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Act 9
'Fruit of the Cornucopia'

I woke up to the horror of Weft standing over me with an Avox, which trust me, is not something one needs in the morning. They had come to wake me up and get me ready. Last name was the interviews meaning that this day was the beginning of the Games. I was all stressed out last name, but upon falling asleep, I had forgotten all about it. It was only after Weft said something did I actually start freaking out.

After waking me up I was pushed around most of the morning. I was at least allowed to eat my breakfast and shower, but afterwards I was handed off by Gaius to Iridis. She pushed me into another small room, much like the one I was in when preparing for the interviews. There I was stripped of all clothing and forced to dress in some basic clothing. Brown pants with a thick black long-sleeved shirt. The pants were tucked into thick white boots and over it was a winter-style jacket with mauve body and black sleeves. On the both of the sleeves was a circular patch with the number "8" on it. When dressing I noticed the inside of the jacket was completely white.

Once I got dressed, Iridis handed me off to some Peacekeepers, who in turn corralled me into a large hover craft. There I was sat in a seat beside Elena, the girl from District Nine. I remembered her for her stubborn attitude, but also her soft side towards her sister. She was actually rubbing the bracelet her sister, Clarice I think, gave her.

I looked around to find everyone was on. Dezji was surrounded by Careers. If our seating was any indication, which I hope it wasn't, of who would be around us at the start of the Games, then he was in for some trouble. Dezji however didn't look worried, instead was holding something crumpled up in his closed fist and whispering something to himself with his eyes closed.

"What's that?"

I turned to my right to see Seraphina, in a burnt orange jacket, freaking out as a needle was brought to her arm. At the same time a man came up to me with a needle just like the one being held to Seraphina. It was a large one attached to some sort of electronic device.

"This provides the trackers," said the lady in front of Seraphina, instantly injecting her.

I had the same thing done to me as I watched Seraphina bite her lip. From experience, I can promise you it is not a fun thing to go through. Like every other needle, it hurt, but I think this one hurt even more. It was held in me for a little bit as I felt something injected into my arm. Something on the device beeped, which apparently was there to notify the man to take out the needle. Looking at my arm I could see a small flash blue light beneath my skin.

This must be how the Gamemakers track us, I thought, staring at the flashing blue light.

The rest of the tributes were injected as well, though a few of them desperately didn't want the needle in them. Still the idea of being held down by the Peacekeepers on board stopped them from downright rejecting it.

The hovercraft was there to take us to the arena, wherever that was. There was a new arena every year. Back at the skyscraper, Dezji and I were shown videos of past Games; though only ones with living victors. One of those Games was set in a frozen tundra arena where 17 tributes died on the first day due to freezing conditions. Another was an underground cavern with most of its area only dimly lit by some bioluminescent fungi. Many did from mysterious cave crawlers and others from poisonous insects.

After what felt like forever, though in reality it was probably close to a half-hour, the hover craft set down. From there on we were steered to individual rooms. I did manage to see a blue jacket enter through the door to the left of me. They had short, brown hair, so I would go to assume they were male. And if the main colour of our jackets had any relation to our district, which I would assume blue at least would, I would have to assume the one would entered was District Four male tribute, Coriander. Though I was only guessing at that point. There were many guys with brown hair, including Silver, Danny, Douglas, and that's just three of the seven.

I entered the room to find Weft waiting for me.

"Good to see you're alright. I thought your sass would get you into trouble when the needles came out," he said.

I really didn't like how he emphasized 'sass', but I let it slide. This would be the last time I saw him before the Games started, and if I didn't win, the last time in general. I wasn't going to spend this time being crude, though every ounce of me wanted to ask him what he meant by that.

"You got enough rest," said Weft. "So you should have enough energy to run as soon as that timer hits zero and find a safe place to hide."

He was expecting me to run, just like he did; probably just like the rest of District Eight Victors had. I was expected to run just like them because I was weak.

"What if I need the stuff from the Cornucopia?" I asked as I stepped up onto the platform.

"Of course you're going to need that stuff. It is invaluable. That is why it is there!" Weft snapped, actually more like shouted. "They put valuable supplies in the Cornucopia to trick people into running for it and participating in the Bloodbath."

The Bloodbath was something I was dreading. It was one of the few things I did remember from the previous Games I had watched at home. I remember witnessing the gore, the pain, the endless deaths that happened because tributes wanted either the supplies or weapons the Cornucopia held. The Bloodbath always held the most casualties. I remember one time 12 died during it because the Careers were the fastest to get to the weapons and slaughtered everyone else. Usually between eight and 12 tributes die, so I would have to expect those number would also apply for these Games as well. If that were true, at least eight of us were going to die during this Bloodbath because we either wanted supplies or were getting cocky and wanted a weapon.

"Focus!" Weft shouted. "Calico, once these platforms raise and the signal sounds, find a place to hide."

Suddenly a loud, mechanical-sounding lady sounded over the speakers.

"Sixty!" she chimed.

The countdown had started and thus the platform began to raise.

"Ready," I whispered to myself as light from above shone down and blinded me.

I felt the platform stop almost instantly, though I still couldn't see clearly. My vision was sort of fuzzy due to the immediate brightness hitting me. I did make out other figures surrounding me though and something sparkling in front of me. If I wasn't clear of mind I would have stepped off that platform towards it, only to be blown up for leaving the platform early.

"Fifty!" the lady counted.

My vision was slowly returning to me and I started to be able to see things a little bit clearer. I had guessed correctly about Coriander being to the left of me, and to the right was Silver. Two of the strongest tributes beside me; just what I needed. I noticed Dezji was further away from me and surrounded by Aur and Anastasia. He seemed ready to run away into the forest surrounding us.

It was only when I noticed the forest did I feel the bite of the cold weather. The arena this year seemed to be inspired by a mountain range as tall, snow-capped peaks surrounded us. Soft snow fell lightly to the crispy grass below. We sat in what seemed like one of a few valleys, though I would only be guessing from the looks of it. This valley had a small, though dense, forest thick with trees and brush. We sat in an even smaller clearing with had the shiny silver Cornucopia in the middle. Around the Cornucopia, sitting in the snow, was a bunch of black nylon bags, while closer to it and inside sat fancy weapons. I could make out about two swords, three axes, a bow and a quiver, and a whip, though the smaller ones were probably hidden in the grass by laying on the ground.

"Thirty-Five!"

About half a minute to finalize a decision I had made below in the room. I had decided I was going to grab at least a bag so I would have supplies from the Cornucopia I needed. I wasn't planning on getting a weapon as that would only cost me my life in the process. Besides I could easily make a slingshot, but I couldn't make a flask or a blanket. Looking around, it seemed like others thought the same thing.

I saw Nova, who stood on a platform between Marcello and Danny, eyeing a bag close by. Elena was also eyeing a nearby bag. She stood on the other side of Coriander. There were a few bags close by to us, so I didn't fret about her stealing only one. Besides, if I got greedy and worried about getting the most bags, I would probably get myself killed.

"Twenty!"

Thing that worried me was that the Careers were not just eyeing it, but ogling the Cornucopia. That was to be predicted, though that didn't make me any less worried.

"Fifteen!"

I was beginning to second guess my actions. Should I actually run and grab a bag or run and find a hiding spot? Both required a lot of running and both put my life in danger. If I tried to get a bag, dur, I would risk being attacked by other tributes. The death would right up front. But if I ran away and didn't get my necessary supplies, I would risk my life at the hands of nature. The death would be slow.

"Seven!"

The countdown was closing in and everyone seemed to position themselves towards what they were planning. I still was second guessing myself.

I guess that sassy attitude doesn't help in situations like this, I thought.

"Five… Four… Three… Two… One!"

Following the lady's voice the loud signal sounded, alerting everyone to the start of the Hunger Games. Everyone seemed to act in fast-motion; everyone but me. I stood there frozen on the platform watching the scenes unfold in front of me, not knowing which way to act.

It was only seconds after the sound of the horn a scream cried out. I looked over to find the guy I thought kind to be choking out Elena. Coriander's arm was wrapped around Elena's neck, pulling up thus allowing her body to dangle. She had a nylon bag in her hands and was whipping it around in a struggle to get loose. But no matter how hard she might have hit him, Coriander wasn't loosening his grip. Soon her body grew limp and Coriander let it drop to the ground. In response to her lifeless body sitting in front of him, he merely pried the bag from her hands. He had killed her for a bag.

I wasn't frozen with guessing anymore, but instead frozen with fear. Someone I had thought to be a sort of kind guy ended up killing a 13-year old girl. I could only imagine how her mother and sister reacted to seeing Elena be the first one to die. I could see the bracelet sitting on Elena's motionless wrist.

As that happened another scream was heard; this one coming from the direction opposite of me. Looking over I saw Marcello looming over a smaller figure while already holding a sword. I don't know how much time had elapse, but apparently it was long enough for Marcello to race over and grab a sword. He was now standing over the figure in a menacing fashion. He didn't look happy or angry as he held the sword, just apathetic.

"Stop!" the figure screamed and it was by the voice that I recognized who she was.

It was none other than Nova. The preteen was crying as Marcello lifted the sword, pleading with the teen boy to just let her go.

"Those fake tears are not going to fool me," he said, swinging down the sword.

To tell you the truth, I don't think Nova was faking her fear.

The sword struck Nova at her neck, causing her to fall back from her kneeling position. I saw a thin red line at first stretch across her neck and watched it as it grew bigger as the blood began to poor out of her neck wound. She seemed to have enough energy to place her hand on her neck before she finally stopped breathing. The lime green ribbon wrapped around her wrist soon became drenched in blood. I hadn't wanted Nova to die so soon. Even if I had disliked her, she was still a child and no child should have to die so soon. I sure as hell hadn't wanted to see it.

After Nova's death, they started to pour in. Both the boy from District Five and the one from District Six died at the hands of Helena, who seemed to be on a rampage with the other sword. She swung it so nimbly too that I didn't know whether to be scared of her or to admire her skill. Wyatt was stabbed in the stomach by Helena who then proceeded to slash Othello across the chest. Both were so deep that there was no saving either of them.

Soon after the death of her District partner, Seraphina had begun to mourn. She had already grabbed a bag and was ready to get away, but after witnessing Wyatt's murder, she began to cry. I wanted to tell her to run. I wanted to tell me to run! I had every intention to warn her, but my voice didn't seem to want to work. And as I stood in sheer silence, Aur had launched an arrow from her newly acquired bow at the back of the ginger girl. The arrow hit Seraphina square in the back of her head, killing her at what I could assume was instantly. Seraphina fell backwards onto the arrow, which only skewered her head more. I ended up having to look away from the sight as it was just so… Gross.

Amira had managed to grab and axe. She was swinging it back and forth at Paris, who was trying to get her with a knife. Amira didn't seem to be having any of it. She was from District Seven so of course she would be skilled with an axe. I could have even sworn I saw her at the axe station during training and she was killing it.

As Amira dealt with Paris, Claria had come up behind her. The blonde girl was wielding two knives, holding them close to her in a defensive position. She had a bag slung over her shoulder and looked like she was ready to kill Amira. I hadn't thought that wise, as Amira looked a lot more trained than Claria. Then again, I wasn't one to talk of wise moves as I still hadn't moved from my position. Instead I continued to watch the scenes as if it were the theatre.

Amira had seemed to see Claria sneak up behind her out of the corner of her eye. Paris had went to jump her at the exact time Claria went to stab her. What happened next both amazed me and frightened me at the same time; even more than Helena's skills. Amira pushed Paris off and quickly swung her axe over her shoulder and whipped it behind her. Claria didn't even have time to react. The axe stuck down on top of Claria's head, cracking open her skull and getting stuck half way in. Claria stumbled backwards, still apparently alive with the axe in her head, and reached up for the hilt of the axe. She tugged on the axe, though it wasn't coming out, only blood gushed out. She finally managed to get a good grip on the handle and pulled the sucker out. As the axe left, so did most of her blood in her head. She fell to the ground almost immediately.

Amira went to turn her attention back to Paris, only to find a knife stuck in her back. It was positioned right at her heart, which was a guaranteed kill. Amira still had some life in her as Paris laughed at her coughing up blood. She grabbed her axe and swung it at him. She didn't have enough energy to swing it properly, so she ended up swinging it sideways by mistake. The blunt side of the double-headed weapon hit the side of Paris' head and knocked to him to the ground. Soon after, Amira fell to the ground.

Paris lay unconscious on the ground as Helena walked up to his body. I could faintly see blood coming out of his noise.

"Useless," Helena said.

I didn't expect what she did next. She stomped on his head, killing him as he was out. They were both Careers, so they were supposed to be on the same alliance. She wasn't supposed to kill him, yet she did.

As I watched this, a figure ran towards me. It was Silver, who was carrying two bags, the whip, and an axe.

"Run you idiot!" he shouted, running past me.

His harsh voice snapped me out of my daze. The Careers had already gathered up the rest of the bags and making their way towards me. I didn't have any more time to hesitate. I dashed off of the platform and ran into the forest. I didn't stop running until I hit the rocky mountain side.

Snow means water, I thought, looking up at the snowy caps.

They must have given us these warm clothing to prevent a repeat of the tundra arena, which was considered "boring" by most in the Capital. I should have been able to maintain my body heat in the cold, mountainous area if I regulated my breathing and kept bundled up. Mountains also meant caves which I could only hope to find one deep enough to hide in for the rest of the Games.

As I hiked the face of the mountain I thought back to the Bloodbath. Why did I watch it? Was I afraid? What a weird question, of course I was afraid. I was afraid I would have been Seraphina or Nova or Elena and get killed before even starting. I was so afraid I couldn't even move. I had planned to grab a bag and I had chickened out. I was pathetic. Still, because of that pathetic side of me, I managed to survive. That and because of Silver. He could have left me to die at the hands of the Careers and he didn't. He snapped me out of my trance.

I didn't manage to find a cave, but I did manage to find a tall enough tree that I could hide in for the night so I could sleep. That is, what little sleep I could get. My dreams ended up being haunted by the deaths I had witnessed.

Later that night, before the coming of Day Two, Anastasia died.

End of Day One and the Bloodbath. I cannot apologize enough if your character(s) died during the Bloodbath. Everyone has to die, but no one wants to die first; but someone has to. I didn't want to kill them off. Also I apologize if the deaths were too gruesomely descriptive for you. I will be toning it down as time goes by, or at least I will try.

So it looks like I might be making another Hunger Games story after this. The polls are saying half of you want that, though the polls are still open so no telling if it will staying there. If I do though, I have a question.

QUESTION: Would you want a sequel [of sorts] to "Overture of a Massacre" set in a near future Games? Or would you want an AU story set after the 75th Games? Please answer in the reviews.

Deaths In This Chapter

*Elena - Placed 24th; Killed by Coriander.

*Nova - Placed 23rd; Killed by Marcello.

*Wyatt - Placed 22nd; Killed by Helena.

*Othello - Placed 21st; Killed by Helena.

*Seraphina - Placed 20th; Killed by Aur.

*Claria - Placed 19th; Killed by Amira.

*Amira - Placed 18th; Killed by Paris.

*Paris - Placed 17th; Killed by Amira and Helena.

*Anastasia - Placed 16th; Killed by Unknown.