The Third Annual Writer's Game: Roots

Hannibal Ad Portas | Females

District One - Crystal Caverly

  Crystal's nose wrinkled in distaste as she put on the clothes Katalla gave her. There was the standard shirt and cargo pants along with a thin undershirt. She'd also been given an unflattering pair of running shoes that made her wish for heels instead. But what really irritated her were the gaudy blue mittens Katalla had forced on her. She huffed, tilting her head up. For once, what she wore mattered very little. All that mattered now was her own survival. Crystal inhaled deeply and tossed her head back, blonde curls bouncing as she stepped into the tube that would lead her to the arena.

As her tube rose, a slow smile curled across Crystal's face. Excitement zinged through her, and she could feel her skin buzzing with it. Her tube suddenly stopped, and she took her chance to study the arena. It was simple, almost boring in its normality. All of the tubes containing the tributes were in a circle around the Cornucopia. It glittered in the sunlight, golden and beautiful. Around it, weapons and packs were scattered on the ground and inside the Cornucopia. Beyond her was a green expanse covered in trees of different types, with more trees as far as she could see. Crystal switched her attention to the countdown.

"Six."

Five.

"Four."

Three.

"Two."

One.

The glass around her sank into the ground and Crystal stepped out eagerly. Wind rushed across her face and she basked in the feeling briefly. A shout reminded her where she was, and she started running straight towards the Cornucopia. Her eyes zeroed in on a set of daggers right outside of it. Make sure one of those weapons is yours, her mentor's voice reminded her. Those would be hers. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a dark haired girl a few feet ahead of her, who seemed to be heading in the same direction. Crystal's eyes narrowed and she changed course slightly so that she would collide with the other girl.

She hit the dark haired girl hard, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. Crystal recovered quickly, pulling her hand back and punching the dark skinned girl in the nose. Blood immediately started pouring from the hit and Crystal grimaced with distaste. The other girl tried to retaliate but her actions were weak and Crystal easily blocked them. Pathetic, she thought. She looked to the Cornucopia and cursed when she realized there were already tributes there.

"Guess I'll have to make your death quick then," she said. Then she punched the girl's skull hard enough to disorient her before pulling her into a standing position. Her hands surrounded the girl's neck and she kicked the other's knees so that the dark haired girl's legs buckled.Too easy. Then she twisted the flesh in her hands until it snapped. The sound made Crystal smile, and she let the body drop carelessly as she started for the Cornucopia once more.

Adrenaline rushed through her as she ran, letting her run more quickly than she had before. Golden and beautiful, the Cornucopia came closer and closer until she was right in front of it. Many of the supplies on the outer edge were gone, taken by cowardly tributes, but her knives and a bag of what she assumed was food were mere feet away. Crystal quickly scooped up the bag and then turned towards the knives. She reached them unopposed, and reveled in the feeling of holding the familiar weapons. Hers. Standing straighter, her eyes scanned the surrounding area for someone to test them on.

Her gaze landed on Eton, the boy from Four, if she remembered correctly. He was weird, always looking like he was in a daze. Far from a proper Career, despite his skill with weapons. Crystal quickly analyzed him, noting he didn't have any weapons and was alone. A perfect target.

She tossed her head back, holding her daggers loosely in each hand as she approached him, smiling brightly. She kept her body relaxed and her smile friendly as she called out to him. Eton's head turned and it seemed to take him a moment to realize who she was. He stared at her silently, but didn't react as she said, "You should have gotten a weapon."

Confusion played across his features, and Crystal resisted the urge to laugh. She was right in front of him now, and she held out one of her daggers. For a moment, Eton just stared at them, before he reached for it slowly. Immediately, Crystal twisted her wrist so that the blade cut off the tips of his outstretched fingers. Very nice, she thought absently, admiring how sharp the blades were.

A cry of pain left Eton, and she laughed. Taking advantage of the other boy's surprise, she stepped forward and kicked between his legs. Eton crumpled to the ground with a groan of pain, and she attacked. Adrenaline rushed through her as she slashed at his chest and arms, delighting in the blood that ran like tears from each wound.

Put on a show for them, Vira, her mentor, whispered in her mind, and Crystal paused in her relentless attack. Eton made a sound that could have been of relief, and she stepped back slightly to study her handiwork. Eton's once handsome face was marred with dozens of shallow cuts that blood dripped from, forming little pools. His arms and torso were littered with similar injuries, and Crystal grimaced. He'd die from blood loss if she left him there.

"Can't have that," she murmured quietly.

Standing back, she became aware of the fact that most of the other tributes had disappeared, with only the Careers left picking through the items in the Cornucopia. When she looked over at them, they nodded slightly, and she grinned. Eton was her kill, and they wouldn't interfere. She turned her attention back to Eton, pursing her lips in thought. There were a dozen ways to kill him, but they'd all take too long. He'd bleed out before she finished. Sighing with disappointment, Crystal knelt down to where Eton was now lying in the grass. His chest rose slowly, and blood surrounded his upper body, outlining him in red.

"You got lucky," she whispered.

Then she raised her arm and drove her dagger into his heart, jerking backwards to avoid the spray of blood.