User blog:Annamisasa/The 102nd Annual Hunger Games

Hello everyone! Welcome to my 4th games! My last games -sadly- took me a very long time to write, in fact so long that I lost interest for them. So I am starting out again.

I learned from my mistakes, I now know that it's important for me to update frequently and sometimes having to force yourself to write is not a bad thing. Sometimes writing is like going for a run. You have to pull yourself together to do it but once you get going, it's awesome!

There will be no Reapings, Group Training or interviews. I will give private training scores and then head straight to the games.

As always, please bear in mind that English is my second language, so there will be grammatical and spelling mistakes. But I am sure Jade will remind all of you of that as well.

Introduction
After president Snow's death the land of Panem grew more and more peaceful. The 76th annual hunger games were held but as a dissapointment to many, President Snow grandaugther, Rose Ana Snow, wasn't reaped. People slowly grew careless about their freedom and tried to put the days of the rebellion past them. After 12 years of controlling Panem, President Paylor passed away from a heart disease. Her dauther Megan was elected but sadly she wasn't a good leader.

Rose was furious of the way the country was ruled and wanted to lead Panem like she was promised by her grandfather, Snow, himself. She formed a rebellion group of people from the Capitol who thought they were mistreated. She made a plan, with her fellow rebels where they poisoned all of the food in the president's mansion. Many of the new rulers of Panem died and one dark night, Rose snuck in and assassinated Megan Paylor her self. A year after President Rose Ana was in full control of Panem and had crushed every single enemy standing in her way.

Rules

 * I don't use random.org, nor do I pre-select the victor. The victor is selected on the final day of the games. So please, cheer your tribute on, send them stuff and advice is greatly appriciated (although not required).
 * Two tributes per user
 * Only spam if you make a tribute in these games
 * I will not accept "on my profile". Links to THGRP are alright but I would appriciate if you post the tribute in a comment instead of just a link.
 * No tributes that have already been in my game
 * If info to your tribute is missing I will not let them in my games, so follow the template.
 * Add "Rain in the pool" to your comment if you read these.
 * This contains a very small amount of cursing, but nothing too wild.
 * Reservations will last for a day. Preservations will last for 3 days.

Template
Name:

District:

Gender:

Age:

Weapon: (One or two)

Strength: (Besides weapon, two)

Weaknesses: (Atleast two)

Fears: (Atleast one)

Appearence:

Height:

Personality (don't underestimate the importance of this one):

Backstory (don't underestimate the importance of this one):

Reaction when reaped: (Optional; This will not be used but are still good for me learning about the tribute)

Interview angle: (Optional; This will not be used but are still good for me learning about the tribute)

Strategy for bloodbath/games:

Token: (Optional but recommended) Alliances: (Specific preferences, such as gender, age, number of allies or specific tributes).

Career
Dior Kenzo (D1M), Claudia Smythe (D2F), Lucy Perch (D4F), Helena Krisp (D10F), Hester Riva (CF), Lynx Striker (D4M)

Anti-Careers
William Webster (D3M), Sorcera Spectrus (D7F), Kodai Hitogoroshi (D7M), Bailey Starshine (D9F), Dyna Ploson (D13M), Train McBridge (D6M), Fabian Matthis (D9M), Evan Hawes (D10M), Ophelia Carlile (D6F),

District 5 and 11 Alliance
Yul Zhu (D5M), Janu Wong (D11F),

District 3 and 8 Alliance
Madoka Artemisia (D3F), Araneae Web (D8F)

Loners
Ella Massey (D1F), Michael Kaizer (D2M), Fiona Valoran (D5F), Brock Olsen (D11M), Wolf Fang (D12M), Quintus Hase (CM), Riven Exile (D12F)

Looking for Allies
Polyester Astro (D8M), Ruby Hyrglass (D8F)

Private training money bonuses
So some of you guys may know that I let a slight bit of your money be affected by your training score, to simulate how higher scores get more sponsors. Now, high score will give you more money while smaller scores will make you lose a bit of money, but it isn't too much you win/lose, so don't give up just because you may have lost a bit of money!

Game Bonuses
These are all money bonusses that can be obtained within the games. Want more money? These things will give you more and are still achieveable after game-start:

Sponsor Items
Antidote: $250

Awl: $150

Axe: $250

Blanket: $75

Blowgun: $150

Bow: $175

Bread: $75

Burn Cream: $175

Camouflage Paints: $150

Chains (length of it is irrelevant, once it bought, you should have chain enough for most): $100

Claws(2): $200

Cooler bag (for spraints) $50

Crossbow: $200

Dagger: $75

Darts (10): $50

Dried Meat: $75

Dried Fruit: $75

Elastic: $50

Empty backpack: $50

First-aid kit: $200

Fishing root: $125

Instant Relief (heals any wound immediately): $400

Iodine: $125

Jacket (for warmth): $125

Knife: $75

Knunchock: $175

Mace: $200

Machete: $200

Matches: $75

Neosporin (to prevent infection in open wounds): $200

Net: $150

Night-Vision Glasses (allows your tribute to move at night): $175

Paddles: $50

Painkiller: $100

Poison: $100

Quiver of Arrows (10): $50

Raft: $250

Rope: $50

Sickle: $150

Silk: $50

Sleeping Bag: $100

Slingshot: $100

Soup: $75

Spear: $150

Spile: $100

Brass Knuckles: $150

Sword: $200

Scythe: $175

Shurikens (5): $150

Tent: $125

Throwing Axes (3): $225

Throwing Knives (3): $175

Trident: $250

Water: $100

Whip: $175

Wire: $100

Wooden Club: $150

Arena


I have added a simple picture to give you an idea of the layout of this arena. However, if you want to understand the arena, you will have to read the describtion or just read along in the POV's.

The arena consist of four zones and a cornucopia arena.

The Cornucopia Arena: A somewhat big tiled platform with the golden cornucopia in the middle, and the ring of pedestals surrounding it. Supplies are scatered around here.

Water Zone: The water Zone consists mostly of water. The salt water streches through out the entire zone and the only type of land is islands, which are connected by small pathways in the water, that are not very deep, so the tributes can walk on them. There is some foliage on the islands, so you aren't completely visible to everyone. There's quite a lot of mutts roaming around in water and on the islands.

Fire Zone: A zone consisting mostly of dirt terrain and  mountains and volcanoes. This zone is dangerous, but also filled with cover like caves and huge boulders to hide behind. However, other than a few warm water mountain springs there is no source of water or food. The heat in this area is also quite exhausting. However there are no mutts.

Earth Zone: A zone consisting mostly of dirt and the plants that grows in it. This zone is covered by trees, and provides pretty good cover, although there's a lack of hiding places. This place has some water sources, but is mostly rich on food. However there's also a lot of poisionouse plants and it's probably the zone with most mutts.

Air Zone: The air zone is an abyss. It's shrouded in fog and so, no one is really able to see how deep down the earth is. All one knows is that if you fall, you're gonna die. However, there are pillars and platforms sticking up from the abyss, which tributes can walk on. Bridges and pathways connects these to each other. The thick fog clouds the pillars and platforms so it's unlikely to spot a tribute or be spotted. There are no mutts. There is no way of getting food in this zone.but some platforms pools with completely clean water.

Status
The status is essential for good advice. It shows where the tribute, what they have, and who they are with. Now some quick explanation to it:

Please note:

 * Normal text in "possesions" means that they own it.


 * Bolded text in "possesions" means that your tribute own this item, but will share it with his/her allies if needed. If you do not wish for your tribute to share, you have to advice it.


 * Cursive text in "possesions" means that one of your allies own this item and will share it if needed.


 * Needs will still show that they need "water" or "food" even if another ally have it and is willing to share.

Day 2
None.

Ophelia's POV:
The words echoes as the plate I stand under finish rumbelling. This is happening. It's really happening. The games, despite being so horrible were still "just" an approaching nightmare in the future. But not anymore. No more silly interviews, sparkly dresses, training scores or creepy career glares saying: "I am gonna murder you really soon, weakling" (I received quite a lot of those) are not just something which may or may not happen. A murderous glare is no longer a promise. It's a death sentence.

The nightmare has begun. And I may never be able to awake from it.

51... 50... 49...

Ruby's POV:
''"Don't doubt yourself. You're smarter than they are. Use it to your advantage." ''The words of my best friend, Leia, echoes inside my mind. Even after the accident, where I blinded my best friend, she stayed with me. Even in these games, she's still with me... Maybe not physical but... I believe we're still connected somehow. Still together in this.

A slight flick of guilt washes through my body thinking of her, and I shake my head, almost as if to shake it off. I can't let that be a distraction now. I owe her that. Instead, I watch my surroundings, trying to take in where exactly we are. To my left, a sea spreads out from the tiled platform which holds the shinning, golden cornucopia. To my right, a rocky wasteland. In the distance I see trees in the right side of the horizon and in the left... nothing... or maybe fog. It's hard to tell.

I glance back up at the counter. 35... 34... 32...

"Don't leave me..." I whisper, as if Leia closer, and then I turn towards the abyss.

Helena's POV:
Looking around, I quickly lock eyes with Hester (C). Both being career recruits we have become quite close to each other. She sends me a confident smile and I smile back. Truth be told, I was slightly worried at first. Both Ella and Michael refused to join us, and even with me and Hester, we're lowered by one man. And the fact that Michael got the highest training score of all of us doesn't exactly make the case any better.

But I feel better about it now. Dior (1) is alright, but Hester, Lynx (4) and Claudia (2) and me are amazing with our weapons. The Anti careers would send us so many glares, as if they actually were something. But just look at the name. I mean seriously? "Anti careers"? Like as if they could actually work against us. Like they actually believed they stood a chance, when infact the only thing they did was volunteering as our victims. But I guess that's pretty good.

27... 26... 25...

Fabian's POV:
I look up from the ground, where supplies lied scattered around temptingly. These could safe your life... or bring you to an early grave. We agreed as Anti-careers, we would get some supplies before leaving the bloodbath. We would be doomed without them, when we are so many. But if we want weapons -which we do- we will have to go into the mouth of the cornucopia. Being so many and only 5 careers, it's not the biggest thing to be conserned about. I feels good to outnumber the careers. Show them a thing or two. Usually the careers stomp on the outlying district. I hope we can stomp on them, this time.

Lifting my gaze, it's first now that I see her. I wish I hadn't. Claudia (2), the innocent-looking career with a vicious tone of voice is staring at me, her glance filled with so much hatred that almost it itself had been enough to kill a tribute. I shiver, and look away. Better stay near my allies....

19... 18... 17... 16...

Quintus's POV:
I almost wanna throw up. Almost. I.... Liked this. I enjoyed this, I enjoyed watching this sickening countdown back home in the safe Capitol on my flat screen television that was bigger than myself. I enjoyed these games... But I can't just stop and throw up. This isn't the Capitol where everything is served to you on a silver plate. I can't just stop because I feel sick. I have to keep going.

Knowing that, those thoughts are probably the only thing keep me from throwing all of my meger breakfast up all over my pedestal. How could I be so blind? How can anyone enjoy watching this...? How could I think of this as "just a game? I remember the excitement I would feel as each second passed, waiting for what felt like ages to see the slaughter. Now the only think I feel is dread, knowing that each second is counting down to all of our way too early graves.

The games are no longer just a games.

They're dark mind's twisted fantasies turned to reality.

9... 8... 7...

Riven's POV:
Looking directly into the mouth of the cornucopia, I finally find the blade I long for. The weapon that shall shed the enemies blood. The time is almost down, and I look around, seeing weaker tributes unsure of where to run to, like the cowards that they are. They can't even make a decision when their life depends on it. I made mine long ago. Fight the enemy, no matter who they are. Fight those who judge me for my eyes. It may get me killed... but I would rather die than bend.

...3 ...2 ...1 ...0... GONG!

The countdown is done and I step onto the battlefield.

Lynx's POV:
At once, the battlefield is turned into chaos. Some tributes rush straight towards the cornucopia, in a hunt for weapons like the idiots they are. I'll let my allies take care of them for now though. Right now I only want one thing. ''The first kill. ''The kill that will set the tone for the rest of the games. The kill that will show the Capitol just how dangerous the career are... or rather, just how dangerous I am.

So instead of rushing to the cornucopia, I jump off my plate, looking for a victim. The tributes wanting to reach the cornucopia are -of course- already running, but there's plenty of tributes staying in the outskirts because they thought it was safer. They couldn't have been more wrong.

And that's when I am find him. A weak boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, and also an anti career, which is just perfect. I believe he is from District 3. I never understood them. All their gadgets, and technology. How could anyone find pleasure in sitting and puzzle with a machine when you can fight instead? But I guess this is what makes him the prey and me the predator.

I pounce on his back, feeling the thrill of the attack rush through me with the adrenalin. Pushing him down towards the ground, I hear him scream in shock and surprise, not even able to see what hit from behind. Still keeping him facing downwards, I grab his head and let my sharp long nails pierce through his eyeballs, preventing him from resisting by pinning his arms with my legs. Gooey liquid (which I assume is either blood or eye-ball-juice) drips onto my fingers and he screams in terror. It's almost hard to resist the urge to roar, as I grab his hair and bang his head towards the ground a couple of times, killing the prey. BOOM!

Michael's POV:
It's hard not to stop running. Had my life not been at risk, I would have. But just witnessing the way Lynx, the career from 4 killed an innocent boy, by piercing his nails through his eyeballs makes me want to kill them. The careers, all of them. Not that I pity the boy, he was gonna die anyway, but causing unnecesary pain to a human being that way, just to show off... It's sickening....

... How could anyone wonder why I choose loneliness over the company of the careers?

But still, I don't stop running towards the golden cornucopia. I can't effort it, I can't effort pity or disgust. At least not now. A have to keep going if I don't want to die, and so, I do keep on running.

I finally reach the mouth of it. Looking around me, it seems like I am one of the first to reach there. I put my hands around the first bigger sword I lay my eyes, look up, ready to run back out.

"Too bad you didn't join us, huh?" His arrogant voice echoes inside the cornucopia walls. Dior is standing, in the opening of the mouth with an confident smirk on his face and a dual spear in his hand.

"You're in my way," I spit at him, charging towards him. He sticks outwards with his spear in a horrible predictable way. '' It's almost sad to kill him... his predictable fighting style is quite amusing. ''I think to myself, while diving out of the way of the spear. ''But I don't have all day. ''And with that, I slash downwards with my sword, on the spears handle, almost slashing through it, causing to fall out of Dior's hand. The frightful expression on his face is quite amusing too though, as I let my sword pierce through his chest. Luckily for Dior, I am not like the him. Not a career. So he gets a quick death, which is more than he deserves. BOOM!

Fiona's POV:
I feel the wind rushing past me as I run, straight towards the cornucopia. I have to reach there before too many careers arrive. Luckily for me, being a dualist not only gives you good techniques in sword fighting. It also makes me quick on my feet, at least in short sprintes. Yet, it still feels as my heart is exploding through my chest, knowing that this sprint can either safe my life or end it.

I am one of the first who reaches the center of the cornucopia field, where the pair of slender, long dual knives are lying waiting for me, their edges glistening in the sunlight. Those will be all I need really, to stay alive.

Not bothering with supplies, I look up to see if anyone has noticed me. Doesn't seem so. Most of the careers are either killing in the outskirts or still running to get a weapon. I had originally planned on killing someone to show my strengths, but as no one is around, it's foolish. So instead, I rush straight out of the cornucopia, making my way towards the air zone.

I almost run right into him. I had reached the outskirts of the field, without any trouble which was almost a miracle in itself. But seeing the weak tribute from District 10, unarmed, crouching before me, as he was reaching for a backpack was almost too good to be true. He is looking up on me now of course, but it's already way too late.

"P-please... H-have mercy..." He whispers,

"Only weak tributes have mercy," I tell him, feeling the emotion slowing leaving my body.

"I can... T-tell them... The Anti's.... T-tell them n-n-not to ha-ha-harm you," he stammers, desperately.

"Thanks but I think I will pass," I tell him, coldly. Then, raising my knife, I pierce it right through his chest. BOOM!

Claudia's POV:
Finally I reach the cornucopia, breathing heavily after the run. I walk around the side and into the mouth of it where I see Dior lying in the middle of it, his chest covered in blood. Truth be told I didn't have much faith in him, although I hadn't figured he would die THIS early. Oh well, he wasn't very useful anyway.

Hester (C), the blue career recruit from the Capitol runs into the mouth of the cornucopia as well, quickly grapping a pair of steel claws. At first I thought "You can't be serious,"  when she asked to join the careers. I mean, for the love of god, she's ''blue! ''But that opinion changed as soon as I saw her with the claws. She's a born killer. And so, I greet her with a smile. She smiles confidently back at me.

"Hey!" Both me and Hester look up and see the male from District 11 running towards, still quite away from the mouth of the cornucopia. "I wish to join!" He yells, still running. "Don't shoot!"

It's hard to resist facepalming. Had he wanted to join he should have asked when the training was happening. Then maybe we would have considered letting him join... maybe. But it's too late now. Besides, he's a threat. May as well get him eliminated instead of allowing him to the alliance which would force us to keep him alive until the late games.

Hester is looking at me, and from her blue raised eyebrow, it's easy to see that she's thinking the same thing.

"Can I handle this?" She asks me, whispering to make sure he doesn't hear.

"Go ahead." She sends me a sly smile. Then, like a mask slipping onto a face, her sly smile it replaced by a friendly one, as she faces 11.

"Don't worry!" She yells at him, waving him over. "We won't shoot!"

I stand back, watching the scene as he finally reaches the mouth of the cornucopia. "Thanks guys," he mutters, walking into the horn. "You're welcome," Hester smiles, "Take a weapon of your preference," she continiues.

"Thanks! The name's Brock, by the way" Brock exclaims happily, as he walks towards the swords, with Hester trailing behind him. I look at her, feeling stressed. What is she doing? Or rather, what is she waiting for? She should have killed him long ago... Has she changed her mind? Cold feet? Does she wants him in the alliance? How dare she go against me?! Brock is about to pick up a big vicious looking sword when Hester speaks again.

"Oh and..." She says, making him turning around to face her, not picking the sword. He should have picked it up though. Because the same second he faces Hester, she raises her clawed hand, with the speed of a cobra bite and pierces all three of the claws right through his forehead.

"... You really shouldn't trust us," She finishes her sentence, although Brock will never be able to hear the words. BOOM!

Janu's POV:
Finally, in the chaos, I manage to see what I have been looking for all along. A backpack lying in the outskirts so I won't have to go far in. Being the youngest tribute is both a curse and a blessing for me. I am barely noticed as a tribute, as I am no threat. But if one decided to kill me... Let's just say I wouldn't put my money on myself in a battle.

I finally reach down to the backpack, and pick it up. Now all I need is a dagger, then I can find Yul and get the heck out of here before someone decides to stick a spear through the 12-year-old's body. And as if sent from heaven, I see the dagger, only about 15 meters away. This is easier than I thought...

I get up and make one last riskfull run, desperate to get the dagger. ''Just let me get this... Please... Just... This dagger... ''I think to myself. Just let one more risk be alright, and then, I won't challenge fate anymore. Then I'll find Yul, run to safety and...

She appears out of no where. The creepy girl from 7, I think her name was Sorcera? She crouches, reaches out, stretching her arms, grapping the knife right before my face. She turns to me, her creepy multi-colored eyes staring at me, her eyes filled with fright. But then she realizes who I am. The 12 year old, who scored a 3 for my training score. Her fright is replaced by a sly smile suiting her multicolored eyes.

"Why, hello there..." she almost whisper, her tone of voice mixed between being sly and seductive. I am not sure if she can help the ways she speaks. She spoke like that all the time, even when she was just ordering dinner in the training center. I remember, because me and my ally, Yul, would sit by our own table and make fun of her over-the-top-seductive way of speaking.

"Small little girls like you should know better than to play with knives..." She slowly raises the knife in her hand. Running's pointless. My short legs aren't gonna get me anywhere before that knife is stuck between my shoulder blades. May as well get it over wit―

The pointy silver tip on the end of most knives and swords appears in the middle of Sorcera's stomach, and she falls, on her face first, with the shaft of a knife sticking out of her back. BOOM!

Behind her, Yul is standing, wielding another throwing knife in his hand.

"Get up and get the dagger," he tells me hastingly, while dragging the throwing knife out of Sorcera's lifeless body and I obey him thankfully. Then, we both get up and run straight toward the water zone. Taking a single look behind my back, I see the male from 7, with his pointy long fangs, staring at us. The message is in his glare is clear as a bell. I will kill you both.

Lucy's POV:
The chaos dances around me, so quickly barely feels real. Like illusions, images in dreams that appear and then quickly slips through your mind so that the next morning, you can't remember anything. I don't really know why but... It's harder for me, than is for the others. The careers, I mean. Hester backstapped an innocent guy, Lynx tortured a boy with his bare hands. A boy with vicious looking fangs, looks like he's going almost mad, as he's sitting by his dead-by-now district partner. It almost feels... wrong, all of it.

I eye the anti-careers. I am not exactly sure who all of the cannons has belonged to, but only one career is dead, and most loners are smart enough to ditch the bloodbath. They got to have some loses... I am almost embarressed to admit that I feel slightly bad for them. They actually thought they had a chance...

I spot one of them, the boy with the long vicious fangs who were sitting by his district's partner's corpse. I think his name was... Kodai (7). Yeah, Kodai it was. He yells something at his group. Because of the caoticness, all the Anti's haven't found each other yet, and they're still missing some people. A timid, small looking boy from 6 with black hair nods, and then he runs away from hiz allies, futher into the cornucopia field. Very brave of him. Brave, and stupid. I get my trident ready, expecting him to go for a weapon, but he stops about 20 meters from the mouth and graps a bigger looking backpack. 20 meters... I can hit him from there. Kodai looks up and see me. I know he sees me. We stare into each others eyes, me watching the weird blue multicolor of his'.

I throw my trident, and watches it land exactly one meter away from him. Jumping in shock, he looks up at me, his glaze clearly telling: ''Why did you miss? ''As if he knows that I purposely didn't hit him. Then I see him do... I don't know a bow in thankfulness or something, then he get's the backpack and runs off to meet with some of his allies, leaving me wondering whether sparing his life was a very good idea or a very bad idea... But even if really was a bad idea... I am happy, happy that I didn't end his life.

Dyna's POV:
The field is emptying. Most of the loners has gotten their stuff by now and has left the place. Careers, fully armed are either roaming around or chasing fleeing tributes. It's time to get out of there.

I myself though, are in a pretty good position. Most of the careers are chasing, so the center of the field with all the good stuff is barely guarded. A few other tributes has noticed this too, but we don't mind each other, too desperate to try and get our hands on the good supplies.

I look up, trying to see my fellow allies. Having so many allies... it's a bit scary. Although, we're not gonna be as many when this bloodbath is over. I haven't kept track of all the careers, but from what I can see, only one of them has died. Meaning that the other cannons belongs to either loners or us.

I lay my hand on a sword, big and vicious looking when I see her. She's one of the tributes I remember quite clearly. How could you, when she has those creepy eyes? Eyes that seems to make people crumble in pain and fear by just a single look? Madoka is her name, and she's appearantly one of the other tributes using the career's chase to get her hands on some kind of weapon.

Consiously, I walk around the other side of the cornucopia, trying to avoid her. I got my sword, that's what I need, now I just have to get out of here. So I turn around and are almost about to run away, towards my alliance when I hear a scream in pain coming from the place where I saw the devil-eyed girl from 3.

I should run away. It's the thing to do in these games. You should think about yourself, and only yourself. However the nagging feeling saying: "I know that voice; They're someone you know," pushed me forward, back towards Madoka. Running back around the cornucopia where I came from, I see them.

Bailey, my allies wriggles in pain, staring straight into Madoka's evil eyes. She must have been the girl who screamed. Madoka is slowly walking towards her, with her dagger raised, ready to kill Bailey as she can't even move, because of the painful glace. I should go... Leave her. If Madoka were to turn around, she could kill me...

... So of course, because I am such an idiot I run straight forward, charging at her. ''Save Bailey! ''It's as if every single cell in my body screams it to me. Madoka hears me of course and turns around, just barely reaching to look into my eyes. It feels like a layer of flames is just quickly lit onto my skin and through my body. Sadly for Madoka, it was too late, and my sword was already lifted before she looked into my eyes.

Before even reaching to freeze in pain, my sword swings through the air, beheaded Madoka. Blood splashes over the ground like a fountain of red wine. As the blood spills, the burning sensation goes away as quickly as it appeared. Madoka's evil eyes stares empty up up into the sky, dead as dead could be. BOOM!

"Get up!" I yell at Bailey, who quickly graps a bigger backpack near her. I run up to her, hold her wrist and almost drag her towards the Alliance who finally got gathered. I guess I know she could walk herself but... I want her to be safe. I guess she reminds me a bit of Charlotte... Is that good or bad?

I have no idea... All I know is that we need to get out of here, and that is now.

Araneae's POV:
I gasp as I feel the cold water surround my body, running on the small lifted paths, that connects the island in the water zone. The water is actually quite warm, it's more... the feeling of it. The only times I would get to "swim" back in 8 was the few trips we sometimes made to a lake (one of the few nature locations that the government hasn't destoyed... yet.) I am not the best swimmer, but I am better than someone who has never been in water. And on the connecting paths, the water is shallow enough for walking. I think this zone was a good choice... I think.

I finally reach a small island, and I decide sit down quietly, under a tree, somewhat invisible to others. My original plan was to go back to the cornucopia after the bloodbath but... I guess... I guess I am afraid of it. At least now, because I am without Madoka to provide me cover...

... Madoka... Despite her eyes, she was actually... alright. At first glance she looks like a demon with human skin but... She was nice to me. Had my back, in the training. At one point, Dior was sending me death glares. Madoka simply responded by sending him a death glare back... and let's just say they left us both alone after that. She was an alright person, but of course, no one would discover that, all because of her eyes. Poor girl...

She didn't deserve such fate, getting beheaded. I saw it happen right in front of me, we used the lack of careers to get some supplies quickly. I got a little backpack, but Madoka went in for a weapon. Bailey (9) from the Anti's came close to her, Madoka glared at her, hindering her from attack and was then beheaded by Bailey's ally...

Ugh. The so called "Anti" careers, and their annoying attitudes. Thinking they have a chance against the careers is stupid in the first place, and what's even worse is that they are just like the careers... or maybe not just like them, they didn't train or volunteer. Yet, they still gang up on all of us in an alliance. How noble. They're no more innocent than the careers... but then again... are any of us innocent?

I shake my head, not wanting to think anymore, and take out my smaller backpack to check my supplies.

Train's POV:
The heat is exchausting. Our heavy breaths creates unsteady rythm which we march to, tiredly. We just reached a cave, walking around in the mountains. "We can stop now," Fabian exclaims.

"No, we should keep on going. Get as far away from the careers as possible," Dyna is the only one who speaks up. His age and positure gives him the confidence, I guess cause he seems like quite the quiet person. Most of us are. Me, Ophelia, and Dyna barely talks. Bailey talks a little more, but still not much. But I guess Fabian makes up for it.

"Are you soft in your head? Look at them!" He points at me, and Ophelia, who seems to be weakest, just physcially as we're both all exchausted. The heat of the firezone is not exactly nice and the fact that we're marching around in mountains makes it even worse.

"We should get away from the careers," Dyna repeats.

"I heard you the first time, Dyna." Fabian says, before continiuing; "But try and consider this. Do you really think the careers would start here? This zone of all? Personally, if I was career, I would go the earth or the water zone first, as that is where I would expect the Anti careers to be." Fabian tells him. Bailey nods and speaks too:

"If we wait, we can nurse our wounds, check our supplies and get moving tomorrow. Then we can get more away from the careers. Besides... If one of passes out or get hurt we will have to move even slower and then we're never gonna get away,"

"But what if the careers decides to go to the firezone, figuring us out?" Dyna asks, still doubtful.

"Did you even bother to look at them? There's the girl from 2, who "thinks" she's being so clever and hiding her vicious side under a innocent persona. Then we have Mester-I-am-more-cat-than-human, who's probably jealous his own cat's IQ, then there's the female from 4 who barely says anything, the crazy girl from 10 with blood-colored hair and the girl who looks like she spent her life in an inkhouse. Do you really think they'll outsmart us?" Fabian spits, sarcastically. What's up with this guy's attitude?

"Fine..." Dyna mutters. Me and Ophelia sit down and crawl into the cave thankfully, while Fabian and Bailey sit down together and begin to check the supplies.

"Food!" I hear Bailey screech as she opens one of the bags, where a bread is store inside.

"Thanks, Miss Obvious," Fabian mutters, just barely audible enough for us to hear. Bailey waves her hand at him and breaks off small pieces of the bread for all of us, while still looking for us. Dyna, crawls into the cave and over to us.

"Sorry about wanting to make us continiue, I just... Wanted to get away. Didn't even know you guys felt bad," he says, dryly.

"It's fine, it's our fault really." Ophelia mutters.

"You can't help being tired, especially not in a place like this," Dyna responds. Ophelia smiles at him, thankfully. I say nothing though. Too busy planning how to escape this cave tonight...

Helena's POV:
"Finally!" Claudia screeches, as we get the last supplies stacked up in a pile, deep within the cornucopia. It was Hester's idea. This way, it would be much more easier to prevent someone from trying to come back and steal something. Most of us, opposed her at first, as none of us thought "cleaning" would be a skill we needed in these games but she did have a point and we ended up all going with on the idea. Some of us more willing than others.

"Does anyone know how to light a fire?" Hester asks, holding an entire uncooked leg of some animal (lamb, I think) up for us to see it.

"Not needed," Lynx says, while snatching the meat out of her hands. In the same movement, he begins to eat, or rather devour the lamb leg, the juice of the meat splattering out on his hands and mouth. Lucy looks questionly at him, and then at me.

"Could've been more gross, at least he didn't eat Dior's body..." She mutters. Lynx looks up, sends her a michivious smirk, before going back to the lamb leg, tearing of the pieces of fat (which he also eats) with his claws and teeth. Meanwhile Lucy get's out plates, cups and a delicious food was for us normal people... Or, considering that I colored my hair with blood, Hester looks like a grown smurf and Claudia's just... Well, she's Claudia. I guess I would have to change that to "somewhat normal people". I think Lucy is the only normal one of us, really.

"Hah, he could have Dior if he wanted!" I snicker, in a mocking tone of voice, "At least that would have made him more useful than he was today," Lynx looks up again.

"Is that an offer?" He asks, teasingly, opening his mouth in a almost sickening smile, on purpose so that we all see his fangs covered in blood, and meat. Hester pulls a disgusted face, while I stare fasinated by the beautiful drops of blood running down his teeth.

"The Aero-planes took the body already sadly," Claudia says, faking a sorry tone of voice. "We'll make sure to safe you a body tomorrow. Lynx responds by sticking his tounge out at her, before going back to lamb legs, which he cleaned for meat in less than 2 minutes.

We're.... quite a bunch. Still, I like the company, even if we're a bit weird.

Polyester's POV:
Finally, after quite a while of running through the forest covered grounds I find a tree with long hanging leaves. I am not exactly sure what these are called, there weren't much nature back in District 8, but at least I know that it will provide quite good covers.

Although I like this zone, it's layout, it's cover... something's fishy about it. Like, why would the gamemakers make such a perfect zone? With food, water, cover and such? Of course, this zone is pretty much the gathering place of tributes. A lot of tributes will prefer this place... And a lot of tributes will often attract a lot of careers...Maybe it's not the best idea to be here...

But it's too late to change anything now. So instead, I climb up the tree, find a "somewhat comfortable" branch which should be strong enough to hold weight of a person for the night. The stars are out, and it would have been quite beautiful, had I not been aware of the fact that there was at least 20 kids out there to try and kill me.

The sky is gonna light up any minute, showing the death tribute's faces. I guess that's a point where I am happy that I am quite shy and choose to be a loner. None of the tribute I see up there, I will miss. Infact, every single face up there brings me one step closer to home. I want to smile, knowing how many cannons I heard. I want to be happy they died, but... I just can't. None of us deserved this.

I take out my token, the picture of my family, all smiling. I am standing in the middle of them. I was smaller back then, and a bright smile was plastered on my lips. I rarely smile like that now. They didn't deserve it either.

The anthem plays and the sky lights up in pictures. District 1 male, by the name of "Dior" appears first. That's odd... Usually careers doesn't fall on day one. Next face in the guy from 3, meaning that both from District 2 survived, as I expected. Then, the evil eyes of Madoka, the girl from District 3 stares down at me. Even though it's just a hologram, her eyes still give me the chill. Then Sorcera looks upon me. Even in her tribute picture, she looks slutty. Then Evan and lastly Brock appears. The sky fades out.

I am six small steps closer to home. And twenty two away from it. If I even want to go home, that is...

Careers:
Claudia Smythe (D2F), Lucy Perch (D4F), Lynx Striker (D4M), Helena Krisp (D10F), Hester Riva (CF)

Anti-Careers:
Ophelia Carlile (D6F), Train McBridge (D6M), Kodai Hitogoroshi (D7M), Bailey Starshine (D9F), Fabian Matthis (D9M), Dyna Ploson (D13M)

District 5 and 11 Alliance:
Yul Zhu (D5M), Janu Wong (D11F)

Loners:
Ella Massey (D1F), Michael Kaizer (D2M), Fiona Valoran (D5F), Araneae Web (D8F), Polyester Astro (D8M), Riven Exile (D12F), Wolf Fang (D12M), Ruby Hyrglass (D13F), Quintus Hase (CM)

Quintus' POV:
Peep... Peep... Peep...

The slowing "peep" echoes throughout the room. A sterile, white room with bright lights and a soap-like scent of anti-bacteria cleaner. Had it not been for it, the room would have been silent. The masked people around me, with hidden mouths, and serious faces look at me, questionly. Of course they would. They, after all, don't know me. After all, I am just a rookie surgeon. I have removed tonsils, and polyps and such but never have I ever tried to remove a tumor.

But they're wrong to question me. I know what I am doing, I know my work. I am gonna become the greatest doctor in all of Panem and this surgery will be the first of many that I will do, helping people with cancer. As a doctor, that is my biggest wish. Fighting in the front lines of the war against this deadly disease, freeing all of Panem.

"Scarpel," I tell my scrubnurse, who quickly hands it over to me. I put it down towards the soft skin of the stomach of the patient. A young woman, in her early 20's, with red-brown hair and a pretty face. A girl who has her whole life in front of her. This is why I want to be a doctor.... To safe people, to help them, to make...

...The heat awake me. I feel it, slowly crawling into my dreams, turning the surgery room into a mere fogged illusion that slowly is rinsed out of my mind. The scent, the beeping, the fellow suregeons... all gone within the blink of an eye. My eyes open slowly and I see...

... Something unexpected. The sky that I am looking up at now isn't the one I fell asleep with above me, last night. That one had leaves decorating it, blocking the moon and starlight. That one was clear and beautiful and almost... comforting.

Now, I am staring up in the cloud free sky with a merciless sun burning down. The tree are gone, and the somewhat comfortable ground of dirt which I fell asleep on is replaced by a pointy, rocky, ground. Surrounding me like a pack of angry wolves are mountains, so tall that it almost look like they're frowning upon me. I am in the fire zone. I doubt I, the tribute have been moved, because I would have felt that... I think. Which means... The arena must have... shifted?

Ophelia's POV:
"Water!" A voice, with a peciluar pitch to it, carefree, almost childish rings in my ear. I grunt a bit, the thick mist of sleep still passing through me, pulling me down like an ocean of drowsyness. Rolling to the side, trying to open my eyelits, I feel whoever just spoke nuzzle their head against my cheek, feeling their hair against my face. What an odd gesture to wake someone, although I still appriciate it more than being shaked out of bed.

A gasp escapes my lips as I open my eyes and find myself staring right into Kodai's creepy multicolored eyes, which are wide open and looking directly at me. To put the cherry on top, he has his jaw hanging open in what I suppose is a smile, revealing his fangs.

"Water," he repeats. I look at him, confusion spreading through me. Water? What does he mean?

"Water has come," he says, the childish tone of voice making him sound almost happy, which just adds another piece of evidence to my theory about Kodai either being mentally ill or mentally disabled.

But disabled or not, Kodai is right. I guess it was hard for me to notice, when the first sight I woke up to was Kodai's face blocking my entire view but now, I see it clearly. The cave we slept in is no longer there. Instead, we're lying on a little island, with ocean and other small island surrounding it. The water zone looked like this.

"It was switched... The zones has switched..." I whisper. Kodai turns his head to the side as if he considers my idea, before finally giving me a nod, agreeingly. Then, in the same second, his face changes completely, revealing what I suppose is either anger or fear... it's hard to tell with him.

"I DON'T LIKE!" Kodai yells, waking up our allies and probably every singe animal or tribute in the area.

"Would you shut up?" I hear Fabian mutter, as he raises his head, in almost unison with Dyna, and Bailey. It's almost funny to watch as their draws drop to the floor, seeing how our arena part has completly changed. Kodai hisses, in a more quiet way, and I put a hand on his shoulder, as if to make him stop, trying to avoid a potential fight. Although, with Fabian's attitude, while there may not be a fight there will most certainly be at least.... some kind of confrontation. I guess all I can hope is that I don't get involved. At least that's one thing I am good at. Staying silent and not getting involved. It's what I have done my entire life, after all. That, and studying.

It's first now that I realize it. Something's wrong. Okay, I guess that one was obvious. Of course there's something wrong, the fact that the entire arena has switched as we slept. That's wrong. But there's something else... Something is missing... Or rather... Someone...

"Guys?" I ask. Fabian, Dyna and Bailey finishes taking in their surroundings and look back up at me, awaiting my words. Kodai is lying on the ground, muttering something about pineapples so I don't bother. If he listens, he listens and if he doesn't, he doesn't. But the others need to know.

"Where's Train?"

Riven's POV:
I don't like this. Or rather... I don't "trust" this. Here I was thinking that I knew my surroundings. Thinking I was hidden by the thick covering fog that I had come to love. And now, the gamemakers has thrown all of that security out of the window. Instead, all I see around me are damned trees. Of course, a forest is more desirable than a bunch of fog where if you step wrong, you will fall down into a gaping abyss and die.

But "desireable" for me means desireable for everyone else. Meaning that everyone will want to here, meaning that I am not safe here. And this is why I am walking away from this now. The only thing is that I have no idea where any of the other zones would be. So right now I am just walking west to see what comes up.

As I walk I let my thoughts fly. However they don't fly very far, mostly because the entire area is pretty much reminding of the situation I am in right now. Stupid twist. Stupid gamemakers. Stupid games, stupid tributes, and stupid everything. ''"Oh look at us, we can change the zones, we're clever, please adore us!" ''That's all they are, the gamemakers. Puppets dancing around for the Capitol's people, pleasing them each year with a new arena and a new set of tributes. They're only puppets in the presidents, from which she can control what goes on. Rose Ana Snow... The young lady who is pretty much the reason why I am here.

What if had never been born with these eyes? These special green eyes which are appparently believed to be evil? What if I had had brown eyes? Would I be home now? Would I go to school? Have friends...? Maybe even... a boyfriend? To my big surprise and embarressment, I feel my cheeks blush thinking about it. I am human, okay? Well... Not according to most people. To most people I am devil spawn, a mere demon created to harm. But I know they're wrong. I have a heart... I have a soul.

It's with those thoughts in mind that I reach the border of the earth zone. Stretching before me a landcape of rocky grounds and mountains. Heat is brushed against my skin, like gentle waves. It feels nice right now, it's probably pretty bad in there... A lot of cover, a lot of caves, and barely any food which means barely any tributes. It's perfect. I step across the border of my zone and enter the heat.

Hester's POV:
We are sitting on the tiled career platform, with the breakfast. Claudia, Helena, Lucy and me are just eating a few slices of bread, while Lynx is searching through the pile of supplies, scattering them all over the place like he couldn't care less.

"Lynx, just take some bread, you don't even know if there is any other rawr meat in that pile!" Claudia yells at him, as he digs through the supplies. Lynx sneers quietly, not taking "no" for an answer. What's up with the boy? I mean sure, me, and Hester and Claudia aren't the most normal people but Lynx takes not being normal to a whole new level. A more... beastly level.

Still it's nice to have him around. We need vicious careers like him in this pack. I guess we all are vicious to some extend but Lynx probably takes the cake. The thing he did to that boy from 3... We need him because he knows how this works. The games, I mean. The careers are not just judged with how many they kill. The careers are also judged for the show they put on the screen and Lynx knows that. And he'll do whatever it takes to show the capitol that this year's careers are the best. The most vicious. I know it too of course. Helena knows it too, Claudia knows it too (even though she likes to put on little act of innocence too). As for Lucy.... I am not really sure. She doesn't really belong with us. But she's the best swimmer in this group and even though she doesn't seem very vicious, she's at least quite good with the trident that she wields.

"Finally!" Lynx yells, dragging a whole uncoocked chicken out from the pile. He strolls back to us with a satisfied smirk on his face and begins to devour it. From the way he digs his fangs into it, looks like he could eat the entire thing whole, with legs and bones, if he wanted to.

"So where are we going?" I ask Lynx, Lucy and Claudia. After all they're the main careers. Us career recruits doesn't have much to say when it comes to commands.

"Not the waterzone," Lynx exclaims, while taking another bite of the chicken, not caring about the fact that it's custom to close your mouth when you chew and that you're not supposed to talk with food in your mouth.

"I think we should head for the earthzone. It's the easiest zone to cover and we may even reach to go two places at once," Lucy says, sounding a bit halting as if she's scared that Lynx or Claudia will nag her idea. Or maybe she's just scared of Lynx and Claudia just in general. A justifiable feeling towards them, I guess.

"Sounds good to me," Claudia says, neutrally. Lynx spidts out of bone from the chicken (which body looks more like a the inside of a broken piano than an actual dead chicken, now) before agreeing: "It's fine with me too. But we need someone to guard the cornucopia."

The three of them looks back at us. None of them are gonna miss out the oppertunety of getting a kill, that's for sure. So, of course, as the recruits, that's our duty. I look at Helena, who smiles sofly at me.

"I can take the guard this time around. Have fun hunting," She sends me a smile, but instead of being delighted, I feel slightly off guard. Is this girl up to something? Or simply trying to stay on good terms? Or maybe using some kind of reversed physcology? I am not really sure... However, going on tribute-hunt sounds fun and that is for sure. So instead of wondering anymore, I just smile back at her.

"Thanks. Have fun guarding here."

Bailey's POV:
We must have walked for at least an hour. After realizing Train was gone, it wasn't hard to figure that he had left our side. Dyna and Fabian both pointed out that if anyone had come and took him, we would probably have heard something or at least, been awakened by the cannon that would have killed him. But no cannon has sounded and so that would mean he left us.

So we're out to get him. It's not really something that I wanted to do, hunting for a previous ally. But it's need to be done. We can't show weakness and just let someone betray us and run off. I look back. Dyna and Ophelia are in the back, Dyna walking confidently while Ophelia looks like one of just died. In front, Kodai and Fabian are leading the way and I am just in between.

It's odd to suddenly be surrounded by all this water. A creepy feeling of... I don't know, not being prepared, not feeling ready to escape creeps under my skin teasing me, almost playing with me. It's hard to explain really, but I am pretty sure the others feel the same way. But none of us mentions it of course. All so secluded and secretive, the only one of us who speaks on a regular basis is Fabian and Kodai. But I guess they speak enough to make up for all of us.

"Train is near," Kodai's weirdly pitched voice fills the air in a faint whisper. He doesn't talk in this carefree, childish way of manner now, but in a more... dark, physcotic voice. He knows a kill is closeby.

It didn't take us long to find him. I assume he had hidden in a cave that night in the firezone, but because the zone change he wasn't hidden anymore. His little run-out in the night had caused something rather fatal for him. It had caused him to sleep in. Kodai pounced on him at once, using some of Ophelia's rope to tie him up, and now, he's just lying there in the sand, waiting for our decision.

"We have to kill him," Fabian says, grimly.

"Do we... need to?" Ophelia asks, frigthened.

"We need to send the right message. If we just forgive or set him free we will look like a joke to everyone in Panem. And how many people do you think would sponsor a bunch of jokes?" Fabian almost hisses a bit Ophelia, and Kodai responds by sending him a glare.

"But... I just... I don't want him to die..." Ophelia mutters more to the ground than to Fabian. I agree with her, but I don't say anything. Fabian looks at her a bit more softly.

"Me neither. He was an idiot but not a threat... I don't wanna kill him, but that changes nothing. He still needs to die," Fabian says. And we all know he's right of course.

"How should we do it? Who should kill him then?" Dyna asks, looking questionly at Fabian.

"I think we should draw lots," I interupt them. "It's the only fair thing to do.... Unless someone wants to do it?"

As if on que, we all look at Kodai. If someone would want to kill a traitor, it would probably be him. Kodai looks up, first at Ophelia, then at us. Then, almost haltingly, he reapeats Ophelia's words: "I... don't want him to die," saying them as if it was another language. Does he even know what it means? Or does he just want to agree with Ophelia for whatever reason. I am not really sure. But I do know that this rules out our only chance of finding someone who would want to kill Train. Although it would have been niced to have someone else to kill Train, in a way, I am also happy that Kodai isn't killing him, because quite frankly... I believe that would be a very painful death for Train and he doesn't deserve that.

"Sounds good to me... to draw lots," Dyna says, and Fabian nods. Ophelia says nothing, as always, and Kodai mumbles something about pineapples but nods too. Dyna picks five straws,  for each of us, making one of them particularly shorter, and walks back, holding them in his hand for us to draw. I feel my heart slowly beating faster. Dyna is already a "murderer" killing Madoka to safe me. But the rest of us are not. And today, I may have to kill someone in cold blood. I could become a murderer today... I take the second last straw from Dyna's hand.

"It's you, Bailey," Dyna says softly. A faint whimper is heard from Train who's lying a little away from us... Wait... What?

"What.... But... I... I c-c-can't do this," I stutter. I can't kill anyone... I am just me, Bailey. Just a small girl living in District 9. Not a murderer....

"You'll have to," Dyna says, still speaking softly in an attemp to comfort me.

"I can't! I w-won't!" I yell at him, feeling the panic slowly creep under my skin. Maybe I could fake fainting? Maybe I could make some lie to get out of it? But that wouldn't be fair to my allies and I―

"I'll do it." The words feel like a saving grace. I look up and see Fabian, streching his hand out to take Dyna's sword. A warming feeling spreads through my body, that makes me want to fall on my knees and thank Fabian, and cry like a baby at the same time. But I can't make myself do any of those. Instead, I just stand there. Why would Fabian do this for me? For anyone, really? I mean... He's an asshole and he doesn't owe me anything... So why would he...?

"It's obvious she won't be able to do it. And because of that, she might mess up, and make his death more painful. Or even pretend to kill him, and leave him, so that we will have to hunt him down again. And I don't wanna do that. So I will  kill him," Fabian says, as Dyna puts the sword in his hand. A cold mask has slipped across Fabian's face, instead of the usual arrogant smirk. Wielding his sword, he walks over to Train, who's faint whimpers become louder and faster for each step Fabian takes toward him. Like a little lamb ready for slaugther.

Fabian raises the sword and I close my eyes not wanting to see any of it. A part of me wants to plea for Train's life. Plea for giving him another chance. But I know I was already lucky that I didn't have to kill so I don't. And nobody else does.

A sound, like the ones you hear when you cleave meat is heard, and then the whimpers stop. BOOM!

Wolf's POV:
The mountains continiue endlessly. As if the entire aspect of nature had been gently swiped off the earth's surface, only leaving the the hard stone and the relentless sun shining down on the wasteland. A single of sweat falls tickling down my back, before getting dried off by my arena wear, leaving me with the icky feeling of clothes sticking to your skin.

Don't get me wrong, I am quite used to sweat. Back in the forest where I lived, I would have to hunt to get food. The sweat would drip down my body, when running to catch up with a prey, the long walking distances... But it's not like this. The forest was... me. A part of me. Like, a shell around me, keeping me safe. A home. Not like this wasteland.

My stomach growls, inpaciently, as I walk. I had myself quite the surprise when I woke up, not in the forest I fell asleep but a barren wasteland, which felt more like being inside an oven than in a mountain region. And to put the cherry on top, my mentor were so caring and understanding to send me a message saying that he didn't even feel like sending me food. How exactly he expects me to find any type of pray in this region, I have no idea. But I guess he didn't expect this either...

Still, what did I ever do to him? A bread can't be that expensive, can it? He couldn't even spend just enough money to send me a bread? Ugh. But I guess he did like Riven more. Who wouldn't? Well of course there is her eyes, but I personally don't believe in her being demon-spawn of Satan or whatever those eyes were supposed to mean about. She's strong. Had I been a sponsor living in the Capitol, I would have betted on her. Had I been my mentor, I would have prioritised her over me. She's the strong survivor, and I am just the silent loner... The silent loner who killed his own parents...

I shake my head, trying to focus. I walk a bit, passing by a bigger rock, hiding a bit of the area behind it. And there she is. As if my thoughts had summoned her. Riven, right in front of me. The huge stones lying around in the zone had kept us from seeing each other, but now, we're face to face and less than five meters from each other.

She gasps, her shinning green eyes staring directly at me. Her fingers instantly reaches for her sword. Whether it was to attack me or just defend herself I will never know because seconds after, my chained sickle burries itself into her face, splattering crimson blood onto her face. BOOM!

Her empty eyes still stares out at me, though. Her face looks almost like a mask, made of red fabric, with two green shining lanturns where the holes for eyes should be. Shivers go down my spine, as I drag out my sickle, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of her face... I killed her... I killed her, like I killed my parents. But I killed my parents unintetionally instead of now, where I wanted Riven to die. How can it be that I... That I feel guilty over what happened to my parents, but I don't feel guilty about the gaping hole I just made in Riven's face? I... I don't know...

But I do know one thing. I killed my parents. I killed Riven and I killed her without blinking twice. I am "the devil's child", and people die when I am around. I am a killer. And where strong survivors may live long into the games, it's almost always the killer who ends up becoming the final survivor.

Lucy's POV:
The forest seems to last forever. On and on, trees are spread, their leaves making the light that reaches spread into beautiful parterns on the ground. Although, it's nothing like when the sunlight hits the surface of the water. The days back in 4 seems almost like a whole different reality. The days where my little sister, Lily, would wake me up at early morning, so that we could sneak out of our house, out to the cliffs and see the sun rise from the waves. The horizon would glow red, almost as if it was on fire. Then, the sun would appear, and the waves would shine as if they were made of light themself. The gulls would scream, greeting the early morning, the fisherboat would slowly sail out, wanting to get the early catch and after the sun had left the water surface, me and Lily would sneak back to our beds.

But that's gone now. Lily is far away, sitting back in District 4. She's safe there, because of me. It's almost hard to think that she could be walking here, right now with these sociopaths as her allies, had I not volunteered for her. Which is why I regret absolutely nothing. In fact... I feel proud I volunteered for her. Even if I die... I know she'll find a loving husband back in 4... Who knows? Maybe she'll take her kids to watch the sunrise at those cliffs and explain to them how she used to do this with her sister, the sister who saved her life?

She probably watching me right now. A certain... urge, to speak, speak to Lily fills my body. It would be easy, just to begin to talk to her. And since we're the careers and are hunting it would probably be broadcasted. But the other careers walking with me, and they prevent it. They'll think of me as weak, that I want to send a greeting to my sister. And I will scare potential victims... Or rather, "prey" as Lynx, our self-proclaimed leader, likes to refer to them as, away. So I keep my mouth shut and try to think about Lily, with a husband and kids. Children that she would only have because of me...

"There's one!" Claudia's shriek interfer with my memories and I am suddenly brought back to reality. A girl, with blonde curly hair is running down the forest paths, away from us. She must have hidden and then tried to make a run for it, seeing how close we got to her.

Everything goes fast, all the sudden. Lynx pounches into a sprint, chasing his prey like a hungry lion, ready to make his second kill in these games. But he never even reaches to pounce on his prey, before a spear goes through the blonde haired girls stomach.

"I got her!" Claudia yells, a vicious, creepy smirk covering her entire face like a murder's mask. "She's mine," She direct the last comment to Lynx who puts on a dissapointed meanor but get still stops his sprint. Claudia strolls over to the poor tribute, like a model walking a catwalk. The disguise of the little innocent girls is completely gone, vanished with the oppertunety for a kill, ready to be claimed. This Claudia's true side. A disgusting, vicious sardistic side.

"Why hello there," She whispers, as she reaches the girl... I think her name was Ruby, the female tribute from District 13. Claudia is talking in her rather flirty tone of voice, as if she as seducing someone. The tone of her voice, the smile on her face.... It really just adds to the heavy layer of disgust, clouding my mind. Claudia pins the girl to the ground, and I hear her silent pleas for mercy, as Claudia whips out a knife from her belt. Ruby's lucky she was hit in the stomach, at least she will bleed out somewhat soon...

I close my eyes, not wanting to see any of it. Then the screams begin, carrying out for seconds, minutes... It feels like hours before the screams goes silent and are replaced by the sound of a fired cannon. BOOM!

Ella's POV:
The nightsky finally falls, it turns the forest from a rather nice and pretty place into a more... I don't know how to describe it, but... Let's just say I have heard enough silly scary stories back in District 1 that begun with a young girl in a forest at nightfall. It's quite... Almost creepy. I am not sure how to explain it, I have never been spiritual. I pinch myself. You're Ella Massey, I almost have to force myself to think. ''You are way too smart to believe in silly scary stories. ''Still this place give me the creeps.

At least I am quite lucky. If I know the Gamemakers correctly -who, by the way, are horribly predictable- the zones should either chance again tomorrow or at least change if someone triggers something in the arena that were triggered yesterday. Of course, I can't be sure of this... but knowing how the gamemakers likes to "surprise" their audience (which would be the stupider part of the audience as I pretty much have predicted almost all of their twists) they probably wouldn't just settle for one switch of zones.

I resist the urge to yarn, dragging myself up in a tree. Nothing much exciting happened today really. Although there were one situation which could easily have been my doom. Three cannons were heard, but only I know that I almost became the fourth cannon.

I found the kid from 5 while I was hunting... Yul Zhu, if I remember correctly (which I usually do), which I usually do. I thought he would have been an easy kill. He would have been. He was standing with her back turned to me, digging up roots to eat or something like that. I could so easily have snuck up on him, piercing my dagger through the space between his rips, where his heart was beating. But then the kid appeared. Who would have though that the little 12 year old, Janu Wong could safe her own ally's life? I wouldn't have bet on it... She called Yul, making him turn to face me. I was hidden in a bush, he didn't see me, but it ruined my moment of surprise so that I couldn't kill him. And I was forced to sit in the bush, watching my victim walk from danger to safety. Defeated by a 12-year-old.... I thought I was smarter than that.

The anthem is blasted out, breaking my not so distant memories. The sky lights up and the faces appears. First, Train McBridge's face is projected with that fearful glance of his in his eyes. I had seen that one coming a mile away. I was honestly surprised he even survived the bloodbath.

Then Riven Exile. That one is unexpected. She seemed strong. I guess someone out there was just stronger... The third and last cannon turns out to be Ruby Hyrglass'. She seemed smart but also quite weak. While a logical mind is certainly good to have in these games, if someone can break you like they would break a stick, I guess it doesn't matter how logical you are... I guess I better remember that too...

Careers:
Claudia Smythe (D2F), Lucy Perch (D4F), Lynx Striker (D4M), Helena Krisp (D10F), Hester Riva (CF)

Anti-Careers:
Ophelia Carlile (D6F), Kodai Hitogoroshi (D7M), Bailey Starshine (D9F), Fabian Matthis (D9M), Dyna Ploson (D13M)

District 5 and 11 Alliance:
Yul Zhu (D5M), Janu Wong (D11F)

Loners:
Ella Massey (D1F), Michael Kaizer (D2M), Fiona Valoran (D5F), Araneae Web (D8F), Polyester Astro (D8M), Wolf Fang (D12M), Quintus Hase (CM)

Fiona's POV:
The thick fog of the Air Zone moves around me and the pillars, hiding me from the view of others, shrouding me like a cloak. Like a assasin, hiding in their cloak as they stealthy move alone in the night. It would fit this situation quite well, except from the fact that it's early morning, not midnight.

It had taken be a bit of time to get to this zone. But it's this one I prefer. The air zone, with it's hidden pillars, and mysterious fog is perfect for sneaking around without getting seen, killing in the quick shadows. And I need a kill. I need to show the Capitol Audience who they're dealing with. Fiona Valoran, a master dualist. My father may have been the fake, a shame to my family's name, but I am the real deal. I'll show the Capitol that Fiona Valoran is truely the best dualist in all of Panem... even if my father's title was nothing but lie. And I will kill anyone to prove that, I will kill anyone to clear my name. And ones I go home, crowned as the victor, they'll shout that name in the streets of the Capitol. Fiona Valoran, the ruthless master dualist and victor of the Hunger Games....

I almost got lost in my thoughts. Almost. But luckily, my senses has told me to be allert about even the smallest sound, even the smallest movement. Quick senses are a vital trait in a duel. So I quickly, but quietly sneak toward the source of the sound and find myself staring down at five other sleeping tributes. Couldn't be anyone but the Anti Careers.

She almost escape my sight. Still, I saw a slight flicker of hair, flowing from her head like a waterfall of flames, which gave her away. Spying on the anti-career camp, but from another angle, she's lies hidden, covered by the fog. The girl must have some sort of talent for sneaking, or I would have seen her the instant, her being so close. She's spying on the fast asleep Anti-Careers, just like me is another tribute. There were only two red-haired girls in these games, and I highly doubt that Helena, the career-recruit would be here on her own.

"Aranaea..." I believe that was her name. Quite an odd name, easy to remember. She unweilds a blowgun, ready to fire,

"Don't," I tell her, eying an oppertunety. "I believe we can help each other... Why are you here?"

"I have some business with one of the anti-careers," Aranaea tells me with a cold voice and a determined stare.

"And I assume by that, that you want to kill a specific someone?" I ask. She nods. "Then we have common interests," I tell her with a smirk.

"You see... all these anti-careers... I believe they're arrogant. I am District 1 myself, I have seen how hard they train there. And then, these puny weaklings think that they can actually stand a chance? I wanna teach them a lesson. That you do not mess with fighters, with dualists." Aranaea nods,

"My words exactly. So what do you suggest?" Aranaea asks, still not lowering her blowgun. I am not gonna kill her, still she's wise not to trust me. Not to trust anyone.

"That we team up, just for this attack. I need a distraction, and you have a far ranged weapon. The puny little girl from 6 and the pair from 9 makes no threats whatsoever. The fang-guy from 7 and the guy from 13 are really the only threats. So here's the plan. As you can see, they all sleep spread out. You shoot your little dart at... well, whoever you wish to kill, and while the caos happens, I run in. I will be going for the girl for six, obviously the weakest of the bunch. Should be an easy kill. When I kill her, I'll run off, and I suggest you do the same. This is a hurry in - hurry out kind of thing, we need the caos between them as our distraction. The fog should keep us safe too. Remember though, this is a one time wonder. If I meet you again after this attack, I'll do my best to spear your head on the end of my dual-knife. Got that? Are you in or not?"

She looks at me a bit, considering it. Yet, I can see the hunch of revenge burning in her eyes. I already know she's gonna say yes, before she speaks up.

"I am in."

Araneae's POV:
"Now, that's the spirit!" Fiona sends me a vicious grin. "You just shoot your little dart there, and I'll run it... you may wanna shoot more than just one though, I doubt one dart is gonna do much good..."

"I know," I tell her a bit annoyed. I know my weapon, she doesn't have to tell me how to use it. But what had I expected? I knew she was arrogant right from the group training. I saw her, sending those 'I am so much more better than you''-stares at people, even the careers. But I did she her skills with those dual knives. Where she may be arrogant, she really does have the skills to back her confidence up. Which is why I am happy to have her in this.''

I load my blowgun, ready to fire. He's sleeping there, safe and soundly, not even realizing that the end of his life is less than a hairlength away. Dyna, the guy from 13. A smirk spreads across my face, unintetionally. When Madoka received deathglares, she would stare straight back at them, with her vicious eyes. She told me that I shouldn't take crap from anyone. That revenge was needed if you wanted to proof your strength. So that's what I am doing right now, avenging Madoka, killing Dyna... showing everyone my strength. I have been following the Anti's for so long to take this one revenge... and now is my chance.

I take the blowgun, up and aim. Fiona is just beside me, kneeling, but ready to run in there, to kill the girl from 6. She's just waiting for me to send my dart flying. I wonder... When I kill him, I'll become a murderer... How will that feel? Will I feel... guilty? He killed my only friend though. I am not a murderer, I am simply just a justice seeker. An eye for an eye...

So I shoot. And then the entire place is thrusted into caos.

My dart hits, but sadly not at my target's chest. Instead, it locks itself into the underlying part of Dyna's left arm, and without the poison the dart, that can't kill anyone. Nonetheless, the battle has begun. Dyna cries out in pain and surprise, thrown out of his deep sleep and Fiona gets up, sprinting into the field of battle, and I just sit there for a minute, watching. I thought I would've killed him directly, I didn't prepare for this...

I watch as Fiona runs towards the girl from 6, who sleeps soundly. A little wrinkling in her face reveals she's only barely not asleep, from Dyna's untraditional wake up call. The poor girls eyes haven't even opened, it's way too late for her to escape. Fiona is almost right beside her, ready to end her life.

He appears out of no where, the fanged beast from 7. Standing between Fiona and the weakling from 6, hissing at Fiona. He appears to be unarmed, yet his vicious fangs are sharp enough to make a weapon in itself. They begin a duel, a deadly dance of moving around, threatening each other, sometimes only inches from either a stab or a deadly bite. The way the fanged one fights... almost animalistic. He does pretty good, considering he's against a elite dualist AND unarmed. Time's running out, Fiona has to be quick, before the other tributes realizes what the hell is going on. Time...

Finally, I get my senses together. I shake my head in vivid motions. I can't be caught in Fiona's battle now, I have my own battle to fight. I look back, Dyna is getting up, but still a bit out of his senses. And near him lies...

...Bailey... I believe that was her name. And then I come to the realization. Dyna killed Madoka... to save Bailey. There must be some kind of... I don't know, bond, between them, for him to risk his life saving her... So maybe, the revenge wouldn't be to kill him... but to kill her...

I don't put anymore thought into it. While Dyna is still halfly drugged by sleep, I shoot her. The darts hits right in the center of her chest, and a rose of blood begins to bloom on the fabric of the Arena Wear. To be sure, I shoot again, seeing yet another dart hitting her, this time piercing through her throat. BOOM!

I turn around and run for my life, leaving Fiona, Dyna, Bailey and the others for themselves. I know the fog covered me, that it's unlikely anyone saw who killed Bailey, still it's better to be on the save side. While running this... feeling spreads inside me. Happiness? No, it's too vicious... More like... More like the feeling of justice. Of furfilled vengeance.

Dyna's POV:
The feeling is hard to describe. It's almost like I have just been picked up from a light slumber and been dumped into a pool ice cold freezing water. A state of shock, confusion. My brain is telling me to react, but my body feels all numb. That all changes though, when I hear the boom.

I look up. Kodai is battling a tall girl who I believe is from District 5. They twirl around each other, almost as if they were dancing a deadly war-dance. The boom could not have come from there... But where then?

It only takes me second to find the source. There, lying on the tiled pillar, Bailey's body lies. Had it not been for the big red spot, growing quickly on her chest, like a virus, it would almost look as if she was still asleep. A slumber she would never awake from. "Bailey..." I whisper, watching her intensely, as if my gaze somehow could bring her back to life. A part of me, just wants to sit down and cry. Maybe hug Bailey's dead body, wash her clean from blood and lay her somewhere nice. A calm place, so that it would look as if she was sleeping.

Another part of me just wants to give up. To sit down, say: "F*ck it," and just wait for someone to come and kill me. I mean, what's the point? I am gonna die at one point anyway, just like Bailey just did. Maybe that's the best... I thought I would be sad to see one of my allies die but... I never expected this... emptyness. How could I ever hope to fill the gaping hole slowly spreading in my chest?

Still, the last part of me, the instincts, the part of me that just wants to survive, get me up on my feet, leaving Bailey's body alone. Fiona and Kodai are still dancing, but Kodai's moves are growing slower and slower. Picking up my sword, I charge at her. The odd feeling of "feeling nothing" is spread through me, along with the adrealin, preparing me for battle. Fiona looks up, and see me running toward. She knows her end is near.

But then she does something unexpected. She throws one her two duel knives, in Kodai's direction. The knives of hers are not meant for throwing, Kodai avoids them easily but he has to dive away from them and so, away from Fiona. Which is exactly what she wanted.

While Kodai is still getting up, she makes a run for it, running across one of the small bridges connecting the big pillar around us to the smaller ones. I know already that I am too far away to ever hope to reach her, but I still run out on the bridge, chasing her onto another pillar. Then she crosses a second bridge and the fog swallows her whole. I knew it wasn't her who killed Bailey. Bailey's killer used a blowgun, what else could explain the dart? Still it feels as if there have been some kind of injustice, by her getting away. After all, she was partly to blame for this.

Strolling back to camp, I find Kodai hugging a shaking, pale-as-a-ghost Ophelia closely. Even with the emptyness filling my body, it's hard not to smile at the scene. Ophelia was never in danger, not with him around, still, her eyes are the size of tea cups and she's clinging to his arm like her life depended on it. Kodai has a more confused look to him, as if he isn't really sure what is happening, and confused by the act of hugging.

For maybe the fifth time in these games, I think about this ally from 7. He's... odd... To a enemy, he's more of a beast than a human. Ready to bite, and scratch people's eyes out if needed to win a battle. When he's in crowds, his usual behavior makes it pretty obvious that there's something wrong with him, mentally. But when he's with us... or rather, with Ophelia, he seems all confused but also caring... almost like a little child.

I watch, as Ophelia's breathing gradually changes pase, slowing down in Kodai's embrase. It's easy to forget what just happened, when looking at them. But then, in the background I see him, and my smile is wiped away as quickly as it appeared. Fabian. Normally I am shy and quiet, and I wouldn't dare to say anything to an arrogant asshole like Fabian. But this time, I can't help it. Partly because Bailey's corpse is still lying in camp, bleeding.

"Where. Were. You." I hiss at him. He looks up at me, with a surprised expression on his face.

"What do you mean?" He asks, even though he clearly knows what I mean.

"In the battle. Where were you? You certainly weren't here, that's for sure." All emotion has run out of my face, all that's left is a cold, harsh tune of voice. I can't even yell at him.

Fabian doesn't answer. Instead he bites his underlip, thinking about a reply. He doesn't need to answer either. We all know where Fabian were.

"So that's what you do when your allies lives are in danger? Hide away in the fog while people loyal to you are fighting for their lives!?" The anger slowly boils up inside me, but still, I keep my voice calm. Charlotte is probably watching, I don't want her to see me angry... But Fabian needs to be put in his place for this. I usually put up with much, being the quiet person that I am. But this is ''unacceptable. ''

"It's not like you did a lot either, 'Mr Hero'" Fabian almost spits the new nickname at me. "Lying there oh-so-helplessly while Kodai fought for his life. Had Kodai not been quick, the girl from 5 could have killed him a hundred times and over before you got up."

"At least I didn't stay passive in combat, leaving my allies to die!"

"I am in this for me. Just like all of you are. Yes, all of that "being loyal and fight for each other" crap is cool, but how many victors do you actually think have done that? Risked their lives for an ally? None. They were in these games for themself. That's why they won. And so am I. Despite, how different am I really for Ophelia? She just layed there too, without doing anything useful. And so did you until you got up. What right to you have to judge me?" Fabian glares at me, with a confident sickening smile, knowing that I have no reply to this. He is right but... what he did... It's just so... wrong.

"So you don't care for any of us? We're just an easier way to win these games?" I ask him. In my mind, I picture Charlotte's face. She's the only thing that keeps me from yelling, and maybe even killing the little rat with the arrogant smirk.

However, Fabian's reply surprises me. His arrogant tone is gone, instead, a rather... hollow tone of voice has replaced it. "I cared for ''her..." ''He mutters, looking at Bailey's bleeding corpse. I am about to open my mouth, telling him how he should have fought with us, had he cared for Bailey. But I am cut off.

"Please... Stop?" Ophelia whimpers in a low, saddened voice, still clustering Kodai, who's nodding in agreement. Whether he actually agrees or if he just wants to back up Ophelia, I am not really sure. "It's not gonna help anything, to argue. Please?" Ophelia's lower lip quivers, as if she's about to cry. I take a deep breath, and send Charlotte a last thought, feeling the rage leaving my body.

''"I am sorry..." ''The words are spoken with such small power, it's barely hearable, and I doubt that Kodai and Ophelia heard them. Fabian had gone over to Bailey's corpse while Ophelia spoke and is now sitting with her dead body's hand softly in his own. But he's looking at me, when he repeats his words again:

"I am sorry..."'

Helena's POV:
The early morning sun slowly sneaks it way into the mouth of the cornucopia before finally hitting my face, awakening me. The only other person awake is Lucy, who's already up and going, dragging out dried fruit for our breakfast. It's weird... Lucy would easily give this job to any of us career recruits, yet she seems to enjoy bringing us food to the table. I guess it fits good, when she's the one of us who gets up earliest. She says it's because of the District 4 people being early risers so that they could catch fish. However, Lynx, who's lying over there snoring... or rather, it sounds more purring, in his sleep does not show any signs of wanting to get up early.

She drags out a calf, probably from a cow, for Lynx and my thoughts slips completely away. All in my is the pretty drops of blood slowly running down the meat... I don't eat rawr meat, but I gotta admit... I would really love to just touch it, feel the sticky red liquire between my fingers. I cluster the vile of my own blood, hanging from my neck. Maybe I should try and dye my hair in the next tribute I kill's blood? Could be a pretty good show for the audience...

"Guys!" Lucy calls out, waking the rest of them. Lynx growls like a unsatisfied cat, then he goes up on all four and arches his back, just like a waking lion. I would call him creepy, but with Hester, who looks like someone dropped a bin of blue paint onto her body and me, who used my own blood to color my hair, you learn not to judge people.

Lucy hands out our breakfast and we sit quietly and eat.

"So where are we going today?" Hester asks, breaking the silence.

"I was wondering... I know most of you really don't like water, but I really want to go to the waterzone. After all, I haven't got a kill yet" Lucy blushes, but really she's just saying what we all are thinking out loud.

"We're not going to the waterzone," Lynx said, never should have come up in the first place.

"But Lynx... What if the tributes moves with the zones? If so, that would mean that there's a bunch of triburtes roaming around there safely because you're afraid of a tiny bit of water,"

It's odd to hear her actually insult Lynx. Most of the time she keeps her cool, and honestly, I would be very careful about getting into fights with Lynx, yet still Lucy dares to. Lynx pouts angrily, trying to find a clever comeback.

"We could splidt up?" Hester says, breaking into the conversation. "I believe both me, Helena and Lynx are not very happy about being around water. But you're a born swimmer and Claudia doesn't seem to mind water." As if on que, we all look over at Claudia. Claudia has been... diffferent, to say the least, after she killed Ruby. It's as if the mask of innocence that she hid behind in the start of games had slipped off her, revealing a mind filled with... cruelty... and even, insanity. She sits, with a smirk on her face, creepily stroking one of her spearheads with her fingertips.

"Four of us could go towards the waterzone and when it begins, two of us could break off to one of the zones nearby." Hester continiues. I nod my head and so does Lynx and  Claudia. Lucy looks less pleased, which is understandable. Claudia's presence has been quite... creepy to be around lately.

"Fine," Lucy ends up muttering, and Hester sends her a grin as if to tell her: 'That's what happens when you don't stay in your place,' Eventhough we're the career recruits it still feels as if Lucy is below us. Quite a good feeling.

"I can stay back at the cornu―" I begin but is quickly cut off.

"No you're not. I will stay back at the cornucopia, you'lll go with Lynx and Claudia and Lucy will go together." Hester tells me, commandingly. Truth be told, I really don't wanna go on hunt, Staying here is much, much safer. But I guess hester figured that too.

"Fine," I mutter, just like Lucy, well aware that I just got put in my place by another career recruit. It's like a monarcy, in a way. Lynx, as our leader, Claudia as the leader's right hand, Hester as the strongest career recruit, me, the weaker of the career recruits and then Lucy in the button, because of her behavior. I guess that's how it is in this pack. If you're aren't the least bit mad, you don't belong here.

Lucy's POV:
I don't really know how else to describe the situation at hand. Why aren't there any normal careers? For one moment I thought that Claudia was somewhat sane but after what she did to Ruby she's probably the most insane of them all. The closest thing we get to "normal" is Hester, and she looks like a smurf. And now I am gonna spend the day with Claudia, alone, hunting for more innocent tributes. I know I will have to kill these poor kids, I can't let Claudia be respondsible for their deaths. That would be too cruel. Just thinking about spending the day in the company of Claudia makes me shiver slightly. We splidt up with the careers about five minutes ago, and are slowly moving into the waterzone. An entire day in Claudia's company... 'Don't look at it like that, Lucy,' I tell myself. It's what I tell myself when I feel down. I need to focus on the good things about the situation. Make the best of it... If I become angry... I go ballistic. I saw myself do so at the career academy back in 4. I can't let that happen again. Ever.

So instead, I try to enjoy the blue waters around and the refreshing smell of salt water. The trees here are healthy and strong from their watersource, and the air is fresh. Almost like back in 4. It's hard not think of the warm sand on the summer beaches. The palm tree, which I will never get to see again. 'But Lily will see it,' I think to myself and send the water horizon a little sad smile.

"Lucy..." Claudia almost purs my name behind and I spin around. Claudia's just standing there, stroking her spear wh,ile looking directly at me.

"Lucy, Lucy, Lucy, Lucy... Little, sweet, innocent Lucy," The ways she says those words, almost make them sound like those creepy melody which are played in horror movies.

"Claudia?" I ask, trying to keep my voice from stuttering, while clustering my trident closely. From the almost... wild look in her eyes, it's almost like she's blinded to what's going on around her. Like... Like an insane person, throwing a tantrum.

"Lucy... I have realized... You're nice," She says, slowly walking closer to me, while smiling a bright almost phycsotic smile. I let my foot slide backwards in the sand, ready to take a step away from her. I have seen her abilities with a spear. If a fight really does happen, running won't do me any good. Claudia's way too skilled. And the water is too far away.

"Nice people... Don't belong in these games. They don't volunteer, Lucy," She says my name as she was talking about a cockroach or a traitor. "Nice people dies early. Nice people aren't careers... And I want... I need another kill, Lucy," She smiles brighter at me, now showing her full set of white teeth, while taking another step forward. The shivers run down my spine and I feel the adrenaline slowly beginng to pump through my veins. But I know it's not much use. Claudia's a way better fighter than I could ever be.

For the first time in my life, I wish I could go ballistic. Yet somehow, it's as if the fear get's rid of all my anger. I can't even get angry at her. All I have for this fight is myself. And while yes, "Ballistic Lucy" can kill... I am not sure if I, "Lucy Perch" the "nice" career would ever be able to.

Claudia gives me no more time, though. Sending her spear forward in a quick thrust I move to the side, blocking it with my trident. I move the tip of my weapon forward, causing Claudia to dance away from me, before making yet another thrust. Insanity burns in her eyes, in that sickly wide smile, and in the determined glance of her. Determined to kill me, to get rid of the "weak, nice, career". I parade her attack, while slowly taking another step back, hoping to get closer to the water, while keeping my defensive strategy.

''"Don't even bother!" ''She almost squeals at me, like a little child. "I'll kill you, my little Lucy, and nothing you do can change that," I take a deep breath and make a jump backwards. I am only few inches from the water, but Claudia doesn't even seem to notice. All she sees is me. She sends yet another attack, which I gracefully avoid, stepping backwards. I almost was scream in bliss as I feel the cold water around my feet. Now I just need to get her out in it too.

I wonder if I over-estimated her. She seems oddly... She seems less proffessional. As if she weren't herself. She doesn't even notice herself stepping out in the water to attack me once again. Another attack which I easily block. I think.. I think this is what killing does to us. Twists us, turns us into shades of ourself. We forget ourself... and then we fall.

She get's more out in the water and that is when I make my move. Quickly thrusting my trident outwards, I make it seem like I am trying to hit her in the stomach. She moves her spear to block, as I predicted. So, I change course, going straight for her legs. Not to stab, but to push them off the sandfloor of the water. It works. Claudia's feet are swiped off the sandfloor and she falls down in the water, her back first, screaming.

Had you done this to any experinced swimmer, they would have been able to make their escape. Yet, Claudia just swallows a bunch of saltwater, getting it through her mouth and nostrils. And it's while she's lying there, splashing around in the water, with her spear floating helplessly far away from her, that I drive down my trident stabbing her in the heart.

The splashing and the half chocked screaming stops instantly, as the water around her dead body is colored crimson red, like wine. "Don't forget yourself..:" I whisper to Claudia's corpse. Whether it's for myself or for her, I am not really sure.

"I heard a scream!" Lynx voices echoes and I freeze right where I stand. My fellow careers... I didn't think they were close enough to hear... I know instantly that they won't believe me. And even if they did, they would still kill me to be secure. The water is a quick way to escape but it can't hide me. Lynx and Helena may not like water but they know that I have to get up from the water eventually, they could easily just follow me around and wait until I got up...

And with that, I run out of the water, and over the sand covered beaches, trying to escape from I once called allies.

Michael's POV:
When I hear it, it's already way too late. Footsteps over the damp sandy grounds. I was almost beginning to enjoying this zone, it's fresh air, the sound of the calming waves, and the small but shadowfilled patches of trees on the isles, easy to hide it. I thought this was gonna be another calm day, but the footsteps just proofed me wrong.

She rams into me. She must have been looking backwards or something because she doesn't even notice me before she runs straight into me. She falls backwards and I find myself staring into the eyes of the small blonde girl from 4. Her cheeks are blushing red from her little running streak, and she's breathing rapidly. She looks upon me, her eyes watering up. She doesn't even try to raise the trident in her hands. She's exhausted and I am too strong. I pretty much already won the battle.

"''Career!" ''I hiss at her, and she crumbles together below as I raise my sword. It's almost unworthy to kill someone who lies that helplessly and tired beneath you. But she's a career, she ratted up together with other killers to kill us all. She deserves it.

''"She ran in there!" ''A voice which I think belong to Lynx, the feline-like leader of the career alliance is heard from outside the tree patch. The girl whimpers very faintly. I may be the strongest but even I know that I couldn't beat more than two careers. I have no idea how many they're out there but it's not a risk I am willing to take.

I drag the girl into one of those big darkgreen tropical bushes, it's leaves spreading out as excellent cover. A slight whimper escapes her before I put my hand over her my mouth to keep her silent. In the last second, I reach out for the girl's dropped trident, making sure to clean the place for potential clues. About a second after, Lynx and a girl with bloodred hair enters the clearing. I feel the girl shiver, and it begins to occur to me that I might not just have saved my own life by dragging us into the bush.

The careers may be skilled, but intelligence have never been a peak of theirs. None of them even stops to look and see if the girl hid. Their leader, Lynx, seems more like an actual lynx than a person, seeing him run in this special animalistic way, as if he a predator pursuing pray. The other girl, with the red hair is right behind him, her hair billowing behind her as a waterfall of flame. The blonde shivers once more as we watch them leave the clearing, in search of their former ally.

I keep my hand over her mouth for at least ten straight minutes, waiting for the careers to get futher away. Small tears fall muted from her eyes, down her cheeks onto my hand.

''What should I do with her? ''She must have done something to set her fleeing from her allies. There were a cannon just before, maybe she caused it? I have no idea. Shouldn't I just kill her? After all, she is - well, was a career. She would have killed me, had she could. However from observing the career group in the group training, it didn't take me long to figure that this girl was the most soft of them. The most sane of them, too, I believe. Another career kill would be good for my sponsors, yes, but I doubt killing a girl who's lying whimpering and crying in my arms will bring me any honor. Infact, it's the exact thing pack of careers would do. And I left the careers for a reason.

Finally I take my hand of her mouth. Instinctly, she gasps, bowing backwards as if pushed. She breathes rapidly in and out, while tears keep falling down her face. There we are, sitting inside a bush, all crouched up, only inches away from each other. She's exhausted and sobbing hysterically while I am just sitting there watching her. After a while, she looks upon me, her eyes looking like someone poured crimson blood onto them. She doesn't even seem frigthened, even though I am sitting right beside with a sword in my hands, while she is unarmed. Probably so drained that she doesn't even have the energy to feel fear.

"''Just get it over with..." ''She says, her voice being creepily emotionless. I can understand that though. Whatever happened with the careers, she must have been close to lose the games. She had prepared herself to die. And now, suddenly she got another chance, just to here, face to face with yet another opponent, yet another situation where she could lose these games. She has prepared herself to die, emptied herself. She just wants her excuter to do their job.

"Your name?" I ask her, ignoring what said completely. She looks at me, her face painted with brief disbelieve, before the emotionless expression is back.

"Lu-u-u-u-cy," she stammers.

"I won't harm you... Lucy," I tell her, before adding, "I am not a career like you." She doesn't even react. She doesn't appear thankful that I spared her life, nor reacts to my insult. She just sits there, staring at me, looking like someone who could faint any second. With one hand, I gently lead her shoulder downwards, so that she can lie down. What am I gonna do with her? I can't kill a girl who's lying all curled up and paralyzed, but I can't leave her in a bush all alone, either. Ugh. I guess I'll have to figure that out tomorrow.

Yul's POV:
So far, the games has been pretty quiet for me and Janu. Ever since the bloodbath, it's as if things have quieted down. The sounds of singing cannons echoes through the air sometimes but that's about  it, really. Don't get me wrong, I really do like to be in this position of peace. Hiding away, waiting for our fellow tribute to slowly die out, one after another. But it has begun to worry me though... The gamemakers doesn't like it when there's tributes that see no action in their games. I will have to prepare myself...

Atleast the zone is good. The clear air, the young healthy trees, and the sunlight gently strooking the leave covered sky, so that only small patches of light falls to the floor, as if someone had crytalized it and turned it into a patern. Janu and me decided to take the chance and splidt up to find some food. None of us are starving, but the food is running low, and this zone is filled with foodsources. None of us are experts in edible plants and such, no, but Janu's from 11 and we both spend a fair share of time at the "edible plants zone". We should be alri―

The scream pierces through the air, high pitched, light and panicked. And I know who it belongs to, too. I get up and sprint toward the source of the sound, while reaching for one of my knives. How far could Janu have wondered? Would I be able to reach her? What if it's already too late? How quickly can someone... What if she's alrea―

I break through a clearing of bushes and see Janu pressed up against a tree, a male tribute -from 8, I believe- with his machete toward her throat. He hasn't cut down yet, though, there's no trains of blood on Janu's lightly tanned skin, but it will in seconds.

"HEY!" I yell, more in panic than in anything, really, while the throwing the knife. It wasn't a quite good shot, he's way to close for a good throw. The knife flies past the male from 8, and gets stuck into the trunk of the tree, a few inches above both of their heads. The singing sound of the blade shivering from the force of being thrown plays in the air for about tenth-a-second. And then things goes really fast.

The guy from 8 pulls away from Janu, who's body drops to the forest floor, like a sack of dead meat. Her eyes are closed, her body almost seems lifeless. The machete must have been pressed so tightly against her windpipe that she fainted. And now, that leaves me with the guy from 8, his machete, and my throwing knives which are hopelessly stuffed away in my pocket.

He charges and I do my best to reach for knife. I grap one as he swings out with the machete, which I only barely avoid. He swings again and I dance out of the way, unweilding my second knife. They aren't meant for close combat but it's that those or bare hands. And bare hands don't last long against a blade.

I already know this battle is lost. Two knives against a machete are bound to fail at one point or another. Maybe I can last long enough for Janu to wake up and escape? If so, she at least wouldn't die with me. I jump to the side against just barely avoiding the blade which lashes out yet again, and this time, I am less fortunate.

The blade cuts deeply into the upper side of my right hand, and I cry out in reflex and pain. I drop one of my knives, holding my hand backwards. I am done, and District 8 knows that too. He lifts the machete for one last finishing stab.

"Thonk!" This odd dull sounding noise fills the air, like hitting a punching bag, and 8's expression changes from a vicious, victorious glance to a surprised, shocked one, before shifting his feet, as if he lost balance.

"NO ONE..." A high pitched female voice yells, in an angry aggressive tone before the dull sound is there again.

"Thonk."

"...MESSES..."

"Thonk."

"...WITH MY..."

"Thonk!"

"...ALLY!"

"Thonk!"

Finally, 8 falls to the ground, the back of his head covered in red blood. Behind him, Janu is standing wielding a stick, twice as thick as her upper arm, and almost as tall as her. Her small body can barely carry it, yet the wild expression on her face and the fact that she just knocked out 8 tells me otherwise. The side of the stick is covered in blood as well, from where she rammed it into the back of his head.

"I thought you had fainted!" I almost yell at her, my voice filled with both shock and disbelief. Janu throws the stick away and point to 8's body with her foot.

"He thought the same thing," She says, dryly, and I am not really sure whether to laugh or cry in relief. Janu is the sharpest knife... or rather, stick, in the forest but she has her moments where her simple mind does her good justice. It doesn't take a genius to fake fainting, still, even geniuses would have a hard time to make a plan like that under pressure.

"The oldest trick in the book," she says, while in a very childish manor, sticking her tounge out at 8. Then, picking up the stick again, she rams into one last time into his head, giving him a quick painless death. BOOM!

Lynx's POV:
A very grim, dark astmosphere lingers around as me, Hester and Helena sit down to eat. None of us speak, having no idea what to say. All we know is that Claudia somehow ended up in the water with a deep gaping hole in her chest. I might not be the sharpest person alive, but it's easy to figure that something happened between her and Lucy. Why else would Lucy have fleed?

It's not that I am sad that we lost Claudia or Lucy. Claudia was strong but probably the most messed up of us and that's a lot when it comes from me. A single kill made her go all physco. Can't keep people like her in the pack. I don't miss Lucy either. She was weak... soft. No space for her, either. It's the fact that we just got reduced by two, that worries me. We're only three careers left in these games, and only three days has passed. It's not exactly settling. And I can feel the worried meanor of Helena's and Hester's too. Our odds just decreased dramatically and the whole pack's mood too. Heck, even the entire uncooked turkey that I found inside the food pile, couldn't cheer me up.

"We still need to see the sky," Hester tells us, reasurringly. She's somewhat right. Two other cannons sounded today. If we're lucky, it's some anti-careers or maybe a strong loner. It can exactly bring back to dead people but it can at least bring us just a tad closer to victory.

"I hope it's Lucy up there, " Hester mutters bitterly. Of course we told her the entire thing and Hester seemed to be the closest thing that Claudia got to a friend. I must agree with her on that part. My traitor of a district partner must die. But I am not sure if I want her to be up on the sky. Because hopefully, when her face does one day appear on that sky, I will be the one to kill her. She shamed our District, and I plan to restore that honor.

"I hope it's Michael," Helena mutters. I dissagree again. Michael was the only tribute to get higher odds than me, so he must die too. I am the alpha in these games, and no one else.

As if on cue, the sky lights up and we sit in deep anticipation. First, the face of Claudia appears, of course. No surprise there. Then, the guy from 8's face appears. This is alright, he was one of the older tributes, somewhat of a threat. And then, one of the girls from the anti-careers. Not exactly a threat, but another anti career gone is always good. Then, the sky fades, and we know Lucy's still alive. A silence spreads between us and I take a breath before spreaking.

"Don't give me those looks." I tell them, "Those 'what-are-we-gonna-do-now?' glances that doesn't help a thing. Do you think previous careers has given up because they were outnumbered? Do you think they sat down and moaned?" I make sure to balance the tone of my voice, making it both harsh but also confident. As the leader, it's my job to bring back their spirit.

"Claudia was a nutcase. She made one single kill and went crazy. We don't need people like that. Lucy was weak. I know I saw her spare the life of the fanged one from 7. We don't need soft people like her either. You might think that we're out numbered, but you have to look at one thing. Quality over quantity. The anti-careers has one person more than us, but really what does that mean? Do you think the weak girl from 6 or that guy from 9 who scored a 4 would matter in a battle? No. The only threats they have are the fanged one and the guy from 13. That's two threats. We're three threats, they're two threats. Who do you really think would have the upper hand in battle?" I watch in satisfaction as their faces turns from hopelessness into the vicious smirks I know so well.

""F*** Claudia and Lucy, both of them were utterly useless. You might not have been from career district, but you are careers. There's a lot of victims out there, all awaiting their deaths. Let's show them what happens when you anger the predator."

Careers:
Lynx Striker (D4M), Helena Krisp (D10F), Hester Riva (CF)

Anti-Careers:
Ophelia Carlile (D6F), Kodai Hitogoroshi (D7M), Fabian Matthis (D9M), Dyna Ploson (D13M)

District 5 and 11 Alliance:
Yul Zhu (D5M), Janu Wong (D11F)

Left The Careers Alliance:
Michael Kaizer (D2M), Lucy Perch (D4F)

Loners:
Ella Massey (D1F),  Fiona Valoran (D5F), Araneae Web (D8F), Wolf Fang (D12M), Quintus Hase (CM)

 Day 4  - "I don't want you to live with that guilt." -  Quintus Hase

Dyna's POV:
The night has been going for quite a while now. The moon has been up for long and I have been lying here impaciently for hours. But I believe it's now time. After seeing Fabian's behavior yesterday, I was convienced. We can't have him in this alliance when he runs off in the battle. We must kill him... And after what he did, causing Bailey to die... he deserves it too.

I can't help but wonder if she would have died, had he not fled. Bailey, I mean. If Fabian had helped us instead of crawling off, would Bailey still be alive and breathing? I am not really sure. But what I am sure of is that the thought of it, makes me want to personally send my sword through Fabian's back.

Where does this feeling come from? This sudden urge to kill? I have never been... violent, before. I don't think I have ever felt such strong hatred for someone. But what Fabian did was unacceptable, and I won't remain quiet in a situation like that.

Sneaking up quietly, I  put my hand on Ophelia's shoulder waking her up. She's lying, snuggled up to Kodai, him having one arm lying across her waist. Not really as a way of showing affection, more like a way of protecting Ophelia. I am not sure if Kodai can feel actual affection, but you don't have to be a genius to see that he feels protective toward her. A little smile is paint onto my face; it's difficult not to feel a bit soft-hearted toward the odd couple. It's hard to imagine any stranger combination of people, but it's clear as a bell that their relations to each other are sincere.

"Ophelia? Kodai?" I whisper, Ophelia rubbing her eyes and nudging Kodai awake. He groans, but Ophelia quickly lays a finger on his lips signalizing him to be quiet. "Don't say anything, but come with me, a bit away from camp." I tell them, them both nodding. Silently, the three of us gets up, moving away from Fabian's sleeping body, so that we can talk.

"We need to kill him," I point at Fabian,

"Do we h-have to?" Ophelia asks. Kodai sits quietly with a expression of deep thought on his face, for the first time not directly agreeing with Ophelia. Who knows what's going on in his mind.

"Look... I don't wanna kill another ally, but this case is different. Fabian betrayed us and told us directly that he would do it again, if it meant his own survival. Those people are no good for the alliance." I tell Ophelia, trying my best to sound firm. I can see where she's coming from, I respect her kindheartedness but we can't spare a traitor.

"But... I don't want anymore to die... Especially not one from our alliance..." Ophelia stammers, looking down at the stone floor as if it held the answers to all the riddles of the universe.

"I don't want anymore to die either, but Fabian is dangerous," I tell her back.

"... But..." She stops, not able to say anymore. I look up at Kodai, who seems to be just about ready to take Ophelia's side. I take a deep breath.

"He's dangerous for her. Fabian. He would kill Ophelia, he would kill any of us, had it meant his own survival. Ophelia doesn't want other people to die, but Fabian would betray Ophelia's trust. And if he does kill Ophelia, you could never revert it." I hear my own voice change as I speak the last line, Bailey's face popping into my mind like a constant reminder. A constant message reminding me that I couldn't safe her. Dealing with what happened to Bailey is hard enough... I don't wanna see Kodai deal with the same, if Ophelia died.

The words have immidiate effect too. Kodai's thoughtful expression is replaced, not by a vicious one as I had expected but by a mask of stone, cold and serious, nothing like his usual childish demeanor. His eyes filled with darkness he opens his mouth revealing the fangs, as he realizes how true my words is. Without a word, he nods and sends me a glare which message can't be missunderstood. '''I will be killing him'. ''Ophelia whimpers slightly as Kodai gets up grabbing my sword, apparently not wasting anymore time. He leaves us, walking toward the camp and me and Ophelia just sits there, before following him.

As we get back we see Kodai standing in the middle of the camp, staring at the ground with the sword clustered in his hand, Fabian nowhere to be found. Walking over to Kodai, who's breathing heavily with anger, I read the hastily written sentence in the dirt.

'You're not the only one who can stay awake' 

- Fabian

Lucy's POV:
Something is shakening. I am not really sure why, but somehow, my entire world has been turned into a bunch of bumpy, fast-moving pictures and two big, strong hands are placed on my shoulder. It takes me a bit of time to realize that I am actually being shakened awake.

"I am awake!" I yell, wanting nothing more than the vivid movements to stop. I feel a headache approaching steadily, I don't need someone else to rub it in.

I am put down and I lie down a bit, trying to focus. The sky is cut off from view by a bunch of scorched branches strentching across it as if trying to reach one another, hindering the light reaching the surface of the earth. I am inside a bush. Not the heathly bush that I fell asleep inside, though. A bush almost naked from leaves, almost dead. The mist flies around it, like a heavy cloak, shrouding distant secrets from our gaze. I am in the Air Zone... Or rather... We are in the air zone.

Because frowning before me is the male from District 2, Michael Kaizer, looking down upon me like I was some kind of pesky insect that really deserved to die. Even when crouching, to not collide with the loft of the bush, he still looks tall, still something about tells me that he won't hurt me. Atleast not now.

"Good. Are you fine?" He asks, no trace of any emotion in his voice.

It's hard to know what to answer. Am I fine? I remember what happened yesterday. Claudia tried to kill me, I killed her... The careers would have found me and killed me, had I not run into Michael who dragged me inside a bush. The feeling of feeling... emotionally exchausted still lingers within me but it's not that I feel... not fine. Just a bit tired, of the games, of life, of everything really. But I am alright... Right?

"I believe so," I tell him, my voice sounding more like the cry of a crow than anything.

"Good. Then listen to me and listen closely because I won't be repeating this twice. What I did the other day... I did not do it because of mercy, you hear me? I did it because self respect. I have too much self respect to kill crying weaklings-of-careers who comes crawling to me at my feet. I am not merciful, I am not your friend nor your ally. If I see you in these games ever again, I'll spear my sword through your forehead, simple as that. I didn't safe you for your sake. Only for my own. Got it?"

I look at him, taking in his words, as he glares at me. Then, as I slowly process his long speech, I nod. As I nod, a bit of the glare dissappears from his eyes, and it turns into something that is more like a stare. As if we're saying goodbye to each other. This "alliance" was a one-day-only thing and it's now over. We're complete strangers again and we both know. Then he nods as well, get's up, takes his supplies and leaves the bush, dissappearing into the mist, leaving me completely alone.

I get up as well. I don't intend on following him, that would be foolish. I don't doubt that he meant it when he said he would put a sword through my forehead if we met again. I should just be thankful he actually helped me. That I survived that last day.

Getting my stuff I begin to head over toward the water zone. If I remember correctly, it should be east from here. Not really sure though, the place turns you around quite easily. Maybe I should just stay in this zone. But that would mean an advantages to a potential pursuer and I am much more safe from career attacks in the waterzone.

''But what does it really matter? ''The thought hits my like a jolt of lightning. ''You're all alone, without allies to protect you, without careers to kill for you. Why don't you just sit down and die?''

It's like a moralic battle within myself. Like a side of me who believes I am never good enough. Back in 4, I didn't ever feel this way. It was much easier to just be energetic, people liked a happy person. In the games, people despise happy people. They think they're useless. And who knows, maybe we really are useless? I mean, look at me, I couldn't even kill unless my own life were threatened or if I went ballistic. I really didn't belong in these games. I am still happy I volunteered but.... what does it really matter anymore? I saved my sister, but there's no way I can make it home. I saved my sister, I already completed my purpose. Does any more figthing from my side really help me?

I think back at the events of yesterday. I had to be saved by someone to survive. I always needed that in these games, didn't I? Always needed the careers to look after me, and when they weren't there, I needed another tributes to safe me...

But then again... I did kill a career... I was convienced Claudia was stronger than me but it turned out she was much weaker. And there's only three careers left, and none of which can swim. I may be without alliance, but I killed a career... Maybe... Maybe I could make it on my own?

I visualize my sister's kind smile before me. She would have fought to the bitter end. Seen it through had she lived or had she die. "''And I'll do the same..." ''I whisper as I transit from the mist to the water.

Hester's POV:
"So, where are we going?" Helena asks, while eating her soup and bread. Being a bit fewer careers has it's advantages, as saving food is no longer a consern. The cornucopia could feed three careers for weeks, maybe even months. With two careers gone, one could assume that the tension was quite... well downed, but it actually isn't. In the start, I was pretty much ready to just sit down, waiting for someone to come kill us all. Usually, a non-career tribute wins when the career pack is quick diminished.

But as Lynx spoke I realized he had a point. We are the strongest. And I guess... I guess Lynx is our true leader after all. I will openly admit that I doubted him, after all, he eats rawr meat and he really seemed more powerhungry than leader like, in the beginning. I am pretty sure he was powerhungry at first but have grown with the assignement. We might only be three but we can still control these games.

Still he worries me. After all, there will be a point in these games where will all have to break away. From Michael and Lynx are gonna be my two biggest competetors at that point, and from re-watching the previous Hunger Games, I learned that the Leader of the Careers tend to be the one who survives that break and later on wins the games. I plan on breaking that cycle, yes, but it's not gonna be easy. And slitting his throat in his sleep would be ridicolous as we are so few careers left. It would be the same as lighting a gigant fire at the cornucopia, asking people such as Michael or The Anti's to go kill the last two career recruits. Completely idiocy.

"Well... We have been to water and briefly in fire... Air is really the only zone left," Helena mentions, and we turn to look at Lynx. It's his call.

"Air is fine for me. As long as we don't set our feet in the water zone anymore, everything is fine with me." He mentions, digging his teeth into a rawr chicken leg. I guess we must be running out of rawr meat.

Retrieving our weapons, Lynx chooses a long, double handed blade, perfect for close combat... and beheadings. Helena goes for a light, slender kartana, thin as a needle, obviously made for speed. And I myself get my claws, before we head over to abyss shrouded in fog, known as The Air Zone.

Lynx's POV:
''Author's Note: This scene is slightly... gore-y? If you have a problem with that, you might just have to go look at the dearth chart, and skip this POV. I personally don't think it's that bad, I mean, it's text, not a movie but just to be completely sure so I don't get a bunch of complaints in the comments, I giving you this warning.''

We must have walked for an hour. At least. All the muscels in my body have been tighting up, ready for anything... anyone to appear. The mist floats ominously around here, shrouding most of the place in mystery. I am not afraid, after all only a fool would ambush the career pack when they were hunting. No risk of that happening. Yet, I still can't help but wonder if the mist is hiding a tribute just from view, just letting the escape with their lives, which is a horrible feeling, to know that some prey may escape your claws, simply because of the hunting area. Gritting my fangs again one another, I breathe pause, as if hoping to hear the faint sound of rapid breath, but of course, I hear nothing.

Walking a bit more, I let my thoughts wonder. I need another kill. Now. All of the careers do. I hope my speech made some impact, but action does indeed speak louder than words. Gaining our role back as the predators of these games would easiest by another kill. Show them that us three can still dominate. I need a kill, we need a kill these games needs a kill from the careers. Putting the prey in it's place.

As if by more intution than anything I strech out my hand, signalizing for Hester and Helena to stop, which they do abrubtly. Closing my eyes, I listen once more again. At first, only the loud silence fills the air, as if mocking my sense. But I know that there's something there. It's in my instincts.

And then I hear it. A breath taking inhaled and then realized. Gasping. It's a bit hard to locate the sound, but I believe it's coming from my right. They must be close, only barely covered by mist, or else I wouldn't have been able to hear them. They must be so close that running will make too noise. I know that they know that we are here, so the surprise is ruined... unless...

I shake my head in vivid emotion, and make a hand emotion, signalizing Hester and Helena to move forward. From their looks, they haven't heard the prey's breath, which makes them the perfect actors as they're not even aware of the stage. I myself take a couple of steps forward, trying my best to make it seem as if I really didn't hear the victim.

And then I leap after the sound source. Helena's and Hester's gasp in unison chimes in with the scream of the prey as I pounce onto it's back, making us both collide and fall, me pinning them to the ground. It must have been just about to run, thinking it could escape. Tough luck. Seeing the knife clustered in one of the tribute's hands, I quickly place one of my feet on the wrist, forcing the hand to let go the weapon. I kick the knife and slides over the platform, out into the abyss and with the prey securily pinned to the ground, I give myself time to examine it.

It's a female tribute, with a slender, tall body. Letting my hands slide into their hair short, light brown hair, I forcefully turn her face to side, so that she looks sidewards. My eyes meets her icy light blue eyes and I feel a vicious smirk form on my lips as I realize who this is. It's Fiona Valoran, of District 5, and one of the tribute with better odds. Perfect to kill to set an example.

"Last words?" I ask, almost purring. She looks upon me with a superior, hateful glance before spitting right onto my face. I feel the warm liquire slowly run down my cheeks as realize what she just did... 'Make their death memorable' I remember my mentor telling me, along with some words about just how worthless I am. Well... I'll show him that I much more than worthless. I will show Fiona why you do not spit in my face. I'll show my two small career recruits why I am the leader and I will show the entirity of Panem why I am not to be messed with.

Putting my smirk back on, I tighten my muscels just for safety. I then lower my head before opening my mouth, letting my fangs slide under the thin skin just around the top of the right shoulder, biting her. Tightening my jaws around the flesh of her upper shoulder, I pull my head upwards. The sound cleaved flesh fills the air as I rip her skin off her shoulder and the upper part of her chest, leaving a crimson mess with some white spots where the bone is revealed. Her scream pierces through the air, and she wriggles beneath my weight but it's way too late for her to do anything about it. Behind me, Hester is staring at me, a surprised, almost a disgusted expression painted on her face. Helena is absently playing with her hair while staring intensely at the blood flowing from Fiona's chest.

"When you spit at your superiors," I tell her, pulling my head a bit more upwards, ripping a bit more chest skin off, and even a bit of the breast to which I am rewarded with another scream of pain from her. "You'll have to suffer the consequences," Rolling my head side ways, I hear a final ripping noise, as the skin on the right part her shoulder and upper chest is ripped completely off. Blood sprouts up like a fountain from her body, as I spit out the gigant rug of skin, which slides a bit across the platform. I may eat rawr meat but I am not cannibal. She screams shortly,  one last time before the wriggeling completely stops. BOOM!

I get up from the bloody mess which once beared the name "Fiona". In the history games, there has been a few worser torture-deaths like ripping the legs of someone, but atleast someone's gotta give me point for creativity. I don't ever think the Capitol has seen. Looking at the sky, I open my mouth, letting my blood covered fangs be visibel to the entire Panem.

"You see that?" I ask the audience, pointing at Fiona's body. "That's what happens when you call me worthless. That's what happens when you anger the predator."

Ophelia's POV:
The tall dark trees creates an ominous setting. They raise upon you, downstaring you slowly, as if they were threatning to swallow you up. Every single step me and Kodai takes echoes out in the area, creating this ominous feeling that something is watching.

Let me explain. After what happened with Fabian, we decided to splidt up and go look for him. All three of us were gonna splidt first but Kodai wouldn't let me go alone. After a bit of discussing back and forth, Dyna splidt up from up and now, me and Kodai are walking here alone.

I feel goosebumps move down my spine as I think about Dyna, walking out in the forest all alone. Or myself, walking alone for that matter. Which make me feel even more thankful that Kodai is here. Kodai... It's hard to figure him out. He seemed so... scary, when I first met him. I was almost certain he was gonna kill one of us anti's in our sleep and I was lying there, hoping it weren't gonna be me. Because really, with those fangs and his strong body only Dyna would have had a chance against him. If he had attacked me, what would I have been able to do to safe myself? Nothing, that's what.

And yet, even with him being so creepy, he's still... Well, he's friendly toward Dyna and towards me he's almost... gentle. I noticed it on the morning of the second day, when he woke me up by rubbing his face toward my cheek, like a cat would nuzzle it's head against it's owners hand. After that... I guess I decided to try and treat him like less of a mental person and more as an ally. To this day, I still have no idea what goes on in his mind but somehow, he has decided that I am under his protection. Maybe he decided this because of me simply treating him like an actual human being instead of a scary physco? I am not really sure... But what I do know is... I can't help but like him, for protecting me... Not like "Oh I like this person as a friend", but actually like like him. Does that make me crazy? To like a person who mostlikely has some type of mental disorder? Maybe. But I don't really care, Kodai shows me more kindness than most, and that's good enough to me.

"Something is near," Kodai's light voice rips me out of my strain of thoughts. It's has lost it's childishness and has more of a cautious tone. Somehow I don't doubt that he's right. Up in front of us a small clearing, surrounded by trees and bushes.

"Ophelia stays here." Kodai points to the area behind one of the bushes. "I call when it's safe." I know for fact that argueing with Kodai isn't gonna help. Even if I were to counter all his reasons, he would end up rambelling about pineapples and refuse to have it any other way than his. If he has decided something, it's not to be altered with. Which is why I without any protest creep behind the bush he points at, before watching Kodai walk out into the clearing.

Nothing happens. Kodai looks left and right, as I calm myself down a bit. We're safe. Kodai walks up to check on some bushes and―

As if out of nothing, a body of leaps through the air, pinning Kodai. A scream in surprise escapes his lips, as the whip is knocked out of his hands, and before I can even react, a rope is put around his neck, and he's dragged to his knees. In shock, I stand up from the bush,

"Stop!" I yell desperately. The body turns around, Kodai hanging from the rope in his hands, struggeling desperately to be freed from the rope, that slowly chokes him. Fabian sends me a surprised look.

"Ophelia..." He says, an innocent look covering his face as Kodai wriggles become less and less strengthed. Fabian has placed his hands perfectly, so that Kodai can't use his fangs in a bite. Kodai's defenseless.

"Let him go!" I shriek, clustering my brass knuckles.

"Ophelia..." Fabian voice is weak, pleading but also smooth. "Ophelia, please. I never wanted to... to betray you guys, I just got so scared in the battle with Fiona," His voice turns from silky to innocent sounding. "And then, I overheard Dyna, wanting to kill me while I slept, that you wanted to betray me! What should I have done? What would you have done in my situation?" He looks at me pleadingly, with a voice matching his puppy eyes.

"Let Kodai go," I whisper, hoping my fear and doubt isn't shown into my voice. What if he really is right? What if it really is right what he says? If really it was us who betrayed him? A chocked sound coming from Kodai's throat brings me back to reality.

"He'll kill me if I do, Ophelia, you know that. And are you want me to release him? I remember when we first met him in the training hall. He mauled a training doll until it was nothing but threads. You might be friends but... You know as well as I that this physcopath doesn't know love, Ophelia. You know he doesn't feel it. Do you really think he would care about your friendship if you ended up in the final two?" Fabian asks me, his voice being soft as silk. "I'll make you a deal. Let me drag Kodai away. Then, turn around on your feet and run away yourself. Leave me and Kodai. I promise I won't follow you. I promise I won't hurt you." Kodai wriggles beneath the rope, his moves getting more and more desperate as the life is slowly chocked out of him.

Would Kodai really not care? Fabian is right about the love thing, I really don't think Kodai can feel it... What if we did end up in the final two...?

"F-F-Fine," I whisper, stuttering the words out. It must have been the hardest word to say in my entire life.

"You're doing the right thing, Ophelia," Fabian mutters softly, as I turn around to run.

I only have one chance. With the speed of a cobra bite, I spin around, sending my brassknuckle out my hand, flying right toward Fabian's tratirous face. I was never the good thrower but I hope this situation is like when a father throws his kid out in a pool to teach them how to swim, that the hecticalness of the situation will make my attack hit it's spot. It has to, or else Kodai's dead meat.

"Klonk!" A dull sound rungs out within the clearing as my brass knuckle collide with Fabian's shoulder. I had aimed for his head, still a feeling of incredible relief spreads through me, seeing that I hit my target.Fabian falls to the ground and Kodai reacts immediatly, using this oppertunety to pin Fabian to the forest ground. Only a quick ''"No!" ''reaches to sound before Kodai closes his jaws around Fabian's throat, puncturing his airways. '''BOOM! '''

I run across the clearing, to Kodai who's still pinning Fabian's body to the ground and almost slam my arms around his back. Blood from his fangs run down onto my hands but I don't care. "I am sorry," I whimper, burrying my face into his back. Kodai looks up at me, before putting his hand around my chest, gently positioning me so that I sit next to him, instead of clinging to his back. Forcing me to look into his creepy multicolored he tells two simple word:

"Thank you."

And then I feel his warm arms around me, embracing my small body, and I let my tears run freely.

Janu's POV:
The sun burns relentlessly. So it has been doing all day long. We knew that with the changing zones we would one have to face it, still The Fire Zone seems like a nightmare in itself. How many tribute could want to run here freely on day 1 is almost unbelieveable.

Luckily for me and Yul, we have found quite a good cover. Two wall like rocks tower upwards to the right and the left, leaving a gap in between filled with refreshing shade. We stayed low today, mostly because of all that happened last day. With me and Yul and that tribute from 8.

I think Yul said his name was Polyvester or Polymester or whatever. I remember having commented on the name, and Yul had chuckeling told me that it was some kind of fabric. When I asked him what was so funny he had pointed out the fact that I just manage to trick a person whom's name I didn't even know the meaning of. Apparently that's funny. It wasn't really anything special what I did though.... any idiot could fake fainting, it's not even that hard, you just have to lie down, and close your eyes. Some people prefer to let their tounge hang out of their mouth when they do it but I think that makes it look a bit fake, I mean, I have never seen anyone who's fainted actually have their tounge hanging out of their mouth... Now that I think about it, I have never seen anyone who's fainted. So maybe I am bit ignorant. I don't really kn―

All thoughts of fainting and hanging tounges and being ignorant are pushes away from mind as I feel a warm hand over my mouth, getting dragged futher into the shade. I look up, the hand belongs to Yul, of course. With the hand that's not holding my mouth he puts his finger to his mouth, signalizing me to be quiet. Oh wait, that's why he put the hand over my mouth.

With a shaky hand, Yul streches his arm, pointing out from the shade we're sitting within. A tall, big figure is seen in the distance... or maybe not in the distance, because that distance is quite close... Only about 20 meters. It's that tall guy from 2 who got the highest training score... For a moment we just sit there. He's slowly turning around, like a water-spreader back in the gardens of District 11. It won't be long before he can see us and running means noise which means attention...

"Listen to me," Yul whispers, very very quietly. "When he's almost about to be turned, I want you to stand up. Stand up, and run in the oppersit direction and don't look back. Don't worry about me. I'll be alright." He tells me, his voice extremely calm compared to the situation we're in.

"But won't he see me?" I ask Yul.

"I won't let him hurt you. You just run Janu, run far away. Run to another zone.... I'll see you there." He tells me, sending me a small smile, that somehow doesn't reach his eyes.

"You promise?" I ask quietly. The career has almost turned...

"I p-promise... Don't worry about me, Janu... I'll be alright." Yul whispers, and before I reach asking about the stutter he pushes me forward. "RUN!" He yells, as Michael is completely turned. I see the career dragging out his sword,  and Yul getting out two of his three knives. A part of me just want to stay, stay by Yul's side.

"RUN JANU, NOW!" He yells at me and I turn and take some step cautiously. ''He promise he would be alright... He promised... ''I tell myself forcing my legs to move across the rocky grounds, faster than I have ever moved before.

At the border between the Earth Zone and the Fire Zone, a "'''BOOM!" '''rungs throughout the arena. Who would that be.... The Career? Yul? The career might be strong but... Yul promised he would alright... He promised he would meet me, right here. So I climb a tree close to the border for clear view and sit to wait.

I p-promise...

Wolf's POV:
The cold winds of the air zones bites around me, and for the first time in these games, I find myself being happy about the zone switch. After spying the large career from 2 wandering around in the fire zone, his sword covered in crimson blood, still fresh and glistening, I decided it would be better to get moving to a zone with more cover.

So naturally I choose the air zone, it being shrouded in deep fog. However now, I am not really so sure if I choose the right thing. The passage way across the pillars are small, the cold is biting, the fog almost feels like wearing a pair of blurred out glasses. However I will stick it out, because after all, if my calculations are correct, I should wake up to a blooming forest. like the ones I am used back home.

Back home... It's odd how these games can make me miss my home, eventhough it wasn't much. But there were something in those woods. The life around you made you feel... consealed. Like no one would be able to find you in the massive bunch of trees. You were alone but you weren't... lonely. Some kind of life would always be near you, no matter where you went. It made it much easier to cope with the loneliness. It made it... easy, to be a loner. But now, with the cold pillars and ever-so-heavy fog... I am afraid I feel more lonely than ever...

A shadow. In the edges of the blurry fog, a mixture of what I can and cannot see, there's a shadow. The form of a standing human, their bag turned toward me. They haven't seen me, it appears... And they're within range of my chained sickle. I should attack... but I don't. Can't bring myself to it. Somehow I don't wanna kill the only living thing I have seen since I killed my own district partner, Riven. I don't want to kill them, even if my mentor or my district or the Capitol wants me to. I should just sneak away...

They turn. He turns. His jaw drops as his sees me and I realize that I standing next to the Capitol Male. We just stand there, both completely frozen. And then, as if my body moves on it's own, I see my chained sickle flying into his stomach, acting solely on survival instinct, to eliminate the sudden threat. I watch, as blood is splattered onto the arena wear, and he falls over onto the platform, my sickle still stuck in his stomach. Gasping, he's not completely dead, but he will be soon. I turn around, ready to drag out my sickle and just run.

"Wait... Don't go..." I spin around again, hearing the dying boy's weak voice calling me. Causiously I move over to him, though keeping a certain distance, not wanting to be an easy target for some kind of last revenge.

"Don't worry... Even if I was a-armed, I wouldn't kill you," He stammers, each word sounding like a struggle on it's own to pronnounce. But it's the meaning of the words that surprises me.

"Why?" I ask, bending my eyebrows in a questioning expression.

"What would be the point of it...?" He mutters weakly, responding to my question with another.

"I don't know... some kind of avenging of yourself?" I stop, about five meters from him, not wanting to go any futher.

"And what would that help me? You killed me because you thought I was a threat. I don't... blame you. There's no point of having another death happen, just to "avenge" myself. It's not gonna highen my odds of survival." He looks down at the gaping wound in his stomach, the sickle still stuck in it. The calmness in his face is almost frigtening. "Please... Talk to me... I don't want to die alone, bleeding out..." He groans, wriggeling in pain.

I consider this... A certain part of me just wants to run. I don't trust this tribute, they might hurt me... And... I don't want anyone to talk to me. Back home, if someone wanted to talk to me, it would just mean more namecalling, and accusations about my parent's death. But I can't leave him, can I? I sentenced an unarmed guy to death, who wasn't gonna hurt me... Can I really just leave him to die on his own, when he asked me not to...?

"Okay." I tell him, sitting down, but still keeping my distance.

"You're Wolf, right? Wolf the tribute from District 12." I nod in responds. "My name is Quintus, from the Capitol." He takes a deep, pained, breath before continiuing to speak. "I suppose you would already be aware of that.... How is it, in District 12?" He then asks.

"What do you mean?" I ask back, confused by this question.

"Like... We always heard that it was this district full of barbarians. I didn't really believe that myself, I wanted to find some kind of book about the district so that I could learn more, but there weren't much written about your district... I wanted to go there, when I was done school. Be a doctor down there, helping people." His explanation caught me off guard. I will admit, I don't know much about the Capitol but... I thought the people there only wanted to dress up, dye their hair and watch children die for entertainment... Not all of them, apparently. A sudden, nausious feeling of guilt spreads through me.

"I... Well... We don't have much food. Many people live in poverty. The peacekeepers are..." I trail off, not wanting to get into that subject more than needed. "... Strict. Many people starve..."

"I see..." He gasps for air. "I don't have long... Wolf, listen to me.  Don't blame yourself for this. Don't blame yourself for what happened to me. I don't want you to live with that guilt. I hope you win so that the citizens of your district will get something to eat for a year. I have a first aid kit lying around... Take it with you... And thank you, Wolf... For not letting me die alone." He lets out one last gasp, as something changes in his eyes, as if they become more distant.... He's dead. BOOM!

I crawl forward, dragging out my sickle from his dead body. Before leaving the corpse, I put two fingers on his eyelits, closing them.

"Thank you."

Ella's POV:
The night draws in slowly, reflecting the pase of this day. I guess the fact that there were one extra death today did mean something, however, I haven't seen a single tribute in my zone since day 2... Maybe I am alone? I am not really sure. Still, I am thankful for being left alone, knowing that I have just survived another day. And now, we're less than half of the tribute amount we started with... that's a little odd to think about.

I am not sure what I think of the games. Some victors of the careers talk about how this was the "best time of their life" and that they would do everything to get in the arena again. Most of them, however don't say much and you don't have to be a genius to figure out why. Because they thought the arena was horrifying and life scarring, however, they don't wish to give the Capitol a bad answer, when they ask: "How did you feel during the games?".

I volunteered mostly because of my cousin... I wanted to make sure she didn't went into these games. She's barely 13, I couldn't let her into the games. However.... I also felt this... urge. An urge I had been feeling ever since I killed my traitorous mother and her stupid little boyfriend, Jason. Killing feels good somehow. Almost feels like you're playing with destiny, as if you can control the row of nature, play with the balance of the universe. To feel feared... To me, that's one of the best feelings I have ever felt. When I saw the despair in my mother eyes as she realized that I figured out her little trick with the poisonous wine. I didn't even reach to look Jason, before my dagger collided with his ugly face.

I wonder... I wonder if I should have stayed with the careers instead of going off on my own. I would have truced with them, however they refused. And personally, I could see why. I mean, after all I am only one small girl against the six... Well, now "only" three of them. In a way, I wish that I had gone with them, because after all, that would have probably gotten me a kill or two. However I guess there's a side of me which is happy that I didn't. The act of murdering someone... it can do horrible things to a person. I knew from the beginng that the female from 2, Claudia, would go completely nuts after her first kill. How I knew this, I am not really sure I blame it on my intelligence. Maybe I did the right thing for both my physical and mental health with no joining? Who knows...

Dragging me out of my thoughts, the sky lights up and I wait in anticipation to see who died today. The first face to appera is Fiona, from 5. I raise an eyebrow as her face appears, because honestly, I did not expect this. From what my memory tells me, her odds were 18-1 when we got our training score, only a little worse than mine. She was a strong opponents... But I guess even the strongest of the opponents will have to go some day in these games.

And then, the male from 5, Yul appears. Wow... I guess District 5 really lost their hope today. Yul isn't a surprise though, he was pretty weak, and he allied with a 12-year-old, so he had it coming. Although, it still surprises me that 12-year-old from 11 has manage to keep alive.

Then Fabian Matthis face from District 9 appears. Another one that didn't surprise me, he only scored a 4 training. This means that the Anti-careers are down to only three people though. Unless someone has broken up from the careers and survived that (which is pretty unlikely), the career still have four people left... Not looking good for the anti's, I guess.

To finish the montage, I see Quintus' picture, looking down at me, his ridicoulous purple spade watching upon the arena as a third eye in the middle of his forehead. To be honest, I am surprised he made it this far. He was from the Capitol, had terrible odds and training score. The only weapon I remember him wielding in the group training was a pathetic little knife. The guy deserved it.

The sky fades to black and everything goes quiet. I close my eyes, letting myself drift off, happy to be alive another day.

Careers:
Lynx Striker (D4M), Helena Krisp (D10F), Hester Riva (CF)

Anti-Careers:
Ophelia Carlile (D6F), Kodai Hitogoroshi (D7M),  Dyna Ploson (D13M)

Loners:
Ella Massey (D1F), Michael Kaizer (D2M), Lucy Perch (D4F), Araneae Web (D8F), Janu Wong (D11F), Wolf Fang (D12M),

 Day 5 -  -

Janu's POV:
Wamth strookes me gently awake. Kinda like how my mother, Wren would wake me up by letting her warm hand gently strooke my shoulder. It was always so hard for my mother to wake me up. When she would ask why I was so tired, I just said that I couldn't sleep. Really, I was out at the beach, exploring the place, and watching the sweet little hermit crabs walking around in the sand. I wonder if the hermit crabs miss me, now that I am gone? I hope Dorai, my own personal pet hermit crab, miss me.We were pretty good friends, except when he clawed my finger. I would have taken him as a token, but the gamemakers didn't allow him in.an advantage for me. I guess that's true though, Dorai does have some really sharp claws. He could probably win the games, I bet even the careers would cry in pain when he would pinch their toes.

But my mother isn't here and neither is Dorai. So they can't possibly be the ones to wake me up.

"Yul," I mutter, wanting the heated hand to go away. "Yul, I'm awake, leave me alone." The heat doesn't go away though, so I end up opening my eyes. Where I thought there were a hand, is really just a patch of sunlight. No Yul. The mountains frows upon me like yesterday. Where is Yul...?

It all come crashing down. The memories. Like when there's too many apples on the carts and suddenly, all of the apples fall out and tumble onto the streests in one gigant, red, apple-smelling chaos. Seeing Yul's face upon the night sky, his little smile, and kind face which I had come to trust. He had promised he would meet me... He promised he would be safe, but he broke his promise. He said it so that I would run away. But... I should stayed.

The tears falls upon my cheeks, quietly and still. It's not like when I fall and scrape my knee, and cry, sob, yell and say bad words that mother probably woudn't like. These tears are more... sad. More painful. And the worst thing is that I can't do anything. I told Polyvester or Polymester that no one should mess with my ally but... What can I do to a career from District 2, who the highest training score? I can't do anything, I am not strong or smart enough to avenge Yul, and I am not even good enough to win the games for the both of us. I am just... nothing.

I would give them anything to get Yul back. My panda hat, my mother's secret wok receipe, that dress that my stylist made for me, which he told me I could keep... I would even give them Dorai. Yul would be worth much more than all those things combined. But he won't be back... I'll never see Yul again.