Darrah Arinori, 12
My body aches from the long hours sitting on the dirt, back arched over the legs that lay straight out in front of me. My fingers have turned pale from the tight grip I have on the medium device. It's been deactivated, it was disconnected from whatever Capitol software it was hooked up to during the arena, and the scientists here removed all of its electronic components to ensure it can't be tracked. Those were the terms I agreed to so Kate would give it back to me.
Even though it doesn't work, losing it would be like losing my allies…again. Or giving up on them. No matter what happens, I never want to forget El and Adelina. My dreams are filled with moments of the three of us. Training. The bloodbath. The fortress. Being underground. The happy parts. The sad parts. And, worst of all, their deaths. Although they died, they can't really die if I never forget them. At least, that's what I tell myself when I look into my device…
The people around me don't understand why I want to keep something like this around. But they don't understand where it took me, and what it gave me. The Capitol might have taken my allies away from me, but somehow, they managed to give them back. Even temporarily, the closure helped keep me strong.
Am I delusional? I know there's no way the people I talked to were actually my allies. Like everything else in the arena, it was fully fabricated by the Capitol. But it helped me. And that's not something I want to let go of.
Just throw it into the forest, Darrah. You can't dwell on the past…
But the past is the only thing keeping me moving forward. The past has my brother. My mother. My father. My friends, old and new. Alive and deceased.
I look up into the forest. I overheard someone mention we're close to District Seven. I think this was supposed to be a secret, considering when I asked Kate if I could go visit my family, she just about lost her mind.
"No, you would risk putting yourself and everyone else here in danger." Despite the logic behind it, it doesn't make it any easier to hear.
I know my parents are worried about me. I know my brother Delano is even more so. I know their eyes were glued to the screen during the last days of the arena, as the numbers dwindled, and it was looking up for me. Now, they don't know if I'm alive or not. That's not something any family should go through.
I wish I could do something about it. I pick up a rock and throw it down the hill, causing a flock of birds to fly off into the distance. Oh, what it would be like to have that limitless freedom. I could go anywhere, anytime. I wouldn't be restricted to…whatever this resistance I've become a part of.
"We're just glad you're okay sweetie." My mom rubs her hand across my shoulder and plants a kiss on my cheek. She said this to me the day before the reapings.
"At least we know there won't be any more near-death experiences in the family this week." Oh dad, if only you knew what was to come.
I stand up and brush the dirt off my pants. I look out towards the district.
"I'll see you guys again someday. I promise." I hope the birds relay my message.
Although Grover and Lian Arinori haven't seen their daughter's face since she entered the underground tunnel with Harrison, they rest peacefully at night. See, parents have an unbreakable connection with their children. No matter where they are, or what they're doing, a parent can sense if they're okay. And Grover and Lian can sense it with Darrah. So even if they and Darrah aren't able to see each other for a very long time, her parents don't have much to worry about.
(This could be a coping mechanism. Because the alternative is unbearable.)
Tatiana Emery, 16
Outside the window, the sun is rising above the gloomy forest, producing a sapphire sky. However, the room I'm in is as dark as ever.
Me, Kate, Conrad, Darrah, and Grey… we are the last people yet to depart from the safe house. Everyone else left at the first chance they got with the First Renegades, on their giant air balloon. I'll keep sending as much information back to Saskia about the dealings of Kate as I can, but now that they're allied with the Firs Renegades… I could use Kate to get closer to them, dismantling them both in the process. My information will be invaluable. The First Renegades were thought to be a myth. But now, in the last few days, I've discovered more about them than anyone else in decades.
My birthday went by. But there was no time to celebrate. I'm too old for such things. After all, my childhood ended the moment I volunteered.
"Argh." My lips let out a hushed wince, as I remove the needle from under my fingernail - now coated in a small layer of my dripping blood.
I had to force the needle into my finger during the lie detector test that, they did on me – so that my emotions would stay constant throughout. They put it down to the stress of the games which is undeniable as well. Either way, my rouse worked.
Suddenly, a soft voice from below jumps my heart! "Do you ever see them? The people you knew from the arena?"
I shoot around to find Darrah peering up at me. Her eyes are sunken and vague, and she's still extremely pale. She's still shaking, a little. Although, she looks better than she did when she was rescued.
"See them?" I query, hastily hiding the bloodied needle in my pocket.
With a deep breath, she sinks down onto a wooden chair and faces the floor. "Their faces, I mean. I see them every night," she gulps, fidgeting nervously with her hands.
Then she glances back up at me. "You were pretty close to your district partner, right? That's why you did what you did at the end… to the girl from Four."
Franz's face flashes before my eyes. Yes, I see him! I hear his screams! No, I don't want to! He's a distraction from my mission! From my purpose!
"Yeah…" is the only word that escapes my mouth.
"Don't worry… they'll go. Just give it time," I murmur, placing my hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
But, she simply shakes her head. "Maybe I don't want them to… because if they're in my head then, in a way… they live on," she stutters.
You can't let yourself get close to them Tati! If ordered to, I will have to kill them, in the end.
Suddenly the door to our right bursts open… Kate. Of course. It can only be her. Every time she sees my face, her eyes study me rigorously like a hawk. She doesn't trust me. She won't. But she's got nothin' on me because I beat the lie detector. If I'm gonna tear this rebellion apart from the inside, I'll need time, time to grow through the ranks, and recruit enough of my agents. I'll need to be put in charge of recruiting. And for that, I'll need to gain her trust.
"I'm gathering everyone together in fifteen minutes for a rendezvous," she announces, turning away as quickly as she came in.
But then, she unexpectedly turns back, handing me an old, brown, scrappy note that's been folded in half.
"Oh and… our people swept the arena before the Capitol arrived… they found this for Conrad," she mentions.
"Conrad?"
She nods.
"When you go fetch him – you can give it to him," she finishes and then swiftly disappears back through the door.
I carefully flip the dusted note over to reveal some scruffy, child-like writing that simply reads – "Dear Conrad."
Moments later, Darrah has wandered off, so my curiosity gets the better of me, and my fingers gently peel the note open. It's not the easiest to read, due to the damage, but my eyes can make out most of it, under the flickering lightbulb on the table.
It reads – "It's time I spoke my mind. I know things have been hard for you. I know they always have, in a way, losing your family so young. I want you to know that I'm doing this because I care about you and… and because I want to protect you, like you protected me. I think after all this time, I finally understand you, Conrad. Having a family was important to you because you've never had one and I don't want you to have to lose one all over again. That's why I think it's time we end this alliance but know that I'll always be with you. Together until the end. ~ your brother, Beckett."
My eyebrows furrow slightly in confusion. Brother? Damn, I never knew they were so close. They knew everything about each other. The dried-up tears on the note also didn't escape my attention. When I first saw the footage… watching Conrad torturing Taliesin before he ended him, I was in shock, but now it all makes sense. That capacity for violence that he has… it would be a great asset. I need to find a way to bring it out again.
My eyes move up. Outside the window, Conrad's sitting on a log, on his own, shivering. He's staring out at the crimson lake at the sunrise past the trees. That log seems to be his new home.
I told him he'd get the truth, one day. But it's not today. The truth goes far deeper than he could ever comprehend. I read it all in the Capitol. There can't have been too many Conrads in District Six, right? So, we rigged the reapings just before it was too late. And Lo and Behold, there he is! Sat across from me. On the log, outside.
He was supposed to die many times over. But… maybe he's being kept alive for a reason? Perhaps he can be turned? He has no strong allegiances anywhere. Either way, if he can't be turned, he will die. Like everybody else here.
Once it's light enough to see, I slowly pace out of the wooden door of the safe house and across the soft, morning grass.
It's almost dead silent out here. Except for the sounds of the rustling leaves in the wind.
Once I'm beside where Conrad is perched on the log, my throat clears to speak however, the only word that comes out of my mouth at first is a quick "Hey."
His empty eyes are fixed downwards at a bee necklace in his hands. Beckett's necklace.
"It's freezin' out here. Why don't ya come back inside? We've got warm food," I chuckle, rubbing my shivering arms to prove the point.
He doesn't answer.
"You don't talk much, do you?" I observe out loud.
"Recently, I've found that I don't recognize my own voice," he murmurs.
I breathe a deep sigh. "Take it from me, it's never good for you to dwell on things – what's done is done," I mutter.
"I'm not dwelling," he mumbles back, continuing to stare at the necklace.
"Uh-huh."
It's clear that I'm not gonna get through to this dude today. Better luck next time.
My hand goes into my pocket and retrieves Beckett's note but, before I can give it to him, his broken voice continues to mutter something. "H-he was waiting for me to come back, you know. No one's ever trusted me that much before, and I let that monster get to him first... that's the worst part about all of this."
My hand pauses. The note! Beckett was gonna leave him. The only person that's ever trusted him that much was going to leave him? If he finds out, it will break him, and I don't think I can break this boy any more than he already is.
However, in the corner of his eye, he seems to catch sight of it.
"W-what's that? Is it for me?" He stutters.
I swallow and pull the note away from him. "Nah. Don't worry - it's not important right now," I say.
"Oh urm… Kate wants to rendezvous in ten minutes," I mention, turning back away from him. "I'll be there," he nods.
The air on my skin becomes milder again, once I'm back in the safehouse, awaiting Kate's all-important rendezvous. However, my thoughts can't help but go back to Beckett's note. What if he finds it eventually? If he's gonna be the soldier I need him to be, then I can't let this note break him.
In the darkness of the safe house, with only a few old lamps to offer light, I stare back down at the note, before slowly tearing it in half, then into four pieces, then dozens, until it's nothing but a shredded pile of scraps. And somehow, that felt like the worst thing I've ever done, not burning Marissa or Stabbing Franz in the neck. No, I just denied him the truth. But… I'm doing it because strangely… I've come to care about him – as a kind of long-lost older sibling. We've been locked in this war together, our entire lives, and will continue to be for years. That note would have destroyed him, and I couldn't let that happen. He can never know the truth. Sometimes, we all have to live a lie. He'll come over to our side. He'll see the light. I know he will.
Greyson Winters, 19
Things haven't felt as strange as I thought they would, living out here in District Seven. The Capitol was never my home, you see. I was moved there from District Five after an "accident." Thus, I was the only one in my family left alive and I was homeless. I had to take the offer they gave me or starve to death. However, even with my life in the Capitol seeming to be going well before I met Kate, I never really fit in. No matter how hard I tried.
Inside the darkest room in the entire Safehouse, only the glaring lights of the dozen or so monitors give me any indication that I'm in a room and not a bottomless pit. The sounds of static radio echo from the center of the room. Earlier, we managed to get ahold of Darrah's family, and they've been moved to a safe location. However, the fighting's been too fierce in District Four to reach Kate's family.
Kate is perched on the desk under the monitors, swaying her legs back and forth, smugly. She looks calm, too calm, and when she's calm that means she has something planned… I don't like it.
"Don't be shy," she beckons. "Whatever you have up your sleeve, I'm not gonna like it am I?" I reply, slowly pacing toward her with my arms folded.
She springs off the desk and taps the keypad on the way down, bringing up a seemingly endless flickering of words and numbers on the screens.
"What is it?" I question, my mouth agape.
"Everything," she states. Everything that was on that chip. The Storm, Saskia, the Capitol… us. The truth. We're gonna broadcast it all out there for the districts to see."
I place my palms on the desk, leaning in to inspect it closer. "That means… they'll know everything about us… our organization… our secrets…"
"Exactly," she responds, facing the screens beside me.
"It's secrets and lies that got us into this mess in the first place. Now that I'm runnin' the show, things are gonna work a little differently around here," she continues.
Ah yes, Kate. At first, her blunt honesty was a little hard to get used to but, in this world of spies and backstabbing, I've found myself grateful for it.
"And… you want me to hack into their network and broadcast the message?" I realize. She nods, with a mischievous grin.
"Why am I not surprised," I gulp. "Don't tell me you're chickening out now," she quips, patting me on the back as she prepares to leave.
"I don't have anywhere left to chicken out to," I mutter.
"It hasn't escaped my notice, ever since I met you - my near-death experiences have increased significantly," I say. "And yet, here you still are," she smirks.
My head falls down, shaking "We're just a bunch of kids… how have we got any hope in hell?"
She pulls her jacket over her arms, still smiling "Every year, a bunch of kids have been snatched from their lives against their will… I think it's about time the future is decided by them."
"From now on, we're taking the fight to them. No more hiding. At the end of the broadcast, I want you to type everyone's full name. Too often, people's efforts go unrecognized," she says, fixing her eyes on me.
She means me!
"I'm about to return the compliment however, she's already disappeared from the room, to beat the others into shape.
I remove my jacket, plonk myself down in front of the monitors, and stretch out my fingers.
Here we go!
Conrad Martell, 18
I keep trying to piece everything together that happened in the arena. It was all so clear, up until that fateful night. Until he came into the picture.
"The sun will come out, wait and see." That was the last thing that came out of Beckett's mouth. For the last few days, I've been wondering if that will ever come true… but… now, as it happens, I've found myself staring at the rising sun. That boy never lied to me, not once.
Maybe that's why I was brought back? For his memory, and Seia's and Nadia's and Serenity's and everyone else that died.
My gaze is set dead on the glowing, reflecting, crimson lake that lies before me. The sun has just peeked up above the trees, dazzling my senses. Beckett's bee necklace is clasped in my hand, as it always will be – if not in my pocket.
Something I once said has been circling around in my mind over the last few days, like an intrusive whirlwind mashing up my brain, and making my thoughts jumbled.
"It's like my whole life has been one messed up thing after another," I said, that sentence seems to be on a loop.
But then, out of nowhere, a little voice echoes in response… Beckett's voice.
"Good things happen too you know, Conrad." That's what he told me all the way back on the free day.
"Yeah, like what?" I answered.
"…like meeting me," he smiled. His face on that rainy night flashing before my eyes momentarily.
We lived in the moment, together, fleetingly. That's what he wanted and that's what we did. It's what I'll always do. It's who I am. He'll always be with me to remind me of that.
And with that, I've suddenly found myself standing again. A new warmth runs through my veins, with the rising rays of the sun hitting my face.
I take a deep breath, stuff the necklace in my pocket, sling my bag around my shoulder, and turn back to the safe house, marching on at a steady pace. I don't really know where I'm going or why, but then… when have I ever?
As I creak the old, wooden door to the safehouse open, I find that inside Kate is already in mid-speech. Darrah and Tatiana are standing around the planning table, silently listening to her. Although briefly, everyone's eyes are on me before quickly returning to Kate. Darrah sends me a reassuring nod, I return it.
Kate's voice fills the room with confidence. "We're gonna be on our own now, but if we're in this together, then that means together – we watch each other's backs, got it?"
She then leans on the table and begins chuckling inwards.
"I trained most of my life to kill people like you… people from other Districts. I can't undo what I did," she says apologetically. "But I can try to put it right… I'll be training you to end this madness," she announces. "Everyone in this room has seen things, and done things they wish they hadn't done - a lot of the time you didn't have a choice in it," her eyes moving between the three of us.
"But now our fates are finally in our own hands again," she finishes.
Then, Grey appears through a door behind Kate, brushing off his hands. Smoke seeps out from under the door.
"It's done," he declares to Kate.
She nods, collecting the last of her things into a bag before slinging it around her back.
"One thing is for sure… after this moment, if Saskia has to… she'll hunt us to the ends of the Earth," she says, moving over to the door and twisting the handle.
"So… what do we do?" Tatiana mutters. Kate gives us all a collective piercing look. "We run," she declares, flipping a hood over her head, and zooming out of the door into the woods as an accelerating junker!
"Kate!" Darrah calls. "Wait up!" She exclaims, bolting out after her and leaving just the three of us inside.
My eyes turn to Tatiana and Grey. We exchange the same look of mutual agreement with our chins up and shoulders back, our grins infect each other.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Grey quips.
Once Grey and Tatiana gather the last of their things, we're off! We leave the burning safe house behind us, beginning to follow the trail of Kate and Darrah's footprints on the bright leaves. It is still murky and dark outside, as the sun has only just risen up. The chilly air bites against my skin once again.
My feet don't stop carrying me though. In fact, they pick up the pace with Tatiana and Grey, dodging our way between the sullen, dim tree trunks.
The forest seems to spread out and fill our entire view, extending upwards and onwards. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen, compared to the urban forest of District Six.
Kate and Darrah fall back into view through the trees, becoming closer and closer, until they are soon beside us again. Shouts and marching boots suddenly echo through the trees behind us, and the engines of the hovercrafts rattle the sky above us. Peacekeepers. Peacekeepers in dark, purple uniforms. Special Peacekeepers. The noise of my heart beating loudly, with my lungs pulsating is drowning out their sounds.
It's a familiar feeling but this time it doesn't feel so bad anymore. I've faced far worse. I looked death in the eye and came back. Why did I come back? While glancing around at the other outcasts, Tatiana, Darrah, Grey, and Kate, I can suddenly feel why I was brought back. It's the same reason I was chosen to protect Beckett. That exact same realization strikes me, as when I saved him from those careers, and we were zooming through the arena on that train, chuckling together…
In the moment we lived.
It's like Kate was saying - I can put it right. I couldn't be his, but I can be theirs…
I can be their Guardian Angel…
Ok, here we are at the end! I can breath a sigh of a relief haha. I guess its time to write a long sentimental message but I don't really have much more to say other than I hope you enjoyed this story! It went in places we didn't at all expect when we first started it but we're happy with how it went and we actually finished a collab syot together! Whoop. Hope to see you guys again for our sequels! Bye!
POVs written by Nautics: Tatiana, Grey, Conrad
POVs written by Team Shadow: Darrah
Final death order.
Day 1
24th: Ricky James (D9M) Killed by Serenity Jasper - decapitated.
23th: Tristan Card (D8M) Killed by Jade Hastings – Slashed through the chest.
22nd: Jonathan Priel (D10M) Killed by Taliesin Ulysses – Knife thrown through neck.
21st: Elijah Axenfros (D7M) Killed by Taliesin Ulysses – Blunt force trauma.
20th: Emily Lynch (D6F) Killed by Heather Monroe – Knife thrown into torso.
19th: Kalen Demner (D5M) Killed by Marissa Grey - Sliced with a sword.
18th: Aeliana Decima (D8F) Killed by vampire mutts – bitten in the neck.
Day 2
17th: Henry Haines (D1M) Killed by Taliesin Ulysses – Throat crushed and neck snapped.
Day 3
16th: Adelina Claire (D10F) Killed by Gargoyle mutts.
Day 4
0 deaths.
Day 5
0 deaths.
Day 6
15th: Jade Hastings (D1F) Killed by Charon Aytigin – Throat ripped out.
14th: Charon Aytigin (D12M) Killed by Serenity Jasper – Shot in the chest.
Day 7
13th: Heather Monroe (D5F) Killed by Taliesin Ulysses – Throat slit.
Day 8
12th: Electra Shielle (D3F) Killed by Franz Kubo.
Day 9
11th: Seia Loam (D11F) Killed by Harrison Jones – Stabbed through the back.
10th: Nadia Miniera (D12F) Killed by Taliesin Ulysses – Knife thrown into torso.
9th: Beckett Amory (D3M) Killed by Taliesin Ulysses – Stabbed.
Day 10
8th: Franz Kubo (D2M) Killed by Tatiana Emery – Impaled by spear.
7th: Taliesin Ulysses (D4M) Killed by Conrad Martell – Hung by the neck.
6th: Serenity Jasper (D9F) Killed by Marissa Grey - Impaled in the abdomen.
Day 11
3rd: Marissa Grey (D4F) Killed by Tatiana Emery and Conrad Martell - Set on fire and axed in the neck.
2nd: Harrison Jones (D11M) Killed by Buzzers.
1st: Tatiana Emery (D2F) Victor!
Survivors:
Darrah Arinori (D7F)
Conrad Martell (D6M)
Final kill count:
Jade: 1
Taliesin: 6
Marissa: 2
Heather: 1
Serenity: 2
Charon: 1
Franz: 1
Harrison: 1
Conrad: 2
Tatiana: 2
Mutts/arena: 2