A/N: Ok, so I'm just saying, all I own in this whole story are the author's notes.
This one made me cry, dammit. Thanks a lot, leven. :(
Josh, from District 12:
Rosalie has been awake all night, and I'm worried, meaning that I haven't slept either.
I watch her numbly as she spasms, her body contorting into unnatural shapes. Suddenly, she screams. Her eyes widen, and she throws up a lot of blood.
I begin to cry and slowly rock back and forth. There is no way she can survive this. After she finishes retching, she lays back down, her body becoming still. I caress her face, knowing this is the end.
She mumbles something inaudible. I have no idea what she said, but I don't have time to ask her. She's fading quickly. They say that the last sense you have before you die is hearing. So, I whisper the only thing I can think of.
"I love you, Rosalie." A faint smile seems to flicker across her lips, and then it is gone. After a long night of no sleep, Rosalie finally drifts into an eternal slumber.
Leaving me to cry.
Drew, from District 2:
I murderously glare at Jacob as he happily chatters with Siren and Pisces. He's trying to get in with them in order to steal Siren from Pisces, but Siren is mine! I planned on eliminating Pisces soon, but now Jacob is becoming an issue.
Knowing I can't do anything drastic in front of everyone without getting myself killed, I walk over to Jonathon.
"I think we should go out hunting again," I say as I approach him.
"Alright," he concedes, "but not everyone can go. I figure Alexx and Rye should stay because they might still be suffering some effects from the drugging, but we need one more person to stay behind."
"Leave Jacob," I offer, "He's really annoying, and he's not that strong of a tribute. He'll be of better use back here." Jonathon eyes me suspiciously, but then nods his head.
Hah! Take that Jacob. Siren will be going on this hunting trip with me, while you have to stay at camp!
Rockelle, from District 2:
I stand quietly as Jonathon calls everyone to attention. I can tell he is itching to get back out and find some tributes to fight.
"Listen up," he says once everyone has gathered, "It's about time we go out hunting again. So, here's how it's going to be. We are taking everyone with us except Alexx, Jacob, and Rye."
"What?!" Alexx's voice angrily rings out, "I'm not staying behind!"
"I'm worried that you and Rye might still be coping with the drugs in your systems, and I don't want to risk it," he replies evenly.
"I'm fine," she growls, "and if you leave me behind, you are going to regret it." She menacingly clutches her whip and glares at Jonathon expectantly.
"Fine," he replies. He maintains a calm appearance, but I think deep down he is terrified of this red-headed girl from District 2.
"I'll stay behind," Carissa volunteers before anyone can say anything else.
"Good. It's settled then," Jonathon looks relieved. "Everyone who's going grab your stuff and let's go." He turns to Rye and says, "we won't be back for a while, so keep the bonfire burning so we can find our way back if it's dark."
She nods and he turns and follows the others towards the woods. I look over at Carissa and frown. She seemed a little too eager to stay behind for my liking, but I'll have to worry about her later; I don't want to miss out on the action.
Adeline, from District 10:
I watch them, the girl from eight and the boy from ten.
But I don't get it; how could she be naïve enough to trust a boy twice her age and height?
I want to intervene, to stop her from being so mercilessly heartbroken.
How do you do that and live to tell the tale in a place like this?
You play them at their own game, and win.
Jacob, from District 2:
I want to punch Drew in the face. He purposely told Jonathon to leave me behind, so he could spend time with Siren. I hope Pisces kills him. Better yet, I hope that I get the chance to kill him. I'll torture him until—I'm jarred out of my thoughts by a noise behind me. I turn around, and Rye smashes my face with a shovel.
The world goes black. Great one, Jake.
Carissa, from District 7:
"Did you kill him?" I ask, horrified.
"Nah," Rye replies. "He's still breathing. He'll just be out for a while, and he might have a broken nose." I nod, feeling much better. We both work in silence, gathering up all the supplies we might need. I can't believe that we got so lucky to be left behind with only Jacob!
Suddenly, I remember Jenna.
"Rye?" I call out. "Grab extra supplies. We are going to have one more person to take care of."
"Who?" she asks sharply
"Jenna, the girl from District Nine. I found her on the perimeter of the camp. She's too young to defend herself, and we can't just leave her behind," I plead.
"Fine," she relents, "but let's go. Now." We jog over to where Jenna is hiding, and I call out for her. She appears from behind a bush, and clambers out to follow us.
"Wait," Rye says to us, "Stay here for a minute. I just remembered something." And without another word, she jogs back to camp.
Jenna and I wait nervously for her to return. When she does, she is grinning almost maniacally.
"What?" I inquire.
"Jonathon said to keep a bonfire burning, so I did," she replies smugly.
I turn to see the flames rising from the remaining piles of the supplies back at the career's camp.
Andrew, from District 1:
We march through the woods like a herd of elephants. Honestly, I'm not sure if any of the other careers even know what the word 'stealth' means. I need to get away from them as soon as possible, or their stupidity is going to end up killing me.
We walk for a little while longer, and luckily, we are passing behind a waterfall, which covers the sound of the others' loud footsteps, when Jonathon stops everyone. Looking around the side of the base of the waterfall, I see why Jonathon has had us stop. Josh, the boy from District 12, is hunched over crying. Behind him is Terran Lacerta with an axe raised above his head.
"Now!" Jonathon yells, and all of my companions stampede out of our hiding spot and rush for the two boys.
This is my cue to leave these idiots.
Siren, from District 4:
I rush out alongside the others. Jonathon reaches the boys first and begins fighting Terran, but I'm right behind him. Without hesitation, I twirl my sword through the air in a graceful arc and plunge it into Josh's back. He lets out a gasp and falls to the earth as blood begins to pool around him.
I turn to see Pisces, Rockelle, Drew, and Hyacinth helping Jonathon fight Terran. He must be good if it takes that many to kill him. However, before I can admire his skills any longer, I sense a presence behind me. I turn around and see Riana smiling at me wickedly.
"What?" I ask, shivers creeping up my spine at her expression.
"I wanted to kill the District 12 boy," she says giggling, "but you killed him! So now, I'll kill you." Laughing, she swings her trident at me. I block it and desperately glance at the others. Everyone is too engaged in fighting Terran to notice my predicament. Except Alexx.
She leans calmly against a tree, watching the whole thing. My fear renders me speechless, so I just look at her, pleading with my eyes. She just smirks and stays where she is.
Riana swings her trident again, and I block it with my sword. However, she's stronger than I realized, and while the blow doesn't hurt me, it does send me reeling backwards into the pool of water at the base of the waterfall.
Pisces, from District 4:
Terran swings his axe at Jonathon, and it lodges in his leg. Jonathon howls in pain, but now Terran is defenseless. Hyacinth goes in for the kill, but Terran deftly avoids her blade and knees her in the stomach. That's when Rockelle buries the spear she is carrying into his spine. Terran falls to the ground, gasping for air.
I realize that his spine has been severed, and he is mostly paralyzed. Jonathon hobbles over and finishes him off with a sickening thud.
That's when I hear a splash. I turn to see Siren emerging from the pool at the base of the waterfall. What she doesn't see is the crocodile right behind her.
Screaming in fury and fear, I run to the water and pull Siren out. The crocodiles maw snaps shut, missing her by inches. Snarling, it rears its head and thunders out of the water.
A/N: Action-packed, yes? (Almost better than the original...)
Review, please, and let me know if you want anything from this story. I can do tribute lists and things to keep you updated, if you want? I understand it gets a bit confusing as to who's doing what.
Anyway, the next chapter's out in a few days, hopefully.
See you then!