Cody adjusts the hat on his head. They said he could take one item from his district into the games with him. He chose that hat. If the arena is a sunny place, it may come in handy. Every tribute is dressed in the same garb: a red t-shirt advertising McDonald’s, jeans, and a green bandana tied around his or her head. Cody smiles at his reflection in the tall mirror. He may not look like the obvious winner, but his positive attitude is guaranteed to win him sponsors.
A hand nudges him onto the silver platform. He closes his eyes and mouths a silent prayer as he rises into the arena. When he opens his eyes, he sees the nightmare for the first time. The twenty-six tributes rise together in a circle around the “cornucopia.” This cornucopia, however, is actually a bell tower. Underneath this tower are hundreds of weapons and pieces of equipment. He takes note of a guitar, a milkshake, a box of matches, a rope, three cans of prunes, a President Melton bobble-head, a yellow bat, two AA batteries, a pile of nails, a cardboard cut-out of a person, a sleeping bag, a giant pile of “Lee for India” t-shirts, and tons of numbered bronze keys.
Thirty seconds to go. Cody glances to his left. He sees David staring intently at the middle of the pile: the Chick-fi-la milkshake. To his right, Dani is bouncing on her heels, ready to fight. Directly across the circle, Becca is staring right at him. She draws her finger across her neck and winks. Cody gulps and stares at his shoes.
Ten seconds. Mesa fidgets with her hair as she tries to focus. “Don’t give in,” she tells herself. “You have to run. Let the rest of them fight it out.”
Five seconds. Sara takes a final look at her competitors. She has already ranked them in her head, having determined the outcome of the battle by the little she knows of each tribute. There is room for adjustment, of course, if she changes her own attack…
The bell rings as the invisible barriers slide away. David is the first one under the tower, reaching for the milkshake. Becca and Ethan hit at the same time. She grabs the bat and rears back, threateningly. Ethan grabs the batteries and puffs his chest at her for a moment, yelling, “Bring it on, Mulan!” then runs off towards an empty parking lot. Avery is trampled as she reaches for the milkshake. The cannon booms. David is halfway to Dunkin Donuts in a moment. Kenton grabs the sleeping bag and follows David. No one tries to stop him. Aaron slips in just long enough to grab the guitar, then runs in the opposite direction. Jordan wraps himself around the cardboard cut-out and jumps into the bushes. Amanda has the rope. Becca gives her an evil stare, then winks. Amanda then runs for the science and math complex. Andrea takes the prunes and heads for the fountain. No one follows.
Kaylee, in a moment of bravery, clings to the yellow bat. “Noooo!” Becca yells. She nearly wrenches it away from the tiny Asian, but she forgets to watch her feet and trips over Avery’s lifeless body. Becca has control of the bat once again, and Kaylee submits herself to defeat. The cannon booms a second time.
Cody grabs a handful of nails and sneaks away. Madeline takes the matches. Sara, Paige, and Haley each take a key. Jared and Brad wrestle over the bobble-head. Jared takes a hold of it and bangs Brad on the head. As he stands up to run away, he takes a moment to sneeze. “GOD BLESS YOU!” Brad yells after the fleeing body. Everyone else has left the tower. Becca whacks her hand with the bat. Brad struggles to his feet and runs towards the chapel.
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The Kairos Games
FanfictionIn this thrilling spin-off of the Hunger Games, twenty-six lonely college freshmen face up against their worst nightmare: death, at the hands of each other and cafeteria food. Who will win the dreaded Kairos Games? Will it be Becca, with her yellow...
