My Entries from Author's Games: Pandora's Box

Finals: Altrin

ALL DEAD TRIBUTES, any of you that have been killed off, this is the last chance to exact revenge, to determine the winner. Not only will you be voting on Phoebe and Egan's entries to determine who wins, but ALL DEAD TRIBUTES MAY WRITE FOR THIS TASK.

I awake to a strange pain all throughout my body. What's happening? This is all wrong. Something is incredibly off. I open my heavy lids and sit up with a pounding head.

Sandstone fragments embed my palms and when I move, there is a clanking of metal. I scan my body and see armor of sorts. It's an ancient form of armor.

Gladiators, I think.

Upon looking around, I see familiar faces as horrific images rush back into my head. The earthquake. Coralie. I died...I—I died.

What is going on?

Frantically I stand and slowly spin my body to take in everything. I'm in the arena, all right. But it's entirely different than it was. There are no rules to the games this year. That was proven with the maze, my radiation, the earthquake, my revival.

I'm standing in an ancient gladiator's arena with my fellow dead tributes. We are all in the seats of where a crowd should be sitting. Looking far away into the sandy pit of where the fights of death take place, I notice two tributes asleep. It seems to be Egan and Phoebe, both curled closely together in their slumber.

A sharp pain stabs at my heart. It reminds me of Coralie. I never even got to tell her that I was beginning to fall dangerously for her. Surely my actions of attempting to save her proved that. I can only hope.

My eyes scan the bodies of revived tributes, laying still in their places. I examine them more closely and finally find her. Seeing her pale features and bright hair is like taking a deep breath of fresh air. It seems to give me a feeling of freedom, as if getting to see her another time will be my saving grace.

I don't know my purpose of being here but I do know that I'm going to her. I can't be given this opportunity and not take it to see her beautiful eyes and innocent smile again, even if there's some sort of catch.

I carefully step across the bodies to get to Coralie. She's a fair distance away. I need to keep the chiming of my armor at a minimum. I'm not positive how the other tributes will react to this situation. It's certainly a strange one.

Out of nowhere, an arm constricts around my neck and I choke out a ragged breath.

"You ditched me, you jerk."

I claw at her arms, wishing she'd only let me go. I didn't ditch her, she left me alone in that meadow.

"Anika," I manage to croak.

She lets me go and spins me around, clearly angry. What did I even do?

"Why did you leave me for dead?" she spits.

I quickly glance over at Coralie's still body. I just want to get to her. I don't have time for this.

Anika follows my glance.

"Her. You left me for that District Four scum?"

She's crossing a line that shouldn't even have to be drawn. We were aligned together, once upon a time.

"First of all, you were gone. I didn't leave you. Second, she is not scum."

She scoffs at me. "I was starting to trust again. And then you betrayed me," Anika yells while pulling a sword from her sheath.

"Woah woah woah," I say backing up. "There's no need for this, Anika. Use your head a little."

Ignoring me, she swipes at me with the sharp weapon. I see the sun glint off the metal right before I dodge out of its way.