Best Daily Games Quotes [76th Edition]

"When she finally found a place to rest for the night, the anthem began. Two faces appeared in the sky, and the first one sent chills down her spine. It was Basil Isley; the girl that she’d murdered in the midst of a fight. Lorenza tried to shake the thought from her head, but she couldn’t. She killed her, and nothing would change that.

The next face was Rhetoric Anadiplosis. Lorenza had never met her, but was still disappointed to see another tribute gone. Death was unavoidable in the Hunger Games. Perhaps she would even have to face it herself at some point. If not, she’d be a killer once more. Which was the better option?"

"'Thanks, little guy. I'm gonna call you Arthur, okay?' she was glad to have two pets to keep her company; Angelo and Arthur. They were quite cute, and easy to carry around due to their size. 'You're quite cute, you know that, right?' The koala she'd befriended was now curled up in a the shape of a little ball inside her backpack. She left the bag slightly open so that Arthur could breathe, and the little guy fell asleep almost instantly.

As she sat in the sand, stroking her pocket whale, she looked out into the distance. It was quite pretty, the water. She just hated the fact that she knew the peace and quiet wouldn't last long. That was never possible. Just because she was safe today, didn't make her safe tomorrow. If this was her last day, she'd make the most of it."

"Adelaide and the others deserved a letter of thanks, and that's exactly what Lorenza wrote. The letter read;

Adelaide and friends,
Your assistance on Day Two was greatly appreciated. It's likely that, without your help, I'd be dead now. Unfortunately, this also means that you had to witness me taking the life of another. Although I don't feel good about killing Basil, I'm glad that it did allow me, as well as you all, to get out of the fight alive. I hope we don't have to meet in the heat of battle again. Unfortunately, this will likely mean that we will never meet again, as peace is hard to come by in a place like this.

I truly appreciate what you have done for me, as, like I stated, it saved my life.

Stay strong and keep on living,
Lorenza

Folding up the piece of paper, Lorenza gave it to one of the Delivery Words and told it to bring it to Adelaide Throes. Now, Lorenza just had to hope it would get there, and that Laide would still be alive to read it."

- lorenza aita, district one female [ kap ] in I'm the Monster You Made Me


"He listened to its distant chirps as they walked away from the beloved hot springs. One last bath was all he needed to wash the blood off of his chest. It reminded him again of today’s disappointment; losing a number instead of stealing someone else’s. Lorenza was still out there, barely alive but probably still kicking. Next time, he promised he wouldn’t be so unintentionally lenient.

In the meantime, he decided to dwell on the other possibilities. The anthem brought little updates as they positioned their boat in the rocks. Basil was up there, beautiful image in display rather than the one left near the water, bones and blood crushed into the earth. It was always a shame when pretty people had to die, especially basket cases. He liked to imagine her head was filled with vines and liquor; that would explain everything, behavior included. Maybe he would miss her after all.

A fleeting thought."

"He briefly glanced at the projection in the stars. Some other girl with a fucked up name – Reddit or something – also died today. Only two deaths meant more hope for tomorrow. There was still plenty of time to spare, and plenty of bodies to pile up. Two days of disappointment in a row was enough; tomorrow had to be an accomplishment. That was a fucking promise.

He settled next to Titus and slept soundly. Nightmares hadn’t plagued him in years. Scout’s death was an unpleasant past memory, not quite a haunting but a stinging reminder of how bullshit the Capitol could be. It was a nice place, he couldn’t deny that, but those Gamemakers had fucked her over somehow. And that Mortuus bitch.

He didn’t have nightmares about that day, but he certainly thought about it."

"The Gamemakers had fucked up imaginations.

Of all the beasts he expected to encounter, an enormous chicken was not one of them. Its beak was a mountain’s way away from him, sword, but it was sharpened like a dagger. One thing was for certain; he did not want to go down in history as the career who was murdered by an oversized rooster. There was nothing ferocious about such a creature. In fact, it almost seemed like its eyes were staring in two different directions. Ugly thing, it was. What a joke.

He heard Teddy speak up about his district partner. 'I’m going to kill her.' That was not the Teddy her sparred with in the training center, but everyone had to break out of their shell sometime right? The arena was the finest place to do it.

'I’d pay to see that.' He grinned. He wanted Lorenza for himself, but watching Teddy try to skewer her with a spear would also serve as some fine entertainment. If only she was here now…"

- kaiser fray, district one male [ Python ] in sinner's prayer


"I blink. The vision clears.

A baseball bat.

A bereaved boy.

Aline's clever head.

Titus' empty forehead.

Perhaps he meant to transfer the baptism.

Aline crumples.

My sunburned cheeks are dappled with salt and water of my own making. 'That's not how it's done,' I whisper. 'But it is done.' My sword is at my side, still sheathed. I wrap my arms around me to keep myself from keening. The orange henna turns red and black with her blood."

"'Looks like your message was too late.'

My sight, blurred. I finally blink enough tears away to focus on Teddy Ursa. 'Yes. Too late, far too late.' Words that aren't my own. I can hardly think to speak; I think only of mastering my body, of staunching the flow of tears and shivers that rattle my vertebrae. There is a sound, another conversation. The whoosh, interrupted violently by a squelch.

In the span of a moment I watch the murders of Aline Larkin and Dandy Gordon, whose lives I was destined to witness. The hiss that comes out of my lips is more despairing than threatening. I still haven't reached for my weapon. Dandy's throat is a bloody smile. I step to her and the boy doesn't challenge me. I strip her shirt and wrap it around her neck. My whisper is so soft, 'remember what I said about pain? Hold this and hold onto yourself. Do not give in to the darkness. I'll see you at the canoe.'"

"It's Teddy's heavy gaze that quiets my lips. A long time ago, a girl sewed hers shut. We learned about it in our history class, a class I mostly slept through. But not that day. Then, I was horrified. Why? Why inflict such pain and relegate yourself to silence?

Now, I envy her the strength to do it.

I smile grimly at Teddy. No more wards. No prophecies for him. I will not speak to him again, lest any slip. My stomach churns.

'Life.'

I turn from Teddy, not ready to acknowledge the goodbye I've just said silently. I've made no such promises to myself, to Kaiser Fray. So when he speaks, I let out a sigh even as I lift my sword to the chicken. 'Hmm. Yes, I think maybe you actually have fucked, and been fucked by, life.'"

- adelaide throes, district three female [ Baby Wessex d9 [earthling] ] in sinner's prayer


"I did not tear away white wings for the rewards to be lost in the sand.

But that's where we appear to be slowly heading, the weeping bullet hole in Clem's chest and the golden lance in Raquel's chest is only evidence of that. I don't dare to look and wonder what will break my skin further and leave me as nothing more than a pink splatter in the sand. There isn't a damn herb or joint that could be found in this arena that could help me forget.

I can't breathe in this reality -- I need factory smoke, cigarette smoke.

I shut my eyes and watch the fumes rise."

"I just need to breathe, perhaps then the past twenty-four hours will fade into background noise and I'll be left with just notches on the bed post. Sure enough, we find ourselves on the waves. Held by the ocean and carried by the soft tides, it is not fear that runs through my veins but the feeling of value that comes with a sense of purpose. 'Never saw a beach back in Three, don't think ever had the privilege of having one.' I say to no one in particular as I squint my eyes and take in the smell of sea salt.

Breathing for seventeen years; perhaps I just never noticed any beach because I spent half of my time with my back pressed against an alleyway wall with nothing but chemical rage in my lungs."

"I scream when salted blue fury rushes up to meet me, any sense of cohesion felt in the split second between the startling ring of the gunshot and the non cyclical tearing of vocab chords at the sense of panic that arises when one step takes me from gunshots, anchor chains and careers who take is lost. A split second is all that's needed for my glance to catch the light flicker from his eyes in an instant when mystery boy was thrown from the boat with nothing but his anchor in his hands and death buried in his skull.

I become him."

- ree fer, district three male [ kousei ♚ ] in That Relentless Blue & scarlet blue


"But the sea doesn't ever sleep, for it can bite and sting, initiate an adrenaline overload and force you into the arms of a riptide. Determined and merciless, taking victims one by one, swallowing them whole so that there is no real trace of their final movements.

In some ways, I think that the sea and I have similarities. Beautiful but deadly—I can't swallow people whole but I know that I am capable of claiming the reckless and stinging like how salt stings your wounds."

"Ree's face appears between the fragments of madness and I can't help but smile.

It was twilight; our fingers caressing each other's skin because a heavier touch would break the magic. He was my means of escape, he was the route to the place I am now. Casting my old self aside, I settled for the girl who knew pain and thirst for it, I settled for the girl who knew what risks needed to be taken so took them. Drunk on lust, the game of desire was intoxicating but it forced my eyes open.

And I thank him for that."

"Death isn't kind. I've come to know that because I am capable of causing it. When I see Jacob's figure fall back, my heart drowns in the fury that comes over me. Sunken and haunted, I stare straight into the eyes of my dead ally, feeling the world freeze beneath my feet.

He's dead.

Jacob's burning soul comes to a cool rest. I shake my head—one moment the three of us were gazing at the sea, inhaling the thick salty air that numbed our wounds and minds, the next, one was gone."

- lux pelotte, district four female [ D6f Carmen Cantelou [aza] ] in That Relentless Blue


"Scent brought back memory like nothing else could, and the memories that flooded Hero only made him more anxious to get back home. He thought of his father’s salt-crusted beard, and the way the old man cried whenever the Peacekeepers brought him into the justice building. The tears told Hero that he would never survive, and yet he was still alive, blood pumping strong through his veins. So maybe his father was wrong after all.

Wrong or not, Hero wanted to give him a hug and tell him everything would be okay."

"Hero leaned back to avoid a deadly cut from the sword, but there wasn’t anywhere else for him to move. Caught between her weapon and the edge of the boat, the tip of her blade sliced into his cheek. Bright crimson blood dripped down his cheek, into his mouth, onto the railing. When he leaned back, droplets fell into the sea. He spit the coppery taste out of his mouth and grinned.

'Only temporarily,' Hero said, and that’s when he fell backwards. Someone else’s blade cut into his hip as he fell, but he took little notice. He let gravity take him, and he dove into the deep. The saltwater stung his open wound."

"'Leave. My allies. Alone!' he hollered, hoping to call the tributes to him. In that moment, Hero was confident that he could fight and conquer them all singlehandedly. He would do it too, if only they would give him the chance.

Without pausing any further, he lunged forward with the mace, putting all of his strength behind the bite of its spikes."

- hero marvray, district four male [ Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy] ] in That Relentless Blue


"I have finally realized that Wendell's arrogant attitude is probably his real face, and he doesn't have a second one hidden behind like me.

I barely listen to his words as he brandishes his newfound weapon, and I feel that Wal is in the same position as me, standing mutely with me. Wendell calls himself a king, and if I'm the queen, what does that make us? There can only be one true ruler of this land, and I know that it will need to be me if I survive, but despite Wendell's serial killerness, I don't know if I can kill him.

I turn to see the new creatures behind us, sent to kill us.

I just want this to be over.

I just want to be home.

I just want to win."

"I know I need to make a decision , though, on what I need to attack. I swing at the one I attacked earlier. It looks like Walherich can stand his own on killing that mutt for now, Not that I would rather kill this one either. But if it means leaving this arena alive, I'll do whatever it takes."

"A sharp pain in my back spreads as one of the heads of the shark lashes out. How it managed to hit me in the back, i don't know. I want to scream out, but I know I must push through the pain.

A quick strike from Wendell followed by Walherich quickly kills the beast. I'm grateful that the beast's life had ended, but surprised at the words that came out of Welherich's mouth. He would have rather taken the agonizing pain than watch me take it. Something flutters in my chest, but I push it down. I know I shouldn't get attached in here. THere's no point in doing so."

- cam dialate, district five female [ pup ] in Playing Hooky with Affronted Dignity


"The ocean is a strange beast. With waves as wild as anything, even when calm it's never still. Yet —

There is peace enough for Jake to sleep. Lounging in a two-faced shark floaty, as if to make up for the lack of his own, his masked head nods back and back until it lolls in matched motion with the water. Ordinarily he'd be too unsettled to sleep, remembering stories of how deep the water goes — down and down and down — while thinking of how he has never learned to swim. This certainly isn't anything like his bathtub back home. If capsized he might sink forever, maybe even too far for the Capitol to retrieve his body, the casket sent home to his mother empty except for the hope of a ghost."

"f
a
l
l

i

n


g


.


.


.



away.


(am I gone?)


The gun cracks from above and the bullet burrows into him. His gasp is choked with cigarette smoke, too sudden and deep. In this moment he is struck with the realization that he doesn't need to fear the ocean when it's just as possible to drown from poisoned air. Keening when he can't scream, the muffled anguish scrapes his lungs raw, as if his bones are being massacred beneath his skin. The bullet feels no regret, biting him over and over with every erratic twitch of panic. There are teeth upon his shoulder, merciless and mauling. It's nothing like the black eyes he used to collect from not knowing when to shut his mouth or even the fractured arm he earned after trying to jump the wrong fence.

There is worse to come."

"He gets up because the alternative is staying down forever. The black sail of the raft flaps in the breeze, a skull and crossbones crudely sketched out in pale mud upon the tarp. It was a joke about pirates because that's all he knows about places with water and he's not used to not knowing things, so this is what he muttered about to Hero when presenting his sorry excuse for a boat. He nearly pissed himself with shock when it actually floated. The theory of buoyancy was easy enough to believe, but boats always sounded like fairytale bullshit. In return Hero pronounced him a friend, as if such a thing exists here. Although he didn't contradict him, Jake knows better. At best he's a pet, amusing and mostly harmless... at worst he's a borderline liability."

- jacob wickham, district five male [ L△LIA ] in That Relentless Blue


"'Do you even want to go home?'

A soft sigh leaves his throat. He didn't even know if he wanted to go home. There were so many unanswered questions that he had about his real life before the accident, but he didn't want to bring more problems. He'd be a mess by the point he got the chance to ask the questions. Innocent lives weren't meant to be lost for him to relearn the sins that he's had before. He answers slowly with panic in his blood.

'I don't know yet. There's not much at home for me.'

The truth hurts.

'Make up your mind soon. You won't last much longer if you don't.'

It's a whisper against his lips, a promise leaking from his skin. A promise that he didn't know if he could keep.

'I'll try.'"

"A mother's evil smile stares back at him as he can't stop shaking out of sorrow. The memory of his mother telling him that he's alone. No one to back him up. He truly was alone now. No one left to carry the weight of District Six with him. There's no memory of home for him. There's no Basil Isley to run into and tell of the things he misses. There's no red hair beauty to catch in a bed with Clementina. There's nothing more than a broken memory of Basil Isley and tears that seem to come from her face alone.

It vanishes with the stars.

He falls asleep to the tears and the stars that glitter back at him.

Basil Isley being the last thing he remembers and the only thing he dreams about.

The red haired beauty who reminded him of what he was in the arena for.

She was dead.

And he'd find out how she died."

"Crimson shines in his eyes and he can see the blood in his memories.

A fist that collides with his lip cutting it open. A scream of someone in a battle cry of sorts. There's more hits that pound into his head. He can taste blood upon his tongue as he can see the person hitting him harder. It's a memory. It's only a memory. He can see his father slamming his fists into his face. Alcohol filling his senses and tears pouring down his face. The memory fades from his eyes as the field of black glass and ash appear before him.

The tears were the first thing he could see coming from Adelaide Throes.

The sight wasn't beautiful. There was no fluttering of his chest like there had been when he first saw it was her."

- teddy ursa, district six male [ Tom ] in sinner's prayer


"Just when I've finally grown used to the pain and endless aches all over my body, just when my eyes have finally closed and sleep is creeping into my brain, the sound of the anthem blares through the arena. I wish I had more than one useful hand so that I could clutch at both of my ears. The clang of metallic instruments is particularly unbearable tonight. I groan in frustration. I already know whose face will be up there—I only heard one cannon all day and it cracked when I killed Rhetoric. And I don't need to be reminded that I killed her; the bullet sitting inside me is reminder enough."

"My worried mind drifts to Basil and in a moment of lapsed memory I forget I can't be worried for her anymore—she's already dead. Ree's spearhead is covered in blood, and I swing my aim back to Jacob, my mind telling me not to look at the hole in his skin so that I can find the strength to squeeze the trigger. Of course my eyes don't listen to my brain and all I can see is the gaping hole and blood all over the deck of the boat and my shaking, quaking hand outstretched in front of me--"

"I'm all wide eyes and adrenaline as I roll off the chair where I'm propped. But even with all the extra adrenaline pumping through my system, I still go blind when my body crashes against the deck. I yelp in pain. The gash on my leg, the gash on my back, the bullet lodged in my chest, the shifting of my already broken collarbone as Jacob's motherfucking anchor clips my shoulder—everything screams for me to stop. I just need this to stop.

I pull the trigger at the shadow standing over me.

I feel like I've cheated; I can't even see the light leave Jacob's eyes. Only a coward would look away from a dying man."

- clementina ogden, district seven female [ brad bradford ★ d5 [arx] ] That Relentless Blue


"Death locked eyes with him, beckoning the male to follow, but Chester refused. Today wasn't his time, not when so much rested on his mind. Something set sourly in his stomach gnawing at his insides. It was a feeling he wasn't used to, and he kept trying to push it away, but every breath brought the feeling to the front of his mind once more. Was it guilt for allowing Rhetoric to die? Was it shame for not killing Raquel? Was it anger for letting his district partner escape after killing one of the few people who've ever stood up for him?

It was a question he couldn't answer."

"The weight of the world pressed heavily against his shoulders, and holding his head up became nearly impossible. Beads of sweat rolled from his brow, some dripped down his back mixing with the blood from the gaping hole left by none other than Raquel Izar. Sometimes it felt like the blade was still trapped deep within his nerves. With each movement, he cringed, but he kept going. Stopping would only end with him dying, and right now he wanted to escape. Only one could wear the crown at the end, and right now it felt like that crown was very far away.

Running became a hassle, and soon it was too much, and the boy tumbled forward into the dark sand. Perhaps it was best for the others to just leave him behind because he was a burden to them all.

'You're a worthless mistake!'

What was the point of trying to survive when nobody believed in him? Why give his life to save the one handed freak from home? Many times Chester questioned his existence, and right now was one of them. Was it worth volunteering when the vultures tried killing him?"

"His eyes burned, a fragile heart hammered inside his chest, leaping into the back of his throat, and for a moment, he couldn't breath.

Dark eyes locked on the knife in his crimson hand - what have I done? Killing was apart of the games, but it didn't mean it felt good. It didn't mean that everyone deserved to die. But who was innocent and who was guilty? The angel of death called the ones he was ready for, and Chester wondered if a special place awaited them, or if the afterlife was a fairy tale within itself.

It was the tears in the eye of three that brought him back from the depths of nothingness. Part of him wondered if tears filled his eyes when Rhetoric fell yesterday when his district partner ended her life, but one would never know because the past was behind him. All that remained was the future, and right now it looked bleak.

The world blurred around him as he watched the girl from three.

His heart sank deep into a dark abyss, and his ribs slowly closed in on it."


- chester meisenzahl, district seven male [ knuckles ] in sinner's prayer


"The anthem plays above my head like something real and heavy. I feel it on my shoulders, pressing down as the trumpets slice through the fading light of dusk. I sit in the dinghy, koalas at my feet as Kaiser washes blood off himself. Basil stares down at me, her face enormous and shining against the dark sky. Her gaze is powerful but I know that those eyes aren't looking serachingly at us. Clementina is still out there somewhere. When the anthem ends I sit quietly, fiddling with my camera. Something in me tells me to save the film but I don't know what for. It's likely tha tI'll die tomorrow, the next one to follow Basil.

My cheeks are dry now but I still ache. Camp is too quiet without Basil."

"We approach a darkness and my eyes strain themselves, trying to figure out what it is we're looking at. As we get closer, I understand that it's an expanse of black, sort of like the paved streets in the richer section of nine. It's not like paving though, its shiny darkness, endless and glinting in the morning sun. It's a strange, cold place to die.

And I guess from that moment everything just happens at once. Half the arena comes tumbling out of the bushes, and I spot the girls from yesterday. The ones who killed Basil. The girl who landed the final blow isn't there, I hope that she's dead.

Anger grips me and without waiting for Kaiser or Lace to decide whether or not to attack, I run forward, headed straight for first base.

I'm gonna smash her fucking head in like they did to Basil."

"I crane my head back to see better but she disappears up into the sky.

Goodbye.

Listlessly, I stare down at my unmoving body and I wonder how I'm getting back in this time. Last time, Kaiser kissed me. I don't think he'll kiss me here. There's red all over me and kids milling about, though the world seems to have stopped with me for a change. Then I feel it.

A spray of blood across my face as the big tribute slits the throat of one of the other girls from yesterday.

Dandy?"

- titus seraphim, district nine male [ gamemaker kelsier ] in sinner's prayer


"Sleep blesses my aching body in shifting lulls and surging waves. I wake up from dreams of blood and blades and find myself heaving into the night with snapping limbs and fists clutched around my knife, swinging blindly at the open air that once housed a vision of my enemies.

I do not kill them tonight. Instead I fall back asleep beside them and pray they'll take me in my sleep.

Pray they'll be that kind after all of this is over."

"My skin screams from pink and salmon blotches and I think how I look like a flower garden, blooming red, purple, pink, like a liquid sunset spilled over my bones. I'm trying to see the beautiful things about this place, as much as it hurts. I'm really trying - because it's what West would want. She'd want me to see the world the way she did: beautiful, wonderful. To find the good in everything. But when my burns and wounds wail at every movement I struggle, vision fading, back to the cold, barren wasteland that is my point of view.

'LACE!'

We head from the springs, from our tears and our loss and Basil's temporary resting place. I try not to think about her or the sound of her voice, her canon, or the helicopter taking her broken body away.

'Your hair is really soft.'

I find my fingertips tangled up in the thin yellow strands that sprout from my skull.

At least she'll be going home, back to people who love her."

"The girls at the house all called me strange, weird, unusual. There wasn't much to laugh about in my life and the kind laughter, the type that filled you up with bubbles and sunlight, that was reserved for the presence of West and West alone.

No, this kind of laughter was shrill. Wild. Meant for bleeding gums and broken teeth, meant to scare and terrify even though I felt just as frightened beneath it. Strange, weird, unusual Lace, laughing before she passed out underneath the weight of a punch. Laughing as she smashed her head into the wall 8 times over. Laughing as someone slammed a fork into another's hand at the breakfast table.

Strange, weird, unusual Lace knows there's no time for laughing now."

- glacia eon, district nine female [ ✨ zozo. ] in sinner's prayer


"'Yes, you should leave,' Emberly tells the three of them in agreement with Clementina.

It's only half of a warning — what she wishes she could give. But Emberly has seen from yesterday that mercy cannot always exist within the Arena.

('You're out of warnings, Rhetoric.')

'But I know you won't.' And she feels that fire, the adrenaline, slowly begin to return. Fear follows suit, but the heat — her sheer will — is absolutely overpowering. Her hands burn on the hilt of The Queen and turn white as her grip tightens with every moment that passes.

She does not wait for the surrender that will not come."

"She shakes her head at the Career from Four. 'Don't pretend like you know anything about me.'

Because she doesn't — Lux Pelotte does not know Emberly Lowe. She wasn't raised to fully understand the Hunger Games, why twenty-three children have to die to keep the Capitol happy with the districts, why some people consider winning to be a glorious thing. A soft mind like hers is hardly able to even comprehend cruelty or sadism, things she has never seen before the Games.

Emberly does not desire glory or blood. She just wants to live.

'I bet you don't even know my name — my first name.' Her words are not aggressive; they are not intended to taunt Lux Pelotte. They are simply Emberly's thoughts solidified into words, nothing more.

Most people don't. The fact that her name is Emberly is not why she turns heads."

"('I watched him die.')

And now, she watches Clementina die, too.

She feels her pulse in her wrist slowly decline, watches the light slowly fade from Clementina's eyes —

BOOM! Canon fire follows, an awful, deafening sound that Emberly is all too familiar with. The sound drowns out Emberly's sobs that rack her lungs, forcing her body to quake. Deep down, Emberly knows what has happened — she knows in her mind, but her heart is screaming so loud it drowns out her thoughts. She feels the truth; it weights down on her, crashes upon her like bricks falling from the sky. It cruelly stabs into her chest, a steel spear, and twists and twists into her center, splaying her veins and arteries around the ruin of her heart.

And once again, Emberly Lowe finds herself covered in her friend's blood."

- emberly lowe, district ten female [ я𝑜𝓈𝑒 ] in That Relentless Blue & scarlet blue


"'Alright well, we just blame Rhetoric and her bad aim.' I am not blaming myself for the death of the uptight ‘queen,’ she was granted with power and didn’t use it properly; there was simply nothing that I could have done. 'You're really going to put the blame on her?' I have turned the heat back up and I can see the bubbles boiling as Chester yells, Wendell’s claims are slowly turning back into the truth. 'She's dead because none of us could save her! So don’t give me that bullshit'

I just shake my head and look down to the plastic toy gun in my hand, I am surrounded by novelty items, and my time in here is slowly becoming a joke. 'She had probably the most powerful weapon in the arena and we swapped it for some water guns.'"

"'Is that your giant chicken, Teddy?'

I look back to the District Six but he is still hauling the damned thing around, I take a double look at the enormous thing in the distance, it’s the mutation version of his toy. So is there going to be an inflatable cow mutt?

I wrap my fingers around the handle of my sword, after dropping the two balls at either side of me but before I can sink my sword into the nuisance fowl the sight of two familiar females catch my attention.

The District Three and Twelve, the ones who failed to take a swing at me during the bloodbath. 'You!' I move to them, rather than to the mis-sized farm animal that is clearly out of place. Dandy Gordon, I can only recall the Twelve’s name and I am certain she is related to that brute of a bully, she must be, well here is another gift for you Wendall. 'Aren’t ya that Wendall’s sister? He really made me angry and I don’t like getting angry.'"

"Big guy, strong, could easily squeeze the life out of one of these girls but no. Another swift move, a replica speed of the other but with different method. The edge of his blade dances over the neck of Dandy Gordon, spilling the likely same blood of the foe that I am adamant to torment and who is likely across from the arena now, basking in his fake glory. He was right about Chester being a killer but not in the right way.

Flash

I am mesmerised by the moment, such a masterful way to take a life, it should end quick for her but yet it is still messy.

Wendell needs to see this.

I catch the photograph from below the camera that hangs from my neck, before it drops to the ground. All I can do is watch as the District Three attempts to save the lives of those already lost. Chester and the other boy have already pushed them through the gate, there is no unlocking it now."

- rory benstaloe, district ten male [ d6a georgie cham 🐢 frankel ] in sinner's prayer


"'Get off of me, you rat.' I grunt, and shove him away. He lets out a growl of irritation, but doesn't argue much after that, instead waddling over to the front of the yacht and clambering up on to the very edge. He sits, perched at the bow of our little boat, perhaps believing he's a lookout. I don't know what it is that goes through is head. Whatever it is, it's probably annoying and completely self-obsessed."

"I sigh and rise into a sitting position, unbuttoning my shirt a little to look at the bandages Ree tied around my torso yesterday. The cloth is stained red, but it's dry now. I press my hand against it to make sure it's in the correct place. I've stopped shaking. Frustration rises from the pit of my stomach, and I don't know where it comes from. I can't figure that boy out. Sometimes he makes me laugh, other times he makes me so angry I want to scratch out his eyes. Perhaps I'm the one with the problem, not him. Perhaps I just don't have myself together as well as I think."

"The red-haired girl. She died yesterday. I cross my arms and tilt my head, recalling when her face appeared in the sky. I didn't recognize her then because of the pain lacing across my body like teeny tiny fingers of ice and fire. But now, now I can remember. The fire-haired girl, and then Rhetoric. The one who lost her head to Clem's blade only yesterday.

My hands start to shake, but I force them to stop because I can't bare to have anymore pity laid on top of me. I suck in a deep breath, let it out slowly. I was brave yesterday. I was not afraid. And I will not be afraid today."

- raquel izar, district eleven female [ solo ] in That Relentless Blue


"'Guess who is taking the role of king seriously now, eh Cam?'

{ what the fuck? }

the role of king? What kind of shit was he on? Did he get some sort of drug in a sponsor? No. He would've been used to drugs. Walherich didn't mean to throw much of a hit at Wendell's person, but he can't say otherwise. 'Looks like we'll get to test out the theory...' Wendell pointed behind the boys' head, and Walherich followed in the speeding body past his shoulder.

Turning around, he saw the mutts approaching, and he knew today would be one hell of a fight.

Let's hope this one wasn't his last."

"A grin, his wicked, blood-thirsty grin that almost never seemed to escape the presence of a fight. Walherich watched him turn into a mad man. A killer. A devious, no-good, blood-thirsted killer. 'Come on! Come on!' He sounded like a child on their way to the park. Wendell just couldn't wait.

Walherich rolled his eyes at the sight of him, but didn't give any notice towards it vocally. His main concern was the shark- Walherich was determined to prove that he can do something without anyone's help. He was a warrior.

A protector.

A fighter.

A whatever-the-fuck you want to call it, but he wanted to prove that he was strong."

"'Hurt me instead of her.'

Walherich looked down, then back up at the nasty mutt. His breath caught up and he looked at it with anger in his eyes.

'She doesn't deserve it.'

{because i do.}

The male took a deep breath. A step, a glance at Wendell. Sometimes you have to reevaluate the words you say, because they were all spat out in the time of anger. Sometimes you say things you really don't mean- you're just trying to relieve the anger you have built up inside of you. Right? Walherich didn't mean that.

Holding his glance a while longer at the male from district twelve, he knew that he meant it.

{god help me.}"

- walherich, district eleven male [ thompson harvard - d2b - arc ] in Playing Hooky with Affronted Dignity


"Venom ran through his veins. The poisonous toxins seemed to make his body feel heavy and sluggish. Pain was an understatement as the light of day turned to the pinkish hue of a fake sunset. He scowled at the duo across from him. His demeanor had meant to hide the weakness spreading throughout his body and with silence came the fact that it would end one way or another. Wendell wasn't here to die. He had set forth to make it miserable for every other tribute he came across, yet the two sitting in front of him were the only ones he deemed to be loyal, for the most part. Confusion set up on his face as he contemplated the idea of their loyalty and his own."

"'ARGGHHHH! YOu SON OF A BITCH...' Wendell shouted, pain ripping through his arm. It was certain that the double shark had known where the vulnerable spot would be but what it didn't realize, was the Wendell was a force to be reckoned with. His heart sped up. His mouth pursed together in anger and pain as he paid no mind to the teeth marks that was clearly embedded into the muscle and tissue of his arm. Blood poured down his arm, coating the rest of his arm - staining it ever much more so than when he performed open heart surgery on the hellcat the day before.

'Go bite on someone your own size -' Wendell remarked and took it as a personal vendetta to make the shark watch as he took down his obvious comrade. His lips curling upwards with a heinous smile. 'His blood will spill out... for your mistake.'"

"This wasn't a fight with his brothers, nor his father. This was, for the first time, a fight that he was allowed to fight without fearing consequences. Life or death hung on the air, wafting around his senses. At any moment, either three of them could die; torn apart by teeth or tail. Yet, his anger didn't seem to mind it at all. The gashes on his body was his fuel. The strikes from his opponents was his fire. Mixing the two dangerous desires together have ignited a volcano from within Wendell, forcing him to act without fear. The creature came to life again, not going after the one that had not him him in the first place. No, it fought back. Something that sent Wendell over the edge."

- wendell gordon, district twelve male [ * ] in Playing Hooky with Affronted Dignity