Ascend
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.
Author's Note: This is it, folks. From this point on we have to start saying goodbye to our tributes, one by one. Thank you for all who submitted, it has truly been fun playing with all of your tributes. That said, as we all know, there can only be one winner, so please try not to take it too hard if/when your/ your favorite tribute dies. After all, this is what they signed up for. That said, take your seats and enjoy. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor.
Also note, as mentioned in the previous chapter, this chapter will begin from an outside the arena POV to get a better idea of the arena layout & then will take over from a POV within the arena as the bloodbath dies down.
Brutus Laertes – Head Gamemaker
The sun had risen brightly and brought an ideal morning, the perfect morning, really, to begin the show. Brutus had felt the excitement as he crossed the room to the seat that would be his home for the next several days.
"Listen up, team, this is no longer a dress rehearsal," Brutus announced to the room filled with people. He felt alive. This was his stage, his arena and he was about to give Panem a glorious time. "I'm counting on you all to be my eyes and ears, my in depth look at every part of the arena. This is your time to shine as much as the twenty-four tributes being flown in right now. They're about to see everything for the first time, but you, your eyes have already been opened to the secrets, to the themes. Use that knowledge to help them all ascend."
Brutus eyed his chair, all prepared for him. But he wasn't ready to settle in yet. He paced the room, one foot after the other. Every single one of his colleagues sat prepared at their workstations, ready for the order that the tributes were in the tubes. The stage was set.
Beside him, Puck handed him a cup of coffee. It was so hot Brutus nearly burned his mouth on the liquid. It was just the way he liked it, just enough of a burn. It was strong, Brutus smiled as he brought it to his lips again. Just what he needed.
Gaeus Emmanuel – President of Panem
"They're in the tubes," Brutus's voice came over the loudspeaker and, at long last, the arena flickered to life before the President's face.
It was as imaginative as he had remembered, and as disorienting. Gaeus hated surprises, so he'd had Brutus show him every nook and cranny before he approved it, and this arena, well, it had no shortage of surprises. For now, though, he could only see what the tributes and the rest of Panem could, but Brutus had assured him the whole arena would be exposed before the story was over, its every secret being brought to life. The President was ecstatic for that day to come.
The pedestals were arranged in a circle surrounding an enormous pillar that commanded the stage, towering over everything else in the arena. To have the Cornucopia at its base would have been too simple, Gaeus smirked at Brutus's trick. The tributes who wanted the fruits at the Cornucopia would have to earn them, searching for it high and low in the 60 seconds before the gong. It had to mean something to them.
And they would have to watch their step. Between the tributes and the pillar lay a deep chasm, traversed only by the narrow bridges connecting each pedestal to the base of the pillar. 24 narrow bridges encompassed by one deep abyss. One false step and a tribute would fall to their death below. Hardly a glorious way to die.
Drawing his gaze from the void back to the base, he saw what he knew would draw the more ambitious tributes' attention: staircases, one on each side, North, South, East and West. It would be a climb up, even with the aid of the stairs.
As the tributes began to emerge, they began to get their bearings, trying desperately to locate the Cornucopia. They wouldn't be able to see it with any certainty from below, but it was there, directly above their heads. From below, the tributes would probably think it lay at the top of the pillar.
In this case, the advantage lay with those on the Eastern side of the pillar, with the rising sun to their backs. Leoric, the boy from 8, was taking his sixty seconds, studying his surroundings, perhaps searching for his allies. His sight gave him an advantage the tributes opposite him lacked, and he didn't seem like he was about to squander it.
Beside him, Nina huddled, still in fetal position. Even now, she could barely stand on her own two feet. She clutched her hands together, clenched as though she was fighting, willing herself to stand and fight when the time came, but her spirit was too pathetic.
Beside her stood the District Two Male, Nero, studying the pillar before him, eyeing the stairs like a well-rehearsed actor would eye a curtain. There was no doubt in his mind and Gaeus could tell that once the gong sounded he would be as swift as an arrow.
To his left stood Ailis, the girl from three, her blonde hair blowing back and forth in the wind. Her eyes looked about, looking for her district partner, perhaps, or maybe her allies. Wherever she was looking, she was seeking guidance, direction. The audience would have to watch and see if she found it.
To her left stood Jayanti, the boy from 6, looking around as well, but even less directed than the girl beside him. His hands twitched, thoroughly unsure of themselves and his eyes wandered, finally finding the boy from 11, separated from him by three tributes and the boy from 8 on the other side. This was part of the famous Bro-liance, the president smirked. It was truly interesting the shields that the tributes invented to protect themselves, their determination to create the barriers that would ultimately destroy them.
To the left of the boy from 6 was Altair, the girl from five. She, too was surveying the scene, but seemed to be looking more over her shoulder, to what lay opposite the Cornucopia. Her gaze looked behind her, looking down the slope of the hill, perhaps wondering if something lay beyond the wasteland that met her eyes. She didn't seem to have anyone she was looking for. Perhaps she had ended up on her own after all.
Beside Altair was her district partner, Elric. How odd that Brutus had put them side by side. Unity in District five; the irony surely didn't escape Gaeus.
On the other side of Elric was the girl from 12, Gloria, looking small squished between the boy from 11 and the boy from 5 who were both taller than her, both stronger than her. Her eyes darted around, her hand risen to shield them from the blazing sunlight, looking for her ally.
Beside her, Ridge seemed equally uncertain, bouncing as much in his spot as he could without setting off the alarm. His feet didn't move, his weight didn't shift, but his head moved back and forth, weighing his options seeking his allies. His hair bounced back and forth along with it, making the sight almost comical.
On the other side of Ridge stood another girl, the girl from 9, Candice. Like Gloria, she didn't seem to be considering dashing in to the Cornucopia at all, but rather was observing a couple of the tributes around her.
Beside her was Ibrahima, the boy from 4, who seemed to be communicating a message, both to the girl and to a couple of the other tributes near him. His district partner, perhaps? They had seemed like they had quite a dynamic during the interviews and she was only separated from him by a couple of tributes. Gaeus made a note to pay close attention to whatever seemed to be brewing there.
To Ibrahima's left was the girl from 8, Margery. She looked over her shoulder and saw it, the outer rim of the wheel on which the tributes stood. Would she use that to get to one of the other tributes? An ally, perhaps, or her first kill. She only had a matter of seconds to decide, they all did. Gaeus smiled broadly as the clock struck 30.
Next to Margery stood Killian, the boy from District One. Unsurprisingly, he was eyeing the place he presumed the Cornucopia to be, looking ready to pounce. He didn't need to seek his allies' advice or even need to find them; the look on his face made it clear that he was unwaveringly confident in their abilities.
On the other side of Killian was the girl from Four, Freida. She was almost directly to the West of the pillar, surely the sun was in her eyes. She seemed to have gotten whatever message ibrahima had been trying to convey because she nodded in his direction, glancing up at the sky, then down to chasm below.
On Freida's other side stood Brody, the self-appointed leader of the Brolliance. His knees bounced up and down ready to dash as soon as the gong went off.
To his left stood Dane, the girl from District Two, a determined look on her face. The weight of yesterday's fiasco would never leave her, Gaeus thought as the blazing sun must have been burning her eyes.
To her left stood Jonas, the eloquent boy from 7. His face was unreadable; this boy had a poker face. What would he do once the gong sounded?
At his side stood the girl from 11,Marune, biting her lower lip, perhaps in a last futile feign of helplessness. She was fixated only on the pillar before her.
To her left was the boy from 12, Tanner. From his gaze he was trying to weigh the options between what lay before him and what lay behind. Given the camera angle, Gaeus wasn't sure whether the tributes could see the city that lay to the North of their location or whether it only seemed like wasteland. It was a decision that was more complicated than the tributes knew; Brutus had ensured that.
On the other side of Tanner was Saphyra, the girl from one, meeting the eyes of the other tributes with sheer determination. With only 20 seconds left it seemed as though everyone in the Career alliance had located the others effortlessly. Judging by the look on their faces, there was no discrepancy in their plan.
Beside Saphyra was the little boy from three, Raivel. What an awful place for him! He wasn't looking before him or behind him, but seemingly down into the chasm. Maybe something shiny had caught his eye below.
To Raivel's left stood the girl from 6, Tavia. She also seemed intent on the Cornucopia. If all went according to plan, it seemed this would truly be a busy opening. There was still a little time to back down, though, the President reflected as the clock continued to elapse.
Beside her was the boy from 10, Mobie. Unlike his neighbor, he wasn't eyeing the Cornucopia at all, but was eyeing the other tributes, searching for someone he hadn't yet found. He had the best vantage point, yet he still couldn't find Gloria.
On his other side stood Bailey, the girl from District Seven. She was swallowing to hide her nervousness, clenching her fists tight. She and Raivel locked eyes just as the gong went off.
Steric Tarthan – District 10 Mentor
They had the best seats in the house, Steric thought. All of the mentors were in an all-access room, a theatre of its own, complete with everything they could need, telephones to contact potential sponsors, an enormous screen on which they were expected to watch all the fun, food, a bar and their own personal barkeep. More than enough to keep 19 mentors happy. All of this was familiar, except for the one new face in the room.
The merciful gong sounded the end of the wait and in the arena before them all erupted into chaos. Steric focused her energy on the Eastern side of the Cornucopia, where both her tributes were. As so many tributes charged the pillar ahead of them, Mobie was moving away from the action, probably seeking out Gloria. Steric could see Gloria on the other side of the pillar, almost 180 degrees across from Mobie. With any luchk he could get out of there easily. The girl next to his left was stalling, the girl from seven. She wasn't about to attack, but there wasn't much of anywhere to hide and she seemed to be waiting, but for what. Was she just shell-shocked?
Mobie wasn't stalling, though. He'd scanned the area and clearly figured out that Gloria wasn't on that side. Keeping to the edges, the wheel surrounding the chasm, he made his way to the left away from most of the action
Then Steric saw her; Nina was still frozen on her pedestal. She probably didn't even see Leoric, the boy from 8 coming up to her. It was effortless, really, as painless as Steric could have imagined. Not yet having a weapon, Leoric came behind the girl and shoved her off her pedestal, straight into the chasm. There was a scream and then a thud, the first kill of the Games. She silently thanked the boy. She was out of her misery and one less person to hope for.
The majority of the pedestals between Mobie and Gloria were now vacated. The boy from 2, Nero, had charged the pillar and was halfway across his bridge by now. The girl from 3, Ailis, had edged her way to the left, past Elric and Gloria to the girl from Nine and the boy from 4. As soon as she was there, the pair from 4 bolted, following the boy from 2 and the boy from 1 towards the stairs.
The girl from 5 had bolted as well, but the other direction. With everyone exerting themselves on the sprint to the stairs, only to have to meet up again atop the pillar, Altair needed to break free. She was halfway down the hill and rushing to the wasteland alone.
The boy from 11, on the other hand, much like the boy from 5, was hesitating. His feet were poised to charge the stairs, but something was holding him back. His allies, the Brolliance were already on their way to the stairs, none of them hesitating. Leoric was motioning for him to come with them from the other side, where he had just killed Nina and Ridge took a step towards them. It was a hesitant step, though, one that showed he was just now understanding the real stakes, that he was grasping that his ally had killed someone, and that if he didn't cooperate he might be next. That look of realization, Steric smirked. Everyone had their moment and it looked like Ridge was having his early.
"Excuse me," Elric mouthed, passing Ridge to get to the girl from 8. Steric sighed. There were others who hadn't had that moment yet and Elric seemed to be one of them, still clinging to any shred of the civilized world that he had now left behind. He edged past Ridge and on to meet up with Margery.
Then Gloria spotted Mobie. She smiled, despite the yelling that was beginning to come from the direction of the large pillar.
"Which way?" she asked. Mobie looked right and left, assessing their options. From the way he had just come, Steric could see the city. That's where all of the stronger groups would go if they failed at the Cornucopia.
"Don't go that way," Steric whispered as she could see Mobie eyeing it. As though he heard her he looked right before him, off to the south.
"That way," he said, taking her hand to ensure they stayed together and the two of them were off, safe from the slaughter.
Aphrodite Aurelius – District 12 Mentor
Tanner was nearly to the stairs! Aphrodite didn't know what to feel. She was shaking all over and felt more alone than her tributes were soon to be. Gloria and Mobie should be safe for now, she thought, smiling, as she could see them making their way. That was the best place for them, she thought, especially knowing Steric. With Nina gone all of her attention would be on that alliance. Now Aphrodite needed to focus on Tanner.
He reached the stairs just before Marune, the girl from 11. From her angle, Aphrodite couldn't tell how many tributes were already on top. Brody was nearing the top of his staircase with the boy from one close on his heels and the pair from 4 trailing a little behind.
Then came a stroke of luck. The girl from 11 stopped for a moment, her face contorted in frustration and anger.
"Come on!" She demanded, trying to rally her allies below her. The boy from 5 and the girl from 8 were still at the outskirts. Maybe they'd been avoiding the rush, or re-thinking their strategy, but if they did nothing the Cornucopia would be well in the hands of the Careers by the time they got there.
Or of the Brolliance, she reminded herself. Tanner's alliance was strong and still might have a chance against the Career pack. Tanner was still right on Saphyra's heels and Brody had just reached the top. Leoric was still trailing behind, but he'd already garnered a kill, the first kill of the Games, as a matter of fact, that would set him apart in the Capitol's eyes. Now if only Tanner could do the same. Maybe he could even take on one of the more dangerous targets. There would be plenty of them up top.
Then she saw the girl from 6, Tavia, reaching the top at almost the same instant as Tanner. She could feel Joran's foot tapping in anticipation from across the room.
"Relax," she heard Ava say, her own voice quavering.
There they stood, all of them at the top. Nero had just arrived from the Eastern Staircase,. Coming up from the Western staircase was the boy from One, Killian.
"There are two that aren't far behind me," Killian announced, looking unfazed. Then he saw the girl and Tanner. "Let's get this party started!" he exclaimed, looking back and forth at his allies.
So many thoughts were racing through Aphrodite's mind. Where were the rest of Tanner's allies, Jayanti and Ridge? Had the fled? She couldn't bring herself to take her eyes away from the main stage, worried about how her tribute would fair against so many foes.
Then the realization came upon all eight of them at once, all the tributes who stood on top and Aphrodite herself.
"Where is it?!" Saphyra yelled. The Cornucopia was nowhere in sight. But it had to be there. Aphrodite cursed her father under her breath. Why did he love puzzles so much?
"One of them has figured it out," came a voice that the tributes couldn't hear. Calpurnia's voice met Aphrodite's ear as the cameras zoomed in to the Cornucopia, held out on the pillar's arm. She couldn't believe what she saw! Raivel, the little boy from 3 was already in the mouth of the Cornucopia. High above the other tributes' heads, somehow he'd snuck all the way to the top, unseen. He pocketed something and then looked behind him, weighing his options.
"Let's consider the logistics of the situation. Name one place we would be unable to locate a bounteous Cornucopia. As he spoke, the pair from 4 had reached the top. Ibrahima, unwilling to surrender his inertia, plowed straight into the nearest Pack member, which happened to be Jonas.
"Get off him!" Saphyra hollered, charging the larger boy. She'd found an ideal outlet for her frustration. Freida immediately jumped Saphyra in turn, continuing to demonstrate her fierce loyalty to her ally. Seeing Jonas under attack, Nero too stepped in, lending his strength to get Ibrahima off. Killian, not about to be outdone by his fellow Careers helped out Saphyra.
Dane, on the other hand was holding back. Aphrodite could see it in her eyes, this girl had a goal, a goal that wasn't going to mesh well with Tanner's, all the while looking over her shoulder. It was only a matter of time before the trio took advantage of their opportunity. Taking on several Career tributes was one thing, but taking on one while the others were distracted was a whole other matter.
"Find it, find it," Aphrodite hissed through her teeth. She had spotted it, but that didn't help them. If Tanner's alliance didn't get their hands on some weapons they would all be sunk and they had to seize the opportunity they had, having the Career pack distracted.
Tavia grabbed Tanner, trying to communicate something discretely. She saw it! He only had to listen to her. Then Jayanti appeared, coming up the stairs.
"Dude, bro, the girl's gotta go," Brody declared. He looked as though he might actually throw a punch, but Tavia got there first. She kicked Brody in the leg and took off running towards the arm that held the Cornucopia. Tanner motioned to Jayanti and Brody to follow. Just as they approached the arm, leading Leoric appeared on the top of one staircase and the girl from 11 on the other. Behind her were the boy from 5 and the girl from 8. Still no Ridge. Aphrodite crossed her fingers, hoping Tanner's alliance could stand without their fifth member.
Back at the mouth of the Cornucopia Raivel had disappeared. Where had he gone, Aphrodite wondered? He couldn't simply have disappeared. They would have to worry about that later, she decided as the boys' alliance made their way, following Tavia to the Cornucopia. Brody trailed along, injured from Tavia's fierce kick. They didn't notice who was coming along behind them though. They were so focused on getting to the mouth of the Cornucopia, edging their way along the rim of the hand high in the sky that they didn't see Dane or the trio from 11, 8 and 5 trailing behind them.
Tavia arrived first, securing a knife and then ready to make her break.
"Broliance has taken the Cornucopia!" Brody whooped, not even noticing that they were short one. He handed out high fives to his companions, Tanner, Jayanti and Leoric.
"As for you, ho," he began, turning to Tavia, but whatever was going to follow he didn't get a chance to say because she plunged her knife into his gut and he collapsed, tumbling from the Cornucopia and landing on the rim of the other side.
"Brody!" Jayanti exclaimed dashing to around the Cornucopia.
"I'm sorry, but he's going to get us all killed. We're getting out of here," Tavia declared. She was making a play for control. Maybe she'd noticed they had two dangerous groups close on their tails, maybe she had just wanted to get back at Brody for his male ego, but it didn't matter. She'd actually had the guts to follow through on an action.
"It's okay. Just calm down. We'll get going" Tanner calmed her, placing one hand on her shoulder so gently she didn't notice the other one, driving the knife into her heart. "Traitor!" she yelled in pain, gasping as she started to slip. Her fingers grasped at the Cornucopia, desperate to lash out, to make vengeance her dying act, but to no avail. She let out a cry and then, just as instantly, she was silenced.
"Is there medicine or something?" Jayanti asked, desperately. Brody was still breathing. Tavia's stab hadn't been as expert as she had thought and her blow had wounded Brody, not killed him.
"Dude, it's pro-fect. We've won," Brody muttered. He was losing blood fast.
"I think I-" Leoric said before he was stopped short. The two girls had caught up to them, the larger girl from 11 and the girl from 8.
"Listen all of you. We're taking over the Cornucopia and don't you dare try to stop us" the girl from 11 declared. Her eyes lit up and she shoved Leoric out of the way, nearly making him lose his footing. He stumbled back and Tanner secured him against the thicker portion of the Cornucopia, eying the edge cautiously.
"It's perfect!" She declared, pulling a meathook from the Cornucopia. Before Jayanti could react, she lodged the hook in his throat. The gurgling sound coming from his throat was the most fight the boy had had in him since he'd left home, possibly ever. His feet even kicked as he fought for his life. Marune dug deeper.
"This is what happens if you don't listen to me. Now Elric, Margery, grab weapons to help me defend this!" she ordered.
Then from behind them a large bolder was thrown, falling just shy of Marune's.
"Back off!" yelled a lone voice, Dane's. The other Careers tributes were still fending off Ibrahima, Freida and Ailis at the base of the pillar "The Cornucopia is ours."
"Then help us take it," Tanner offered, trying his hand. "Together we can take them." She could see the reluctance in his face, proposing an alliance with a Career, but he could see the situation. They were evenly matched if the two groups worked together. Brody was still lying on his side, but if they took the three healthy opposing tributes, Dane, Tanner and Leoric against Marune, Margery and Elric they would have a fair fight. Maybe the odds would even be in the opposing alliances' favor, since Elric was only tentatively holding a sword, looking as though he didn't really know what to do with it.
"You two had better be with me or so help me a fate worse than death awaits you," Marune hissed. Her allies hadn't made an aggressive move towards either Dane or the two cameras were zooming in. Beneath her, Brody reached out and grabbed her ankle.
"Really?" Marune growled in exasperation. She grasped the edge of the Cornucopia, and kicked, leveraging her leg to shake Brody's balance just a little. It was enough though, "Bro!" Brody yelled for help as he fell from the Cornucopia.
It only distracted Marune for a second. But that second was all that Dane needed. She lifted one of the rocks and tossed it at Marune, helping to knock her off balance. It didn't work, but it did distract her long enough for Tanner to get his hands on one of the knives and a bag of supplies. In that split second, he and Leoric had to make a decision. The sounds of yelling from the distance and the trample of footsteps swayed their decision. Sprinting as quickly as they could, the two boys abandoned their fallen bro-s and took off down the nearest staircase.
Even as the other Careers appeared at the Cornucopia, unscathed, Aphrodite noticed movement in its mouth, just for a moment, and then it went still again. Margery saw it too and darted into the mouth of the Cornucopia, grabbing Elric behind her. "Come on, Marune," Margery called.
"No, we stand and fight. Get back here" Marune declared, barring her meathook as the Career pack surrounded the Cornucopia. She lashed out at one of them, but the boy jumped back in time, a bow and arrow now in his hands. The other boy grabbed one of the thicker swords, clearly his weapon of choice. The Cornucopia was between those two, but it wouldn't be for long.
"Against my power you will have no victory. I will kill you all!" Marune hollered, her voice echoing. Even as she said it, a dagger flew at her throat from Dane's hand and she collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from the wound, trickling down her neck.
"Nice shot!" Killian congratulated Dane as they took the Cornucopia. Jonas and Nero both dashed up behind him, all five of them unscathed.
Nero Taplin – District Two Male
"Let me see what I can do with the bow and arrow," Nero muttered, dashing effortlessly to the mouth of the Cornucopia. It was abandoned, he could see that immediately upon coming to the mouth. But there had to have been a path, somewhere, hidden. There had been other tributes here besides Leoric and Tanner who had managed to outrun Jonas and himself, tired as they were from their encounter with Ibrahima's alliance. Marune's two allies had been here. He searched the Cornucopia briefly, ensuring they weren't hiding somewhere. He sighed. If there was an undiscovered secret to the Cornucopia, he would rather know sooner rather than later so they weren't caught unawares.
"Well, are you going to stand there all day and just let everyone get out of range or are you going to do something?" Saphyra demanded. Nero bit back an unkind comment as he rubbed his head. Ibrahima had managed to get a pretty hard hit in before he had retreated, but Saphyra had remained mostly unharmed. As tired as he was, though, she was right. Now was the time to catch the other tributes, whoever may still be in range and, whether he liked it or not that job had fallen to him.
The remnants of the Bro-liance, Tanner and Leoric had run in the direction of the city. With all the rubble in that direction it would be impossible to find them until they came out of hiding, much less shoot at them with any semblance of accuracy. On the southern side of the hill, however, far below them, Nero could still see figures running, several of them in fact. From this high above he couldn't tell who they were, but one of them seemed to be moving quickly, passing two of the slower, smaller ones on the ground. Nero thought for a moment the larger, stealthier figure might take them out, but no, he didn't seem to have any weapons at all. So he clearly hadn't charged the Cornucopia.
"The boy from 11," Nero announced under his breath. He wasn't as good a target as Ibrahima or the two boys from the "Bro-lliance" would have been, but he would have to do for now as the other was nowhere in sight. He fit an arrow to the string and let it fly.
Gloria Leeper – District 12 Female
She wanted to scream as she heard the breath coming up behind them. Mobie, probably feeling just as she did, clutched her hand tighter as they ran together.
"He's going to catch us," she whispered, venturing a fearful glance over her shoulder. They were running as fast as they could, but it wasn't quickly enough to outrun the boy from 11. He was swiftly gaining on them. Gloria wanted to cry, feeling utterly helpless as she unsuccessfully ran for her life.
"Don't look," Mobie directed, but it was too late. Looking back, she stumbled, tripping over her own feet and dragging Mobie with her. This was it, she thought as her face hit the ground, her lip bleeding. This boy was going to take her down and that would be the end of her. No fighting, no heroic death, just trampled to death by a faster, older boy.
"Stay still," Mobie hissed and for some reason, Gloria did. Did he have a plan or was he just hoping, praying that the boy wouldn't stop?
Whatever it did, it worked. The boy kept going, not even giving them a second glance, simply dashing onward towards the horizon. Had he thought them already dead or not cared, fearful for his own life? Whatever it was that had spared them, Gloria was grateful. She breathed a sigh of relief.
All too soon, she realized as a flash of pain struck her left shoulder. Her eyes burst into tears as the pain and terror overcame her.
"No!" Mobie exclaimed.
"Shh!" she hissed frantically and the boy stopped in his tracks. He looked as though he was about to turn when a second arrow struck the ground just a few meters from his feet. He looked at the girl again, his dark eyes filled with sadness and then turned tail and ran just as quickly. A third arrow embedded itself in a stone further ahead, but then the barrage stopped.
"Don't leave me," Mobie whispered, desperately now that the danger was over.
"I'm sorry," Gloria whispered. "I'm sorry I wasn't a better ally, a better friend. I just wanted you to have someone. I wanted to have someone." Even in the warmth of the sun she could feel her body going cold. "I'm scared," she whispered, but immediately knew that was the wrong thing to say. If she couldn't make it she had to show Mobie that he could, had to teach him something he had within himself, an inner strength that meant he could carry on.
"You have to rise up where I fell," she whispered, she could feel the weakness in her voice as she wished she were somewhere else, home in her parents' arms. She could almost hear Cindy's voice ordering her to stay, telling her to stand up to the bully named death, tell her to refuse him. Then, she could hear Cindy's voice blending with her own. "My teacher told me there's only one thing we can say to death," she whispered. "Not today. Tell me that, Mobie?" she could feel her own breath growing shallower, her pulse barely pumping blood through her veins.
"Not today, please," Mobie's voice trailed off as the sunlight seemed to engulf Gloria.
"Go," she whispered and she was gone.
Mobie Calp – District 10
He couldn't obey her. He knew she had been taken, that she was already gone, but Mobie couldn't bring himself to leave her.
The barrage of arrows had long since halted; the Careers were undoubtedly counting their spoils, rejoicing over the comforts of the Cornucopia and waiting for the cannons to tally the dead. They were thoroughly uninterested in a lonesome boy from District 10, unsure of his next steps.
The fighting seemed to have died down. There were no more tributes running, no more threats heading to him or against him. Mobie knew he would have been wise to find comfort in this. Perhaps there was nowhere safer to be than alone, but it wasn't what he wanted.
"Not today," he whispered again, fighting the tears in his eyes. And he meant it. His words to Gloria had been comfort, to both of them, but nothing more than that. Once death had bitten her, his fangs had sunk in and they both knew he had the kill. He had promised, though, promised Steric, promised Gloria that he would fight, that he would give his all. Today would not be his day to die.
"Not today," he repeated, this time standing, leaving Gloria's body to rest in her final resting place alone on the barren wasteland. Without looking back, he surveyed his options. Before him, as far as he could see was a barren wasteland, littered with large boulders, but nothing further until a point on the horizon at which his vision became blurred, as though through a mist. It was either that or look behind him towards the direction of the Cornucopia.
Not yet, Mobie told himself. For now, he needed to do just as he had seen Mags do in the recordings, stay hidden, stay quiet and wait. Maybe he would even find someone to wait with. He hoped so. He couldn't imagine going the rest of the Hunger Games with only death by his side.
Ridge Therne – District 11
There was no turning back now, Ridge thought as his feet continued to propel him forward. Or was it away? Away from his allies, away from what he thought the Games would be. With each step he was more and more certain that there was no chance for redemption in the eyes of his former allies, his friends.
He'd turned his back on them in the critical moment. He'd seen Leoric kill Nina just after the gong sounded and part of him wished he could join them, wished he could see himself with a sword in his hand instead of relaxing in a green meadow, lying in a hammock. The transition wasn't an easy one, from the stability of standing on the pedestal to dashing towards the edge of the arena. Maybe that's why he'd taken so long to commit one way or the other.
What had done it wasn't Leoric motioning at him, but the boy from 4 charging the Cornucopia just a few tributes to his left. There were so many of them, so many bodies all dashing at each other and in that moment Ridge had known that if he disappeared into that fray he wouldn't come out again. Even if it meant abandoning his friends, probably leaving them all to die, he needed to listen to his heart, listen to what his mentor had told him to do and trust himself. He had. He had trusted in his feet to guide him swiftly to where he would be safe. He'd nearly failed, judging from the arrows that had followed him. None of his allies could shoot a bow like that, at least not to his knowledge, so it stood to reason that someone else had taken control of the Cornucopia, and that someone was decidedly unfriendly.
Just then the first cannon sounded. The mess at the Cornucopia must have cleared a little by now if they were setting the cannons. Five followed the first sound and then only silence remained. Six gone. 18 remaining. And he was all alone.
Altair Ellion – District 5
Rest, for now, rest was all she could seek, Altair thought, relieved that she was alone. For once, she was relieved that she had no one to look out for, no one to worry about betraying her.
She knew she'd made the right decision, leaving the carnage to the other tributes and running off to the South. She didn't need to have any part in that, not yet.
Her only company was the hard stone surrounding her, almost like a grave, but Altair didn't fear it; she wasn't dead. The sun shone in atop and no one could see in. It was the perfect refuge, at least for now.
Sooner or later, of course, she would have to escape to explore, to seek food and water, since she hadn't garnered any of these supplies at the Cornucopia and she didn't imagine sponsors would be lining up to sponsor a tribute who did nothing but hide.
For now, though, as the midday sun warmed her, this was sufficient.
Raivel Aukins – District Three
"I don't know how you figured that out," Bailey whispered admiringly.
"Well, you know, I have been quite clever today," Raivel beamed, jokingly, munching on a snack he'd swiped for them from the Cornucopia. A bag of apples, a small knife for each of them, assorted other snacks and a couple other shiny objects. Certainly not bad for a day's work. And now he knew the secret.
"Really, though how did you figure out that if you swung down into the chasm there'd be a hole leading up to the Cornucopia," Bailey persisted.
"Same way you figured out that this tunnel here led to an excellent hideaway," Raivel countered. "I've gotta say, we've got the most clever alliance." Bailey smiled back and gave him a high five. The two of them did make a good team.
He'd figured out the secret tunnels just as the gong went off. He'd been studying all of the pedestals near him and all of them had an odd little hole beneath them. At first he'd thought it was what triggered the well-known explosion if an unfortunate tribute did step off of their pedestal before the time came and were blown sky high, but it was too large, too indiscreet for that. And it just so happened to be the exact right size for almost any of the tributes to fit through. The fact that those same tunnels had lead up to the Cornucopia and back down had been sheer luck.
"I thought you were dead, though, when you weren't there when I looked. Don't ever do that without warning me again," Bailey scolded, trying to look angry at him.
"Consider yourself warned," Raivel countered, smirking. They were about as safe as they could get right now and they were well stocked. So far the Hunger Games weren't so bad.
Tanner Amori – District 12
The Hunger Games could not have started out worse, Tanner thought, kicking one of the rocks in his way.
He had hoped they would be at the Cornucopia, or at minimum have made it away with a bunch of supplies. Heck, he had even wished that "they" would have been a more substantial bunch of people.
But that was not the case. The remainder of the Brolliance consisted of simply himself and Leoric. They were both trying to pick up their spirits in the city to the Northern side of the Cornucopia, wishing everything had gone differently. Why had they insisted on charging? Why had Ridge turned tail and fled like a coward? But most importantly, why had all of their plans failed?
Tanner balled his hand in a fist and growled.
"It won't help," Leoric told him, as though reading his mind. "I've done my fair share of punching walls and solid objects in my day. As they say whether the stone hits the pitcher or the pitcher hits the stone, it's going to be bad for the pitcher."
"I didn't pin you as one for platitudes," Tanner growled, but the saying worked. He resorted to kicking another rock halfway across the city instead.
"At least we can't be shot at here," Tanner mumbled. "Now we just have to figure out what we can do."
"We've got to get them back," Leoric answered him.
"We don't have the numbers."
"There are other ways," Leoric schemed. "There have to be options." Tanner could tell, though, that, at this moment Leoric was as lost as Tanner was, wishing they could know how to reconstruct a plan so gone awry.
Elric Trace – District 5
He had to pretend he knew what to do, Elric thought, grasping the sword tightly in his hand and running as fast as he could.
But in the end it was all an act. Neither he nor Margery had any idea where they were going, any semblance of a plan. All Elric knew was there was one other group fleeing the Cornucopia and they couldn't be far behind him. The girl from 9, he was fairly certain, had figured out the passage as well. He thought he'd felt someone fighting to get past them on the way down, but what about her allies. He thought he'd seen her in training with the girl from four and the girl from 3, but couldn't be sure. Everything before being tossed into the arena.
"Where would you like to go?" Elric asked breathlessly as they emerged into daylight again. The sunshine was a stark contrast to the darkness of the tunnels within the pillar.
"The city," Margery answered, decisively. "Now that Marune's gone we have to find other allies, someone who might actually be able to protect us rather than intimidating us into danger."
"I'm open for suggestions," Elric answered.
"Then let's go to the city. Out of whoever's left, I have a couple guesses on who would go there."
Ailis Neilan – District 3
"That could have gone worse!" Ailis declared, judging by the frustrated look on Ibrahima's face that she needed to speak first. They had just reunited at the base of the pillar, hoping that hiding within the shadow it was casting would keep them out of sight from above for at least a bit longer, long enough to formulate a plan.
"I don't see how," Ibrahima replied. His usually sunny attitude had completely vanished. He saw this as a defeat, Ailis realized. After so long of training for this day, he had always envisioned himself and his alliance ruling from the Cornucopia not existing in slavery to the will of the Careers.
"We'll get it back," Ailis said, determinedly. What else was she supposed to say? After all, they'd essentially put him in charge of this alliance, he was the only one who had training. She couldn't have Ibrahima going sour on her.
"Of course we will. It's the only thing to do," Ibrahima declared. "We just have to find another way in, one where Nero won't be able to shoot us down like animals."
"How do you feel about the dark?" Candice proposed and Ailis smiled.
"The kid's on to something," Freida agreed. "We're going to sneak up on them when they least expect it and then, pow! We'll let them have it." That seemed to cheer Ibrahima up a bit.
"Thank you for grabbing what you did," he told Candice. "You're stronger than you look." He smiled. There were no jokes, since they were all fatigued from their encounter, but they were all also alive.
Haspereek Cloven – District 9
"To the fallen," Haspereek proposed, lifting a solemn glass to Ava, standing beside her. Ava just shook her head, probably still in disbelief that District Six had lost two tributes so quickly. She'd had such high hopes this year, Haspereek knew, what with her recent marriage and all her talk of wanting to stop mentoring. Now Ava was stuck for another year.
"Now that's damn particular," Joran muttered, studying the screen.
"What is?" Ava asked, irritably. "That both our tributes are dead already? We should have tried harder, Joran."
"No, not that. Anyone watching could have seen both our tributes dying. That's no surprise. Look, though," Joran pointed at the screen, insisting they were missing something obvious. His expression clearly told Haspereek he'd consider her an uneducated idiot if she didn't pick up on whatever he was pointing out, but she just didn't see it.
And then she did. "They haven't taken the bodies," Haspereek observed. She wasn't certain, but behind her she thought she heard Steric curse under her breath.
"'Tis a common proof,
That lowliness is young ambition's ladder,
Whereto the climber-upward turns his face;
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees
By which he did ascend." (2.1.22)