— EUNICE —

A VOICE booms through the arena. "Tributes, congratulations on making it this far! As you know, there are three of you left, two in an alliance and one on your own. You three have 3 minutes to head back to the Cornucopia for the final fight, time starts now."

Luckily, where I'm at isn't really a deep venture from the cornucopia, but 3 minutes is surely not enough time for me to slowly walk back.

I glance at my supplies and decide to leave my backpack behind. It's going to weigh me down. And they are going to get a victor within an hour, whether it's me or not.

I scoop up my small hand pack containing medical supplies, my archery supplies, and a few knives, and start my run back to the cornucopia. Just as I arrive at the tail of the cornucopia panting, the three minutes are up and a bell rings. I look around dazed for my competitors, and quickly pull an arrow from my quiver, loading my bow.

I back away until I'm close to the tree line and slowly walk in a circle. I find Tristan and Ava near the mouth of the Cornucopia. They're seemingly in the same state as me - they haven't noticed me yet. I must take advantage of this. I creep up behind the Cornucopia, adjusting my aim, and fire my arrow straight at Tristan's leg. It merely hinders him - but that's what I want to do.

Ava turns, sword in hand, and I quickly retrieve a knife from my pocket. She dodges my throw, grazing the side of her left leg and leaving a small gash.

She doesn't flinch at the drops of blood slowly dripping their way down her calf - she's more worried about Tristan, her twin brother. She kneels at the floor, bandaging his leg - while I load my bow once again.

Should I be doing this? Should I really be killing again? Should I just leave them to kill me? They're in an alliance. They can win together. They can take me out of my misery. And people would cheer "Long Live the Hale Siblings." Would they hate me if I won, too?

Then, I think about Kunboss, Zoey, and Gwyneth. They wouldn't have wanted me to give up, especially not now, when I'm just one step away.

Sorry, I think to myself. I raise my bow and aim - Tristan sees me and gives a warning cry, but it's too late. My arrow finds a target in Ava's back, and with a thud, she falls to the ground bleeding, and her limp body collapses like a sack of rotten potatoes.

Tristan's eyes widen. He gives her forehead one last caress, squeezing her feeble hand, before turning to me with glowering eyes and drawing his weapon.

No time to think, Eunice. Make a plan. Now.

Tristan charges toward me with his sword and before I know it, a sharp pain shoots through my left leg, and my bow drops to the ground. I back away as he advances, raising his sword on top of my head, but runs straight into my waiting knife.

BOOM!

Tristan lays on the ground in a pool of blood as Ava's cannon sounds and he starts sobbing. "A-ava I w-will w-win for y-you," he says, taking shallow breaths. With all his strength, he tries to stab me one last time, but I block his sword with my bow.

Tristan's already shallow breaths cease, and his eyes flicker shut. If it weren't for the giant pool of red liquid still spreading around him, I'd have thought he was asleep.

But he's not, because I killed him. And I killed his sister, too.

BOOM!

— CADENCE —

Daylight floods into my eyes, and I blink a few times, adjusting to my surroundings.

Where am I? Am I dead? Is this heaven? Or is it hell?

I glance around to my right where Aiden is stirring, then look up at the sky.

Same river.. same woods. Am I not dead? Is this just the same arena we were in? Or have they decided to play with us? 

Two cannons are fired, not far apart from each other.

So I am in the arena after all. Still in these Games. I wonder who is the last surviving tribute. Probably Eunice. But whoever it may be, we must get out there and win.

I shake Aiden by his shoulders desperately, standing up and kicking him in the shin. "Aiden, you log-brained idiot, wake up! There's no more time-" But suddenly, an announcement is made, cutting me off.

"Congratulations to Eunice Seyfield. You have outlived 23 others and are now declared the victor of our 2nd Adelaide Woods Hunger Games," says a voice.

I recoil immediately. Wait... we aren't dead. There must have been a mix-up.

"No!" I cry, but of course no one can hear us. I immediately grab Aiden's arm and rush to the cornucopia.

In the warm glow of the daylight, I can just make out Eunice's silhouette standing by the boundary of the woods next to the bodies of Tristan and Ava, basking in the Sun. She must be waiting for the hovercraft.

"Wait!" I yell, and Eunice turns. Her face twists into a look of sheer confusion when she sees Aiden and I unscathed and alive, but it quickly changes to a look of understanding and rage. She picks Tristan's sword up from the floor and lets out a war cry.

"YOU KILLED KUNBOSS. I'LL KILL YOU," she exclaims, and I let out a scoff in disbelief.

"You snake! You killed Hayli and Rylie. I'll kill you," I return, glaring daggers straight into Eunice's eyes. It's finally my time, my moment to fight Eunice.

I've been dreaming about this, our blades clanging against each other, mine stabbing her gut multiple times, until she collapses and I chop her head clean off. Am I being too vengeful? Too bloody? But I couldn't care less. All I know is that I must emerge successful.

I produce my own sword. "May the best woman win," I say, and we charge at each other, our weapons clinging and clanging in a flurry.

— AIDEN —

Eunice is the victor?

Is this just a dream and are Cadence and I actually dead? Why else could this have happened? My mind wanders to all kinds of possibilities, and I zone out, not even noticing the girls fighting in front of me.

When I finally come to my attention and look at the fight, it isn't a good sight. Both Eunice and Cadence are panting, and there is a long gash on Cadence's leg which is spurting blood.

"Eunice...I'll rip your throat out," she snarls through puffs of air, still as lethal as she made out to be, even only with her words. She raises her sword like a dagger, ready to plunge it into Eunice's heart, as Eunice holds her spear above their heads.

Then my eyes fly to the sky of the arena. It's cracked, splintering...I gasp. It's breaking apart.

Cadence and Eunice get ready for the final blow, but I come to my senses. "STOP! DON'T FIGHT!" I yell at the top of my lungs.

And I point up at the sky where we can see another shade of blue.

We stand there, watching the force field of the arena slowly break apart, shattering into blocks of black. A bolt of purple lightning strikes the ground, and Eunice and Cadence's weapons clatter to the ground in shock.

"What is this?" Cadence breathes, her hazel eyes sparkling, the lightning reflecting on her pupils. Her hand reaches up, as if she wants to touch the sky. I bring mine up to meet it and lower it back to its original position.

"The dome," I answer, my voice just as soft as hers. "It's dying, collapsing." I feel my sweaty palm against Cadence's wrist, but both of us are in too much shock to shake the others' off.

"Someone's doing this." Eunice murmurs. "And whoever that is, it's definitely not Byrok."