Day 1
The tributes rise up from their launch rooms into the arena. The timer counts down from sixty. Twenty four, evenly spaced pedestals and the cornucopia sit on a small, sandy patch of land. The tributes take in their surroundings, looking for their allies and taking stock of the various weapons and supplies within and around the Cornucopia. Water surrounds the island on all sides. On the other side of a wide expanse of water is a larger island that appears to be a jungle. It is clear that the only way to get away from the Bloodbath is to swim. Aster Shay (D7) looks terrified, standing on her platform and visibly shaking, while many of the other tributes, like Gabriel Rose (D6) and Waverly Aster (D2), look perturbed at all the water. Not many tributes have a chance to learn how to swim before the games, putting the tributes from coastal districts, such as Kai Albacore (D4) and Ocean Simplins (D4) at an advantage. 10… 9… 8… the time continues running down and Finn Cressy (D10) notices a dorsal fin popping out of the water. A shark, she thinks. Although she’s never seen one in real life before, she knows they’re bad news.
5… 4… 3… 2… 1… the gong sounds and the games have officially begun! The tributes hop off their pedestals. Most head for the cornucopia, running as fast as they can. No clear way off the island has presented itself yet; the tributes are trapped. Eliana Luxand (D11) reaches the cornucopia quickly and immediately grabs a sickle and a large backpack. She’s soon joined by Gabriel, who grabs a stake and a hand pack. It’s clear that they are in an alliance as they immediately begin to cover one another as more tributes approach.
Loxan Vreslay (D5) and his district partner Mason Banner (D5) are also allied. Loxan scoops up a hand pack, some stakes and knives, an axe, and a crossbow as Mason secures a small backpack. They watch each other’s backs and move away from the fray, but there’s still no way off the island. All 24 tributes are either engaged in a fight or trying to find a way off the island as fast as possible.
Waverly reaches the cornucopia and runs straight to the back where a small selection of shurikens are displayed. She grabs three packs of stars and a large backpack and is grabbing a set of throwing knives when she encounters Kai and Ocean. They’ve each got a trident and pack in hand; Kai has managed to find a large backpack and Ocean holds a small backpack. Waverly and Kai nod to one another, indicating another alliance - the Career pack, perhaps? They run to the edge of the island and join up with Gabriel and Eliana.
Auria Grey (D11) and her allies, Rose Hathaway (D7) and Helia Bitumen (D3) are trying to find a good spot to carry out their escape plan. Rose was fast enough to grab a large backpack from the Cornucopia and she carries it on her back. They see Mason and Loxan walking close to the water. As they pass, Auria seizes the opportunity and pushes Loxan into the water. He struggles to stay afloat but clearly has some swimming experience - he’s able to propel himself back to the island and Mason helps him back up. Flint Cornelian (D1) arrives armed with a sword and a hand pack and quickly takes down Auria in retaliation for pushing Loxan in the water. He’s much bigger than she is, and he’s easily able to pin her under his foot and plunge his sword into her stomach. She goes limp. Rose and Helia fight with Loxan and Mason, but with no weapons, they know they need to clear out and fast. Loxan has given Mason his stakes and in a desperate act, Helia quickly lunges at Mason's legs, knocking him down. Rose scoops up one of his stakes and drives it into Loxan’s back. Loxan crumples, dropping his hand pack and weapons. Rose and Helia recover quickly and, while Mason is still on the ground and Flint is preoccupied with Auria, they grab Loxan’s axe and knives and Helia picks up his hand pack. They run away to the opposite side of the small island.
The Cornucopia Island gives a slight rumble and Meena Flammia (D9) sees that a small strip of land seems to be rising out of the water, connecting the island to the main arena, but it’s still very far under the water. It’s creeping up to the shoreline slowly, but anyone who tries to cross it now would surely fall in.
Athena Wright (D2), Jadette Topaz (D1), Ashlynn Reid (D8), and Amara Crow (D9) all arrive at the cornucopia. They’ve just finished collecting their weapons when they see Amaury Cohen (D6) leaving with Tye Haven (D10), Finn Cressy (D10), and Lina Starling (D12). They have a small backpack, a hand pack, and a large array of weapons, including a couple of axes, a spear, multiple bows and quivers of arrows, knives, and the only two kamas in the arena. Amara balks, those were her kamas. She quickly grabs the spear that’s propped up near her and swipes it at the group. They jump back and Amaury throws one of the knives he’s holding but misses, grazing Athena in the arm. Amara lashes out again with the spear, this time cutting cleanly through Lina’s midsection as she wasn’t fast enough getting out of the way. She cries out and drops the kamas and her bow and arrows, clutching at her stomach to hold her innards in.
Amara picks up her kamas and finishes the job, bringing one down into Lina’s back. She looks at the other three tributes, holding the kamas threateningly, and they run away. She turns to see that in the meantime, Jadette has gotten a sword and a “Goody Bag”. She’s also clipped some daggers to her bag. Athena has an axe and some stakes as well as a hand pack, and Ashlynn has found her atlatl and atlatl darts along with a hand pack.
“We should get out of here,” Athena says. “But we either have to swim or wait for those land bridges to finish forming,” she points to where the sand continues to rise on either side of the Cornucopia island.
“We can wait, I want to finish this,” Amara says, a kama in each hand. She heads in the direction Tye, Amaury, and Finn went in and her allies follow close behind, fully armed.
Leo Silver (D8), Aster, Indiana Rose (D3), Meena, and Willow Cresto (D12) stay away from the cornucopia, trying to find a way off the island as fast as possible. Aster and Indiana each grab a “Goody Bag” that have been dropped by the edge of the island and Meena manages to find a small backpack. They are soon joined by Finn, Tye, and Amaury. They split the weapons from the cornucopia and then decide they need to get off of the island as soon as possible. The land bridges are slow to rise and most of the other tributes are armed and looking for a fight. They decide, with some hesitation, to drag Lina’s body from the cornucopia and throw it in the water. The blood should provide enough distraction to keep the sharks at bay while the tributes swim to safety. They are just about to throw the body in when Amara, Athena, Jadette, and Ashlynn reappear.
Amara makes the first move, charging Leo with her kamas. She’s blocked by Willow, who shoots an arrow at her right hand, causing her to drop one of her kamas. Amara turns on Willow, lunging forward with her good hand and knicks her left shoulder. A slow trickle of blood begins to stem from the cut, causing Willow to send another arrow directly toward Amara’s chest. Amara jumps to the left just in time, and Jadette comes to her aid. The two fend off Leo and Willow while Athena and Ashlynn fight with Amaury and Finn. Tye, Aster, Indiana, and Meena watch in horror as Leo parries Jadette’s sword with a long knife, but she quickly unclips a dagger from her bag and pushes it into his abdomen. The hilt sticks out at an irregular angle and he peers down at it, a look of disbelief and shock on his pale face. Willow looks horrified and in retaliation, removes an arrow from her quiver and in one fluid motion sends it flying, hitting directly between Amara’s eyes. She drops, the hand that had been holding her kama falling lamely next to her. Leo falls to the ground as well and his allies, shocked from their stupor, lift him and are able to outnumber Ashlynn, Athena, and Jadette. They force them to flee with their things into the water.
Athena, Jadette, and Ashlynn swim unsteadily through the water, the current trying to pull them under and the salt water getting in their eyes. They’re about as far from the closest land bridge, still not fully formed, as they are from the main island, so they decide to cover one another and swim slowly, hoping not to attract any sharks. Unfortunately, one spots them, possibly attracted by the scent of Athena’s blood from her arm wound. The girls swim faster, as fast as they possibly can, but they’re no match for the shark. It goes straight for Jadette, but Ashlynn begins splashing to try and distract it. They’re nearly to the shore when it takes a bite out of Ashlynn’s left calf. She cries out in pain and reflexively kicks back, hitting the shark in the eye and causing it to release her leg and retreat. Her allies each grab one of her arms and pull her the rest of the way, dragging her onto the beach. She’s bleeding heavily from her calf and the girls struggle to dress the wound so they can keep moving. Eventually, they decide to use a windbreaker tied tightly around the leg to keep the blood from leaving a trail and they head toward the Mountains, steering clear of the Jungle.
Leo breathes shallowly as his living allies stand around him. He speaks of his sisters back home in District 8. He’s nearly incoherent when he begins humming, low and soft. It’s the same song he sang during his interview. After a few minutes, he stops humming and his eyes gloss over. Willow closes them and places a kiss on his forehead. The alliance is once again about to throw Lina’s body into the water when Finn points out that Amara is still breathing, albeit just barely. Willow walks over to her body and removes the arrow from her forehead, stabbing it into her gut. Amara sputters, her body jerking, and a small trickle of blood drips from her mouth. She stops breathing.
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The group are finally able to toss Lina’s body into the water, in the opposite direction of the main island. Immediately, tens of sharks swarm the body, and the group all jump into the water and begin swimming as fast as they can. Some of the alliance are better swimmers than others, as to be expected, but Tye lags behind the group significantly. By the time Amaury, Finn, Indiana, Aster, Meena, and Willow have made it to the beach, he is still bobbing awkwardly in the water about halfway between the islands.
“Tye, hurry!” Indiana calls out. The sharks must be finishing up with Lina because a few fins start to move toward where Tye is splashing around. “Someone help him!”
“I’m the strongest swimmer, I’ll go,” Willow volunteers. She drops her bow and arrows on the beach and dives in, swimming quickly out to where Tye is still struggling.
Rose and Helia stand near the Eastern land bridge, watching it finish rising. A few minutes before, Rose had made a small cut in her hand, letting a few droplets of blood fall into the ocean to see if the water was truly infested with sharks. It was, as it turned out. In no time, three shark fins had materialized in the water near where they stood. They decided it was best to wait until it was completely safe to cross. They see that Flint and Mason have joined up with Waverly, Kai, Ocean, Gabriel, and Eliana and that they are all waiting to cross the Western bridge. They appear to have several packs and many weapons.
That’s when the screams from the water catch everyone’s attention. Tye struggles in the water as four sharks circle him. It’s clear that he’s a lost cause. His head bobs up and down, dipping below the waves, until one time he doesn’t come back up. The water turns a deep red color and more sharks approach. Finn, who is standing on the edge of the water, screams as her district partner’s shoe floats to the surface. Willow struggles against the current, trying to swim back to shore. It’s like the current has gotten stronger, she thinks. The sharks have turned their attention to her. She’s a strong swimmer, but not strong enough. The sharks overtake her, too, and she screams as she’s dragged under the waves.
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Finally, the land bridges are fully formed. They provide a stable and safe passageway between the Cornucopia Island and the main part of the arena. Rose and Helia cross the Eastern bridge, and head immediately into the Jungle, seeking shelter and safety from the other tributes. Flint, Waverly, Kai, Ocean, Mason, Gabriel, and Eliana go across the Western bridge. They want to go to the base of the Mountain, near the edge of the Jungle on the Eastern coast of the Island, so they must cross the beach. They are about halfway across the beach, walking along the treeline of the Jungle, when they see another large alliance regrouping by the treeline. One of their party looks hysterical and a few of the others try to calm her down.
“The Outsiders,” Mason whispers as they come to a stop. His allies look at him quizzically. “That’s what I heard them call themselves in training.” The others nod and give oohs and aahs of understanding.
That’s when seven cannons fire, indicating that seven tributes died in the bloodbath.
“We should have a name, too,” Kai says. He’s using his trident to draw in the sand. “Something cool.”
“I agree,” says Ocean. “We’re not the Careers,” she gestures toward Mason, Gabriel, and Eliana, “but we should have a name.” They think about it as they walk slowly and quietly, disappearing into the trees as they pass by the other alliance. When they’re a safe distance away, they emerge from the foliage and continue walking up the coast toward the base of the mountains. They find a nice place to set up camp just as the sun is setting.
Kai is drawing in the sand again, little figure eights facing in all directions. He sits up quickly and shouts, “Infinity!”
“What?” Waverly asks. She’s throwing shurikens into a nearby tree.
“An eight sideways is an infinity symbol. There were originally eight of us. We can be the Infinity Alliance,” Kai responds. The others nod their approval.
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Later on, when the sun has fallen below the horizon, parachutes rain down from the sky. Each one holds a pen and a piece of paper for the remaining tributes to write the name of the tribute they want to die. The parachutes return to the Control Center once all of the paper and pens are returned. That night, 17 parachutes are returned with 17 names written on 17 slips of paper. Whose names, though?
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END OF DAY 1 —
Flint Cornelian (D1): alive, part of the Infinity Alliance, received a Hand Pack
Jadette Topaz (D1): alive, part of Alliance #1, received a “Goody Bag”
Waverly Aster (D2): alive, part of the Infinity Alliance, received a Large Backpack
Athena Wright (D2): alive, part of the Alliance #1, received a Hand Pack, injured (mild; knife to
the left arm)
Helia Bitumen (D3): alive, allied with Rose Hathaway, received a Hand Pack
Indiana Rose (D3): alive, part of The Outsiders, received a “Goody Bag”
Kai Albacore (D4): alive, part of the Infinity Alliance, received a Large Backpack
Ocean Simpkins (D4): alive, part of the Infinity Alliance, received a Small Backpack
Mason Banner (D5): alive, part of the Infinity Alliance, received a Small Backpack
Loxan Vreslay (D5): deceased, 23rd place
Gabriel Rose (D6): alive, part of the Infinity Alliance, received a Hand Pack
Amaury Cohen (D6): alive, part of The Outsiders, received a Hand Pack
Rose Hathaway (D7): alive, allied with Helia Bitumen, received a Large Backpack
Aster Shay (D7): alive, part of The Outsiders, received a “Goody Bag”
Leo Silver (D8): deceased, 21st place
Ashlynn Reid (D8): alive, part of Alliance #1, received a Hand Pack, injured (serious; shark bite
to left calf)
Meena Flammia (D9): alive, part of The Outsiders, received a Small Backpack
Amara Crow (D9): deceased, 20th place
Tye Haven (D10): deceased, 19th place
Finn Cressy (D10): alive, part of The Outsiders. received a Small Backpack
Auria Grey (D11): deceased, 24th place
Eliana Luxand (D11): alive, part of the Infinity Alliance, received a Large Backpack
Lina Starling (D12): deceased, 22nd place
Willow Cresto (D12): deceased, 18th place