Zoe Modjeska

(did not hand in)

Scarlet Waterstone

The day after the training session, I was reading a book which contained spells(I may or may not have taken that book without permission) sitting on a couch. I suddenly heard someone call my name.

"Scarlet!" Zoe said, smiling politely and proceeding to sit on the couch beside me.

"Zoe." I said, nodding.

"Where did you get that book?" She asked curiously.

"I summoned it. I thought it wouldn't work. But it did.." I replied, smiling sheepishly.

"I see." Zoe said, nodding.

Suddenly, someone took the book from my hands. I looked up to see our mentor. He was glaring at us. He scolded me for taking the book without permission. I muttered a sorry unenthusiastically.

"Just... do your best, OK?" He said, sighing. Both of nodded to him as he went away.

"Well then. I will be going now." Zoe said, getting up.

"Bye." I said.

After Zoe left, I slipped into my 'thinking mode'. I had absolutely no idea as to what was going to happen next. I wanted to believe that I was prepared. But I am less than prepared. I managed to learn some spells during the training session and gained some interesting knowledge. But will that be enough?

I was deep in thought, when suddenly I was forcefully made to get up from where I was sitting.

"Move it, girl! How much time do I have to call your name?" A man said as he pushed me forward.

I scowled at him. He kept pushing me forward. Finally, I was ushered into a dark room. I looked beside me to see that the man had mysteriously disappeared. Hmm? Where did he go?

I looked around the room, not being able to see anything except for a glass tube that was illuminated by the light. A voice echoed around the room, instructing me to enter the glass tube. Nothing happened for a few seconds. Suddenly, the floor beneath me started rising. Before I know it, I am standing in the blazing sunlight.

The others tributes from the other fandoms stand on their own platforms in a circle surrounding a large structure of metal protruding from the earth. Weapons lie everywhere, as do various backpacks. Hmm.. I wonder what is inside the backpacks. Probably supplied. My eyes brightened up as I spotted my trusted wand among the weapons laying on the ground. I recognized it immediately as I had painted it green in one of its end when I was small.

I wasted no time. As I was about to step off from my platform a voice spoke out of the air, "The platforms are programmed to explode if you step off before the countdown finishes."

I froze, one of my legs raised. I quickly placed my leg on the plate form again. That... was close. Holographic numbers appeared above the metal structure, counting down from sixty. I looked around, and frowned immediately. Odd... There aren't enough supplies for all of us. My frown deepened as I realized that some of the weapons weren't exactly in the best shape. I glanced at the other tributes. They all seem to be nervous. None except the hunger games tributes seem to know what they were doing.

I looked at the holographic numbers again. I was surprised to see that half a minute had already finished. I wonder... it can't be right? But the more I thought about, the more it made sense. I chewed on the insides of my cheeks, frustrated. These people are trying create a blood bath when the game hadn't even started yet!

What should I do? I had two options. I can escape the moment the time finishes. But that would mean leaving my wand behind, which would make me completely defenseless. I looked at the numbers again. My heart pace quickened as I realized that I had less 10 seconds to decide. Fight or flight? Which should I choose?

5

Even though I hate it...

4

I don't have much of a choice..

3

I think...

2

I will go with..

1

Choosing to...

0

FIGHT!

I ran out of my platform as fast as I could and grabbed my wand from the ground. As I readied my wand, I noticed an arrow that was coming at me with an incredible speed. Caught in a frenzy of fear, I swung my wand and shouted 'REDUCTO!' I watched as the arrow crumbled to ash.

Feeling alarmed, I desperately searched in my head for a spell that would save me from immediate danger. But my brain refused to cooperate with me. Come on Scarlet! This is not the time to panic! I slapped my hands together to stop the, from trembling. Struck with an idea, I casted the invisibility spell on myself.

I moved away from where I was standing before. A few seconds later, another arrow had hit that spot. Man that was close!

I heard a scream of agony. from beside me. I looked at what I think the source of the scream was. And I regretted it immediately. There on the ground laid a dead body with a dismembered arm. Blood was oozing out of the body and one of the legs was bent in a unsettling way. And near the body stood a girl who looked around my age maybe even older. She was grinning crazily with a sword smeared with blood in her hands. Her hands was covered with blood as laughed creepily and slashed at another person.

I watched in horror as she repeatedly stabbed at the person, grinning like a child that was gifted with a new toy. Bile rose to my throat, threatening to come out of my mouth. I forced it down, feeling utterly sick. What is she? A cannibal? I strained to remember her name. Was it Jyter? No, it was Jyriter. Jyriter Amir if I remember correctly. I looked at her victims and I immediately recognized them. One was from her own fandom. Her name was Tarn I think. The other was Helena Woods from Hunger games fandom.

What. The. Hell. She doesn't care who she is killing does she? I looked away. I can't get distracted. Not now. If I just manage to grab a backpack, then I can get out of here. I looked around and spotted one. I ran to it. But before I could reach it, someone else took it.

Oh no, you don't! There is no way I am letting you get away with the bag. 'Petrificus Totalus' I said in my mind, pointing my wand at the person. Suddenly his whole body went rigid as he toppled to the ground. I took the backpack from him, casted the invisibility spell on it and slung it over my shoulder.

'I need to get out of here!' I thought as I moved towards thick forest ahead of me. But much to my dismay(and disgust), a lifeless body came crashing towards me. Not knowing what to do, I used the disarming spell on the body. The body was blasted back and I was able to get a clear look at the face. Ahh... her name was Rosemary if I remember correctly. She was really kind.

I closed my eyes, letting out a shaky breath. I willed myself to move away from wretched place. Now that I think about it, Rosemary was completely fine except for the fact that she wasn't alive. She had no injury what's so ever. With a chill, I realized that the cause of her death must have been the killing curse. Which means one of the four wizards was the one who killed her. I shivered. Let's not think about that now.

I dragged my legs until the sound of battle was not heard. I slumped onto the ground, my legs giving out on me. I leaned on to the nearest tree. I rubbed my forehead trying to forget what I just saw.

If this was how it was going to be, then I don't know whether I will come out of this sane. If I don't get killed that is.

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

Jenna Samson

"Enter the tube." The voice was impatient, the words sharp. I looked at the illuminated glass tube that stretched up in front of me, disappearing into the ceiling. The glass was reflecting white light that shone on it from little recessed floor light fixtures that surrounded the tube, causing it to shine like a beacon in the dark room. I took a shaking step forward towards the curved entry of the tube.

In a few minutes I could be dead.

I entered the tube, my chest tight with fear. I school my features into an expression of confidence. It wouldn't due for my opponents to see how scared I was. I turned towards the little blonde women that had led me to the room hoping for words of advice or encouragement. Instead I was met with icy blue eyes and the common phrase that seemed to be the slogan for these games.

"Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."

She jabbed a button on the tube and the floor beneath me began to rise.

Confidence, indifference, bravery, I chanted in my head as I was raised through the circular opening in the ceiling. All at once I was outside, the heat from the sun making it feel like a thick cloud was smothering my brain. I blinked a couple of times against the sudden brightness before taking in my surroundings.

In a circle stood every tribute on their own platform. I looked down and, sure enough, the floor of the tube that had lifted me up was the same metal platform that every other tribute stood on. In the center of the circle of tributes was an odd mental structure. It was round with many dents that were used a cubbies, each holding weapons or an over stuffed backpack filled with what I assumed were survival supplies. The ground was littered with swords, daggers, bows and arrows, and other weapons.

I gulped. What were the rules? That women hadn't explained anything to me. The breakfast I had choked down rolled in my stomach, my throat unbearably dry. No one was moving and must looked confused. Only the Hunger Games tributes seemed to know what to do. With my heart in my throat, I stepped towards the edge of my platform. Just as I was about to step off a voice echoed through the air.

"The platforms are programmed to explode if you step off before the countdown finishes."

I quickly retracted my foot and stumbled backwards, almost falling off the other side of the platform. A red glow fell over the field as a holographic countdown appeared above the metal structure.

60. . . 59. . . 58. . .

The seconds passed by painfully slow.

57. . . 56. . . 55. . .

I tugged painfully at my black curls, a burning fear suffocating my heart

54. . . 53. . . 52. . .

For the first time in years I detested being a Hufflepuff. How would belonging to the badger house help me survive?

51. . . 50. . . 49

The Hufflepuff house was known for loyalty, kindness, fair play, and equality. All traits that were sure to get me slaughtered.

48. . . 47. . . 46. . .

If I was a Gryffindor would I be so terrified right now? Would I be brave?

45. . . 44. . . 43. . .

If I was a Slytherin would I be more okay with the trickery and killing part of this competition? Would I be cunning?

42. . . 41. . . 40. . .

If I was a Ravenclaw would I already have a plan to get out of this bloodbath? Would I be intelligent?

39. . . 38. . . 37. . .

I shook my head, trying to clear it of the negativity. There was no time for what ifs. I quickly determined my two options. To fight or not to fight - that is the question, I thought sarcastically. The landscape in front of me was barren with the odd rock and a dirt floor. However, surrounding it was a dense forest of trees. If I could make it in the trees I could easily find a hiding place.

25. . . 24. . . 23. . .

That's it. I'm heading straight for the trees. I crouched down, ready to push myself off and run like there were hellhounds after me the moment that countdown finished.

22. . . 21. . . 20. . .

Just as my resolve hardened something caught my eye. One of the dents in the round metal structure was filled with wooden sticks. Wands!

19. . . 18. . . 17. . .

My wand! a frantic part of my brain yelled. I need my wand!

16. . . 15. . .

My heart banged against my ribcage. I was a gymnast and took some years of karate so I could defend myself without my wand but my years at Hogwarts had made me dependant on that magical stick. With a ragged breath I tried to rationalize with myself. I can come back for it. I nodded my head to that thought. Once everybody is gone and hiding, I'll come back for it. I clenched my jaw and prepared to run for the trees once more but my eyes kept flickering back to the bundle of wands.

10. . . 9. . . 8. . .

I thought of home and Hogwarts. I thought of my best friends, pessimistic Miracle and innocent Naomi, and of my muggle mom who was probably worrying her life away at home. I have to win this, I thought. I still had a life ahead of me and I intended to live it to the fullest.

But can I really live that life with the knowledge that others had to died for me to continuing living?

7. . . 6. . . 5. . . 4. . .

No! I won't kill anyone. No one will die at my hands. I refuse to be the cause of mourning families and funerals.

3. . .

With a new resolve and an imminent plan I got ready to run once more.

2. . .

For once real confidence actually flowed through my veins and I smiled.

1.

A loud horn went off, startling me terribly. The other tributes darted off their platforms without hesitance, none of them even considering that it might take and extra second for the bombs or whatever explosives they had set up to defuse. I was only distracted for a couple seconds but that was enough for a dagger to go whizzing by my head. I gasped in shock before taking off towards the trees.

~*~

My legs began to ache faster than I expected them to. I was barely across the field when my lungs began to burn. I gave a little shriek as I suddenly felt something cold on my ankle. I stumbled in shock, using my shoulder as a cushion as I slammed into the ground.

"Help." The word was barely audible. I looked down to see that it was a hand that had wrapped around my ankle, the fingers cold and clammy. "Help." I watched in horror as the tribute - one of the demigods from the Percy Jackson fandom - grasped at her throat that was slit wide open, blood spilling between her fingers. Her voice came out in between gasps. I could see the life drain out of her eyes, her fingers digging into the skin of my ankle before going limp.

"No," I gasped in horror. "No, no, no!" My throat burned with an acidic taste that meant I was sure to throw up soon. I jumped to my feet just to slip in a puddle of blood and slam into the ground once more. My wrist screamed with pain as I landed on it.

I pressed my palm to my mouth and looked away, wanting to squeeze my eyes shut but too afraid that someone would stab me. Unfortunately my eyes fell on a Divergent tribute just as she collapsed, her blood pooling around her lifeless body. This time I did shut my eyes.

Don't throw up. Don't throw up.

Maybe if I just laid here they would all assume I'm dead and I can open my eyes once the bloodshed was over.

A burning sensation filled my chest at the mere thought of giving up. Jenna Samson was no quitter but what was I to do? There was no way I could get to the trees without at least throwing up from the gory scene all around me.

"No! Please don't!" I heard a desperate voice shout, the words clear despite the white noise that filled my brain. A snap filled the air, vibrating my brain. Despite the screaming urge not to, I peeked open an eye. A female that I had seen in passing at Hogwarts was kneeling in front of a male from the Hunger Games division. The female was pale except for the angry tints of red in her cheeks. In the hands of the male was two jagged pieces of wood - two halves of a broken wand.

The male dropped the broke wand and the female - a Ravenclaw, I believe - snatched the pieces up, cuddling them to her chest. The male grabbed another wand and ruthlessly snapped it in half, the sound ringing in my brain once more. What is he doing? The Hunger Games tribute grabbed a third wand and I automatically recognized it.

"No!" The scream ripped through my throat. Before I knew what I was doing I was on my feet, running towards the boy with my wand in his hand. Don't snap it, don't snap it, please don't snap it!l

It seemed like everything was in slow motion as I raced towards the boy. I could see his hands tighten around each end of my wand. I could see his muscles flex as he applied excessive force to the piece of wood. I could see a tribute from my school - the green band on his arms giving away his house - send a dagger through the air. I could see the dagger burying itself into the Hunger Games tribute's back. He fell to ground, his spinal cord cut and his heart pierced by the plade. Blood gushed out of his mouth, his eyes rolling in the back of his head. My wand fell from between his fingers, unharmed.

Before the panic in my heart could die, the Ravenclaw female scooped up my wand.

"Avis!" she screamed, but the spell was weak since she wasn't using her own wand. Sickly-looking birds shot out of the end of my wand, weakly pecking at surrounding tributes. I dropped to the ground and rolled to the side, barely avoiding a sword. The sword sliced through one of the birds, the animal disappearing with a puff of smoke. The very tip of the sword sliced my arm but I could barely feel the sting.

As soon as I was close enough I lept at the girl, not caring that we were representing the same "fandom". We rolled on the ground together, a tangle of limbs. I could feel her fingers tearing at my scalp, hairs being ripped out of head.

"Give me my wand!" I shrieked, prying at the one hand that kept my wand pressed to her chest. I let my nails sink into her fingers. "Lumos Maxima!"

My hand was touching the wand just enough for the spell to work. The wand was pointed directly in her face, the tip shining bright as the sun right into her eyes. She screamed as her eyes burned, quickly closing them and tilting her head away from the light. With her temporarily blinded and in pain it was very easy for me to pry the wand from her fingers.

I stood, stumbling as I disentangled myself from her. The field as nearly empty of living people, the few that remained were either fleeing or locked in fierce battle. I didn't let myself dwell on the bodies that littered the ground. Instead, I held my wand to my chest and with a quick "Protego!" to protect myself from any stray, flying weapons, I as running once more before disappearing through the tree line.

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

Melissa Davidson

(did not hand in)

Helena Woods

It's today. They day I might die, or they day where I survive for a few hours longer before I die.

Nineteen Peacekeepers come into the training room where we are all gathered, and each take one tribute away.

I am ushered into a hovercraft, where I am seated down forcefully. The Peacekeeper grabs my left arm and pulls my sleeve up. I wince as he injects me with something, then cleans the wound.

"Trackers, so the Gamemakers know where you are," he explains.

I swallow. Suddenly I spot a large transparent tube to the side.

I point it out. "What's that for?"

The Peacekeeper doesn't answer. Instead, he pulls me up and leads me towards the tube, opening a door in it. I grunt as he shoves me inside and closes it. "Hey, what are you doing? Let me out!"

Suddenly, the tube starts rising, and I look up as light pours in through the glass. I am met with a clear blue sky dotted with mountain peaks that aren't that far away.

The tube finishes its ascent and the walls disappear back into the small platform I'm standing on.

I lift my head and, breathing heavily, see the other tributes standing on similar platforms all around a big metal horn — the Cornucopia.

"Don't step off your platforms until the cannon sounds. They are programmed to explode if you do. Hogwarts students are reminded that Unforgivable Curses are not allowed in the Games, and Demigod powers are also forbidden," a voice booms across the arena.

I wonder what 'Hogwarts' and Unforgivable Curses' and 'Demigods' are, but suddenly numbers appear above the Cornucopia. 60, 59, 58...

My head snaps towards my surroundings. The Cornucopia seems to be in the middle of two mountains. There is no visible water source, but I'm sure there's something either further up the valley or in the woods on the side of the mountains.

50, 49, 48...

Now I look at the supplies in the Cornucopia. Backpacks, weapons of all sorts... I spy a pile of swords closer to the mouth of the metal horn. I quickly debate whether or not to go for them, but soon decide against it and settle for a small backpack right at the edge of the pile of supplies, closest to me.

35, 34...

Next I focus on where to run for cover. In the woods I feel safest, since it's where I've lived in my whole life, but the wisest choice seems inside the mountains. We don't have many in 7, but from what I know, mountains have caves. There might even be a pool or lake in them.

10, 9...

I get ready to jump down and — very literally — run for my life.

6, 5...

Backpack, mountains.

3, 2, 1...

The cannon sounds, and I jump off the platform, landing on my feet. I sprint towards the green backpack. When I'm close enough, I duck and snatch it up, making a sharp turn to my right, and head for the mountain. I don't stop until I reach the first cluster of trees right at the edge.

I pick a pine with low, strong branches and climb it, taking a moment to catch my breath and observe what's happening in the bloodbath, before I begin the trek up the mountain.

I peek through the leaves and see two girls — Lucy Fairchild and Lauren — fighting for a bow and a quiver of arrows. Lucy manages to get hold of an arrow, and she drives it through Lauren's heart. Lauren staggers for a moment before falling to her knees. She wrestles with the arrow, but Lucy pulls it out and, slipping the quiver around her shoulder, runs off towards the other mountain.

I catch sight of Kayleyn's long blond hair and see her aim a knife at Lucy's retreating back. Perfect aim, perfect throw. Lucy falls to the ground, along with her bow and arrows, dead.

Kayleyn doesn't stop to watch. She starts running towards the other mountain — my mountain.

Has she seen me? Is that why she's coming? Does she actually consider me a threat? Or is it that she's considering the alliance?

I decide to stay in the tree instead of starting my way up. She might miss me when she goes by.

I see a few of the tributes with plain sticks, and they're pointing them at different places and yelling. Jets of light are coming out of them.

Scarlet Waterstone, noticeable by her glasses, falls right beside Kayleyn; a jet of red light hit her. Kayleyn stops long enough to stab her, then she picks up the knife and continues running.

Another streak of red light misses Oliver Saturn, who is running towards the mountain opposite me, by mere inches.

Suddenly, I hear twigs cracking underneath me. I open my mouth to breathe more quietly and stay perfectly still.

Red curls appear right below my tree. Andromeda Raine.

Suddenly, I hear a voice nearby shout, "Stupefy!" Andromeda falls to the ground, unconscious.

Zoe Modjeska appears now, holding one of those magic sticks, and she approaches the unconscious girl. "Sectumsempra," she whispers.

I fight the urge to gasp and cry out as blood starts seeping through Andromeda's clothes.

Satisfied, Zoe starts making her way up the mountain.

When I no longer hear her footsteps crunching on leaves, I slowly get down from my tree and kneel next to the wounded girl.

She looks very pale, and the pool of blood around her is steadily growing bigger.

Not knowing what to do, I open the backpack I picked up.

Inside are two full water bottles — thank God — and a small bag of dried fruits. I pull the zipper on a smaller pocket and find a box of matches and a small flashlight.

Nothing to help Andromeda. Looking sadly down at her, I stand up and walk away, up the mountain, searching for shelter.

I hear the cannon signalling her death go off just a minute later, followed by three more. Lucy, Lauren, Andromeda, Scarlet.

As I tread through the woods, I wonder if I'll be next.

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

Kayleyn Smiller

(did not hand in)

Elizabeth Stone

"Get in."

One of the people working for the Capitol pushes me into a dimly lit room, lit only by a small bulb in the middle of the ceiling. It seemed to be hanging slightly off balance, torn from its socket and dangling mid-air.

"Odd," I said, slowly scanning the poor room. "Not what I expected from the Capitol."

"The bulb," a voice came from the shadows and I jumped, turning quickly around to face the front of the room. A man I had not seen before sat in a dark velvet chair, half shrouded by shadows. "Was torn by an earlier tribute. The Capitol hasn't gotten around to fixing it."

I narrowed my eyes, all defense-mechanisms screaming to back away. "I thought the Capitol wanted to make the best impression possible?"

The unknown man leaned forward, and I finally got a good look at his face. I ignored the urge to flinch - half his face was covered in scars, the other smooth and clouded over with make-up. The most notable was a deep, black scar running from the side of his forehead, across his eyelid to the tip of his lips.

It reminded me of a pirate. So far, pirates weren't really on my 'nice people' list.

The man grinned when he caught me studying him. Dark hair fell over the make-up side, misting his brown eyes with a dark look. A predatory gleam sparkled from within. "I'm here to get you ready." He said. His eyes raked over what I was wearing, a black body-suit they had forced me into earlier that day. "It seems to be that they have already given you..." he smirked. "Your costume."

He got up, one hand free and dangling in the air, his fingers littered with rings. The other held a thin margarita glass filled with dark liquid.

I narrowed my eyes. "Drinking the blood of fallen tributes?"

The unknown stranger grinned. "Red wine. But I appreciate the reference to the games."

I crossed my arms, feeling the disgust well up inside of me. "Who the hell are you?"

He sighed, pushing his hair back and crossing to the side of the room, where a desk and chair sat with a thin layer of dust covering the surface. He blew it away softly from the chair, his hands swiping at the wood. "My name is Elihias," he said, sitting down and leaving the glass on the table. "And you're Elizabeth Stone."

Something stirred inside of me. Where...?

"You might have heard my name a few times in the national presidential broadcasts." Elihias rested his hands on the desk. "Many know me as the head game-maker."

I recoiled, my hands growing cold as I fisted them against my sides. "You kill people for a living."

"On the contrary." The sleeves of his dark suit came up to hide his knuckles. "I simply give them the means to kill each other."

"And situations where they get killed trying to survive." A strong emotion had welled up inside of me, bursting, boiling  - "You're pathetic."

"Yet," Elihias's thin fingers closed around the margarita glass. "In two hours, I'll be sitting at home watching you die, and you, of course..." the smile he threw my way chilled me to the bone. It was fake - filled with loathing, and something akin to curiosity. Like a lioness stalking a gazelle, knowing that no matter what, she was bringing dinner home tonight, but wondering at the back of her head if the gazelle would try to run. "You, Elizabeth, will be dead."

"Go to he-"

"Ah," he wagged his index finger, sipping his wine. "I'm pretty sure, we already are."

I closed my eyes, counted to ten like I used to when I got angry back at my district. I opened them. "What do you want with me? Why would you come to visit me personally?"

A dark look crossed his eyes. "I will call myself selfish," Elihias said, swirling the liquid in his glass. "For wondering why someone like you has come so far."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I got reaped. You don't have a choice. Why wouldn't I?"

"Many think you weak, despite your high scoring after your presentation." He sighed, getting up and crossing the room in slow, deep strides to where a glass tube of transparent material glowed. "All have battle strategies, plans...I have seen you done nothing."

I stilled. "You don't know me. You don't know if I have a plan or not."

He turned to me, and this time, the predatorial gleam in his eyes was unmistakable. "I suppose we'll find out."

"You have no right to tell me what to do and what not," I said, feeling my stomach constrict under his gaze.

Elihias sighed, his dark, midnight suit glinting in the weak light. He layed his hand on the transparent tube. "Believe it or not, I'm trying to help you."

"I fail to see how."

"Everyone in the Capitol knows that those from the normal districts have a very significant disadvantage in this year's games. Many have magic, some have powers of the gods. Others have years of fighting experience with demons. You pick apples."

"With very much skill, thank you very much," I said, rage boiling inside of me again like a red hot volcano.

"You fell of that tree."

"Oh - " I stopped, my throat constricting with the urge to throw a tantrum. "Shut up."

"Sadly, I am not able to do so." Elihias answered, his eyes moving to the slick cage which would soon bring me up to my death. Suddenly, he turned, his eyes flashing. "We do not have much time. I came here to warn you. Not only are the people different than usual, but so is the arena. It is equipped to feel familiar to every type of contestant in the games -"

"And why," I said, the feeling of interrupting him giving me immense pleasure. "Are you telling me this?"

"There are sections in the arena." He continued, as if I had not talked at all. "You will all start at the Cornucopia. All of you. Then, with the help of the gamemakers you will be herded into your section of the arena, where everything is desirable for you to survive. They want you to get comfortable, but they will rip you away as soon as you lay down to sleep. The arena rotates at night - " A light beeping had started from the glass tube.

Elihias came closer, only a step apart.

His eyes bore into mine with an intensity that hurt. His dark eyes seemed voidless, empty. "No matter what," he said, grabbing my hand. I resisted, but his grip was strong, and my wrist was still caught. He thrust something into my hand. "Do not get comfortable."

Dimly, a buzzing started in my ears, getting louder, bigger. I had only a moment to catch a glimpse of the head game-maker, before the dim colors of the room collapsed around my vision, and everything went dark.

- - - - - - -

"In two hours, I'll be sitting at home watching you die and you, of course....you, Elizabeth, will be dead."

I gasped, my eyes flying open. My chest heaved, my heart beating erratically against my chest. My hands touched something hard, and softly rounded. My eyes cleared and I found myself looking at my dim reflection in the glass.

My hands fell against the glass surrounding my frame, enclosing me in a transparent, suffocating tube. I was going up. The dimly lit room I had been talking in with Elihias was empty of his presence. The bulb swung ominously from it's perch.

My breath came in short pants, and I could see the air in front of me turn icy with the cold. I rested my forehead against the glass. I can't do this. I wasn't special - I didn't even have the advantage of being a career, loved by the Capitol and the one with the power to survive. I was nobody.

I would have never admitted it to his face, but Elihias had been right - I had no plan. There was nothing but mind-numbing fear and paralysis in my brain. No strategy. No will to live. After all, what did I have to live for?

My mind went back to what Johanna told me the other day, after the scores came up on the screen. It felt so long ago. "You want my advice, kid? Entertain them. Act crazy. The Capitol loves it. More sponsors, more everything. Just don't give up."

So far, it seemed as if I wasn't doing a very good job heeding her advice.

"Tributes, please stand upright as you ascend. Thank you."

I jerked away from the glass in surprise, something fluttering from my enclosed fist just as the tube started to ascend. I stared down at the floor, trying to ignore the rapidly ascending contraption. The dim room fell out of view, vanished by darkness.

A small, metallic flower the size of my palm gleamed up at me. My eyes widened, remembering that Elihias had thrust something into my hands before blacking out.

I picked it up gingerly, remembering the rule 'of having one thing to represent you,' in the games. He hadn't even let me choose, he'd just given me a stupid metallic flower. I rose from my crouched position, and found myself staring into sunlight. It rose from above the ground and came to an abrupt stop, the glass walls enclosing me in disappearing under the cracks.

Bile rose up into my throat as I looked around. All of the tributes stood silent on top of their monument in a semi-circle. Some looked like pin-points. Others were so close they were a stone's throw away.

The sun beat down from above, so real and tangible I had to remind herself none of it was real. In front of me, like a gleaming beacon, stood the Cornucopia.

There was a mutual stir in the air as one by one noticed the shining weapons littered inside and out of the building. Knives, wands, shields, bow and arrows....and there it was: I saw it. A crossbow, tucked in between two survival bags.

"Tributes, please remember that the platforms are wired to explode if you step off before the countdown. Thank you, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

The voice came from all around, and as soon as it had come, it left.

"Countdown will begin now. Sixty, Fifty-Nine, Fifty-Eight..."

I cursed, feeling her heart about to leave her chest. What could I do? I wasn't brave, I would die, she knew she would.

"Fifty-three, fifty-two..."

My lungs screamed for air and she sucked in.

"Forty-five, Forty-Four, Forty-Three, Forty-Two..."

Nothing seemed to make sense to me, a haze surrounded my vision.

Almost everyone would go for the weapons. No one would be vulnerable. Almost everyone would go for the survival packs as well. Only a few would run straight for the woods surrounding the Cornucopia.

"Thirty-One, Thirty, Twenty-Nine..."

I would run.

"Eighteen, Seventeen, Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen..."

I turned her head and saw Helena, only a few platforms away to the right, in a racing pose right before they say 'get set.' Helena caught my eye, and smiled. She mouthed, "We'll be fine."

"Eleven, Ten, Nine..."

I scanned the arena. All I could see was woods. The arena rotates at night. That's what he had said....but what the heck did that mean?

"Six, five, four, three, two..."

For a split second my eyes connected with Helena's....and then people were running.  I quickly launched off the platform, my shoes scraping against the dirt. Screams erupted almost immediately across the scene.

I fixed her eyes on the woods behind the Cornucopia. I risked a glance to the right and saw Helena disappear into the trees with a survival pack slung across her shoulder.

Some ran straight for the Cornucopia. One, a girl with black hair ran adjacent to her, disappearing right after Helena. I hoped she's be okay, knew that someone was after her.

A blood-curling scream erupted in the air and I stumbled, my shoes catching in the uneven terrain. I fell on her stomach, my hands scraping against the natural floor. I turned, gasping against the wind and scrambling back.

Kaitlyn was standing over a girl, her knife coated in blood. She looked up, and saw me. They held the gaze for a few seconds, before Kaityn smiled, twirled the knife and threw it at my feet. Soon a guy attacked her from the side and she parried, her attention diverted.

I grabbed the knife, feeling the handle of the weapon. It was coated in blood, running down the length of my hand. I resisted the urge to vomit and scrambled up. I was only a few yards away, I would get away, away from the death, the screams -

Something blasted into my shoulder and I screamed, stumbling but not falling. I turned and a girl stood, her hands filled up with what looked light lightning. My shoulder burned.

Her eyes were filled with anger. "I'm going to win this." She screamed, the wind whipping around us like a tornado. She shot another bolt at me and I threw myself out of the way.

My eyes filled with dirt, and I looked up, only to see what I needed the most sitting less than a foot away - the crossbow, snug between the two packs. Another bolt struck the ground at my feet; I turned, the knife shooting out of my fingers like it was its own person. The knife struck her in her leg and she fell, cursing.

My hands reached for the crossbow, and then the metal was in my hands - the arrows were around my good shoulder -

"Well," I said, my voice a whisper as I got up quickly. A guy turned his attention to me from across the Cornucopia, a long, gleaming wand in his hand. Kaitlyn was nowhere to be seen. "I kinda want to survive too."

He leveled his wand at me and screamed something that sounded like 'Imperio' but I ran- grasping at one of the survival packs. My throat burned and my eyes filled tears as my hands tore through the branches, and I disappeared with the sound of the girl's agonized groans from behind me echoing in my ears.

-------

Night had fallen and only recently I stopped to make myself a place to sleep for the night. I'd heard no other sounds but a distant scream that had ended in abrupt silence a few hours ago. Even thinking about it brought goosebumps.

I snuggled into the tree branch, my thin sweater doing little to break the wind. "Why is life so cruel..." I whispered softly. My eyes scanned the darkness and the silhouettes of the trees, and I felt at home. The rough bark, the birds, the wind...

I stumbled awake as a canon was fired in the air. My sleepy eyes only barely caught the words 'Scarlet Waterstone' disappear into the night. Two more followed hers - Andromeda Raine, and Lauren.

Tears pricked at my eyes, but I kept them at bay. You could not be vulnerable. They were always watching.

Three were dead. I wondered if I would be next.

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

Oliver Saturn

(did not hand in)

Taara Kax

The second I wake up, I hear a knock at the door.

I have to admit that I was dysfunctional the first few seconds after I opened my eyes-I rarely sleep, so when I do, I tend to sleep very deeply-but I immediately got up as soon as I stopped.

I opened the door to reveal a woman. She was someone that looked like she was from Erudite a lot, actually. There's something about her eyes that see off, that unsettles me a little.

"Follow me. You are to be accompanied to the room to prepare for the games to start." she says, in a perfect, robotic voice.

Right. Today was the day where we were suppose to fight. Today was the day where I would have to survive until I'm the last one standing. This fact, still, does not scare me. Which is a good thing, I suppose, and it's not that surprising to me at all. But for others, it might be unusual for a thirteen year old girl to not be afraid.

I nod, and I step outside and into the hallway. There's no one else there, except for the woman and an endless amount of closed white doors.

I woman suddenly holds an arm out in front of me, blocking me from moving. I react immediately, looking at her as I try to push it out of the way. But I had no luck in doing so. Her arm seemed like it was made of metal.

"Personal weapons are not allowed. We will provide them for you once you enter the arena. Please hand them to me before I force you to." the woman says.

I give her my handgun. She takes it and remove her arm, before stepping aside.

"Follow me."

She walks down the hallway until we reach an end and turns right. She continues walking until we are besides two pairs of elevators and a set of stairs. She presses a button on the elevator and motions me to walk closer.

The elevator door opens, and we step inside. My eyes wander to buttons on the right and left side of the elevator. There are sixty floors in total, not including the buttons that were marked "LL" and "KR".

The woman presses the button that takes us to the twenty-second floor, and we wait. When the door opens, we are in front of a door. It was still white, but they were larger than the ones in the hallway and there were two sets of them inside of just one. She tells me to walk inside.

I am immediately greeted with darkness. Well, not exactly. There was a glass tube in the center of the room that was illuminated by light. The other participants must be in identical rooms similar to this one.

"Please step inside,"the woman tells me."And please wait several seconds for the platform to rise."

I do as I'm told-and immediately struggle to breathe.

There's no air in the tube, I realize. The tube is too compacted for anything to go in. Their plan was to see if the participants were intelligent or not-and have a chance to eliminate the useless ones-I also realize. I didn't know if this was true or not, but looking at the how Erudite-like everything in this building was, I don't doubt that this was their intention.

I try to breathe through my mouth instead. I take slow, even breaths and try not to ever inhale through my nose. This will last me for at least a minute, and if what the lady says is true, then it will only take a moment until I'm in the arena.

After five seconds, the floor beneath me started to rise. It rose slowly at first, then started to get faster and faster. Within a second, I am suddenly standing in sunlight, and part of a circle. I look around and see the other participants in front of me. They all have neutral expressions on their faces, and they don't seem to react when they look around, but they're all staring at the pile of weapons and backpacks laying on the platform in front of us.

We are all standing a few feet of the ground. We seem to be on some sort of metal structure.

"The platforms are all programmed to explode if you step off before the countdown finishes," a voice suddenly announces. "It wouldn't be wise to step right off."

Holograms appear in the air, all counting down from sixty. This would be a good time to form a plan.

As soon as we are all ordered to step off the platform, we have to fight. I already know that people won't make it alive. And one of them could be me.

It would be wise to take a weapon or at least a backpack which I'm guessing is full of supplies. But if I don't manage to make it there fast enough, someone with a faster running speed than me could grab a bow and shoot me before I can even blink. In that case, it would be wise to run in the opposite direction from what everyone else is heading towards.

In the pile of weapons, I can make out knives, swords, spears, shields, axes, bows, and guns of different types. I am sure that there are much more. Around the area in front of me, there are backpacks that are all identical-they're green, and about medium sized-so I can definitely grab a backpack and run. I think I'll be fine without a weapon for now, and I can easily make one. Assuming that there are still weapons left after this, I can come back later and grab one.

Another issue is water. There's a water bottle provided in all the backpacks, but I can't be sure if there's water inside or not. I spot a few hills around, but it would be unwise to run towards there. The climb might be deep, and even though it's a good hiding spot there might be animals there. Behind me, however, there's a small forest. I should head towards there first.

So here's my plan: grab a backpack (or grab a weapon if I can) and run towards the forest with lots of trees, and find water first, assuming that there isn't water provided. If there is, find shelter or a hiding place immediately and look through the backpack to find necessary supplies. If another person runs after me, find a way to throw them off. I'll improvise from there.

The countdown is at ten now. I look at the other participants one more time. There's not a hint of fear in their faces.

As I'm about to look down again, I catch someone looking at me. It's Tarn. She mouths the words, "good luck" before looking away.

I am surprised by it, but I don't let it show on my face. This is a battle. It's better if my feelings remain neutral. I have to survive, and I have to kill. That's the way it works.

The count down is at four now. I brace myself to run.

Three...

Two...

One...

There's a loud beep, followed by someone saying, "You may now begin."

I run and grab a backpack. There's a gun their me, so I grab it as well with my left hand. I'm about to run the opposite way, like I planned, when someone runs towards me.

It's someone from another place-but I don't know who-she's wearing robes, and she's holding a wand in her hand. I vaguely remember that her name started with a Z.

Zoe Modjeska.

I don't stop. I pull the trigger and shoot her, in the forehead. She's down immediately, followed by a scream from someone. I don't bother to see who it is.

One down. Seventeen more to go.

I run towards the forest. I don't feel any emotion at all. Which is ideal. In situations like these, emotions and feelings aren't important.

There's footsteps behind me. Someone's following me.

Throw them off.

The forest isn't far away, but it'll still take twenty seconds to get there. I have no idea what weapon he or she has. I can't afford to just do nothing and run. I bent my arm at an angle behind me. I aim with my gun, and shoot. The footsteps were to my left, and they weren't too loud but not to quiet either. That means that whoever that person was, there was still distance between us.

For a split second, I look back. The person is down, and they have short hair. It's a boy that I shot.

From what I remember, there was only one person who was male. And it was Oliver Saturn, I think.

Two down. I keep running.

I'm almost to the forest now. I stop in my tracks once I reach the first tree, and look behind me. No one's there.

I am certain that everyone else ran toward the hills. I am probably alo-

A pain erupts from somewhere around my ankle. I whip around to find a dagger on the floor. It grazed my skin. I don't feel pain, and the wound isn't deep, but I need to treat it now before it gets infected, since there's blood.

I look up. Sitting on one of the branches, is someone I recognize as Andromeda Raine. She has another dagger in her left hand.

"Move again, child, and you're dead." She says.

I don't know how she got here before me. But I notice what's above her.

Bees.

She picked the wrong spot. One move from her, and she'll be the one who's dead.

"Why don't you come and catch me, then?" I said, staring at her.

Her face contorts in pure anger. "Watch me then!"

She stands up.

Before she realizes her mistake.

She screams as she hits the bottom of the hive and as the bees swarm around her head. The branch snaps under her weight as she falls to the ground. She runs towards me.

I shoot her, in the chest this time. And I shoot her again, just in case.

She falls to the ground. Blood pools out of her, staining the leaves on the ground. The bees keep swarming around her, but they don't come near me.

I stay emotionless.

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

Jyriter Amir

I gasped and shuddered. Light. Warmth. Death. I could practically smell it everywhere, just waiting and lingering until it existed. Sometimes things that don't exist actually do and there's no explanation. It was one of those times.

Was I nervous? Clearly. Who wouldn't be? They'd be crazy. Was I excited? Definitely. Absolutely. Maybe... maybe it wasn't me who was so excited.

Who cares? If I died now, I knew, then I'd be grave-stop dead. Grey and lifeless as I rotted away and others moved around my corpse to prevent themselves from joining it. This, perhaps, was what made me so excited that I nearly peed myself. I felt the platform rise. I saw the sun, and I saw the hills.

It was almost beautiful. Shame that it would soon be bloodstained. I'd never run to those hills.

I may've been that weird, meek girl in Erudite. Now, I'd rather have taken my chances.

My skin almost burned on impact. It felt sore, now, itching itself off. Blood was warm too. Not so great. I knew people were booing for me, somewhere, the sadistic and masochistic little honeybee that was no more than a shivery, weak little child.

I've never felt more alive.

If only they could tremble now, themselves, in fear and in sight of me. Maybe others. I wasn't fond of positive attention, but negative attention was a different story.

The platform clicked and bounced a bit. Almost immediately, a voice rasped out from the speakers hidden somewhere, anywhere, everywhere.

"The platforms are programmed to explode if you step off before the countdown finishes."

I don't take a step. I've watched enough games and heard enough stories to know I'm not so stupid. Probably, I mean. I could be very, very stupid. Who really has a clue?

I looked around, at the weak and the strong looking people. Some seemed like they were peeing themselves. Some seemed bloodthirsty. Or maybe pee thirsty. I don't know.

I only thought one thing as the loudspeaker began to count down from 60.

My feet hurt like heck, and I'm hungry. I want one of those burrito things.

My wishes were denied. Luckily, I was used to being hungry, and my foot hurting a lot, and not eating. Arthritis and I wasn't ever hungry back at home. Well, I pretended I wasn't.

"30, 29, 28," and then it clicked in my brain. I was doing this. I was going to die. An axe would be buried in my head, or a knife in my neck. I wasn't beautiful. Someone may be less hesitant to kill a pretty person. Pretty poison. But I wasn't pretty, and nobody would hesitate on me.

I was afraid, and excited, and all around as if I'd been injected with adrenaline. I unconsciously rubbed my leg, where I'd been injected before. I shivered.

"20, 19, 18," Crap. I hadn't been looking around. I peered over at the bags. Most were logical. Some were curious, and things I tended to lean towards were almost always curious.

"Curiosity is to eye and mind of those who sense it, absolute luminosity." I kind of made that up on the spot, but I was nervous, so I muttered that. No one looked at me. Some seemed like they were ready to run in any direction. Some were eying a weapon.

I was eying a rather curious bag. I spotted some pencils and a very, very sharp ruler. These things were useful back in Erudite, and these things were very interesting weapons.

Oh, Lacey. Was I really doing this...? Yep. Yes I was. But I remembered. I may've not signed up for this, but at least if I won I would get a small loan of a million dollars. Probably more.

I found it sad that so few here were light-hearted anymore. I was never helped, unlike a lot of them. Maybe that's it. 'Smile through the pain' is the most advice I've ever gotten. Nobody, before we entered the arena, even encouraged me. Not the stylists, not the mentor. No one.

I realized that us, the kids from Chicago, were at a major disadvantage. We were not magical. We had no gods protecting us. We had less knowledge of the games. We were hardly anything supernatural. What were we? Humans. That's what. Humans that were raised in a bad place, a bad place with nothing to benefit us.

"3, 2, 1." The bell rang. We all made a rush either far away or into the center. I headed for the bag I wanted, which luckily nobody else did. I pulled out the ruler.

The hands began to bleed from the corpses flying.

I heard people screeching, screeching names and sounds I couldn't perceive. I was screaming, too. I lunged for the bag, and escaped a bit cut-up and roughed-up. I scrambled desperately across the grass, pulling it forward and slinging it onto my back. I began to blend in.

I ran. And I ran. And I did look back, to see bodies.

"Tarn!" I shouted, I shouted it as someone stabbed her through the neck. I ran a different way now. That was when I joined all the screaming and screeching.

It was darkness, absolute darkness. I saw only red. But darkness is not what you see; it is what you hear, and taste, and feel. I tasted blood in the air, I smelled it, pungent and fresh. I couldn't see. I could feel nothing. I could only feel 'run'. I didn't think it, I felt it. A primal instinct I knew to rely on. I had to rely on my instincts now, because I was missing an eye.

I felt a pain, but not hot tears. I clutched my eye and brandished the ruler and blood dripped between the crevices from my fingers. I felt it. Diving down, I hit them in the legs and pushed them over. I stood on top of their torso. Then... I did something sickening. I pushed my foot into their head, until it made a nice crunchy 'pop'! The worst thing was something worthy of worst.

I actually may've enjoyed it. "Brains are like gum," I muttered, wiping my shoes on the grass. I recognized the body as Sapphire Killer from the Mortal Instruments Fandom. I was in the tall reeds, looking around, in the hills, and my eye hurt, because I didn't have one anymore. Blackish-brownish hair was stuck to my shoe now.

I knew I needed to treat myself. I sat in the reeds, still in all but hands as I moved the bag forward. A tiny first aid kit. There were a couple bandages, and a bit of alcohol. Cute, awfully cute, but annoying. I tore a few bits off of Sapphire's body and applied alcohol. Carefully, I began to clean it as I knew how to. I resisted the urge to screech, hissing instead.

By the time I was done, I also had a long piece of cloth. I had to move down with taking cloth, because I didn't want to see her boobs. I wasn't a pervert.

I used the long piece to cover my eye, wrapping it around my head and tying it. I stood, hunched, stretching a bit. I scavenged the body. A small knife was in her hand. Also, in her bag, I found an empty canteen and a bag of crackers. I took both. There were also gloves, and a small rope. I took those as well.

Truth be told, I was a bit frightened and upset by the loss of Tarn. But I had to smile through the pain, keep moving. I began to care less every second.

Crunch, crunch, crunch. I began to near a remote forest. I began to realize... I needed a plan if I didn't want to die. My shoes were slowing me down, covered in blood. I was a barbarian. I'd already given into these games. I laughed inaudibly.

Footsteps. Damnit. I needed action, now. My ears perked up as I neared a tree and did a back-to-back shimmy up it. I gripped the ruler and the knife.

"If you tell me who you are, maybe I'll consider not killing you," a singsong voice told me. I shuddered, again, for the fifth or so time today.

I tapped my foot. "Ick. No thanks. Besides, you'll kill me anyways." I cackled a bit and relaxed. A girl appeared beside me. She wasn't the match to the voice. Helena Woods.

"She's Helena. Tell me yours, I was too lazy to look."

I sighed, giving in. "Fair enough. Jyriter Amir." I grasped my ruler tight. "Now reveal yourself, or when I find you I'll eat your arm." Disgusting of me. But true enough.

Laughing, cackling. She didn't stop until she coughed.

"Alright, I think I'd like you. I've made my choice."

She revealed herself, first a pair of arms pushing Helena off of the tree. A sickening crunch sounded from the floor. I couldn't see far down enough.

I was absolutely shocked, maybe entertained, but shocked. "Kayleyn? I thought... you were both in the same Fandom! Why didn't you kill me?" She shrugged.

"Don't feel like it. I'll take you down when it's a good time to fight."

"I thought you didn't want allies."

"I didn't, and I don't. It's a complex thing, where you will be my bait. I've already collected some of my other all-too-trustful pals for trade."

I grimaced visibly. "Sick."

"I see blood on your shoes. I bet you didn't just step on a corpse. Bad day, huh?" she asked with a shrug. I growled and barked out at her.

"Listen, I'm not going with. Kill me if you want." She shook her head and grabbed me. She was much stronger than I was, and she climbed down the tree with me in her grip as she muttered.

We stepped over dry, crumbly leaves that were greying, like my favorite color was. Grey, stuck in time from pure and impure, from life and death.

We weaved through rough-barked trees that scraped our skin. I smelt smoke. We must've been closer now.

The sky was blue, but not in a way it used to be. It was a blue that I could not describe, because it was different but I didn't know how.

"You sick little monkey," I said, finally deciding to speak up. Kayelyn sighed again and shook her head.

"I'm not insane," she said with a shrug, "much unlike you. You are very insane. How do you know what monkeys are, anyways?"

I laughed. "Erudites know much more than you think." She looked confused. "Erudites are the smart ones."

"Funny. You don't seem very smart," she concluded.

"Whatever, Divergents, the crossovers, can decide how they appear. Anyways, how do you know what monkeys are?" I pressed. She looked somewhat irritated but not very much. I could tell she was a cool person.

"School. Mutts. A lot of ways." Groaning, she added, "We're almost there. Hold onto your horses." Damn it, we were getting close. I saw fire.

I was tempted to tell her, to tell her that a fire was not smart and would attract tributes. But that would mean freedom, by death or otherwise. I saw the camp, which was poor, and people were working on it. She didn't need a human shield, but I realized it was less work for her. She would be the face of terror when she began to attack, and wouldn't die off. It was a good elimination method, too.

I heard a couple murmurs. Not many people were here. I did see Noelle Van Houton, and I saw Oliver Saturn. I didn't see anyone else.

Oliver was carving wood. Noelle was working her butt off. I decided to help Noelle and not to approach Oliver. The poor kid.

"Hi," I told her as I began to lift the same material she carried. She smiled a bit back.

"Hello."

...She wasn't talkative right now at all. I could see the inky sky and the stars looming overhead, tauntingly.

I sighed. "We should leave this place, we should kill Kayelyn," I whispered to her, and she nodded reluctantly.

"It seems like that would be important... if we stay, we die, and I might have to kill you later but I don't want to die this pitifully." I agreed with her. I heard this odd music, which I recognized as the Capitol anthem or something. Kayelyn nodded at us, so we could watch.

A hologram began to assemble in the sky, a white glow. Pictures of people began to flow through. 'The Fallen', read the given title. I knew exactly what this was now.

First, it played the Harry Potter Fandom. Seeing Scarlet dead, I didn't shed a tear. I didn't even smile, either. I didn't know her at all. She was always somewhere else. I merely shook my head.

I sat in silent, slight pity as Jenna appeared. She was very kind- and people who are really truly kind always die. I froze for a second, as if frost was wrapping around my fingers, as I felt somewhere deep inside me regret not being the killer.

Then it melted away. I wasn't relieved. The feeling had been stronger. My remorse was dying, quietly, agonizingly.

My heart almost dropped when the Hunger Games Fandom began to roll. I flinched, whispering in my mind, Helena.

With a cringe, I forced myself to look at what her face used to look like- before it was smashed apart, before her bones became a jigsaw puzzle, before reeds began to grow over her eyes and let her have a silent, peaceful rest until the Capitol took it from her. Then I thought about what I did.

That was it, until my Fandom. I expected to see Tarn next.

However... I saw Lauren. I was genuinely surprised, because she always seemed like she could hold her own. I wasn't upset, because I couldn't be. I couldn't allow that to happen, not ever. I wouldn't be able to see her corpse, because I knew it was no longer there anymore. She would never have a grave for her family to visit, a place for anyone to honor. Neither would I.

I thought Elsa might come up, but no, I was surprised. Again. Now it was Tarn. I shuddered, from what? Not like I had an idea. I stood still.

Nobody else I knew from my Fandom appeared.

From the Percy Jackson Fandom, I immediately spotted Kristyn. Miss Hero, she was, I could tell by the way she acted. A hero had died there. It made me... have to hold back a little bitter chuckle. Admirable, the girl was... but, there are no heroes in survival. I just hoped that whoever she had saved was worth it.

There was no one else from that fandom, either.

In the Mortal Instruments Fandom, I spotted both faces among the fallen.

Upon seeing Sapphire, anyone else would cringe in my position. However, I let out a faint, quiet giggle.

I sung a bit, muttering, "Gum for brains." My shoulders slightly trembled with every syrupy bit of laughter. When it ceased, I scoffed.

Lucy Fairchild. Ah, she was always protective- was that why she just had to, just needed to go?

I wasn't a protective person, because who was there to protect? Someone who... loved me? Inexistent! Ha, ha, ha- I laughed and laughed.

Kayelyn growled. "Aye. Crusher. Stop laughing and help Sunshine and Knife Boy. The sooner you guys make a good camp and all, the sooner you get to sleep- I can't have you dying so uselessly."

I didn't know how to carve, and Oliver seemed... cold. Not in a push-away kind of way, but a way that said survival is his goal. So, I walked over to Noelle. She was warm. Very, very warm.

I helped her sew the beds, because once in class we learned how to. Hers were easily almost perfect.

"How are they so good? I hardly spot a single flaw," I quietly inquired, more so to myself. But she laughed, and it was warm, too.

She shrugged in a sheepish kinda way, modestly and carefree. "Well, I mean, my mom is the Goddess of Good Luck and all that, so, uh-" she began to explain and stopped, shrugging again.

I nodded in awe.

"When we all get out of here..." I pressed. "You go ahead and kill me." She looked away, sadness in her eyes- kind enough to realize that no, she didn't want to kill but realistic enough to know she had to.

"If it makes you feel better about it, I crushed someone's head," I added with a laugh. She seemed uneasy but still warm.

"Who knows," Noelle replied with a grin. Did it looked as forced as my own?

I looked away, as we had finished and laid down.

Beyond the trees, I saw something. Perhaps it was a shadow.

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

Lauren

(did not hand in)

Elsa Matthews

(did not hand in)

Tarn Urbon

(did not hand in)

Kristyn Han

Last night she was presented to the world as a small yet beautiful and fierce Asian warrior, unafraid of the trials that were ahead of her. Today, despite the lack of makeup layering her face bringing out the most striking features about herself and the silky material of her interview dress that swished by her hips with even the slightest movements donning her slim figure, she still felt like a determined fighter who was not afraid of showing anyone just what she was capable of. After all, today was the very first day of the Games--what reason was there for her not to feel prepared?

As Kristyn waited alone in a dark chamber where she had been ushered to after a long ride on what the authorities told her was a hovercraft, she jammed her fists into the jacket she had been instructed to wear--a light waterproof black jacket that went down to her knees over her orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and her jeans--and began to pace around, the slight squeak of her sneakers over the smooth tiled floor echoing in the empty air. Everyone immediately dispersed the instance the hovercraft landed in this strange underground structure she heard a few Hunger Games competitors call the launch room--possibly a term to coin for a room to prepare her for the Games? Whatever the case, she didn't allow the dimness of the room to get to her. All she could feel was determination flooding through her veins like the blood that kept her moving and on her feet. It was just like another game of Capture the Flag, was it not? The only difference was that there were other people out there with other abilities that would possibly throw her off guard if she wasn't careful. Besides, this time it wasn't just looking out for knives and arrows; magic would also be playing a major role in the Games. And years of hanging around with a few daughters of Hecate taught her just how completely unpredictable the Games would be.

Weapons. Magic. Blood. Death.

This shouldn't be too bad.

"Thirty seconds to launch."

A cool female robotic voice soon pierced through Kristyn's thoughts, and she glanced up to see a brilliant light cast itself over what looked like a glass tube at the far left corner of the room. She sighed as she raised her hand to finger the clay beads on her necklace, stroke each of them once before making her way over to the tube, entering it through the wide opening cut on the side. A low exhale escaped past her lips, her fingers closing around the Chinese lucky coin safely tucked away in her jeans, and she lifted her head high in confidence, her battle face forming over her facial features.

"Ten seconds to launch."

What point was there to worrying about the initial battle? No one would know of anyone else's battle plan upon arrival to the arena. Fighting them would be like fighting the Hydra back at Camp Half-Blood: observe, think, and then attack. No battle plan could equate to a fast death; a battle plan planned wrongly could equate to a delayed death; a battle plan planned correctly could equate to at least one more day of survival.

There really could be no other way to explain it. After all, what else should be running through the mind of a child of Ares?

The tube soon closed over her. The plate beneath her feet began to rise. She released the grip on her coin as she found herself ascending into the arena, and she began to take in her surroundings, the plate having locked in place beneath her.

The overall outdoor environment almost seemed to resemble Camp Half-Blood, with trees rising to her left and a lake sparkling under the sun above her head on her right. A hilly landscape laid directly behind her, the grass laid over the terrain swaying just slightly in the almost nonexistent breeze. She glanced to her left and right; a girl from Divergent, Elsa, and Helena Wood from the Hunger Games fandom were standing on her respective sides. Everyone else seemed to be standing on similar platforms like she was right now, all spread out equidistantly in a circle. And directly in front of her, just by the mouth of the strangest metal contraption she had ever seen, were weapons of many different kinds and backpacks of many different colours filled to the brim with what Kristyn could only assume were survival kits.

Of course, they would be so kind to care about a competitor's safety. But would it be all worth it if they were sent here to battle for everything that laid at their feet?

"The platforms are programmed to explode if you step off before the countdown finishes."

Yes. Kristyn nodded to herself as a large holographic timer flashed itself over the metal contraption, counting down from 60. No one would want anyone having a fast head start into this. She shifted her gaze from the timer to the other competitors, their faces clouded in either worry or shaky confidence, facades that could easily be shattered with the simple swipe of a blade or a hard knockout punch in the gut. Days of observing them have given her quite an elaborate plan to overpower them all--but she didn't want to launch herself into that thicket just yet. She wanted to see how everyone else would play this before she could follow through with her own strategy for survival.

So just as the timer struck zero and the gong sounded through the arena, she still remained standing on her plate while everyone else dashed off. Some of the competitors went right into the trees, or directly towards the hilly landscape. Others immediately converged towards the weapons and backpacks that laid in their view, grabbing a hold of knives and spears and backpacks and immediately kicking at others and randomly stabbing at them in defense trying to get sufficient supplies.

"This is pathetic," Kristyn muttered to herself as she watched the action unfold. "It's about time they'd get the treatment of a true fighter."

With a cry, she pushed herself off of the plate and charged into the chaos. She didn't get too far in when her foot landed upon a stick which immediately cracked under the pressure; upon closer look she realized that she had snapped someone's wand.

"Go figure," she muttered to herself as she traveled further, quick to avoid the blades flying above her head and the arrows whizzing past her torso. As she somersaulted towards the rack of blades, she quickly grabbed hold of her sword, Polemistis, as well as a knife that looked to be made of both Celestial Bronze and steel--good for any demigod to kill both mortals and other demigods. She quickly grabbed a sheath of arrows and a bow, but barely had she slung them onto her shoulders when she heard someone shout "Avada Kedavra!"

Kristyn didn't even want to know what that meant. As a trail of green sparks shot towards her, she quickly rolled over onto her side, evading the spell completely. As she got up, she caught sight of a girl with long black hair and dark brown eyes behind thick-framed glasses, her face screaming with rage as she raised her wand. Of course, she'd know who it was--no one other than Scarlet Waterstone, the one who couldn't handle the knot-tying station back in training.

"Not so fast!" Kristyn shouted as she rolled towards the girl, effectively stabbing the ground with Polemistis before launching herself into a front flip that managed to land a fierce kick right into the girl's torso. As the girl fell to the ground, Kristyn growled as she plunged the steel and bronze knife into her heart, snatching her wand up in the process and snapping it deliberately without even acknowledging the girl's dying pleas, the blood that began to stain the ground and pool over the girl's corpse.

"Take that," Kristyn muttered as she withdrew her knife, somersaulting towards the area with backpacks and survival kits. An arrow soon came whizzing out of nowhere, but this time she wasn't fast enough; the tip of the arrow soon honed into her right bicep and she howled in pain at the sting. However, she didn't have any time to contemplate over it or do anything with it. She quickly ran over to the other end of the contraption to snatch a backpack...and that was when she saw Sapphire from the Mortal Instruments fandom and Taara from the Divergent fandom run for it at the same time--a bright red backpack that looked to be packed with goodies that none of them would be able to survive without.

"Hey! Shrimp! Get away from that! That's mine!" Taara shouted, and Kristyn flinched as she noticed a shotgun nestled in her belt. Her arrows and blades would not be enough to deflect a bullet wounding her if she wasn't careful; nonetheless, she didn't stop running.

"No! Shut up! That's mine!" Sapphire screamed, holding up her rune stone as light began to flash from her palms.

Kristyn simply shook her head as she nocked an arrow onto her bow, not stopping her pace. "You call me Shrimp again, you pay!"

To her surprise, the two of them complied. Instantly, Taara took out her shotgun and held it in both hands, her finger hovering over the trigger as she aimed the mouth of the weapon at Kristyn. Kristyn, however, was able to anticipate the shot; as it rang in the air she somersaulted on the ground again, shooting her arrow towards Taara's gut but unfortunately missing the spot.

"You think a stupid archer like you can stop us? I thought you were more proficient in blades!" Sapphire shouted tauntingly as she grabbed hold of the backpack, her fingers closing around the straps as she plucked it from the ground with a victorious laugh. But just as she was about to put it on, Kristyn suddenly gave a quiet gasp; her vision, once more, was beginning to adopt a strange red tint.

Uncommon to other demigods who were not Ares' children, Ares' Blessing caused the favoured children of the god to become practically invincible, their minds turned into killing machines and their limbs working almost on autopilot. Kristyn didn't know that this was normal for her, however; for all she knew, her rage could have been what lead her to all the trouble being kicked out of school and going insane without realizing why.

But she didn't have time to think about it. With a cry, she raised her bloody knife and began to slash at the backpack on Sapphire's back, which immediately fell with a loud thump on the ground. She then kicked Sapphire over in the chest and deliberately cracked the rune stone in her hand with an arrow loosed from her bow; before Sapphire could comprehend what was going on, the tip of Kristyn's next arrow sank deep into her abdomen, and she stumbled back, lying motionless on the ground.

"What the actual hell was that?!" Taara yelled.

Kristyn didn't pay her any attention as she turned to her and easily disarmed her shotgun with a swipe of her knife under the handle of the gun. Before Taara could blink, Kristyn turned the weapon on her and released a single bullet into the girl's forehead.

She was dead before she could hit the ground.

Now standing alone with a shotgun, her sword, her knife, and a sheath with only ten arrows and a bow, Kristyn Han had never felt more accomplished. As her vision began to fade back to normal, she picked up the backpack and pocketed her weapons, then turned to the sky and held up her bloody knife in the air.

"That, my friend, was something called the tempest of a demigod."

And with that, she dashed away into the woods, her hair whipping out of sight..

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

Andromeda Raine

(did not hand in)

Noelle Van Houton

(did not hand in)

Rosemary Duskhill

(did not hand in)

Sapphire Killer

(did not hand in)

Lucy Fairchild

After I see my score I'm ushered immediately into a dark room, and am pushed into a glass tube. I turn around to scowl at the person behind me but the floor begins to rise before I have a chance.

"What the Hell is going on!?" I shriek. But it's too late and before I know it, I'm standing on a small platform barely a foot off the ground. None of my training prepared me for this. I try to keep a level head as I know that panicking never solves anything. I hear a voice telling me that: "The platforms are programmed to explode if you step off before the countdown finishes." I stop moving, my foot only an inch to the ground. I start to sweat as I slowly bring my foot back. I look up for the first time and see that all the tributes from the other fandoms are standing on their own individual platforms.

I take a deep breath and listen to the countdown, there is only 10 seconds now and I already know my plan. 3, 2, 1....I jump off my platform and bolt towards the cornucopia. If I can get my hands on the bow and arrow, I'll be safe. A knife flies past my head, inches from my ear. I don't turn around because I know if I do I will be killed. And I can't let that happen. I have to win.

I'm only a few metres from the cornucopia now. I keep my eyes on the bow and arrows. Determined to grab them. I snatch them up just as another girl does. I growl at her and punch her hard in the face. She stumbles but keeps her balance. She immediately lifts up her hand to fight back but I grab it and twist hard until I hear bones cracking and crunching. She screams and let's go. Out of the corner of my eye I notice the silvery glint of a knife. I snatch it up and get bury it into her chest. A cannon goes off and I realise that she was part of the divergent fandom; I'm pretty sure her name was Jyriter Amir.

I turn around and aim my bow out in front of me. There are two people looking the other way so I shoot them in the back off the head. They were both from The Hunger Games fandom and were named; Helena Woods and Oliver Saturn.

As soon as my arrow leaves the quiver, I sprint towards the forest, determined to find water. I won't last long if I can't find any and right now that is the only thing on my mind. There's no point going out to kill someone if I haven't got the energy to do so.