Ada Worth, 17
District 8 Female
I jolted awake at a particularly loud rumble of thunder. It was in the early hours of the morning, when the sky was just beginning to lighten. It had rained all throughout the night, and frequent flashes of lightning and bursts of thunder made sleep difficult. But now the downpour seemed to be subsiding, despite the grumbling clouds.
I stretched my stiff arms and my good leg, being careful not to tweak my broken ankle. My knees were sore and bruised after my long crawl yesterday, but I was still sure my hidden sanctuary was worth the discomfort. If anyone approached, I could see them coming, and most importantly, I was safe from the rain.
The face of the girl from 1 was shown in the sky last night. If my math was right, we were one death away from the Final 8. Caesar would be getting ready to visit the districts and interview the families of the remaining tributes. Betting would be out of control. I wondered who was a favorite to win.
I doubted it was me. I'd spent the entire Games eating fruit and sitting around. Someone had sponsored me with food and an ankle brace, so I had some supporters, but there was no way I was a fan favorite. It was probably the scary boy from 6, or the pretty girls from 4 and 7. Or the girl from 3. She was popular back in the Capitol.
My stomach grumbled in time with the thunder, reminding me I had yet to eat. I pulled one of the orange fruits from my backpack and began to peel it, slicing off long pieces and eating them slowly. Then I scooted my water bottle out into the rain to let it fill up.
Slumping back against my backpack again, I examined my ankle. It still ached, though the pain had lessened significantly. But I knew it couldn't hold my weight. If anyone found me, I would have to hide.
I wasn't sure how far back the cave went. I had no light source and it was too cloudy and gray out for the natural light to make a difference. I didn't want to crawl into a dark cave, but if someone came for me, I wouldn't have much of a choice. Maybe I could hide in the shadows and stab them as they walked by…
I collected my water bottle and took a few deep sips. It didn't seem likely that someone would come for me in the storm. And most of the Career Pack had gone down in the bloodbath. Only the Careers went hunting.
Another flash of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating me and the cave. Something behind me flashed in the light and I turned, curious as to what it was.
Scooting back awkwardly, I pulled myself up to a pile of stones deeper into the cave. They were long and skinny, and I gasped when I picked one up. It was lighter and smoother than any rock. It was a bone.
I bit back a scream as sudden panic rose within me. I dropped the bone with a clatter and lurched forward, crawling toward the cave entrance as fast as I could. I grabbed my bag and stuffed my water bottle inside before crawling out quickly, leaving my vest behind.
Logically, I knew it wasn't the bones of another tribute. But they were from a big creature. Whatever killed that animal could easily kill me, especially with my broken ankle. I began to awkwardly lower myself down the rocky hillside, but the mud made the roots and rocks slippery and loose. With a cry, I lost my grip and tumbled down the slope, smacking against rocks and other bumps as I went.
Finally I came to a stop, splashing into a ditch filled halfway with muddy water. I tried to haul myself up but my whole body ached. My ankle was screaming with pain and it hurt to breathe. My ribs were either very badly bruised or broken.
Suddenly, a vicious howl tore through the jungle. Heavy, thudding footsteps were coming closer. I had to move! I heaved myself up on my elbows and tried to get up, but then a massive hand was slamming down on my chest, knocking the breath out of me.
A large, hairy creature with big nostrils and black eyes was standing over me, keeping me pressed against the ground. It was almost nine feet tall and seemed to be a cross between an ape and a human. As I stared, mouth agape, it tilted its head back and let out another terrifying howl.
Twisting my arm awkwardly, I desperately reached for the knife in my backpack. But my fingers only brushed uselessly against the zipper. The creature reached down with its other meaty hand and wrapped it around my throat, picking me up.
Gasping for my breath, I kicked and thrashed, desperate to break free. But the beast's hold was like iron. I managed to jab my good foot against his stomach, but he only grunted, entirely unphased.
Tears tracked down my cheeks as its fist curled tighter. I clawed frantically at its hand, but it didn't react. Everything was growing blurry and my struggles were weakening. And then the creature threw me to the ground.
I gasped and choked, trying to draw air in, but nothing was coming. My throat was crushed. Then the creature picked me up and threw me against a tree. I wanted to scream, but there was no way for my body to produce a sound. I just managed to close my eyes as it picked me up and hurled me down again…
Hugo Firewall, 14
District 3 Male
Boom.
The sound of the cannon firing made me jump. I nearly dropped the wires I was connecting, managing to save them at the last moment. Zeppelina sat calmly beside me, completely unfazed.
"I wonder who that was?" they mused. I didn't bother responding.
I was in a dangerous predicament and I didn't know what to do about it. If I went against Zeppelina's orders, she'd kill me as painfully as possible. If I stayed allied with her, she might run out of reasons to keep me around and still decide to kill me.
When the storm started we moved all the electronic supplies under a log. They were still getting damp, but weren't directly in the rain. I wasn't too concerned — most of the supplies were at least water-resistant, if not fully water-proof. But it didn't hurt to be careful.
I finished the piece that I was working on and fitted the metal plate into place with a click. Zeppelina crawled over to me, their stormy eyes fixated on the small bomb.
"Is it done," they asked, their tone cold.
"I think so," I said, taking off my glasses to wipe the raindrops away. I was freezing and miserable, and my ally had to be too. But they weren't showing any outward signs of discomfort.
"How many are you making?" she asked, still hovering near my shoulder.
"I only have supplies for two of them," I replied. Zeppelina nodded once and backed off. I turned, leaning against the log, and watched her from the corner of my eye as she sorted through our supplies.
An idea was forming in the back of my brain. I could sabotage the explosives. So when Zeppelina went to blow up whoever it was she was planning to attack, nothing would happen. But she'd be terrifyingly angry, and I wasn't sure what she'd do to me.
When we first allied, I thought Zeppelina was mysterious and a little scary, but not evil. Now I knew she was a murderous bully who would hurt or kill anyone to get what she wanted. She needed my weapons expertise, or I'd be dead too.
I wasn't the best at reading people, but now that I knew Zeppelina's true character, I felt like a fool for not realizing it earlier. Vasir had been suspicious, but I brushed it off as tension from being stuck together in the arena for so long.
I glanced back at the explosive orbs. Could I sabotage them? Should I sabotage them? There would be hell to pay if Zeppelina found out. My death would be slow and painful. And they were my best invention yet. As ridiculous as it was, I was proud of my creation. It felt wrong to mess them up on purpose.
My eyes fell on Zeppelina again. They were watching me as well, their face as expressionless as ever. They could be plotting my death right now. I drew in a rattling breath and turned back to my materials. I hated bullies more than anything in the world. And Zeppelina was the worst one I'd met. I had to do something. For my parents. For Perry. For myself.
Ebony Chaste, 18
District 7 Female
A long, shocking string of curse words left my mouth as I splashed into a stream. My knife almost slipped from my hand as I jerked myself up violently. Shaking my head, I sent water droplets flying in all directions. Then I climbed out of the water and looked down at my soaked clothes in annoyance.
I was already wet from the rain, but now I was thoroughly drenched. I was hungry and cold and miserable, and I just wanted the Games to be over. I was used to fancy dresses and delicious food and good company. Not rainy jungles and sleepless nights and raw, slimy fish.
But I had to eat something. My stomach was growling almost constantly now. I hadn't seen a single fruit tree in the area I'd claimed as my own, so fish were my only option. If only I could catch one!
Cursing again, I moved farther downstream and settled down to wait. Eventually a fish would swim by, and then I just had to catch it. It would be easy… if I had any experience catching fish, which I didn't.
The water was moving quickly; the stream swollen from all the rain. A fish flashed by and I stabbed downwards, but it flickered away. I squeezed my eyes shut to keep the tears back. Couldn't one thing go right?
It took another few tries, but eventually I had a decently-sized fish on the end of my blade. I waited for it to stop flopping before setting it on a rock and staring at it. Could I eat raw fish? The man at the training center said it wasn't a good idea, but I didn't have a way to cook it. It was way too rainy to start a fire. With an annoyed sigh, I began to cut the scales away.
About ten minutes later, I had chunks of fish meat sitting on the rock in front of me. Wrinkling my nose, I swallowed them down, reminding myself of the sushi I'd eaten in the Capitol. But this was nothing like sushi. It was slimy and cold and made me want to gag. But I forced it all down, and quickly washed away as much of the taste I could with water from the stream.
As I was burying the remains of the fish, trumpets began to blare. Flinching, I looked around, but nothing seemed to be coming after me. It was an announcement.
"Tributes!" the voice of Heaven Weiss called loudly. "We want to congratulate you on reaching the Final 8. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we're hosting a Feast! It will take place tomorrow at noon, at the Cornucopia. While not mandatory, we highly recommend you attend. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"
I drew in a deep, shaky breath. A Feast! They hadn't hosted a Feast for a while. There would be lots of survival supplies and maybe even weapons. But it meant returning to the Cornucopia, and facing off against the other tributes. There were still some strong contenders out there, like Mira and Ronald and Beria.
And all I had was a knife. I trained with a quarterstaff in the Capitol, but I didn't think it would be too difficult to fight with a knife. But against a trained Career or someone with a massive ax, I was probably toast.
Annoyed, I stood up and flung my knife at a nearby tree. It hit the trunk with a thud and fell to the ground. I rolled my eyes and went to fish it out of the underbrush. Then I slumped down against it and began to stab little holes in the ground as I thought. Was it worth going to the Feast? I didn't need anything else to survive, unless the raw fish started to make me sick. I had running water and some bushes to sleep under and a weapon. But a blanket or some more food would be so nice.
Cursing again, I leaned my head back against the tree. What was I going to do?
Ronald Jones, 18
District 6 Male
The rain was bothering me like crazy. I'd finally got used to the humid arena heat and now the Gamemakers were dumping water on us! It didn't rain much in District 6; it wasn't that hot either. We had mild weather, though the sky was usually smoggy from the factories and vehicles.
But the announcement of the Feast was enough to draw me from my moping. Tomorrow was going to be a bloodbath, if I had anything to do with it. It was likely that Mira would go, since she had no supplies, and Evelyne and Ebony, my former allies, were still alive. It would be nice to make someone as pure and good as Evelyne grovel for her life.
Good people bothered me. I couldn't quite place my finger on why. Maybe it was because they were so noble in their suffering. They wanted to be loved. But I knew love got you nowhere. Fear was the key to survival. Fear and money.
When I won the Hunger Games, I'd be rich beyond belief. I could buy anything I wanted, no work needed. I was a powerful fighter, but it would be nice to have things handed to me for once, instead of working myself to the bone to earn cash.
There were eight of us left, so I really did stand a chance. Whoever died earlier this morning would've placed 9th. They'd be conducting family interviews soon, which almost made me laugh out loud. There was nobody in District 6 who loved me. Maybe they could interview Vera, my main contact with the Mad Dogs, or the families of the people I'd killed, like David.
Briefly, I wondered about the other tributes' families. Who was waiting for them back home? But I knew it didn't matter. For me to win, they'd have to die. And I had no issues with that.
Suddenly antsy, I grabbed one of my spears and began to move through the motions of a fight, sparring against an invisible opponent. There was no pain in my knee and I was still feeling strong, thanks to the supplies I'd taken from the Cornucopia a week ago.
Admittedly I was running a bit low, but they'd easily last me until tomorrow. And then I'd have full control of the Cornucopia. If I played my cards right, I could cut the competitor pool in half. But I needed a plan.
Evelyne would be a big threat, since she was a ranged fighter. Mira had some sort of injury, but I knew better than to underestimate her. And the girl from 12 was muscular and had an ax, even though her training score was low. She also had a lot of fans, since she was related to the higher-ups from 12 in some way. I didn't remember the details.
I figured the best plan was to get in fast and take out Evelyne. Then I could defend the Cornucopia mouth with my spears as the other tributes approached. I could keep the extra Feast supplies for myself and prepare for the finale in the safest place possible. The final fights usually took place at the Cornucopia, or somewhere close by. I wouldn't risk being attacked by mutts or killed by a natural disaster if the Gamemakers corralled us together.
By tomorrow afternoon, I would be the king of the arena.
Beria Campbell, 17
District 12 Female
I sat huddled under an orange tree, my knees tucked up against my chest, utterly defeated. Water was dripping off the leaves and onto my head, but I ignored it. It didn't matter anymore.
I couldn't function for much longer. I was cold and wet and hungry, and completely alone. I hadn't spoken in days and I had a pounding headache. I only moved to pick and eat the oranges, and to get water from the stream.
The human body could survive without meat and protein for a little while, but eventually my body would give up. My stomach felt hollow and my muscles and bones felt weak. The voice in my head was telling me to get up and start moving, but it was so hard… I just wanted to curl up in a ball on the ground and go to sleep forever.
I knew the Feast was coming tomorrow, but there didn't seem to be a point in going. They might have more proteinous food, but the danger wasn't worth it. How would Lou and my grandmother feel, watching me willingly rush to my death at such a dangerous event.
The image of Lou's terrified face popped into my head. I remembered his near-panic attack the day before the reaping, and how Grandma Una had comforted him with her brave words.
'Courage isn't the absence of fear, but the triumph over it'.
The words echoed in my head. In my heart, I knew she was right. But I wasn't courageous enough. My own soothing words came to me as well.
'We are warriors. We will persevere'.
I was brave when I was reaped. I was brave for Lou. Now I had to be brave for myself. Uncurling my cramping legs, I stretched the sore muscles and twisted my torso to loosen my back. Then I climbed shakily to my feet and reached down to touch my toes.
After going through a series of stretches, I took a long drink of water from the stream and refilled my water bottles. If the feast was tomorrow at noon, I should be closer to the Cornucopia. I wouldn't rush in if I didn't have to, but I could potentially sneak past everyone while they were fighting. And if someone came after me, I had an ax. And I knew I could kill.
I ate another orange and picked a few more to stash in my backpack before splashing across the stream and approaching the cliff. I walked along the base for a few minutes, trying to find a safe climbing route. It was time to leave this ravine.
Finally I spotted an especially rocky vein on the cliffside. It was steep, but it had plenty of handholds and footholds. It would have to do. So I secured my supplies and began to climb.
It was a tough climb, as the rain kept dripping in my eyes and made the rocks slippery. I almost fell several times, but I clung on. My muscles burned with the effort, but I managed to haul myself up onto the grass at the top of the cliff.
I laid on my back with my eyes closed and let the rain land on my face. I was breathing hard, but I had done it. Then a light pinging sound reached my ears and I sat up, looking around. A white parachute was floating towards me, a gleaming silver box hanging from it.
It landed in front of me with a thump and I gasped in surprise. Carefully, I reached forward and removed the lid. Inside was a dark leather cuirass, leather cuisses, shin guards, and arm bracers. Printed on the front of the cuirass was two miner's picks crossed over a gemstone; the symbol of Clan Campbell. Someone had sponsored me armor.
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes and I looked up at the cloudy sky.
"Thank you," I croaked, my voice scratchy from disuse. I cleared my throat and tried again.
"Thank you for your generosity. I will make you all proud."
Hi again. I know I've been updating like a madwoman, but I've decided I want to finish this SYOT by the end of October so I can focus on my original novel for NaNoWriMo in November. After that, I'll be working on the second Chaos Reigns collab, and then I'll be opening submissions for the 66th Games (I'm including canon victors like Cecelia and Blight in my universe, so some SYOT years will be skipped over).
I know I just mentioned sponsors last time, but I think I'll be closing sponsor requests. I have the rest of the Games planned out and sometimes big sponsor gifts can get in the way of those plans. Plus, things would be SUPER expensive at this point in time. If there's something you really want to send, please ask me first so we can see if it fits. That's just the general rule for now.
Questions
1) Do you think Hugo will convince himself to sabotage his own inventions?
2) Will Ebony go to the Feast?
3) Who will die at the Feast?
4) If you had to pick a victor, who would you pick?
Mutt Info
The Sisemite (pronounced: see-see-mee-tay)
The sisemite was a big, shaggy Bigfoot-like creature with black fur. In Mayan mythology it was known to howl in the night and abduct women. Fun Fact: it's toes are backwards. I wanted it to kill a female tribute, to align with its mythological behavior.
Eulogies
9th: Ada Worth (killed by a sisemite mutt)
RIP Ada. You were a normal girl thrust into unfortunate circumstances, and I have a soft spot for "regular" tributes. You wanted to survive and were willing to put in the work to make it through the Games. Your home life wasn't the happiest, but you made the best out of bad situations, which is very admirable. And I never got to show off your skills with a garrote, which I do regret, since it was such a cool weapon. Thank you Sparky She-Demon.
Alliances
Captor & Inventor:
- Hugo
- Zeppelina
Loners:
- Evelyne
- Mira
- Rain
- Ronald
- Ebony
- Beria
Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!
- Fiona
