CHAPTER 7

I woke up with my head on Kaleb's shoulder and Webber staring at me sadly but when he saw me looking at him he quickly looked away and started talking to Rain. I pulled my sleeping bag tighter and snuggled into Kaleb more. He was so warm and comfortable; I could stay like this forever. Kaleb shifted and pulled me closer to him, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"Kaleb?" he made a 'mmm' sound and I took that as a sign to continue "Just checking to see you were still alive" Kaleb half-heartedly chuckled, shivering. I moved my head to see his face, it was pale like porcelain, and he had formed a small scruff on his chin that had some frost on it. I ran my hand through his scruff.

"Thanks" Everyone was cold, they were all shivering, and I could hear everyone's teeth chattering. I don't think any of us are moving today, it's too cold.

"Hey Annabella, tell us about your life at home" Rain said from her spot next to Webber.

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything, Everything, just distract us from the cold"

"Um, well I never really knew my mum but I heard she was nice, beautiful, funny and loved by everyone, her and my dad never really fell in love. They had a thing for a while but that was it then she left my dad and nine months later I came. Mum died not long after I was born and some Peacekeeper dropped me on my father's doorstep. He did alright raising me, I guess I just don't know any different but I had a good life. He raised me right. People tell me every day that I am looking more and more like him but the Capitol ruined that by dying my hair this hideous colour. No offense" I said the last bit to Kaleb.

"A bit taken" He chuckled.

"I didn't have many friends; a lot of people didn't even know I existed until now"

"Wait. I know your dad, Gale Hawthorne right?" I nodded at Archer's words "Wow, I have looked up to him Katniss and Peeta since I was younger, to be able to start a war like that and still be alive is unimaginable, that's amazing"

"Amazing?" Kaleb growled "Both me and my sister were reaped because of it, the Capitol wanted to see us die and rot in the arena just to teach our parents a lesson. That is not amazing that is sick and twisted, my sister only just turned 12!"

"But she's not here. Annabella volunteered for her" Webber said.

"Yes, and if she didn't I don't know what I would have done" Kaleb turned his head and placed a kiss on my forehead.

"You would have protected her with your life" I leaned into him more.

"What about you guys?" I asked Rain and Webber "What was your life like?"

"Well, both our parents are dead, Webber rose us" Rain looked at Webber admirably "We have a little sister and 3 little brothers. As you know I volunteered for our little sister Emma and our little brothers are Ducky, Jason and Junior. We lived in a little shack and barely live off the food we have, I had lots of friends, they hated to see me go. Especially Caesar" Rain got a dreamy look on her face that said it all, this Caesar person was more than a friend, a boyfriend perhaps.

"Caesar's a dick" Webber growled "You deserve better, he needs to learn to keep his hands to himself"

"He didn't mean it Webber!"

"Yeah and I didn't mean to break his arm" Webber mumbled.

"What about you Kaleb?" Rain changed the subject brooding.

"My parents are champions, I grew up with the good life, I got everything I wanted and more. I have never gone hungry or been so sick I was throwing up. But that's not always a good thing" We all shot him an 'are you serious' look "It's not, I wasn't prepared like you all were, my parents smothered me so much they didn't want to believe I would be picked, I was clueless but then I realised everyone was just waiting for my sister to be old enough so I started preparing myself. No eating as much, working out. I didn't want to be useless"

"Nice sob story richy rich" Archer laughed out "Don't act like you've had it hard because you haven't, you haven't had to fight to feed your little sister just so she could live another few days or have to shake some sense into your mother because she thought the worst had hit us and it wasn't worth even trying anymore. You haven't nearly starved to death or had someone taken from you, you didn't have to leave your home hoping your family won't die from starvation, sickness or your mother giving up so don't tell us you didn't have a good thing going because I would kill to swap places with you for just a day!" Kaleb stood to protest but just got tackled to the side by Archer. They rolled out from the cover and out into the open.

"Stop, stop, stop" Rain whispered covering her ears; Webber placed an arm around her and gestured for me to go break up the guys.

I rushed to my feet ignoring the pain in my legs and running towards the guys but they kept getting further and further away. I hit something slippery and fell hearing a small crack but it didn't come from me, it came from the ground. I looked down and saw thin see through ice. I looked over the ground; it was a lake of some sort, a big one. And the boys were right in the middle of it. I could hear faint cracking sounds, like the ice was breaking. It was not safe to be out there right now, especially while fighting.

"Get off there! Get off now!" I screamed, they didn't even hesitate. I heard laughing and looked over to the other side of the lake, it was the careers from District 4 they were making their way to the boys but paused at the lake staring at the thin ice before smiling at them. "Look out!" Archers head looked over at me as I quickly pointed to the other side "Get off the ice!" Archers head turned the other way and he stopped punching Kaleb. They scrambled to their feet dragging each other. Meanwhile the careers got the oh so brilliant idea to knife the ice, it started splitting furiously. The ice cracked under Kaleb and Archer's pressure and they went down.

"No!" Webber shot passed me and onto the ice towards the boys. Should I go help them or will I only get in the way? Weber dived into the water which I am sure is freezing cold, colder than anything we have encountered yet. Rain ran over and stood next to me with a death grip on my hand. I'm not sure if it was for comfort or to make sure I didn't run out there myself.

She started tying a loop in the rope she had in her other hand and threw the end out so it would reach the hole the boys fell into. Archer emerged first gasping for air. That's when I left Rains side I slid across the ice and stopped just short of the hole helping pull him from the ice cold water. I placed the rope around his head and under his arms. Rain started pulling as far and strong as she could while I leant over and looked for Webber and Kaleb. I made a split decision to dive in after them, a stupid decision might I add. The water was foggy and freezing on my hands and face, everything else seemed to be protected from the cold water, maybe it was the suit Philliam gave me?

I saw Kaleb and Webber both floating in the water unconscious. I panicked and tried to grab them both and drag them both up into the air but I couldn't take them both. I need to make a decision, I swam up getting a big breath and grabbing the rope and swimming back down. I placed the rope under Webber and tugged on the rope a few times hoping Rain would get the message. Thankfully she did and Webber was being pulled out of the water. I grabbed Kaleb tightly swimming upwards. My breath was begging to be let out, my chest was tightening, we finally reached the top but something wasn't right, we couldn't get through, the water had iced over. We were stuck. I banged on the ice and screamed letting out my last breath in a swarm of bubbles. My vision was blurry, black spots appeared in my vision and my limbs lost all feeling. Something brushed my arm and it took all I had to turn my head and look at Kaleb.

'I love you' he mouthed before closing his eyes, mine soon following. I never even got to say it back…

I was feeling warmth in my limbs. Am I dead? Is this what death feels like? If so I don't understand what I was afraid of the entire time.

"Hey, Anna, wake up" my eyes cracked open to see Rain over me with a bowl of soup "Soup from your district" she whispered. I groaned and slowly sat up, my head was killing me… Everything was killing me, I took the soup with shaky hands and slowly sipped it, oh it was so hot! Kaleb was besides me drinking his own soup and Archer was brooding in the corner.

"How long were we out for?" Kaleb asked with a raspy voice.

"Just a day" Rain was being very abrupt and blunt, something wasn't right.

"Where's Webber?" Rain broke down crying.

"Dead, he is dead" Archer grumbled "So is so is the girl from District 1 and the boy from 11" I looked up to Kaleb whose eyes were icy and hard.

"I think we should start moving again, we're sitting ducks here" I meant for it to be quiet but everyone had heard it, they all faced me with different expressions.

"You want to go out there where we will most likely freeze to death?" Rain exclaimed, I think she blames me for Webbers death.

"You want to stay here where we are an easy target? They've seen us, they know we're here!" I stood rolling up my sleeping bag quickly and shoving it in my pack; I picked up my weapons and looked down at everyone who still hadn't moved. "I'm going, if you want to stay then go ahead but I am not going to sit back and relax while everyone else is dying and hunting us" I turned and started walking through the thick snow, it slowed me down a lot but I need to get away before I get even more attached and someone finds us. I personally do not want to run into those careers again.

"If you walk away then you are no longer our ally! You will be the enemy!" I turned and saw Rain standing there looking furious. The boys were looking at her in shock then they simultaneously turned to me shaking their heads.

"Then I'm sorry to have you as my enemy" Rain was shocked, she was expecting me to turn around and go back to them hoping we will survive another day. I turned and started running through the snow. I will not sit around and be picked off one by one.

I trudged through the snow trying to stay warm and think of a way to pick off more tributes. I paused in my steps as a loud cannon sounded through the arena. Someone else had died. I wanted so badly to turn back and see if everyone else was okay but I couldn't bring myself to do it. They are not my responsibility anymore. I kept walking ignoring the cannon that went off not 5 minutes later, people were dying and I was worried about my friends. Friends, did I really just call them my friends?

I walked for ages before I came across another Tribute, a girl my age, I think from the same district as Archer. I think I saw them together at one point, are they friends? Have they ever been friends? Maybe they dated?

Now that I had learnt peoples past that's all I can think about, I can't think about anything else, not survival or killing, just their lives. The families they left behind, friends that are watching, what their life is like, are they poor? Wealthy? I shivered and looked up at the sky as another cannon went off.

I barely had enough time to register what was happening when it hit me a rock to the side of my head I fell scrambling for my weapons.

"How dare you try to sneak up in us!" Us? I looked around spotting the Careers from District 1 and a boy from District 10. So they are all together, that explains why they are still alive, no offense, but this girl doesn't look like the sharpest cookie in the jar.

I reached for one of my secret knives and lodged it in the girls leg before scrambling to my feet leaving my bow and arrow behind and legging it in the opposite direction of my friends, I don't want to lead them straight to them. I should have stayed, what was I thinking?

"Ooof!" I fell face first into the snow. Someone jumped on top of me and released me only until I could turn around and get my face out of the snow, "Get off me" I growled; I tried so hard to reach for one of my knives but this guy was holding me down pretty tight.

"You're a pretty little thing aren't you?" The boy from district 4 sat on me with his face centimetres from mine, He spat while speaking, and great now I have a face full of spit.

"No she's not!" the girl from District 4 screeched "Kill her before she gets away!" her voice was loud and squeaky, like a bell, a really, really, really annoying bell. Worse than the one signalling that a shift in the mines was over. I cringed at both her voice and the boy on top of me.

"She's right, look what that girl did to my leg!" The girl who had originally attacked me hobbled over to us. The boy behind her nodded in approval toward me.

"Let him have his fun with her first" he said grabbing the girls and dragging them away. I started struggling more, if they are thinking of what I think they're thinking of then I need to get the hell away from here and fast.

"What's the matter little birdy? You eager to have some fun are you?" He smirked and tried to undo my jacket with one hand, I screamed and writhed around on the ground "Shut up!" his other hand came to my mouth, he took too long to realise his mistake and by the time he did I had a knife sticking out of his throat, he made gurgling sounds and fell to the side trying to stop the bleeding. I scrambled back onto my feet and started running again.

The last thing I felt was something pierce my back then the snow on my face.

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