Author Games: Dacnomania Nexus Accourt

Semi-Finals - Capitol Roulette - Rhea Nocturne

District Five - Rhea Nocturne

The thought hits me out of nowhere. I can barely believe it. I am in the final few tributes. I have made it this far. How did I not realize this sooner? Well, I guess trying not to get viciously slaughtered is enough to keep anyone busy. Maybe I do have what it takes to win the Hunger Games. Maybe I do have a fighting chance.

Matthew nudges me out of my daydream and points towards the clear sky. The Capitol anthem plays. “Oh, boy. We get to play another game of “Guess Who Kicked the Bucket This Time?” again,” I mumble to him quietly, and he laughs slightly.

Huh, I think to myself. This Games has actually given me a sense of humor. Well, at least that would keep me from going insane again...

A face appears. The District 2 symbol accompanies the deceivingly pretty face with the cold, icy eyes and blood-red lips.

Bellona Blake has been killed. Laurent is now the only Career left. For a moment, I think I see some pain behind those vicious eyes, but Bellona’s face disappears before I can tell if it’s real or not.

After Bellona vanishes, the last time us in the arena will ever see the ruthless killing machine, another face replaces hers. Joined by the District 8 symbol, the round face of Natalia Gregory, framed by her frizzy hair, appears to announce her death. Natalia then disappears, along with all the other dead tributes that have faded into Panem’s history, dead and forgotten.

The music stops and the sky is dark again. These were the only two casualties of today. But tomorrow, the bodies will pile higher and families will weep harder.

As usual, Matthew and I wait for one of the gamemakers’ sickening, superficial faces to materialize in the sky. But no plastic surgery-laden face appears to make our empty stomachs turn. Soon, we hear a voice. It is the voice of Pandora Kleio, a gamemaker. She is complaining about the food she has been served. How dare she complain about her perfectly good food when the districts, and us tributes, are starving to death before her very eyes!

She explains that a feast has been set up at the Cornucopia. Matthew and I are wary, however. This is the Hunger Games. There is definitely a catch.

And, sure enough, I am right. Half the food is poisonous, and there is no way to tell which food is. Typical Capitol. Disguising a murder weapon as something that will benefit us. Yeah, right.

“Well, we have to go, Matthew, we need food badly,” I say matter-of-factly. Matthew nods, and we are off.

While we walk towards the Cornucopia, I explain my rules to Matthew. He has to follow them, or he will be killed. Eat nothing that hasn’t been proven safe, always look out for your ally, if there is a safe food, don’t eat all of the food, as if you do get poisoned somehow, there may not be enough to kill you.

Soon enough, we are there. The Cornucopia. Where this death festival all started. And where it sure as hell might end, if the other tributes are stupid enough to eat poisoned food. Matthew is a smart kid, though. As long as we have each other’s backs, we can make it out alive. I know we can.

Tommy Barton is already eating a piece of meat. Strider Thorne is poking at a magenta-colored fruit with a stick. Luminio Dynalad, like me and Matthew, is standing off to the side, watching, probably cautious like us. Laurent Bloom, probably mourning his last ally’s passing, has not arrived yet. “Tommy seems fine. Should we eat that?” Matthew whispers in my ear. “No,” I whisper back, “it might take effect in a few minutes. Wait.”

Luminio seems to have an idea. He takes a coconut and smashes it open on a rock. He then takes it over to a nearby tree and spills some of the milk onto the leaves. They wither. Well, clearly, it’s poisonous. Luminio throws the useless object away, but he has given me an idea now.

Laurent arrives right on time for my plan to go into action. He is clearly acting as if his tear-stained face has gone completely unnoticed.

“Play along,” I hiss to Matthew, and he nods.

“Mmmm,” I say to Matthew in a soft voice that was still loud enough to be heard by others, “Damn, Matthew, that coconut was seriously amazing, hm?”

“Yeah,” he replies. He knows exactly what I am doing. Luminio looks over at us in surprise, but doesn't say anything as he probably wants Laurent dead too.

“Nice job, Five,” Laurent says sarcastically. “You just helped me out.” The last remaining Career winks at us snidely, swipes the coconut I was holding and steps on it, causing the coconut to burst open. He grabs the shards of coconut and scrapes the meat off with his teeth, licking off the milk as well. He is clearly enjoying it, but Matthew and I just stare at him warily, knowing what’s in store for the arrogant teen.

About thirty seconds later, Laurent clutches his stomach. It looks as if he’s been stabbed. A thick black liquid pours out of his mouth and his deep brown eyes are full of fear and anger at us dirty little Fives for tricking him before they roll back into his head and he collapses. A cannon goes off in the distance.

Laurent is dead.

The Careers are gone.

Matthew and I slap high fives.

Tommy seems fine after a few more minutes, so Matthew and I each take a piece of meat and nibble at it cautiously. We each eat one piece.

Strider has found a long green stalk of celery and is smelling it. He cautiously takes a microscopic bite. He immediately clutches his throat, as if choking, and gasps for air as his face slowly turns purple. His head is basically a grape when he collapses and a cannon booms.

Tommy has broken into a watermelon and also seems fine for now.

This kid is so damn lucky. But at least he’s a good poison tester for us, I think.

A few minutes pass, and Tommy is fine. I use my knife, albeit bloody, to cut a watermelon in half. Matthew takes one half and I take the other. We eat it slowly, and we are fine.

“I think we’re good,” I whisper to Matthew. “We’re just gambling away our lives if we eat any more. I’m fine for now and that watermelon had a ton of water in it. I think we should go.”

“Yeah,” Matthew nods, “I’d love to eat more, but I don’t think we should. Let’s just take some stuff anyway. If we get desperate, we can try and test it for poison like Luminio did.”

Like I said, Matthew’s a smart kid. I grab some of what Tommy and Luminio have been safely eating. I am about to leave when I see a very small package. It says “Rhea Nocturne: Sponsor Perk” on it. On the underside of the box, it says “This food is definitely safe.” I swipe it, and Matthew eyes it hungrily.

“We’ll save it for later,” I instruct quietly, and Matthew nods in agreement before we leave.

Matthew and I work together perfectly. We are both outliers. He is the youngest tribute alive, and I am the only girl left in the mix. But we have a chance. We have a chance to bring fortune to District Five. We have a chance to come out on top. We have a chance to win, after years and years of losses in the bloodbath.

But, deep down inside, there is the unsettling truth that one of us has to die for the other to live.

I quickly shove the sinister feeling down my throat and continue walking. I will not think about this yet. For now, all that matters is keeping the both of us alive.