It was two days after the death of the last Careers, when I saw her.

It was back on the cliffs, at the edge of the arena, where it felt like only yesterday that I'd thrown away the empty gas can to spite the Gamemakers. She was thinner than before, and her hair was frizzier, but she looked kinda happy.

"Leah," she said.

"Yes Mall?" I said back, happy to see her but not sure what she was doing. Just standing and looking over the cliffs.

"I want you to win."

This made me nervous.

"Whaddya mean, Mall?" I asked. "You could yet win. I'm not gonna kill you right now; and you have a chance too. Don't give up yet."

She shook her head and turned back to the cliffs.

"I figured it out." She said to me. "And if I don't move, the Gamemakers will."

"Figured what out?" I felt real cold and all, I didn't like this conversation much.

"The arena." Her eyes went all glass like, like she had an idea. "And what they're doing to us."

"Explain." I sat down on a rock and she smiled when I moved up for her; but stayed standing.

"Each trap and trick they play on us is designed to target our weaknesses. Each one is loosely linked to a human flaw."

"Ok."

"I need your experience to figure out each weakness, and to test my theory."

"What theory?"

"Have you ever heard of the historical Seven Deadly Sins?"

I remembered vaguely, I think Aunt Emmeline once told me when she was cross that I was Sloth or something.

"Sort of."

"Pride, Envy, Sloth, Wrath, Gluttony, Greed and Lust."

"What would the Gamemakers care about that?"

"It's their game plan, their way of designing traps for each flaw- as they see it, the flaws are Vanity, Jealousy, Laziness, Anger, Obsession with Food, Greed and Cowardice- or at least, that's what I think they think. Now, the bloodbath must be Greed, wanting more than you need. The other six-"

"Vanity- those mutts that tracked perfume." I was beginning to get the hang of this.

"Obsession with Food- the rats that ate the Capitol food."

"Anger- the aggression gas."

"Any idea what cowardice was?"

I thought of the marshes. "The eel mutts; that sneaked up on people who hid in the reeds and bit those that moved."

"That leaves Laziness and Jealousy."

I thought of the girl from 6, who slept so heavily and the Careers that were so tired they was asleep long enough for me to set a trap.

"Maybe set up something that might- make folks sleep?"

She frowned, dividing her face into lines. "Perhaps- a pod? That makes you sleep heavily and for long periods of time?" She got real sad all of a sudden.

"That only leaves Jealousy." She said hoarsely, talking real quiet.

"So?"

"There's three of us, Leah! They'll expect us to have two gang up on one, kill them and turn against each other. And I don't want any of us to gang up, it's not fair. It's about time the game is fair. If we don't make a team soon, they'll force us, with whatever jealousy pod or mutts they plan."

"Why don't we be allies, then? You and me?"

She shook her head, and tears splashed the rock.

"Then it would be just the two of us, in the end, we'd have to kill. And I can't kill!"

"We'll work it out."

"Don't you understand! It has to end like this! It's the only way we can stay sane, stay human!"

"I don't know what you mean," I said, close to cryin' myself. I did know exactly what she meant, and I didn't like it. "I'll miss you Mall."

"Win for me, Leah."

She turned to the cliffs and took a tiny step closer. From somewhere outside the arena, a bird with big white wings, spread out and flew over our heads, and Mall smiled at its progress. She leaned up on her toes, as fine and fluttery as the bird in flight, she spread out her wings. She leaped up, flyin' a swan or like a plant that leans towards the sun, and for just a moment she was there, shinin' like a mirror in the sun, her coat billowing slightly.

And she dropped like a stone.

"No!" I cried, though it was too late, there weren't nothing I could do. Mall was out of my hands.

The moment she was dashed on the rocks, the cannon sounded, and I knew I was alone now. I looked over the edge to where she lay, and then I wished I hadn't,

There she was, all splayed out, like a dolly thrown down the stairs. Her head was red at the back, but her face was pale, her mouth slightly open but her eyes closed.

I couldn't move. When the hovercraft came for her, her head faced mine, her jaw floppy like she said something to me, and I knew she was sayin' the same thing she had said to me.

Win for me.