AHHHHH! I FINALLY UPDATED! im really proud of this chapter, so i hope you all enjoy it! And thanks to everyone who reviewed! it always make me feel so happy when i see that someone did, so keep doing that! XD anyways, as always, read, review, and enjoy!

For a few moments, the beast looked at me and I stared at its snout, stunned at how fast it had come at me. It was like I was fine one second and then the next, BOOM, I was jumped by an angry puffball. My chest felt like it was caving in from the weight of the thing and I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the pressure much longer if I didn't find a way to get it off of me. Squirming underneath it, I tried to dislodge myself from its stomach area but whenever I moved, it would growl in this scary way, causing me to go still.

I thought to myself that if maybe I could get my backpack out from under me, I could wack the thing across the face with it and get away, but there was one slight problem. My arms were pinned down at my sides and there was no way I was going to be able to move them anytime soon. The monster roared again, and I winced as its rancid breath blew across my nose and cheeks, the smell making me want to vomit up anything I had eaten for breakfast that morning. My toes wiggled inside my boots as I tried to think of a plan, and I bit my lip as the beast growled once more. That's when I realized that up to my knees, my legs were free to move, and I contemplated kicking the animal to make it get off of me.

Well, it's seems like my only choice so, here goes nothing, I thought, and began to raise my leg, inch by inch so I wouldn't alert the monstrosity that I was planning to attack it from behind. Soon, my boot was in position to ram into the back of the animal and without even a count to three, I jammed the toe of my shoe into its dense, white fur. The thing jumped for a split second, but that was all I needed to roll out from under it and try to scramble to my feet before it could dig its claws into my flesh.

The monster glared at me, its big black eyes menacing and merciless, and charged, tearing across the snow to launch itself at me. I whipped myself out of the way at the last moment and grasped a strap of my bag in my hand, preparing myself for its next attack. Again, the beast came at me, but this time, I knew my strategy. When it leaped to sink its teeth into my neck, I raised my backpack and slammed it across the animal's face, causing it to yelp and pause its confrontation. Feeling a bit proud of myself, I wondered what Cato was thinking of me at the moment. Did he find girls battling for their lives against bloodthirsty over-sized stuffed animals sexy? Okay, not the time to be thinking of that.

It pounced another time, it's shiny black claws gleaming in the bluish light that came with nighttime, and before I could maneuver my body away, one of those six-inch suckers slashed across my side, missing my jacket, which had somehow become unzipped, and cut thorough the fabric of my t-shirt. Hissing in pain, I grasped my side and I could feel the blood beginning to seep thorough my fingers, thick and hot against my skin. This was bad, very, very bad. No way could I afford to be seriously injured now, not when I had a mutation to defeat. Trying to ignore the burning of the gash, I focused my attention back on the animal, the beast glowering at me as if he so badly wanted me to be his next meal, and it pounded against the ground as it made it's way to me for the ump-teenth time. My head told my feet to move but they didn't obey fast enough because soon I was back underneath the thing, but instead of just sitting on top of me, it was trying to get a piece at my jugular. It nipped at my collarbone and I screamed as it tore away a bit of flesh, blood flowing from the open wound down towards the snow behind my shoulder. Oh god, I was going to die here, with this creature ripping me apart as I screamed myself hoarse. I mean, I knew it was going to happen, but did it have to happen this soon? Without even a goodbye to Flint, or a simple death that wouldn't be so hard for Cato to watch. As it bit at my hair, I let out a shriek and thought about what my parents would think of the moment, how they would react to their daughter being killed on live TV. Would they cry, or would they just shake their heads and say they knew it was coming?

All of a sudden, the animal let out a horrific yelp, one that shook me to my very core, and collapsed, now dead weight on my chest. It felt like my lungs were about to explode, but someone soon rolled it off of me and I sucked in a huge breath as I took in what had just happened. I had almost been killed and a stranger had saved me. But why would the person even bother, I mean, I was just another tribute in their way of going home alive. Unless…

"Miri? Oh god, are you all right? Just-just please tell me you're okay." A pair of arms wrapped around my shaking frame and I realized exactly who it was as soon as that voice left the person's mouth. Flint. My Flint had just saved my life. I squeezed him back and buried my face into his jacket, saying, "Flint, oh my god, how did you find me?"

Kissing my forehead, he answered, "I was walking around, trying to find where you where and I heard this thing growling. After I heard you scream, it only took me seconds to run over here and take that monster out with everything I had." He pulled me closer and I heard him sigh in relief that I was finally with him, that we were finally together. I was just so happy to see him that for a few seconds, I completely forgot about the gashes on my collarbone and waist, not realizing how much pain I was actually in until I gasped from the shock of it coming back to me all at once.

Flint picked up my intake of breath and pulled away, inquiring with a worried tone, "Miri, what wrong?"

"Nothing, it… it just got a few scratches on me, that's all." I said, trying to console him but I could feel the blood running down my chest from the beast's bite, a sharp stinging pulsing like a heartbeat. The bleeding at my side was much heavier but I didn't want him to fear for my safety more than he already was, so I didn't mention either of the wounds in detail. Flint didn't seem to convinced by my explanation, as he never was, and felt the outside of his jacket sleeve, his fingers coming away red, and he held them to his nose, smelling them to see what the substance was, even though I was sure he probably knew already.

Before he could say anything, I mentioned, "There's bandages in my bag, along with this anti-bacterial cream. They might help."

Flint nodded and felt around for my bag, coming across it quickly and opening the pack for the needed supplies. Soon, he'd recovered the two items and instructed me to remove my jacket so he could apply the cream. I did as he said while he slathered the ointment onto his hands and once he was ready, I guided his hand to the gash on my waist, sucking in air through my teeth as he applied it along the ragged flesh. His eyes widened as he smeared the stuff and he whispered, "This is a serious cut, Mirabelle. It's going to take weeks to heal, months maybe."

"Flint, don't worry, just hurry up so we can get out of here before a tribute comes along and hacks us to pieces." It came out snippier than I wanted it to and I instantly felt sorry as he began to silently wrap the bandage around my waist, winding around my frame a few times and then securely tied the ends so that it would stay put during all of the rigorous movements we'd have to do later on in the Games.

He helped me to my feet after he'd finished and I winced as the movement tugged at my cut, but bit my lip to keep from crying out. Flint brushed a stray lock of hair out of my face and then asked me, "Are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded, murmuring, "Yeah," and he handed me my backpack, I then positioning it back where it was before that whole fiasco happened. Taking his hand, I began to walk towards the checkpoint, determined to make it out of this frozen place and he followed without complaint, probably guessing that I had found the portal. Once we were in front of it, I pressed the button next its sheer outline and a glass panel whooshed past us, sucking itself back into its slot and revealed a small room, big enough for a few people to stand in. Cautiously, we both stepped inside and I jumped when the glass panel slid shut behind us, sealing us in the space. A buzzing sound echoed for a few seconds and then a panel in front of us whizzed open, an entirely new landscape standing before our eyes.

"You may exit." A voice said from somewhere above us and we obeyed, our boots crunching on the dry land beneath us. As soon as we'd taken our first step, the portal vanished, leaving us alone in our new location. The voice continued as we analyzed the area, taking in what we would have to work with.

"Welcome to Australia's Outback. Once a place tourists would come to admire, this barren land has blazing temperatures and… little water, so, may the odds be ever in your favor." The voice then faded away and we just stared out at the vast, dusty ground that seemed to be never ending. A few lone trees were rooted on the land probably to give a tiny bit of green so that it didn't look so depressing but it didn't help much. There was also some shrubbery struggling to grow also, and I saw a flicker of something underneath one. Maybe it was some sort of rodent and if it was, hopefully there was more so it would give Flint and me something to eat. Well, if we ever got the supplies to kill one, which didn't look very likely at the moment.

"I guess we'd better start walking," Flint said and I nodded, proceeding to move towards the horizon, adjusting my pack to that it fit right on my shoulders. He kept close beside me as walked, glancing over at me every few seconds to make sure I was okay, cocking his head slightly to one side to listen better to my movements. After about an hour of him doing that, I turned to him and said, "Flint, I'm fine. Please stop worrying."

He smiled, pinching my cheek in that gentle way and answering, "Not worry about you? You expect me to do that after I had to save you from a giant polar bear?" I rolled my eyes at his words and forced myself not to smile with him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. But he knew me too well and added, "Okay, I'll try not to worry, but you have to try to stay out of trouble. Deal?"

"Deal." I blew a strand of hair out of my face and squinted against the harsh light of the sun, my eyes not ready to adjust to the sudden change in weather. Sweat was already creating a puddle on the back of my neck and it was budding on my forehead, making me feel sticky and gross. I could tell Flint was feeling warm too from the way, sighting the wetness on his skin. That voice had been right, this place had horribly hot temperatures and I felt like a pig roasting over an open fire. Not the best thing to combine with the stinging pain coming from my waist.

Finally, after deciding that I'd had enough with the heat, I let my backpack drop to my feet and shucked off my jacket, stuffing it inside my bag as Flint paused to do the same. That's when I realized that he'd been carrying a bag also and it was significantly large than mine. Putting a hand on my hip, I asked him, "Where'd you get that?"

"Same place you got yours." I instantly recognized the sarcasm in his voice and said, "Okay, you know what I meant."

He grinned at me as he bent to shove his jacket into the bag and chuckled, "I hid behind some crates in the cornucopia until the careers got what they wanted. Then I grabbed this bag that they'd left behind and started on my way. Not that exciting." Standing up straight, he cracked his neck and tugged his pack back onto his shoulders, waiting for me to begin our journey again and with one last curious glance at him, I shook my head and smiled. And he'd thought he didn't have a chance.

Night began its descent as we slowed to stop under one of those scarce trees, dropping our backpacks and placing our blankets on the ground for an attempt at comfort. We sat and as I began to reach for my jacket, the temperature now down in the fifties it seemed like, my stomach growled loudly, causing Flint to laugh. I sent a half-hearted glare at him and protested, "It's not my fault I'm a tiny bit hungry."

"I'm not saying it is. I'm starving myself." He began to dig around in his bag and once he'd found the right object, he pulled it out and handed it to me, the plastic wrapping crinkling in my palm. It was a package of nuts and dried berries, things I'd only tasted once or twice back in District 12, and tossing a thank you to him, I tore open the parcel and stuffed a handful into my mouth, the taste satisfying my pining stomach. Flint laughed again and leaned back on his elbows, watching me as I chewed happily and murmuring, "I haven't seen you that happy over a meal in a while."

I swallowed as he finished that sentence, knowing what it meant and I thought back on the last time I'd had an actual meal back at the community home. I had been the night before reaping day, when the staff usually tries to do something nice for us before we could very possibly go to our deaths, and I'd actually gotten my own small roll of bread with a tiny cup of watery soup. Instantly, I'd run over to Flint and showed him what I had to eat, my face beaming. He'd kissed my forehead and made sure I'd taken every bite I could before tucking me under the dingy quilt we had for warmth, telling me that I'd better get to bead early.

It felt like that moment between us had happened many years ago, like I was looking back on a scene from my childhood, yet, I was still a child.

Holding the packet out to him, I queried, "Want some?" Flint shook his head, but I knew he said that just because he wanted me to have it all, so I took his hand and poured it full of the nuts and berries, refusing to let him go hungry. He smirked as he felt the stuff against his skin and mumbled as he popped a dried raspberry in his mouth, "Damn stubborn."

"You know it." I said, a smile gracing my face and he just he let out a chuckle as he threw a few nuts between his lips, lying back against his blanket and closing his eyes as he savored their saltiness. I followed his lead and laid back against mine also, staring up at the stars and the deep navy of the sky. Suddenly, the capitol anthem rang through the silence, making my heart jump, and new faces were projected today. I kept track as they passed and as the seal faded away, I came up with the total number of dead tributes. 16. Three more people gone from the world. It mad me sick thinking about how their families were coping from their death's, imagining the mothers sobbing in front of the television while the fathers go out and take out their anger on anything they can find. I still remembered hearing last year that after the little girl from district eleven was killed while trying to blow up the careers' supplies, there was an uprising in her district, driven by grief and the horror that the Capitol would let an innocent child die for entertainment. Of course the Capitol stopped it before any rumor of rebellion began to spread but we all heard about what happened eventually.

"Do you remember what day it is, Miri?" I turned my head towards Flint as I heard his voice reach my ear, my forehead scrunching in confusion as I answered, "No, what day is it?"

"It's your birthday."

I completely forgot. Today was my fifth teeth birthday. I always kind of hated my birthday because it was always during the games and it reminded me that those kids dying on the TV could've be me, that I was that much closer to dying as a child. Flint turned to me also and lifted up the corners of his mouth, reaching a hand out stroke my hair, saying, "It's been… so wonderful to watch you grow into who you are today and…" He stopped and I could see tears building in his eyes, "…I'm so glad that you became my family, when I had no one. I'm going to miss you… so much when… when I'm gone."

"Flint, please don't-" I began to say but he hushed me, a tear falling down his cheek as he finished, "Happy birthday, Miri. I really hope it's not your last."

I woke up the next morning to the sun shining directly into my eyes, like the Gamemakers just wanted to see how much they could piss me off, and I pushed myself into a sitting position. Glancing over to Flint's blanket, I saw that it was empty and my chest tightened. Had he died while I slept? I frantically whipped my head around the area, and relief washed over me as I saw him cutting off the appropriate amount of bandage to redress my wound a few feet away from me, a little grin touching his lips when he heard me awake.

"Okay, buttercup, I need you to undo your old bandage for me." He moved over to me as I complied, unwrapping the blood-soaked fabric and wincing as I fully removed it. When I looked down to see how it was doing today, and my stomach curdled as I saw it. Red, blood red, yellow puss oozing down my side, and I wondered if those animal's claws were laced with poison, from the way it was seeming. It wasn't blood poisoning, thank god, but it seriously needed to be treated or…. let's just say I wouldn't die from decapitation. Flint applied more of the cream to the gash and I was glad he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, not wanting him to freak out and I stayed silent through the pain as he wrapped the new bandage around my figure. I hoped Cato was going to send something for it soon, if he sent anything at all. Maybe he wouldn't send anything…and just leave me here to die and when Azula wins, they'll get back together and he'll forget all about me and… the effects of the gash were seriously affecting my mind.

"Miri, eat some of this, okay?" Flint handed me a small handful of the nuts and berries, and I obliged, even though I was feeling sick to my stomach. Oh god, if this gash didn't get healed soon… I was gonna throw up. I let a few pieces fall into my mouth and ate while Flint packed all of our stuff back into our bags, looking out at the landscape to see if the Gamemakers had changed anything. Something towards my left caught my eye and when I realized what it was I shot straight up, grabbing Flint's and tugging him away from the place, his hands loosely holding our packs.

"What's going on?" He asked, his voice filled with worry, but I just kept pulling him away from our blankets, glancing in fear over his shoulder at what was barreling at us. Vino and Coral were clutching their weapons and grinning like mad people as they ran towards me and Flint, knowing they had found an easy kill. I saw them coming closer and closer, but Flint wasn't moving fast enough, still confused about what was happening, so I screamed, "We have to run!"

Recognizing the fear in my tone, Flint grasped my shoulder and pushed me in the other direction, allowing me to break into a run with him following behind me. My heart was pounding against my ribs and the gash felt like it was reopening, which was exactly what I did not need at that moment. I could hear puffs of Flint's breath next to me, letting me know that he was still okay and running.

"You better keep running, 12!" Vino called and I heard Coral laugh, their voices not far behind. Pushing myself faster, I ran and ran, checking every so often that Flint was still beside me and I was becoming lightheaded from the pain of my cut and from my lack of air. No, they can't do this, they can't kill a blind boy. It's… it's just not fair! Don't they have any heart? Footsteps thumped even closer and I just wanted to sob, from how horrible it all was. It was then that I realized, I didn't want to die, not in that way, not with someone ripping me to shreds on live TV. I wanted to live, to know parents, to have kids, to be with Flint, Cato, Cinna, even Effie and Haymitch for the rest of my life. I didn't want my story to end here. Not yet.

A hand yanked at my hair and I was thrown to the ground, a blade hacking at my face, but I managed to move out of the way in time, shrieking at the shock. Coral was smirking down at my horror filled form, pressing the blade to my neck as she pulled my head backwards so that it was digging into my skin.

"Well, wouldn't Thorn have been glad to see this?" She dug it deeper and I winced as I felt it break my skin a bit. "You know, he talks about you too much for my liking, but I can fix that. With one little swipe across your neck."

What was with these career girls being over possessive over the guys they like? And wait, Thorn talked about me, apparently a lot, if I correctly heard her. That caused the familiar discomfort to crawl up my spine, knowing that he had been thinking about me, let alone talking. I was brought back to the present when Coral forced the blade closer to where it could kill me, and I tried a hard as I could not to swallow.

"Nice knowing you, 12." She said, a creepy grin on her face, and I knew I was dead, so dead, but before she could slice my skin, someone threw her off of me and let her land a couple of feet away, surprise written on her face. Glancing up, I saw Flint was glaring at her, the scariest expression ever placed on his face, but he didn't see Vino coming at him from behind, the District 1 boy tackling Flint before I could warn him.

Jumping up, I ran over to the two boys and tried to pry Vino away, yelling, "Get the hell away from him!" In the frenzy, I was knocked backwards by one of his elbows, the point hitting my nose, blood already pouring from my nostrils as I tried to recover before Coral could get another run at me. But before I could take another step, someone grabbed me and threw me over their shoulder, with me pounding on their back and trying to stop the blood from my nose at the same time.

"Take her away! Now!" Flint had somehow made it to his feet and was yelling at the person holding me, a sword now in his hand and he plunged it through Vino's stomach, a cannon booming as Coral ran at him. The person carrying me began to move away from the scene but I slammed my fists on his back, not caring about the blood anymore, only wanting to go back and help Flint. They just ignored me, leaving me sobbing as I saw Coral take a swipe at Flint's head, him being able to hear it just in time to duck. My ears picked up the sound of a panel moving and I knew we were about to enter a checkpoint, so in one last attempt I struggled and reached a hand out towards Flint, crying as I screamed, "NO!"

Then, he was gone.

you guys are gonna seriously hate me if i keep doing cliff hangers XD. THANK YOU to my reviewers, all of you loyal people who take your time to tell me what you think! PS if you can guess who the person carrying Miri is and be the first one to send in a review with your guess, i'll dedicate the next chapter to you!

xoxo

IamCharliedaughterofPoseidon