Chapter 7

60, 59, 58...

Santana counted down the sixty seconds she was required to stand on her metal circle to herself, taking in the ring of tributes all equidistant from the Cornucopia, a giant golden horn shaped like a cone with a curved tail, the mouth of which was at least seven metres high, spilling over with things that would give them life in the arena. Food, containers of water, weapons, medicine, garments, firestarters. The Careers were almost vitally dependent on the Cornucopia. Something she could use to her advantage later on.

A few feet in front of her lay a square meter of plastic, that she could see held a tent pack that could protect her from any sort of weather. If she had could go in and fight for it against the 23 other tributes that was, which she had been told not to do.

54, 53, 52...

She's on a flat stretch of ground, a plain of hard packed dirt. There was either a steep slope or cliff behind the tributes opposite her, and to the right there was a lake. Her heart leapt in her chest as she saw the black, sparse piney woods to her left. That was where Sue would want her to go. Immediately.

Just clear out, put as much distance as you can between yourself and the others, and find a source of water.

But then something glinting in the sunlight caught we her eye. A silver sheath of arrows and a bow, already strung, lying on top of the Cornucopia.

That's mine. It's meant for me.

40, 39, 38...

She was fast; Faster than anyone else in the entire district, and Sue had never seen her run. Maybe if she had she would've told her to go for it. Santana frowned despite her thoughts. She knew she'd get there first, but how quickly could she get out of there? She could pick off one or two, but she stood no chance against over a dozen of them who could easily beat her with a club or sword.

30, 29, 28...

Halfway there. She thought, licking her lips. She was about to decide on taking her chances with the bow when she noticed Blaine 5 tributes to her right, quite a fair distance. The sun was in her eyes and blinded her momentarily, but she could see he was shaking his head. He knew what she was thinking.

Despite herself, Santana knew he was right, and she breathed in deeply as the final countdown began.

10

Rachel Berry's eyes shone with determination and dark longing. Her fingers clenched and unclenched at her sides, and nothing would stop her once she reached that Cornucopia. Jessie was to her left, glancing at her frequently, but an equal look of want on his features.

9

Finn Hudson looked terrifying, almost jumping off his plate despite the fact he'd be blown to pieces. Hunger radiated from him, a thirst for blood. He looked to Rachel as often as Jessie, the only difference being Rachel would meet his gaze and smile deviously. Lauren Zizes stomped on her plate like an animal, between the blank faces of Sebastien Smyth and Sunshine.

8

Mike Chang stood calmly upon his plate, Santana noticed. He kept his gaze focused, and appeared to be preparing to run, as did Tina Cohen Chang a few plates over. They clearly had a plan; Whether they would succeed or fail was a completely different matter.

7

She couldn't remember a lot of their names, from 5, 6 7 or 8. She could only vaguely recognised a tearful Sugar Motta. She had angered Rachel in training one of the previous days, and they all knew what that meant.

6

Artie Abrahms stood courageously alone, keeping his eyes fixed on the woods. He was probably hoping his bad legs would carry him far enough to get him out of harms way for the time being.

Santana knew he wouldn't reach the forest.

5

Santana imagined what her family would be like at home; They were all probably at her parents house. Puck and his family would have gone over, and probably some of her uncles and aunts. She doubted her Abuela was there.

4

Dave Karofsky was edging for the steep edge. His gaze constantly flickered to it and his weight was leaned on the leg that would allow him to take off in that direction the fastest.

3

Brittany; Sweet, innocent Brittany looked terrified and determined. Her hair was tied back in a pony tail, and Santana saw a piece of woven straw around her neck, the majority of it hidden under her coat. A token from home.

2

Blaine was emotionless. His demeanour gave no indication of where he was about to go, or what he was about to do. He was statuesque, looking noble and handsome while facing impending pain.

1

She wore her best haughty expression, and kept her own demeanour cool, preparing to launch herself in the direction of the woods.

The gong sounded and hell broke loose.

She leaped from her plate, sprinting forward and grabbing the plastic and a loaf of bread. An orange backpack, sure to be full of useful supplies caught her eye and she sprinted the twenty meters and grabbed it. The boy from District 9's plate was directly in front of it, but because of her speed Santana reached it the same time as him. She shouted as she grappled with him for a moment before kicking him in the guy and sending him back a few feet.

His eyes widened and he coughed blood as he fell to his knees, a dagger in his spine. Rachel Berry stood a few meters behind him, deadly knives in her grasp. Santana had seen her practice; She'd never missed. Her heart pounding in her ears, she ran for the woods as Rachel began to run towards her. She flung her back pack up just in time to prevent one of Rachel's knives from delving into her skull. She flung both straps on her shoulder and heard Rachel roar in frustration before Santana heard another sickening crunch, and a body hit the ground.

The other tributes had reached the Cornucopia and had spread out to attack. Santana knew the Hobbit wouldn't pursue her, she'd want to head back to the Cornucopia before all the good stuff was gone. A grin crossed Santana's face and she couldn't help but shout in response to the girl's roar, "Thanks for the knife, Ru Paul!"

At the edge of the woods, she turned for an instant to survey the field. About a dozen or so tributes were hacking away at each other at the horn. Finn Hudson swung powerfully with an axe, while Jessie nimbly ducked and sliced with a sword. Lauren broke one of the other's neck using a single arm. Several lay dead on the ground already. Those who had taken flight had headed into the trees or into the void opposite her. She had no idea where Blaine or Brittany were.

She continued running until the woods had her hidden from other tributes,then slowed to a steady jog that she thought she could contain for a while. For the next few hours, she alternated between jogging and walking, putting as much distance as she could between herself and her competitors. She'd lost her bread while grappling with the deceased boy from District 9, but had her plastic now neatly folded in her pocket and had freed her knife and slid it into her belt. She didn't dare stop to check what was in her bag- she had to keep moving.

She knew she could go for a long time from her days in the woods, but she'd need water. Sue's second piece of advise. And after screwing up her first piece, she decided to stick to this as best as possible. It was easier said than done, and as the hours wore on she grew frustrated at the lack of water. As she continued on, the woods evolved, the pines intermixing with a variety of trees. Some she was familiar with, some she wasn't.

At one point, she heard a noise and pulled out her dagger preparing to defend herself, but she'd only startled a rabbit.

"Good to see you," she had smirked; If there was one rabbit, there was most likely hundreds more. The ground sloped down and she wasn't particularly pleased to be in a valley. They made her feel trapped. She liked to be high on the hills, like in District 12, where she could see her enemies approaching.

She was quite surprised how she didn't feel too bad. The days of gorging herself had paid off, and she had staying power despite her lack of sleep. She also felt rejuvenated in the woods; They were home to her. The illusion of solitude made her more at ease, even though she was probably on screen right now. Not consistently but on and off. There were so many deaths to show on the first day, that her trekking through the woods wasn't much to look at. But they'd show her enough to let people know she was alive, uninjured and on the move.

It was late afternoon when the canons began. She allowed herself to pause, panting. The fighting must have stopped at the Cornucopia, and she listened to the shots.

Eleven.

Thirteen left to play. She wiped her face with her hand, and was disgusted as she wiped some dried blood the District 9 boy had coughed on her earlier off her face.

Well he's definitely dead. She couldn't help but wonder about Blaine; Had he lasted the day?

I'll know in a few hours. She couldn't fight the feeling of dread in her gut at seeing Blaine's face projected into the sky that night. The image of Blaine pale, covered in blood and lifeless passed through her mind and she failed to repress a shudder. She tried to remember the last time she saw him after he shook his head at her, but she couldn't.

Maybe it's better, if he's gone already. He had no confidence he could win. Plus then i won't end up killing him. Maybe it's better if he's out of this for good.

She couldn't convince herself.

She slumped down next to her pack, exhausted and slowly opened it. It's sturdily made, but a bright orange in colour. She'd have to camouflage it tomorrow, to make sure the damn thing wouldn't give her away by glowing in the dark.

She pulled out a thin, black sleeping bag, a bottle of iodine, a pack of dried beef strips, a box of wooden matches, a pair of sunglasses and a coil of wire. There's a two litre plastic bottle with a cap for carrying water that's bone dry.

"Damnit," she threw the water back into the pack forcefully, pinching the bridge of her nose with her left hand. She had to find water; The dryness in her throat and mouth were painstakingly obvious, as was the cracks in her lips. She's had a long day of running and sweating in the heat. She'd done that at home, but there had always been streams to drink from or snow to melt.

As she refilled her pack, an awful thought came to her.

That lake...what if it's the only source of water? The Career's would be camped there, not to mention it was a full day's journey from where she was now. She was about to panic when the rabbit from earlier popped into her head; It has to drink too. She just had to find out where.

As dusk came, Santana continued her journey downhill deeper and deeper into the seemingly endless valley. She was hungry, but instead of breaking into her precious beef and supplies, she used her knife to get some soft inner bark from a pine tree, slowly chewing on the stuff as she walked along. She found it tougher than she should have to swallow down the stuff after a week of the world's finest food, but she was stubborn and forced it down.

As the howls and hoots began around an hour later, she knew she had to camp for the night. She set up two twitch-up snares in the brush with her wire before settling down. She knew it was a risk to be setting traps , but food would run out fast. Not to mention Rachel Berry and her friends would be hunting during the night with their new toys from the Cornucopia.

She picked her tree carefully, settling for a willow in a group of other willows that would conceal her in the long, flowing tresses. She climbed it quickly, having exceptionally good agility due to all the time she spent during her childhood while her Grandfather hunted. It was awkward, but she managed to arrange the sleeping bag in a relatively comfortable manner. She placed her backpack in the foot of the bag, then slid in afterwards. As a precaution, she removed her belt and looped it around the branch and her sleeping bag, refastening it at her waist. Now if she rolled over in her sleep, she wouldn't go crashing to the ground.

Sue would get some laughs out of that, she thought wryly, tucking the top of the bag over her head. As night fell, the air cooled quickly. She knew getting into the sleeping bag was the right choice, knowing how important it was for her to stay warm.

The anthem began to blare and she looked up into the sky, and could see the seal of the Capitol. The seal faded, and it was dark for a moment. She knew they'd all be watching the full coverage of each and every killing at home, but that would be an unfair advantage to give the living tributes, knowing the other's strengths. All they got to see were simple headshots. Her breath caught as the faces of the eleven dead shone in the sky. The first to appear were the tributes from 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and the girl from 10. Santana wasn't surprised at Sugar Motta's face looking solemnly down at her. Then the Capitol seal was back and the music finished, before darkness again.

Britt and Blaine weren't dead, and relief washed over her. She was surprised Artie with the bad legs had managed to survive, but the others didn't surprise her. Dave had probably smashed in someone's skull on his rush out...

Her exhaustion finally crept into her limbs, and her eyelids were heavy. Slowly, she allowed her muscles to relax and her eyes close.

I'm lucky I don't snore.

Xxxx

Snap!

The sounds of a breaking branch woke her. She'd been asleep for five or six hours, and the tip of her nose was icy cold. Snap! Snap!

What the fuck is going on? It wasn't the sound of a branch snapping under someone's foot, but of someone breaking it off a tree. She knew it was several metres to her right and squinted in the dark over. For a few minutes, there was nothing but blackness and scuffling. Then there was a spark and a small fire began to bloom.

Idiota! She had to bite her lip to stop herself going all the Seam over that firestarters ass. What the hell were they thinking?! A fire lit just at nightfall would've been one thing. Those at the fight at the Cornucopia couldn't possibly have been close enough to see the smoke and flames. Now though? They might as well be waving a flag and shouting at the top of their voice. Santana didn't dare to move despite being close to the biggest idiot in the Games, for fear of being spotted by the hunting Careers. No doubt they'd arrive soon.

She lay smouldering in her bag for the next few hours, alert to any sounds made in the forrest. But soon dawn was beginning and she was beginning to think that they- her and the idiot, had made it unnoticed.

Of course, she'd spoken too soon.

Several pairs of feet broke the silence as they broke into a run. They're on him before he can a escape. It's Artie, she recognised his voice as he pleaded and sobbed hopelessly. Santana flinched at the agonised scream that followed.

Oh god.

"Twelve down, eleven to go!" She heard Finn shout gleefully. There was a round of appreciative hoots. She'd guessed they'd be fighting in a pack. She heard Finn, Lauren, Rachel, Jessie, Sebastian and Sunshine speak at one point or another as they rooted through poor Artie's supplies. According to Finn's cursing they found nothing good.

"Better clear out so they can get this cripple's body before it starts stinking." Santana decided she hated Jessie at that moment just as much as she hated Rachel. There were murmurs of assent, then to Santana's horror, she heard them moving towards her.

Calm down, Santana. They don't know you're here. You're hidden in the trees, they can't see you. As long as they kept moving before it was bright and her black sleeping bag went from camouflage to a nuisance, she'd be fine. She tried to keep herself from panicking as they stopped in a clearing ten metres in front of her tree. She saw glimpses of legs, arms, flashlights and weapons. She turned to stone, not even daring to breathe.

"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?" Its Lauren, and Santana's eyes narrow when she sees the large brutish girl has her bow.

"I'd say yes. Nothing to prevent them going in immediately." Hobbitch.

"Unless he isn't dead."

"He is dead. I stuck him myself."

"Then where's the cannon?"

"Someone should go back. Make sure the job's done."

"Yeah, we don't want to have to track him down twice."

"I said he's dead!" An argument broke out, until one of the tributes silenced the others.

"We're wasting time! I'll go finish him then lets move on!"

Santana almost fell out of the tree. The voice belonged to Blaine.

Xxxx

Ohhh I knew he was a rat bastard.

"Go on then, Lover Boy," Rachel says mockingly, not appreciating being undermined. "See for yourself." She caught a glimpse of Blaine, lit by a torch, heading back to Artie. His face was swollen with bruises, a bandage on his right arm and it sounded like he was limping somewhat.

Good. I hope it hurts. Betrayal overcame her senses. Teaming up with the Careers- nobody from District 12 would ever dream of such a thing! Even when Sue had gone into the arena, she'd slaughtered them all the first night the moment they'd fallen asleep. They're the Capitol's lapdogs, and were vicious and arrogant. She could practically imagine the outrage at home as he joined forces with them at the Cornucopia. He'd have made no new fans.

The Career tributes were silent until Blaine was out of earshot.

"Why don't we just kill him now and get it over with?" Finn sounded bitter, and Santana saw Rachel place her hands on his cheeks through the branches.

"Let him tag along. What's the harm? And he's handy with a knife."

Well well, Warbler. You're just full of surprises today.

"Besides, he's our best chance at finding her." It took Santana a moment to register that the her was referring to herself.

"Why? You think she bought all that romantic stuff he said about her friend?"

"She might have. Everytime I think of her spinning around in that dress, it makes me want to puke." Santana bit her tongue and began counting to ten. She couldn't wait to kill that girl.

"Wish we knew how she got eleven."

"Bet you Lover Boy knows."

The sound of Blaine returning silenced them.

"Was he dead?" asked Rachel.

"No. But he is now," said Blaine. The sound of a cannon fired. "Can we move on now?" They take off at a run, as dawn breaks and birdsong fills the air. Santana needed to get down, get going. But for a moment, she digested what she heard. Blaine hadn't told him she was able to shoot, even though he'd teamed with them. They just think of her as the simple minded girl who got eleven. Not knowing it was because she was lethal with a bow and arrow.

He hasn't told them because he knows they'll kill him once he does. She watched as Artie's body was raised into the hovercraft before getting up. She packed her gear, and jumped down to the ground, knowing she had a close up.

The audience would have been beside themselves knowing she was in the tree, knowing she had overheard everything. She made sure not to look perplexed, confused or frightened. She wanted the sponsors- hell, all of Panem to know exactly how she felt.

"Game on, assholes."

Xxxx

A/N: And there. I enjoyed writing this, even though I didn't like killing Artie. As always, thank you for the reviews, all of you are amazing. You'll definitely get another update by Sunday, and I figured if any of you have any questions if you mention them tomorrow I'll answer them in the next AN in the update. Someone asked if Brittany was the equivalent of Rue in this story and yes, she is. :( So please review in the meantime! -Q