Day Six:
Mason Riley (D2 M 18)
"Guys!" I shout at Alexandrite and Jessie as the sun begins to peek over the mist. "I've got big news!"
The two of them climb out of their sleeping bags and look up at me. "What, Mason?" Alexandrite says as she fails to stifle a yawn.
"Look," I say, pointing out towards West Island- or, where West Island used to be.
"It's gone," Alexandrite gasps. "Where did it go?"
"I don't know," Mason says. "Something must have happened to it overnight, while it was dark. I didn't notice it was gone until the sun came up."
"Do you think anyone was on it?" Alexandrite asks.
"Don't be ridiculous,"Jessie snaps. "How boring of a death would that be? There's no action, no blood. Everyone must be on East Island. The Gamemakers obviously knocked West Island off the map to make the playing field smaller."
"Which works for us," I say. "Now we don't have to hunt on two separate islands. We can concentrate our efforts on the one. It'll be easier to catch tributes now."
"Speaking of hunting, how are we going to do it today?" Jessie asks.
"I think it's your turn to keep watch, Jessie," I say.
"No way!" she shouts. "I think you need to keep watch."
"I actually agree," Alexandrite says. "Mason, what if the person who killed Glint comes back today? It was probably the girl from District Nine, and you can definitely take her on. You're the strongest of the three of us. We need you to protect our supplies."
I take it into consideration. It is true that I am the strongest. It is true that I can take down that girl. "I don't know," I say. "Do you really think the girl from District Nine will come back today?"
"I think so," Jessie says. "She's probably came by yesterday because she's low on food. There's only so much that she can carry, so she'll probably need more today."
"Come on, Mason," Alexandrite says. "We need a big strong man to hold down the fort today. Please?" Alexandrite opens her eyes wide and looks up at me hopefully.
"Fine," I say. "But there's one condition. This is the last time I keep watch during the rest of the Games."
Jessie opens her mouth to protest but Alexandrite stamps on her foot. "Deal!" she shrieks. She runs up to me, stands on her tiptoes, and hugs me around the stomach because she's a foot and a half shorter than me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Alexandrite," Jessie says, the annoyance clear in her voice.
Alexandrite walks over to Jessie. "We'll talk later," she says in a really loud whisper.
"But Alexandrite-"
"Later!" Alexandrite says, glaring at Jessie. I don't know why Alexandrite wants to go hunting with Jessie so badly. They don't seem to like each other very much. Maybe Alexandrite wanted to suck up to Jessie to ensure that we'd get to hunt together tomorrow.
After packing up small bags, Alexandrite and Jessie head off for the bridge to East Island. "Bye, guys," I say as they set off. Jessie turns to roll her eyes at me while Alexandrite waves. They finally begin the hike across the bridge, leaving me to wonder what I'm going to do with myself for the next ten hours.
Harvest Anson (D9 F 18)
I open my eyes and panic when I see a shelf of rock above my head. It's been six days in the arena and I'm still not used to waking up in my cave. I sit up and look around. My pile of bags has nearly doubled in the past day. I stole three bags from the careers after I killed that career. Now I've got tons of supplies and enough food to last me three or four more days. Since I'm in such good shape now, I don't think I'll risk it by venturing out of the cave today. Yes, it might get boring, but I'd rather be bored than dead.
I dig into one of my bags to find some breakfast. I come across a package of dried fruit, so I munch on that while I look through my bags for water. It turns out there were two bottles of water in the bags I grabbed yesterday. Plus, I still have a third of my canteen filled with stream water that I boiled. If rationed correctly, this could last me two or three more days, even though I'll probably end up taking a trip to the stream tomorrow. The more water I have, the better I'll feel. Besides, as the days go on, there's more of a chance that the Gamemakers will do something to the stream. They could dry it up or even just remove it from their map. That's just what the Gamemakers like to do when things get boring- they create more obstacles for us.
I wonder how the other tributes are doing. If I remember right, there are seven other remaining: the girl from One, both from Two, the boys from Five and Six, and the girls from Seven and Ten. If I had to guess, I'd say that the boy from Six is doing the worst. I'm very surprised he's made it so far, considering that he's only twelve and received a low training score. He must have either an ally or a lot of sponsors. The District Ten girl was also young, but I think she got a higher training score than the boy did. She must have some sort of skills hiding up her sleeve. I don't remember much about the girl from District Seven besides the fact that she was pretty. I think she might've had allies, but chances are, they're probably dead. The District Five boy was another one that I don't remember much about. That must mean he got somewhat of an average score, or I would have kept a mental note in my head.
As with the three remaining careers, I know just how deadly they can be. I have taken out two of their previous members, but luck and circumstance had to do with both of those. The boy from District One was injured, and the boy from District Four wasn't looking when I sent my spear through his back. Maybe though, luck will continue to work in my favor. I haven't given up on myself yet, and I don't plan to- not even if I'm pinned on the ground with a career wielding a weapon over my head. If the careers want to kill me, they'd better be prepared for a fight.
Jessie Harte (D2 F 14)
We finally step onto East Island. "Now can you tell me why you wanted to go hunting with me so bad?" I ask Alexandrite. Earlier today, when she convinced Mason to stay back to guard the tent, it confused me. I figured that Alexandrite must be up to something, which is really odd considering that I didn't think she was bright enough to scheme.
"Fine," Alexandrite says. Finally! I've been asking her since we stepped onto the bridge. "I wanted to wait until we were out of earshot of Mason."
"Alexandrite," I say. "That bridge is over a hundred yards long."
"Fine," she snaps. "I was figuring out how to organize my words. The truth is, I have a plan, and I want you in on it."
"What's your plan?" I ask in a bored tone.
"Well, who do you think our toughest competition is, besides the two of us?"
"Mason," I say without having to think.
"Exactly," she says. "And we're getting down to the wire here. We're already in the final eight. The career alliance can't last much longer."
"So, what are you saying?" I ask, hoping she'll get to the point soon.
"We need to take out Mason, and then go our separate ways. The two of us are pretty evenly matched. I think if we took him out, the two of would make it to the final two, and then we could battle it out there."
"You serious?" I say. This isn't like Alexandrite at all. Then again, I have been a bit suspicious of her lately. I think there's more to Alexandrite than what meets the eye.
"Absolutely," she says. "His head has gotten a bit big lately. I don't think he deserves to win."
"So when are we going to kill him?" I ask. "Today? Tomorrow?"
"I think we need to wait for another day or two," she says. "When he goes hunting tomorrow, he could knock off a few tributes for us. He has to be gone by the feast, though, assuming that there is one this year. The feast usually happens at the final five-ish, and we'd definitely split up by then. We can't have Mason stealing all of our food and whatever else is there."
I think Alexandrite's plan over for a second. It does make perfect sense. There's no denying that Mason is stronger than me and Alexandrite. The two of us girls are pretty evenly matched, but if it came down to the two of us, I think there's a very good chance that I'd emerge victorious. "Alright," I say. "I'll help you kill him. But, as soon as he's dead, we're done being allies. Okay?"
"Okay," she says. "Now let's kill some tributes!" She raises her bow up, and begins the walk through the forest.
Peyton Stanley (D6 M 12)
I look over at Swirl as her eyes flutter open. "Morning," I say even though it has to be nearing noon. I hand her the last of our berries.
"Good morning," she says, taking the berries and gulping them down. Once she's done, she opens her eyes wide and looks at me in shock. "Those weren't our last berries, were they?" she asks.
"Unfortunately, yes," I say. "But we still have about two portions of meat left. Besides, I'm going to go hunting today."
She shakes her head. "You're not going by yourself. I'm coming too."
"Well, how's your back feeling?"
Swirl shrugs. "I don't think I'll be killing anyone today, but I know I can at least walk."
"But what if we get chased by another jaguar or the careers?"
"The Gamemakers aren't going to give us jaguars two days in a row, Peyton," Swirl says. "And I'm not worried about the careers. They're loud and obnoxious; we'll hear them from a mile away. If we spot them, we'll just climb up into the nearest tree before they notice us."
"I don't know, Swirl," I say. "Lots of things could go wrong."
"Listen, Peyton," she says, grabbing me in the shoulders and looking at me in the eyes. "We have enough food for one meal. That won't sustain us well for another day. Plus, we don't have much water left, do we?"
I rummage through our bag and pull out our two water bottles. One is filled a quarter of the way; the other is empty. "That settles it," Swirl says. "We have virtually no food and water, and we have no chance of getting a sponsor gift since we got that huge one yesterday. I'm coming with you."
"Fine," I say, finally caving in. "We'll go. Just let me rub some cream over your scratches first."
Swirl lifts her shirt. Her cuts look surprisingly better than yesterday. They've started to scab, and they look a little bit smaller than yesterday. Maybe she will be okay today.
Once I'm done with the cream, I pack everything back into our bag. "I'll toss this onto the ground so that I can help you down," I say, holding up the bag.
"Nonsense," she says. "I can get down fine on my own."
I shrug and pull the bag's straps over my shoulder. I decide to climb down first, just in case Swirl slips or needs help lowering herself. True to her word though, Swirl manages the descent all by herself. However, can tell she's in pain. She grabs her back and grimaces during at least two occasions. I'm worried for her, but I know that Swirl doesn't want me to worry on her behalf. She'll be back to normal in no time.
"You ready?" Swirl asks, making me realize that I had been staring off into the woods for the last few seconds.
I nod. "Let's get this over with." We begin our hike in the direction of the stream, through the lush green rainforest. If we're lucky, the two or us will be back here in a few hours, alive.
Mapelle Green (D7 F 14)
I pull my pot off of the fire as it lets out spurts of steam. Now, I have to sit here for an agonizing half an hour since I don't want the boiling water to burn a hole through my tongue. I stamp out the fire, kick the ash into the stream, and place all of my stuff back into my bag. Finally, I sit down and wait, left with nothing but my thoughts.
I've had a lot of time to think lately. Now that my allies are dead, I have no one to talk to, so all I do is think. I've been wondering a lot about my family lately. I've been in the final eight for about a day now, so chances are, they've already been interviewed. I'm especially worried about Barry. He's only three and has never been away from me for this long. Even though he doesn't understand what's going on, I want to be there for my little brother. I miss him dearly. I hope he'll be okay if I don't make it out of here alive.
I'm also worried about my parents. Since my dad lost his job a little while ago, how will they survive without my tessarae? My mom does have a laundry job, but the pay is extremely low. It isn't enough to sustain three people. I have to survive the Games, and it's not for my own sake. If I die, my family may die as well.
The water finally cools down enough to drink. It's still lukewarm, but seeing as I haven't had water in three hours, I don't mind. I fill my only water bottle and then sip out of the pot. I gulp up as much water as my body will allow since the pot is too heavy to carry when it's filled with water. I take one final gulp and pour the remainder of my boiled water back into the stream. At last, I set off again into the forest, searching for a new tree to reside in.
Eridan Keating (D5 M 16)
I sit on the side of the stream, holding my fishing rod above the water and hoping that something will bite. For the third time in three days, I've been forced to sit here for hours and hours, praying that a fish will jump into my line. I've caught a grand total of zero fish today, which is surprisingly only one less than what I got yesterday. Since I finished up that fish a few hours ago, it's imperative that I catch something else. The only food I have left is a handful of berries that I collected back on West Island a few days ago. I'm saving that pile for emergencies, though- big emergencies. Even though I don't have any food now, I know that my food shortage isn't too huge. The human body can last for about eight days without any food, so I don't plan to dig into my stash until at least day five of starvation. Although, those berries could go bad by then, so I may need to come up with a 'Plan B.'
I watch my fishing line float around in the water since I have nothing better to do. I look at my hook, dangling a few inches under the surface of the shallow stream. Unfortunately, I can't see any fish swimming around under the water. In fact, the only fish I've ever seen in this stream is the one that is currently making its way through my digestive system. Maybe it was just a fluke that I managed to catch it yesterday. Maybe the Gamemakers decided to take pity on me by plopping a fish into the water next to my hook. It doesn't seem like something they'd do, but I can't think of any other explanation as to why this stream has no occupants. I'm starting to believe that I wiped out the entire population by catching that one little fish yesterday.
As I continue to stare into the stream's crystal-blue water, I suddenly spot movement out of the corner of my eye. Immediately, my whole body goes ice-cold as I yank my line out of the water and slowly turn over to where I thought I saw the motion. My body feels even colder when I spot the source. Walking through the woods are the two career girls, weapons gleaming in their hands.
Without thinking, I turn away from the careers and bolt. I run as fast as my legs can carry me, over fallen branches, around thick trees, and under loosely-hanging vines. I don't know if the careers are chasing me. I don't even know if they saw me. The only thing I know is that I must keep running. I can't look over my shoulder to see if they really are chasing me. If I look over my shoulder, it'll slow me down, and they'll get a direct shot at my face. I have to keep sprinting. If I stop, I'll die. If I keep going, I may survive. I just can't give up.
I lose track of how long I run for. If I had to guess, though, I'd say that I sprinted for at least twenty minutes straight, maybe even thirty. I don't stop until I trip over a root and tumble onto the ground. Thankfully, I'm not hurt. I look over my shoulder to check for the careers. They're nowhere in sight. Did they give up chasing me? Or, were they never chasing me to begin with? I suddenly realize that I'm clenching my rod tightly in my fist. I loosen my grip, and then notice that I don't have my backpack. I must have left it back at the stream! How could I be so stupid? There's no way I'm going back now with the careers lurking around there. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to reunite myself with it. I guess that means I'm hanging around here for tonight. There's still a few hours before nightfall, but I decide to find myself a tree to sleep in. That run really tired me out, so I need a place to rest. Plus, if the careers come by, there's a chance that they may not notice me perched up in a tree. I place my fishing rod into my back pocket. Once I've wrapped up the hook well enough so that I know it won't stab me, I begin the search for a perfect tree.
Swirl Winters (D10 F 13)
My back stings with pain and my stomach grumbles with hunger, but I know I have to keep going. I have to try to kill something for Peyton. We haven't caught anything today, and it's going to get dark in another two hours or so. We did collect and boil some water at the stream, but water isn't enough to fill our empty stomachs. I think of the two juicy meat portions in our bag. As much as I want to devour the both of them, I know I have to control myself. There's still enough time to kill something.
As the time flies by, I find myself becoming more and more exhausted. I look over at Peyton. He doesn't look much better. His eyes are drooping and he yawns every few seconds. I'm just about to suggest taking a break when I trip over a root and fall face-first into the ground. I try to stand back up, but I'm too tired. My body won't move. Peyton rushes over. "We need to stop," he says. "You're too tired to keep hunting, and I am as well. Let's find a tree to climb up into."
"No," I say. "We have to find something to eat before we go to bed."
"We can eat some of our meat now and hunt tomorrow. Some sleep might make us less weak."
"We can't eat all of our meat," I say. "What happens if we can't find anything to eat tomorrow?"
"We'll manage," Peyton says. "And we don't have to eat all of our meat. We can eat half of it now and save the other half for tomorrow."
I'm too exhausted to argue with him, so I decide to go along with it. "Fine," I say. "But you're going to have to help me into a tree."
After Peyton helps me stand up, we manage to find a nice-looking tree not too far away. Somehow, the two of us manage to make it up into the branches. Peyton rubs some more cream onto my back. I notice we're starting to run out of it. Hopefully, my back will heal before we do. "Okay," Peyton says. "You can fall asleep now if you want."
"No," I say. "You deserve to sleep first since you kept watch last."
"I don't mind," he says, even though I can see the dark circles under his eyes. "You're hurt and sick so you deserve more sleep."
"Alright," I say. "But you have to wake me up in a few hours. Promise?"
"Promise," he says. Even though it's not dark yet, as soon as I lay my head down on the branch, I immediately fall asleep.
Alexandrite Dazzle (D1 F 17)
I'm upset that we didn't kill anyone today, but I'm glad that Jessie has agreed to go along with my plan to kill Mason. It was a plan I cooked up yesterday when I realized that we were in the final eight. As much as I hate teaming up with her, I know it's something I have to do. I'd be stupid if I didn't realize that Mason is stronger than me. Now Jessie- her I think I can beat. Yes, she got an eleven in training and yes, she has more kills than me, but I still think I can overpower her. After all, I think it's about time I stop the ditzy, District One girl act. It's gotten me this far, and I think it's time I let the sponsors see the true me. Once Mason is dead, the gloves are coming off.
Jessie and I reach the edge of the bridge and step back on to Cornucopia Island. Mason spots us and stands up. "Hey guys," he says, walking over. He must be pretty bored to spring over to us like this. "I didn't hear any cannons, but did you have any luck today?"
"No," Jessie says, slamming her backpack onto the ground. "We didn't see anyone."
"Oh well," Mason says. "I guess that means we'll definitely find someone tomorrow!" He nearly skips away. I guess someone's glad he didn't go hunting today. I roll my eyes when he's not looking and walk over to our pile of bags to find some food.
As I eat, I look out to where West Island used to be. I can't believe it disappeared- just like that. I guess it's good for us because our hunting zone is now smaller, but this has really brought what the Gamemakers can do into perspective. If they can just take a whole island off the map with seemingly no effort, what else are they planning to do?
The anthem suddenly goes off. No faces are displayed in the sky tonight. I'm disappointed that I'm not any closer to victory, but at least my face wasn't the one in the sky. Since it was a slow day today, I can pretty safely assume that someone will die tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be the one responsible for it. "I'll take first watch tonight," Mason says. He obviously wants to be rested for hunting tomorrow. Whatever. After I finish up my can of soup, I grab my sleeping bag and lay my head down. Almost instantly, I fall asleep.
No Deaths
Remaining Tributes (8):
D1:
Alexandrite Dazzle (D1 F 17)
{Annabeth-TheTributeThatLived}
D2:
Jessie Harte (D2 F 14)
{ImSoCutee00}
Mason Riley (D2 M 18)
{Jms2}
D5:
Eridan Keating (D5 M 16)
{Nothing. Is. Real}
D6:
Peyton Stanley (D6 M 12)
{Jms2}
D7:
Mapelle Green (D7 F 14)
{Annabeth-TheTributeThatLived}
D9:
Harvest Anson (D9 F 18)
{Semi-Dedicated Wierdo}
D10:
Swirl Winters (D10 F 13)
{feistyflame}
Kills:
Glint: Misty, Cobalt, Tadalynn, Lukas
Jessie: Jarvis, Aria, Cherry
Mason: Ryland, Peter, Nylah
Alexandrite: Jennette, Rory
Sheldon: Marina, Osborn
Harvest: Sheldon, Glint
Alliances:
Alexandrite/Jessie/Mason
Peyton/Swirl
Eridan
Mapelle
Harvest
I decided it was time for a slow day, which means that there will definitely be deaths on day seven. In the past four school days, my school has had one delay, one early dismissal, and two cancellations, which is the main reason I was finally able to get this chapter finished. The transition from basketball season to track season has been slightly tougher than I predicted, but as soon as all of this snow stops, I should be able to settle into my new schedule.
Make sure you've voted in the final eight poll. Since there will be a death or deaths in the next chapter, I need some data to figure out who to boot off. It's become a lot more difficult to make these decisions, so I need as much input as I can get.
Thanks for reading! :-)