I'm woken up in the middle of the night when there's screams echoing around the forest. The cannon fires once, then again, and again and then there's some monsterous sound . 

Leia turns to me, eyes wide. "What happened?" She mouths. Then there's crashing in the bushes. People hurtle towards our tree, running as fast as they can. 

"Run!" I command, dropping out of the tree. Leia drops down beside me. I grab her hand, and she doesn't protest as I drag her through the forest. Then I hear the most horrible noise I have ever heard in my life. It's a mixture between a screech, a wail, a scream and a squawk, multiplied by at least 100 and pushed up a few decibels.

"What is it?!" Leia pants.

"Some kind of animal." I take a look behind me. Wrong idea. I get a faceful of something that makes my eyes burn. I stumble against a log, and Leia pulls me back up again.

"Ceasar!" She yells. My legs are cramping, my arms feel like lead weights, and all because of that stupid thing. It feels and burns like acid. I spit it out, wiping my face with my useless limbs as Leia drags me through the forest.

"They're mutants, I think." She says, for my benefit. "Some sort of flying skunks that spit acid in your face. Are you alright?"

"No." I shudder. I can see partially again, but there's spasms of pain running up my arms. "When are we going to get to the lake?!"

"Here!" She gives me a shove. My arms flail around and hit the water, which instantly soothes the acid. I wash it out of my eyes, hear a scream, then turn around. "Hey, Leia..." I forgot that we were alone. I lower my voice and look for her, and that's when I get the shock of my life. She's lying on the ground, blood pouring form her forehead, with a career standing over her, about to finish her off.

"NOO!" I launch out of the water, dripping. I probably look like the lochness monster coming to eat the tribute, who reels in shock as I barrel into her. She falls straight on her back. I clutch her sword above her neck, my hand shaking. I've never killed anything before. Let alone a human. I'm about to throw the knife away because I can't do it, when she screams, right in my face.

I let her go, repelled, and that's when I smell blood. The boy from 1 is distracted as he fights off Ken from district 4. The girl falls on top of me and the cannon fires again. I push her backwards, lying her on the ground. Then I get up and run over to Leia, ignoring my screaming muscles. The worst of the acid is gone, but it still burns.

She lies, motionless on the ground. with blood still flowing from what looks like about 100 places on her body. I pick her up, careful of her wounds, and hurry back to our cave. My arms are burning, not because she's heavy, but because the stupid animal acid has done more than I thought it would, and I put her down as carefully as I can in our cave and then start to clean her up.

She saved my life, so I guess I owe her one. I could leave her and become the victor - but I'd still have district 1 to face. At least 4 people have died today. The 3 from this morning, and the girl that almost killed Leia this afternoon.

Her eyes flutter, and she opens them, groaning loudly. I pat her shoulder, then prop her up against the rock wall and pass her our bowl, filled with fish stew. "Thank you." She says weakly. "You didn't have to, you know." 

"I kind of owe you, for saving my life." I say with a smile.

"Who died?" She asks.

"3, at least, from yesterday. A girl died today, district 1 got her."

There's another cannon fire just as we speak. "I think that's going to be Ken that's still alive. He's pretty strong and..." We're cut off as the anthem sounds.

"I'll go out and see." I crawl out of the cave, reaching the mouth as the faces flash up in the sky. The girl from 1 is gone, and both Ray and Leesh are dead, probably from the animal attack this afternoon. Ken was killed by Genus, who also threw his knife at the girl that I almost had to kill. That means, there's only Leia, Genus and me left to battle it out. The realization hits me. If it comes down to Leia and I... I know that I could never kill her. If only there was some sort of poison berries...

"Leia!" I run back it. "Ken's dead. Genus is the only one of the Careers left."

She eyes me in disbelief. "Do it, Ceasar. Just kill me now. I'm... almost dead anyway. Kill me, then go and hunt down Genus."

I laugh, the first time I've ever laughed in the games. "I couldn't do that, Leia. I can't kill anyone."

She nods. "Then leave me. Leave me here with nothing and go and survive."

"I'm not leaving you, Leia." I plant a kiss on her forehead. "I love you."