SILENCE. It followed them through the forest even as Titus and Sage had dragged Opal into taking sides on their argument neither Iko nor Alex had the patience to listen to. At one point, Titus ripped out a red leaf and crushed it between his hands. It bled white sap and he immediately shook it off, lip curled in disgust.

Between the two District 2 tributes there existed a distance so palpable even taking a sword to the block between them couldn't break the ice. Truth was, Alex had nothing to say to Iko. Even if he did, he wouldn't know where to start. There was something unsettling about the way she could brush off what she'd done without batting an eye. Claiming a life was inevitable in these Games, but to do so with such cruelty, such inhumanity—Alex couldn't see past the blood speckling her face anymore. Taking a life wasn't easy, but it was a job they were committed to if they wanted to win. Do it quick, he'd promised himself. Do it honourably.

But Iko clearly enjoyed the savage brutality in taking her victims apart, revelled in their pain. He could see it in her face. Could see it in the way the tension knotting in her body like the dark twist of a forest slowly unwound as she found catharsis in the violence.

Only once had he glimpsed the kind of monster that Iko could be. It was a few years ago, right after the Academy had decided that Iko and Alex had gotten too close for comfort and had subsequently reallocated them new partners to counter their manifest symbiosis. Iko's new partner was a boy whose bark measured deadlier than his bite. His name was Mason, and not only was he never going to make it to the Games with his attitude, he was dragging Iko down with him. Knowing Iko couldn't stand him, Alex had jokingly suggested she get rid of him to score herself a more competent partner.

He didn't think she'd take his words seriously.

He should've known better.

It happened when their trainer, Minerva, had pitted partner against partner in a sparring session with swords. Not a fight to the death, but just enough for one of them to tap out and concede.

Mason was bigger than Iko, but he wasn't as fast, and he certainly didn't see Iko's viciousness the way everyone else saw it. In retrospect, Mason had only been Iko's partner for three weeks, and he should've noticed it. He should've been more careful. He should've known Iko always got her way. Always. At first, it appeared that Mason might win—Iko was always thrown by the weight of a sword, and never turned to it as a first option as a weapon of choice. But then things took a deadly turn when Mason laughed at her for missing the mark. Alex saw the flare in her eyes and he knew, instantly, that it was over. Rage was a weapon. Rage had lent Iko a renewed strength, determination etched into the lines of her face, her movements quicker, more agile, more ferocious. She was going to devour Mason. She was going to make him hurt. And when the sword fight ended with Iko's sword coming down so fast there was no possible way to block it or roll out of the way, all they saw was blood and bone and Mason, writhing on the floor of the combat ring, clutching the stump of his knee.

Till this day, Alex couldn't get the sound of bone crunching and Mason's horrific scream tearing through the gymnasium out of his head. It echoed in his ears now, a reminder of what Iko could do. What she was.

That day, Mason lost his leg and never returned to the Academy. His future was crippled, and so was he.

Iko had been put under review, but the trainers had fought for her to stay, constantly covering for her, constantly protecting their top student.

That was when he understood. In her drive and determination, Iko hadn't just cut herself down to fit into the skin of monster—that alone wasn't enough—but excised every shred of remorse from the soft parts of her until she was sharp as the knives in her hands, forcing those around her to rise to the challenge or get left in the dark.

After that, Iko acted as though what she'd done had been necessary.

You could've just put in a request for a partner change, Alex had said, a little bit annoyed, a little bit unsettled by her brutal methods.

You were the one who told me to get rid of him, Iko had countered. As if it was his fault.

It was a joke, he'd explained, now angered by her pinning the blame on him. He'd made a joke, but she'd taken it too far. Some part of him wondered if she'd done it purely because she liked to hurt. Liked the sick power rush. Liked that people were afraid of her.

That was the only time Alex could ever recall them falling out badly. That silence had lasted them eight hours before Iko came barging into Alex's room through his window in the middle of the night.

Then again, the only reason the ice had broken was because Iko needed him to work with her. To be her partner again during training, which required all trainees at the Academy to stick with their assigned pairs or face dire consequences. Take out that factor, and Iko could freeze him out until they were both on their deathbeds. In retrospect, she hadn't even apologised to him that time either. The truth was that Iko did what she wanted. She took and took and took because the world didn't give her much to start off with. Apologies included.

Now, the silence screamed. When Alex watched Iko slash that boy to death, he was fifteen again, watching Mason writhing on the floor, screaming about the loss of his leg.

"We should head West," Iko said, jerking Alex out of his thoughts. Covered in blood, she looked like a savage princess, like she might have a necklace of human tongues. She pointed down the dirt road they'd been following for a good half an hour, toward a handful of new buildings sticking out from behind a wired fence that they hadn't seen before. "We've never seen this part of the arena. Maybe we'll find more tributes there."

Shoving down the unsettling feeling simmering in his chest, Alex nodded. All that could wait for later. For now, he had to prioritise the objective. He squinted into the distance. "It looks about half a mile between those two buildings. We could cover both areas by dark."

Sage grinned hungrily. "Maybe this time, we'll find someone worth our time."

"Maybe this time, she would be more inclined to share," Titus snarked, jerking his thumb at Iko, who ignored him. She looked bored. How was she not haunted by what she'd just done?

Titus scratched the back of his hand obsessively. It was starting to redden. He'd been picking at it since they broke out of the forest. Alex didn't think much of it.

"If you can get there fast enough, maybe," Opal pointed out.

When they reached the first building, Alex nudged the door open, and peeked in, listening out for telltale signs of life. It looked like a lobby, and it was dilapidated like it'd been standing for too long, just like the visitor centre, but empty. The others followed him in. Alex studied the place. A black board labelling the different levels was mounted on the white wall. Brows furrowed, Alex read them all from top to bottom, mouthing the words as if they might make more sense if he spoke them into existence: MANAGEMENT, GENETICS LABORATORY, GENESIS LABORATORY, REARING PEN, and so on. Before they entered, the sign on the building read CLOSED AREA / AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT. But the door had opened without resistance, like something had already broken it down before.

Iko pressed one of the buttons on the wall, and they held their breaths as the elevator doors slid open. Empty.

On the panel, Alex noted seven buttons for seven levels. The first level they explored was the level marked Genetics Laboratory. A sign was mounted on the wall as they exited the elevator: DANGER / RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES IN USE / CARCINOGENIC POTENTIAL. They worked their way through the corridor, peering through the glass walls separating them from the actual laboratory, where Alex noticed different kinds off contraptions and technology. He recognised a bunch of devices called microscopes, which he'd used before in his botany class. On either side were doors marked with different words. He pushed open a door marked EXTRACTION, which had been left ajar.

"What is all this stuff?" Sage asked, arching a brow, confusion flashing over her features. She poked a yellow stone sitting on a shelf. It rocked violently, and knocked over another sitting beside it. In fact, there were so many of them Alex couldn't count them all in a day. They sat on the shelf, tagged and labelled in black ink, and spilled out of a cardboard box Iko had kicked over.

"Fossilised Amber," Titus read off one of the labels. He picked one of the yellow stones up, and Alex saw now that Titus' hand was developing a rash, and the red marks over the skin were telling of how hard he'd clawed at the itch. "Oh, shit, there's a bug in this. Looks like a mosquito."

In the next room labelled FERTILISATION, they found a big capsule-like device that hissed when Iko hit one of the buttons on a control board. Beside it were large tanks labelled Liquid N2.

"Embryo chamber," Iko read off the label on the glass panel separating them from the device.

It didn't take long for them to comb through all the different levels. Even though he hadn't been a half-bad student, Alex's brain couldn't comprehend all the things he'd seen within this building. So many words that bounced around his head that didn't mean a single thing to him, and yet, he couldn't help but feel as though they were tied to everything the Gamemakers had planned out for them. Whatever Jurassic Park was, or used to be, Alex struggled to piece it all together. Still, though, their priority wasn't figuring out the arena. They didn't find anymore tributes in this building.

The next building, which, as Alex had accurately guessed, was a half mile away from the laboratory. It was a little more similar to the previous building than expected. There was a lobby with three elevators lined up, but only two levels. They pressed for one that had been labelled CONTROL CENTRE. When they entered, stepping over a catwalk that was suspended over the entry atrium, Alex found the light switch as the others crept forward, weapons raised and readied. it looked like an auditorium, until Alex pushed a lever, and one-by-one, the lights began to flicker on, illuminating the room, and realised that they weren't looking at seats, but rows of desks with dead-blank screens and swivel chairs behind them.

A loud click resounded in the room, and Alex's head snapped round, only to find Opal's finger hovering over one of the control panels. A big screen at the end of the room lit up and a white-on-black image began to form, pixel by pixel, until the full thing was completely loaded. Puzzled, Alex frowned, not understanding what he was looking at. It was an island, shaped like an inverted teardrop, and there were lines that resembled ridges on a map. Like a bucket of ice water had been thrown at him, it struck him then. They were staring at an animated image of the arena. And the whole layout was staring back at them.

On the map, Alex could see the valley they were camped in, towards the left of the screen, slightly off-centre. To the right, were spaces that looked like open fields, and a denser colouring that Alex took to mean forested areas. Beyond them were buildings, and Alex spotted the aviary in an instant, a dome-shaped structure on the map. More interesting, though, were the coloured icons scattered over the arena—orange cones, purple diamonds, red crosses, and a single grey dot—and they were constantly shifting, jolting over the screen. By the dome, seven orange cones circled over the area.

With a cold feeling gripping his chest, Alex realised what they were.

Titus beat him to the punchline.

"The mutts," Titus said, letting out a disbelieving laugh. "They're the mutts loose in the arena."

Below the map was a legend, allocating the different icons to names. The yellow cones were labelled Pterodactyls, purple diamonds Triceratops, red crosses Velociraptors, and the grey dot was marked Tyrannosaurus Rex.

For an endless moment, Alex studied the map, committing every detail to memory. It didn't seem like the mutts were missing. The Pterodactyls, which were what Alex guessed they'd been attacked by just days ago, stayed by the dome around the extreme right of the arena. The Triceratops remained in their group, milling about what looked like an open field one valley over from their campsite, spread over the area but never straying further, closer to the heart of the island. The Velociraptors appeared to be allowed limited room to wander, their range of movement denoted by the red crosses, which were angrily tic-tacking between an inch of space. Perhaps they were being kept in one of the paddocks, located in the South-West corner of the map. But the grey dot—the Tyrannosaurus Rex—appeared to be still. Like it was either dead or waiting for something. It was placed towards the edge of the arena, far from the waterfall where they'd laid our their camp, and even further from the Control Centre.

"The triceratops—" she sounded it out carefully, tone wavering in uncertainty at the pronunciation— "are nearer our campsite," Iko said. "Maybe we should let Elias know. If they wander into the valley, he won't be unprepared."

He'd heard her come up behind him long before she spoke. He wondered if she ever thought about Mason, if she ever heard his screams in her head. Mason and his severed leg. Mason and all that blood seeping into the carpet of the combat ring. Mason, whose life was practically destroyed. It was her fault that he was basically a cripple, anyway. But one look at her carefully composed features, and Alex wasn't so sure she thought about anyone else at all if they didn't affect her goal.

Alex turned his attention to the purple diamonds. whatever kind of Muttation the Triceratops were, he assumed they were the bigger threat. They seemed to be allowed free movement, and there wasn't a barrier around them to prevent them from venturing into the valley Elias was in. Alex plucked up his radio and thought about letting Elias know. But thought against it. If the mutts took Elias out today, even though that meant their supplies would be left unguarded, they'd have one less tribute to contend with.

Iko shot him a pointed look.

All Alex saw was the smudge of dried blood on her chin.

"No," Alex said, his voice dropping to a murmur. "If the mutts kill him, it's one less tribute for us to hunt down."

One less tribute for you to lose more of your humanity to.

"Fine," Iko said, shrugging.

Alex sucked in a steadying breath and handed her one of his half-filled water bottles. He had another stored in his backpack, anyway. "Clean the blood off your face before it starts itching."

Iko's gaze burned as she considered his offer. He couldn't bear to look at her then, so he studied the map even more as he held out the bottle until she took it.

* * *

IKO TOUCHED A FINGER to the bracelet around her wrist, felt its smooth beads cool against her skin, a little dulled from the blood crusted on it that she hadn't managed to get out earlier. She'd completely forgotten about it, but the moment she slipped it off, the old woman's words came back to her. Somebody cares. It plucked at something dark inside her.

As night fell, the pack slowly returned to the campsite, now more wary than ever of the dark and what monsters it sheltered. To Iko's disappointment, Elias hadn't been wiped out by the Triceratops. He was still in the cave, peeling the skin off an apple with a knife, staring into space like he was mentally trying to project himself elsewhere. When they entered the cave, Alex instantly retreated away from Iko. As she crouched by the mouth of the cave in the spray of water, and tried to wash the blood out of her shirt as best as she could, Iko tried not to think too much of it, even as he conversed with Sage and Titus about their discovery, she convinced herself that it didn't matter what he thought about her display of violence today.

She plunged the sea glass bracelet into the cool water, scrubbing until it was clean. She hadn't managed to get the blood out from under her fingernails, or out of the nailbeds completely, but it didn't bother her that much.

"Hey," Sage said, coming to sit beside her. Iko glanced up at her, and Sage flashed her a grin. "You were pretty badass today."

"I know," Iko mused. She pulled the bracelet out of the water and inspected it in the dim light of the cave. It was clean, now restored to its original colour.

"That's a cool token," Sage said, eyeing the bracelet. "Who gave it to you?"

"Some woman," Iko said, not meaning to sound callous and dismissive, even though it was the truth. Just some woman. Some woman who seemed to think she was worth a visit and a free gift. Iko wondered what the old woman must think of her now, with blood on her hands. She slipped it back on, and it gleamed around her wrist.

"Come on," Sage said, smartly sensing that Iko didn't want to talk about her token anymore. She beckoned Iko further into the cave. "You should eat something."

Iko scoffed inwardly. If their roles were reversed, Iko would've let Sage sit there and starve. They weren't friends. Iko didn't know if Sage had a hard time distinguishing between allies and friends. Or if they were the same thing to her.

But a quiet voice in her head wondered, why wasn't Alex the one coming to get her? He'd been stiff around her ever since she'd killed the boy from 11, and even when

Absently, Iko felt around her forearm for the tracker that'd been implanted prior to the Bloodbath. It was a solid lump under her skin that felt wrong, like it shouldn't be there, but there was no physical discomfort. It was this device that reminded her that, no matter where she hid, the arena would always find her. Somehow that was both terrifying and comforting, the thought that they wouldn't lose her in the thickest of the arena's jungles, and they wouldn't stop seeing her. Iko wondered what the people back home thought about today. She wondered if she'd shown them enough. That she wasn't just any Career tribute, but the monster worthy of the crown.

Apparently, Opal had managed to find a spot in the cave dry enough to start a small campfire, and the others had gathered around it to eat. As Opal leant forward to stoke the flames with the tip of her sword, Iko settled beside Alex, who'd left her a space between himself and Titus, who was lying on his back, his head resting on his backpack as he gnawed at a stick of dried meat. A small part of her wondered if he wanted her to sit there, of he was adamant on keeping up their strong facade. Elias was staring into the fire now, his eyes distant. Sage settled beside him and clapped him on the shoulder, startling him from his reverie.

"When did you start believing?" Alex asked. Quietly, Iko bit into the food that Sage had handed her, realising that they were mid-conversation.

Twisting the cross between the fingers, Opal hummed. "I think my grandmother introduced the faith to me right before I started training. She said that it wasn't anything like fate, or about a predetermined path. My faith is more of a guiding force. It would get me places, help me find strength within myself to do unimaginable things. We pray to a god. We've forgotten his name, but he's always there."

Iko wondered what President Snow thought about all this religious talk. Was he cooking up a special mutt to take out Opal, who clearly didn't worship him but someone who didn't exist? Or was he going to target her family, who were probably cursing Opal out for being too careless with this information. Maybe he thought this was more than what Iko thought it was—just a fable for children to cling to. Maybe he thought this was rebellion.

"I gotta be honest, I've never heard of religion before," Alex admitted. "In my district, we don't worship anything. Adults just go to work and us kids hope that either you or your sibling wins the Games so you strike it rich and become this celebrated figure for your people."

"My grandmother said that before Panem, there were different kinds," Opal said, looking thoughtful. "Over time, they just stopped appearing in books and people stopped remembering. Ours was the only one that survived, and very little know about it. It isn't the same as before, but she says that it's all part of the process. Things change to suit the environment. Religion isn't an exception."

"I hate to interrupt all this preaching, but," Titus drawled, lifting up his hand, which now sported white blisters rippling over his skin. "I'm sort of in a little bit of a pickle here."

"What the fuck." Sage gaped at Titus' hand. "What happened?"

Alex let out a whistle, cringing a little. "That looks nasty."

"I think it was that stupid leaf sap." Titus scowled at his hand.

A tiny part of Iko hoped that Titus didn't have sponsors, so he'd die quicker in the case of an infection. She wasn't going to offer up her sponsor's gift just to heal him up. Iko glanced down at her food and said nothing, and so did Alex.

Until they heard it.

A beeping noise at the mouth of their cave, loud enough to permeate the static roar of the waterfall. Opal shot up and went to retrieve the parachute floating in the water. To Iko's chagrin, it was marked with Titus' district number. And when Opal opened it, a tube of ointment sat in the little carrier box.

Titus looked relieved for a second. Feeling a little spiteful, Iko resisted the urge to hurl the tube of ointment into the water. The pungent smell didn't hit them until Opal slathered the green ointment over his hand, spreading a generous amount over the blistered area, careful not to pop the blisters and spread whatever this was to herself.

Sage gagged, clamping a hand over her nose. "That smells like shit."

"Shit smells better than that," Elias said, and then an indecipherable expression crossed his features. He probably hadn't been planning on talking to them for awhile, but the silence was already broken.

Iko's lip curled in disdain. And Alex pulled the collar of his shirt over his nose.

Titus laughed. "You're all pussies."

"No," Opal said, making a retching sound in disgust. "Your senses are just broken."

That night, the anthem sounded off and they crept out of the cave to watch the sky. Only one face stared back at them from the darkness, which meant there were only three more tributes left to hunt down, excluding the Career pack. When the face of the boy from 11 flashed in the dark, Alex turned away first. But Iko kept staring into the eyes of the boy who'd screamed for mercy she wouldn't give, so intently she couldn't get the after-burn of his fearful eyes out of her vision even when his picture faded.

AUTHOR'S NOTE.
ok so this chapter appears super redundant but i just wanted to explore more of the arena.... also alex's thoughts on iko.... and their conversation about it.