Day Nine

Sponsorship

The winner of today’s sponsorship vote is…Madison Perez of District 3!

Madison Perez, D3 Female

Congrats Madison, you get a free attribute point added to your lowest attribute (Charm).

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Day Nine

Alejandra Guzman, D9 Female

The sun beats down on the back of my head as Eleanor and I stalk through the tallgrass, on the hunt for tributes. It stopped making sense for us to stay put at the Cornucopia once the muttations finally started to wear us down. Danae’s wound is healing nicely, but she’s hurt enough that if we ever needed to run from something as a group, she’d fall behind pretty quickly. Alliances usually break up around this point in the Games, when at least half of the tributes are gone. So I need to make the best of my time with my allies, hopefully picking off a couple more tributes before we all inevitably turn on each other.

I know it’s going to happen. It always happens. The two or three tributes that trust each other the least in the alliance overreacting to something small. It happened last year, when the alliance of outsiders in the arena splintered after a fight over a missing apple that resulted in two tributes dying.

So what am I doing here hunting with the ally that I trust the least?

Eleanor Roth, D11 Female

She doesn’t trust me. Which is why I asked her to come hunting with me in the first place.

I don’t blame her, I guess, considering that Matt is the only person in the alliance that I currently trust to not come after me. Even that trust isn’t centered on him giving a damn about me though. Matt’s been shut down since Stephen died days ago. I don’t see him coming after anyone at all.

Danae’s wounded and looking to prove herself, opting to hunt alone when she’s not sleeping. Hannah’s quiet and keeps to herself. Really the only person I have to talk to is Alejandra.

When the alliance eventually falls apart, maybe me spending time with her will cause her to hesitate for a moment when she’s got an arrow leveled at me. I can only hope.

In the meantime, hunting by her side means she can’t shoot at me with her bow without me being close enough to respond.

Alejandra Guzman, D9 Female

“Do you have any siblings?”

God, she is really trying to be friends with me right now.

“We really should be quiet and focus on the hunt,” is all I manage to say in response.

Eleanor bristles visibly next to me, but eventually nods and looks away. Good. I don’t want to know anything about her and I don’t want her knowing anything about me outside of this arena. Personal relationships don’t mean a thing once you’re in here.

Eleanor Roth, D11 Female

I spot the tribute a split second before Alejandra does, and my stomach lurches. Oh no.

Conner Imbody, D11 Male

I’ve never been so thirsty. The sun burns my skin, and I don’t even have enough moisture left in my body to sweat. Everything is dry, so dry.

Someone’s approaching. I glance up through bloodshot eyes, managing to push myself up onto my knees.

It’s Ellie. Oh thank God. Ellie’s come to save me.

Alejandra Guzman, D9 Female

Eleanor charges forward with her chain whip twirling. I’m about to let her finish off the tribute herself before I see it’s the male from her district. Sighing, I aim my arrow at the male, ready to fire if she tries to pull anything and help him try to escape. It’s frowned upon to kill your district partner before the final 2, but I have no issue getting the job done for her.

Conner Imbody, D11 Male

Ellie slows to a light jog as she gets closer to me. I knew she’d come. I knew eventually we’d reunite and she’d forgive me for abandoning her. She’ll give me some food and water and we’ll conquer this arena together, as a couple.

I start to get to my feet, croaking her name through my scratchy throat. But she doesn’t respond.

Instead, she plants her left foot into the ground and kicks her right foot out, slamming it into the side of my head.

Eleanor Roth, D11 Female

Conner slumps back to the ground, blacked out. I tremble, holding back tears as Alejandra approaches behind me. At least now he won’t feel any pain.

“You couldn’t have just died out here by yourself, could you?” I whisper violently to Conner’s unconscious form. “You had to make me do it.”

I whirl around as Alejandra reaches the two of us, trying my hardest to look unaffected when really I feel like my soul is imploding. I made the right decision. She would have shot me the moment I hesitated and then shot Conner immediately afterwards. There was no other option.

“You can finish him off,” I mutter, brushing past her and heading away as quickly as possible.

To her credit, Alejandra doesn’t waste time. Conner’s cannon fires only a few seconds after I’ve started walking away.

Alejandra Guzman, D9 Female

I catch up to Eleanor after a couple minutes. Her face is stoic and unreadable, but her eyes are misty and red.

“He meant something to you?” I ask after a few minutes of silence.

A single tear rolls down Eleanor’s cheek.

“Something,” she responds softly as she brushes it away quickly.

 

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Deceased Tribute

Conner Imbody, D11 Male

Statistics

Strongest Tributes: Sierra Strom (D2 F), Danae Brooks (D6 F), and Alejandra Guzman (D9 F)

Most Agile Tribute: Hannah Garringer (D5 F)

Most Cunning Tribute: Hannah Garringer (D5 F)

Most Charming Tributes: Sierra Strom (D2 F), Ahmae Messersmith (D4 F), Ryan Lilly (D6 M), Matt Vega (D7 M), Alejandra Guzman (D9 F), Lydia Wright (D12 Female)

Strongest Overall Tribute: Hannah Garringer (D5 F)

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Attribute scores have been altered due to today’s events. Please note the changes on the respective page.

The benchmark for Day Ten has been posted on the home page!