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Tasha Levelle
District Ten Female, 17 Years Old
Day Five
I always found the Games oddly engrossing.
I found them interesting, in a way. The way people act in order to protect themselves, in order to survive. The choices people made, the actions they took simply to keep themselves alive. I could never imagine myself to ever be Reaped for the Games, but now, I can see why it's fitting for a girl like me.
I always acted like this back in District Ten, but at least there, I wasn't worried about someone killing me. Or about me killing someone else. There, I didn't have to worry about much, really.
Back in District Ten, I would always watch the Games in private. I would never watch them with my family, and especially not in front of my sister.
She's too young to see the horror of the Games. The barbaric atrocities that go on.
Is she watching now, though? Is she watching me?
I would hope not.
It's not even the things that I have done – it's the thing that I am going to do that frighten me. I know that I won't be able to win these Games without killing, without getting my hands dirty. I'm sure for the Capitol, it looks like I'm getting it easy there. That I haven't faced any real trouble.
Besides the girl from District Five on Day Two, that is.
Back on Day Two, that's the only time I ever really encountered anyone else. The past two days there have been statues running around, ones that look real, weapons and all. They were easy. They were too easy, if you ask me. It seemed suspicious.
It's like the Gamemakers want to make it easy for me.
That they want it to lead up to something.
A fight, perhaps. I'm sure they have something in mind for me.
I have something in mind for me, too.
And it includes revenge.
Pushing myself off of the wall, I stride down the hallway, hauling the backpack and my axe behind me. The axe is looped around one of the straps, and as it drags along the ground, it screeches against the wood floor. I turn the corner, and then another one, and then another one.
There's never anything.
There's never anyone.
It's all the same rooms over and over again, but with different paintings and sculptures. I find somewhere safe, I sleep. Then, I wake up. Then, I walk to the next room and find somewhere else to sleep. That's all my experience here has been so far.
So far, at least.
As I walk down the hallway, I wrap my hand around my left wrist, chuckling to myself. I nearly forget that I discarded the bracelet I brought back from District Ten. It was my token – that's what they call it.
It was a dull silver bracelet.
It was stupid. It was pointless.
Was it going to help me survive? No. Was it going to help me win? No.
So, why then would I keep it? Why would I carry that around? It's simply unnecessary weight added to my arm. I didn't need it, so I got rid of it. That's what I've always done; if I don't need something, I expose it.
If it won't help me in the long run, I get rid of it.
And, for a moment, I think that I might be talking about Audrey. But, with him, I didn't get rid of him. Ceylon did. He's the one who killed him, who took him away from me. I could have used Audrey, unlike this bracelet. This serves no point.
But, Audrey… He was different.
Although I've made it this far, it still doesn't feel right. His death was premature. He wasn't supposed to die in that exact moment, by being killed by Ceylon. That was never supposed to happen… None of that was. I still haven't forgiven Ceylon, either.
I don't think I ever will.
Until I kill him, that is. Then, I'll have some closure.
At the end of the hallway, I spot a wooden door with carvings on it. I approach it, kick it open, the doors slamming against the walls. Inside of the room are two benches, both facing one another with a glass case behind each one. I look into one of the glass cases, notice a sword with a golden grip and jewels along the blade, but I shake my head, ignoring it.
I don't want a sword.
I want to keep my axe.
Sitting down, I press myself up against the wall, leaning my head back and resting it on the wall. I sit there, staring ahead of me out the window. I see trees and an open field, and I look away, resting the side of my face against the wall now. I breathe slowly, close my eyes, and grit my teeth.
I don't want to be here.
Is home much better than this? No, not really. But, it's an improvement. There, I had my family. I had my friends.
I have an identity. I had an identity.
Now I'm a tribute that represents a District Ten. Nothing more, nothing less. Not yet, anyway. I could become something more than that. I could become victor.
But, so far, I haven't done anything. I'm probably known in the Capitol and the Districts as the girl who lost her ally, the girl who gets angry too easily and who is too impulsive. The girl from District Ten who witnessed her own ally's death and just stood there.
That's not the girl the Capitol wants as a victor.
They want a strong girl. A self-assured, confident girl.
They don't want a rebel as a victor.
They might hate me for that sole reason, but guess what? I hate them, too.
I hate the Capitol. I hate the Games.
I hate this.
Jonah Danick
District Four Male, 18 Years Old
Day Five
"It should be up here."
Leilani takes the lead, turning the corner, continuing down the hallway. At the end is the entrance to the main room we started in at the beginning. That's where the Bloodbath took place. And, if we're correct, where Levana is.
Levana has been the target.
The target to expose of.
It wasn't necessarily my idea, but I brought it up to Leilani yesterday. She didn't oppose it, so we made it our plan to find her today. She should still be there; where else would she go? She has no one else. Without Mathias, she has no one.
It'll be two against one.
We stop right at the entrance. Leilani glances over her shoulder, and I nod, and we crouch down, trying not to give our position away. We slowly step into the room, and we walk along the balcony railing, trying to locate Levana. Then, we see her, sitting down in the center of the room. She's right below the chandelier, sitting on top of a few backpacks.
Leilani prepares her bow, and I nod my head, and once Leilani takes one more step to get a better angle, there's a click. She removes her foot from the spot she put it on, making it click again. She looks at me, wide-eyed, the panic in her face.
There's another click.
Suddenly, the balcony shifts downwards, and I hook my hand around the railings, holding on as much as I can. I see Leilani get knocked off of her feet, getting swept to the ground. She attempts to grab onto a railing, and I lift up my foot, pressing it against the floor, and after one more click, there's a loud rumbling sound.
The balcony begins to crumble.
Leilani slips off of the balcony, and with I propel myself off of the balcony, just in time, bracing myself for the impact. The balcony crashes to the ground, a cloud of smoke spreading throughout the room, Leilani's body disappearing somewhere under the debris and Levana's figure unapparent. Piece by piece, the balcony begins to detach from the wall, collapsing onto the ground in a heap of rubble.
Rubbing my eyes, I try to push myself up with my arms, but my elbow shakes, seeing a cut on it. It's deep, the snapped railing that caused it off to the side. I see my blood on it, and I look around, trying to find my mace. I find it, and I grab onto it, using it to push myself up. Managing to sit-up straight, I blink rapidly, trying to clean my eyes of any smoke or debris from the balcony.
I look out into the open.
It's all ruined.
The balcony that once spread across the whole room has completely broken off of the walls. The pillars are still intact, and as the smoke begins to dissipate, I finally see Levana. She managed to jump out of the way, and she stands up, wiping her face with her hands. She already has her machete in her hand, and she presses her hand against a pillar, trying to balance herself.
Then, we make eye-contact.
"Leilani?" I call out, only making Levana regain her composure more quickly. "Leilani!"
There's no response.
Levana coughs repeatedly, bringing her fist up to cover her mouth. She tries to say something, but her voice is too quiet, and I continue to glance around the room, trying to find Leilani. Then, in all of the rubble from the balcony I managed to jump off from, I see her bow.
"Leilani!" I say, my voice cracking. All I see is her bow, nothing else. She couldn't have died, could she? I shake my head, focusing back on Levana, realizing the bigger picture here. I'm not here to save Leilani. I'm here to kill Levana.
That was the plan.
And I will go through with it.
She is the rebel, I remind myself. I am the patriot.
With one last boost, I stand myself up, wielding my mace. I fight back the urge to run over the spot where Leilani's bow is – I fight back the urge to look for her. There are only eleven of us left.
She would have to die eventually.
Now, it's time for Levana to die. It's time for this rebel to die.
It's time for me to show the Capitol that I am one of them. I am here for them.
Slowly walking down the stairs, I kick the pieces of the railing and the balcony to the side, approaching Levana. She's prepared, though, having that wicked grin on her face as she holds her machete out in front of her. She raises an eyebrow, gesturing towards Leilani's bow. I shudder at the gesture, only making me worry more. She could be dead.
And I'm doing nothing to help her.
"Where is she?" Levana taunts, chuckling. She coughs again, hacking. She has a scrape along her cheek and above her eyebrow, and she tilts her head, revealing another scrap along the side of her neck. "It's unfortunate that she's dead already. I didn't even get a turn."
Waving the mace in front of me, I attempt to taunt Levana, wanting her to make the first move. She side-steps, watching me carefully, clearly expecting me to make the first move. She stands with her feet spread apart, ready to doge or pounce. I swing my mace out in front of me, only trying to get this started.
This is why I'm here.
To fight.
To kill her.
When I swing my mace one more time, Levana decides to advance. She swipes her machete upwards, missing my face, and I hunch over, swinging myself under the arc of her blade. I ram myself forward, knocking her over, making sure to leave enough room so she can't attack with her machete. I stand back up straight, watching her clutch onto her stomach.
"Come on, Jonah," she says, now taunting me. "Show me what the Capitol has taught you. Show me what they have brainwashed you with."
Building up my momentum, I charge at her, our weapons clashing against one another. My arm is forced back, and I bring it back again, swinging my mace. Levana dodges the attack, swiping her machete under my arm. I feel the blade slice right underneath my armpit, and I growl out in pain, clutching the weaponless hand on the wound. I glance down, seeing the blood slowly leaking out of it, and with one more swing, I finally get a hit on Levana.
It was a weak attack, but it smacks against the side of her face.
Levana shakes her head.
As my arm is held out, the mace still at the side of her face, she thrusts her machete forwards, aiming right for my stomach. Before I can dodge or back up, the machete impales me, and it tears through my lower abdomen, making me drop to my knees, my mace falling out of my hand.
She presses her foot against my thigh, pushing down as she rips the machete out of my stomach. I shout out in pain, and as soon as it's removed, I begin to feel weaker and weaker. I fall to the side, and although I throw out my arm, it's useless. I fall down, my head smacking against the staircase, and although I know it's doubtful, I hope that Leilani is out there somewhere.
That she might be able to save me.
Levana walks over, standing above my face. I look up at her, seeing her looking down at me, smirking. She has her machete raised above my chest, and she snickers, shaking her head again. I can't move my arms, or my hands, or anything else. Nothing will move.
"Two in a row?" Levana asks, angling the machete in the air. "That's impressive."
And, as she brings the machete down, I close my eyes. This was never supposed to happen. I was never supposed to die at the hands of the rebel. That's not why I volunteered. That's not why I'm here… I wasn't here to die. I was here to prove something.
That the rebels are to blame.
They are the ones who are at fault.
The Capitol was never to blame. I was never to blame.
It was my aunt.
It was the rebels.
I tried to stop them… I tried to quell them. I tried to help the Capitol.
But, I failed them.
I failed the Capitol.
Leilani Theriott
District One Female, 18 Years Old
Day Five
The sound of cannon startles me.
My eyes snap open, and I instantly feel groggy. I try to move my legs, but there seems to be something on top of it, and I blink rapidly, trying to get the fuzziness to subside. Eventually, I look down at my legs, seeing pieces of the balcony lying atop of me. Whenever I move my feet, though, it hurts.
My whole body hurts.
Turning to my side, I prop myself up on one elbow, and when I look forward, I see my bow. I realize that I'm underneath all of this rubble, and I close my eyes and shake my head. When I open them again everything seems a little better. I bite down on my lip as I shake my legs, pain surging up to my thighs. Groaning, I slide out of the rubble, slowly crawling to the opening.
I look at my bow.
And then I remember the cannon.
Jonah.
Could it be?
As I approach the opening in the rubble, I spot the feet of someone through the cracks of a part of the balcony. I peer through the whole, trying to find the right angle, and when I follow the person's feet up to their face, I feel my heart drop. Letting out a deep sigh, I realize that it's Levana.
That cannon was Jonah's.
He's dead.
My first thought is to reach the bow and to find one arrow. That's all I need – one arrow. One shot and I could kill her.
Crawling back towards the bow, I reach out my hand to grab, not trying to be detected by Levana. She could think I'm dead for that matter. She doesn't know where I am, so I'll use it to my advantage. I'll catch her off guard.
Pulling my arm back, I slide the bow across the floor, hiding back behind the rubble. A piece collapses, crumbling into a heap of dust, making me cough. I peer back out of the crack, seeing that Levana heard the noise. She narrows her eyebrows, holding up her with her weapon.
The weapon that has Jonah's blood on it.
"Leilani?" Levana asks, spinning around, trying to locate where my voice came from. I keep my mouth shut, holding my breath, hoping that she doesn't see me. I just need that one arrow, then I can shoot. Then I can kill her. "Is that you?"
I crawl even further back into the heap of rubble, trying to find at least one arrow. Then, I notice the tip of one, and when I pull it out from underneath the debris, I see that it's snapped in half. I curse under my breath, crawling to another pile of balcony remains. This time, though, I find an arrow.
As I try to crawl forwards now, another pile of debris collapses, and I shield my eyes, trying not to cough again. Levana calls out, though, knowing my location now. She knows I'm here.
Hurry up, Leilani. Get the shot.
"I'll let you say your goodbyes to Jonah first," Levana taunts, her voice coming closer and closer. "He put up a good fight, Leilani. Just not a good enough fight."
I find an opening again, although it's too small for me to kneel up and load the bow. Trying to avoid where Levana is going, I go towards the other side of the debris, kicking my legs out to break through it. I find an opening, and I poke my head out of it, seeing that Levana is at the other opening.
This is my chance.
Slowly standing up, my knees feel weak, nearly making me collapse. My suit has torn all around that area, my legs still throbbing with pain from all that weight on top of them. I manage to get up, and I load the arrow on the string, trying to get the right.
I can't waste this arrow.
It's all I have.
It's my one chance to kill her.
To kill her once and for all. To finally get her off my back.
To finally prove myself.
And, just as I pull the arrow back on the string, I see Jonah's body. When I notice it, I release the arrow, not aiming it. It flies towards Levana, and I snap out of it, looking to see where it will land. With a scream, the arrow implants itself in Levana's shoulder, making her stumble backwards.
"There you are!" She screams, not wasting any time. She rips the arrow out of her shoulder, puts pressure on it, and then charges at me. I jump to the side, hopping over the railing to reach Jonah's body. "There he is, Leilani."
I go for his mace.
Spinning around once I lean over and grab it, I feel it come into contact with Levana's body. I turn back around, facing her, seeing her gripping her shoulder. She takes a step back, grinning, her face red. She's angry, clearly.
Levana thrusts her machete forward, and I dodge it, hobbling on one leg. I swing my mace again, missing her completely, but it fends her off. She goes for another attack, and this time, I jump back, letting her trip over the first stair. She stumbles forward, and I jump forwards, landing on the opposite side of Jonah's body. I look down at it, shuddering.
Jonah was my ally.
He was someone I trusted. Someone I trusted enough to not backstab me, at least.
He meant something.
"Don't look so melancholic," Levana says, regaining her balance, panting. "Smile, Leilani. The cameras don't want to see you look so sad."
"That's enough," I bark, the edge in my voice not what I expected to come out. She widens her eyes, still smirking. "I don't know what you problem is, Levana."
"It's you," Levana answers matter-of-factly. "It's as simple as that."
"I have done nothing to you," I snap, raising my mace, the conversation only making me angrier. Only making me want to kill her more. I leap forward, this time taking the advance to attack. I swing my mace, glancing down at Jonah's body one last time.
This is for Jonah.
For myself.
Our weapons clash, the clang of metal ringing in my ears. I wince, and with one more forceful swing, I knock Levana's machete to the side. And, within a quick second, I swing again, knocking her back. She trips over the stairs, throwing her machete to the sides. She falls onto her back, her head slamming against the ground. Levana recoils as she wraps her hands around the back of her head, groaning in pain.
She doesn't have that smirk on her face anymore.
She looks hurt. She looks weak.
This is what she deserves.
"You can't kill me," Levana says, and I notice blood slowly leaking from the back of her head. Her shoulder is still leaking, and as she lies on the ground, she begins to cough. "You won't."
"Why won't I?"
"You're weak," she says, gasping for a breath of air with her next cough. She dry-heaves, trying to reach from something nearby, but there's nothing. There's nothing left she can do.
"No, Levana. You're weak," I snap, raising my mace as I lean over her squirming body. "You're impulsive. You're vengeful. You're your own worst enemy."
"No-"
"Yes," I say quickly, cutting her off. I take in a deep breath, close my eyes for a second, and just before I concentrate on bringing down my mace, I have one more thing to say to her. "You had a purpose, Levana. But, you let it get to you. You let it consume you."
Before she can speak, I bring down my mace, feeling it slam right into her face. I repeat the action, slamming it down onto her one last time, and when I hear another cannon sound, I turn away.
I don't look down at her body.
I don't look at Jonah's, either.
They're both dead. It had to happen.
If I wanted to get anything done, it had to happen. If I want to win, it had to happen. If I want to prove myself, it had to happen. No matter what I want, the two of them dying is what had to happen. I have no say in the matter. I knew that this would have to happen all along. They always had to die. Just like Mathias.
They had to die so that I didn't.
They had to die.
If I want to win, they had to.
I have to be the one to survive.
I have to be the one to win.
Alumax Derian
District Eleven Male, 17 Years Old
Day Five
The Capitol anthem echoes throughout the hallways of the museum.
Tilting my head upwards, I look at the ceiling, remembering the two cannons that sounded earlier. They were only a few minutes after one another, so after giving it some thought, I determined it had to be the Careers. Besides those two alliances, the only ones left are Claire and Cailen – I assume, anyway.
I can't see them leaving one another.
They were always so dependent on each other.
When the first face that appears in the sky is a Career, I nod my head. It's Jonah, the District Four male. His face is being projected onto the sky, his lips stretched into a thin line and his eyebrow cocked. After a while, I look away, already feeling his face being implanted into my mind.
I won't forget his face.
I don't forget anyone's.
The next face is the girl from District Two, Levana, which means that there must have been a fight between the two Career groups. I could always sense the tension between the three groups, yet I don't see Ceylon's or Otrera's faces up there. Besides them, Leilani's the only other Career yet.
Three Careers.
And now, it's the Final Nine.
Only nine more of us, I think, nodding. Just eight more tributes to go.
As Levana's face disappears from the ceiling, the Capitol anthem begins to play again, and as the music comes to an end, I stand up, grabbing my spear and backpack. The hallways go back to being completely silent, except for my footsteps. It's dark out now, with the moon only illuminating some of the hallway.
Besides for the random slithers of light, it's dark. It's all dark.
I have to be careful.
Besides those statue-muttations, I don't know what else is lurking around these hallways. It could be another muttation or it could be another tribute. And, frankly, I don't know which one I would prefer.
After the encounter with Tasha, where I ended up killing Anaise – my own ally – I haven't come across anyone. I just sit here, hiding out, listening to the cannons and keeping a tally on them. Then, I make my predictions, and once the nighttime comes, I see whose cannon they were.
It keeps me thinking. It keeps me distracted.
Turning the next corner, I am in shorter hallway. It comes to a full stop at the end, having a large window showing me the outside area. I walk down the hallway, tapping the end of my spear along the floor, trying to find a spot to sleep out for the night. To find another spot to hide out and avoid any tributes or mutts.
That's all I've been doing this Games, it seems.
Running. Hiding.
Avoiding.
As much as I hate walking around and hiding out, it makes me feel safer. With Anaise, I felt threatened. I always felt uneasy, always seeing Anaise as unpredictable. I never knew what she was going to do next. And, when she was this close to killing Tasha, I knew it was time.
I knew she had to go.
She was too much of a threat. I couldn't let her win.
I have to win.
I made it this far – I can make it further. I can make it to the Finale. I can make it to the Final Two and ultimately become Victor. I have it in me. I always have.
My brother did, too. He just had different motives.
We took different approaches to the Games.
When things got hard for him, he jumped off his pedestal to prove something. He went down with a few of his allies to send a message to the Capitol. For me, though, I'm reacting differently. Things were hard for me from the start.
I knew that this was going to be hard, simply because I am a rebel. I was already aware of that before being Reaped. My choice of becoming a rebel, one that had a brother who committed suicide rebelliously and for being the boy that was always late for work and sometimes couldn't keep his mouth shut – that's why I knew this wasn't going to be easy.
I don't like easy, though. I like challenges.
And so did my brother.
I watched my brother go through this process, from the Capitol to the Games. I watched him suffer. I watched him kill himself in order to prove a point.
From him, I learned that I was going to be faced with a challenge. From him, I knew that finding food and a weapon would be hard. Survival would be no easier.
I knew killing Anaise was going to be hard.
But, I knew that I was going to have to kill her eventually. I just did it sooner rather than later.
I know that I'm going to have to fight sooner rather than later, too. With only eleven tributes remaining, it's inevitable. I'm going to come across another tribute soon enough, and when that happens, I'm ready for it.
I'm ready to fight.
I'm ready to win for my brother. I'm ready to win to prove my own point.
I might hate the Games and everything they stand for, but that doesn't mean I am going to hesitate to win. That doesn't mean I'm automatically going to give up and refuse to play their silly game. By killing and surviving, I might be giving the Capitol exactly what they want, but my life is more important than refusing to do what they say based on principle.
To me, the Games are a challenge. They're something for me to overcome.
I was never one to shy away from a challenge. To back down when things got hard.
And I won't start now.
I won't back down.
I won't give up.
District Four, Jonah Danick – Placed 11th
District Two, Levana Coltello – Placed 10th
Author's Note:
Am I a tad late? I'm not sure, really. I just update whenever, and I would have updated sooner, but… Season Three of House of Cards was uploaded to Netflix, so I have new priorities. Oops.
But, there is Day Five! Two more deaths, meaning there are nine left. Nine, what?! Yeah, I know. Nine. Eight more to go until the victor.
So, that reminds me: There's a poll on my profile for who your preference is as victor. Nine tributes, and only one choice, so choose carefully.
That can count as the question for this chapter, sure. So, please go vote! I'm excited to see who you guys want as victor and whatnot. That's all from me right now, so enjoy the chapter and I hope you all have a great March!