The night spent above the Cornucopia had been cold but undisturbed. The rocky terrain didn't make the most comfortable surface to sleep on but it seemed no one else had discovered a way to reach the surface of the caves yet. Dahlia and Cove certainly weren't complaining about that. In fact, they were scheming of ways to use it to their advantage.

"So we know the Careers probably won't want to stray too far from where they feel safest." Dahlia states as the two tucked into their tasteless crackers for a meagre breakfast.

"That'd be the Cornucopia." Cove adds on through a mouthful of crackers. "They'll have plenty of provisions there so their only reason to leave would be to hunt down other tributes."

"But they'd have to leave someone behind, right?" Dahlia questions, taking small sips from their limited water supply. "Someone to guard their stash."

Cove pauses mid-chew to stare expectantly at the younger girl, sensing that a plan was forming in her devious mind. "What's your idea?"

"Well..." Dahlia starts with a crafty smirk to match. "I was thinking, if we somehow manage to draw the majority of the Careers away from the Cornucopia, that would leave just one of them behind." Cove hums in agreement, hanging on to every word Dahlia says. "As a group, they'd be nearly impossible to take down. But individually..."

"The odds could tip in our favour." Cove finishes as Dahlia nods to confirm her ally's suspicions. "Sounds like a decent plan. We'll just need to work out the finer details."

"From what we heard last night, I doubt Ryker will want to wait behind while the others are hunting down tributes." Dahlia points out, recalling how frustrated the boy was at the suggestion of waiting around. "Caspian's the youngest and therefore the most unexperienced so I'm not sure they'd trust him to guard their supples alone."

"Victoria will go wherever the fight takes her. She won't want to miss out on the action." Cove interjects with her Career knowledge.

"So that leaves Crystal in the Cornucopia." Dahlia concludes definitively, her mind working overtime to finalise the plan in her head.

Cove rolls her eyes at the mention of the District One female. "Crystal likes to think she's an expert with swords, but her main strength is her looks. She'll be relying heavily on sponsors and her fellow Careers to get her through the majority of the Games." She explains, remembering all the time she spent observing her fellow tributes in training. "As far as I'm aware, the other three don't know how unprepared she is because she managed to charm her way to a score of 8 in training."

"So if our assumptions are correct, this shouldn't be too difficult." Dahlia responds, praying more than anything that everything goes smoothly for them. If they get this wrong, the consequences could result in their deaths. "Alright, here's the plan..."

•——————•°•✿•°•——————•

Dahlia creeps along the dark tunnel, placing her feet carefully and brushing her hands along the walls to find her way. She'd managed to find a hatch close enough to the Cornucopia for her to sneak up on them but far enough away to avoid detection from the Careers. Cove was still above ground, fulfilling her part of the plan by finding a different tunnel to draw the Careers away.

Moving at a painstakingly slow pace fills Dahlia's body with floods of fear. Anything could be lurking in the darkness around her. What happened if she stumbled across another tribute and foiled the plan? What if the Careers were already waiting for her? What if there were traps set up to catch them out? Dahlia wished she'd had more time to think this through, but the longer they waited, the more frustrated the gamemakers would get. The pair worried they might be discouraged by the lack of action and start taking things into their own hands. She needs to do this before it is done to her.

Eventually, Dahlia saw traces of glowing lights up ahead. The gleaming bioluminesence of the Cornucopia's cave. She pushed down her sigh of relief and continued to inch closer to the mouth of the tunnel. The voices of the Careers grew louder as she tiptoed forward, making her heart race with adrenaline for what she was about to do.

Flattening herself against the wall of the tunnel, Dahlia hovered in the entrance of the cave. The Careers looked so relaxed, one might mistake them for a group on vacation, not highly trained kids fighting in a giant arena. They lounged about without a care in the world, munching away on fruit with their feet propped up on supply boxes. It was hard to believe that these were the ruthless killers who were supposed to win the Games.

Dahlia noticed some differences in the Cornucopia from when she had last seen it. A small layer of water surrounded it like the moat of a castle from centuries past. It was only a few inches deep, but the muffled sound of trickling water suggested to Dahlia that it was filling up slowly. Soon enough, the water would overflow into the tunnels and everything would eventually be submerged. However, the Careers seemed blissfully oblivious to this as they reclined on their very own private island.

Another thing Dahlia spotted, was that the bodies of the fallen tributes hadn't been collected like they had in previous years. They were floating meaninglessly in the water, drifting wherever the flow took them. Their expressionless faces stared straight through Dahlia's soul, glazed eyes filled with tears that would never be shed. Suddenly, Dahlia felt the urge to throw up this morning's pitiful breakfast.

What made this nauseated feeling even worse, was seeing the tiny body of Pip tied securely to a stalagmite. The sweet innocent boy from District Nine was being used for target practice by the Careers. Currently, the group was cheering on Ryker as he launched an axe through the air to bury itself in Pip's torso. Ryker roared in victory as Victoria hollered loudly. Pip's body had various knives and puncture wounds already embedded into his skin. There was no peace for that boy, even once his life had been stolen so cruelly. These Careers had to be stopped.

Dahlia lurked in the shadows waiting for Cove's signal, ready to be unleashed on these heartless tributes. Ready to give them what they deserve. Ready to take one step closer to victory and returning home to her family.

"What's that?" Caspian asks, interrupting Ryker and Victoria's shrieks of celebration. The young boy stands up from the crate he's been perching on to peer into the darkness of one of the tunnels.

"What are you on about?" Ryker grunts in annoyance, barely even turning around to give the boy his full attention.

"There's a light over there." Caspian informs the group who are quick to clamber over to his side. Sure enough, a few tunnels over from where Dahlia hides, a faint hint of light is visible in the darkness.

Victoria laughs menacingly, bragging to her fellow allies, "I told you they'd all make mistakes eventually."

"We need to move quickly. Before they have the chance to move on." Ryker declares commandingly. "Caspian, stay here and guard the supplies."

Dahlia's heart drops at that statement. That was not what she was expecting them to do. She would still go through with the plan but that change caught her offguard, until Caspian fought back.

"No way." He protested stubbornly, collecting his spear from the ground. "I spotted it so I'm coming with." Ryker glared murderously at the nerve of the District Four boy but neither male backed down.

"Who put you in charge, Ryker? I'll stay back." Crystal offers, stepping up to the much larger male. Dahlia smiles wickedly in relief as Crystal unknowingly plays right into her hands. "A girl needs her beauty sleep and it's hard to get any with three snoring pigs in my ear."

Ryker huffs but doesn't argue back, leading Victoria and Caspian away down the tunnel to search for the light source. Dahlia waits a few moments to ensure they're completely gone before making her move. The tunnel she's emerging from faces the side of the Cornucopia so Dahlia sneaks around the outskirts of the cave until she's hidden behind the massive structure. Using large rocks that have yet to be engulfed by the rising water levels, Dahlia hops silently from boulder to boulder. She lands on her toes, choosing her path carefully to determine the best route. Her nimble frame makes quick work of it, guiding her swiftly to the back of the Cornucopia.

Dahlia's trembling fingers slide along the smooth metal as she creeps around the edge. Peeking round the Cornucopia, her heart beats out of her chest as she spots Crystal reclining comfortably with her back turned towards Dahlia. Unsheathing the black sword as quietly as she can, Dahlia leans her back against the metal to allow herself a moment of calm.

"Go in, get the job done and then get the hell out of there." Cove's orders ring through her head. "Don't try to do anything special. We can't afford to take any costly risks right now. Not while the Careers are still very much at large." Dahlia recalls the serious look on her friend's face. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid."

With one nod of determination, Dahlia steps away from her hiding spot. Crystal is none the wiser to her appearance, which Dahlia is more than thankful for. She wants to get this done without Crystal alerting the others to the trick.

Every step Dahlia takes, she feels her heart pound loudly. Every breath leaving her body takes more of her humanity with it. Dahlia was going to take another person's life. Did she have that in her?

... Yes. Yes, she does.

Pouncing gracefully, she seizes hold of Crystal with her sword placed to the Career's neck. Crystal gasps in shock, stiffening up at the dark blade against her skin. The girl's weapons were too far away for her to grab now and any possible movement could result in her throat being slashed.

"The Black Dahlia." Crystal mumbles bitterly, feeling the narrow black blade dig further into her skin. She laughs mockingly, "I don't think you have this in you, little one." Dahlia's eyes narrow sharply as she tightens her hold on the Career. "Your first kill was a stroke of luck. Eventually your luck will run dry."

Crystal kicks pathetically to try and escape Dahlia's arms but the other girl doesn't waver. Leaning down, Dahlia whispers maliciously into the blonde's ear, "Say hello to Apollo for me."

"No!" Just as the Career cries out, Dahlia drags the blade across her throat, successfully silencing her. Dahlia loosens her grip, allowing Crystal to drop to her knees while gagging for air. Blood fills her mouth, spilling out onto the rocks below and painting the ground red. Crystal falls onto her back, staring up at the emotionless Dahlia watching over her. That is the last thing she sees; The Black Dahlia standing above her with a wicked smirk decorating her lips and blood dripping from her fingertips. A terrifying sight to witness as Crystal takes her final breath and falls limp.

Boom!