This year marked the second decade of the Hunger Games, and Head Gamemaker Severus Herrod was planning to retire, and to go out with a bang. His arena would be the hot new thing to discuss in the Capitol, and would just be hot in general. Additionally, President Bloom's wedding was coming up a few months after the Games, and the nation couldn't be more excited for back-to-back events.
The Tributes:
District 1: Platinum St. Claire (17) and Opaline Youngwind (18)
District 2: Gaius Clemons (18) and Lucille Abraxos (18)
District 3: Satis Rainey (13) and Lorraine Steele (18)
District 4: Shad Dougherty (17) and Waverly Meyers (16)
District 5: Helios Beville (17) and Lara Coombes (12)
District 6: Lex Gross (12) and Artemis Boyer (16)
District 7: Alex Rieke (15) and Briar Blythe (15)
District 8: Lyle Jones (16) and Stitch Daly (13)
District 9: Arlo Childers (18) and Winter Barr (12)
District 10: Dale Fisk (18) and Belle Wurth (16)
District 11: Derek Keene (15) and Apple Beldam (14)
District 12: Xzavier Horton (18) and Sloane Hopkins (13)
The Games:
The tributes' pedestals rose atop a wide, rocky plateau. A bitter wind whipped across the landscape, rustling their hair and stinging their cheeks. The rusted Cornucopia stood tall in the center of the ring. When the gong went off, everyone but Helios of District 5 ran forward, unsure of what the surrounding landscape would bring.
The first blood came when little Satis of 3 stumbled, falling to the ground. Gaius threw himself upon the smaller boy, smashing his head into the stones until he fell still.
Satis Rainey, District 3 Male: 24th, Killed by Gaius, Bloodbath
Opaline was the fastest tribute of the bunch, and so she reached the Cornucopia first. Shortly after she grabbed her sword, Belle and Dale of District 10 arrived. Opaline swung her sword at Belle, who ducked out of the way and shoved her ally and district partner forward, straight onto the blade.
Dale Fisk, District 10 Male: 23rd, Killed by Opaline and Belle, Bloodbath
As Dale's body collapsed onto Opaline, her feet slipped out from under her and she fell. Belle picked up a sword and plunged it into the Career's chest before grabbing a backpack and running.
Opaline Youngwind, District 1 Female: 22nd, Killed by Belle, Bloodbath
Meanwhile, the other tributes were frantically grabbing supplies. One girl paused to look through a crate and Lucille, who was now armed with a sword, used her moment of distraction to cleanly cut off her head.
Apple Beldam, District 11 Female: 21st, Killed by Lucille, Bloodbath
The boys from 8 and 11 were wrestling over an ax. Lyle was able to close his hand around a sharp, sturdy rock, which he slammed into the side of Derek's head. The taller boy went limp, and Lyle hit him a few more times to ensure his death. Then he grabbed the ax and ran.
Derek Keene, District 11 Male: 20th, Killed by Lyle, Bloodbath
Shad and Waverly of 4 were looking to prove themselves, and cornered a strong outlier near the back of the Cornucopia. Waverly pierced him with her spear before he could flee.
Xzavier Horton, District 12 Male: 19th, Killed by Waverly, Bloodbath
Young Sloane of 12 had grabbed a fairly large pack and was running away with it. Platinum spotted her and fired an arrow into the back of her thigh, taking her down. Then Shad ran over and plunged his trident into her, straight through her backpack.
Sloane Hopkins, District 12 Female: 18th, Killed by Platinum and Shad, Bloodbath
Stitch of 8 was hiding behind a crate in the Cornucopia, but couldn't hold back her scream when Gaius threw Alex of 7 to the ground and gouged out his eyes. As Alex bled out, Gaius strangled the young girl.
Stitch Daly, District 8 Female: 17th, Killed by Gaius, Bloodbath
Alex Rieke, District 7 Male: 16th, Killed by Gaius, Bloodbath
Nine cannons fired as the Careers picked up their weapons and readied themselves for exploration. They elected to leave Platinum behind, since he was an archer and would be the most capable guard.
The Careers made one more kill that day. Young Lex of 6 had slipped while running from the bloodbath and fallen about thirty feet, breaking his legs and badly injuring himself. Lucille carefully climbed down to him, where she stabbed her sword through his heart.
Lex Gross, District 6 Male: 15th, Killed by Lucille, Day 1
They hunted for the rest of the day, though they didn't find anyone. But unbeknownst to them, the base of the plateau was riddled with small caves, hidden by the underbrush. Lara of 5, Arlo of 9, and Belle of 10 were all hidden in these caves.
Early on Day 2, Winter of 9, who had spent the night walking, came across a vast expanse of water she'd never seen before. She'd found the ocean. Several small fishing huts were set up near the beach, each with a small cot inside. Winter eagerly collapsed onto one and fell asleep.
For their second day, the Careers split up to hunt. Shad guarded the Cornucopia while Gaius and Lucille, and Platinum and Waverly, set out.
The pair from 2 came across Artemis late in the day. She was curled up beneath some scraggly underbrush, fast asleep. Gaius pounced on her, holding her still so Lucille could slit the throat of the startled, screaming girl.
Artemis Boyer, District 6 Female: 14th, Killed by Lucille, Day 2
Everyone else stayed holed up in their caves, or had found a suitable place to hide in the plains. But late on Day 2, as the sun was setting, Lara found the fishing huts. She hunkered down in the one next to Winter's, completely unaware of the other girl's presence.
On Day 3, Winter awoke to the sound of snoring. She crept over to Lara's hut and peered in. But instead of attacking, as the Capitol hoped she'd do, Winter took Lara's bag and slipped back out. Winter feasted on her stolen goods as Lara slept, completely unaware.
Gaius, itching for blood, set out early on his own. This was his fatal mistake. Belle, who'd been hiding and eating the small birds and mice that lived in the underbrush, heard his footsteps. She hid in the grass and used her sword to cleanly cut off his foot. Screaming, Gaius collapsed, and Belle slit his throat before fleeing, knowing the other Careers would come looking.
Gaius Clemons, District 2 Male: 13th, Killed by Belle, Day 3
Sure enough, the other Careers were drawn to the scream. But so was Arlo, who was curious by nature, and in desperate need of supplies. To everyone's shock, Arlo found Gaius's body first and was able to scrounge up a bag of nuts and a knife before rushing back to his cave. When the Careers found the place where Gaius died, all that remained was a splatter of blood.
Days 4 and 5 passed deathless. The audience had been hoping for some action from Lara and Winter, but Winter left the huts on the evening of Day 3. Now, most eyes were on Belle, who had killed two Careers and was becoming a favorite to win.
On Day 6, several things happened. Belle returned to her original cave and found Arlo sleeping inside. She killed him quickly before fleeing to a different cave nearby. Meanwhile, Platinum and Lucille found Helios, who was half-dead from hunger. Platinum quickly put the boy out of his misery. The cannons fired within seconds of each other.
Arlo Childers, District 9 Male: 12th, Killed by Belle, Day 6
Helios Beville, District 5 Male: 11th, Killed by Platinum, Day 6
The final notable event occurred in the late evening, right before the anthem played. Briar tried to scale the plateau in the dark, hoping to surprise the Careers, but slipped and fell, dying on impact.
Briar Blythe, District 7 Female: 10th, Fell to her Death, Day 6
Day 7 also passed without deaths, but on Day 8, a single tribute fell. Lorraine, who had been almost completely forgotten by the Capitol audience, found the fishing huts and fashioned a trap out of nets. She strung it across the entrance to her hut and waited.
Sure enough, a tired and hungry Lara traipsed back to her hut after an unsuccessful day of finding food. She wasn't being careful and found herself tangled in rough ropes. Lorraine lassoed one around her neck and pulled, strangling the young girl to death.
Lara Coombes, District 5 Female: 9th, Killed by Lorraine, Day 8
On Day 10, a violent earthquake rocked the arena. The fishing huts collapsed, nearly crushing Lorraine, who barely escaped. The Careers, who were halfway down the side of the plateau, all fell. Two died, while one was badly injured. Only Shad, who was left on guard duty, remained unscathed
Platinum St. Claire, District 1 Male: 8th, Killed by Earthquake, Day 10
Waverly Meyers, District 4 Female: 7th, Killed by Earthquake, Day 10
Lyle of 8 also fell victim to the earthquake. He was sleeping in a cave when it occurred, and the roof collapsed, crushing him.
Lyle Jones, District 8 Male: 6th, Killed by Earthquake, Day 10
When the tremors died down, Belle crept to the spot where she'd seen a hovercraft take away two bodies. There, she found Lucille, bleeding heavily and with many broken bones. She begged Belle to kill her, and so Belle slit the Career's throat.
Lucille Abraxos, District 2 Female: 5th, Killed by Belle, Day 10
The Gamemakers let the tributes have Day 11 to rest and recuperate. Shad stayed by the Cornucopia, practicing with his trident while Winter sharpened rocks and Lorraine perfected her woven net and lasso. Belle bathed in a stream, mentally preparing herself for the finale.
On Day 12, small, powerful tornadoes drove the four tributes to the Cornucopia. The girls approached from different sides, so none saw the others as they climbed. When they all reached the top, Shad approached from the swirling dust. He targeted Belle, throwing his trident with deadly accuracy. But at that same moment, Lorraine threw her net. It caught the trident in the air and both fell to the ground. Belle glanced at Lorraine. The girl from 3 winked. And then all three girls charged the weaponless Shad.
He didn't stand a chance under their onslaught. He landed a few good punches, but eventually succumbed. Belle stabbed her sword into his gut just as Winter drove a sharp rock into his eye. His cannon fired loudly, and the three girls held still.
Shad Dougherty, District 4 Male: 4th, Killed by Winter and Belle, Day 12
Belle moved first. She sliced her sword across Winter's stomach and shoved the little girl back before pouncing on Lorraine. The pair of them fought, but were unevenly matched. Lorraine had a lasso, but Belle had a sword. She managed to drive it into Lorraine's heart after only a few moments. Lorraine fell back, her cannon firing.
Lorraine Steele, District 3 Female: 3rd, Killed by Belle, Day 12
In one smooth motion, Belle twirled around and sliced her blade across Winter's throat. Another cannon fired, and Belle fell to her knees.
Winter Barr, District 9 Female: 2nd, Killed by Belle, Day 12
"Panem, I give you your victor: Belle Wurth!"
The Aftermath:
Even though Elinor Hawkins had killed more Careers, Belle was regarded as the "Career Slayer". She was beloved in the Capitol and the outer Districts, though 9 was a bit bitter as she'd killed both Arlo and Winter. Belle, however, was a private person before the Games, and became even more reclusive afterwards. While she was still seen on occasion, she was hard to befriend and hesitant to trust. But she stayed strong and didn't turn to addictive substances like some victors did.
List of Victors:
1st: Kelsi Sanchez of District 8
2nd: Diamond Yang of District 1
3rd: Zayd Ackerman of District 11
4th: Dexter Galloway of District 7
5th: Verona Tiber of District 2
6th: Desdemona Case of District 2
7th: Marietta Atwood of District 10
8th: Vizio Packard of District 3
9th: Luster Chastain of District 1
10th: Garrison Blue of District 2
11th: Mags Flanagan of District 4
12th: Elinor Hawkins of District 5
13th: Echo Lin of District 12
14th: Autus Hoffman of District 6
15th: Bran Granger of District 9
16th: Acacia Steele of District 7
17th: Scythe Dussel of District 11
18th: Woof Parsons of District 8
19th: Ardor True of District 1
20th: Belle Wurth of District 10
Hello! I try to avoid author's notes in this story, but I figured it was worth putting one in. I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated this story - I have a few chapters prepared now, and my goal is to update once a week (maybe every two weeks). Also, if you have any tribute name or arena suggestions, PLEASE send them my way. I have a list, but I'm going to run out of ideas eventually. I hope you enjoyed Belle's story, and stay tuned for the next chapter!
Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!
- Fiona