Why didn't I see it before? The 12 bongs were the tolls of a clock, the 12 sections are like those of a clock-face. It's a clock. Each hour beings a new horror made by the gamemakers, ending the previous. First is the lightning, followed by the blood rain, poisonous fog, then mutated monkeys. Then a few sections over (I'm guessing ten o'clock) is the huge wave. Right now it's raining blood a little over to our right. The fog is going to start soon and we're too close to it for my liking. The wave proved that the horrors don't stay in their section of the jungle so I know we must leave.

"C'mon we're moving," I tell the others as I shove them awake. Most of them groan and try to go back to sleep but I just keep shaking them and eventually they get up.

"Tick tock!" Wiress exclaims as she sits up.

"Yes, tick tock, the arena's a clock," I tell her. She calms down now that I've finally understood. I take the time to explain the whole idea to the others who've gained conscience and soon they're all convinced- except for stubborn Johanna. But even she agrees that it's better to be safe than sorry.

Rory finds a huge leaf and draws the arena along with the horrors at each hour so we can visually see what we're dealing with. We only know five sections though- seven are still undiscovered.

"Midnight," Wiress chimes in as she sits up, "Midnight."

"Yeah, it starts at midnight," I reply to her. I've heard those words before... A voice resurfaces to my mind, saying "It starts at midnight". It takes a moment for me to place who's voice it is then I realize it's Plutarch Heavensbee's. Those were his last words to me at the party. Thinking of it now, it seems like he was hinting me on the arena. But why would he? I'm nothing more than a pawn in his games, at least in the Capitol's point of view.

"One thirty," Wiress pips up, breaking my thoughts. She's pointing to the blood rain and tugging on my sleeve.

"Yes, it's one thirty, and the fog starts at two, and so we need to get a move on."

She smiles and stands, following my instructions. Now that the communication barrier is broken, she's functional once more.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" I ask, showing her the leftover bread and some water in a woven grass bowl. She nods before consuming the rest of the food and gulping down the water.

I look over the things I have- the spile, darts (thank you Finnick), slingshot, 2 spears, 2 machetes, and the ointment in the parachute. Finnick's still got his net, trident, and some shurikens.

Beetee's finally up and Rory helps him to sit up. But when he does, Beetee won't move any further. Instead he says,

"Wire."

"Wiress is right here, now let's go," Rory tells him.

"Wire," he insists. I groan. First Wiress and now Beetee- what's this thing with communication barriers with District 3 people?! Noah and I had no problems speaking with one another...oh Noah...I miss you.

["Oh, I know what he wants," says Johanna impatiently. She crosses the beach and picks up the cylinder we took from his belt when we were bathing him. It's coated with a thick layer of congealed blood. "This worthless thing. It's some kind of wire or something. That's how he got cut. Running up to the Cornucopia to get this. I don't know what kind of weapon it's supposed to be. I guess you could pull off a piece and use it as a garrote or something. But really, can you imagine Beetee garotting somebody?"] (page 238, lines 1 through 9)

"He won his games with wire," I whisper quietly, trying not to offend Johanna. But honestly I think it's a bit weird she hasn't been able to put two and two together because she's the one who nicknamed him Volts.

Before the conversation can heat up, Finnick steps in. He shoots me a look and I'm a bit disappointed that he stands by Johanna rather than me. What am I thinking...

He takes the coil and hands it to Beetee.

"Here's your wire, Volts."

Everyone's up now, and ready to move.

"Where to?" Rory asks, to which Finnick replies,

"I think we should go over to the Cornucopia and get a look over the weapons again and see if the clock theory is right."

It's the only idea we got now so we stick with it. I start thinking about how different my position is from last year's games, where I was with Rue. Now I've got some great allies that are stronger and more experienced than me. The only downside is that I need to think of a way to get them killed later. Because in the end, only one of us can live and I'm determined to let Rory be that only one. Wiress and Beetee will probably get themselves killed off on their own so I don't need to worry too much about them. Johanna I could kill in a heartbeat. But Finnick...he's done so much for me and I just can't do it myself- I'll have to arrange an accident with that brilliant brain of mine. Dark, I think to myself. And so I change the topic and end of fantasizing about killing Snow. Not the prettiest picture for a thirteen year old girl but very satisfying.

We take the closest of the twelve narrow strips of land and make it over to the Cornucopia. We err on the side of caution because the careers could ambush us or something but there's no sign of life.

"Wiress, go clean this for me, will you?" Beetee orders, handing her his blood stained coil of wire. She complies, going over to the water and sitting down before washing the metal cylinder. She starts singing a song about a mouse running up a clock.

"Not again," Johanna groans, implying that the songs been sung multiple times prior to our meeting. I wonder why Johanna went through so much just to get the two safely in my hands. I owe her- maybe I won't be able to kill her in a heartbeat. Sigh, more problems.

"Two!" Wiress suddenly exclaims, pointing to the jungle. Sure enough, the rain has come to an end and the line of fog has started advancing. I scratch one of my wounds, shuddering from last night's experience.

"Yes, it's two. You're so smart to have figured that out before any of us did," Rory compliments her. She smiles.

"Oh no, she's not just intelligent," Beetee tells us, "She's intuitive- like a canary in your coal mines."

"A canary in the coal mines?" Finnick asks.

["It's a bird that we take down into the mines to warn us if there's bad air," I say.

"What's it do, die?" asks Johanna.

"It stops singing first. That's when you should get out."] (page 330 lines 26~29)

Then I add, "And if the airs real bad, then yeah it dies, and so do you."

There's a silence between all of us and I go back to thinking about killing Snow.

We quietly go through the weapons, picking out things we like. More darts for me, a second trident for Finnick, and surprisingly, an ax for Johanna. But whatever doubts I had before go away when I see her throw it into the softened gold of the Cornucopia with such force that it sticks there. Why didn't I think of it before? District 7. Lumber. Of course she's got a thing with axes. It's like Finnick with his trident, Beetee with his wire, and Rue with her knowledge of plants. I realize this is just another disadvantage that us District 12 tributes face in the games each year. The other districts have their children learn about their trade earlier. We District 12 children could pick up a few useful things down in the mines (like how to blow things up or use a pickaxe) but nope- we aren't sent down there until we're eighteen. When it's too late.

I go back to Rory who's still working on that map of his. He's drawing X marks on the sections we know the horrors follow us out of the jungle, so that we can steer clear of them. We don't know much but it's more than we knew last night. Then I realize something- it's quiet. Our canary has stopped singing.

I don't waste a second as I load up all the weapon's we've got. I catch a glimpse of Gloss letting Wiress' lifeless body slip from his grasp before impaling a spear into him with such force that he falls back into the water. And in that one second, Johanna's struck her ax into Cashmere's chest. Enobaria throws a knife at Rory and I let out a sharp cry. Then Finnick takes the knife to his thigh just in time. Why did he do it? Now isn't the time to think though, it's the time to fight.

Brutus and Enobaria are now behind the Cornucopia and if it weren't for that big golden mass they'd be dead. They're darting down a narrow strip of land to the beach when we hear three blasts of the Cannon. We know we can't help Wiress now, nor do we need to finish off Gloss and Cashmere. We're plunging after the District 2 tributes when the ground below starts to vibrate. It starts to spin slowly then it gets faster and faster until I can't stand anymore and I'm knocked off my feet. I frantically dig my fingers into the sand and try to hold on as my legs dangle in open air, the wind whipping through my hair. I shut my eyes and mouth so that the sand doesn't enter, and I just pray that we can make it through whatever change is happening. I shouldn't have said anything- they're changing up the arena now that we don't know what's where.

Then without warning, the spinning stops. No thanks to inertia, my body keeps moving until I land somewhere in the water, far from the Cornucopia. I frantically try to move my arms but they won't co-operate. If it weren't for the flotation belt I could've drowned. I'm dizzy from the spinning and trying hard to hold on but eventually I pass out.

"Prim? Prim? Can you here me?"

I blink a few times before opening my eyes, and everything around me is still a bit blurry. I moan in pain, and I feel like one of my arms fell out of it's socket. Ouch.

"Primrose?"

My ears are ringing and I can't tell the voices apart but I know it's Rory because everyone else just calls me Prim. I try to sit up but pain shoots up my right arm and I lay back down.

"My arm," I moan.

"Thank goodness you're awake, I thought you were dead!" Rory exclaims. I give a weak smile then go back to closing my eyes.

"Prim we need to get a move on- they've rotated the cornucopia and perhaps the outer rim, and we have no idea what's where anymore. They've taken away our only advantage."

"It's my fault, I shouldn't have said anything," I whisper, my eyes still shut.

"If you kept your mouth shut we wouldn't've moved camp, you idiot," Johanna says impatiently. It's funny how her mean words are what comfort me. She's right- if I didn't tell them we would never have moved.

Slowly, I sit up with Johanna's help. Finnick's shirtless and I see that he's tied his injured leg with his undergarment. He saved Rory by taking that knife for him. Johanna hauls me onto her back and I scream because my arm is literally killing me.

"What is it now," Johanna shoots.

"My arm- it feels like it fell out!"

"Suck it up," she grumbles but shifts anyways to better fit my condition.

"It's monkey hour," Rory says, "But there're none here- I'll go tap a tree."

"No, you stay here with Prim- it's my turn," Finnick says.

"I'll watch you back?" Rory offers again. Finnick just shakes his head and Johanna says,

"Nu-uh, we need you to stay here and make another map because our old one washed away. I'll be careful. Don't worry about me."

He yanks a leaf off a tree and hands it to Rory before staggering away.

Something's going on with Rory, I just know it. I start replaying everything that happened in the arena in attempt to find out what exactly it is. When Rory hit the forcefield, Finnick revived him. When he couldn't walk, Mags walked into the fog so Finnick's arms were open. When Enobaria attacked Rory, Finnick protected him albeit it meant taking a knife to his leg. Even now, Finnick and Johanna are having him draw on a leaf rather than risking his life in the dangerous jungle.

For some unknown reason, many of the other victors are trying to keep Rory alive. At the cost of their own lives. It makes absolutely no sense. Keeping Rory alive is my job and not theirs. And plus, only one of us can live, so why him? What has Haymitch possibly said so that they've put Rory's life above their own?

I know why I'm trying to keep him alive. Because he's my friend and I want to defy the Capitol, to end the games once and for all. But if it weren't for these reasons, why would I want to save him? I mean sure, he's very brave, and kind, and has those captivating light grey eyes with blue specks... and his shy smile is cute...

What are you thinking?! I chide myself for thinking like this. The last time it happened it resulted in a death. Noah's death was in the games too, I think, shuddering at the thought. What if it's deja vu?

"Prim? Do you still have the spile?" Rory asks me, snapping me back to reality. I stare into his eyes and the thoughts start running through my head again.

"Primrose?"

I shake my head and nod, fumbling with the vines that tie the splie to my belt. I free it and hold the metal tube out to him. Then I hear someone scream. It's full of fear and it sends chills up my spine. The worse part is that it's so familiar. I clench my fist tightly around the spile and run towards the direction of the voice. I don't know where she is or what they've done to her but all I know is that I need to get to her. I run as fast as I can, ripping through vines and branches, ignoring the excruciating pain in my right shoulder.

"Katniss!"

~A/N~ Hey guys!! Happy New Year~!!

Long time no chapter- I apologize!! It's just that I've been on vacation half the week then after that I was way too tired to write and didn't get the chance until now. [ I know it isn't my best but...vote if you liked it!]

Thank you all so so soooo much for the support- I have no idea what I've done to deserve all of you guys...
I read all your comments (you guys are hilarious) so leave some behind if you have time. I'll try harder to respond to more of those!!

The next chapter'll be up tomorrow so you won't have to wait too long to see what happens next!!

Okay that was super long...I'm done rambling now. Once again, Happy New Year!

-Monica

To all those fellow writers who've been contacting me and asking for feedback- keep up the good work and keep writing :) *If you ever need feedback or help, PM me- I don't bite.