-Santana, co-Head Gamemaker-

"What are your predictions?" I sit in the library. It's about 1:30 in the morning, but the Gamemaking complex is still just as alive as it's ever been. The Games start tomorrow- er, well, later today, I suppose- and though we're ahead of schedule, we're making sure every little gimmick is perfect. I needed a break from the hustle and bustle, so I scheduled a meeting with my close friend and loyal colleague Ross McCafferty.

"Hard to say. As always, the bloodbath will define the structure of the Games. Sometimes major contenders make dumb decisions and fall early. The Career pack will either succeed or fail horribly. If the Career pack falls, outer District tributes will have a much stronger chance. However, we can't forget the alliance between Vidarr and Collin, either. Both of them have exhibited weapons skills of the Career level."

"And Serafina Anya?"

"She has that level of skill as well, but the girl from 12 may slow her down. There hasn't been an alliance between a Career District tribute and an outer district tribute in years. It could either fall apart or be a true threat."

"Right. What are the betters saying?"

"Well, there's a good share of them betting on Iridesce and Maggie, and Riella has a good number of betters on her as well. Collin and Vidarr have some as well, from their training scores, as does Kendal. And it appears as if Leo convinced people to look his way, even with the low score." I make a face at the mention of that little brat, but let him continue. "I haven't heard anything about people betting on Karima, and Raoul had a large following that was lost after his interview."

"Hm. Right."

We sit in silence, but for me, it's an uncomfortable, tense silence.

"Nervous?" Ross asks me. I swallow hard.

"Of course. This is my moment. What if the President hates it?"

"He won't. You've worked so hard on it. Maybe it'll look average at first, but the gimmick has never been done before and it's gonna knock their pants off."

"I sure hope so," I say, biting my lip.

Diesel appears in the doorway just then.

"Hey!" he goes in. "There you are!"

I rub my temples. He's still the weird, exhausted, weeeee! kind of tired. I stopped with the sleepy giggles and am in pure exhausted misery mode at the moment.

"I think I'm going to go to bed soon." I rub my temples, wishing the headache would go away.

"You're not pulling an all-nighter!? I thought we were gonna be the last ones awake, Prude!"

"I'm getting sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a huge day." It's either going to make us or break us.

"Aw, isn't she lame Ross?" When he looks over at the other man, Ross has his head on the table, his orange hair shagging all over the table. He snores quietly and drools a bit. I laugh a little bit at the sight. "Well then."

"Aren't you nervous at all?" I ask Diesel, looking at his face. His bright blue eyes look confidently into mine.

"I'm fucking horrified," he says, a chipper smile on his face. "But I can't wait."

"Yeah. That about sums it up." I wrap my hand around Ike's locket, taking a shaking sigh. Tomorrow, people are going to die. I don't know who it will be, or how, but lives will be lost. That's just the nature of the Games. I feel a warm, heavy hand on my shoulder and glance up.

"Don't worry about it now," Diesel says, his voice slightly gentler. That doesn't help and he knows it. I don't relax at all. His thick black eyebrows crease in thought, then he goes to a drawer unit and opens the one on top, pulling out a Sharpie.

"Let's give McCafferty a moustache," he says, a devious grin spreading across his face.

That makes me laugh. "He'll be mad at us, though."

"Come on, you know you want to!"

"You're stupid." I can't stop grinning, though. "I still don't like you at all. But I can't resist the urge."

Diesel puts the marker under Ross's nose and starts drawing diligently. He does one side and I do the other, laughing.

"Should I draw a dick?" Diesel asks, considering.

"No, asshole."

"It'd be pretty funny. But I guess the moustache is enough."

"I'm going to throw your ass under the bus," I tell him. He laughs loudly, and Ross stirs but doesn't wake up.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Prude."

"Here's the list of suitable Victors, and the final order that the tributes will be lined up tomorrow." I've studied both lists of names on extensively.

Diesel puts the paper in my hands and grins at me. "Here we go. Our Games. Our creation."

I pause, blinking at him. He's never called it ours before… Only… His. I clear my throat. "Yes. Today's the day." He releases the paper.

"Oh, what a sweet and tender moment." The suddenness of Joltee's entrance makes me jump. Diesel tenses.

"What are you doing here?" Diesel asks, irritated.

"No reason in particular," he says. Then, his lips go up in a grin that contradict the statement. His eyes, a cruel pastel yellow, glance between us.

"Good, er, morning Mr. Rutilus." I smile politely, not letting my fear show in my posture.

"That's President Rutilus to you," he says, and the room seems to drop three degrees.

"Not-"

"I came to tell you the horrible news. After a long struggle, our beloved President Coriolanus Snow passed away on Wednesday night." He puts his hand over his heart, but is still grinning, his eyes cold as eyes. "This news won't reach the public until midway through the Games, though, when it's convenient. That way we can hold our election, I can win and crown my first Victor. I hope whoever it is will be satisfactory."

"Definitely," I say. "Without a doubt."

Joltee smiles at me, but I know it's not genuine. Everything with him has an ulterior motive. "For the sake of you and Mr. Bundren, I do hope you're correct, Ms. Villanueva."

"You won't be disappointed."

"I hope not. For the sake of your dear friend with the moustache there, and, of course, for the sake of the precious pianist Viridian." The temperature drops even more, if possible. Diesel's demeanor has completely changed.

"I'll leave you to your work now," Joltee says, giving us a last smile before he turns around and leaves.

"Calm down," I warn Diesel, who looks like he wants to start yelling. "This is a stroke of genius, remember? It's going to be fine."

I glance over at Ross, who sleeps peacefully. I realize how painful it would be to lose him. "It has to be fine."

"I know." He says, but he's not smiling anymore. "I think I'm going to get some sleep after all." He leaves without another word. I sit on a beanbag, situating to get comfortable, and sleep comes easily.

~.~.

The Complex is bustling with people, all scrambling to finish their tasks. I look at the security feed, where all 24 tributes are talking with their stylists. Some, like the Careers, seem confident. Some, especially younger ones, are horrified.

"That one had a panic attack in the craft," Diesel says, noticing me watching Cory, her cheeks puffy.

I know what it's like. My heart breaks, but I keep it together on the exterior.

"This is the make or break moment," I say. "The second most important part of the Games, the first being the finale, of course."

"We can do it." Diesel grins at me and I muster up the courage to smile back.

"Right."

The tributes step into the tubes.

When they surface, they look around in confusion. The Arena around them is dark, constantly dark. The sun will never rise there. It's set in an amusement park that had been abandoned years ago. The entrance lies behind the tributes, but it's locked and nobody can go out. However, the small ticket booths could make a hiding place if someone small were to go in them. However, that's also risky because if you're caught, there's nowhere to run.

On the left, a rollercoaster that is old and shut down. The queue and cart provide smart hiding places, and the tallest hill, which is very accessible (Diesel and I sat up there the first night we were sitting and talking) and also the second highest point in the Arena. The highest point in the Arena is the top of the old ferris wheel. However, that's a slightly riskier climb for the tributes to make. There are old abandoned game booths, and some parts off the path are overgrown with trees. The third highest point is the top of some dirty old slides. There are also abandoned tents, an old, creepy fun house with mirrors, and an overgrown bumper-cars place. There are few trees, and there are some old spickets in the ground that look like they won't provide water, but do if you try. The question is, who will try? For food, the tributes can find rats running around, and other woodland animals. The climate is controlled, a chilly breeze in the darkness, but the jackets will protect the tributes from the breeze. There are some assorted snacks and provisions in some of the old food carts, but tributes will have to search. There's an old carousel, and an old ship ride. The Arena is vast and spread out, with a good number of places to hide but it's also very obvious where they're hiding.

"Start the countdown!" Diesel says, his voice full of energy. I never would've guessed he only got four or five hours of sleep at most. "It's time." He takes my hand and squeezes it, and I know that he must be thinking about Viridian right now.

I glance at the main screen, where Blaine and Saxon are talking animatedly. "What's this? They're saying that it's time for the Games to begin!" Blaine gushes and Saxon beams.

"Oh boy, this is the best part of the year. Everyone raise your glasses and say cheers to our co-Head Gamemakers Diesel Bundren and Santana Villanueva! How about we all give them a round of applause!?" the cameras show the Capitol Square, where there are thousands of people, all cheering and applauding. My heart swells, and thunders against my ribs. Diesel clutches my hand tighter.

"Here we go," he says. The cameras show the tributes. Each one is wearing a pair of breathable athletic pants, a T-shirt with the color of their District, and a light jacket with their District number on it. The countdown keeps going, and you can practically feel the tension, the tension in the Arena, the tension in the room.

We did our best to spread out the alliances, but kept the Careers in the middle, closest to the Cornucopia. The golden horn rests at the far edge of the Arena, the entrance to the park behind the arc of tributes. The Arena is at dusk, the lightest it's ever going to be there. It will keep on getting darker and darker as night lingers closer.

The countdown reaches zero, and the action begins. Diesel lets go of my hand to give commands on which cameras to switch to and when. I'm left in the middle, watching the action. To most District people, it just looks like a lot of people screaming and chaos. However, to a trained eye like mine, or Diesel's, we can break down and analyze everything that's happening, even when it all goes on at once.

The tributes all take off, as fast as they can. The first thing I notice is Amari from 6, tearing past the Cornucopia and running, and I notice Karima from District 9 doing the same, clutching her bunny as she goes. The two of them run, with their lives and intact, but with absolutely nothing.

Cory from 5 runs across the mouth, picking up snag of rope from the golden horn and retreating. Kendal from 7 gets in, taking a backpack and wrapping it around his shoulders before running out of there as fast as he can.

Edgard from 11 runs horizontally across the arc instead of dashing forward for the Cornucopia, taking Raoul from 10's hand and starting away, the same direction that Kendal went.

Felicity from 8 runs to the Cornucopia, crawling inside and looking for a weapon.

Iridesce is the first Career to reach the Cornucopia, picking up a spear and sending it through Felicity's back, who shrieks and collapses.

"She's dead," someone announces. And so the Games has taken its first: and second: casualty.

The other Careers are there and armed in no time. Riella from 7 has an axe, Callum from 1 has a morning star, a mace-like weapon, Maggie from 2 has a thin, sharp fencing foil, and Nautica from 8 has a machete. I don't think Nautica's realized that his District partner has been killed yet.

Collin from 4 and Vidarr from 2 attack the Cornucopia from opposite sides. Vidarr gets locked in a fight with Callum, dodging his attacks and grabbing a backpack first. Callum's weapon digs into Vidarr's shoulder as the boy from 2 grabs a belt of knives, hissing a swear word. He retaliates with his knife, giving payback in the form of a cut down Callum's forearm before running away.

At the same time, Collin had taken a trident and fights Iridesce. The girl from 1 primarily used spears for throwing, Diesel had mentioned, and he was right. She was out of her element using the weapon like this, even if her expression betrayed nothing. Iridesce's attention is taken when she notices another tribute. Collin wraps the straps of a portable sleeping bag around his shoulders, and the two boys run. On the way, they pass Leo, who decided to run from the Bloodbath (smart boy).

"C'mon, Four, you can do it," Diesel mutters under his breath. I see his expression creased. Collin jabs his trident at the boy from 12, hitting him in the back of the shoulder and sending him to the ground, but chokes.

"C'mon," Vidarr says, grabbing him by the sleeve, "He can be dealt with later." Collin nods silently, and the two boys continue on their way. Leo, injured but far from dead, manages to get to his feet, his expression twisted in pain, but he keeps going.

The boy from 3, meanwhile, is getting a backpack from the front of the Cornucopia with his allies. The girl from 3, Cyra, grabs a small backpack, and their other ally, Hamilton from 5, takes a backpack. Suddenly, though, their plan is halted when Iridesce puts her spear clear through Ductor's back. He falls, a look of shock on his face.

His District partner notices just then and lets out a scream. "Ductor!" The chaotic grief on her face is an emotion I recognize well. Their other ally, Hamilton from 5, screamed loudly, his eyes wide with shock. Cyra took his hand and started running, not looking back, but Iridesce had other plans. She skillfully threw a spear, and it hit the boy from Five square in the stomach. He gasped, but was still alive, just barely, as Cyra helped him get away.

Iridesce's work wasn't over yet, though, as she saw Martina from 11 fleeing with a sword. She threw another spear, hitting the girl in the shin and causing her to screech, but not stop.

While that's all happening, Serafina Anya from 4 meets up with Wren from 12, who was on the other side of the tribute arc from her. Together, the two girls go for it. Wren stays on the outside, picking up a lantern as Serafina Anya goes in, searching for a boomerang. In the meantime, though, her ally is clumsily fighting Maggie. Maggie gets quick jabs in at her, wearing the girl from 12 down. Serafina Anya, after failing to find what she was looking for and settling for a sword, turns around just in time to see Maggie finish her off. In shock, the girl from 4 turns to Maggie, probably trying to avenge her death. She lands a couple of hits on Maggie considering the sword is thicker than the foil, but Maggie is skilled. Riella helped out, though, striking the 4 girl down with her axe. Serafina Anya collapses next to her ally. Maggie and Rilla exchange a meaningful look before they go back into the heat of the action.

As soon as Riella was out of one fight, another begins. The girl from 6 runs to the golden horn, taking something from the outside, when she's stopped by Riella, who she starts to fight. The girl from 6 did her homework on hand-to-hand combat, getting some injuries in on Riella. She's much quicker and more agile than the girl from 7. Billie's quest was stopped short, though, as she was struck down by Callum's Morningstar, straight to the head. The boy from 1 tensed as she collapsed, freezing up.

The last battle was ongoing, between Rachel from 10, who had snagged a sword after Serafina Anya had dropped it, and Nautica from 8. When Rachel was gone getting the weapon, Nautica had challenged and injured her ally, Kade from 9. She had jumped in as soon as she could, yelling at the 8 boy to leave her ally alone.

Now, Kade has a small backpack on his shoulders and is locked in a fight with Maggie, while Iridesce is pursuing Martina. She gets in a couple blows on his shoulders and arms, but he holds his own well, defending himself with the spear against her attacks. He keeps glancing over at Rachel, waiting for her to run so that he can follow. However, her fight with Nautica is ongoing. They're both bloody and injured, and I wonder if either of them will make it out.

Finally, the boy from 8 puts his machete clear through Rachel's chest. In the few seconds of life she has left, the girl from 10 hisses a curse word and sends her sword through his stomach. He collapses, his eyes wide in shock. Both of them are dead, weapons lodged in the other's body.

Kade looks down, realizing that his ally and friend is dead. His eyes wide, he turns around and darts off the other way.

The other tributes are now separate, some, like Amari and Karima, are deep within the Arena. Some, though, are still around the Careers.

"How does Five look?" Diesel asks, as they switch the screen to where Cyra is curled up, sobbing and Hamilton is sitting with her.

"He's probably not going to die quite yet. If he does, it'll be a couple hours."

"And Leo?"

The cameras find him, clutching his injury and hissing.

"No. It appears all of them are stable."

"Then it's time to fire off our first cannons." Diesel grins and I force a smile back.

"Shooting the cannons." One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven. Not exactly a large bloodbath, but it's not that bad. Iridesce looks around, surveying the damage.

"Our next priority is to take stock of our supplies, and then look for a body of water."

The others nod, looking around.

"Maybe a vantage point?" Maggie suggests. She turns around and points to the tall hill of an old, dilapidated roller coaster, then to the top of a ferris wheel that went out of business a long time ago.

"That's a smart idea. I think first we should take stock," Riella says.

"Right." The Careers collect their winnings, everything they could possibly need, and start to go through the backpacks that remain.

"Switch the camera," Diesel says.

It finds Cory, where she twists the rope around in her hands, climbing up an overgrown tree to get a better vantage. Her steps are quiet, and I feel like if she hides out people could forget about her. Her flaming hair is the only thing that could possibly give her away.

After that, it goes on Leo, who's stumbled and found his way fairly close to her. I wonder if they'll end up being friends or foes. He's bleeding and doesn't have a bandage, so he wraps his jacket tight around his shoulder, wincing.

After that, it switches to Raoul and Edgard, who are exploring their surroundings and looking around. There's a looming air of anxiety as they have no supplies, but hopefully sponsors will help out. Kendal wanders closer to them.

"We'll have to watch that," I say. The confrontation could happen in as little time as a day.

The camera finds Vidarr and Collin. Collin got a sleeping bag. Inside of Vidarr's backpack, they have food, matches, one thermos, bandages, a small first aid kit, and a spool of rope. They don't really talk, just remaining to themselves as they store their winnings inside their backpack.

After that, the camera switches to Kade, who sits by himself. His eyes are full of tears, but he holds them back. He goes through the small backpack he got, which contains matches, a first aid kit and a knife. He also got a spear, that lays on the ground beside him.

Martina only got a spear, and is still trembling slightly. She didn't get injured badly, but I think this has all become more real to her by now.

Kendal pants as he empties his backpack. He finds a small thermos, matches, bandages, an extra shirt, and a knife, and is pleased as he takes his prizes. He looks slightly frazzled, and is always on alert.

Amari and Karima are hiding together in the bumper cars, crouching down behind the wall. She clutches her bunny tightly, and he reassures her with a smile. They didn't get anything, but Amari is still confident.

When the camera finds Cyra and Hamilton again, they're in one of the tents. Cyra's cheeks are puffy and her eyes are red, but she's recovered. She has a lantern on to better assess the damage. Luckily, though, Hamilton's backpack contains a roll of bandages, which was used quickly to stop the bleeding. He still has a chance. Cyra also has a small first aid kit in her backpack, and a flashlight. Hamilton's backpack, along with the bandages, also has a knife and food provisions.

The rest of the first day is uneventful. Diesel and I release hands as the anthem plays and the faces flash in the sky.

Ductor Romilly, District 3

Serafina Anya Lecter, District 4

Billie West, District 6

Felicity Johnson, District 8

Nautica Martinez, District 8

Rachel Turner, District 10

Wren Ponderosa, District 12

"Rest in Peace," Diesel says, flashing me a smile. "Our dear tributes. Lost… But… Not forgotten."

A devious grin spreads slowly across his face.

"Send the first gimmick to our lovely Careers. Let's see how well they sleep tonight."

~.~.

A/N: Here we are! The Bloodbath is over!

To my seven angels: I am SO SORRY I had to take some Bloodbaths. I promise it isn't personal at all, and it isn't anything against your characters. I loved writing with them all and getting to know them and I hope that you enjoyed how I wrote them. However, please don't fret because their role in the story is far from over. You'll see what I mean soon. It was a very tough choice that took me a lot of time and effort. If you want me to explain my reasoning send me a PM, no problem! I know you're probably upset but I hope you're not mad at me and I hope you'll keep reading the story. Just trust me.

So, we're officially in the Games! You guys can move your tributes down to the Arena part of your list! :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope that nobody acted out of character in this chapter. I hope that you enjoyed it!

Oh, and something else! I've started doing chibis for these characters and putting them on the blog! I'm doing it by District, and since I started reapings with District 1, I'm starting chibis with District 12. I'm doing both tributes, the mentors, and the escorts. I hope you like them! They're not very good, but I think they're pretty cute and simple.

Chapter Question: How'd I do with the bloodbath!? Did you like seeing it from a Capitolite POV like Santana? Did you think it was realistic and fair? Let me know what you think!

Thanks so much for the support and I hope you're as excited as I am for what's to come!

OH! SHIT! I NEED TO DO SPONSOR SHIT! Alright, I'm gonna do my best because inflation due to SOME people that hAVE LIKE ALMOST SIX HUNDRED POINTS WHAT THE FUCK YOU GUYS but here are the prices of everything. If there's something you want to get that isn't on the list, please let me know! I'll tell you how much it costs! You can also combine points with someone else if you want! Also, each sponsor gift gives you the opportunity to send a note with your present. So yeah, send me PMs!

Prices:

Battery (for flashlight/lanterns): 10

Small Canteen (Empty): 15

Large Canteen (empty): 20

Bandages: 20

Blanket: 20

Compass: 25

Simple foods (bags of jerky, crackers, or dried fruit): 28

Pillow: 30

Basic First-Aid Kit: 35

Socks/shoes/shirts/extra articles of clothing: 35

Functioning Flashlight: 40

Small Canteen (with water): 50

Iodine (to disinfect water): 55

Well-functioning Lantern: 60

Matches: 68

Large Canteen (with water): 70

Night-vision goggles: 75

Functioning Sleeping Bag: 75

Knife: 90

High-Quality Food (bread from a District, meat, broth/soup): 90

Tribute's Favorite Capitol Meal: 100

Medicine: 100

Complex First-Aid Kit: 103

Tribute's weapon of choice: 120

Arena Map: 200

SCORES:

AbbyCorabby123: 10

A-Bookworm-Named-Steph: 41

Apollo's Slytherpuff Daughter: 103

bagelswift: 2

Beauty. Is. Strange: 61

Blonde4ever: 62

calebbeers21: 6

Coolgal02: 61

CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 16S

CptAwesome: 10

Culturalchicken: 2

Dreamer: 566

dreams and desperation: 170

eldergrayskull: 4

elisa. anya: 5

Emrys Holmes: 292

epictomguy: 24

erica1024 (I'm assuming you're the same person who reviewed as a guest named Erica, but let me know if you're not!): 16

fat necrosis: 64

falyn. oliver: 43

GirlOnFire (assuming you were also the guest with no title): 20

GryffindorOnFire: 9

hopefuldreamer1991: 500

Ibbonray: 35

Jalen Kun: 12

Jess: 592

johnsonmiranda70: 6

Josephm611: 217

Kate: 518

Xx-Katerina-xX: 56

Kyoko Rose: 26

Lady Lysa Arryn: 112

Legend: 559

LokiThisIsMadness: 182

magicharity: 163

Master Maedhros: 10

Medium-Indigo (Guest): 60

Music Rules The World: 4

Mystical Pine Forest: 30

nevergone4ever: 2

OncerTillTheEnd: 4

xxPeppermintxx109: 197

PrimroseEverdeenmyLittleDuck: 10

Programming: 7

xQueen-of-Applesx: 40

rising-balloons: 80

Red Roses1000: 5

ReignRain: 2

Rosemarie Benson: 12

Sagerose the Divergent: 10

santiago. poncini20: 116

Seahorse8: 32

seaotter99: 22

Shaunaicecream (Guest): 20

stop-pulling-on-mariazell: 30

superneet1214: 6

Skyflapple: 21

starrymidnight16: 4

ThisWorldWeHate: 17

TyeTheLurker (Guest): 5

the victor of panem: 61

We're All Okay: 71

W. R. Winters: 246

youngpatriot: 5