I have never anticipated the start of a Games so much before. There's a part of me that just wants to get everything over with. Just hurry through the arena, give me the Victor, and move on already! I do try my hardest to be patient, but it's not easy sometimes. Of course, being in a depressive funk isn't easy either.
It's like everything is simultaneously too much and not enough. I get no stimulation from my hobbies sometimes, but then it's too much effort to get up and move when I actually wanna work on them. Highs are very high and lows are very low. The only thing on the middle ground is my emotions. Nothing really fazes me anymore, but I can't get excited for anything either.
My mind is telling me I should be excited or nervous. The Games are always a spectacle. But if the worst case scenario happens, if someone like Coral wins, shouldn't I be scared shitless?
During breakfast, I decide to watch the Games in my room, away from all the noise, distraction, and Aquilo's very unnecessary comments. I want to be able to focus in my own way and not be humiliated by my own brother and his stupid commentary.
It's after breakfast. I'm curled up in my bed with my laptop. My clock reads 9:55 am. In five minutes, the 150th Games will officially start. In the meantime, camera drones fly around the arena to showcase what might in store and all I can say is…
"Holy crap."
Mom and her team have really outdone themselves this year. The arena is a giant garden. With flowers that have to be as tall as a person, ponds surrounded by marble stones and with giant koi swimming in them, freshly manicured grass that reminds me of a hedge maze. I feel tiny just staring at it; who knows what the tributes will think.
Speaking of which, the twenty-four tributes are slowly brought into the arena. They are positioned in a circle surrounding a metallic pink Cornucopia. Well, fits the theme I suppose. As expected, all the good stuff sits in the mouth of the giant horn while smaller items are scattered about. The tall grass seems to swallow the tributes up as if they were nothing but colourful bugs. It appears this year's outfit has been kept very simple: just a T-shirt in each district's colour and a pair of cargo shorts. Must be pretty warm in there.
Down the seconds tick. 60 seconds turns into 30. Some tribute look terrified, others have crouched into position as they prepare to jump off their plates. Irie is sobbing. Cordin is shaking. Braydyn is still holding her bear and Kaydyn is frantically motioning to her. "Stay where you are! I'll come get you!"
30 seconds turn to 10. The tributes are eyeing the supplies, each of them appearing to make mental plans as to what they want to grab. Ten seconds turns to five. Then four. Then three, two, one…
Midas bursts off his pedestal with a burst of energy and breaks into a hard sprint. The other Careers join him as they run towards the horn. Beatrix and Cyrus are the first to reach it and start grabbing weapons.
Then the camera immediately jumps back to Midas who has a very pained look on his reddened face. He lets out a sharp exhale, then suddenly collapses onto the dirt. Beatrix and Cyrus stop what they're and the Careers stare in shock as they realize what just happened.
One of their own has just died.
Kai and Shadow join the fray, both of them practically leaping over Midas's unmoving body as the Cornucopia becomes more crowded. Now Beatrix and Cyrus toss weapons to their allies and the Careers seem to have recovered. Beatrix sets her sights on Ajax and Ari, both huddled behind a crate as they try to pry it open. She heaves her sword in the air.
Ajax sees her shadow first and gives Ari a hard shove. The boy from 5 tumbles to the side as Beatrix brings the sword down on Ajax. It goes straight into his gut. Ari scrambles to his feet and runs into the grass as Beatrix continues to stab Ajax. His screams fill the other.
Across the patch of dirt surrounding the Cornucopia, there's another round of yells as Cyrus tackles Sorrel to the ground and pins down his arms with their knees. They slice an axe into his side and blood spills everywhere. At that moment, Roxy trips Vevo as the two women tussle over a loaf of bread.
Sorrel's blood sprays all over Vevo's face.
Roxy runs off and almost collides into Cordin. He's met up with Shadow, both of their arms full of supplies. "Where's everyone else?" Cordin asks breathlessly. Suddenly he's yanked backwards as Emberly grabs at his short black hair.
Only for her to suddenly collapse as Kai axes her back open. "Come on. Let's go get the Sixes and get the fuck out of dodge."
The trio ducks as a knife comes sailing over their heads. Vevo is still trying to wipe Sorrel's blood out of her eyes. She can't see Coral and a second knife lands right into her skull. There's a sickening crack and she falls. Meanwhile, Cyrus has freed his axe from Sorrel's body and swings it at Judd. Judd manages to jump out of the way, but the edge of the axe blade cuts into his back and stains his shirt.
Judd swings his backpack around and hits Cyrus in the face with it. Cyrus tumbles backwards and gives Judd enough time to get away.
The alliance of Cassandra, Indigo, Irie, and Hyacinth has made good work of gathering as much supplies as they can. Coral and Beatrix confront them. Cassandra brandishes her dagger at Coral.
Coral just smirks.
And then a knife is thrown into Cassandra's chest as Beatrix throws herself at Hyacinth but Indigo pulls her away and the two girls run. Irie tries to follow but Beatrix runs through her with her sword and the girl from 5 falls onto the ground, stirring as blood seeps down her side.
Meanwhile, the trio of Kai, Shadow, and Cordin have met up with Braydyn and Kaydyn while Judd, Belinda, and Roxy are fleeing with their supplies. Gaius chases after Cayenne and hefts a spear. It sails effortlessly through the air and through Cayenne's back, pinning her to the ground. She doesn't get up. Gaius pulls the spear free and runs it into her head just to be sure. Coral gets off Cassandra's corpse and stalks back into the Cornucopia.
Kaydyn tightly holds onto his sister's hand as his alliance flees into the grass. Suddenly Braydyn stops. "Beary?"
Kaydyn freezes. She must've dropped her bear.
"Beary!"
"Braydyn, we can't go back for it!"
"No! Beary!"
Braydyn pulls her arm from Kaydyn's grasp and starts back towards the Cornucopia. "Braydyn!" Kaydyn yells. "Braydyn, come back here!"
He's going to be too late. Cordin sees it coming and grabs onto Kaydyn, yanking him back. "Kaydyn, don't!"
A strange noise that sounds like a combination of a scream and a sob emits from Kaydyn's throat as Chanel throws a spear and it hits Braydyn in the chest. She stops dead in her tracks and slowly sinks to the ground.
"We need to go," Cordin says, trying to pull Kaydyn with him.
"My sister!"
"There's nothing you can do. She's dead." Cordin blinks back tears.
On the other side of Cornucopia, Belinda and Roxy have escaped and managed to catch their breath. Judd stumbles behind them, limping as the bloodstain on his shirt grows in size. Roxy gawks in horror. "Holy shit, dude. Your back!"
Judd winces as he manages a weak smile. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
Roxy hesitates. "I don't know. We don't have any bandages for you."
"It's just a nick. I'm not gonna-"
Judd's cut off as Belinda's mace suddenly strikes him in the side of the head and sends him on his side. The morning he collides with the ground, he suddenly goes still.
"Belinda!" Roxy yells. "What the hell!? That…that was…why!?"
"He would've just slowed us down." Belinda's voice betrays no emotion. "I don't have time to lug a deadweight with me. Let's go."
She stalks off. Roxy quietly follows behind.
The Careers briefly vacate the Cornucopia, which has bodies strewn about. I have to look away for a brief moment as the camera lingers briefly on the particularly mutilated corpses, such as Cassandra's and Cayenne's. Ten cannons echo, signalling the ten deaths of the Cornucopia.
Just like that, almost half the tributes are gone.
It's going to be one hell of a Games.
24th: Midas Glazier, District 1. Heart defect, Bloodbath.
23rd: Ajax Soot, District 12. Stabbed repeatedly by Beatrix, Bloodbath.
22nd: Sorrel Thatcher, District 11. Slashed through the side by Cyrus, Bloodbath.
21st: Emberly Brooks, District 12. Back axed open by Kai, Bloodbath.
20th: Vevo Vineca, District 3. Knife thrown into head by Coral, Bloodbath.
19th: Irie Gardenia, District 5. Stabbed in the chest by Beatrix, Bloodbath.
18th: Cayenne Domigo, District 11. Speared through the back by Gaius, Bloodbath.
17th: Cassandra Segemir, District 8. Stabbed repeatedly by Coral, Bloodbath.
16th: Braydyn Gupta, District 6. Speared through the chest by Chanel, Bloodbath.
15th: Judd Cooper, District 10. Head bashed in by Belinda, Bloodbath.
There's the Bloodbath! Did any of the deaths surprise you? What do you think of the arena?
Thanks to LCS, Gaia, and Pi for sending in Midas, Cassandra, and Braydyn respectively; I'm sorry to cut some of your chances short like that. But we still have 14 more tributes left fighting to win and we'll see what happens there!