NOTE: I published a few chapters close together. Please make sure you're caught up on Night 11 with Eliza before you read this one! There will be spoilers.


Quinten Aramdale, 17, D6M:

We're racing towards the finale, and the Gamemakers are setting up a dramatic finale. Earlier, I snapped awake in the middle of the day to the crisp voice of Iris Whottenberg, the Hunger Games announcer: "Good morning, Tributes. You've been cordially invited to a Feast at the Cornucopia, as indicated by the red flag. Be there by midnight. Twelve hours remain. Attendance is optional, but we would recommend considering the ramifications of your absence on your future Hunger Games performance. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Then I realized that the other six tributes are going to be converging on my new base at some point in the near future. I looked up and found a tall metal table sitting just inside the entrance of the Cornucopia. Sure enough, there was also a red flag flying high above the Cornucopia's tail. It occurred to me that I could cut it down, but that wouldn't be a good choice. I find myself faced with several options. I could hide somewhere nearby, camouflage myself against the trees, and hope for the best. I could also take the riskier option and use the height of the Cornucopia platforms and the obstacle course to my advantage. I'm sure that the other tributes are all on their way, since the announcement seemed to imply that refusal to attend will result in death.

The Gamemakers are trying to incite some violence tonight, and I don't want to be on the receiving end of it. There's nothing to do except survive, and that requires that I predict what the other tributes will do. First, there's the question of who's left. There was a cannon late last night, and by checking the map, I discovered that it was Rafe, in the northern woods. That leaves me with three Careers left, plus the Four boy, the Seven boy, and the Ten girl. All of them are on the move, their dots creeping towards me like an army.

There's a balancing act to be found, and I think that the answer lies somewhere in having the home field advantage. Feasts happen in some years, but they're not a staple component of the Games like mutts are. I've heard stories of tributes hiding in the Cornucopia, but I can't guarantee that the Careers won't check to make sure, like they did when Radley and I were hiding in the trench. I don't think I'll get that lucky twice.

Then it occurs to me that I can hide in plain sight. The inside of the Cornucopia is full of shadows, and the floor has plenty of ridges. The table has three sides to its bottom, like a desk, and I'm sure someone will check underneath it. But what about off to the side, in the shadow the table casts? Sometimes it's best to hide in plain sight. Double checking to make sure I have enough camouflage paints in the set, I confirm that while the idea of disguising myself as the metallic floor is crazy, it might actually be the most preferable choice. With the map, I'll be able to tell when other tributes are on their way.

I won't even have to be completely still. It'll be pitch black in the Cornucopia, and I'll be in the lee, behind the table and out of view to anybody looking in. There are too many caveats to even consider. I'll be incredibly exposed if anyone does figure me out. The floor is hard and solid, nothing like the human body. But if I can make this work, I can avoid my competitors, or better yet, get the goods and escape while they're killing each other off.

Will my luck hold?

Ardledge Merton, 18, D4M:

The fight with Eliza was a bad turn. Griffin's dead, Emily's stomach isn't in great shape, and my dominant hand is pretty much unusable. I lost my tanto. And we lost all our supplies except for Emily's canteen. If we still had them, we could have used what was left over from our sponsors' previous gifts to heal our injuries, but now those belong to Eliza, and she's surely using them to fix her leg.

The sponsors, though, are forgiving. They sponsored Emily a tin of basic injury medicine for her stomach. She was generous enough to let me have a little for my wrist, but her stomach is the serious problem. As soon as she applied the ointment, the blood stopped gushing out quite so aggressively, which was a major benefit. I still can't handle blood without getting nauseated, despite seeing quite a bit more of it these past few days.

Now the Gamemakers are presenting us with new problems. If we can get whatever's being offered at the Feast, and more importantly, avoid the punishment for not attending, we might stand a chance against the Careers when we next meet. Our other consolation is that when I tackled Eliza, it seemed to damage her leg more. I hadn't been planning on going for her, but my instincts showed up to fight when my allies were in danger. I'm relieved that it at least skewed the path of the knife, which might've saved Emily, but I wish I didn't also get injured.

We're in a precarious position. There was a brief reprieve because the Careers can be reliably trusted to honor the Final Eight family interviews, but we're down to seven because of the unknown cannon last night, so all bets are off. I have to wonder what Winnie said about me. I'm really hoping that she didn't accidentally let something rebellious slip out, even if it was only out of concern for me. The Capitol is especially touchy about disloyalty around the Games, but I trust Jack Cannon to downplay even the least desirable responses. Thinking about my family is hard, because it forces me to think about the possibility of my death.

I've been trying to restrict my worrying to only the imminent concerns of surviving the arena. Emily's nervous about making it to the Feast in time. We've heard Iris come over the speakers six times since the original announcement, so we know that half the time has elapsed. It's difficult to quantify our progress. Are we moving fast enough? Eliza is at the forefront of our minds, but there are other Careers out there, plus the Seven boy that killed Chip. The Six boy is out there too, probably. Was he the cannon from last night? Emily thinks it might be Eliza. We had to reverse direction because of the Feast proclamation, and even though we took a roundabout route at the outset to avoid Eliza, there's been nothing to indicate that she's on our tail again. That should be reassuring, but it feels more like a giant question mark looming over us.

It could be our imaginations, but it feels like the sun's setting early. We haven't even stopped for dinner yet. Then again, we've been given the first indication of time passing since we've entered the arena, so we might not be acclimated. We don't have a lighter anymore, but Emily knows how to start a fire with sticks, so we pause to make a torch and keep going. The light could draw our enemies' attention, just as the Seven boy deliberately drew ours, but we need to keep the red flag in sight.

The sponsors have kept us alive, but they can't do much once we're thrust into combat with our enemies.


Kill Tracker:

Livi Carnelian: IIIII

Oscar Poudret: II

Eliza Maddox: III

Rafe McClellan (DECEASED): I

Lyra-Rose Ripley (DECEASED): I

Quinten Aramdale: I

Soya Orlando (DECEASED): I

Alliance Tracker:

Career Pack: Oscar, Livi

Protective Older Brother: Ardledge, Emily

Loners: Quinten, Damon, Eliza

Supplies Tracker:

Career Pack: Binoculars, Blanket (x2), Collapsible Lightweight Ladder, Compass, Firestarter, Map of the Arena, Night Vision Goggles, Rope, Scuba Mask (x1), Sleeping Bag (x2), Special Bonus 3, Sunblock, Walkie-Talkies, Warm Earmuffs, Warm Gloves (x2), Warm Scarf, Water (x2), Water Purification Capsules

Protective Older Brother: Water

Quinten: Basic Injury Medicine, Blanket, Bread, Camouflage Set, Collapsible Shovel, First Aid Kit (x2), Insect Repellant, Map of the Arena, Mesh Sheet, Multitool, Night Vision Goggles, Note of Advice, Special Bonus 1, Special Bonus 5, Sunblock, Tarp, Warm Hat, Warm Scarf, Water, Water Purification Capsules

Damon: Antiseptic Wipes, Compass, Grappling Hook, Multitool, Scuba Mask, Sleeping Bag, Net (x3), Spool of Wire, Sunblock, Turbo Umbrella, Warm Gloves, Water, Water Purification Capsules

Eliza: Antiseptic Wipes (x2), Firestarter, First Aid Kit (x2), Night Vision Goggles, Note of Advice, Rope, Severe Infection Medicine, Severe Injury Medicine, Small Meal, Trowel, Water (x2), Water Purification Capsules, Waterproof and Temperature Insulated Tent

Weapons Tracker:

Career Pack: Bandolier of Shurikens, Bandolier of Throwing Knives, Dagger, Spear (x4)

Protective Older Brother: Chainsaw

Quinten: Spear

Damon: Axe, Bow and Quiver of Arrows, Dagger

Eliza: Bandolier of Throwing Knives


Hey y'all!

I'll be back tonight or tomorrow morning with the penultimate Games chapter. Happy Feast time!

–LC :)