Gem Power

17 year old tribute from District 5 for the 99th Hunger Games. 

[artemisxluxe-blog]

Alva looked at the male before it. It was like a stranger took the place of Gem, this wasnt like him. She tried to keep a smile on her, she just wanted Gem’s last few seconds of life comforting and not dark. She hugged him tightly, rubbing his back. “I love you, Gem. You’ll find happiness, I swear you will.” She whispered before kissing his cheek and pulling away from the male. Gem was like a brother to her now after this experience and losing him was going to be hard. Alva still had tears on her cheeks but kept a sad smile on her features. “I promise.” She nodded her head. Grabbing the sword, her hands shook before slicing his neck.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

Gem took in the warmth of Alva as she hugged him. He had came into the Games and unemotional, lonely guy. And now he had someone who he’d call a friend...Perhaps even a sister. He knew this was going to be hard on her. “Just...Win for me, okay?” He asked. “I don’t want to see you for a long time.” He closed his eyes, and felt pain flash across his neck before collapsing to the ground. He instrinctively held his hands to his neck, but it was useless. In a few minutes, Gem found himself fading. 

[artemisxluxe-blog]

“Calm down, Gem. They’ll hear you, shush!” She was talking about the remaining tributes around them. They werent in much of a hiding place so being loud was not the best idea. When he mentioned her sword, she looked at it before looking back at Gem. “Are you crazy?!” She asked him, shaking her head. She was terrified. Alva didnt want to kill Gem, they were friends now, they were district partners, and she really didnt want to be alone. But this is was Gem wanted. Who was she to not allow something when they were hysterical like this. She took in a deep breath and wiped away one of her tears. “Swear to me this is what you r-really want and I’ll do it..”

[thepowerofgem-blog]

This isn’t what Gem wanted. God this was the last thing he wanted. He didn’t want to die! But so much has happened...And the thought of having to train tributes before sending them to this hell hole was horrible in his eyes. He couldn’t do it...He WOULDN’T do it. “I-I do...” He said as he looked up at Alva, wide eyes full of tears, heart ache, and fear. “D-Do it quick?” He asked, for once sounding insecure and afraid.

[artemisxluxe-blog]

Alva was surprised to see Gem this way. He was always so confident and cocky. He looked at Ember’s body on the ground before looking back at Gem. She shook her head and placed her hands on Gem’s cheeks, wiping away the tears from under his eyes. “G-Gem, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” It wasnt going to be okay but she needed Gem to stay strong. “What about your family? Your father? What about the little boy you volunteered for.” She asked him. Alva felt scared for the Gem. hearing him talk like this.. this wasnt going to end well. “You’re going to be okay, okay?” She said trying to pull him out of whatever depression he was in.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

Gem heard Alva’s voice, and listened to her words, but he was tired of caring. He didn’t want to do this! And then have to train people on how to kill each other? God, that would be horrible! Gem sobbed and shook his head. “I don’t care, Alva! I don’t want to kill anymore people, and I don’t want to be a Capital’s tool!” He cried, and then he saw the sword that Alva was holding. “You could...You could end it for me, Alva. One quick slice...” 

[artemisxluxe-blog]

Alva was crying. She had just killed another person, two people within 24 hours. This wasnt right, none of this was right. She was slowly turning into a monster because of the Capitol. Both Huck and Violet were fighting for siblings and she took them from them. She will forever haunt these people’s minds and they will always feel hatred towards her. What does her district think of her? Do they hate her as much as she hates herself? Walking towards Gem, she wiped her tear away with her sleeve as a sword dragged on the ground in one hand and the blanket that murdered Violet in the other. “G-Gem..” Her voice was shakey due to her tears. “S-she was coming towards me, s-she was trying to kill me first, I-I swear.” Alva took in a deep breath. “Four more, Gem, there are four more of us. One of us are almost home.”

[thepowerofgem-blog]

Gem hadn’t stopped crying since he had suffocated Ember. He knew he should be worried that another Tribute would kill him, but he couldn’t find it in him. He was just so tired. Tired of fighting, tired of killing.   He had done it....So emotionlessly! He was becoming a killer, something he promised his mother he wouldn’t be. He could hear the sounds of footsteps behind him, and when he turned he saw it was Alva. “A-Alva....” He hiccuped. “S-She was following me...And tried to take my blow dart.” He gasped as he nodded down to the corpse. How many people has he killed? About five? And it was just now hitting him. “A-Alva...I don’t want to live like this...” He cried out. 

[carlisle-ember]

The Darkest Hour || Ember & Gem

[carlisle-ember]

Before Ember’s hand could manage to grasp the weapon, she found herself being tackled by the other tribute. She let out a grown as her back hit hard against the ground. Having gone days without any kind of substantial food, it was as if she could feel every bone in her back as it poked through her skin and collided with the cold floor of the arena. 

She matched the boy’s growl as she looked up at him. “Ember Carlisle. District Six.” She muttered out, and attempted to push Gem off of her.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

“Why were you following me?” He demanded to know as he tried to keep the female Tribute pinned, not wanting to let her get the upper hand. He didn’t trust her, especially considering how she waited in the bushes to try and steal his blowdart. And then he remembered...This is a game. If either him or Alva wanted to get out, he’d have to kill her. “I’m sorry...” He said before wrapping his hands around the girl’s neck and starting to squeeze.

[carlisle-ember]

The Darkest Hour || Ember & Gem

[carlisle-ember]

What was he doing? Ember wondered, as she watched the male walk a short distance away. She saw the blow dart as he left it on the ground. Why would he leave that? It couldn’t have been absentmindedly. He would come back for it, and either way, he would see Ember. 

Her eyes peeled around, but she didn’t see Gem anywhere. If he was on to her, she didn’t have anything to protect herself. It was an amazement that she had made it as far as she had without any weapons. She stayed quiet, listening for any sign of Gem returning. With no sound, she sprinted out from behind her bush, and made a break for the blow dart.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

The moment Gem saw movement, he didn’t hesitate. He lunged out from his hiding spot and manages to ram into the person who had been trailing him, slamming her into the ground. When he saw who it was, he narrowed his eyes as he tried hsi best to hold her arms on the ground in case she had any weapons. 

He narrowed his eyes as he looked down at her. “Who the hell are you?” He growled, wondering why she had been hiding.

[carlisle-ember]

The Darkest Hour || Ember & Gem

[carlisle-ember]

“Shit,” Ember thought to herself. She recognized that voice. Who was it? She thought for a minute. Gem! The boy from District Five. She had gotten to know his partner, Alva pretty well when they were back in the Capitol. She didn’t recall ever speaking to him, though. 

She kept her body low to the ground, and as close to the bush as possible. There weren’t very many trees in the arena, and the bush she was using to hide herself was quite small, but Ember was a slender girl. Maybe if she kept as quiet as possible, he wouldn’t notice her, and he would go away. That’s what she was hoping for, anyway. 

She knew he was close. Catching a glimpse of his blow dart, her eyes widened. She definitely didn’t want to get hit with that thing. She slowed her breathing. She didn’t hear or see Alva. She wished the blonde had been there, perhaps she could team up with them, and be allies. She chewed on her bottom lip, partly out of nervousness, and partly out of concentration. She d focusing hard on the male and his actions. She didn’t want to be caught off guard by anything.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

Gem forced his body to relax as he turned towards the river. He knew his watcher was still looking, but he didn’t know if they were human or not. He’d need to test them. So he pulled out the bowl that used to be full of trail mix and walked off with the water, ‘accidentally’ forgetting his blow dart. 

He didn’t walk far before silently sneaking into a nearby bush. He was happy he learned about his endurance and how to move silently, since he figured this might help him. He slowly moved towards the spot where he had left the blow dart by the river, wondering if he’d see a Tribute falling for the trap. 

[artemisxluxe-blog]

Alva shrugged her shoulders. “I guess not.. but you dont know, maybe they planned it and it’s a trap? It just seems too risky to me but if you want to go, we can.” She smiled slightly and looked back at the fire before them. “I dont know where we should go, I havent really been in many places.”

[thepowerofgem-blog]

“We can think about it in the morning. For now lets just try to keep warm.” He said with a shrug. “And we’ll avoid the Cornucopia if you think it’ll be that guarded.” He said as he put a few twigs in the fire.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

Hell and High Water

Gem was suddenly happy Alva talked him out of risking it and going to the Cornucopia. Because as he noticed the water rising, he knew they needed to move. “Alva! They’re doing something to the water. Lets go!” He yelled as he quickly got the trail mix that Austin had sent them and grabbed his blow dart in one hand and Alva’s other hand in his. “Lets go!” 

His heart was racing in his chest as he heard the cave they were in starting to collapse as water started to flood into it. “Come on! The mountains. The water won’t flood there!” He told Alva as he grabbed her hand and started rushing towards the mountains. 

[carlisle-ember]

The Darkest Hour || Ember & Gem

Ember had been walking for what felt like days. In reality, it had only been a few hours. She wasn’t tired, at least not physically. Emotionally, the girl was drained. The Capitol had taken so much from her ―her parents, Minka, and now Cooper. Initially, when Ember had heard the canon, and she looked to the clouds to see the other tribute’s face, she had wanted to die with him. Now she wanted to live. She had to live. Her brothers need her, and if she made it out of the arena, then she would feel like she had gained just a little bit back from the Capitol.

Ember hadn’t seen another tribute since she and Cooper had separated from one another. It almost made the girl felt lonely. Perhaps that was one of the worst parts of being in the games; being alone for most of it. If her calculations were correct, Ember had figured that there were only nine tributes left in the arena, including herself. Now that Cooper was gone, there wasn’t anything or anyone worth protecting in the arena. She remembered something Axel had said to her, “Nobody decent ever wins the games.” She wondered if the moment was approaching when she would let go of her decency, when she would do whatever it took to survive. 

She could still feel the wind as she walked, but only slightly, because she had the comfort of her thick, heavy jacket Bertha had sent her. It had been nearly a day since she had finished consuming the beetles she had stumbled upon. She felt hungry, but getting to eat even once a day in the arena was like a luxury. She wasn’t going to push her luck with food just yet. Perhaps Bertha, or another sponsor would send her a meal if things got too bad. What she did need, was food and more supplies. There was only one career left. Perhaps she could make it to the Cornucopia and back in one piece now. She headed East through, making a short cut through the arena. As she walked, she heard a noise. It was another tribute. The sound stopped her in her tracks, and she darted behind a small bush, hoping not to be seen.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

Gem had told Alva to stay in the cave while he checked the traps. The two had been doing surprisingly well so far, although he made sure to knock on wood after saying that. In fact, if he remembered correctly they were the only two people left from the same District. This made him feel better about his chances. 

He followed the river in hopes of stumbling across an animals, something that’s happened quite a few times before. His blow dart was in his hands tightly. He frowned as he thought he heard something and looked around, narrowing his eyes. Something didn’t feel right about this place...And then he realized something. THe area was quiet. And animals and bugs are only quiet when a predator’s around. Question is...Was it an animal or a human?

“Who’s there?” He called out as he brought his blow dart up just in case, not hesitating. He had killed a twelve year old boy just a few days ago...And after witnessing that, he figured it wouldn’t be so hard killing someone his own age.

[artemisxluxe-blog]

Alva looked at him with wide eyes. “The Cornucopia? Are you crazy, Gem? That’s where the careers stay, we dont know if they are there or not.” She felt her heart begin to pick up. Alva was always the one who positive and supported everything but this, she couldnt support. “I’m scared, Gem, we cant go there. We need to avoid there. I get it, you’re good, but they are really good.” She said freaking out a bit.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

Gem rose an eyebrow at Alva. “Alva, did you not see them after the Games? They all split up. Usually, if the Careers stick together, they all go in the same direction at least.” He rationalized. “Where would you want to go?” He asked. 

[artemisxluxe-blog]

Alva looked at him and nodded her head. “Okay, sounds like a good idea. I’m surprised they havent done it yet, if I’m honest. But I’m glad they did it. As soon as the storm stops, we will make a run for it.” She snuggled more into her blanket and closed her eyes. “And we know it will be a little easier out there because we have a blanket, I mean, we wont freeze that badly without shelter.” She said with a smile.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

Gem nodded his head. “I say we may want to go to the Cornucopia and see if there’s anything left there. This late in the game there probably won’t be anything useful, which is why I think a lot of people may have cleared out of the area. Push comes to shove, we can use the Cornucopia as shelter and I can build traps around it.” 

[artemisxluxe-blog]

Alva put some trail mix in his hand and smiled before pouring some into her hand. “Me too, I’m starving. And freezing.. I think I like the blanket better than the food.” She pulled the blanket up more and snuggled into it, still shaking as she tried to feel warmth. “I think this will be the only time I ever say that in my life.” She giggled, looking at him. “We were really lucky that we were in here when the storm began, you know? Looks like we have some odds in our favor. I mean, the snowstorm could of easily taken everyone out.” She mentioned, still shivering.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

Gem nodded his head. “I agree...But we might need to consider moving after the snow storm. You know how the gamemakers get, they don’t like anyone being in one spot for to long. And the thought of a avalanche coming down and blocking us in here until we die of starvation doesn’t really sound appealing to me.” Gem chuckled.

[artemisxluxe-blog]

Alva sat in the cave by the fire trembling as she hugged her knees close to her. The weather was unbearable. Even sitting by a fire, thanks to the snow, she was shaking uncontrollably. Suddenly she heard beeping out side. She quickly got up and ran out of the cave into the harsh storm. There laid two parachutes, she wasnt sure who it was for but she took both of the inside and immediately began opening them. Inside of the smaller one was trail mix. She smiled at the note before opening the bigger one, inside was a blanket. “Gem!” Alva called out excitedly and walked towards him, quickly sitting down as she covered the two of them. “Thank you, Austin..” She whispered before looking at Gem.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

Gem was curled around Alva, both of them shaking. It wasn’t sexual or anything, he was gay after all, but it was needed to conserve body heat. Plus, he saw Alva as a sister. Gem watched as she bolted and pushed himself up. His eyes widened as he saw the food and the trail mix. “I love our mentor so fucking much right now.” He mumbled as he took a handfull of the trial mix.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

They needed to get moving. Gamemakers usually get pissed when Tributes stay in one area for to long, so he knew that they might be thinking of something that could force them out of the cave...Or worse. But they needed food for the journey. Gem was soundlessly moving through the area, keeping close to the stream in case an animal decides to go for a drink.

[thepowerofgem-blog]

A silver parachute drifts slowly to the ground, with a large box attached. Inside is a backpack with a pair of gloves and a rope inside. Inside is a note from mentor Austin Zener, reading “Use your smarts. Make something.”

[thepowerofgem-blog]

A silver parachute drifts slowly to the ground, with a small box attached. Inside is a dried fruit pack. Inside is a note from mentor Austin Zener, reading "You're doing good.”