Hadrian Allardyce's Story

Upon hearing her name being called, the slim teenager stepped forward to loud clapping and cheers. She walked confidently up the center aisle to the stage with the beginning of a smile pulling at her lips. She walked at a good pace, not too fast nor too slow, as she gracefully made her way up the stairs to stand to the left of the speaker of her District. She tilted her head to watch as he moved to the other bowl, containing the name of the male Tribute; Hadrian's counterpart as well as one of her twenty-three opponents. She watched as he moved back to the microphone and parted his lips to speak, the paper with a single name on it in his hands.



The male that stepped forward appeared to be Hadrian's own age. He seemed rather indifferent to being chosen as the male tribute, Hadrian noted as he made his way to the stage. Hadrian kept her gaze forward and JiYong quickly disappeared from her line of sight as he took his place on stage.

The speaker announced them as the District 1 tributes and congratulated them as the crowd went wild, howling and cheering with excitement. Hadrian took one last look at the people in her District, flashing a small smile toward them, before turning and allowing herself to be taken away. This was the time she would have to say goodbye to family and close friends before the tributes left for the Capitol and, eventually, the Hunger Games.

Hadrian soon found herself in a room that reminded her of her mother's parlour, the decorative room where Hadrian and her mother would have long chats together over a cup of tea. She smiled at this fond memory as she stepped lightly over to a comfortable looking high-backed chair where she sat down, inhaling deeply as she prepared to see her family. Mere minutes later, the tall frame of her father stepped through the door, quickly followed by her mother who held Hadrian's young brother in her arms. Thus began a chorus of "We're so proud of you's" and "Do your best". Her parents didn't seem to care that their daughter would most likely get killed and this bothered Hadrian, though she hid it well. She exchanged embraces with her family, kissing her brother's forehead lightly, before it was announced that they had to leave.

" Make us proud," was the last thing Hadrian heard her father say before the large doors closed behind them. Letting out a breath, the seventeen year old mumbled to herself, " I'll try my best to make you proud, Papa."

---

Thalia stood completely still, much like the rest of the people in District 3, as she waited for the man on the stage to announce the female tribute. The anxious butterflies in her stomach kept fluttering about, seemingly becoming worse as the wait grew longer. The man walked over to the bowl and withdrew the name that would change her life forever. Her own.



The thirteen year old couldn't move for a minute, her eyes wide in shock as her worst fear came true. She had been chosen as a tribute. Everyone was dead silent as the girl slowly stepped forward, her footsteps hesitant at first before her steps became more natural. Thalia made no sound as she walked and took her place on the stage. A man yelled something nasty at the speaker about her being too young and was taken away by the peacekeepers immediately, the girl barely giving him a glance - not wanting to see who it was or if she knew him.

She never heard the male tribute's name being called as the only thought going through her mind was, " I'm going to die." She was quickly escorted to a room where Thalia had to say a quick farewell to her mother, father and grandmother. The words exchanged were very heartfelt and tears were shed by all but, in the end, the little girl from District 3 was left alone. Alone to face her fate.

Hadrian sighed as she found her way to the Training Center, not overly excited to 'learn' most of the things she had already learned back in District 1. She quickly decided to learn more about edible plants because there was a chance she may not get real food for a while. The slender teen spent an hour at that station before moving on to another; climbing. She spent an hour at each of the stations she didn't think she excelled in so she'd have the experience to aid her in the area. One after another, they continued. She saved archery, knives, and hand-to-hand combat for last but didn't do her absolute best in the training.

Finally, pleased with her day, Hadrian decided to leave off there and returned to the floor she was designated to for her District; 1.



When it came time for the judging by the Gamemakers, the pale teenage girl from District 1 was chosen to enter first. The order of performance went in order of District which pleased her as she stepped into the large area, wearing the standard training outfit all Tributes had to wear. With the exception of her District number on the arm, all wore identical outfits.. Usually.

Hadrian was showing her skills with her knife, hitting the target with deadly precision every time. Lucky for the mannequin that it wasn't alive. She kept her expression calm as she did so, hiding her annoyance when she was finally dismissed.

---

The small blonde girl had trained to the extent that she felt just that much more confident in her earlier thoughts on her entry into the Games. She hadn't done so well with any of the weapons, they were all so heavy and bulky to her. Knives were more easily managed for her but she still hated the thought of having to kill another person.

I'm going to be killed, she thought as she went over the ropes course once more. The fire-making course was next, followed by the climbing one. Sure, she was fast and small but she wasn't the best climber and, now, she realized that quickly as she fell again. Giving up on that Thalia moved on to the edible plants station, finding this one a bit easier than the others. Maybe she could outlive the others by hiding and surviving on plants. It wasn't likely but it gave her a small hope of having a shot at surviving the Games.



Before long, the time to show the Gamemakers her skills had come. Thalia stepped into the room feeling more nervous than she had been the day of the Reaping. I can do this, the young girl thought as she walked further into the room and looked to those who would be scoring her. She showed them her speed as she ran the course known as the Gauntlet but, when she thought herself finished, was told to do the ropes course in addition to the Gauntlet. She took a deep breath and obeyed them, her sweaty hands slipping slightly just as she finished. She felt relieved as they dismissed her but wasn't looking forward to finding out her score.

Jemi leaned foward in her seat as she turned on the televison. It was the moment so many were waiting for. How had they done? Who was worth sponsoring? It was nerve wracking and exciting at the same time. Desperately, Jemi hoped that JiYong and Hadrian had done well. If they wanted her father's support, it was crucial they perform well. Then the moment was there.

"Now the moment you've all been waiting for.." An anouncer smiled widely, showing off pearls for teeth. Ridiculous. Her hair was a swirl of fiery colors.. yellow, orange, red.. and pink. The sight was ghastly. Jemi wished she'd just get on with it.

"District 1 tributes, JiYong Ashton Kwon scored an excellent score of 11." Anouncer Lily smiled and winked. "Hadrian Allardyce, scored 10 points from our dear judges." Jemi let out the breath she was holding. Good. They were good.

"District 2 tributes, Ian Smith achieved 9 points and Mallory Foster scored 11 points!" Lily patted her hair and glanced down at her note cards. "District 3's Logun Bell has 4 points and Thalia Cronin has been awarded 6 points."

Jemi was surprised that Thalia had managed to score at all. She was such a young, tiny thing. Apparently there was more than what met the eye. she pondered this for a moment and turned back to the screen just in time for...

"Seraphina Hayes from District 4 has achieved 7 points." Jemi nodded and was about to watch some more when her father came up the stairs.

"Yes, Daddy?" Jemi raised and eyebrow and muted the sound for a moment.

"Did you see JiYong's score?" he asked rowdily and Jemi nodded. "Phenomenal!" Then he lumbered out as his friends called to him. She rolled her eyes and switched on the sound. She had missed a couple of the districts.

"District 6's male tribute Leo Jackson scored 9 points and the female tribute, Lara Barkely, was deemed 5 points."

Then Jemi got up to stretch a little. She had been so tense before, still was actually. Then next few districts scores were pretty low and Jemi felt really bad for them. It didn't really matter if they were just waiting to show their strengths in the arena. The sponsers made most of their judgements on the training scores. Poor kids...

"District 11 tribute, Tommy Wong, has scored 10 points and the female tribute scored a 3." Lily the anouncer flashed her pearls at the camera and cleared her throat.
"Now for the last district, but not the least, male tribute Ryan Duncan scored 4 points while Evelyn Wynter managed to get 8 points!" Lily threw up all the notecards and stood, clapping enthusiastically. "There you have it folks, those are the training scores for the 76th Hunger Games. Stay tuned... and may the odds be ever in your favor."

That was that. Jemi put her head down on a pillow and tried not to think about the ones who had scored under five. The odds weren't in their favor, now was it?

She was pleased to hear her score was so high as, being a Career, it would be expected of Hadrian back in her District. She hoped her's and the male's were scores that impressed their District as she forced a smile to her face, glancing back at the television screen with only half her mind on listening to the other's scores. The one's with really low one's, 5's or lower, would most likely perish in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. It happened every year.



As Hadrian rose into the arena to stand on her platform she had to blink several times to allow her eyes to adjust, just in time to be able to survey her surroundings. Then, suddenly;

"Welcome to Liberty Province! Let the games begin!"

She was off her platform instantly, aiming to get one of the backpacks before someone else did. A small body ran into her and she, being taught from an early age to fight, lashed out with her foot to force the person away. Her eyes shifted for a moment as she saw the tiny blonde girl from District 10 fall to the ground, crying out in pain as she grasped her side. Probably broken a few ribs, Hadrian thought as she turned back and dodged a punch by the male from District 9.

Hadrian managed to reach the backpack, her hands immediately slipping through the straps to pull it onto her back as the little girl from District 10 reached her, her small eyes scared as she tried to wrestle the item from the much taller, and stronger, teenager. Without a second thought, Hadrian reached out to tightly grab the girls head in her hands and gave a sudden twist, effectively breaking the neck of the young child. Syla, her brain drew up from its memory of the scores. She dropped the body of the girl to the ground before glancing to the people fighting around her.

She felt a sharp pain on her left shoulder and turned, ducking another hard blow by the male from District 7. The Career quickly punched him in the stomach to wind him before sprinting away, her eyes on the District 2 female. " Career time," she mumbled to herself as she quickly thought of the alliance that Districts 1,2 and 4 always came up with. What was her name again, Hadrian couldn't remember as her eyes glanced around the area; taking in the blood covered snow on the ground as she moved.

" District 2!" She called as she came closer, her light brown eyebrows raised. " Allies?" She hoped the girl would agree and, maybe, would tell Hadrian her name.

---

Thalia frowned, her eyes growing troubled at this as she kept her gaze on the scores. It wasn't high or the lowest but.. it definitely wasn't the best. Now, her thoughts went to the arena..



"Welcome to Liberty Province! Let the games begin!"

She was standing on the small circular plate that stood in a ring with all the others but, instead of heading for the bloodbath, the young girl decided she'd rather die of the cold or lack of food and water than be beaten to death at someone's hands. Thalia jerked back and turned to the woods, sprinting like her life depended on it as she raced toward the sparse trees and the mountains that lie behind them. She'd find a way to survive as long as she could but she didn't see surviving as a long-term thing for herself.

The blonde girl found a few trees that were close together and created a small space that could shelter someone small from the elements, at least for a short period. She quickly crawled inside the small space, her teeth chattering as she leaned against a tree and wrapped her arms around her legs. She'd stay here for a short time before she would return to the Cornucopia, she planned. Surely there would be something leftover for her, hopefully.

Cannon shots rang out and Thalia tried to count them to focus on something other than the cold that seeped into her body. She'd always wondered how a Tribute felt when they were a survivor of the initial bloodbath and she felt herself grow horrified but relieved. Afraid because it meant she was still a contender to fight to death.. Relieved because she had escaped with her life, for now.

But Thalia wondered if there'd be a chance of allying with someone as she silently crawled out from the trees and into the snow outside. It was darker and as good a time as any to return to the Cornucopia and search for something to keep herself alive. A jacket, a blanket, even matches. Warmth would be great but food and water would be better as she licked her already cracking lips, the moisture in her throat had dried up too which left it dry and feeling parched.

The small girl blended in as she darted from shadow to shadow, only her pale hair seeming odd in the blackness.

"District 2! Allies?"
Mallory glanced up to find the source of the voice. Her gaze darted around the ring before resting on the district 1 girl, who must have been the one to call out, as she was now looking at Mallory expectantly.
"Allies." Mallory said in agreement and nodded her confirmation. She was relieved, she had heard that districts 1, 2, and 4 always formed alliances and then rocked the competition, she was glad this year was no exception.
The action in the ring had seemed to die down all of a sudden, everyone either lying dead in the snow, or made off into the woods. Mallory glanced around in search of Ian, her district partner. She had seen him in a fight just before the district one girl stopped her, and now he was nowhere to be found.
"Do you see your district partner anywhere?" Mallory asked the girl, "I can't seem to find mine, but it looks like we're the only ones still out here so we should see what supplies were left behind..." Mallory shrugged her backpack off of her shoulders so she could keep it handy for collecting more items, but when she went to open it, she saw there was already a huge opening in it, and about half the contents had been lost.
"What the..? Damn... Someone must have tore it open... The supplies could be anywhere by now, probably some people already grabbed them for themselves..." Mallory went through her bag to see what was left.
"Not bad. I still have some food, a flash light, and matches. And I snagged a jacket and water bottle as well." She saw something glint in the bottom of the backpack, and she reached in, pulling out the object. "Looks like I got a dagger as well." she said with a bit of a smile. Though she would prefer a sword any day, a dagger was close enough, and certainly better than nothing. In addition, she knew there had to be a sword around here somewhere, she'd just have to deal with the poor sucker who was in her way of it, that's all.
Mallory got to her feet and started to step through the bloodied snow, "Did you manage to get yourself anything?" she asked the girl, then realized she didn't even know what her name was, and seeing as she had referred to her as 'district 2' the other girl probably didn't know hers either.
"Oh right, I'm Mallory by the way, in case you had forgotten. And what was your name again?"

"Welcome to Liberty Province! Let the games begin!"
Jiyong Stayed silent on his platform as everyone raced toward the center of the ring. Like a lion he watched everyone’s movements picking out the weakest links. Through the times of training JiYong watched everyone and how they performed. He had been working his whole life for this and knew that to get somewhere you had to think, use surroundings, and never let your guard down. he continued to eye a safe route and when there was an opening the boy made his move.
Cracking his knuckles the black haired boy jumped of his platform and raced to a bag. He had reached the bag in a mere minuet and once his fingers touched it and got it around his back he was jerked around and pounced on. Glaring at the person who instantly went for his throat JiYong yanked the hair back on District 8’s Male Tribute Jaylin Nether. A smirk played on the 17 year olds face as he instantly grabbed ahold of the boys black hair and yanked harshly on it as Jay tried to strangle him. Jiyong felt a sting when Jaylin punched him square in the face and a bit of blood rushed out of his nose. The boy must have thought he looked cool as he pinned the much skinnier boy down and decided to beat him before he actually tied to kill Jiyong. But of course the career boy would have none of that. Watching the boy train he knew his left arm was weaker than his right, and he focused on just training his right arm. Just as long as Jiyong could get his right hand out of the way he would be fine. While yanking the boys hair back his grasp on Ji’s neck loosened and tried to grab the black haired boys hands from his hair—allowing JiYong to maneuver their stance and be on top pinning the other down. JiYong’s hands flew to the boy’s neck instantly-it was a matter of life and death and Ji would not waste a single second trying to live. As he choked the boy who, underneath him, struggled for air he couldn’t and wouldn’t deny he felt bad for killing someone and as he eyed the boy. Finally With a soft mumble of sorry he twisted the blue eyed boy’s neck with a sickening snap. Grabbing the boys huge bag-Which JiYong prayed had a bow and arrow in it- he flung it over his own back as well as the other bag he had. JiYong let his head fall back limply before he roughly shoved his body over the edge of the abyss, not even taking a second to stop to watch him fall instead he went running to get more supplies.

JiYong quickly grabbed what he wanted and dodged others looking for the other careers. Spotting Hadrian his partner and the district 2 girl talking he ran over to them. “Are the Career’s teaming up?” He asked standing next to his partner. "Oh right, I'm Mallory by the way, in case you had forgotten. And what was your name again?" he arrived right as Mallory-district 2 was introducing herself. “I am JiYong District 1.” He stated with a blank expression.

Hadrian gave a tight nod of acknowledgement. Good, she had an ally now. That would definitely help, she knew that for a fact.

" Do you see your district partner anywhere?" The girl asked her, to which Hadrian thought for a moment as she looked around before shaking her head. " He was over on his platform," she said calmly as the girl began to go through her bag. The District 1 girl watching as she continued, " I'm not sure where he went after though." Her tone was frustrated as her high ponytail shook, whipping around the back of her head. The young woman quickly took this out and left the elastic around her wrist, it was much too cold for her to keep her hair up. " Someone probably tore it when they were trying to grab for it," the brunette answered softly as she looked over at Mallory.

" But we should check the Cornucopia for anything left behind," Hadrian murmured as she took her own bag from her back, curious as to what she had gotten. She unzipped it and quickly rifled through the items; a few full bottles of water, some food, a jacket which she put on, a tiny first aid kit, some rope and a sleeping bag. Hadrian re-zipped the bag and pulled it onto her back, " No weapons," she reported. " Some food and water, this jacket, some first aid stuff and some rope." She listed off the items, counting them on her fingers and coming up with several uses for each in her mind. " That's it."

Her dark eyes turned to Mallory as she introduced herself, to which the other girl responded while her head tilted up to see the taller girl properly. Suddenly, she was startled as her District counterpart ran up to them and stood beside her, " Are the Career's joining up?" he asked. Hadrian nodded, half turning to look at him, " Yeah, the alliance has begun." Then she glanced back at the District 2 girl as JiYong introduced himself, not even blinking as she had barely remembered the male's name. " I'm Hadrian," she murmured, " Same district as him; 1."

With an emotionless expression on her face, Hadrian turned to look at the Cornucopia and the blood staining the white snow. " We should see if there's anything else that we can salvage," she said softly, " or find your district partner." Her eyes shifted to Mallory, " What do you two think?"

"Well, it's nice to meet you both." Mallory said in a flat tone as she glanced between the two district one tributes and nodded firmly. "We definitely should see what other supplies we can find, I mean, we already have enough by the looks of it, but there has to be some lying around here that got left behind, so why not get what we can?" Mallory took the jacket out of her backpack and pulled it on, instantly feeling warmer. The jacket was a great insulator and did a good job of shielding the wind, she was definitely glad to have it, especially in an environment like the one they were in. She hoisted her backpack up onto her shoulders, carefully though, so that nothing else would fall out.
She glanced around the ring, blinking slowly. She then turned back to JiYong and Hadrian, "It seems like Ian, my district partner made off already." she shrugged, not so sure why he would have taken off so quick without stopping to find anyone to stick with, "But chances are, we'll come across him eventually, right?" she did a passive wave of the hand before turning and heading back towards the center of the ring, the wind and snow blowing in her face, but at least her jacket protected most of her body.
As she trekked on through the mostly red snow, her feet creating a light crunching noise, she felt as though she was off to an excellent start. Two allies already, and they were all very strong and had received impeccable scores in training, so in combination it seemed they'd be a force to be reckoned with. Add that to the fact that they all had plenty of supplies to themselves, and now that everyone was gone and some items were left behind, there were still more to be found. A small smile tugged on the corners of her mouth, but then it occurred to her that no matter how strong the group of careers remained, there could still only be one who prevailed. By the end of all this, maybe one of them would come out on top... who knows what would happen to the others? Mallory chose not to think about it, not yet anyways. She knew that any fear, any doubt would cripple her and destroy her, and she couldn't let something like that ruin her strong start.