Bazooka Wildbrand, 17, District 3
Kikimora - Island A - 1200
The mechanical whirl of the pedestal rising into place distracts Bazooka from the immense darkness surrounding her. She closes her eyes, hoping to trick her mind into thinking that the source of the darkness is her doing, not another thing out of her control.
The timer will go off and I will regain control, she reminds herself
The light around her becomes brighter through her shut eyes, yet it takes her a few additional seconds to open them in full to take in the arena that now surrounds her. Straight ahead of her is the cornucopia, the large golden horn filled to the brim with supplies. Lesser supplies scatter the edges, the closest item to her being a small hand shovel.
Behind the cornucopia, a beach. Where she would expect to see sand, she sees rocks. She also sees the edge of a dock. No, two docks, maybe a third behind the metal blocking the rest of her view.
Forty seconds left. Bazooka sees Becca about half a dozen kids to her left before returning her attention to the supplies scattered around.
She needs a wire, an initiator, and a power source. She can likely source the housing from the arena, as long as it's big enough to support the rest of the materials.
Yet the longer she looks, the more it's obvious none of those materials are available.
It doesn't make sense to her. These things were available in training, why are none of them available now?
She recalls her session, how the Gamemakers swapped out the materials she had been practicing with. They provided more advanced material, a high form of Capitol tech. She figured they either wanted to see how she acted under change or see if her skills were transferable to new materials.
Regardless, nothing is available now, and how can she create her grand design if there's nothing around to make it with?
Ten seconds remain and uncertain possibilities rack Bazooka's brain. She needs to get off this pedestal, but not now or it'll explode-
They've provided me with my materials. They're-they're underneath me, Bazooka thinks to herself.
Five seconds.
The hand shovel is all she needs.
Three…
Two…
One…
The gong sounds and tributes either run towards the center or away from the chaos. All except Bazooka Wildbrand, who grabs the hand shovel and starts digging.
Klara Esosa, 18, District 2
Kikimora - Island A - 1200
Klara isn't displeased with the arena chosen this year, and they're glad the outfit supports it. Brown hiking pants with a zipper fastened underneath the knee. A white tank top her stylist says is quick drying. A lightweight grey athletic jacket on top for warmth and protection from the sun and bugs. Half leather, half nylon hiking boots on top wool socks.
She doesn't understand the purpose of the full-body jumpsuit folded to fit seamlessly onto their belt, but they know better than to lose it.
She glances left; Eleanora is standing directly besides them. To their right, Dahlia, Val, and Ronan. They think they see Cali in the distance, but there's no time to discern.
Three…
Two…
I can do this. She doesn't have any other choice.
One…
The gong goes off and Klara takes off running. Dahlia and Ronan keep pace, yet Klara is the first to secure a weapon from the center of the cornucopia; a comfortable sword. As she gets her bearings on who's coming closer and who's running away, they're face to face with Amatus.
"Go, get a kill," he spits out at the Careers that have claimed the center. Klara sees the ones she expected to see: Choux, Valerian, Ronan, and Cali. They thought Dahlia would be around, but she doesn't see her.
Amatus is the first to take off, with Choux closely behind him. Klara glances back at the Fours and Valerian. The fear in his eyes is obvious, and contrary to how they should feel, they don't want to see him die.
"Protect the center, attack anyone who gets close," they order the trio. All three of them give her some response of affirmation or relief.
(With their family reputation still on the line, they turn their back towards the cornucopia and head into the bloodbath, ready to do what needs to be done to return home.)
Astel Norwood, 17, District 7
Kikimora - Island A - 1201
When the gong goes off, some tributes stutter in their movements off the plate. Some still need moments to get their bearings on the arena, to decide where to go or what supplies to go after.
Astel is not one of those tributes.
She's one of the first to come in contact with the dry grass, sprinting across the field to collect an appropriate amount of supplies. That's her job, along with Owain and Vetiver. Hem and Chaffinch are to stay near the edges, decide which direction to head into, and give the three of them a visual landing point once they've gathered their supplies.
As she gathers things on the field, she is particularly aware of the Career movements. They've all just arrived at the center and it won't be long until they start spreading out to kill.
Across the field, she sees Hem running towards her with nothing but a small satchel in hand.
No, no! Don't come this way! With no way to vocalize her instructions to Hem, she can only watch helplessly as the girl advances towards her, fear plastered on her face.
(Hem doesn't see the Career chasing behind her.)
At this point, Astel has a decent-sized bag thrown over her shoulder and a small knife gripped in one hand. She's no expert in fighting, but she has no fear of killing.
(The Career would dodge the attack if she threw the knife – and she shouldn't waste her knife now, when she still has a whole arena to explore.)
Time seems to move slower as Hem and the Career – no, two Careers advance on her. The boy from Two and Choux. Astel holds the knife up in pure defense.
(Yet she has no intention of letting the knife go.)
Her feet move backward as the boy tackles Hem to the ground. Blood seems to shed immediately.
"Go after her!" the boy yells to Choux. His back is facing the girls, leaving Hem's face fully visible to Astel.
(Astel looks away, but not fast enough that she doesn't see the fear on Hem's face. It sends a chill down Astel's spine, despite the warmth around her.)
(There's more than fear in her expression, too. Surprise, shock – sure, Astel expects that. She doesn't expect the look of betrayal.)
Choux advances and Astel backs up. She's looking at her opponent for something, anything to give her the advantage.
(Did she imagine a shake of Choux's head? Did she imagine the slight lowering of her sword?)
She may never know, because a larger figure barrels into the Career, taking both of the girls off guard. A scream and flash of metal in the skin and Astel takes one look at the situation and bolts.
She sees Choux pull the sword out of Owain's leg, and she swears she sees him try to follow her, but she's not waiting for anyone any longer. She takes charge through the forest, heart racing, hoping the guilt stays behind her.
Dahlia Akhem, 18, District 8
Kikimora - Island A - 1202
When the gong rings, Dahlia sprints straight for the closest weapon. Tributes scatter around her, but she has only one goal in mind: to kill.
Dahlia scoops up a machete in one hand and tightens her fist. She sees the rest of the real Careers in the center as well, and she knows she only has minutes to get this right.
Where is she? Dahlia thinks, scouring the field for her target. She sees a few smaller kids run off into the forest, the ones from Twelve and Six, and none of them are who she cares about.
There. Dahlia locks in on her going for a weapon not too far off where Dahlia currently stands.
She doesn't hesitate before shortening the distance between them and tackling her to the ground. She had hoped to make contact with her weapon, but the blade just barely cuts into the folded jumper on her belt.
"They asked for a show, Five! Let's give them one." Dahlia pushes herself up to standing and Eleanora does the same. She cackles as she realizes Eleanora has come back empty-handed, her would-be-blade sitting harmlessly a few feet away from them.
"Why are you working for them?" Eleanora grits her teeth yet faces Dahlia with all the bravery she can muster.
"I'm putting on a show! I would expect you to do the same if you were capable of being entertaining." Dahlia's smirk doesn't drop as she swings her machete in Eleanora's direction. The girl dodges, trying to move closer to the weapon fallen to the ground.
"Make it a fair fight, at least. See who truly prevails without sabotage or interference," Eleanora grits her teeth as she speaks.
"Oh, sweetie, is anything in life fair?" This time, Dahlia's swing catches on Eleanora's jacket and leaves a nice rip through it.
A movement out of Dahlia's peripheral distracts her for just long enough for Eleanora to take the opening to pick up her dropped sword. In one swift move, she slices the back of Dahlia's hand. It stings but doesn't disarm her.
"Bitch," Dahlia mutters to herself, frustrated at her sloppiness. She doesn't want to risk too much, not with the fighting around her still in full motion.
(She doesn't have a choice.)
She swings in succession, Eleanora blocking each strike but the motions push the girl backwards.
If I can keep this up, I can- Dahlia's train of thoughts are cut short as Eleanora takes an opening, a tiny one as it was, and takes Dahlia off balance just enough to take a swing at her ankle. Another superficial cut certainly, but one that stings and forces Dahlia to step back. She doesn't fall, but the display is annoyingly embarrassing to the performer.
"Ha! Look at this!" Amatus yells from a distance. He jogs closer to the girls, and Dahlia's attention is pulled towards the idiotic boy.
It's then, while her attention is pulled elsewhere, does Eleanora sprint into the forest.
"Coward!" Dahlia shouts, all while Amatus continues to laugh.
"That was great," he says – having too much fun, Dahlia decides. "Maybe I shouldn't kill you now. You're clearly capable of more than you showed in the Capitol."
The insinuation that Dahlia was anything but spectacular the last week irritates her just as much as Eleanora escaping her does. For a moment, Dahlia wants nothing more than to shut Amatus up forever, but she knows better.
(How she so desperately wishes she could just wring his neck.)
"We're not done," Dahlia snaps back, shifting her glare from the last place she saw Eleanora and onto Amatus. With no supplies and no allies, she's not long for the Games.
"We're not done at all." Amatus points with his weapon across the field, where he sees Choux cleaning blood off her sword and more outliers still dance around the field.
Dahlia doesn't hesitate before breaking out into a jog to close the distance between her and the rest of the outliers.
(Because the show's not over until Dahlia Akhem says so.)
TW: brief mention of pet injury
Vetiver Brune, 18, District 10 - 1202
Kikimora - Island A
Vetiver's convinced it's the arena that's spinning around him as the timer ticks down. He closes his eyes for a moment, just long enough to hope things stabilize before he runs into the fray.
(He cannot die. He refuses to die here.)
His eyes open and he knows Chaffinch is only two spaces to his left, Astel only two from the small boy, and Owain directly across from Vet himself. In theory, they should have no problem getting in and out without issue.
(Vetiver anticipates the worst, though. He's always been dealt a bad hand from the Capitol, from the increasing demand for the Brune's work and the injuries that plague their dogs.
If he wins, he will never have to worry about that again. He will fund their retirement. He pictures his pups running around one of those houses in Victor's Village, sleeping on a large fluffy bed, without a care in the world.)
It's that image that gets Vet off his plate when the gong rings. He makes it closer to the cornucopia than he'd care to admit, but it leaves him with a decently sized backpack, a handful of throwing knives, and what he assumes is a sleeping bag.
His eyes whisk around, falling on the Careers that are guarding the cornucopia. It's only some of them, which means the rest are out in full force.
Screams pull his attention elsewhere and he sees Hem at the end of a blade. A few feet from Hem, he sees Astel primed to meet the same fate.
(But it's not that sight that captures his attention. It's the sight of the small boy that stands in between Vetiver and Astel that captures his attention. The little boy, backing up slowly, has eyes wider than Vetiver has seen up until now.)
(He's terrified.)
And as one would expect of a terrified boy, he turns around and darts straight into the forest without a single item in hand.
Time slows around Vet, but not long enough for him to weigh his options. He sees Owain running straight for Astel as another Career inches towards her.
(Despite that, Vetiver makes a choice he's sure his mentor is swearing at him for, and he sprints into the forest after Chaffinch.)
Choux Macbeth, 18, District 1
Kikimora - Island A - 1204
Choux didn't mean to stab him.
She just didn't expect him to tackle her.
She got her sword back, and he escaped with his life. By the time Choux realized what had happened, the boy retreated off into the woods. Choux isn't sure what kind of damage she did, but that's the least of her problems right now.
Astel understood her.
At least, that's all Choux can hope for.
Choux Macbeth knows that to win the Hunger Games is not merely to survive – it's to outlast the competition. To stay one step ahead of everyone at all times. To know what others might be planning, to capitalize on it, and to feign as much trust as possible.
(The Careers trust her. Eleanora trusts her. And now Astel. Should things go south with the Careers, which she anticipates, she will have a truce.)
She takes in the rest of the bloodbath. A trio of boys gather the last of their supplies before running off into the woods. Klara falls back to make sure the rest of the supplies are guarded. Amatus harasses Dahlia with his words. Three Careers guard the center, no one daring to get that close.
(And the girl from Three digging in the ground around the pedestal.)
This has caught the attention of another girl, Choux doesn't recognize her, and Amatus. And Dahlia.
"You think you can kill that one? Or will she one-up you as Eleanora did?" Amatus laughs.
"I'll put an end to a life, alright." Dahlia shifts her machete in her good hand and breaks into a comfortable jog towards the digging girl. Amatus follows close behind, having as much fun as he's capable of, Choux assumes.
She hangs back, her eyes falling to the spot where Astel disappeared. A smile falls on Choux's face. Her influence is everywhere
(This is her game.)
She imagines her grandfather watching her with pride. She imagines returning home in a few short weeks.
(She imagines the peace that would follow.)
She follows her allies.
Becca Sryker, 14, District 10
Kikimora - Island A - 1205
Becca didn't stray far from her plate – only far enough to secure a rope and an empty bottle. It isn't ideal, but she's not dumb enough to venture into the fighting.
Her eyes scan the area behind the plates, trying to find the best place to run to. The docks across the field don't seem ideal, so the forest is her best choice. Along with being the closest to her, it provides the best opportunity for her to hide out and find shelter.
She's about to take off when something strange catches her eye. Someone – of course it's Bazooka – she's on her knees by her plate.
Is she fucking digging? Becca's thoughts run wild with possibilities, all of them landing on one conclusion: She's crazy!
She recalls the conversation they had on the hovercraft, the 'plan' Bazooka has been hellbent on since Becca noticed her in training.
(She noticed Bazooka, and Bazooka noticed her. The last people who noticed Becca, who gave her an ounce of attention, were her mothers when they adopted her all those years ago. How much better has Becca's life been since escaping the community home? Since having a place she feels safe to call home?)
Bazooka may be the strangest girl Becca's ever met, but normalcy has never won the Hunger Games.
In the distance, Becca sees a trio of Careers running towards her ally. So with nothing holding her back, she takes off in a sprint.
Mishra Erfinder, 17, District 3
Kikimora - Island A - 1206
As soon as Mishra's plate brings him to the arena, he can see Ozzy and Reagan on his far left, their backs to what appears to be a harbor or pier. Mishra scans the items closest to him, and the items between him and his allies. If he can grab as many of them as possible before he joins them, they should be set for the first few days.
That's his plan when the gong rings, and that's his plan up until a large body slams into him, causing them both to flop onto the ground.
Get up! His mind yells at him but the hard contact with the ground disorients him enough.
"Roman!" a boy's voice rings out. Accompanying footsteps pound towards Mishra, and he's convinced this will be the last moment of his life. Instead, he watches as a boy, maybe from Six, helps the other boy to his feet. Mishra assumes that is the boy that he ran into.
As Mishra continues to struggle to his feet, he watches the duo run off and join a third boy. He also notices the small bag Mishra was going for is now gone.
His eyes frantically search for more supplies, but many of them have been picked up or pulled closer into the Cornucopia by Careers. He searches and searches, his mind weighing the pros and cons of continuing to hang around the bloodbath versus joining his allies empty-handed, and yet these thoughts are cut off by the sight of his District partner digging.
Digging? Mishra can't help but stare as Bazooka throws dirt around her plate, caring about nothing except the task at hand. He can't help but stare as Careers and outer districts alike get closer to her.
She stops digging, a single hand reaching into the newly formed hole, and she pulls something out. A wire? Partly, but there's something large attached to it, from what Mishra can tell…
The world seems to spin, at first only figuratively. A memory fights to the forefront of Mishra's mind, a memory filled with weeks and weeks of work on a similar-looking device. A device that, if activated improperly, would trigger a safety mechanism to destroy the contents of whatever it's designed to protect.
It was the last thing Aadin and I could cooperate on, he remembers.
(He also remembers Blythe assuring him everything they designed is used for good.)
And then comes the explosion that throws Mishra, and others, back to the ground. The first thing he notices is how quiet everything has become. No shouting, no wind rustling the trees, nor the sound of the ocean lapping on the beach.
(That's not the scariest part, either.)
The pain in his leg is like no other. Through the blinding and blurriness of his vision, all he sees is red.
(He sees a lot less of his leg than he had previously.)
He tries to scream. He can't hear if he does.
Surprise double update!
Thank you for beta'ing this one rb! ily much
a/n and eulogies will be on the next chapter