Day 1
Away from the bloodshed at the Cornucopia, Rumplestilskin forced himself to relax. He survived the Bloodbath. He would be fine. He looked around. There were many trees in this area. Many of them bore fruit.
He listened for a moment. He heard none of the others. They must all be occupied elsewhere.
Rumple allowed himself a smile. He moved to the trees and started picking their fruit. He needed to keep his strength up to survive these Games.
————
Emma found the little blonde girl, Luna, sitting on a rock. Emma lifted the spear, intend on running her through. Her hands grew clammy with sweat, her grip slipped.
“Come on, Emma,” she told herself. She gave her best war cry and thrust her spear.
Luna startled and turned around, eyes wide and full of tears.
It halted Emma’s spear. Luna was terrified. Terrified, yet she didn’t utter a sound. Emma couldn’t do it. She couldn’t kill a defenceless, innocent young girl.
She dropped her spear. She fell to her knees in front of Luna.
Luna still hadn’t moved from her rock.
“I can’t do it,” Emma muttered. “I can’t— I won’t do it. I won’t play their Games.” She looked Luna straight in the eyes. “I won’t kill you,” she vowed.
Luna continued to stare at her, her big eyes shining with wisdom beyond her years. “We won’t get out of here if we don’t kill.”
Emma glared at nothing in particular. She spotted a berry bush off to her left. She squinted at the bush, wondering if she might be right.
She got up and snatched a handful of berries from the branches. She brought them back and showed them to Lula.
“Look, these are Nightlock berries. If we eat them, we’ll be dead in minutes.”
The fear returned to Luna’s eyes. “You— you want us to eat them?”
Emma leaned in close. “No,” she whispered. She stared deep into the little girl’s eyes. “We will pretend to eat them. They don’t want us to kill ourselves. They want us to kill each other. They’ll call off the Games.”
Emma took hold of Luna’s hand and pushed half of the berries on her palm. Luna stared at the little poison berries. Then she looked back at Emma. And nodded.
“On three,” Emma said. “One…”
“Two,” continued Luna, lifting the berries to her mouth.
Emma closed her eyes. “Three.”
She lifted her own berries. They touched her lips, but still no announcement. It had failed. Screw them. She popped the berries in her mouth and swallowed. They tasted sweet going down her throat.
When she opened her eyes she saw juice stains on Luna’s lips. She’d eaten them, too. It was over. They only had a few minutes left.
Emma could feel the tears come to her eyes. She saw them mirrored in Luna’s eyes. Emma tried to smile for her. She took hold of the girl’s hand and rubbed her thumb against her skin.
Luna burst out into sobs. She threw her arms around Emma’s neck. It threw Emma off-guard, it took her a while to return the hug. Emma couldn’t hear Luna’s sobs anymore. Then her eyesight faded away.
She was dying, Emma knew. Still, she hugged the girl to her chest. Same as Luna. Dead because of her. They were both dead because of her.
A tear left Emma’s eye, before she closed them for the last time. Moments after, Luna exhaled her last breath.
————
“What am I doing?” Four muttered to himself.
He sat against the trunk of a tree. With one hand he supported his head, with the other he held the fishing bait.
“I risk my life for this? For this? I must be losing my mind.”
He let his head fall back against the tree.
“Crap.”
————
Harry ran through the woods. He didn’t know where he was going. He just wanted to put as much distance between him and everyone else.
He skidded to a halt as Eric appeared before him. He had no real weapon, but he did carry a heavy tree trunk. It would work as a helluva bludgeon. Harry swallowed.
Eric gave him a grin that showed way too many teeth.
“Well, well. Look what I found. A little bug, just waiting to be squashed.”
“Look, I don’t want any trouble.” Harry slowly backed up again.
“Oh, it’s a little late for that, don’t you think?” Eric took a few large steps toward him. “Trouble already found you.”
“Please, just listen.” Harry eyes widened and he stared at something behind Eric. He pointed. “Watch out!”
Eric turned quickly, raising his bludgeon. Harry took his distraction to bolt the hell away. When Eric turned his attention back, Harry was nowhere to be seen.
“Damn that brat,” Eric hissed. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you sooner or later.”
————
Will paused to catch his breath. He couldn’t seem to get enough hair into his lungs. He gasped for air even as he collapsed on the ground.
Then he heard something. He stopped breathing and listened close. It came from above. He looked up. A parachute.
He couldn’t believe his luck.
He caught the package in his hands. He unwrapped it. He gasped. A hatchet. He had a weapon. He gave a smile. Now, perhaps he stood a chance.
————
The arrow slammed into the tree. Tris smiled even as she knocked another arrow. She took careful aim and loosed another. The arrow hit the tree. Not exactly where she’d aimed, but still.
Since she was the last to leave the Cornucopia, she’d taken her time to scavenge for more weapons she could use. A bow and arrows were perfect. A long range weapon. That way she never even have to get near her enemies.
————
An expletive fell from Lula’s lips as she once again failed to spear a fish on her trident. What was the use of a big kebab-skewer if she couldn’t get it to work? All she managed to do was get soaking wet. And tired. And more hungry.
She lowered the trident. Maybe she should call it a quits. No. One more time. She would try one more time.
————
Hermione walked through the woods. She didn’t like the woods. She’d rather be in the fields than in the woods. She felt… claustrophobic. She saw a monster lurking in every shadow. She heard the creak of footsteps in every breaking twig.
She threaded her hands in her hair. She felt like she were slowly going insane. She held in her hysteria. There was no time for that. She had to keep moving.
She twisted her head so fast, it hurt. She stared into the forest. She heard something. She was sure she heard something. Now that she looked she couldn’t hear nor see anything.
Hermione hugged herself and began to walk again.
————
Henley heard him. He wasn’t subtle. She scooped low to the ground and picked up a heavy-sized rock. Then she waited. She hid the rock behind her back.
She waited.
Then Daniel burst into the clearing. He stopped when he noticed she wasn’t moving.
For a moment they just stared at each other.
Then Daniel raised his hand. Henley got ready to act. But all he did was a pathetic little wave.
“Hi,” he said.
Henley just stared at him. Really?
“I, uhh…” he continued. “I was wondering if… if you wanted to team up?”
“Sure.”
Daniel perked up. “Really?
Henley smiled at him. She shook her head. “No.”
Daniel’s expression fell, right before Henley threw the rock at him. His eyes widened. He ducked and covered his head with his arms.
While Daniel was occupied, Henley ran off. When Daniel removed his arms, he saw she was gone.
————
Jack stopped running. He heard no one follow him. Jack’s shoulders released some tension. He looked around where he stopped. It was a small clearing, a pond in the middle. There was a small sliver of sunlight falling through the trees.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Jack jumped and swirled around. There, leaning against a tree, almost completely obscured by darkness, stood Hook. He stood quite a bit away, apparently unarmed, but still Jack didn’t trust him.
“Yeah,” he said warily, “it is.”
Hook took a step toward him and Jack unconsciously took a step back. He kept his eyes on Hook the entire time.
“Do I frighten you?”
“No. I just don’t trust you.”
Hook grinned at him. “Clever lad.”
That was all the warning Jack got before a knife came sailing at him. He ducked, turned and ran. He heard Hook’s heavy footfalls behind him.
Jack panicked and took on more speed. He jumped over a log, only to land poorly on his ankle. He winced, but he had no time to stop. He bit through the pain and kept running.
The sounds of pursuit grew dimmer. Jack ducked behind a bush and waited, heart pounding in his chest.
Not long after Hook came rushing past. Jack pushed himself flat to the ground, watching as Hook’s boots passed right by him.
He exhaled the breath he hadn’t even realised he’d been holding. He moved out of the bush and tended to his ankle. It hurt when he moved it. He groaned.
“Great.”
————
Cho started as something dropped to the ground not even a foot away. She quickly turned her head, but it was only an apple. Cho looked up at the trees. All of them were filled with apples.
The girl smiled. She reached up to the lowest branches and pulled some more from the tree. At least she wouldn’t go hungry.
————
Draco pushed branches out of his way as he manoeuvred through the trees. Suddenly he stopped.
A spear. Which meant people. He looked around furtively, but no one was there.
He moved closer. Surely a Tribute wouldn’t leave their weapon behind?
He picked it up. It was heavy in his hands. Almost too heavy, but without it he was unarmed.
A war cry sounded not so far from where he stood. Draco froze and twirled on the spot, the spear held out in front of him. No one. But as he listened there were sounds of struggle. The other Tributes were fighting.
His hands clenched around the spear shaft. He wasn’t a killer. He wasn’t brave. He turned away from the sound and made to walk away.
Then he heard another cry. It was high-pitched. A girl’s. And she was in pain.
Draco squeezed his eyes shut, before he made up his mind. He turned and ran toward the fight.
————
Ginny was no stranger to unfair odds. She had six older brothers, all larger and stronger than her. As a result, she knew how to fight, and how to fight mean.
She ducked to avoid the swing of Dylan’s dagger aimed at her head.
But she never really fought two against one before.
From her blind side Snow kicked her back. Ginny cried out and fell on her hands and knees. Snow grabbed her hair and yanked her up.
“Kill her,” she demanded of Dylan. Her voice harsh like her grip.
Dylan levelled his dagger to Ginny’s throat, the point just a hair away. He made to plunge the weapon into her, but just then, the point of a spear protruded from his chest. Blood spewed from his mouth and he collapsed.
From behind him, Draco pulled out the spear and pointed it at Snow.
With Snow distracted, Ginny threw her elbow back and hit Snow’s knee. Snow fell with a strangled yell, even as Ginny scrambled back to her feet. She plucked the dagger from Dylan’s dead fingers and launched it through the back of her neck.
Snow gave a last twitch before she bled out.
Ginny pulled the dagger free. She turned her eyes to the Tribute of District 9. Draco still stood there with his spear in attack mode. When he caught her eyes, he seemed to snap out of his. He put his spear upright.
“Thanks for coming to my rescue,” Ginny said.
Draco’s smile was strained even as he nodded his head.
This waved the dagger at him, drops of blood flying off the blade. “This doesn’t mean I won’t kill you if we meet again.”
Draco snorted. “Likewise.”
He stepped back as Ginny did the same. Then they turned and left the battle to go their separate ways.
————
Christina happened upon Jeanine quite by chance. Both women were startled. Jeanine tried to make herself as small as possible from where she sat, her eyes never leaving Christina.
Christina surveyed the woman in front of her. She spotted the backpack beside her, completely supplied. She thought of her bag, which was the complete opposite.
“You’re hurt,” she said.
It was true. Jeanine held her leg with both hands. A long gash was prominent on her white skin.
Christina moved closer. and knelt beside her.
“I can bind it for you, if you want,” she said.
Jeanine didn’t immediately answer. “I would,” she said eventually. “Thank you.”
Christina went to work to bind her leg, rummaging in Jeanine’s bag for something to use, and also cataloging what she could use for herself.
“How did this happen?” she asked as she worked. Jeanine winced as Christina tied a knot. “Sorry.”
“When I left the Cornucopia I wasn’t paying enough attention and a sharp branch sliced me.
“Bummer.”
She sat up straight as she heard footsteps coming closer. Two pairs, she guessed.
“Someone’s coming,” Christina whispered. “Are you expecting someone?”
Jeanine chuckled darkly. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
Christina stared at her.
“You’d better leave if you want to live past today.”
She couldn’t believe her. After she helped her. With a glare, she grabbed her bag and sprinted away.