THE ONE HUNDRED SIXTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"Glass Half Empty"


INTRODUCTION

After a solid year of intense war and political unrest, things were starting to simmer down in Panem. President Stinn Hawke still sat high-and-mighty as president of the nation, ruling over his domain which now included District 13. Things were changing in Panem, as they always change due to war; this year marked the beginning of a new era in Panem's history, where district industries became integrated. Gone were the days where each district focused exclusively on one industry. Already, textiles were being produced in the factories of District 3 and jeweling companies from 1 were scoping out the northern reaches of District 11 for diamonds. In the career districts, parents still gave their children traditional names as a point of pride and heritage. In the outer districts, meanwhile, names soon grew more abstract. Much of the country was still in shock after the utter nuclear annihilation of District 12, but life went on in the nation of Panem, and before long it seemed as though many had forgotten the tiny little mining district ever existed at all. District 13 quickly fell under Stinn Hawke's iron fist; they were much less brave with their nuclear stockpiles pillaged. That being said, there were still concerns about atomic weapons operated by District 13 remaining within Panem's boundaries, and countless conspiracy theories arose claiming the Capitol had not fully disarmed 13, instead forming yet another truce whereby they allied and agreed to use their collective nuclear stockpiles to threaten the other districts into obedience from both sides of the country at once. Even if those rumors were true, District 13 was not exempt from the staple annual display of the Capitol's power: the Hunger Games. From this games onward, two tributes from 13 were reaped each year. As punishment for the uprising of the year prior, President Hawke instituted a new, permanent twist to the games: every ten years, there would be a games with twice the number of tributes. The 110th games, the first to follow this new rule, were not for four more years, but the Capitol was already excited. Garnet Russo returned as head gamemaker; the Capitol loved him, and Stinn was more than glad to keep him standing high alongside his other various keys to power. Ciara Grant, the games host, was on top of the games world; the Capitol loved the auxiliary Hunger Games of six months earlier, as it had helped immensely to distract them from the war. Now it was time for the regularly-scheduled 106th annual games, and Stinn Hawke sat back with pride, knowing he had the nation under his firm control yet again.

This year had another fantastic career pack; they were all well-trained and well-adjusted, and they got along well. Ultimately, the pairs from 1 and 2 were overshadowed by the pair from 4. District 1 provided a pair of brawny fighters. Neither of them were particularly glitzy or seductive; that stereotype was already beginning to fade after the war. The boy, Noble, fought with swords like a District 2 tribute, and he was only a part-time student at the academy, though he still earned a nine. The girl, Chardonnay, was much more impressive; she was a master archer, earning a stellar ten by arrowing down every target in the training center. She probably could have earned an eleven by acting excessively seductive, but Chardonnay was unwilling to compromise her warrior attitude for something like that. District 2's tributes were angry at being overshadowed by those from 4, so they put on fake personas to stand out more to the audience. Their names were Shunt and Alinah, and they quickly bonded with the tributes from 1: Shunt became good friends with Noble because of their similar sword tactics, while Alinah paired with Chardonnay over similar interests and personalities. Both of the 2s earned nines. Shunt liked wolverine claws, a unique weapon, while Alinah was more traditional and preferred throwing knives. District 4 really stole the show this year, however; this was their strongest pair in years, and most of the Capitol was confident one of them would take home the crown. The boy, Tonga Haldane, was the only tribute to score an eleven. He was suave and strong, with bronze skin and the eyes of a fighter. He modeled himself after Finnick Odair, one of District 4's past victors, which earned him nostalgia points with some of the older Capitolites. The girl from 4, Selkie, was much like a traditional District 1 tribute. She was flirty and cute and very zany, and she was the fastest runner of the lot. Her skills with spears and tridents earned her a ten.

The outliers were not very impressive this year. Eyes were mostly focused on two tributes in particular: Birdie and Trinity, the pair from 13. They were the first District 13 tributes in history, and many wondered how they would fare in the arena. Arnold Scruggs, the only living victor from District 12, was appointed as their mentor. Neither of them were impressive tributes, but they had the audience's attention regardless. Another standout was Winnie from 5. He was only twelve years old but scored a seven, an extremely rare feat, and he was feisty and charming and loved in the Capitol. Besides Winnie, the only tributes who stood out did so because of their scores alone: Quince from 11 scored a seven, while Carrow from 3 and Runson from 10 earned sixes. The rest of the tributes scored between five and three in their private sessions. There were no volunteers besides the careers. Here are the tributes:

District 1: Noble Drazen, 16 (9) 8-1 and Chardonnay O'Connor, 16 (10) 5-1

District 2: Shunt Mullins, 17 (9) 7-1 and Alinah Irvin, 18 (9) 6-1

District 3: Carrow Moules, 15 (6) 18-1 and Colma Vito, 16 (5) 24-1

District 4: Tonga Haldane, 18 (11) 3-1 and Selkie Bond, 18 (10) 4-1

District 5: Winnie Thompson, 12 (7) 17-1 and Riella Haden, 15 (3) 32-1

District 6: Elson Meyer, 18 (5) 22-1 and Miriam Bradley, 18 (3) 29-1

District 7: Finian Rickets, 18 (4) 27-1 and Listra Tatem, 18 (5) 25-1

District 8: Cedro Sherwood, 16 (3) 31-1 and Charolet Burton, 16 (4) 29-1

District 9: Derry Clubb, 17 (4) 28-1 and Reese Sansing, 14 (3) 34-1

District 10: Runson Hedge, 16 (6) 17-1 and Bessie Milito, 15 (4) 30-1

District 11: Quince Holzman, 18 (7) 14-1 and Marriott Blackwell, 17 (5) 24-1

District 13: Birdie Tormo, 16 (5) 24-1 and Trinity Vise, 17 (5) 23-1

HGBO Bets: 23% on Tonga, 15% on Selkie, 14% on Chardonnay, 11% on Noble, 10% on Shunt, 9% on Alinah, 3% on Winnie, 1% or less on Carrow, Colma, Riella, Elson, Miriam, Finian, Charolet, Cedro, Listra, Derry, Reese, Runson, Bessie, Quince, Marriott, Birdie, and Trinity.


THE GAMES

The twenty-four tributes rose up into an arena that was unique and surreal; after years of twisting, turning arenas, Garnet Russo wanted to try something that gave the tributes more space to breathe. They stood on an enormous field of sparkling glass several miles above the Capitol. If the tributes looked through the glass floor, they could see the dense cloud cover underneath. A force field surrounded the arena, maintaining healthy heat and oxygen levels inside. The cornucopia, made of shining purple glass, was filled with crystalline weapons: shining daggers, glittering claws, and entire swords and knives made of a strong material that was clear like glass. As the tributes ran outward from the cornucopia, they would find a vast expanse of glass; enormous shining blocks of varying elevations, with rungs and staircases so the tributes could travel between them. Moving quickly would be difficult in this arena. Water ran from high to low, flowing through deep broad channels carved into the glass. As the sun moved through the sky, it would reflect and refract in different ways through the glass, creating beautiful kaleidoscopes of color. Some glass surfaces were inlaid with jewels, shining gems every color of the rainbow. The arena was beautiful, but it didn't seem to provide many resources; every single tribute decided to head into the bloodbath this year. Because of this, and because of the exceptional career pack, this year's bloodbath was huge; thirteen lives were claimed in the opening minutes as the tributes scrambled for supplies.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Selkie from 4 was the first to grab a weapon, laying hold of a glittering gold trident sitting halfway between her plate and the cornucopia. One outlier boy, Derry from 9, had run faster than most of the others, wanting to escape the bloodbath as fast as possible. By this point Derry was already near the horn. Selkie slammed the prongs of her trident into the base of his neck, severing connections to his brain immediately. The largest bloodbath in recent history had now officially begun.

Derry Clubb, District 9 Male: 24th, Killed by Selkie, Bloodbath

Tonga, the other District 4 tribute and the most popular player of the year, grabbed a shimmering spear from a shelf inside of the horn and then rushed out into the open, ready to gore and slay. Nearby, two girls were fighting over a pack of knives, and they were so distracted they didn't even notice as Tonga grew nearer and nearer. The older of the two girls looked up just in time to see the spear sailing into her chest. An instant later, she was dead. The other girl screamed and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping her death would be quick.

Marriott Blackwell, District 11 Female: 23rd, Killed by Tonga, Bloodbath

While the tributes from 4 attacked their first victims, the other four careers grouped off in front of the cornucopia. Noble from 1 joined Shunt from 2. They were both armed with swords, and they had similar fighting tactics and a strong teamwork dynamic in battle; they would be a formidable pair. The last two careers, Chardonnay from 1 and Alinah from 2, were also armed to the teeth; Alinah had a belt of throwing knives and Chardonnay had a hatchet.

The allied boys made the next kill. Shunt spotted two boys squirming together on the glass. One of them was knocked down by a trident wound inflicted by Selkie, and the other had been knocked down in his descent. Noble attacked the first of the boys, brandishing his sword and gashing open his torso with half a dozen heavy chops. The other boy was still trapped underneath, and he quickly fell victim to Shunt and the bitter bite of his trusty sword.

Elson Meyer, District 6 Male: 22nd, Killed by Tonga and Noble, Bloodbath

Finian Rickets, District 7 Male: 21st, Killed by Shunt, Bloodbath

During the moment the double kill was taking place, Tonga pinned down the girl who had been fighting with Marriott. Panicking, she hit Tonga in the chest, giving her a brief moment to escape while he recovered from the shock. Tonga had captured her again within moments, however, sending her sprawling over the ground. She came to a halt right in front of the cornucopia's mouth, where Noble finished her by slamming his sword into her chest.

Riella Haden, District 5 Female: 20th, Killed by Tonga and Noble, Bloodbath

The career girl friends, Chardonnay and Alinah, made their first strike moments later. A small girl, Reese from 9, was zigzagging to avoid attacks as she stormed toward the cornucopia. She'd twisted her ankle in a strange divot in the glass near her pedestal, and now she was half-dragging herself the rest of the way to the horn. Chardonnay readied her hatchet and swung it in a wide arc, crunching the bone in Reese's chest. She was dead before Alinah even had time to attack her.

Reese Sansing, District 9 Female: 19th, Killed by Chardonnay, Bloodbath

Alinah turned suddenly around and yelped with shock. One of the high-scoring outliers, Quince from 11, had grabbed a pair of daggers and approached the girls from behind, hoping to eliminate a career early on and better his odds. He might have succeeded if Alinah had occupied herself killing Reese. Chardonnay was so busy trying to wrench her hatchet out of the 9 girl's chest that she didn't even notice as Alinah tossed a pair of knives into Quince's chest, killing him right away.

Quince Holzman, District 11 Male: 18th, Killed by Alinah, Bloodbath

Now, seven tributes had died, and each of the careers had landed at least one kill. Noble from 1 was determined to make a kill by himself before the bloodbath ended; both of the tributes he'd attacked so far had been disarmed by Tonga first. Noble scanned the cornucopia field for his first real victim, quickly narrowing in on the best target. The low-scoring boy from 8 was nearby. Originally, he'd allied with his district partner, but she fled the bloodbath without him. Now, he was momentarily off-guard as he searched his surroundings for the girl who'd left him. Noble approached and buried his sword in his neck. His knees buckled as life vanished from his body, and the boy slid off of Noble's sword with a revolting scrape.

Cedro Sherwood, District 8 Male: 17th, Killed by Noble, Bloodbath

Selkie wrestled with the strong girl from District 10. Moments earlier, she'd disarmed her of her only weapon – a small dagger – and now she postponed her death by pushing back against Selkie's attempts to crush her against the side of the shimmering cornucopia. Selkie couldn't use her trident in such close range; there wasn't enough space to guarantee a clean and fatal swoop. At last, Selkie hammered the 10 girl against the horn, then slammed her in the head hard enough to send her reeling out of her senses. She retreated a few feet and then launched her trident, which sailed into her chest.

Bessie Milito, District 10 Female: 16th, Killed by Selkie, Bloodbath

Chardonnay and Alinah had split up for a moment to cover more ground. Chardonnay paraded around the cornucopia field, lunging at potential victims. However, those who were slow enough to take down easily had already died, so she was not getting much done. Alinah stayed at the cornucopia, fighting tributes away from its gaping mouth. The girl from 3, Colma, crossed her path, and Alinah readied a throwing knife. It missed Colma by several inches, and she broke into a sprint, making a desperate attempt to escape. But Chardonnay was on her like a hound; she was returning to Alinah now, and she was able to kill Colma with a single heavy swing of her axe

Colma Vito, District 3 Female: 15th, Killed by Chardonnay, Bloodbath

As Colma fell, Alinah barked for Chardonnay to come nearer; she needed her help. Alinah peered into the cornucopia and saw four eyes glaring back at her. Two tributes, Miriam from 6 and Trinity from 13, were hiding inside the horn, crouched behind a bulky metal desk covered with weapons. They had ducked in there to avoid being seen by Noble a few minutes earlier, and now they were biding their time, waiting for a good opportunity to escape. Alinah and Chardonnay burst into the cornucopia together, weapons held high and ready to kill. Miriam was able to escape, slipping past Alinah on her left side. Trinity was not so lucky. Alinah tossed two throwing knives expertly into her gut, and Chardonnay finished her off with a single heavy swing to the neck. Trinity died as Miriam ran for her life, escaping the bloodbath unharmed.

Trinity Vise, District 13 Female: 14th, Killed by Alinah, Bloodbath

Near the outside of the cornucopia circle, Tonga joined the duo of Noble and Shunt. The two friends were at war with Runson from 10, who was armed with a sword and very able to use it. With a swing of the weapon, he sent Shunt reeling, blood pouring from a gash below his mouth. Noble, enraged at seeing his companion wounded, lunged with terrifying ferocity, skewering Runson straight through the abdomen. Noble found Tonga at his side, trident raised, and a single swipe of the weapon ended the life of one of the strongest outliers in these games.

Runson Hedge, District 10 Male: 13th, Killed by Noble, Shunt, and Tonga, Bloodbath

Near the mouth of the cornucopia, the final bloodbath victim was near death. At the beginning of the bloodbath, Listra from 7 had been knifed down by Alinah. However, she hadn't delivered a fatal blow; now, Listra was squirming in agony, still bleeding out from the wound that had sealed her fate. Shunt finished the job started by his district partner, goring her through the throat with a set of wolverine claws given to him by Noble. She gurgled one last time, and then thirteen cannon shots rolled over the arena, making the glass rattle.

Listra Tatem, District 7 Female: 12th, Killed by Alinah and Shunt, Bloodbath

More than half of the tributes were dead already. This made the careers feel very uneasy as they went about their usual post-bloodbath business. The career pack – all six members of which were still alive and in good condition – represented more than half of the tributes that were still alive. Noble and Shunt volunteered to sort the weapons. They wanted lots of time to converse and get to know each other better, and the audience loved to watch them share what they knew. They had lots of laughs, and the nation was charmed by the two bros as they sorted the supplies and chatted. Chardonnay and Alinah were given a very unique task by Tonga, the leader of the pack. Most years, the tributes' blood was absorbed by the ground, so cleaning up was not necessary. However, there was a terrible tripping hazard this year, and it was their job to clean it up. They lugged a bunch of towels out of the horn and spent the next hour or so rubbing it over the glass to soak up the blood. This sowed the first seed of discord in the career pack; Tonga tasking Chardonnay and Alinah with the most menial work was a clear sign that they were the least valued members of the group. Tonga scouted out the arena, accompanied by his district partner, Selkie. It was difficult to discern any kind of pattern in the levels of the huge glass blocks and craters. As the sun moved across the sky, the glass dazzled a million different colors, disorienting them hugely. Selkie grew frustrated at her inability to make sense of the arena; she had been tasked as the navigator, but already she was failing. When it was time to hunt, Selkie stayed back at the cornucopia. Spending so much time peering over the cubist arena gave her a terrible headache. Now, it had escalated into a full-on migraine, putting her in intense pain. The others wished her a fast recovery and then sauntered away from the horn, unsure what lay before them.

Moments later, they heard the worst sound one can possibly hear in a place made entirely of glass: CRACK! Hairline fractures were forming in the glass, surrounding the cornucopia in a broad circle. Garnet had been planning since before the games even started to eliminate the cornucopia once the bloodbath was over, and now those plans were coming into fruition. The careers screamed for Selkie to run, but she didn't hear them; curled up in a world of aches and stabbing pains, she had no idea what was coming. A huge circle of glass containing the cornucopia fell downward. It whistled through the air for five seconds and then collided with the force field, shattering into a trillion tiny shards in a horrifyingly beautiful display of refraction and iridescence. Selkie was fried to a crisp when she hit the force field, along with most of the horn's supplies. The other careers turned morosely around and began their journey into the arena for real. The horn was gone, and they were all alone now.

Selkie Bond, District 4 Female: 11th, Killed by force field, Day 1

There were five outliers still alive, and they spread out over the arena, trudging and dragging themselves up and down the huge blocks of colored glass. Carrow from 3 had spent the entire bloodbath searching for water and food; neither seemed plentiful in this arena, and it was going quickly as more and more outliers realized stocking up on these items early was their ticket to victory. Carrow journeyed for most of the day, and he had an accident around noon. He slipped off of a large glass block and landed ten feet below. He wasn't injured, but he was bruised and sore, so that was where he stopped moving for the day. Winnie from 5, the twelve-year-old who had nonetheless scored a seven, was moving the fastest because of his small size. His movements came to a lull about an hour after the bloodbath ended, but he began to pick up speed after hearing the cracking glass and the destruction of the cornucopia on the force field far below the arena. He heard Selkie's cannon shot and knew one career had died, which rejuvenated him as he continued to travel. As night fell, Winnie settled down about two miles from the horn, admiring the way the moonlight dazzled and gleamed through the glass. Miriam from 6 was devastated to lose her district partner in the bloodbath, but she had made it out with a little jug of water and a pocketknife, so she knew she had to be grateful. The shimmering glass gave her quite a headache, and she was tempted to drink up all her water, but her mentor Apollo warned her to be careful how quickly she did so; there was no guarantee she would be able to find more once her store was depleted. Miriam made it far from the center of the arena, almost to the edge of the floating glass island, before falling asleep. Charolet from 8, frail and malnourished, moved slowly through the arena. Hunger gnawed at her stomach, but she had nothing to feed herself wish; all she'd taken from the bloodbath was a bundle of rope and a little bowl. Also, she had made it out of the bloodbath in bad condition, and a line of blood trailed behind her as she walked. Eventually, she started collecting her blood in the bowl and then dumping it as it filled to make her path less obvious, but this would do little to prevent anyone pursuing her from following her tracks. Birdie from 13 had two knives, and he knew all eyes were on him; since his partner Trinity perished in the opening minutes, he was the only tribute from District 13 remaining. Birdie heard the glass crack near the cornucopia and worried something similar might happen to him; this year, he predicted, Garnet would simply let the tributes who were being inactive fall straight down and into the force field. Scared of this fate, he moved for the entire day, only settling down when the sunset through the glass hurt his eyes. It was difficult to sleep on the solid glass surface, but all the tributes managed it eventually, slipping down into an uneasy slumber as the first day closed.

Day 2 was deathless. Early in the morning, the gamemakers ramped up the iridescence of the glass, changing the land of sharp hues and beams of colored light to an utterly deranged jumble of color and sunshine. The tributes woke up into a different world, the most surreal landscape imaginable. Garnet would continue to morph the arena over time to mess with the tributes' minds. The careers were the only tributes moving that morning, the only ones able to navigate reliably because their group was so large. Having five members was a double-edged sword, however; it was difficult to get everyone the supplies they needed, and some were unwilling to compromise the stores of water and food they'd taken for themselves. Chardonnay and Alinah were furious when they found that Tonga had stolen some of their food. Tonga denied the accusation, asking Noble and Shunt to weigh in on the argument, but they had nothing to add, not wanting to help the verbal fight escalate into something more violent and more dangerous. The fight settled down eventually, though tensions were still running high, and Chardonnay and Alinah began to grow annoyed even by Noble and Shunt, seemingly for no reason. Time would tell when more arguments would break out.

The outliers did nothing as the second day progressed. Miriam's headache was only made worse by the increased iridescence of the glass; now, she could do nothing but lay down in a tight ball, rocking lightly and hoping the stabbing pains in her head would go away. Some sympathetic sponsors sent her the funds necessary for medication, though this did little to take the edge off of Miriam's suffering. Birdie was also struggling on Day 2, increasingly paranoid that the glass would suddenly break out from underneath him, sending him tumbling into the force field. His paranoia grew to all-out mania in the second half of the day; Birdie began laughing strangely, moving his eyes in strange directions, and walking in a way that was unsettling and inefficient. Already someone had been broken.

The other three outliers lay low as the hours ticked past. Winnie wanted to hunt, knowing it was necessary to keep the sponsors' eyes on him, but he just didn't know where to start; he was short on weaponry, and with only four other outliers his crop of potential victims seemed shoddy. His mentor, Diode, sent him an encouraging note, hinting at the general location of the career pack. Knowing outliers would not be near there, and wanting to avoid it himself, Winnie had a general idea of where to start his hunt. Carrow relaxed and munched on his large stores of food. Stocking up early was now paying off; he didn't have to worry about sponsors for the time being. He was the first tribute to find a stream of water, running through a narrow channel near the place he'd slept the night before. Nearby, four large cubes surrounded a small depression, where the stream deposited and water had pooled a few feet high. Charolet also found a water source, a pool that steamed and sizzled because the sunlight was focused onto it by the glass. She had to scoop it up in her bowl and wait almost half an hour for it to cool to a drinkable temperature, which was frustrating. A small team of sponsors sent her the food she needed in the meantime, though her supply stream would doubtlessly be one of the first to run dry once the prices and the stakes rose.

Day 3 was also deathless. The Capitol would have been bored if not for the drama occurring within the career pack; in just two days, they had transformed from a tight-knit group of friends to a time bomb just waiting to blow. Shunt was the most affected by the glittery, almost psychedelic lights of the arena; his speech turned warbled and strange, with a strange drag weighing down his movements. Noble shared some of his water with him, but the causes of Shunt's mania ran far deeper than just dehydration. Alinah was similarly disturbed by the surreal arena, but her discomfort came out in a different way: aggressiveness and anger. They stopped for lunch on Day 3, and Alinah suddenly pointed a crooked finger at Tonga, accusing him of stealing her supplies that morning. This time, Tonga really was innocent; he had done no such thing.

As Alinah reached out for Tonga's pack, Tonga slapped her away. She hissed in pain, and Chardonnay wrinkled her eyes suspiciously, not okay with Tonga hurting her friend. Noble stepped in to try and calm things down, but it was hopeless. Shunt made matters worse by yelping out sudden accusations involving each one of them. The careers aimed their weapons at each other, even a furious and terrified Noble, and for a moment it was unclear who would lay the first strike.

None of them did. Half a minute later, they set down their weapons and continued hunting. It was strange and almost comedic how quickly their moods had transformed from violence to apathy. But Alinah was still viciously angry; she was utterly deranged now. Hours and hours of climbing over the slick glass, hypnotized by the dazzling colors, had completely shattered her mental state. She stayed awake that night long after the others were asleep, quietly standing guard over them. At night, the starlight shone in small individual beams through the glass and sent red light cascading over her face.

Tonga woke up screaming with two of Alinah's throwing knives in his chest. The others scrambled to their senses and glared in confusion and panic as he died, fists hammering against the glass sickeningly. Alinah stumbled several steps backward and let out a scream of her own, suddenly realizing what she had done. She had sworn her entire life she would never betray an ally, and now she collapsed in guilt and shame as Tonga bled out. The others raised their weapons, even Chardonnay, who would not forgive Alinah for killing one of their own despite her desperate cries that the decision had not been her own. Shunt was the one who did her in, skewering her through the neck with his glistening wolverine claws. Alinah gurgled once and then fell to her knees, and she died staring at the flopping body of the boy she had attacked moments before when the world was quiet and still.

Alinah Irvin, District 2 Female: 10th, Killed by Shunt, Day 4

The three remaining careers – Noble, Chardonnay, and Shunt – glared pitifully at Tonga, who groaned in fear and pain as he slowly died. The wounds Alinah dealt had not killed him instantly; at this rate, it would be nearly an hour before he died from blood loss. Tonga looked into the eyes of the nearest tribute, Noble, and let out a quiet murmur of "please". Noble nodded once, then thrust his sword into his chest, ending the life of the most popular tribute in these games.

Tonga Haldane, District 4 Male: 9th, Killed by Alinah and Noble, Day 4

That left the final eight: Noble Drazen and Chardonnay O'Connor from District 1, Shunt Mullins from District 2, Carrow Moules from District 3, Winnie Thompson from District 5, Miriam Bradley from District 6, Charolet Burton from District 8, and Birdie Tormo from District 13.

The three careers glared at one another through the darkness. Shunt was the first to break the tense moment, taking a single step back and examining Tonga's corpse with eyes that glowed in the dark like a cat's. It was a moment of incredible confusion and tension. Many Capitol citizens who went to bed early would wake up the next morning and regret not catching it live. Some thought the three of them would fight to the death right then and there.

"There are still five outliers left," Chardonnay muttered, swinging her hatchet awkwardly at her side. "No use letting this escalate. Not yet."

Shunt swallowed hard. "Who's to say you don't have your own little murder plan ready to go? You were her friend, weren't you?"

"I didn't know about this," she retorted. "I swear."

"Let's try not to lose our heads about this," Noble said. "You know what this means? We should move at night. You saw what the light did to her." He gestured at Alinah's bloodied corpse, and Shunt stepped away suddenly, realizing the blood had pooled up around his feet.

That was the plan they stuck to for the rest of the games, moving and night and resting during the day. Suddenly becoming nocturnal was not easy for any of them, but it was worth it. On Day 5, the arena began to literally change shape, blocks and panes of glass sliding and crunching over each other to create a landscape that was substantially more jagged and intimidating. As they hunted on the night of Day 5, Noble tried his best to calm Shunt down. He was still pretty riled up after the events of the previous night, and it would be a long time until his breathing was normal again. Chardonnay, who walked at the head of the trio, kept swearing she saw the glint of a tributes' eyes in the distance. Whenever they investigated, it was only a piece of glass catching the moonlight in a certain way. Like a catching disease, all three of them soon thought they were surrounded by outliers, biding their time to attack like vipers waiting in ambush.

In reality, the outliers were doing no such thing. They were so worried about not being crushed to death by the moving glass that they didn't have time to worry about the careers. Carrow's food supply was finally beginning to run dry, and with the arena providing no food of any sort the only solution was to impress the sponsors. The only weapons he had were little shards of broken glass, which he held in his pockets for fear of cutting his hands. Carrow didn't know it, but he was walking straight into one of the most strange and chaotic fights in recent history: in the next few minutes, four more tributes would be dead.

Winnie was hunting quietly late at night on Day 5 when he heard a small scuffling noise up ahead. This was more than just the crunching of shifting glass; it was the noise of human footsteps. He followed carefully behind, trying not to squeak or slide too much on the glass, and what he saw was so strange it was almost unbelievable.

Three tributes were sitting together: Miriam, Charolet, and Birdie. They sat motionless and silent, gazing off into the starlight that danced in spangling coins of cosmic beauty over the glass. Charolet had been the first tribute to find that place. She was so weak from dehydration that she simply collapsed. Miriam arrived soon after. She was unwilling to kill Charolet, and she was so desperately in need of human company that she just sat down next to her and began talking. Birdie joined the party soon afterward. Paranoia had entirely consumed his mind, and he muttered quietly to himself about hovercraft and bombs and glass reaping balls before eventually lapsing into silence.

The scene was so queer and so unnerving that Winnie could not move for several moments. His twin blades burned in his pockets, and sweat built up on his forehead as he realized he could easily kill all three of them if he wanted to. He had the cover of darkness and the element of surprise. Winnie jumped to his senses at the noise of thundering footsteps from nearby. It was Carrow. He'd seen the congregation from a few dozen meters away, and he swooped in like a hawk, tearing the tributes away from each other and slapping at their hands in the darkness to steal any supplies they might have been carrying.

Of the three of them, only Miriam initially retaliated with violence. The others were too confused and dazed to do anything but stumble away nonchalantly while Carrow and Miriam circled each other, holding up shards of glass and wondering who would attack first. Miriam was the first to dive forward, infuriated at the way Carrow had touched her body so suddenly and harshly, and she dragged her glass shard over Carrow's chest, drawing a dark heavy line of blood. Pain exploded through Carrow's mind, and he lunged so suddenly that Miriam didn't have time to move. She fell onto the ground with a shard straight through her neck, swiftly dying while Carrow squinted at Charolet and Birdie stumbling off into the distance.

Miriam Bradley, District 6 Female: 8th, Killed by Carrow, Day 6

Carrow glanced once more at Miriam's dead body, then broke into a run, trying to stalk down Birdie and make a second kill now that he had killed Miriam. Carrow yelped as an enormous weight came flying into his back, and he fell to the ground, weighed down by the little boy named Winnie. Winnie had finally decided to head into the fray when Miriam's cannon fired, and now it was show time. He wasn't large enough to take Carrow down in fair combat, so he had to ambush him instead. He pulled out one of his knives and plunged it straight into Carrow's neck, killing him instantly.

Carrow Moules, District 3 Male: 7th, Killed by Winnie, Day 6

By some horrible stroke of luck, the careers were nearby. Noble and Shunt had largely reconciled with each other over the last few hours, while Chardonnay was still sour, believing there was no point in hunting as a full group anymore now that tensions were so high. All of them were going a tiny bit crazy, but when they saw Charolet and Birdie up ahead their battle instincts immediately rushed back to them. The two outliers were running in their direction, so they ducked down and hoped the many layers of glass between them would hide them from sight for at least a few moments.

Birdie was the first tribute to come near, and Chardonnay leaped out of hiding to attack him. Birdie retaliated so quickly that many thought he'd actually seen Chardonnay beforehand. He yanked a chunk of glass out of his pocket and swiped it across the career girl's neck with all the energy he had left, cutting open her skin and letting blood pour into her windpipe. She collapsed immediately, rocking back and forth in panic while she clawed helplessly at her throat. Several dozen meters behind, Charolet turned sharply around and raced in the other direction. No use dabbling in a fight like this.

Chardonnay O'Connor, District 1 Female: 6th, Killed by Birdie, Day 6

Birdie had succeeded in killing the girl from 1, but he could not overpower the two careers who were onto him a split second later. Noble leaped to his feet and slashed his sword like a true Roman, chopping open Birdie's torso in an explosion of blood and guts. He fell at Shunt's feet, and the 2 boy was more than glad to finish him off, sliding his wolverine claws into her throat. Just like that, four cannon shots had fired within five minutes.

Birdie Tormo, District 13 Male: 5th, Killed by Noble and Shunt, Day 6

The next three days were completely empty of conflict. Garnet was so thrilled by the sudden explosion of kills and thrills that he was more than happy to let the tributes rest however long they needed. Charolet was the most shaken by the fight. She'd escaped by running for her life rather than attacking or disarming any of her opponents, which lowered her popularity in the Capitol, but with only four tributes left it was guaranteed that she have at least some fans left. A couple of these scant supporters sent her some water and food, which she tried her best to ration throughout the next few days. Within that time, the glass blocks near the outside of the arena began to rise, making it difficult and eventually impossible to reach the edges. It was like the arena was a huge circular crater with the cornucopia hole at the bottom. Winnie was similarly shaken; he was the first twelve-year-old to make a kill in years, and the shock and stress of everything happening around him weighed down on his young mind like carbonation against a cork. In fact, many thought he would go bat-shit crazy around this time, just like Birdie had done. Birdie began to move toward the center of the arena when Garnet changed the arena yet again. Some of the flat surfaces began to tilt toward the center, so that any unsuspecting tributes would slide off and tumble straight down into the hole where the horn of plenty had once been. Winnie just wanted to get the games over with, and he knew travelling downward was the best way to do that.

Noble and Shunt, the last two careers, had come to a near-complete standstill by the time Day 9 arrived. The fight had shaken them to their bones; despite their years of training, the flashing lights of the arena had driven both of them off their rockers. Through it all, they tried to keep up their friendly dynamic for the cameras. On Day 9, a few sponsors sent Noble a very unique gift: a cake. It was his seventeenth birthday, and they both knew it was time to celebrate. Noble splintered a few small pieces of wood off the handle of his knife and stuck them into the cake for candles. The gamemakers were extremely apprehensive about allowing matches to be sent into the arena, but they ultimately figured it was harmless enough. Shunt sang the song, and then Noble blew out the candles. It was one of the more wholesome displays of unusual behavior the 106th Hunger Games had seen so far.

Throughout that day, and throughout Day 10, more parts of the arena began to tilt. Soon, it was impossible to find flat surfaces in the higher regions of the bowl-shaped arena, forcing the tributes downward. Winnie was so small that he made his way through the amorphous glass wasteland with ease, eventually arriving near the cornucopia as Day 10 ended. Down there, it was flat and comfortable, and the gamemakers had even hidden some supplies for him: a new knife and stores of food to last two more days. Grateful for the gifts, Winnie settled down for the night and tried not to look around too much as his mind went wild.

Winnie yelped in confusion when a large shape came flying out of nowhere. Charolet had been snoozing in some of the highest reaches of the arena when the surface she was lying on suddenly tilted, sending her tumbling off. She scrambled for purchase on the glass, but there were no handholds or footholds in the smooth surface, and she could do nothing as she tumbled off and went hurtling down. It was one of the most horrific deaths of any tribute in history: as she went careening down the slope like a stone rolling down a hill, thousands of glass edges tore at her body, slicing her thousands of times and even chopping off several entire body parts. By the time she reached the center of the arena, only half of her body was left. But she was still alive. She went flying straight into the hole and hit the force field, killing her instantly. Winnie groaned and tried to go back to sleep, trying to forget what he had just seen.

Charolet Burton, District 8 Female: 4th, Killed by force field, Day 10

The games were over soon after that. On Day 11, Noble and Shunt reached the place where Winnie was resting. It was early in the morning, and the sun broke over the horizon to consume the arena in a psychedelic swath of pinks and purples just as the final fight broke out. Taking his position, little Winnie was ready to fight to the death against the two careers who were running in side by side. Their sword and claws were raised, and it was clear from the start that Winnie could not kill them using any kind of weapon.

Winnie glanced at the hole where the cornucopia had once been, knowing the force field was lying in wait just below. He wasn't one to act rebellious, but with his life mere moments from ending he seemingly had no choice but to make use of whatever supplies he had. Winnie grabbed a huge block of glass and tossed it into the hole, then did this a few more times. Winnie ducked down with his face away from the hole, then prayed to the Hunger Games gods that his plan would work.

It did. The glass hit the force field and shattered into a billion pieces, then came flying back up in a spray of deadly shards. Noble screamed "Haymitch!" and turned away from the hole, but Shunt did not heed his warning in time. Shunt screamed as the thousands of little shards planted themselves into his body, reducing his entire frame into a peppered mess of blood and glass. They were stuck there with force, and his life was already slipping away. He shared one final look with Noble, and then his cannon fired.

Shunt Mullins, District 2 Male: 3rd, Killed by Winnie, Day 11

Winnie let out a scream, strong hands grabbing him by either shoulder. Noble had only survived because he had turned himself away from the glass explosion, and Winnie wasn't expecting him to have recovered his energy so quickly. Noble kicked Winnie between the legs and sent him stumbling backward into the hole, where he tumbled down to an explosive death on the force field that surrounded the arena.

Winnie Thompson, District 5 Male: 2nd, Killed by Noble, Day 11

"Noble Drazen of District 1, you are the victor of the one-hundred sixth annual Hunger Games!" Ciara Grant shouted.

Noble gave Shunt a brotherly upward nod, then turned his head up to watch the hovercraft as it descended to collect him.

Noble Drazen, District 1 Male: Victor of the One Hundred Sixth Hunger Games, Day 11


AFTERMATH

Noble brought District 1 its second consecutive victory, and he was a cherished and celebrated member of their lineup. They were now securely ahead of District 4 in terms of victor count. Noble showed a charming and likeable humor that was the classic standard for careers from 1, but he was also known for his skill, passion, and dedication. He had no problem with the prostitution Stinn Hawke forced him to take part in; he loved having sex with the Capitol women, and many of them were willing to pay top dollar to share a moment with Noble Drazen. Overall, he was a steadfast career victor, proud of his district and a strong supporter of the Capitol.

The payouts on his victory were small, as 11% bet on him.

His victory tour served its purpose just fine. He placated the outer districts and invoked fear in them, while encouraging competition in the career districts that were angry at his victory. His most iconic speech was given in District 2, where he gave Shunt a lengthy eulogy and called him the most incredible friend he had ever had.

Noble would live to age eighty, dying from a heart attack around the time of the 169th Hunger Games. He would marry several times, bringing forth a total of five children.


NEWS

Noble moves into the Victor's Village of District 1, next door to Taj.

Organdy Karat's daughter, Facet, is born.

Cherry Perlman receives an abortion.

Wildflower Linwood files for divorce.

Troy Stiles dies from an asthma attack.

Bobbin Chern kills himself.


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)
AUX 105HG: Viveca Chatterley (#17, District 1)
106HG: Noble Drazen (#18, District 1)