"Psst!" the gentle voice said again.

I look at my surrondings, but I see no one. "Whose there?" I whisper back. I begin to pull out an arrow and ready to place it on my bow.

"No!" the voice whispered firmly. "I don't mean amy harm."

"Show yourself!" I demand. I can tell the mystery person hesitates, but then I hear bushes rustle. A small figure with wavy blue hair steps ot from the bush beside me. Levy. Her blue hair is tied back messily, her jeans are torn in some parts, and she looks awefully cold and tired.

"Follow me! I know a safe place."

I'm about to protest to the person who I always wanted to be allies with, when I hear voices.

"Land! We reached the other side!"

"Get going, then! Don't just stand around!"

"Follow me," Levy begs again, this time looking terrified.

I look at her suspiciously. Even though I really wanted to be her ally since we came to the Capitol, how do I know if Gajeel is behind her? But still, find myself following her through the bushes.

"Get up there!" Levy pointed to a very tall-looking tree. I was about to protest (again…) when I heard the Careers' footsteps getting closer. I knew I had no choice, so I obediently followed at Levy's heels up the tree. The braches and leaves hid us from the Careers' veiw.

"We lost her!"

"Fuck!" Laxus kicked a close-by tree three times before turning his attention to the boy they took hostage. Laxus marched over to him.

"You said you knew where the hell she was!"

"I-I did! I mean- I, I do!" the boy stuttered.

"Then where the hell is SHE?" Laxus roared.

The boy didn't answer back.

"Why you little…" Laxus stomped with his sword in hand.

"N-no! NO!" the boy screamed with terror-filled eyes. "We' her! I'll find her! Please, please!" the boy gave a final shriek before the sword plunged deep into his neck. Laxus drew his sword back furiously, allowung the boy's limp body to fall to the ground. Red covered his neck and made a small puddle of blood beside his body. Laxus' sword was dripping with red, blood sliding off and onto the ground. The cannon fired.

Levy whimpered beside me and hid her face in her hands and buried her face in her knees.

"Let's go." Laxus growled as he and the rest of the Careers stormed off into the distance.

"A-Are they gone?" Levy asked shyly.

"Yes," I sigh in releif. "Are you alright, Levy?"

She nods. "Sorry, I just hate blood.

"I understand." I say. I remember all the blood I saw as a small child when my parents got killed, and at the cornucopia. And at Grays death scene. I'm seventeen and I hate the sight of blood, but imagine what it is like for small, twelve-year-old Levy.

"We should go." I begin to climb down the tree.

Levy echoes, "We should go." she nods then follows behind me.

On the last branch, my hand slips and scrapes my arm on a sharp point of the dang branch. I feel blood comkng down my elbow.

"Crap." I mutter quietly, not wanting anyone to hear me if they are near-by. I don't know about you, but I do not want another running marathon for my life.

"Here."Levy whispers as she takes hold of my arm. Normally I would push that person away and clean it up myself. But I'm so tired and sore that I don't even care anymore. Besides, I trust Levy. "Lucy, this may hurt a little." she warns carefully.

I break out of my daydream. "Wait what?" but too late, Levy pours a crystal clear liquid on my bleedng arm. "Ow! Dammit that hurts!"

"I know." Levy says soothingly. "Believe me, I know."

"What do you mean?" I ask levy.

"Yesterday, I ran into Lisana. She got me pretty badly." Leevy lifted up her pant leg only to show a red, ugly scar that goes from her knee down to her ankel. "Lucky for me, I have a sponsor that sent medicine. This is the leftovers." she indicates to the clear liquid in aa small glass bottle.

"Does it hurt?"

She shrugs. "A little, but I'm fine. It makes me run a little slower, but that's okay. What matters right now though, is your arm. We don't want it to get infected."

It is official. Levy dsserves to win. She is so sweet, too kind to die. To gentle, too small to die now.

"…Lucy?" Levy looked at me. She was already on her feet, ready to go while I'm still sitting, staring off into space.

"Hm? Oh, sorry." I stand and walk along beside her.

"That's okay. No need to apologise." Levy shrugged with a gentle smile. "We should get going, find high ground before sunset."

The sky is beginnng to turn into a misty orange.

"Right." I say.

"What about this one?" Levy pointed to a big oak tree.

"Why not?" we climb up.

Once we're high off the ground,nwe sit on a branch. I dig through my backpack, searching for the rope to tie usnsafely to the tree.

We sit there in silence, watching the last glimpse of the sun setting over the herizon. Levy's small head rests on my shoulder.

"Who are you?" Levy asked randomly.

"Pardon?"

"Who are you? What do you like, dislike. Your hobbies, favourite colors. Dreams of the world."

I think about it carefully. "I'm Lucy Heartfillia. I like the story of the celestal spirits, I like reading. I don't like The Hunger Games. I want to become an author when I grow up. My favourite color is blue."

Levy smiles. "No way! I love reading and writing, and I wish to become an author to! Though my favourite color is orange. Do you know what else I like? Music. I love listening to the different melodies and listening to different beats of new types of music." she added dreamily.

"Well music is pretty lovely." I smile with a faint laugh.

"I really like that book: Celestal Spirits. It's amazing to think that they may exist. Whose your favourite spirit?"

"Probably Leo the Lion." I say.

"I like Plue. He's so cute! He's a dog, yet he looks like a snowman! Or so they say…"

"You," I poke her stomach playfully. "Are pretty outstanding, you know that? You have something that no one else has."

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Hope. You see the beauty in the world that no one else can see. You always look in the bright side of things, no mater what."

Levy smiled. "Maybe that's why everyone says I'm so innocent..."

"Maybe."

Levy yawned and cuddled in closer, I see her eyes flutter shut.

"Levy?"

"Yeah?"

"No matter what, you'll win the games. I'll make sure of it: you''re going home and that's final."

Levy and I continued to walk after we woke up, had a gulp of water, and ate a piece of dried fruit or two.

Levy continued to skip beside me, talking to me about "Celestal Spirits."

"And did you know that Leo can-" she paused, her face plastered with fear. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" I ask.

"A cannon." and as if on cue, a cannon fired. "Make that two."

"T-two? Already? But it is only morning…"

"LUCY!" another voice yelled from the distance.

I know that voice anywhere.

"Natsu?!"

"Isnt he the guy from your Area?" Levy asked and I nodded.

"LEVY!" a unfamiliar voice yelled from far away.

"Gajeel?!" Levy cried.

Gajeel?! Is he near… shit, I better get out of here if he is...

This was the first time I've heard of Natsu since I entered the Arena, I'm not going to loose him now.

Levy must have been thinking the same thing. We both began to run in opposite directions, when we stopped.

"It's okay, we'll find each other again." Its okay, we will find each other real soon. I promise."

She nodded.

I hate having to leave her like this, but she needs to find Gajeel, and I need to find Natsu.

"Hey, hey." I pull her into a hug. She wraps her arms around my waist. "I swear on my writing abilities that I will find you." she giggled a bit in my neck before we went seperate ways.

I kept my feet on the ground, going faster by each step.

"LUCY!" His voice is getting closer.

"NATSU!" I continue running. I enter a field with the weeds up to my waist, and that's when I see him.

His pink hair is messy and tangled, his clothes torn and ripped. He has blood coming down the side of his face, he's holding his arm painfully, and he appears to be limping.

"Natsu…"

I wonder how I must look like to him. Probably just as bad.

Natsu limps toward me and I sslowly walkm toward him.

And that is when I hear it.

A scream. But not just any scream, a bone crunching shriek-and it was a little girls'.

"LUCY! HELP ME! HELP!"

"Levy…" I hesitate, but then I quickily turn around and run again just as Natsu was ten feet away from me.

"LUCY!"

"LEVY! I'm coming! I'm coming!" I yelled back.

"HELP!" I ran for several minutes until I ran into an opening in the forest. And in that opening, I see Levy. Her body is entangled in a net, she is shaking madly. Tears are streaming down her face.

"Lucy!"

"Levy!" I fall to my knees and pull out my daggar. I cut the rope that ties her to the ground.

"L-Lucy, I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" she kept on saying over and over again

I finish cutting the rope and Levy flies into my open arms. Her body presses against mine as I keep telling her that she's safe now and dthat I'm with her.

I hear a branch snap from smewhere in front of us.

I don't even see who the attacker is before the arrow flies into Levy's body.

A/N

Cliffhanger! Oh yes I did!

Whatcha think of this chapter? Please add a reveiw and let me know!

Ah… I love a good cliffhanger, don't you?

I'll warn you now: have a box of tissues while you read the next chapter because it will be SAD!

- EternalFlame8030