I woke up to find Brynn nowhere in sight. I sighed in relief. I endured the night. Maybe I was wrong. It could be a mistake believing that Brynn is my enemy. Where is she? On the other hand, someone may have gotten her before she killed me. I shivered at the thought.

"Brynn?" I call out. No response. I repeat her name. I only find silence. Beginning to worry, I climb down the tree after grabbing my knife from the bag. My left leg feels wobbly and useless due to the snake attack. I scan my surroundings. There isn't anyone nearby. Brynn is gone.

I haven't heard a cannon. This thought gives me the slightest feeling of hope that keeps me going. She could still be alive. Besides, Brynn has been living in the wild for a while. She obviously knows how to survive. It is more likely for me to die than her.

Then again, the Capitol citizens are awaiting more bloodshed. Last night, two died; the girl from District 4, and the boy from 11. Those two districts must have a disadvantage. District 11 naturally has a disadvantage because it's one of the poorest districts. Agriculture doesn't help anyone in the Hunger Games, either, except their experience with plants. District 4 is mostly coastline. Nothing close to a desert is nearby. There is only one water source in this entire arena. I can see how they had much difficulty.

So Xavier is still alive. I wonder what happened to him. He is probably in the same situation as me, hiding in a tree, trying to outlast the other tributes. I can't imagine Xavier ever killing someone. I have known him since my childhood. He was always the shy, quiet boy who stayed out of everyone's way. He was never bold or daring, he was just in the background, silently observing.

Something catches my eye, vibrant, fire red hair. The same color of Brynn's hair. I hobble over to the red-haired girl, who is spread-eagle on the ground. I scream her name, but she doesn't react. She remains motionless on the ground. On closer examination, a gaping wound is in her wrist, and a snake's fang is nearby. The mutts weren't gone.

Tears cloud my vision. "I'm sorry, Brynn." I choke out. If I had been awake sooner, would her fate be the same? Next to her is the water canteen, filled to the brim with fresh water, and a scarlet colored fruit that somewhat resembles an apple. She was never going to murder me. She was just an innocent girl forced to play in these awful Games.

The cannon fires in the distance. A high-tech hovercraft flies through the air and collects her rigid body from the blood-covered sand dunes. I sit on the ground and cry. For once in my life, I let myself cry. It doesn't matter who sees me. I have no sponsors anyway.

A silver parachute falls to the surface. I scoop it up, and empty its contents. Inside is venom medicine. It comes from the Capitol; it is way too expensive to be available in the districts. In this stage of the Games, the price is even higher.

I jab the hypodermic needle into my leg. The feeling of the venom leaving my bloodstream is immediate. "Thank you," I said. "Maybe I can be the victor now."

"Who says I won't?" said a voice behind me. I whirl around, facing a muscular boy with bright copper colored eyes, ashen skin, and curly honey blonde hair. Despite being in the arena, he looks fairly healthy. I look like a skeleton, even though I have a substantial amount of food.

"Xavier," I snapped. "How nice. You're still alive."

"Sadly, you are too," he replied coldly.

"What happened to the little boy from the Outage Zone in the district? The boy who never got into trouble? The boy who was constantly avoiding everyone?"

"He's gone," Xavier retorted. "I am the real Xavier. You thought I was actually going to help you? No. I was trying to manipulate you into teaming up with me. It was the Careers' idea." It was all an act. He was never my friend. I was foolish to think otherwise.

"Why?" I asked. "What do you have against me?"

"There can only be one victor," he said simply. "There was a chance it could be you. I tried to stop that from happening."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course," I'm ready. He can kill me if he wants to. "How about we see who is stronger. Me or you," I pull out my knife.

He grips onto his sword. "We'll see, Annli," he said, as though my name was acid in his throat.

I watch as a glint of metal sails through the sky into its next target.