Battle of the Fandoms | COMPLETE

Round 6 - Entries

My nails get darker; I breathe in dirt. More and more dirt falls on me, my hair, my eyes, my mouth. The pungent smell is everywhere.

But this isn't real. This is just the Capitol.

As the last patch of sky is blocked out by the earth, I close my eyes and wait.

It feels like I've been buried alive for ages, but finally, I feel the earth give way and the firm ground beneath me again.

When I open my eyes, I come to the conclusion that I must have been under the earth for hours, and that the stars must have all gone out. I'm glad no one has killed me, but in this darkness, no wonder they haven't.

I grope around for my backpack and take out the small flashlight I have. I switch it on... but nothing happens. The arena stays as dark as it was before.

I wonder if this is another fear. Then it hits me: blindness. I've always loved climbing trees and seeing the view. Seeing my mom after work every day, and the little animals that roam forest floor.

Thinking back, I also realise that every time I accepted what was happening, it disappeared. So I breathe in slowly and let it out.

It's just the arena. I can actually see.

Still, I can't help letting in a few negative thoughts. What if I'm actually blind? What if the dirt damaged my eyesight permanently?

But I shake my head and push those thoughts to the back of my head. And slowly, gradually, my eyes start clearing; my vision comes back, and I see that I'm on a tree. A tree? Did I really climb up a tree while I was unconscious?

Suddenly, I hear a roar and look under me. A Minotaur is standing right under the branch I'm sitting in. But it's not just any Minotaur. It's wearing white underwear.

I whip my head around, and there she is. Elizabeth Stone, about to push me off the tree and to my death.

Everything seems to happen in slow motion. I don't know what to do. Should I let her push me? Should what was supposed to happen happen? Or should I jump out of the way like I did hours earlier, killing my friend?

I go for the former, and as her hands land on my shoulders and shove, I can't help but think, what if this was real?

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

I wake up and jump to my feet.

"No. No!" I scream, my face streamed with tears. I look up and point at the starry, computer-generated sky. "You took everything away from me! Everything!"

Then, every urge I ever felt or had of dying is gone. In this very moment, I decide that whatever is thrown at me, I will get through it.

I will be the victor of these games.

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Elizabeth Stone

The screams echoed around the trees, coming from the birds; high pitched screams that sounded exactly like my parents. I felt the water falling down my cheeks, my hands clenched, my muscles burning, my lungs contracting and my feet coming in contact with the ground, running, running, running.

I heaved, the air feeling heavy, my legs turned to lead and I collapsed on the ground, my hands shaking in front of my blurred eyes. My voice came out wretched, a howl of desperation. My hands were covered in scars and blood. The joints of my fingers were steadily turning read, bloating-- the screams were getting louder.