The Wrath of Winter (704th Hunger Games)

''The bells go ding, dong, ding dong... they sound REALLY scary.''

So hey, a SEQUEL to the 703rd. About time huh? This one is gonna be themed a little about DECEMBER, and with that CHRISTMASSSSSSSSSSS!

So, read below if your ready!

Prelude
These are a christmas themed games that will run through the month of December, with the grand finale happening on Christmas Eve (December 24th, may be earlier depending on how much I update). It will contain districts 0-15, and may include newcomers 16 and 17, depending how quickly the regular spots are filled. So get ready and get your ho-ho-ho on, because this is going to be a sleigh ride from TENNESSEE!

Rules

 * 1) I love comments. Even a stupid comment is still a comment. Be active, comment a lot, and support your tributes, and they will get much further than an abandoned one.
 * 2) 3 tribute limit AT FIRST. It might be (will be) raised depending on how the spots fill.

Tributes
(Note: There might be spots for districts 16 and 17. If they're filled, don't lose hope.)

Alliances
Careers:  Araxie, Justice , Jacqueline,  Isla , Dempsey , Bellum , Lionel , Mercury

Anti-Careers:  Lindell, Fairy , Salem , Chevron , Nicholas , Elia , Keila , Araise, Ashton , Coraline , Bluebell

Alliance 1:  Sage, Carina

2: 

3: 

4: 

5: 

6:

Loners:    Xerxes ,       Arlen, Taligelia , Nova , Talia , Emmalynn , Billie , Matthew ,   Inter ,   Jacob ,   Lydia ,   Basil ,   Anna

Arena
The arena is a cold, snowy land where the sun rarely shines. Clouds cover the sky most of the time, and the nights are freezing and dangerous. The tributes start in a large snowy field, with many log buildings strung with christmas lights. This area represents Santa's Workshop, with the biggest building being the cornucopia lodge.

On the south and eastern sides of the arena lies a mighty pine forest. Snow covers the trees and ground, and while normally peaceful at day, the predators of the night will attack unprepared tributes. Fires are necessary to fight the cold, so you better know how to start one.

To the west is a large cliff with a deep ravine. Falling into the ravine is instant death. While mostly barren of anything, the cliff offers a mutt free enviroment, and if used correctly, the ravine can offer a great trap for dumber tributes.

To the north are mighty, frozen glaciers. A huge frozen lake spans over the northern reaches, but beware, some of the ice is thin. A tribute who falls under the ice may never see the surface again, and if they do, they'll more than likely freeze to death.



Brett Brawl, Victor of the 703rd Hunger Games
''Seiko rushes at me, her katana slashing inches from my face. I duck under her next swing, managing to ram my shoulder into her waist, tackling her to the ground. I raise my right hand, looking down at her as she looks back, fear in her eyes. I knew this was wrong, but it had to be done, or else I would die in her place. I brought my fist down, over and over, ignoring her screams of agony.''

My eyes fly open as I stare at the ceiling, my pulse rushing. Another nightmare. They never told me I would get these, yet here I was, still remembering how I finished off my former ally in brutal combat. Except it changed every time, from beheading, to drowning, and now, to a beating.

"Master Brawl." I hear the voice of my personal servant say. One of the perks of being a victor, the capitol sends you a cool little butler. "Yea, I'm good Gregor." Gregor, a sleek man who dresses nice, walks in, carrying a platter with a various assortment of food.

"Another nightmare I assume?" He asks in a rich accent. "Yea..." I say, trailing off as I still remembered all my victims. I betrayed my allies before the games were over. I knew they would do it sooner or later, so I acted on impulse. I can still remember the dirty looks of Districts 1, 2, and 4. You, a career from a non career district winning instead of our child's place. A thought no doubt running in their minds.

I sit down at the dining table of my victor's home in 5. My 2 surviving brothers had there own house in the same village, and would sometimes visit me. Other than that, I lived mostly alone, with Gregor leaving at night to go back to his home in the Capitol.

I decided to take a walk through the district, with Gregor on my heels. There was an uneasy feeling in the district as the market squabbled. Some townspeople had claimed to see vicious Waterbornes roaming near the district's edges, and many were frightened. I just brushed it off as nonsense. The last Waterborne was Mack, a former ally of mine who died on the 4th day.

A squadron of peacekeepers ran by, there footsteps in perfect sync. Something odd was going on, they were never this active. "My good sir, I think it'd be best if we were to leave this area immediately." Gregor says tugging on my arm. While part of me knew he was right, I wanted to get to the bottom of this.

Soon an explosion went off, as I saw a few citizens fly through the air. A fire soon sprung from it as gunfire began to sound from all sides. "Gregor! Alert my brothers of the invasion!" I order my butler. "But what about your sir?!" I take a look at him, before replying "These guys need my help."

I run to the carnage, noticing a huge hole blown out of the fence. Men and women in thick coats burst through the breach, firing their weapons at the peacekeepers. I duck behind a building, before reaching into my pocket. "I knew I'd need you someday." I say, loading my handgun and cocking it, as I emerge from my cover into the carnage.

I aim it, firing at an enemy running my direction. It takes three shots, but he finally falls over, as I steal his submachine gun. I aim that and open fire on the crowd of enemies, watching as a few of them fall. I reload the weapon, before feeling a searing pain in my gut.

I fall on my back, seeing a gaping bullet hole in my stomach. The rebel with the shotgun who had done this pumps his weapon, before aiming at me to finish the job. I prepare for the worst, when I see a blur ram into the rebel, sending him to the ground.

"I got ya Brett. We gotta get to the justice building!" I look up, seeing my older brother Rain. Gregor had succeeded. He carried me on his shoulder, as I looked back one last time. Last thing I saw was the rebels push the peacekeepers back, before I lost consciousness.

Dawn Pyres
"Nasty little rebel, aren't you?" My captor, a disgusting man from the capitol taunts as he punches me in the stomach. His two cronies hold my arms up, as the main peacekeeper sends his fist into my gut again. I try to recover, the breath knocked out of me, as I look up to my captor.

"Now tell me who was responsible for you terrorist attack on District 5!" The man shouts, getting saliva on my face from his poorly taken care of mouth. "Maybe if you had half a brain you'd figure it out!" I retort, grunting pain as he kicks me quiet hard in the side.

"Now now dear Jarvis. Let me handle this situation." A rich, offputting voice says from the shadows. Jarvis steps back, as a very tall man dressed in a nice suit emerges from the darkness. Along with his stature, the man had strange blue hair and frightening red eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" I spit out, looking the man in the eyes. "My name does not concern. All that should worry you is how much pain you'll feel if you do not reveal who led this attack." I let out a small laugh. "You think you can do better than your brute?"

The man pauses in his step, turning in my direction. He looks at me, and in a sweet voice says "Well, there's only one way to find out." He then motions for Jarvis to retrieve something, and soon enough, a large tank is rolled into the room, filled with water.

My training with the Waterbornes ever since my escape a year ago had shown me the many ways of surviving underwater for long amounts of time. This tank didn't scare me, but how familiar this man was did. Had I seen him somewhere before the games?

"A tank? You must be joking. Waterbornes can hold their breath for 5, 10 minutes." I say trying to sound cocky as possible. Maybe he'd lose his cool and I could exploit that.

"That's correct. But eventually, they'll need to breathe. No human has gills do they now? Secondly, you're not a Waterborne my dear." The man says. The peacekeepers looked confused as if they had grabbed the wrong person, but this man clearly knew they were right.

"Oh yeah?" I ask in a defiant tone. "Now now, let's not get ahead of ourselves... It's no mystery you're the shadow from 9, the wonderful Dawn Pyres."

It hit me then. Not many knew of my name in the capitol. They knew I won the 702nd, but thought I was dead after my stunt in District 4. Only one would figure out it was me, and that person was the son of my victim, President De Leone.

Immediately I'm hoisted up by the two men holding me, and soon thrown into the tank. I swim up and catch a breath of air, before De Leone looks down at me. "Last chance Miss Pyres."

I took in a huge gasp of air, before I was forced underwater. The water blurred my vision, but I could still make out the figures surrounding the tank. The really tall one was obviously De Leone, and the others were his goons.

Minutes passed as my lungs began to burn. The reflex to breathe was getting worse, and soon air bubbles began to escape from my lungs. I had to think of something fast, or I'd just be a drowned girl.

"The satchel!" The thought hits me as I dig into the satchel the peacekeepers forgot to take. I pull out a knife, and with what strength I have left, I stab it into the glass.

Immediately the tank begins to shatter, and water pours out, splashing the closest peacekeepers. I filter out as well, taking a huge gasp of air as I spring into action, ready to kill President De Leone and end this war between with him once and for all.

I bring my knife down on the closest peacekeeper, who was trying to get up after being blasted down by water. I grab his gun, quickly taking out two others with a few well placed shots. I hear shots go my way as I roll forward behind a shelf, avoiding the gunfire.

I reload my stolen P90, as I hear a grenade bounce at my feet. I jump from cover, spraying my gun towards Jarvis and President De Leone. De Leone stands behind Jarvis, who takes all the bullets. After his human shield is dead, the president throws him at me and begins to run.

I begin a fast chase after the president, who runs up a spiral staircase. He fires his revolver at my direction, but his shots are too wild and none of them hit. Eventually the chase reveals I was being held in the Justice Building's basement, as De Leone pauses in the main foyer.

We both fire at each other at the same time. A powerful round from his revolver strikes my shoulder, sending me to the ground. I know the bone must've been shattered by the powerful bullet, as I stand up and begin to run myself.

De Leone corners me, holding his revolver at my head. "Goodbye Miss Pyres." He says. Thinking quickly, I kick him in the balls, before busting the window behind me and jumping out of it. I hit the ground with a thud, sprinting through District 5.

An alarm sounds, and I knew the peacekeepers would chase me to hell and back. I run through the main gate of the District, out into the wilderness, which happens to be the mighty rocky mountains. I just had to reach the mountain gorge stronghold, and maybe I'd stand a chance.

Nicholas Mecha, District 5
I proofread over what I had just typed in. My newest blog post, the one to warn the others of making deals with the devil. After my expirience with him, I just wanted to warn anyone before they made the same mistake as me. No one should have to endure the things I had brought upon myself.

I looked at the time, noticing it was about time for me to attend the reaping. I left my home, noting what had happened in District 5 the past few weeks.

A group of rebels blew a hole in the fence and attempted to take the district for themselves. They injured the victor from last year, Brett Brawl, and killed many people. I had blamed Satan for sending the rebels to cause havoc, but the rumor was that it was the Waterbornes. I was twelve when they rebelled against the capitol, and I could remember their attempts at seizing District 5, a strategic place close to the Capitol.

I'm woken from my thoughts when I bump into a girl, who nearly falls. I catch her hand before she does, pulling her back to her feet. "I'm terribly sorry." I say, apologizing. The girl looks at me with beautiful blue eyes. Her beautiful face turns into a shy smile, as I'm surprised by her good looks.

"Don't worry about it." She says in a voice barely above a whisper. I could tell she was shy, as she kept looking down at her feet. Trying to make her feel more comfortable, I ask "Want to walk with me to the reaping?"

I begin to berate myself for asking such a question, before she responds with a quiet "Yes." Together, we begin to walk towards the town square.

"So what is your name?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood. "Talia. Your's?" She says quickly. "Nicholas. Nicholas Mecha." Talia smiles, before saying "That's a nice name." I crack a grin. I might be falling for this girl I'd barely just met.

We arrive in the reaping square, before we say our goodbyes and seperate ways. I file into the 16 year old boys, fitting in the crowd rather naturally. A woman with extremely high heels walks on the stage, her footsteps echoing in the silent district.

"Welcome lovelies of District 5! Today we are going to see who will be representing District 5 in the 704th Hunger Games!" No one responds to the lady, and after receiving such an awkward silence, the escort continues on with her speech.

"Ladies first, as usual." The woman walks to the bowl, drawing out a name in a dramatic fashion. "Talia Mignonette!" What a shame. I was beginning to enjoy her company, and she gets reaped for the Hunger Games.

"Now, the boys." The escort does the same exact thing, before drawing out a name. "Nicholas Mecha!" One thought quickly came to my mind. Satan.

"Have fun." A boy whispered in my ear. The devil in disguise no doubt. I nearly punched him, had the peacekeepers not come and fetched me like a hound.

"Your brave tributes from District 5, Nicholas Mecha, and Talia Mignonette!" We were led to the Justice Building, where I knew I'd spend my final moments in District 5 for a very long time.

Araxie Littlefoot, District 4 Female
Here it was, before my very eyes. The day, the one we had trained years for. The bloodbath, the most impactful day of the games. For careers like me, the goal was simple. Get to the cornucopia, grab your favorite weapon, and eliminate as many tributes as you could.

Before we go into our invidividual tribute rooms, my ally and close friend Justice (2M) pulls me away from the crowd of tributes. His tall stature always dwarfed my own mere height, and his eyes were a strange purple color, something that intrigued me.

"Araxie, remember our plan." He whispers "If the others end up betraying each other, we stick together, alright?" I nod, replying quietly "I understand. Let's go win us a games."

I walk to my private tribute room, knowing deep down only one of us might make it out of the games alive. I dreaded the day I'd have to meet Justice in combat, in that finale they have every games. It could happen to us, last year's games it came down to two former allies.

"Ah, Araxie, always looking as blue as the previous day." My stylist jokes, poking fun at my blue hair. "Thanks pretty boy." I reply, getting him to crack a smile. He was probably the most likeable person in the capitol, because he didn't treat me like a tribute, but like a normal person.

He hands me warm underclothes, a thick coat, gloves, boots, thermal socks, and anything that'll keep me warm. "Expect an arctic temperature. No sunny beaches here." I groan, having a strong hatred and fear of cold temperatures. It didn't help I came from District 4, where it never snows.

My stylist pats me on the back, sending me to the tube. I'd heard from our previous victors that this was one of the last sights many tributes saw. "Of course that won't help me any" I thought to myself as a metallic voice rang over the intercom.

"Ten seconds until lifting." I began to spend my final moments in pure silence, just thinking over everything I had been taught. "Use what you know best. Do what a good career would"

The tube begins to rise, as I close my eyes, anxious for these things to start already. I know I'm in the arena when wind bites my face, the chilly weather already hitting me hard.

I open my eyes, noticing I'm in a winter resort, gentle snow falling from the cloudy skies. It looks sorta dreamy, like it's not a real place. Apparently the games were taking place in a literal Christmas card.

"60, 59, 58..." The countdown had begun. I look around at all the tributes, taking notes on the two closest to me, Arlen (9M) and Jacqueline (14F).

From what I've seen from Arlen, he's a weak tribute. For one, he's a legal dwarf, standing at a mere 4'8". Two, he's very cowardly, as shown in training when it took just a little taunting from us to scare him. I wasn't really worried too much about Arlen anyways, and honestly, he'd probably be my first kill.

Jacqueline, on the other hand, was a fellow career. She was courageous and strong. Although freckled, she was bigger than me, standing at 5'9". From training, I could tell she would be one of the most dangerous careers, her spot on accuracy with throwing knives being her most dangerous skill.

The countdown was just about over now, as I got in position to leap from my platform. I set my eyes on a trident, it's metallic surface reflecting in the sun. "3, 2, 1... Let the Games begin." With those words, I lept from my platform, the fight for my life beginning.

Sage Mystic
My feet slosh in the snow, as I sprint towards the cornucopia. I had to find Carina, my sister, we had a plan, a simple one, but an effective one. I'd grab weapons, and she'd grab supplies. We'd escape, and no one dies. Easy peasy right?

I arrive into the metal horn, noticing a tribute (5F) leave as soon as I enter. I ignore her, instead ripping a tonfa, or what you commoners call a "nightstick", off the wall.

"Surprised they have these." I muse, inspecting the weapon, before a strong blow to the back of my head sends me to the floor. I slide myself backwards, rolling on my back to see my attacker. Just my luck, a career from District 13 slashes at me with his machete.

The blade rips into my flesh, making a gashing wound across my chest. I send my foot into the boy's knee in retalition, causing him to drop to the floor. Raising my nightstick, I swing down powerfully, getting two good shots on the boy's head.

Before I can land a third, he grabs my arm mid-swing, pinning it to the cornucopia wall as he slams his fist into my jaw. Stunned, I roll backwards, feeling a stinging pain in my chest as he boots my already open wound, sending me into the opposite wall.

Disorientated, I stagger to my feet, noticing I'm unarmed now. The 13 Male runs at me, machete thrusted in front of him. I grab a sword from the rack behind me, throwing it at the charging male. He ducks, and I watch the blade fly over easily.

I grab a second sword, this time slashing at the boy as he nears me. He brings his machete up to parry the attack, as he counterstrikes. He stabs forward, and I narrowly move to the side, as the momentum of his blow sends his weapon into the wall.

Taking the pause in his attack to my advantage, I grab my sword with both hands, cleaving down with tremendous force. The boy screams in agony as I sever both his hands, leaving him falling to the floor, two bleeding stumps all he has now.

Wishing to end this, I then thrust my sword's tip through the boy's head, piercing his skull and ending his life for good.

"You made quiet a mess." I hear a voice say behind me. I whirl around, coming face to face with my sister, Carina. "It gets the job done." I reply, but she just gives a sly smile. "You've had your fun, let's get out of here before a real tribute show's up."

Coraline Overton
"Keep running!" I think to myself as I grab a bag, slinging it over my shoulders. The alliances had actually split even, 12 careers, 12 anti careers out of the 34 total tributes. Our leader, Nicholas, wanted to play the bloodbath conservatively, sticking together and grabbing as much as possible without dying.

"Keep tight, looking at you Coraline!" Nicholas shouts over the carnage, as I remember I'm far ahead of the others. I wait for them to catch up, and when they do, I continue to move towards the cornucopia.

Most of the loners run from our large group, but one of them (7M) is gutsy enough to charge at us. Salem (0M) runs forward to meet the boy alone in combat, obviously understimating him.

"Salem, don't take him alone!" Nicholas shouts but the rebellious boy doesn't listen. Salem kicks the boy down, wrestling the 7 Male to the ground before raising his fist and constantly beating the kid into submission. Maybe he didn't need help.

However, the boy's easy trip to the ground was a ploy, and it tricks Salem. The boy pulls a knife out and stabs Salem in the throat, before the boy heaves Salem's limp body off him. The kid runs off with Salem's bag, but none of us dare follow, knowing we'd break ranks and probably suffer the same fate.

We reach the cornucopia, and I nearly vommit at the site. The career boy from 13 lays dead on the floor, his severed hands lying beside him. The corpse still bleeds everywhere, as I pinch my nose, carefully stepping over the pool of blood.

A lone career stands in the cornucopia (1M), but he doesn't make a move towards us. He just sits there and watches, obviously not one for being bloodthirsty. He leaves after we enter. I grab two daggers, my preferred weapons, and exit with my allies.

Having gathered everything, Nicholas takes the head of the group. "Alright, let's sprint as far from here as possible." He orders. No one denies his command, as we all take off running towards the heavily wooded forest. However, once we reach the forest, we find a surprise.

The same boy that killed Salem sits there trying to catch his breath. Now fully armed, we all surround the boy. I could sense the vibe of revenge coming off the antis, but Nicholas wasn't one for killing unless he felt someone was in danger.

Basil (11M), a boy closer to Salem during training, rushes forward, picking up a log and bashing the kid in the side of the head. I wince, unable to look away as Basil, in pure fury, takes the same log and continuously beats the 7 Male's skull in, until the boy's corpse is mangled beyond recognition.

After that gruesome sight, no one says a word, as we move on from the scene, wishing to get as far away from the Careers as possible.

Mercury Kwildor
"Damn!" I curse as I fail to run down the boy from 9. I didn't plan on killing him, I'm not one of those careers, just stealing back the stuff he took from the cornucopia. Knowing I had failed my allies, I decided to check the cornucopia for any tributes possibly hiding in it.

I walk through the cornucopia, noticing how dark the back of it is. I get the feeling of chills as I go to the back alone, running my hands against the wall. A chill runs up my spine as my 6th sense goes haywire, knowing something just isn't right.

I feel a sharp pain in the back of my thigh. I turn around, the boy from 10 ripping his knife out of my leg. He kicks the wounded leg, causing me to fall to the ground. My spear falls with a clang, rolling out of reach as I find myself crawling backwards away from the boy.

"The mighty career, caught off guard by a simple boy from rural District 10." The boy says sarcastically as he presses his legs on my arms, pinning them. "Typical. Venture alone and you'll die that way." He says, raising his knife to finish me.

"MERCURY!" Lydia shouts as she comes charging into save me. The boy hesitates, Lydia obviously not a part of his plan, as he hurriedely brings his knife down with both hands. It pierces my chest as I feel the blade go deep into my flesh.

Blood begins to pour from the wound as I begin to feel feint. Through darkening vision I watch as the boy gets up, grabbing my spear as he attempts to fight off Lydia. I'm instantly impressed by Lydia's fighting prowess, as she uses her sword like a third arm.

The 10 Male lunges forward with the spear, managing to wound Lydia. She cries out as the spear goes deep into her leg. I know for sure an artery is punctured when blood gushes out after the boy rips the spear out, and begin to feel ashamed. I might have not only got myself killed, but my ally as well.

After the grievous leg wound, Lydia fakes a high swing. The boy falls for it, ducking right into Lydia's good foot. He falls backwards, dropping the spear as Lydia stomps down on his chest, pinning him to the ground.

I think Lydia has won, until the boy throws a handful of dust into her eyes. Disorientated, Lydia stumbles backwards, trying to wipe her eyes. The boy then gets up before pulling Lydia into his knife, the blade entering her stomach. She looks like she's vommit, and I fear for the worst.

I had to do something or both of us would die. I feebly crawl forward, my chest wound still bleeding profusely. Lydia's backed up against the wall, fearing for her life. The boy brings his knife arm back, preparing for a wide slash to the throat. I wasn't going to let that happen.

With my strength, I grab the boy's shin, and pull him down. He falls forward, landing on his face. Lydia takes my assistance to her advantage, grabbing her sword and stabbing it down into the boy's back, over and over until we're sure he's dead.

The victory is short lived as she rushes over to me. My vision is nearly darkened by now, as I feel myself begin to slip. "Someone hurry! Mercury's in critical condition!" She says, ignoring her grave wounds. I can't hold on anymore, as I feel myself let go.

Taligelia Rendervault
I have everything I needed, now I just had to get away from the cornucopia. So many tributes had fought each other and a few had died. Wishing to not be the next, I began to sprint up a flight of stairs, heading towards the upper levels of the winter resort.

I reach the top of the stairs, pausing a moment to catch my breath. I soon find however I'm not alone, as a small girl with blonde hair stands up here, her back to me. My grip on my spear tightens, as I feel an unnerving vibe coming from this tribute.

"You're just in time for tea." The girl says. "Turn around!" I order, trying to take dominance of the situation. Maybe I could intimidate her to make her move.

The girl turns around, her face soft and her eyes closed. "Now's not the time to be rude dear. Scarlet doesn't like mean people." This girl was coo-coo. She was beginning to freak me out. "Step aside, now!" I shout more aggressively. "I wouldn't have done that." She says creepily.

Her eyes fly open, as she lets out a banshee scream. I'm frozen in fear as she begins to charge at me. "Come on Taligelia, do something!" My mind tells my body. I watch her draw a dagger, and upon seeing a weapon, instinct takes me over.

I throw my arm forward, hurling my spear towards the girl. I watch the metal polearm sail through the air, and slam into it's target. My spear pierces the girl in the chest, the force of the throw pushing her back a foot. She looks down at her wound, oddly calm.

Finally, the girl falls backwards, landing with a thud into the snow. I walk over, ripping the spear out of her, before stabbing it back into her head for good measure. I rip it back out, as I open the door to the resort, entering inside the building.

Immediately I'm blasted by warm air. The resort was heated nicely. It was a comfortable feeling, especially for me, deep south District 11.

I begin to walk through the floor I'm on, making myself to a long hallway with many doors on each side. The resort's rooms no doubt. My footsteps echo in the silent hall, the eery silence being the only other thing with me.

I take a quick look behind me, to make sure someone's not sneaking up on me. From the end of the hall I see a dark mass move quickly out of my field of view. Another tribute must've been following me.

My heart began to pound, feeling as if it was about to burst from my chest. Adrenaline had began to pump, my breathing was quickening. I was beginning to walk backwards now, when I nearly jumped out of my skin upon hearing a door slam open.

I turned instantly as the door whammed into me, knocking me backwards. Dazed, I saw a figure emerge from the room, yelling a warcry as she swung her fists at me. Her wild hooks hit me in the cheeks, as I dashed backwards, preparing my counter attack.

I thrust my spear forward, but the girl (0F) sidesteps it, kicking her leg out, her boot slamming into my knee. I let out a grunt of pain as our fight is taken to a flight of stairs, where I quickly begin descending, hoping the low ground will give me an advantage.

I make stabs at her legs as she chases me down the stairs, but she manages to avoid each one. I stab forward again, but she surprises me, leaping from her position right on top of me, as we grab each other, both of us wrestling down the stairs.

After reaching the floor below, I kick her off me, standing up and quickly sprinting away from the girl. She'd beat me in unarmed combat, I knew that for sure.

I push open a glass door, as I lose my footing, falling to the ground. I quickly get up, looking to the see the girl from 0 bust through the door, shattering it. Our fight leads to the edge of a deep indoor pool, which I planned to use to my advantage.

She swings a downward blow, but then pulls out a trick. Out of her sleeve comes a huge bowie knife, which she grabs with her hand and stabs down on me. I grab her knife arm, using both my arms to push it away from her neck. The blade kept getting closer and closer, and I thought this would be the end of me, until I had one last option.

I grabbed the girl with my left arm, as I pulled her into the pull with me. We both sink underwater, our fight continuing despite being submerged. I slam my fist into her neck several times, trying to make her lose air as fast as possible. My plan works, as with each punch flurries of bubbles eject from her mouth.

I kick off her, trying to swim back to the surface. She grabs my foot, trying to keep me under, as she slashes her knife across my shins. I let out a long scream, my air bubbles and blood filling the water. I kick down harder, hearing a crack through the thick water, watching as the girl's nose pours blood from the kick.

I manage to surface, gasping a huge breath of air as I do, heaving myself out of the pool. I look down from the surface, watching the girl thrash around a bit more, before she finally drowns. I take a look at the slash wound on my shins, groaning as I do. "I hope I have a gauze roll." I mutter to myself, as I begin to look through my bag for anything to patch myself up with.

Basil Winters
After my outburst of rage, I had began to notice my fellow allies giving me quick looks. They had started to distrust me, and in a nervous alliance, distrust is deadly.

Well someone had to do it! I think to myself as I catch Lindell give me a nervous glance before looking away. That damn boy from 7 probably would've escaped again if I hadn't beaten his skull in. Besides, he killed Salem, the only other tribute in this alliance I even liked.

Our large alliance moves deeper and deeper into the snowfilled forest, when the cannons begin to start. '''BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! '''Six cannons total, meaning 28 tributes hadn't died in the bloodbath. I was surprised by the low number of deaths, probably because us antis left the cornucopia quickly, and the only deaths being the loners which were few.

We continue to trudge through the thick snow, the huge pines casting shadows over our alliance. The sky begins to darken, as the light begins to die out. Night was falling quickly, and I was pretty sure Nicholas had lead our alliance near the arena boundaries.

"Alright, that's enough walking for the day." Nicholas says, as everyone stops. A few tributes groan and fall to the ground, others begin gathering wood, obviously hating the cold weather. "Let's try to build a fire. We won't survive the night without one."

I grab the driest wood I can find, carrying it over to this large pile of brush we had began to make. I throw it on the top of the stack, watching as Fairy pulls out a couple matches and some oil.

The girl was mighty resourceful for someone from the capitol, and I immediately got a strange feeling from her. She was different than normal, something didn't seem right about her...

"Basil!" I hear my name and snap from my thoughts, turning to Nicholas. "You won't mind keeping first watch would you?" I shake my head, replying "No, I'm fine with that." Nicholas gives me a good smile, before walking off. I admired his people skills, but even then it would only get him so far.

After Fairy had started the huge fire, the snow around the pile began to melt, mint green grass springing up. The entire alliance huddled up near the fire as night fell, as I sat 10 or so feet from the rest, already feeling like an outcast because of my act of violence.

"They all think I'm a vicious person" I think to myself. ''"But I'm the only who can get the job finished." ''I take one last look back at my allies, who are socializing. "Gurantee not one of them could kill if their life depended on it."

Jacqueline Houston
As soon as the bloodbath ended, a heater had kicked on in the cornucopia, making the career base much much warmer. Mercury was in critical condition after the boy from ten had imbedded a knife into his chest. We didn't dare pull the knife out until we knew we had the right medical supplies.

I also had to clean up Bellum's remains, which wasn't the prettiest thing to do. Some tribute has severed both his hands before eventually impaling him through the chest. I never personally knew Bellum, I'm pretty sure no one did, but he was a stronger career that would've been nice to have.

Lydia's condition wasn't the greatest, with a stab wound in her gut and a major puncture wound in her right thigh. She was pale and weak from the blood loss, her punctured artery had to be tied with layers of bandages, and even cauterized with a match. Not real fun.

A real great way to start these games. One of us dead and two of us with injuries making them useless. From what I had seen of the antis, they only lost one tribute, the rest of them escaping unharmed. We would be at a major disadvantage if they were to strike.

I sit down, beginning to sharpen my throwing knives. I wished to be left alone for the night, already mad about the current situation. It's only the first night and we're already a mess.

I sling my freshly sharpened knives into my bag, setting it down on a crate as I go outside for some fresh air. I emerge from the cornucopia, the cold striking at my face, my breath becoming visible in a mist. The joys of winter I guess.

I look into the night sky, now not covered with thick clouds. It's very clear and starry, but I have to remind myself it's fake, that this is an artificial arena. But damn, it looks so real.

The first few notes of the anthem kick on, as I'm joined outside by Justice (2M) and Anna (15F). We say nothing to each other, as the first face appears in the sky.

The anti-career boy from 0 is the first to pop up. ''"One down, eleven to go." ''I say in my head, as the next face appears. The girl from 0, one of the more dangerous loners, also gone. Maybe these games didn't start as bad as I thought they did.

The girl from 3, who looked weak to me, shows up next. The 7 Male follows, another weakling who I wasn't surprised to see. The knife-nut from 10 is next, the boy being the cause of Lydia and Mercury's wounds. The final face in the sky is that of our old ally, Bellum, who might've been a powerful ally. With that, the anthem cuts off, and the night resumes.

"Who's dead?" Jacob (CM) asks. I honestly disliked Jacob, he had no skills of a career, yet somehow got in our alliance. "Hopefully you next." I mutter as I walk past him. He wouldn't be in this alliance much longer if I'm in it.

"6 down, one of them our own." Justice remarks to Lydia, who's watching over Mercury. Demspey is also around, looking as good as ever, as he keep an eye on the two injured tributes. "Any antis?" He asks, as Justice nods. "One."

Dempsey grins a bit, an act a little sadistic for him. I'd never thought he would grin about someone's death, but hey, he is a career. Wishing to get some rest, I go to the far back of the cornucopia, wrapping up in a sleeping bag, just wanting the day to end.

Day 1 Status Chart
Green : Healthy, no medicine or treatment needed.

Yellow : Minor Wound, treatment recommended, though not required.

Orange : Major Wound, treatment required, will kill tribute if not treated within a few days.

Red : Mortal Wound, needs heavy duty medicine and lots of rest, if not treated, will die in a day or less.

Black : Dead.

Matthew Brown
I woke up in my spot high up in the trees, at the very edge of the pine forest. My plan was simple: Spy on the careers until they all left the cornucopia, then dash in and take as much as I could carry before getting back to my spot in the trees.

The only thing I had gotten was a pair of binoculars, due to someone dropping them while running from the cornucopia. They'd been a great item for me to use, as I take them out, putting them to my eyes to take a look at the careers.

Already, two careers, the boy from 15 and boy from 1 are sparring each other with swords. The boy from 1 outmatches the one from 15 greatly, winning each time.

I avert my gaze to the left a bit, spotting the girl from 2, throwing her knives at a self made target several feet away. She scared me a lot, I knew she could easily kill me even if I was in a tree.

I look over the area, not able to find any other careers, so I assume they are all still asleep. Putting my binoculars in my pocket, I slide down on the tree, hitting the snowy ground with a crunch. I had to keep moving around, else the gamemakers send something after me.

I walk around the edge of the woods, careful to not catch the eye of the careers. I get behind the cornucopia, a blindspot for the others, as I quietly and slowly sneak around. I peek my head around the corner, noticing everyone inside are fast asleep.

I tiptoe inside, careful to not wake any of the sleeping careers. I bend over, grabbing a few bags of good supplies, putting everything I need in a large sack. It seems to be going good so far, it's just a little to easy.

I decide to find a weapon, one that would suit me well. I find it, a nicely made recurve bow, and a quiver full of arrows. I reach for it, but my short stature works against me, as it's just out of reach. I clamber on a crate, reaching again, quickly snatching it. However, my victory is short lived, as the swords hanging up near it clatter to the ground.

None of the careers wake, but I can hear the ones outside begin talking about the noise. "What in the world? Don't think another one's woke up do you?" I hear one voice call. I take off running, hearing a female tribute cry out as I step on her, running out of the cornucopia.

The girl from 2 is blindsided by me as I ram into her. We both fall to the ground, my items clanging everywhere. I quickly grab the sack I collected. The girl from 2 is dazed and trying to stand back up, but the boys from 1 and 15 still block my exit.

"Get the little shit!" I hear the girl from 2 shout at the two boys. I run in between them, ducking under the boy from 15's sword, watching as it scrapes across the boy from 1's midsection. His blood splatters on my face, as I continue running, hearing shouting behind me. I'd done it now.

Lydia Waterborne
I heard a great deal of commotion, and thinking we were under attack, I grabbed my sword in preparation for an attack. But it wasn't an ambush, but a lot of shouting about a tribute escaping. This couldn't be good.

I walk out of the cornucopia, my leg stiff from the bad wound, but it had stopped bleeding, the bandages doing there job. My stomach wound was a lot more minor than it looked, so I think I would be better, but Mercury was still barely hanging on.

"You fools! I can't believe you couldn't kill a little, WEAK tribute from district eight!" I hear Jacqueline shouting angrily at Lionel and Inter, the latter who had a slash across his gut. "You idiots managed to hit each other, not the real target!"

"Enough Jacqueline." A deep voice calls out. Our leader, Justice, walks out, investigating the scene. It's easy to tell Jacqueline is mad that someone told her to hush, but not even she will challenge Justice. "What seems to be the problem here?"

"Well, if you want to know, Inter and Lionel here couldn't stop the boy from 8 from sneaking into the cornucopia and escaping with supplies!" Jacqueline huffs. "If you'd kept watch instead of throwing knives, maybe you would have seen him coming!" Inter fires back, taking his wound surprisingly well.

"It seems all three of you are at fault here." Justice muses, but it only gets worse from here, when Dempsey runs out of the cornucopia. "What is it boy?" Justice asks, to which Dempsey replies "Jacob, he took off in the night, took quiet a few things with him."

Justice immediately draws his sword, making everyone flinch, before stabbing it into the snow. He was visibly angered at our dropping numbers. With Jacob gone and Inter's injury, only 7 of us were still perfectly healthy, meaning if antis were to attack, we'd be outnumbered.

"Lionel, come here." Justice said through gritted teeth. Lionel stepped forward, shaking with fear. We all knew what was coming, or so we thought.

In a quick flash, Justice's sword was out of the snow, as it plowed through Lionel's neck, sending his head sailing off into the snow. '''BOOM! '''A cannon sounded, representing the boy's death. "Let this be a lesson to the rest of you. I don't tolerate constant failure. You may be next."

With that, Justice went back inside the cornucopia, leaving the rest of us to be shocked at the sight of Lionel's headless corpse. Not one of us said a single word, as we went back to what were doing, trying to forget the sight of our former ally's death.

Nicholas Mecha
After hearing the first cannon of the day, the antis were on edge. The careers must've been hunting, and were probably in these woods right now. We'd started building fortifications with the abundant amounts of wood, and I was grateful to have Elia, who was masterful when it came to woodcutting being from District 7.

"Things going great?" I ask Elia, who brings her ax down on a log, splitting it in half with ease. "Good enough I guess." She replies. I nod my head, investigating the small wall we had constructed. "Where did you learn to do things like this?"

"My parents owned a lumber company. Some days I'd sneak off and see what they did. Learned a thing or two about woodworking." Elia replied, bringing her axe out of another log and resting it on her shoulder. "But you know, they never even had time to raise me."

"How so?" I ask, wishing to know my allies on a personal level. "Well, when I was born, my mother didn't even name me. She just handed me to a servant girl, someone I consider my real mother. Her name was Kasha, and she had a daughter of her own, Jully."

Intrigued by her tale, I sat down on a tree stump. "Go on." Elia continues her story. "We grew up close together, like a pair of real sisters. I had to keep it a secret from my rich parents. They didn't approve of me hanging out with people with lesser wealth."

"Then my brother came into the world. I vowed to look after him, but with his birth more servants came in. I eventually fell for a boy named Julio." Elia continues. "The bastard cheated on me. I felt so stupid, so angry... like I'd been tricked..."

"I soon figured out, Julio wasn't the one. Jully... I loved her. I couldn't let her go into these games... so I took her place." I admired her selflessness, and actually wanted to help her get home, even if it would cost me my life. Apparently being a leader was harder than I thought.

Talia Mignonette
I sit alone in the middle of the frozen lake, having tested my weight on it to know that I would be fine. Surprisingly, it wasn't windy, despite the entire lake being barren. Just me, sitting alone. Just how I preferred it.

I walked over to the water hole that had been previously cut out. I refilled my canteen, enjoying the cold water. The water was fresh and clean, the bacteria in the water frozen and killed by the temperature. Or so I hoped at least.

I walked back to my supply stache, sitting down and enjoying a meal for lunch. Crackers, cold water, and dried fruit... boy oh boy, my favorite.

After enjoying the meal, I packed my bags up and decided to move further up the lake. I had to keep on the move so the careers wouldn't easily get me.

''"What's going to happen to me? Even if I do win, I'll have to kill someone eventually..." ''My thoughts trailed on, as I began to grow worried. I wasn't one for hurting people, it would be extremely tough for me to kill someone. I then snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a sickening crack.

I let out a small scream but it was instantly cut off as freezing cold water enveloped me. I swam up, trying to get out of the icey waters, but my hands didn't break the surface. Instead, they smacked right into solid ice.

I began to panic. I was trapped underwater. I couldn't get to the surface! I began to beat on the ice, but it did no good. I was going to drown!

I frantically searched my pockets for something, ANYTHING that could get me back to the surface. My lungs began to burn as my chest tightened, trying my hardest to hold my breath. Finally, I caught a break when I felt my hands clasp around my knife, the one weapon I had gotten.

I stabbed it into the ice, ripping it out and continuing to stab and stab. Air began to escape from my inflamed lungs, cold water begin to rush down my throat, as I gave one last stab, breaking through the ice. I propelled myself from the water, clambering back onto the frozen surface.

I lay on my belly, coughing up icey water as I catch my breath. I curl up, freezing from my time in the water, and I knew I'd have to start a fire or I would become a human popsicle.

Shivering madly, I jogged off the lake, heading into the resort. Soaking wet and freezing, I pushed open the door, blasted by the heat. I fell down right there in the lobby, breathing heavily, my run longer than I would like. I might not die from hypothermia.

Cold steel is placed against my throat, as my adrenaline pumps. I look up, seeing the girl from 11, her spear poised right at my neck. "W-w-what do you w-want?" I say, my voice quivering from a combination of the cold, fear, and my social anxiety.

She remains silent, and I think she's going to kill me. "Please... j-just take it!" I say, throwing my knife that's in my hand on the ground. The girl raises her eyebrows at me, lowering her spear. "I see you have no ill intent." She says powerfully, her voice giving me the chills.

"Yea..." I spit out in response. She extends her hand, and I accept her offer. She helps me up, giving me back my knife. "Why are you doing this?" I ask. "Wouldn't want to disarm a potential ally now would we?"

Inter National
I grimace a bit as Lydia (1F) stitches up my wound. "Welcome to the wounded club." She says sarcastically. "Guess Lionel won't be hurting you again will he now?"

Lionel... that wasn't right for Justice (2M) to kill him. He made a mistake, an accident, yet Justice interpreted that as a failure, and had him beheaded instantly.

"I'm sorry..." Lydia says, noticing my eyes avert her gaze. "It just wasn't right..." I mutter. "Lionel didn't mean to hurt me... it just kinda happened."

"Listen Inter, these are the Hunger Games, people are going to die. It's just how things work." Lydia replies gently, but I'm fed up. "Get out of my way Lydia. I hope you too will realize this isn't the alliance for you." I shove passed Lydia, grabbing my sword and bag.

"Inter, wait!" Lydia shouts, but I'm already sprinting from the cornucopia. I desert my former career allies, running into the snow forest. They want to unlawfully kill a person over a simple mistake, then they are not the alliance that I need to be with.

Carina Mystic
My brother Sage and I had been camped out by the ravine for the entire day. I hadn't heard but a sole cannon, sounding early this morning. Apparently these games had slowed down tremendously, and I knew soon we would have to start hunting ourselves.

I dig through my supplies, looking for a good meal to cook for dinner. The sun was low in the sky, the clouds finally clearing to reveal a beautiful orange sunset over the frozen lake. Despite being butt ass cold, this arena was very beautiful.

"Find anything good? Maybe a steak or something?" Sage asks. "I'm afraid not. Just two cans of beans." I open the cans up, planning on dumping their contents on a skillet for cooking.

"What kind of beans?" Sage asks. "Baked. Think they stick green beans in here or something?" I snap back. He looks disheartened, walking away for a bit to grab some firewood.

"Sometimes I wonder..." I think to myself. I loved Sage like the brother he was, but sometimes he could get on my nerves. Guess all siblings could do that.'''

Sage returns with a pile of sticks in his arms, throwing them down on the ground. I pour the cans worth of beans into a skillet, as Sage douses the stick pile with oil.

He sets it on fire with a match, as I watch the pile blaze. I stand up, holding the skillet over the flames, watching as the beans begin to sizzle as they heat up.

After they look warm enough, I sit down on a log, Sage taking his seat beside me. "Quiet an uneventful day don't you think?" He ask me. "Well, one cannon sure isn't much. Think the gamemakers are gonna send something nasty our way?"

"There's no way of telling. I just hope you're prepared when they do." My hand grasps my dagger. ''"I'm always ready." ''I think to myself, as I fill my stomach up with baked beans. "It's going to take more than an event to take me out"

Fairy Luck
I giggle a bit as I play with a match, watching the flame on it grow brighter and brighter. When it grows to big, I toss it into the snow, stepping on it before it spreads to the trees.

"Would you quit wasting those?" My "ally", Basil Winters spats at me. He wasn't very nice, and from what I have seen, very vicious.

"I got these from the cornucopia, I have the right to do this." I snap back. "Do you have the right to be stupid too?" Basil fires an insult my way.

"Excuse me?" I say, my feelings hurt. This asshole just called me stupid! I so badly wanted to turn him into something repulsive, like a slug. But I couldn't reveal my magic.... lord knows what they would do to me if they found out I was a witch.

"Quit wasting those matches, that's all I got to say." Basil says, getting up and walking away. I scoff as he leaves, as I prepare to light another match, just to spite him.

The first few notes of the anthem begin to play, as the antis huddle around, looking to the sky. Only one cannon had sounded today, and we were about to find out who it belonged too.

The boy from 15 appears. The antis cheer and shout, knowing that another career had fallen. None of us liked them, even Nicholas, who was normally even tempered despised them.

"Alright, everyone get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow, this fort isn't going to build itself." Nicholas shouts, as everyone begins to snug up next to the campfire. I find myself huddled against Keila and Blubell, looking up to the stars, and for the first time wondering, if I would have to kill one of these girls I was snuggled up with.

Day 2 Status Chart
Green : Healthy, no medicine or treatment needed.

Yellow : Minor Wound, treatment recommended, though not required.

<font style="color: #F88017">Orange : Major Wound, treatment required, will kill tribute if not treated within a few days.

<font style="color: #FF0000">Red : Mortal Wound, needs heavy duty medicine and lots of rest, if not treated, will die in a day or less.

<font style="color: #0C090A">Black : Dead.

Justice Evergreen
I wake up in the morning, not getting much sleep after realizing my alliance was falling to pieces. If we didn't do something soon, the antis would win these games, and I'd be known as the greatest failure to be called a career tribute!

Dempsey, one of the few loyal careers, runs up to me, the good looking boy bearing bad news. "Another one took off into the night." I hold in my rage, waiting until I find out who it was. "Their name?"

"The girl from 15, Anna Tommie." I raise my sword up, noticing Dempsey flinch, before I just bury the weapon in the snow.

"Anything we can do about it?" Dempsey asks, as I shush him to think. These deserters needed to be eliminated, four our sakes. They were once careers, and would be our deadliest competition.

"Dempsey." I call out. "Yes Justice?" He responds. "Go get Jacqueline. I need to talk to her." He nods, running into the cornucopia.

I stand out there in the snowy ground alone, looking to the sky. ''"What have I done wrong?" ''I think to myself. The beheading didn't work, but that was to prove a point, to prove that I didn't accept failure.

"You called for me?" Jacqueline says, walking out of the cornucopia. I take my sword from the snow, sheathing it. "Yes Jacqueline, I have a plan, and I need you to listen to it."

Taligelia Rendervault
"Good morning." I say to Talia, trying to get my new ally to trust me. "Morning Taligelia." She replies. "How do you pronoounce that?" I just smile gently, trying to not look offended about my name.

"Just call me Tali if you want." I reply. "I would like that." Talia looks away shyly, saying "Alright, Tali it is." She was very timid, something that I began to notice more and more.

We walk down the stairs to go raid the cafeteria of the resort. The food here was rich and very delicious, and very plentiful. I'm surprised there wasn't more tributes here.

"Your shins feeling better?" Talia asks me, noticing my bandages from my wound on Day 1. "Yea, I think they're just scars now." Scars left on me by that damn girl from 0, who as far as I knew, was still floating around dead in the bottom of the pool.

I grab some of the foods and sit them on a trey, keeping a close watch at our surroundings. I had spotted a tribute here before, and they could still be in this very resort.

"You feeling alright?" Talia asks me, noticing my paranoid glances around the room. "I saw a tribute on Day 1 on the upper floors. They could still be here."

Talia grabs her dagger. Now I had her spooked as well. We continued our meal in silence, both of us really not the ones to talk a lot.

After finishing, I grab a few more food supplies to take to the room. After I grab what I need, Talia and I head back to the second floor, to room 208.

I sit down on the bed, as we lock the door, and barricade it with a wardrobe. We had enough supplies to stay in here for a week or so, do to the running water in the sink, and the food we just had collected. We wouldn't have to leave this room for a while.

Chevron Kissler
I was fed up with Ashton. The big oaf had constantly been taking my supplies as his own, apparently not realizing they were mine. I was just waiting for the bastard to try it again. He was going to get a lesson taught to him.

He came walking over to my pile of gear, where he began looking through a backpack of mine. None of my allies were awake yet, so this would be the perfect time to eliminate him.

I walked up to him, a knife extruding from my sleeve. I grab the handle of it, ready to kill Ashton. His back is turned to me, he won't see it coming. I raise the knife up, stabbing it down onto his back.

Ashton screams out in pain, as I pull the knife from his back and stab into it again. His size wouldn't help him now, as he was forced to the ground. He attempted to kick me away, but I jumped over his strike, stomping down onto his chest, knocking the wind from him.

"You shouldn't have touched my supplies Ashton." I say as I prepare for the final blow, a strike to the throat. "I didn't know they were your's!" I shake my head. "Such a bad liar."

I feel something tighten around my throat, as I'm pulled off of Ashton. I grab the attacker's arm, trying to pull it from my neck, but whoever it is has a strong grip. Ashton looks up in horror, the person choking me not being an ally, as I try to stab the tribute.

My stab fails though, as my opponent kicks the knife into the snow. I feel myself slipping away, as I go unconcsious, not knowing my killer.

Araise Hasting
The anti-careers were in a panic. We'd woken up to Ashton's screams, seeing him stabbed and bleeding badly. A few feet away, Chevron lay face first in the snow, a dagger imbedded into his back. We'd been trying to ask Ashton who did this, but he was still in shock.

My allies were throwing quick looks to Basil, who we all knew would probably do something like this. "What?" Basil asks angrily, mad that people were accusing him.

"I swear it was him! He insulted me last night, he must have been in a bad mood or something and finally snapped!" Fairy said, pointing a finger at Basil.

"Would you shut up already? You're honestly no contribution to this alliance." Basil replies rather calmly, and I think Fairy's going to go after him, but she doesn't.

"What is going on?" Nicholas says, arriving to the scene. We all respected him as our leader, even Basil to an extente.

Wanting to make myself known and not being another anti, I speak up. "Someone stabbed Ashton to near death and ended up killing Chevron."

Nicholas walks over to Chevron's body, ripping the knife out of the boy's corpse. He then flips the kids body over, showing us a dead looking Chevron.

"This knife wasn't the cause of death." Nicholas says. "No slashing wounds anywhere fatal. No stab wounds either. This was a strangling death."

"How do you know that?" Lindell says, speaking up. "Well, for one, Chevron's neck is heavily bruised, as if someone has squeezed it."

"For two, we have a witness, right Ashton?" Ashton is still shaking from the attack, managing to stutter out two words. "District... 1!"

Matthew Brown
I had managed to climb up a tree, and get as close to the top as I could. There, I slung the straps of my bags on the branches, all my supplies within reach.

From my position, I could see the careers mobilizing. They were all packing up supplies and weaponry. Something bad was about to happen.

I grab my binoculars, peering in them to get a closer look. Their leader, the boy from 2, seems to be shouting orders at his allies. I notice how much their numbers have dropped.

The girl from 1 is wrapped up in a few bandages, but otherwise gets around fine. Her district partner however is no where to be seen.

The girl from 2 looks dull, as if this event was going to be a waste of time. The boy from 4 is the exact opposite, looking ectastic.

The girl from 14 looks fearsome and ready, her aggressive gaze staring straight ahead. The boy from 14 is absent, but as far as I know, he's not dead.

Then they come marching out from the cornucopia, their serious look being very intimidating. They pass below my location, as I get ready for a lot of cannons. Something bad was about to go down.

Jacqueline Houston
I am in front of my allies quiet a bit. I needed to find and kill a deserter. My performance had been stagnant the entire games, and tonight, it would change.

Eventually I break from my allies, losing sight of them. I knew Justice had ordered us to stay close together, but I wanted to get a kill before one of my allies did. I had to prove I was worthy to be a co-leader.

I spotted him, right there leaned against a tree. Inter National, a former ally of mine, seemingly was just waiting. "Deserter!" I shout at him, readying my throwing knives.

"Oh Jacqueline, still blindly following that fool named Justice? I thought you would figure out he is a terrible leader, and would join me in leaving the alliance. But apparently your not smart enough." Inter speeches, drawing his sword from his blade.

"Well at least I have one thing you don't." I snap back. "What is that?" He questions. "Loyalty!" I shout as I hurl a throwing knife in his direction.

He sidesteps the projectile, sprinting towards me, sword ready. I hurl another knife his way, but somehow he deflects it. I curse, drawing my dagger as I prepare for melee combat.

He swings his sword at me, as I'm forced to roll under the high swing. I slash across his leg while I'm low, and he responds by stabbing his sword down. I jump away just in time, watching as his sword  buries into frozen ground. He pulls on it, as I spring back up, rushing him.

He quickly throws his arm out, smashing it into my throat, sending my on my back. He pins my body with his knees, as he begins to pound my head in. I grit my teeth, ignoring the pain as I raise my legs up, wrapping them around Inter's neck.

He then grabs my throat, squeezing it tightly as I try to choke him out with my leg hold. I feel like I might lose the breath holding battle, when I hear the sound of flesh being impaled. Inter falls off me, as a cannon booms loudly. BOOM!

"Don't leave us again Jacqueline." Justice says, ripping his sword from Inter's back. I brush myself off, until Justice points behind me.

A structure made of wood is in the forest. Inter led us straight to an alliance's base. The anti careers no doubt. "You know what to do. Burn it down." Justice orders me, as I prepare for a bigger fight.

Dempsey Corbett
After Justice killed Inter, the careers were in shock at the building we had discovered. Jacqueline had already doused it in oil, all we had to do was start a spark.

Before Justice could explain the plan, the anthem lit up the sky. The first face was that of recently deceased Inter. The second and final face was of an anti, the boy from 3.

"Alright, on my cue, Jacqueline is going to light a match, and set this structure on fire. Then, when the anti's rush out, we ambush them, killing as many as possible without losing much of our own. Got it?" Justice explains. "Good. Light it up Jac."

Jacqueline lights a match, flicking it on the oil doused building. A blaze happened, lighting up this part of the forest, and melting the snow.

I readied my weapon, knowing this might be my last battle. The antis were more numerous than us, but we were more skilled in combat. I just hoped that I was right.

Then, a few antis came rushing out. "Extinguish this fire!" One of them shouts. I look over to Justice, who motions for the ambush.

I move from my spot, as I stab the girl from 8 from behind. She screams out ans runs off, as our ambush is foiled. "CAREERS! CAREERS ARE ATTACKING!" This was it. The first battle of many.

Day 3 Status Chart
<font style="color: #008000">Green : Healthy, no medicine or treatment needed.

<font style="color: #FFFF00">Yellow : Minor Wound, treatment recommended, though not required.

<font style="color: #F88017">Orange : Major Wound, treatment required, will kill tribute if not treated within a few days.

<font style="color: #FF0000">Red : Mortal Wound, needs heavy duty medicine and lots of rest, if not treated, will die in a day or less.

<font style="color: #0C090A">Black : Dead.

Elia Downson
"There going to burn this structure to the ground! We're going to have to fight our way out of this!" Nicholas shouts, rallying the antis. We were in bad shape, with Keila just being stabbed and Ashton recovering from his attack.

Another bad thing about the antis, most of us were unskilled in combat. Besides me, Basil, and Nicholas, no one really knew how to fight.

We run out of the burning lodge, careers have the place encircled. Standing leading them is the mighty Justice Evergreen, a tribute I didn't wish to tanlge with.

The first one to charge after me is the girl from 2. Although she has the height advantage over me, I am not afraid, as I swing my ax towards her neck.

She blocks the attack with her large bolo knife, shoving my axe's blade to the right. She attacks, as I'm forced to quickly chop the knife, our sharp blades connecting in a metallic clang.

"You District 7 tributes are always nuisances to the careers" The girl ducks from one of my high swings. "It'll be a blessing for your death!" I'm forced to scramble away from a low aimed strike.

Now that she's a distance away, she quickly pulls a throwing knife out. The move is too fast and I am unable to react as the knife buries into my upper leg. I grit my teeth, using all my willpower to not fall down on one knee.

"You shouldn't have been an anti." The girl begins to rush towards me, preparing the finishing blow. I feign weakness, and when she's close enough, she stabs at my chest.

I strafe to the right, her strike toppling her forward. Whirling around, I slam my axe's blade into her side, hearing her scream as she falls down from the force of the blow.

I rip the blade out from the girl, ignoring the blood that sprays from her wound. "I refuse to be beaten by you!" The girl says, spitting on the ground.

"Guess I'll have to teach you acceptance." I say back, as I slam the axe onto her chest, killing her off for good. BOOM! The battle had just it's first casualty, I knew it would be the first of many.

Dempsey Corbett
Chaos has erupted. Fighting is crazy, some of the careers and antis are deserting their allies and just running for it. I know I have no chance if I desert the careers, so I decide to fight as well, picking my target, the fleeing girl from 10.

I chase after her, but I admit she's very fast. She runs over me, hopping over a low branch which bashes into my shins. I curse, stepping over the limbs, starting to lose ground.

She then hops on the low branch of a tree, and I know if I don't catch her she'll climb to the top. I sprint as fast as I can, hoping to reach her.

She's almost out of reach, but I jump up, grabbing onto her ankle. She screams, losing her balance and falling 6 feet to the ground. I land on the ground perfectly on my feet, as I draw a knife from my pocket, ready to end the girl's life for good.

She throws her leg out in a panic, and ends up kicking me right in the crotch. This hurts like hell, but I choose to ignore the pain, instead pouncing on the girl, slamming my knees into her chest.

Winded, I take advantage of her brief tiredness, as I raise my knife up, stabbing it straight into her torso. She screams as I rip the blade out, and stab it back in again.

She's shaking like mad and trying to free herself, but I'm much stronger. I stab the blade into her again, hitting an artery, as large amounts of crimson liquid pour from the wound.

She begins to turn pale under the moonlight, as I give her one more stab. She stops squirming, as i rip the knife out, standing up to see what I've done. She's filled with deep stab wounds, which bleed terribly. '''BOOM! '''I look away from my deed, sprinting back to the battle.

I see my next target, the girl from the capitol. She was weak and I knew she wouldn't be much trouble, as I sprint towards her, managing to slam my shoulder into the girl. Being smaller, she topples over on her back, as I prepare to do the same thing to her as I did Lindell.

However, she proves more resiliant, as when I try to pounce her, she rolls out of the way, managing to get on her feet. I realize too late that I'd underestimated the girl when I feel a sharp feeling in the back of my neck.

I fall front first to the ground, holding my hand over the wound. It feels wet, and when I look at it, it's covered in blood. I begin to feel weak, and I realize the wound wasn't minor. My last sight is of the burning building, before my head falls into the snow, the cold of death taking me over.

Jacqueline Houston
My knife sails through the air, and the girl from 8 doesn't even have time to scream. '''BOOM! '''I aim my next knife towards the boy cowering behind her, the large one from 12. His wounds would kill him anyways, so I decided to speed up his death.

I rip the knife from the 8 girl's body, as I kick the boy from 12 to the ground. "You killer!" He shouts, trembling. I slowly slide the knife across his throat. "Sometimes you have to kill to get the job done." With that, I slash his throat, watching him fall the ground, choking on his own blood.

"I thought an anti of your size would be a good match. I guess I was wrong." I say coldly, walking away from him as his cannon shortly follows. BOOM!

"You bitch!" I hear a girl shout. I turn around, the girl from 9 standing there, a sickle in each hand. Her ally, the girl from 12 stand next to her, a dagger in her right hand. "A two versus one? Bring it." I say, smiling cruelly. They didn't stand a chance.

They both rush at me, which is a poor strategy. The girl from 12 lunges a stab at me, which I easily sidestep, slamming my elbow in the back of her head, sending her to the ground behind me. I then turn my attention to the girl from 9, who comes in swinging her weapons wildly.

I take out my close range weapon, a kukri, using it to block her strikes. After exchanging blows with her for a while, the girl from 12 gets back on her feet, attempting to stab me from behind. I duck under the blow, watching as the girl from 9 puts her sickles up to block her ally's knife.

While ducked, I turn my blade around, stabbing backwards into the girl from 12's stomach. She sputters and falls to the ground. "I WILL KILL YOU!" The girl from 9 shouts, as she strikes towards me with greater force. BOOM!

I notice the girl from 9 fighting a lot better since I angered her, as her blows are harder and more precise. I'm actually caught off guard by it, and she manages to make a long slash across my right arm. Enough fun. She had crossed the line.

I slam my kukri's blade into one of her sickles, the force of the blow sending it flying out of her hand. She attempts a downward strike, but I grab her arm mid swing. I force the sickle from her hand, painfully twisting her arm. She lets out a cry of pain, as I put more pressure, hoping to break it.

I feel a pinch in my neck, letting out a small ouch. I release the girl, kicking her the ground as I reach to my neck. I pull out a dart, one laced with poison.

My blood begins to freeze and I feel colder than usual, as my vision begins to blur. The girl from 9 runs away from me, as I begin to feel lightheaded. I grab hold of a tree, trying to support myself, as I see a blurry figure rushing away. I try to call out to my allies for help, but I'm unable to, as I lose consciousness.

Justice Evergreen
I watch from a distance as the action goes on. Jacqueline had fallen down into unsconciousness, and I knew she'd be in trouble. "Araxie, get Jacqueline back to the cornucopia! She's in no shape to fight!" I shout to my closest ally. Araxie nods, reluctantly leaving.

That's when an axe nearly cleaves my head off. The bold girl from seven strikes again with her axe, as I'm forced on the defensive, my sword meeting her axe.

"Brave you are. Or maybe just ignorant." I stab my sword forward. "You should know that fighting me was a bad choice."

The girl dodges my stab, swinging her axe around towards my side. "That's what your district partner said." I block her strike, sliding her weapon off of mine. No wonder it felt like I was the last career fighting.

Our fight rages on, as I wait for her to slip in her form. She finally does it, as she puts too much power behind a strike. I dash out of the strike's way, raking my blade across her legs. She cries out and falls forward, trying to stand back up.

I kick her in the side, sending her on her back, gasping like a drowning person. "Have you learnt your lesson?" I taunt, sending my foot into her side again. "You are no match for a trained career!"

She tries to push herself from the ground, but I stomp my boot into her back. She's in tears now, as she still tries to stand. "You have no quit do you?" I shout again, as I mercilessly kick her again.

"Go... to.... hell..." The girl says meekly to me, her teary eyes glaring with hatred. "Ladies first." I reply sarcastically, as my sword finds it home in her skull. BOOM!

"ELIA!" I hear a yell. In the light of the burning anti career base, a boy with blue hair stands there, his body shaking from apparent rage. "You're lass is no more. Neither is your alliance, or your shelter. All of it, erased." I say, as I rip my blade from Elia's corpse.

The boy reaches for his back, and pulls out two katanas from their sheathes. The sharp blades gleam in the dancing flames, as the boy looks up with me, the fires making him look like the devil himself. Even I was a bit nervous, but I wasn't going to let an anti beat me.

"If you're going to fight, why wait?" I taunt. The boy doesn't waste any time, as he sprints towards me, jumping up and bringing both blades down. They collide with my long sword's blade, as we enter a bladelock. "You're going to regret this."

Nicholas Mecha
My katanas come down on top of Justice's single sword, the metal clanging from the weapons. I bring my right katana across the right side, while keeping my left one in defense. Justice counters the move by parrying the sword, as he strikes my way.

I use my left katana to bat the sword away, as I stab my right one for his chest. He ducks low, my katana going over his head, as he slashes for my shins. I hop over his low strike, sending my foot into the side of his head. He rolls backwards, jumping back to his feet.

I slash with my right, and then with my left. My quick, consective strikes chain up, as I go full on offense, trying to break through Justice's defensive strikes. I grow frustrated when he blocks or dodges my many slashes, my aggressive fighting getting more heated.

I'm swinging with a stronger force, faster and faster. My right one skids across his cheek, as I draw blood, and I stab my left one forward. He barely blocks the left katana, but it puts him off enough for me to deliver a deadly slash to his chest.

He looks down at his open wound, before looking at me. Justice then takes the offensive, grabbing his sword with two hands, charging in with a strong downward blow. It takes both of my katanas to stop the attack, and even then the force jars my body quiet a bit.

He then slashes a wide slash, catching my midsection. I back up, watching as he slashes again. I bring up my katanas, but his strength overpowers mine, as it sends one of my weapons flying into the snow. I back up again, as Justice stabs forward with a lot of might.

I swing my remaining katana with both hands at the blade, as we enter a tight bladelock. I grit my teeth, trying to push my blade down onto his shoulder, as he attempts to the same.

Eventually he grabs me, yanking me to the ground. I fight on my back, knocking a few of his downward stabs off direction into the snow. I then roll out of the way of one of them, leaping onto my feet as I slash my katana across his exposed side.

Justice roars, this wound being a painful one. A few of his ribs begin to show as chunks of flesh slide down into the snow, coloring it red. He swings a high, wide strike, one that nearly cuts my hand off, as I cry out, dropping my katana.

Justice stares me down one final time, wordless as he plunges forward for the killing blow. Time seems to slow down as the blade inches closer to my heart, when the devil appears. "You know Nicholas, my offer is still on the table."

His deal is enticing, and would save me from this fate sure. But I was not going to give into the devil. "No." I say lowly, as time speeds back to normal. I dash from his stab, elbowing the blunt part of his sword down, the blade falling from his hands.

I raise my leg up, giving him a high kick to the neck. Justice stumbles backwards, throwing three powerful punches, but I dodge them all, as I quickly punch him in the jaw. He doubles over, and I kick his nasty side wound, sending him to the ground.

Picking up his dropped sword, I rush over to him before he can stand back up, as I stab the blade into his back. His arm shoots straight out, gripping tightly in a fist, before falling to the snow. '''BOOM! '''I rip Justice's own sword from his back, as I sit down, the pain of my wounds beginning to flare up.

"Nicholas! Thank god you're alive!" My ally, Araise says, helping me to my feet. Bluebell and Fairy join us. "Where are the others?" I ask, knowing the painful answer. "They fled, or died fighting." Ariase replies. I bury my face into my hands. I had failed them. I had failed them all.

Anna Tommie
A whole bunch of cannons had rung after midnight, the last one ringing about dawn. The whole day had been quiet, and it was nearly sunset on the fourth day.

I did feel a little guilt about abandoning the careers, but honestly, I wouldn't have gotten far with them. After becoming a loner, I had been camped along the frozen lake, hoping no one would come over due to the terrible wind.

I begin to eat my supper, some hot and ready hot pockets. I nearly cry out when bite down, only to find them cold and frozen solid. If I wanted to eat these, I'd have to heat them, and not on this frozen lake.

Packing up my supplies, I moved to the shore, starting a quick fire. My stomach rumbled, as I hurried this fire would start. Maybe leaving the careers was a bad idea.

"Come on come on!" I say frustrated, the fire only sparking then dying out. It looked a lot easier on tv, that was for sure.

I finally get a small flame to poke up from my pile, and nearly jump with glee. I watch as the fire grows, becoming good enough to heat food.

Taking out a pan, I smack the hot pocket in the middle, holding it over the fire. It begins to sizzle, and the smell alone makes me want to snatch it out of the pan and eat it.

After cooking the food, I chowed down on it, my meal short and satisfying. I quickly doused the fire, moving quickly back to my base on the frozen lake.

I snug in bed, trying to forget the death of the day. They were once my allies but they weren't anymore. It's not my fault if they got themselves killed.

Carina Mystic
Many tributes had deserted or died in the battle, but we had one cornered, and we were currently in a shootout with him as well.

The boy from 11 would shot darts our way when we poked our heads from behind the cover of the tree. I was beginning to wonder when he would run out.

We would have to use our brains to solve this one, our brawn not going to work. "Carina, you got a clear plan?" Sage asks. "I'm working on it." I reply, beginning to think.

"Hey boy! Let us talk this out!" I shout, as I duck behind the tree, a dart flying past. "How about you bozos leave before I kill both of you?" He shouts back.

"Sage, you got a shield of some sort?" I ask. "I have this backpack." He replies. "Here, give it to me." Sage obliges, handing me the bag.

"Here, take our supplies, leave us alone!" I say, faking a scared voice. Somehow, my trick works, as I hear footsteps approach.

Sage springs from the around the tree, and I follow. However, it seems that the boy from 11 has tricked us, as he's far away. I cry out as he blows a dart, and I can only watch as Sage pulls a dart from his neck.

He begins to fall backwards as I catch him in my arms, almost sobbing. He was going to die. I would have to rely on the sponsors.... or I would be alone.

Mercury Kwildor
I had heard so many cannons yesterday, I was beginning to think for the worst. My allies had perished in the wilderness, and now I had to hold the cornucopia alone.

That was something I didn't wish to do.

I sigh, as I begin to pack up the supplies I need. I wasn't going to be a career anymore, if they were dead, then so be it.

Then, on the horizon, I spotted two figures. I ready my sword in preparation for a fight, expecting them to be loners who need supplies.

Then I noticed it was just Araxie carrying Jacqueline. I run over to help my allies, glad that they're not all dead and gone.

"She needs some medicine, she's growing ice cold!" Araxie says to me, her own body covered in someone else's blood. I don't hesitate, as I run off and look for some medical supplies.

I don't have to look any further when two tin containers parachute from the skies, a little chiming noise chirping happily. I knew exactly what these where, and they were probably what I needed.

For me, there was medicine. My mentor said I should take it, so I did. The second package had a syringe filled with some liquid. An antidote. Jacqueline must've been poisoned by something.

"Araxie here!" I say, handing her the syringe. She quickly injects it into Jacqueline's arm, and as soon as she does, I can feel the girl's body warm up.

"Araxie, what happened out there? Where are the other careers?" I ask, knowing for sure a lot of them left to hunt. "I need to know."

Araxie looks down at the ground, giving out a long sigh. I could tell from her grim expression she lost someone close to her today. "Take a seat Mercury. I will tell you everything."

Sage Mystic
I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have helped Carina in her scheme years ago. It was wrong to trick people into thinking that they could speak to the dead. Now, the spirits were angry, and I couldn't rest peacefully.

We should have never opened that box, or laid our eyes on it's very contents. Playing with that ouija board was the biggest mistake we have ever made.

I didn't know where I was. Carina was nowhere to be seen. It was dark and cold, the only light coming from the many stars. I looked around, no clue what was happening.

Then they appear everywhere, there furry bodies. They're massive creatures, with coats the color of darkness, and eyes redder than blood.

But that was not the only horrifying thing about them. Their snarls were fearsome, like some other worldly abomination. They definetly were not normal.

I reach for my blade, but it's not there. I begin to panic, as the snarling beasts come closer. I find myself backed against a wall, as I pray to anything to get me out of this.

Then, they leap up on me, tearing my flesh bit by bit. The pain was awful, and I could just hear the sounds of my flesh being ripped from my bones. I let out a scream, when a cold feeling washed over my face.

Carina Mystic
"Sage, wake up! Come on, it's a dream, wake up!" I shout, shaking my brother. I just splashed cold water on his face, and hoped that would at least cause him to stir.

"Wha, what's happening?" Sage manages to say, his words slurred and slow. "Oh thank god, I thought I had lost you!" I shout, giving him a much needed hug.

"Wait, what? Explain what you've done to my real sister!" Sage shouts, holding a dagger to my throat. "Wait what Sage what are you doing?"

He looks at me with his intense gaze, before lowering the knife. "I.... I don't know what happened. I just freaked out you know?"

"You were poisoned. Your blood was ice cold." I explain, holding up the now empty syringe. "Had to inject you with this antidoate, or else you probably would've died."

Sage nods his head, before standing up. "What are you doing?" I ask. "These games aren't going to end any faster unless we get hunting." I smile, grabbing my weapons. We were back in business.

Nicholas Mecha
"One two three!" I say, using my good hand to block some of Araise's strikes. "Well done!" I say, as I prepare to show her some more bladework skills.

Araise had wished to learn combat skills, and so I agreed to teach her some. Using one of my katanas as her own, I demonstrated Araise the proper ways of swordfighting.

"Here, grip it with two hands." I say. "You can put a lot more force behind a strike that way." Araise nods, as we spar a little more with the blades. She manages to surprise me when she nearly disarms me, but I catch myself at the last moment.

"Felix! Come quickly!" Bluebell shouts to me. I begin sprinting in her direction, worried that something has happened to one of our allies.

Turns out, she was just excited about the sponsor gift I had received. "Open it for me would you? I kind of got a bad hand." I tell Bluebell, who gladly opens it.

Instant relief. I don't hesistate to stab the syringe in my hand, and instantly, it's as good as new. I honestly wondered why the capitol didn't mass produce these for the districts.

"It's almost like magic." Fairy comments, as Araise hands me my other sword. "No, keep it." I say, pushing the blade away. "It's your's now."

I notice a look of awe in her eyes. A look of something much more than a normal friendship. "Well, it got quiet." Bluebell comments, as I snap out my gaze. Not now Nicholas. It's the games, you can't develop feelings.

Talia Mignonette
This forced alliance deal was getting a little worse. Taligelia was beginning to get a little paranoid. She never wanted me walking behind her, and made sure we slept in different rooms. Something was up with her, maybe she was planning my death.

We sit in silence in the cafeteria as we eat another meal. Taligelia doesn't even look up at me as she eats, general distrust coming off of her.

I poke and prod around, noticing the degrading quality of the meals we were eating. The food was going bad, it was tasting worse...

I spit out my bite, shoving my tray to the floor. "Don't eat it! Poisoned!" I shout to Taligelia, who looks up at me, confused. "Don't, spit it out!" I say, drawing my weapon.

She obliges, standing up. "How do you know that?" Taligelia asks me angrily. "Can't you notice how bad it tastes? It's either poisoned or rotten!"

"Or maybe you're just crazy. There's nothing wrong with it!" Taligelia shouts back. We're about to go at each other, when a loud bang sounds throughout the cafeteria.

The boy from 9 hurls a knife at me, which I duck under, watching it imbed into the wall. The kid lets out a cry and begins to run, his plan failing. Coward.

Taligelia begins to chase off after him, her spear in hand. I decide that she's not going to be an ally of mine anymore. She was too distrusting.

Grabbing my supplies, I rip the throwing knife from the wall, before running off in the opposite direction. I don't look back as I burst from the resort, feeling free now that I don't have the burden of Taligelia on my shoulders.

'''BOOM! '''A cannon sounds, but I could care less. I was free. I take one last look at the resort, before I continue running, deep into the pine forests.

Lydia Waterborne
Guilt. It was the only emotion I could feel. The careers back there? They were my friends at one point. Now, they were just ghosts of the past. I had abandoned them at an extremely crucial moment. Now, most of them were dead. What would Mercury think of me now?

Mercury... I still remembered him. After we both got injured, we had a strong attachment. A bond if you would say. Despite being a Waterborne, and thus, a public enemy, he treated me like a good friend, in a world where I was a terrorist to everyone.

I still remember how it went down. 4 years ago when it all happened. I was only nine years old, when the waterbornes started a rebellion. The horrible explosion of the manor, so many deaths, corpses floating in the water... sights that still haunt me to this day.

My surviving siblings being reaped into games, each one of them dying horribly. When I was reaped, I was at my last rope. The Cobalt Wolves were hunting down any waterbornes anyways, and they were about to kill me. So, I volunteered.

I fled. Now, I find myself fleeing yet again. From my former allies. Jacqueline and Araxie were looking to eliminate any deserters, and now they were right upon my location. I just hope I can last until tonight. Maybe then I could flee again under the cover of darkness.

Basil Winters
Night had fallen over the cold arena, the darkness blanketing the entire forest. A single star didn't shine, not even the moon for that matter. Just darkness.

The anthem lit the night up, contrasting the midnight skies. The entire Day 5 was rather uneventful, as the only face to appear at all was the weakling from 9. I knew he didn't have what it took to survive the games. He was just like my former allies.

My blood boils upon remembering them. None of them had the guts to fight, they were all cowards. They were afraid to kill, a trait that would no doubt be their downfall.

I mean, look where it got them. A lot of them were killed in last night's battle. I fought my way out of that mess, poisoning the girl from 2, then poisoning the boy from 6. I was dissapointed when neither of them died today, noting that I needed to find a stronger venom.

After the anthem's lights faded for good, a fog formed over the snow covered ground. I watch from my perch in the trees, an unsettling vibe coming from the ground.

I ignored the strangeness of the arena, deciding it would be a good idea if I could get some shuteye. There was no need to be tired when killing had to be done.

Tying myself to the branch I was one with some rope, I lay down, staring up into the dark, cloudy sky, an uneasy feeling in my gut. Something vile was about to happen, something I wouldn't want to be a part of.

Taligelia Rendervault
Thunder awakes me from my sleep, an odd sound to hear, considering there is about 3 feet of snow on the ground. I rub my eyes as I roll out of bed, noticing the night sky still reigned over the arena. It must've been at least two in the morning.

Lightning danced across the sky, contrasting with the macabre clouds as thunder boomed. A thick fog rolled across the ground, resembling something straight out of a horror movie. Bad things were about to happen.

Grabbing my faithful spear, I take my supplies and the supplies of my former ally Talia, heading out of the resort. I should have known the gamemakers were going to punish us for staying here too long.

I hear a whistle and a loud thud that scares the hell out of me. My eyes dart to the souce of the noise, which turns out to be a long throwing knife imbedded into a wall. I prepare for a second knife, throwing my bag up in front of me for protection.

I spot my attacker, the boy from 10, readies another knife. He wasn't the one I'd expect to attempt to kill me, but then again, the will to survive can motivate even the pacificts to shed blood.

His knife whirls through the air, but my reflexes are quicker, as I block the blade with my bag. I rip the knife out, hurling it back at the boy before he gets another knife off.

I'm satisfied when I hear him squeal, clutching his arm. Throwing my bag down, I grab my spear with both hands, charging the kid and closing the gap between us. He tries to escape, but I run him down, thrusting my spear forward straight through his body.

The buildup of my run causes the boy to slam into the ground, spear straight through his chest. Blood stains his shirt as the boy looks me in the eyes, reaching meekly for his final throwing knife.

I rip my spear from his body, raising it up and stabbing it down into his head this time. His body goes rigid, and I know that the boy is no more. BOOM!

I rip my spear from his corpse, taking what little supplies the tribute had. Grabbing my things, I take off out of the resort, running through the thick fog surrounding the entire arena.

Bluebell Pax
I jump again as a loud rumble of thunder shakes the forest. My allies and I were awake, everyone one of us spooked by the sudden change of weather.

"Stick together! We don't want to get seperated in this fog!" Nicholas shouts, as the remaining anti careers huddle around each other for security.

My mind is buzzing with fear, my nerves are on edge. It's bad enough the arena is super cold, but when you're afraid, the chill is almost double the intensity than it is when you're feeling good.

"It's okay Bluebell, there's no need to shake." Araise says to me softly. She'd come so far from the shy girl in training. Now, I thought of her as more than an ally, a best friend if you would. I'd hate it if it just came down to us.

A loud, guttural laugh echoes through the forest. It sounds deep, other worldly, and very foreboding. No tribute would be laughing like that during these events. That was no tribute... it was something worse.

"I'm warning you, career. You want to end up like Justice? I'd suggest you stay the hell away then!" Nicholas shouts into the fog, protecting us like we were his own children.

No response. The only sound was that of our breathing and the occasional clap of thunder. I could tell we all knew we were moments away from something awful.

"We need to keep moving." Fairy breaks the silence. "She's right Nicholas. You know as well as I do that whoever was laughing is no career." Araise says. Nicholas looks defeated, but nods his head. "Alright, let's keep moving. It's just a few hours before daybreak. Hopefully then this fog will clear."

Mercury Kwildor
"Quick! Into the resort, it's much safer inside than out!" Jacqueline shouts at us, as we keep running. The sun was starting to rise, though it wasn't visible, the sinister storm clouds still covering the sky. Jacqueline had made the decision to move, after remembering last year's games where 6 careers were killed by lightning striking the cornucopia.

We bust through the doors of the resort, the grand foyer greeting us. I don't have time to admire the beautiful architecture, as Jacqueline hurries us into the closest room.

Locking the door, the three of us find oruselves in small room containing two beds and a bathroom. The single window in the room is smashed open, an awful cold breeze coming through it.

"Someone's been here." I say, running my hand across the torn curtain. I can hear Araxie retch, holding her hand to her mouth so she doesn't vommit. "What is it?" I ask, rushing across the room. The sight that meets me is a nasty, grisly scene.

The girl from 15's body lies there, her body soaking wet. She has bleeding wounds all over her arms, shards of glass imbedded in them. Her once beautiful face is heavily bruised, a long ugly gash spanning from her nose to the bottom of her jaw.

I look away from the sight, unable to watch any longer. "Must've missed the cannon for this one." Araxie says, once she recovers from nearly vommiting. "Or maybe she isn't dead."

Jacqueline rips my sword from my hand, as she plunges it straight into the carcass's chest. Jacqueline rips the blade out as I feel flesh fly on my jacket, blood spraying the wall closest to me. I fling the disgusting piece of skin off of me, as no cannon booms.

"Looks like somebody did the job for us." Araxie says, but that doesn't convince Jacqueline. She stabs the body yet again, this time in the neck. More blood sprays out, as suddenly the girl comes to life, sputtering and choking, a mixture of blood and water coming from her mouth.

Finally, the cannon booms, but not after the girl suffers for a few more moments. Jacqueline hands me my sword back, as we leave the room, trying not to think of what just happened.

Talia Mignonette
''Run! Run as fast as you can. It is right on your heels! ''My mind is racing as fast as I am, as I sprint across the frozen lake, the pounding of feet behind me. I couldn't see what it was, but through the fog, it's figure is extremely large, and it's eyes glowing red.

A bright flash blinds me temporarily as a huge boom of thunder sends me flying. I hear water crashing down as ice slides across ice, the frozen lake being struck by lightning. I attempt to scramble to my feet, the huge crater in the lake starting to take the ice to it's watery depths.

The beast chasing me lets out a roar, as it raises on it's hind legs. I react quickly, rolling to my left as the beast's hooves slam against the lake's ice.

The ice cracks as the huge animal crashes into the water. My victory is short lived, when I notice the ice I'm standing on began to crack. I begin running, the lake shattering behind me as I attempt to outrun the melting ice.

I'm about to get away, when I'm grabbed from behind and slammed onto the ice. I let out a huff of pain, the breath being jarred from my body. I look up at my assailant, seeing the boy from 11 above me. He stamps his foot on my chest, aiming his blowgun for my head.

''So this is how it's gonna end, huh Talia. To survive all of that, just to fall short. Remember what you're fighting for. This is not the end Talia! Now is your time to act! Do not let all of this go to waste!'' With that mind motivation, I kick the boy's knees.

This throws his aim off as his dart goes flying upward, missing me completely. I raise up, sending my fist into his chest. I didn't like to hurt people, but I could make an exception for this kid.

I throw another punch, but the boy grabs my arm, throwing me over his shoulder as I slam into the ice again. I kick my legs up in a panic, luckily striking the boy's chest as he nearly pins me. He lets out a grunt as he is hit, before drawing a knife from his boot.

I watch as the steel of the knife comes down. I move my head out of it's direction, watching as it hits the ice. We both look in fear as the ice cracks around the knife, before we both plunge under the icey waters.

I try to climb out of the icey hole, splashing wildly as the boy surfaces beside me. He grabs my hair, trying to stay afloat himself. I let out a long scream of pain as my delicate locks are pulled, as I find myself going under.

The boy sinks with me, trying to stand on my shoulders. I don't allow him to, pulling his foot down into the depths, as I swim back up. My head breaks the surface, as I kick off the sinking boy and clamber back onto the ice, gasping for air as I do.

A cannon booms, as I get off the hellish trap of the icey lake, running back onto solid ground, one step closer to winning the games.

Matthew Brown
I stay hidden in my tree, adrenaline rushing as the storm worsens. A bunch of tributes had been dying today, and I could very well be the next one.

I look down at the ground, the fog still thick as it had always been. I wasn't going down there until I could see if anything was hiding out of view.

Then, the tree begins to shake. A lump forms in my throat as I look down, hearing a sickening crack. Something large was trying to bring this thing down.

Grabbing what little I had, I prepared myself to jump to the closest tree. The tree cracked and groaned some more, as I lept from my branch, grabbing a hole of another tree's branch.

Thinking I was safe, I breathed a sigh of relief... when the new tree I was one began to shake as well. Something was after me. Something was trying to kill me.

I try to leap to another tree, but I fall short. I can only scream as I feel myself fall a great distance, landing on the snow with a sickening crunch.

I try to stand, but I'm unable too, as I look down at my ankle, the bone poking through my foot. I hold my broken foot with my hands, in shock at what happened.

"What a mess that is." I look up, and see an enormous man in a red suit. No tribute was as large as him. This was a gamemaker trick.

"But I can fix that." The man then reveals an enormous axe, the edge very sharp. I can only scream as he raises it, before he lops off my head, ending my chance at winning forever.

Fairy Luck
We all stop and stare in horror at the scene we witnessed. The screaming kid from 8's head rolled across the snow, leaving a crimson trail in it's wake.

"Sick bastard!" Nicholas shouts at the boy's killer, a giant man in a red suit. "Come on now... let's all admit the little runt was too loud for his own good." The man says in a deep voice that rings like a church bell.

"He wasn't trying to hurt you though." Araise says, defending Nicholas with her words. "That's his fault. Maybe if he attempted to fight, maybe then he wouldn't have died like the baby he was."

To spite Nicholas's compassionate side, the large man hurls the kid's headless corpse to our feet. "Which one of you is next?"

Nicholas roars in fury, rushing the large dude. We all follow in suit, as I pray our numbers alone can win this battle for us.

The large man kicks Nicholas down with his foot, swinging his axe around towards me direction. I duck under the attack, stabbing my own dagger outwards, sending it into the man's leg.

He doesn't scream in pain or anything, just laughs as he rips the knife out like it were a toothpick. He swings his axe at Bluebell and I, as I roll out of the way. I can only hear Bluebell scream beside me as I hear the sickening tearing of flesh, and a loud thump.

When I'm back on my feet, I can see the girl is split in half, the sharp axe cutting her into. '''BOOM! '''Anger swells up in me, a fury I cannot stop. I could restrain myself most of the time, but these games had been too much. I could see Nicholas and Araise forming a great duo, their strikes cohesive and flawless, as they lay countless blows on the man. But it would need something more.

I remember my mother, my grandmother, what they had always told me. I had powers, powers to keep hidden... powers that were to only be used for good... that time had come. I had to unleash my full potential, for the sake of my allies. If I didn't act now, they'd die.

I didn't care about myself anymore, only about Nicholas and Araise. Flames began to sprout in my palms, growing with more heat and intensity as I look at my target. My body shakes and convulses, as I use every ounce of energy I can for this attack.

The flames grow intesne, and become scorching hot. I thrust my palms outward, as a huge blast of fire engulfs the large man. The once sadistic giant screams as he burst into flame, trying to roll around in the snow. But it doesn't help him, as I continue my magical assault.

I burn him until there's nothing left to burn. Then, I grow weak. Lightheaded, I feel myself began to slip. Araise catches me as I fall, her face becoming a blur. The magic had drained me... weakened me. I wasn't going to live... I had lost all I had.

"Go now... Get out of here. I'm done, that's for sure. But there is still a games to win." I say. Their protests sound so far away, as I close my eyes, accepting the eternal darkness.

Lydia Waterborne
My former allies had found me... they'd chased me all over the resort. Jacqueline wanted my head, she considered me a traitor and a threat. I couldn't run forever, and I knew I'd have to fight.

I lead my former friends to the pool area of the resort. I went to the deep pool, looking down in it. I notice the girl from 0's corpse is still floating at the bottom, her hair flowing in each direction.

I hear the doors being banged on. I look up, the glass doors being kicked angrily by Jacqueline. "You're dead Lydia, you damn traitor!" She screams as she slams her foot into the glass again, causing it to crack.

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath to calm myself. My hands grip the cool metal of my trident, as I focus on my one task. I had to come out of this alive. If a Waterborne could win, maybe my family could garner enough sympathy and overthrow the capitol.

Then, the door comes busting open. Jacqueline leads the charge, throwing her knife at me. I dodge out of it's path, rising up as Araxie and Mercury come assaulting me with strikes from their weapons.

Mercury... I never wanted it to come to this. We were friends before I deserted the careers... I couldn't kill him. I could tell he thought the same way, as his blows slowed.

Araxie however attacked with ferocity I could barely keep up with. I kept her between me and Jacqueline so the latter couldn't throw any knives wihout hitting her ally first.

I finally gain the upperhand when Araxie stabs forward. I catch her sword with my trident's prongs, twisting the weapon from her grasp. She leaps at me, and we both go crashing into the pool, underwater.

My blonde hair flows everywhere in the water, as I force it out of my eyes. Araxie's blue hair is longer and is flowing like a mermaid's. It looks stunning, but it would be a weakness in this fight.

I charge forward, extending a dagger towards my target. She draws one as well, managing to block my attack with hers. Our fight continues, going deeper under the water, as I'm disarmed by a quickly stabbing to the wrist.

I let out a cry of pain, blood staining the water. I respond by kicking Araxie in the face, twisting my legs around her body, keeping her in a tight grip under the water.

How long can she hold her breath? I find myself wondering, as my lungs begin to burn. She begins to release some air bubbles as she bites down onto my legs. I let go, as she kicks off the pool floor and tries to reach the surface.

I grab her long blue hair, pulling her back under. She screams, a bunch of her air bubbles flying to the surface. I let out a muffled cry of pain, trying to hold what little air I had left in, as Araxie began to drown. Finally, she went still, as I swam fast to the surface.

'''BOOM! '''I surface, climbing on the side of the pool, just to be kicked down, a sword held to my throat. "Good, good Mercury!" Jacqueline says, clapping her hands.

I look up, my eyes wide in fear as I stare at Mercury. His expression is of remorse, guilt, and extreme regret. He did not want to do this.

"Go on then. Kill her." Jacqueline says, egging Mercury on. His sword begins to shake, as he raises it back. "Finish her! NOW!" Mercury stabs forward, as I close my eyes, waiting for the pain.

I open them, noticing that I've not been impaled. Mercury throws his sword to the ground, starting at Jacqueline with intense eyes.

"This is wrong! These games are wrong, and killing is wrong! You should be ashamed Jacqueline, for enjoying this type of thi-" Mercury stops speaking, his words lost in his noises of choking.

"That shut you up, no good shitbag. You're an embarassment to careers EVERYWHERE!" Jacqueline shouts, ripping a dagger from Mercury's throat, kicking his corpse to the floor. BOOM!

"NOOOOOOOOO!" I shout out, jumping on my feet, grabbing my trident and charging Jacqueline. She steps to the side of the blade, giving me a smile. "Looks like you'll die like you lived... a traitor."

Jacqueline Houston
Lydia lets out a roar as she rushes me, thrusting the prongs of her trident towards my face. The high strike is not too hard to duck under, as I strike back, slashing outward with my large hunting knife.

Lydia is quick, able to bring her trident down to intercept the blow. My knife clangs from her steel trident's head, as I slide back, trying to get a distance on her.

"You sadistic bitch!" Lydia says, throwing taunts at my mind. "You're sick and twisted, enjoying the deaths of other people! This world won't miss you!"

We'll see about that. Lydia rushes forward, stabbing at me before whipping her trident around as a blunt weapon. The swing surprises me, as I had never thought of using a trident like that, as the blunt force slams against my skull.

I see dots forming around my vision as I clutch my forehead, stumbling backwards from the strike. ''You don't have time to recover. Bring your blade up, she's coming with another strike!''

I bring my knife up to knock her stab out of it's arc, sending her trident around my body. I take a chance and risk my position, making a quick stab down with my knife, trying to catch her arms.

The aggressive move works out, as my blade rips through her forearms. She cries out, her grip on the trident weakening enough for me to kick it from her grasp. I had her now.

Lydia clutches her bleeding arms, backing away from me. I don't make the mistake of other careers though. I don't slowly walk to her or taunt her... I do the exact opposite.

I charge at Lydia, my hunting knife extended. I anticipate her attempt to dodge, and readjust my position, watching as she runs right into my blade, the knife plunging straight through her chest.

Lydia coughs, blood coming from her mouth. I look into her dying eyes, giving her a smile. "Bet you wished you stayed with the careers. You and your friend there learnt that the hard way."

I rip the blade from her chest, watching as she falls onto her knees. She raises her head to give me a death glare, and in one last act of defiance, she tells "Burn in hell fucking bitch."

With that, she falls on her stomach, her body hitting the stone floor with a thud. I relax myself, sheathing my hunting knife as I walk away from the scene. <span id="cke_bm_67S" style="display:none;">  '''BOOM! '''I needed to get some sleep... there would be way too many tributes to kill tomorrow.

Sage Mystic
Dawn was coming, but we were up. The final hours of night were beginning to fade, but my sister and I both knew one thing. These games were about to come to an end.

"This is it Sage. We've made it this far, I'm certain we can make it out." Carina says, sharpening her blade. "But these remaining tributes will be the best... they've made it this far too." I remind her, but she doesn't lose confidence. "We can pull through this."

Then, a grueling noise pierced the night. A low growl sounding from the darkness, a pair of yellow eyes piercing the darkness. I draw my blade, as Carina rushes behind me. "Just a lone wolf." I say, trying to calm her down. I'm immediately disproven when more and more eyes show up.

The creatures looked different than the wolves we'd seen in training simulators. They were large beasts standing to about my shoulders on all fours. They had fur black as night, and dangerously sharp teeth.

"We have to go." Carina says. Right as she does, a wolf lets out a howl and leaps from the shadows, it's claws striking my shoulders.

I throw the beast off me, stabbing down into it's neck before it gets back up. I can feel my sister's back against mine, as we circle around each other, more wolves coming to test us.

Carina manages to take out another wolf in mid leap, it's corpse rolling through the snow. I slash my across the back of a wolf diving for my legs, managing to sever it's spine completely. A disgusting sight I could say.

They just kept coming and coming. I throw another wolf into the ravine behind us, it's howls going all the way to the bottom, and it seems like me and Carina can win it, when I feel a biting pain in my calf.

A wolf rips my flesh from my bone, as I let out a yell, trying to shake it's jaws off of me. I can feel myself falling to a knee, as I stab the offending wolf over and over long after it is dead.

"SAGEEEEEEEE!" My sister howls, as a wolf leaps on my chest, it's teeth sinking deep into my throat. I can only feel it tearing the organs from it, my neck a bloody mess as I grit my teeth, unable to scream from the damage being done.

Carina kills the wolf assaulting me, and for a few seconds the pack seems to retreat. "Oh no..." Carina says, holding back tears as she cradles my head. I want to say something, anything, but all I can do is pull her into one last hug, a final act of brotherly love, before I laid my head to rest, my end having come.

Carina Mystic
The cannon booms... the sound of it being longer and more haunting than the others... that was the cannon of my brother, the one who had been with me since birth... my own twin. I hadn't been able to save him, but I was going to avenge him... he wouldn't die alone.

Taking his haladie in one hand and my khopesh in the other, I stare down the wolves. "Come get some, mangy bastards!" I shout, as they rush at me at once.

The first one I strike down with a slash across the throat. I stab out with the haladie, gouging another wolf's eyes out. The third one I kick down over the fourth one, killing both with a khopesh impalement.

"You like that huh?" I shout as I crack the skull of another with a powerful stomp, as I turn around and take out two more wolves with my dual wielding.

The wolves manage to tackle me to the ground, but I wasn't going down this easy. I slash and stab, taking out wolf after wolf, there corpses forming a pile of furry death.

I can feel pain in my body as their claws rake across my skin, their teeth biting into my flesh. But I wasn't finished... they all would die.

I behead one with my khopesh, though it is knocked away when a wolf tears my fingers from my right hand. I punch it with my stumpy hand, beating it's brains in, as I kill another with my brother's haladie.

Using my only good hand, I kill a few more wolves, before they rip my arm from it's socket, as I let out a scream. I kick with my legs, killing one more with pure beating, before they begin to chew into my torso.

I bite back, sinking my teeth into the one biting me. I rip the fur and flesh from it's throat, killing it as well, but I feel myself get buried under biting wolves.

After what seems like an eternity of pain and torment, I can feel myself slipping away. The wolves retreat, and I notice the mass amount of corpses surrounding me. I smile, my goal complete, though it cost me everything... my wounds were too severe to come out and win...

I stay into the rising sun, it's golden rays a beautiful last sight. I crack one last grin, as I ascend from the mortal world, racing straight into my brother's open arms.

Talia Mignonette
So far, so good. My plans of waiting these things out and hiding were working. Already 3 cannons had went off, meaning I had made it to the top 5.

I peered from my hiding spot in the snowbank, perfectly camouflaged under thick snow. Jacqueline was roaming the cornucopia alone, and I assumed her remaining allies had perished. I didn't wish to tangle with her, and I wished the antis would take her out.

My wish seems to come true, when in the forest I spot the final two antis, their blue haired leader and the girl from 9. My excitement began to buzz as I was about to find out who I'd have to fight to win this, as I prepared to watch the fight.

"Spectating now, are we?" I hear a familiar voice say. I feel a pain in my back as the wind is knocked out of me, sending me rolling over the snowbank.

I recover just in time to see my old ally Taligelia leap from the top of the bank, her spear pointed towards me. I quickly get out of the way, watching as her spear gets stuck into the frozen ground.

I stab my knife into her side while she's tugging on the weapon, hearing her scream out. She aims a high kick, her foot bashing into my chin, my teeth biting my tongue as my screams are muffled by my bleeding mouth.

I spit the severed half of my tongue onto the ground, as Taligelia gives a cruel laugh. "Guess you're a mute now, huh half tongue?"

I send myself flying into her, surprisng Taligelia and sending her to the ground. I raise my knife, stabbing it over and over into her chest. She lets out cries of pain, but she recovers, grabbing my arm and throwing me off her, my body hitting the snow hard.

Taligelia jumps on top of me, pinning me with her legs as she lays punch after punch on my face. I can feel myself nearing a beating to death, as I try to focus one last time. If I was going to die, she was going with me.

I see my knife gleaming in the sun, just within arm's reach. Taligelia must not have noticed it, as she kept pounding my head into grain. Ignoring the large amounts of pain in my head, I snatched the knife, and with my last bit of strength, I plunged it into the side of her head.

Taligelia's expression of anger turns to shock, as she feels the knife around her temple. Her eyes roll into the back of her head, as she falls off of me, her body landing in the snow. I attempt to stand, but I am unable too, the damage to my brain too much. I could barely think, and I knew this was the end of me.

The flashbacks began to pour in, one last sad reminder of how I had failed. What would my mother do, knowing her daughter was dead and I didn't win the prize money for her medicine. I couldn't bear the thought, and neither could my life, as I passed into another world, death taking me for good.

Nicholas Mecha
I hear another cannon go off, and I know it's just me, Araise, and Jacqueline. The girl fights with extreme aggression, her blows hard to avoid and her own defenses nearly unbreakable. But we had the advantage... it was two against one.

I strike high, and Araise compliments it with a low strike. Jacqueline still manages to outdo our team attack, as she knocks my blade away and hops over Araise's.

The career girl responds by whipping a knife out from her sleeve. The hidden blade surprises me, as I attempt to dodge it. Her flick of the wrist is too quick for me, as she releases the throwing knife, the sharp blade piercing through my knee.

I grunt, feeling my legs attempt to buckle. ''No Nicholas! Araise needs you. Fight through it, you're almost out of these games!''

I stand back up, noticing Araise losing ground to Jacqueline's sudden aggresion. I rush back in, pulling off a strong stab, managing to bury my blade into the back of Jacqueline's thigh. She lets out a shriek of agony, as Araise aims the finishing blow.

I thought it would connect, but by some miracle Jacqueline manages to duck under it. I twist my blade deeper into her leg, but Jacqueline ignores my strike, slamming her shoulder into Araise, taking the girl to the ground. Stunned and weaponless, she turns her attention away from my ally, turning towards me.

Focusing her attacks my way, I have to fight my hardest just to not get taken out by her blows. My fight with Justice was difficult, sure, but this one easily topped it.

Despite her leg wound, Jacqueline doesn't tire, and is constantly wearing me out. I feel myself began to tire, and that's when one of my blocks miss poorly and she whirls around, creating a large gash across my chest.

I hobble backwards, the force of the blow sending me on my back. I groaned in agony, the wound bleeding profusely through my jacket. Araise lets out a banshee cry, rushing towards the two of us.

I sputter and cough, watching them fight it out. Jacqueline's wound begins to catch up with her, as Araise strikes just as I trained her, with speed and precision. A quick slash to Jacqueline's arm causes her to howl in pain.

Jacqueline heaves Araise to the ground, retreating away from us as she tries to catch a momentary break. "Nicholas... how could this happen! I... I can't believe it!" Araise says, already beginning to cry as she strips my jacket.

The gash is a lot worse, and I know it's going to be the end of me. "Araise..." I manage to say in raspy voice. "I want you to know... you were the one person I liked more than anyone..."

Araise looks back into my eyes, trying her best to not bawl. "Me? But... I'm nothing..." I grab her hand, shaking my head. "You're the greatest girl to have been my friend, ally, and even lover. Don't ever be down on yourself..."

She lets the tears come out, before pulling me into a kiss. "I love you... please... just stay with me..." Araise says between breaths. "I can't... but you can still get out... take my katana... two weapons are better than one... I have faith in you Araise... go... win..."

Araise buries her head in my chest, as I comfort her one last time. "Go..." I say my last word, before leaning my head back. "Nicholas... NICHOLAS!" Araise begins to shout, as my life fades to black. I might be dead, but I know that one of my friends can live, and in the end, that's all that mattered.

Jacqueline Houston
I escaped quickly, hoping for a chance to rest a bit before I had to win the games. While that pathetic outer district girl cried over her dead lover, I took my opprotunity to hide near the frozen lake. I knew I could use the icey waters to my advantage if needed.

"Murderer!" I hear a shout behind me, knowing the girl must've showed up. I turn and face her, drawing my hunting knife from it's sheathe, the weapon making a scraping sound as it was drawn. "You're going to regret what you have done!"

Her weapon is already drawn, as I just let out a cruel sneer. "We all know how District 9 tributes end up. This will be easy." I say, trying to play to her anger. It works, as the girl lets out a banshee yell and rushes me, two swords at the ready.

I hurl a knife quickly out, catching the girl by surprise. She is unable to dodge the blade as it digs into her thigh, halting her rush. I then step forward, planning to end her life with a quick slash to the throat.

I am not pleased when she crosses her blades over, catching my hunting knife in mid swing. I'm quickly thrown on the defense as the girl makes her first move.

She swings with her right, then her left, and I'm thrown off balance trying to block the attacks. She's fast and her fighting style resembles that of the boy from 5, one I had defeated. I knew how to beat this, I just needed to wait for her rapid attacks to tire her down.

She swings with her right, as I block it, before readying for the left handed attack, which is a straight forward stab. I let out a grunt of pain as the shiny metallic blade enters in my left shoulder.

I whirl around, striking her unguarded side with my knife, causing her to cry out as she rips her blade from my shoulder, blooding gushing out from the deep wound.

I take the offense, grabbing my weapon with both hands and striking with powerful sweeping blows, which visibly shake her whenever she blocks them. I stare deep into her green eyes, and for once I'm surprised. They don't show fear... they show raw determination. That would only get her so far.

Araise Hasting
Our feet dance across the frozen lake as our blades connect with one another, two equally skilled fighters in a locked stalemate.

I swing rapidly and erratically, trying to get off as many strikes as possible. If I could overwhelm her with my bladework, she wouldn't stand a chance. I just hoped she tired out first, or I would end up like Nicholas.

Just thinking of how she butchered him motivates me to keep fighting, to keep going on. I hated Jacqueline, I wanted her dead so bad. Now, I had my chance. I was not going to blow it.

My dual katanas come down on the same time, sliding off of Jacqueline's lone blade. She swings a moderate slash towards my throat, and I have slide back to avoid it.

I nearly lose my footing, so I stab one of my katanas in the ice to gain my balance. Jacqueline keeps up her assault, as I'm forced to fight her with one katana. It's much harder now, but I won't give up, I will NOT GIVE UP!

One of my quick blows manages to sneak under her guard, and I make a nice cut across the top of her knee. She grimaces and clutches the wound, and I know she's already lost a lot of blood. All I had to do now is finish her, and I could win.

I strike again, as Jacqueline fumbles to bring her blade up, sloppily knocking my strike a few inches off it's target. I swing quickly again before she recovers, making a moderate gash across the girl's chest. She cries out and begins to fall backwards, and I know she's finished.

Then, something changes it all. The ice begins to shift, to crack, as the lake becomes a river, one flowing towards the cliff and ravine near the edge of the arena.

We both exchange glances of shock, as Jacqueline gets up and hops on a floating piece of ice. I hop on the same ice, and clutching my katana, I prepare to deal the finishing blow.

Jacqueline Houston
I stare at my opponenet, who comes in with another blow. Even though I knew I was losing a lot of blood, I refused to give up. My district was watching, and to be beaten by a petty girl from District 9 would be embarassing.

I block two of her wide strikes, before the ice we're on shitfs on the water some more, sending both of us to our knees. She gets up first, stabbing downwawrd with her katana. I roll out of the blade's way at the last second, sending a high kick to the back of her leg.

She lets out a cry of pain as she slips and lands on her back. I clutch my knife, raising up and stabbing straight down, intending to end her with a stab to the head.

I watch as her hands grab my arms, pushing back with a strong force trying to keep my blade's tip away from her face. While I'd easily overpower her normally, I was weakened from blood loss, and soon I was finding myself losing the strength battle.

She manages to get my blade from her face, shoving me off of her. I find myself skidding, and eventually dangling over the sheet of ice we were fighting on. Below me were the roaring icey waters, and I knew all she had to do was kick me and I'd be done.

I quickly started searching through my backpack, for anything to use. She was slowly advancing, and I grabbed a canteen full of water, probably ice and frozen. I chunked it at her, the metal canteen banging against her knee.

I knew it didn't feel pleasant, but it only slowed her down. I quickly threw a spare knife her way, but she dodged this one. Out of luck, I had one option. I could take her into the icey water, and hopefully drown her before succumbing to hypothermia.

The girl raised her foot to kick me off, as I prepared myself for the perfect timing. If I missed this risky grab, I was dead, that was for sure.

She aimed a kick straight for my face, as I let go of the side, jumping up momentarily to grab her outstretched leg. She lets out a cry of horror as I drag her and myself off the sheet of ice into the roaring, freezing cold water.

Araise Hasting
My cries of terror are muffled by the ice water, as I feel the fear of drowning come in full force. I never learned how to swim, and now I was regretting it.

I tried to claw my way back to the surface, as I began to witness my own death playing out. Bubbles were flying from my mouth and nose as I screamed in fear, my vocal terror wasting precious air I needed.

I kicked my legs, and pushed myself upward, trying to not sink to the bottom. My outstretched hand managed to grab a hold of something, as I pulled myself upward, feeling my head break the surface of the water.

I gasped, and coughed up a lot of cold water. I was grateful for being able to breathe again, but now I knew if I didn't finish these, I would freeze to death.

My eyes searched for my target through out the roaring waters, when the girl surfaced herself, gasping for air. We locked eyes, and she began to swim for me.

I kept my grip on the log I was holding strong, as Jacqueline attempted to drag me under. I kicked her off of me, punching her whenever she got close. She stabbed me a few times with her dagger, but I ignored the pain, as I kicked her hard in the chest.

Jacqueline's grip on my throat relenquished as I threw her off me, into the water. She knew how to swim, but the current was beginning to take her away, ahead of me and closer to the impending cliff.

She began to notice this, as she sprang ontop of the log I was grabbing on. I tried to kick her off the log, but she grabbed my leg, and began to pull. I kicked again, this time hearing her scream in pain as her fingers bent at an awkward angle.

She looked at me, fury in her eyes, as she pulled me off the log. We both went sprawling into the water, the dark icey waters enveloping us, as I prepared to hold my breath for as long as I could.

Jacqueline Houston
I find myself going underwater again, as I take a deep breath of air and hold it in, as my head plunges under the surface once more.

I watch as Araise thrashes in my grip, trying to climb on top of me. I don't allow her to, as I drag her to my eye level, where I sink my teeth into her neck.

She begins to scream in pain under the water, her air bubbles flowing out of her screaming mouth in a flurry. I attempt to rip her throat out, but she manages to grab me in a headlock, forcing my head back as water goes up my nose and down my throat.

I begin to choke and sputter, my own air flowing up in bubbles. I punch her in the ribs multiple times until she lets go, before delivering a solid headbutt to her beautiful face.

Blood pours from her nose as it breaks, her green eyes filled with disgust. She fights back, raking her nails across my face, cutting deep into the flesh as I hold in my scream of pain.

I jab my fingers into her eyes, causing her to shut them in pain and scream even more. I begin to notice her air bubbles grow ligther and lighter, and I know she's about to drown. I just had to be patient.

Araise blindly throws out her hands and manages to sock me in the throat, as I am forced off the girl, choking and sputtering on more water. I couldn't hold my breath any longer as my lungs began to burn, as I began to swim for the surface.

I break the surface, sputtering about when I'm suddenly slammed into the log we were just on. Araise surfaces next to me, and when we look over the log, we can see a waterfall descending into the ravine. This was it.

Araise Hasting
I was freezing, my lungs felt like they were about to burst. I was bleeding badly, my wounds very grave. My vision was fading in and out and wasn't as good as it used to be, and I knew my eyes were damaged from the gouging attack. I had to end this now, or I'd die.

Jacqueline isn't in much better shape as she cralws on the log, sputtering and bleeding everywhere. She begins to crawl towards me, as I look around, trying to figure a way out to pull through.

To my right was the raging waters of the river, heading under the log and down to my left, where the waterfall to the depths of the ravine lead.

Jacqueline is on top of me now, her knife pulled out and ready to end my life. I stare into my soon to be killer's dark brown eyes, her chocolate covered hair wet and matted, clinging to her face, one side of it covered completely by it.

I watched as the knife came down, and I knew this was it. My memories began to flow through, of the dark night I had witnessed people getting gundowned by peacekeepers. I remembered being reaped, remembered being the nervous girl in training, just trying to find an alliance to take me in.

I met Nicholas, the nicest person I'd ever seen. He took me under his wing, he kept a close eye on me. I loved him to death, and I didn't want to let him go. Thinking of him snapped me back to the world, where the knife was almost dealing the death blow.

I shot my hands up, grasping around Jacqueline's arms. I then pushed up with my body, throwing her to the side, over the edge and towards the ravine.

Her hands dropped her knife, as she firmly grasped my wrists, both of us hanging above the ravine, nearly about to fall to the depths.

"You better pull me up, or none of us win!" Jacqueline shouts haughtily at me. "I WILL take you with me!" I try to shake her off, but her grip doesn't budge. I have no choice, but to pull her up.

Jacqueline begins to smile, happy to get her way. But she didn't know the trick, and I didn't expect anyone in the capitol or districts to.

I raise her up to the log, and she begins to reach out with one hand to climb back on. That's when I yank my left arm free. I ball it up into a fist, and delevir a strong punch to the girl's face. She panicks a bit, and then I hit her again, and this one breaks her grip.

Jacqueline screams as she loses hold of me, and begins to fall into the depths of the ravine. I watch as she does, and a few moments later, the final cannon rings, it's echo lingering in the arena longer than any other cannon. I had done it... I had won.