Dakota Grangerford, 12

District 9 Female

Dakota and her stylist Draco were sitting quietly in a small prep room beneath the arena. A Peacekeeper had wheeled her chair in and told Draco that she would not be allowed to bring her hair into the arena. Then he shut and locked the door.

For most of her life, Dakota hated her wheelchair. But now she was terrified to be without it. She was going to die in the bloodbath for sure. She could try to scoot away, but the Careers would love an easy target to get their kill count up.

Something hit the floor, making Dakota jump. She turned to see Draco frantically picking stuff up from the ground, muttering to himself. When he saw Dakota watching him, his face paled.

"Dakota," he whispered. "I think I have an idea to help you in the arena. But you can't let anyone know. Now turn around."

Frowning, she did as said. Draco began wrapping a thick cloth around her middle. Then he slipped a large pad of gauze down her back, covering the small lump that was there.

"Okay," he said, voice quiet. "This wrap should protect your back from any blows. That's your weak spot, so it's got extra padding now." Dakota looked up at him; Draco genuinely looked concerned for her. It made a small smile tug at her lips.

"Thank you," she said. Draco grinned.

Then her purple-haired stylist helped her dress in a short-sleeved khaki button-down shirt, olive green shorts, tall socks, heavy boots, and a safari hat.

"Expect a hot arena," he said.

"Tributes, please enter your tubes," a robotic female voice said, and Dakota took a deep breath, wheeling over to the black circle on the floor. Draco walked beside her, pulling her into a tight hug. Then he helped her into the circle, where she sat down.

"Good luck," Draco said. And then glass began to rise around her.

Briefly, she was in darkness. And then warm, dry air hit her, and she found herself in a vast grassland with tall yellow grass and, in the distance, big flat trees. The girl from 12 was to her left, and Moira from 10 was to her right. She couldn't see any Careers nearby.

Piled in the Cornucopia were crates, tubs, backpacks and weapons, with other, smaller items scattered in front. The Cornucopia was bronze, and a flashing yellow countdown hung over the point.

The pedestals rose above the ground. If she rolled off and tucked herself behind hers, she might be able to stay hidden until the opportunity to crawl away presented itself. And then… she had no idea.

A gong rang and the tributes leaped off their pedestals. Moira just turned and ran, while the girl from 12 headed into the fray. The first to go was the girl from 11. The boy from 4 snatched up a bow and shot her in the back. Ada from 2 slashed through the girl from 3 with an ax. The boy from 2 threw a spear, which sank into the back of the boy from 3.

She just had time to watch Iago from 12 slice through Elliott from 7 before a huge body came charging towards her. Dakota instinctively covered her face, leaning back, but then the person was holding her wrists and pulling her hands back. To her relief, it was Mars.

"Come on," he said, handing her a small plastic case. "Time to go." He grabbed her around the waist and slung Dakota over her shoulder. Her head bumped against his backpack and she grumbled, but Mars ignored her. Instead, he took off running.

Indigo Li, 13

District 8 Female

Indigo had gotten very lucky. She was on the far left of the row of pedestals, second from the end. To her left was Quincy from 11, and to her right was Raven from 6. Glancing around, Indigo couldn't spot Blythe, but she did see a big backpack leaning against a large plastic tub. A coil of rope was tied to the side. It was perfect.

When the gong rang, Quincy ran left, away from the Cornucopia. Indigo and Raven ran straight in. Indigo stuck an arm out and shoved Raven, never slowing her speed. Her feet kicked up dust as she skidded to a halt near the backpack. She reached for it, but someone grabbed it at the same time as her.

Looking up, Indigo found herself face-to-face with Lazuli from 4. Lazuli reeled back her arm, but Indigo ducked under the punch. She kicked Lazuli in the knee and the girl shouted, falling back to grab her leg. Indigo slung the backpack on and shoved the tub over on top of Lazuli's legs. Then she ran.

Screams echoed around her, but she pushed them back, along with the worry plaguing her. She hurdled over the body of the girl from 5, who's head had been cleanly cut from her body. She stumbled when she landed, nearly vomiting. It was awful.

When she reached the pedestals, she looked around for Blythe. But the blonde girl was nowhere in sight. Indigo was about to abandon her and run when she finally spotted her. She was carrying a hatchet and had a cylindrical pouch tucked under one arm.

"Pruitt!" Indigo shouted, choosing to use Blythe's last name so she was harder to target. She waved her arms in the air until Blythe saw her. She ran around the pedestals and stopped beside Indigo, breathing hard. But Indigo didn't let her stop. She just grabbed Blythe's arm and took off in the same direction Quincy went.

Prince Middleton, 17

District 1 Male

By the time the gong went off, Prince had already spotted the sword he was going for. It was leaning against a rack of spears, just waiting for him. So he headed straight for it. He was already sweating from the sun, and was grateful for the hats they were given.

An arrow whistled past him, and he heard it hit its target, but he didn't bother turning around. Tulio was a good shot. He didn't need help. Instead, Prince snatched up the sword and whipped around. The girl from 5 was running away with a large backpack, but she stumbled and fell.

Prince rushed over, bringing his sword down on the back of her neck. It severed her head, and Prince stumbled back, using the sword to support himself. Ali's face flashed in his mind, frowning at him. He looked at the girl again. She had a family. She had people waiting for her at home, hoping she'd come back, the same way Maia and Ali were hoping he'd return. And now they'd get her back in a coffin.

Bile rose in his throat and he backed away, vomiting onto the dusty ground. Out of the corner of his eye he saw another tribute rush by, but when he tried to move, his vision blurred and he stumbled.

Crouching down, he forced himself to take deep breaths until his vision cleared. Straightening up, he looked around wildly. The bloodbath seemed to be dying down. The boy from 6, one of their big contenders, was dead on the ground with Ada standing over her. And Cadmus was just yanking his spear out of the back of the boy from 9.

Stepping back, Prince leaned against the Cornucopia, taking deep breaths. Iago came over, sneering.

"Doing okay, 1?" he asked.

"Just hot," Prince snapped. Iago raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything else. Ada and Cadmus came over. Tulio was fiddling with his bow. They all waited for the cannons to come, but none did.

"Someone isn't dead," Ada hissed, looking around.

"There!" Iago called, pointing. Lazuli from 4 was limping away as quickly as she could, but her knee was bent at an odd angle. Tulio raised his bow, but winced.

"She's my district partner," he mumbled. Ada rolled her eyes and threw her ax. It landed square in Lazuli's back and she crumbled. Her cannon fired, followed by eight others. The bloodbath was over.

Hey everyone! Here is the Hopeless bloodbath. Which death was the most surprising? Who got the coolest kill? Let me know in a review!

Eulogies

24th: Millie Greene (11F) - killed by Tulio
Millie was a sweetheart who didn't deserve the Games. RIP.

23rd: Tessa Hurst (3F) - killed by Ada
Tessa, you were a grump, but I liked you all the same. RIP.

22nd: Bo Sanderson (3M) - killed by Cadmus
Sorry Bo, I guess your smarts weren't enough to get you through the bloodbath. RIP.

21st: Elliott Clarke (7M) - killed by Iago
Elliott, my chronically ill boy. You never stood a chance and for that I am sorry. RIP.

20th: Keith Burton (8M) - killed by Jasmine
Sorry Keith. I really liked you, and I wished Indigo interacted with you a little more. You weren't just a crybaby. RIP.

19th: Nina Jones (5F) - killed by Prince
Nina, my little anxious bean. I'm sorry you had to go. RIP.

18th: Nero Smith (6M) - killed by Ada
Nero, you will be missed; by Raven, by your mom, and by your customers. RIP.

17th: Ezekiel Miller (9M) - killed by Cadmus
Zeke, you were a teeny bit boring, and for that I apologize. Also, I'm sorry Dakota ruined your interview. RIP.

16th: Lazuli Aguado (4F) - killed by Ada
Goodbye Lazuli. Killing you was a last minute choice. Originally, you were able to crawl away. I'm sorry. RIP.

Alliances

Careers:
- Queenie
- Prince
- Ada
- Cadmus
- Tulio
- Iago

Polar Opposites:
- Indigo
- Blythe

Kindness:
- Dakota
- Mars

Loners:
- Nikolas
- Raven (she got separated from Moira)
- Jasmine
- Moira (she got separated from Raven)
- Quincy

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona