HARRY POTTER

Zoe Modjeska

(did not hand in)

Scarlet Waterstone

(did not hand in)

Jenna Samson

(did not hand in)

Melissa Davidson

(did not hand in)

HUNGER GAMES

Helena Woods

I'm sitting on top of my favorite tree, an oak overlooking a small lake in the middle of the forest in District 7. A soft breeze blows and messes up my loose hair, and I close my eyes, breathing it in.

Suddenly, I hear a soft buzzing noise unlike any other I've heard from bugs or birds before. This one sounds more... metallic. I open my eyes and frown, trying to figure out where it's coming from.

As it grows louder and louder, I start feeling dizzy. I need to get down from the tree. I try to move but my body feels like it's swimming in honey. The noise is reaching its peak, and I'm panicking. I'm going to fall. I'm going to die. Those are my lasts thoughts before everything goes black.

<~~> <~~> <~~>

I can still here the faint buzzing in my ears as I open my eyes and blink at the sudden light.

Am I dead?

A few seconds later, I can open my eyes fully. I lift my head and observe my surroundings. I'm lying on the ground in the Town Center of Seven, surrounded by a crowd of teenagers ages twelve through eighteen. I stand up shakily and look over the shoulder of a tall boy in front of me towards a stage in front of the building. On the stage is a large glass ball filled with what look like slips of paper. I turn my head sharply around to look at how us teens are standing and my head spins.

Suddenly, everything fits. This is the Reaping. Which means the Games are here. This year is the Quarter Quell. One hundred years since the first Hunger Games.

The anthem starts playing and President Snow appears on the screens placed around the Town Center.

"Welcome to this years Hunger Games," he says in the strange Capitol accent. "This year, we celebrate one hundred years since the rebellion. One hundred years since the first Hunger Games."

The camera angle changes and shows someone handing President Snow the Quarter Quell box. The whole of Panem seems to have fallen silent as their leader opens the box and pulls out the card that will change the lives of many. "This year, to show that the Capitol has control over everyone and anyone, the President will decide who will be chosen for the Games." President Snow puts the card down. "Ah. I see."

No one says anything. Everyone stares and waits.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Snow says, "I say that District 2 will reap one girl, and District 7 will reap two girls and one boy."

The next words are drowned by the tremendous uproar that occurs in 7. Two girls and one boy? Three people? And why Seven? Why not Four? Five? Eight?

"I also say that Chicago, Brooklyn, England and Ireland will also be bringing some of their teenagers over to... play."

I shudder at the way he says that last word.

"Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

The screens turn off, and a hooded figure steps onto the stage. He — or she — walks up to the glass ball. The Town Center falls silent, a tribute to the unlucky tributes.

The figure plunges its hand inside, deep into the sea of names, people whose lives might change forever. Or end.

It finally clasps its hands around one of them and slowly pulls it out and unfolds it.

"Oliver Saturn!" There's an audible sigh of relief from the male population of District 7 as a tall, muscular guy makes his way through the crowd and to the stage. Before he can get there, four Peacekeepers jump at him and start dragging him away to a building nearby. Oliver struggles, but it doesn't do him any good.

The hooded figure is already reaching down into the glass ball again. Another name.

"Helena Woods."

No. I stay rooted in my spot as heads turn to look at me. No way. Out of the corner of my eye, I see two more Peacekeepers come running at me. My instincts kick out and I push my way out of the crowd and sprint off towards the woods.

I hear shouts behind me. I don't stop. Suddenly, I feel something hit my leg, and I stumble. Instantly, I start feeling drowsy. Come on, get up, Helena! But I can't. For the second time today, I pass out.

<~~> <~~> <~~>

"Lena? Hey, wake up!"

I open my eyes and sit up as I recognize the voice. "Lizzie? You were reaped too?"

"Yeah," my friend says with a rueful smile.

"And I'm going to have to kill you?"

"Not if someone else does first!" she jokes.

I observe my surroundings. I'm lying on a bed with silk blankets and soft pillows, and Elizabeth is sitting on a small couch beside it.

"Where are we? And what happened after I blacked out?" I ask.

"We're on a train on our way to the Training Center. Two-day journey. There we'll also have two days to train and then we'll have to show our skills to the Head Game Maker," Lizzie answers. "After you blacked out, the Peacekeepers grabbed you and took you to the same building where Oliver was, and then I was reaped. We were put on the train immediately afterwards. Also, you missed the District Two reaping. We watched it here on the train. A girl named... Kayleyn Smiller was reaped. We'll be picking her up on our way to the Capitol, as well as the others from all over the world."

I nod. Suddenly, my stomach starts growling. Lizzie hears it too, and she laughs. "Want something to eat?"

I smile, grateful, and she leads me to the train kitchen.

<~~> <~~> <~~>

"Johanna Mason, ex-victor, your current mentor. At your service." The woman bows mockingly. The tips of her short, graying hair are dyed red, making her look younger than she is.

"Oliver Saturn." He holds out his hand and Johanna slaps it, much to his surprise.

"No handshakes here, tributes!"

"Elizabeth Stone," Lizzie introduces herself.

"I'm Helena Woods."

"Yeah, yeah, no need for introductions; I watched the reaping!"

"Energetic," I mutter to Lizzie.

She giggles and nods.

"Well, first thing you need to know," Johanna continues, "is who you'll be competing against. You'll be meeting them shortly in the Training Center, but I must warn you: some of them have magic!"

"Now that's just not fair!" I complain.

Oliver stands up from his seat and paces in front of us. "No, it isn't. But we have knowledge of the arenas and how the Games work and everything, which I doubt they do."

Johanna speaks again, "Ollie's right. They might have magic and the gods on their side, but we have brains."

"Hey, don't call me Ollie!"

"Gods? They have gods?" Lizzie cries incredulously.

Johanna nods. She looks at a fancy watch on her wrist. "Well, time to train, everyone! Another word of advice: don't show your talents in front of the others. Quickly tell me what you can do."

Everyone stays silent.

"I was taught how to use a sword once," I say. I don't mention that I hate it. I try to keep my attention on what's happening to avoid thinking about the incident.

"Nice, Hel," Johanna grins approvingly. "Ollie?"

He doesn't say anything. She rolls her eyes and sighs. "Oliver?"

"I'm not a fighter, but I have used knives before."

"We'll need to work on that. Elizabeth?"

"Nothing. I mean, I can punch someone hard if I wanted to..."

"Oh, come on, Lizzie, tell her about the crossbow!" I urge her.

"Crossbow?" Johanna seems interested.

Lizzie sighs. "My dad owned a crossbow which he kept hidden from the Capitol and the Peacekeepers. He would take it out and teach me sometimes. I'm not very good at it though..."

"Stop trying to get out of it!" Johanna orders. "You're getting a crossbow at the Cornucopia, and that's final!"

Lizzie's shoulders slump with resign.

"One of the District two mentors, Enobaria, a friend of mine, told me that Kayleyn knows how to use throwing knives. If you can get her as an ally, do it."

No one speaks. All I can think about is how I might die in a few days.

"All right! Training Center! Now!"

<~~> <~~> <~~>

Second and last day at the Training Center, and still we haven't been able to get close to Kayleyn. I see her at the hand-to-hand combat station with a young girl from Chicago. Thirteen years old, but an amazing fighter. I've tried asking her what her secret was, but she's way too mysterious.

I approach them carefully. "Taara?"

She kicks at Kayleyn and turns to face me, breathing heavily. "What?"

"Can I have a go with Kayleyn?" I ask shyly.

"Sure!" She jumps down from the platform and jogs over to the knots station.

I take her spot. I may not have the best body, but I do have the agility, and I always used to play-fight with my sister before... before she got reaped and was killed two years ago.

As we assume out starting positions, I whisper, "Kayleyn, I need to tell you something."

She frowns. "What?"

I feign a punch at her face and as her hands go up to defend herself, I bring my knee up to her stomach.

She grunts, obviously thinking I just tried to distract her.

"Look," I continue, my eyes alert for her move, "These people, the ones who are not from Panem, have magic, gods, and other things I don't want to know." I quickly block her punch and jump to the side. "So, chances are, the Gamemakers will favor us in the arena."

Kayleyn shakes her head. "If you're suggesting an alliance, I'm rejecting it." Her leg moves so fast I don't see it until it's in my stomach."

"Mmph!" I clutch at where she kicked me. "They... might even let... all of us... win."

She stops. "Johanna said that?"

I nod, still recovering. Kayleyn hesitates for a moment, looking around at the foreign tributes.

Two girls from England are together at the plants section, totally nailing the memory test. I make a mental note to try it out later.

Another two girls from Brooklyn are practicing with the bow and arrow, and I see Lizzie in a corner, timidly trying out the crossbow. She catches my eye and I wink at her. She smiles back.

"I'll have to talk to Enobaria about it. Look for me in the Cornucopia. If I nod twice, we're allies. If I shake my head, we're not."

I'm not satisfied with her answer, but I nod and head over to the edible plants memory test.

<~~> <~~> <~~>

Testing day. Today we have to show the Gamemakers just how good we are.

We are led to a room outside the Training Room filled with chairs. I sit with Lizzie and Oliver. I see Kayleyn sitting alone, and I try to signal her over with us, but she doesn't look up.

"Zoe Modjeska." A girl with dark, wavy hair nervously gets up from her seat and enters the room. Hard as I try, I can't hear what's going on inside, as everyone goes in. They don't come back to this room.

Finally, everyone but Lizzie and me have gone. Neither of us speaks. We're both nervous, I can tell.

"Helena Woods."

I stand up, look at Elizabeth. "Straight for the crossbow, okay?"

She nods. "Sword, and show off that agility of yours. Climb the rope or something."

"I'm gonna play it low, though. The foreigners don't know people do that." I wink and walk through the door.

The Gamemakers are sitting across the room.

I swallow my nerves and walk over to the rope. Better start on that before my strength is gone.

I grab the coarse material in front of my face, and lift myself up, hugging the rope with my feet, lifting one arm, then the other. I can feel their eyes following me upwards. I reach the top, and make my way down, trying to hide my heavy breathing.

I start walking over to the swords area, but the Head Gamemakers nods and points at the exit door. I frown. I haven't finished showing them!

"You are dismissed," she says, pointing at the door.

I bite my tongue and swallow my anger at the injustice. With stiff legs, I exit the Training Room and faintly hear Lizzie's name being called.

<~~> <~~> <~~>

The screen shows Kayleyn's name and picture, and a nine beside it.

Not bad.

We're sitting in our rooms, watching the scores. Next, Oliver's name and picture come up. I gasp and sneak a glance at our mentor.

"A four?" Johanna screams. She jumps up from her seat and places herself inches in front of Oliver's freckled nose.

"I told you I can't fight," he says dismissively.

"But you said you could throw knives!"

"I said I could use knives, and not for fighting, for carving!

The screen changes to my picture and name and I block the argument out.

I grin. Exactly what I wanted. They acknowledged my skills, but I don't think anyone will be coming after me in a hurry.

Suddenly, Johanna's face is in front of mine. "Six? What is wrong with you people?"

"I played it low. I was going to show them my sword skills, but they made me leave." I push Johanna away as Lizzie's score fills the screen.

My head whips around to face her. "An eleven?"

She blushes. "I guess my skills weren't as rusty as I thought."

I laugh weakly. Now we might have a few people after us.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kayleyn Smiller

(did not hand in)

Elizabeth Stone

(sent but I'm having issues with copy/ paste)

Oliver Saturn

I was alone when it happened. I held a knife in my right hand, and a recently carved spoon in the other. I sat in the forest of district 7, my home, minding my own business. My back was pressed up against a tree, and I could feel my eyelids begin to droop. It had been a long and stressful day for me, trying to find people I could trade my carvings too in return for food.

I yawned and ran my hand through my hair, then sighed and used the tree to stand up. As I stood I heard a soft buzzing noise in my ears. At first I thought it was nothing to worry about, but then it began to grow louder. I stumbled back against the tree, clutching my head, as the noise continued to grow louder, until it was almost unbearable.

I've fainted twice in my life, the first time was when I had been moving machinery on a hot summer day for some extra money, and the second time was when I watched my best friend get her head chopped of in the hunger games. Both times my vision began to go dark, and then the next thing I remembered, I was lying on the ground with a headache.

This time was no different, I watched the trees ahead of me begin to go dark, and the next thing I remember is waking up.

***

When I opened my eyes I was incredibly confused, because I was still standing up, and I was surrounded by people from my district. Most of them looked just as confused as I felt, and some had sat down with their heads in their hands. I make a weak attempt to look for my mother, before giving up and begin to move forward so I can get a better view of where we were.

There is a large stage with a microphone standing beside a glass bowl filled with paper, it looks like the usual one for the reapings. Today, however, was not the reaping day, and it looked as though everyone from panem was here.

People around me were yelling, calling out for others and all wondering where we were, and why? Silence fell suddenly, as a cloaked figure walking onto the stage from the shadows, and up to the microphone. "Greetings, people of Panem."

Although her face is masked, I can tell she is a woman from her voice. "You may be wondering why, or how you are hear, and I would like to tell you not to worry,"

"There is going to be a new hunger games, where you have the chance to bring glory to your world, to panic. There will be four of you competing against other worlds, worlds you did not know existed. It is your chance to prove that Panem, is the greatest of them all."

There was silence as the woman walked over to the bowl, the sound of her heels beneath the cloak echoed through the air. She reached into the bowl and grabbed four names on the very top of the pile, and cleared her throat.

"Helena Woods, Kayleyn Smilled, Elizabeth Stone, and Oliver Saturn."

I automatically shrink back into the crowd around me, and several people turn to look at me. I can see two heavily armoured men pushing past people to get towards me, and fear takes over. I began to run, knocking people out of the way in an attempt to get away, and I run straight into another of the armoured men, who grabs my shoulders and marched me away.

I try to get away but he has an iron grip on me, and is directing me towards a train. I kick him in the knee, but he doesn't even flinch, and continues to walk.

I am shoved onto the train, with the three other tributes, and I pound my fist on the windows as the train begins to move.

I never even got to say goodbye to my mother.

***

The train ride goes past in a blur, I spend most of it in my room compartment crying. I know it's a sign of weakness to cry, but I've just been ripped away from my family to battle against people that I know nothing about. I think Ive earned the right to cry.

The bring food to my room everyday, and although I wouldn't like to admit it, it tastes amazing. My favourite so far has been plump roast chicken, quiet unlike the scrawny birds we ate back in District 7.

On the second day the armoured men, who remind me of the peacekeepers, come to bring me out of the train. I am directed with the other girls of Panem into a building, where we are taken up an elevator to our rooms. We do not talk, instead I watch them, taken note of their trembling legs and the fear in their eyes. At least I'm not the only one who is completely terrified.

I am directed to my room by another cloaked person, who is wearing a mask. I am then informed that I am the only male in the games, which only makes me more scared.

My room is painted to look like a sunset, and in the centre there is a black bed. There is also a bathroom through one of the doors, so I decide to take a long shower. Tomorrow I have training, and I will finally be able to see all of the tributes.

***

The next day I am taken down to the training room. I see the other tributes for the first time, and try to distance myself from them. I don't want to be singled out as a target because I am the only boy, so I avoid talking to others and go to the empty areas to train.

I start off by trying to camouflage myself, I do this by coating my hair in mud, hoping to make the ginger less obvious.

After the camouflage I move onto archery, which I am awful at, then I go to hand to hand combat, which I am fairly good at, then finally onto knife throwing. Knife throwing is by far my favourite, and the one I am the best at. I don't miss a single shot, and for the first time I am actually enjoying myself.

***

The next day I don't do knife throwing, because there are other tributes already there. In fact, I don't do anything, instead I sit on a bench, and watch everyone else train. I take notes of their strengths, weaknesses. I look to see which tributes are forming alliances, and which are making enemies. I see who the leaders are, and who the followers are.

By the end of the training, I know who exactly to look out for, and who I don't need to worry about. I am ready for the games.

***

The next day we have to prove our skills to the game makers. I try my hardest to get every knife I throw into the centre of the target, and when it is over I feel quite proud of my efforts.

When I get back, I turn on the TV in my room that shows everyone's scores. I watch nervously, and then see a 9 flash across the screen for me. I grin, maybe Is I'll have a chance at winning after all.

DIVERGENT

Taara Kax

There's something in my ear.

It's a quiet buzzing, so quiet that I didn't even notice it at first. The buzzing didn't hurt me, anyways, so I ignore it. I have to train with my father as always, and I needed to go to the training room right now. He doesn't like people to be late. I learned it the hard way when he first began to train me.

The buzzing in my ear is getting louder and louder. I try not to pay attention to it and focus on where I was going while trying not to bump into other people, but it was hard not to ignore what was going on. I never felt this situation before, I didn't know what to do. My father taught me everything I needed to know to survive, but never in this situation. I grab the mirror that I kept in my small bag I carried around-not for beauty purposes but it's a good thing to use as a signal when you're kidnapped or trapped. I use the mirror to check my ears, just in case something flew into it. Nothing's in there.

By now, the buzzing was unbearable. Feeling myself falling over, I try to find something to hold on but my vision was fading. I hit the floor, blacking

out.

. . .

I wake up to find people around me. I stand up, looking around. I recognize some that are from Dauntless and other factions, but many were unfamiliar to me. I'm near the back of the crowd, which means that if I need to escape I can do so quickly. I notice a bunch from Erudite, Abnegation, and some from Amity and Candor as well. I reach into my right pocket in my jeans, grabbing onto the small gun that I keep by my side all the time. I prefer using a shotgun, but I'll have to stick with this for now. I scan my surroundings. There's a large stage in the front, and on the stage is something that looks like a clear globe filled with little slips of papers. Guards surround all of us, making sure that we don't leave or escape.

I tense up as I sense someone behind me. I whip around, grabbing the person's arm and forcing her to step back. She's a girl, a little older, but looks surprise at the fact that I knew she was there.

She's definitely not from Dauntless. Looking at her clothes, she looks like she's from Candor.

"Whoa, there. Sorry about that. I was surprised about how quick you reacted. You have fast reflexes, little girl." She remarked, looking at me with interest.

I can't trust her yet, but I slowly release my grip on her arm and stepped back.

Suddenly, a voice calls for silence. I turn around, looking at a cloaked figure on the stage. Everyone else around me falls silent, including the girl behind me. The cloaked figure has a rather feminine voice. So she's a woman.

"Welcome, everyone. You are all here because of the Games, a battle that will determine the glory of your home. You are here to have the possibility of being in the Games. Whether you are a witch, a wizard, from a faction, from a district, a child of a god or goddess, or a shadowhunter, you are all able to be a part of this. Fight for your home, and fight for your glory! This is a battle to the death. Only one person will emerge and come out alive, and that person will become the winner."

A cry of protest erupts immediately after hearing about the fact that we're fighting to the death. People run to the front of the stage, shouting as a bunch of guards hold them back. I notice that other people from Dauntless and Erudite and a couple other unfamiliar people stay. I take note of who they are. These people are calm, like me, which means that they might be dangerous. The figure clears her throat again, loudly.

The crowd silences once again.

"Anyways, I know you are all confused. But after we draw the lucky people that will be participating, we will be glad to answer all your questions you have after this ordeal. So, shall we begin choosing the participants?"

The figure reaches into the globe, digging deeper until her hand comes up with a slip of paper.

"Taara Kax." she reads, looking around. So I'm participating in this.

She places her hand into the globe again, but grabbing two slips this time.

"We have to move forward, I wouldn't want all of us to be sitting here all day, right?"

I'm strangely calm about it. i don't feel fear or anger. I know that what I learned from father would be put to good use in this "Game", and I have nothing to worry about. I notice that that isn't the case with everyone. The seventeen year old boy from what I recognize is an Amity and he's trembling and grabbing to his clothes so hard that his knuckles turned white.

Whatever this "Game" may be, it's just a way for me to test my skills, even if I don't make it out alive.

I brace myself as the guards grab me by my arms and lift me up easily. As they lift me away, I quietly position my legs in a position to attack if they do anything.

Even as they carry me farther away, I still hear her voice reading off the names. We're close to what looks like a train.

The guards push me forward onto the train and watches as I sit on one of the seats. I grip my gun again, noticing the other people who's name has been called. I need to know who were possibly my enemies. Having allies were out of the question.

The train was rather new but different from the one we use to train in Dauntless. But it's similar, so when I need to jump, I can. The seats are bare and cold.

"Stay put. Don't try to do anything to escape or leave. Doing anything will result in getting everyone killed. Feel free to talk , but don't leave your seat until everyone is here." One of the guards say. "Introduce yourself to each other." Another guard says forcefully.

One of the girls sitting near the end claps her hands.

"We understand." She says in a reassuring tone.

She might be a potential person to use as a tool. But I can't be sure yet. She doesn't look like a girl who can kill, but I have to see. As I'm thinking this, I notice the rest of the participants enter the train. They sit on the seats quietly, and as far away from each other as possible.

The guard turns around and signals something. The train starts moving. They then inform us that the ride will take two days.

"I'm Tarn Urbon, I'm in Candor but I used to be in Amity." The girl says. The noise that the train's making is loud, so she has to shout.

From the order of who introduces themselves first, I can probably know who trusts other's easily from a first glance. I instantly think of this. It's a habit now, after hearing it hundreds if not thousands of times. Being in Dauntless is an advantage, I know more skills when it comes to combat, and me being younger might make the older participants think I don't know anything when it comes to this.

"I'm Lauren. I'm from Dauntless. " she says.

Something's wrong with her tone, as if she's trying to force it. The others don't seem to notice and nod, moving on to another person. I take a second glance at Lauren before turning away.

I watch as the others introduce themselves, while making note of who seems more naive and who seems to be more wise.

"I'm Jyriter Amir. I'm an Erudite."

I've seen her around. I don't know much about her and from this short introduction I can't say anything yet, so I have to keep an eye out for her.

"I'm Elsa Matthews. I'm also an Erudite, though I use to be in Abnegation."

Abnegation to Erudite? That's...

"Taara Kax. I'm from Dauntless. I'm thirteen years old."

My introduction should be short, and shouldn't reveal too much about me. No one here really knows who I am, except for Lauren who was also in Dauntless. They were also all from different classes as well, so they shouldn't be figuring things about me yet.

It only took a few minutes for all of us to introduce ourselves. The train doesn't have any windows, so I can't tell where we are right now. Deciding to leave now wouldn't be a good idea, with the guards and all. I could probably take all of them out if I tried, but I should stay put.

Tarn claps her hands again. "Now that we all know each other, let's tell each other a bit about our backgrounds so that we can-"

"No. Let's save that until later shall we?" a girl who's name I think was Elsa says forcefully. "We shouldn't be sitting here discussing who we are. That'll basically let everyone know ways that could defeat us easily."

Tarn stops, looking embarrassed for a second but shrugs it off. "Okay..I guess you're right."

We sit in silence for the rest of the ride.

. . .

The train stops, and a loud screeching could be heard. One of the guards opens the train doors. He motions for me to step out first, since I'm the closest to the door.

I notice that we're in front of a large building. I keep my hands on my gun. During the ride I let myself sleep for two hours before jolting awake. I couldn't bring myself to sleep longer than that.

The guards, or soldiers rushed us inside. It was what would be expected from an Erudite building, or where the initiation ceremony might take place.

We walk down a long hallway before making a left and entering a huge room. There's a bunch of tables with different weapons, there's paint, punching bags, small platforms to stand on, and targets.

I immediately notice that there are other people in the room. They didn't look familiar at all. A few were wearing robes, and a few had orange tee-shirts on. They didn't look like they belong in any of the factions. Who were they?

"This is the training room." a voice boomed suddenly. It was from one of the speakers set around the top corner of each wall. "You have two days to train here. Choose a table and feel free to do as you like, and at the end of the two days you will all have to prove your skills to a Gamemaker. This will decide your skills in combat and you will be scored out of twelve. After this, we will be happy to answer any questions you have."

"Oh, and also, the people that are in the training room right now are your opponents. Remember that."

So we have a set amount of time to train, then we have to prove our skills in front of someone called the "Gamemaker" and we'll receive a score out of twelve. Seems easy enough. I can also determine the others' fighting styles this way as well, especially the people I don't know.

"Now go! Feel free to try anything you want to as well."

So the other people must be the participants. Good to know. I'll have to make sure I see what weapons the others use so I can prepare when the games really begin.

Lauren runs to one of the stages and motions to Elsa. I also walk to a table where they had all the shotguns. I pick one up, feeling it. This one's too heavy. I picked up another one. This one's too slippery. I pick up the one at the end of the table. Perfect.

I know it isn't the best idea to let everyone know that I use a shotgun - they might be able to fight back - but doing this might make them thing that it's the only thing I can do. Which will just give them more reasons to ignore a thirteen year old girl, and target me less.

I hear the sound of someone throwing knives, and someone using a bow and arrow to the left of me. And I hear the sound of a bag being punched. I make note of these items and weapons.

I look at the headset and the pair of goggles on the table. Using them now isn't a good idea, especially for practice. I doubt we're going to have them during the games.

I stand behind the table and position myself so that I'm bending down. I aim for the red dot in the middle of the target. I press on the trigger.

The bullet hits the center as expected. I move farther away, walk over to another target, and I repeat what I did the first time.

I take a step back but I bump into someone. I turn around, pointing the gun but all I see is thin air.

My senses are sharp. There's no way I wasn't able to see or feel someone standing behind me. And I was positive that I heard someone fall onto the floor after bumping into me.

"Ow! That hurt, watch we're you're going before moving back." I watch as a girl materializes in front of me. She's wearing a robe.

I'm silent. I notice someone gasp.

"How on earth did you do that?" a girl cried. "Is it some sort of magic item? I never seen it in the shed, so where did you get it?"

"What? This is a spell, something I learned a while ago, mind you. God, muggles are so uneducated these days." the girl scoffs, gets up, and walks back to where she was. The other girl that cried out stomps away as well.

Magic? Spells? Whoever she is, she might be a potential enemy. If she can disappear suddenly, and just like that, she might have more tricks she isn't showing here.

I spent the rest of the time using the shotgun, until my hands can't move from staying in the same position all day.

. . .

The second day of letting us train has passed. We each have separate rooms - mine the farthest away from the entrance, and it's huge - compared to the small twin sized beds that I slept in back home.

We were told to remain in our rooms until they call us, and not interact with anyone else. We were also told to think of what to show to the Gamemakers because it's important. So in the meantime, I double check my room - including the bathroom - to make sure that there isn't any hidden cameras or items.

Sitting on the top of the small desk I have besides my bed is a small stack of papers. One of the guards gave me it, saying that every participant is required to have it. I flip through the papers.

This game was apparently a battle to death, and between people who came from different places. They mentioned Dauntless, Abnegation, Amity, Erudite, Divergent, and a few places that I haven't heard of: Hogwarts, Camp- Half Blood, and a group of people called Nephilim from Idris.

I learn about sponsors, about the arena, about the scores. I learn about the people that held this event, and I learn about the words that they decide to use.

They used words such as honor, and gift, and "a experience that you'll never forget" and that the prizes were the "best that you've ever seen".

I don't know if those words are true, or if they're just lies.

I'm suppose to be freaking out, angry, or even crying. I know that's the expected response. But throughout this process, even when I hear the cries of another participant in the room next to me, I remain very still.

Very, very, still.

I realized that I'm just standing now. I'm not doing anything at all.

It suddenly crossed my mind that all these years, I'm just still. I don't feel happiness, sadness, anger, or anything. I'm not normal.

I don't know if it's a good thing or not. I don't know if it's a good thing that I don't miss anyone back home. I don't miss father, I don't miss the stares, I don't miss the whispers, I don't miss anything at all.

Is it a good thing to be so detached to the point were I don't even care that I'll die?

A knock from the door breaks my thoughts as I walk to open it. A pretty lady stands in front of me. She's smiling.

"It's your turn to prove your skills to a Gamemaker! Do your best, okay?" She motions for me to follow her.

We walked past the other rooms, and down onto another floor. Everything is very white and polished. I suddenly wonder if this is a scheme or a prank from Erudite.

The lady opens the door and gently pushes me forward. I notice a man sitting in front of me, busy eating the food that they had on the white table.

As the lady walks out, he barely seems to notice my existence.

I look over at the set of weapons that they placed on another table. I walk towards it, and grab a knife.

He's still eating, so he doesn't notice as I grab a handgun with my left hand as well.

In a moment, I jump over the table where he's eating at and knock him over, pinning him onto the ground. He shouts with alarm. But I notice something.

I notice a small smile on his face.

I press the knife to his neck. While doing this, I used both of my feet to grip on the table cloth and pull downwards. I do it with precision so that the food doesn't fall from the table.

I use my gun, and without looking behind me, I point my gun and shoot. There's a sound as my bullet hits the middle of the door and leaves a perfect circle right at the center.

Silently, I get off, place everything on the table, and I walk away.

I don't bother to see if the lady is there as I quickly go back to my room. They said that the scores will be announce in a few moments after the last participant has went , and assuming that it was me, I should hurry back.

The things I decided to show were simple, and very out of the ordinary. I knew that, of course.

Pinning the Gamemaker down was to show that even for a slender, thirteen year old girl, I was able to pin someone much bigger and older than me, which might peak some of the sponsors' interest. Pulling the cloth off of the table with my feet and without looking was to show that I had precision, and that I was capable of fighting without my hands or arms. Shooting with my left hand at the door was to show that I was flexible and I had precise aim.

I don't know if the Gamemaker would be able to tell. But it was the best idea to go with if I had to impress them.

I waited in my room for and hour, until a voice suddenly came from the speaker in the corner of my room.

"We will now announce the scores of each participant. Please listen as we do so."

A few people got 8s and 9s. One person got a 10, and another got a 7.

"And finally, Taara Kax's score is a 10. Congratulations, and please wait as we announce the second event."

I lay down on my bed. Strangely, I feel a little satisfied, but other than that, I'm still. I close my eyes for a moment, willing myself to go to sleep, just for a little bit. I don't know why I'm doing this , but there's one thing I know:

Things are changing.

Jyriter Amir

I knew my path was set the moment my eyes fluttered open. I didn't know what my path was, I'm not a fortune teller. That's creepy. Creepy as, well, heck.

(Chances are, someone in my family is gonna find this journal. I won't risk them washing my grave with soap because I slipped in a swear or two. I mean, my Lacey! That stuff is painful for the eyes. Plus it smells a bit like my grandma. Though, I'll still get shunned for using this informal type of speech.)

Though, admittedly, I'm kinda creepy too. That's what a lot of the other Erudites have said about me. My theory is that they only keep me around because I can scare people and I have decent enough grades.

At least I'm not a loud girl. I'm a quiet girl and keep to myself. Well, and I sometimes stalk people, but homework doesn't exactly entertain me. Nor does it sound remotely entertaining.

Whatever, back on topic. I knew my fate was sealed, from the very moment light flooded my eyes. The only reason I decided to open them is because I heard my name. Not from any normal person. But from the very one that was sending me to my death.

Oh, yes. I could already see the freaking rainbows.

And as if it couldn't get any greater, while I walked up to the stage...

...I tripped. Damn my clumsiness. The plight caused a bit of an uproar around in the Dauntless section. I didn't blush, however embarrassed I was.

I guess you could say it was a good enough day. I knew that I was going to my death, and I was only headed to misery. But, I got a chance to finally kill someone. It was about due time.

It was pretty awkward and hot, even up on the stage.

I waved at the girl already there awkwardly. Her name, I believe, was Taara. I thought her violet eyes were really neat, but that's about all I knew about her.

I was in a deep daze, staring at the floor for awhile, listening to the creaky sound of the misplaced floorboard as I shifted around.

Soon, a slight huff of alarm snapped my out of my hazy-minded train of thought. I looked to the side, seeing a Dauntless girl with red hair and green eyes saunter up to the stage. She had a few freckles on her cheeks as well. I waved, awkward as always. Gosh.

She looked to the side briefly, not exactly acknowledging me, and then nodding before looking forward at the crowd. Hmph, it seemed everyone here was pretty boring. Or maybe, that's just their outside. Oh well.

"Elsa Matthews!" The name rumbled through the room, blasting through the microphone. A girl with brown hair and green eyes jumped a bit, surprised, before slowly making her way up. I decided not to talk to her yet.

Thinking about it, this girl was an Erudite. I'd seen her around before, and she'd seemed pretty nice. Nothing like me.

Actually, I was praying that the next person that was picked was at least my age, if not older. Otherwise, I was gonna look pretty freaking stupid. I'm not fit for a role model at all, so there's no way I'd be remotely threatening. Therefore, I was pleading on my life.

My wishes remained unfulfilled.

"Tarleigh Urbon!"

At least she was about my age.

I swore I could've heard her mutter something like, "Tarn", under her breath. Odd.

I still didn't wave at the Candor. I was honestly pretty afraid that she'd be able to tell I'm a Divergent and say it out loud. So I kept myself reserved.

I wonder how these people next to me will react, when they see one of their own tied my their own intestines to a tree. Will they be scared? Will they cry? Or will they understand what's going on? Will they have been the ones to do it...?

Thinking about this, I realized you can't trust anyone in these games.

And just thinking about this, I also realized something.

A lot of this room was pure white, hiding the blood that had likely once stained these walls.

White is all colors, yet none at all. How strange that I could relate so easily with these colors, as I'm all kinds of people... but I'm not a person at all. In reality, this is the making of better monsters.

In reality, everyone saluting were praying for one of us to fulfill this destiny, and be the best monster.

As that's just how this world works.

•••

"Get on the train!" The ones in charge were ripping all of us out of someone's arms. They ripped me out of arms made of air.

I was unloved by every Erudite, who all thought of me as less than trash. Well, that's what I think, anyways. Ever since my brother had died, I'd lost all respect from everyone. I was almost factionless, but, I did surprisingly well in my studies, so I was just Erudite trash.NM.

How surprising. Jyriter the Erudite trash? Trash as the paper she eats, that's what she is.

I didn't care, I didn't care that they threw me into the train, because I was just hugging air and I almost knew that. I almost knew I wasn't hugging my dirt-dead brother, not his corpse and not his spirit, not even the air he once breathed- that was carbon dioxide now. Obviously.

Heck, I didn't even feel the should-have-been there, numbing pain as I hit the floor. I just got up, and silently sat in a chair alongside everyone else.

For a while, there were no "hellos". No noise, no talking, except for the occasional cough.

Until a girl, Tarn I believe, piped up.

"Why isn't anyone talking? We should get to KNOW each other! I mean, we're all in the same Fandom after all!" she chirped, smoothly and calmly. "Here, I'll start. I'm Tarn, from Candor, and as you can tell, you better watch your backs 'cause even when we're going off to kill each other it doesn't stop me from pulling a good prank, let me tell ya'!"

The girl next to her nodded. "I'm Lauren," she said happily, but not excitingly loud or crazy. "I'm in Dauntless, so yeah, be careful."

"Hm," the girl with the pretty eyes nodded subtly as well. I remembered her as Taara. "I'm Taara. I'm a Dauntless, as you can tell, sort of like this... Lauren girl here." Taara glanced at Lauren, and then refocused her vision. I couldn't see any emotion in her eyes. How odd.

"Oh! I'm Elsa," the Erudite rubbed the back of her neck slightly. "I'm in Erudite, and eh... well, if you ever need to talk to someone I'm open." She looked almost apologetically at me.

How odd. She was the only one there who ever really attempted to help me... all she did was converse with some of the beings who talked about me behind my back. Maybe she really just was that kind...

...And I was confused when they all looked at me, until I remembered. My heart began to race, and I fiddled my fingers together.

"O-oh! Um... um, I'm, uh, Jyriter, and I'm... I'm in Erudite, and uh, yeah." Wow, congrats to me. I officially made it a lot worse here than it was.

Some of them simply nodded their heads, and then Tarn decided to ask me a question.

"Ah, cool. So you're the older one?"

I nodded, unsure that this was good news to them. "A-ah, yeah. I'm 17," I answered.

"Oh, nice! I'm 16," Tarn offered with a smile, and Elsa agreed.

Suddenly a noise startled me out of my chair (which made me feel weaker), and I tumbled out onto the floor. Dang it. I turned around to see people, lined on the walls of the train. The train clunked, the people moved to the back, and it began to move. So I scrambled into my seat.

I released a deep sigh as a woman clicked a button, food of all types appearing on the table. Thankfully, the meal included napkins. Not to eat, but I would eat them. I put some raspberry-like fruits on my plate, a burger, a huge chunk of bread, and... some napkins. I tried my best to eat other-wisely normal, so others wouldn't stare. A feel of wind on my back sent a shiver down my spine.

"What was that?" I asked quietly, barely able to be heard.

Some of them looked with concern, but Elsa and I locked eyes. "I don't know," she replied, and I instantly knew something.

We were the only ones who felt it, despite the fact that others were so close to us.

That wasn't normal. I took one last bite out of my napkin, and I got up and went to my train quarters.

•••

Thank Lacey we were all girls. Seriously.

It was a concern if anyone walked in on me enough, without it being a dude.

My door wasn't working too great, as the lock was malfunctioning.

I walked out of my quarters, all freshened up, and I was about to say something. But I stopped, as everyone was staring at the window, and I wanted to see why. So I walked up, and looked out... and was in awe.

The buildings were absolutely beautiful, and the view was breathtaking. I could see the Capitol building.

We sifted through a crowd, and they all cheered. I felt proud, until I remembered. Oh, yeah. They were cheering, betting on our deaths. They were playing our lives and primping us up to look good in our final moments. No point in it, we were going to be bloodied and rotten anyways.

I wondered if my parents were watching me right then, or if we were even being filmed. If so... well, I hoped they weren't working for once. I was devastated when I had to leave and they hadn't seen me out... but, they were Erudites. Always working, always doing something educational.

It was the way of life.

I faked a happy smile, and faked an excited wave. I still couldn't fake the feeling in my eyes, the feeling that thick-headed people like them could not see. They all looked weird, but who was I to judge?

I probably looked even weirder to them, then them to me. It was five out of thousands, and I was picked. Congrats, you win the lottery! Now try not to freaking DIE or anything. That wouldn't be great for you, now would it?

Of course it wouldn't.

Hi freak one! Hi freak two! Wow, all you rich freaks look awfully scary today. Mind to explain why?

Right, because you can, simple as that.

I didn't care as the train stopped, and we were let out. I didn't want to care, not half as much as I did.

•••

Today was my second day here. Do you know what that means?

Training. A battalion against itself, to the death.

Bloody wonderful, if you ask me.

But today it was training. No death, how unfortunate. No killing, no death, no nothing.

I sat up and yawned, not really wanting to get up. I didn't rub my already-swollen eyes, I never did, and found it hard to stand on swollen feet. I ambled clumsily to the shower, preparing, climbing in and climbing out to get dressed as soon as I felt nausea douse me.

I put on the simple, crisply clean black uniform we had to wear for training, leaving my room.

"Hey, guys!" Tarn said as she exited her own room. Elsa came out soon, as well, but Lauren and Taara were already at the table. I yawned, taking a seat near Elsa.

"I can't believe we have to kill each other," I murmured, but for some sick reason I felt a rush of excitement. Was this a good thing?

I noticed Elsa had a slightly nervous look on her face, glancing at me every so often, but still wore a small smile. "So, how did everyone sleep...? I, for one, slept just dandy," she inquired.

"I slept okay. Also, don't say 'dandy'. No one uses that word anymore," Taara stated, though there was not much emotion behind her voice. Not even spite, or any hint of rude intentions, actually. It was more like she was stating a fact.

I took a bite out of my napkin. "I slept pretty good! Also, be nice Taara. You don't need any enemies before the games, it's just not in your favor," Lauren scolded somewhat harshly. Taara didn't scoff. In fact, I felt a mysterious vibe coming from her. I turned away, having a difficulty swallowing my napkin. Swollen throat.

I shrugged and let out a small groan. "I didn't really get enough, but I'm fine," I grumbled, yawning.

Tarn smiled. "I got okay sleep. Though I wanted to wake up later." I nodded in agreement. "That napkin must be pretty tasty." I narrowed my eyes at her, more so in suspicion. I'd already fallen for some of her tricks. Shrugging, she stood up. "Anyways, I'm going to get some stuff so I can prepare. Breakfast isn't ready yet- well, OUR breakfast at least."

I was even more suspicious. I grabbed another napkin and nervously began to stuff it down, when I began to sweat. It was... spicy...

I began to sweat even more, tears pricking my eyes. Dear Lacey, whatever she did to this napkin would be the death of me!

I grabbed my water on the table and gulped it down. A silent girl quickly took my glass to refill.

"Breakfast," a voice announced. An array of glorious foods were set on our table. I chose this weird chicken-looking thing and a flapjack-ish thing as well, hesitantly eating them. They were actually pretty good.

I ate it slowly, and then stood up. "Well, it's almost time," I quietly remarked, and I was heard.

The loudspeaker blared through our small room.

"CONTESTANTS, FINISH YOUR DAILY ROUTINES AND EXIT YOUR ROOMS IMMEDIATELY. YOU ARE TO BE SHOWN TO THE TRAINING ROOM."

"C'mon, let's go!" Tarn said, almost urgently, bursting out of her room and stuffing some food down her face.

It was an adventurous tone, but I could hear worry underneath it. It was sad.

But I did listen, and I did go, and I didn't regret it this time.

An escort showed us the way out, and we dared not fight back, for she was armed. "In here," the escort commanded, typing a series of numbers on a keypad and revealing a door, which opened to show the inside.

There were a ton of training methods, and I was upright impressed. Honestly.

I was itching to start.

"Hello, dear contestants!" A trainer, supposedly, did a flamboyant jig into the room. "Today we will be training! Alrighty-then, we must start... with the basics!"

"Remember, you may not be killed at the hands of another!" He sang, acting out dying with a knife. "If you're too careful about your enemies, you may starve~" he dropped down dramatically, "or perhaps, thirst," he announced, standing up and clutching his throat until he fell over again, "or be poisoned, or be injured, or drown, or maybe the mutts and Gamemakers will get to you! Hai, hai, hai! That's when you lose," he sadly trailed. "Unless you win! Hai, hai, hai! Get started, dearies, before the time is out!"

Aye, he was certainly interesting, if human at all.

I ran out, looking around. A fight simulator, poison test, agility station, and survival basics rundown chamber caught my eyes. I headed for the chamber.

•••

"Argh! No use," I angrily shouted. I'd beaten the fire-making room, and couldn't get this one knot down.

As I had said this, I heard a small ding, that signaled someone was coming in from the fire room. Fantastic! I was gonna look like a weak baby in front of strangers, making me even more anxious and flustered.

A young girl stepped in. She reminded me of spring, with her brown and green locks and her green eyes.

"Do you need help?" she asked softly, kneeling down.

"Ah, no! I mean... it's okay, y-you don't have to bother with someone like me! I'm supposed to be an Erudite anyways... I'll figure it out." I quietly rambled.

"Okay." She began to tie her own knots, and there was a natural way about how she was tying them. "My name is Rosemary. What's yours?"

I thought of a compliment. "That's a pretty name. Um, my name is Jyriter! B-but, please don't use it against me. Ah, that was stupid of me! You'll have to anyways..."

She smiled lightly. I looked up as she said, "I won't." I tilted my head. "I won't unless I have to. Also, thanks, I like your name too."

I noticed she'd finished her last knot and stood up to leave. "I'll see you soon, perhaps in the next room, if you can finish that knot of yours." She lightly treaded out of the room, and I had the urge to call out to her. I didn't call out, though.

I looked down, to see the knot tied perfectly, and a tiny paper of instructions. I slipped it away and finished the chamber.

•••

We were sitting in a room. Taara had been called in, and it'd been a little while now. I sat patiently in the waiting room, waiting my turn.

"JYRITER AMIR, DIVERGENT. HEAD DOWN TO THE TRAINING ROOM FOR YOUR INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT TO TAKE PLACE." Nervously, I stood up, watching my Fandom flash me a reassuring smile. I walked briskly to the training room, opening the door.

"Show us," they commanded, and began to watch me. I flinched, entering the fighting simulation. I hooked myself up, which I'd learned how to in Erudite, and sat down to take the serum. As I downed it, they pulled up a video screen to watch me. The world ahead began to fade, so I closed my eyes...

I waited, calmly, until they snapped open on their own. Around me a few boxes appeared, showing different surroundings. I thought a moment, and touched the one that showed an abandoned city. It would prove the most difficult, and I was ready for it.

The city materialized right there, and I heard a feminine voice in my ear.

"ENEMIES VIRTUALIZED," it announced, and I sharpened my senses on instinct. Hearing a rustle, I turned around.

The frightening thing was, I couldn't wait to kill my enemies.

I spotted a shoe.

"I know you're there~" I cooed. "If you have friends, I'll murder them too..." This was not me. This was the monster they were trying to create, and yet I couldn't stop it.

I walked over to a box, where the shoe peeked out of, peeling a few sheets back.

"Hello there," I giggled, with a wicked, terrible smile.

I could only watch myself.

"Please don't hurt me!" the guy whimpered, curling up. "I have family I need to get back to!"

Smirking, I pulled out a small dagger. Ah, so that's what I was equipped with. No biggie, I'd make this hurt. Oh, it'd hurt more than any torture anyone has ever faced before.

"Hm," I considered flipping the tiny dagger and gave a shrug with a sheepish grin. "So did I."

I quickly spun around as he tried to run, throwing the dagger at the back of his knee. He wildly swung his staff around, attempting to catch me. I simply laughed, dodged, and let him up. He didn't have a good stance because of the wound.

He charged fearfully at me with a yell. As he swung his staff, I caught onto it and took a poise like a cat's as I sat on it, scampering up to him on it. He yelled out as I kicked his chest, disarmed him, and held him down. A bunch of people charged from out of the darkness. I saw a gun, which was the only long range weapon. I ducked right before she fired her gun and ran towards her, immediately disarming her. I shot her foot and she let out a cry before stumbling over.

Three people had blades, one with a katana, one with a machete, and one with a long knife. I simply stood as they charged from three sides. As soon as they got close, I ducked, and they stabbed themselves. One died and I tripped the other two. Luckily, the dead one was small and I used him as a shield. One of the tripped ones quickly regained stamina and charged at me, so I jumped and slightly twisted their neck to catch them off guard. I powerfully kicked him and the shield away, walking over to the one I tripped. I lifted my boot off the ground and drove it into his skull, smashing it. I heard someone vomit.

I kept fighting this way, until there were many bodies around me. In each of them I carved "weak", cut their arms off, and hung them to the ceiling. With their blood, I rolled around in it and used some of it to paint.

It was a painting of my brother, and his name... 'Camthy'. I looked down, only to see that my torso was cut wide open so that I had a disturbing view of my inside, and I was missing an arm. Along with a couple toes, and teeth, and well... you get the idea.

But, I merely laughed. Then I woke up.

Some of them laughed and some of them seemed interested. Few looked at me in horror.

"You are dismissed."

I knew when I walked out of the room, I'd died in the simulator, despite the fact I had killed about six or seven people.

So I was surprised I'd gotten a seven as my score- perhaps, the thought I would control my dark side out there. Or maybe they were targeting me for a more interesting show. Or... perhaps, they'd liked the taste of pure insanity, and that's why.

Bravo, evildoers. You were trying to make a monster, and ended up creating one you couldn't use as a pawn.

In the real world, I'd be much more dangerous. I'd pick them off one by one.

I'd started taking a liking to the idea. And, I'll tell you, once I take a liking to an idea...

I don't let it go.

Lauren

Elsa Matthews

Tarn Urbon

PERCY JACKSON

Kristyn Han

The glorious crimson and orange hues of the sunset above the forest spread magnificently across the horizon like a phoenix with its wings outstretched taking flight in the sky. Every now and then the occasional shout of a camper and the clanging of blade against blade would pierce through the air, which brought a smile to her lips--a wry one too at that. With a twist of her wrist she twirled her Celestial Bronze sword to the light, where the Greek inscription shone brightly into her eyes--Polemistis, it read, meaning Warrior in Greek--assuring her of her place here at Camp Half-Blood, a place where she felt like she belonged.

Kristyn Han raised her blade in the air and let out a cry as she charged into the fray along with her cabin mates in yet another game of Capture the Flag, red feathers stuck in the air streaming past her going in the same direction she was heading in. It was natural for her to relish this battle in the most deliberate way possible--after all, this was the mindset of a daughter of Ares. It was because of him that she was here at Camp Half-Blood, where she trained like a demigod every summer like so many others before her. Most people would never have thought that the god of war, Ares, would claim her the moment she entered the Camp, and truth be told they actually frowned upon her, but she refused to let her short height rule her out of being included for good. She had been proving herself over and over through countless rounds of Capture the Flag, and had one point defeated a rather large 9-headed Hydra on the shores of the canoe lake while on duty one night...

But she wanted more. Like anyone wishing for power, she wanted something much more than recognition for the little things she had done around the camp, the things that everyone would easily forget after a year. For a long time, she had been dreaming of going on a quest for the gods, but she never got that chance. When would she ever get to go? Would there be a time when Fate would listen to her?

"Kristyn! Look out!"

She snapped her head as she heard her best friend, Gabrielle from the Athena cabin, shout a word of warning, and she glanced to her left as a tall man from Apollo--Felix, she reckoned--charged at her, his Imperial Gold bat held high in his left hand.

"Ha! There's the shrimp from the Ares cabin! She's worthless!" Kristyn heard another boy shout from nowhere. "Finish her off, and we'll get the flag quicker than you can recite a haiku!"

To this, Felix rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Ming," he yelled, raising his bat and clunking it hard on Kristyn's head. The impact instantly brought her down, pain tingling through her entire body as she collapsed into the river, her ears buzzing and her eyes swimming out of focus.

"Great! She's down! Now let's GO!" the same voice--Ming, maybe--whined from afar.

Felix nodded and obliged, but not before he kicked Kristyn harshly with his boot further into the stream.

As his footsteps died away in the distance, the buzzing in Kristyn's ears started to crescendo, her panic slowly intensifying with every passing second. It couldn't have been from Felix's bash on the head, could it? Was this was a serious injury actually felt like? She couldn't remember the last time she felt this much pain before.

The last thing she heard was Chiron sounding the horn from afar before she felt herself fade away altogether, her vision slowly swirling into nothingness.

---

Chatter of all kinds began to surround Kristyn's conscience as she slowly allowed her eyes to flutter open hours later, half-expecting to be in the infirmary with Argus looking at her in concern with his million blue eyes stuck on his many limbs...but the sight that greeted her was very confusing, bewildering beyond belief. Instead of Argus, she saw the rest of the Camp Half-Blood demigods--at least, in her field of vision--shouting at each other and shoving each other roughly like cranky toddlers, their swords and daggers and weapons of many kinds no longer in their hands.

"What the..."

As she pushed herself up into a sitting position on the ground, she caught Gabrielle's eye, not too far from where she was, and crawled over to her in sheer desperation, grabbing hold of her helmet in the process.

"What happened?" Gabrielle asked immediately the moment she saw her best friend approach her, brushing her short auburn hair off of her forehead in apprehension.

Kristyn shook her head sadly in response as she stood up, helping Gabrielle up in return. "I...I don't know. You can pretty much say I'm just as confused as you are."

She glanced to her right to see a rather tall stage, empty except for a huge glass globe filled to the brim with countless slips of paper, and frowned. By the look of it, there must be some sort of...raffle, of some sort? A dark shadow instantly crossed Kristyn's face as she recalled all the times her mother went on her annual summer trip to Las Vegas, all the times she had been forced to join her on this dreaded vacation. If she was here for another lottery, she'd gladly ask whoever, or whatever, it was that brought her here to send her back to Camp Half-Blood this very instant.

Just then, the crowd fell silent as a tall cloaked figure mounted the stage from her left, floating across the stage in a ghost-like manner that made Kristyn raise her eyebrows questioningly.

"Welcome, one and all," she announced, raising her hands to the crowd. "Here, you are about to witness the first-ever reaping for our very first Battle of the Fandoms!"

"Battle..." This word alone instantly caught Kristyn's attention, and she stood a little straighter, her anger and confusion dissipating slightly as she allowed her eyes to soften in wonder.

"Each of you here are about to witness the selection of four courageous demigods representing the Percy Jackson fandom battling for their lifelong reputation, for the honour of standing tall as the most favourable fandom of all," she continued. "After all...in a Battle like this, only one person could remain standing. Would it be one of you? Would one of our brave demigods reigning from Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter bring it home?" She glanced about, as if to receive a unanimous answer from the crowd amidst the tense silence, and then shook her head.

"It better be!" a random voice--probably one of the Roman demigods--shouted from the crowd, punctuating the silence if only briefly.

The woman nodded. "Very well then. Let's see which of us would be heading into the Battle, shall we?"

Without waiting for a reply this time, she glided towards the glass globe. Slowly, she allowed her gloved hand to hover above the many paper slips, as if contemplating on which one she should choose, before digging her fingers somewhere in the middle of the pile and whipping one out in the air. An air of satisfaction seemed to cross her face as she unfolded the piece of paper.

"Kristyn Han."

Was that her name she had just read?

Glancing at all the other demigods before her, she slowly rose to her feet, dusting herself off as best as she could before mounting the stage to join the hooded figure, her heart beating loudly out of her chest but her expression betraying none of the jumbling conflicting emotions of fear and excitement and nervousness writhing about within her like serpents. The last thing she wanted was to let her--what did that woman call it? Fandom?--down.

"Good. Very good. You must be Kristyn Han of the Ares Cabin at Camp Half-Blood, yes?" she asked in a smooth and quiet voice.

Kristyn nodded, swallowing past a dry patch in her throat. "Yes. Yes, I am."

"Ah." The woman nodded as she examined her from head to toe, from the braid styled at the side of her head to the armour that she herself had donned over her body for Capture the Flag just hours ago. "I can see some great potential in you, Kristyn. Good luck."

With that, she left Kristyn's side, leaving the poor demigod still utterly confused and frightful. So this was what she was pulled out of Capture the Flag for? Was this one of Fate's unexpected tricks? Has Fate finally answered her prayers, or has it thrown a nasty curve ball in her life? Kristyn curled her fingers close to her palms, trying hard not to close her eyes, unconsciously zoning out from the rest of the reaping. If this was reality, was Camp Half-Blood--no. Camp Half-Blood was no illusion either. By chance someone--or something--had given her this opportunity that seemed almost just like a quest, something that she had never been on herself but was dying to. Was this something she wanted? Yes, of course. But was she ready?

She never got around to answering that question.

"Come on," she heard a masculine guard's voice bark at her suddenly, and she felt an iron grip close around her wrist, holding on tight to her like a vice.

Kristyn twisted her arm in an attempt to break free, the panic jumping to her throat instantly. "Let me go! Unhand me at once!"

"Not going to happen, miss," he muttered. "Now come on. We have a schedule to abide to, and you will not waste any minute of it."

It was all she could do to whisper a fast prayer to her father before the door to her past closed behind her...forever.

---

The train ride to the site of the Battle was not really easing things up for her either.

Upon being taken to the locomotive, she was dragged into the common car where the rest of the chosen demigods were now sitting up in plush purple velvet chairs. A tall girl with red hair was calmly sipping a glass of what looked to be diet Pepsi. Another girl with blonde brown hair pinned back with bobby pins was glancing out the window. And the third girl whose brown hair held electric green highlights was deeply absorbed in making a flower crown.

"So...Kristyn Han, right?" the tall redhead addressed her, her voice laced with bitterness as she set her glass down on the table in front of her.

Kristyn nodded, clenching her fists as she took a seat across the redhead who had just spoken. "Yeah. Why do you ask? I thought my name would be well known coming from a daughter of Ares."

"Yeah, right." The redhead scoffed. "I don't see how a girl like you could manage to pull off something great for the--what did that woman call it?--Percy Jackson fandom."

To this, Kristyn scowled. "Watch it. I might be young, but I'm not scared of you. Maybe Felix had beaten me to a pulp in Capture the Flag, but that was nothing."

"Not scared to rise above the most competitive of us, I see," the blonde haired girl piped up airily. "You should know better than to mess with Andromeda here."

Now Kristyn blinked. "Andromeda? I have never remotely heard of an Andromeda before."

The redhead--Andromeda--grasped onto a necklace hanging round her neck and snapped the chain with a scowl. "Perhaps an introduction would do then, Han. I'm Andromeda Raine, daughter of Nemesis, the goddess of Vengeance. And you don't want to make an enemy out of me."

"Well, you can't exactly fight a war without knowing what to fight for," the girl with brown and green hair interjected softly. "At least that's what I would think if I were a demigod of Ares."

Both girls whipped their heads at the one who just spoke. "Uh huh, and what exactly are you?" Kristyn asked hotly.

The girl smiled calmly at the both of them, not in the least bit intimidated by their glowering expressions. "I'm a child of Demeter, Kristyn. Call me Rosemary."

"And just to complete the round of introductions, I'm Noelle, daughter of Tyche, the goddess of good luck," the blonde girl finished up with a friendly wave and smile.

"And so it happens that out of everyone here, I'm the only one with a godly father, not mother," Kristyn muttered lowly to herself, glancing down at her clay bead necklace where three beads of different colours were strung. "What luck."

"Hey, don't put yourself down like that," Noelle said now, putting a reassuring hand on Kristyn's shoulder. "Regardless of where we're from, we all have one goal, right? We're going to honour Camp Half-Blood rightfully. We'll fight to the end if we have to. And what better way to do it than a few strong-willed demigods? We can do this. Even if a few of us had to lose a few limbs and teeth, we're born fighters till the end."

This seemed to reassure Kristyn somewhat, and she smiled up at Noelle. "I guess so," she said with a wan smile, though deep down she still didn't feel like trusting any of the demigods in front of her.

"And there's nothing we can't do!" Rosemary declared boldly, casting her flower crown to the side. "All we can do is anticipate this with excitement after all. We've trained more than enough to know what we're up against anyway."

"Well...yeah, I suppose," Kristyn agreed with a shaky laugh. Certainly she couldn't completely put her faith and trust in the demigods sitting in front of her, but at least she knew which ones she could rely on in the Battle, if it all ever came down to that.

---

There were no more words exchanged after that initial conversation. All Kristyn could think about for the rest of the train trip was her past. Under typical circumstances she would try to get to know the rest of her group, but she couldn't bring herself to, choosing instead to lock herself in her room after mealtimes thinking about her mother, the only person who had taken so much care of her all those years, or even her cherished memories at Camp Half-Blood for the past few years she was there. Her nightmares have become much more disturbing as well; one moment she would relive her painful memories being tortured by so many people who teased her for her short height, and then next thing she knew her vision would possess a strange crimson tint as she felt herself lash out in anger at them, raising her fists in the air--

"Kristyn! You've got to stay focused!"

A trainer's voice suddenly pierced through Kristyn's reverie, and she jumped in surprise, the grip on her dummy sword slackening slightly as she faced one of the Hunger Games fandom competitors--Helena, she reckoned. It was now the first day of training, just a day after the long and very boring train ride, and what better first impression could Kristyn leave on the rest of the competitors except for a very bad one where she arrived the latest of all while trying to shake herself awake?

"Sorry." Kristyn bit hard on her lip, her eyes narrowing again at the girl standing in front of her bouncing the sword in her hand.

The trainer sighed in exasperation. "You have to stop letting your mind wander so much. It doesn't matter if you're already finished fighting; you have to keep up your guard!"

Kristyn seethed at the trainer before letting out a battle cry and swinging her sword at Helena, who ducked reflexively with a slight smile.

"How d'you think that shrimp actually managed to stay on her feet for so long?" she heard one of the Divergent competitors, Jyriter, mutter to another teammate from her fandom from afar.

"I have no idea. Forget her being a daughter of Ares--she'd stand literally no chance at winning," another voice--Lauren's--piped up softly, hoping that the daughter of Ares wouldn't hear her.

Unfortunately, Kristyn did. As she managed to corner Helena with her dummy blade to the throat, she whirled around to Lauren and seized her by the collar of her shirt, pointing the blade to her neck.

"You'd be lucky I can't kill you yet," Kristyn growled. "I'm going to warn you right now--looks can be very deceiving if you're much too quick to judge. And I can assure you, your ignorance could very well be the end of you. Don't just take me for a shrimp. I'm still a deadly killer, and I'm not afraid to prove it."

The look on Lauren's face was priceless, one that was forever seared in Kristyn's memory as she lowered her blade and walked back to her training station, calmly whistling a tune her mother had once taught her when she was younger.

"That was actually impressive," Helena murmured softly with a gentle smile. "I'm not saying I'm underestimating you too but...really. I wish I can stand up to people like that. The most I can do is defend my friends whenever they needed it."

Kristyn offered Helena a wan smile as she put her sword away. "It's easy, really. You just got to have enough gut to do it. Fight for what you think is right."

To this, Helena nodded. "Yeah. I guess so." She stuck out a hand, and Kristyn shook it briefly before heading to the knot-tying station, where she saw Scarlet from the Harry Potter fandom struggling a little and Rosemary acing the routine without any difficulty.

"How are you finding it?" Rosemary asked Kristyn in a low voice the moment she was done. Out of everyone in the training room, Kristyn felt that she could trust Rosemary just a little, tell her enough to ensure her that she was a good person at heart.

Kristyn shook her head as she glanced at the Mortal Instruments competitors doing some fancy magic with their hands and rune stones, and ducked as a silvery Patronus possibly cast by Jenna soared over her head. "I'm not saying I completely hate the lot," she murmured back in response, bending low to try out a monkey's fist knot with Rosemary's piece of rope. "But honestly, I don't know how we're going to assess our competition when they all have quite an array of abilities in store. I mean, look at all the people from the Harry Potter fandom. They all have wands that actually perform magic. Any unexpected spell could kill us in an instant, or even wound us if we're not careful. The Divergent fandom is pretty rowdy though they're physically pretty strong, and I can't seem to explain what the Mortal Instruments people are doing. All I know is that those two groups have a lot to explain for the tattoos all over their bodies. As for the Hunger Games fandom, they seem quite capable somewhat of fighting since hey, from what I can see, this must somewhat be their home base. If I have to bet, this would be a show everyone would be dying to watch, and probably with a desire greater than mine to go on a quest for the gods." She held up her completed knot for Rosemary to see, the knot swinging like a steady pendulum in the air. "Is this good?"

"Yup. But don't give up on yourself just yet, Kristyn," Rosemary reminded her as Kristyn took it apart. "Perhaps that would offer us a good opportunity to find their weak points when they least expect it. After all, everyone expects to see the strong ones prevail, and compliment them on their strengths over their weaknesses."

Kristyn nodded thoughtfully. "You may be right. Hey, are you sure you're a child of Demeter? You could be a child of Athena from the stance you're taking."

"Nope. It was Demeter who claimed me. But I guess you can say I do look at things in a different way," Rosemary responded airily, smiling expectantly at her fandom teammate.

"I suppose so." Kristyn nodded again at her teammate before moving on to the archery station, the aching worry in her chest alleviated just slightly.

---

The rest of the training days passed by in a blur, and soon it was time for individual assessments. A small smile was decked on Kristyn's lips as she watched the Harry Potter fandom group, then the Hunger Games fandom, and then the Divergent fandom disappear through the massive glass double doors into the training room one by one, preparing themselves to demonstrate to the Gamemaker watching them with an eagle eye every single day just what they were capable of.

"So, you know what to show them yet, Shrimp?" Andromeda shot at her bitterly, her brown eyes clouded with nothing but anger at Kristyn for outshining her so far in the group training.

Kristyn shrugged offhandedly at the question, calmly dodging the venom that the daughter of Nemesis spat at her. "Not yet," she simply replied, raising a hand to her fishtail braid as she took it apart and redid it tightly. "There was so much going about for the last two days, it's kind of hard to focus on just one thing."

"Whatever you do, I know it would be brilliant!" Noelle said encouragingly, and Rosemary nodded excitedly in agreement, making Kristyn smile confidently. She had actually picked up so much from the training in the last two days, from new combat skills to survival skills that would undoubtedly help her out in the Battle; she could only hope that she would have time to show it all to the Gamemaker responsible for hosting this major game that would bring up the hype of every fan person out there in the world.

Soon, the PA announced her name, and she stood from her place beside her teammates, clenching her fists as she entered the training room, the last Divergent person, Tarn, having just finished her session. Her eyes flitted about the several different stations in bewilderment, some of which she had worked with and a few others she didn't remember going close to, before they alighted on the bow and arrows just a few feet off to her right beckoning her to take them, use them, do whatever she could to impress the Gamemaker sitting on the high chair on the stage with a glass goblet filled with deep red liquid in hand.

And so she did. She snatched up the bow and sheath of arrows, and then ran to the knot tying station where she picked up a few strands of rope. Once she's tied each string to each arrow with a sailor's knot, braiding and weaving them all together in a complex pattern to create a stronger line of rope, she rose to her feet and ran towards the display of swords and blades of several different types, grabbing a few throwing knives and a pair of daggers which she strapped to her waist. Then she made her way to the middle of the room.

The Gamemaker raised an eyebrow as Kristyn strung all of the arrows to her bow and shot them up towards the ceiling, where it stuck snugly into the plaster. With a confident smile, she wrapped a leg in the rope and began to climb up, just like she had at Camp Half-Blood for the past two years. Once she had reached a good height, she began to swing, gathering a good momentum before she began to revolve around the room, adjusting her grip on the rope as she whipped out knife after knife and thrust them at several objects around the room, from the dummies used for close combat practice to the large multicoloured targets used for typical archery practice. A laugh escaped Kristyn's mouth as she launched herself off of the rope, performing a few front flips in the air before landing with a resounding thud on one foot and one knee in a racer's ready stance, rising to her feet as she withdrew the daggers in her belt and wielding them in each hand. Twirling them round in her hands, she jumped into a aerial front flip and whirled across the floor, raising her arms as she pirouetted, slashing her daggers across the invisible fabrics of the tension in the room until they found a home in a poorly wrapped mummy hanging on a noose that someone must have made earlier, one blade in its head and another in its heart.

Now completely out of breath, Kristyn slowly allowed her muscles, previously tautened in the intensity her routine had delivered, to relax. She lowered her arms slowly to her sides, raising her head to see the Gamemaker smile just faintly at the show that Kristyn had just given, nodding slightly in approval.

"Thank you, Ms. Han. You are dismissed."

With a curt bow, Kristyn obediently departed.

---

Kristyn thought she knew everything about tension. It turned out that there were still a few things that she had yet to learn.

As she stood beside her teammates, waiting for the training scores to be televised to the public, she could feel an inexplicable ice-cold rigidity seep into her limbs. She clenched her fists tightly in anxiety, her breathing ragged as they went in and out of her lungs, her eyes focused on the ticking clock mounted on a mantle on top of the fireplace across from her. The private training scores were to be televised any time soon, and Kristyn couldn't help but wonder just how she would do. Was her performance for the Gamemaker enough for her to be placed high up on the odds board? Would her chances of survival be good? She had done all she could after her private assessment--prayed to her father at dinner as she sent forth a burnt offering in the fireplace, clenched tightly onto an old lucky Chinese coin her mother had given her which she had brought everywhere she went. Would luck be on her side?

She never got the time to answer that question.

Too soon, the screen in front of them illuminated, and a man with rather short blond hair appeared. In a clear voice, he began to address the entire nation of the impending Battle that had yet to unfold, and complimented all of the competitors of their amazing skills that they had yet to bring after a very careful analysis of each person over the course of the last few days they have been training.

"The scores that we have yet to display would be out of 12," the man then explained. "The higher the score, the greater the odds of their survival."

Several of the Harry Potter fandom competitors have managed to scrape somewhere between a 7 and a 9. The Hunger Games have a tighter range between a 9 and 10. The Divergent people somehow managed to scrape together a 8 to 9 range, which was quite impressive. Then Kristyn's score flashed.

An 11.

"11!" Kristyn gasped aloud, her eyes widening. "But how--"

"You must have had some gut," Noelle commended her, making her beam with pride.

The rest of the teammates didn't get very bad scores either, and Kristyn nodded and smiled and congratulated each one as they got their evaluation results. She could genuinely feel a flicker of hope arise within her, a sensation she didn't commonly get every day of her life.

Perhaps there was a chance for her to prove herself after all. Perhaps there was a chance for her to elevate her reputation as a demigod.

And she would not stop at anything to earn her acclamation as a true hero.

----------------------------------------------------

Andromeda Raine

(did not hand in)

Noelle Van Houton

The afternoon sunlight peaked through the window, it's golden hue cascading over the millions of books on Noelle's dresser bathing them in a halo of nothing but glitter. The cabin was deserted, with nobody except Noelle. Alone.

Noelle hated and loved being alone. When she was isolated, she had no one disrupt her and her time with her books. But even now as she fingered her copy of Land of Stories she longed for someone to plop down in a comfy chair and read the coded messages the author was trying to communicate with the reader. She wished someone saw stories like that. Someone other than herself.

But no one at Camp Half Blood understood that books were more than just words on a page. Not even the Athena cabin, who always had their noses in books about Latin or some other dead language. Not even Chiron, who was so busy books were something cast away on his never ending To-Do list.

It was amazingly horrifying.

Noelle felt like she was the only one at camp who cried about stories like Fault in Our Stars and laughed at the thought of Edward Cullen's masculine sparkles. She felt like there was an imaginary line separating her from her pupils, singling her out and giving her a gift that no one she knew would understand. A line that was impossible to cross.

And for the first time in her life, Noelle felt like she couldn't smile. With a small sigh she flipped through the pages, concentrating not on the words, but what they were meant to say.

Her interlocking, poetic chains of thought were interrupted by the whoosh of the door and the pile of children who came through it. Noelle could name all of their favorite colors, worst fears, and middle names. They were a family. Evangeline,and Edmund were twins only ten minutes apart and Evangeline liked to constantly brag about being the older one, although Edmund was more sensible. Asher was a boy a year older than herself, with a mellow, level temper and green eyes that shone when he talked about sword fighting.

"Stupid Ares cabin stole our chariot design," Evangeline pouted, she was out of breath from running but she never seemed to lose her fiery aura. "That's because you let them see our plan," Edmund said. "You insisted on keeping it safe in your room instead of giving it to me, where I said no one could find it," Evangeline glared at the words of her twin before looking at Noelle for support, knowing that she didn't have anything to say that would work in her favor.

Noelle ignored her sibling's pleading look and slid her twin daggers to her belt, Castor and Pollux. Never one without the other. If she misplaced one the other wouldn't work. They were a gift from her mother.

"It's up to you to figure out a chariot design by Monday," Edmund said to Evangeline. "Since it's technically your fault." Before Evangeline objected, Asher gave her a stern glance as if he would slice off her arms if she disagreed. "Fine, but don't blame me if I get all of the physics and weight and other mathy stuff wrong," Evangeline complained. "Good," Edmund replied. "Now sit down, it's time for me to teach you ancient Greek. Evangeline groaned at him and reluctantly sat down in the chair next to him.

In the moment of peacefulness when the twins never argued, Asher and Noelle felt like accomplished parents. No matter what opponents Noelle struck down, it was nothing compared to getting the twins to get along. It was like trying to kill a god. Asher allowed a small sigh of relief to echo through the walls of the cabins, the only other sound other than Edmunds's explanatory tone and Evangeline's pencil scribbling down notes.

Noelle smiled at the twins before drawing her knives. "Want to spar Asher?" She asked, feeling out of place in the moment of blissful silence. Asher nodded in reply and the two followed each other outside. Asher twisted his sword in his hand in synchronized, neat patterns, a look of focus dominating his emerald eyes. Noelle spun her daggers in her hand threateningly, staring down her opponent as if she could turn him to ice.

The next moments were a blur of blazing metal and movement. Asher made the mistake of making the first move as he lashed his sword in her direction. Noelle gracefully stepped out of the way, and simply caught the blade in her hand, jerking it forward. The blade clattered to the ground with a dull thunk. Asher ran to retrieve it, but Noelle was too quick for him, seizing his wrist and spinning him forward. "Your dead," she said placidly as she raised his knife to his throat.

He sighed in defeat. "Rematch," he asked. Noelle nodded. This time Asher was faster and less reckless, using his sword as leverage as he boosted himself onto Noelle's back. A foreign ringing started to echo in Noelle's ears, the volume of the noise getting louder and louder. Noelle was convinced it was just part of the playful spar, a side effect of the adrenaline pumping in her veins.

Until it got louder.

Asher's precise strikes suddenly became clumsy and messy, like a two year old trying to color in the lines. Noelle felt like she was moving through superglue as she swung her knives, the blows becoming more and more misplaced. Before she knew it she was on the ground unconscious, powerless against the mysterious sound.

***********

"Noelle?" A distinctive voice called out, breaking into her puddles of dreams. Noelle dismissed the noise with a wave of her hand, expecting whoever this was to understand the blissfulness of her slumber. But as soon as she realized who the voice belonged too, her honey brown eyes shot open.

"Evangeline?" Noelle said in surprise and shock, feeling a concoction of fear and angst bubble in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't in the infirmary. She was on the ground next to an unconscious Asher and the frightened looking twins, staring at her with their matching chocolate eyes clasping flashes of fear.

"What happened?" Noelle questioned as her frantic eyes swept over the scenery that surrounded them. The floor was patterned with solid black tiles, the ceiling chalky white. Everyone at Camp Half Blood seemed to be squished in the tiny room, confused and annoyed as a figure with a crimson hood stepped onto the podium in the center of the room. Noelle could see shiny ringlets of light brown hair peek out of the hood that covered her face. Before Evangeline could answer, the hooded figure coughed loudly, silencing the thick chatter that echoed the room.

"My name is Mia McHanson," the hooded person said, her voice oddly smooth, like melting French vanilla ice cream. "None of you know me and none of you probably care. But you will care about this. Four of you lucky individuals will join the Battle of the Fandoms, where you fight it out against fifteen other tributes. One person will win. The others will die. You will face difficult obstacles and torturous challenges, and one of you will escape with your life and a grand prize. Understood?"

"I don't like this," Asher muttered to Noelle. Noelle nodded in agreement, glancing Evangeline's determined expression and Edmund's fearful one. The other campers looked horrified and astonished, not expecting to hear such news. "And one other thing," Mia said, looking up and allowing the hood to fall to her shoulders. "The four of you will be chosen by me drawing your name in the Reaping Ball. The four of you will go, button up your big boy, or big girl pants and face it. No suicide or escaping, because we will find you."

Noelle visibly shuddered at this, compressing a whimper of fear as Mia approached the glass ball. Her fingernails dug into her palms as Mia dipped her long fingers into the circular structure. Mia was pretty, with long curly hair and full red lips. She would have been beautiful if she didn't have a jagged scar carved into her left cheek.

"Noelle VanHouton from the Tyche cabin," said Mia. "Guess your mama didn't bless you this time." Once the last word of her sentence was out of her mouth, Noelle felt ten pairs of strong, black gloved hands clamp down on her shoulders and drag her out of the room. Asher called after her, wiping away the tears that started to stain his cheeks. Edmund and Evangeline started bawling at once, collapsing into Asher's strong arms. It saddened Noelle greatly, but she could do nothing, nothing, but lay there while the people she cared about got farther and farther away, fading into the mammoth crowd.

************

Noelle hated roller coasters. But the feeling of the train rocketing down the wooden tracks was ten times as terrifying. Noelle felt like she was going to grab the garbage can and vomit, but instead she managed and awkward wave and a cheerful smile. "Hi, I'm Noelle VanHouton, the daughter of Tyche. Who are all of you guys?"

"Andromeda," a girl with a messy array of dark red curls muttered, a perpetual scowl twisting her features. "Rosemary," a small girl piped up, her face frozen in determination. She reminded Noelle so much of Evangeline, with the same fiery spirit and bold personality. "Daughter of Demeter." "Kristyn Han, daughter of Ares," a girl with black hair roped into a messy braid stated, seeming somewhat interested in the conversation.

"So," Noelle said cheerfully. "Anything interesting things you guys have to say about any of this nonsense." Kristyn grinned bitterly. "I personally don't see the point. What are we fighting for? Besides our lives anyways," Andromeda's head shot upwards. "Proving yourself," she said, her shoulders tense. "Showing others that your a hero." Rosemary seemed to connect with the statement. "Proving that age is only a number on a birth certificate."

"I know about that," Kristyn said, a hint of bitterness hidden in her tone. "But shoving all of that aside what physical things do we get out of it?" "Mia said a grand prize. It could be anything valuable," Noelle pointed out.

"True," said Rosemary. "But what if the grand prize is your life?" "She said your life and a grand prize, not just a grand prize," Andromeda snorted in a very unladylike fashion. A look of faint disappointment flashed across Rosemary's face, gone within seconds.

"What's better than your life? What would be something worthy of being given to someone who gambled their life on getting it?" Noelle stated matter-of-factly. And for once, all the three girls were speechless.

**********

No other words were exchanged after the four girls conversation. Only dull hellos and halfhearted good mornings over mealtimes, with no other conversation worth having. The rest of the trip on the train was a blur of the past and the present was much more exciting.

"Move it Noelle!" Rosemary screamed as Noelle slashed the dummy neatly in half with Pollux. The child of Demeter was acting like her cheerleader recently Noelle thought as she flung her knives against the wall, landing perfectly above Lucy Fairchild's head. Lucy was in the middle of chalking out a strange design on her left arm, the black ink swirling and curving in unique patterns. Noelle couldn't help but wonder what she was doing, and to be frank, was too afraid to ask.

Lucy looked up, startled at Noelle. "Who are you?" Lucy asked as she finished the design on her arm. "Noelle VanHouton, daughter of Tyche," she stated matter-of-factly, forcing a grin. "Your parent's a god? That's so cool! Do you get like birthday gift and stuff?" Lucy questioned.

"I got twin daggers from my mother this year," Noelle said, her grin morphing into a genuine one. "You?" "The biggest sketchbook with the brightest colored pencils! I loved it!" Lucy squealed. Noelle could imagine the perfectly sharpened pencils beckoning her and she almost visibly drooled.

"Nice!" said Noelle, reminding herself that this was her competition, not her best friend. "What do you get for Christmas?" "Seraph blades, steles, the usual," Lucy shrugged, glimpsing Noelle's confused expression. "My parents are legends," she said with a halfhearted shrug as if that answered her question. "Anyways, what do you get for Christmas?" Noelle paused, trying to remember her fathers Christmas gift. "My father got me a desk," Noelle uttered. "And a ton of books," "Cool," Lucy replied grinning toothily. As if on cue, Rosemary tapped Noelle on the shoulder. "Noelle, can you spar with me?" she asked innocently, her eyes becoming similar to a puppies. Noelle shrugged and waved goodbye to Lucy, who soundlessly vanished into the crowd.

*************

The two days of training were almost finished. The private training session was starting, to show off the best skills of a tribute. It wasn't long before Noelle's name was called and Kristyn and Rosemary mutter a quick gook luck before she entered the cold grey room.

"Noelle VanHouton," she said as she began to train. Noelle could feel the steely blade uncomfortably press against her flesh as she flung them at the plastic dummies in the room. She was so nervous that the blade landed lower than she aimed for, piercing the stomach. She threw the knives again out of boredom, and the bored glances from the Gamemakers were felt like they could burn holes in her flesh. Suddenly some silver wires caught her eye. Noelle fidgeted with the silver wires that she saw, connecting them in odd angles that might catch someone off guard. the Gamemakers started to look uninterested after a while, but Noelle kept tinkering until everything about her contraption was perfect.

"Ahem," Noelle cleared her throat audibly and the Gamemakers head snapped onto her, staring her down with their icy stares. "This is a trap. It could be for a beaver or a tribute, but it works like this," said Noelle, launching into an explanation about how the wires wrapped around it's target. By the end the Gameakers seemed impressed. With a curt bow, Noelle exited the room.

*********

" A ten?" Noelle thought in surprise as she zeroed in on the numbers on the screen. "What! I was a mess during that whole thing and they gave me a ten?" Noelle voiced, shocked. Rosemary smiled at Noelle as she clutched the table to keep from fainting in shock. The Harry Potter tributes scored a seven at best, with basic spells that didn't faze the Gamemakers. Kristyn scored a solid eleven, which was impressive.

But Noelle, the happy optimist that everyone had a hard time taking seriously, had achieved a ten. Maybe, just maybe Noelle stood a chance at making it home.

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Rosemary Duskhill

(did not hand in)

MORTAL INSTRUMENTS

Sapphire Killer

(did not hand in)

Lucy Fairchild

The name "Lucy Fairchild" is called from the young, sweet sounding woman standing tall on a brightly lit stage. Heads turn and look at me; the young girl that fits the name. Pride and admiration fill their faces. I begin confidently towards the stage, being selected for the games was one of the most prestigious things in the fandom world and I was stoked to be apart of it. After i walk to the stage another name is called out; Sapphire Killer. I've seen her around before, but I've never talked to her. Except maybe to say hello. After our names are called we were both ushered towards a train. Sapphire looked as excited as I felt.

The train ride was long and quite frankly boring. Our mentor taught us a few strategies of survival. But overall, I already knew a high percentage of what he told us; the benefits of being a shadowhunter I suppose. All around me people are congratulating me on being selected for the games. It was an absolute honour to be a part of it. I know I've said it one hundred times but it's true. I consider trying to form an alliance with Sapphire, but decide to wait and see how talented she is first. first

I arrive at the Fandom Capitol and can hardly believe my eyes. There are people from all different fandoms everywhere. I don't get to look for very long though. As soon as we arrive I'm pushed through the crowd into a giant building; my home for the next few weeks. Where everyone selected for the Games learns how to fight and survive when we are in the arena. It's also where we sleep as we prepare ourselves. In the end we get a score out of 12, which the gamemakers decide from the skill we show them. I look around for Sapphire and realise she's standing right beside me, a huge grin on her face. She immediately runs towards the large training room and I follow behind quickly, eager to look at all the other competitors.

I must say I'm impressed! I've never seen non shadowhunters so skilled at fighting but I really have some competition here. To be completely honest I would probably form an alliance with everyone here. They all are gifted in many different ways and it's amazing to see. I spent some time memorising what berries were safe to eat and practiced killing with other weapons I don't use as much. In the end I decide to show the Gamemakers my skill with a bow and arrow and end up getting a 9. Which is a pretty good score if I do say so myself.