"I don't care if you're a girl or if I said I loved you, but you made a fool of me, and you're going to pay." I only realise what he means when the kicks start raining down. It hurts, so, so much, I try to refuse to scream, but when riley reveals one of the knives from downstairs, I know he has gone, every inch of his sanity, Riley has gone mad. As I see the knife coming towards me, It's not riley I hate, it's the capitol. This is what the hunger games do to you, it drives a father to drugging his daughter, causes a boy to go mad. It makes you lose faith in humanity. I scream in agony as he slashes my forehead. My head rolls to the side, and I see what he has done. The word Coward is etched into my head crudely. The thing is, it took such little provocation, and he just flipped. My eyes are averted to Riley again and he yells, and cuts into the inside of my elbow. I can feel blood gushing out, and it hurts so much, everywhere, but I continue looking at Riley,
"Please... Stop..."I croak, and gasp with pain, tears streaming down my cheek. Amazingly he does, he completely snaps out of this mood, and stares, first at me, then at the exceptionally bloody knife in his hand.
"What... what have I done?" he mutters incredulously, "Help me!" he yells at the other tributes, I notice Victor and Yew, and the brute from ten, and the lift me up, as Riley runs ahead, screaming for help. My eyes feel heavy, and they almost close. Don't give up... stay awake... Chloe, I need to stay alive for mother... and Tobias... and ... and Rory, aahh, it hurts, and grandpa and I want to see Aliya... I need to stay alive for... Dad... ah, pain... Luke. That's it. I have to live for Luke... I'm so weak... keep your eyes open...There was Luke, he'd come for me!
"Get your hands off her!" he yells, plucking me from the other tributes like I was a feather. He runs off, carrying me with him.
"Come on Marli, come on, stay alive, for me, I wasted time! I know I did, but I was the only one who heard you, and he bribed some people to stand watch, so I had to defeat them to get to you, it was hell, listening to your screams, oh, Marli, stay alive, please!" He gets to the hospital wing, where the press were waiting from earlier. They squeal, this time in horror, and a few daring ones follow us with their cameras. The hospital staff, and some surgeons are waiting there, having a drink, but they yell in shock, when Luke comes in with me.
"Please, just save her, please" I am still awake, and I will stay awake, and alive, for everyone... and Luke...I vaguely remember the surgeons saying I had lost too much blood, and I wouldn't recover. There it is. I'm going to die. At least now I know. Luke looks like he has made up him mind about something.
"Can we have some privacy then?" All the surgeons slowly file out, along with the camera crews who were taking pictures of my mangled body.