6th Hunger Games
Winner: Crescent District 9
Each Hunger Games was very different to the last but this one was especially different. This year the tributes main rival wasn't another tribute, it was the arena. Each year was about the survival of the strongest tributes but this year it was the survival of the toughest. This year it didn't matter how good you were with weapons, if you couldn't handle the arena you didn't stand a chance. As always District 1 and 2 were considered to be the strongest but even with the two District 1tributes working together (which happened nearly every year after the 3rd Games) it was only a matter of time before they died.
Whilst the Gamemakers were creating this horrific arena, the districts were starving to death because of a drought in District 9 and 11. Extreme temperatures throughout District 9 and 11 lasted about a year resulting in a shockingly bad harvest resulting in no food for any of the districts. There were hot temperatures in a few of the other districts but they didn't feel as much as District 9 and 11 because all the work in those two districts was done outside under the baking sun. This meant that in the reaping this year, most of the tributes were undernourished and weak especially the tributes from Districts 9 and 11.
The 3 days of training had to be postponed a day because nearly all the tributes had become ill from eating too much rich food from the Capitol. When the girl from District 12 brought it up during the chariot ride and then three more tributes were ill that night, the training was postponed for a day. The Capitol was disgusted and didn't want to see any vomit in the arena – yet they loved blood and gore. The tributes weren't allowed any rich food until it was time to go into the arena
Once the 3 days of training was over, the tributes were rushed into the arena before any of the tributes could be ill again. The arena this year, the arena that would test the tributes like never before was… a desert. When the tributes' podiums surfaced there was a collective groan from all the districts. How could the tributes survive this? There were no sources of water apart from the Cornucopia, just endless sand. Strangely there was also a fire burning in the Cornucopia which made no sense as it was boiling. When the gong sounded nearly all the tributes went to the Cornucopia instead of running as they all wanted the Games to be over as soon as possible and killing everyone straight off seemed like a good idea. Despite all the tributes eagerness to kill, only 10 tributes died in the bloodbath as the immense heat made the remaining tributes too tired to carry on. Slowly the number of tributes left at the Cornucopia dwindled as stocked with supplies, they all went off to try and find shelter from the heat. Some of the tributes who stayed relatively close to the Cornucopia were the tributes from District 9 and 11 who knew that when night came it would be freezing which is what the fire was for.
During that first day, tributes dropped like flies from dehydration or collapsing from the heat giving another tribute chance to kill them. Then as night drew in, poisonous lizards and insects brought in by the Gamemakers came out and killed several more tributes including both tributes from District 11 and the boy from District 9 – three of tributes who had stood the best chance of survival in the heat of the arena. This left Crescent, the girl from District 9. She stayed near the Cornucopia for the fire at night and the red-hot metal seemed to scare off the bugs and lizards. As night drew in, more tributes died from the cold meaning that there were barely any tributes left even though it had only been one day.
When morning came, the heat came with it and the tributes had to go from worrying about keeping warm to worrying about lack of water. Crescent wasn't too worried about the lack of water because even though the other tributes had taken nearly all the water from the Cornucopia, she was used to working long hours without a drink. However the rest of the tributes weren't and became weaker and weaker as the sun got hotter and hotter. Any thoughts of killing the other tributes were completely gone – the tributes only wanted to survive the immense heat. The tributes simply wandered around looking for water in the day and tried to keep warm at night. The only tribute who did any killing was Crescent who killed anyone that found their way back to the Cornucopia for more supplies. After 2 more days all the other tributes were dead and half-dead Crescent was declared the victor. At the age of 15, she was the first victor under 16.
The Gamemakers were in trouble. This had been one of the shortest Games and there had been barely any fights or weapons used. Instead the Capitol had to watch tributes slowly die of dehydration or freeze to death at night. The only excitement had been the bloodbath at the beginning and the occasional kill from a small 15 year old girl suffering from malnutrition. The idea of the desert was good but the immense heat? Not an exciting way to kill tributes. The Gamemakers were warned that if the next Games weren't gruesome and full of fights, they would meet the same fate as many of the tributes. So the Gamemakers had to think of something great that would satisfy the Capitol. They just had to make sure that next year was one of the most gruesome Hunger Games ever.