Round And Round.

Round and round, I'm not gonna let you change my mind, till you show me what this life is for.

Fern Bracken, District Nine Female.

"Perfect," I whisper to myself, plucking the scythe from the stand. It feels good in my arms. Home. "Too perfect."

It's funny, actually, how I never bothered to play around with this little trusty weapon during training. Maybe it was my strategy all along. After all, those idiots who portrayed everything basically signed their death off. I spin around the shop I'm in, smiling at the many different types of weapons perfect for Nine. Scimitars, scythes, long knives for cutting through the grain fields and equipment for making knots. They hang on direction hooks, glittering through the light.

The window, however, makes everything open.

I managed to sneak in and out of the bloodbath without facing any trouble. I grabbed a backpack, found a rock, threw it angrily and ran as fast as I could for the nearest staircase or escalator, jumping over the crushed head of the boy from Twelve.

The reflective barrier works wonders. You can't see it down there, but from up here, everyone is on show.

There's no time to sit and rest, because just across the gap, a tribute has found you and sneakily making their way around to bury a knife in your head or slit your throat.

I climbed a staircase, and then another, before another, reaching three floors up from the actual Cornucopia. I know for a fact that there must at least be another floor, since next to the shop I'm in is another cement staircase, leading up into the unknown. I'm brave, not stupid.

Scythe in hand, I depart the shop, pressing my back against the cool glass and sliding along. I can't hear no footsteps against the tiles, nor see anyone, so feeling safe, I laugh a little.

This is more than perfect!

I've never seen anything quite like this in my life. And my oh my, it would be the perfect place to start ticking names off of my list bit by bit.

First, though, is Koel.

Another laugh bubbles at the thought of him, running around hopelessly, possibly even one of the dead, though I kind of believe he survived. I prefer that. I want to be the one to take him down. I know five are dead, and two of those are the boy from Twelve and the girl from Ten. They were the only ones I actually saw before sprinting it out of there. The boy's head crushed by the guy from One, the girl smashed with a rock by her from Two.

I take up the flight of stairs, and whilst it could be a stupid idea and I was against it minutes ago, it's the only way to find Koel.

Like a predator, I need to find him. Hunt him down and then steal the blood from his body. Then, after that, more and more tributes on my list from the shared hovercraft. One from each district. It's all too perfect.

But as I reach the top of the stairs, I see the boy from Eight, exiting a shop with a mighty thin sword locked in his hand.

He notices me, but rather than attack and seeing me raise my scythe, he smiles rather smoothly.

"No need to attack me," Eight steps forward, lowering his sword to his side. "I'm not a threat. I'm on my own, much like you. These other tributes just don't seem to understand me quite right."

I understand that feeling. "I feel like everyone is against me."

He chuckles a little, and like his smile, it's smooth and fluent. "Technically, everyone is against you. Only one winner remember. I was thinking that, until it dwindles down, that we pair up and pick the others off. Two is far more threatening then one."

I find my head nodding along, almost in a trance at how well he actually says everything. He could commit murder and probably have you believing you deserve it. But that's something to be wary about, too. That's the perfect trait for a backstabber.

"I suppose," I shrug after a while. "Until we get a few. For now, I want to find all the littles. My district partner has to be the first to go. Then, we'll go after yours, okay?"

"My district partner won't last long, I promise," Eight smiles softer this time. "She's not all there, and this will tip her over the edge. Lets just worry about killing your district partner first."

He moves closer, and slowly, I pull down my walls long enough to let him get close. With a smile and nod, he directs me towards a broken escalator on the other side of the gap.

"One more floor. I've already checked. Six in total, including the plaza for the Cornucopia. Your "littles" went up there."

I wait for him to make the first move, but the moment his foot touches the cement step, I comply. He's good enough for now. But his name has joined my list, and the more he pushes it, the higher he will go.

Chord Wickers, District Ten Male.

I feel like I've been walking for hours on end. I slow down a little, sitting down on one of the escalators between the floors. Everyone will be too busy raiding through shops to even check the actual staircases and that from floor to floor. For now, I can rest.

But as I close my eyes, Sami's face haunts me, the sickening way her head was dented from the blow. It leaked blood, leaving a pool, and worst of all, as I looked at her, she looked innocent with those dead eyes staring straight forward.

It's something that will never escape me.

I promised to save her and I couldn't even do that. I tried to find her, I really did, but I couldn't even see her. She was blocked behind the golden horn, and that pretty much sealed her fate. I ran, I ran so hard, but I wanted to get a backpack so that we had something to use, something I could use to protect us. By the time I fought through the chaos and collected one, to find a simple rock, it was too late.

She was dead.

My eyes whip open as the thought of her emotions, how scared and terrified she was, how she needed me and I wasn't there, washes over me and twists the knife of guilt in my gut. Her family have lost their daughter. Siblings lost their sister. Her life, her innocence, all ripped away. It takes a moment for anything to sink in, when I see the faint glimmer of a white sheet coming towards me. I see the metal container, and instantly know I've got a gift sent to me already.

Already? Just after the bloodbath?

No doubt Sami's age pulled on most of their heartstrings, and then their wallets.

Now's the perfect time Chord -L

When I pop open the container, I see a small harmonica, wooden and cheap, but that's fine. I give it a little hum, knowing the perfect tune in Sami's honor, though I only remember the last words. They always stuck out the most to me. And with as much emotion as I can muster, I sing.

So hush, my child
Your spirit is freed
You've escaped the lies
The hate, the greed

It's for the best
Or so they say
Deliverance shall come
On another day

It draws to the end, and by the time I sing the last note, I know my voice is shaky. Emotions are a pain sometimes.

But the freedom of the emotions has brought something else in me. Determination. I stand up, wiping away at my eyes harshly before taking a deep breath through my nose. First thing first, find a lasso. I'll treat these tributes like cattle. Round them up, pin them down, slice their throat. If they think it's okay to kill a little girl, then I'll show them it's okay to kill a rabid animal. I quickly run down the escalator, knowing the shop is nearby.

From the corner of my eye, I see the shop I was looking for.

From the other?

The boys from Five and Six, slipping into a shop where the rest of their alliance is hiding out. I know that much by walking past and glimpsing in the window. Sadly, the girl with red hair gives them away too easily, though, she only hid behind a table leg. But I'm not after them. No, they couldn't have killed Sami. The Careers are the most brutal, and so, for them. I promised not to hurt Theo, and there would be no way he would have killed Sami, so it leaves the rest.

The fiery girl from One. Slut from Two. Boy genius from Three. The mysterious girl from Four, and her district partner, the imbecile. I move towards the shop, sliding in and finding what I was looking for, hanging up for a hook quite close to the ground. It's the perfect length, and if I didn't know any better, the exact lasso I use back at home. It could be for all I know. I grab it, pulling out my green belt just an inch to place the lasso through, holding it on. I smile sadly at the thought of looking like some cowboy.

See, Ula was wrong. It does have some use.

Jack Ampere, District Five Male.

"Jack!" I hear Mirana before I even see her, springing up from her hiding place behind a table leg. She's smiling widely, happily, and I can't understand why. No sane person would in a place like this.

Then, not long after her, Cameron slowly climbs up, a lot better hidden than Mirana. She smiles, looking relieved to see me and Gavan. It was hard to get out the Cornucopia, but we managed. I saw Cameron run from the One girl, but Mirana accidentally scared her enough to give Cameron enough time to escape. Then, all I had to do was find Gavan and get out myself.

For someone who didn't even want to be in an alliance in the first place, I've definitely been dragged into this well and truly.

Cameron's a lot more manipulative than I thought.

She moves through the clutter, before throwing her arms around my neck. I hear Mirana gush in the background and refer to us as some prince and princess she heard in another one of her mom's amazing fables, and I can't help but smile into Cameron's neck.

"I'm glad you're alive." Cameron mumbles.

I hug her back just a bit tighter. "So am I."

"Stupid," she pulls away, going back to her more stable, stronger self. "Did you see anything useful we could use, maybe? Any tributes nearby?"

Gavan takes that as his moment to cut in. "I saw some tributes. I saw a lot of tributes. But I think we're safe, kinda, maybe, I don't really remember."

Mirana just giggles, twirling a piece of red hair. "You're so funny sometimes."

Something sparks in my mind, and for some reason, I see me and Cameron as being some sort of mature parent figures for the more younger-minded, unstable Mirana and Gavan, acting as our children. It makes me smile, until I realise that if I go home, all three will have to die. Cameron will have to die. Mirana and Gavan will also lose their life. Then, it hits me, and I pull forth the hatchet that me and Gavan quickly collected from one of the shops.

"Here," I show it to Cameron, who smiles quite wickedly at the silver weapon. "We grabbed that and an actual backpack with food inside."

Gavan steps forward to place the backpack on the table, opening it up to reveal some beef jerky, a bag of dried apples, a water canister and a bowl. Mirana is quick to chirp and pick up the dried apples, opening it up and popping to in her mouth before passing it to Gavan with a pout. As Gavan argues about something with Mirana giggles and prods him, literally, me and Cameron step to the side of the empty shop, only one of few.

"We'll stay here," Cameron is quick to say. "It's safer for all of us. More me, since they both don't look like they could handle it."

"I agree," I nod. "Hey, that's something new. We both agree on something."

"Don't get used to it, Jacky boy," Cameron smirks. "From now on, we'll disagree on almost everything. I'm hungry, though, are you hungry? I'm hungry. Lets have some food."

Cameron swoops up the bag of beef jerky, plopping herself down on the floor as Gavan and Mirana crouch opposite her, though Mirana proceeds to weave herself in and out of the table legs, giggling and laughing and continuing to smile sweetly at Gavan, mocking him in her cute, unstable way. Cameron hands me a piece of the jerky, and smiling, I take a bite.

"I feel like a married couple with children." I say aloud.

Cameron doesn't answer, only nodding, and I get the feeling she knows what I'm thinking too. Three, maybe all four of us, will die. I couldn't kill any of these guys, but how long will it take before one of us falls?

Stitch Hill, District Eight Male.

Something I've learned so far about this whole arena is that all the floors are identical, the only changes being what the shops hold. Some are baron, empty, nothing but boxes and tables. Others have the most lethal weapons, such as swords and axes. And the others have nothing but survival gear, food, water canisters and bottles, blankets and sleeping bags. I have a funny feeling the nights might becomes cold considering everyone is wearing shorts and a top.

Since when did the Hunger Games become nice and not torturous?

"Which way did you see them go?"

I smile at her. "I never said I knew where they went. I simply suggested I knew they came up here. And, well, it's not like they can climb any higher."

My eyes drift upwards, knowing this is the last floor. Above me is the large glass dome that hangs over us all. The electrified barrier still insists on going up, and somewhere, it connects to the glass. From this distance, you feel so close to it, it's almost like the sun is directly above your heads, sweating down on you.

"Well then, it's about time we start cleaning out the shops and find them."

Fern's voice is angry, all of a sudden. I know she wants to kill him, but she's going to destroy herself at this rate. She should be worried about survival, not revenge. But, as she swings open the first door and gains nothing in response, I see her growing increasingly angry. She looks at me over her shoulder, glaring at me with those burning eyes of hers.

"Don't be so angry, Fern," I smile as sweetly as possible, going over to her and placing my hand on her shoulder. "We'll draw him out if so. It's not like anyone can really fun that far."

"He could still hide," Fern seethes through gritted teeth. "He's sneaky. Don't even underestimate him because he's that good at disappearing from plain view, he could be part chameleon."

I simply soothe her a little, calming her down with my sword in my other hand, twitching. "Yeah, well, the same could be said for us. He can't get away that easily, either. Maybe we should sit back for a while, see if he comes for us instead?"

She sighs.

Yet, she lets me lead her to one of the empty rooms.

She sits down, pressing her back against the cement wall and laying her beautiful scythe on her lap. She looks at me, feigns a smile and gestures me to sit next to her.

"I'm okay," I smile it all away. "I think someone should stand, keep an eye out, sorta thing."

"Suit yourself."

I watch, amazed slightly, as the girl begins to allow sleep to take her, and slowly, she slips into slumber. I wait for a while, sitting down and standing up, practically bored out of my mind. Then, I catch a glimpse of platinum blonde hair, knowing that is Koel's ally, the girl from Three. She walks out from a shop timidly, a backpack strapped over her shoulder and a vibrant bruise on her face. Then, following her is the boy from Eleven, bringing the rear is Koel.

I look to a sleeping Fern, before looking at the littles descend an escalator.

No. I won't wake her.

Soon, the glass dome at the top of the arena begins to change colour, going from azure blue to a mix of orange and pink, before finally, black with bright, white stars. The anthem begins to play, and somehow, it rattles throughout the room, causing Fern to jerk awake.

"Any sign?"

I throw another smile at her. "Nope. No sign at all."

She clambers onto her feet. "Okay. Well, you better not be lying to me, Eight. I don't want to make my list any longer now."

The seal appears on the glass, shining and wavering as the first picture, the boy from Four, appears. A Career dead so early on? Somehow, I'm really not surprised. That of course means all the other Careers are alive, then, including the boy from Three. Then, the girl from Six, followed closely by the boy from Seven.

"Shows anyone can die." I say aloud, gaining a weird look from Fern.

Then, the little, terrified girl from Ten, who I knew died, and everyone basically did. It was't hard to miss her brains spewing out on the ground so effortlessly.

But of course, a small, sad and conflicted smile forms on my face. Mirana survived. I don't know whether I'm happy or sad about that. She's nice, crazy, but nice. But she's competition and a huge liability to her allies.

Finally, I know the last death is the little curly-haired boy from Twelve, and when I see his face, I have a flashback of the boy from One slamming his head repeatedly against the concrete step not long after fighting me. I survived and he saw Twelve as his next victim.

"Besides the boy from Seven, that bloodbath was pathetic." Fern remarks, coldness laced in her voice.

I just nod and smile and let everything be normal between us. She turns and flashes a wicked grin, and something stirs inside me. I just smile still as she turns around, and in the moment, I pull up my sword, letting the silver flicker underneath the inky light. Without a thought, I drive it into Fern's back and pull out, feeling the crush of her skin and veins in the sword. She cries out in pain, falling to the floor and rolling over.

Her mouths begin to form a word, but I just smile.

Always smiling.

"Sorry," I say, raising my boot over her face. "You were the one that said the bloodbath was pathetic. I'm just making up for it."

I slam it down as hard as possible, feeling her bones crunch and crush and her screams, her pathetic, needy screams. Sometime later, as I walk out the door and around the walkway coated in pitch black except for the false moonlight creating some light, I hear her cannon sound.

Tauria Copin, District Seven Female.

"This is perfect!" I grin from ear to ear, picking up a backpack filled to the brim with food. Apples, beef jerky, a soup in a container and some chunks of rabbit meat.

Zaira, from the other side of the room, grabs another backpack.

"It is," she says softly. "We have more here then I ever would in Eleven."

I feel a pang of guilt, since I do know poverty but probably not like hers. People have always said that the lower districts, Ten, Eleven and Twelve are the most malnourished. Seven is poor, sure, but not as bad as others. We're about average, and that's fine by me.

"Sorry..." I mumble out, watching Zaira eye me curiously. "I just, I feel bad for you, that's all."

Zaira offers a sad slash soft smile that I can barely see. "It's fine."

I nod, grabbing another backpack off the shelf in front of us. There are more shops for food, one shop being emptied isn't exactly going to be a crime. With two backpacks, one over either shoulder, and then Zaira with her backpack, we set off out the shop.

That is until Zaira thrusts back into, knocking me to the floor.

I'm slightly confused, but Zaira closes the door silently and slips to the ground, sneaking across the tiles. I don't get what her problem is until I finally see an array of heads going across the window, illuminated by the moonlight's glow. Careers. No doubt scouting out more victims in the darkness when they're more vulnerable. The shops have no lights, and throughout the whole arena, there is nothing but darkness and the odd speck of light that the moonlight casts.

No-one is silly enough to create a fire in an enclosed space.

Once the Careers go by, Zaira puts herself into a sitting position.

"Looks like we're staying here," she whispers across the gap. "Safer that way."

"Yeah, I get it," I reply. "Don't worry, here is fine."

I lay myself out on the ground, laying on my hands and looking at the stars through the glass. Zaira curls up into a tight ball, gripping to the backpack. I quietly pull out an apple, take a bite, then put it down on the floor next to me.

For something so sinister, this isn't so bad. It reminds me of camping. Camping outside in the woods, watching the stars and always being careful of the wild animals outside. The only difference is the wild animals are just Careers.

"T-Thanks for being my ally." Zaira suddenly speaks up.

I know she means the girl from One and my help. I didn't do anything but save her. Allies do that, and she should know that. "It was no problem. We're allies, we look out for each other."

"I know," Zaira responds. "Just... Thanks. You don't know how much it means to me."

Yet, somehow, I do. In fact, knowing Timber is dead did hit me hard. He never wanted to be allies, and I respected that, but that doesn't mean it didn't scare me to be on my own. Then, to know he died when he got one of the highest scores for the non-Careers? It's scary, because it shows they meant nothing.

You could still die.

No-one is a sure Victor until the other twenty-three are dead. That doesn't settle me and as the stars and moon continue to dance, I feel more uneasy than I've ever this whole experience.

Garnet Stone, District One Male.

"I give up," Astor throws her hands down and slaps her thighs, showing off those wonderful legs of hers. "We need to camp or something. I'm getting tired and frankly, we suck for letting them get away this easily."

No-one argues her, not even Delaney, and we all know that Delaney semi-despises both Astor and Lorelei for being pretty, girls and on the same team as her. Theo just nods, taking his brand-new morningstar he collected and switching hands.

"We'll stay in a weapon shop, though. It's safer."

And once again, no-one argues. With my arms crossed and holding onto my abs, I look around to see the boy from Three, the only one truly out of place at the moment. The only one that, in a sense, doesn't belong here. Waverly brought him into the alliance. Now Waverly is dead, doesn't that mean he should go, too?

"Which shop?" Astor asks.

"Swords," Theo says without even looking. "Everyone knows how to use one of those."

"Speak for yourself." Astor grumbles under her breath, but yet, she begins to move as we head to a sword shop, the most common here apparently, only down a few steps. Astor, Theo and Delaney walk more up front, me and Lorelei in the middle, though she makes it clear to stay on the other side of the walkway, and Gage bringing up the rear. We slow down as Theo opens the door, smiling surely as she lets both the girls go in first, before the rest of us.

"In here is perfect."

I smile at Delaney's sadistic words, looking at copies of my perfect weapons hanging on the walls, over our heads, within our reach.

Theo is the first to sit down, laying on the tiled floor and stretching out. No worries about someone attacking us, because who would be stupid to do that?

Astor moves on her own, crouching against the wall and preparing sleep, whilst Delaney makes a show of curling up like a cat at Theo's side, showing her protectiveness. I hear Lorelei's hidden but defiant snort as she lies down, a spear she collected right next to her, as Gage looks uncertain.

"Sleep where you want," I smile sickly at him. "Pick your spot."

"Don't be mean, Garnet," Delaney giggles. "We don't want to scare him to death."

"You won't," Gage suddenly comes back with a cocky grin. "I'm not fragile or anything."

"Sure you aren't, sweetheart."

Finally, being courageous, Gage lies down only a few inches away from Lorelei, who already looks miserable and standoffish. My legs are tired, aching, and so I sit down and lean myself against a wall much like Astor, not far from her. Straight in front of me is Theo and Delaney, just off to the side being Lorelei and Gage. My eyelids get heavy quickly, and finally, I fall into slumber.

Nothing interesting happens in my dream.

But over and over again, I hear the screams of the boy from Twelve, his face of pure horror as his head splits apart with each slam against the step. But as he continues to scream, it gets louder and louder, and suddenly, I jerk awake with a bit of sweat on my forehead.

I wipe it away, looking at everyone else fast asleep.

That is until I see Lorelei shift. Her eyes, a piercing blue and cold, snaps open. I quickly squint my eyes shut, feigning sleep, watching as Lorelei shuffles for something in her shorts. It doesn't take long for her to produce a knife, large and curved. She holds it, spinning it around as she leans over to Gage, closer to me. I watch her hair spill in front of her face, and stealthily, she clamps her hand over Gage's mouth.

His eyelids snap open, but it's too late.

Lorelei places the knife against his throat, and as sharp and quick as possible, slices his neck. She holds her hand down harder on his mouth, muffling his screams and cries of pain, the gurgling of his blood drowning him. With a smile, she wipes her hand on his top, climbing to her feet and collecting her spear. She takes one look around at us all, and instinctively, I subtlety grip onto my sword, prepared for battle.

But she doesn't attack.

She simply walks out the door silently, fading into the night as Gage's cannon sounds.

No-one wakes up, though. Heavy sleepers clearly.

And like that, the boy out of place is dead, and the Careers are already down by the whole of Four and our little extra. I don't blame Lorelei. I hated him too. Just wish I could have done it, instead.

Round And Round by Imagine Dragons.

The blog for this story is - glasshousehungergames . blogspot. com - just take out the spaces. Deaths will be notified there.

Fern Bracken, District Nine.

Gage Anton, District Three.

Sorry to the submitters that lost their tribute. In all honest, these were the tributes I struggled to write and connect too, and in all fairness, I couldn't keep them around and constantly struggle throughout. Please stick around, but if you don't, that's fine. These are the Hunger Games and this is how it works.

Again, I'm sorry.

I still choose the victor myself. Points don't decide it, but simply help in knowing what the tributes final place should be in the Games and how things play out for them in the terms of relationship, death, friendship and camera time!

I would love to hear some feedback, rather then just your votes. I take pride in my work, and anything you say about it, I'll appreciate it more than just your votes! Please!

I think every tribute has been mentioned... If they haven't... Oops. :) If you want to, go over and submit a tribute to KnockingBells (Koel's) SYOT! I personally would love it if you did!

This is where some of you will stop appearing and leave. So, just to let you all know, you've been an amazing bunch and these have been an amazing set of tributes!