Thanks to WhiteRed1410 for the motivation to write this chapter this week. I hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you think! Also, I feel like I use too many words trying to explain the drainage system of this ancient temple so sorry in advance lol. Hopefully, it all makes sense and that you like it. Also, this is the longest chapter I've written for the story.
Panem Events
President Marcellus and most of Panem was pleased with last year's Games. Heron was an unexpected Victor but his courage and strength in the finale and his fun personality on the Victory Tour allowed him to gain a lot of adoration. The Districts did not have any large protests or rebellions and so President Marcellus continued to lessen production quotas and cut down on the Peacekeeper budget. Instead, he was routing that money for District education and job production for the poorer Districts of Ten, Eleven, and Twelve. Many in the Capitol were not a big fan of this and his advisor continued to try to dissuade his actions. President Marcellus only reminds them that a new Golden Age of Panem is in the process of coming to light. His political party, Alpha Aurea, was beginning to lose faith in their president. Instead of tightening District oppression, President Marcellus was making visits to the upper-class Districts of One and Four. This was the first time a president had left the Capitol post-rebellion. The Districts were thankful for the unexpected change of heart of the President and happily accepted his good giving.
On the other hand, Head Gamemaker Julius Falco was meeting intense pressure from certain groups in the Capitol. After the accidental death of Cidavia Deneru of the 90th Games and the mutt attack on Hanna Perez in last year's Games, some groups who favored Career tributes accused Julius of specifically targeting the Career tributes. Individuals of these groups claim that Julius is specifically targeting Career tributes to allow for Outer District tributes a better opportunity of winning. They claim he's actively supporting the agenda of President Marcellus to better help the Outer Districts. Julius doesn't want to be seen as a District sympathizer, especially a sympathizer for the Outer Districts. The accusations don't receive widespread media attention, and Julius does not promote any Arena propaganda in order to keep from leaks being sent to the District from the Capitol. As for this year's Games, Julius orders his team to not use any mutts and to have limited influence on the Games.
The tributes for this year's Games are fairly average with a few outliers scoring moderately high. All of the Careers scored a nine in training with the exception of Hero of Two who scored an eight. The male from One, Giovani, is tall with tan skin and dark hair which is a contrast to his petite and blonde haired District Partner, Venus, who was the youngest Career at the age of fifteen. The District Two pair, Hero and Sylvia, are the least memorable of the Careers. Hero is slightly awkward and Sylvia was very cold and short during her interview. The District Four pair, Pontus and Kana, were the favorites this year. Pontus has a great personality that the Capitol and his allies appreciated although he humbly denies being a leader of the alliance. Kana is friendly and even tries to make conversation with the outer tributes. Although she doesn't have much luck. She tried to get Trip of Nine and Katarina of Ten to join the Careers but they both denied her offer. As for the outer tributes, the biggest standouts were Pixel of Three, Benji of Seven, Trip of Nine and Katarina of Ten. Pixel was only an interest because she is a Silent Baby and if she lives until at least day 7 she will turn seventeen in the Games. Benji is well-liked in the Capitol because he was able to crack a few jokes in his interview and he scored a seven in training with his skills with a dagger. Trip of Nine is the tallest outlier standing at six-four, years of working the fields has made him strong and muscular. He scored an eight in training by using his strength and a scythe as a weapon. Katarina of Ten spent her interview talking about the recent near victories by tributes of Ten, talking about Colt from last year's Games whom she knew from school. Her skills with a machete impressed the Gamemakers enough to award her a score of seven. The rest of the tributes scored between a four and six.
xXx
Tributes
District One- Male: Giovani Estan, 16 (9) Female: Venus Covington, 15 (9)
District Two- Male: Hero Turks, 17 (8) Female: Sylvia Sharpman, 18 (9)
District Three- Male: Keyton Maus, 13 (4) Female: Pixel Hamada, 16 (5)
District Four- Male: Pontus Bayman, 16 (9) Female: Kana Mirren, 18 (9)
District Five- Male: Tahaki Thorton, 12 (4) Female: Monica Olyphant, 14 (4)
District Six- Male: Speeder Howlitz, 15 (6) Female: Aeriel Cooper, 16 (4)
District Seven- Male: Zylum Carpenter, 15 (5) Female: Rain Wright, 17 (5)
District Eight- Male: Benji Yates, 17 (7) Female: Caitlyn Conners, 18 (5)
District Nine- Male: Trip Tolemus, 18 (8) Female: Poppy Shedford, 13 (3)
District Ten- Male: Heathcliff Bronk, 18 (6) Female: Katarina Reddington, 17 (7)
District Eleven- Male: Joseph Seville, 16 (5) Female: Cella Begonia, 14 (3)
District Twelve- Male: Rye Manaji, 18 (5) Female: Emilia Ortiz, 18 (5)
xXx
Day One
The tributes rise up in the middle of a courtyard of an ancient temple wearing plain, beige gowns that contain their District Emblem on the right shoulder and a pair of leather sandals. The courtyard contains a small garden that has crisscrossing paths that lead out into the depths of the temple. A few small koi ponds can be found in the courtyard. Circling around the edge of the courtyard are twelve 30-foot tall sandstone statues stand of unknown men and women who wear an outfit similar to the tributes. The temple itself is three stories and contains a library, sleeping chambers, a kitchen, and a few hidden passages. The Arena outside the temple is only a small wooded area because the temple itself is on top of a mountain. The Arena is only five miles wide and the edge of the mountain turns into steep cliffs that will prevent tributes from climbing down. Without knowing what lies outside the temple walls the only tribute who decides to run away from the Bloodbath is Rye of Twelve. The gong sounds and the rest of the tributes rush forward.
Giovani reaches the Cornucopia first and grabs a spear from a rack near the mouth of the horn. Giovani turns around and spots Speeder racing forward and reaching down to grab a dagger. Speeder makes eye contact and starts to run away but Giovani easily catches up to him and stabs him in the back. Speeder falls to the ground with a scream and Giovani rips his spear from Speeder's back and scans the courtyard for his next victim.
24. Speeder Howlitz, 15, D6- stabbed in the back by Giovani Estan, D1
Venus sprints to the back of the Cornucopia and finds a bow and quiver of arrows. She turns around and spots the small girl from Five entering the mouth of the Cornucopia. Before the girl can turn around and run Venus shots an arrow straight into her chest.
23. Monica Olyphant, 14, D5- arrow shot into chest by Venus Covington, D1
Keyton is digging through a crate near the mouth of the horn when Hero shoves him to the ground and slashes a sword across his chest.
22. Keyton Maus, 13, D3- chest slashed by Hero Turks, D2
Sylvia runs around to the backside of the Cornucopia and spots Rain leaning down to pick up a backpack from the ground. Sylvia wastes no time and flings a throwing knife into the District Seven girl's chest.
21. Rain Wright, 17, D7- knife thrown into chest by Sylvia Sharpman, D2
Joseph and Zylum wrestle on the ground over a pack when Joseph manages to pin Zylum to the ground. A hard kick to the ribs knocks Joseph off of Zylum and both boys look up to see Giovani and Kana standing over them. Giovani plunges his sword into Joseph's chest as Kana slashes her sword across Zylum's chest. The Career pair run off and leave the boys to bleed out.
20. Joseph Seville, 16, D11- stabbed in the chest by Giovani Estan, D1
19. Zylum Carpenter, 15, D7- chest slashed Kana Mirren, D4
Katarina sprints away from the mouth of the horn with a hatchet in her hand. She reaches the outer edge of the Bloodbath and spots Tahaki running close by with a pack over his shoulder. Katarina chases the small boy and tackles him to the ground. She uses her hatchet and quickly hacks into Tahaki's throat before taking his pack and fleeing the courtyard.
18. Tahaki Thorton, 12, D5- ax hacked into throat by Katarina Reddington, D10
Venus sprints out of the Cornucopia and takes aim at the first person she sees, Heathcliff of Ten. She aims and shoots an arrow but it's a little off and lands in his shoulder. Heathcliff stumbles a little bit and he scans the Bloodbath to see who shot the arrow. Venus makes eye contact with Heathcliff as she releases another arrow and this one lands in the center of his chest and he crumbles to the ground.
17. Heathcliff Bronk, 18, D10- arrow shot into the chest by Venus Covington, D1
Poppy digs through a crate with tears streaming down her face as she hastily grabs a pack and knife. She gets up to run when she is shoved to the ground by Hero. She gives a scream as he plunges his sword into her chest.
16. Poppy Shedford, 13, D9- stabbed in the chest by Hero Turks, D2
Poppy's scream catches Trip's attention and he looks over to see Hero plunge his sword into his District Partner's chest. Trip runs over and quickly thrusts his machete into Hero's back multiple times before sprinting away from the Bloodbath.
15. Hero Turks, 17, D2- stabbed in the back Trip Tolemus, D9
Benji waits on the backside of the Cornucopia for his District Partner, Caitlyn. Caitlyn runs around the corner with a pack slung over her shoulder and a small knife in hand. The duo turns to run away from the Bloodbath but is cut off by the District Four pair. Caitlyn and Benji are no match to Pontus and Kana and the District Eight pair are quickly cut down.
14. Benji Yates, 17, D8- stabbed in the chest by Pontus Bayman, D4
13. Caitlyn Conners, 18, D8- chest slashed by Kana Mirren, D4
As the Bloodbath comes to an end Venus scans the outer edges for stragglers and spots the tan-skinned girl from Twelve limping away. Venus easily notches an arrow and fires it into the back of Emilia's neck.
12. Emilia Ortiz, 18, D12- arrow shot into back of neck by Venus Covington, D1
The Bloodbath ends with thirteen cannons booming. Rye of Twelve fled the Bloodbath at the sound of the gong and headed deeper into the temple and made it to the third floor where he discovered the library. He spends the evening browsing the multitude of bookshelves. Pixel of Three managed to get a pack that had a knife and a loaf of bread inside. After the Bloodbath, Pixel ran outside of the courtyard through the main gate leading outside. She was shocked to discover that the arena was on a mountain top that was even higher than the clouds. Pixel saw that the ground slowly sloped downward for about a mile before ending at a drop-off. Towards the backside of the temple was a small wooded area. Pixel followed along the temple wall before finding shelter in the woods. Aeriel of Six only got a small knife from the Cornucopia, she only ran about halfway in before deciding to turn around. She headed deeper into the temple and discovered a small pantry to hide in on the first floor. Inside the pantry, she found half a loaf of stale bread and a small roll of crackers. Cella of Eleven didn't manage to grab anything from the Cornucopia and barely escaped with her life. Cella ran into the temple and hid in a room towards the back. Inside the room was a trough that ran along the wall with a small amount of water running through it before continuing on through a small hole in the wall. There were also stalls that separated holes in the floor. It was obvious to Cella that this room was meant as some primitive bathroom but she decided it was as good of a place as any to hide in for the night. Trip of Nine got a machete and a pack filled with bread, jerky, and an empty canteen. He left through the main gate and found a thicket of bushes to hide in within the woods. Katarina of Ten got a hatchet and a pack from Tahaki which contained water and some crackers; she also finds a place to stay within the woods. The Careers were happy with the high kill count of the Bloodbath. No one was too sad by the death of Hero, he was the lowest scoring of the Careers and many found his personality annoying. They searched around the courtyard and explored the garden a little bit. Kana even named the two koi fish in a nearby pond, Yue and Wan. The Careers decide to go to bed early and are excited about hunting in the morning.
Day Two
At sunrise, Venus eagerly wakes the other Careers. "Wake up everyone! It's time to hunt for some outliers," she says in a sing-song voice.
Giovani moans in protest as he rolls over and pulls his sleeping bag up over his voice, "Wake me when breakfast is done."
After a few more shoves from Venus and some encouraging words from Pontus, Giovani crawls out of his sleeping bag. Sylvia cooks some scrambled eggs over a hot plate as Pontus explains the plans for today.
"So I think our best option is to start within the temple itself. I think it will be easier to find tributes trapped within here rather than trying to find tributes outside. Also if we start on the upper floors then maybe we will find tributes while traveling up and down."
None of the Careers disagree with the plan and Venus just nods to every word as Sylvia passes out a plate of eggs to everybody.
"Shouldn't someone stay behind to guard the Cornucopia?" Kana asks.
"Oh yeah, that's a good idea," Pontus states.
"I'll stay behind. I want to organize some of the supplies. Seeing everything a mess stresses me out," Sylvia says as she shoves a forkful of eggs into her mouth. In actuality, she is a little upset by Hero's death but doesn't want to admit this to the other Careers. Staying behind to organize supplies will hopefully help clear her mind.
After everyone finishes eating, the Ones and Fours gather their supplies and head deeper into the temple. Kana asks Sylvia to feed Yue and Wan a few pinches of bread and Sylvia kindly agrees. The hunting pack exits the courtyard and enters a large foyer that has two hallways running from east to west which encircle the center courtyard. In the center of the large room is a marble staircase that leads to a second floor. The group climbs the first staircase. The second floor seems to be smaller. On one side of the circular hallway is a balcony that overlooks the central courtyard and on the other side of the hallway, there are a few doors. There are also two sets of marble stairs that lead to the third floor. The Careers climb up the eastern stairway. The third floor has rooms on either side of the hallway. Between rooms, there are alcoves with a balcony that overlooks the courtyard. From the balcony, you can see most of the courtyard including the gardens and the Cornucopia. The height of the balcony comes to about shoulder height of the large stone statues that encircle the courtyard.
"Who do you think these statues are of?" Kana asks.
"They're probably nobodies, just made by the Gamemakers for show," Giovani quips.
"Well I wish the Gamemakers had a better sense of style so we didn't have to wear these ugly robes," Venus says with a pout.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter guys. Let's just go through these rooms to see if we can find anybody," Pontus says turning away from the balcony.
The rest of the pack follows behind him. They slowly start to go through the rooms. Most of the rooms seem to be small studies or rooms for sleeping although the only thing in the room is a dresser and a cot. Kana and Pontus started looking through every dresser and desk drawer but after doing this for the first few rooms without finding anything they soon give up. In the center of the hallway two large doors open up into an expansive library. Venus practically jumps up and down in excitement, "If there are any tributes up here they would definitely hide in here."
Pontus nods his head, "Let's fan out, keep your eyes peeled for any signs of tributes."
The four Careers spread out as they make their way through the room. Kana notices the sound of rustling and she peeks around a bookshelf. She spots Rye flipping through the pages of an old thick book. Rye looks over and notices Kana he drops the book and takes off running.
"Found one!" Kana shouts as she chases after Rye.
Rye tries to lose Kana by throwing books off the bookshelf as he runs by but they don't phase Kana as she easily evades them. Kana gains ground on Rye and manages to tackle him from behind. As the pair falls to the ground, Kana stabs her sword into Rye's back. They land on the ground with a hard thud and Rye moans and wheezes as Kana removes her sword and stands back to her feet. Soon the other Careers meet up with Kana and Rye's cannon booms.
11. Rye Manaji, 18, D12- stabbed in the back by Kana Mirren, D4
"You could've let us have some fun with him," Venus says with a smirk.
"Don't worry there are still plenty of other tributes out there, let's keep looking," Pontus says and the rest of the Careers nod their heads in pack continuous hunting for tributes on the third floor and then make their way to the second floor.
On the first floor of the temple, Aeriel eats most of the crackers from the pantry and tries to eat some of the stale bread but decides she isn't that hungry yet. However, she is thirsty. Aeriel slowly exits the pantry and enters the main kitchen area. There isn't a refrigerator but there are cabinets that hold some ceramic plates and cups. There's also a large stone sink however there isn't a faucet so no water. Dissatisfied by the lack of water Aeriel decides to keep looking through the cabinets but doesn't find anything useful. As she is digging through the lower cabinets she hears the low sound of running water. Aeriel places her ear against the stone wall and sure enough, it sounds as if water is running through the walls.
Aeriel's desire for water compels her to find the source of the water. Aeriel grips her knife in her hand as she peeks her head out of the door into the hallway. Aeriel makes her way down the hallway peeking into every other room to see if there is any sign of water, while also praying she doesn't run into other tributes. Most of the rooms she looks into are small with a single woven matt on the floor and a shelf of parchment scrolls. Towards the end of the hallway, Aeriel enters a room that has large empty wooden barrels and drains on the floor. Aeriel can hear the sound of running water coming from the drains, but this time it sounds louder and more powerful. With her heart pounding Aeriel exits the room and enters the next room hoping to find the source of the water.
Aeriel enters the next room and discovers a trough running along the opposite wall. Aeriel rushes over to the trough and happily cups her hands into the few inches of water then runs through the trough. As Aeriel sips from the water she hears a door open behind her. Aeriel spins around with her knife out and she spots Cella peeking from a stall. Adrenaline and fear urge Aeriel forward as she stabs her knife into the little girl's chest. Both Aeriel and Cella scream as blood starts to pour from Cella's chest. Cella falls to the ground coughing and wheezing. Both girls start to cry. Aeriel is a small girl but Cella looks as if she could be a ten-year-old. Aeriel rushes over to the trough to wash the blood from her hands. It only takes a few seconds before the cannon sounds. Aeriel looks over to Cella and can't help but feel as if a lifeless doll was lying on the stone ground.
10. Cella Begonia, 14, D11- stabbed in the chest by Aeriel Cooper, D6
Aeriel leaves the bathroom and enters the next room over which seems to be a laundry room. Aeriel checks to make sure no other tributes are in the room before climbing into a large bin that holds the same beige robes that the tributes wear. Aeriel hides under the robes as she silently cries over her first kill in the Games.
The three tributes hiding in the woods outside the temple do not do much for the day. Pixel stays hidden in a tree for most of the day. Katarina explores the woods for a little bit before going back to her hiding spot. Trip ventures the most. He roams along the outer temple walls. He discovers a small stream running from the woods and entering a small grate into the temple wall. He assumes it must be used as a water source and drainage for inside the temple. He takes a few sips from the stream and follows it into the woods. He walks along the stream until he finds its source, a small pond. Satisfied with his exploring, Trip climbs a nearby tree and stays there for the rest of the day.
Day Three
The Careers wake up early once again to hunt for tributes. This time Giovani happily volunteers to stay and guard the Cornucopia. The rest of the Careers gather their supplies and head off to hunt. Pontus creates the plan to go back through the second floor quickly before searching the first floor of the temple. Once on the second floor the pack splits up in twos to make the process faster. Kana and Pontus start on the east side while Venus and Sylvia start on the west.
While walking down the hallway, Kana whispers to Pontus, "When are we planning to split away from the others?"
Pontus gives her a questionable look before opening a door and peeking into a barren bedroom, "What do you mean?"
Kana huffs a little, "It's almost the Final Eight. I feel like the other Careers see us as a threat, or at least Venus does. And if it comes down to it Sylvia will side with Venus and Giovani."
Pontus and Kana keep walking a few steps in silence before Pontus speaks, "You're right. At Final Eight we can turn on them, but if it goes wrong I'm blaming you."
Kana gives a small laugh, "Okay you can blame me."
Kana and Pontus finish their half of the second floor and then head back to the main staircase to meet back with Venus and Sylvia before heading back to the first floor. The only tribute remaining in the temple is on the first floor and that is Aeriel. Aeriel wakes up mid-morning and climbs out of the large laundry bin. She takes a few sips of water from the large trough running through the room. Curious about its source Aeriel stands on her tiptoes to peek through a window that shows a small creek entering into the building. So the stream travels through the laundry room before entering the bathroom through a trough and then goes under the floor of the bathing room and then finally somehow manages to travel through the walls. The drainage system of the temple makes Aeriel's head swirl so she doesn't focus on it too much. Instead, she explores the room for any useful supplies. Aeriel looks through some cabinets and in some barrels along the back wall but doesn't find anything. She searches behind the large bin and notices a small wooden door. She pushes the bin away and opens the small door. Aeriel peeks through and is hit with a musky and damp scent. It's a small crawlspace that goes about ten feet and Aeriel can see light on the other side. The cramped space isn't appealing to Aeriel so she closes the door and pushes the bin back in place.
Aeriel's stomach rumbles and with nothing to eat Aeriel decides to go back to the pantry and eat the rest of the stale bread if it's still there. Aeriel opens the door to the hallway and gives a small squeak as she makes eye contact with Venus on the other end of the hallway. Aeriel quickly shuts the door and starts to panic. She goes to the window, wraps a robe around her hand, and smashes out the window. However, in a last-minute decision, Aeriel pushes the bin away and crawls into the crawl space. She has to crawl in backward to pull the bin back into place and to close the door. She barely closes the door before the Careers burst into the room. Aeriel covers her mouth and prays that the Careers don't find her.
Venus, Sylvia, Kana, and Pontus enter the laundry room. "Where did she go?" Venus shouts.
Pontus notices the broken glass and points to the window, "She must have crawled out of the window."
He walks over to the window and looks out, "She's probably long gone. Let's explore the other rooms on the first floor and then we can hunt the woods if it's still daylight."
Kana and Sylvia nod their heads in agreement. Venus gives a pouty look, "Okay but if we see her again, I want the first shot."
With that, the Careers leave the room and continue looking for other tributes. Aeriel gives a sigh of relief. She turns her head to look back at the light behind her. Aeriel does a quick meeny miny moe and decides to continue crawling backward. She makes it to the back of the crawlspace and starts to lower herself down. She begs that there is a floor beneath her and she drops. The drop is only a few inches and Aeriel gives a short laugh as she inspects the room around her. A small lantern lights up the empty room and there is a lighted hallway that continues down. Aeriel follows the hallway and the sound of running water grows louder. From the roof of the hallway, a trough appears and runs along the wall until it meets with the floor. Aeriel continues walking and the height of the hallway begins to decrease until Aeriel has to duck to walk through. The lanterns along the wall disappear and instead, the light comes from stone grates on the ceiling every few feet. Aeriel looks up through the grates and can see some leaves and in another, she sees the side of one of the large statues. Aeriel decides the grates must be for draining water in the courtyard. Aeriel continues walking until she sees daylight at the end of the tunnel. She reaches the end and gasps when she realizes the water drains onto the side of the mountain. Nothing but clouds can be seen below, Aeriel looks upward but there's no way she could climb up the cliff face. Tired of exploring Aeriel decides to stay there for the rest of the day.
The afternoon passes without much action. The Careers finish the first floor without finding any other tributes and decide to stay back at the Cornucopia for the afternoon (much to the distaste of Venus). The tributes outside the temple; Pixel, Trip, and Katarina don't do much other than stay hidden all day.
Day Four
Pixel wakes up early in the morning with her throat and mouth completely dry. She hasn't had a sip of water since entering the Games. Pixel climbs down from her tree and starts to silently search for a water source. She finds a sloped area and walks along it until she finds a small pond with a stream leaving it. Pixel leans over and starts to slurp from the pond when she hears a twig snap behind her. Pixel jumps up to see Trip jumping down from a nearby tree. Pixel screams as Trip charges her and slashes his sword across her chest. Pixel falls backward into the pond and her cannon booms. Without any supplies to loot from Pixel, Trip climbs back up his tree and soon falls back to sleep.
9. Pixel Hamada, 16, D3- chest slashed by Trip Tolemus, D9
This leaves the final eight: Giovani Estan and Venus Covington of One, Sylvia Sharpman of Two, Pontus Bayman and Kana Mirren of Four, Aeriel Cooper of Six, Trip Tolemus of Nine, and Katarina Reddington of Ten.
Pixel's cannon booms while the Careers are eating breakfast. Kana and Pontus make eye contact, and Pontus gives a dejected nod. In an instant, Kana grabs her sword and slashes it across Venus' neck who sits across from her.
8. Venus Covington, 15, D1- throat slashed by Kana Mirren, D4
The three other Careers jump up and Sylvia goes to grab her a knife but Pontus is quick to stab his sword into her chest.
7. Sylvia Sharpman, 16, D2- stabbed in the chest by Pontus Bayman, D4
Pontus reaches for Kana's hand and pulls her away from the two bodies as Giovani looks for a weapon. The Fours start to run out of the courtyard when Giovani finds a spear by the mouth of the Cornucopia. It's not his favorite weapon but he chunks it anyway. It lands in the back of Kana's calf and she falls to the ground with a yelp. Pontus only looks back for a second before running on. Kana pulls the spear from her leg and tries to stand back up but falls to the ground. Giovani catches up to Kana and picks up his sword before plunging it into Kana's abdomen. Kana screams in pain as blood starts to pool around her. Giovani gives her a look of disgust, "That wasn't very classy of you." Kana wails as she continues to bleed out in the center of the courtyard. Giovani goes to the outer gate and scans for Pontus but he's nowhere to be seen. After a few minutes Kana's cannon booms.
6. Kana Mirren, 18, D4- stabbed in the abdomen by Giovani Estan, D1
Giovani waits outside the temple until the hovercraft comes to collect the bodies. Once the bodies are gone, Giovani collects a pack of supplies and grabs his sword before leaving the Cornucopia to hunt for Pontus outside the temple. Meanwhile, Pontus runs to the backside of the temple to where Aeriel had broken the window. Pontus climbs through the window back into the temple in order to get Giovani off his trail. Pontus doesn't stay within the laundry room but goes down a few doors and enters a kitchen area and hides inside a closet. Giovani leaves the temple and heads into the woods to look for Pontus but doesn't find any signs of him or other tributes.
After hearing the quick succession of cannons both Katarina and Trip decide it best to stay hidden and to wait and see who all is left later that night. However, Aeriel was able to hear the fighting at the Cornucopia. After hearing the cannons and waiting a few hours, Aeriel moves the stone grate aside and peeks her head out of the ground. Luckily a large fern is placed in front of the drainage grate and Aeriel moves its leaves aside to check and see if the coast is clear. She doesn't spot anybody around the Cornucopia. Aeriel makes a run for the horn. She hasn't eaten anything since the second day of the Games and the organized supplies make it easy for her to grab a loaf of bread, dried fruit, jerky and she grabs a dagger. Without wasting any more time Aeriel hurries back to her grate and climbs back into the passageway. The day passes slowly as Giovani is the only tribute actively hunting for others.
Day Five
With only five tributes left on day five, the Gamemakers send in a thunderstorm to slow things down. Although the Gamemakers are against any interference to prevent bias they believe that this would affect all tributes equally. Because of the rain not much occurs today. Giovanni tries to hunt for a little bit but after getting drenched he finds shelter under a large tree. Trip and Katarina stay within their trees. They hang on tight at times because of the strong winds from the storm. Aeriel gets anxious because the water starts to drain from the grates and the water rises a few inches. However, she survives through the storm. Pontus leaves his room from the first floor and goes to the Cornucopia. He wasn't able to grab any supplies before fleeing yesterday and he will need some if he hopes to survive. He makes it to the horn and holds his sword out in front of him, expecting Giovani to be inside. Giovani isn't there and Pontus decides to spend the rest of the day there. The rain stops later in the evening and there are no deaths.
Day Six
In the morning, Katarina wakes up with a rumbling stomach. She hasn't eaten in two days and after seeing the faces of Venus, Sylvia, and Kana in the sky two nights before she assumes the Career alliance has ended. She climbs down from her tree and starts heading towards the Cornucopia to get more supplies. She hopes that any surviving Careers will have deserted the horn or will be gone hunting tributes. As she nears the gate to enter the courtyard, she spots Pontus heading towards her. Pontus was already leaving to hunt for tributes and he didn't expect one to find him. He runs towards Katarina and she knows that she won't be able to outrun him so she stands her ground. Katarina holds her hatchet out in front of her and when Pontus gets near she swings her hatchet and ducks under his sword. Both tributes miss their marks. Katarina spins around and hacks her hatchet into Pontus' thigh. It's not deep but Pontus still howls in pain. He shoves Katarina backward and she loses her grip on the hatchet. Katarina reaches down to pick up the hatchet but Pontus kicks her back. She stumbles and Pontus lunges forward with his sword and it pierces Katarina's chest. Katarina gasps as she falls to the ground with her cannon soon sounding.
5. Katarina Reddington, 17, D10- stabbed in the chest by Pontus Bayman, D4
Pontus wipes his blade on the grass and limps back to the Cornucopia. The wound in his thigh isn't very deep and luckily Katarina didn't hit any arteries. He opens a first aid kit and is surprised when a sponsor gift floats down. He opens it to find a healing cream inside. Pontus cleans and treats the wound before wrapping it up. It still hurts to walk so Pontus decides to stay at the Cornucopia for the day.
Trip also wakes up hungry but he doesn't go back to the Cornucopia because he remembers seeing some edible berries from the first day of the Games. He returns to the thicket of bushes that he stayed in on the first night and eats plenty of berries until he is full. After hearing a cannon earlier he decides to rest for the day. Giovani also doesn't do much for the day. He travels around the woods for a few hours before finding the pond to rest beside. He stays there for the remainder of the day. About 30 yards from the Cornucopia, Aeriel stays hidden inside the passageway. She's getting anxious about the Game's ending and fewer tributes remaining. She knows that she will have to leave her cramped sanctuary soon but the thought terrifies her. Since the Gamemakers haven't sent any mutts or tried to kill her yet she assumes she must be doing fine. To pass the time and to keep the audience entertained she tries to tell stories but unfortunately most of them are boring.
Day Seven
Giovani wakes up and heads back to the Cornucopia to refill his supplies and hopefully to eat a proper meal. He enters the courtyard and makes his way to the Cornucopia and finds a sleeping Pontus inside. Giovani picks up an apple and chunks it at Pontus. Pontus jerks awake and grabs for his sword. "Wakey, wakey Pontus. Unfortunately, unlike you and your poor District partner, I don't kill defenseless allies. I have class."
Pontus rolls his eyes and manages to stand, although his leg is stiff from his fight yesterday, "If only I cared Giovani."
"I wonder who did that. I always wondered why the girls loved you so much, you always seemed like a weak fighter to me," Giovani mocks.
Pontus roars and charges at Giovani. Giovani knocks away Pontus' blade and punches him in the side. Pontus' breath catches and swings out his sword but Giovani ducks below it and slices his sword across Pontus' thighs. Blood starts to stain Pontus' robe as his old wound is reopened as well. Pontus lunges forwards and his blade slices across Giovani's left bicep. Giovani grimaces and attacks with a brigade of slashes as Pontus tries to parry the advance. Pontus starts to wane as Giovani's sword slides across Pontus' and the blade cuts across Pontus' arm. Pontus hisses in pain but Giovani is quick to attack again and this time his sword enters Pontus' chest, just below his heart. Pontus falls to the ground and starts to cough up blood before falling still.
4. Pontus Bayman, 16, D4- stabbed in the chest by Giovani Estan, D1
Giovani walks away from the horn with a first aid kit to treat his bicep wound. Once the hovercraft comes to collect Pontus' body, Giovani returns to the Cornucopia to rest. He cooks some lamb stew and eats it greedily. The pain in his bicep seems to only get worse so he takes a few pain pills. The pills make him feel doozy so he stays at the Cornucopia for the rest of the day. As for the other tributes, they mostly continue to do nothing for the rest of the day. Trip travels through the woods and tries to find any other tributes but doesn't have any luck. He decides to rest mid-afternoon and starts to come up with a plan for what he expects to be the finale tomorrow. Aeriel stays hidden away in her tunnel. She hasn't left her cramped space for two days now. The tight space and paranoia of how to survive the next day make her extremely anxious and it takes all her strength to not have a panic attack. She tries to pretend that she is playing hide-and-go-seek with her friends back in Six. They would play in warehouses after work hours and Aeriel would have to climb and hide in the cramp shelves to avoid detection. She never thought those skills would help her in the Games. Once the anthem plays and Pontus' face flashes across the sky all the tributes try to get some rest while also devising a plan on how to survive the next day.
Day Eight
Early in the morning, Trip wakes up and heads to the Cornucopia. With only three tributes left, Trip wants to make the first move and hopefully when the others are least expecting it. Trip remembers that Aerial is still out there but hasn't seen any signs of her and doesn't think she will be a threat. His biggest threat is Giovani and he wants to catch him off guard. Trip exits the woods and heads into the large stone archway and enters the courtyard garden. At the Cornucopia, Giovani is just waking up and slowly packs a bag to prepare for his hunting trek of the day. Giovani hears rustling behind him and finds Trip standing there with a machete in his hand. Giovanni reaches to the ground and picks up his broad sword. Giovani swings around and barely manages to parry Trip's hack. Trip recoils and Giovani swings out his sword but Trip jumps backward and the blade misses. Trip notices a rolled-up sleeping bag on the ground; he kicks it towards Giovani's face but he swats it away. This gives Trip enough time to stab his machete into Giovani's shoulder. Giovani yells and swings his sword at Trip but Trip evades the blade again. Giovani stumbles forward and Trip slashes his machete across Giovani's side. Giovani roars in pain and falls to the ground. Trip wastes no time and stabs his machete into Giovani's chest and a cannon soon booms.
3. Giovani Estan, 16, D1- stabbed in the chest by Trip Tolemus, D9
After hearing the cannon, Aeriel knows she will have to show herself. Her best bet is to somehow outsmart the last tribute cause she knows she won't be able to survive physical combat. Aeriel removes her crate and starts running to the staircase in the temple. Trip scans the area to look for any sign of Aeriel. He spots her running across the outer edge of the courtyard and sprints after her. Trip follows Aeriel as she runs deeper into the temple and up to the third floor. Trip manages to corner her on a balcony overlooking the courtyard. Aeriel looks around desperately as she walks back towards the railing. Trip holds his machete out steadily, "Don't worry, I can make it quick." Tears start to fall from Aeriel's eyes as she looks out from the balcony. Aeriel climbs up onto the railing and looks over to one of the nearby giant statues. "Wait what are you doing?" Trip asks. Aeriel leaps from the balcony railing with a scream. She reaches out and manages to grab hold around the neck of the nearby statue. Trip races forward and Aerial grunts as she manages to pull herself up and rests on the shoulder of the statue.
Trip stands at the edge of the balcony and looks down. It's about a thirty feet drop to the ground and the statue that Aeriel sits on is only about six feet away. "Are you afraid to jump?" Aeriel tries to say confidently with a shaky voice. Trip only has his machete so in order to get close to Aeriel he will have to take the risk to jump for the statue. Trip waits a moment to think up another plan and also hoping that some Gamemaker interference will play in his favor. However, the Gamemakers are strictly against having an influence over this year's Games due to the backlash of recent years. Aeriel has survived this long at the distaste of the Gamemakers and most of Panem and it looks like she could survive this final battle.
Trip starts to pace back and forth on the balcony, "Stop being a coward and come back over here and fight!"
Aeriel tries to smirk but the fear is easily seen in her eyes, "You're the coward. Jump out here and face me!"
"I've done more than you have in these Games. I deserve to win! I've suffered so much and I have to make it home at this point. I have to do it for my family for all of Nine!" tears stream down Trip's face as he yells at Aeriel.
Tears swell in Aeriel's eyes as all she does is stare back at Trip. Surprising Aeriel and even himself, Trip starts running and leaps over the railing towards the statue. He reaches out with both hands as he grabs around the statue's neck. Aeriel screams in fear and uses her heel to stomp on Trip's hands. Trip yells in pain as he starts to lose his grip on the stone statue. Aeriel screams and continues to stomp at Trip's hands until he finally loses his grip and falls from the statue. Trip yells as he falls towards the ground and lands with a thud on the stone courtyard. His leg is bent at an awkward angle and his whole body feels like it's on fire. He coughs blood and his head swims as he tries to remain conscious. Aeriel watches from atop the statue as blood pools around Trip's head. Trip moans and wails for a few minutes before losing consciousness. All Aeriel can do is stare down at Trip's body as tears silently fall down her face. It's another ten minutes before Trip's cannon finally booms.
2. Trip Tolemus, 18, D9- knocked off statue by Aeriel Cooper, D6
"Congratulation, Aeriel Cooper of District Six. You are the Victor of the 92nd Hunger Games!" A hovercraft appears and lowers down a ladder. Aeriel grips onto the ladder and is pulled up while tears continue to stream down her face and she continues to stare down at Trip's body.
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Blog: unitedvictors. blogspot. com
Facts about the Victor
Aeriel would develop claustrophobia after her Games. Aeriel wasn't a fan favorite and not many people were rooting for her. Some people found her risk-taking during the final battle to be exciting but most saw her as boring throughout the Games. Her victory was a wild card that no one saw coming. However, District Six was ecstatic for their first Victor post-rebellion even though Aeriel wasn't their strongest tribute. Aeriel's Victory Tour wasn't very good since she had a hard time speaking in front of large crowds. The Capitol and many Districts treated Aeriel coldly for not respecting her victory.
Appearance: Aeriel is 5'3 and petite. She has long blonde hair, tan skin, and brown eyes.
Family: Aeriel has one younger brother. Aerial marries at the age of 27 but gets divorced at 32; she has one daughter.
Death: Aeriel dies from pancreatic cancer 6 months before the 143rd Games at the age of 67.
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Hunger Games Kills
Venus Covington, D1 (3)- (Monica Olyphant D5, Heathcliff Bronk D10, Emilia Ortiz D12)
Giovani Estan, D1 (4)- (Speeder Howlitz D6, Joseph Seville D11, Kana Mirren D4, Pontus Bayman D4)
Sylvia Sharpman, D2 (1)- (Rain Wright D7)
Hero Turks, D2 (2)- (Keyton Maus D3, Poppy Shedford D9)
Kana Mirren, D4 (4)- (Zylum Carpenter D7, Caitlyn Conners D8, Rye Manaji D12, Venus Covington D1)
Pontus Bayman, D4 (3)- (Benji Yates D8, Sylvia Sharpman D2, Katarina Reddington D10)
Aeriel Cooper, D6 (2)- (Cella Begonia D11, Trip Tolemus D9)
Trip Tolemus, D9 (3)- (Hero Turks D2, Pixel Hamada D3, Giovani Estan D1)
Katarina Reddington, D10 (1)- (Tahaki Thorton D5)
Victors
76th Hunger Games: Minnie Griffith, 17, TS (6) Kills (4), District Eleven (1 Female)
77th Hunger Games: Luna Sparks, 18, TS (7) Kills (5), District Five (1 Female)
78th Hunger Games: Marley Higgins, 16, TS (6) Kills (3), District Eight (1 Male)
79th Hunger Games: Maverick Sayles, 18, TS (9) Kills (3), District Four (1 Male)
80th Hunger Games: Lorien Hastings, 17, TS (9) Kills (5), District Two (1 Female)
81st Hunger Games: Fiona Dempsey, 18, TS (4) Kills (2), District Seven (1 Female)
82nd Hunger Games: Stella Knight, 18, TS (8) Kills (4), District One (1 Female)
83rd Hunger Games: Ranger Winchester, 16, TS (6) Kills (4), District Ten (1 Male)
84th Hunger Games: Slade DePriest, 18, TS (10) Kills (6), District Two (1 Female - 1 Male)
85th Hunger Games: Kyra O'Brien, 17, TS (9) Kills (4), District Four (1 Female - 1 Male)
86th Hunger Games: Isaiah Harlowe, 18, TS (6) Kills (5), District Eleven (1 Female - 1 Male)
87th Hunger Games: Sega Pirah, 18, TS (3) Kills (2), District Three (1 Female)
88th Hunger Games: Sterling Russeau, 17, TS (9) Kills (3), District One (1 Female - 1 Male)
89th Hunger Games: Milo Bradford, 18, TS (5) Kills (3), District Nine (1 Male)
90th Hunger Games: Leviticus 'Levi' Mitchell, 17, TS (8) Kills (3), District Eleven (1 Female - 2 Male)
91st Hunger Games: Heron Miller, 15, TS (5) Kills (3), District Seven (1 Female - 1 Male)
92nd Hunger Games: Aeriel Cooper, 16, TS (4) Kills (2), District Six (1 Female)