All-Stars: Non-Careers

Chapter 42

Haber Dasher- Austin Dallas

And nothing of value was lost.

Wyatt Sparks

We'd made it through the first night. At least it seemed like we had. It was hard to tell what time it was when the moon just sort of wavered and never set. The Anthem went off, so it must have been something like one night.

No one was around, and it seemed like the best thing to do was get to know the Arena better. It should have been darker than it was, since it was night. The moon seemed bigger than it should have been, like the Gamemakers wanted us to have just enough light to see each other and the Arena, but not enough that it was brighter than dusk. Not that there was much to see in any case. Just graves, some open, some closed, some inside buildings. Graves and a few statues. Dominique slowed to read a few. She gasped and pointed at one.

"It's one of us," she said. I stood by her and read the inscription, which was under the symbol for District Two.

Margo Caspian

District Two

Cadent in Proelio

I looked at the next grave over. It was some nobody I'd never heard of. Then I looked over another grave to the one behind it and saw something on the ground. I about jumped out of my skin, since my first thought was a zombie. But it was just a basket.

"What's this?" I asked as I picked it up. There was a skull inside it, but it was covered in rainbow lines and it didn't look like bone. I touched it and my finger came away sticky.

"It's sugar," I said. There were two bottles and a tin of beans next to the skull.

"Why is this here? And who left it?" Dominique asked. I had a suspicion, and it was confirmed when I read the headstone.

Antonio Ruiz

District Five

Rest in Peace

"It's a calavera," I said.

"What's that?" Dominique asked.

"It's from my ancestors. They used to have a celebration ever year. They called it The Day of the Dead," I said. How very appropriate.

Castiel Wickham

It was good to be in a strong alliance. We could claim one of the stone tombs as our camp and make it our own. We stayed out on the fringes, since we didn't want to mess with Beth or Vera's alliances, but it was good to know everyone else would leave us alone.

"All right, what's the plan?" Kerry asked. Supplies weren't a problem. Vextrix had a spear and Zetan grabbed some knives. I wasn't willing to use a weapon yet and wasn't sure I ever would in self-defense, but for an ally I might be able to. We had two bottles of water and a sack of potatoes, and shelter wasn't a problem with our tomb.

"I think we should lay low here at least until things are settled and we know the Arena better," Vextrix said.

"Sounds good," Zetan said. "Think we can make a fire for these?" he asked, holding a potato.

"No one's going to bother us. Beth knows we're too tough for now and Vera doesn't want to pick unnecessary battles," I said.

"I'll get some wood," Kerry said.

"Let me go with you just in case," Zetan said. Vextrix and I watched out the door as they kicked in an empty coffin and tore strips of wood from it. There was a box of matches in our pile of supplies, and the wood lit quickly when Kerry struck one.

The fire should have made the tomb less gloomy, but instead it just made the shadows spookier and the night outside darker. Another scream came from deep in the Arena, and then the ground rumbled.

"They're just being creepy. That's not a real guy," Kerry sniffed. I got up and went to the empty stone coffin in the middle of the tomb. Its heavy lid was slanted on top of it, and there was something on it I wanted.

"Think that'll keep the spooks away?" Zetan asked when he saw me pick up the hand-sized wooden cross. The Capitol didn't usually go for things like that. It must have just looked creepy to them.

"Not Beth. It just can't hurt, you know?" I said as I put it in my pocket. It was just window dressing to the Capitol, but it meant a lot more to me.

Tawny Stallyon

We were still picking our way through the graves the next "morning". I'd taken to reading the epitaphs as we went by. Most were people I'd never heard of. I recognized some names from Games gone by. Some of the stones vibrated as I walked past, but nothing came out. Some of the graves had fresh flowers on them. One bouquet caught my eye.

"Calla lilies are from the order Zantedeschia. They are very hardy and come in a variety of colors," I said to no one in particular. Some of my allies turned curiously. "Calla lilies contain calcium oxalate, a chemical that forms needle-like crystals in internal organs. They are very deadly if eaten. Many flowers contain calcium oxalate, but calla lilies are the deadliest."

"How do you know all that?" Anise asked.

"I know a lot about flowers. Other poisonous flowers include foxglove, oleander, wolvesbane, and poppies. Edible flowers include begonias, carnations, cornflowers, day lilies, lilac, and pansies," I said.

"These are lilies! We can eat these?" Alice asked excitedly as she picked some flowers from off another grave.

"Lilies have a mild vegetable flavor, like lettuce or melon. In large quantities they may act as a diuretic, but they are good in salads and soups," I started. Nobody was listening, though. They were all helping Alice gather the rest of the flowers. I didn't care if they weren't listening. I didn't need anyone to listen when I was talking about flowers.

Arter Wire

I was exactly where I belonged. The only thing I didn't understand is why there were so many non-dead people in a graveyard. They shouldn't be here. I was glad they were, since it meant I could make things right, but I still resented the intrusion.

I saw one of them bending down by a grave and felt duty call. I was the Reaper. All I needed had already fallen from the sky. The message from the next world carried a black cloak and a scythe. I had to do my job.

I merged with the Arena around me. My cloak blended into the dark night and its soft fabric muffled my steps as I glided among the tombstones. I never wanted to leave. I was home. I only wanted to clear out all the trespassers.

Celestial Yeager

Thank you Juanetta Rojo-Flores.

The grave had a bottle of fruit tea leaned against it. I knew there was no one here to visit the grave, so obviously the offering was from the Gamemakers. In an Arena with no wildlife and no sun for plants, they had to send food artificially. I only hoped it wasn't a trick and "Juanetta" wouldn't pop up and yell at me for taking her tea.

Juanette stayed put. All the same, I took the tea and moved on before I opened it. I didn't want to rub it in.

The shadows shifted all around me as the moon moved in and out of clouds. It seemed to be getting darker, and then I saw it was only one patch that was darker. I squinted at it and saw something was coming toward me. Something glinted in the darkness.

It didn't matter what it was. I didn't want to be near it. I started to run down the row of stones, watching carefully so I didn't trip. I looked behind me and saw the dark spot was matching my speed and getting closer. When it was close enough, I saw it was a boy in a cloak. I wished it was still far enough away that I couldn't tell.

I looked behind me again and I thought the boy was flying. Then I saw he was vaulting from one tombstone to another. He was waving something above his head. It was something metal and shiny. I recognized an image from an old boogeyman legend as he sailed through the air and his scythe swept down and into me. He looked just like the Grim Reaper.

56th place: Celestial Yeager- killed by Arter Wire

Celestial was on her own. In this Arena and with this many hunters, she was lost from the start. I don't want to kill people willy-nilly in droves so fast they blur, but I am trimming the fat a bit faster so we get to a manageable number of Tributes. I always liked Celestial, and she would have won her first Games if I could have made it realistic. There are no cute cuddly mutts in this Arena for her. Maybe next time Dane will be back too.

My apologies to any Hispanic readers for inaccuracies in the portrayal of Day of the Dead traditions. The Capitol wasn't concerned with authenticity.

I'm coloring in each Tribute as they get a POV, so people who haven't had one will get one soon.