Bess Carver, 17

District 10 Female

When Porsche came back from foraging yesterday, tears in her eyes and limping badly, she and Des had immediately forced her to sit down and tell the whole story. Bess absolutely couldn't believe it, and honestly, she still couldn't. How could sweet, soft Soleil abandon Omar like that? Des was already calling for blood, but Bess just felt hurt. She'd liked her district partner. He was sweet, and dedicated, and loyal, and was just generally nice to be around. If she'd known Omar back in 10, she thought they could have been friends. And now he was gone.

She lay awake, staring up at the sky as it lightened with the rising sun. Today would be another sweltering day, and they were running low on water. Her lips already felt uncomfortably chapped, and her tongue was dry.

Porsche, who'd gotten another walking stick, was mumbling in her sleep about bets and poker. Des was snoring. Bess let the sound of her allies calm her, basking in their aliveness. It might not last much longer.

But finally, the thirst became too much. Bess got up and poked Des with her toe.

"I'm going to find water," she whispered. Des opened one eye and nodded before rolling back over, using her backpack as a pillow. Satisfied that someone knew where she was going, Bess got up and stretched, hearing her back pop satisfyingly.

The jungle was already humid and hot, despite the sun not fullying being up, and Bess was sweating in no time. She pushed her thick hair over her shoulder and fanned her face with her hand. District 10 was hot, but it was dry heat. Here, everything was moist and sticky.

She heard the sound of branches rustling ahead of her and clenched her fists, ready to fight. But as she drew closer, she didn't see anyone. But another rustle made her look up. The boy from 9 was straddling a branch high above her, regarding her with a confused look.

"Hi," Bess said. "Are you going to kill me?" He seemed to think for a moment before answering.

"No," he said finally. "Are you going to kill me?"

"I can't reach you," Bess pointed out. He nodded.

"I'm Oberon," he said.

"Bess," she replied. "Any idea where I can find water?"

Oberon pointed a long, skinny finger towards something behind her.

"That's a coconut tree," he said. "If you can get them open, there's water inside. The insides are edible too."

"Thanks," Bess said, offering him a smile. Oberon smiled back and nodded. Then he turned and began to climb higher into the tree.

Bess observed the coconut tree for a moment. It had no branches, but the bark was rough and ridged. She doubted she could climb it. But Des probably could. So Bess headed back to their camp.

"Find anything?" Des asked when Bess returned, sweat dripping from her forehead.

"Coconuts," Bess said with a grin.

"Excuse me?" Porsche said, an appalled look on her face. "What does that mean? Because I know a lot of curses, and that isn't one."

"It's a fruit," Des said, rolling her eyes. But there was a smile on her face. Porsche wrinkled her nose.

"Sounds like an insult," she said.

"It could be, if you wanted," Bess added. "Now, come on. I'm super thirsty."

Dionysus Bacchus, 17

District 1 Male

The pounding headache Dionysus had since the bloodbath was finally beginning to fade. But the dirty looks Allure kept throwing his way hadn't. He wasn't sure what her problem was, but his district partner seemed to absolutely despise him. A part of him wished he could feel the same, but hating people wasn't really in his nature. People were who they were, and Dionysus understood that. He liked to drink. Allure liked to be pretty. Nero liked to be a leader. It's just how it was. No use in hating them for that.

What he did hate was the heat. It made his skin prickle and his head hurt for reasons unrelated to alcohol withdrawal. And even though they had plenty of water, he was always thirsty. Only Anthony seemed content with the temperature.

"Is it this hot in 4?" he blurted, making his allies stop in their tracks. Anthony glanced back at him with a frown.

"Not quite this hot, but it can get pretty warm during the summer."

"Ugh. I feel like I'm going to melt," Dionysus said with a groan. Allure flicked her long black hair and shook her head in disappointment.

"Stop being such a baby," she scolded. "We have work to do. I want to find Kjole."

She stalked off, followed by Anthony. But Nailah stayed beside Dionysus for a moment longer.

"I don't like the heat either," she said quietly. "District 2 is usually cold, and the humidity makes my hair frizz."

"Careful, or you'll start sounding like Allure," he whispered back. Nailah laughed a little.

"I heard that!" Allure shouted from ahead of them, and even Anthony laughed.

They walked for about another hour, occasionally spreading out to cover more ground.

"This island is tiny!" Anthony exclaimed at one point. "Why are we not finding anyone?" But no one had an answer. It was as if the Gamemakers didn't want them to get a kill. They hadn't seen hide nor hair of another tribute since the bloodbath.

Groaning in annoyance, Dionysus sat down on a fallen log and pulled out his water bottle. He took a big gulp before setting it down beside him. Something cold and dry brushed against his hand and he jumped. Looking down, he saw a small brown snake staring up at him. It was right next to his water bottle.

"Can I have that back?" he asked. The snake just stared, unmoving. Carefully, Dionysus reached forward, grabbing the very top of the bottle, and began to pull it away. The snake lunged, and before Dionysus could flinch, it sank its fangs into his hand. He yelped in pain.

Allure shrieked as the snake slithered towards her. Anthony stomped on its head, killing it instantly. And Nailah rushed over to Dionysus.

"Did it bite you?" she demanded. He nodded, suddenly feeling woozy. While he was hot a moment ago, shivers were now wracking his body.

"Where?" Nailah asked, and Anthony raised his hand. Why was it so blurry? Was he supposed to have ten fingers?

Nailah pulled out an arrow and Allure gasped.

"Are you going to kill him?" she asked.

"I'm going to try to drain the venom," Nailah replied, not bothering to look at Allure. She stayed focused on Dionysus's shaky hand. He let her use the tip of an arrow to make a small cut below the bite, wincing when she squeezed it. But his heart was pounding quicker and quicker, and the dizziness was getting more intense. He knew what was happening.

"It's no use," he told Nailah. She looked at him, and to his surprise, she appeared to have tears in her eyes.

"Help me get comfortable?" he asked. She nodded, and she and Anthony helped Dionysus slip down into a more comfortable position, leaning against the log. He closed his eyes, shivering violently. He was going to die.

Somehow, the thought didn't bother him. He knew it was a possibility when he volunteered, but it never felt real. And even now, as the snake's venom pumped its way through his bloodstream, he didn't feel afraid. He was ready.

Nailah Nebit, 18

District 2 Female

Nailah stood up, hands shaking a little as Dionysus's cannon fired. His body looked peaceful, as if he just stopped to take a rest in the forest. In a way, he had. And now he was dead. Rubbing her sweaty palms on her thighs, Nailah turned to the others. She was about to speak when Allure screamed, backing away from a tree.

Another snake was sitting on a branch, observing them silently. Anthony drew his trident.

"Maybe we should go back to camp," Nailah suggested quietly. Allure nodded frantically, already slipping past them to head for the beach. Anthony backed away too, keeping an eye on the brown reptile. Nailah glanced one more time at Dionysus.

"Goodbye," she whispered. And then she followed her allies back into the jungle.

Back on the beach, Nero was struggling to start a fire. As they approached, Nailah set her bow down and moved to help him.

"Did you catch anyone? And where is Dionysus?" he asked, stepping away to let Nailah make the fire herself. She sighed.

"The cannon was his. He was bitten by a snake."

"It must have been a mutt," Anthony said. "The poison acted unnaturally fast." Nero nodded solemnly, but Allure just shrugged one shoulder.

"Good riddance, I say."

"Well, that's mean," Anthony commented. Allure rolled her eyes.

"Get off your high horse. He was a useless drunkard."

Nailah stared into the fire, trying to ignore the brewing argument. More than ever, she wished she was back at home with her parents, cooking or reading. A light pinging sound caught her attention, and she and the rest of her allies looked up to see a package held aloft by a silver parachute coming their way. It landed beside the fire, and scrawled in Hortensia's messy handwriting was Nailah's name.

She picked it up carefully, untying the strings and opening the box. Inside was a variety of different ingredients, and she grinned. It was everything she needed to make koshary. Before she passed, Nailah's grandmother taught her to make several ethnic dishes relevant to their family. Koshary was her favorite. It was a mixture of pasta, lentils, and fried rice, topped with tomato sauce, garlic chickpeas, and fried onions. Making it in the arena would be a bit of a challenge, but she didn't care. Koshary was worth it.

"What is it?" Nero asked, glancing into the box. "Rations?"

"Ingredients," Nailah said. "Any chance we have a camping stove?"

After a few minutes of looking, Anthony was able to produce a small portable stove and a canister of fuel. Starting it up, Nailah began to prepare the dish.

"My grandmother taught me to make this," she explained as she cooked. "I don't know its origin, but it's relevant to our heritage somehow. If I win, I want to learn more about it."

"That's a unique goal," Nero said. Nailah glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but his face was blank.

"I like it," Anthony commented. "And it smells really good." She laughed, giving the sauce another stir.

"You get your bowl first then."

Hi everyone! Welcome to Day 3, and another death! I don't have too much to say here; just that I'm trying to wrap this story up soon-ish because I'm opening submissions for my next SYOT! If you're interested in submitting, I'd be super grateful. All the info is on my profile.

EULOGIES

15th: Dionysus Bacchus (killed by a snake mutt)
To be honest, I didn't really vibe with Dionysus. I didn't dislike him, but we just didn't connect. I did have fun writing his final POV, and I didn't show this, but he and Nailah were fairly close. I'm sorry if I didn't do him justice. RIP.

ALLIANCES

The Careers:
- Allure
- Nailah
- Nero
- Anthony

The Motivated Ones:
- Chey
- Gigi

Cat Lovers:
- Taroh
- Kjole

Muscles:
- Porsche
- Des
- Bess

Loners:
- Oberon
- Mazie
- Soleil

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona