^Vispania Callendew, our Head Gamemaker.
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Chapter 39
POV: Dalia (District 11)
Time: Day 10
Tributes Remaining: 14
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I lazily throw a handful of berries into my mouth as the others eat breakfast. We're all still tired after what happened with Soren, but we've been able to sleep a bit since the incident.
Soren looks a lot better, though. He's a tough one. He already looks almost completely healthy.
Seeing Soren almost die was difficult to watch, especially after I came to the realization that I wasn't ready to see him go. Truly, I thought Nia's death would be the only one to affect me. Now I realize that Soren's death will have the same effect, and Lacie's, and Robin's... I feel like I can't live without my allies, but at the same time, I can't bear to think of any of my friends perishing in here.
We're sitting in a circle eating breakfast when I hear an odd sound. Concerned, I try to spot what's making the sound, but Lacie quickly identifies it.
"It's a microphone," she says, standing quickly.
She's right - it sounds like the crackling of a microphone.
Suddenly, a voice echoes around the Arena. It's Lydia, the Announcer. "Hello, tributes! The Feast is now available at the Cornucopia. May the odds be ever in your favor."
I scramble to my feet. We're not too far from the Cornucopia, so the sooner we arrive, the better.
"Let's go," Lacie says. "Let's at least see what the Feast has to offer from the cover of the trees. Maybe it'll be something useful."
After we hastily pack our belongings into our bags, we set off at a brisk pace. It only takes a few minutes to run through the snow to the Cornucopia.
After a few minutes, Lacie stops in wonder as she approaches the Cornucopia clearing. I stop behind her and gasp. The clearing that was originally there has been completely transformed. The narrow paths and Ultimate Solvent are now completely gone, replaced by a simple grassy clearing with the Cornucopia at the center. In front of the Cornucopia, a massive pile in the shape of a cone sits, entirely made of supplies. I can see weapons and crates of different items from the tree line. It also seems as if the effects of the Hydra Vines, the Glutton Flames, and the golden gas, which Lacie calls Midas' Touch Gas, have all been reversed, leaving all four sections looking the same.
"I guess it would be hard for us all to kill each other on the narrow paths," Lena says.
"We have to make sure there's no traps or anyone hiding around the supplies. We don't want to be caught by surprise," Lacie tells us.
"Someone has to make the first move..." Robin mutters.
I look across the clearing, spotting a figure waiting in the tree line across from us. I can't tell who it is, though.
My attention is caught by Persephone from District 5, who sprints into the clearing. She grabs a bag from the massive pile, opening it and stuffing supplies into it.
After a few seconds, Lacie stands from her crouching position, and the rest of us follow her lead. "Looks like it's safe," she says. "Let's get in while we can, she's harmless."
Lacie and Robin enter the Cornucopia clearing first, followed by Soren, Lena, and I. We immediately attack the pile, grabbing anything we can carry, as Persephone runs away. I quickly grab a box of food, a flashlight, and a box of matches, stuffing them into my backpack.
Someone lets out a scream nearby, making me flinch. I run around the pile towards the sound. It's a girl's voice - I hope Lacie is okay. I run toward the sound to find two girls fighting on the ground. It takes me a moment to recognize the girl who is stabbing down savagely, but it's Ada. Below her is a girl. I can barely make her out because of how bloody her body is.
Don't be Lacie, please...
I run up to Ada, kicking her away from the girl as a cannon shot fires. Ada's knife flies from her bloody hands, landing nearby. Glancing down, my stomach drops as I see Lena below me, her eyes lifeless.
I turn to Ada, who is recovering from my blow. Cursing my luck, I realize that I didn't grab a weapon from the pile, so I improvise and quickly jump onto Ada, pummeling her with my fists. She yelps as she tries to dodge my blows, but I'm experienced. She may be more experienced with weapons, but hand-to-hand brawls are probably not covered at the Academy. That gives me an advantage - fights were common in District 11, and I'm prepared for one.
It doesn't take long for me to slip, though. I should never have approached Ada - she's one of the most skilled killers in all of Panem. As I move to punch her, she wriggles an arm free from under me, using it to push herself over, knocking me off of her. She moves incredibly fast, tackling me and holding me in a chokehold. She holds me so tight, I'm worried she's going to crush my neck rather than suffocating me.
I glance to the side, where I see movement. It's Soren. He spots me on the ground, and he begins to run in my direction. Ada stares intently down at me, a grin plastered on her face, and I look away from Soren so I don't give him away.
Please, I beg internally. I don't have much time left. My throat is throbbing against her bloody grip.
Suddenly, a knife appears on Ada's neck. Before she has any time to react, Soren slits Ada's throat. She lets out a gargle of surprise before Soren kicks her off of me.
"I'm sorry..." Soren murmurs, staring at her in horror as she struggles to breathe. Blood drips from her throat as she looks at him, tears in her eyes. She lets out a cough, and blood comes out of her mouth. It only takes seconds for her eyes to glaze over. I sit on the ground, panting, as the cannon shot fires.
"Thank you," I say to him, but he doesn't respond.
"Soren, let's go!" Lacie calls.
I stand, pulling Soren away and forcing him to break his gaze from Ada's body and run with me away from the scene.
I'm still slightly in shock as we reach the tree line. Lacie and Robin don't ask any questions about Lena, so I'm assuming they saw her body.
"We have to stay here," Lacie says, "so I can observe the others. We'll be able to see who is still allied with one another and which tributes skip the Feast."
We all sit in the snow out of sight of the Cornucopia. As my racing heart begins to return to a normal pace, I watch as the next few tributes arrive. Rose from District 8 appears first, along with Maisy from District 9. I believe they had another ally before, but I'm not sure if she's hiding in the trees.
The girls examine the pile carefully, only picking up certain items carefully. I watch as Rose reaches into the depths of the pile and pulls out a large bottle. She seems excited as she unscrews the cap and sniffs its contents.
Rose calls Maisy over to her. I wonder what the girls are up to. After the girls talk for a minute, Rose moves to pour the contents of the bottle all over the pile of supplies.
"What are they doing?" Robin murmurs next to me, his brow furrowed.
I can't seem to figure it out either. The girls are acting very oddly. I watch as Maisy takes a small box from her pack and hands it to Rose.
Lacie squints her eyes, examining the situation. "I'm not sure," she says. "They're acting very strangely. Something's up."
Rose takes something out of the box. It's a match. Then I realize - they've poured gasoline onto the pile of supplies.
"It's gasoline!" I gasp. The others murmur in recognition as Rose lights the match and throws it onto the pile before sprinting away with Maisy.
As the girls run away, I spot their ally, Greta, running in. I guess that means they aren't allied anymore. As Greta approaches the pile, it becomes consumed in flames. Smoke rises from the massive fire, and flames crawl around the mass, burning everything they touch. Greta falls to her knees in disbelief, letting out a maniacal scream of rage, simply staring at the ground in front of her. She's clearly lost her sanity at this point in the Games.
As Greta screams, another tribute sprints towards the pile. It's hard to see against the light of the fire, but I recognize him. It's Tanner, Lena's ally from District 10.
"Where's Victoria?" Soren asks, confused. "Did they split up?"
There wasn't a cannon shot, so Victoria must be alive somewhere. Why are the two not here together? The thought makes me shudder. Who knows what the Careers are up to.
Tanner reaches the burning pile, and I spot Jomilee already at the pile trying to grab supplies before the flames reach them. She must have come in from the other side of the clearing where I couldn't see her.
As he approaches the pile, Tanner pulls out a long sword, reaching back and plunging it into Jomilee's back. She silently crumples to the ground as Tanner turns his attention to the burning supplies.
Gasping, Soren looks away from the scene. I feel my heart drop as I see Jomilee's body laying not too far from Lena's. As Tanner steps over her body, I'm flooded with emotions. All I can think of is her brother, who died a few years ago in the Bloodbath. About her parents, whose lives will never be the same from this moment forward. I feel sick. I should never have learned all those things about my competitors. Jomilee didn't deserve to die.
Lacie stands, her face cold. "Time to go," she says. "I've seen enough."
Robin and I nod in agreement, following her back into the woods.