The First Night
Sevarian Vaask (16) D5M
I still thought that heading right into the forest wasn't a good idea. Yes, Reynard had a good point, and we were both alive at the moment but what about now? Completely unarmed, without a drop of water and any kind of food, dragging ourselves through the thick undergrowth… it just didn't seem favourable to me.
"Just kill him," I thought for a second, "That will definitely get you sponsors."
But I knew I couldn't kill him, not now, not so soon. He could still be useful to me. He had to. But if not…
Suddenly the elder boy came to a stop and I bumped into him. He gave me a look and then ducked behind a tree, pulling me with him.
"What is it?" I whispered.
"There's something there," he replied, trying to see who it was.
And then I heard the ever so soft sound of someone walking, someone not very heavy. Maybe it was a mutt? I hoped not. Being utterly defenceless, I wasn't in the mood to fend off large mutations.
The sound grew louder and Reynard pulled me down even further, till we were almost lying on the ground. There were some bushes, keeping us from prying eyes. I managed to catch the sight of someone walking, slender legs, most probably a girl.
I looked up just a bit and took in only one thing. One thing that was the most important right now. Reynard observed that too and gave me a curt nod before he started groping for a stone or anything.
We had to get that bag. And the hatchet too if possible.
Many things happened at the same time.
Reynard threw his stone at the girl, who bent down, maybe something was wrong with her shoes, the stone fell beside her and startled her, when I jumped out and yanked the hatchet out of her hands.
She screamed. Looking up, I saw that it was Arrington, looking very scared as she jumped away from me. I sighed. I knew that Reynard didn't like her, but I had no idea how he would react if I used this hatchet on his District Partner.
However, I did know that he wanted the supplies as well.
"W-where is Reynard?!" she cried out.
"Look, he doesn't want to be around you," I said, "Now hand over the bag before I slice you down."
"No!" she said stubbornly, "You'd kill me anyway. I'm not going to give you the supplies."
"Hand over the bag," Reynard said in a steely voice, "Give it here Arrington."
"Why should I?!" she screamed, desperation and sadness all into her voice, "You left me! Betrayed me! Why didn't you just tell me you didn't want me as an ally, you coward?!"
He didn't respond to it and just brought his hand forward.
"You're in no position to bargain with us," he said, "Give it here. We don't want to use force."
Arrington laughed, and yet I knew it was her and not Ivy. She just stared at Reynard as if unable to believe what was happening.
"No," she said, "I won't. Anyway, I have been waiting to meet you. There are scores to be settled."
Reynard's eyes flicked to the hatchet in my hands and then towards his District Partner.
"You were from home," Arrington continued in a soft voice, "That was the only reason. The only reason I wanted to ally with you because I wanted- needed- someone from home with me. I thought you'd feel the same but I was- I was wrong. I was so wrong."
The other boy didn't say anything but matched her gaze steadily on his part. I didn't have time for all of this now though. We had to get those supplies. I lifted the hatchet and Reynard gasped. Arrington turned behind at that instance and I hit her with the handle of the hatchet with as much strength as I could.
Her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped back onto the ground. I saw the other boy gulp but then he quickly turned her over and took the bag, slinging it across his back. With a sigh, he moved away and I joined him, running deeper into the forest. He stopped once, and I thought he might go back.
However, he just shook his head and started again, not looking back once.
Cecelia Vertigo (18) D5F
It was only because Bennett acted so fast, and because the sponsors didn't think I'd disappoint, that I was alive right now. My jacket was gone, and so was the chance of getting to the cornucopia. And it felt too cold here. Too cold.
"I found a blanket there," Oceane said as she threw it over my shoulders. Her hand brushed against my neck and I blushed slightly. There was something about her that made me feel… warm. Honestly, there was a time I wasn't a fan of her, scared of her, but being so close… it felt nice.
"Thanks," I replied as she sat down beside me. We had kind of made a camp her, outside the garden. We weren't going to let go off the cornucopia no matter what.
"You feeling all right?" she asked, trident still in thought.
"Yes," I replied, just realising just how close she was. I tensed up. No way on earth was I going to tell her anything about what I was feeling but…
"I hope they are okay," I said, trying to divert the subject to the ones who had gone hunting.
"I hope so too," Oceane replied, "It's been a long while."
Vic, Amaranth, Gal, none of them had shown up there had been no cannons and even if there were, I was positive it wouldn't be for them.
"Not really," I thought, "Fynn died first. And that too at the hands of that little git."
I saw Ben and Olympia sitting a little apart from the two of us. Both were silent and Ben had a fruit from the cornucopia in his hands. He was twirling it in his hands, looking at it thoughtfully. I knew that both Ben and Olympia were worried about our allies. They should have been back by now.
"I think we should look for them," Olympia said, getting to her feet.
"What about the cornucopia?" Oceane asked.
"Don't worry. The maximum anyone can take is a bag or two."
Although I highly disagreed with this statement, I didn't voice my opinion. I just leaned back against the tree, my legs spread out and stared at her. She was pretty but not as much as Oceane, not at all.
What the hell did I just think?
"Uh, I think you three should stay here and I'll go look for them."
Bennett grabbed Olympia's wrist and pulled her towards himself.
We should wait for a little longer.
"Ben's right," I said, "All of us just barging through the forest- what if they came here and then found that everyone was gone? It won't be good. No, I suggest that we stay here for a little longer, and if they don't arrive here we'll set out to look for them."
"Correct," Oceane said with a smile.
Olympia shook her head. "It doesn't feel right, I feel as if there's something wrong, something bad that's about to happen."
Oceane slowly stood up, a frown on her beautiful face. I didn't like it.
"I feel so too, as if, as if they are in trouble."
"Oh come on!" I said, "It's The Hunger Games! One always feel that way here! There's nothing-"
And that was when the sound of the cannon, deafening and terrifying, echoed throughout the arena. It was too loud, and my hands went to my ears automatically.
All four of us looked at each other for a second, and then Bennett tossed me my sword and all of us marched into the forest, our weapons clutched tightly in our hands.
Of course, we were worried about our allies. I was too. But a part of me thought that if it was one of us who had died, it was for the better. One step closer to home… that's what I wanted. That's what each one of us wanted. Sure, I wanted to be loved and accepted, but I also wanted to live. I planned on doing it.
I didn't know how long we ran, or how far we went, but then there was the sound of another cannon exploded into the atmosphere, followed by an anguished cry from Olympia and all of us picked up our pace.
I wondered who died…
Victory Fervaix (16) D4M
Tribute hunting wasn't something I wanted to do. Not now, not ever. And even if I wanted to, I was so useless that I couldn't actually do anything. There was no hope for me to get out of here alive, so why should I even bother?
But the three of us continued to trudge through the forest, and I was grateful that I had such thick clothing, because the environment around us was simply dangerous. Sometimes, I could hear the hissing of something that sounded suspiciously like a snake. Sometimes, it was a loud howl, definitely not human, and it was enough to chill my blood.
One thing I couldn't understand was how the other two could be so calm and collected. We took breaks often but not for long.
"Galilee," Amaranth said, almost as if he was laughing, "The way back to the cornucopia…"
I paused, dread filling me. No! I groaned. He couldn't be saying that we were lost!
"We're lost," Galilee announced.
"What the heck do you two mean?!" I cried out.
"Victory," Amaranth said with a light smile that he was failing to supress, "I know it's hard for you. We understand. But it seems that the arena is playing tricks on us-"
"It very well isn't!" Victory said, "You're bloody smiling!"
"Vic," Galilee said, "We really are lost."
And then I saw that she was serious. Very serious.
"B-but why is he smiling?!" I demanded.
"Fate," the other boy replied, "We came here to… get rid of the competition but it seems as if we can't get back now. It just seems funny."
Well, it was funny. Somewhat. But I wasn't going to admit that. Not now, when I was angry.
"Is it a joke?!" I cried angrily.
"Come on Vic," Gal said, "We'll find our way back."
I wasn't really sure about it but I wasn't in the mood to argue against that so I just nodded and started following them again.
Night approached, and we were still nowhere near the cornucopia. The forest seemed to be getting deeper and deeper and once I felt as if we really had gone in a circle. Only to return at a point again. It was frustrating. Very frustrating.
"We better get some tributes now," I muttered, "This should be useful!"
So when we heard the voices of two people, we decided that it would be for the best to follow it. Galilee pursed her lips and Amaranth frowned. It was as if he was hoping that we would find nothing. Why he wanted that, I didn't know. Of course he was gentle but still.
The voices grew louder as we sneaked forward and Amaranth waved his hand at us to tell us to halt. I squinted my eyes to catch the glimpse of the people there. It was a boy and a girl. The boy from Seven, the girl from Nine. Before we could step out, I saw the girl from Eight arrive at the scene too.
"All the weaklings," I whispered.
"Let's get them."
Before they could register what was happening, we attacked the three of them. The girl from Eight was pinned underneath me and she tried hard to throw me off but I wasn't going to let that happen. My tears clouded my vision. Was I really going to kill someone?
But there was no time to think, to feel. I had to act. Shutting my eyes, I drove my spear into her ribcage. My clothes were splattered by her blood. When I opened my eyes, I saw that hers were glassy even as the cannon rung.
I had never cried. It was too drastic. Dramatic even. But this… this wasn't right. I had killed someone.
Again.
So the tears flowed. Even though I tried to stop them, even though I hated them. They trickled down my cheeks. My apologies to Cassidy's corpse were in vain but I had to apologise.
However, once I had absorbed the fact that I had killed someone, the first thing I registered was that there was only one cannon. As far as I recalled, Alessandra and Asher weren't exactly strong. So…
Getting to my feet weakly, I saw that the pair from Twelve had arrived at the scene too. Persephone was fighting Galilee, and Bridge and Aly fought Amaranth, who had tossed his weapon aside.
And then there was Asher, who ran towards me in mad rage. He was unrecognisable, the way he was yelling, the way he looked willing to fight.
"I won't let you all kill anyone else!"
Persephone Aster (16) D12F
I didn't remember the Gamemakers playing any trick on us and bringing us all together. It was fate, rotten fate. Why did we just walk into a clearing with three Careers? Why?!
There was no option other than to fight, to look for an opening and then run. So Bridge, who looked very scared, gathered his courage and joined the other young girl whereas I was left alone to fight the girl from One.
She was strong. And deadly. And somewhat mad even. It was in her eyes, she looked crazy, as if she could just kill about anyone. Well, of course she could. She was a Career after all. That was the sole goal of her life. To kill.
"I won't let you all kill anyone else!"
The scream, full of agony and madness, was enough to divert everyone. All of us came to a standstill as the boy from Seven threw himself on the boy from Four and tackled him down. From where he got his strength, we didn't know. But I could see him cry as he punched Victory's jaw, the other boy crying due to the guilt of killing someone and from the pain.
Amaranth grabbed his collar and yanked him away from the boy from Four and now the two fought. Asher's attacks were not planned, and didn't even look as if they would do any good but they were so fast, so disorganised and his cries were so full of agony the Career was just unable to do much harm.
Galilee aimed her knife at Asher but I attacked her then. Her knife against my shoulder when a disc came flying and cut off her hair, which now only came till her neck.
Galilee was shocked, to say the least, by feeling the chakram so close to her neck. Not for long though, because she retrieved the weapon before Bridge could have and threw it at him. It missed him narrowly…
… And hit Victory right on his forehead just as he was getting to his feet.
I saw the horror in Galilee's eyes as it dawned on her that she had killed her ally. I saw the surprise on Victory's face as he slumped backwards. I saw the way Amaranth flinched even as the blood started to seep out, draining the boy from Four's life.
And then Asher pushed him back, running towards the boy from Four. Grabbing his spear, he yanked it into Victory's stomach. The cannon rung instantly.
But Asher kept on stabbing him, yelling like a primitive mad man, oblivious to everything. His voice didn't sound like his own as he continued. I thought the Careers would do something but they didn't. they didn't even try. The boy from Two looked as if he would faint on the spot, his eyes fixed on the blood. The girl from One just stared, tears finally falling down her cheeks. She had killed her own ally. And then there was the girl from Nine, who was on her knees, her hands limp beside her. Then she got up and tried to pull Asher away, but he didn't budge. He didn't.
I felt something tug at my hand. I looked down to see Bridge, who nodded at me.
It was time to go.
I nodded back and we set off in the opposite direction. Looking back, I saw that Asher had attacked the boy from two as well, even though the girl from Nine tried to pull him away. The fifteen-year-old was ready to take on the two Careers. Bridge saw it too and then threw a disc, which he had retrieved from Victory's body although I had no idea how. The disc flew towards the remaining tributes, but we didn't stop to wait and see. Hopefully, it would hit one of the Careers.
A cannon sounded and I looked back, my breathing hitched. I felt like crying now, because he didn't deserve it. He simply didn't.
Amaranth and Galilee had almost killed Asher…
… But Bridge's chakram did the job.
I know it's late. At least I feel that it's late. Anyway, I know a lot of tributes died here, and honestly it was so hard. In fact, this time I just don't want to kill anyone… I love them all so much and I am honestly so confused but the killings have to happen so…
On another note, 250 reviews?! Really?! Thank you all so much! You don't know how much happiness it gave me. That's a big achievement for me. Thank you all so much.
Eulogies:
17th- Cassidy Kelly: Crystal, Cassidy was someone I really liked. However, from the time I had gotten her form, I knew she won't make it far. It just seemed as if her time had come. Initially she was going to be a bloodbath but that didn't happen. Just please know that I really liked her and she was fun to write. Rest in peace Cassidy.
16th- Victory Fervaix: Victory! I know he didn't last long, but I'll be honest with you Brooke, he was one of my favourites. The polls just weren't in his favour. Victory was a complex character, although you created him for irony. His form was great and his character was just amazing. Rest in peace Vic.
15th- Asher Ravenstone: This was not supposed to happen actually. I liked Asher, although many of you didn't. his childishness was something I adored, his innocence something I cherished. His character was also a really good one, and I felt horrible writing his death, but it had to be done. You will be missed Asher.
Death List:
Fynn King- killed by Bridge Carter
Rowan Clear- killed by Oceane Cascade
Burgundy Lumineer- killed by Oceane Cascade
Aspen Rust- killed by Galilee Schwartz
Oren Harper- killed by Cecelia Vertigo and arena radiations
Aileen Romeri- killed by Bennett DeVallier
Tab Hamasaki- killed by Olympia Rush
Cassidy Kelly- killed by Victory Fervaix
Victory Fervaix- killed by Galilee Schwartz and Asher Ravenstone
Asher Ravenstone- killed by Galilee Schwartz, Amaranthine Carteret and Bridge Carter
If I kill your character, please know it's nothing against you. I love all the characters I have got. If I had my way, all these people would be in a pool party. But I can't have my way here.
So, I hope you enjoyed. Updates might be sporadic from now on although I'll try my best not to delay them too much. Please share your thoughts on the chapter.
Have a great day!