The 200th Annual Hunger Games - The Ultimate Games

The Ultimate Games - Day 3 (Morning)

Tatiana Whiteman POV

I picked the last berry from the blueberry bush and rose to my feet, putting the batch of blueberries into my satchel.

"Should we go now?" I asked over my shoulder, directing the question at Phillip. He nodded at me and slung his pack back over his shoulder, nudging Daphne gently. She stood up with a syringe in her hand, filled with some kind of fluid from a plant near the base of a tree. I frowned at her.

"It's got healing properties," she explained nonchalantly, then removed the needle and stored the fluid into her satchel. I nodded.

All of a sudden, I heard a rustling from the bushes behind me. I whirled around, grabbing my knife and instinctively stepping in front of Daphne. The leaves parted, and out stepped the trio of Thomas, Ali and Summer.

Ali immediately drew her knives, taking a tiny step forward. Phillip drew his sword and positioned himself into a defensive stance. Daphne's hand flew to the knife in her scabbard, her other hand already reaching for one of the syringes she had in her pack.

This wasn't right.

"Wait!" I called, "Don't,"

Summer turned to me, her eyebrow raised in confusion. Thomas tipped his head to one side, his eyes narrowed.

"We don't have to kill eachother," I said desperately, taking a step forward, "We could ally, wait until the morning of Day 5 and split. There are bigger threats in the arena than eachother."

"And why should we do that?" Thomas asked, "You're a threat to us."

"The bigger threats right now are Rudy, Camille and the career group," I said. I took my hands away from my knife, raising them to show I meant no harm. My heart pounded in my ears. If either Thomas or Ali wanted to kill me, they had me in a very vulnerable position, "Arwin's group is a threat too, not as much as the careers or Rudy's duo though."

"So you're saying we should ally to take out the power players in the game?" Summer said cautiously, her knife still tight in her grip.

"That's what I'm saying."

Summer bit her lip and turned towards Thomas. Although her knife was still trained on me, she wasn't paying enough attention to fire it accurately if I happened to attack. I could kill her.

But I wouldn't. I would not become another pawn for the Capitol.

Summer, Ali and Thomas seemed to be having a silent conversation for a moment. Summer rose her eyebrows. Thomas jerked his head towards Phillip and Daphne. Ali shrugged. I stood watching it all, confusion written all over my face. Finally, Ali turned back to us and lowered her weapons.

"Fine," she said, "Alliance?"

"Alliance," Phillip agreed. He put his sword back in its scabbard, gesturing at our new allies to come over. The three of them waddled closer to us awkwardly, obviously very ill at ease.

I was too.

If the other tributes caught wind of this new alliance, they'd know that we were in a group of 6. Big groups were dangerous in the games, and if we were found out I had no doubt we would be targeted. I wasn't sure whether to trust our three new allies.

For a minute, I wondered if I had made a mistake welcoming them into our group.

Arwin Yates POV

"Need anything?" I asked Benji. He shook his head slowly, coughing again and wiping the blood from his mouth. I glanced up at Fern, who was huddled in the corner of the cave and not making eye contact with either me or Benji.

"I'll be back soon," I promised. Benji nodded and waved me goodbye. I stood up, grabbing my bow and quiver and, after one last look back at my allies, I walked into the woods.

Benji's illness was only getting worse with the day. He'd had another seizure when he woke up this morning – even more violent than yesterday. Fern was distancing herself from Benji and I. The foundations of our alliance were beginning to crack.

I crept through the forest, nocking an arrow into the string of my bow. My eyes darted around for a few moments as I stood still.

Suddenly, something moved in the bush. Without a second thought, I whirled around and fired. A small squeak sounded, and then silence.

I moved forward and gently pulled back the leaves of the bush. Lying on the forest floor, an arrow buried in its throat, was a rabbit. I bit my lip and picked up the animal carefully, pulling the arrow from its neck. I put the arrow back in my quiver and stood up, then began to walk back to the campsite.

Talia Carter POV

BOOM!

I startled awake at the sudden cannon, my nerves stretched thin. The cannon sounded close by. Too close.

I rolled over towards where Ramona was, preparing to speak to her, only to find an empty sleeping bag. I froze for a moment.

What the hell?

I clambered out of my sleeping bag and put all of my stuff into my pack. I considered taking Ramona's, but decided to just leave everything at the campsite. I wouldn't be gone long. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and walked into the trees.

"Ramona?" I called.

No answer.

I pushed through the tree, cursing as a stray branch flew forward and scratched me across the face. An odd smell began to lurk through the air, one that smelt like berries and death. I frowned and continued to walk forward.

"Ramona?" I tried again. There was no reply.

Had she abandoned me?

I shook the thought from my mind and continued at a steady pace, unease beginning to unfurl in my chest.

Was that cannon for Ramona?

I curled my fists and moved forward slightly. There was a clearing just ahead, and the smell was beginning to get stronger. I steeled myself, and set foot in the clearing.

Lying in the middle of the grass, a handful of nightlock in her palm and her eyes glassy and dead, was Ramona.

Xenia Hale POV

No no no no no no no no

I winced and turned my head, stumbling forward and resting my arms against a tree as I let out a deep breath. Alejandro's decapitated head flashed in my vision once again and I screamed, lurching back and smashing my fists against the bark of the tree. The skin came away bloody, scratched off by the bark. I felt my hands shake.

I saw the blood. The blood. The blood. So much blood.

No no no no no

I screamed again as my hands flew to the top of my head, grabbing my hair and ripping it from my skull by the root. I barely registered the pain.

I screamed again and ran through the forest, my mind reeling from the events of yesterday. My brother, my brother, my twin brother was dead and gone and out. I thought I'd be ready for this. I thought I'd be prepared for his death.

I wasn't.

~~~~~

AN: Sorry for the short chapter, but it was the best I could do.

Please let me know who you want to win in the comments, it'll really be of help