Freya Thatcher, 13

District 11 Female

Sleeping on the ground was awful. My mattress back at home wasn't much, but it was paradise compared to the patchy grass and lumpy rocks that tormented me through the sleeping bag. My backpack was also a terrible pillow. A strap was digging into my cheek and I knew I'd have stupid lines on my face when I sat up.

But Calceus and I were fairly hidden. We were still by the steam we found; just hidden behind a pile of boulders. Blackberry bushes grew right up against them but we managed to scoop out a little bit of space beneath them. It was squishy and Cal barely fit, but if one person was on watch and one slept it was manageable.

Morning light was filtering through the leaves. But it was still just as foggy as the first three days and there was still no wind. The silence was eerie. Calceus's back was to me and he was wrapped in the small blanket I'd found in my pack. I nudged him with my foot.

They jumped in surprise and twisted to face me.

"Oh! Hi. Good morning."

"Hi," I whispered back. They scooted forward to let me awkwardly crawl out of our hidey-hole. I dragged the backpack with me. We still had one can of soup left in it, and two protein bars. We'd mostly been eating blackberries.

A light pinging noise reached us and we both looked up. A small parachute appeared from the mist, gently floating towards us. Calceus stood up to catch it and then handed it to me. The white box had an '11' stamped on the front.

Calceus hovered behind me as I opened the container. Inside was a rectangular package wrapped in white paper and a round plastic object. It looked a bit like the makeup compacts they had in the Remake Center.

I picked it up first and flipped it open. It was some sort of compact with a mirror set into the top flap… but the bottom wasn't makeup. It was a compass. I twisted it back and forth for a bit, watching the needle sway.

I opened the paper-wrapped package next. It was holding together a turkey sandwich, complete with lettuce and cheese. It was cut into quarters. I glanced at Calceus out of the corner of my eye. He was eyeing the food hungrily.

I knew the right thing to do was share it. But this was the Hunger Games. Right and wrong were different here. Calceus glanced at me and cleared his throat. I met his gaze dead-on and didn't break it.

"It's okay," he croaked awkwardly. "It's your gift. You don't have to share."

I gave him a single nod as he scooted away. Good, I thought. That saved us from a lot of awkwardness. I picked up a quarter of the sandwich and took a bite. It was heavenly, and it was gone far too fast. But I forced myself to save the rest. I would be sharing supplies with Calceus for a bit longer. I was ready to kill him if I needed to, but I wanted him around for a while longer. There was still an entire Career Pack out there, along with several strong tributes, like Mackenzie and my district partner.

"Do you think we'd be able to catch some of those fish?" Calceus asked. We'd been picking blackberries in silence and putting them in the plastic sponsor container. It was nice to have a way to store the berries without squishing them.

"We have no way to cook them if we did," I pointed out. Cal's shoulders sagged.

"True."

I walked to the edge of the water and kicked a pebble in. The small silver fish scattered. If we had a way to start a fire, we could eat them. With all the fog, no one would be able to see the smoke.

I sat down in the grass and took the little plastic compact out of my pocket. A compass was useful, but not anything special. And a mirror… could be used to start a fire!

I flipped the compact open… and burst into action before my brain fully registered the threat. I barely saw the gleam of metal but I knew what it meant. I was across the stream in second, running faster than I ever had in my life.

Hot pain flashed across my ear. I saw the knife wedge itself into a tree out of the corner of my eye but I didn't stop running. I dashed deeper into the forest, keenly aware of the footsteps behind me.

I zig-zagged through the trees, trying to make myself difficult to follow. A tall pine with low branches stood in front of me and I leapt for a branch, not once slowing down.

I scrambled up the tree like a wild cat, ignoring the needles and branches that scratched at me. Only once the tree began to sway did I stop, hugging the trunk and flattening myself against it.

I could hear someone below me, muttering and snapping branches as they searched. There was no doubt it was a Career. A Career who wouldn't hesitate to kill me.

Death was part of my everyday life. I didn't fear it; I actually quite enjoyed it. It was fascinating to think about the process, and whatever lay beyond. But I'd never come this close to experiencing it.

My heart was pounding from both fear and exertion. I waited with my eyes squeezed shut until my pursuer sighed in frustration. I heard their footsteps fade into the distance as a cannon fired. Calceus. The Careers must have found him. Now that he was dead, they'd probably move on. But I still made myself wait ten minutes to climb down and sneak back to our camp.

During my frantic escape, I'd subconsciously had the sense to tuck the compact into my pocket. But I had a bad feeling that the rest of our supplies would be gone. And my worries were proven right when I peeked out from behind a thick tree.

Everything was gone, even the knife that had cut my ear. I touched my fingertips to the cut. I'd almost completely forgotten about it, but it felt like it was already scabbing over. Unlike the blood that soaked the grass beside the stream.

I hesitantly stepped out into the open. Nothing came for me, so I ventured further. Once I was across the water I knelt down beside the blood splatters.

"You're in a better place now," I told what was left of Calceus's being.

Then I stood up and washed my hands in the water. I picked a handful of blackberries and ate them as I worked on a plan. I couldn't stay here because the Careers knew where I was. And all my supplies were gone. I found myself mourning the turkey sandwich I'd lost even more than Calceus.

My best bet was to keep moving and find another tribute to ally with. I knew my district partner was still out there, and the girls from 3 and 5. I knew the girl from 5 had supplies because I saw her run from the bloodbath. She went the opposite direction from me and Calceus. If I skirted around the edges of the arena, I could make my way in her general direction.

Finding Anastasia was a long shot, but if I came across Robyn or Saigon, I'd take them on as allies instead. But I would keep moving forward. Dying wasn't an option.

Aurelius Charmichael, 17

District 1 Male

Artemis led us deeper in the mist with a slight spring in her step. It was weird seeing my serious, stoic ally expressing this much emotion. She was clearly lifted by the death of the kid from 8. He didn't stand a chance against her. It was unfortunate we lost his ally though. I nicked her ear with a throwing knife but she vanished into the trees and I wasn't able to find a blood trail.

"You know, he might blame you," Becky whispered. She'd fallen into step beside me and leaned over to murmur in my ear.

"Who?" I whispered back.

"Don. He won't be happy that the girl who scored a 12 got away."

I got a sinking feeling in my gut. She was right. Don wanted to kill the outliers quickly and efficiently and we hadn't done very well. If he thought it was my fault the girl survived, I'd be in danger.

"Maybe we could team up?" Becky suggested. She was still whispering and we'd slowed our pace so that Artemis was further ahead of us.

"Aren't we already?" I asked. Becky fought back a sigh.

"I meant as a smaller alliance. Like, when the Pack breaks up, we'll still look out for each other. We're district partners, so it's what District 1 would want us to do."

"Sure," I whispered. "That makes sense."

Becky nudged my shoulder with hers and sped up to catch up with Artemis. I pushed a lock of blonde hair out of my face and winced at how greasy it was. I missed showers. I missed ice cream. I missed comfortable beds. The arena wasn't nearly as thrilling as I'd hoped. But the Hunger Games were the ultimate achievement. Anyone who wanted to be anyone would volunteer. And it was no secret that I wanted to be someone.

My mom was the founder of 'Rose', a popular lipstick company. Recently, they'd branched out into other cosmetics, but I thought a line of skincare essentials would be a breakthrough. Unfortunately, my parents didn't think I was ready to be part of the company. But when I won the Games, they wouldn't be able to reject any of my ideas.

The imagined thrill of my victory was enough to push Donquixote's potential anger with me from my mind. I trailed behind the girls, half-heartedly listening for other tributes. I knew we were supposed to hunt until the sun began to set, but I doubted we would find anyone. We never did. We might as well just head back to the Cornucopia. But Artemis was as bloodthirsty as her district partner and I knew she was going to push us until we collapsed.

I summoned all the energy I could and sped up to walk alongside my allies. As we trooped further into the trees, it didn't even occur to me that Don wouldn't know who let the girl from 11 escape.

Artemis Shale, 16

District 2 Female

It felt so satisfying to finally sink my axe into the body of another tribute. The scrawny kid from 8 didn't stand a chance against me. His blood sprayed beautifully from his back as my blade pierced his skin.

It was a shame that his little ally got away, but I wasn't too worried. We'd find her eventually and she was too small to put up a real fight. I could handle her on my own with ease. Even Taffeta could probably take her on.

I wasn't one for gossip, but it was hard to avoid the talk about Taffeta. She was playing Don like a fiddle, but I didn't care. It was his choice to flirt with her and his fault if he died at her hands. Though for now they were firmly allied. As were Crash and Lotus. And now, Becky and Aurelius.

I wasn't deaf. I could hear them whispering behind me. Becky was a bully and she knew she'd be targeted when the Pack split up. So she was convincing the gullible one to stand by her side.

Aurelius wasn't my responsibility either, but his conversation with Becky reminded me that I was the odd one out. Usually district partners would have an unspoken alliance - a silent promise that they would look out for each other. But Don was besotted with Taffeta. And he wanted victory more than he wanted honor.

I wasn't going to stab an ally in the back. It was sneaky and dishonorable. I would look my opponent in the eye as I killed them. But Donquixote had no qualms betraying or sabotaging someone. I was above him, but I would have to keep an eye on him.

Crash and Lotus weren't an option for a side alliance either. They would do anything for each other and that included betraying me. I could either go alone… or take a card from Becky's deck and get Aurelius on my side.

But for some reason the idea rankled me. The Hunger Games were a contest of strength, not of mind games and manipulation. I was strong enough to win without stooping as low as Becky or Don.

Mind made up, I picked up the pace. I had nothing to worry about. I was the best District 2 had and I would cut down anyone who got between me and my victory.

Birch Paquin, 15

District 7 Male

My pain had been constant since killing Kairos. My head throbbed, the scratches on my face stung, and the wound on my calf was bloody and sore. I'd cleaned it the best I could but it was hard to reach and extremely sensitive to the touch. I nearly cried when I wiped it with disinfectant.

I wasn't sleeping either. All night I was plagued with visions of Brancher. Him rescuing me, him comforting me, him providing a home for me… and him dying at my hands. I killed the man who saved my life. And I did it again yesterday.

I'd never been more confused. Raskul was confident in his belief, but so were Brancher and Kairos. And the Careers were certain they were doing the right thing by volunteering. The Peacekeepers genuinely thought they were protecting Panem. Maybe it was the way you were taught to think that influenced who you were? Maybe even the purest of people could be corrupted by the evil in the world?

Was I corrupt? I wanted freedom for the people who deserved it the most. But I was also willing to take lives to gain that freedom. I tricked and betrayed people who wanted to live just as much as I did.

Pain burst through my head again and I groaned. I flopped down in the soft grass and fought the urge to cry. I missed Brancher. I missed my dad. I missed District 7. And I would never see it again. There was no way the Gamemakers would let me live.

Something landed on the ground beside me with a thump. I jumped in surprise and reached for my knife before realizing it was a sponsor gift, not another tribute. I carefully opened the box and picked up a gleaming, sharp-edged hatchet with a wooden handle.

There was no note, but I could only assume the weapon came from Blight. No Capitolite would sponsor me. But it meant that Blight believed I should keep fighting. Even if I wasn't going to win, I could make my statement and leave a mark on the arena.

The already dark sky was getting darker, which meant the sun was setting somewhere. I settled down against a fallen log to eat a few pieces of jerky and drink some water. I wasn't dangerously low on food but I would need to go foraging soon.

I settled down in the grass and listened to the birds settle down for the night. And then I heard a muffled curse and I jolted upright. Snatching up my hatchet and knife, I climbed over the log so I'd have some sort of obstacle between me and whoever was approaching.

I debated running, but with my injured leg I wouldn't get very far. Still, if I reached the treeline quickly enough…

But I didn't have time to decide. The girl from 8 stepped into my small clearing and her eyes widened.

"Guys! Over here!" she called. I took up a fighting stance as the boy from 2 and one of the tributes from 4 came rushing over. The three of them sized me up as I did my best to stare them down.

"That's the kid who got away from you in the bloodbath, right?" the girl from 8 asked. The boy narrowed his eyes and nodded.

"Why don't you do the honors then?" she proposed.

"It would be my pleasure," he growled.

He stalked forward with two pronged weapons in each hand. He started to come around one side of the log and I circled it too, desperate to keep some distance between us. But my heart leapt into my throat when I realized he was just trapping me between him and his allies. I stopped moving and he lunged.

I jerked backwards, nearly falling because of my bad leg. His weapon scraped across my chest, opening a shallow gash in the skin. I swung my hatchet up toward his ribcage but he deflected it with his other weapon. His first blade came back up and cut a deep slit through my cheek, narrowingly avoiding my eye.

I jumped back as far as I could but my injured leg couldn't hold my weight. I started to fall but someone grabbed me from behind, hooking their arms under my armpits. I caught sight of their black hair and knew it was Lotus.

I flipped the knife in my hand and stabbed Lotus in the leg. Zey cried out but held me tighter. I tried to bash my head into zeir nose but zeir arms slipped behind my head, holding me in a full headlock.

I tried to strike with my hatchet but pain pierced my hand. The girl from 8 stabbed her knife deep into the back of my hand, nearly pinning it against Lotus. My hatchet fell to the ground and she kicked it away.

Something scratched the corner of my mouth and my eyes flashed back to the boy from 2. He was gently dragging the sharp tip of his blade along my lips.

"You were so talkative in training," he cooed. "Don't you have anything to say now?"

When I didn't reply he slashed through my lip. Despite my best effort to say silent, I whimpered. It brought a smirk to his face. Then Lotus gave me a little shake.

"Come on, Don. Stop playing with him. I'm hungry."

Don heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes.

"You're no fun," he said. He jerked back, ready to deal the killing blow, and I spit a glob of bloody saliva right into his face. He roared in anger and kicked me in the shin.

"You want me to talk," I growled. "But I have nothing to say to you. You are beneath me."

Don's face was red with anger as he shoved my head back and pierced my throat. The pain was blinding but I held his gaze as long as I could. For a moment, I thought I saw Brancher looking back at me. And then there was nothing.

Crash Derosches, 18

District 4 Tribute

Being left to guard the camp was both a blessing and a curse. It left me alone with my thoughts; which I needed to process… but didn't want to. Lotus's promise to me still weighed heavy in my heart. I really didn't want to die and I really didn't want my best friend to die. But only one person won the Hunger Games. If it came down to the two of us, could I kill zem?

It was unlikely though. Chances were that someone or something else would get us before the Final 2. But then what? One of us would have to live without the other. The worries pounded on me like hail and I dropped my head into my hands.

A soft beeping sound pulled me out of the storm. Two parachutes were floating gently towards me. I caught the bigger one and examined it. It was a thin box; only an inch or two tall, but very wide. A big black '4' was printed on the top. The other box was taller and had the same number.

I opened the flatter box first and I knew what it was before I even saw the contents. The delicious smell of warm cheese reached my nose and I eagerly opened the pizza box. A massive greasy pizza, still warm from the oven, sat in my hands. Crispy pepperoni was scattered across the top and I felt my mouth begin to water.

I carefully set the pizza down on a chair and reached for the other box. This one held two large bottles of soda. There was a note taped to one of them.

'It's time for a pizza party!'

F. O.

I grinned up at the sky.

"Thanks!" I called out, knowing some camera would be able to pick it up. Hopefully my allies would be in the mood for a party too. A cannon fired this morning, so I assumed they'd be in a good mood.

I busied myself with setting up a makeshift table made of boxes. I found a tarp to use as a tablecloth and dragged crates and camping chairs over as well. I kept the pizza box closed, hoping the delicious meal would stay warm.

The excitement was managing to outweigh my concerns and I focused on it as hard as I could. Lotus was right; we volunteered and there was no way out but forward. But I couldn't let the worries overwhelm me.

A cannon fired out of nowhere, making me nearly drop the stack of metal camping plates. My allies were finally making a dent in the ranks of outliers. And if my math was right, we were two deaths away from being halfway through the Games...

Hi everyone. If I'm being honest with you all, things have been... pretty bad. My mental health is at an all-time low and a lot of awful stuff has gone down with my partner. So writing has been pretty difficult. I've honestly considered summarizing this story but I don't think it'll get to the point. I don't want to give up on LMTR. I just might speed things along. I have all the deaths until the Final 8 planned out and I have the Final 3 in mind too. I just need to figure out how to kill the other five. Also, I am making plans for my next SYOT but I'll share more info about it in the next chapter.

If you haven't reviewed in a while but are still reading, please let me know. You can either leave a review or PM me. I just want to know who is still around. I don't really want to give a victor to someone who had vanished completely.

QUESTIONS

1) Will Freya find Anastasia? Or will she ally with someone else?

2) What's going to happen to Aurelius?

3) Is Artemis going to stay honorable or will she stoop to Becky and Don's level?

4) When the Careers eventually split up, who will die?

5) Who do you think will die next?

EULOGIES

15th: Calceus Monson (killed by Artemis Shale)

Calceus was a kind and nuanced tribute who was destined for so much more than the Hunger Games. They could have made a huge impact in District 8 but their life was cut short; as is the nature of the Games. Cal was brave and true, and willing to show the world who he truly was. He will be missed by his parents and all of his district, but he will not be forgotten. In fact, Zander is going to have a song written in his honor. Thank you Carlpopa707 (and I'm really sorry I killed your tributes so close together).

14th: Birch Paquin (killed by Donquixote Esperanza)

Birch was a very interesting young man. He was most definitely a product of his environment and he demonstrated the downsides of following blindly and letting hate consume you. He was prejudiced and violent, but he started to learn to think for himself towards the end. He was a villain by circumstance and I hope he finds peace and answers in the afterlife. Thank you Very New To This.

ALLIANCES

The Careers: Becky, Aurelius, Artemis, Donquixote, Crash, Lotus, Taffeta

Loners: Robyn, Anastasia, Mac, Brielle, Freya, Saigon

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

- Fiona