Day 1
Icarus Bolt's POV – District 5 Male
An hour had passed since the end of the bloodbath. Stephanie and I made no attempts to talk to each other. I could tell just from looking at her face that she was not in the mood. I had advised her to put her emotions aside and not mourn for Ethan or myself if either of us died in the bloodbath, but she wasn't listening to my advice. Not that it was that bad of a thing to mourn for another tribute. However, being depressed wasn't going to win the Games for somebody. It would be much easier for someone to win if they placed that part of humanity to the side before entering the Games. There was plenty of time to cry for the dead once you made it out of the Games after all and ensured you weren't going to be dead with them.
Then again, maybe I was the weird one. Maybe I should be mourning.
Since Stephanie was in no mood to talk, however, I spent my time studying the arena itself: Pompeii, if I heard correctly. We had run further into the city when we escaped the cornucopia and, so far, the city looked like it could go on for a while. We walked on a stone road through what appeared to be the heart of the city. The buildings, or what's left of them I should say, were looking more and more complex with each step we took on the road. The broken-parts were becoming bigger, the still-stable columns were getting higher, and there were even some golden statues that were seemingly unscathed from whatever happened to this place.
I was no expert in architecture, but Tallie was. She had a fascination with the subject and went out of her way to study every single building in District Five. My cousin spent a lot of her time trying to educate me on the field and all the different ways and designs a building could be made. A small smile crossed my lips as I thought about her. There's no doubt in my mind that she would have been stoked to see this arena up-close and personal. The very idea of studying these ruins, even if they were just Capitol products, would have excited her so much. If she was in the arena, I doubt she would even be worried about fighting to the death in the Hunger Games! Her obsession ran that deeply within her.
Then again, I wasn't one to talk and judge others interests. I used to be equally obsessed with electricity…
We walked through the city for another five minutes before Stephanie finally broke the silence. She sighed tiredly before she started to speak.
"Where are we going exactly?" She questioned. Her tone-of-voice contained a negative hint to it: nothing like the cheerful, shy girl that I had met when we were on the train.
"Nowhere in particular. Right now, we're just exploring the arena. Maybe get a good hiding spot if we find some place." I told her with a shrug.
"Mm…" She sighed in response.
A frown now developed on my face. I could handle her moping privately, but her voice sounded too defeated. Based on her tone, it sounded like she wouldn't stay alive much longer than a day or two. I didn't want to see her dying off this early. I needed to do something for her.
"You know Ethan wouldn't want you moping like this." I told her.
"… Yeah, I know." Stephanie replied, shaking her head slightly. She took off her glasses and started rubbing her eyes. "Doesn't make it hurt any less though."
"It's the Hunger Games. The very concept is synonymous with 'hurt'." I pointed out to her.
Stephanie didn't respond back immediately. She put her glasses back on after a few seconds and started to speak again.
"It hasn't been long, but I can't stop thinking about it. Ethan should have been here, but the only thing of him here is the blood on the spear in your hands." She noted. I took a second to look at the spear: the one that the boy from District Four, Cascade, attempted to skewer me with. Ethan's blood was dried up on it, but it was still visible. I never thought too much about the 'blood' on it, but now it was starting to disturb me slightly. "How are you able to ignore all of that Icarus?"
If said by another person, I would have taken that question as patronizing and I probably would have responded back with some insult. However, it was said by Stephanie: a girl who lacked a single rude bone in her body. She literally meant the question word-for-word. She couldn't stop thinking about Ethan's death and she was trying to forget about it, even for just a moment.
"I've just put my emotions to the side, and like I said earlier, I'd advise you do the same. I've done that since the beginning of the Games. If I wanted to get out of the Games, I had to think that way about everything. People are going to have to die for me to get out of the arena." I answered with a sigh.
Stephanie became quiet again. A minute passed before I decided to approach her with a different angle.
"Whenever I do… start thinking emotionally about the other tributes dying, like Ethan, I just think of my cousin. I think of how I need to get home to Tallie." I told her. Stephanie looked at me with a surprised look on her face. "… Try doing that yourself. Think of your brother. Orion, right?"
"Yeah. That's him." Stephanie nodded in response. "… And I could use him now more than ever."
"Then keep on fighting. Fight so that way you can get back to him fast." I told her.
Stephanie said nothing for a few seconds. I opened my mouth to mention something else to her, but the words died on my tongue as she, finally, let a small smile grace her lips.
"I'll try." She replied.
Good. I smiled back in response. It was a relief to see her no-longer moping.
Now that her mind was cleared, Stephanie finally dug her hands into her uniform. A few seconds passed before she pulled out a few pieces of paper. My eyebrows rose when I saw them. We didn't receive any paper during the bloodbath and she didn't have the time to write down on them. This meant that they were smuggled in…
It wasn't anything to be worried about: the gamemakers weren't going to do anything to us just because she smuggled something in. From what I had heard, the gamemakers were willing to let the tributes who found a way to smuggle something into the arena use their tools. It was considered a 'reward' for getting something past them. Still, getting caught in the act was very dangerous and potentially life-ending for both the smuggler and anybody who helped. They would only make that risk for something that actually could help…
It took only a few seconds before I realized what was on those papers.
"Those are those blueprints for those suits you and Ethan worked on, right?" I voiced my thoughts.
"Yeah. Also a list of the required supplies and the basic overall process to build them." Stephanie answered, her eyes still focused on the papers.
"And is it even doable? Like will you even get access to your materials and tools?" I questioned.
"I think so. Ethan and I simplified the design a lot to make sure it would be possible to build. I actually know we can get all of the stuff in this arena already." Stephanie noted as she poked her glasses slightly. "As for tools and stuff… well, I already talked to Atticus and Minos about that before the Games. I'll be relying on sponsors for that stuff." She then rubbed the back of her head in a slightly sheepish manner.
When Ethan died, I thought that whole 'suit' plan would have passed with him. Now, it appeared he passed down the idea completely to Stephanie. And if there was one thing I could say about Stephanie, it was that she was extremely intelligent. There was no doubt in my mind that she'd be able to make this suit of hers if she can get her hands on everything. No doubt that would be an advantage for us…
Not like I need it though. I reminded myself to keep her 'suit' in the back of my head and not the forefront. I already had a plan mapped out on how I would fight and kill the other tributes. If Stephanie was able to design me some suit that would help me fight, then that would be an added bonus. However, as of right now, I couldn't rely on it. I had to rely on my own ingenuity to get me out of the Games. In the end, there was going to be only one victor. That meant I had to earn my way out of the arena myself – not by the hand of another.
"Ahh…" A voice croaked out in pain.
Stephanie and I put our thoughts on the suit aside. We quickly rushed into the middle of the ruins, looking for the source of that noise. A few seconds passed before we found it: an older man completely covered in burn marks and soot. He looked like he should be dead, but he was breathing slightly. Somehow, this man was alive…
Then again, this was the Hunger Games arena. He was certainly no random civilian from the city and he was probably not even a real person. He's in this arena for a reason and I was not looking forward to finding out why he was put in here. As we approached him, I made sure to grip the spear in my hands tightly.
"S-Sir…" Stephanie stuttered out as she looked at the man in concern for his life and in disgust at the grotesque burns on his body. No doubt the condition of his body was disturbing her. "… Are you okay?"
"Wh-What?" The man looked at us with surprise on his face. "H-How were there… survivors…?"
"'Survivors?'" I repeated the word.
"Y-You all… must not be… from here… Must have come recently… What a bad… decision…" He mumbled. His breathing was becoming harder and harder.
"What happened here? What did this to you and your city?" Stephanie asked as she got down on her knees to help him up. She tried to pull the man up, but her efforts failed. He wasn't budging, as if he was glued to the ruined ground.
"The gods. W-We angered them… we d-did this to ourselves…" The man answered. His voice was slowly becoming more and more quiet. "It's our f-fault… th-that Mt. Vesuvius erupted…"
"'Gods?' 'Mt. Vesuvius?'" I repeated the words he was using, trying to process exactly what he was saying.
'Mt. Vesuvius' obviously referred to the volcano in a distance. The city was destroyed in a volcanic eruption it seemed. However, who were these 'gods' he was talking about and how and why did they cause the volcano to erupt? And how was this man even alive if the volcano really did destroy the city?
"You both… are… so ignorant…" The man coughed in response. Blood came out of his mouth and stained the ground in front of him, causing Stephanie's eyes to widen in fright.
"Sir, please, let me help you!" She begged him as she tried, once again, to lift him up.
"D-Don't help… I already d-doomed myself… I will d-die like I was intend to…" He replied as his eyes started to close. "Worry about… yourselves. Do not anger the gods… or else Mt. Vesuvius may erupt again…"
With those words, the old man closed his eyes and stopped his breathing. I was still uncertain if the man was a real person or some type of Capitol mutt put into this arena to resemble a real human. Regardless of what he was, he was dead now…
Stephanie continued to mumble to the man's now-deceased body, trying to get him to stand up. I, instead, turned my attention towards the volcano in the distance: 'Mt. Vesuvius.'
If there was one thing I hated it, it was uncertainty. I was a bit of a control-freak, I admit, and I liked to make sure everything was accountable for. The man was able to give me enough insight into the arena to start understanding things, but then he passed on before he could give me information that would be relevant to my survival. Perhaps it was me being selfish, but it pissed me off a lot to have the information I need be teased to my face only to be taken away just like that. The only thing I did get was some cryptic rambling about 'the gods'.
The only thing I could guarantee right now was that the volcano was going to erupt at some point before the Games ended. I had to start making preparations for that right away to make sure that it wouldn't be the death of me.
Maddison Holland's POV – District 10 Female
I could see a light at the end of the trees, meaning I was reaching the end of the forest. I was honestly shocked at the pace I was running at. When I first started to go into the forest, I thought it would take me a full day to get to the other side. Perhaps the forest just was not as big as it appeared from the cornucopia. Or perhaps I was faster than I thought I was and it was because I never stopped running when I entered the forest that I was no reaching the end.
That would explain my exhaustion. My breathing was hard and I was more than ready to stop running. I wanted to take a minute break to relax, but I simply couldn't for now at least. My body was moving on its own accord and running on just pure adrenaline. It knew the situation I was in: I had to put as much distance from the other tributes for now. Once I figured out what the arena was like and had a general game plan on what to do, I'd be able to start fighting and killing off my competition.
Whatever the reason was for my pace, I managed to get through the forest after a few hours of running and reached the end of it. I was now at the ocean, standing on the sandy beach of the coastline. I had to have been at the edge of the arena.
Immediately, my mind shut down again as I stared out at it in surprise.
"Damn…" I mumbled as I inched closer towards the ocean.
I already saw it from a distance on the cornucopia and I saw it occasionally on the television during a few Hunger Games I watched. It didn't change the fact that this was the first time I saw the water in person and it was so frickin' beautiful!
I remembered back when I was a child and I first saw an image of District Four during one of the Hunger Games 'tribute recaps', I became obsessed with the ocean. When I was about four years old, I used to imagine life in District Four and working with my family on fishermen boats. There was just nothing like the ocean in District Ten and, from what I remembered from seeing of the other districts, it wasn't anywhere else but District Four. It was different and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I had long grown up from the days where I pretended to be a kid living on the ocean with my family, but I still always retained that desire to see it. To me, it was surreal to finally be standing in front of an ocean.
… Wonder what it feels like?
The question repeated itself in my mind and, after a few seconds of debating, I couldn't stop myself. I placed my supplies on the ground and took off the shoes I was wearing and walked forward onto the beach's sand. I slowly inched forward towards the water. I extended my foot out slightly into the sand and let the waves of the ocean to hit it. My eyes widened before a grin entered my face and I walked further into the water.
This is so fuckin' cool!
For a moment, I forgot about the Games and simply enjoyed myself. I lowered my hands into the water and started splashing around in it. It was surprisingly warmer than I had imagined the ocean would feel like, but it felt even better. I could feel my clothes getting wet slightly. I'm sure I was going to have to dry them when I get out, otherwise they'd just drag me on, but I didn't think that would take too long. Right now, I was just having too much fun to care.
I'm sure a couple of the people in the Capitol and the people in District Four were rolling their eyes at me. Hell, I knew a couple of the girls I had known back at home were probably shaking their head at me for being 'childish' or 'stupid'. However, I wasn't the type of person to care what others think of me. This was a culmination of a childhood dream of mine. I'd do whatever I wanted to do!
With that in my mind, I started to inch further into the ocean, laughing the entire way. I always viewed life as an adventure of sorts, and I was willing to explore any of the opportunities presented to me.
Heh. I'm sure Judd's jus' sittin' back home pissed he ain't here. I chuckled to myself as I thought back to my idiotic older brother. Amongst my siblings, Judd was the only one who shared my passion for the ocean. He was never suited for farm life and everyone in the family knew that. He always liked the idea of living by the ocean and, as he would put it: 'Workin' with the fish and eatin' em raight after catchin' em.'
He was more obsessed with the ocean than me. There was no doubt in my mind that he would have killed to just see it in person.
My laughter stopped as realization hit me. I let a childhood desire take over my mind for a few seconds, but mentioning the word 'kill' in my head brought my mind back to reality. I wasn't just at the ocean for shits and giggles; I was here in the Hunger Games. I was here to kill and to avoid being killed…
My excitement slowly started to fade as I walked back to put back on my shoes and pick up my supplies. I could, indeed, feel my clothes started to drag down. They were very wet. It didn't necessarily feel awkward to me, considering there were times where I had to walk around in clothes covered in cow shit, but I knew that I was probably not moving as fast as I could. In a few minutes, I'd probably set up a small fire if for no other reason than to get some heat and get these clothes dried.
After picking up my stuff, I began to continue my walk down the coastline, keeping my eyes alert from any potential threat. Only five people died in the bloodbath. Nineteen tributes were still alive and, based on what I knew about the Capitol's lust for blood, that was too many living tributes. Someone was going to die soon; potentially even tonight. I had to do everything I could to make sure I wasn't on that list.
Perhaps it was still my childhood desire to be around the ocean, but I thought being by the coast certain, at least for the first few days, most of the 'hunting tributes' would spend their time hunting around in the forest, looking for the tributes. I was also sure if I actually looked in the water, I could find some fish that I could supply myself on during the Games. There seemed to be a lot of benefits to setting up camp by the coastline.
All I needed to do was find a good place to hide. There didn't appear to be any good hiding places on the coast. The only thing noticeable were a few tall, scattered trees. It was all pretty open and visible to all… meaning that nothing was ideal.
I continued to walk down the coast, looking for something. Maybe there was a hole nearby that I could hide in. If not, I'd have to set up camp in the forest and just come to the coast for my fish. Maybe I could tie myself up on one of the taller tree branches and just sleep there?
"CRACK!"
Immediately, I started to look around me for the source of the noise. It sounded like something was burning and was cracking from the flames. My eyes wandered the area, looking for the source of the flame.
Nothing was visible around me. Concern crossed my face as I began to look desperately for the flames, to make sure I was nowhere nearby. On a whim, I looked upward. My eyes opened wide and I stared into the sky, gaping slightly.
"What the fuck?" I mumbled to myself.
Flying in the sky was a giant bird that was completely on fire. The bird itself, just from sight alone, looked bigger than six feet. Its entire body was covered in flames of different colors and intensities. I couldn't see an inch of skin or feathers: it was just a creature of pure fire. Its wings were the brightest of the flames on its body and I struggled to look at them for too long. Staring at it felt like I was staring directly into the sun!
The grip on my knife tightened, in case the bird flew down to attack me. I wasn't sure how I was going to kill it, but it must have been killable. All of the gamemaker mutts were there just to put us tributes under pressure. Surely it wasn't that though. I could handle it! Maybe I could use the ocean in some way? Douse that thing with water and then kill it after the flames were put out?
As I debated what I should do against it, the bird-of-fire continued to fly further into the arena away from the coastline and me. It hovered idly over the forest for a few seconds before it flew towards the top of the volcano. From where I was, it looked like it was flying directly into the volcano's cone, but I couldn't tell for certain. Maybe it perched itself at the top and it was just waiting for some unsuspecting tribute to come by?
I didn't know. The only thing I knew was that the volcano just got even more deadly to me.
There ain't no way I'm headin' there for now at least!
Still, it didn't hurt to know about that bird. From what I remembered when I was in the forest, the trees were simply too high and covered the view of above completely. Not much sunlight was even visible in the forest at all, so I doubted that many of the tributes in there would've seen the bird, no matter how bright it was. They would've just assumed it was the sun.
This was information that I could guarantee not everybody knew about. I was lucky to have it and I would use it in any way I could, even if it was just preparing for a fight against a mutt for later in the arena.
Bane Darnell's POV – District 11 Male
"Hey, where are we going again? Are you going to finally tell me?" I asked my grandfather impatiently as I rolled my eyes to show my annoyance.
After I woke up, my grandfather told me that the two of us were going to do a few errands: just the two of us. Grandmother nor mother could come for us for some reason. He didn't elaborate at all, much to my chagrin. He was quiet and secretive as we made our way through District Eleven and, finally, I was tired of not knowing where we were going.
"Bane, you're more observant than that. By now, you should know exactly where we are going and why I can't talk about it." Grandfather replied with a light chuckle.
He was right. I had lived in District Eleven for seventeen years now and knew where everything was in the area. I knew that we were heading for the outskirts of the district and close to escaping the compounds of the area. There wasn't anything out here other than a few, simple fruit trees and the fences that forced us citizens of District Eleven inside. Nothing else was out here. I assumed that we were, somehow, going to escape the district and do something outside. The only questions in my mind, then, were: where outside the district were we going and why were we going?
"I realize where we are going. I'm just surprised you wanted me to come out here with you." I replied.
"Surprised to come out of the village? Is this going to be your first time out of the district? I was certain your damn father and uncle have taken you outside at least once. They tend to do atypical things like that." My grandfather shook his head in frustration as he mentioned the other half of my family.
One thing that he made no attempt to hide was my contempt for my father and uncle – particularly my father. He was never going to get over the fact that he had used his daughter, my mother, for a one-night-stand. Not that I could blame him, though. Even if he did do his best to take care of me, my father had the potential to act like an absolutely horrible human being when he wanted to.
"They haven't. Not yet at least." I replied with a shrug. I never really had much of an interest in leaving the district, unlike most other people my age. I was very unfamiliar with what was out there, which meant that it was a place to avoid. Unknown variables were scary to me and ignorance was definitely fatal in certain circumstances. I would probably be anxious to travel outside if my grandfather didn't appear to have some knowledge of the outskirts.
"Well, then I finally get to be the first to show you something instead of them." Grandfather commented with another chuckle. "Anyway, keep quiet for a little bit longer, Bane, until we get out."
I nodded in response. The two of us managed to sneak out of the district quietly through an underground tunnel that was located between a set of trees. It was absolutely mind-boggling that such an escape-method existed. Was the Capitol really unaware? We could sneak out of District Eleven, one of the most overly 'protected' districts in Panem, undetected? If the Capitol was truly unaware, then this was valuable information that I was lucky to have. I'd make sure to remember it if I ever, for some reason, felt that I needed to flee.
As we made our way out of the district, I studied the landscape of the area outside the district. It was mostly forest and grasslands. I noticed many different species of trees and flowers that I only recognized from books I read back at the apothecary. It was only a few feet away from the district and already the environment was changing. A grin developed on my face as I memorized every detail of the land around me. Everything was just so fascinating!
I had only been outside for a few seconds and I was already deeply interested in this strange, new world I had entered. For the first time in my life, I wanted to throw caution to the wind and simply explore. I wanted to see exactly what this outside world had to show me.
After a few more minutes of walking, my grandfather and I entered a small clearing. It was covered with a few bushes and flowers on the ground. Grandfather walked over to one of the bushes and stood over it.
"See anything here in particular that interests you Bane?" He asked with a smirk.
My eyes widened at the sight. I rushed over the bush and looked at the berries.
"Those are buffaloberries. Used to supply basic nutrients and antioxidants if you aren't reaching the suggested intake." I recited the information I had read from the textbooks in the apothecary. "… I didn't think they grew out here! This is amazing!"
"I didn't either. Just found this clearing a week ago. I'm gonna use of these in some of the herbs we sale." Grandfather told me with a grin. "There's a few more berries over here. Recognize these from your studies?"
I turned my head to face my grandfather. He was now pointing to another bush that had a few berries that were a blueish shade of purple. There were a few black dots on the berries as well. I studied for a few seconds before I shook my head.
"I don't recall studying these." I answered with a sigh. Clearly, my studies needed to be improved. How was I going to do my job right as an apothecary if there were still plants and fruits that I couldn't recognize? It was my job to remain as knowledgeable as I could to supply my service to the people who entered my shop and I couldn't afford to be ignorant!
"They aren't necessarily natural. They were created by the Capitol scientists about a hundred years ago and were planted in areas where they would grow naturally to increase production. The scientific name escapes me, so I'll just call them by their common nickname: 'Smoke Berries.'" He answered. "There juice is very reactive to fire and high temperature. It generates extremely thick smoke that's impossible to see through."
"Oh?" I studied the berries intently. "… They aren't poisonous, correct?"
"Not at all!" Grandfather replied.
Immediately, I pulled one of the berries off the bush and held it in my hand. It was rougher than I had expected. The dots on its body felt more like bumps. I poked around with the berry for a few seconds before I turned to my grandfather again.
"It's Capitol-engineered, but is it edible?" I questioned again.
"Yes it is, surprisingly. Go ahead and taste it." He encouraged me with a chuckle.
I nodded my head in response before I put the berry in my mouth and started to chew. I immediately stiffened and had to force the rest of the berry down my throat.
"That's so fucking bitter!" I exclaimed.
"Bane, don't curse in front of me. I know your father and uncle don't care about things like that, but your mother, grandmother and I raised you better than to swear like that." My grandfather scolded.
Again, I stiffened and a felt a small blush of embarrassment cross my lips. "Sorry."
"Eh, don't worry about that. A lot of you kids curse so much. Just don't go swearing every other word like most of you do." Grandfather continued his lecture with a small chuckle. He then turned his attention back to the environment around us and he gestured for me to look around. "There's a lot of fascinating stuff out here, Bane. You'll see that outside District Eleven is where the most valuable of life's resources grow."
"I can see. Thank you for taking me out here. It's amazing to see all the different species out here!" I told him with a smile on my face.
"I'm happy to take you out anytime Bane. I just felt like you should finally see the outside world where I pick up the resources I use for my products." Grandfather noted with a chuckle. "After all, when your grandmother, mother, and I pass on the apothecary to you, you'll be responsible for making all of the herbs and medicines I sale. You're gonna need come out here for everything to get the best quality!"
"I will, I will." I laughed in response. "No need to worry about that grandfather."
"I'm not worried at all. You're an extremely bright kid. You're gonna make a great apothecary." He stated. My smile became more proud and my face brightened at his praise. "… Anyway, I have a few more places I'd like to show you out here. Come on: let's get moving. We can't be out too long, lest the peacekeepers start to notice something snooping around outside the district."
I nodded in understanding as I followed my grandfather, eager to see what other types of plants and berries grew outside District Eleven.
It was amusing to see what memories came back to me and at what time. As I walked through the forest of the arena and found a bush with 'Smoke Berries', I recalled the time my grandfather took me out of District Eleven for the first time. It was at the beginning of the year, just after I turned seventeen, and it was one of the best days of my life. Grandfather took me out and showed me the sources for all of his herbs and medicines because he trusted me. He knew I would be able to follow in his footsteps and take over the apothecary one day. I had never been so happy with myself in all of my life.
I could have spent all of my life in an apothecary, studying plants and herbs and helping out any patients that came inside, and I would have been content. Unfortunately, that would be a simple life and life was never simple.
I could feel my hands tighten into fists as I thought about the very thing that took me away from my life. Fucking Capitol… Fucking Hunger Games…
My grandfather would not be pleased at all with the language in my thoughts.
A few seconds passed by before I shook my head, pushing my anger to the side. Instead, I walked forward and grabbed the berries in the push and put them in the pocket of my pants. I remembered what my grandfather taught me that day about the potential use for the berries. A smokescreen cover would be useful if there was ever a time where I simply needed to flee. They could also be used as tool to bait other tributes, like the Career Pack, into falling victim to a trap of mine.
I continued grabbing the berries until my pockets were decently filled. I then started to walk away as I continued to study the environment of the forest around me. I wanted to spy a few more potential plants that I could use for my plans. There were probably a few poisonous species here: there were at least a few in every arena, even years where there wasn't anything forest-related at all.
Once I found them, I could really begin a few of my plans and prepare myself to engage the other tributes.
As I thought back to my grandfather, I remembered how much of my life I spent studying to take his place. All of my fondest memories were in his shop, studying with him, grandmother, and mother. One of the only things I truly wanted in this world was to carry on their practice and make a name for myself as a dedicated, intelligent, and skilled apothecary. After spending hours each day studying, I felt like this was a very reachable, believable goal.
The Hunger Games were only going to be a setback to me; I was going to come back and continue with my life. None of the other tributes were going to stop me.
I had spent days cultivating this 'weak' mask in order to make myself seem unthreatening during the Bloodbath. This was a style that I had worked for many previous victors, like Johanna Mason, and was the one my father and uncle encouraged me to pull off. As predicated by both them and myself, the plan worked and I managed to survive. Now that I was safe and had the time to start gathering resources, it was time to begin my real plans. It was time to show the audience, and all of the tributes watching, exactly who I was and what I was really capable of.
Kaylee Harper's POV – District 3 Female
"CRACK!"
"What the f-" Emery shouted before her voice faded away.
Yaro and I stopped walking and turned around to face our ally. In just that moment, Emery had fallen into the ground. The two of us quickly rushed over to where she was.
Did I seriously just lose an ally already?
"Emery! Are you okay?" Yaro shouted frantically.
"Ow…" We heard a mumbled response. Any fear immediately left my mind. Emery was fine; maybe she was in pain, but she's alive. Now, the only question where exactly was she.
Yaro and I walked forward and looked on the ground for any sign of where she went. My hand pushed over some of the grass on the ground and I noticed a hole in the ground. Realization dawned in my head as I pushed more of the grass out of the way. Emery had fallen down a hole in the ground into a cave.
"Yaro, this way." I called out to him as I started to climb down the hole.
After a few seconds of descent, I reached the bottom. Since I was climbing down on my own, I didn't cause myself any injuries. There, on the ground of the cave, was Emery. She seemed to hit some solid stone on the ground of the cave and was rubbing her rear in pain. Otherwise, she didn't seem in much pain. The descent must not have been high enough to do any serious damage.
"What happened exactly?" Emery questioned in frustration as she continued to rub her rear.
"You fell down here I guess." Yaro replied as he made his descent.
"No shit." I replied with a scoff as I started to look around the area. An idea entered my head and a grin soon developed on my face. "… You know, this looks like a good base of operations. Good work finding us this place Emery."
"Glad to be of help…" Emery mumbled in frustration as she stopped her rubbing.
Ever since the end of the bloodbath, my alliance and I began looking for a safe location where we could have a camp set up. Being constantly on the move was only going to get us tired and weak for a fight with the other tributes and the mutts. It took us about a few hours, but we finally found our ideal location. And all it took to find it was for Emery to fall on her ass and, in the process, show us where it was.
The cave's entrance was well hidden in the grassland between the forest and the volcano. It was hardly noticeable to the world above it; we would have missed it completely if Emery didn't fall into it. Despite the hidden entrance, there were a few small air pockets and small holes in the ceiling of the cave to let in sunlight. The inside of the cave was very visible, which revealed it to be mostly brick and stone. There also appeared to be a path in the cave that was lower than the rest of the ground, but there was nothing there. It looked like there might have been water down there at some point. Maybe this used to be an underground river? Or maybe it was a sewer for the city that the arena was built on?
Whatever its purpose was then, it was now just a seemingly vacant cave and was the perfect place for my alliance to hide, set up our camp, and sleep.
"You know, I just can't escape caves and stuff. Even in the Hunger Games I'm surrounded in an enclosed area underground. Lovely. I guess this was always meant to be my future." Yaro chuckled slightly. Despite the way he said that, I could tell that there was a hint of bitterness in his voice. His comment was equally a complaint as it was a joke. "Whatever I guess. It beats actually being in the mines."
"What do you think's down here?" Emery questioned as she looked further into the cave.
"I don't know. This could've been a couple of things, but for now, it looks deserted." I spoke up. "We should be cautious though. It's best to not adventure to far into it, in case if something is actually down here. Best to just have our camp set up right by the entrance."
"'In case if something is down here'. Lovely Business. Great way to encourage us to want to be down here." Emery rolled her eyes in response as she turned her head to face me. "So, why do you think it's good idea to set up camp here again?"
"Because it's well-hidden. We need a good hiding spot to rest sometimes, otherwise the constant movement is going to get us exhausted." I replied, rolling my eyes as well.
Emery said nothing in response. Yaro did not speak up either. The two District Twelve tributes simply nodded in understanding before they started to set down some of the backpacks they were carrying.
While I could tell the two of them were able to put up a fight and that they would be useful allies, I sometimes felt like I had to explain things to them more than I would like to. They didn't see things the way I did and, more often than not, needed an explanation. Not that I was against giving it to them. I just wished that they thought more along the same lines as me. Someone like Harper maybe…
Immediately, I shook my head and removed those thoughts from my head. I told myself that I wouldn't think of him or anyone else back home while I was in the arena. I didn't want any possible distractions to cloud my mind. Now that I was in the arena, I had to be focused and dedicated to my goal only.
A few minutes of silence passed by before Emery decided to gesture towards her backpack and speak up.
"So, it's been a couple hours since the Games began. Probably way past lunchtime. Should we eat some of the snacks that we got in the cornucopia?" She questioned. She was already starting to unzip it and pull out something to eat.
"Already?" Yaro looked at her in surprise.
"We have to keep that food to sustain us for the entire arena. We can't afford to just 'snack' whenever we want to eat. The food should only be eaten when we are actually in need of it." I told her sternly with a glare.
Emery immediately stopped unzipping her food. She glared, both at me and Yaro, before she sighed dramatically and pushed her backpack away.
"Whatever. We can eat whenever. I don't really give a fuck." She grumbled in response.
Considering you're acting pissy, you clearly you do. Emery was the type of girl who reacted solely on her emotions and what she is feeling; even base feelings like 'hunger'. I could already tell that she was probably going to waste some of our resources and eat something within the next few minutes, despite 'not giving a fuck'. I was very familiar with girls like Emery. She was predictable and potentially easy to manipulate, but it also made her relatively annoying.
I took a deep breath in and resisted the urge to say something. Normally, I called people out on their bullshit and their lies. Here, I couldn't act that way. Emery, for now, was an ally of mine. I could use her later in some way and, because of that, I couldn't say or do something that would get her to go off the fly and fight against me. For now, unfortunately, I would just have to deal with her emotional bullshit. But then again, I was good with putting up with other people. I had to put up with the people of District Three every day at my job and I'd be able to do that here with Emery.
"So, not that I don't enjoy the silence thing… well, I'd be lying if I said I did enjoy it, but does anyone have anything to talk about?" Yaro decided to speak up, interrupting the silence. "Like is there anything we should discuss about our plans?"
A small smile crossed my lips after hearing his question. Unlike Emery, Yaro was a lot more rational. He may have had his tendencies to joke around and act like an idiot, but he could think logically and put his emotions to the side at times.
Hopefully he'd be able to put his emotions to the side, at least, considering my plans.
"Well, I was thinking this should be our camp for the remainder of the Games until something happens. Like a mutt appears further into the cave or if we are forced to retreat. As I said earlier, the cave's hidden and to enter the cave, someone needs to climb down. Any tribute that tries to enter can be taken down on the spot before they truly set foot inside the cave." I explained my thoughts.
"And I think that all sounds very good to me and I'm fine with that." Yaro nod his head in agreement.
"So, you just want to hang out down here until the final eight, I suppose? Then we go our own separate ways?" Emery questioned with a suspicious look in her eyes. 'Final eight' was when we agreed our 'business contract' alliance would disband.
"Yeah… I don't think we should sit idly here for the entire Hunger Games and I'm sure the gamemakers wouldn't let us." I shook my head in response. This place was only here so we had a place to leave supplies and sleep. If we spent every second of our time down here, we would probably be the victim to some gamemaker intervention and be forced out into the arena. "During the days, we should spend at least a few hours trying to hunt the other tributes down."
Emery blinked in shock while Yaro gasped and gave me a look of surprise. Again, the two obviously did not think similarly to me. I'd have to explain myself a little bit further it seemed…
"You do both know what we are in, right? We're in the Hunger Games. Twenty-four tributes go in to kill the others. There's going to be fighting to the death if we all want to survive. So, why don't we do our own part and try to fight?" I told them with a shrug. "As I said earlier, there's safety in others. We're not only safer together, but also stronger. We could probably take down a few tributes if the three of us work together in hunting."
"… Yeah, I suppose." Emery nodded in agreement. "Just feels a little weird to think about it. Usually it's the Career Pack who hunts the other tributes."
"While the Career Pack is usually filled with jackasses, their mentality isn't incorrect. If you want to win, you have to be willing to kill." I informed her sharply.
"No, I understand. And I'm not someone unwilling to kill. I made peace with that the moment I got reaped for this damn thing. I got people to get back to and a friend to keep alive. I'm more than willing to team up and hunt some of the others down, so count me in on the hunts." She stated firmly with passion-filled eyes.
Hmm… Perhaps there's more to her than I thought. Emery spoke up with a drive that I never noticed in her before. Clearly, she cared more about the Games than I thought. Then again, it might just be a concern for her family and her friend. Either way, she'd be willing to fight and kill, and that made her an exceptional ally.
"… Hunt?" Yaro repeated the word with a frown on his face.
"You not willing to kill the other tributes to get back to your family and keep your friend alive? Even if the other tributes you don't want to hunt are going to try and kill you?" I questioned him.
"No… I mean, yes. I mean no. I mean…" The District Twelve boy sighed in frustration. "I was ready to fight in self-defense and kill somebody if I had to. I just didn't think I'd actually be participating in the hunting, you know? I always told myself I'd just fight to keep myself alive and kill only when necessary…"
"That's kinda idealistic, don't you think?" I asked him with raised eyebrows.
"It didn't seem too idealistic to me. That's how most victors fought during their Games…" He sighed in response.
"Most 'non-career' victors." I corrected his fact. "In the end, though, the Career Pack victories vastly outnumber the victories of non-careers. If you want to stand the biggest chance to win, you have to have their mentality. You have to be willing to kill."
Yaro remained quiet for a few moments as he processed my words. Emery and I looked at him impatiently as we waited for his response. From looking at his face, I could tell he was trying to resist my suggestion. Yaro was a good guy and probably a pacifist. However, he was still someone trying to get home to his family. He didn't want to admit to it, but he knew that I was right and that he was going to have to fight.
"… Fine. I'll help you both." He finally spoke up with a deep sigh.
As I predicted.
Even though he did agree, Yaro still looked very troubled. His eyes were downward and filled with a sadness that I wasn't used to seeing in him. I let a small, reassuring smile cross my lips as I looked at him. I then put my right hand on his shoulder.
"It's for the best for all of us. You're not going to be a heartless killer; you're just fighting to get back home. Like we all are." I stated.
"… Yeah. That's what we'll tell ourselves." He replied with sigh. Still, he made an attempt to smile back at me.
It wasn't what I was going to tell myself: it simply was the truth. It's sad that I was going to have to watch twenty-three other kids die because of me, but what was I supposed to do about it? Just bend over and die? No, I had to get back home and there was nothing that was going to stop me. I'd feel guilty about everything later.
"… We'll keep things easy for now and hang out here for the rest of the night. Tomorrow morning, though, we should all go out and begin our hunt." I told him and Emery.
"Right, right." Emery nodded in agreement.
Yaro gave no verbal reply. He simply nodded his head before he looked downward again in thought.
Today was going to be our one, peaceful moment in the arena. Starting tomorrow, things would get intense. There was a strong chance that I was going to get my first kill tomorrow… or get killed myself.
All I could do was trust in myself and my allies and pray to whatever god was out there that the latter wouldn't happen.
Author's Note: And here it is everybody: the first chapter since the beginning of the arena! This is where things are going to get exciting! :)
Quick note, though: the amount of points-of-view in each chapter will vary depending on the chapter and my plans for it. This one had four, but there could be tons more more in later ones. Maybe up to eight even! It all depends on my plans for the chapter. Also, I want to keep my Games as action-packed as possible and filled with relevant stuff. Don't think that a P.O.V is there for filler. Every single one has some importance and reveals something that will be relevant for later, even if it seems not that important. There will always be a call-back to things. Just something to keep in mind :)
Also, I may or may not do more flashbacks. I've read plenty of Hunger Games stories that feature flashbacks and I kinda liked the idea. So, I decided to experiment and give you more insight into Bane, who is probably one of the most 'unknown' of the tributes here. What did you think? Would you like to see more? And of who? I'm going to pull up and ask who of the remaining tributes would you like to maybe see a flashback of and see more into their life before the Games. There's no guarantee that I'll simply go with the general consensus, but I just want to know what you all want to know. I want to write a story you all like, after all! :) But flashbacks won't be too common of an occurrence if they still happen. They'll be a thing that pops up every now and then, though.
Anyway, I'm going to head off to bed now. I'm out of school, but I'm still pretty ridiculously busy. In particular, I got a trip to Colombia planned for December 26 that'll be for a week where I don't think I'm going to get the chance to be on the internet too long to update. I'm meeting my girlfriend's family :) So, I'm going to try and get another update out before that date. If I can't, well... I'll be updating when i get back then!
I hope you all have a good day and enjoy the chapter! I'll see you guys when the next one is finished!