The Launch Room
Seriah Jamison, District 10
I stand in the room, very aware of the silence that fills it. I clench my fists, yet I cannot stop my body from shaking. My stylist looks at me, but continues to open the box that contains the clothes I am supposed to wear the entirety of the Games.
He pulls out a thin long sleeved athletic shirt and nylon pants. I change into the outfit as my stylist speaks.
"The outfit is light and comfortable, but it can protect against cold weather. I'd expect snow." I don't say anything.
Lastly, he pulls out sneakers and I put them on.
"Good for running, but not for climbing. Most likely a flat arena." Again, I stay silent.
The announcer lets us know its time to enter the tube. He pats me on the back.
"Good luck out there." I give a half hearted smile.
"Thanks." I say, before entering the tube, trying not to think about how utterly terrified I am.
The twenty four tributes rise up, the sun blinding them before their eyes adjust. They stand on a flatland, grass as far as the eye can see, with a section of trees to the west and a large lake to the north. They are covered by a large glass dome. A hint of snow can be seen outside of the dome.
The announcer begins the countdown from ten. Let the 101st Annual Hunger Games begin!
Lana Mason, District 2
I stand in position, ready to run. Only ten seconds remain. My eyes focus on the weapons in front of me, a spear appears to be the closest weapon to me.
With only five seconds left, I hear an explosion to my left. I refuse to look though, my only focus is the spear in front of me.
I was one of the few to stay undistracted and I am the first to arrive in the center. My district partner arrives next, and soon all of the Careers are armed and ready to kill.
"Who exploded?" Chaze asks no one in particular.
"The boy from Twelve. Jumped too soon." Callista says before running after the girl from Nine. The girl has her hands around a first aid kit and her eyes are wide as Callista stabs her in the stomach.
I see two girls running away from the cornucopia with an axe in hand. I chase after them, throwing my spear in the back of the smaller girl. The second girl stops in her tracks and I recognize them as the two from Seven and Twelve. The girl from Seven swings her axe at me, but I duck and roll to the dead girl on the ground. I pull out my spear, use it to block another swing, then I kick her legs and she falls. I stab her in the stomach with the spear, pull it out and return to the center.
I see the decapitated body of the boy from Eight and Chaze standing over him with a bloodied sword. He looks up and puts his eyes on the sibling pair from Eleven, and runs after them. Glamour shoots an arrow into the back of the boy from Seven and he falls. Majesty and Neptune are in the center gathering up the supplies and I do a quick scan of the cornucopia. Chaze stands over the boy from Eleven, but no sign of her sister. He joins his allies in the center and Glamour makes her way to me.
"I think thats everyone. Let's gather supplies and start hunting." I nod, holding my spear tightly. When she turns her back to me, I make the impulsive decision I've been dreaming of. I throw my spear in her back and she falls to the ground. I run quickly and quietly, pulling the spear out of her back. I think I'm home free when Neptune turns to look at us. His eyes are wide and he stands up with a knife in his hand.
"Lana?" He asks, confused. Shit.
"Yeah, someone got her, think it was one of the two from Five." I say with a straight face, hoping he buys it. He holds the knife up and I know my ruse has failed.
"Why?" He asks. I shrug.
"I'm sorry, mom and dad." I whisper to myself as I throw my spear at the group. I hit Chaze in the side of the hip and he screams. I grab a knife and go after Majesty, but he's quick and I only cut his arm. Chaze grabs my hair and throws me back, pulling the spear out of his hip. He pulls me up by my shirt and stabs me in the stomach.
"Die, you bitch." He spits in my face and pulls the sword out. I lay on the ground as the life slowly drains from my body.
The last thing I see is Callista coming around from behind the cornucopia and stopping dead in her tracks.
"What happened?" She asks as I fade into darkness.
Fodille Earthdrop, District 11
We were almost out, we almost made it before Farn died. I only got out with a knife, yet it's not the supplies I'm worried about.
Tears blind me and I eventually have to slow down. I stand in the forest, tears flowing down my face. I sit leaning against the tree with a tight grip on my knife.
That bastard from Two is the one who did it, the one who killed my little brother. I can picture his face so perfectly in my mind. Instead of sadness, I only feel anger. Anger towards that bastard. My brother never did anything to him. He didn't deserve this.
I'm brought back to reality when the cannons start going off. Nine in total. I sigh. A light bloodbath yet my brother was a victim of it.
The tears finally stop and all I feel is emptiness. It was not supposed to go down like this. He was supposed to survive, to live a happy life. He was too young, too pure.
I cannot let that asshole get away with murder. He does not deserve to go home after what he did to my brother. I will be the one to kill him, I have to. I have to, for Farn.
Holden Hayes, District 5
When I rose into the arena, I found Layla immediately two tributes to my left. When the gong rang, we bolted straight for the large lake in front of us. We managed to grab a small black backpack before getting out of the cornucopia. At the lake, we examine the supplies. An empty water bottle and rope are all we got. That's what happens when you avoid the action.
I fill up the water and drink slowly, passing it over to Layla once I finish. We sit in silence for a while, regaining our breath from the long run. It's been pretty awkward between us, ever since she kissed me. She refuses to talk about it, she says survival is more important. Once we feel safe, I plan to finish what she started. Hell, it will be my last chance.
Nine cannons fire in total. I wonder who were the unlucky ones who didn't make it. Well, at least they'll show us tonight.
"Whats the plan?" I ask Layla, who is looking back towards the direction we came in. She is silent for a while before finally answering.
"This is the main water source in the arena, so I assume the Careers will make their way here. So once we've rested, I suggest we find somewhere safer." I nod in agreement. But where could we go?
Demica Langley, District 6
It took a while for my eyes to adjust when we rose into the arena, but once it did I was able to locate my allies. Samuel was directly across from me and Lavender was four tributes to my right. When the gong rang, Samuel bolted straight towards us. I grabbed a few things from the outskirts, so did Lavender, while Samuel was able to grab a knife and a decent sized bag closer to the middle. We bolted into the grasslands and found the tallest section and decided it would be the best place to hide out.
"Why don't we keep going, to put as much distance between us and the others?" Lavender asks.
"The closer we stay to the center, the closer we will be to supplies. We can stay one step ahead of the Careers by always knowing where they are." Samuel answers. Lavender doesn't question this.
Once we settle down, we examine our supplies. We have one knife, I grabbed a plastic tarp and a loaf of bread and Lavender got a full water bottle. Samuel's bag contained a bottle of iodine, a small first aid kit, and two packs of berries. Not bad, but shared between three people it will go quickly.
We crack open the bottle and share it between the three of us. After a few minutes, it's already halfway empty. I'm starting to question our location, and think finding a water source should be our priority.
I tell Samuel so and he stays silent. I know he agrees with me, he just doesn't want to admit it.
"Let's wait until nightfall, then we can find a water source. The only one might be that big lake." I nod, content with our plan. We get comfortable in our grassland and wait patiently for nightfall.
Jeff Hopkins, District 10
I lost sight of Seriah during the initial bloodbath and have yet to find her since. The nine cannons that fired stay on the back of my mind. She's too smart to get caught up in that mess, that's the only thing that reassures me that she is still alive.
I take a seat on a tree stump and go through the bag I grabbed from the cornucopia. It contains a dagger, a full water bottle, and some rope. I sigh, but refuse to dwell on it too long. Dwelling gets you nowhere.
I decide the forest is the best place to set up camp. The trees conceal me from predators and its the place Seriah is most likely going to end up. I set up a basic snare close to where I set up camp and pray it catches something.
I find some edible berries nearby and snack on them, keeping my ears open for any movement. A slight breeze blows by, giving me goosebumps. I open the water and take a few slow sips. My mind returns to District Ten and suddenly I'm thinking about my family. I wonder if my mother is letting my siblings watch. I smile thinking about little Pearl, I hope she's not too scared. I close my eyes and imagine returning home to her. I start to smile and a wave of sadness hits me. If I return home, it means Seriah will not. I close my bottle and grip my knife tightly. I wish I could kill the ones who forced us to compete. I wish the two of us could disappear, return home alive like nothing happened.
Unfortunately, that would be too good to be true. Instead, I have to fight. Not just for myself, but for Seriah too. Maybe Ten will have a victor this year.
This was quite a bloodbath, wasn't it?
Glamour-You were a fighter, but you were slightly naive. I'm sorry you had to be the one in Lana's sights.
Lana-A little troublemaker you are, you caused tension from the moment you were reaped. You will be missed
Seth-You had a very interesting backstory, you had a good heart.
Ivory-You've had a rough two years, I'm sorry it had to end like this. You're with Cedar, now.
Carter-My flamboyant little firecracker, you were not afraid to be yourself. You were a lot of fun to write and you will be missed.
Sage-Everyone's favorite, you were too pure for this world. You deserved better.
Farn-The youngest tribute in the Games, I know Fodille wishes she could have done more to save you. You'll be missed little guy.
Myah-Another sweetie, too young for the Games, way too young.
Corbin-A bundle of anxiety, it only takes one wrong move to be eliminated from the Games. I'll miss ya, kid.