AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm still not home yet, but I've still managed to get another chapter up. Here we get to learn about another victor with pretty prominent leadership skills as we draw closer to Enobaria, Cashmere, & Gloss. We also get to see this character in "The 100th Annual Hunger Games, so there's also that to keep in mind. Otherwise, I'm not really able to do much writing due to my lack of access to my main computer, but my other stories will all resume around Thursday or Friday when I return home.
Until then... Happy Reading!
The 61st Annual Hunger Games
While the 5th decade of the Hunger Games was popularly considered the Golden Age, the 7th decade was sometimes considered this by the careers for the slew of career tribute victories that went down this year. Plenty of them were from District 1 or District 2, but since nowadays the definition of "career tribute" entailed anyone who was worthy to join the career tribute alliance, not all of the victors were from the career districts.
The 61st Annual Hunger Games saw Vance Auburn and Kara Petersen from District 7 joining the careers. Anyone that volunteered was usually considered, even if they were from poor, rebellious districts like District 11 or District 12. Both of them volunteered, although their reasons for doing so were never exactly made clear. Volunteers from districts outside of '1 and '2 were rare, but that didn't necessarily assure them a victory either.
Whatever the case, Reuben Silversmith and Vivian Lazuli from District 1 welcomed the District 7 pair into the alliance just as the pair from District 2 did. This Roku Ogawa and Zenzi Zakau were stronger than their District 1 counterparts unlike the previous year, but they still rescinded "leadership" of the career pack to Vivian and Reuben regardless.
Also unlike last year, however, they were met with formidable opposition. District 12 produced another dangerous pair of "Painted Tributes" who promptly recruited the pair from Districts 9, 8, and 11, forming an alliance larger than the career pack. This was going to be another "faction war" Hunger Games. This was also alarming because similar to how District 3 was sometimes strong enough to keep up with the powerful careers, occasionally District 11 had tributes from the more dangerous parts of the district, and this was one of those years. Both of them were 'painted' similar to the way the District 12 pair were, and had similar fierce and dangerous behavior in the training center as well.
Training scores proved the careers' fears to be true in this regard. While the pairs from Districts 1 and 2 scored 10s and 11s, two of the children from the other alliance (the girl from '11 and the boy from '12) scored 12s. Their partners scored 11s, the District 8 pair scored 9s, and both kids from District 9 broke free from the mold of being cannon fodder, both scoring 10s. This would be an intriguing bloodbath to say the least. All of these high scores meant trouble on all sides.
The arena also spelled trouble as the tributes cast their eyes on it for the first time. The 60-second countdown began and the tributes all glanced around. In contrast to some of the earlier arenas, this one was a lush, green jungle full of goodness-knows-what. There would be traps and sabotage galore for sure, and the career pack knew it.
Luckily for them, there were ample supplies at the cornucopia besides just weapons, but it seemed that the outer district alliance wasn't out for kills or for the careers just yet. Instead, when the gong sounded, they grabbed supplies and fought off a few other tributes as the six career tributes fought for control of the cornucopia, grabbing some of the ample weapons to protect their claims.
The ten deaths from the bloodbath were all cleanly across district lines. The tributes from Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10 were the casualties this year, meaning the faction war had begun between the two groups: The career pack comprising of District 1, District 2, and District 7; and the outlying alliance of Districts 8, 9, and 11, led by the painted tributes of District 12.
Sabotage was definitely an integral part of whatever this sinister arena contained. Hardly two nights in, the careers were woken by a vicious rumble that annihilated their supplies. It was Kara who kept the pack from plunging into chaos as she tried to regain control of the situation.
"Don't panic," she warned, "we've got this. If we run off in fear they'll think we're scared. Regroup into the cornucopia. Any projectiles that come our way will hit us only if we're careless. Otherwise we can help split them or deflect them. Watch the directions."
"It's pretty hard to track where these attacks are coming from in the dark," Reuben reasoned, and he had a point. The outlying tributes were cunning in the dark and they were using it to their advantage.
"Doesn't mean we can't track their attacks," Kara warned, "and hell if I'm going to let this alliance fall on the 2nd night to those savages."
Kara's leadership skills preserved the career pack, even if she was an "outsider" being from District 7. The attacks ceased that night, but it forced the careers to venture into the jungle to find food and water, which was exactly what their enemies hoped they would do.
"Stay wary," Kara warned, "we're in their territory, and this foliage is thick as hell. If you see any thinner patches of brush or growth, stop and we'll test it for traps."
"Who's we?" Roku frowned, "I do not exactly have the skill of detecting traps."
"He's kind of right," Zenzi agreed, "We're designed for combat rather than subtlety."
"If you see something suspicious, just tell me," Kara told the others, "I'll test it for traps."
"You're not about to backstab us, are you?" Vance tilted his head.
"Not while there are eight tributes that definitely want my blood and will probably drink it or use it to paint their faces," Kara shook her head, "seriously, guys. If you're skeptical about following me just because I'm younger than you and an outsider, feel free to kill me now—but if you do, you're just giving more power to '8, '9, '11, and '12."
This was enough to shut the egotistical careers up.
Over the next three days, Kara disarmed eight traps, but the trail for the elusive alliance was still cold. Vance, Roku, Zenzi, Reuben, and Vivian all followed Kara, but it seemed the eight tributes they were pursuing had spread out so far that they had taken control of the arena by rigging it up with traps and poisons of all kinds. It was only after Reuben got killed by falling face-first into a hidden field of punji sticks that the careers knew their strategy needed to change.
"It's war now," Kara cracked her knuckles. "We make camp and we'll bring them to us."
She fashioned herself a dart gun and after a little scouting around, her partner Vance came back with a large sack of berries and a wicked smirk.
"Nightlock," he warned, "paint your weapons with some of this and the poison will do in whoever's sorry enough to get in your way."
"Perfect." Kara smirked, "boys and girls, you know what do to."
The girl from District 9 was the first victim, and unbeknownst to the remaining tributes from District 8 and District 9, the tributes from District 11 and District 12 were using these other tributes as scouts for a reason. Thus, when the girl's injured partner staggered back, they mentally noted his information, congratulated him and gave him some of their extra supplies as a reward.
The next day, they sent the same tributes out again to track the careers' movements. The tributes from District 8 managed to find the careers and attack, taking down Vance. However, Roku and Zenzi managed to take down both of them, as well as the boy from District 9, which in turn forced Districts 11 and 12 to make a move.
It was a battle of poisons that lasted another week. Blows were exchanged, but the careers abandoned their original methods and went in with poisons, grenades, sabotage, and subterfuge, turning the games into a guerilla warfare style death match. The boy from District 12 fell first, followed by the girl from District 11, who took Roku down with her. The higher-scoring tributes were out of the way, and Kara continued leading the career pack like chessmen. Vivian was killed the day after Roku, and Kara retaliated by taking down the girl from District 12.
As Zenzi took her final breaths, it became clear who the real chessmaster of this year's games was. Kara Petersen plunged a pair of poisoned knives into the District 11 girl's vitals, killing her almost immediately due to Nightlock's immediate effects, and as she died, Kara stood triumphant, becoming the 5th victor from District 7, and the 61st victor of the Hunger Games.
The leadership skills Kara demonstrated in the arena (for the other careers were far from stupid) made her dangerous to the Capitol. If she could lead diverse people against a common enemy, then she could possibly lead a revolution. Close tabs were kept on her, but ultimately nothing became of it over the next several years. Al they were able to learn about her was that she enjoyed fashion design and wood carving, even going as far as carving her own mannequins that she used to sample her creations. After all, being from District 7 meant Kara was an expert with woodwork, and she appeared clever enough to not set a foot out of line. Either Kara Petersen was not a revolutionary, or she was simply biding her time, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. After all, discontent still ran rampant among the districts, especially the victors, whose lives had been fundamentally transformed by the games, with Kara as no exception. While they laid low and acted complacent for now, that would not always be the case…
VICTORS BY YEAR:
1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)