The 200th Annual Hunger Games - The Ultimate Games

Reflections

Max Fisher POV

I was sat beside Renee, my hands in my lap and wringing my hands as we waited for the scores. Misty sat on Renee's other side, the two girls clutching hands tightly. Chris and Jay were both sat on armchairs on either side of the couch, and Caitlin was sitting on the floor, her back against the armrest of the sofa and with a somber expression on her face. All of a sudden the television sprung to life, and Jakub Jollyman's grinning, disturbed face popped up onto the screen.

"Hello, Panem!" He called out merrily, "You've watched the first and the second installment of this year's Qualifying Rounds. Now, prepare for the final installment in this little trilogy as, tonight, you will be updated on the very last tributes to be reaped this year, their scores, alliances, and any gossip between them that may make these games.... Interesting."

"I hope he dies in a hole," Misty growled from a few seats down.
"Now, we shall begin with scores," Jakub said. He shrugged out his shoulders and smiled at the camera.
"Let's begin with District 9. First place in the ranks goes to Valentina Curtis, at a mere 15 years of age." A picture of Valentina flashed on the screen behind Jakub, with the number '1' at the bottom of the screen in large font.
"Second place goes to.... Doug Matthews!"
Not a big surprise. Doug was older than the other tributes and no doubt had more strength and experience. The older tributes generally got higher scores anyway.
"And third place in District 9 goes to none other than Amaya Mills! Then fourth goes to Tatiana Whiteman, fifth to Victor Soto, and sixth place is Jonathon Roy."
Nothing was very shocking about the scores for that District.

"Now, let's move onto District 10. In first place is.... Rosalie Wood!"
Rosalie was the one with the most experience in that District, plus she was also in an alliance with the other power players in this competition - Valentina and Jay. It was no surprise she won first place.
"Second place goes to.... Phillip Gilbert."
That one was a little confusing. Phillip didn't seem to have many weapon skills, so it was a surprise he came second. Maybe they bumped him up some places because of his strength?
"And third place goes to Daphne Floyd!"
I knew that Daphne had extensive knowledge on poisons, medicines and herbs. That was probably what got her that place.
"Fourth place goes to Will Stevenson, 5th goes to Tim Martin, and sixth goes to none other than Shay Weber."

"And now for District 11!"
Everyone in the room tensed up. Renee suddenly grabbed my hand, her expression one of fear. Jay didn't seem all that bothered, but Chris, Renee, Caitlin, Misty and I were all very, very tense.
"And in first place is Jay Mann!"
Jay grinned broadly, and I heard Misty snort in derision.
"In second place is... Christopher Chambers!"
Chris's face didn't change much, although the side of his mouth curved upwards in a small smile.
"And third place goes to the lovely Misty Wolfe!'
Misty's position stiffened, her eyes widening in surprise. She opened her mouth like a goldfish as if she were about to speak, but obviously thought better of it and kept her thoughts to herself.
"Then fourth goes to Max Fisher, fifth to Renee Wolfe, and sixth goes to Caitlin Sharp, our resident alcoholic!" A laughter track sounded from the television at the last remark as Jakub chuckled, and I didn't even have to look at Caitlin to know that she was beyond pissed.
"Oh, fuck you," Caitlin snarled at the TV, rising to her feet. She kicked the pillow she had been sitting on towards Jay, who guffawed and raised his arms with a grin, then stormed from the room.

"Well, that was sufficiently awkward," Renee mumbled beside me. I shrugged, not being able to think of anything coherent to say in return.
"And now for our final district's scores!" Jakub grinned. "District 12! Who doesn't love an underdog?"
"Pretty much the entirety of the Capitol," Chris mumbled sarcastically under his breath. Jay sighed dramatically and raised his eyebrows at Chris in a mocking way. Misty rolled her eyes and grumbled under her breath. Renee and I remained as silent as church mice.
"In first place is Rudy Moreno, the boy who was caught outside the boundaries! Speaking of, second place goes to Camille Garza, his partner in crime for the past year." Jakub shuffled some papers on his desk and then grinned back at the camera as the faces of Rudy and Camille flashed on the screen behind him.
"Then third place goes to the young Santana Higgins!"
What.
What?
"Now fourth goes to Eric Newton, Jeffrey Attwell has managed to score fifth place, and Beth Gibson has come lucky last!"
"Lucky last?" Misty scoffed in annoyance, "Lucky last my ass."

Phillip Gilbert POV

"Okay, guys, time for some real talk."
I glanced up lazily from my spot on the couch to see the man who claimed to be the mentor for my District walk up towards us, shutting off the television as Jakub was in the middle of discussing something. I felt my lip curl instinctively. He sent me here.
"Now, for you higher scorers - Rosalie and Phillip especially, but Daphne too - you'll probably be targeted by others at the bloodbath as you pose the biggest threat to them, and believe me, some of the tributes in this qualifying rounds are very, very willing to kill. Some of them for malicious purposes, and some of them just want to get home. You guys stand in the way of them making it to the Ultimate Games, so if you want to live I'd suggest staying away from the other high-scorers."

"Kinda obvious, Forrest," Rosalie drawled, shifting in her seat.
Forrest. That was his name.
"Obvious, yes, but necessary." Forrest replied. "Now Will, Tim and Shay. You probably have a little less to worry about, as many people in the competition will probably pass up attacking you in favor of going after a high scorer if the opportunity presents itself, as their logic is probably that they can pick you off easily later in the competition. However, if people aren't going for strategy and just killing whoever they can find, you would probably be a more appealing kill as, in their mind, you will be an easier to hit target due to your standing within the ranks. If you stay away from the people who are just mindlessly killing everything, you will probably be okay."

"Yea, probably," Shay murmured under her breath. I glanced over at her, arching an eyebrow, then looked back over at Forrest. His eyes met mine and he quickly looked away. Annoyance bubbled in my chest.
"Can I speak to you? Alone?" I asked sharply. Forrest nodded and walked from the group, and I followed, throwing Daphne a reassuring smile over my shoulder as she tipped her head in confusion. Forrest led me into the hallway and shut the door to the main living area, and immediately I turned to him.

"What the hell did you say to the escort at the Reaping?" I snapped. Forrest sighed.
"I thought you'd bring this up again..." he murmured, "Look, kid, I'm sorry I got you sent here. But that's not exactly what you asked, so I'll answer. I told Raven to call out your name as the first male tribute."
I felt fury wrap around my heart and lungs like a vice, almost strangling me. My mentor, the person meant to look out for me here, had sent me practically to my death.
"Are you crazy?" I almost shouted at Forrest, "You sent me here? To the Hunger Games? Are you out of your fucking mind?"
"I'm trying to protect you! If you had stayed in the district you'd have ended up dead!" Forrest replied angrily, his voice pulled taut with agitation. Confusion flooded over me.
"Wha-"

"The clothes you were wearing when I found you, that's how I could tell." He replied hastily. "They were prisoners clothing. If you had stayed for much longer they would have you hanged for escaping."
"So you decided to send me into a death match instead?" I shouted angrily, "My chances of surviving are practically non-existent!"
"At least you have a chance," Forrest snapped, "That's more than I could say for you if you had stayed in the District."
"That wasn't your decision to make!" I snarled. I shoved Forrest back and turned on my heel, marching towards my room with rage spiraling through me. A familiar face appeared in front of me, concern etched into its features.
"Are you OK, Phillip?" Daphne asked softly. I grunted a 'yes' and walked past her, making for my room.

All of a sudden, I slammed into a figure. I cried out and stumbled back, looking up to see one of the people Forrest called 'avoxes'. I muttered an apology and began to walk away, but the avox suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and stared me in the face, his mouth opening and shutting as he attempted to speak. A chill ran through me. This was creepy. I tried to get away, but the avox held on even tighter, their eyes imploring for me to do... something. I didn't know what.
"What are you saying?" I asked dumbly.

That face looked like someone I recognized. My brain struggled to remember people I knew before the reaping, but I was coming up blank. I didn't remember anyone. All of a sudden, an image of a man's face popped into my head, as if a light had been suddenly switched on in my brain. My... father?
No. No, it couldn't be.
But that face. That face was a face I recognized. That face was the face that had been in my vision for 18 years, the memories rushing back to me in a swarm. That face. The avox. That face was my father. That face was my father and now, now it all came back to me. Fragments of memories swarmed in my mind.

A hunting knife. A hovercraft plucking my father and I from the forest floor. Watching my father's tongue be torn out by medical staff. My screams filling my own ears and deafening any other noise. A sharp shot in my left side. Prison bars looming in front of me as I sat on the cold, concrete floor. Running barefoot along gravel and traintracks. The barrel of a gun, pointed directly at my forehead. The anguish of being forced to leave my father behind.

And before I knew what I was doing, a scream tore its way out of my chest.

Valentina Curtis POV

"Ugh, we just got a lecture!"
I glanced over with my eyebrows raised as Rosalie emerged from the elevator, landing dramatically on the couch opposite me.
"Are you even allowed in here, Rose?"
"Who cares?" Rosalie scoffed, "No one's stopped me. I need to talk to you anyway."
"Bout what?" I frowned and shifted in my seat, tucking my feet under my body and leaning back on the couch.
"Who to target at the bloodbath? Duh."
Great.

"Well, who did you have in mind?" I asked. Rosalie shrugged her shoulders.
"In the scores, Rudy and Camille were the top two for District 12, so I say we get rid of them," Rosalie began, "I also think we should target the people who came in second from you, me and Jay's Districts, so Chris, Phillip and Doug. They're all threats."
"That might be difficult," I interjected, "Doug, Chris, Camille and Rudy are all in an alliance, and they're all high scorers. They'll be our toughest competition and none of them are particularly cowardly, if we go after one of them the others will attack us for sure. And they outnumber us."
"Alright, okay," Rosalie relented, annoyance beginning to seep into her tone, "What about Phillip's alliance? It's him, Tatiana, Maya-something, Will and Frizz."
"Frizz?" I repeated, confused. Rosalie rolled her eyes.
"Y'know, the little girl with the frizzy hair, uhh, Daffy?" Rosalie mumbled, frowning as the cogs in her mind began to turn. I rolled my eyes.
"It's Daphne."
"Oh. Well, their alliance should be slightly easier pickings."
"Yea, sure," I mumbled. Rosalie sighed dramatically.

"You know what I would appreciate?" She asked sarcastically, "For you to actually, oh, I don't know, contribute?"
"I did contribute."
"No, not really, no you didn't," Rosalie snapped. I shrugged.
"I don't care who we kill. Whoever you and Jay decide is fine by me, I'll just kill whoever."
Rosalie didn't answer for a moment. Confusion was flittering in her eyes, and her eyebrows were furrowed in a frown.
"So..." she muttered, "Do you even want to kill anyone?"
"I don't care. I don't have any grudges against any tributes, so no, I don't really want to kill 'em."
Silence seemed to drag on for several minutes. Several minutes that Rosalie spent staring at me, her expression one of disbelief. Then, a vicious scowl formed on her face.

"Wait, so you don't want to kill all those snot nosed little brats?" Rosalie spat. I shook my head.
"No, I don't really wanna kill anyone in this competition actually. I actually quite like a few of the tributes." I replied. Rosalie stared at me, her mouth open in shock.
"I'm sorry, WHAT?" Rosalie snarled, "Val, all the people here are little shits."
"Some of them seem nice, actually," I replied, "I'd rather not kill them. But it's the Hunger Games and if I have to kill to get home, I will kill. I will kill whoever I have to."
"Even me?" Rosalie asked quietly. I shrugged.

"If we get to the Ultimate Games and you become a threat to me, then yes, I will kill you," I answered. "I don't torture people like the twins, and I don't play mindgames like Aria. I find a tribute, kill them, then I find another tribute. It's not that difficult to understand. My mind isn't swayed by emotions or fears or anything like that. I make the deaths quick, it doesn't matter who it is. I don't hold grudges and I'm not out for revenge. I just kill."
"So you just... disconnect everything from killing?" Rosalie asked incredulously.
"Basically, yes," I replied curtly, "The only emotions I have towards murder are of acceptance."