Chapter Ten

Annie's POV

If nothing else, the games have given me a chance to get to know Derek. Even though we've lived in the same district our entire lives, I've never paid much attention to him.

In the time that we've been in here, (I've lost count of how many days, or maybe even weeks that we've been stuck in here) I've gotten to know the boy that is my district partner.

But that is the bad thing; getting to know him will make killing him even harder. I can't do that to my friend. I can't do that to Bree, who will be devastated if Derek dies. I can't do that to his family, who love him so much.

But I made promises. I promised my father and my brother that I would win. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't go down without a fight. I promised my mother that I would make her proud and go back to my family.

But most of all I promised Finnick.

And there can only be one victor.

I think back to the tortured look in Finnick's eyes when he said he would break if I died. I remember how he told me he loved me. How he kissed me. How I kissed him. How he hugged me and told me to come back to him. How he looked scarred out of his mind the morning the games began.

And I'm filled with hope and strength, because I NEED to win this. I NEED to go back.

"What are you thinking about?" Derek asks, nudging my shoulder and pulling me out of my reverie as we continue through the forest.

"Soup." I lie quickly, not wanting to share my recent thoughts of his oncoming demise.

"Soup?" he asks, raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah…they have, um, really good soup in the Capitol." I say, biting my lip as I nod.

"Okay…?" Derek trails off and we fall back into silence.

I jump about a foot in the air as a cannon sounds through the arena.

"That makes six of us." Derek mutters, eyes roaming the forest around us to make sure the attacker is nowhere close.

"Maybe we should…" I'm not sure how to bring this up.

"Split up before we have to kill each other?" Derek finishes for me, and I nod in confirmation. "Well, Annie Cresta, it's been a pleasure allying with you. May the odds be ever in your favor." He holds out his hand, which I shake.

"Same to you, Derek Goldman, I wish you the best of luck." And with that we go our separate ways into the forest.

I'm about thirty feet away from where Derek and I parted when I hear him scream. Even though we are no longer allies, instinct takes over and before I know it, I'm booking it through the forest, towards the sound of his voice.

"Derek!" I shout as I run.

I push through the trees and find myself in a clearing, standing across from the boy from 5, who has Derek in a headlock and a sword in hand.

"Annie, get out of here!" Derek shouts, his voice slightly strangled from the boy's arms around his throat.

"I'm not leaving you!" I shout back, gripping my knife tightly in my hand.

"Well, well, well." the boy from 5 snickers. "Look who we got here. It's Finnick Odair's little girlfriend."

I stand tall and try my best to look intimidating. "Let Derek go." I say through clenched teeth.

"Where's your little boyfriend, huh? I bet he's off with one his Capitol girlfriends, isn't he? Well, I'll just finish off your friend here, and then we'll give Finnick a nice little show. Wonderful idea, isn't it?"

I'm hurrying towards him, when he slices Derek's head clean off with his sword. It tumbles down and rolls across the ground toward me, gushing blood.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" I scream in pure terror, a horrible, blood-curdling scream. And Derek's canon goes off.

Without even knowing what I'm doing, I throw my knife and it hits the boy from 5 straight in the heart. A look of shock fills his face as he looks down at the knife protruding from his chest. He drops his sword and falls to his knees.

"I'm sorry!" I sob, falling to the ground as well. "I'm so sorry!"

His canon booms and the sound rings in my ears. I stare at Derek's decapitated head, laying about five feet away from me, and thus begins my slow descent into madness.