Lumine Bellerose, 18

District 1 Female

I woke up early in the morning, startled by the wind that was picking up in the arena. Perhaps the Gamemakers were tired of the consistent weather and wanted to stir things up.

I raised myself up on my elbows and examined my wounded thigh. No blood had seeped through the makeshift bandage but the injury still ached badly and I doubted it could support my weight for long. I walked a little bit yesterday, but only made it about halfway around the spring before I had to admit defeat.

And Mira was still concussed. Her vomiting seemed to have ceased, but her eyes were glazed and she was slow when she spoke. I knew head injuries were bad, and I could only hope my ally would continue to get better.

I knew only one of us could win. But I didn't have to abandon my morals and wish pain or death upon my friend. For as grumpy as Mira was, I considered her a friend. After a week spent with nobody but each other, we had to be close.

At the moment, Mira was still asleep, her hands under her head. She looked so much more peaceful when she slept. Her walls were down. I still wasn't sure what her full story was, and all I could do was hope she'd be willing to open up. After all, I told her about the Sacrament. She should know I believed in our bond.

With a quiet yawn, Mira began to stir. She sat up slowly and stretched her arms and neck before rubbing her eyes and blinking at me.

"Morning," she grumbled.

"Good morning," I said brightly. "How's your head?"

"It hurts."

I frowned. That was a bad sign. It was a week after the injury. When Borealis got a concussion on the playground back at home when we were younger, he felt better after four or five days. When would Mira improve?

We each drank some water from the spring and then Mira went to get us another papaya. The fruit was surprisingly hearty, and I was hoping it could sustain us for a while. After all, we hadn't received any sponsors. Usually Districts 1 and 4 had plenty of people desperate to send money to their tributes, but I supposed two injured girls sitting around and chatting wasn't very interesting. And a small part of me was worried that bringing up the Sacrament had scared away our sponsors.

After using the spearhead to peel and cut the papaya, Mira offered the fruit to me. I picked out several chunks and swallowed them down. I still wasn't used to the sliminess, but it was definitely better than starving.

Mira began to eat as I spoke up.

"Mira, I think we need to do something," I said. "Something big. We've just been sitting around, and—"

My words were suddenly cut off as something struck me and fiery pain tore through my side. Mira shrieked in surprise as I slumped over, unable to catch myself. As Ronald burst from the bushes, I felt my vision begin to fade. I just had time to shoo Mira towards the trees. The Lord was ready for me.

Ronald Jones, 18

District 6 Male

When I woke up, the morning air was colder than usual. A light breeze was stirring the leaves and rustling the undergrowth. I stretched my legs out in front of me, examining my knee. The pain was almost entirely gone and my leg bore my weight easily. Today was the day.

After a breakfast of a protein bar and a piece of beef jerky, I practiced with my two remaining spears. First I threw them into the nearby trees, striking the wood with as much strength as I had. Then I moved through the motions of close combat, blocking and jabbing against an invisible opponent. As I practiced, my confidence grew. Lumine and Mira were Careers, but they were both injured. I was at the top of my game. Victory was inevitable.

I could only hope that none of the three cannons that fired late last night were for them. My guess was that a bigger alliance broke, since the deaths were so close together, but there was a chance it was my targets.

But there was no time like the present to find out. Choosing to leave my backpack under the shelter of a bush, I grabbed my spears and set off. I knew the general direction I had to go in, and if I was quiet, I was sure I'd hear them.

After about twenty minutes of walking, I heard voices. They were low and soft, but loud enough for me to pinpoint where they were coming from. I approached stealthily, stalking silently over the forest floor.

Like last time, Lumine and Mira were sitting beside the rocky pool of water. Mira was eating the flesh of an oblong orange fruit while Lumine talked animatedly, gesturing with her hands as she spoke. The previous wound I'd given her was wrapped in beige fabric. Their spear was resting by Mira's side.

Still hidden, I thought through my plan of attack. If I threw one of my spears, like I did before, I had to be sure it was a powerful blow. If I could incapacitate one of them, I'd have the upper hand right away.

Taking aim, I focused my attention on Lumine. When I last fought Mira she was swaying on her feet. If Lumine's leg was healed, she'd be my biggest competitor. It was better to wound her from the get-go.

I slipped into a throwing stance and drew my arm back before lunging forward and releasing the weapon. It arced through the air and sank deep into Lumine's side. She cried out, toppling over from the force of the impact. Mira shrieked, but grabbed her weapon and started to get to her feet. But I was already moving.

Lunging forward, I slashed the spear across Mira's cheek and kicked her in the chest, knocking her down again. She swung her weapon at my feet but I kicked the spear shaft away and stabbed downward.

Mira rolled out of the way, splashing into the pool beside her. Pushing back, she sank further into the water and I turned to Lumine. She was on her side still, twitching weakly. She extended a hand toward Mira and pointed at something in the woods. She croaked out something unintelligible as I ripped the spear out of her side and rolled her over with my foot.

Our eyes briefly met and then hers shut as I plunged the bloody spear deep into her chest. Boom. Her cannon fired loudly and I looked back at Mira, ready to take her on. But she had scrambled out of the water and was racing off into the trees. She was still staggering, but made good progress. I let her run. I'd let her think she was safe. The Capitol wanted a show, and I'd let them revel in the suspense. But the hunt was on.

Mira Marlina, 17

District 4 Female

My vision was swaying as I charged through the trees. My feet seemed to catch on every root and vine there was and my breath was coming hard and fast. It was like the bloodbath all over again, except I knew I was alone.

Moments ago, Lumine's cannon had fired. Ronald was probably pursuing me right now, but I didn't dare look back. Hopefully with all the trees and undergrowth he wouldn't be able to accurately throw his spear. I just had to stay ahead of him.

But finally, I could run no more. I darted behind a tree and sank to my knees, my chest heaving. I bit my tongue, fighting back the urge to vomit. I couldn't let what little food I had in my stomach join me on the ground.

Once I caught my breath, I listened for sounds of pursuit. But everything was silent. Even the birds and insects sounded quieter. Only the wind in the trees made a noise. I slumped back against the tree and set my spear down beside me, letting my body rest.

I couldn't believe it. Lumine was gone. I thought we'd successfully fought off Ronald. I hadn't expected the massive boy from 6 to sneak up on us. And again, Lumine had taken the blow. I owed her my life; twice over.

She saved me during the bloodbath, and she saved me from Ronald. I volunteered to prove I was strong enough to win, but Lumine was much stronger than I was. She risked her life for mine. She gave her life for mine.

Lumine was religious. I didn't know much about her beliefs, but I hoped she was in whatever afterlife she believed in. I was sure her family would give her a proper burial, but I pulled myself to my knees and hummed a soft District 4 funeral song. My own special goodbye to the girl I had only just now realized was my friend.

I didn't think volunteering for the Games was a mistake. I knew people would have to die. I underestimated how hard it would be, but I wasn't going to curl up in a ball and admit defeat. I was going to win; for myself and for Lumine.

But now, my main focus was food and water. I had nothing but a spear, and even if I could take down an animal, I had no way to cook it. Unless I found fish…

I couldn't go back to the spring where we used to camp. Ronald knew about it now, and would no doubt be checking it or using it for water. I had to find something else.

I slowly got to my feet and put a hand against the nearest tree trunk to steady myself. Most of the dizziness was gone, but when I moved too quickly it returned. And my headache was still persisting.

Once the wave passed I picked a direction and set off. The wind was still picking up and I could smell the scent of rain in the air. A storm was coming, and soon.

As I walked I focused on taking deep breaths. After leaving Flynn, I'd had several anxiety attacks. Breathing deeply and centering my focus on something specific usually helped. Today I chose the beating of my heart, which was starting to even out.

I walked for almost an hour before the sound of running water replaced the sound of the wind. Perking up, I followed the noise and pushed through a curtain of vines to reveal a rocky, splashing stream. A small smile crossed my face as I crouched down beside it. Little black fish were darting about, their scales flashing.

I waited patiently, my spear poised over the water. Finally, a fish flitted by and I pierced it with the weapon. It flopped as I placed it on the shore but I kept it away from the water. I caught one more before beginning to awkwardly clean my catches.

A spearhead was not designed for removing scales from a fish, but I managed. Eating raw seafood could potentially make you ill, but the chances were low. And protein would give me the extra energy I needed.

They were filled with bones and quite messy, but I felt much better with the meat in my stomach. And a huge tree was bent over this section of the stream, its roots providing a small nook to burrow into. I squeezed myself in and curled my knees up to my chest. It was only mid-afternoon, but I was exhausted. A little sleep would be okay.

Ada Worth, 17

District 8 Female

The wind had been picking up all day, and by mid-afternoon the rain had started to fall. It was only light rain so far, but the sky was cloudy and gray and I had a bad feeling the wetness would just keep coming. I needed to find a better shelter. But my ankle was still painful and swollen, so walking was out of the question.

My body was weak too. Eating fruit could only sustain someone for so long. I finished the chicken and rice two days ago and had been getting most of my water from the fruit as well. The only positive thing about the rainstorm was that I could refill my water bottle.

But now it was full and I was still wet and shivering. Cold water dripped down the back of my neck and I shuddered. I had to find somewhere sheltered or the night would be absolutely miserable.

Mind made up, I tucked my knife and water bottle into my small backpack, along with three of the big fruits. Then I hoisted it on and forced myself onto my hands and knees. Awkwardly, with my foot dragging behind me, I began to crawl through the rainy jungle. I wasn't making very good progress, and my body was stiff from sleeping on the ground for so long. But I was determined to find somewhere better to sleep.

Eventually the land became rockier and began to slope uphill. I used roots and rocks to haul myself up a steeper slope, mud staining my hands and knees. But at the top of the small hill was a pile of boulders… with a cave.

Letting out a soft laugh of relief, I half-crawled, half-dragged my body into the cave. It was cold but dry, and had a bit of a funny smell. But I didn't care. I would be safe here. I slipped my backpack off and began to wring the water from my hair. Then I carefully slipped off my boot, removed my wet socks, and shrugged off my vest. I set everything out to dry and then leaned back against my backpack, using it as a pillow. It was wet and lumpy, but I was too relieved to be out of the rain to mind it.

Outside, the weather was getting stormier and stormier. Trees creaked and groaned as they fought against the strength of the wind. Water dripped off the rocks in front of me, but I was safely sheltered. Relaxing, I watched the rain and let sleep come my way.

Evelyne Hope, 18

District 3 Female

Holding my tears back was no longer an option. I'd spent the day alternating between bawling my eyes out and desperately trying to stay distracted from my emotions. I'd organized the camp, set up my sleeping bag inside the Cornucopia, and dragged the bloody sleeping bags into the jungle so I didn't have to see them.

I was hoping Ebony would come back. Being all alone in the arena was scarier than I anticipated. Every rustle of a leaf or chirp of a bird put me on edge. My fingers were wrapped around my bow at all times, even when I was crying.

But now a storm had arrived in full force. I sat just inside the Cornucopia mouth with Ebony's old sleeping bag draped over my shoulders like a blanket. My quiver rested on my lap as I stared out into the windy jungle. If someone came for me, I wanted to be ready.

The rain began to die down as the anthem echoed across the arena. The clouds parted to reveal the face of the girl from 1. It must have been her cannon that fired this morning. She almost looked melancholy in her picture, and I felt another twinge of sadness. She was a trained killer, but she still didn't deserve to die.

Neither did Marino or Jackson. They were my friends! If I couldn't win, I wanted one of them to. But Victor ruined all of that. And yet, as angry as I was at my former ally, I couldn't bring myself to wish death on him either. No one deserved the hell that was the Hunger Games, even a murderous little traitor like Victor. The Capitol was the one to hate. To fight. They engineered the perfect thing to distract us all from the real problem, and to pit us against each other so we'd never unite to take them down. I couldn't believe I once considered working for them. Even after Lana, I was willing to turn a blind eye. But I couldn't anymore.

If I won, I'd do something. I wasn't sure what, but anything had to be better than what we were enduring now. Maybe Beetee or Vizio knew some Capitol secrets I could take advantage of. And as a victor, I'd be able to build relationships in the Capitol. If I played my cards right, I could learn a lot.

But first I had to make it out of the arena. 'One step at a time', I reminded myself. 'Stay vigilant and be ready for anything'. Shrinking back further into the shadows of the metal structure, I continued to watch the rain and wait for my moment to come.

Hello everyone. Updates for this SYOT might get a little more sporadic, since I'm definitely starting to hyperfixate on it, and on SYOTs in general, which isn't good. I'm trying to take more breaks and focus on other stuff, but I'm still excited to complete this story. And with the next chapter comes the next death. I hope this came off as believable and well-done.

Also, something worth noting (and something I should have said way sooner): I do allow readers to sponsor tributes, including tributes who aren't theirs. But I ask you stay within the realm of reason (no flamethrowers or guns, for example), and keep in mind what is actually plausible to sponsor at the current stage of the Games. At this point, weapons are going to cost a LOT more than a water bottle, and even that will be pricey.

Questions

1) Were you expecting Lumine to be the next to go?

2) What's next for Ronald and Mira?

3) Any predictions for Ada and Evelyne?

4) What would you like to see happen in future chapters?

5) Who will die next?

Eulogies

10th: Lumine Bellerose (killed by Ronald Jones)
RIP Lumine. You were an excellent character and unlike any tribute I've ever seen. I had so much fun exploring you and your beliefs, and working your religion into my worldbuilding of District 1 and Panem. You were a hard worker with a good heart, and I'm sorry to end your story here. I did have you on my victor list, but I think you dying here is for the best. Mira will always remember you, and she will work hard to avenge you; I promise. Thank you ladyqueerfoot.

Alliances

Captor & Inventor:
- Hugo
- Zeppelina

Loners:
- Evelyne
- Mira
- Rain
- Ronald
- Ebony
- Ada
- Beria

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

- Fiona