CAPITOL - LAVENDER STONE

Death is something I have always feared.
I never did enjoy the thought of dying.
The spiked gloves on my hands give me some comfort though, I will be able to slit the others throats if I can't find a weapon.
The thing that worries me though is I am encased in some glass like thing under the water, the other tributes are also trapped around me.

I notice the blood on my finger, and I frown.
This is not what I wanted.
I didn't want to be hurt before I entered the wretched games.

Now to escape this glass that surrounds me like a mummy in a tomb.
I kick the glass and it slowly starts to weaken.
I kick the glass a second time and a small crack appears.
I kick a third time and it cracks a bit more.
Slowly but surely I manage to get out of the tombstone they trapped me in.

As I emerge I spot the girl from three Electra trying to swim but she can't and she drowns.
I spot Dandeliux the boy from one snapping Amelia's neck, she falls towards the floor.
The boy from three sneaks up behind Dandeliux clubbing him in the back of the head.
He's dead also.
I realize I have to get moving.

The boy from four is headed towards me with a rock in hand.

"Go away, I don't want to have to kill you." I hissed pointing my gloves and a sharp stick at him.

"Oh look it's the Capitol's well trained idiot."Corradhin muttered.

"Oh look your the heartbroken kid, I know your brother died last year perhaps you should join him!" I yelled.

Corradhin looks slightly shocked as if what I said hurt him in some way.
I use that chance then and I slit his throat his blood pouring everywhere.

"Whoops." I giggled heading towards Aeren and her District partner Reed.
Before they spot me I slit Aeren's throat and I stab Reed in the head with my stick.

"Your a psychopathic tribute, don't you realize those kids have familes." A voice inside my head whispers.
Well I have a family as well.
I have to impress them.

I spot my allies Kale and Arthur heading towards me along with Dustin.

"I killed Venenius." Dustin said looking at me.

I smile slightly.

"I killed the District seven pair and the boy from four." I replied.

That's when I hear the cannons.
Seven are dead but more are going to die before this ends.
After all only one can win.

~~

DISTRICT 1 FEMALE - ALLIUM ANTHROMIS

Those who never seen faeries had all the right to believe in the false lies that they'd learned from their yearning years. The time they cried for truth, when they were born into a role they'd later realize. It was what created us, forming humans into just another animal. One that was much more dangerous.

Allium was five when she went into the forest, twirling strands of her braided hair, pulling them into knots before wasting hours of her life to weave each strand apart, separating the chaos that had been created by a few innocent movements.

It was then she met a faerie. With slim cheeks and a gorgeous smile, in her naive state, Allium followed it further, past the canopy of trees and moss grown logs...

~~

Allium spent little time gathering herself before the mentor that had been assigned to her stepped from the shadows with swift movements. His figure, shaped like a gods and flexible enough to bring even her down with a strong hit to the jaw or ribs came plundering forward. His hair swept across his brow and curled back until his right eye was visible. It's color, a vivid copper complimented his limestone eyes almost too perfectly.

As soon as she first saw him during the reaping, Allium thought nothing of him but a pretty boy with a cocky attitude. Oh was she wrong. Even in the short years that she's lived on this world, not a single person could ever comfort, or sympathize in the pain she felt.

That was until Allium met Wyder, victor of the ninety-second Hunger Games. Although it had only been a mere two weeks with the man, besides Camella, he was the closest thing she had to a friend. Never shying away from her snared attitude, even retorting back with some behavior of his own.

"I'll never forget you, Allium," Wyder spoke with real sincerity, it almost hid the doubt that she saw droop underneath his half closed lids. "just be strong for me, and come home."

The girl's response sat on the tip of her tongue like a sour gumdrop. Against what she'd actually, truly believed in, she dipped her head low before throwing it back up in a simple nod of ennoblement. It pained the both of them to have to do this, the parting would be much more despondent than the actual beginning of the games.

Allium never knew what it felt like to feel love, or be loved for that matter, so it wasn't likely for these emotions to build up. Like a dam holding back a body of rushing water that had determination in sight. Her heart walloped inside her chest, taking her last seconds before entering the final room to comprehend everything.

"Now, I have the vaguest idea what you should expect," he spoke hasty with a slight froth. "remember to head straight to a water source, never forget to boil it." Wyder lowered himself in a crouch so they could be face to face. He suddenly seemed human.

Allium puffed her cheeks and held her breath, almost turning back to her stubborn, childish ways before acknowledging that she probably appeared foolish. "Yes I know, Wyder must I remind you, Cadelon is my father." She rounded on her heels and threw open the door.

It was a sight to be seen. Nothing more but a simple milky white sheet set on what could only be assumed as the platform. To the right, sat a simple charcoal jacket that hugged her chest tight, along with pants that were sluggish. A putty like material slipped over her slim legs before fitting snug against her hips and calves. The shoes were a clunky boot but the most surprising thing she saw was the knuckle gloves ridged with blades.

She quirked a brow before pulling them both on and running a finger over each of the staggering tips. It glazed against the pads of her finger, only catching slightly on the callouses before continuing their smooth journey.

Oh the things she could do with these...

Once it was finally time to set out. Wyder gave her one last solute before pressing down on her collar. His skin smelled of iron, blood, and the essence of pomegranate. Allium inhaled deeply before lowering herself down only to find a flower already waiting.

Her insides coiled, filling every inch of visible skin with a burning pain. With blurry eyes, Allium felt around for what could be the cause for all of this. When nothing turned up, she looked back at the Allium that sat waiting, almost as if it was teasing her. With judging eyes, it almost took on a visual affect as it mocked her for being so oblivious.

The flower, even though she'd barely touched it had somehow been the one to blame for this.

Wyder stood helpless, pleading through the the walls that closed around her, encasing Allium so she couldn't leave. Blisters boiled and blood poured for her lips, drenching the pristine silk in a murderous rouge. She felt almost too light on her knees as she buckled over, gasping for air with each passing second.

Eventually the platform began to rise, bringing her to a personal purgatory. Allium clenched her fists into the wrinkles, trying to hold herself still from the nausea of the motion and turbulence. Finally it stopped, being the start of darkness.

The only word that could be used to describe it was cold. In the silent seconds that came after the rise were eerie. Allium half thought she'd died during it all and was being sent straight to Hell for all her wrongs.

"Hello?" she croaked, testing to make sure her voice was still there after those agonizing seconds of screaming her throat raw.

With no response, she gripped the crystallized shield and pulled against it. The a single thing rattled or even seemed to give away while she kneaded it. Allium's head was still a mess, spinning around inside her skull he brain sat like a pile of mush on the streets. She fought back against the ungrudging case, there wasn't much left she could do with the little energy she still had.

It seemed to leak from her like blood from a wound, sapping her until the belittling bones cracked. Allium felt her wrist bend back and almost faster than a whip splintered apart. She let a yelp, every muscle becoming a sickening lump.

The ounce of strength she had left went all towards getting out of this intoxicating aroma. The Allium still marked it's territory inside the platform, it crinkled against one of the farthest corners but it's deadly smell kept the poison lingering in the air that seemed to get tighter with every increasing breath.

Through the bewilderment at what was happening, Allium knew she must slow herself down. While grinding her teeth into nubs, the tribute knew her clothes must be laced with the stuff as well. Probably washed together, even going the extra mile to spray more of it on just for added effect.

Allium carefully undid the pins that had tied her hair up and tied the ends of her opal hair to just be underneath her nose. It was the only thing that held air that hadn't been tainted and it gave her just enough to look past the veil and seek her surroundings.

With no light to see what was happening, Allium's drastic movements made an agonizing sound peel from her lips. As she went to move her arm away from the injured area, her fist seemed to snag deeper, digging into the flesh as it sent a sticky warmth spreading the length of her back.

Using her other hand, she reach up to the glass and start throwing punches wildly, her arm eventually grew numb after each thump but once a freezing liquid starting start seeping in, Allium didn't dare stop. After untangling her other limb with the possibility of needing only a few stitches, she began to drag the claws down.

When a weak spot was formed, Allium kicked out. It took many attempts but when her leg was fully out, the suction seemed to sweep the rest of her away and into the midst. Although it was excruciatingly dangerous, she knew that contaminated oxygen was better than none.

Allium almost choked with the pain that came from the below zero temperatures. She began thrashing, no sure which direction would lead her to the surface, and which one would be her end. A promise was made the night the faerie came, a promise I'm failing.

She could never forget that fateful night, and everything she was doing now, standing for would defy the deal Allium made. Although she begged her body not to do it, almost mechanically she began to kick, down or up, but at this point each was a savior.

The water soothed her burns and aches, something that wasn't a hallucination and was really there against her apprehensive state. Allium's muscles grew taut, seizing and shredding as the bones pulled the tendons along only to snap in half. With an unusable wrist weighing Allium down, her lids fluttered as the sultry water burned them bland.

Her body moved against the surfacing waves as the last of the air ran out like a ticking hourglass, but instead of it being filled with sand, it was the omniscient cries of all the fellow tributes who were fighting for their own lives. Blood pounded in her ears, turning into a stead fast rhythm as it slammed into her already aching head.

Then, against all riches, Allium made it to ground. Her body sagged, torn from both the jagged waves and torture the glass chips caused. Allium's entire half side was painted in red, flowing like the dead seas.

All the water she'd forced down her esophagus came back up, the electric shudders retched inside her. Once she was done and looked up, Allium cried in mercy, walls towering tall filled the space. Like stone cages, shifting ever so slightly before her unseen eyes and mechanical creaks and scratches loomed above, near, and all over.

Allium sunk back just under the waters edge for coverage as she scanned for any sign of the Cornucopia that should have been around. Instead the only thing that showed up was stalactites. They hung above her, urging to fall and pierce her directly in the chest, ending her life instantaneously.

Allium gasped, shrinking away as she wrung out her hair. Gripping the water tight from the jacket, she trekked with hesitant steps toward the gleaming piece of metal that looked more like an over-sized tent than anything else.

Peaking inside, she sighed with relief for the first time since entering the arena. Sitting loosely to the side was an assortment of weapons. Taking the first pick of the glade; she itched to have her hands wrapped around a whip. Sliding her fingers across the leathery skin, she gripped the hilt and slashed it across the tent leaving a decent slice.

Her movements were stilled when a cooing voice rang out from behind. Instead of turning around with horror latched to her face, she side stepped to the right and wrapped the whip's tip around the leg of a table that held weapons and sent it toppling under the feet of the tributes.

A low growl settled, scratching beneath the notches on her spine in a menacing tone, and managed to dig the tip of his fingers underneath the teared skin of the many newly made wound.

Knowing that this battle would have to be done towards the water, Allium flung a lone backpack over her shoulder and ran out and under one of the lower stalactites. She recognized him to be the boy from thirteen who'd she'd only vaguely made conversation with. It consisted with a grunt and ended with a mass cacophony of curses.

"Scared already and we haven't even last day, One," Eros tutted, sucking on his teeth and sauntering closer, dagger in hand.

"No," she said, lowering her voice deep and tantalizing. "but I think you are."

Eros didn't even get a shot to say more when she sliced one of the stalactites and sent it straight into his chest, impaling, and killing him simultaneously.

The game was changing, she was no longer the doll produced by Cadelon that could be set and changed to his needs. Now Allium was reckless, suicidal and most of all; willing to fight for her life.

~~

DISTRICT 2 FEMALE - AMEILA MONTAIGNE

Silky sheets of white encompassed the platform. It shaped a coffin of beauty for her to lay her head upon. In the very top center of the bed, right where Amelia's head went, was an exotic white and neon blue striped flower. Out of everything she knew, Amelia had never seen or heard of the strange plant. Now what's this for? With a sigh, she brushed it aside and laid down. Flowers? So soon? How sweet. It nuzzled against her stomach as the glass top whizzed down.

Metal clamped against glass. A solid sheen of white covered her eyes and left her dazed as the ground rose. Her body was jolted back and forth. Be careful! You idiots. It was as if they hadn't realized that she held more importance than anyone else.

The sleek Mickey boots she wore fit snug on her ankles, directly covering the end of her tight spandex pants. My butt looks killer, she couldn't help but think. God, I'll be the hottest bitch out there. A smirk crossed her face as she fingered the smooth gray shirt she wore--and the chunky gray jacket they'd thrown on top. It was too stuffy. Her hands, though, were fabulous. Nails painted a deep shade of scarlet and half gloves basically glued themselves to her wrists. Metallic spikes about the size of a pin-needle jutted out. They were sharp enough to draw blood at the slightest touch. Amelia shivered in delight as images of bloodied tributes filled her skull. Fancies of dead bodies piled high to create pyramids--an entire city build of bones all on her order.

They would worship her, and those who disagreed...Their screams will pierce the air as I slowly drain them of their life blood, of their soul, and with each dying gasp of air I'll laugh until my throat is cracked.

The ground continued to rise. Each shallow breath she took left a tickle in her throat. God, I sound like I'm choking on water. She stifled as gasp as a slight tremor of pain rushed through her body--leaving the tips of her fingers burning hot as the rest of her body froze. I'm running out of air, she realized in horror, and that...that damn flower...must've been poison...

Thoughts muddled, she continued to rise at an alarming rate. The sheen of light had left darkness behind--a darkness so deep and dark that nothing could contain its magnitude. Shit! How can I see what the arena looks like? Her eyes desperately searched for something, and as pain continued to course, Amelia had no clue if she was even supposed to be alive.

They want me to die! They're doing this to keep me from reaching the arena. Oh, you fuckers...I'll going to win, you can't fucking stop me! Each unspoken word left a sticky residue on her tongue. I have to win. I have to get out--fuck! My damn body.

The pain wrapped around her skin and kissed her lips with each throbbing pulse. Her breath became hoarse as spit dribbled from her mouth. No, no, no! She thrashed about wildly, as if she could somehow slip out of the hurt and leave it behind. Her fists pounded against the glass with all her might. Each soft pound left nothing--she had no escape.

With a gentle click she stopped rising. Beep, she thought as the sound came out. Beep, beep! Outta the way--I'm coming out. Her eyes shut tight as she slammed her body against the glass one final time. Air sucked back and roared out as an intense wave of water rushed inside to greet her. Within seconds she was thrown out of the case--glass shredding her shirt and exposed skin as she kicked her legs.

Trying to breathe she caught water in her mouth and began to choke. Amelia cursed as her thick jacket only pulled her down. She kicked it off and began to swim upwards for her life. It had to be upwards--the water began to lose pressure. The light remained off.

She hit something thick and earthly. Some sort of dirt mound. Yes! A few more strokes and she managed to find a hole soft enough for her head and body to sweep through. The swampy land reeked--but the air it offered was laced with gold as she drank it down. It was still dark, but her eyes began to adjust and she saw thick vegetation surrounding her.

Beside her another tribute popped up for air. Ned exhaled and inhaled loudly before turning to face her. His short brown hair was soaked to the bone. Ned had an insane glint in his eyes. Half of his face was coated in blood and bits of tattered skin. With a raised fist, he advanced toward her only to be caught off guard by another tribute.

Amelia turned away from the two of them and quickly swam away from the deplorable act.

There were other pockets of water that weren't in the swamp, she noticed. There was no time for her to consider anything else.

Amelia breathed in a large breath, let half of it out, then dived back in. Mud clung to her hair and shirt, and the cuts she'd received earlier stung like fire. In the distance she heard a cannon fire. With a groan she shrugged off the shirt and left the shredded garnet to float in the water behind her.

Pressure began to build on her lungs. Each stroke of her arms was forced, and her legs were slowly losing power. If she didn't reach land soon...Not a chance. The thought of herself dying was absurd.

I don't need clothes anyway. I have a bra. If anyone asks...I'll tell them it was ruined and giggle. They'll find me hot and stupid. Can't fuck a dead body, now, can they? She surfaced again with a gasp.

Cold fingers intertwined around her calf. She swirled around and punched the girl in the nose as hard as possible. That chick from the Capitol--the crazy Lavender girl with blonde streaked purple hair and dark blue eyes. She screamed as blood rushed down her nose. It swirled in delicate trips of red about her face as she violently attacked Amelia. Icy spikes impaled her stomach for the briefest second. Skin scraped away and stuck to the glove as Amelia cried out. That whore!

Lavender grinned and surfaced for air before striking again. Unknown to her, Amelia was ready. She dodged the attack as well as she could and rammed her head into the girls perfectly little stomach. As hands grasped Amelia's sides she struck the girl's chest and stomach multiple times.

"Stop-"

"Stop? Oh! So sorry," Amelia said with a giggle, "I can't control my hands!" This is what you get for daring to touch my magnificent body.

She giggled again as bone crunched. The red stained fast through the dark waters as Lavender let out a tormented noise.

With a squirt, Amelia's knuckles made contact with the squishy flesh of Lavender's neck. Red, hot, sticky blood shot out. It showered down onto her hair and body, and with a quick dive under Amelia managed to get most out.

She giggled, "I didn't think they took bloodbath this seriously!"

Somewhere in the dark another girl was crying out. Electra? That brown-mop-of-a-hairdo-chick girl from three? A mere twenty feet away Electra cursed audibly. What's that bitch doing? Amelia really didn't have time to deal with others. Lavender's body slumped down and fell back into the water.

Finally. God, she had a lot in her.

Something heavy slapped against the water. Two more canons pounded their wares against the perpetual night. Amelia waited in the dark for the other person to speak. After a few seconds she heard a dark voice whisper, "One down, Beck."

Above her, birds called to one another. Their pleas annoyed Amelia. In the midst of noise and confusion came a quick beeping. Hell yes. There was no playing around--a tribute prize was coming down for her. She stretched out her hands to catch it. The metal was smooth and fit in her hands perfectly as she opened it.

"Another one?" the guy, that one from Four she figured, asked aloud. "Where's it landing--Shit! Amelia?"

Amelia giggled as she removed the piece of round glass and dropped the empty metal into the water. It floated.

"Corr! Well, if it isn't the devil himself."

His chuckle was soft and deep against the rough lapping of the waves against the surf. "If I'm a devil what does that make you? A goddess?"

With the flip of her hair and a giggle she nodded. "Yes, actually. Like, they totally gave me a light bulb! Maybe I can make it work with my mind?"

"Or you could screw it into this thing on my head..."

She giggled again, "Oh, you mean your mouth! Great idea!" With a sigh, she continued to finger the glass. No use continuing to pretend around him. He's smart. "Really, it seems damn useless."

"So the act is dropped?"

"What act?"

He sighed. Then, Corradhin shoved back wet hair from his face. In the dark his eyes screamed at hers. "You've got the lightbulb and they sent me a headlight with no bulb. I think an agreement will have to be made."

How convenient for him. An agreeable situation. "Or, I could always kill you."

He laughed.

He thinks I can't kill him? She scoffed. It was amusing except for the fact that he might have been right. Her entire left arm was tingling with pain and she doubted how long she could stay adrift in the dark. That boy was her best bet.

"Well, I'm willing to not kill you if you're willing to not kill me. We'll use the light to find shelter until morning," she said. Chills ran across her abdomen. Bits of blood clung to the scratches she'd obtained. Though Lavender had hit her hard, the spikes hadn't gone on far enough to tear a large chunk out. Only a tiny, nail sized wound was left from the attack.

"It's a deal."

In the dim their hands met and shook firmly. She gave him a flirtatious smile before snatching the headlight away and screwing in her bulb tightly. It was a perfect fit.

As it flickered on and illuminated their faces, she allowed her wickedness to show. Her lips curled up, showing teeth as her brows fell low. The next words out of her mouth, coy and sickly as they were, caused her to giggle again. "I think we'll make a great team, Corr."

Corradhin's deathly pale skin was in high contrast to the dark circles under his eyes. His muscles looked absolutely breathtaking with his shirt sticking to them and the jacket just barely pulled to his sides. The expression on his face was dark and contemplative, as if he hadn't just killed a girl and--more than likely--others. It was enough to make her knees go weak--luckily, she stayed afloat just fine. She was glad that they were still in the water. I'd be wet either way. God, he'll be fun to work with. What I wouldn't do for him to screw me tighter than this lightbulb.

~~

DISTRICT 3 FEMALE - ELECTRA

Electra stared at the bed in front of her before switching her gaze to her stylist, but Azlynn just shrugged and motioned for her to get on the bed. Electra did so hesitantly, taking the silky white sheets and eyeing the innocent looking narcissus flower that sat near the foot of the bed with suspicion. She gave Azlynn another inquiring look, but before she could ask any questions the bed began to rise, taking Electra with it. Startled, she gripped the silky white sheets beneath her before realizing there was no danger of falling off.
As soon she came to that realization Electra quickly began to analyze what little she was able to. She was wearing a pair of black boots along with spandex pants, which felt foreign on her legs, accustomed as she was to jeans. A thick belt made its way around her waist, where a semi-opaque pouch full of berries hung. A note scrawled in some sort of ink on it read Have some berries. Save them, eat them, whatever. ~Tender Exilo. There was nothing else on it, so Electra continued her inventory.
Azlynn had also placed a grey army jacket on her, along with metal half gloves which had small spikes sticking out the knuckles. Electra touched the tips lightly, noting they were surprisingly sharp before glancing once again at the small, white narcissus in front of her. She picked it up, but any source of light was now long gone, making it impossible for her study the flower, so she let it fall. Abruptly, the bed stopped rising and Electra let out a yelp of surprise when glass walls swiftly surrounded her, making the air around her instantly seemed thinner than before.
Fear and a sudden claustrophobia filled her at the realization that she'd been locked inside a glass prison, and Electra instinctively began to panic before her reason kicked in. Shoving the panic down she focused on the facts and began slowing her breathing down. One, she was in a glass box with no means of extra oxygen. Two, the human body could go without oxygen for three minutes if they didn't move, less if they were active. After four minutes, brain cells start getting destroyed. Three, the only clear way out was getting through the glass.
As soon as Electra established those three facts she began to devise ways to get out. Her hand went to the small pouch of berries, but she quickly dismissed the idea of using them. She wasn't sure what their use was, and there wasn't enough time to figure it out. Other ways of breaking glass, extreme temperature, sound, and glass cutters, flashed through her head but none of them seemed feasible. Then Electra remembered the spiked gloves she was wearing.
Working to keep her breathing as shallow as possible to conserve air, Electra hurried to take off one of her gloves. Using her shoelaces she attached it to the bottom of her foot and then kicked the top of her prison as hard as she could. Nothing. She kicked again, and this time thin cracks appeared in the glass. At the same time Electra could feel herself getting lightheaded from lack of oxygen, and she took a deep breath before kicking a third time.
The glass gave way under the assault, and frigid water came pouring in. Electra flailed under the unexpected outpour, her mouth opening involuntarily in surprise. Icy water flowed into her mouth at the same time it filled her nose and she struggled to stay aware enough to make her limbs to work properly.
In the few precious seconds it took for her to fight her panic and begin swimming, Electra began to feel the effects of oxygen deprivation. Her chest burned from lack of oxygen and her head was foggy. The only clear thought she had was to get out of the water.
She had no idea which way was up or down, and numbness was starting to creep up her legs even as she swam in what she thought was an upwards direction. As she moved, Electra could feel her kicks getting weaker, and it seemed like her lungs would burst before she found some sort of land. After what seemed like an eternity, her head broke the surface of the water.
She stopped holding her breath with relief, greedily gulping in large lungfuls of air, tipping her head to the side and down in an attempt to drain her waterlogged ears and nose. As she did so the pain in her chest subsided slowly, and she took a moment to see where she'd swum to. A large forest lay before her, filled with trees and exotic looking plants.
After a brief respite she started swimming towards the forest. Halfway there someone grabbed onto her leg, and Electra reacted instinctively, kicking out with both feet, causing both her and her attacker to sink back down into the water.
Cold water stung her eyes again and Electra squinted through the water to strike at her assailant. Red streaks churned around her as she connected with soft skin, and the grip on her leg loosened. Then a sharp burst of pain erupted along her leg, and Electra glanced down briefly to see crimson blood seeping through her pants. While she was distracted her attacker took the chance to swing at her again, grazing her arm this time.
Electra grimaced in pain, kicking out at the other person with the foot that had her spiked glove still attached. The hand on her leg dropped, and she swam lopsidedly back to the surface, not stopping until she was out of the water.
After a quick glance at her surroundings for signs of any other people Electra untied the glove from her shoe and looked down at the scratches she'd sustained. They seemed fairly shallow now, and the water had cleaned them well enough, but she still wrapped small strips of her shirt around them.
When she looked back up, she spotted an object floating in the water, and she squinted to get a better look at it. It was a body—one drenched in pink tinted water. Bright purple hair floated around the head like a halo, identifying the girl as Lavender, the girl from the Capitol. Electra could make out a few deep cuts on the body, one along the girl's stomach, and bile rose in her throat.
She looked away, forcing herself to breathe slowly. A sudden, piercing scream filled the air and Electra jumped, startled. She looked around for the source, but she couldn't see anyone else. After a moment, her body relaxed minutely and she decided to explore the forest.
As far as she could see trees extended with dozens of unusual plants and beautiful flowers. She remained wary though, remembering the flower on the bed that had brought her here, and slowly began walking towards the forest, sparing only a single glance at the body behind her.

~~

DISTRICT 4 FEMALE - AMANI ALURAI

It was dark.

Too dark.

I'd never liked the dark.

My breathing was loud, reverberating around the glass walls that surrounded me, encased me in. Something spikey touched my cheek and I gasped, jerking my head away. Through the inky darkness I could just make out the shape of a flower, a flower with thorns, lying on the side of my soft feather pillow. Confusion shrouded my mind. Pillow? Then I remembered being told to lie down on a bed, a soft, spotlessly clean bed. My head pounded, and suddenly, I struggled to breathe.

Damn it! I realized, panic flaring in my chest, Flower must've been poisonous.

I inhaled, gasping for precious air, and hit the glass wall weakly in desperation. A crack echoed throughout the confined space and my eyes widened, startled. I tried to draw my hands back, but realized that they were somehow stuck to the glass. I pulled back harder, and my hands flew to my side. At the same time, a steady flow of salty water dripped onto my face. Suddenly, I felt something on my hands—gloves, it seemed. I squinted through the darkness to see small metal spikes on my half-gloves, and I gasped in surprise, then realized with a joint that I was still running out of air.

Seeing no other choice available, I curled my hands into fists and slammed them with all my might against the glass wall, praying that when it broke, I wouldn't drown. A satisfying crack was heard, and more water dripped down onto me from above. I choked, realizing that my precious air supply was running out, and made another frantic attempt to break the glass. Another crack, more water. Come on, come on, come on! I withdrew my fists and took a deep breath, ready to give the stubborn glass another punch, when suddenly I was ripped from the bed and tossed like a rag doll into the deep, dark abyss outside.

On instinct, I opened my mouth to shriek—big mistake. Disgusting, grimy water flooded into my mouth and throat and I choked, arms propelling in desperate circles to get to the surface. I kicked frantically in what I thought was the direction that led upwards, struggling to get my bearings. With all my strength, I propelled myself upwards. My head broke through the surface of the water and I frantically gulped in deep breaths of air.

My head started to clear as I groggily made my way towards the vague outline of what I thought was the Cornucopia. Several other tributes were already there, looting the place and fighting each other with various weapons. I instinctively ducked under the now shallow water, praying that the tributes wouldn't see me. Slowly but surely, I half swam-half crawled over to the side of the Cornucopia and stood up, streams of water dripping from my damp hair. Crouching against the cool metal walls, I attempted to sneak around the heavier fighting. I could always come back for a weapon later. Right now, I needed to get past the Cornucopia and into the jungle on the other side of the gleaming silver horn.

One step. A shrill scream pierced the night, and I shuddered. A cannon sounded not long after.

Calm, Amani, calm.

Two steps. My breathing was shaky, my heartbeat escalated. Calm, Amani, calm.

Three steps, halfway. Seeing the gnarled branches and trunks of trees, I hurried forward, hoping to find shelter. Another cannon. Almost there, Amani. Calm, calm, cal—

"Ana, look out!" a voice called from somewhere behind, full of urgency.

I froze, mid-step, one foot still hovering in the air. Ana. Ana. There's no one called Ana in these Games.

The Secret.

Bushes rustled behind me, but before I could make a move, something grabbed a hold of the collar of my army jacket and yanked me back forcefully. I stumbled backwards with a little cry of pain. An arm wrapped around my throat and I choked as I was pinned against someone—someone stronger than me. Panic bubbled up inside me and I felt tears rise up in my eyes. Oh god, oh my god, I can't die. Not now, not here. Not like Ana, please no.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Wolfgang's free arm reach into his jacket and take out a gleaming, serrated dagger. My breathing hitched and I let out a little terror-filled squeak. The Capitol boy, he's going to kill me!

Like the Capitol did to Ana.

Unexpectedly, a burning, fiery rage erupted somewhere deep inside me. A rage for Ana, a burning passion for vengeance for my dead sister that I'd never gotten to know. An animalistic cry tore itself from my throat as I kicked backwards with my right leg with much force at Wolfgang's groin. A satisfying groan was heard and Wolfgang's grip on my throat loosened. Wasting no time, I whirled around and snatched the dagger out of his hands in one fluent motion. Anastasia. Capitol. Blood. Blood, blood, blood.

"You killed her!" I shrieked, flailing my arms about and slashing the air with my newfound weapon. Wolfgang let out a surprised yelp, before I tackled him roughly onto the ground and quickly, with perfect aim, I plunged my dagger down into Wolfgang's throat.

Bright, crimson blood spurted out of the wound, coating my shaking hands and staining the ground. A memory resurfaced from the depths of my mind. Ana walking along the cliff, the TV screen flickering from bad connection. The wind roared, howled, and Anastasia stumbled, the wounds she had sustained from the Wendigo mutt obviously hurting her. I was biting my lip in anxiety, for earlier on Bellona's cannon was heard. And then suddenly, oh so suddenly, she shrieked. My sister shrieked, as a part of the cliff gave way, and she fell. She fell down, down, down, until her head cracked open like an egg on the jagged rocks below. And there was so much blood.

I found myself screaming at Wolfgang's corpse, anger and terror and sadness washing over me. Blood sprayed me in the face, but I kept on twisting the blade deeper into his throat, drawing out more blood, more crimson liquid. "Ana didn't deserve to die, you sick bastard!" I howled, digging the blade deeper into his throat, "You do! All of you cruel Capitol people do!" Another stab, more blood. Ana's face, her electric blue eyes turning dull as all life left her. So. Much. Blood.

And then I was in the air, firm hands clasped around my waist and pulling me off of Wolfgang. I bellowed, my rage still unquenched, kicking and swinging my dagger randomly, "Put me down!" I screeched, attempted to writhe out of my attacker's iron grip, "This is what you sick Capitol people deserve for killing Ana!"

"Amani," someone muttered, sounding annoyed and frustrated. I couldn't make out his face in the dark, but his voice sounded oddly familiar, "calm down, calm—"

"Let me go!" I yelled, still struggling like a wildcat, "Now!"

"Amani! Ana, Ana! I knew Ana!"

I froze, falling limply into my attacker's firm arms. More memories resurfaced. Anastasia's funeral, a small gathering of family and friends. I didn't go. I wasn't technically "family". But I visited her grave the next day with a small wreath of roses, and cried. She was the sister I never got to have. I stared up with my stormy grey eyes at the boy who was holding me, finally placing the familiar voice. Corradhin Cole. My district partner. The boy—

I took a sharp intake of breath as realization suddenly dawned on me.

Corradhin was Beckett's friend. The one who wrote the notes. Beckett, Ana's ally, the "Golden Trio" along with Bellona. He'd almost made it. So, so close.

"You're Beckett's friend," I whispered, my voice almost inaudible.

I saw Corradhin swallow, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm Beckett's friend." His voice was crackly, filled with pain—pain I had experienced all too well. He cleared his throat loudly, before leaning closer to me and whispering in my ear. "And you're related to Anastasia Juerlia."

Just like that, the pieces connected. It was Corradhin who warned me that Wolfgang was about to attack, it was he who called me by my sister's name. But how does he know? My mind whirled. The Secret—how does he know the Secret?

"How the hell do you know that?" I snapped, my voice quiet but harsh.

Corradhin let a smile creep up onto his face, before stating, "You don't just forget the face of the one person that tries her best to keep someone you love alive." Like how Beckett tried to save Ana. "You look just like her." He lowered his arms and set me gently down onto the sodden ground, before offering me a hand, "Ally?"

I bit my lip, slightly nervous, weighing my options. Corradhin had saved me from my maddened frenzy, and he did know my secret. He was one of the few who did. Plus, he was Beckett's friend, and I was Anastasia's half-sister. We could relate. We both lost someone we loved in the Games. Finally, I gently took a hold of Corradhin's outstretched rough, calloused hand with my own smooth one, and gave it a small shake.

I couldn't help but notice that Corradhin's smile deepened as we shook on it.

~~

DISTRICT 5 FEMALE - TILLA LECTRA

Tillie had never felt anything like the softness of the sheets against her almost fully-covered skin, or the silkiness of the flower that'd been locked into the case with her. Still, her mind wasn't filled with the touch - it was more filled with the panic of being underwater in a locked glass case, oxygen running out by the second.

She tried to calm herself. You're smarter than anyone, Tillie. You can find a way out.

Her mind, always there for her in most situations, was drawing a blank now. She swallowed hard and pushed against the glass for what must have been the tenth time, but there was still no reaction from the closed case.

She felt like crying - two minutes into the games and she was already failing. Her brain was all she had - what would she do now?

She dropped to the ground and began seeking out something, some way to escape, her long fingers worming their way underneath the sheets and into the corners of the glass, but it was impossible, and panicking only made her chest constrict more. There was limited air inside the coffin.

She swallowed again and stood on her tiptoes to examine the top corners of the coffin, trying to worm her fingers inside a crack. For once, the fake fingernails her stylists had given her did good, because she was able to jam them inside the tiniest of opening in a seam of the coffin and lever the tiniest of openings - which, for all her planning, was a terrible idea.

A droplet of water fell first, then more, leaking through the cracks. Tillie let out a tiny shriek and pushed against the top of the coffin, only opening the crack more. The darkness all around her wasn't just darkness, it was cold water just dying to take up even more of the oxygen in her limited case.

She slammed against the top of the coffin, breaking a nail as she tried to escape the quickly-filling watery prison. The top gave slightly, but not enough, not even when she slammed it ten more times.

Tillie was quickly losing all her senses, almost screaming as she smacked the coffin again in panic. Her mind was full of what-ifs - what if I'm stuck? What if I drown? What if I run out of breath? What if, what if, what if? She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and wormed her fingers into the crack again, pushing as hard as she could with her limited body strength.

The water fell faster as the top gave way.

Tillie gasped in, what might have saved her life as the oxygen in her case escaped into the water. She only had her breath now, and no way to know what was the top.

Unless. . . Although she was still panicked, Tillie was clearing her head - the freezing water was helping with that. She recalled the way her case's air had floated, towards what she would have sworn was the bottom of the sea. Oxygen floats to oxygen, Tillie. Follow it.

She ignored her instincts as well as she could and pushed down, her lungs whining for air as she swam through the darkness. There was no light where she was going, only the promise of air, of living for more than the next few seconds, if only she could find her way up.

Her head broke the surface first, and she gasped for air, her lungs screaming as the fresh oxygen entered her lungs. The water was black as ink, and she couldn't see anything beneath.

Swimming was easy for some. Tillie was having a hard time staying afloat - the underwater pushing was easy. Treading was hard for someone who had never swum in her life.

The outfit she was wearing didn't seem very water-based either - the jacket was soggy and the studded gloves soaked through, making her hands even colder.

The arena was the real danger.

She wasn't even above ground - the bubbles had led her to an underwater cove, with a maze of rocky walls leading who knows where.

Tillie wasn't about to dive back into the ocean though, risk her life to find nature. The arena wouldn't let her starve, and she wouldn't be one of the people who'd died in their coffins. She knew there were some - she'd passed at least seven on her way up, glassy stares out of glassy graves.

She clambered out of the water and shivered, then started into the pitch blackness of the maze.

C'mon, Tillie. Your brain hasn't failed you.

Yet.

~~

DISTRICT 6 FEMALE - NERI RAVENNA

There was so much darkness in this world. So much killing, so much death. So much darkness, oh so much, but no one understands it except me.

I see things differently, you see. Everyone else, they see, but they don't observe. They see the death—but they don't see the darkness that shrouds it, the everlasting blackness that haunts every second of our lives, ready to jump out at us as we turn a corner. There are very few people left who are not blobs of grey, or a menacing black. They are very few people left who are a simple, shining white. Goodness, kindness, purity. I had hoped and prayed on the train that I would find a rare white person—a good, loving person—here in the Capitol.

My prayers had gone unanswered.

There was no one.

Wherever I'd went I saw darkness—more than I'd ever seen in my life—shrouding everyone from the legendary Wisteria Wiles down to the smallest, more insignificant Avox. Most people, including the tributes, were painted in different shades of grey--not unexpected. Most people are greys. Many of them hover between good and evil, one foot on each side of the line.

The water was black. The water was evil as it tried to drown everyone and everything, trying to choke the life out of us and leave our pale bodies to rot in the waves. And it had succeeded, too, taking the lives of the beautiful Electra and the handsome Eros. Electra's body I had found floating upside down upstream, and Eros. . .well, Eros had an arrow through his head with crimson blood still pouring from the fatal wound. I guess that wouldn't exactly clarify as a drowning, but I had found him in the murky water, so it had counted for me.

I had run. I'd screamed when I saw Electra's pale corpse, and burst off sloshing through the shallow waters towards the rich, green jungle. My heart was thumping in my chest and I was so, so scared. Everything was dark. There was no light, no brightness in this dark, dark place. I had stumbled, fallen, got up, and fell again—this time not by accident. My head was spinning and pain ripped through my right arm. Then there was a laugh, an evil laugh, and I looked up and saw through the gloom that Wynder was standing over me, a bow and arrow set slung over her wiry shoulders, holding a small grey box in her hands. I was scared, no terrified of the girl from Twelve, even though she looked like she didn't pose as a threat. She was a grey, after all. I was pretty sure. Greys aren't necessarily. But then again, they weren't necessarily good, either. I stayed down on the swampy ground, and tried to calm my unsteady breathing.

"I just need this," I heard her whisper, and suddenly with a start I realized that the sponsorship package wasn't for her—it was for me. I had no idea why anyone would want to sponsor poor, paranoid Neri, but my suspicions were confirmed when Wynder opened the oval box and tossed a piece of paper out. It fluttered to the ground, and squinting, I could just make out one word, 'NERI'.

So it was mine, after all.

Wynder had pulled out a grey army surplus rain jacket, holding it up in the air and inspecting it through the misty darkness. Unexpectedly, a fiery rage erupted in my chest and my thoughts and memories from the interviews came rushing back. Allison. Allison hurt. Wisteria, flashing me a coy grin and blood streaked down Allison's ankles. Then me, standing up with a flourish and prancing off the stage. That one thought, circulating my mind.

I think it's time I stopped hiding.

Something snapped inside of me, and suddenly, I was no longer afraid of Wynder Douglas. She was a grey—another insignificant grey in a world of greys. And I... I didn't know who I was. I couldn't see myself, like I saw every other person. Old memories resurfaced as I slowly inched closer to Wynder's mickey boot. That fateful day in the woods, playing hide-and-seek with Allison. I could still hear my best friend's voice, giggling and counting, "You have thirty seconds, Neri!"

I had run, just like I was doing today, my then-blonde curls catching the sunlight. I'd wandered deeper into the forest, lost in my innocent bliss, and thenHe came. Out of the shadows, materializing right in front of me. Rough, calloused hands had taken me far, far, away. Then—

I stopped. I forced the memory away. It was too painful, the scar still too fresh to be thinking about it. Instead, I focused on Wynder's boot. I needed the coat—it was my coat. I deserved it. Hell, I deserved to go home and go see Allison, after what I'd been through with Him. I heard Wynder mutter to herself, and as she turned, I took a deep breath, remembering my thoughts earlier.

I think it's time I stopped hiding.

I propelled myself forward, grabbing ahold of Wynder's shoes and knocking her backwards. The sixteen-year-old landed heavily on the swampy ground with a cry of pain, the jacket flying out of her hands. Reaching out, I grabbed it mid-air. Before Wynder could make a move, I'd pivoted around sharply and took off at a sprint towards the Cornucopia, hoping to meet some of my allies. They were all greys, unfortunately, not they were...misfits. Like me. And for that, they took me in. Wynder's enraged cries faded away as the sound of clashing swords and screams grew louder. I skidded to a stop, ducking behind a tree to avoid an arrow headed my way. My heart was beating at a thousand miles per hour it seemed, and I took deep breaths to stop from hyperventilating.

And then, when I finally thought I could catch a break, someone slammed into me and sent me flying backwards. I crashed into the trunk of a tree and fell to the ground, stunned. The jacket slipped out of my shaking hands. Desperately, I whipped my head around for my allies, and saw Dustin wading through the water towards the Cornucopia.

"Dustin!" I screeched, my leg throbbing. I squinted through the darkness to see Dustin pivot around, and I felt a wave of relief as his hazel eyes landed on my electric blue ones. He saw me, he's coming, it's okay, Neri—

My throat went dry as Venenius stepped out from behind a clump of shadowy trees, a cruel smile on his face. My brain seemed to shut down—again. I struggled to stay focused, breath coming out in short, ragged gasps. The dagger he had seemed to glow in the darkness. I cowered against the trunk of the tree I was leaning against, feeling tears well up in my eyes. Allison, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I'm going to—

My thoughts were, once again, cut short as a spear came flying out of nowhere, before impaling itself into Venenius' chest. The Career roared, looking surprised, before dropping to the ground like a stone and going still. A scream ripped itself from my lips as I stared at the blood seeping out of the wound like a venomous python, snaking its way towards me. I startled rambling, my brain shutting down, then waking up, my whole body shaking. Someone died. Someone died. I was right in front of them.

Oh my god, the darkness.

As tears spilled out of my electric blue eyes, I suddenly felt Dustin kneel next to me. Seeing my ally, my brain jerked to life as it had been hotwired and I launched myself at him, burying my sweaty matted hair into his chest and just sobbing, letting my tears flow. I was so close to death. So close. And Dustin, Dustin had saved me.

I felt his strong, muscled arms cautiously wrap around my shaking body and suddenly, I realized that he was a grey. One foot in each world. He wasn't a white, wasn't pure—I shouldn't be coming to him for comfort. And yet, I felt strangely safe in his arms, sort of like the way I feel around Allison.

Warm. Safe. Protected.

Maybe, greys weren't that bad after all.

~~

DISTRICT 7 FEMALE - AEREN MARGAUX

Douse a beautiful creature in poison and you'll find yourself killed in sweet, treacherous melancholy. While I was particularly aware of the bad effects of my flower, I found myself trusting it. Trust — such a fragile thing; easy to break and hard to make up. Trust was unfair, and I'd just singlehandedly let it lead me into my own trap.

Now I couldn't breathe. Through the haze in my mind, I found myself flooded with scattered thoughts. Confusion and lack of focus . . . Did they really want to kill us before the Game had even started? No ray of light shone through the water encasing the whole arena — or the part of arena I could see. I got rid of the flower, disgust temporarily becoming the most recognized thing amongst the sea of emotions flowing through my mind. My vision's distorted and all I could hear was the irregular thumping of my heart.

They'd made me panic.

And then I remembered the pair of spiked gloves the stylist had given me. Frantically I searched for them, and when I did I didn't waste any time. Breathing through my mouth, I sent a punch towards the stupid glass. Crack, crack, crack.

I knew the water would flood the damned bed. Sending one last punch, I heaved a lungful of tinted air and let myself be swayed over with the surging water. A fragment of the glass sliced through my cheek, and I panicked once more when I saw my blood lace the water around . . . before completely vanishing from sight. I needed to get out of there.

I'd had my fair share of swims through shallow lakes, but never had I swam through an ocean. I wanted out, my brain repeated the words, blindly hoping they'd somehow encourage me upwards. A thought crossed my head, though, but I dismissed it as soon I'd thought of it:

Was I supposed to be glad my heart was still beating, or scared to hear it have abnormal thumps?

I focused on my feet and arms — or at least, tried to with all the fuzz in my brain. Don't look for anything. Just go upward. Up, up, up.

In my periphery, I saw at least two tributes sinking down. If one could feel their hair rising underwater, I surely would state that I did. Hurling my last efforts I pushed the water beneath me and stroked with my arms. Just a little more.

I couldn't say I was becoming less and less worried as I swam up. No light shone through the water. No guide, no reassurance. What if I was swimming down instead of up? What if they're playing with my mind?

I shook my head.

I wouldn't drown.

I saw the water thinning though, or at least its colour was thinning. I saw dots of whites shimmer on the surface, and realized they'd started the Games at night.

And then I heaved a lungful of air. As soon as I did, though, I scrambled out of the liquid hell and went to whatever island's welcoming arms. There are a few deaths throughout though. Five unrecognizable and mangled faces littered the sandy ground. Nausea hit my head, but I ignored it. I needed to be in that damned forest. I needed rest.

I didn't leave my gloves, though. There was no Cornucopia whatsoever; a simple glint of metal wasn't seen.

I treaded the ground silently, and it was moments when I'd finally entered the forest's perimeters. Even though my senses weren't something I'd rely on to, I kept my eyes peeled and my ears alert.

And then I jumped at a sound.

"Pathetic," someone whispered. It was a male, and he sounded sly over the dim area. "Oh, well. It's not like I couldn't keep company."

"Can you shut up?" I said, my voice unwavering as I followed the sound of his voice. It came behind a tree. Or a bush.

"Damn." He's finally out, and I backed away immediately when I caught sight of the boy from Two. He towered over me; it's enough to send a ripple of intimidation in my mind. "Aren't you a wild flower?"

"Aren't you a tamed snake," I muttered.

"I am. Good job, Aeren." Venenius smiled, his teeth unusually bright. I saw the harpoon stashed in his satchel, and I backed away some more.

I scoffed and looked away. Blowing my hair out of my eyes, I said, "Are you going to poison me? It's hard not to judge your smile."

"We'll see." And then he took my arm and led me out.

The funny thing was, I trusted him. Isn't this just cruel?

~~

DISTRICT 8 FEMALE - MIZZY HAZE

I sat up in pitch black darkness. I felt the bed below me and slowly stood up on it. I took a few steps forward before feeling a wall. Why is it so dark? The spikes on my gloves scratched the glass. The capitol must have a new way of entertainment. I sighed as I pushed on the glass, of course nothing happening. I started scratching away at the glass with the spikes on the gloves, making the scratches at least a foot and a half long. I stretched my shoulders and arms, already feeling tired from just that. The glass became weak enough to be broken so I started in another area that was about nine inches away from the first scratches. I weakened it too much and some of it started cracking. I felt along the cracks and felt water breaking in. They seriously started us underwater? I wouldn't be surprised if there is any artificial sea creatures made to kill. I took in a deep breath that could probably be my last one before pushing in the glass. Water poured in fast and I immediately fought it and started kicking fiercely to make my way up. I kept on kicking and pulling my way up. The swimming was exhausting. I need air. I opened my eyes to see if there was any sign of light, and there was nothing. I started to move faster, not caring how tired I was and how much my arms and legs burned. I needed air or else even leaving that glass box was suicide. My lungs felt as if they were gonna explode. The burning sensation didn't make any of this better either, but before I knew it my hands reached through the top. I felt a chill air on my arms and face as I bursted through the water. I took in deep breaths of air. I could've died already. I could've just drowned and never made it up here. I kept my breathing as steady as possible as I swam to the closest shore. It was still fairly dark but a faint glow from the moon illuminated the area. I pulled myself onto land, it being kind of muddy, but it didn't matter since this is now all about survival. I looked up and between trees was the Cornucopia. I stood up and slowly made my way my towards it. My legs burned with every slow agonizing step I took. I can't be the only one here. In fact I could be the last one here. I heard the water moving and I ducked down behind a tree. I peeked around the tree, watching as two tributes fought. It seems like a female and male tribute that were fighting. While they fought, I moved on closer to the Cornucopia. It would be so simple to just grab some things and get out of here. I looked around once I got there. I snatched up a book bag that bad a small canteen of water and bandages in it. I looked harder behind the bigger weapons and found a small leather bag. Curiously, I picked it up and found blow darts in it.

"N-no! You can have it okay!" A high pitched voice yelled. I turned back to see the female tribute was backed up against the edge of the corn and the male stood with a large branch in his hands. Shit, how am I supposed to get out if he is basically guarding the exit. No way I'm running or I'll collapse from all this movement. I laid down behind a crate in the corn. I watched as he busted in the girl's skull with the branch, showing no mercy what's so ever. I scrunched my nose at the thought of how she must look with a new face. Then male looked up, and it was Corradhin. I only remember from how tense and angry he is. He came closer. I held my breath and tried not to panic. It's not like I just watched him brutally murder someone. He took a step closer and in a second I jumped out at him and pulled him to the ground. I grabbed his ankle and bit it hard. It was hard enough that I felt a metallic taste in my mouth.

"Ow, ow! Stop biting me!" He pushed me off his leg. I wiped the blood from the corners of my mouth and spit out the rest.

"That was a bad idea," I sighed as I wiped the blood on my hand on my pants. "You're Corradhin right?"

"Yes. Who are you, little ankle biter." He mumbled as he held his ankle. I opened the book bag and took out some bandages.

"I'm Mizzy, and sorry for biting you. I just didn't know how to react." I said with a small smile as I handed him the bandages. He took it from my hands and started bandaging the bite. He sighed.

"You should think before acting, you know. I could've easy killed you with a blow to the head with these gloves." He looked at me. Oh right. Spiked gloves.

"Right. Right. Well, better get going. Find some safe high point." I said rushed as I stood up and walked away from Corradhin. I saw another tribute swimming for shore. I decided to grab another book bag before speed walking away. Does this mean me and Corradhin are cool? I mean, I bit him and all but he didn't kill me. I take that as a friendly sign. I walked a bit deeper into the swamp. The mud was getting harder to walk in and there was water in some places. Going in too deep wouldn't be a good idea. I looked back, the Cornucopia was smaller from out here but it was still in sight. Hiding in a tree seems like a good idea, if I can even climb one.

"H-Hey!" A voice called out. Mizzy turned around panicked, she stared closely at the girl. She was fairly short yet fit and, quite beautiful too. She stood out from the dark night with her blonde hair. "You know the cornucopia is that way?"

"Yeah, I know." I trailed a bit. I tensed as she moved a bit.

"Don't worry I'm okay." She said softly as she took as step towards me. I narrowed my eyes and backed up. She quickly reached out pushing me towards a tree. I hit my head pretty hard before blacking out. 

~~

DISTRICT 9 FEMALE - YUKANA CHAMBERLY

The bed is beautiful, before it turns into a trap.

At first I stare at the glass around me uncomprehendingly. My hand reaches and knocks against the translucent silver, but it doesn't budge. I try to take in a breath, and find that air isn't trapped in here with me.

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. A shake takes over my body. My hands and legs struggle to thrust the glass away from me and my eyes strain to see past the metal cover, but none are successful.

Oh no, oh no. My attempts to breathe come in shallow gasps. I'm doomed. There's no way I can get out of this. I'm doomed.

The same thought pounds in my head again and again, even louder than my limbs against the glass: I am going to die.

A gong goes off without warning. My body jolts, sending my limbs crashing against the glass yet again.

Before my attempts to break out were fruitless. But somehow, a thin crack has appeared. I clamp my teeth together and kick at the crack. The glass shatters. I thrust myself into the water above. In my panic to get out, I hardly register the pain of my bleeding feet.

I'm not safe yet. Water is everywhere. Above, below, left, and right, as far as the eye can see. There's no light to guide me in one direction or the other.

I kick my legs and mimic the motion with my arms. I never learned how to swim. Why would I? There's no water anywhere in Nine. This isn't fair.

I can almost hear Papa's voice in my head. Keep going baby girl, he'd say to me. Just keep kicking and fighting.

I can also hear Mama's voice. It's hopeless. You should give up right now, Yukana. You're not going to succeed. You're going to fail, because you're a failure.

Out of both their voices swimming around in my head, Mama's was the one I wished I could reply to. I would tell her that failure was only guaranteed if I gave up. I said that to Papa once, and he agreed with me. That's the way it always is. Papa agrees with me, and Mama provokes me to argue with her.

The water ripples in all directions. I don't think it's all coming from me. Other tributes must be swimming too. I can't see them, and I don't try. My eyes are burning from looking straight ahead.

My head is hurting. Once Papa took me to watch a singer that was performing. She sang at a note so high it cracked glass and made my head feel as if it were about to explode. That's how my head feels now.

Kicking is harder. All my muscles want to stop trying to swim. All my muscles want to relax and let myself float away. I almost think I want to float away. It would be so much easier than struggling to swim.

Black spots fill my vision, or at least I think they do. It might just be the darkness of the water around me. I can't tell. Control of my limbs starts to flood out of me. I try to keep swimming but my hands and feet won't obey my commands.

Without warning, my head breaks the surface of the water. I suck in a heaving gasp. Control of my limbs returns to me. My head clears. I can think easily again. My eyelids blink away the water. I can see again.

There's land, only a few meters away. I can do this. I'm so close, I know I can make it. My arms and legs swim faster than ever before, and I manage to pull myself onto the grassy shore.

I sit there for a moment, shaking and shivering. I did it. I made it through the frightening black water, even though I never learned how to swim.

Before I can bask in my achievements, screams reach my ears from further down the shore. It would seem I'm not entirely safe yet, even though I'd say I deserve a rest. I rise to my feet and peer down at the area where the noise is coming on.

Belatedly I remember what always comes after the opening of the games. Despite knowing better, I find myself trailing after the source of screams.

My foot steps on something hard. It cracks. I look down and barely restrain a scream. I just stepped on a dead body. I can even recognize the features of the Capitol girl, Lula or Lavender something.

My eyes wander and I gaze over the ground. Suddenly, it seems I can see bodies everywhere. The Four girl lies still and bloody next to the dead girl from Eight. The thoughtful girl from Eleven floats face down in the water, and she's not the only one. Now that I've looked there, I can see the boys from Three and Five didn't make it to shore in time. The Ten boy managed to make it to shore, but it seems he didn't get any further.

So many deaths. Only minutes into the games and so many deaths already. I shiver, but it has nothing to do with the cold.

~~

DISTRICT 10 FEMALE - AKARI HIJIKATA

My heart thudded quickly in my chest, and I fought to control my breathing. I will not panic, I firmly told myself.

No matter how hard I tried to stop it, panic crept in regardless. I was wearing spandex pants, which were tight against my long legs. I was lying on a bed, inside a glass case. There were no platforms, and I couldn't see anything beyond the case I was trapped in.

My breathing came in harsh pants; it was getting more and more difficult to breathe. Why? I distantly thought. As I continued looking around the case, it seemed as if the air was being sucked away.

I was losing oxygen.

Panic turned into desperation. I pounded on the glass, screaming for help, though I knew none would come. Clenching my hands into fists, I tried to think through this rationally. They wouldn't stick me in a case to suffocate and die...

Doubt settled in the back of my mind.

What if they did?

I traced my hands over the petals of the cherry blossoms, which had all been laid and scattered around on the bed. They reminded me to cherish life, to enjoy the brief moments before they passed by.

I had to survive.

Clenching and opening my fists again, I just then noticed the metal gloves over my knuckles. They had spikes, which gave me an idea. With a grunt, I punched the glass above my head as hard as I could. The spikes dug into the glass, cracking it.

Dizziness swept over my body, and I swallowed back nausea. There was a kick from the inside of my stomach, as if the baby hated what was happening as much as I did. My thought process slowed considerably, and it was as if everything was sluggish and slow. What's... happening? I felt as if I was staring down a never-ending, narrow tunnel. Swallowing back more nausea, I punched the glass again.

Water burst through the tiny holes and cracks that the spikes created. I jerked my head to the side, blinking water out of my eyes. Water? Confusion prickled at the edge of my mind, but my thoughts were too slow to think through it. Slow thoughts... dizziness... nausea.... The blossoms must have been poisoned... The thought trailed off before I could fully make sense of it.

I slammed my knuckles against the glass once more, using all the force I could muster. Closing my eyes and turning my head, I tried to keep my head out of the way as the glass rained down around my face and neck. Pain pricked at me, and I could feel shards as they embedded deep in my flesh.

Water rushed at my face, making me cough and gag. I placed my hands on either side of the small hole that was made, trying to push myself through. Glass sliced across the palms of my hands, making me groan. Please... let me out of here... I thought desperately.

With a loud cry, I pressed against the edge of the glass as hard as I could. The force shattered the top of the case. Water rushed all around me, and I felt disoriented. Where am I? Flailing my hands around, I kicked my feet.

I was inside water. It raged all around me. It was too dark to see anything, so I immediately started swimming. I had no idea where to go, or which direction I was even heading. I was thankful that I knew the basics about swimming, but I had never spent a lot of time in the water.

My body shivered, and my muscles ached, but I forced myself to continue. Panic seized my chest as my lungs started burning. I couldn't hold my breath for very long...

Was I going to die here?

No! No, you will not die here! I screamed at myself in my thoughts. Air... My lungs desperately needed air, air that wouldn't come. It was cold... so cold. My eyes blinked and drooped. Stay awake! I mentally commanded. As my head pounded and the dizziness continued, I knew I couldn't fight both the poison and the need for air at the same time.

Something hard slammed into my body. Precious air whooshed out of my lungs, and I accidentally swallowed water. I blinked several times, trying to orientate myself.

A silhouette of someone was just in front of me. They reached their hands out to punch me, but the force of the water slowed their attack. I swam to the side, avoiding them. I kicked out and pressed further in what I hoped was upward, hoping to escape them. The poison was working its' way through my system and I was losing air fast, especially after swallowing water and having my breath knocked out.

I had no time to fight.

My throat stung from the water intake, and my lungs burned. Air...

Light burst against my eyes, making me wince. I coughed and gagged, spitting out mouthfuls of water. Gasping, I struggled to realize where I was, or what was going on. I bit my lip to keep from throwing up, and my head thudded against my skull.

Sand. Blinking several times, I clenched my fists. My fingers dug deeper into, sure enough, sand. I pushed myself to my hands and knees, and looked around. Dizziness swept over me, making me groan. There was a light nudge on the inside of my stomach.

I needed some way to counteract the poison.

There was a loud cry. I had no time to look, before I was knocked to the ground. Gasping, I used my hands to block my face. A girl was on top of me, frantically trying to punch me. Grabbing her wrists, I kneed her in the stomach and flipped over so that I was on top of her.

She spat in my eye and slammed her head against mine. Stars danced at the edge of my vision. Pain radiated in my stomach, making me groan and double over. I crawled along the sand, blinking my eyes to try to rid myself of the dizziness that continued slamming into me in great waves.

A burst of pain exploded in my shoulder, and I cried out. Fight, Akari! Rather than my own thoughts in my mind, it was Hijikata's voice that urged me on.

Fight.

Grabbing a fist full of sand, I threw it in the direction I heard the girl's grunts coming from. I charged at her, tackling her around the waist. As she landed on the ground, distantly I saw a rock rolling away from her right hand. I pinned her arm to the ground with my knee and grabbed the rock.

I slammed it against her head, once... then twice. Once I was sure she was unconscious, I collapsed on the ground beside her, panting. Even though I was seeing double, I recognized her as the girl from district two.

I pushed myself to my feet, and tried to catch myself as I stumbled. Ahead of me were trees—an entire jungle of lush, thick green trees as tall as the eye could see. Sounds reverberated away from it—monkeys chattering, leopards growling, birds chattering.

Water lapped at the beach, which extended both ways as far as I could see. Unless I planned on staying on the beach, I would have to head into the jungle.

I had no idea what I was poisoned with. I was no expert when it came to herbs and poisons, but I knew enough for basic survival. Question is how do I find out what they poisoned the blossoms with? I had no answer to the question, and I struggled against anxiety as it swam inside my mind.

A bloodcurdling scream froze me in my tracks, just before I stepped into the jungle. I peeked around a tree, trying to see what was going on.

A four-legged black leopard was standing over a mangled body. Blood dripped from the leopard's mouth, staining the black fur crimson. There was nothing left of the body but a jumbled mass of organs and guts, scattered all over the ground. I froze, unable to move or breathe, staring at the body in horror.

I couldn't even tell who it had been. Whoever it was appeared young, with orange-light brown hair, and I suspected it was Reed, the young boy from seven, but I couldn't be sure. Knowing how young he'd been—only a child—broke my heart.

Instinctively, I placed a hand over my stomach. Was Hijikata watching this, right now? Could he see the horror in my eyes, the fear in my expression, even over a screen?

Would that be me?

Would he be forced to watch his wife and unborn child die in this arena?

No, I told myself firmly. You are not dying here. Not today. Not here.

The black leopard became three as my vision continued to change and flicker. I stayed where I was behind the tree, perfectly still, and absolutely silent. At last, the leopard sauntered off, and I took a sigh in relief.

Branches snapped, making me jump and turn around. Electra, the girl from district three, charged in my direction. Ducking out of the way, I side-stepped to avoid her attack.

She wasn't attacking me, though.

Another tribute was behind her, the male from district eight. His eyes were red in color, making me gasp. I was seeing three of each of them, so I backed up. I couldn't fight, not in the state I was in because of the poison. Electra turned around, aiming what looked to be some sort of gun at the other boy.

His eyes flickered to pink. "Wait—wait, please don—" His voice stopped short, and his body collapsed onto the ground.

Electra pointed the gun at me. I wasn't sure which of the three was the real her, but I did the first option that came to mind; I dove to the ground. Branches and plants bit at my skin, but I didn't feel any pain, so I assumed she missed. I was too dizzy to see whatever the gun actually fired—there was no sound so it obviously wasn't bullets.

I jumped to my feet and charged at her, going for the one in the middle. There was laughter from behind me, as I collapsed onto the ground. Pain nicked my left side, and I winced, but ignored it.

Standing to my feet, I blinked my eyes. I had to focus or she would kill me.

I hadn't found the Cornucopia yet. I had no weapon at all. But that doesn't mean you can't win,Hijikata's voice reminded me. You're trained. You know how to win.

Nodding to myself, I slid my left foot into a stance as Electra aimed the gun at me once again. I twisted to the right to avoid it, hoping I guessed the right direction. The three Electras blurred, as the world around me spun. The headache increased, making me groan.

I had to end this now, or it would be too late. I darted toward her, going for the one on the left this time.

I guessed right.

Tackling her to the ground, her hands struggled against mine, clawing for my throat. I grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the tree behind her. She reeled from the blow, so I didn't stop.

Her body stilled underneath mine. Blood pooled underneath her, and her eyes were wide, staring out into space.

"Electra!" I yelled. "Electra!"

She didn't move.

I had killed her.

My hands shook as I stared at them in horror at what I had done. Emotions slammed into me at once: horror, shock, fear, panic, dread... So many I couldn't pinpoint them all.

Her crimson blood pooled on my hands, covering them like a warm blanket.

I had killed her in cold blood with my own two hands.

I was no longer a samurai.

I was a murderer.

~~

DISTRICT 11 FEMALE - ADONIS RUNE

Adonis awakes inside a glass coffin. Silky blankets wrap her body tight and her head lays upon a velveteen pillow seamed with golden thread. Euphoria shrouds Adonis' better judgement for a few moments, her gut instincts muted by the odd situation. Multicolored fish swim around her, gliding after each other in a graceful game of chase. Adonis almost forgets her intentions and closes her eyes, a blissful smile dancing across her lips as sleep threatens to tug her away.

Then the mutilated body of the girl from Eight crashes into her peaceful chamber.

Webs of cracks frolic across the glass and the clear water turns a deep shade of reddish-pink. Even in death she is gorgeous, her blue eyes forever frozen in fear. Immediately Adonis earns her focus back and she begins throwing knuckle punches at the cracks. The first few don't do much, but the fourth punch shatters her pristine cage, shards of glass and thousands of gallons of water all pouring down on her at once.

Adonis now understands why she was provided goggles.

Shards of glass are scattered about in the veil of cool water, showing signs of her fellow tributes' escapes. A soft of bloodbath has already commenced. Counting Mizzy, there are five bodies, each one more gruesomely killed than the next. Jack Darkwood, Lavender Stone, Arthur Penn, and Yukana Chamberly join the deceased.

However, Adonis is more focused on reaching the surface. She remembers swimming in the turquoise ponds hidden throughout the vast orchards of Eleven: Floating in a void free of gravity. The water is something she loves, something she respects. Adonis finds true fascination in the way the sun shone off the rippling water, its golden light warped in the twisted, glass waves. Despite its unparalleled beauty, the water is a deadly place.

Adonis isn't used to swimming underwater for this long and it is greatly affecting her chances of survival. Her lungs scream as she desperately kicks her legs in the direction she believes is up. She can't think, the lack of oxygen in her brain causing her head to feel like it's being crushed from all sides. She swims as hard as she ever could have possibly imagined, her wiry body gliding through the smooth water.

Dark spots shroud her vision when she finally reaches the surface. Waves softly crash against a rocky beach, their curling fingers brushing each stone with a gentle caress. Luckily the wind pushes her towards the shore. Otherwise Adonis would have surely drowned.

Laid flat, she rests her chin against the grains of sand. Beside her the beach is strewn with debris and two more bodies. Adonis identifies them as the girl from Ten and the boy from Eight before her eyelids fall closed.

A group of three tributes, lead by Venenius Linguore, find her limp body and almost mistake her for dead as they pass by. They have a short debate of what to do with her before finally deciding to allow her to join their pack. If she ever wakes up, that is. The three take a seat on the beach, their toes dipping into the water as the anthem plays above.

Adonis Rune is not among the fallen.

~~

DISTRICT 12 FEMALE - WYNDER DOUGLAS

"A bed?" I turned to my mentor, my eyebrows knitting in confusion. This was a weird way to start the games. Instead of the usual platform a milky white bed stood before me, a single purple flower in the center

She just sighed, motioning me onto the bed.

I lay down, inspecting the half gloves that adorned my hands. Spikes poked out of the knuckles and the site of them sent chills down my spine. They could do some damage. A grey army jacket, spandex pants, and clucky boots made up the rest of my outfit.

As I lay on the bed, I felt it move. As nothing but darkness greeted me, I felt surprisingly calm. I probably was going to die, but I had been in many situations like that before. Most of those occurred with my stepfather. Thoughts of my mother, brothers, and Garrett soon faded as I was entranced by the rippling and all consuming darkness.

****

I felt like Snow White when I was thrust into the arena. In fact, I almost wished I was. It seemed much more appealing to chance having my heart cut out of my chest, be strangled by an old woman, die from attempting to remove knots out of my hair, and being poisoned by eating an apple instead of being in the Hunger Games. Yup, that sounded a lot more attractive. At least my death would be quick in each of those scenarios. Here, I never knew what to expect.

I stared at the glass for a few seconds before realizing the danger I was in. A dizzy spell greeted me as I sat up. I half expected it to go away but instead the lightheadedness increased. I glanced at the flower, which had wilted, turning black. A small stream of vapor rose from the dead thing—it must have been poisoned.

Not only that but air would run out quickly. I felt a sense of hopelessness, a feeling that I had felt often before. I almost considered staying here and dying a peaceful death. Then I could be Garrett's Snow White. Except no kiss would wake me.

But then I saw his dazzling smile in front of me, I felt his fingers brushing my cheek and then twirling a strand of hair that had fallen in my face. "You are brave," he whispered, his breath hot on my neck as he brushed his lips across it. Great, now I was hallucinating.

"You are strong." Another kiss came but this time on my forehead.

"You are a fighter; you have been your whole life. You can't give up now." He planted on more kiss on my lips before pulling me in an embrace.

This was the pep talk Garrett had given me many times before, times when I felt like I could not continue living. And so for him I could not quit now—I would not quite now.

I moved to the edge of my bed tapping on the glass with a gloved hand. The spikes on the knuckles looked like they could do some damage. I thrust my fist into the wall as hard as I could but only getting a crack. I took a deep breath and punched the glass again before being pushed back from the rush of water coming into the coffin.

I moved forward, battling my way past the currents of streaming water. The task of swimming through the water was only made more difficult because of the fact that I could not see. The water was pitch black and reminded me of an endless night. There would be no sun. I wouldn't ever seem the sky again.

I continued moving my arms as lack of oxygen only added to the lightheadedness. Finally I bumped into something. I grabbed a hold, hoping that it was land. Instead I gasped at the floating body before me, letting water into my body and my remaining air out. The wide eyes stared me down, beckoning for me to join them.

Frantically, I clawed my way forward, not sure if I was going up or down or right or left.

I was ecstatic when I saw a light just ahead of me. I moved toward it, my vision slowly fading as I attempted to pull myself up.

As soon as cool air greeted my face I let out a cough, the water and a few fishes removing themselves from my lungs. After the sputtering subsided I laid back, contemplating on my new found appreciation for air. It was a glorious thing—one which everyone owed their lives to.

After my moment of rest was over I looked around me. I was in a dimly illuminated cave. Two large, dark spots were visible on the opposite end which probably meant that there was even more to the cavern then met my eye.

I moved away from the hole that I had entered the cave, knowing that another tribute could surface at any second. I ran down the tunnel to the right, not really caring where I ended up as long as I was alone.

I entered a different room, this one with a small pond on one side of it. It wasn't very deep as watercress grew up from the depths. I knelt down, cupping my hands to sip some of the water. I then tore off a handful of the plant, picking off the roots as I swallowed a few. They didn't taste very good but I knew from experience that they were packed full of nutrients.

A sudden clamor behind me broke my thoughts. I turned to see Eros running into my hideout at a full sprint, his bow and arrow drawn. That meant that:

a) Eros had found the Cornucopia, a feat which I had yet to accomplish.

b) He had probably killed a few people to get his weapon.

c) He was going to kill me.

d) I wasn't going to let him.

As he strung the bow I took the opportunity to run at him, knocking him off his feet. His bow clattered to the ground as he rolled over on top of me, pulling out an arrow from the quiver. "What do you think you're doing 12?" He hissed shoving the arrow toward my head.

At the last second I jerked away, tumbling out of his grasp. I grabbed the fallen bow and arrow, pointing it at his chest. "Now, I'm going to give you a choice. You can leave now or die now."

Eros glared at me, anger seething through him. "How about neither." And with that he lunged, pulling out a knife from who knows where. I closed my eyes as I let the arrow fly, waiting to open them until I heard the cannon.

When I opened them I nearly screamed as I saw that I had a new visitor. I just wanted to be left alone. Dandy Lion boy was standing behind the dead body, a hatchet in his grasp. His blonde hair looked brown from the water that glistened off his head. His eyes were open in wonder at my apparent wonderful marksmanship. The arrow had hit Eros in between the eyes.

His brown eyes moved to mine as he cocked his head in curiosity. "You did that?"

"Yeah," I nodded, raising the bow again and sheathing another arrow that had fallen out of the quiver. "Do you want me to show you?"

"No," Dan shook his head furiously. "But I do want you to join me."

I let out a long laugh, one that sounded a bit demented as it echoed off the cave walls. A Career—wait not just any Career—the Career wanted me to be in his alliance. "What game are you playing at?" The grip on my bow tightened.

Dan slowly lay his hatchet down, raising his hands submissively. "No game, I just think we could work well together."

I raised my eyebrows, not fully sure if I understood correctly. I certainly couldn't trust anyone but it wasn't a bad idea to have someone extra on my side for a while. At least until I knew he was going to stab me in the back.

"Fine," I nodded, lowering the bow.

"Cool!" He jumped up, flashing me a stellar smile. "Do you want to get some more supplies?" He nodded toward the way I had entered the room. "I know where the Cornucopia is."

I gave him a curt nod, still not certain what he wanted from me. I grabbed the quiver of arrows as we moved away and to the next challenge.

~~

DISTRICT 13 FEMALE - LILITH AMBERSEE

I awoke on an ivory bed, encased in what seems to be a glass sphere. The orchid that used to lay beside me is now somewhere under the bed, and all that can be seen outside are blackish greenish waves against the fragile exterior. I suddenly panic, and begin to feel my amount of oxygen starting to deteriorate. I need to find a way out.

As I stand up on the bed, my vision becomes slightly blurry, and I have to take a moment to stabilize. My hands reach up to the ceiling, and I discover that I can't reach it without straining myself. Instead, I stumble my way to the left side of the glass, causing it to rotate slightly. Using my fists, I drive my spiked gloves into the glass, causing a small crack to branch into many small strands. I repeat the process multiple times until my fists are bruised, and my mediocre efforts allow droplets of water to seep in.

The atmosphere becomes very unstable, and it feels like I am being choked on the inside. I need hurry up and escape, but I can't do this with my gloves alone. As a final effort, I ram my body into the side of the structure, creating a more productive effect than my attempts before. Using what air is left, I heave in one last gulp of air, then drive into the glass with all of my strength. The sheer force shatters the glass, and I am launched into the dark waters.

I open my eyes, but I can't seem to see anything very far out. All that is visible is my former prison, slowly being submerged with an incoming stream of water. Once again, I won't be able to breathe very long. I start to swim directly upwards, and my only motivation is the will to breathe. Perhaps there is land, or a weapon; I'm pretty sure I'm in the arena after all.

I start to swim on my own independently, and try to think of my situation. Was everyone else in a glass ball like that? Did the other tributes manage to escape? Ugh, I hope my allies are okay, it would be a shame if they got trapped in that fishbowl of a trap forever.

After what seems like an eternity, I finally manage to see a large, beaming light shining through the water. I also start to see a few tributes here and there, hoping to make it just like everyone else. One of the people next to me, I believe he is known as Wolfgang, starts to slow his pace to a complete stop, causing him to limply flutter down into the abyss. The sound of a cannon echoes through the water, he must've been the first to go.

My head goes in and out of the water at first, and I desperately gasp for air until I can crawl onto land. I take a quick moment to lay out on the marshy sand, at least until everyone else gets up here. Catching my breath, I stand up and look into the nearby water, only to be taken aback by a lunging tribute.

The little girl named Tilla shot out of the water, her body driving me into the ground. She socks me pretty hard in the face, causing her spiked gloves to bruise my jaw. As the taste of blood forms in my gum, I spit in her face, allowing me enough time to toss her off of me. I then grab her shoulders and knee her chin, making her unconscious for the other tributes to kill her somehow.

Once I regained my balance, I dug my feet into the loose earth, creating a hurried sprint to the forest. Throughout the course of my route, I see silhouettes of unfamiliar creatures. I must remind myself to be cautious when venturing among the wooded area. Upon stepping foot into this new area, I already start to feel the ground becoming harder and, well, dirtier. To remain quiet, I carefully hop from place to place, hearing the sounds of the tributes fade away. I begin to ponder the absence of a cornucopia or weapons around here. Do they expect us to punch each other to death?

After venturing about half an hour into the forest, I decide to conceal myself up in a tree. At least then I can plan what I want to do. I climb up on what seems to be a large oak, and settle down on a branch the size of my body. It is then I notice a small gap within the main trunk, and reach my hand in to find a strong, silver dagger. What luck!

I lay out on the branch and catch my breath, now with a dagger in my jacket. I haven't seen Aeren or Venenius yet, I sure hope they are okay. It would be awful if they got mangled by someone's arms, or worse...eaten by some mysterious creature that could murk those waters. No, I shouldn't think like that. They're my allies for a reason, they can handle it with flying colors.

And then I'll find them, and everything will be okay.