Gadget stays with us. Cato spares him a backpack, and leaves the few that we aren't using in the pile that's surrounded by bombs. Cato and Gadget talk in hushed voices further from the group. All of us are trying to stay cool in the desert heat. I'm going to end up getting heat exhaustion, just watch.

I've already sweated through my shirt, and it's only nine o'clock. I've been in the arena for four days now. Seven tributes have died. It's been a day since the last death. The Capitol is most likely getting restless for blood.

Marvel and Naomi disappeared into Marvel's tent about an hour ago and we haven't heard from them since. Clove walks around the trap with bombs, careful not to step in the wrong place. Glimmer's been staring at the horizon for the past twenty minutes.

The wind has been picking up in the last twelve hours. It's been getting stronger and faster. Sand is starting to blow everywhere. I'm assuming a sandstorm is coming. I think that we should go to the building for more protection from it, but I don't know whether I should speak up or not. Besides, tributes could be hiding in there.. That's what they want. They want us all to go to the building for a giant bloodbath because they know that tribtues will want to have shelter.

I'm starting to think that they want these Games over with quickly. But, then when I think about it, the Games last year were quick. They'll want to drag these on and on. Probably more than a week. Maybe two if the Capitol really hates us.

I can't just sit here all day and do nothing. I'm getting restless. Quickly, I stand up and start pacing around, slingling my quiver over my shoulder.

"I'm going to hunt." I exclaim and Glimmer looks at me.

"Hunt what? There's nothing here!" She grumbles at me.

"Then I'm taking a walk." I snap and walk away, my feet sinking into the sand as I travel up a sand dune. The sun is still beating down on me and it's hot and dry. I just want to get out of here, where I can have my forest back, my bow and arrows back, my district back. I just want to go home. When I reach the top of the dune, I stare off at the endless desert. Deserts can't go on forever.

An idea snaps into my head. The desert can't go on forever. It always has to end, as do arenas. There has to be an end to this area. Maybe if I can find it, I can find some oasis or something that will help me get through this. Maybe something I can use. I want to start walking now, but it has to be around elven o'clock, when the sun is highest. That's the worst time to be in the sun, from what I remember from school.

I sigh and trudge back down the dune, and then head to the building to get some relief from the sun. At the last minute, Cato decides that it would be a great idea to come with me, to see if any tributes went back in there. Really, I wasn't going to search from tributes. I just want out of this madness.

We trudge over to the building and then stop to empty our shoes of sand before going inside of the building. If possible, the giant hole looks even bigger.

"It's like their expanding it." Cato grumbles before we edge around it. "So how long should we trust Gadget before we kill him off?"

"Huh?" I start, and then answer, "Oh, I dunno. How long were you thinking?"

"At most five days. If the games are shorter, than we kill him in three. I was thinking about giving you the honors, since you found him in the first place." I swallow and then nod. "If you're up to it, I mean."

It sounds like a challenge, so I play it up. "Is that a challenge?"

"You got that right." Cato smirks and the conversation dies down for a moment, before he speaks up again. "You know Undersee from home?"

I shrug, but my shoulders have tensed up. "Everyone knows her. She won the Hunger Games."

"No, I mean like from before."

"She's the mayor's daughter. Everyone knows her." I continue, my jaw clenching slightly. I do not want to talk about her at the moment. Or any moment at that. She'll just distract me from getting home. Hell, she's already distracted me. She's already kept me up at night. She's found a way to wedge her way into my brain. God, how is it going to be if I get back? It'll be extremely awkward. Especially if she's going back and forth from the Capitol all the time. And if I am. From what she said, I'll be one of those Victors too. Anyone could.

"Nice." The topic dies down as we make our way upstairs. Upstairs, we split up to search for tributes. When I hear Cato cackle, I hurry over to where he is to find the boy from 10, with the shriveled foot. He must be fourteen, at the least.

"You wanna kill him?" He asks me, a blood-thirst glint in his eyes. He wants to, I know he does.

"You go ahead." He gives me a look but then proceeds to stab the boy. His screams echo in my ears, bouncing around my skull. Cato wipes the blood on his jacket, and then grins down at the boy still bleeding and barely breathing. I try to give him a sympathetic look, but his cannon goes off before I can.

"Come on. Let's go to the train." Slowly, I follow, dreading what's to come. I know that he can tell that I don't want to kill people. I know he knows that. And eventually, he'll want me gone. Out of the running. I really wonder what my family would do if I died. If I came home in a wooden box, dead to the world. despite the heat, goosebumps flesh on my skin just thinking about it. I don't want to die, I really don't. I just don't want to suffer the nightmares that I know will come after.

Cato and I make it to the train and lug a few of the backpacks to our camp before going back and chucking the rest down the bottomless pit. That way, people will never be able to use them. I'll be the one to fall down that thing, I'm calling it now.

When we get back to the tent, we find that Gadget is the one guarding the camp. Cato sends him to bed and leaves me on guard. I grumble in annoyance as he disappears into his tent. This is going to be a long day.

A/N: So this is a really short chapter, and I'm really sorry for that, but life has been insane! Track season has started and I'm running the hardest event (400 meter dash) and it's taking a lot out of me, giving me less time to write. I'm really sorry for the wait and I hope it won't happen again!

Anyways, there were a few hints in this chapter, if you can catch them. Predictions?