Lily

-

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Thirty-seventh Hunger Games begin!"

I hear Liam Malice's voice echo across the arena.

"You don't own us!" The boy from 6 yells as he steps away from his platform. BOOM!

I stand too shocked to move, as I stare at the remains of the boy from 6. Ashes. Instead of the body of what had once had been a 15-year-old boy. I feel a surge of nausea overcome me as I stare too disgusted to even speak.

"Run!" I hear a male voice say as my eyes start to lose focus. I am too weak to even move as my head starts to spin, I feel someone drag me across the woods. I am too weak to see who it is. All I know is that I am eternally grateful.

"You can't give up now. Open your eyes... open your eyes. Lily! OPEN YOUR EYES!" I hear the same male voice say. I stumble into the arms of someone as I drift into consciousness, as I start to mourn over the death of someone I didn't even know.

-

I feel myself stir as my eyes slowly start to open. Stupid, I tell myself. You can't be shattered by every death. This Is the Hunger Games, I remind myself. People die. That's why we're here.

"Afternoon." My eyes focus slowly at the figure sitting by the fire. It isn't Sam.

"Brad?" I ask in bewilderment. What? Why would he help me?

"You seem surprised. After all, we did promise to look out for each other." He says while grabbing a piece of rabbit and offering it to me.

"Thanks." I respond back as I munch a piece of rabbit. "Thank you for saving my life." I reply honestly.

"No problem." He answers. There is an uncomfortable silence as I realize I had made a fool of myself. I looked weak, and everyone saw it.

"Where's Sam?" I ask. Sam. He'd promised he will help me. He'd promised he'd take care of me. Those were all lies, I can't believe I was too stupid to see the truth.

"I saw him earlier... they got him." Brad answers back as he inspects me with a sad glance. "He's alive."

Oh. Thank god.

I open my mouth to speak as I am cut of by a huge shriek and a booming laugh. Shit. I feel Brad grab the supplies as he scrambles trying to shut down the fire. He looks for his knife as his eyes show panic and desperation.

"There you are!" A booming voice exclaims. The boy from 2. "I thought we'd never catch you, little runt''

"Thief." The girl from 2 adds. I glance at Brad, he holds a look of panic across his face as he glances at his hand. He lost his knife. Now... he could be on the verge of death.

"He's no thief!" I yell while losing my patience. "He's no runt either."

"Ah... young Lily." Tovar says while appearing behind the bushes. He starts to inspect me up and down as I feel uncomfortable.

"Don't you dare." Brad starts saying, his voice sounding stronger than he looks. His eyes blaze like fire as he growls at Tovar.

"Or.. you'll do what?" Tovar snaps back mockingly. "You can't overpower me, Three."

"I can't. But she can." Brad snaps back as he looks at me with sorrow.

"Why do you care?" Tovar snaps back and then his eyes widen in realization. "Oh... You fancy her." It's a statement, not a question.

"The question is... does she fancy you?" The girl from 2 grabs a sword and places it below my neck. "Tough luck, guys, seems she isn't as sentimental as he is."

"You're no use to me, you pathetic scrum." Tovar snarls viciously. He takes a step back as I sigh in relief. He's not going to kill him.

But my skin turns cold as he gives a huge yell and with all his strength he stabs his sword in Brad's heart. I can see his heart stop beating as tears flow down his face, I can see the smile that starts to appear on Tovar's face as I struggle to break free from the girl from 2's tight grasp. I let out a huge yell as the girl covers her ears and I kick her in the shin.

"Shut up." Tovar snaps. "We've got your district partner. Unless... you rather die. We'll take you. After all, that's all he's been asking the whole day. To show you mercy."

I'm dragged by the girl from 2 towards a huge amount of tents and supplies. I notice a weak silhouette sitting by the lake.

"Sam!" I yell as I half-run and half-stumble into Sam's side. "I'll get you out of here, I promise." I whisper as I take in his appearance, his bruised face and his bloody hands.

"I killed someone." He reveals as he stares at himself with horror. "I killed him. I led the careers to where he was, and they slaughtered him." He says while bursting into tears. "I'm sorry." He says while leaning his head on my shoulder and crying silently.

I smell ozone in the air, as a small fire starts to light up in the distance. I freeze. No. Not again.

"Get up, runts. Its fetch time." The girl from 2 yells as she laughs along with the boy from 2.

-

I start to recall the events that happened today. It seems so unreal that I'm still alive. Sam and I managed to bury Brad's body properly before the hovercraft took it. At least I managed to safe a life, I remind myself as I think about Hazel. She's safe now... probably along with the girl from 8 and the tributes from 11. They're good people, but of course, they wouldn't trust a Career tribute from 4, I can't blame them. Faces can deceive us.

"What are you thinking?" Sam asks as he washes himself by the river.

"Just about the girl we encountered earlier." I reply while covering my eyes and turning around.

"What about Twelve?" He asks.

"I'm just happy that I could at least stop someone from dying." I answer back truthfully while glancing at my ash-covered hands.

"Up, seashells. We've got hunting to do before nightfall." The girl from 2 snaps.

"Be kind, Ash." Britney snaps back as the Career tributes stare at her strangely. "The girl lost her friend and her freedom in one day." She backtracks as she seems to notice the strange looks on Sam's face and mine. When did she ever learn to be kind?

"Right. Who cares about them?... We've got catching to do." Tovar yells as he runs alongside the boy from 2. Ash follows them like a lost lamb.

"I'm really sorry." Britney says. "I realized, when we met, at the parade we didn't get of on a good start." She adds while extending her hand to shake mine. I exchange a look with Sam. This could be a trick. I cautiously extend my hand to shake hers.

"Brit! Come on!" Ash yells while she drags her by the arm. "You two follow behind us, now." She snaps at me.

"Yes, ma'am." I mutter back coldly while helping Sam onto his feet. We make it past a huge oak tree when the national anthem starts to sound.

Brad. He's the first on the list... I swallow back my tears as Sam glances at me and nods in reassurance. I nod back weakly. It's still my fault they killed him... and if we try and escape... we'll probably end up dead as well.

Both from 5. The boy from 6. The boy from 7. The girl from 9. Both from 10. 8 dead. There's 16 of us left. The music anthem seals as the voice of Liam re-appears.

"Welcome, tributes. Congratulations on passing through the first day. There will be a small treat where the stevia's lay. May the odds be ever in your favor." Liam's voice is heard across the arena.

Where the stevia's lay. The sea. But there are no oceans around here.

"The lake." Sam whispers as we walk behind the Careere. I nod back. Whatever this 'special treat' is, I'm not going to let Tovar figure it out first.

"Seashells," Tovar starts saying. "Listen up. The girl from Six is probably allied with the girl from Three. You two will go after them, got it? They're an easy catch."

"What about us?''Ash asks loudly.

"The boy from Nine and the boy from Twelve. I don't know if they allied... catch them anyways." Tovar continues.

"Should we lynch them or slaughter them?" Ash asks her district partner while she polishes her blade. I feel Sam shudder beside me as my hands start to turn cold in fright.

"You're still here. Go!" Ash snaps while she cuddles with her district partner. Ugh.
I stumble through the trees, Sam trailing behind me. I can feel the tributes from 2 watching me from behind. Idiot, I remind myself. Of course they wouldn't leave me alone!

"Eight o'clock." Sam mutters as he glances at Tovar. I nod.

"What should we do?" I ask as we start getting closer to the place they indicated us they'd be.

"Improvise." He whispers back as he glances behind him and starts polishing his knife, which earns him a nod of approval from Tovar. I shudder as his eyes meet mine as I felt a surge of anger for Brad's death.

BOOM.

Another cannon. I start running towards the sound. There is a flock of grey birds that surround a body. The air smells of ozone and blood is sprayed all across the grass. I see the girl from 6 disappear through the trees as Mia's lifeless eyes stare back at me with an arrow on her throat. The nerve!

I start running towards the girl from 6 and collide into her. I take out my knife as my eyes blaze with anger. She killed her. An innocent 12-year-old girl. My friend. My only female friend.

"How could you?!" I screech. "She was your ally. She trusted you, and all this time, you've framed her!" I yell loudly while Sam comes running behind me.

"I trust no one. This is what we are supposted to do." The girl scowls at me while she tries to stab me on my wrist. I judo flip her and she falls to the grown with a loud thump. I point my knife at her throat.

"Don't be the killer they want you to be."

I could still hear Sam's voice in my head as I stumble back in total horror at what I nearly did. I almost killed someone. I lower my knife as I help her up to her feet.
She starts running towards me, a sword still in her hand. I turn around just when she collides and throws me at the ground. I look at my hands, the knife has disappeared. I hear a loud thump behind me, the girl stares at me in utmost betrayal, the knife buried in her upper leg. As she closes her eyes... I can detect only one emotion. Hate.
I look at my hands. Blood. If peace can only come through killing someone, then I don't want it.