Something surprising happens two days later when Boron and Randle run into each other. They just stand there assessing the other. Randle has an ax he must've picked up at the Cornucopia and Boron has a pair of knives.

"Good morning," says Boron.

"Morning," says Randle. "Nice arena they've got here."

"It's not a peaceful as I would like it to be."

The two boys laugh like they're old friends and the audience laughs with them.

"Well, I'm going this way," says Randle gesturing with his ax.

"You might want to go that way," says Boron pointing behind himself. "In about a five minute walk you'll hit a spring of water."

"Er, thanks."

"Not a problem," says Boron walking away.

Randle watches him for a moment and gets cranky about something, "Hey, Five."

Boron stops and looks back, "See those trees over there? Well, you can eat the bark. It's the cream looking stuff on an inner layer. Just that type of tree, mind you. The others will kill you."

Boron gives Randle the same weird look that Randle gave him just a moment ago. "Thanks."

They go their separate ways and Randle mumbles, "If you have a girlfriend she better thank me for this."

That's it, that's their entire encounter. And here I was at the edge of my seat waiting for a fight. They kept their word and I can't help but smile.

Before I know it the footage is back on the Pack when they find me. Watching it feels like it was happening to someone else. The District Two boy trips on the ravine floor and the others run ahead of him

Soon I'll escape. I'll outrun them.

The camera switches to the Pack and my hands slap over my mouth when I see something tackle the boy from District Four. It takes me a moment to realize that it's another tribute. The tribute punches District Four in the jaw and in one swift motion they trip up the rest of the Pack. With everyone in confusion, my rescuer scrambles to get away. But the boy from Two finally catches up and throws his knife striking their attacker in the side. It's not until his hood falls off his head do I even know who it is, Boron.

"The girl went this way."

Four gets up fuming, "Forget about her. I want him. When we catch him, the rest of you stay back."

The others agree quickly and they start following the trail of blood.

I get to watch as Boron struggles through the woods with his side bleeding. The Pack pursues him, but he staunches the bleeding with some moss. Wiping some blood on several leaves he backtracks to a bush and hides there. The Pack falls for it and they follow the false trail. When it's all clear, he gets up and leaves.

H-he saved me. Why did he do that?

There's not much time to think about that when they switch over to the girl from Nine. A band of mutts, the only ones I've seen at all, finds her and rips her to shreds. How long did they put her through that? Her screams are loud, but I must've been far, far away because I don't remember hearing them. After several agonizing minutes her cannon finally fires.

The Gamemakers pick up on Randle up in the trees, his domain, as he spots the Pack. They don't see him since they don't think to look up. The opportunity to surprise them must've been too tempting. Randle gets into position and then hurls his ax right into the chest of the boy from Two killing him instantly.

The others are alert now and start searching everywhere for the killer. They find him and the hunt is on. Weaponless, Randle has no choice but to run. I don't understand why he's doing a loop back to his original hiding spot when I remember that's where his weapon is, but by the time he gets there the hovercraft has already picked up Two's body with the ax still in him. There's no choice but to run.

When Randle finally settles down, a basket of food arrives. But the girl from Two anticipated this and climbed a hill to watch for the parachute. He hardly gets to finish his meal when they catch up to him and Randle's dead within minutes.

Finally they switch back to Boron. One look at his wound and it's obvious that it's infected. Every day he gets worse and there's no one that helps him, not even a sponsor. The camera zooms in on his face as dawn's light actually makes an appearance. His eyes are focused on the light and he smiles as he soaks up the rays. After he falls unconscious the sun disappears behind the clouds again. A few hours later he's dead.

Tears fall down my face and I don't care if everyone in the world can see. For no apparent reason he saved my life and died as a result.

Why? Why did you stop them? They wouldn't have found you.

The last little bit is haunting. All of the food is gone and there isn't any coming from sponsors. I hear the discussion between the two District Four tributes before they turn on the girl from Two. The basket arrives only this time there isn't as much as they received with previous kills. That's how things are in an arena. The closer to the finish, the more expensive gifts are for tributes.

The next day the girl from Four proposes they go in opposite directions to find the boy from Nine and me and afterwards they'll meet up at the Cornucopia to finish this thing. But the Gamemakers have something else in mind, a starve out.

This sort of thing isn't new to me. People die of starvation all the time back home. We grow everything, but we keep very little of it. If we ask for more we're punished for being ungrateful for what we already have.

I don't remember any cannons announcing the deaths of the others. What am I talking about? I don't even remember leaving the arena! But the trumpets sound and the announcer's voice comes over announcing my victory. Shortly afterwards a hovercraft arrives and takes me away.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for Seeder!"