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Afternoon-Night of Day 2
The Fear Series Part I
Heavily Inspired by American Horror Story and Scream Queens
Warning: The following content may contain elements that are not suitable for certain audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.
Introduction[]
Rules[]
1. You are able to submit up to two tributes, but when you're reserving a tribute, you can only reserve one. If the tribute is going to be new, you can hold the spot(s) for up to an hour. If you're going to post a link, you can hold the spot(s) for up to thirty minutes. Reservations last up to forty eight hours, meaning that you have two days to complete the tribute. However, holding a spot is different and it means that you're creating the tribute(s) right away.
2. Please, don't spam. If you want to get more people to join your Hunger Games, just ask me first. I could help you out by giving a sponsor reward for anyone who joined or who has joined, but if you do it without my permission (a.) it's rude and (b.) I'll kill your tribute right away (if you have a tribute). Also, trying to reach comment 100, or 200, or 300 is also extremely annoying. I'm fine if it's maybe two comments, but if you have three repeated comments (or more) I'll just ignore you and (possibly) kill your tributes. Keep in mind that I don't reward people for reaching these comment numbers on my Hunger Games.
3. Please stay active. If you submit a tribute, you're also secretly signing an agreement to stay active during the months these go on. My Hunger Games may range from one month (meaning I'll be quick in writing) to up to four months (meaning I'll be more descriptive and have longer writing). I may even go over four months, but if I do, then I'll be perfectly fine if you no longer are participating. Also, I don't figure out a victor until the last day of the Hunger Games. If I like a tribute, they may survive longer, but if their user is not active, don't expect them to win. It would be completely unfair to those who have participated and stayed active during these months.
4. I will try to update any where from once a day to, at the latest, once a week. Keep in mind that this isn't including anything that may happen to me or things that happen around me. I usually try my best to stay active and update, but I do experience times where I don't know what to write and it's a pain in the ass! I'll do everything in my power to keep on writing during these times, but since I practically have OCD, I may absolutely hate it and rewrite it.
5. I will be swearing a lot during these Hunger Games. I try not to go off on a crazy swearing spree, but with children killing children, it'd only be appropriate that some would be swearing. I mean, who wouldn't swear if they're trying to run away from an angry pack of mutts? I've heard people swear when they stub their toe, trust me, I could be a lot worse since someone may be shoving a sword right through you chest or stomach.
6. I appreciate advice and will follow it as closely as possible. While I may not be spot on, it will be close enough that I'm following the guidelines. Please keep your advice open for possibilities and incorporate as much into as you can. If you want your tribute to lay low for a day, tell them what they should do. Maybe they should try to preserve their food during the day or gather berries, because "laying low" might mean drowning in an ocean or sleeping in the middle of the ground.
7. I'll allow you to comment on my writing, including whether you like it or not. While I do really get angry if someone completely blows off my writing, I'll try my hardest not to have it affect the placings. However, if you're commenting on how bad my writing is, please turn it into constructive criticism. If you don't like my writing a certain way, I'll try my hardest to change it. However, if I truly don't like your ideas, then I will, nicely, say that I don't like it or that I don't really think it'd be the best for my Hunger Games.
8. Your tribute template must include the tribute's fear and how they react to fear. Since these aren't your typical Hunger Games, fear will be a huge factor in your tribute's outcome. Fears such as death or any other normal/stupid fear is highly condemned. While I want the tribute's fear to resemble their history, I don't want something as casual as death. I understand some tributes won't have many fears, but just one serious fear is enough to give your tribute more depth.
Tribute Template[]
I honestly don't really mind what you have on your tribute template, but I do recommend you having all of the following. If you don't, your tribute will be at a huge disadvantage since I won't be able to connect with him/her as well or I won't have any ideas for them. Make your tributes interesting and open for change, but not too open where a nice, little girl becomes a serial killer over night. Also, make your tributes realistic. If someone is nice and quiet, why would they have a killer side to them? I may in fact like your tribute enough that I allow them to survive longer than they should have. Without further ado, here's the recommended template:
Name: (This is required, both first and last. Names that are boring or regular will be completely ignored.)
Age: (Ages twelve through eighteen. If I want someone younger, I'll ask a user to create one.)
District: (The Capitol and Districts Zero through Fourteen will be cooperating. If there hasn't been an update in a while, post two or three alternative districts just in case. It'll ensure they get a spot.)
Gender: (Preferably male or female, although gender-fluid is acceptable. If gender-fluid, please comment what sex they were born. If transgender, they'll go by the gender they identify as.)
Personality: (This should help resemble the backstory. If a tribute spent their entire life playing sports, then they'd be athletic and competitive, not quiet and weak. Please, just think about if you were this tribute and went through the same things they went do. If it is a nice person, do not add that she has a killer side to him/her, all the tributes will need to kill another and you just don't need to add it.)
Backstory: (I don't care if you call it history or background, but please put some thought into this. Tell me what your tribute's life has been like, and please include as much as you can. I don't care if they're the most boring tribute possible, but I need to know why they're so boring or why they act a certain way.)
Weapons: (I'd prefer only one to two weapons, but three is tolerable. Anything above three will be ignored. Please try to have your weapons resemble your tribute, like if they've been living in District Seven their lives and throwing axes against trees, don't say their weapon is a baton or a mace, it should be axes, since they're better at it.)
Appearance: (This should be shown in a lunaii and a real life picture, but if you post a description, I'll try my hardest to create a lunaii and find an image that relates. It may not be exactly how you pictured it, but if you don't get it yourself, I'm not going to say that I'm sorry, since you should have got it. If you don't post a lunaii or real life picture, please post as accurate of a description as you can. Saying that she has green eyes and blonde hair is not descriptive enough.)
Reasons for Winning: (This is a section completely new and completely optional. Every tribute wants to come home for something or someone, so tell me. However, if you say they want to come home for their girlfriend and there was no girlfriend in their backstory, I will ask you to try and add her in the backstory or tell me about what the two did together, like would they kiss each other or were they stuck in the friend zone?)
Fear(s): (Every tribute is afraid of something, but please, try to keep your fears similar to their backstory. If they were attacked by crows when they were younger, don't tell me that they fear something like heights, they'd fear crows. I'd prefer to have at least two fears, but the more you have, the more I'll like your tribute.)
Reaction to Fear(s): (Since every tribute is afraid of something, they react differently to their fear. You may not say that your tribute just ignores their fear, or else they will have a huge disadvantage. The more detailed you are about how they react, the better I can portray your tribute.)
If you want to add anything else, such as strengths, weaknesses, height, etc. please feel free to. These are just the ones I'll be looking the most at and the ones that I'll use to determine whether your tribute survives longer than the others or not. Advice may also influence how long your tribute lasts, but the better the tribute template is, the more I'll enjoy your tribute. Please put a lot of consideration into making your tributes, because the nicest tribute might win, or may the meanest. You never know.
The Tributes[]
General Table[]
| District | Male Tribute | Age | Weapons | Female Tribute | Age | Weapons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Capitol | Giorno Giovanna | 18 | Scythe, Fist | Fabrina Lustrus | 17 | Club, Bat, Fist |
| District Zero | Topher Celene | 17 | Cleaver | Briggs Mitchell | 16 | Intelligence, Chakram, Shuriken |
| District One | Finn Koran | 18 | Trident, Net | Dazzle Glathworth | 17 | Spiked Mace |
| District Two | Radiant Tayz | 16 | Throwing Knife, Combat Knife | Isla Ackleson | 16 | Throwing Knife, Bolo Knife, Dagger |
| District Three | Apio Atsu | 17 | Kunaii, Throwing Knife | Jayda Idylwyld | 17 | Axe, Intelligence |
| District Four | Fausto Grandeur | 17 | Axe, Spear | Tessa Griffin | 16 | Spear, Martial Arts, Knife |
| District Five | Aster Bright | 15 | Knife, Short Sword | Peach Proston | 17 | Dagger |
| District Six | Caliban Rweed | 17 | Sword, Dagger | Lenox Asa | 15 | Knife, Sickle |
| District Seven | Axel Alex | 17 | Throwing Axe, Axe | Clara Shrub | 14 | Axe, Spear, Sword |
| District Eight | Banette Tsukomogami | 15 | Knife, Traps, Needles | Verena Chambray | 14 | Knife, Blowgun |
| District Nine | Crow Messor | 13 | None (Agility, Plant Knowledge) | Cheyanne Violanta | 12 | Bow, Spear |
| District Ten | Libomin Pigfield | 14 | Sword | Sharlene Randell | 18 | Gun, Knife, Axe |
| District Eleven | Garth Stormcloak | 17 | Khopesh, Sword, Whip | Taligelia Rendervault | 16 | Spear, Bayonet Knife |
| District Twelve | Soot Dustcloud | 16 | Sword, Knife Glove, Throwing Knife | Callimont Crusoe | 18 | Throwing Knife, Explosives, Traps |
| District Thirteen | Caesar Sharpclaw | 15 | Teeth, Claw | Laura Power | 15 | Knife, Dagger, Poison |
| District Fourteen | Luxray Meganium | 18 | Morning Star, Shuriken | Elise Stokes | 16 | Dagger, Throwing Knife |
Lunaii Gallery[]
Real Life Gallery[]
Alliances[]
Pre-Game Alliances[]
Careers[]
Finn Koran (1), Dazzle Glathworth (1), Radiant Tayz (2), Isla Ackleson (2), Fausto Grandeur (4), Tessa Griffin (4), Callimont Crusoe (12)
Anti-Careers[]
Giorno Giovanna (Cap), Apio Atsu (3), Jayda Idylwyld (3), Lenox Asa (6), Cheyanne Violanta (9), Soot Dustcloud (12)
District Zero and Fourteen Alliance[]
Topher Celene (0), Elise Stokes (14)
District Eight and Fourteen Alliance[]
Banette Tsukomogami (8), Luxray Meganium (14)
District Eight and Nine Alliance[]
Verena Chambray (8), Crow Messor (9)
Loners[]
Fabrina Lustrus (Cap), Briggs Mitchell (0), Aster Bright (5), Peach Proston (5), Caliban Rweed (6), Axel Alex (7), Clara Shrub (7), Libomin Pigfield (10), Sharlene Randell (10), Garth Stormcloak (11), Taligelia Rendervault (11), Caesar Sharpclaw (13), Laura Power (13)
Current Alliances[]
Careers[]
Radiant Tayz (2), Isla Ackleson (2), Fausto Grandeur (4), Tessa Griffin (4)
Anti-Careers[]
Currently Separated
District Zero and Fourteen Alliance[]
Topher Celene (0), Elise Stokes (14)
District Eight and Fourteen Alliance[]
Banette Tsukomogami (8), Luxray Meganium (14)
District Eight and Nine Alliance[]
Verena Chambray (8), Crow Messor (9)
Loners[]
Fabrina Lustrus (Cap), Briggs Mitchell (0), Apio Atsu (3) (Separated from Alliance), Jayda Idylwyld (3) (Separated from Alliance), Aster Bright (5), Lenox Asa (6) (Separated from Alliance), Axel Alex (7), Sharlene Randell (10), Taligelia Rendervault (11), Callimont Crusoe (6) Caesar Sharpclaw (13), Laura Power (13)
Sponsoring Information[]
The Sponsors[]
| User | Tribute 1 | Money | Tribute 2 | Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PerniciousFabrication | Fabrina Lustrus (Cap) | $1000 | Crow Messor (9) | $425 |
| Zephyr the Exalted | Topher Celene (0) | $450 | ||
| Poisonous Nightshade | Briggs Mitchell (0) | $1300 | ||
| That1Girl | Laura Power (13) | $275 | ||
| ~MsGlitterDay~ | ||||
| Tehblakdeath | Radiant Tayz (2) | $1050 | Luxray Meganium (14) | $850 |
| The Wayward Daughter | Isla Ackleson (2) | $1350 | ||
| SwimmingLion | Apio Atsu (3) | $850 | ||
| The Targaryen of District 4 | Jayda Idylwyld (3) | $650 +$100 | Taligelia Rendervault (11) | $625 |
| Kaeghan-is-a-Tribute | Fausto Grandeur (4) | $1600 | Lenox Asa (6) | $700 |
| SirEatAlotISTK | Tessa Griffin (4) | $1250 | Caesar Sharpclaw (13) | $1125 |
| Enraptured Misfit | Aster Bright (5) | $650 | Verena Chambray (8) | $450 |
| Striker12345 | Axel Alex (7) | $700 | ||
| Mistfire333 | Banette Tsukomogami (8) | $800 | ||
| Probably Reading | Sharlene Randell (10) | $1325 | Callimont Crusoe (12) | $1425 +$150 |
| Misytmolla | Elise Stokes (14) | $800 |
Whenever money is earned during the course of the Hunger Games, it will appear besides the amount you currently had. For example, if you already had $400 and earn $100 for killing a tribute, it will appear like this: $400 +$100.
The Sponsoring Gifts[]
Due to the twist and the supplies available at the cornucopia, all weapons that were not at the cornucopia cost an extra $100 while weapons available at the cornucopia are $100 cheaper. Also, sources of light cost an extra $100 due to how important it is during these Hunger Games. During the course of the Hunger Games, some weapons and supplies will be cheaper or more expensive on certain days.
Weaponry[]
Awl: $150 (original price $250)
Axe: $400 (originally $300)
Baton: $400 (originally $300)
Blowgun: $650 (originally $550)
Bow: $650 (originally $550)
Brass Knuckles: $450 (originally $350)
Chakram: $600 (originally $500)
Club: $450 (originally $350)
Club (Spiked): $550 (originally $450)
Crossbow: $700 (originally $600)
Dagger: $200 (originally $300)
Darts (x12): $400 (originally $300)
Flail: $500 (originally $400)
Hammer: $400 (originally $300)
Hatchet: $450 (originally $350)
Javelin: $400 (originally $500)
Knife: $150 (originally $250)
Mace: $450 (originally $350)
Mace (Chained): $550 (originally $450)
Machete: $300 (originally $400)
Morning Star: $550 (originally $450)
Needles (x6): $400 (originally $300)
Poison: $350 (originally $250)
Quiver of Arrows (x12): $300 (originally $200)
Rocks (x12): $250 (originally $150)
Scythe: $350 (originally $450)
Shield: $400 (originally $300)
Shurikens (x12): $400 (originally $500)
Sickle: $350 (originally $450)
Slingshot: $500 (originally $400)
Spear: $350 (originally $450)
Spike Trap: $500 (originally $400)
Sword: $250 (originally $350)
Throwing Axes (x3): $600 (originally $500)
Throwing Knives (x6): $400 (originally $500)
Trident: $600 (originally $500)
Whip: $450 (originally $350)
Food[]
Apples (x12): $150
Bananas (x12): $150
Bread (loaf): $250
Cookies (x12): $150
Crackers (x30): $100
Dried Meat (x3): $150
Energy Drink: $300
Granola Bars (x12): $200
Oranges (x12): $150
Soup: $250
Water: $300
Warmth[]
Blanket: $250
Matches: $400 (originally $300)
Sleeping Bag: $200
Medicine[]
Antidote: $500
Anti-infection: $500
Burn Cream: $450
Insta-Relief: $700
Painkillers: $400
Sleep Syrup: $350
Miscellaneous[]
Alcohol: $500
Canteen (empty): $300
Camouflage Paints: $450
Drug of Choice: $500
Flares (x3): $450 (originally $350)
Flashlight: $400 (originally $300)
Gasoline: $350
Gloves: $200
Hat: $200
Net: $350
Night-Vision Goggles: $600 (originally $500)
Parka: $300
Rope: $200
Socks: $150
Spile: $250
Wire: $400
The Sponsoring Money System[]
The following factors play an influence on the amount of money the tributes receive for sponsoring:
- Whether they were reaped or volunteered
- Their district (Capitol tributes get a bonus)
- Whether they are a Career tribute or not
- Whether they are in an alliance or a loner (romances get a bonus)
- Their training score
- Their odds of winning
- The 8 tributes in the training favoritism earn a bonus
During the courese of the Hunger Games, there are three different ways to earn money or receive discounts on the gifts:
- Every time a tribute gets a kill, they earn $100
- Every time a tribute gets a distinct assist, they earn $50
- Tributes on the Capitol Favoritism for a certain day of the Hunger Games earn a discount on the gifts if they purchase the items the following day (if your tribute was on the Capitol Favoritism for Day 1, you can send them discounted gifts for Day 2, but not for Day 3)
- Games Favoritism #1: 75% off
- Games Favoritism #2: 50% off
- Games Favoritism #3: 40% off
- Games Favoritism #4: 25% off
- Games Favoritism #5: 20% off
- Games Favoritism #6: 15% off
- Games Favoritism #7: 10% off
- Games Favoritism #8: 5% off
The Arena[]
The arena resembles a post-apocalypse city, completed with destroyed buildings and an abandonned underground train station. Every hour of the day is covered in a thick darkness, with the only possible way to keep track of time being by the daily thunderstorms from midnight to six o'clock in the morning. The arena can further be divided into different sections: the cornucopia, the buildings, the underground train station, and the forest.
Cornucopia[]
The Cornucopia contains essential items for the tributes' survival, including crates of food, backpacks (small and large), flashlights, and water canteens. However, the only type of weapon the cornucopia has at the start of the Hunger Games is bladed weapons, mainly different types of knives and swords, with a limited amount of daggers, spears, and shurikens. There's no other weapons in the cornucopia except for the aforementioned.
The Cornucopia lays in the center of the arena, with destroyed buildings and abandonned roads surrounding it. Instead of having soft grass underneath the cornucopia, it rests on cracked pavement, which once served as the city square. A nonfunctional fountain sits a decent distance from the mouth of the cornucopia, providing decent coverage for tributes. The fountain remains in a good condition, with only small sections of it collapsing, except for the fact it doesn't contain any water.
Buildings[]
The Buildings are scattered all across the arena, ranging in both size and shape. Some buildings have been completely destroyed, while others remain perfectly intact. With the buidlings covering the main portion of the arena, other tributes are usually the largest threat to the tribute. However, there may be a few mutations roaming freely around, some of which may be incredibly dangerous, but the chances are much slimmer than they are in the forest. Another huge threat is that the Gamemakers have complete control over the buildings, and they will do anything to frighten the tributes.
The Buildings may also provide food, water, and weapons for the tributes. Weapons that weren't at the cornucopia (and some that were) can occasionally be found hidden somewhere, if the tribute searches hard enough. Sometimes the weapons may be out in plain sight, but other times, they may be hidden very well in the rooms.
The Buildings are classified in a somewhat simple fashion. The first letter in the name of the building identifies what direction the building is corresponding to the cornucopia (i.e. buildings north of the cornucopia start with N). The following number identifies how close it is to the cornucopia, with the smaller numbers being closer to the cornucopia. The last number identifies whether it's closer to the left or right side in comparison to the other buildings of the same direction (i.e. buildings ending with a zero are the furthest to the left, while buildings ending with a nine are the furthest to the right).
Examples of Building Classifications: Building S25 (located south of the cornucoipia, close to the cornucopia, and right in the middle); Building E57 (located east of the cornucopia, same distance from the cornucopia to the forest, and closer to the right side of the section); Building W92 (located west of the cornucopia, close to the forest, and closer to the left side of the section)
Underground Train Station[]
The Underground Train Station runs throughout the entire arena, although it's underground and covered heavily in debris. Without a flashlight, the tribute could be easily lost, and if the ground above them collapses, they may die from oxygen depravation if not crushed. Mutts tend to roam more freely around the underground train station than the buildings, but there's still more dangerous mutts in the forest. There are four entrance staircases for the underground train station, each one in a different direction from the cornucopia (i.e. north, east, south, and west).
The Underground Train Station does not have any safe sources of water, but if a tribute searches deep enough, they may find some food or a metal tool that could be used as a weapon. However, the underground train station prevents tributes from receiving sponsoring gifts, as there's no way a gift could reach the tribute. If a gift is sent to the tribute, they will receive it once they're outside.
The Underground Train Station is classified in a simple fashion. All the train tracks are numbered, with the tracks running from the north to south being even numbers and hte tracks running from the west to east being odd numbers. The train tracks aren't exactly straight (they're more like a maze), but whenever a track turns to face a different direction, the number for it changes. The smaller numbered tracks are closer to the west side of the arena, while the higher numbered tracks are closer to the east side of the arena. Tracks between forty and sixty and in between the west and east side of the arena.
Examples of Underground Train Station Classifications: Track 45 (located only marginally closer to the west side of the arena, and runs from the west to east); Track 16 (located near the west side of the arena, and runs from the north to south); Track 77 (located between the middle and the east side of the arena, and runs from the west to east)
Forest[]
The Forest is located on the outskirts of the arena, being incredibly small compared to the rest of the arena and creating the circular shape of the arena. There's only about a half mile distance from the start of the forest to the force field preventing tributes from escaping the arena. Of all the other parts of the arena, it has the most threats, with multiple mutations residing in the forest. However, unlike the other parts of the arena, the forest can not be controlled by the Gamemakers at all, so it may be safer for some to hide here.
The Forest is also the only place in the arena where you can hunt for food, with the exception of the stray squirrel or bird roaming the abandonned city, and have access to a clean water source. All the plants located in the forest are safe to eat, and absolutely none of the berries are poisonous. To some extent, the forest provides the greatest chance for survival, providing both food and shelter. All the animal mutations are also edible, although they are dangerous to the tribute while still alive.
The Forest is classified in a very simple fashion. The first letter identifies the direction the tribute is from the cornucopia (i.e. the forest north of the cornucopia starts with N). The following numbers identify where the tribute is located as if they were a part of a clock separated into 60 sections (i.e. the forest directly west of the cornucopia would end with 45).
Examples of Forest Classifications: Forest E12 (located to the east of the cornucopia, and slightly north of the east side of the arena); Forest S37 (located to the south of the cornucopia, and almost directly between the east and south side of the arena); Forest N55 (located to the north of the cornucopia, and towards the west side of the arena)
Note: The letter for the direction the tribute is in comparison to the cornucopia is rather useless with the following numbers. However, it makes it easier to judge where the tribute is by including the direction. As long as you imagine the forest as a clock with the minute hand, it's very easy to understand.
Image[]
Yellow indicates the cornucopia
Blue indicates a clean source of water
Black Lines indicate a subway track
Blue Circles indicate a large opening or a hidden passage
Tributes' Uniform[]
The tribute's uniform for the Fear Games is exactly the same, with the only variation being the color of the jacket and the type of shirt underneath. All the girls wear a v-neck while all the boys wear a crew neck. The color of the shirts are a lighter shade of the color of their jacket. The lightweight, nylon jacket has a standard collar, two pockets at the waist, and is zipped in the front. The jacket is water and wind resistant, although it doesn't entirely protect the tribute from the cold weather. They all wear slim-fit cargo pants with two front pockets, two back flap pockets, and two long pockets along the legs. The tan pants are tucked into the tributes' combat boots. The black boots have both lace-up and zip closure, go above the tribute's ankle (but below their tattoos), and have grippy soles. The color of each of the tribute's jackets are the following:
The Capitol: Cardinal Red
District Zero: Light Gray
District One: Orchid Pink
District Two: Orange Red
District Three: Daffodil Yellow
District Four: Light Sea Green
District Five: Pale Turquoise
District Six: Pale Green
District Seven: Oak Brown
District Eight: Blue Violet
District Nine: Pumpkin Orange
District Ten: Blood Red
District Eleven: Lime Green
District Twelve: Slate Gray
District Thirteen: Navy Blue
District Fourteen: Pastel Pink
Capitol Favoritism[]
The Capitol Favoritism will show who the Capitol is rooting for, but only the top eight will be shown. Each day, including training, a new chart will be added, showing who is being rooted for the most. A tribute that is on the training favoritism chart were being rooted the most during training, and the entire training days. The charts will most likely chart every day, so there'll always be a new chart at either the end of the previous day or the start of the new day. When the day starts, the chart will not change. When there's less than eight tributes left, the chart will only contain as many placings as the tributes that are left.
Training scores, amount of kills, romantic relationships, and other impacts your tribute does to the Hunger Games will influence the favoritism chart. Tributes that seem to be surprising, even if they may be weak, will also influence the decision, especially if they suddenly turn out to be a crazy killer while they performed terribly on training. Many different qualities will also influence the favoritism, as those who are charming will be liked more by the Capitol than someone who is rude.
This concept was originally created by Kaeghan. If you plan on using this in your own Hunger Games, please credit Kaeghan-is-a-Tribute, also known as Kaeghan, for the creation of this.
Training Favoritism[]
| Placing | Name | District | Odds | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Briggs Mitchell | District Zero | 7-1 | Nobody in the Capitol thought she was a threat until the training scores were announced and she tied for the highest score; They're enjoying slowly getting to know who truly is Briggs Mitchell |
| 2nd | Sharlene Randell | District Ten | 5-1 | The Capitol always assumed she would be the mysterious tribute who would surprise you in the most unexpected ways, which happened when she tied for the highest training score |
| 3rd | Callimont Crusoe | District Twelve | 5-1 | Everyone in the Capitol is suspcious as to how a tribute from Twelve was able to join the Careers, but her training score proved her strength |
| 4th | Fausto Grandeur | District Four | 3-1 | The Capitol espeially enjoys how troubled he appears to be at times, although him presumably being the leader of the Careers and having the highest odds of all the tributes also contribute to his favoritism |
| 5th | Caesar Sharpclaw | District Thirteen | 4-1 | The Capitol has mixed feelings about Caesar, believing that he is either going to be a huge threat or a monster in the arena; His training score is the only reason he's one of the Capitol's favorites |
| 6th | Fabrina Lustrus | The Capitol | 15-1 | Obviously the Capitol favors their tributes more than the other district's tributes, but when she earned a high score in training, they were genuinely surprised |
| 7th | Isla Ackleson | District Two | 5-1 | The Capitol specifically loves how Isla shows no mercy to anyone, even her allies, and for tying the highest training scores of the Career tributes |
| 8th | Banette Tsukomogami | District Eight | 12-1 | The Capitol is extremely eager to learn more about Banette, specifically about his appearance; His training score also played part in his favoritism |
Day 1 Favoritism[]
| Placing | Name | District | Odds | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Fausto Grandeur | District Four | 3-1 | The Capitol had already liked him for earning a good training score and becoming the leader of the Careers; Two kills during the bloodbath caused them to really start rooting for him, seeing as everyone previously placed before him didn't earn a single kill |
| 2nd | Caesar Sharclaw | District Thirteen | 3-1 | While he only managed to earn a single kill during the bloodbath, having the first kill and killing in such a gruesom manner really entertaining the Capitol |
| 3rd | Sharlene Randell | District Ten | 5-1 | Although she was rather uneventful during the bloodbath, she did fight a Career, eventually getting the assist off his death; Her performance wasn't as disappointing as some of the other favored tributes |
| 4th | Apio Atsu | District Three | 20-1 | Killing a Career really brought him popularity throughout the Capitol, as they didn't know he was capable of doing so, even if it was in a rather boring manner |
| 5th | Tessa Griffin | District Four | 6-1 | Earning a kill during the bloodbath and killing Giorno afterwards caused the Capitol to start recognizing and rooting for her; They incredibly enjoyed the manner in which she killed Giorno, even if it was their own tribute |
| 6th | Isla Ackleson | District Two | 4-1 | The Capitol originally recognized her for her training score, but after killing a tribute during the bloodbath, more started rooting for her; She would've been placed higher if she managed to catch and kill Briggs |
| 7th | Briggs Mitchell | District Zero | 8-1 | The only thing that saved her from completely dropping from the list was her possibly killing Dazzle; The Capitol was disappointed in her performance, hating that she fled from the Careers, but they were surprised she managed to get away without any injuries |
| 8th | Fabrina Lustrus | The Capitol | 14-1 | Her performance during the bloodbath was rather weak, but she managed to flee without any injuries, unlike a lot of the tributes; Similar to before, the Capitol clearly favors their own tributes |
People Added to Favoritism: Apio Atsu (District 3) and Tessa Griffin (District 4)
People Dropped from Favoritism: Callimont Crusoe (District 12) for not killing anyone or doing anything of importance during the bloodbath as a Career; Banette Tsukomogami (District 8) for being uneventful during bloodbath
Training Scores and Odds[]
| Name | Training Score | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Giorno Giovanna (Cap) | 8 | 20-1 |
| Fabrina Lustrus (Cap) | 9 | 15-1 |
| Topher Celene (0) | 4 | 65-1 |
| Briggs Mitchell (0) | 11 | 7-1 |
| Finn Koran (1) | 9 | 6-1 |
| Dazzle Glathworth (1) | 8 | 9-1 |
| Radiant Tayz (2) | 9 | 7-1 |
| Isla Ackleson (2) | 10 | 5-1 |
| Apio Atsu (3) | 8 | 24-1 |
| Jayda Idylwyld (3) | 6 | 45-1 |
| Fausto Grandeur (4) | 10 | 3-1 |
| Tessa Griffin (4) | 9 | 8-1 |
| Aster Bright (5) | 8 | 24-1 |
| Peach Proston (5) | 5 | 50-1 |
| Caliban Rweed (6) | 5 | 85-1 |
| Lenox Asa (6) | 8 | 30-1 |
| Axel Alex (7) | 8 | 18-1 |
| Clara Shrub (7) | 6 | 28-1 |
| Banette Tsukomogami (8) | 9 | 12-1 |
| Verena Chambray (8) | 6 | 60-1 |
| Crow Messor (9) | 5 | 60-1 |
| Cheyanne Violanta (9) | 4 | 75-1 |
| Libomin Pigfield (10) | 6 | 50-1 |
| Sharlene Randell (10) | 11 | 5-1 |
| Garth Stormcloak (11) | 9 | 10-1 |
| Taligelia Rendervault (11) | 8 | 30-1 |
| Soot Dustcloud (12) | 8 | 35-1 |
| Callimont Crusoe (12) | 10 | 5-1 |
| Caesar Sharpclaw (13) | 10 | 4-1 |
| Laura Power (13) | 5 | 80-1 |
| Luxray Meganium (14) | 9 | 6-1 |
| Elise Stokes (14) | 9 | 10-1 |
The Hunger Games[]
The Twist[]
Before the start of the Hunger Games, each tribute has received two tattoos on their legs, each of a different tribute's name and district. Starting on the second day, one tribute will feel a burning sensation of the tattoo, where it will change its color from black to blood red. During that day, the tribute must kill one of the two tributes tattooed on their leg unless both tributes are dead. In this case, the tribute will have to choose from one of the alternate options. If the tribute doesn't have any alternate options available, they'll still receive the prize—being able to live another day. If the tribute fails to kill any of the tributes on their leg or their alternate options, the tribute will end up dying from the tattoo, which will inject poison into their bloodstream if they're too late.
If a tribute does not want to kill the tributes on their leg, there are two alternate options. First, the tribute may choose to kill their district partner, if their district partner is still alive. The other alternative is to kill one of their allies, if they have allies that are still alive. Please note that the only alliances involving in this rule are the established alliances before the tributes entered the arena. Two (or more) tributes must be a part of an alliance for more than 24 hours for the tribute's allies to be considered eligible for this alternative.
Now, you may be wondering how this twist is inspired by American Horror Story and Scream Queens. One of the major recurring themes in both of these horror shows is betrayal, which is the purpose of this twist. The tributes truly can't trust one another, and that's exactly what I was trying to create: an atmosphere where you were forced into always being aware that someone might be out to get you.
| Name | Tattooed Name #1 | Tattooed Name #2 |
|---|---|---|
| Fabrina Lustrus (Cap) | Isla Ackleson (2) | Banette Tsukomogami (8) |
| Topher Celene (0) | Sharlene Randell (10) | |
| Briggs Mitchell (0) | Jayda Idylwyld (3) | Aster Bright (5) |
| Dazzle Glathworth (1) | Radiant Tayz (2) | Caliban Rweed (6) |
| Radiant Tayz (2) | Axel Alex (7) | |
| Isla Ackleson (2) | Briggs Mitchell (0) | |
| Apio Atsu (3) | Callimont Crusoe (12) | Caesar Sharpclaw (13) |
| Jayda Idylwyld (3) | Caliban Rweed (6) | Verena Chambray (8) |
| Fausto Grandeur (4) | Lenox Asa (6) | Fabrina Lustrus (Cap) |
| Tessa Griffin (4) | ||
| Aster Bright (5) | Lenox Asa (6) | |
| Caliban Rweed (6) | Dazzle Glathworth (1) | |
| Lenox Asa (6) | Topher Celene (0) | Sharlene Randell (10) |
| Axel Alex (7) | Elise Stokes (14) | Apio Atsu (3) |
| Banette Tsukomogami (8) | Caesar Sharpclaw (13) | Dazzle Glathworth (1) |
| Verena Chambray (8) | Fausto Grandeur (4) | Callimont Crusoe (12) |
| Crow Messor (9) | Topher Celene (0) | |
| Cheyanne Violanta (9) | Luxray Meganium (14) | Tessa Griffin (4) |
| Sharlene Randell (10) | Apio Atsu (3) | Garth Stormcloak (11) |
| Taligelia Rendervault (11) | Elise Stokes (14) | |
| Callimont Crusoe (12) | Tessa Griffin (4) | Laura Power (13) |
| Caesar Sharpclaw (13) | Lenox Asa (6) | |
| Laura Power (13) | Crow Messor (9) | |
| Luxray Meganium (14) | Briggs Mitchell (0) | Axel Alex (7) |
| Elise Stokes (14) | Isla Ackleson (2) |
Please Note: All these tributes were randomly assigned tributes that they would hunt as a part of their twist (if their tattoo is activated). The only time tributes were changed was if their district partner or themselves were the one they were supposed to hunt. Users may have tributes hunting their other tributes or even tributes in their alliance.
Second Note: Tributes with italicized names mean they can no longer be selected, either because both the tributes written on their ankle are dead or they have already been selected to kill one of the tributes.
Day 1[]
Briggs Mitchell - District Zero[]
In all my dreams about the future, I have never thought about what would happen if I entered the Fear Games. I've had a week to prepare myself for the arena, but it's like my mind still can't wrap around the concept. Every morning, I keep thinking that I might wake up from this horrible nightmare, but this nightmare is reality. And I'm smart enough to know that no matter how hard you try, you cannot truly escape reality. The Capitol may try to escape the reality of their sins of having children killing themselves by acting as if it's just a fun game, but they know that there will eventually be consequences to their actions. It's only a matter of time.
I don't remember when the pedestal started raising, I just remember sitting on it, waiting for the imminent moment when I enter the arena. Maybe it's because I'm expecting a blinding light, but instead, I'm surrounded by darkness. I raise to my feet when I feel the pedestal stop, and allow my eyes a brief moment to adjust to the darkness. It appears as though the material of the cornucopia is actually illuminating light, so that you can sort of see what surrounds the cornucopia. The light barely reaches the other tributes, and behind me, there's only a faint outline of a city or buildings or something.
The timer appears above the cornucopia in a bright, white light, counting down from sixty seconds. I scan the weapons and supplies at the cornucopia, looking desperately for a chakram. Swords, knives, daggers—only bladed weapons? I can't spot a single chakram anywhere. I can feel a bead of sweat start to form above my eyebrow as I realize how screwed I'd be without a chakram. Hell, I might not have focused on using shurikens, but I'd rather use a shuriken than throwing knives, a weapon that's foreign to me.
Thirty seconds remain on the clock, and I can practically feel myself becoming desperate as I look over the cornucopia again. There has to be something similar to a chakram or shuriken, right? There's decent-sized backpacks, which would be a necessity for survival, but to stay alive in the arena, I need some sort of weapon. Everyone can use a knife, but you'd have to get close to attack someone with it. I'm not strong enough to attack another tribute with just a knife. I need a ranged weapon, period.
As the timer hits fifteen, my frantic eyes lock upon a belt of shurikens, almost hiding behind a large backpack. I could easily grab both the shurikens and the backpack, but they're right in the mouth of the cornucopia, where every other tribute is running. If I don't get out before everyone starts to gather supplies, I may not be able to leave alive. The Careers are already targetting me due to my training score of eleven, and if I run right into their "den," they could kill me before I even reach the shurikens.
There's only a couple seconds left on the timer, and I'm forced to make my decision. I could grab supplies nearby and ensure my safety of the bloodbath, but I'd be f***ed for the rest of the Fear Games. But if I attempt to grab the shurikens, I might be dead before the end of the day. The thought of this being my last day flashes across my mind, but I push it back, focusing entirely on the shurikens. I've made my decision, a decision that may cost me my life, but I'd rather risk my life now than suffer through the rest of my time in the arena.
The gong rings, and I sprint towards the shurikens.
Lenox Asa - District Six[]
As the gong sounds, I hesitate for a moment before running off of the pedestal. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the small girl from Thirteen—Laura or Lauren or something—being engulfed in the darkness as she runs away from the cornucopia. I hear a girl scream to my left, and notice the scream came from Cheyanne (9), who's sprinting towards the cornucopia. Caesar (13) gets up from the ground—he must've tried diving at her—and starts chasing her. I want to help my ally, but I'm not going to go against that mutt-person hybrid thing to save her.
A couple meters away from me, Verena (8) and Caliban (6) fight over a decent-sized backpack. Crow (9), Verena's (8) ally, stands a little distance away, watching his ally with a worried expression. Caliban (6) tries pushing Verena (8) away, but she manages to get the upper hand, somehow managing to elbow him in the face. He releases the backpack, both hands covering his face where blood starts oozing wildly out of his nose. While distracted, Verena (8) and Crow (9) escape, looking over their shoulders every so often until they disappear into the darkness. Aster (5) flees in the opposite direction of them, carrying little supplies.
Caliban (6) eyes lock with mine for a moment, but instead of attacking me, he runs towards another backpack a little distance away. The backpack is considerably smaller in size, but it's still full of supplies. When a tribute runs right past me with a backpack and a knife, I force myself out of the trance, grabbing a small knife nearby my pedestal. The tributes are still looking for weapons rather than fighting, so I hold the knife close to my chest and look for my allies.
"Lenox!" I hear Cheyanne (9) scream, and my head turns towards the sound. Cheyanne (9) holds onto small backpack, and flashes me a smile.
Someone appears behind Cheyanne (9), but before I can even respond, the person—no, the person-mutt hybrid thing from Thirteen—jumps on top of her. Cheyanne's (9) ear-splitting scream is muffled as the hybrid thing rips off part of her cheek with his claw. Tears stream down her face, and she tilts her head back, locking eyes with me just moments before the hybrid bites her nose and most of the skin on her face off with his bare teeth. There's no point in helping her now when her skull is visible through her blood. She's officially the first death in the 46th Fear Games.
But the hybrid doesn't stop mutilating her. Instead, he digs his claws deep into her eyes, ripping them out in a swift movement. Blood sprays into his face, but instead of looking disgusted, he appears to be pleased. His teeth, already tinted from the blood, dig deep into her throat, ripping out her thyroid cartilage, as if he's bobbing for apples. As the hybrid digs its claws into Cheyanne's (9) shoulder, he looks up, locking eye contact with me.
He flashes me a smile, his teeth covered in the blood and skin of an innocent, little girl, who I chose not to protect, even though she was my ally. It seems ironic that my siblings and cousins suffered a similar fate, with them not being protected by the ones that should've been protecting them. But I don't spend much time dwindling on the thought, instead, I run away.
Caliban (6) is fleeing in the same direction as I, so I veer to my right, trying to distance myself from any possible threat. Out of the corner of my eyes, I notice Axel (7) fleeing with a small backpack, flashlight, and a knife. He looks over his shoulder, making eye contact with me, before dashing away, vanishing in the darkness. As I'm about to get out of view of the bloodbath, I look back towards Cheyanne's (9) corpse, where the hybird is pulling a backpack off of her corpse. Whatever happened to him as a child, it's made him into a monster, both mentally and physically. But he will die sooner or later, even if I have to kill him myself.
Apio Apsu - District Three[]
The Anti-Careers are already crumbling. The alliance wasn't very strong in the first place, but I assumed we would at least survive the bloodbath. Cheyanne (9), one of my allies, has already fallen, and Lenox (6) fled without considering the rest of the alliance. Giorno (Cap) hasn't even moved since the gong sounded, and I can't see where my other two allies are, but they're probably gathering supplies. Before entering the Fear Games, our plan was to meet in the cornucopia, and try to take control of it before the Careers. But the Careers have already dominated the cornucopia, all of them fighting tributes away from their supplies.
I manage to get close to the mouth of the cornucopia without any complications. The closest tributes to me, Finn (1) and Sharlene (10) are engaged in a fight, but while Finn (1) has a better weapon, the fight is intense. I drop to the ground when Finn's (1) sword almost cuts me when he's swinging it towards Sharlene (10). She ends up dodging the attack, cutting his forearm, and a low growl escapes his throat. I jump to my feet, trying to run away, but Finn (1) backs into me, causing me to lose my balance and him to drop his sword. Sharlene (10) deeply cuts Finn's (1) stomach with her knife, and when he tries tackling her, she kicks him to the ground besides me.
"Bitch," Finn (1) curses as Sharlene (10) runs off. He moves his hand to his stomach, touching his wound, and darts his eyes towards me. "I'm going to kill you."
I try to get on my feet, but Finn (1) pulls my leg back. He tries crawling on top of me, but I violently twist him off of me. My foot aimlessly kicks, and when my foot makes contact with his chest, his grasp on my leg loosens, allowing me to escape. I dive for the knife in front of me, and I point it towards Finn (1), who's clearly suffering from his knife wound in his stomach. He stupidly tries to tackle me, but I shove the knife right into his forehead as he does. His body goes limp on my legs.
A girl screams to the left of me, and I look to see that it's Dazzle (1). I yank the knife out of Finn's (1) forehead, and quickly grab the flashlight besides me. When Dazzle (1) starts running towards me, I've barely been able to get to my feet. She's unable to catch up to me when I start sprinting away, poorly trying to throw knives at me. By the time my surroundings have started to become harder for me to see, she's no longer behind me. Just then do I realize that I did exactly what Lenox (6) did, flee without my allies. But I'm too afraid to risk going back.
Elise Stokes - District Fourteen[]
I still wait close by my platform, carefully scanning the cornucopia for an opportunity to grab the throwing knives and leave. Of course, the only set of throwing knives left are positioned in the mouth of the cournucopia, where most of the action is occurring, but I'm not prepared to leave without them. Going through a Fear Games without a weapon basically guarantees your death, unless you end up with good sponsors. But with my somewhat mediocre training score, there's a slim chance that I'll actually gain any sponsors.
Although the Fear Games have just started, the Careers are already dominating the bloodbath, even though they don't appear to be as strong as they have in previous years. Accepting an outsider, especially someone from District Twelve, is a huge indicator of it, and of the two tributes that have fallen, one was a Career. Still, all the Careers appear to be engaging in a battle with another tribute, but it's hard to determine who is winning the fight.
Fausto (4), who I believe is the leader of the Careers, makes the first kill from a Career. He yanks the beautiful blonde hair of Peach (5), causing her to fall hard on her back. She frantically tries to stab him with a knife, but he steps on her wrist, snapping it. Before Peach (5) is able to grab the knife with the other hand, he pins her to the ground with his knees. Using her own knife, he slits her throat in a quick movement, a rather painless death. As he moves away from the corpse, he leaves a huge opening for me to grab the knives.
Fabrina (Cap) runs right by me as I'm running towards the cornucopia, and I realize that approximately a fourth of the tributes have already left the bloodbath. Banette (8) and Luxray (14) leaving after gathering supplies from the outskirts marks the second alliance to leave the bloodbath, which surprises me. I would've assumed Luxray (14) would be engaged in the fighting, but I guess he's playing it safe.
I hear a sickening crunch to my left, and turn towards it. I see Jayda (3) grabbing her face, blood flowing between her fingers, while Tessa (4) pleasingly smirks. When she tries to punch her again, though, Jayda (3) kicks her in the stomach. As I grab onto the knives, I look up just in time to see Isla (2) tackle Libomin (10) from behind. He tries to squirm out from underneath her, but she starts to repeatedly stab him with an awl. It's not long before he stops squirming.
"Elise!" a familiar voice calls out, and I turn to see Topher (0) running towards me. A knife flies right past my face, and I hear Topher (0) scream in pain.
Callimont (12). That son of a bitch aimed the knife at my ally. My ally who, eventually, will have to die in order for me to go home, but my ally, nonetheless. When she throws another knife towards Topher (0), I tackle him to the ground, and the knife flies right into Garth's (11) back. He screams out in pain, rips the knife right out of his back, and charges after his district partner, completely ignoring Callimont's (12) attack.
I look down to see Topher's (0) forehead gushing blood—he must've hit it against the crate when I tackled him. Callimont (12) now seems to be in a fight against one of the Anti-Careers, so I pull Topher (0) to his feet. As we start running away from the bloodbath, I grab onto a backpack, putting it over one shoulder, as I use my other arm to push Topher (0) ahead of me. Although he nearly falls over multiple times, we finally escape the bloodbath, heading towards the city.
Isla Ackleson - District Two[]
It is absolutely unacceptable for the Careers to have lower training scores than, not just one, but two tributes from weaker districts. Briggs Mitchell (0) and Sharlene Randell (10), two girls that didn't stick out at all until the training scores were revealed. In fact, the two girls I thought were the biggest threats, Jayda (3) and Elise (14), turned out to be rather mediocre. Elise (14) may have scored a nine, but her odds of winning were in the double digits, which is rather disappointing for anyone from a Career district.
I watch as Garth (11) chases Taligelia (11) with a knife, yelling racial slurs more frequently as he starts to slow down from exhaustion. But, while he's focusing on the African-American girl, he is oblivious to everyone else, a fatal flaw during the bloodbath. I shout towards Tessa (4), getting her attention, and gesture towards Garth (11). She seems to understand the gesture, and throws a spear right through his heart. For a second, he stays unmoving, but the next second, he's on the ground, dead. Taligelia (11) disappears instantly.
"Isla! Dazzle! She's right there!" Radiant (2) shouts. I turn towards him, and see that he's pointing towards Briggs (0), who has just grabbed onto shurikens. "Get her!"
Dazzle (1) is the first one to reach Briggs (0), and wields a sword recklessly at her throat. However, Briggs (0) dodges the attack and swings her backpack at Dazzle's (1) head. Upon contact, Dazzle (1) is flung to the side, her her head banging against the walls of the cornucopia. There's a sickening sound that causes me to cringe, and she falls on the ground, either dead or unconscious. Briggs (0) starts running away before we're close enough to attack her her.
I pursue Briggs (0) with Radiant (2) close on my heels and start to throw knives at her. Of the four knives I threw, two would've killed her—had she not been wearing a backpack—and the others were just badly aimed. With less and less light as we run further away from the cornucopia, there's not a lot that I can do. If only this arena had more light, I would've been able to throw a knife into her head by now. Instead, I'm forced to chase her through a dark forest using my other senses. Eventually, the darkness overcomes us, and I can't even see Radiant (2) anymore.
Jayda Idylwyld - District Three[]
The bleeding of my nose has died down since Tessa (4) punched it, but I can clearly tell that it's broken. Tessa (4) and I stopped fighting after I kicked her, but I know she'll be seeking vengeance on me sooner or later. Most of the other Anti-Careers, though, have completely failed to actually fight the Careers. Cheyanne (9) died right away. Lenox (6) left before the bloodbath really started. Apio (3) did kill a Career, but disappeared soon after. Soot (12) tried killing some weaker tributes, but they all managed to run away from him. Giorno (Cap) just recently moved away from the platform, but at least he's fighting with Tessa (4).
"We have to leave!" Soot (12) yells to Giorno (Cap) and I. I've noticed that the number of tributes still at the cornucopia has decreased as well, but I want to at least one more Career to die before the bloodbath ends. "Jayda! Giorno! We have to leave n—"
At the sudden stop, I worriedly glance towards Soot (12). His eyes are wide, staring at a knife sticking in the middle of his chest. His hands grab onto the hilt of the knife, trying to pull it out, but his hands shake too aggressively that he is unable to. Eventually, he collapses on the ground, and I look to see that Callimont (12) threw it. I want to attack her, but Giorno (Cap) beats me to it. He knocks Tessa (4) to the side, and lunges towards Callimont (12) with his sword. She dodges the attack, but the distraction allows me to run to Soot (12) safely.
Soot's (12) pulse is low, but it's still there. He motions for me to leave, but I shake my head, stubbornly refusing. I attempt to promise that everything will be fine, but neither of us believes us. Maybe it would've been more convincing had I not choke on my own tears. I'll be damned, though, if I leave him here to die with the Careers. I put his arm around my neck, forcing him to his feet, and start leading him away from the cornucopia. I leave the backpack behind, but I keep a knife tucked into my pockets.
When we're far enough away, I glance back towards the cornucopia, watching as Giorno (Cap) fights for his life against the Careers. Besides him, the only other non-Career left is Clara (7), but she doesn't survive very long. Fausto (4) knocks her against the side of the cornucopia, trapping her with his weight. She tries headbutting him and kicking him in the groin, but neither causes him to loosen his hold on her. Fausto (4) pulls a knife out of his back pocket, and shoves it into her eye. She screams in pain, but he keeps stabbing her in the eyes until she stops screaming and lifelessly falls to the ground.
Giorno (Cap) must realize he's the last person left at the cornucopia, because he lunges towards Fausto (4). I can tell he's not really trying to kill him, but instead, trying to get a reaction from him. When Fausto (4) jumps away, Giorno (Cap) makes a mad dash to the trees opposite of us. Instead of running towards us, he's running away from us, selflessly allowing us to escape, even if he may die. Tessa (4) runs after Fausto (4) and Giorno (Cap) with a flashlight, and I realize that Giorno's (Cap) chances of surviving are slim, unless he can navigate through this arena without any lighting.
Only six cannons sound, marking the end of the bloodbath. Out of thirty-two tributes, it's a lot less than expected, but it's safe to assume that these following days will just add on to more and more deaths. These are called the Fear Games, where you have the same chance of dying from fear than dying at the hands of another tribute.
Aster Bright - District Five[]
Six cannons sound. Six tributes are already dead. Twenty six tributes remain. I didn't really make any allies or close friends leading up to the bloodbath, but I can't imagine how alliances are feelling. And how those tributes' families are feeling. Did they think that their son or daughter could win? Did they cry? Did their son or daughter's death traumatize their siblings? Did Peach (5) die? I didn't talk to her much during the train ride or during training, but she was my district partner; I'd still feel upset over her death.
I wander around the arena, using my hands to guide me around the trees and whatever landscapes surround me. My eyesight already sucks in the daylight, but with limited lighting, I feel like I'm actually blind. When I left the bloodbath, I hoped that I would've been lucky and a flashlight would be inside my backpack. Instead, I had a thick blanket, rope, a dozen apples, a few granola bars, and a knife with a blade the size of my pinkie. I wasn't even fortunate enough to get matches, instead, I got possibly the smallest knife I've ever seen.
A twig snaps nearby, and my entire body freezes. I don't know where the sound came from or how close it is, but I need to hide. Hiding in a bush seems like a risk, since I've already tripped onto multiple shrubs and bushes, so another tribute could easily find me by mistake. Climbing a tree seems even riskier as I won't be able to see the branches, but it would also be safer. I see a flash of light from between the trees, and make up my mind.
Climbing the tree takes a little longer than I was able to during training, but I'm up the tree fast enough that I avoid the other tribute, even if I did almost fall a few times. I settle myself on a sturdy branch and place my backpack on the branch above me, tying the rope around it so it doesn't fall. By the time the other tribute walks into the clearing, I'm entirely rigid, barely risking to breathe. The other tribute doesn't notice my presence, but he—I assume the tribute is a boy due to his heavy breathing—sits against a tree nearby. It's when he sits down that I catch a glimpse of his face.
Caliban (6). He accidentally flashes the light in his face as he sits down, and immediately turns it off when he stops uncontrollably blinking. I wonder if he managed to smoke weed, snort cocaine, inject himself with heroin, or whatever drugs he does before the start of the Fear Games. Maybe his mentor allowed it because it may be the last time he ever has drugs. Or maybe because his mentor lost complete faith in him. Either way, I can't help but feel sympathy for him after remembering what he told me during training.
- - -
The second day of training was even worse than the first day. The Careers were established, finding humor in humiliating other tributes, and ultimately, controlling the entire training area. Other alliances had formed, but none nearly as threatening as the Careers. The Anti-Careers, composed of only three tributes, didn't appear as threatening as they wanted to be, and was clearly no match to the Careers.
I decided to start my day at the sword station, as the Careers were at the throwing knives station, taunting some of the other tributes at the station. For fifteen minutes, I was alone with the trainer, learning how to properly grip the sword, but always failing to have a firm grasp on the hilt. I could tell the trainer starting to doubt my abilities when I ended up cutting my own hand on the sword. He completely seemed disinterested in helping me when I couldn't cut completely through the dummy, the sword getting stuck halfway through it.
I had switched to using a smaller sword, one that didn't require as much strength to use, when Caliban (6) walked over to the station, incredibly calm for someone about to be sent to their death in a few days. I didn't understand how someone could possibly appear to be fine in these circumstances, unless there was something mentally wrong with them or if they were a Career tribute. But then I noticed something.
Caliban's (6) pupils were extremely dilated, even though the lighting in the training center was bright. Occasionally, he would sniffle, and there was a used tissue sticking out of his back pocket. He kept wiping his nose, and I remember seeing his hand come away with blood on it, which he quickly wiped on his pants. I was hoping that maybe he was just sick, but one quick sniff of him revealed that he was clearly on drugs. From the symptoms, I assume he snorted it, so he was probably on cocaine or snuff.
"You're pretty good with a sword, aren't you?" the male from District Twelve said to Caliban (6). He was one of the only tributes a part of the Anti-Careers, an alliance I actually believe he created. Caliban (6) didn't respond, so he continued, "Would you like to join the Anti-Careers?"
Caliban (6) turned towards the other tribute, looking him directly in the eyes. "I'm going to elsewhere," he muttered, and started marching away.
The other tribute turned towards me, but I walked away before he could even say a word. There was no purpose to be in an alliance, unless you wanted to have an unnecessary connection to someone you would either have to watch die or have to kill yourself. Alliances were and still are weak, serving only a purpose to weaker tributes who want to use other tributes' abilities to survive longer in the arena. But all alliances end.
I remember I had to use the bathroom a little later, as I could barley last a few hours without having to use it from the anxiety, and encountered Caliban (6) in it. For a moment, I considered going to wait outside until he was finished—I didn't want him to think I was stalking him—but when I saw him spreading cocaine along the edge of the sink, I froze. I didn't mean to awkwardly stand there and watch, but I didn't know what else to do.
When Caliban (6) looked into the mirror, he jumped, knocking all of his cocaine into the running sink. He tried turning off the sink, but all of his drugs went right down the drain. When he looked up, his entire face was drained and he had a murderous look in his eyes. I considered leaving at that moment, but I didn't want to make enemies right before we go into the arena. And my legs refused to move, so I was stuck there.
"What the f*** is wrong with you?" Caliban (6) screamed, aggressively shoving me into the wall. "Why the f*** are you f***ing following me?"
"I wasn't following you," I said, my voice thankfully being steady. "I had to use the bathroom. This is a bathroom for all the tributes, isn't it?"
"No, you were obviously following me," Caliban (6) argued, although his face showed he was in pain. "You followed me from the sword station. What, did you want some of my crack? 'Cause it kinda just went down the drain."
"No, no," I said firmly. "I don't want any of your crack."
"Then why?" Caliban (6) asked, helplessly sliding to the ground with his back against the wall. "Why did you even come to the bathroom?"
I knew that he wouldn't believe me if I said I had to use the bathroom, so instead, I remained silent. My eyes shifting from Caliban (6), who put his head between his knees, to the sink.
Caliban (6) looked up, and must've noticed me looking at the sink. "Do you know why I do drugs?" he asked, his voice almost sounding weak. I decided to move to the ground next to him, wanting to be there to comfort him, but not knowing how to or why I even wanted to. "My family was poor and when my sister decided to run away, my mom completely shut down. She no longer worked, and we needed extra money to survive, so I went into the drug world. And, you know, I was good at it. It actually made me feel like I could do something besides being the starving kid.
"And, since I started to distribute drugs, I kinda wanted to know what was the big deal with it all. And I found out what made drugs so special. They allowed me to escape reality. To forget about all the troubling things that were happening, and to actually feel happy. And they helped with my anger issues, so it seemed like drugs had a positive influence." He sighs and rubs at his eyes. "Oh my God, I'm pathetic, sitting here crying over losing drugs."
"You're not pathetic," I say, awkwardly touching his elbow to try to comfort him. "You were doing it all to keep your family together. My parents left me at birth, but when I actually had a family these last few years, I realized that I would do anything for them."
"But what happens now?" Caliban (6) asks. "My parents already went through my sister leaving, so what would happen if I actually died? I have two younger siblings still at home; what would happen to them if my parents both lost it? If I don't return home, they're all going to die 'cause of it." He stands up abruptly, wiping his eyes with his sleeves. "I'm sorry, I need to train." With that, Caliban (6) left the bathroom, leaving me speechless on the bathroom floor.
- - -
I never quite understood why either of us revealed things about our personal life that would have no effect on us during the Fear Games. For the rest of training, Caliban (6) was focused and calm, with little traces of anger hidden behind his cool demeanor. He would go to the bathroom every other hour, probably to do some more drugs, and I always made sure to use the bathroom whenever he was at one of the training stations. We never talked for the rest of training and barely acknowledged the other, as if we were pretending the conversation never happened.
It wasn't until now, when I sit in the tree, staring at Caliban (6), that I realized we had reasons for telling the other things about ourselves. We wanted to confide into someone, as there was nobody else to confide into. We couldn't call our families, and we might never see them again, so we wanted someone to know. And who else would understand better than a fellow tribute? Because, while we may be forced to kill one another, all the tributes in the arena have a special bond, a bond that they will share with nobody else. What I did was rather uncharacteristic, something I'll probably never do again. But in the end, we all just want to be known by someone who can understand.
Fausto Grandeur - District Four[]
I'm still chasing Giorno (Cap), following the sounds of his footsteps, with Tessa (4) somewhere behind me. She must've fallen behind, though, as there's no longer a beam of light pointing in Giorno's (Cap) direction. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps disappears, and I freeze, holding my breath as I listen for his. I can hear his heavy breathing behind a tree, so I swing my knife in the direction. The knife cuts through flesh, some blood spraying onto my hand, and he starts running away again.
I continue chasing him, using my senses to follow the footprints, but it's rather challenging. I hear Giorno (Cap) bump his head on one of the lower tree branches, and a few steps later, I bump my head on the same branch. I massage my temple with one hand, using the other to feel for the surroundings. The ground beneath my feet changes into a harder surface—concrete or stone, I think—before changing back to the soft grass that crunches beneath our feet. A thought that we must be approaching the end of the arena flashes across my mind, yet Giorno (Cap) is still running at a solid pace.
Suddenly, a bright beam of light is pointed directly at Giorno (Cap) and I, blinding us. I turn away from the light, uncontrollably blinking, and using my hands to cover my eyes from the light. When I turn towards the light with squinted eyes, I see someone drag Giorno (Cap) by his hair. He reaches for his sword, which he must've dropped after being blinded, but when he can't reach it, he starts punching and scratching the attacker. The attack drops their flashlight, dragging Giorno (Cap) with him or her.
I can hear a splash, and realize that I must be far into the arena if a source of water is so close. I grab the discarded flashlight and shine he light towards the sound of the splash. Tessa (4) kneels besides a pond, dunking Giorno's (Cap) head underneath the water. Every so often, she lifts Giorno (Cap) above the water by the hair, letting him eagerly breathe air, before dunking him again. After doing this about five times, she grabs onto his neck, dangling him above the water, and I hear a loud crunch.
A cannon sounds. Giorno (Cap) no longer struggles with Tessa (4), instead, he stares lifelessly into her eyes. His eyes still look fearful, the last emotion he must've had before he died, and it's eerie to see his head tilting one way with a part of his neck bone sticking the other. After staring at him for a great deal of time, Tessa (4) drops his body into the water and quickly stands up, walking away without looking back at the corpse.
I catch up to Tessa (4), and we walk together in silence. I scan the surroundings with the flashlight, trying to get the idea of where I had chased Giorno (Cap). The trees are spaced evenly apart, all being about two to three yards away from the next. There's two collapsed building structures nearby, with concrete slabs and rubble surrounding the base of each. When we pass the structures, Tessa (4) stops, leans against a tree, and turns towards me.
"Okay, this silence is killing me," she says. "Can I ask you something?" She doesn't wait for me to answer. "Why are you so cold?"
"I'm not cold," I respond, realizing only seconds later that she was referring to my personality, not my body temperature. Either way, my response is still accurate.
"Okay, cold was not the right word," she says. "Why are you so"—she wiggles her fingers, as if she could reach out to find the right word—"emotionless?"
I wish I could say that I'm not emotionless, but it'd be a lie. And she is one of my allies, so creating an alliance based on lies seems like a terrible idea, especially if she finds out. "I'm sorry I act emotionless," I say instead, trying to avoid the question.
"You didn't answer my question," Tessa (4) says. "I mean, what traumatic childhood experience was so bad that you can't even act like a person." I bite my lip, refusing to answer. "Come on, if you tell me, I'll tell you about myself." I open my mouth, but she cuts me off. "And I do have quite an interesting story, probably worse than yours."
"Look, it's not like I don't want to tell you." Because, in all honesty, I did want to have someone that I could open up to. Maybe have someone help me deal with my irrational fear of men, but it also seemed risky. Why should I allow another person to be attached to me when I'm not entirely sure I want to win? "But I'm not really confident with revealing those things."
Tessa (4) probably wanted to continue pushing me to tell her, but she seems to change her mind. She shrugs. "Well, if you ever want to talk, I'm always here."
She moves away from the tree, and we continue walking towards the cornucopia, the only sound being from our feet crunching the grass. Tessa (4) rubs the palm of her hand with her fingers, and I wonder if she somehow got injured during her fight with Giorno (Cap) or if she’s doing it out of boredom. I debate asking her about it when she decides to break the silence.
“You know, when I was eleven years old, my dad got into a huge fight with all these other grown men," she starts. "Maybe it had something with fishing or someone owing money or something—I don't really know—but I saw my dad emerge from the crowd with a knife sticking out of his chest. His killer fled right after, but not before I caught a glimpse of his face."
"Why are you telling me this?" I ask with a small hint of agitation. I don't mean to sound agitated, but I don't see what she's trying to accomplish by telling me about this.
"Well, we're district partners and we've been together for the past week, but we don't know anything about each other. Like, all we know is that we're both from District Four, that's it!" She clear her throat. "Anyways, back to my story. So, since I saw who my dad's killer was, I figured out what his name was, learned all I needed to know about him, and stalked him to his house."
"You stalked your dad's killer?" I ask, almost laughing at the bizarreness. "Why didn't you just get Peacekeepers to handle it or something. You didn't need to stalk the guy."
"What were the Peacekeepers supposed to do?" Tessa argues. "They don't always punish those who deserve it, especially when it's someone from the higher class. So I had to punish him myself. I broke into his house in the middle of the night, and banged on all his windows and doors with a knife, waking him up. I approached him from behind, and when he spun around, I stuck a knife right into his chest, just like he did to my dad."
"You killed someone?" I ask, completely in shock. "Wait, but you were only eleven when you killed a fully grown man?" I honestly did not believe her. She couldn't even look at Giorno's (Cap) corpse after she killed him. "I don't believe you."
"I swear. I killed that man when I was eleven," Tessa (4) says, her voice having no traces of a lie. "It was a bad deed, but with a good intention."
"A good intention?" I ask with more disbelief than I had before. "What could possibly be good about killing someone?"
"Isn't that what we're in this arena for? To kill people." She is on the verge of screaming, but restricts herself. "I don't see why you're making me feel like I've done something wrong. Haven't you already killed like two other tributes? You know, they had lives ahead of them and families who are probably grieving their deaths. But you had to kill them so that you could go home. And I had to kill that man because he destroyed my family. The only way to rest a vengeful soul is to take vengeance."
Both of us calm down after a few moments of silence. "Why did you tell me that?" I ask after she seems to calm down. "You could've told me anything else about yourself, but you chose that. Why?"
"Because isn't the beginning to every story a tragedy?"
Crow Messer - District Nine[]
Verena (8) and I—actually, only Verena (8)—managed to grab an average-sized backpack at the bloodbath. I, on the other hand, was sort of just standing there for moral support. But fortunately, the backpack contained a flashlight, which is practically essential for these Fear Games. Had we not managed to grab a flashlight, we would've never stood a chance in this arena. But with light, we have a huge advantage over the tributes who are surrounded by absolute darkness. And who knows if those tributes will ever get a flashlight? The Capitol is probably selling them as sponsoring gifts for an outrageous price.
We didn't check to see what was in our backpack until we had traveled a safe distance away from the bloodbath. After hitting my head on branches and running into trees, I'm incredibly satisfied that we now have a flashlight. Verena (8) pulls it out of the backpack, waving it around a little bit, before turning it on. She shines it right into the dark sky for a few seconds before quickly switching it off. When she turns it on again, the light doesn't shine as bright, as she's covered it with her shirt, but it's enough for us to see each other without getting the attention of other tributes.
"We should try going a little farther," Verena (8) says, shining the flashlight in the direction we were walking. "There's probably a source of water somewhere around here."
"Shouldn't we check to see what else is in the backpack?" I ask. "And either way, the bloodbath didn't end too long ago, maybe we should rest before the anthem."
"Yeah, sure," Verena (8) says. She opens up the bag, dumping the contents onto the ground. As she's moving the supplies around, she lists them. "So we have a blanket, some rope, a dozen or so bananas . . . and a bag of gummy bears?" She grabs onto the gummy bears, starring suspiciously at it. "When did they start giving gummy bears at the bloodbath?"
"I don't know, but why are you complaining?" I ask. "We could've been living off of fruits and nuts for the next week or so, but now, we've got some candy! At least we're not being fed like freaking animals."
"It's nothing compared to how luxurious the Capitol has been feeding us this last week," Verena (8) says. "I kinda wish I hadn't eaten so much for their food."
"Eh, I don't regret it," I say. "I'd rather indulge myself in food than try to starve before my death." Sensing that the comment was too dark, I quickly try to change the conversation. "What did you like the best about the Capit—"
The sound of cracking branches and tributes running in our direction cuts me off. Verena's (8) startled by the noise, accidentally dropping the flashlight on the ground. I'm only able to make out a girl with black hair running past us before Verena (8) turns it off. We don't dare move, allowing the girl and her pusuers to run past us without an interference. I try to slow down my breathing, but my heart is racing too fast. After we can't hear them anymore, we wait a solid minute before either of us dares to talk.
"I think that was Briggs," Verena (8) whispers. "Oh my God, we need to help her!" She grabs onto my hand. "Come on, we need to get those guys away from her."
- - -
The first day of training was worse than being reaped. I knew that if I wanted to survive the Fear Games, I had to open myself up to having an ally. But I didn't want an ally, mainly because I didn't want to get attached to anyone. My mentor tried to have Cheyanne (9) and I ally together, but she wanted more allies than just me. She wanted a large alliance to protect her, but I just wanted one other person so I didn't have to get attached. So I had to somehow find an ally without any help whatsoever.
I ignored whatever the trainer was trying to tell us at the beginning of training, as I was too focused on analyzing the other tributes. The tributes from Districts One, Two, and Four were all standing by each other, trying to show off their superiority as Career tributes. I was surprised neither tribute from Fourteen were standing with the pack, yet they seemed very threatening. Other than them, the males from Districts Six, Eight, Eleven, and Thirteen all stuck out, while only the females from Three, Ten, and Twelve looked like they could actually stand a chance in the arena. All the other tributes seemed too young, too weak, or too focused on their appearance.
As the head trainer finished saying her introduction, all the tributes started to disperse to different stations. Cheyanne (9) and the tributes from District Three head over to the knot tying station, while I head over to the plant identification station with the female from District Eleven. I'm a little surprised that the she decided to start off at the station, but I guess it's easier to start off with something you know to build your confidence. I kind of wish that I chose to go to a station that I had a decent understanding of, but when the trainer starts talking to us about identifying edible plants from poisonous ones, I realize I can't leave. Verena (8) joined halfway through the presentation, but of course, I didn't know her name at the time nor did I bother to glance at her.
When the instructor finished the presentation, the girl from Eleven left, moving to the agility station, while I try to separate the edible plants from the poisonous ones. The instructor gives Verena (8) a brief summary of the introduction that she missed, and eventually, she stands besides me, staring at me as I complete the computer activity. When I'm stumped at the last one, she tries helping me out a bit, gesturing towards it being poisonous. I gave her a confused look, as I assumed it was an edible berry.
"Ignore how the berries look like flat blueberries," she said. "But look at the bright pink cluster. I think they're pokeweed berries. I don't think the berries are too toxic, but it could be fatal in large consumption. And even with a little, you'd probably still come down with vomiting and catharsis."
"Thank you," I said, sliding the berry on the screen to the side of poisonous plants. When I submited my answers, the computer graded them instantly, giving me a solid 90%. "I guess it's your turn then." I moved away from the computer, allowing Verena (8) to have a turn. "By the way, my name's Crow."
"I'm Verena," she said, introducing herself. I watched as she completed the activity, but instead of trying to separate the plants, she moved them all over to the poisonous side. When she submited it, she's graded an average 75%. "If most of the plants and berries are poisonous, it'll just be easier to assume they're all poisonous," she concluded. "Want to join me at the agility station?"
I didn't respond, instead, I just followed her to the agility station. Unlike most of the other stations, the agility station didn't involve any major technological advances. Instead, there were simply six drills set up: ladder drills, hurdle drills, agility balls, balloon drills, cone drills, and medicine ball drills. The females from Zero and Eleven were doing the hurdle drills with one of the trainers, while the tributes from Seven were throwing the agility balls at each other. A trainer was watching over them, but moved towards us when we approached.
"Do you two feel like doing something a little more fun like the balloons or a little more serious like the ladders?" he asked, looking from Verena (8) to me.
"I'd prefer doing something more fun," Verena (8) said. "So yeah, the balloons would be perfect." When he led us over to the balloon drills, she picked up a balloon. "What're we supposed to do with them?"
"I was getting to that," the trainer said with no real heat behind the words. "Each of you grab two different colored balloons. You figure out which order you'll hit the balloons, then throw them both up in the air as high as you can." As he spoke, he was giving us a demonstration. "After you hit the balloon, you do a bodyweight squat before you hit the next one. When you start to get used to this, switch to doing a burpee in between." When he tried to demonstrate doing a burpee in between hitting the balloons, one had been able to hit the ground. "See, but the purpose is, you don't want it to hit the ground, so it's a little more challenging than it looks."
Verena (8) stared at the balloons in her hands, a determined look crossing her face. She threw both balloons in the air, did a bodyweight squat as the trainer had shown, and hit the first balloon, the blue one. Quickly, she did another bodyweight squat, hitting the red balloon as it fell past her thigh. Another bodyweight squad and she lunged towards the blue balloon, which had nearly hit the floor. She didn't even try doing another bodyweight squad to get the red balloon, as it had already hit the floor.
"You need to hit it higher, it'll make it a whole lot easier," the trainer instructed. "It'll give you more time to do a deeper squat and hit the second balloon."
This time, as Verena (8) started doing it, I tried as well. During my first attempt, I had only hit the balloons twice before my red balloon had hit the floor. I lunged towards it, diving to hit it with my foot, but I had slipped, falling on my butt. I heard Verena (8) laugh, but not out of disrespect like the Careers would. She laughed at me as if we were old friends, and I had just humiliated myself in public. On my second attempt, though, I kept the balloons in the air longer than Verena (8). After that, we started having a little competition to see who could go the longest without the balloon hitting the floor.
"Oh my God! Look at those little kids! They're playing with balloons," the crazy girl from Four shouts to the Careers. They started walking over, watching Verena (8) and I as if we were their entertainment. "I wanna play with the balloons!"
"No, don't go by them," the girl from One said. "Let them play with their silly balloons. It'll make them easier kills during the bloodbath."
"I only like it when people play around with my balls," the pervert from One said, laughing. His allies didn't seem to enjoy the joke as much as he did. "C'mon guys, it's a joke!"
"You are literally the worst excuse for a human being," the male from Two said. For some reason, he reminds me of a tribute from a previous Fear Games. But his personality contrasts too much with the tribute he reminds me of, so I just ignore it.
"Okay, we get it, you guys are so superior to all the other tributes," the girl from Zero shouted, leaving the hurdle drills to confront the Careers. "Why don't you guys just go back to the weaponry station and show your superiority over there. Frighten some tributes into thinking they're screwed if you ever point a bow at them. Make them pee their f***ing pants! Clearly, you guys don't need to learn about improving your athletics, because whatever is at the cornucopia is yours to keep. Hell, you only need to how know to kill! Everything else is just given to you!"
"And who the f*** are you?" the girl from Two asked, raising her eyebrow. "'Cause you just look like a f***ing pole compared to us."
"Briggs," she said, raising her chin. "But I doubt you really care about names. What you really care about is knowing if you can beat me in a fight. That's what you're trying to show all the other tributes, right? That you're a powerful alliance who nobody would be able to defeat. So you act rude and inappropriate and arrogantly so other people avoid you when we're actually in the arena. Why don't you just go back to mutilating the dummies? That's all you seem to be good at."
The girl from Two seemed baffled, at a loss for words. Her baffled look changes to anger. "Well, Briggs, you just found yourself on the must-kill list for the most powerful alliance," she said venomously. She turned around, walking back to the weaponry station with the rest of the Careers following her.
"Sorry you guys had to see that," Briggs (0) said, blushing. "I just hate how the Careers act and behave." She sighs. "I hope I didn't scare you in any way."
"You're good," Verena (8) responded, smiling. "Thanks, though, for standing up for us." Briggs (0) smiled, nodded, and went back to the hurdles drill. I noticed that some of the other tributes seemed to be watched the verbal fight, but turn away blushing when I make eye contact with them. "She's going to destroy the Careers," Verena (8) whispered into my ear. "We just have to hope she survives long enough to."
- - -
Verena (8) drags me towards the sound of tributes running, but I immediately stop. "No, Verena, we can't try to save her," I whisper. "We're going to get ourselves killed!"
"Are you being serious, Crow?" she asks, and even though I can't see her face, I know she's raising an eyeborw. She has a habit of that. "She outscored the Careers and even defended us when they were making fun of us. We owe it to her and we need her!"
"And how do you plan on doing that?" I ask, crossing my arms. "And are we going to be risking our lives while doing so?"
"Can you just trust me?" Verena (8) says, and I respond with a nod. The one thing that has been constant throughout these Fear Games is my trust in Verena (8). Not once has it crossed my mind that she would try to harm me in any way. "Good, now follow me."
Axel Alex - District Seven[]
After nearly an hour, I've managed to climb to one of the higher branches of an oak tree. If there had been more light, I would've been able to climb it within five minutes. But with limited access and my fear of catching another tribute's attention by turning on my flashlight, I decided to entirely rely on my sense of touch to determine where the tree branches were. Luckily, I only fell a few times, managing to not break or sprain anything, but there was probably going to be some bruising on my side in the morning. Nonetheless, when I hear tributes running underneath my tree, I realize it was all worth it or I could've been the one being chased.
The intial footsteps sound heavy and rushed, and I immediately imagine it's the Careers chasing one of the last tributes at the bloodbath. The first pair seems to have some distance on the followings ones, but I can't tell if it's two or three Careers, as they're too close together. However, after the initial footsteps pass, I hear another two pairs approaching quietly, speaking in hushed voices. I can't clearly hear what they're saying, but from the pitch of their voice, I assume it's younger tributes. I can't imagine why younger tributes would dare to chase after the Careers.
"We need . . . a distraction . . . Briggs . . . destroy Careers," I barely make out. It sounds like a girl's voice, possibly even Clara's (7). "Let's . . . scream . . . three."
The other person mutters a response, and the two start to move a little closer in the direction the tributes just ran. After listening to what the girl said, I assume it's Briggs (0) being chased by the Careers, but I could've easily misheard something. I lean closer towards the two tributes, holding onto a branch above me for support. I can't hear them saying anything, but I listen to their movements, trying to imagine what they're doing. When nothing happens for a while, I try to lower myself to a different branch, trying to listen to something to indicate what they plan on doing.
Suddenly, an ear-splitting scream echoes throughout the arena, originating from the tributes underneath my tree. The scream startles me, causing me to lose my grasp on the tree branch. I try to grab aimlessly towards another branch, but I'm already falling towards the ground, cracking every branch I attempt to grab. Fortunately for me, my fall is cushioned by another tribute, my butt colliding harshly with their ribs. The feminine scream gets louder, but instead of being out of fear, it's a scream of pain. I immediately get off of her, moving away to hide from them. All my bloodbath items are still in the tree and I can't afford to lose them, so I don't travel too far from tree.
"VERENA!" screams a distinctly masculine voice. "HOLY SH*T! THERE ARE MUTTS IN THE TREES!" Verena (8)—I assume it was her that I fell on—keeps screaming, but it shifts from shouts to sobs. "Okay, we need to get you somewhere else," he whispers. "It's not safe out here."
"But Briggs," Verena (8) whispers. It's barely audible through her thick sobs. "Crow, we can't just leave her! She helped us."
"You've said that before," Crow (9) says. "But she didn't risk her life to help us, so why should we do the same?" There's a brief pause. "Wait, do you hear that?"
Verena (8) doesn't respond right away, probably trying to listen to whatever Crow (9) must've heard. I tilt my head and close my eyes, trying to listen to whatever he heard. "I don't hear anything," she finally whispers.
"Exactly!" Crow (9) says. "There's no cannon and everything's queit." His tone seems lighter than before. "Verena, you just saved Briggs."
"Thank God!" she whispers, her laugh of relief turning into sobs of pain. "I think some of my ribs are broken, I'm going to need you to help me." I hear Crow (9) helping her up, as she sharply inhales. "And Crow," she whispers. "I don't think it was a mutt. It felt like a tribute."
"A tribute?" Crow (9) says. I imagine him looking around, and my heart rate speeds up. "Well, they probably got freaked out by your screaming. They're probably far away by now." He pauses. "Of course, I could always look around with the flashlight if you want?"
My heart rate speeds up even more, and I can hear it echoing throughout my entire body. "No, it's fine," Verena (8) says. "The Careers might still be around here, we don't want to catch their attention."
I listen to the two as they walk away, Crow (9) constantly asking if he's hurting Verena (8), while she always reassures him that he is not. Their footsteps are nowhere near as quiet as they were when they first walked underneath the tree Instead, it almost sounds like someone's dragging a body throughout the forest. I cringe every time I hear them step on a branch or a leaf, knowing that I'm the reason they're being so loud. I just hope they make it to their desired location before the Careers or some other tribute hears and kills them.
A sound of someone tapping a microphone suddenly echoes throughout the arena. "Welcome, tributes," the person says. It's probably the Head Gamemaker, but I never really bothered to learn his name. "Firstly, I must congratulate all of you for surviving the bloodbath. Shortly after this announcement, the anthem will start and you will see all the unfortunate tributes who've fallen at the hands of your opponents. But before that starts, it's my responsibility to explain the twist to each of you.
"As you know, each year, there's a certain twist to make sure the Fear Games stay interesting. On each of your right legs, above your ankle, are two names of fellow tributes. There's also the tributes' district and gender, so you know exactly who they are. Each day, one of you will be randomly selected to kill one of the tributes written on your ankle. If you're selected, the tattoo will start to burn and turn to a blood red color. Whoever's chosen must kill one of them, or else they will die from poison injected through the tattoos. But there's also another option for the chosen tribute to kill one of their allies. You've have to be allied, not in a truce, with the tribute for at least a day before you can kill them. If you're one of the lucky tributes who has both tributes on your ankles killed before you're chosen, you're completely exempt from this rule. But you never know which two tributes has your name on their ankle." He clears his throat. "Good luck to all of you! Enjoy your last peaceful night."
Our last peaceful night? I nearly laugh when the Gamemaker says that. Clearly, he doesn't understand that the Careers love to hunt the night after the bloodbath, knowing all the tributes are still going to be close to the cornucopia. That thought, alone, inspires me to attempt to climb the tree again. Unlike the first time, I only end up completely falling from the tree once, landing on some broken glass—I must've broken the lenses of Verena's (9) flashlight when I fell on her—and fallen branches. A few times, I nearly fell, but managed to catch myself on one of the other branches.
I settle myself in my previous position before I fell on Verena (9) at the same time the anthem starts. The first face is the male from the Capitol, who I knew would not survive long. He seemed like he'd be more of someone to watch these for entertainment than be a part of it. I'm surprised the male from District One's face appears after, as he was a Career tribute. But he was one of the weaker ones. The female from Five doesn't surprise me at all. However, Clara's (7) face upsets me a little. I didn't know her before the reaping, but she told me about her mother and brothers. While she didn't seem too fond of them, I can only imagine the pain they're going through having their only daughter and sister die. Cheyanne (9) and Libomin (10) don't really surprise me too much, as they were young and weak. However, similar to the male from One, I thought the male from Eleven would survive longer. When the anthem ends, the sky goes dark.
The Anthem[]
Day 1 Odds[]
| Name | Odds | Previous Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Fabrina Lustrus (Cap) | 14-1 | 15-1 |
| Topher Celene (0) | 80-1 | 65-1 |
| Briggs Mitchell (0) | 8-1 | 7-1 |
| Dazzle Glathworth (1) | 15-1 | 9-1 |
| Radiant Tayz (2) | 8-1 | 7-1 |
| Isla Ackleson (2) | 4-1 | 5-1 |
| Apio Atsu (3) | 20-1 | 24-1 |
| Jayda Idylwyld (3) | 50-1 | 45-1 |
| Fausto Grandeur (4) | 3-1 | 3-1 |
| Tessa Griffin (4) | 6-1 | 8-1 |
| Aster Bright (5) | 24-1 | 24-1 |
| Caliban Rweed (6) | 80-1 | 85-1 |
| Lenox Asa (6) | 30-1 | 30-1 |
| Axel Alex (7) | 16-1 | 18-1 |
| Banette Tsukomogami (8) | 13-1 | 12-1 |
| Verena Chambray (8) | 65-1 | 60-1 |
| Crow Messor (9) | 60-1 | 60-1 |
| Sharlene Randell (10) | 5-1 | 5-1 |
| Taligelia Rendervault (11) | 28-1 | 30-1 |
| Soot Dustcloud (12) | 85-1 | 35-1 |
| Callimont Crusoe (12) | 5-1 | 5-1 |
| Caesar Sharpclaw (13) | 3-1 | 4-1 |
| Laura Power (13) | 90-1 | 80-1 |
| Luxray Meganium (14) | 8-1 | 6-1 |
| Elise Stokes (14) | 12-1 | 10-1 |
Day 2[]
Chosen Tribute: Caliban Rweed (6)
Caliban Rweed - District Six[]
Immediately after the anthem ends, a series of thunderstorms starts, lighting up the entire arena. Since the anthem usually ends around midnight, I can technically say I've survived one day in the arena, even if it may have been just a few hours. The Careers are probably out hunting right now, using the light from the storms to their advantage. Everyone else is at a major disadvantage, as it isn't really the safest to be high in a tree, yet if they're sleeping on the ground, the Careers or other tributes could find them easily. Personally, sleeping on the ground seems less risky to me, as I don't even know how to climb a tree.
There's a sudden burning sensation on my ankle, causing me to whimper. I reach for the legs of my cargo pants, pulling them up to find the source of the burning. The ink of the tattoos the Gamemakers gave to us before we entered the arena—which I honestly don't remember because I was too high—changes to a glowing, blood red color, so it's visible without any need of light. Dazzle Glathworth from District One is the first name written above my ankle, and I glance to the other name, knowing I'd have issues killing a Career. The second name, though, is Peach Proston from District Five, who died during the bloodbath.
I groan, rolling onto my back and placing my hands underneath my head. A few stray raindrops fall on my face, and I have to blink them out of my eyes. I guess I'm going to be the first tribute affected by the twist. On one hand, I guess I'm kind of lucky, seeing as if I survive the day, I won't have to worry about hunting another tribute for the rest of the Fear Games. However, on the other hand, I'd have to somehow kill a Career tribute, and with their alliance only losing one member, they're still pretty strong. Somehow, I'd have to find a way to kill Dazzle (1) without the others noticing and killing me. But if I fail to do so, I'm going to die anyways. Basically, I'm f***ed.
I decide that I should try to scope out the Careers, seeing as I'm going to need to find a weak point where I can strike. While I would never admit it to another person, my nervousnes of dying is causing my heartbeat to rise, and the sudden rush of adrenaline forces the last bits of cocaine to leave my system. After having the worst odds of any tribute, my mentor stopped caring how much cocaine I snorted, so I made sure to take a lot before the bloodbath. Feeling the last bits of it leaving my system is almost like tearing away my happiness, and I feel irritation pick away at my face, a defined frown resting upon it.
As I start walking towards the cornucopia, I hear something shuffling from a tree. Lightning brightens the sky, and I'm able to see the silhouette of a tribute sitting in a tree a few meters away. I walk underneath the tree, turning my flashlight on and a poiting it towards the figure. The tribute screams, trying to move away from the light, but it doesn't work out in his favor. When he grabs onto a branch, it must be slippery from the rain as he loses his balance and falls to the ground. He lands on his back, a moan escaping his lips, and I notice that it's Aster (5).
"Please don't kill me," he pleads, trying to move away from me. My flashlight shines in his face, and I doubt he even recognizes who I am. "I'll do anything you ask!"
"Why the f*** would I want you to do anything for me?" I ask, stepping on his ankle to prevent him from moving further away from me. I crouch over him, the rain soaking my back. "Unless you know how to make sure drugs for me, you're useless."
"Caliban?" Aster (5) whipsers. "Why are you hunting for tributes?" His tone doesn't seem to be as fearful as it was before he knew it was me. Offended, I put more weight on his ankle. "Ouch!" he cries. "Please stop, that hurts!"
"I'm not out hunting," I say, putting some more pressure on his ankle. He tries to stifle his moan, but fails. "But I'm guessing you don't know how to make coke." The flash of lightning makes the scene seem more dramatic, so I try to give the Capitol some entertainment, leaning closer to him and whispering, "I'm going to have to kill you."
"If you're not out hunting, then you must've been chosen first," Aster (5) says. The rain starts pouring down heavily, causing raindrops to cover his glasses. He pulls them away from his face, wiping them on his shirt. "Who do you have to kill?"
"Why is that any of your business?" I ask. His apparently fearlessness towards me fuels my anger. "For all you know, you might be the person I have to kill."
"If I was, you would've killed me right away," he states matter-of-factly. While his tone reflects innocence, his words seem to be questioning me. "Besides, you didn't tuck your pants back into your boots," he says, pointing. "I can see Dazzle Glathworth and Peach Proston written very clearly above your ankle."
"Seriously, can you just f***ing shut up!" I yell, whacking my flashlight against his head. I hate how he's trying to prove me wrong. "Stop trying to act like you know everything! You're the prey in this situation."
"I'm just saying, I could help you," he says, raising his hands to show innocence. There's a brief pause before I gesture for him to continue. "Peach died during the bloodbath, so you're forced to kill Dazzle. But she's a Career, so you'd have to find a way to lure the other Careers away, giving you the opportunity to kill her without being caught. I could be the distration and lure them away, hopefully giving you enough time to kill Dazzle."
I pause, considering the offer. While it seems like it'll be my best chance at killing Dazzle (1), I'm not too keen with temporarily allying with Aster (5), as he is the only tribute I've ever shown weakness to. He must remember our confrontation in the training bathroom, or else he would've been more scared when I attacked him. I told him way too much about my personal life in that bathroom, which he could easily use to his advantage. The last thing I need is a tribute exposing my weaknesses to the Capitol, even if he did reveal some weak spots in his own life. In the end, I settle my decision with the knowledge that I could easily overpower him in a fight.
"Okay, fine," I grumble. "I'll go along with your plan." I take my foot off of Aster's (5) ankle, straightening my stance from a crouch. He massages his ankle. "But once we're done executing it, we're breaking off the alliance."
"Deal," he says, shaking my hand. "I have a small knife in my backpack that you can use. But could you please do me a favor and shine that light on the tree when I climb it?" he asks. "I really don't wanna fall out of it again. It'll already by tricky with the rain."
Soot Dustcloud - District Twelve[]
Jayda (3) was barely able to carry me far away from the bloodbath, so we've settled in the first ruined building we came across. The building seems to be have been a hotel a one point, as against one of the walls, there's a sign with the faded words "Four Seasons Hotel" written on it. Fortunately, the ground floor is mostly intact, with three, undamaged sofas facing a fireplace and a long desk against one of the walls that was once a check-in desk. Behind the staircase that leads to the second and third floors is a narrow hallway that leads to a series of rooms with only tables and chairs in them. The bedrooms appear to have been on the higher floors, but, according to Jayda (3), those floors have been mostly ruined, with large holes in the floor, bugs almost everywhere, and moss growing against the walls.
Jayda (3) decided to lock the two doors at the entrance with phone cables she found behind the check-in desk, wrapping it multiple times around the handle. Rope would've worked much better, but she left behind her backpack in order to help me flee the bloodbath, even though we both know that I won't survive much longer. Nonetheless, Jayda (3) busies herself searching for any medicine or materials that could help me, while I lay on the couch staring at the fireplace, the flames providing dim lighting in the room. After securing all the entrances, she's been searching nonstop for anything useful, but has only found some bandages, using them to cover my wound. But instead of losing motivation from not finding much, it seems to inspire her to search more extensively. Something crashes in one of the rooms out of my sight, concerning me.
"Jayda?" I call. "Jayda could you please—" My words are cut off by a terrible fit of coughs, nearly suffocating me. While my breathing was already bad from the conditions of District Twelve, it's only gotten worse after I was stabbed in the chest. With bad lungs and a fatal knife wound, it's a miracle I'm still alive.
Jayda (3) runs into the room when I start coughing. "Where is it?" she asks, referring to the bag my mother gave me to help with my hyperventilation. She starts searching the couch I'm sitting on, seeing if it fell between the cushions.
"I think . . . I dropped . . . it . . . when you . . . carried . . . me," I say between coughs. "I can't . . . find . . . it . . . anywhere." My coughing gets more intense, and I look down at my hand, noticing I've coughed up blood. "Not . . . good."
"Try holding your breath," Jayda (3) says. "It should help even out your breathing." When I try holding my breath, I feel myself getting lightheaded, so I shake my head, knowing it won't work. "Okay, well then, here, lay down on your back." She helps my lay down on the couch. "I'm going to place a book on my stomach." She places a book on my stomach. "Try breathing through your nose and using your stomach."
Listening to her instruction, I breathe using my stomach, trying my hardest to only breathe through my nose. At times, I open my mouth a little to assist my breathing, but it's only so I die from suffocation. After about five minutes, my breathing returns to a normal pace, and I close my eyes, allowing me to relax. Jayda (3) pokes at my neck, raising an eyebrow when I look at her. I shrug, motioning that I'm fine.
"I'm going to go look for more supplies," Jayda (3) says, but I grab her hand before she gets off the couch. "What?" she asks. "Soot, you need medicine."
"Jayda, I'm going to die soon," I say truthfully. "Can you just sit down next to me so we can talk?" She seems to hesitate, but does end up sitting down on the couch. I place my legs on top of her lap. "Do you remember when we met?" I ask.
She nods. "I remember it as if it was yesterday."
- - -
The first day of training was almost like an evaluation, as the way you performed gave the other tributes the ability to judge how threatening you would in the arena. Callimont (12), my district partner, was planning on allying with the Careers, so she immediately went towards the weaponry stations with the Careers. While I doubted she had much experience with weapons, she's great at manipulating people, so I highly suspected the Careers would accept her. I, on the other hand, completely despised the Careers, so much that I was planning on joining the Anti-Careers. However, nobody made even an attempt to form the alliance.
Knowing that the Careers were going to occupy the weaponry stations for a while, I chose to start at the fire making station, which was coincidentally next to the knot typing station where three of my former allies started. Coming from District Twelve, the coal mining district, I had hoped starting a fire would almost be ingrained in my genetics. But I was wrong, starting a fire took much longer than I had hoped. After taking an entire hour to master the techniques, I noticed that another tribute decided to join me at the station. Lenox (6), who would later become one of my closest allies.
"This is a lot harder than it looks," she said, gently laughing. "Does it ever get easier?" She directed the question towards me. "Or is there a certain method that you learned when you were little?"
"No, in District Twelve, we don't learn anything about coal mining until we turn eighteen." Her cheeks turned pink from my rather harsh tone. "But it does get easier after the first time."
"Thanks," she genuinely said. She rolled the spindle against another piece of wood, her hands vigorously running down it to apply more pressure. After five minutes of unsuccessful attempts, she sat back, rubbing sweat off her forehead. "This is a lot harder than it looks."
"Do you want me to help?" I asked, for reasons I still have yet to explain. Maybe I was just waiting the Careers to leave the weaponry stations, or maybe I wanted to show off that I actually knew something after just an hour of training.
Whatever my reason, she smiled brightly and nodded. Her smile was unlike any that I've encountered since being reaped for the Fear Games. It was genuine and it was pleasant and it was friendly. She smiled with all of her heart, and for some reason, I found myself smiling at her. From that alone, I couldn't imagine her being the type of girl to cry over something small or become angry with someone easily. Happiness was clearly in her nature, and sadness and evil seemed to be foreign to her. Although we had just met, I knew I wanted her as an ally for her mental stability, as she's the tribute who doesn't seem to have a cloud of gloom floating around their heads.
I moved besides her, politely taking the spindle out of her hand to demonstrate. She got on her knee, looking over my shoulder to watch as I set the wood on fire. Her breathing into my ear was a little uncomfortable, but I couldn't find it within myself to tell her to move away. Finally, when the fire started, she jumped back, an astonished look on her face. A moment later, the look was replaced by a gentle laugh as she ran her hands through her hair. I laughed with her, because she had the type of laugh that makes everyone else laugh. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that even the trainer had a goofy smile plastered on his face.
"That was . . . amazing," she says as she's catching her breath. "I don't think I could ever start a fire that quickly even if I spent all training learning how to." Although her words seemed sad, her tone was light and humorous.
"It just takes practice," I reassured her. "Maybe you just need to get your mind off of it. All your stressing is probably making it harder and frustrating you." She looked to the ground, trying to hide her blush. "Want to join me at the knives station?" I motion towards the stations, which the Careers recently left.
"Sure," she said, smiling. As we started walking to the station, she asked, "Have you ever trained with weapons before? 'Cause I've only ever used a knife to cut food."
"I've trained for the Fear Games for a while," I said. "Just some simple training like kicking down doors and sh*t. Nothing too spectacular, but I know that I could probably take down a few Careers." I glanced over to the Careers, pointing at the boy from One. "Like I could take down him, he doesn't look too threatening."
"Yeah, you probably could," she agreed. "But would you really risk your life to kill one Career if the others would kill you right after?"
"It all depends," I said. Upon arriving at the knife station, I grab one of the knives, mindlessly flipping it in my hand. "If there were only a few left, I might attempt it, especially if there's not that many tributes left." I shrugged. "I could probably outrun the others, or try to injure them before fleeing." There's a brief pause. "Or I might just kill them."
I flung the knife towards one of the dummies, watching as it lodged itself into its forehead. Lenox (6) looks surprised, before grabbing a knife herself to throw at the dummy. Although the throw looks good, the butt of the knife hits the dummy's chest, and falls harmlessly to the ground. She laughs a little, grabbing another knife to try again. The throw is worse than the first, and ends up hitting the ground before even touching the target. When she grabs another knife, I raise my eyebrow, clearly surprised by her determination. This time, the knife does end up hitting the dummy in the groin, causing her to laugh hysterically.
"How unfortunate," she started, trying to control her laughing and failing. I found myself laughing along with her. "I really shouldn't use these." She looks down at the throwing knives, a goofy smile still on her face. "Maybe we should try another weapon."
She motions towards the axe station, and I notice that the Careers have completely left the weaponry stations. "Yeah," I said. "We better go before the Careers get back and hog them."
By the time we walked over to the axe station, the girl from Three was already practicing, easily chopping down the dummies as if they were paper. To be honest, I was initially surprised she was from Distrct Three and not Seven, as she was deadly with an axe. But then I realized thateveryone has a weapon or two they master easier then the others, so hers must've been the axe. The girl must've sensed Lenox (6) and I staring at her, as she turned towards us, smiling and motioning for us to join her. Lenox (6) hands me an axe, and we join her.
Before I even swung the axe towards a dummy, I heard someone yelling across the room, instinctively stopping and staring at the source. The girl from Zero was flipping out at the Careers, causing many of them to blush and be at loss for words. However, the girl from Two tried yelling back at the girl, only to be speechless by the girl's disrespect towards the Careers. After a snarky comment, the girl from Two turned around, walking back towards the weaponry stations. I noticed that almost all of the tributes had stopped to stare at the argument, but quickly turned around to avoid making eye contact with the Careers.
"I want her to be in our alliance," I said without much thought. Only then did I realize I hadn't even proposed an alliance towards Lenox (6), yet she just nodded along with it, as if we had already discussed it.
"I hate the Careers as much as that girl," the girl from Three said with a growl. "I just wish I'm there to witness all of their bloody deaths."
"Then you should join our alliance, too," Lenox (6) said. I was surprised how quickly she seemed to adjust to being in an alliance. "We don't really have a name yet, but it doesn't really matter."
"You don't even know my name yet," the girl from Three stated, laughing. "It's Jayda," she said, "And I already know that you're Lenox from Six and Soot from Twelve."
"How'd you know that?" I asked. The only other tribute I knew coming into training was Callimont (12), but that's because we were district partners. Even as I was watching all the districts' reapings, the names and faces just seemed to blend together, so I was rather clueless as to who I'd see during training.
"I was studying all the tributes before training started," she said. "It gave me something to do on the train while I was bored." She shrugged. "I learned all about the Careers training, so I know all the areas they struggle."
"I think I have an alliance name," Lenox (6) said, abruptly. "If you both hate the Careers, why don't we call ourselves the Anti-Careers? We can probably get more tributes that hate the Careers to ally with us then."
"I like it," Jayda (3) said. "I'm pissed that they think they're so cool because they've been training all their lives. It's time for someone to shove it in their a**." I couldn't tell if I could sense some hidden anger in her words, so I just ignored it.
Jayda (3) and Lenox (6) turned towards me, awaiting my response. "I guess we better get some more allies," I said. "It'll be much easier to destroy the Careers if we have more allies."
- - -
Jayda (3) and I laugh as we talk about training, but our laughs soon sober as we realize how far we've come. A week ago, I volunteered for the Fear Games, and assumed that I would return to District Twelve afterwards. But I never thought I'd return in a box, I'd always planned to return as victor. I survived the chariot rides with Callimont (12), three days of training where I made allies and enemies, and the interview with Aziza Elodie. I survived the bloodbath where two of my allies died and two of them got separated. But I couldn't survive a knife wound to my chest, and I couldn't even survive twenty-four hours in the Fear Games. Maybe all my training was worthless.
I find myself trying to hold back my tears, but they go past my defenses, flowing quickly down my cheeks. "Jayda," I say, choking on my own tears. She gets up, moving to kneel besides me. "Can I just . . . rest my head . . . on your lap." The tears make my words barely audible, but she listens anyway.
"Tell me if I hurt you," she says, lifting my head gently and sliding on the couch. My head rests on her thigh, and she strokes my hair gently. "You're gonna be okay."
"No, I'm not," I say, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, but the tears keep steadily flowing. "Can we just stop pretending like I'm going to get better? Because we both know I'm going to die."
"I'm sorry," Jayda (3) says. I swear she has a tear in her eye, but a moment later, it's gone. She looks up, staring at the fire. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I tried." She sniffs. "I tried so hard to save you. I've looked and found nothing. There wasn't anything."
"Nothing could've saved me," I whisper, looking away from her face to stare at the flames. "You know, I always thought I could survive one of these Fear Games. I inspired one of my neighbors to volunteer, and they won. I've trained a good portion of my life, and I was good. I was strong. I knew I would be a threat, but I didn't think I would die so soon."
"You couldn't have trained hard enough to prepare yourself for the Fear Games," Jayda (3) says. "You can become stronger and faster and healthier, but you could never prepare for the terrors of the arena. Nothing and nobody can."
"Jayda." I hold her hand, and realize how nice it feels to hold another person's hand, even if it is only moments away from my death. "Please don't let me die from the Careers." Another wave of tears flows down my cheeks, but I don't even try to rub them away. "I can't let Callimont be the reason I die. I can't let my death count as a Career kill."
"What do you want me to do?" she asks.
"I want you to kill me," I say. Jayda (3) looks down towards me, her eyes huge and her lips unable to form words. "Please," I whisper. "Please. They killed Giorno, don't let them kill me, too."
"No," she says. "No," she says more confidently. "You're telling me to kill you. Do you realize how hard that is going to be for me?"
"Please," I barely say. "I know it's gonna be hard on you, but don't let me die from the people I despise. I won't be able to rest in peace if I knew the Careers were the reason I died."
I pull the throwing knife out of my pocket, sliding it into her hand that I'm not holding. It was the only thing I took from the bloodbath, even if I was sticking out of my chest at the time. "Soot," she whispers, and suddenly, a flood of tears flow down her face, dripping onto my cheeks and lips.
I squeeze her hand tighter. My eyelids start feeling too heavy, and I close my eyes, tilting my head against her thigh so she's able to clearly slit my throat. I don't even need to open my eyes to sense her hesitation, so I give her another squeeze, hoping she gets my message. I feel the coldness of the blade rest against my neck, and in one swift motion, I can feel the blood oozing from the wound. The darkness becomes thicker, and I fall in a sort of deep slumber where I can feel nothing. Yet, I smile and mouth a thank you, hoping the water droplets falling on my face is rain, not the tears of my ally.
Topher Celene - District Zero[]
I lay on a twin-sized bed in a dimly lit room, staring at the tree branches above—a tree must've collapsed into the house because half the ceiling is destroyed by branches—while thinking about the first day of the Fear Games. I don't remember much after the bloodbath, but somehow, Elise (14) brought me to a small, barely intact house, which luckily had two bedrooms. I must've found some matches to light a candle besides me, because I remember the room was pitch black when Elise (14) left. There's a nasty wound on my shoulder, but it doesn't look nearly as bad now that it's been cleaned. The knife missed all major arteries, so the only thing I need to worry about now is infection.
I hear a knock on the bedroom door, and Elise (14) enters, wearing only her v-neck and cargo pants. She must've taken off her jacket, socks, and boots when she went to bed. "Couldn't sleep?" she asks, moving to sit at the edge of my bed.
I shake my head. "I think I have a concussion," I say, tapping my temple. "I don't really think it's smart for me to sleep if I do. Couldn't I die from that?" I flash a smile, jokingly, and she smiles back. I'm getting good at this whole 'socializing' thing. "Wait, what time is it? Why aren't you sleeping?"
"It's about three o'clock in the morning." I raise an eyebrow at her. "I couldn't sleep either, the adrenaline from the bloodbath hasn't died down yet."
"Yeah, it was scary," I admit. Everything had been so fast paced, it was hard to pay attention to everything at once. One moment, I had a knife in my shoulder, and the next, I had been tackled to the ground. I thought I was going to die. "Thanks for saving me, I don't think I said that yet."
"Did you think I was just going to let you die?" she asks. "You're my ally, we have an obligation to protect each other." She laughs a little. "Plus, I think I owed you for not standing up to you during training."
"Trust me, I've forgotten all about it." She looks at me, staring deadly into my eyes. "Okay, I haven't forgotten about it, but I forgive you for it. You wanted to protect yourself. At least you didn't let the Careers frighten you again."
- - -
The third day of training was very short, with the first half of the day designated for the tributes to freshen up on their skills, and the second half for the private sessions with the Gamemakers. By that time, all the alliances had been established. The Careers accepted the girl from Twelve, who did clearly show her worth the day before, but it still surprised to see her socializing with them. The Anti-Careers seemed to be a ragtag group of tributes, not too deadly, yet I was surprised a Capitol tribute joined the alliance. The only other alliances were the boys from Eight and Fourteen, and the girl from Eight and boy from Nine. Yet, for some reason, they seemed to fit together nicely, as both members of the alliances seemed to get along easily.
The morning session hadn't been too eventful, with everyone focusing on what they planning on showing the Gamemakers. Most of the tributes had worked at the weaponry station, some of them swinging towards the dummies, while others sparred with the trainers. The Careers, apparently having completely excelled with their weapons of choice, sat against the wall, pointing and laughing at some of the tributes. I noticed the twelve year old girl from Nine pick up a bow, aiming towards one of the dummies, but missing terribly. That caused a howl of laughter from one of the Careers, completely destroying the girl's spirit. She set the bow down, moviing and hiding behind her allies.
"Elise," I whispered as I stared at the cleaver in my hand. Elise (14) turned towards me, grabbing a dagger from a bladed weapons rack. "I don't know how to use this."
"You don't know how to use a knife!" she whispered loudly, looking around to see if other tributes heard. "Did you learn another weapon?" I didn't respond, ashamed of the answer. "What did you do the first day of training?"
"I spent all my time learning about the different landscapes that the arena might be," I shrugged. "And I didn't learn anything on the second day 'cause we allied and you already learned, so I didn't bother bringing it up."
"What are you going to show the Gamemakers?" she asked. "Topher, they don't care about your intelligence or what you may know about the arena. They care about how deadly you are. And in the eyes of the Capitol, knowledge isn't as deadly as a weapon"
"How hard can it be to use a cleaver?" I asked. "The chefs at my house used them all the time. I mean, it was to cut meat, but humans are basically meat, so it can't be too hard."
"Okay, if you don't think it's too hard, go ahead and demonstrate your skills on that dummy." She pointed towards a dummy across the room.
"I can't use a cleaver on a dummy," I said. "The cleaver is meant to cut meat. Do you have any beef or steak or any type of meat that I could cut to demonstrate my precision."
She blinked. "You can't be serious. How can you be so oblivious that you can't even understand that you're going into the Fear Games, where you'll have to kill people in order to survive. Cutting beef will only show that you can prepare food. The Capitol doesn't care about that at all."
"Oh my God, you know I read books, right?" I was getting frustrated that she couldn't understand my train of thought. "I know that I'll have to kill someone, but I don't see why I should demonstrate it to the Gamemakers on a dummy. A dummy isn't real; it can't fight back, it isn't a challenge. If they really wanted to see skill, they might as well set the tributes against each other."
"That's what they do in the arena, dumba**," Elise (14) said. I could sense the anger and tiredness in her tone. "Just pretend that dummy is beef or steak or whatever the hell you want it to be, and cut it up." She looked behind her, where the Careers were sitting. "The Careers are watching."
"I thought we had to impress the Gamemakers, not the Careers," I mumbled. "Why wouldn't I just pretend to be bad so the Careers don't target me."
"Because, after getting to know you, I know you won't be too good with the cleaver." I stared at her, offended, and when I opened my mouth to speak, no words would come out. "Don't look at me like that, if you haven't used one before, you're probably gonna be bad. Now, cut the dummies as best as you can and try not to embarrass yourself in front of the Careers." She lightly pushed me, gesturing for me to attack a dummy.
Reluctantly, I moved towards the dummy, clenching the cleaver in my hand until my knuckles started to burn. I didn't understand why I must demonstrate my skills to the Careers, but if it's what I was supposed to do, I couldn't fight it. When I stood in front of the dummy, I felt a pang of fear run through my veins, knowing that I would be screwed in the arena if I messed up. From an outside perspective, it might've been humorous that my entire life depended on how well I mutilated a dummy composed of synthetic materials. But for me, it was reality, and I realized that the Careers would probably kill me if I appeared weak. They just love killing weak tributes to boost their bloodthirst and hopes of winning.
The first move I performed when I finally attacked the dummy was a chop at its head, causing the blade to go pretty deep into it, but not completely through. To make matters worse, when I tried to remove it, it required more force than I expected, so it took me a few tries before the cleaver would dislodge from the head. When it came out after a hard tug, I stumbled back a few steps, and would've fallen onto my butt if the girl from Eleven wasn't behind me. Even as I apologized, I could see the Careers snickering in my peripheral vision, and sensed that Elise (14) was embarrassed.
Enraged, I swung again, chopping off the dummy's left arm. Feeling myself getting into a sort of rhythm, I chopped off the dummy's other arm, before trying to chop it in half horizontally. I swung with all the strength I could muster, but the blade got caught halfway through the dummy's stomach, and wouldn't dislodge, no matter how much force I put into it. I glanced towards Elise (14), hoping she would help me, but she turned away, as if I didn't exist. Two of the Careers, the tributes from Two, stood beside her, staring and laughing at me as I struggled to dislodge the cleaver.
"Oh my God, I can't believe he can't pull the knife outta that dummy!" the girl said, smug smile on her face. "I bet he can't even cut off someone's pinkie!"
"I don't think so, but it is a little sad that a baby boy was reaped for the Fear Games." The boy jokingly sniffed and wiped a fake tear from his eye. "Think about how innocent and pure he was."
"It doesn't even look like he's touched a weapon before today," the girl said. "Did you see how tightly he was holding the knife? It was like he was afraid it would run away if he didn't hold it tight enough." I looked towards Elise (14), wondering why she was just standing by. Weren't allies supposed to stand by each other? The girl must've noticed, because she turned towards Elise (14). "Do you know him? Holy sh*t, I'm so sorry for you! It doesn't look like he knows the basics of weaponry."
"Wait, you guys aren't allies, are you?" the boy asked, his brown eyes looking between Elise (14) and I. "You're way too good for him."
"No, I'm not his ally," Elise (14) answered. In that moment alone, I was the most terrified I had ever been since I was reaped for the Fear Games. I didn't know that one mistake with a cleaver would mark the end of my alliance. "I was just thinking about how far he might last."
"Oh, sweetie, he won't get past the bloodbath," the girl said, putting a hand on her hip. "I'm just glad that you didn't ally with a dumba** instead of the Careers. You could've made it far with us, but with him, you'd just be carrying around dead weight. He's a liability, not an asset."
The two Careers left after that, confidently walking towards their allies. I turned away from Elise (14), and left training to head back to my room, as I needed advice from my mentor. All my plans for the Fear Games relied on having an ally, but I was almost certain at that time that I had just lost her. I sat on the opposite side of the room when I waited for my private session, purposely ignoring making eye contact with Elise (14). Fortunately, before the interviews, she pulled me aside, clarifying that we were still allies, but she just didn't want to start a fight against the Careers. While I was upset she didn't defend me, I understood where she was coming from, since the Careers were already on bad terms with her for not joining their alliance. I could only hope it wouldn't happen again, especially in the arena.
- - -
"I don't think I ever apologized for that," Elise (14) says, blushing. "I hope you know that I'm incredibly sorry about that. I just really don't like drawing attention to myself."
"It's fine, I forgive you." I give her a bright smile. "Besides, you did save my life back there. By all accounts, we're a hundred percent even."
"Good," she says, nodding. "Because I don't want our alliance to be based on us owing each other." She stands up, stretching her legs. "Now try to get some sleep, you never know what we might be facing in the morning."
"Okay, I'll try," I say, wrapping the blankets tight around me. Even though the room is dimly lit, I notice the dark circles around her eyes. "And you should try to get some sleep as well. Not to be rude, but it looks like you haven't slept in days."
She chuckles quietly. "I can't make any promises, but I'll try to at least get a few hours." With that she exits my room, softly closing the door behind her. "I'll wake you up at noon, if you're still sleeping," she yells from her bedroom. "Good night!"
"Good night!" I shout back, blowing out the candle beside me, and sending the entire room into darkness. Falling asleep takes a while, my mind constantly thinking about all the tributes who have already died. Their eyes will forever remain closed. For some reason, the Viking Death Prayer comes into my head, and I find myself whispering it:
- "Lo, There do I see my Father, and
- Lo, there do I see my Mother, and
- Lo, There do I see my Brothers and my Sisters and
- Lo, There do I see my people back to the beginning, and
- Lo they do call to me, and
- bid me take my place among them in the halls of Valhalla,
- Where the brave will live forever."
Verena Chambray - District Eight[]
No matter what position I try sitting in, there's always a burning sensation in my ribs. Undoubtedly, they were broken, which meant death in the Fear Games. While Crow (9) had tried to reassure me that they could just be bruised, my skinny figure allowed me to be able to touch and feel my ribs, and I could feel a few fractures on my lower ones. On top of that, I couldn't twist or turn without the burning sensation flaring, and I didn't even want to try walking. Fortunately, while I was muffling my groans of pain, Crow (9) was able to get a few hours of sleep. However, he woke up from my loud moan when I tried grabbing the backpack behind me.
"What are you doing?" he said, rubbing the drowsiness out of his eyes. When he notices I'm reaching for the backpack behind me, he immediately grabs it for me. "You could've just woken me up. I could've grabbed it for you."
"I didn't want to wake you up," I say, rummaging through the bag. When I grab onto the bag of gummy bears, I open it up, tossing a few into my mouth. "I was just a little hungry."
"I can see that," he says, smirking. He reaches over to grab some, but I smack his hand away. "Hey! Why can't I have any?"
"You didn't ask," I say through a mouthful of gummy bears. "Manners would've been much more appropriate than just reaching for it."
"I can't tell if your joking or not." He tilts his head to the side, a calculating look plastered on his face. "But could I please have some gummy bears."
"I was kidding," I say as I put a handful of gummy bears in his hand. "You know, I used to act all ladylike when I was around my parents so they wouldn't be freaked out that I was gay." Crow's (9) jaw drops for a moment, and fear runs through my veins as I realize what I said. "Oh yeah, I'm a lesbian. Sorry about that," I say rather weakly as my breathing rapidly increases.
"Oh! No, no, no. I'm not offended or upset that you're gay," he says, shaking his head. "It just took me a little by surprise. I don't know why, though."
"That's fine," I say. It feels as if all the blood in my body rushes into my face. "I usually don't like to tell people, because after my parents . . ."
"They didn't approve of it?" While it sounds more like a statement, he phrases it like a question. "You know not everyone is like that. I don't care if you're gay or straight or bisexual or whatever. You're still my ally and my friend. No. Matter. What. Plus, I don't really like to judge people without getting to know them first."
For a moment, I'm appalled by Crow's (9) reaction, thinking about how differently it was from my parents. How could it be that someone who's known me for just a week accepts me for who I am, but my parents, who should love me with all their hearts, can't handle the slightest hint of difference? They were they ones that told me to suppress my feelings; that in time, they would just move along. They said it was just a phase, like puberty. Never once did they think it was as tangible as my dark hair or olive eyes. To them, it was a humilation to love someone of the same sex. But by the way Crow (9) speaks, it sounds like he believes it's just what makes me, me.
Tears unwillingly form in my eyes, and I blink multiple times so they don't fall. "That's probably the nicest thing somebody's ever said to me." My throat feels as dry as a desert. "Thank you."
"Hey, don't worry about it," Crow (9) says, moving to sit besides me. "You know, people used to look at me differently, too, because my dad and baby brother died when I was seven. There was some sort of epidemic that infected a portion of the population, but most survived. Only a handful of families lost more than one member, and I was one of them. Since only me and my mom survived, we were both pretty traumatized by the attack. I swore to never die before she did, because I know it would just destroy her."
"And then you got reaped for the Fear Games," I finish, and he nods. "I want you to know that if—and I know the odds aren't too good for us—but if we are the last tributes in the arena, I would sacrifice myself so you could go home." He opens his mouth to speak, but I place a finger on his lips, shushing him. "No, don't even try to talk me outta it. The only person I have left to go home to is my brother, and he's been in a coma for a while. Hell, I don't even know if he'll wake up from it."
"I'm sorry about that," Crow (9) mumbles, staring at the ground. "I know what it's like to feel as if nobody alive seems to care for you. I was close to my dad and brother, but I never really connected to my mom until after they were dead. The first year without them was weird, and I didn't quite know what I was supposed to do. But the thing I learned is that things change. Maybe it hurts a lot when they do, but in the end, everything seems to fit together and good comes from it."
"And what about the Fear Games?" I ask, fingers tracing my broken ribs. "What kind of good can come from children killing each other?"
"It gives us a chance to test our morals." He shrugs. "Yes, the killing part is kinda awful"—I could tell he was being careful with his words for the Capitol's sake—"but if I wasn't reaped, I wouldn't have met you."
I blush, a smile wide on my face. "Now you're starting to sound flirtatious. Didn't I already tell you I'm a lesbian?"
"I was not trying to flirt," he says, laughing along with me. "I was being truthful. You've been a really good friend to me since we met. I don't even want to think about what this would be like without you as an ally."
"And you've been an amazing ally as well," I say, smiling. "I can't even imagine being with anyone else as nice and funny as you."
The rest of our conversation is light, as Crow (9) tells stories about him and his brother before the epidemic hit. I find myself staring at him without listening, as his entire demeanor changed since he started talking about his brother. He wears a goofy expression on his face, as it appears that his wide smile won't be suppressed, and the twinkle in his eyes only seems to brighten with time. For a moment, I completely forget that I'm in the Fear Games with broken ribs, instead, I'm just a normal girl talking to one of her closest friends. Although reality will eventually catch up to us, I find myself relaxing under Crow's (9) soft words, and I fall asleep on his shoulder, the pain in my ribs barely uncomfortable.
Fabrina Lustrus - The Capitol[]
The sound of a branch snapped wakes me up, and I instinctively grab my knife on the coffee table. Slowly, I slide against the wall, positioning myself behind the door so if a tribute were to walk into the house, I'd be able to attack them from behind. While the house was rather small and hidden amongst the trees, I'm not willing to test my luck, as I'm already unfortunate to be in these Fear Games. I slow my breathing until it no longer seems to echo throughout the room and close my eyes, focusing on all the sounds outside the house. When I hear nothing for a while, I start to relax, resting my head against my knees.
Ever since the bloodbath, I've been anxious of every sound, always checking my surroundings whenever I hear the smallest of chirps. Mostly, they're harmless sounds of a non-threatening animal, but after watching my aunt die in the Fear Games, I've been making sure nothing and nobody touches me. If she was able to die from being pricked by a small thorn, who knows what kind of Gamemaker traps are around this arena? Hell, I didn't even touch the door handle with my bare hand! Instead, I used my shirt as a glove, opening the door carefully in case something were to pop out of the house. Forunately, nothing happened, and after barricading the windows with broken floor boards, I was able to get some sleep.
The hoot of a nearby owl causes me to jump, and I barely muffle the gasp that leaves my throat. Instead of relaxing like before, I find myself laughing, knowing how silly I must look to all the viewers. Maybe they think that I'm a spoiled bitch from the Capitol who's too afraid to do anything except hide. Maybe they're right. Nonetheless, I laugh, as I realize how ironic Aziza's comments during my interview were, especially her last words before she called Giorno (Cap) to the stage.
- - -
The last activity the tributes have to participate in before the Fear Games is the interview with Aziza Elodie, which is undoubtedly the most important part of the entire process. If you messed up during your interview, you'd lose sponsors. If you said something that offended the Gamemakers or Capitol officials, they'd do everything in their power to kill you. If you offended another tribute, they'd hunt you down in the arena. The safest way to get through the interview was to smile widely, act politely, and nod if you don't know what to say. Hell, I planned on nodding whenever I didn't know what Aziza wanted me to say.
Since I was the female tribute from the Capitol, I was scheduled to go first, followed by Giorno (Cap). While I don't typically enjoy bragging over my looks, I looked absolutely gorgeous, as the prep team seemed to cover all my flaws. The sparkly blue dress, which went down to my thigh, clung to my body in all the right places, and my cleavage looked stunning in it. I always thought my boobs were a bit small, but in the dress, they looked the perfect size. To accompany my dress, I wore golden sandals, with each of my toenails and fingernails painted a swirl of blue, gold, and white. Instead of putting my light blonde hair in a ponytail, it was left untouched, wavily flowing from my head. The prep team even waxed my eyebrows and lips, until everything was perfectly shaped. For fifteen minutes, I couldn't move away from the mirror, surprised how different I looked, even if I used to live in the Capitol.
As I waited in a line on the left side of the stage, I realized how most of the tributes seemed to know each other. Giorno (Cap) moved to talk to the tributes from Three, who I thought he was in an alliance with, but I wasn't really sure. All the Careers were chatting lively with another, making weird noises and jokes that only they seemed to understand. Almost every single tribute was in a conversation with someone, except for me, Sharlene (10), and Garth (11). But from what I've seen, Sharlene (10) didn't seem to talk to anyone and Garth (11) seemed to be constantly taunting his district partner.
I chose to ignore my lack of socializing with tributes, blaming it on me not wanting to get close with the competition and being nervous for the interview. Fortunately, the interviews were starting in fifteen minutes, so the backstage managers forced all the tributes to get to their correct spot in line and quieted them. Even the slightest of whispers didn't go unnoticed, and the backstage managers ended up humiliating Finn (1) for disobeying their orders of not talking. Having a middle aged woman put him in a headlock clearly taught him to respect his elders, and his face was still red when I went to my interview.
"Wait until Aziza calls your name before you go out," the other backstage manager said. "And make sure to smile and wave towards the crowd! They'll love it!"
I nodded, turning my attention towards Aziza, who's a beautiful woman of questionable age. Her curly, blue hair and flawless skin almost made her look like a young adult, but I remembered her being the interviewer ever since I was little. She wore a long blue dress, similar to my own, with one of her legs revealed through a v-shaped slit in it. Although she wore red high heels, she really didn't need them, as she was about six feet tall without them. Her height seemed to capture the audience's attention, while her cold gray eyes kept the tributes behaved. When she gestured towards me and called out my name, I found myself in some kind of trance, as Aziza seemed to have control over me.
"Welcome to the stage, Fabrina!" she said with a cheeky smile, gesturing for me to sit in the chair besides her. As I sat down, she asked, "So how do you feel about going into the Fear Games?"
"A little nervous," I admitted. "I used to love watching them, but being a tribute is an entirely different experience. I don't know which one I like better." Obviously being a spectator, but I wasn't going to lose sponsors by telling the truth.
"But you earned a nine during training, so you're definitely not going to disappoint us in the arena," she said as she looked towards the audience. In response, the audience clapped. "See! We're all excited for you."
I blushed. "Well, thank you." I addressed my words to the crowd, making sure to smile widely for them. "I appreciate all the support I've been receiving now and when I'm in the arena."
"Now tell me," Aziza said, leaning closer to me as if to tell a secret. "What kind of drama is stirring between the other tributes? Or are you involved in some of the drama?"
"There's not too much drama this year," I said, but I could tell it wasn't the correct response when I heard some audience members sigh. "But the Careers seem to be hated by a lot of tributes this year. One of the tributes—Briggs, I think her name is—totally embarrassed the Careers in front of all the tributes. Also, the tributes from Eleven seem to have some heat between them." Those two seemed to be the easiest drama to talk about without making enemies.
"Ooh, interesting," Aziza said, and the crowd agreed through applause and shouts. "How about you? There's no drama you're in the middle of?"
"Not really, I haven't been talking to much of the other tributes." I shrugged. "To me, they're all competition, and I'd rather not associate myself with those I'll have to kill."
"Words truly spoken by a future victor," she said, smiling radiantly. "You seem to be a tough tribute, I'd be surprised if you don't last long in the arena." Although her words were meant to be harmless, I felt a trickle of sweat run down the back of my neck. "While we're on this topic, since these are the Fear Games, what do you fear?"
"Deformities," I answered. "My aunt was in the Fear Games when I was little and died from some type of poisoning. Seeing her body bloated and nasty as if she had bee stings all over her body traumatized me."
"That's nothing bad," she said, turning her attention to the crowd. "Don't we all fear of deformities?" The crowd responded with energetic shouts of agreement. "Exactly. It's a common fear throughout the Capitol."
"I guess so," I said, nodding, because I didn't know what else to say.
"Well, we only have a little time left," Aziza said. "Why don't you tell me about some of your strengths." I couldn't tell if she was asking a question or making a statement. "What should the other tributes fear about you?"
"Honestly, most of these tributes will ignore my strength, either because I'm a girl or from the Capitol," I shrugged. "It'll be their mistake, though, when they realize I match pretty evenly with them."
"You hear that, people!" Aziza excitedly screamed to the crowd. "We have ourselves a strong, talented tribute. Someone who will completely fool all of her opponents and murder them all in the end. I think we have ourselves the most promising female tribute from the Capitol in years!"
- - -
The sound of another branch snapping breaks me out of my memory, and pull my knees closer to my boobs. There has to be a tribute out there, but I'm not going to risk attacking them. If they walk into the house, I'd have the advantage. I can only hope that it isn't the Careers hunting tributes, or even an alliance of tributes. Hell, I don't even know if I'm prepared to kill a loner. I know that if I want to win, I'd have to kill some people, but it's still going to be tough. But hopefully, after I get my first kill, it'll be easier from there.
"F***ing hell," someone whispers as they crash into a tree. The voice is distinctly masculine, and it sounded like he was talking more to himself than another person.
My knuckles burn from how tight I'm gripping onto the knife, and I close my eyes, praying to whatever god is willing to listen that the tribute doesn't enter the house.
Callimont Crusoe - District Twelve[]
While the other Careers are out hunting for tributes, I'm stuck watching over Dazzle (1), who has barely opened her eyes for five minutes since maintaining some kind of head trauma during the bloodbath. None of the Careers know anything about medical stuff, so we've kind of just let her sleep it off, hoping that whatever kind of medicine we need to help her comes from the sponsors. But if nothing comes, we might just have to leave her for the dead, as we can't have any weak links in our alliance. Hell, I'm still relieved they accepted me into their alliance, as it's very uncommon to have a Career from an outlying district.
To try to show my worth to the other Careers, I work on creating some explosives from the land mines underneath the pedestals. It takes a little longer to rewire the electronics of it because of the darkness, but I eventually become comfortable with the lighting to ignore my fear of it. I've already rewired one of the explosives to work alongside a trap, and created another one to work as a type of grenade. However, the current one I'm working on is a combination of five of the land mines. I noticed that the ground underneath the cornucopia is a little hollow, so I was planning on blowing it up to see if something of value was underground. Of course, I was going to wait until the other Careers arrived before I did it, but I wanted to get a sort of head start.
I hear something shuffle, and I turn to see Dazzle (1) stirring in her unconscious state, followed by a loud moan. I leave the explosives in the cornucopia and move beside her, lowering my head to hear her. "My . . . head . . . hurts," she whispers between heavy breaths before passing out again.
"You'll be okay," I whisper, running my hand through the other girl's hair. "We just have to wait for the sponsors. I doubt it'll be much longer."
Honestly, I hope she just dies from her head trauma sooner rather than later, as it's impossible to focus on creating the explosives while she's moaning and groaning. I move back inside the dimly lit cornucopia, focusing on rewiring the current bomb contraption without accidentally setting it off. Hell, if I blew myself and Dazzle (1) up, the other Careers probably wouldn't care, as they've deemed us the "weaklings" of the alliance, even though I've earned either better or the same training score as them. As I'm finishing rewiring the last part of the bomb, I hear a soft clicking noise above me, and look up to see a sponsoring gift.
Huh, I didn't really expect Dazzle (1) to get a sponsoring gift, but I guess since she's the last hope for District One, they were able to pool enough money for medicine. The silver casing lands on the ground a few feet away from me, and when I pick it up, I notice a little slip with Dazzle's (1) name written on it. It takes me a moment to figure out how to open the silver case, but when I do, I'm unable to move, surprised by how expensive the gift must've been. Insta-relief is a rare medicine that is said to cure even the roughest of injuries ranging from concussions to broken bones. When the cream is rubbed on the injury, it enhances the healing prcess in the tribute, allowing whatever injury it may be to heal within minutes. Since it's so expensive and rare, it comes in a small, easy-to-lose tube that's only able to be used once, as it comes in such a small portion.
A noise in the trees causes me to jump out of my trance, and I instinctively slide the insta-relief in my pocket. I haven't seen any action since the bloodbath, so if there is a tribute out there, Dazzle (1) can simply wait. She hasn't died yet, and if she does end up dying within the next few minutes, then I'll just keep the insta-relief for myself. Another noise sounds, even closer than the previous one, so I grab my throwing knives vest and a flashlight, and start approaching the source. The thought of this being a trap crosses my mind, but I ignore it. No tribute is stupid enough to try to kill a Career at their base.
As I reach the outskirts of the cornucopia, the tribute starts running away, the sound of snapping branches following them. I chase after them, using the flashlight to navigate through the trees without running into them. Unfortunately, the other tribute seems to be struggling, as he or she constantly keeps running into the trees. The flashlight catches onto a glimpse of a pale turquoise jacket before the tribute disappears back in the darkness. When another glimpse of the jacket is caught from the flashlight, I throw a knife, aiming towards where I think the tribute's head would be. It plunges into the tree instead, and I pull it out when I'm running passed it. The sound of a girl screaming from the cornucopia stops me dead in my tracks, allowing the other tribute to get away from me.
"Dazzle!" I scream, running back to the cornucopia as fast as I can. Although I have a flashlight, I still run into a few trees in haste.
When I make it to the clearing of the cornucopia, I see another tribute stabbing Dazzle (1) in her chest as she lays helplessly on the ground, head turned to the side so she's looking towards me. The tribute must've heard me come into the clearing as he turns towards me, and from the light reflecting off of the cornucopia, I'm able to identify him: Caliban (6). Quickly, I try to calculate a plan to save Dazzle (1). However, Caliban (6) must notice something change on my face, and quickly brings the knife down into Dazzle's (1) heart. Her eyes widen for a moment, a single tear rolling down her cheek, and her cannon sounds.
That bitch! I throw a knife towards Caliban's (6) chest, but he easily dodges it by dropping to the floor. Something glistens from the cornucopia, and out of the corner of my eyes, I realize it's the explosive I just finished rewiring. Since there's quite a distance between us, Caliban (6) has enough time to react to a knife being thrown at him, but he wouldn't be able to outrun an explosive, especially since he's on the ground. If Dazzle (1) were still alive, it would kill her as well, but since he's already killed her . . .
Grabbing onto one of my throwing knives, I make an act of pretending to throw it at Caliban (6), causing him to flinch and drop closer to the ground. As he looks towards me, I throw the knife towards explosive. Everything seems to slow down in the moment. Caliban (6) looks towards me with confusion before glancing to the cornucopia to see the explosive. Realization dawns on his face, and as he tries to get up, the knife hits the explosive, causing the entire area to blow up. I'm sent flying into the tree behind me from the force of the blast, and while my ears echo, I hear the sound of a cannon.
I smile to myself, letting the amazing feeling of revenge run through my body. The other Careers will definitely be proud of my act of vengeance, as I completely blew Caliban (6) up. Suddenly, my veins run cold as I realize I blew up the entire cornucopia, including all of our supplies. I get on my feet, rushing towards the cornucopia to rummage for supplies. The explosion seemed to cause a chain reaction with all the other bombs. In fact, the only bombs that didn't go off were two of the unused ones and the one I planned on using for a trap, as they were in the back of the cornucopia at the time. All of the food supplies have been destroyed, and almost all of the weapons have either been distorted or broken, unable to be used. In the ashes, I step on a relatively untouched backpack, although one of the straps seem to have ripped. The only things that don't seem to be destroyed from the blast are the sleeping bags, blankets and tents, as they were far away from the explosion.
I can't stay here, I realize as I look at the ashes surrounding me. One of the Careers will kill me without hesitating once they see the cornucopia like this. They might even think I killed Dazzle (1), as any explanation wouldn't be good enough for them. Hell, this explosion could be the end of the Careers, and I'm going to held responsible for it. Who knows how the Capitol will react? They might love this sudden plot twist or they may view me as a disappointment. I might've just screwed the entire Career alliance, myself included.
Quickly, I grab onto the backpack with a broken strap, and immediately throw the two unactivated bombs in it. I carry the bomb I was going to use for a trap to the tents, and wrap it in a blanket before carefully placing it in the bag. The insta-relief is still in my pocket, and my remaining throwing knives are in my vest. I hold onto the flashlight in one hand, and have the backpack around my other shoulder. With one last look at the cornucopia, I run away.
Taligelia Rendervault - District Eleven[]
Two cannons sounding marks the end of two tributes' lives, and means that I am two steps closer to becoming victorious. Twenty-two tributes still remain, but fortunately, with Garth (11) gone, nobody seems to be specifically targetting me. With a mediocre score, the Careers will completely ignore me, and all the other tributes won't bother trying to hunt down a loner. I'll be under the radar, but not completely vanished from it. Hell, the only thing I really need to worry about is suddenly disappearing like my parents, Colletta, and Andrew. Maybe it does have something to do with me, like everyone seems to think, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen with me.
I've always wondered what happened to all of them, especially my parents. Were they miraculously saved by an unknown source from the Hunger Games? Or did the Capitol somehow capture them, fake their disappearance, and force them into doing unimaginable deeds? Hell, I don't even know if Colletta and Andrew were saved—or captured—by the same people. There's no way four people can just disappear without even the slightest trace of their existence. Maybe there are other people, ones I'm not associated with, that have also been saved. But I hope that all these questions will eventually be answered in the Fear Games, as it is where all these disappearances began.
To Be Continued . . .
Luxray Meganium - District Fourteen[]
Fallen
The Anthem[]
Coming Soon . . .
Day 2 Odds[]
Coming Soon . . .
Day 3[]
Coming Soon . . .
Status Chart[]
Simple Table[]
Green = Perfect condition; Light green = Presumably in good condition (the tribute hasn't been mentioned for a day); Yellow = Unknown condition; Light red = Small injury (will heal with time); Red - Injured (typically requires medicine but could also represent starvation or dehydration); Dark red - Fatal injury (requires insta-relief); Black - Deceased
| District | Male Tribute | Female Tribute |
|---|---|---|
| The Capitol | Giorno Giovanna | Fabrina Lustrus |
| District Zero | Topher Celene | Briggs Mitchell |
| District One | Finn Koran | Dazzle Glathworth |
| District Two | Radiant Tayz | Isla Ackleson |
| District Three | Apio Atsu | Jayda Idylwyld |
| District Four | Fausto Grandeur | Tessa Griffin |
| District Five | Aster Bright | Peach Proston |
| District Six | Caliban Rweed | Lenox Asa |
| District Seven | Axel Alex | Clara Shrub |
| District Eight | Banette Tsukomogami | Verena Chambray |
| District Nine | Crow Messor | Cheyanne Violanta |
| District Ten | Libomin Pigfield | Sharlene Randell |
| District Eleven | Garth Stormcloak | Taligelia Rendervault |
| District Twelve | Soot Dustcloud | Callimont Crusoe |
| District Thirteen | Caesar Sharpclaw | Laura Power |
| District Fourteen | Luxray Meganium | Elise Stokes |
Advanced Table[]
| Name | Allies | Injuries | Supplies | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabrina Lustrus (Cap) | None | Medium backpack (empty water canteen, flashlight, rope, cookies (x12), oranges (x12)), Knife | Building S59 | |
| Topher Celene (0) | Elise (14) | Knife wound in shoulder, Head wound, Concussion | Throwing Knife, Matches | Building S38 |
| Briggs Mitchell (0) | None | Shurikens (x12), Large backpack (flashlight, rope, apples (x12), tube of antidote, poison, loaf of bread, thick blanket) | Building N49 | |
| Radiant Tayz (2) | Isla (2), Fausto (4), Tessa (4) | Bowie knife, Knife, Small backpack (apples (x12), oranges (x12), granola bars (x12)), Remaining cornucopia supplies | Cornucopia | |
| Isla Ackleson (2) | Radiant (2), Fausto (4), Tessa (4) | Bruising on stomach | Throwing knives (x8) + Vest, Bolo knife, Flashlight, Remaining cornucopia supplies | Cornucopia |
| Apio Atsu (3) | Separated from Allies | Minor bruises on legs and torso | Knife, Flashlight | Unknown |
| Jayda Idylwyld (3) | Separated from Allies | Broken nose | Knife, Throwing Knife, Bandages (x3) | Building N02 |
| Fausto Grandeur (4) | Radiant (2), Isla (2), Tessa (4) | Bruised forehead | Spear, Small knife, Remaining cornucopia supplies | Cornucopia |
| Tessa Griffin (4) | Radiant (2), Isla (2), Fausto (4) | Bruised side and back | Spear, Knife, Remaining cornucopia supplies | Cornucopia |
| Aster Bright (5) | Minor bruising on chest, stomach, and back | Small knife, Medium backpack (thick blanket, rope, apples (x12), granola bars (x3)) | Forest between N40 and E78 | |
| Lenox Asa (6) | Separated from Allies | Small knife | Forest between N40 and North Entrance | |
| Axel Alex (7) | None | Bruised side, Bruised back | Knife, Flashlight, Small backpack (bag of twizzlers, empty water bottle, matches) | Forest between N49 and N40 |
| Banette Tsukomogami (8) | Luxray (14) | Knife, Small backpack (sleeping bag, oranges (x12), dried meat (x3)) | Underground near West Entrance | |
| Verena Chambray (8) | Crow (9) | Bruised elbow, Broken ribs | Medium backpack (flashlight with broken glass, bag of gummy bears, thick blanket, bananas (x12), rope) | Forest between N49 and Source #001 |
| Crow Messor (9) | Verena (8) | None | Forest between N49 and Source #001 | |
| Sharlene Randell (10) | None | Minor bruising | Bowie knife, Medium backpack (small knife, empty water canteen, light blanket, rope, oranges (x12)) | Building S33 |
| Taligelia Rendervault (11) | None | Large backpack (thick blanket, loaf of bread, matches, flashlight, cookies (x12), filled water canteen) | Building W90 | |
| Callimont Crusoe (12) | Bruised back, Minor brusing along body | Throwing knives (x10) + Vest, Flashlight, Insta-relief, Medium backpack with broken strap (blanket, unactivated bombs (x2), trap bomb) | Cornucopia | |
| Caesar Sharpclaw (13) | None | Medium backpack (small knife, flashlight, apples (x12), poison, rope) | Forest near East Entrance | |
| Laura Power (13) | None | None | Building N99 | |
| Luxray Meganium (14) | Banette (8) | Knife, Medium backpack (awl, flashlight, oranges (x12), thick blanket, empty water canteen) | Underground near West Entrance | |
| Elise Stokes (14) | Topher (0) | Throwing knives (x12) + Vest, Large backpack (small knife, tube of anti-infection, rope, thick blanket, oranges (x12), filled water canteen, bag of twizzlers) | Building S38 |
Tribute Location[]
Death Chart[]
General Table[]
| Place | Deceased | Day | Killer | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32nd | Cheyanne Violanta (9) | One | Caesar Sharpclaw (13) | Eaten/Mutilated |
| 31st | Finn Koran (1) | One | Apio Atsu (3) | Knife in forehead |
| 30th | Peach Proston (5) | One | Fausto Grandeur (4) | Slit throat |
| 29th | Libomin Pigfield (10) | One | Isla Ackleson (2) | Stabbed in back |
| 28th | Garth Stormcloak (11) | One | Tessa Griffin (4) | Spear through heart |
| 27th | Clara Shrub (7) | One | Fausto Grandeur (4) | Stabbed in eyes |
| 26th | Giorno Giovanna (Cap) | One | Tessa Griffin (4) | Snapped neck |
| 25th | Soot Dustcloud (12) | Two | Jayda Idylwyld (3) | Mercy kill; Slit throat |
| 24th | Dazzle Glathworth (1) | Two | Caliban Rweed (6) | Stabbed in heart |
| 23rd | Caliban Rweed (6) | Two | Callimont Crusoe (12) | Blown up |
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| Victor | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Kill Count[]
| Ranking | Name | Kills | Assists | Victims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Fausto Grandeur (4) | Two | Kills: Peach Proston (5), Clara Shrub (7) | |
| Assists: None | ||||
| 1st | Tessa Griffin (4) | Two | Kills: Garth Stormcloak (11), Giorno Giovanna (Cap) | |
| Assists: None | ||||
| 2nd | Callimont Crusoe | One | Two | Kills: Caliban Rweed (6) |
| Assists: Garth Stormcloak (11), Soot Dustcloud (12) | ||||
| 3rd | Isla Ackleson (2) | One | Kills: Libomin Pigfield (10) | |
| Assists: None | ||||
| 3rd | Apio Atsu (3) | One | Kills: Finn Koran (1) | |
| Assists: None | ||||
| 3rd | Jayda Idywyld (3) | One | Kills: Soot Dustcloud (12) | |
| Assists: None | ||||
| 3rd | Caliban Rweed (6) | One | Kills: Dazzle Glathworth (1) | |
| Assists: None | ||||
| 3rd | Caesar Sharpclaw (13) | One | Kills: Cheyanne Violanta (9) | |
| Assists: None | ||||
| 4th | Briggs Mitchell (0) | One | Kills: None | |
| Assists: Dazzle Glathworth (1) | ||||
| 4th | Sharlene Randell (10) | One | Kills: None | |
| Assists: Finn Koran (1) |
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