Pretty Little Games

"Two can keep a secret

 if one of them is dead."



~

The Pretty Little Games is an upcoming Hunger Games written by Hannah and Aria, based off of the ABC drama Pretty Little Liars.

Information

 * You may submit up to five tributes liars, and they cannot all be the same gender.
 * Edit to the above rule: Three additional males may be submitted.
 * If your tributes liars are flat characters or boring characters, we have the ability to reject them. The same goes for incompleted tributes liars that do not contain important items such as a backstory or personality.
 * Uncropped Lunaiis that do not have a background are required for this Hunger Games. They also must be saved in a .PNG format.
 * The only alliances are the Careers, District partners, and family members. However, new ones may be formed during the Games. But, always be careful of betrayals.
 * To prove you read this, please add in your comment, "34 can keep a secret if 33 of them are dead."
 * Reserves last up to two hours. No more, no less.
 * Links only. I cannot express this enough.
 * This Hunger Games will be more or less about mystery than murder.
 * Have fun!

Introduction
Welcome to the Pretty Little Games! Thirty-four tributes liars, a boy and a girl from each District, will be trapped in an arena for these Games, until one surviving tribute liar remains. Sounds like a pretty standard Hunger Games, right?

Wrong.

The Twist
The twist of these Games is that one tribute liar will be selected before the Games begin and called the "-A". -A must keep this secret while surviving in the Games. However, -A will be kept alive until the very end.

The objective for the other tributes liars is to find out who the -A is, through secrets and lies. The victor, or victors, of the Games will be the ones to discover -A. However, if -A manages to kill the remaining tributes liars, then -A will be crowned victor.

Tributes Liars must survive the Hunger Games while keeping a secret to die for...

Alliances
CAREERS: Solomon (C), Yuri Harris (0), Nutmeg Spica (1), Christina Parthenon (2), Lucia Duvall (3), Korrey Arlington (4), Pharmacy Ombra (6), Brett Brawl (7),   Dixie Timery Perfona (14),   Belle Curran (15)

REIDS ALLIANCE: Chloe Reids (5), Oscar Reids (5)

THORBURN ALLIANCE: Kim Thorburn (11), Tim Thorburn (11)

0 AND 13 ALLIANCE: Alluria Nexus (0), Julian Veritas (13), Taylor Astrid (13)

UNLIKELY ALLIANCE: Peyton Applebee (7), Julio Zethes (9), Artemis Moonsliver (12)

ALONE: Miyako Sada (C),   Auro Falcon (1), Gabriel van Helsing (2),  Signors Stalingrad (3), Venus Valentine (4), Ryan Dennis (6), Cassie Wynn (8),  Hazel Maize (9),  Irene Watson (10),  Caesar Thompson (12), Harmony Abbot (14), Adrian Lexus (15)

Venus Valentine (4F) - Aria
All I see is darkness.

As the tube launches me into a nightmarish landscape, President DiLaurentis’ words keep ringing in my head: Secrets can make you do terrible things.

Why, though? Why does a secret have to change who you are?

As I am lost in my thoughts, the timer keeps counting down.

Fifty seconds left until the nightmare begins.

Yuri Harris (0M) - Hannah
The landscape surrounding me is rather gloomy, and the overcast sky adds a dismal attitude. Perfect.

The area in front of me is a graveyard. I see no sign to indicate the name, since we’re already inside the gates. About a hundred yards in front of me is an onyx Cornucopia, filled with weapons and backpacks. A few feet in front of me is a chain. Not too much of a weapon, but I could easily use it to choke somebody.

I glance to my right and see the Eight male. I didn’t get to know him at all, and he received a five in training. I could kill him easily.

To my left is Alluria (0). She’s my District partner, so I can’t kill her. Yet.

My eyes dart to the top of the Cornucopia, where numbers go down on a clock. It’s already at fifty, and the numbers continue to fall.

Something shakes the arena and I turn my head towards the noise. A girl screams. The Ten male has fallen off his platform—or jumped, I’m not sure—and his arm is on Chloe’s (5) plate. One of his legs is in Lucia’s (3) arms, but she doesn’t seem to care. She just has to hold on to it until the minute is up.

I crack my knuckles and stare at the Cornucopia. There isn’t any water over here, but there’s a sickle in the Cornucopia. I can just run fast enough to grab it before somebody else does.

“I know your secret,” a monotonous voice says. I turn in horror to see Alluria (0) looking at me. The colour drains from my face. How does she know I drown people? No, she can’t know that. The only person who knows is my sister, Zoey, and she lives in a mental institution.

I turn my fear into anger as the clock shows forty seconds.

Kim Thorburn (11F) - Aria
Panic fills me as the Ten male fell with a sickening thud on Chloe’s (5) and Lucia’s (3) plates. The first death has already occurred, and the Games haven’t even started yet.

To be honest, I’m not the least afraid of -A. All I’m worrying about is keeping Tim (11) alive.

As I scan the Cornucopia for my brother, my eyes land on a scythe. It’ll be risky to go for it, especially since I need help Tim out of the Cornucopia, too, but I think it’s worth it.

I look around for Tim (11) again, but instead, I find a tombstone in the middle of the graveyard-Cornucopia. I don’t know why, but it catches my attention. I can’t read the name on it, but it’s certainly something of interest.

My eyes dart back to the timer reading thirty seconds.

Julian Veritas (13M) - Hannah
I rapidly take deep breaths in and out of my nose. I can’t die. I want to win—need to win—for Jolee. Poor Jolee, so happy but so broken. I wonder if she can see me now, wanting me to win. I wonder if Jane is watching or if she’s too scared to.

My eyes dart next to me to see Korrey (4) on my right and Belle (15) on my left. They both have nothing to worry about, being with the Careers and all. I’m in an alliance unlike the majority—with my District partner—but that doesn’t mean the Careers won’t be stronger than all the loners if they bonded together. There’s what? Ten or so of them?

I look at the Cornucopia, which seems to be a building modeled slightly after a mausoleum. Bags of black, white, gray and red are spread out, more densely towards the mouth, and weapons and various supplies are strewn all over.

I try to calm myself and keep my eyes on a machete lying on top of a crimson bag as the timer gets to twenty seconds.

Oscar Reids (5M) - Aria
I flinch when the Ten male’s body falls on Chloe’s (5) plate as she yelps. -A is much more dangerous than I thought.

That’s why instead of scanning for weapons (I can’t use any), I scan the tributes to try to figure out which one is hiding the dirty secret. The only way to keep Chloe (5) alive is if I keep her away from -A.

I look around. I see Nutmeg (1), eyeing Brett (7) with a vicious glare, Pharmacy (6) staring intently into the Cornucopia, Christina (2) looking seductive yet vicious as always, Solomon (C) flicking his forked tongue at me as he notices me looking at him. I look away immediately, and pretend to focus on the timer.

I have absolutely no clue of who could be -A. I guess I would find out soon. In the meantime, I have to worry about fleeing the Cornucopia alive with Chloe (5).

Grimly, I look back to the timer. Ten seconds left until the massacre begins.

-A (??) - Hannah/Aria
The poor Ten male explodes because of a little accident I caused. Oops. Sorry. Thirty-two more tributes to go.

All the tributes around me either have determined faces or are scared out of their wits. I, however, am just thinking ways to get rid of each one of them. Especially the ones who have a chance of finding out. I look at my next potential victim. Starting with that one.

I decide whether to jump into the Cornucopia or get out of it. Making my decision, I wear my mask and look into the timer. It's down to ten seconds.

9... Victims lying dead around the Cornucopia.

8... Everyone set against each other in suspicion of being -A.

7... One less tribute to silence after every death.

6... The only one who knows the secret.

5... Them realising too late it's not worth finding out.

4... Lying for your dear life.

3... A secret to take to the grave.

2... Can keep a secret if one of them is dead.

1.

Time to bring my -A game.

Korrey Arlington (4M) - Hannah
A gong rings, and I jump into the grass. I furrow my eyebrows as I sink into the ground, and I look around. The other tributes seem to be going through the same thing. It looks like ground... this must be another lie. Fitting for these games, though.

I look around to see the Eight male making his way towards me. I smirk and run to meet him. It's a bit easier for me to manage water and other fluids, being from Four and all. I'm strong enough to walk through it faster. The tribute looks at me in panic and tries to run the other way. But I latch onto his neck from behind.

He thrashes in my arms, but he's smaller than me and less experienced. I wrap my hands around his frail neck and squeeze. His face turns red and his claws at my hands become more weak. I can't help but smile when he falls limp.

I couldn't care less who -A is. I can probably kill them easily.

Adrian Lexus (15M) - Aria
After a bit of struggling to get out of the quicksand-like ground, I manage to run into the Cornucopia and grab a dagger. Looking around for a potential victim, I find Dixie (14) battling Peyton (7). He’s too distracted in trying to spear her, so I take a chance and plunge my dagger into him.

Dixie goes limp, and falls to the ground. I hear his cannon and face Peyton (7), who smirks at me. But, her eyes suddenly widen as if she’s looking through me. She yells, “Fifteen, look out!”

I turn around too late. Christina (2) thrusts a spiked mace into me, and now she’s the one smirking.

I feel nothing as land on the ground in a pool of my own blood. The last words I hear are Christina (2) snapping, “Next time, don’t try to attack a Career.”

I hear my own cannon boom.

Peyton Applebee (7F) - Aria
Slightly horrified at the sudden death of someone who would’ve made a good ally, I decide not to attack the Careers. But that doesn’t mean I won’t attack anyone.

I run the opposite direction of Christina (2) and look for a potential victim. Then, my eyes fall on a certain tribute from 12. Caesar (12). This is my chance to avenge my brother.

I run at him, crying for his blood. He turns around, bewildered. He aims his crossbow at me and shoots. I try to dodge it, but it gets in my arm. I fall to my knees and my vision starts to blur. No. I was not going to die to a weakling from 12.

Sudden rage motivates me to get up, ignore the pain and run at Twelve. (Caesar (12), whatever.)

As he tries to shoot at me again, I avoid it this time and I come close enough to him to knock his crossbow off his hands with my axe. He tries to run this time, but I raise my axe and let it land blissfully in his back.

I grin viciously as his cannon goes off.

Lucia Duvall (3F) - Aria
Nearly bored, I roll my eyes and grab a dagger at my leisure and turn around to face the carnage. All the corpses are slowly being swallowed by the ground and tributes were starting to leave.

I look around for any tribute besides the Careers, and spot my District partner, Signors (3). I run to him, but he doesn’t try to flee. He has his own dagger in his hand, and soon we’re in a fight, dagger against dagger. But, I overpowered him and caught him off balance. He falls to the ground, and it’s already swallowing him up. I am about to stab him, but I think I’d better give a more painful, more entertaining death.

I dropped to my knees just enough so the ground doesn’t swallow me, and press Signors (3) more to the ground. He starts to suffocate and scrambles to get out but I push him deeper into the quicksand. I can see that his body starts to disappear and he gradually stops moving. I smile as I hear a cannon go off.

I get up, dust myself off and turn around to see more chaos. My eyes focus on Miyako (C). She’s about to leave the Cornucopia, but I won’t let that happen.

I look at my dagger. It’s not for throwing, but hey, what’s the difference between that and a throwing dagger?

I swing my hand towards her and let the dagger fly until it hit Miyako (C) square in the chest. She dropped her pack and fell to the ground as her cannon boomed.

That cannon is music to my ears.

Cassie Wynn (8F) - Hannah
Getting away from the Bloodbath is a lot easier than getting in.

It seems that after a minute or so, the ground closed up. I quickly run on the dirt past the tombstones, but I drop my backpack and lean down to pick it up. In the second it takes me to do so, an arrow grazes my shoulder. I wince in pain and watch Nutmeg (1) load another arrow. As she shoots it, I hold up my backpack and it is knocked back as the arrow flies into it. I sling the bag on my back and run away from the Bloodbath.

Into the town I run, and escape into a place labeled as the Applewood Grille. I push a table against a door and sit down behind the counter.

I open the dull orange backpack. Inside is a slip of paper. I widen my eyes in fear and turn around.

Irene Watson (10F) - Aria
Pacing through the woods with a butcher knife in hand, I look out for anyone around me as I keep moving away from the Cornucopia.

Finally, when I think I’ve gone far enough, I sit on a branch of a tree and check out the supplies I got.

I open the backpack to reveal a flask of water. Water! I take a few sips and cap the bottle again. I continue going through the supplies. I find a small loaf of bread and decide I should save it for later.

There isn’t any more that’s too important (for me, at least) in the backpack. I look around in the environment. It is still day. I don’t have much to do, so I just sit on the tree branch and sigh, watching the sky.

And before I even know it, I doze off.

I wake up minutes later, only to hear a cannon. Who could’ve died already? It’s impossible to tell with -A on everyone’s tails. I calm myself and settle into the branch again. But, suddenly, the tree I’m in starts to shake. I’m alert and have my butcher knife in hand. But how will I fight the fact that I’m about to fall off?

The tree shakes again, as if someone is purposely doing this. I grab the branch tightly, but the tree keeps moving as if it were in an earthquake. Soon, my grip loosens and I fall to the ground, face-first. I turn around dizzily and try to take in my surroundings. Nothing has changed, except for the fact a figure is walking towards me, but I’m too lightheaded to scream at myself to move. Only then do I realize who’s in front of me.

“This should make up for the loss of bloodbath kills,” -A growls, and raises something—I can’t tell if it’s a dagger or a knife—as I start to panic and regain control of myself, but it’s too late. Whatever-it-is hits my stomach and I let out a small gasp. I can hear my own heartbeat slowing down, and I can see my vision blurring as -A walks away as if nothing happened and melts into the darkness.

And I do, too.

Alluria Nexus (0F) - Aria
Flail ready to smack someone, I run through the woods labeled Ravenswood cautiously. Night is falling, and two deaths have already occurred after the bloodbath. Who is -A? Whoever they are, they’re way more dangerous than I thought.

-A isn’t the only killer out here, though. This is the Hunger Games. There are way more people than -A who want each other dead. Especially since there aren’t many alliances here.

Alliances… I should try to join one.

I suddenly trip on something and quickly get up to see what I tripped on. I scream at the sight. It’s Irene Watson (10). She is sitting on the tree trunk with eyes wide open and smiling while wearing… lipstick? No, it was blood. Her face is caked with makeshift makeup. But something about her seems very… dead. I can tell from the huge wound in her stomach. I don’t understand what’s going on. Only then do I realize -A did this, and prettied her up.

I hear multiple footsteps coming towards me. Careers. I jump off from the ground and whip around, flail ready. But only two, very un-Career-like people face me. Julian (13) and Taylor (13).

I am about to say, “Don’t come any closer,” and leave, but an idea triggers in my mind. I lower my flail, and ask, “Could—could I maybe join your alliance?”

Julian (13) scratches his head. “You’re Alluria, right?” I nod.

Julian (13) and Taylor (13) look at each other. “Welcome to the alliance,” Taylor (13) says warmly. Then, her head tilts to Irene’s (10) dead body.

Julian (13) creases his eyebrows. “We should leave.”

Venus Valentine (4F) - Aria
It’s dark. Night has fallen. And all I can do is run.

I don’t know who is chasing me, but they’re on my tails. It might be -A. That thought doesn’t reassure me.

I only have a dagger in my hand, but I will not attack my pursuer. I don’t want to hurt anything. I just want to live.

Unfortunately, I wind up in front of a large tree, and there’s no other way out unless I fight. But I’d rather die than kill someone.

My pursuer comes to me and I can recognize him. Ryan Dennis (6). And he looks angry. I don’t know why—he seems like a nice guy—but he’s murderous now.

I back into the tree more, if it’s even possible. “D—don’t hurt me…”

Ryan (6) raises his sword, and I panic. In that moment of panic, my dagger slips out of my hand and flies into Ryan’s (6) chest and I close my eyes. I hear a thud and a cannon. I scream.

Tears flood my face. I never wanted to kill anyone, but I just killed Ryan (6). I sob until my tear glands refuse to function.

“I didn’t mean to…” I start muttering. “I’m sorry.”

I don’t know how long it’s been, but I get up from crying and take my bloody dagger out of Ryan (6). I whimper at the sight, but I clean it on the grass and run from Ryan’s (6) body. I wish I didn’t have to kill him.

Nutmeg Spica (1F) - Aria
I scream, and the rest of the Careers wake up.

“Nutmeg, what’s going on?” Pharmacy (6) asks. I don’t say anything. I only point at Brett’s (7) mutilated body.

“Oh, God,” Korrey (4) mutters and examines the body. The rest of the Careers follow.

“Wasn’t Brett on watch last?” Lucia (3) asks. “I think he was stabbed, and then whoever did this took their time to make him look like this,” she explains with a vacant expression.

“You sure seem to know a lot about how he was killed,” Yuri (0) interjects. “And you need a knife or a dagger to stab somebody. You carry a dagger.”

Lucia (3) smiles sarcastically. “I’m not -A. Move along.”

“Anyway,” Pharmacy (6) snaps at the two staring daggers at each other. “He’s dead, so he’s dead. What did you see, Nutmeg?”

I sigh. “I don’t know, I just heard some muffling voices and someone walking off. When I opened my eyes, all I saw was a shadowy figure leaving Brett’s corpse. And now we’re here.”

Christina (2) walks around Brett’s (7) body, obviously disgusted at the sight. “Well,” she says in her sickly-sweet voice, “now that he’s dead, we need someone else on watch for the night. And I need my sleep now, so it’s not going to be me.”

“Nutmeg,” Pharmacy (6) interjects, “why don’t you keep watch?”

“I’m fine with that,” I say as my allies disperse and go back to sleep. I wait until they’re all sound asleep, and look around.

Someone throws something at me. I quickly turn around and look out for anyone, but no one’s there. I look at the rock whoever-they-are threw at me, except, it’s not a rock. It’s a crumpled up paper.

I open the paper, and there is a note written inside:

Did you really think I wouldn’t see you kill Brett?

It’s a matter of time before they know, too.

''Kisses, -A''

-A (??) - Aria
My feet are up on the countertop of the Applewood Grille and I recline back into the stool. After a long day out and about, I’m back at a site of crime I committed. A perfect day.

I tilt my head to the right and see bloody brown hair on an even messier body. Cassie Wynn (8). I’d followed her from the bloodbath.

I hear music. It’s the Capitol anthem. They must be showing images of ‘the fallen’. It’s just a sugarcoated version of the people who were brutally murdered, mostly by me.

I look up and see who else died.

Eleven people dead on the first day. Twenty-two more to go. I played big parts in some of the deaths. I grin.

I wonder who’s next on my target list. Maybe I can freak some people out with just one death. I pose a threat to everyone, after all. No matter how tough they are or how smart they are, I’m always ten steps ahead. I’m unbeatable.

If you think otherwise, watch me make a liar disappear.

Julian Veritas (13M) - Aria
I wake up on my own. Taylor (13) is supposed to wake me up, but I guess I wake before she is supposed to wake us all up.

“Guys?” I say.

Alluria (0) says something in a sleepy voice, and soon she wakes as well. “So glad it’s day.”

I nod. “Where’s Taylor?”

Alluria (0) shrugs. “She was on watch last.” I begin to tense. This is the Hunger Games; I can’t trust anyone and need to always be on guard.

“We should search for Jolee.” I get up and start to search.

Alluria (0) tilts her head. “Jolee?”

“Taylor,” I quickly say and continue looking around. I don’t need to be reminded of my dead sister.

Alluria (0) helps in my search, but there’s no luck. As I search for my District partner, I try to figure out who might be -A. Whichever conclusion I end up in, I have a nagging suspicion I was right beside -A.

“Julian?” Alluria (0) calls out in a shaky voice.

“What?” I say and approach her. Alluria (0) doesn’t say anything else. She only points at the middle of the lake we camped beside.

I see what she means and horror strikes me. In the middle of the lake is a body with arms spread out and face submerged, floating farther and farther away. The body’s black hair is messy and tinged with blood. -A killed Taylor (13).

Alluria (0) muttered something, then says, “I think I know who -A is.”

I think so, too.

Kim Thorburn (11F) - Hannah
Tim (11) is still asleep, so I feel obligated to go retrieve our breakfast. We're in the middle of a small town, Rosewood, it's called, and we're right next to a cupcake shop. If I could just slip in and slip out then I'd get us something sweet.

I heave my dull red bag - the one thing I got from the Bloodbath - over my shoulder, then retrieve the knife from the side pocket and squeeze the handle.

A creak in the floor makes me gasp, but Tim's (11) breaths are kept steady as I creep to the door and quietly open it, shielding as much of the cold air as I can with my body as not to alarm my brother.

The cupcake shop seems further away than last night, but it was probably just because we were running and so everything seemed closer in relativity to our steps. I creep out, only to run into Auro (1). He holds up his knife, and my heart dives into stomach. He's a Career, isn't he? He's more muscular than I am, and he's more skilled in his weapon. I don't even have one from home.

He swings down, but I just barely dodge the weapon and thrust my hand upward. "F***!" I hear him scream, and he sinks to the ground. I pant, taking deep breaths until I feel calm enough to flip him over.

It takes a moment to turn his back to the sky. I pull his backpack off his shoulders, and just as I'm unzipping the main compartment, I feel myself pinned to the ground. I look up to see Auro (1). Blood drips from his wound. The only thing keeping him from stabbing me is my hand.

"Please don't hurt me!" I try to say confidently, but it ends up sounding shaky.

"Oh, sweetheart, begging won't get you anywhere here. Maybe it did back home."

My eyes widen. Suddenly, his eyes widen, too, and blood spills out his mouth and nose. He falls off me, and I sit up to see silver hair running away. A cannon goes off.

I walk into the cupcake shop and retrieve some food. Then I hurry back to Tim (11).

"Who was that cannon?" he asks.

"I don't know," I lie. "Some tribute, I guess." I hear a slight tapping outside and hold up my one finger to him. "I'll be right back." I open the door to find a note taped to the windows. Written in bloodred ink, it reads

''I know you killed Auro. You kill Tim, or I spill it to him.''

Kisses,

-A

I drop the note and let out a bloodcurling scream.

Hazel Maize (9F) - Aria
Walking through the woods with absolutely no supplies at all, I decide to try and steal them from others, or I’d die. I haven’t had food or water in days. I feel like I’m going insane.

I keep walking until I am able to see a girl sitting against a tree trunk. She looks asleep. I can snatch her things.

Quietly, I creep up to her and see a backpack near her. It looks stuffed. Yes! I’m close enough to grab it and run now. Just to be sure, I look to see if the girl is asleep. I don’t know who she is, but she has red hair and is definitely asleep.

As I reach for her supplies, something wet but heavy falls on me and I shriek. I turn around and see the redhead who’s covered in blood and has used dirt as makeup. She fell on top of me and I quickly threw her off me and got up. I’m covered in her blood now.

That’s when I realize that the girl in front of me is Irene (10), who died a day ago.

Once I recover from my sudden outburst and realize she is dead, I take her pack and run off to a different area of the woods.

Driven insane by hunger, I immediately open the pack and see a loaf of bread. Food! I wolf it down and I’m satisfied enough.

But, there’s a feeling in my stomach that’s clawing up to my throat and limbs. I drop the bag, unable to move and I realize what’s happening. Whoever killed Irene (10)—most probably -A—must’ve poisoned her food and left it for someone else to pick up. And I am stupid enough to do so.

I feel the poison crawling into my heart and my heartbeat grows slower until it stops.

Belle Curran (15F) - Aria
I wake up before the rest of my allies as Nutmeg (1) goes around waking everyone else from their slumber.

“It’s the second day,” Lucia (3) observes.

“No kidding,” I spit at her. I don’t trust Lucia (3). She glares at me and I give her a menacing smirk, making her turn back.

“Alright, guys,” Pharmacy (6) calls out, “I guess we can start hunting tributes today.”

I smile. I can drown more people today. “Let’s head out to the lakeside now—”

There is a shuffling noise close to us.

Belle (15) slowly walks toward the source, mace in hand. The noise grows louder and more and more close to Belle (15). She’s the only one who could possibly see the tribute walking around. She grins and launches her mace at him/her.

We can’t see anything because of the dense foliage, but Belle (15) can see just enough. There is a sound of a thud, like a body falling to the ground.

Belle’s (15) eyes widen in glee. “I killed -A!” she shouted in a singsong voice. “I killed—”

Belle’s (15) mace sprouted from her own chest this time, and Belle (15), shocked, falls to the ground with a cannon booming behind her. -A just killed her.

“There’s a note,” Pharmacy (6) says and plucks the mace out of Belle (15). She opens the note, which seems to be smeared in blood, and reads out:

''“I’m still here, bitches. And I know everything!''

''Kisses, -A”''

I pale. I feel like -A put the last sentence for me. Pharmacy (6) crumples up the note and throws it to the ground and makes a disgruntled noise.

“Well,” she says at last, “we can go hunting for tributes that aren’t -A. Let’s move.” People nod in agreement and gather their weapons, following Pharmacy (6).

Before I leave with them, I open a note from my pocket. I’ve read it before and followed it in fear, but I read it again, just in case:

''Robot Girl isn’t the only one who knows your secret. Get rid of her friend or I’ll get rid of you.''

''Kisses, -A''

Artemis Moonsliver (12F) - Aria
I’m running as fast as I can. I just shot Auro (1) and Kim (11) saw me. Who’s to say she’s not going to come after me?

I hear shuffling noises coming from two directions—one behind me and another to my left. Who can be the other tribute?

“-A?” I wonder aloud as my heartbeat rises.

I’m pretty sure Kim (11) and -A are on my tail. I decide to change direction to avoid them.

Even as I run, the footsteps follow me. I guess I have no choice but to fight.

I stop in my tracks, and run towards the direction of one pair, which seemed to try to get away from me. I’m getting really confused.

The other pair of footsteps was also on my tail. I had to move to another direction.

I move into a clearing and see the tribute I was pursuing. It’s Julio (9), and he’s panting as he walks over to a tree. He doesn’t have a weapon and he’s weak and vulnerable. I can take him out easily.

I aim at him, and he notices me right as I am about to let go of the string. His eyes widen and he shouts, “Wait! Don’t shoot!”

I hesitate at first, but Julio (9) looks like a good guy. And, he can’t hurt me. I lower my bow. “Do you want to ally?” I ask him.

“Actually,” he says, relieved, “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

I laugh a little, and it’s a start of a new alliance.

Out of the blue, I feel something long—an axe or a tomahawk—graze my shoulder and I fall to the ground.

“Damn!” I hear a feminine voice call out. I immediately grab my bow and point at the source. Julio (9) looks around cautiously.

I spot someone. It’s Peyton (7). I let go of the string and aim at her heart. Peyton (7) dodges and runs at me. I am ready to launch another arrow.

“Hold on!” Julio (9) says, and we both stop in our tracks. He faces Peyton (7) and says, “You’re Peyton, right?” Peyton (7) nods. “Do you want to join our alliance?”

“Er,” Peyton (7) looks at the two of us, then directly at me. “Aren’t you from District 12?” I nod cautiously, and notice a glint in Peyton’s eyes. “Well, I guess we could all ally.”

Julio (9) smiles. “We could set camp here. Now…”

We start talking and relaxing a bit, but I don’t think I made an ally today.

Oscar Reids (5M) - Aria
Chloe (5) and I sit in the Applewood Grille, wondering what to do next. We were camping before near the lakeside, but when I heard some voices we left immediately. This place seems deserted, which is a good thing. No one can hurt Chloe (5).

“So,” Chloe (5) tries to make conversation, “what now?”

I respond with a sigh. I really don’t know what to do next. “Let’s try to narrow down who’s -A.”

“Alright. So, who could be -A?”

I crease my eyebrows. “It’s probably one of the Careers. They’re all sneaky and deceitful liars.”

“Yeah, but which Career?”

I don’t respond for a few seconds. “I don’t think it’s Solomon. He’s not even human.”

Chloe (5) nods. “I don’t think it’s Nutmeg, either. She doesn’t seem sneaky enough.”

“And that about ends my list for the Careers,” I give a small laugh. “Now, which of the loners or people in alliances could be -A?”

“Alluria Nexus,” Chloe (5) says, almost too fast. “I just have a nagging suspicion it’s her. Or Peyton from District 7. I don’t know, it could be anyone. Can we stop now?”

Chloe (5) seems oddly bothered. I don’t know why. I know that I’m not -A, but who’s to say I’m protecting -A from getting killed?

As a test, I ask her, “You’d tell me if you were -A, wouldn’t you?”

Chloe (5) giggles. “Why would you even think that? Of course I’d tell.”

“Yeah,” I smile to hide the fact that I’m wondering if I allied with -A.

“I’m going to look for any supplies here.” On that note, Chloe (5) gets off the stool next to mine and starts opening cupboards and drawers, leaving me to contemplate who’s -A.

Chloe (5) has been acting strange lately, right after the Games began. Either she got something from -A and didn’t tell me, or she is -A. I think I’ll take watch tonight, just in case.

Suddenly, Chloe (5) screams.

“Chloe!” I run to her and see what happened.

“It’s okay,” Chloe (5) breathes heavily. “I’m fine. No one’s here, at least not anyone alive.”

My eyes drift to what Chloe (5) found stashed in a cupboard: the rotting yet horrifyingly pretty corpse of Cassie Wynn (8).

This is what -A does to people? This is what my own sister might be doing behind my back? To be honest, I’m getting scared. Soon enough, I’ll be amongst these bodies.