Day 4: Night

Isadora Jolf, D5

With hands full of chopped down wood, Isadora makes her way back to the base. A few hours ago, four cannons sounded and startled everything in the arena. Judging by her math, there are only eight tributes left. Eight left by day four. Her chances of survival were increasing and decreasing at the same time, only because the Careers might get to her and Rye while they are sleeping. She had to keep her spirits high and believe that she can come out victorious. Like she said herself, 'What you think as you enter the arena can determine if you live or die'.

As she made her way to the base, she caught Rye holding a case in his hand. Was that a sponsor gift? Isadora sped up and placed the firewood down. The case seemed to glow in the darkened arena and it beckoned Rye to open it. Silently, Isadora gave him the okay to open his sponsor gift, and he cracked open the gift. A large sack smelling like freshly cooked meat and a basic weapon fell onto Rye's lap and a note slipped out. Isadora picked it up and read it to her ally.

"Use these to stay alive with your new ally. Signed 'A'." Isadora's voice was hushed, as if another tribute was sneaking around their camp. "Is 'A' your mentor?"

"Yeah, that's Axel." Rye answered, breaking off a chicken leg and handing it to Isadora. "At least we have a weapon now. We can protect ourselves from the Careers." Isadora grabbed the outstretched meat and sunk her teeth into the Capitol's luxury. A little bit of the Capitol is in the Games with her. The sun dipped below the horizon and at any moment the nightly death toll will appear in the sky.

Isadora placed the chicken bone back in the bag and laid on her back. The sky was filled with stars, the kind of stars you never see in a place like District 5. Isadora didn't have a blanket, but neither did Rye. The winds picked up and brushed against her skin, allowing goosebumps to raise on her arms. Suddenly, the darkness was pierced by the Capitol seal and the anthem. The nightly death toll has begun.

The boy from 1 is the first to show. Then the frail girl from 8. Those two from 11 and 12 are the last to claim the cannons that fired earlier. The night returned and Isadora and Rye were left in the chilly arena. It was obvious the Gamemakers were forcing the colder weather. The first star-crossed lovers were dead, and they are looking for a new romance to keep the Games interesting. Isadora laughed in her mind at the thought. If the Gamemakers want more romance, go to another pair of tributes.

Before she realized it, Rye placed a piece of clothing on top of her body. She lifted her head to see Rye, lying in the cold without his jacket on. He put it on her body to keep her warm. The Gamemakers should stay out of this.

Caden Miller, D2

The nightly death toll is over, Kleo is sleeping in her bag, and Caden is taking the first watch. Now that Ian is dead, the numbers are stacked against him and his sister. With that sponsor gift, Predator could easily take out Kleo while she is sleeping, or kill Caden head on and leave Kleo to suffer. Caden rests with his back against the horn and a long, curved knife in his hands. With only eight tributes left, any one of the dumber tributes will be easy pickings for him.

The battle plays again in his head. The spear, seemingly coming from nowhere, flying and hitting Ian right in the back. The moments it took for his cannon to fire weren't spent looking to see if he's okay; they were spent targeting the killers. The girl from 11 and the boy from 12 were no match for Caden and his team, but they still put up one hell of a fight. The little boy, dead within minutes by his hand, was killed without a second thought. The girl from 11 was tough and she fought through the torture, only to die five minutes later. What can of obscenities were District 11 and 12 screaming at him? And the girl from 8, Flim. She died by an unknown cause, because Caden and his team were focused on the kill, not to see if anyone was okay. Ian and Flim are dead because of his selfishness. What happened to the glory, the great feeling of the kill, the want for more?

Caden's eyes looked to the fake stars in the sky and his stomach churned. Does everyone from District 2 feel this way in the arena? What about Braxton? Maybe he felt the same way during his Games, but it is very unlikely. He looked to the stars and thought of his home. They won't see him as a killer, just someone who brought home the glory to 2. District 2 shouldn't be proud of a tribute who only killed and not looked to his team to see if they were alright. The Academy doesn't teach you how to cope.

Shuffling echoed in the Cornucopia. Caden turned around to see Predator walking out with his Capitol crossbow in his hands. Where were Caden's sponsors? Apparently none liked him or Braxton was just making it hard on him. Predator took a seat next to him and he looked to the fake stars. Was District 4 like this at night, where the stars look fake and beautiful?

"Sorry about not waiting my turn, I just can't sleep." Predator whispers, not to wake up Kleo. Caden turns to him and nods. "I'm still thinking about earlier today. I can't help but think that the phrase 'hunters become the hunted' comes to mind."

"I can understand that." Caden says, answering his ally. "I feel like I don't have anything to be proud of anymore. Only one goes home, wether that is me, you, or Kleo, and I may lose my life or I may lose her. I don't want to lose anyone."

Predator loads his weapon, but places it on the ground. "I understand. I felt that way when my brother was in the Games six years ago. I sat there, watching his death to spider mutts, and felt like I was slowly losing my life. Without Dylan, my life meant nothing."

Silence took over the two tributes. Caden never knew about Dylan, mainly because he never bothered to find out for himself. Sure, many people lost siblings and friends to the Games, but he didn't think it affects them that much. Caden laughs to himself. Place him in a death match and suddenly everything becomes more clear about Panem and the Games. Maybe this is why the District 12 girl screamed at her Reaping. No one is ever safe from the Games.

Kira Shock, D6

Nestled high in her tree, Kira looks below her to get a good view of her snare. It was covered by brown and green leaves and a few branches, but she knew it was there. It was only a matter of time before an unlucky animal crossed its path and lost its life. She knew that when she caught it, she would have to wait until morning to cook up her breakfast, so she had to act fast. What if the animal never came? She shook that thought from her head. It's an open forest where rabbits and grooslings roam free. One of them is bound to walk into her trap.

Her whole day was spent like this. She stayed in the tree, only coming down to reset her snare if it failed. Then the cannons. Oh, the four cannons fired and no animals walked anywhere near or her snare, leaving her without hope and food. She waited until after the nightly death toll to move her snare to a new area to confuse the poor animals. As long as she's getting food, it doesn't matter how she gets it. She could be stealing from the Careers for Panem's sake. Of course, that is a stupid move on anyone's part.

Her birds-eye view of her snare proved handy. She continued to stare at the snare, until her eyelids became heavy. She started to close them, allowing her to be encircled in darkness...NO! Kira, wake up. She mentally told herself to open her eyes and continue to look at her snare. Animals will be here soon. Before she could count to ten, her eyes began to close and the arena faded into black.

Eeee! Eeee! A high-pitched noise startled Kira from her sleep. Where did that noise come from? How long was she out? Kira sat up straight and looked in the darkness. Eeee! There it was again. She looked above her and she didn't see anything. The sound sounded like a wounded animal, some sort of animal that was small and had high vocal chords. But where was it coming from? Eeee! Kira used her hearing to find the general location of the noise, and her ears were telling her that it was coming from right below her. She leaned over the branch and looked to the desert floor. The screeching became louder.

A bird is trapped in her snare, the knife like stick embedded into the bird's lower abdomen. The bird was hopelessly caught, screeching for its life. Kira quickly got down from her branch and moved towards the helpless bird. As she moved closer, she slowly realized that this isn't an ordinary bird. Its beak is razor-sharp, the color of the feathers are a sky blue, and the tips of its wings were lined with a clear substance, which Kira didn't dare touch. This isn't an ordinary bird; this is a mutation! Kira's eyes grew at the sight of this creature. Eeee-AH! Eeee-AH! The screeching became more melodic as it caught Kira's attention.

Her ears began to ring as the bird called out a musical tune, so hypnotic that she didn't want to leave the bird alone. Kira shook her head to rid her ears of the ringing. Leaving everything behind, Kira sprinted deeper into the forest, running away from the melodic bird that the Capitol unfairly placed in the arena. These Gamemakers want her dead.

Assistant Gamemaker, Aphrodite McKennon

"Damn it!" The Assistant Gamemaker yelled in the Control Room. Aphrodite's fist slammed into the wall, not leaving a dent but left an impression on her hand. Singing death didn't take out that stupid tribute. It got caught in a silly snare, killing itself and leaving no more copies in the Control Room with the Mutt Specialist. She began to pace around, only focusing on the eight tributes who are left and how she can cause a 'natural disaster'.

She looked up and saw video feed of the District 6 tribute who killed the bird. She was running towards the lake, where no one was. There has to be a way to knock out tributes without having tribute on tribute deaths. She kept her eyes on the holographic map, where eight spots blinked. The alliance of 2 and 4 were stationed at the Cornucopia, the alliance of 5 and 9 were stationary near the mountains, the 7 girl was slowly moving her way to the lake, and the 6 boy was stationed on the mountains. Aphrodite ran her hand through her hair. She had an idea for the 'lucky' tributes.

"Felix!" Aphrodite called out. A man with a button nose and short brown hair looked to the Assistant Gamemaker. "We need a natural disaster. I plan to make tomorrow a dry day, meaning no deaths. Can you find a way to make all of the tributes stationary?"

Felix rubbed his chin and looked to his boss, who was on the upper platform. She looked like she was on the pedestal. "Yes, I can. Any ideas?"

"How about we make the arena hotter than normal? It would zap their energy, leaving them immobile for the day." She conversed back to the Arena Manager. "And, Felix. We need a natural disaster, like I said before. Those mountains look unstable. Make them crumble after the dry day, okay?" The Arena Manager nodded to his boss and went back to the map.

A/N: And we are back to the arena. What did you think of Isadora and Rye? Or how about Caden's realization? Will Kleo catch on too? Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I have a little announcement to make. Due to my crappy computer and that I am moving, my mother is deciding to get rid of it. I don't have an iPod (the shame, I know) or a tablet, meaning I can't update that quickly. The story may go on a two-week hiatus at a time, but I will always find a way to update. I am so sorry for that crappy news, but 'life is a female dog and then you die' Quote by my ACC. ADV. Biology teacher.

Anyway, I still need more tributes for the Eighth Quarter Quell. If you need the form, PM me and I'll gladly give it to you. :)