Chapter Ten:

"S-Sean?" Kayla stammered. "He's...He's dead."

"Did you kill him?" she snarled.

"No, no! I didn't," Kayla said, looking pained.

"Who did?"

Kayla said softly, "It...it was Hunter and Lea."

Kate glared, her eyes flaming with anger. She growled, "You killed them?"

"Yes."

The bigger girl pulled herself up, holding her spear at a peaceful angle. There was pain in her eyes. "Sean was special to me. We kept it from everyone because he didn't like the other Careers. The Capitol couldn't know."

"They probably know now."

This brought tears to the girl's eyes. "I don't care who wins now. I don't want to. I think you should." She took a deep breath, and then said, "Thank you." Kate turned and ran in to the forest.

Kayla looked at William, who was staring at where the girl had disappeared in shock. "She played them as fools. Nobody knew. The Capitol is going to kill her," William whispered.

Kayla nodded. "Kind of like the stunt you tried."

He looked at her, but the expression went from slight anger to sadness. "Not funny, Kay." They stood there for a long time, watching each other. He said again, "Not funny, Kay."

She gave a soft sigh, pulled an arrow in to her bow. "Let's go."

She pulled back the bowstring and released. The arrow dug itself in to a small creature, a rabbit. It made a noise, a thunk. Just like the sound of Hunter and Lea. The sound made right before they died.

Kayla fell to her knees and screamed suddenly. William knelt at her side immediately. "Kay? Kayla? What's wrong?" he asked.

The trembling girl looked at him, her eyes wide with horror. "I...I killed them."

"You had to." They were the first words out of his mouth. He wasn't sure if they were honest, or a reflex answer, or just trying to make her feel better. Whatever the case, it didn't work.

"I had to? I had to?" she whispered, tears springing to her eyes. "Why so? I could've died. I could've just...I was trying to save him. I failed." She stood up and sobbed, "I failed."

"Kayla..."

She eventually stopped crying. William looked around nervously for the other tributes. They had to have heard them.

"Look what we have here," came a cold voice. "I was informed that you were dead, Miss Newers."

Kayla looked up in to the eyes of Bret, the six foot seven tribute.

Her eyes hardened. With a harsh laugh, she said, "I'm pretty good at avoiding death, aren't I? I have pretty good helpful people...like your Sean on my side, and your William who is actually my William. I seem to bother you a little, Bret."

"I am going to kill you," he snarled.

"Do what you like. I'm the one with the armed bow." She brought the bow up to his chest threateningly.

"I'm not alone."

"I seem to recall Hunter and Lea saying the same thing when they were killed," Kayla said, not sure why she said it or where she got the sudden stubbornness.

Bret's eyes widened and then narrowed in to a glare. "I have Kate here with me. If you turn around, you'll see she's got a spear against your back."

"Will?" Kayla asked, not eager on taking her eyes off this dangerous guy. She knew if her arrow didn't fly soon, he would be able to hurt her easily.

"I'm right here," Kate growled.

Kayla asked softly, "So, Kate, sunk this low?"

Bret took advantage of Kayla's indecision and pushed her back hard. Kayla accidentally let her arrow fly and with a thunk, it lodged itself in Bret's shoulder. He was hurt, but not badly. Looming over her with a large rock, his eyes narrowing in to a glare.

"I'm going to kill you."

Blood spurted everywhere suddenly, but it wasn't Kayla's, nor Will's. A spear wedged itself in to Bret's chest. He fell forward. A cannon shot went off before he hit the ground.

Kayla sprung on to her feet, pointing an armed bow towards the now defenseless Kate.

"Kill me, please!" begged the girl. "Please! I...I..."

Kayla let her arrow fly, but she missed. It lodged in to a tree barely four inches away from Kate. The almost hysterical girl grabbed the arrow out viciously, pointing it at her own chest.

"I will kill myself if you don't!" she shrieked.

"Kate," Kayla said in a soft voice, as if she were talking to an insane or incredibly frightened person. In this case, insane. "Kate, hush, it's okay. Put down your arrow."

"No! I will kill myself!" screamed the sobbing girl. "I WILL!"

"Put down the arrow," Kayla whispered as gently as possible.

"NO!" she screamed, pushing the arrow in to her chest.

Kayla screamed too; she couldn't help it. A fear encompassed her. She wasn't sure what she was scared of. She rushed up to the girl, who had a large hole in her chest and was spurting blood everywhere.

"Kate, Kate, please, hush," Kayla whispered. "Shh, shh, we're here."

"I want to see him," Kate whispered in reply, tears in her eyes. "Sean. I love him."

Kayla bowed her head sadly. "Kate..."

"I know, Kayla. I'm crazy..." she choked on her words for a moment and whispered, "Go win, Kayla. It's what he wanted, too." She lied back against the green grass, looking up at the bright blue sky. "The sky is blue...He loved the blue sky...Win, Kayla. It's what he would've wanted."

A loud cannon shot echoed through the arena.