In the sky tonight, I only see one face, Aura. Only one tribute died today. The Capitol must be bored by now. Yet my sudden 180 may keep them entertained for a while. I wonder how Tala reacted to my stunt. It wasn't something her Annli would do. That Annli is gone. I left her behind in District 3. I didn't kill Aura, the monster that replaced me did. I don't know how long it will take before the Tala's Annli returns. The answer might be eternity.

Brynn is lying in the tree, peacefully sleeping. I offered to be the lookout tonight. She seems too frail to defend herself if there was an attacker. I haven't underestimated her, however. I have seen tributes in the past pretend to be weak, but they are actually very strong. I should have thought of that as a strategy. In all actuality, though, I am weak. There's no fooling anyone.

Even with Brynn next to me, I feel more alone than ever. I can't confide in Brynn, not like I used to with Tala. I don't trust Brynn. All I know about her is that she lived in District 7. She said she isn't going to play these Games. Is she telling the truth? I lied to myself, so it's possible she is lying to me.

Brynn stirred awake. "You didn't pass out yet?" I shake my head. "Well, I guess I picked my ally wisely. You can sleep now, if you want."

"I can't sleep, I tried," I let out a sigh. "Aura is stuck in my mind. I can't stop thinking about how I killed her. I'm no better than the Capitol."

"She was going to kill you. You got your revenge." I shiver. How can this girl be so callous and cruel?

"Wouldn't you feel guilty about it?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. You didn't kill her. The Capitol did. If the Games didn't exist, she would still be alive."

I gasped. "What about your family? Your friends? My best friend won't even recognize me anymore. I'm a heartless murderer."

"I have no family. The Capitol took them away from me. My dad didn't die collecting lumber. I don't know where they are, probably dead by now. I had friends, too, but they were reaped. I watched them die on television. There was nothing I could do. So, if you feel guilty, you wouldn't stand the pain I feel right now."

"Why did the Capitol take away your parents?" I can relate to her in more ways than I once thought.

"I don't want to talk about it," Tears begin to fall down her face. "If I do win the Games, there is nothing for me to go home to. I have nothing left. Every day I am alone in this world, because of the Capitol."

"I know how you feel," I said, attempting to make her happier. "Brynn, you always have something to live for."

"Annli, promise me something," she said, completely ignoring what I said. "If you win, take down the Capitol. Burn it to the ground. Do you promise me this? Burn it down, for your parents, your brother, and for yourself."

I raised an eyebrow. "How did you know my parents were killed by the Capitol? I never told that freaky interviewer. What's his name? Caius?"

"It was in some Hunger Games special on TV," she said simply. "Didn't your escort force you to watch those? Mine did." She clears her throat, and begins to speak in a Capitol accent. "Happy Hunger Games!" Despite the awful impersonation, I laugh anyway. I haven't laughed in so long, the sound seems foreign.

I start to realize that it is very slow paced in the arena. Sure, I may have kept the crowd busy for a bit, but I'm not anymore. The crowd is eagerly awaiting more bloodshed. How will the Gamemakers solve their dilemma? The tributes are scattered around the arena, so not much gore has happened so far; only one death since the Cornucopia bloodbath. The Gamemakers are plotting to find a way to bring us all together somehow.

Brynn reached the same conclusion. "We won't be safe for long." She hands me a handful of dried fruit. "Keep your strength up. You will need it later." It almost seems laughable that Brynn, a scrawny girl, is telling me to stay strong. She should be more worried about herself.

My eyes scan my surroundings. The visibility has decreased rapidly. No problem, I assured myself. We have plenty of food for a while. No use. Nothing will calm me down. I catch a glint of red in the distance. My stomach drops.

Make this quick, I plead. To who, I'm not sure.

Hissssss! Scaly creatures slither through the sandy terrain. The noise gets louder as the serpents find their way to the juniper. Brynn isn't watching. She doesn't know. I struggle to speak. My words come out as a single croak.

Finally, I locate my voice. Too late. One snake is already gliding its way up the tree. It's no ordinary snake; double the average size, and the eyes are ruby red. These are mutations. "Mutts," I yelled. Alerting her won't help. We're dead either way.