A/N: We've passed 150 reviews, so thanks to Vykktor, Violagirl23, Mrs KiliMellark, charliesunshine, mangesboy01 and richards25 for reviewing!
Here's something that I've been meaning to do for a while, I hope you enjoy it :)
I've been wanting to do this for a few chapters, so I'm going to start showing my lyrical inspirations in these author's notes.
"Stop!
I said it's happening again!
We're all wasting away!
We're all wasting away..."
- Tom Meighan, 2006.
The 39th Annual Hunger Games
Raphael Bryan (18), District 2 Male
Kasabian - Empire (2006)
"Attention, tributes!"
I'm surprised when I hear Claudius' Templesmith's voice ringing out over the arena and stop what I'm doing instantly. Usually announcers only speak to announce the start of the Games, or who the victor is at the end of them. I've never known there to be an announcement during the Games before.
This year's Games seem to have been distinctly average. No real surprises in the arena, and there was nothing unusual when I reached the cornucopia with my allies. I know that there was still uncertainty in the air as we distributed the supplies, which did seem a little less generous than usual. We all remembered too clearly the explosive fate of the Careers three years ago. I didn't want to end up like Lilac Turner.
After ten days in this arena, which seems to comprise of a rocky river valley, with a open lake by the cornucopia at one end, my supplies are running low, even though I'm a Career. Yes, the alliance broke five days ago, but I had enough food to last me a week then. I wouldn't be surprised if half of the tributes whose deaths we couldn't explain died of either dehydration or starvation. Or the cold. There's very little firewood in this arena. A small amount clinging to the slopes of the valley quite high up, but other than that, there is nothing.
"Commencing at sunrise, there will be a feast at the cornucopia," continues Templesmith's voice.
A feast? This is definitely something new. No doubt a ploy used by the new Head Gamemaker to try and drag us together at the cornucopia. A second bloodbath, in effect. I'm not scared for that; I survived the last one, I can do it again. Maybe this time I won't have the help of my former allies, but I scored as high as anyone in training. The only person that I'll need to watch out for will be the girl from District 4, who's developed quite a talent for throwing knives. She's the only tribute this year with any considerable skill with ranged weapons. And of those who prefer to fight in closed quarters, I'm clearly the strongest. My ten in training reflects that as well as anything. Well, that and the five kills that my sword arm has given me so far in the Games.
"We accept that you have been harshly supplied this year, and we wish to be... generous hosts. Good luck, tributes, and may the odds be ever in your favour."
And then he is gone.
Templesmith's words confirm my thoughts about the other tributes who weren't as lucky at the cornucopia on the first day. It seems that everyone is running out of supplies. I can safely predict that all of the seven tributes left alive will be attending Templesmith's feast in the morning.
Realising that I need to be the first to reach the cornucopia I set off walking down the valley towards the lake by the golden horn half a mile away.
And now we are down to six. On my way to the cornucopia yesterday evening, I ran into one of the three remaining Careers, the boy from District 1, Platinum. Having a dagger as his only weapon (he had the short straw when we were dividing up supplies at the cornucopia), he was no match for me. Add in the fact that I came at him by surprise, and I'm amazed that he even had time to try and fight me off before I finished him.
I hate having to fight. I really do. But it means an escape from poverty if I win, and an end to it all if I lose. That's why I signed up to the Training Centre at home in District 2 five years ago. My thirteen-year-old self never saw why killing was seen as being so bad. I didn't really understand until the trials six weeks ago, when I was fighting for the right to volunteer. Killing isn't something that you would ever want to do. You can make light of it until you actually see someone die. And it's even worse to see someone else die by your hands.
Once was bad enough. Within ten minutes of the trials I was a murderer, but by then, I had no choice but to carry on. I hated it, but every time I found myself in a threatening situation, my fight-or-flight instincts kicked in and I fought through at my enemies expense. I hated it, but I always felt so cold, so detached when killing. It was as though some ruthless, murderous monster buried deep inside me comes out to do my dirty work for me. I never knew I could be so calculating, so efficient, so brutal.
But that's what five years at the Training Centre does to you. And I have no choice now but to give myself up to my darker half until these Games are over.
The sun has only just risen in the last ten minutes. The land around the cornucopia is incredibly open. The rocky valley lies to the north, with the boulder-littered landscape continuing to the east. In the south and the west, there is long grass; the perfect place for tributes to hide until this so-called feast happens.
Whenever it is, Templesmith is late to his own event. It's past sunrise and nothing has happened. And then I see action out on the area of hard-packed dirt that surrounds the cornucopia.
A girl, who I believe to be from District 5, walks slowly towards the cornucopia, looking just as confused as I feel. From my vantage point among the boulders to the east, I finally see what we have been waiting for.
It takes her a few moment to notice the circular table that rose from the ground at the mouth of the golden horn that is the cornucopia, laden with supplies and weapons. By the time that she has reached the table, I'm already sprinting onto the dirt around the cornucopia, fifty yards from the table. I see her run away to the north as I close on the table, on freshly-filled rucksack on her back. She's been clever to leave most of the supplies on the table to avoid attention to herself. I have to say, it's worked. My eyes are already on the largest backpack that sits in the middle of the table. I know that I will reach the table first. It's all mine.
When I reach the table, I quickly swipe up the rucksack and throw it on my back. I then grab a dagger (I don't know what I'd use it for, but two weapons are better than one) and sprint off after the girl from Five, who is now my new target. I need to escape the land around the cornucopia just as much as she does, and I might as well grab another kill along the way. She's fleeing to the north, back into the valley. However, as she nears the first row of boulders, a figure steps out in front of her.
I don't know who it is until the girl from Five collapses in front of me, a knife in her chest. Standing ten yards past her is the girl from District 4, who is already preparing another knife. I collapse onto the ground quickly as she throws another knife, which lands behind me. Needing a quick response, I throw the dagger that I still hold in my right hand at her, although she ducks behind a boulder, leaving my dagger to clatter against the rocks as it lands.
I sprint at the boulder whilst she can't see me, and by the time that she peers round at me, I'm only two yards from her. She won't risk throwing a knife now, because if she misses, she's done for. However, the girl's physique is small for a Career, being only about five and a half feet tall. I'm over six inches taller than her and much more physically powerful. She doesn't stand a chance in close combat.
I let the darker side of me take over as I prepare to strike. I now that I'm losing control to my instincts again, but I don't care. This girl is a threat, and she must be silenced. I raise my sword above my head and bring it down upon her skull with both hands. Her skulls splits and half and the girl collapses instantly, never to rise again.
I sprint on past her, not stopping to consider my actions. Regret will come later. I hear two cannons fire in quick succession, which I assume signify the deaths of the girls from Districts 4 and 5, but I don't turn around to check.
I just need to get out of there.
In the half an hour that violence continued at the feast, there were four casualties. Both tributes, of District 5, the girl from Four and the boy from Nine. That left Raphael and the boy from District 11 to be the final two. The Gamemakers gave them another day before the Gamemakers forced the boy from Eleven from the long grass by flooding the lower half of the arena, meaning that neither tribute had anywhere left to hide in the arena. When they confronted each other on the twelfth day of the Games, both tributes were well-fed and evenly armed, as both carried longswords. In the end, the difference between them was the physical presence and skill wielding a sword that Raphael showed that allowed him to better his opponent in what the Capitol audience agreed to be a fair fight.
A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please review! As ever, constructive criticism is welcomed :)
For anyone who follows my other stories, I'm finally starting to write again for 'Mentor', and I'm hoping to get a chapter out in the next week. I know that the poll on my profile page showed this story to be much more popular than my other stories, but I will continue to write for those of you who enjoyed 'Second Time Unlucky', in the hope that you will also enjoy 'Mentor'.
Well, that and the fact that I'm starting to suffer withdrawal symptoms from a lack of Ludovic Robertson :)
Anyway, keep an eye open for updates on that story.
