The 151st Annual Hunger Games

Games~ Day 2~Part 2

Erika Riker's POV:

I sit in front of the cornucopia, watching my allies sleep. I'll have to betray them soon. I have no choice. It's not like I'm too upset though, they're heartless Careers and I'm not. Not anymore.

I have to go. If I avoid the President's plan while I'm here she'll punish me and then I'll just be hurting other people who have no part in this. I wonder why she picked me for this "vital plan". I could easily just turn my back on her....but she knows I won't ruin my reputation for that. She knows I'll cooperate because I don't have anything to go back to in District 1 and this could be my only chance to make my life more than just another tragic story from the districts. She knows I want to be remembered.

Mayella Darwin POV:

I sit in the tall coniferous tree by the rock field, my eyes closed, contemplating.

Juliet is gone.

Gracelynn is gone.

I can't possibly make it through these Games going solo. We're only on the second day and I'm by myself, sitting in a tree, waiting for something to happen. I imagine Mazie at home, probably with Aiden, watching me right now. She's probably asking Aiden why I'm sitting quietly in a tree not doing anything and Aiden is probably replying with some witty comment like," Don't worry, she's just lazy." Then he'd ruffle her hair and she'd laugh and my mother would call them in for dinner.

Before I know it my cheeks are wet with tears and I'm rolling up my sleeping bag. I climb sloppily down the tree and swing my pack over my shoulders. My heavy boots pound against the forest floor and I head towards the beach.

I just want to go home.

Chloe Bloom's POV:

The raw fish tasted bitter and I just barely manage to eat it all without vomiting it back up. Ashlyn threw half of hers away and Poppy didn't even bother to touch it. We better get a sponsor gift with some kind of food inside or else we're all going to starve in here.

It's around noon by the time we pack our things and head away from our makeshift hideout. We've been hiding in plain sight for the past day and it's time we head towards the cliffs, high above the other tributes. So far we haven't run into any other people and I hope it remains that way.

We fold the tent into a tight roll and Ashlyn and I both grab a pack, leaving Poppy with the small bundle. The arena is eerily quiet and there is barely any movement in the trees as we approach.

We trudge through the sand, our heavy boots making the walk difficult. Something sounds deep in the forest and a flock of birds rises from the treetops, setting the sky alive with noise. Suddenly Poppy screams, falling heavily to the sand. Ashlyn steps back, paralyzed in shock at the rapid appearance of the arrow. She screams Poppy's name but Poppy barely manages to move before her cannon goes off.

BOOM.

The sound jolts me from my confusion and I pull a throwing knife from my pocket. I scan the tree line, watching for the tribute that has ambushed us. Lucky for them, they have the dense branches to use as cover. I rack my brain for which tributes used a bow in training but none come to mind. Ashlyn is crouching by Poppy now, oblivious to more oncoming arrows.

I hear soft footstep coming closer and the glimpse of a face amongst the bushes.

Caspian.

He quickly disappears but I run after him, leaving Ashlyn on the beach. The forest is hard to navigate and Caspian's footsteps are quickly joined by more. I'm outnumbered. I abruptly stop, waiting for one of them to make the first move.

The loud humming of the hovercraft arriving above the beach drowns out all other noise and I'm left looking through the leaves, watching for the other tributes.

Caspian is the first to show his face, lurking around the trees. The other two rapidly jump out, Keith and Red joining their ally. I panic, throwing the throwing knife gripped in my hand. I don't aim, I just toss it as hard as I can. Someone screams but by that time I'm already sprinting back the way I came. When I reach the tree line I cut to the right, leading them away from Ashlyn, who sits vacantly in the sand.

BOOM.

I stop when the cannon goes off, the realization that I just killed a tribute hitting me full force. The others don't follow me and I stand on the edge of the beach, silent and blank.

Two tributes gone in less than three minutes. The Capitol better be satisfied with that. I sit against a sturdy tree, my knees pulled up, and cry.

For Poppy.

For the tribute behind me.

For Lark.

And for the twisted Capitol people that are putting us through this.

A/N: Sorry for all the different POV changes. Also, please comment any POVs you want to see of tributes I may not of written about already.