream that had sustained tributes like Oryza for the entire games. Fox and Evander were ambling down the riverside a few hours later when they saw Oryza curled up a few dozen meters away, covered in dirt and grass and everything else meant to camouflage her. A twig snapped under Fox's foot – despite his famous body, he was not the most graceful hunter – and Oryza bolted awake. She ran like a sprite through the woods, escaping before Fox could even break into a run. His hypothetical next victim had escaped right under his nose.
At exactly midnight, there was a faint rumble in the depths of the sky. All of the tributes were asleep or distracted, and none of them saw the glowing golden dot in the cosmos. A single fireball careened out of the heavens, zipping down toward the arena and landing with a crash in the depths of the forest with the scream of toppling trees and spraying dirt. The fire caught on instantly, moving through the vegetation like a hungry monster. The glass of the greenhouse kept the smoke from escaping; breathing easy would be very difficult indeed. Oryza was the first tribute to see the inferno, roaring hungrily through the woods about a hundred feet away. So close to the river, there was only one solution. She gently sank backward into the water and drifted down the river, trying to breathe sparingly as the air grew thicker and thicker with smoke. Oryza stayed peaceful and still on the water surface as the plants on either side joined the fire, burning away to black. But the fire was just beginning.
That night, the careers had switched roles; Sienna was now guarding the cornucopia, while the four others were hunting. Vienne was sleepily standing guard, and she was about to nod off when she caught a glimpse of the fire spreading through the arena. She screamed for her allies to wake, but they weren't fast enough; the inferno spread impossible fast, consuming the vegetation so quickly they scattered in all directions. In their mad rush to escape, Topaz and Ferris managed to stick together, holding hands as they dashed through the flaming forest. Lepidus and Vienne ran the other direction, staying as near as possible while they ran.
Fox was the only tribute not sleeping when the fire began. He shook Evander awake and pointed out the tower of smoke in the distance; it was already time to run. They packed their things together and sprinted off in the opposite direction, not really caring about covering their tracks or being quiet. Within minutes, they crossed paths with another pair of tributes: Topaz and Ferris, two of the careers who'd stuck together when the fire scattered them back at the camp. Topaz stopped dead in his tracks, his heart leaping into his throat at the sight of the careers' number one target. Fox drew back slightly, needing a brief moment to profile his attacker before he jumped into the fight. Ferris tackled Fox with a vengeance, and Topaz ditched his bow, picking out the knives that were better for close range combat. He was willing to take almost any risk to kill Fox, but the chance of accidentally killing Ferris in the dim light was too great.
Evander probably could have run for his life and saved his own skin, and the nation was somewhat surprised when he dove into the fight, tearing Ferris off of Fox from behind. Ferris stumbled backward, not expecting another tribute to be fighting on Fox's side, and landed on her back with a grunt. Fox jumped to his feet instantly, daggers at the ready, and faced Topaz head-on as he lunged forward with a vengeance. Topaz' first few blows were powerful; he scraped open the tender area of Fox's arm, drawing a stream of dark-red liquid. Fox retaliated with a punch to distract him and then a dagger slice to the chest, making him hiss but not dealing a serious injury. To the side, Ferris and Evander were deep in a duel of their own, and who would win was not clear.
Four minutes later, Topaz took things too far. He went straight for Fox's face, slashing the knife over his cheek and down to his neck. Fox roared in anger, overtaken with a burst of energy so sudden that he found the courage to end Topaz's life once and for all. Fox's entire claim to fame was his attractiveness, and with his face gashed open from his vivid hazel eyes down to his perfect jawline, his main way of attracting sponsors was gone. Topaz gasped in shock as he was knocked to the ground, and Fox sliced and sliced, hacking and swiping and gashing until Topaz' entire upper body was a network of bloody creases and valleys. Fox jumped back to full height and rushed to Evander's side, ready to help him in his fight against Ferris…
...But he was already gone. Ferris had launched two knives into Evander's chest, where they were deeply set like objects in solid concrete. His ribcage was shattered by the intruding blades, though Fox hadn't even heard his cannon firing over the various loud growling noises of the fight. Ultimately, Fox was forced to retreat. Not only was his face bleeding severely, his chest had been sliced open, and blood leaked down at dangerous levels. He shortly, silently thanked Evander for being a loyal companion and then thundered off into the dark forest, eager for the fire to end soon so he could settle down somewhere safe and heal himself.
Topaz Waring, District 1 Male: 12th, Killed by Fox, Day 5
Evander Channon, District 6 Male: 11th, Killed by Ferris, Day 5
Surprisingly enough, not a single tribute was killed directly by the fire. Abel and Rolfa survived because they were so near the river. Abel couldn't swim, so Rolfa had to hold on tight to him as they waded through the muddy water together. He was so scared he was crying – he'd seen a friend drown when he was four, a traumatic experience – but Rolfa helped comfort him somewhat as the fire raged. It did not die down until well after the sun had risen and an entire quarter of the arena had been burned away. Now, there was nothing but a black wasteland of charred vegetation as far as the eye could see. Rolfa helped Abel out of the river, and they meandered down the bank together. They weren't exactly in a rush to reach the densely veiled area of the greenhouse (they both figured the most dangers would be living there) but they couldn't stay out in the open so there was no option but to keep moving.
Muskat and Larkspur, after five days of companionship, were finally forced to split up. They were caught in the midst of the fire, running for their lives in perhaps the most theatrical and dramatic scene the 105th games had seen yet. After half an hour of running, a branch fell between them, forcing them to dive in opposite directions to avoid being crushed and burned. Muskat squinted in Larkspur's direction, grunting in frustration as he tried to see through the dense smoke, but she was already gone, forced to continue running by the sheer speed at which the fire spread. By morning, they were miles apart, and they tried but failed to find each other throughout the remainder of Day 5. They would never see each other again.
Days 6 and 7 were both deathless, the first time the 105th Hunger Games had come to a lull. The tributes spent these two days resting, moving aimlessly, or struggling to make decisions, but none of them were hunting and there were no kills made. Alone at the cornucopia, Sienna decided to strike off on her own. This late in the games, she was confident in her ability to fight on her own; she'd promised her family that she would abandon the pack at the final eight. The games hadn't reached that point quite yet – there were ten tributes still alive – but her promise had to be bent a little because at the end of the day she was just taking an opportunity. She filled a pack with food and weapons, then raced away into the depths of the arena. Meanwhile, Vienne was travelling toward the cornucopia. She hoped Sienna would be there, but when she arrived, the horn was empty, most of the supplies having been taking away by Sienna. Disgruntled, Vienne put the horn back into order and tried to make sense of the last few days. Ferris and Lepidus, the two remaining career males, met up on Day 7. They spotted each other from ten meters away and raised their weapons, then lowered them slowly, recognizing each other. They were both battered and traumatized from the fire, so they didn't hunt, only sitting low and healing as the two days passed.
Fox was in good shape on Day 6. Though prices of sponsor gifts had risen dramatically, that was no problem for his fans, who were willing and able to pool together whatever it took to keep their beloved Fox Sikorski kicking. The most important gift was a packet of high-tech ointment to heal the wound on his face. The gash might actually have been a blessing in disguise; it made him look more intimidating and more rugged, rejuvenating his visual appeal after everyone had seen him covered in blood. Once he no longer had to worry about infection, he explored the outer reaches of the arena, travelling in circles with the force field a constant distance to his right. This was risky business, but he was confident he could keep from running into it by being careful enough.
The outliers were faced with a choice: they could go to the area burned in the fire, or retreat to the still-in-tact parts of the forest. Oryza adamantly stayed in the charred wasteland; there, she blended in well, and there were fewer threats. That counted both careers and mutts. She did nothing brash or violent but moved enough to keep the cameras interested, and many were charmed by the nature-loving girl named Oryza the cameras showed wandering the site of the fire. Abel and Rolfa roamed the same area; they were on a quest to pillage whatever they could find from the wasteland. Their mission resulted in great success; they found packs of food and water and even entire knives, abandoned by tributes in their mad rush to escape the fire. Once they were stocked with everything they needed, they retreated back to the forest, where it was more shadowy and easier to blend in and hide.
Muskat and Larkspur continued to look for each other, but to no avail. They were literally on opposite ends of the arena by this point. Muskat decided to stop moving entirely for several days; he'd already put himself in harm's way enough times, even attracting the attention of Lepidus and Ferris for a brief moment. He always slept in the flowers, finding the ones with rungs and lounging in the soft, plush petals high above the ground. Larkspur preferred to sleep on the ground. Near the end of Day 6, she found a place where several trees had fallen around a ditch, creating a hidden area inside. Larkspur rested comfortably inside her fortress with wooden walls, confident that nobody would find her as Day 6 turned into Day 7 and eventually Day 8.
A cannon shot fired in the late morning of Day 8, breaking the three-day stretch of silence. Fox removed himself from the outer reaches of the arena, travelling farther inward throughout that morning. He had to stop approximately an hour after sunrise. A note from his mentor informed him it was time for a photoshoot; his management company wanted lots of stoic photos of Fox looking smoldering with his new scar. He spent just a few minutes posing for the cameras and then continued his path toward the center region of the arena.
As he was strolling along, he came to a quick halt, seeing faint footsteps in the dirt. Fox narrowed his eyes, lifting his head up toward the creek up ahead. The creek wound east for a few feet, up to the place where the trees showed signs of fire damage. The footsteps continued in that direction, and Fox followed them diligently, hoping to find the creator of the path. It was easier than he ever could have hoped. He emerged into the wasteland, and moments later Oryza appeared from behind a nearby tree, holding a new basket of fresh berries close to her chest. Oryza blanched and fumbled for her weapons, a sharp stone in each pocket, but Fox was already a stride away from her and ready to strike. Fox sent her sprawling backward, the berries flying here and there in an explosion of red juice and seeds, and her blood washed the mud off her skin as Fox continued hacking away at her with his twin daggers.
Oryza Pratap, District 9 Female: 10th, Killed by Fox, Day 8
The bright part of Day 8 featured drama among the pair from 2. Ferris and Lepidus had gotten along well thus far, but tensions were starting to form between the duo. They were very deep into the games, a point where most alliances began to fail, and their trust for one another turned to rage and paranoia as fear took hold. Ferris became convinced that Lepidus was conspiring against her, not informing her of new food and supply discoveries he made so he could have it all for himself. She had absolutely no evidence to support this, but she didn't need any; this was a matter of tension, not logic. Lepidus was also angry, suspecting Ferris was secretly plotting to kill him. He demanded she turn out her pack to show him all the weapons she was carrying. She followed the order, but it just infuriated him more. The duo seemed like a ticking time bomb, and soon they would blow.
The other two careers, Sienna and Vienne, were in calmer waters. Vienne decided to ambush victims rather than actively hunt for them. Coming from District 4, she knew how effective a hunting tactic it could be; how different could the land be from the sea? She smeared herself in dirt and plants much like Oryza had done and crouched low in the forest, waiting patiently for anyone to arrive. She held strong for several hours and then lost patience, relocating every few minutes and grunting quietly to herself. Vienne kept the strategy up for one day and then decided it was not for her. Tomorrow she would go back to classic career shenanigans.
Sienna, all alone in the forest, was still hunting. She was looking for a waterway, hoping it would lead her to a victim or two. She was weary after consuming so much polluted water, but the river she'd been using for the last several days was now dry and she had to find another path to guide her toward new victims. She picked up on a thin stream in the early afternoon and decided she had nothing better to do than to follow it. Sienna had been following its curved path for less than an hour when she spotted fresh prey. Larkspur had disembarked from her fortress with wooden walls. Now she was travelling along the same river, going the other way. Sienna spotted her and ducked behind the broad body of some kind of humungous vegetable, wondering if Larkspur had seen her. She hadn't. Larkspur wandered cluelessly into her path, and Sienna grinned with her hatchet raised in front of her face. She spiraled sideways, appearing suddenly from behind the tree, and she shifted the curved path of the little axe so it would be intercepted by Larkspur's body. She cried in shock and pain, the axe sinking into the bones in her chest and nearly piercing her heart. She continued to bawl, trying to stumble away, managing to utter one more scream before Sienna ended her life with a blow to the head.
Larkspur Gronback, District 12 Female: 9th, Killed by Sienna, Day 8
That left the final eight: Sienna Thibault from District 1, Lepidus Wolf and Ferris Blanc from District 2, Vienne Tuttle from District 4, Fox Sikorski from District 5, Abel Silber from District 10, and Muskat Yeat and Rolfa Protter from District 11.
Day 9 was deathless, but there was lots of movement and change was in the air across the arena. Tensions grew between Lepidus and Ferris. Ferris was snoozing away the morning, and she woke to see Lepidus sharpening his throwing knives on a big black rock nearby. Ferris exploded into a rage, thinking Lepidus was planning to kill her while she slept. She claimed that Lepdius was only pretending to be paranoid to cover up his own conniving aspirations. These tensions kept them from getting anything done; they covered only a small area of ground, and anyone they found probably could have escaped just by hearing the noise of their argument.
The female careers were in very different positions as far as popularity went. Sienna was showered with sponsor gifts after killing Larkspur the day before; career-loving sponsors were eager to support literally anyone other than Fox. One of the sponsors sent Sienna a thin, light dress that both flattered her frame and kept her from having her body completely exposed to the audience. Her coolest sponsor gift was a spear, one-of-a-kind in this arena. The spear was her favorite weapon, and she was thankful for the gift. Her District 4 counterpart, Vienne, was much quieter and more forgotten. Having drawn back into the woods after a brief journey through the scorched quadrant of the arena, she had almost completely given up trying to find victims; instead, she was waiting for some natural disaster or mutt threat to drive the final eight into closer quarters, where she would be able to show off her prowess to the crowds who were so frustratingly focused on the young man from 5.
Speaking of which, Fox was having a pretty uneventful day. He wandered relatively aimlessly through the arena, chatting lightly with the cameras. His flow of sponsor gifts was too much for his mentor, Diode, to handle, so he'd hired a few members of Fox's management to do it for him. Today, they were slightly holding back with the flow of presents; they figured he would move more and possibly hunt faster if he had less unpackaging to do. As unboxing the gifts from his sponsors and fans took around two hours out of every day, this was a good decision. In the early afternoon, he saw the abandoned camp of Abel and Rolfa. Rolfa had been warned by her mentor that Fox was coming, and both of the tributes escaped before Fox could reach the place where they were hiding. Abel and Rolfa were in a pretty good place in terms of food; their cute dynamic had earned them a small group of supporters in the Capitol, who sent them just enough food to keep them going. Abel showed Rolfa how to set up snares, hoping they could catch the small wildlife of the arena to keep themselves nourished and full. Neither of them were great at it, but they caught on quickly. While they wandered that evening, they saw Muskat snoozing lightly on the riverbank. They passed him by, both pretending not to see him. They didn't want to be troubled with the philosophical issue of whether to kill him. But with so many violent tributes left, it was unlikely Muskat's luck would hold out if he continued being inactive.
Day 10 carried the natural threat that Vienne had been hoping for. The day featured an entire storm of fireballs. They weren't meant to light the forest on fire, only to scare the tributes toward each other. The tributes who were on the outer edges of the arena (Sienna, Muskat, and the Abel-Rolfa pair) were encouraged to travel inward by the barrage of fireballs. The careers all fared well: Lepidus and Ferris momentarily forgot the tensions between them in their mad rush to escape, and the near-death experience bound up their breaking relationship somewhat. Vienne was driven the farthest of any tribute; she was relocated by nearly five miles, continuing to run even after she was completely clear from the region of the arena under attack. Vienne had a sudden change of plans; she would return to the immediate vicinity of the cornucopia, hoping to find the outliers living there.
Only one tribute was injured by the fires: Sienna. A splash of sparks scorched away part of her shoulder, and she screamed, stumbling forward with a hand clapped over the wound. Her flow of sponsor gifts was enough to keep her from garnering some horrible infection, but it was still painful and she couldn't run any more once the fires had died down. Sheltered places were getting more and more sparse as more of the wildlife was burned, so the gamemakers made the mutts steer clear of her somewhat while she rested in the open throughout the day.
Day 11 featured two deaths. That morning, Lepidus and Ferris finally decided to split. It was a rash decision; throughout it all, Lepidus thought they should stick together, but Ferris was so angry and paranoid she could not be shaken. She ran off into the forest with half of their supplies, eventually coming to the part of the greenhouse where the huge flowers towered into the sky. She had no idea that Sienna was nearby, hiding stealthily atop one of the large sun-yellow blossoms. Several nests of Tracker Jackers hung from the flower. Sienna, lying low on the petals, put on a massive grin as Ferris appeared over the crest of a nearby hillock. She had a plan. It was risky, but if it worked it was sure to impress the crowds. As Ferris grew nearer and nearer, Sienna reached down and surreptitiously pulled the Tracker Jacker nests upward, concealing them in the mass of petals. A few of the bees bit her, and Sienna hissed in pain, already feeling the powerful hallucinogenic poison working its way through her bloodstream.
At last, Ferris passed underneath the flower. Sienna screamed in fake pain, and Ferris glanced suddenly upward, grinning as she scurried up the stem to kill whatever tribute was hiding above. Ferris climbed over the last notch in the stem and flung herself on top. At that moment, Sienna grabbed one of the nests by both sides and tore it in half. Then she leapt to the ground, stylishly breaking her fall with a roll. Ferris was taken completely by shock as the genetically-engineered wasps swarmed her, sinking their stingers into every area of her skin. She tumbled backward off the flower, reaching the ground with a dull thud. She hardly felt the pain because the hallucinations were so strong. Sienna raced away into the depths of the forest as Ferris slowly died from the poison. Now there were only three careers left.
Ferris Blanc, District 2 Female: 8th, Killed by Sienna, Day 11
There was a second cannon shot less than five minutes later; coincidentally, another tribute met their doom at almost exactly the same time. Vienne was rejuvenated in her hunting efforts after chasing Muskat for nearly an hour through all different regions of the arena. Her mentor Mags – who was one hundred years old and still kicking – told her to keep her head up; her chances of finding victims only increased the more time she spent hunting. The boost her reputation would get if she killed a tribute greatly outweighed her boredom after a week and a half with no kills. Vienne scoped out the regions near the cornucopia for the first half of Day 11 but found nobody; Abel and Rolfa were hiding well, and they stayed out of sight by moving so quietly through the grass they were never seen or heard. The other tribute in that area, Sienna, was fast asleep, but Vienne never found the place where she was hiding so a fight did not break out.
Fox had re-located yet again, though he now travelled slightly slower because his management had picked up the flow of sponsor goods again. Despite having moved constantly since the games began, he hadn't returned to the region near the cornucopia. He entered the quadrant largely consisting of the mushroom forest and then travelled toward the horn, guided there by a fancy gold compass sent by a popular luxury brand from District 1. At two o'clock he saw Vienne up ahead, wandering quietly through the mushroom forest. Sucking in a big breath, Fox ducked behind a broad and shadowy mushroom, confident it would conceal him while the career girl drew closer.
It worked. When Vienne was less than two or three strides away, Fox bowled out from his shadowy ambush place, daggers raised and ready to kill. Vienne had only a split-second to register what was happening, but that was more than enough; the academy had specifically chosen her for her fast reflexes and quick mind. Still, Fox had the early advantage. His first blow could have been lethal if Vienne hadn't sidestepped at the last moment, so that it only grazed her shoulder, drawing some blood but not dealing a lethal wound. Vienne retailed furiously, only to find her blows useless; every poke and prod of her spear was deflected by Fox's high-tech body armor. He was effectively invincible. Over the course of ten minutes, Vienne fell victim to Fox's deadly battle tactics, dying on the ground with both daggers in her chest. Fox just wiped the blood off his face and moved on like the fight had never happened. He didn't even take her spear. He couldn't possibly be able to carry it.
Vienne Tuttle, District 4 Female: 7th, Killed by Fox, Day 11
The rest of Day 11 was a madhouse. The six tributes, as if by one consent, engaged in quite a lot of questionable and ridiculous behavior on this day. Abel and Rolfa wandered recklessly and aimlessly around the arena, overtaken with paranoia so strong they could not breathe, eat, or sleep normally for the entire day. They zippered back and forth between the burned and non-burned areas, having seemingly abandoned all coherent strategy out of fear and panic. Muskat's madness had a more concrete cause; he stumbled into a nest of Tracker Jackers that morning. Fortunately, he escaped before all of them could reach him. Those who had injected their poison into him still caused a great amount of damage, though; he stayed in the same spot for the rest of the day, squirming and yelping pitifully as some horrifying hallucination played out before his eyes. Meanwhile, Lepidus was yelping to the cameras about Ferris, convinced she was still alive and trying to kill him. As the Day 11 death recap had not yet played, he did not know that she was dead. Lepidus was still hunting, but his bouts of paranoid mania slowed him down more than just a little on his travels.
On Day 11, the tributes had gone crazy. Now, on Day 12, it was time for the mutts to do the same. They appeared in droves, so plentiful and so vicious the prospect was more terrifying than the actual threat. Sienna was the first tribute to have her life threatened in the insect siege; a trio of enormous ladybugs the size of cars emerged before her, clicking their pincers menacingly. Sienna responded quickly and smartly, retaliating with incredible grace and precision. The ladybugs' hard exoskeletons went crunch under the heavy bite of her hatchet. She also sliced off their wings whenever she could so that they couldn't fly. This became a problem when one of them landed straight behind her, trapping her between two ladybugs at once. It was a hard fight, very picturesque and dramatic. The audience loved it, taking their attention away from Fox for a moment to watch Sienna fight for her life against her vicious red malefactors.
Fox's attackers consisted of a grasshopper and a large spider, both capable of killing a tribute with their sharp pincers dripping poison. The spider could move faster, while the grasshopper preferred ambush tactics, leaping behind him and trying to kill him from that direction while Fox was occupied with the arachnid. Surprisingly enough to the audience, it was not easy for Fox to kill the big bugs; the grasshopper even managed to tear open his shoulder at one point, making him wince. It was a facial expression very different from the stern courage they had seen in his movies and in the games so far. He even ran for a brief moment, needing a few seconds to get his bearings over before he could take out the spider. The cameras switched to Abel and Rolfa, who were fighting against a humungous earthworm. It was as long and broad as a subway train, with slimy skin and small holes in its front where it fired poisonous jets of pus-like ooze at the tributes. For a few minutes, they had no trouble holding off the evil worm, finding it easy to distract by blasting rocks and other sharp objects into its face. Suddenly, the worn reared up like a cobra, firing a jet of poison into Abel's chest so suddenly he didn't have time to sidestep. Abel fell onto his knees, screaming as the poison sizzled away a large hole in his chest. His bones and guts fell onto the ground like pieces of candy falling out of child's bag, and the worm shook in the mutt version of a laugh. It tugged part of Abel's body into his mouth to munch on while Rolfa ran for her life, escaping without difficulty because the mutt was so busy feasting on the corpse of her friend.
Abel Silber, District 10 Male: 6th, Killed by earthworm mutt, Day 12
Muskat was the last tribute the cameras showed that day. His attackers were ants: ten of them to be exact. They scuttled so quickly and so unpredictably that escape was not easy. He experienced several extreme wounds, worst of all a huge gash in his side when an ant rammed into him with its rock-hard antenna like a battering ram. Finally getting the message that Muskat couldn't fight any longer, Garnet caused the ants to draw away, returning to the deep green recesses where they'd come from to allow him to heal.
Days 13 and 14 were largely empty of conflict. The careers, Lepidus and Sienna, were putting their plans in order for the finale. Lepidus stayed near the center of the arena, not entering the cornucopia field but staying close enough that he could see anyone who did. His mentor sent him a new set of throwing knives, ones that were sharper and somewhat less aerodynamic; this late in the games, close-range combat was more likely to occur than the kinds of fights where Lepidus could kill from far away. Meanwhile, Sienna trooped through the forest, her mind running wildly as she glanced between the grass and the glass ceiling of the greenhouse. Late on Day 14, she made the decision to revisit the cornucopia. It was late enough that the gamemakers would want her there anyway, and prey was more likely to be hiding near there, driven there by a third fire which Sienna predicted would occur soon. She felt very slightly guilty after killing Ferris – they'd been friends in the training center, and good hunting partners – but she didn't let it get to her. All of them would have to die if she wanted to make it home.
Fox was given lots of conflicting instructions. Notes from his fans in the Capitol encouraged him to keep hunting, wanting him to cut down one or two more tributes before the central finale. Others cautioned him to stay low and recover from the wounds inflicted by the mutts he'd fended off with moderate success. Fox knew only one thing for sure; staying completely still would be bad for his public image. He had to move in the general direction of the cornucopia even if he didn't reach it or even plan on reaching it soon. Sponsor gifts were running ever-so-slightly dry; now that prices were so high, sponsors gave him things he actually needed to survive, not things that would make him into a walking advertisement. Despite large loads of medicinal help, he was still not completely healed, and this would likely take well into the third week to happen fully. Muskat was also trying to recover from an injury. It'd been several days since the Tracker Jacker attack, but he was still hazy and delusional. While the initial surge of visions was over, he still saw strange shapes and figures jumping around and yelping in his ears, which was very distressing indeed. Muskat was frustrated by the length of the healing process. A merciful sponsor sent him a shot to boost his nervous system and fight off the poison faster. Hopefully he would recover before it became a matter of life or death. While he waited, he scooped some nightlock berries into a little bag sent by sponsors, the bag that had originally held the needle. Maybe he could kill a tribute or two by poisoning their food supply.
At the other end of the arena, Rolfa was having a very unusual experience. After killing several small rodents using the snare technique Abel had shown her, she made a small fire to cook the meat. However, her imagination wandered as she saw the meat roasting over the fire, and soon she had assembled a kind of soup, mixing together the sliced meat and some vegetables she'd foraged from the greener sections of the arena. Finally, she added a pile of mushrooms to the watery soup. She recognized them – or, at least, though she recognized them – as a common genus of edible mushrooms native to District 11.
Rolfa spooned the mushroom stew into her mouth and giggled a little, feeling her arms that had chilled up somewhat in the last few moments. The 11 girl kept shoveling the sopping wet mushrooms into her mouth, laughing harder and harder until she had collapsed onto the forest floor in a fit of groaning shivering. She stumbled around the arena loopier than a chicken with its head cut off. Rolfa shoved everything she could find into her mouth: nuts, berries, flowers, even a live mouse. She was so high, she thought they were all mushrooms, and she was eager to consume all of it and extend the trip. Rolfa knelt beside a nest of bulbous black berries, and her fans in the Capitol could do nothing to stop her as she shoved them into her mouth like a child. She screamed in pain and toppled forward, falling into the berry bush face first. The nightlock killed her almost instantly, the cannon shot announcing her death firing less than five seconds later.
Rolfa Protter, District 11 Female: 5th, Killed by nightlock, Day 14
The next morning, Sienna got into a similar predicament. She'd eaten a bright green plant she thought was edible. Instead, the chemicals in the plant threw her nervous system into a groggy stupor, causing her to drink a huge quantity of muddy brown water without filtering it first. Sienna came to her senses and realized what she'd done just as the diarrhea began. She couldn't move at all that day; all she could do was writhe painfully beside the water, humiliated and bored as filth spewed from both ends of her digestive system. It was only a minor setback, as she would be better by the next morning with no lasting effects, but seeing her in so much pain tarnished her reputation as a relentless warrior slightly.
Three tributes converged on the cornucopia at the same time. It was halfway through Day 15, and the sun sat high in the sky over the glass ceiling while Muskat raced through the open field. The day before, Lepidus had returned to the cornucopia, resting inside for an hour or so and then leaving it. He seemed to be making regular visits to and from the horn, not expecting anybody to be watching him. Muskat knew what his task was; the opportunity to kill Lepidus was at hand. Muskat watched from the shadows as Lepidus left the horn, racing the half-mile distance and then vanishing into the foliage. Muskat rushed forward, trying not to let panic seize him as adrenaline rushed through his limbs and chest. The baggie of nightlock burned hot in his left pocket. He crouched down in the cornucopia and hurriedly unscrewed every thermos he could find, pouring the mushed-up berry concoction inside. Confident he had sealed Lepidus' doom, he rushed back toward shelter, hoping he wouldn't notice anything was wrong.
The third tribute active near the cornucopia on Day 15 was Fox. He didn't reach it until long after Muskat had laid down his poison raid, which was a good thing for Muskat; if Fox had seen him, he probably would have been toast. Muskat crouched in the shadows, watching for any sign of Lepidus in the cornucopia field. Three and a half hours later, Muskat spotted a scuffle of movement in the tall reeds as the boy from 2 began his return. He was out of sight in no time; Muskat just had to trust that his plan would work. At the horn, Lepidus fell to his knees and tore off his shirt, panting like a dog in the sun; after an entire morning of running feverishly – he'd chased Sienna through the woods for an hour, only for her to escape – he was thirsty enough to drink an entire thermos of water. Lepidus splashed the cool water into his mouth, along with the mashed-up berries Muskat had placed there. He roared in agony, thrashing and flailing pitifully while the poison ate away at his face, throat, and neck. In the woods, Muskat heard the cannon shot and smiled slightly. His plan had worked.
Lepidus Wolf, District 2 Male: 4th, Killed by Muskat, Day 15
Muskat turned tail and ran into the deep greenery. Fox had been following him for several minutes, but retreated after hearing Lepidus' cannon; knowing Sienna or Lepidus had died, he needed to consult his management to learn what plan of action they suggested. Even when he didn't follow their orders he took what they said into account, knowing they were literally employed to keep him alive. He briefly wondered if it had been a mistake to leave, knowing he probably could have taken Muskat down right then and there. But then Muskat came running through the forest again, straight into his path, and he knew just what to do.
Raising his daggers, Fox fell into the shadows and waited for Muskat to come near. Ten seconds later, the cameras showed both of the blades lodged into Muskat's chest, holding him firmly in place as he squirmed and howled in a desperate struggle to escape. He smacked Fox in the mouth, knocking him backward onto the ground, but it didn't matter; Muskat was already dying. He groaned once more before falling still. Fox retrieved his knives, wiped them off in the grass, and stoically marched away from the scene. Only one left.
Muskat Yeat, District 11 Male: 3rd, Killed by Fox, Day 15
Two miles away, a note drifted into Sienna's lap. It's Fox, good luck. She bit her lip and growled into her fist, trying not to let her frustration burst out of her. Fox was undoubtedly the most popular tribute in the history of the Hunger Games; while Sienna had her fair share of supporters, she could do virtually nothing to counter the array of armor and weaponry Fox had been given. She considered asking her mentor for some kind of explosive device, the only thing that had a chance of killing Fox, but no such thing could be given; prices were far too high. Drawing in ragged, sour breaths, Sienna raced toward the center of the arena. This, her parents told the press, was "some utter bullshit".
The sun crossed the horizon on Day 16, and Fox lifted his head slowly from his long rest. He was more prepared for the finale than it was humanly possible to be; his trusty daggers in hand, he was confident he could take down Sienna and return home. A fireball politely indicated him of Sienna's position, and Fox rushed forth, powered over a mile without stopping. He saw Sienna fifteen feet away through the reeds and pounced like a cat. The 1 girl scrambled for her hatchet and stood her ground, ready for the fight of her life.
They were both strong fighters, managing to block one another's stabs and swings for several minutes. Fox dealt the killing blow by swiping Sienna in the leg. She quickly lost focus, black spots dotting her vision as blood pumped out of the gash. She swayed once, twice, and then fell to the ground, growling in frustration and humiliation as Fox towered over her, preparing to kill. "Damn you, Five!" she growled, helpless as Fox hacked away mercilessly at her upper body.
Sienna Thibault, District 1 Female: 2nd, Killed by Fox, Day 16
"Fox Sikorski of District 5, you are the victor of the one-hundred fifth annual Hunger Games!" shouted Ciara Grant. Her grin was unmistakable; her secret plan was falling perfectly into place.
The young celebrity smiled like he was on the red carpet, and his fans exploded into applause, knowing they would now witness the Victor's Crown placed over the most handsome face they had ever seen.
Fox Sikorski, District 5 Male: Victor of the One Hundred Fifth Annual Hunger Games, Day 16
AFTERMATH
Winning the games brought Fox's status as an A-list celebrity to a whole new level. President Stinn Hawke literally used him as the face of the Hunger Games and the face of patriotism itself. Within the next few years, he was easily the most widely-recognized person in Panem other than the president. Fox was unwaveringly loyal to the Capitol, delivering monologues praising their strength and goodness throughout his lifetime. Fox continued to star in movies and shoots, making millions upon millions through acting and modeling. He also had a brief singing career. He is considered to be the most prostituted victor in history, having sex with literally thousands of women, and he enjoyed it, unlike some other victors the president put into the trade. Stinn Hawke tried to stop the Morning Star's ideas from spreading through the Capitol by using Fox to ramp up their pride and patriotism, but this plan only succeeded for so long. What would come of this would be revealed in due time…
The payouts on his victory were tiny, as 20% bet on him.
His victory tour was a spectacle; Fox delivered fantastic monologues in every district, praising the courage of the tributes who had died and the strength of the Capitol.
Fox would live to age eighty-one, dying from a stroke the year of the 168th Hunger Games. He continued to serve as the face of the Hunger Games throughout his life, appearing at virtually all public events involving them. Today, he is considered one of the most famous figures in human history.
NEWS
Fox settles into the Victor's Village of District 5, next door to Diode's home.
Poplin Amsden has his first son, Calico.
Mars Talbot bears a daughter named Europa.
Robina Caite gets married to a man named Bear Blacktree.
Diode Cooper weds his fiancé Candela Russel.
Pluto Talbot bears his first child, Deimos.
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)
104HG: Syren Magretta (#15, District 4)
105HG: Fox Sikorski (#9, District 5)
A/N: Phew! That one was a doozy, wasn't it? I just had so many ideas and it was so fun to link them together into one long story. If you think it was even a little too long, I can't say I disagree, but I tried to make things as detailed and epic as possible and I hope it worked!
It sort of goes without saying that Fox is going to take on a huge role in the near future. The next chapter is going to be extremely unique and it will center around him. I won't say anything more, just that you shouldn't expect a normal Hunger Games when you see the next update... Until then (:
Cjborange
