Honorary Chapter: by Keiko Jada

      It was the hours surrounding noon, when I felt completely and utterly alone now. Kydler abandoned me, Celeste died, and now I have no idea where Gabe went. I just feel like they've all deserted me, like no one cared anymore. But I knew I could do fine on my own, it was just the thought of it that upset me. No one cared enough to stick around.

   What're you thinking Keiko? These are the Hunger Games, it's every man for himself out here.

    I let my thoughts wander as I trudged along through the edges of a barren desert. It was uncomfortably hot, but I didn't let that get to me. I had plenty of water, and I made sure to stay right on the desert's borders in case it got too unbearable.

    But as I went along, my knives strung around my belt with my hands gripping them in case of immediate danger, my boot kicked something under the sand. I looked down, and for a moment I didn't know what to do. Then it kicked in, and I bent down to see what it was.

     A ring. A deformed one, it was silver with a little hole on the inside. It's shape wasn't round, but it wasn't oval, it was shaped so that two fingers could fit in it perfectly. I had no idea what it was to be used for, but if I'd learned anything it was that the Capitol never made a mistake. Whatever this was it had a purpose, nothing out here was random.

     I lifted my head to scan my surroundings, only a couple cacti and some boulders lay in the vast expanse of the desert sand. The horizon wasn't even visible. The sky in the distance was like a big sand cloud, yellow and foggy. I wondered what could be at the end of the desert, maybe something better, maybe something a hell of a lot worse.

    So I kept walking. And walking. There was nothing here for me in the desert, so I finally decided to leave. I turned to my left and gasped. I'd almost lost sight of the border, the rainforest was now barely visible. But I doubled back and headed for it, hoping it wasn't as far as it looked.

     I reached it in a short time, it's true what they say about the desert tricking your eyes. The border was clear and only a few feet from where I stood earlier.

    So far I hadn't encountered any mutts. I was actually surprised by this. Perhaps the Gamemakers had other plans for me. I could be walking right into a new disaster without even knowing it. That's why they aren't sending me anything, I mean I am kind of boring.

    Just my luck a shadow appeared looming above my head just before I stepped into the rainforest biome. I spun around real fast, my knives all ready to be lodged into whatever floated above me. But it wasn't a Tribute. Or any danger at all. It was a fish.

    A fish. I was in a desert for crying out loud, where the hell does a fish come from? And more, a flying fish. It had the most beautiful colors to it. It's dorsal fin stuck out magnificently, the colors of watermelon gorgeously displayed. The sun shone through its clearer side fins, and it's body was littered with black polka-dots creating a pretty little galaxy across lush green and bright red colors, some hints of brilliant blues and royal purples.

    My lips broke into a broad grin as I lowered my weapons and watched the fish swim through the sky. I looked up, finding more desert fish floating around as if we were deep under the sea. Millions of fish swarmed together, forming groups called schools. A few dolphins bobbed up higher, and even higher I could make out a shark moving. It seemed the more dangerous sea-predators swam higher in the sky, I could just barely see an orca twirling so high in the sky.   

    When the pirañas started to investigate me that's when I took my cue to leave.

    I stepped into the rainforest biome and the fish left me alone. But wow. Land fish right here. This place had its amazing attractions as well as an equal or greater amount of deadly beasts.

    I kept moving through the rainforest, hoping it would end soon. Hope is overrated. Nothing you hope for ever comes true.

...Le few Hours Later...

    At last I left the deciduous forest, which came after the rainforest. My aching feet crumpled under my weight as I strained my eyes to see what was ahead. The Cornucopia. I'd just gone in a complete circle.

   "Aagh, really? What do you want from me?" I looked up to the heavens, addressing the Gamemakers. I couldn't believe this.

    But nonetheless I went to the big pit the Cornucopia sat in and looked down. It all seemed normal. But the image of that boy from Twelve being burned alive by molten lava still rang fresh in my mind. I shuddered to think what might happen if I went down there.

    Do I even have a thought to myself anymore? As if knowing my fears, an unnatural force made me fall on my behind and slide down the incline that lead to our former starting point.

    I screamed as I went down, trying to reach out and grasp something to stop my rapid descent. Finally my feet hit a large protruding boulder which stopped my fall. I sat gasping for air. But as soon as I breathed out the words "that was close" the boulder suddenly slipped inside the edges of the wall and dropped me.

   Again I was rapidly heading for the pit of the Cornucopia, and there was nothing I could do to stop this.

    I finally came to a rolling stop at the bottom. I had received five or six minor cuts from tumbling down a rocky incline, but I was otherwise alright.

    I brushed the dirt off my legs and looked about. No one was around, this place had been abandoned since all supplies where lost and that kid-- melted. I shuddered again, and looked inside the large silver Cornucopia.

    My instincts were to get out of here fast, but my curiosity led me inside the big man-made object. Technically this entire arena is man-made, but who cares. Lets just survive it, shall we?

    Inside I found human remains, charred and broken. I covered my nose immediately and waved away the smell. There wasn't any flesh left, but the bones were like those from a horror film.

    "And I thought the Capitol disposed of all the dead Tributes." I mumbled under my coat sleeve.

    I noticed something else odd. All the supplies left untouched at the start hadn't been affected at all by the lava. They were as perfect in condition as a newly purchased pair of boots.

    I unzipped a backpack near the remains, cringing at the thought of it maybe suddenly coming to life.

    Inside the pack was a long sturdy rope, a pair of binoculars, and some knives. "Sweet." I shrugged, then opened another pack. A can of nuts, some twine, and another knife but larger. I took these out and stuffed them all in one bag, then opened another.

     By the time I'd gone through them all I had enough supplies to give one thing to each of the twenty-four tributes in the arena, had they all survived.

    I threw the pack onto my shoulders and belted my knives, glancing at the remains one last time before leaving. Maybe he got it good, dying at the start. At least he won't have to be maimed or anything ugly like that.

   But, he did have to go through hell with this lava. I want my death to be quick. If I die, I still plan to win.

      As I reached the entrance I was stopped by the red flow seeping up through the cracks. "Ah! No!" I squealed. There was no way out. Everywhere I could've stepped was now smothered in red, hot lava.

   "Is this what you wanted?!" I screamed to the sky, stepping back so my feet weren't singed. "More death?" I scoffed. "Well, here you have it. But I'm not going as quickly as you'd like!" I screamed to the Capitol, to the President. I hated this. I was terrified, but I had to be strong.

    I ran back inside the Cornucopia, desperately searching for a way out. There was none. "Fuck." I let it slip, but since no one was around I didn't care. "God, come on!" I stomped my foot, the lava now coming in towards me.

    I squealed and began to cry frustratedly. I need a way out, some sort of escape.

   I looked at the bones. Was that my fate too? To be intertwined with a dead boy I didn't even know the name of?

     "At least I won't be alone." I muttered through tears. "Stupid stupid stupid!" I exclaimed. But, that's when I noticed; a hole underneath the bones. That's where he was headed before he was a smoldering corpse.

   "Oh my god!" I wailed helplessly as my desperation grew. I ran to the remains and tried to lift them, but the flesh underneath combined with the heat had melted him onto the floor. He was stuck. The lava was pouring in at me, ready to consume me.

    "No!" I screamed as I pulled desperately on the bones. I broke off a few ribs, but it still blocked the hole. I broke off his neck and threw the skull to the other side of the room, which turned out to be right into the lava. It crept still closer, like a lion getting ready to pounce his prey.

    I desperately tugged at the spine of the remains, and at last succeeded in ripping them away from the bottom of the Cornucopia and away from the escape hole. I was barely able to squeeze myself in the small space. I could hear the lava sizzling closer as I tried to wiggle down the hole. I screamed so loud without ceasing as I finally ducked my head inside the hole. Just as I thought I was doomed to die, the lava rippled over the hole as if there were some sort of glass covering or lid overtop of me.

     An immediate, long sigh of complete relief escaped my lips as I sunk down in my safe haven. That was almost too close for comfort, and with my rebellious words the Capitol would for sure be after my blood. I shivered, making my way down inside the hole. When I reached an area that felt wider than the entrance I slipped down, hitting an earthen floor with a thud. This must be, what, under the Cornucopia? I caught sight of two tunnels as I brushed myself off. One went to my right, one to my left.

    "Lets see, if I were standing outside, left would be to the deciduous forest, and right to coniferous." I spoke softly and then looked to my right. The tunnel seemed long and dark, but I was willing to risk it.

    I took a step in that direction, my foot twisting on something long underneath. I looked down to see a large club with cloth around the top. A torch. I picked it up and examined it. Now I'd just need fire to light it.

     As if by some dark magic it automatically burst into flames right before my eyes. I was shocked, so dropped it. I quickly picked it up before any damage was done and walked on through the right tunnel.

      It took ages of wandering through the winding path for it to actually reach someplace. I had no idea where I was or how far I'd gone, but it was pretty far. And I'd found another scrap of something the same color and material as the ring and little thing I found in the desert. The Gamemaker's must really want me to find these.

     I looked up at a wooden trap door, a ladder reaching the top. As soon as my hand touched the rail of the ladder my torch went out. When I let go, it came back on. The fire was real and everything, it was no flashlight. It was almost like someone was watching my every move, the Gamemakers of course, and knew when to light it and blow it out. I gently set the torch on the ground at my feet and it went out. I then grasped the ladder and pulled myself up.

   As I grasped firmly the handle leading up, I hesitated. What if someone was waiting out there for me? I would just have to find out.

    I pulled out the bigger of my twelve knives and held it up as I shoved open the portal. I rolled out quickly, aiming my knife for any waiting predators. Nothing came. I looked around; I was in the coniferous forest, in a grassy clearing looking at about a thousand or more trees surrounding me. I closed the lid, the grass covering it to perfectly camouflage the wooden door. I may need this later. I told myself, and cut off a strip of cloth from my shirt.

  I looked around me for any natural indicators and found twin trees straight ahead. These shouldn't be hard to identify when I return. I tied my shirt piece to a swaying weed and left. The cloth was well hidden, I'd only see it when I got down close looking for it. And with the twin trees as markers I felt confident I'd find this place again. I doubted anyone would randomly find the door out here, and everyone would be afraid of the Cornucopia.

     I headed out, not planning to go far, but wanting to explore my surroundings. I did a circle sweep all the way around my little clearing, not finding any signs of life. Until I reached the final few feet from where I started.

    I saw an unusual piece of nature. A woven grassy structure hanging on the nearby trees. I decided to take a closer look, but kept my guard up in case it was a Tribute camp. It could be a Gamemakers little death toy, or an obstacle coarse for supplies.

     I pulled out my big knife, three medium sized ones in my left hand as backup. I walked closer, but I was not so naive as to walk right into a human snare set up nearby. Or one of those covered up holes. I knew when leaves lying on the ground had fallen there or been placed.

   I walked closer. And closer still. When I heard voices; a girl, and a boy. I couldn't discern their words, but I knew they were talking. And then I heard a third voice; male, young. Probably the twelve-year-old from District Eight. Then that would mean it's Smith and Gray from Four. Gray. The armless girl. I wasn't about to kill a twelve-year-old and a defenseless victim  in the same day, so I put my big knife away, keeping the three in the other hand just in case I would be attacked.  I looked around frantically. Looking up I could see that they cut off all nearby branches, smart, that way no one can drop in on them.

    Then I noticed him. That crazy ass kid from Five and his little partner. They didn't see me, but they were hanging out in the nearest tree to the armless girl's camp. I wondered why he hadn't come to kill them yet. Perhaps they'd set some other deadly trap I didn't see yet.

   This thought made me take a step or two backwards. I gulped, and cleared my throat.

    "H-hey in there!" I called out. No response. The voices stopped, and I heard shuffling.

    Finally, someone replied. "What do you want? You're not getting in here." Smith demanded. I took another gulp to settle my stomach.

  "No I know. Your domain. Got it. I just wanted to know if, if you knew the Five's were watching." I called out. Apparently Five and his girl were too far to see or hear me. And they also couldn't see over the grass wall. They just sat there.

    It took Smith another few minutes to reply. "Yeah. We knew." He growled. "Now get out of here." He called over, and I could barely make out a long sword in between the cracks of their wall. Dual Swords were his best weapon in training, he was deadly with those things. But I was the one with a long distance weapon. But they had the advantage with their fort. This would be a deadly game to play.

   "Wait, I don't want to hurt you. I want to-to ally." I called out bravely. No response. "I-I'm not going to hurt an armless girl, no offense. But I wouldn't." I called again.

   "None taken." Gray replied, spitting out the words like some vile poison. I sighed, lowering my knives. If they weren't considering my proposal I'd be dead by now.

   "Who's out there?" Smith yelled. I noticed Rush wasn't speaking up for himself.

    "Just me. Keiko from District Two." I yelled.

  "You're a Career?" Smith called.

  "So are you." I shot back, a grin forming on my lips. Now it looked like Five noticed me, and perked up at the sight of me. From here it was difficult to make out his face but those eyes seemed to bare into me pretty hard. I gulped, again.

  Smith laughed. "Yeah. Right." He replied coldly. I heard whispering, and hoped it was working. I really honestly did want an alliance.

   "Anyone out there with you?" Smith asked. I shook my head, "No." I called.

   "You sure?" He asked suspiciously.

   I chuckled. "Yes, if there had been we'd of taken you out already. I figured out your traps." I said, hoping it'd earn me some leverage and they'd accept me. No reply.

  "Hello?" I called sadly. "A-anyone?" I dropped to the ground, my feet aching from all the walking I'd done.

  There was a rustling. "We're going to trust you. But one wrong move and you're out." Smith growled furiously. I lit up, and stood again. "Really? Oh thank you!" I cried. The grass woven thing came down and Smith had his swords ready for action. Gray had her foot on a snare trigger that would pop down to end me if I did something wrong. August just hung back.

   I held up my hands. "Just don't kill me." I said hopefully. Smith motioned for me to come in while Gray told me where to step so I didn't trigger anything or fall in a hole. I did as she said, and when I reached the inside of their little camp August took my belt of knives and my backpack. He set them down and then closed up the woven wall. I smiled at August. He really was so young. So innocent.

  "You can have these once you've proven your loyalty. And not a second sooner." Smith grumbled, nodding to my stuff. I nodded, happy to see live people again.

    "So how long has Five been following you?" I asked curiously as Smith put his swords in hand-made sheaths on his back.

    "Since the start. He's really insane." August told me with a sad look.

   "Kaleb." Smith extended a hand to me. I shook it and smiled, "Keiko." I replied. He left to go do something, and Gray stepped forward. "I'm Taystarian, people call me Tay." She smiled, I smiled.

    "I'd shake your hand, but-" She trailed off, wiggling one of her nubs. I looked at her, I didn't know if I should laugh or feel sorry for her. She grinned and walked away.

   "Well, this is our camp." August said, sweeping an arm around the small area. I smiled. "It's good to have you on board Alliance Three. Didn't you have an alliance before?" He asked curiously. We walked toward the center where a fire pit lay. Some genius set it up to let the bare minimum amount of smoke escape but still letting us breathe freely without inhaling too much smoke. This way no one could find our camp as easily. Their camp. They still don't trust you Keiko. I reminded myself.

   "Yes, I did. But they all died. Well, except Kydler. She left us early on." I explained. August nodded slowly, and watched Tay do stuff with her toes.

   "I can't imagine if my alliance all died." He mused with a lost look. I touched his shoulder reassuringly, and shook my head. "Yeah. After Kydler left I had planned to leave. But then Celeste died. And then Gabe. So I was on my own." I said with a shrug.

   "It looks like you guys have a pretty nice setup." I mused carefully. Kaleb eyed me like I was going to betray them still. I didn't blame him. I was new, he had to get used to me. These are the Hunger Games, trust does not come naturally.

.....Le Few Hours Later......

   It was nightfall and everyone in the camp started preparing for bed, Kaleb volunteering for first watch, eyeing me suspiciously. August lay down to sleep beside Tay, and they talked quietly about the stars. I smiled, they were almost like a family. I could tell I would like it here, if I ever got to fit in.

  I gazed up at the stars myself, wondering if I'd be able to make it back in time to meet my best friends baby. She and her fiance were so happy together. I don't regret volunteering for her, but I don't like it here.

   "I'll be back Shar." I muttered. My weapons and backpack had been put in a pile beside Kaleb's stuff, which he sat by to keep watch. I looked at him, still watching me, and then to Tay and August. August was reciting some sort of poem, it sounded beautiful. I didn't get to see his interview that day because my escort whisked us away, so I began to feel curious about his background. I wondered if he'd want to share it at all.

   I rolled over, and my eyes drifted closed. I felt, for once, safe here with Kaleb guarding and August singing to Tay. It was, nice. Like home is supposed to feel. Home. I would return. I only wish I could with the rest of them. August deserves a chance at life, for Tay to die would be cruel, and I'm sure Kaleb has his reasons for going back. Why is there only one Victor? I questioned in my sleep.

   ....Le Next Morning.... (wow, super long chappie. I apologise.)

   Kaleb woke us all up the next morning, and I wondered if he'd slept at all last night. "Rise and shine." He called out in a cheery voice.

   I smiled, Tay and August lay curled up together by the fire. I had stayed in the same position all night long, resulting in really sore muscles as I stretched awake.

   I came to the fire to see if there was any breakfast. A bird was being slowly cooked over the fire. I sniffed the air and smiled.

    "I used your knives. Hope you don't mind." Kaleb said, looking for my reaction. I smiled. "Perfectly fine." I said. "After all, we're sharing meals right?" I countered. He nodded and continued cooking.

   "Smells great!" Tay called over as she came closer to the warmth. August went digging in the supplies and pulled out a small silver canister. He gave it to Kaleb who opened it and pulled out a match to get the fire going again. He tossed it back to August to put away, but something caught my eye.

  "Wait!" I called. August stopped, and all eyes were on me. "Where did you get that?" I asked. August looked at the object in his hand, and then to me.

  He shrugged. "A sponsor sent it when we first started." He explained.

    I got up and took it to examine. Just as I'd thought. I smirked and reached in my pocket, digging around for those three objects.

  Kaleb and the others were completely baffled by my actions, but I'd soon show them.

  I pulled out the ring and stick, plus the other piece I'd found in the tunnels. I went to a rock and dumped all the matches on it, then studied the container which bent slightly in the middle.

   "What are you doing?" Kaleb asked in an irritated tone. I smirked, and fit the pieces together like a puzzle. "I found some pieces as I was wandering, and seeing this lead me to believe-" I snapped the last piece together to form only half of what it was intended for. But the object was still somewhat recognizable as I held it up for them to see.

    I grinned mischievously as my hands grasped its handle and trigger.

                "The Gamemakers wanted me to build a gun."