Thanks to everyone who has been reading, reviewing and favoriting. Before we start the third and final part, I need to warn you: I wasn't kidding when I said that this is intended to be a companion piece to "A Fox's View", "Love is a Battlefield" and "Cripple". Now that Max is about to join up with the Careers, much of the events and dialogue will be directly taken from those fics, in particular "Love is a Battlefield" with regard to much of the stuff involving Clove. The universe created by Caisha702 (and be-nice-to-nerds) is pretty much indistinguishable from canon in my mind, so it would be nearly impossible for me to deviate from their version of the events. So if you've read (or written) the aforementioned fics and my story starts feeling redundant, I apologize. But it won't be exactly the same because we get Max's perspective on things.

As always, I own nothing and Suzanne Collins owns everything. Except for the title, which JK Rowling owns.

Part III

"THE FLAW"

Chapter 11

The girl from District 4 stares at me with her mouth agape for an eternity. Then she closes it with an audible snap. "You're lying."

With the slightest movement, she draws a knife out of her belt and holds the blade under my chin. "Look me in the eye and say that again."

With my throat inches from certain death, it's easy for me to act intimidated. "P-Please, I'm serious. I know h-h-how to work with electronics. That was my life before… before I was brought here. Please, give me a ch-chance to prove it to you!"

She pauses to consider for a moment, and I know it's all or nothing, right here, right now. I gesture toward the launch ring around the Cornucopia. "Just think about it, those are the most p-powerful weapons in the arena. Think of what you can do with them! You can use them to protect your supplies. O-Or as booby traps to take out the other tributes!"

She lowers the knife without relaxing her guard. "Let's see what the others think. But if you're lying to me, you will wish I had tortured you to death just now." I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm not safe yet, but so far everything is going according to plan. Beetee was right.

The girl motions with her knife in the direction of the camp. "Can I get some water first, please?" I ask. "I haven't had a thing to drink all day."

"The lake water is unpurified. You'll get sick. No wonder you had such a dismal training score."

I'm tempted to point out that I didn't exactly have the option of leisurely browsing the supply pile and picking up some purifier tablets if I was to survive the Bloodbath, but I remember I need to appear as weak as possible. So I just nod meekly.

"There's some drinking water over there; you can have a little. Now walk, and remember if you try anything, I will carve you into little pieces for hours before your cannon sounds."

Well, you're going to have to get in line behind Knife Girl and Arrogant One. The list of Careers who have threatened to torture me to death is growing impressively large.

When we reach the campsite, the girl shoves me to the ground. "Sit down there. If you move a muscle then I will kill you."

So I sit. As the minutes pass by, I ponder my situation. I'm far beyond the point of no return now, but success is still very much uncertain. I have convinced one of the Careers to consider my proposal, but now my life depends on the whims of the other four, who should be returning soon. The only consolation is that I must have the attention of potential sponsors now. All of Panem must be watching me closely.

After several more minutes of silence, Mermaid Girl asks me if I really can activate the mines. There's a hint of nervousness in her voice, and for the first time I realize that this could go very badly for her if I don't back up my claims. Her district partner is dead, leaving her already weaker faction hopelessly dominated by the other three. If I fail, her cannon could sound very shortly after my own.

Before I can respond, I am distracted by a movement at the edge of the forest. The hunting pack has returned, talking amongst themselves. I catch the tail end of their conversation. Apparently Arrogant One had failed to make sure a girl was dead, and "Lover Boy" had to go back and finish her. Wait... Lover Boy? I stare at the pack in shock. There are five of them, not four. The two from District 1 and the two from District 2, of course, but also the Boy on Fire from District 12! This changes everything. Maybe his declaration of love during the interview was nothing more than a ploy, a trick. Perhaps he's already betrayed her to the Careers and it was her cannon that fired this morning. The girl with the eleven may already be out of the Games!

But I don't have time to consider all the ramifications right now. The Careers are striding over, looking furious. "What are you playing at?" screams Angry Two, pushing the Mermaid Girl out of the way and drawing his sword with a murderous look in his eyes. Crap. He's not going to wait for an explanation. Can I run? No. It's all over.

"He could be very useful to us!" the girl answers quickly, putting one arm in front of me as if to shield me. "Just give me a chance to explain."

For a minute, everything is frozen as the boy considers her words. I don't even dare to breathe, knowing how perilous my situation is. Finally, he lowers his sword and says to me, "Very well. Boy, go over there and wait. If you move –"

"Yes, I know, I will die a long and painful death." Did I really just say that out loud? That was bold of me.

Too bold. Psycho Knife Girl knocks me down with a slap to the face. "Don't interrupt! Just go over there, and if you move then you will suffer the same fate as the bag you will be sitting on."

I keep my mouth shut as Knife Girl gives yet another demonstration of her skill, casually throwing three knives into a bag some twenty feet away. My face still stinging from the painful blow, I obey her instructions and sit down on the bag, next to the knives.

The six of them sit down in a circle some distance away, and I can see District 4 explaining my proposal to them. Suddenly, I realize that they have given me a possible way out. I can grab the knives and sprint for the forest and then… then they'll probably catch me and kill me. My chances of outrunning all six of them – five of whom are fully trained Careers – are very small, especially with Knife Girl's ability to hit me from a distance. But if it becomes obvious that they don't like my idea, it's worth a shot, because the alternative will be to sit here and let them kill me.

Unfortunately, they speak in low voices so I can't make out how the conversation is going, though it's clear that they're divided about my fate. Even from this distance, however, it's pretty easy to guess who is on which side of the debate. Knife Girl is strongly against my idea, but the pair from District 1 side with Mermaid Girl. District 12 says nothing for much of the discussion, and when he finally speaks up, I assume he's telling a joke because Knife Girl cracks up laughing. But when he speaks again and raises his hand, I realize he's calling for a vote. One, two, three other hands go up, outvoting the pair from District 2, but from my observations of the Career pack I'm pretty sure those votes are irrelevant – Angry Two is the Alpha Male of the pack. I see him nod and get to his feet, leading the others back toward me.

My heart races as they start moving. This is my last chance to abort. But I can't run unless I am absolutely sure that they intend to kill me. And I still have no idea what Angry Two is thinking. Then it's too late. My last tiny opportunity for escape is gone as they approach and surround me. Whatever happens next will be out of my control.

This is it. My life is in your hands. Please don't kill me.

Angry Two looks directly at me and says harshly, "Lover Boy, dig up the mines."

Relief fills every ounce of my being as I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. Moments later, though, I'm shocked as Arrogant One suddenly draws his sword and strides up to me. What the Snow? You voted for me.

"If you hurt me then I won't be able to reactivate the mines," I remind him.

Not a good idea.

"How dare you answer me back!" He brings the blade of the sword right to my neck and for a second, I actually think I blew it and he's really going to kill me.

"Marvel! Stop!" Bizarrely, the shout comes from Psycho Knife Girl, of all people. She's the one who wants me dead most of all.

"Clove, you need to calm down. Although I can't deny that you are very sexy when you're angry," sneers Arrogant One as he lowers the sword and walks toward her. I watch as she responds by leveling him with a single punch to the face. Yikes. It's been less than a day and already the Career alliance is the verge of breaking down. And also, Knife Girl is the scariest human being in all of Panem not named President Snow.

"Have you dug the mines up yet, Lover Boy? District 3, you'd better work quickly or I may start to run out of patience. Believe me, you wouldn't want that to happen. Cato, we need some more water." Maybe I'm wrong about the Alpha. Knife Girl is the one giving all the orders.

Lover Boy and I hurry over to the launch circle where we all entered the arena yesterday morning. Could it really have been less than twenty-four hours since all this started? And already, half of us are dead. "What's your name?" he asks.

"Max."

"I'm Peeta. Welcome to the alliance," he says to me warmly. The contrast between his demeanor and that of the five Careers is remarkable. He's pretty beat up, though. Bruises all over his face. Bloody bandage over one arm. As he gets ready to start digging, he stops and asks anxiously, "Are you sure it's safe?"

"If they weren't deactivated, we'd all have been blown up yesterday, right?" I say. My own nervousness is apparent in my voice, as realize the peril that we are in. If the Gamemakers wanted to, they could probably press a button and have them reactivated immediately. My only hope is that I've impressed them sufficiently to allow me to play out my part in their sick drama. "Well, if not, at least it will be over quick," I say. There. No one wants to see a quick death that doesn't involve one tribute killing another. You'd be making things less interesting if you kill us right now.

As Lover Boy tentatively digs out the dirt around the first platform, my heart sinks. This is far more complicated than your basic land mine. I can see that there are six separate mines arranged in a ring around the platform, all of which are connected together by a bundle of wires which lead to a small plastic box which I hope houses the control unit. Of course! If someone steps off the platform early, all the mines in the ring blow up simultaneously so there's no escape. If I can figure out how to separate them, I could conceivably have 144 distinct weapons to use. But no… if I manage to completely remove the control unit I probably wouldn't be able to safely arm the mines without triggering them. More importantly, I wouldn't be able to disarm them again, which is vital for the final phase of the plan.

Lover Boy interrupts my thoughts with the obvious question. "So, can you really do it?" I know the cameras are probably locked on our conversation right now, so if I'm going to get the sponsorship that I need I'm going to have to demonstrate some confidence. "Yes. I work with electronics at home. I can figure this out; I just need a little time."

And now, to show my potential sponsors that I am serious about trying to win, I need to gather as much information as I can, so I risk a question. "So, did… did you really k-kill that g-girl like the others said you did?" I stutter so it sounds like I'm asking out of fear rather than curiosity.

To my surprise, he glances around to make sure no one is close enough to hear, and tells me, "Marvel did. He cut her so badly that by the time I went back she was almost gone. I knocked her out so she wouldn't feel the pain anymore and then she died." The sadness in his voice is unmistakable.

"Was she your partner?" This information is vital to me.

"No, District 8… I think." There's a hint of relief in his voice. "She lit a fire. Katniss would never have been that stupid."

Something about the way that he says her name, combined with his relief at the fact that it wasn't her that died this morning, perplexes me. Everything about his manner suggests that he actually does care about his district partner, but then what is he doing here, allied with the Careers? Lover Boy is a walking paradox. Could he possibly be working on an angle, infiltrating this group so he can use the element of surprise to help protect Fire Girl? Well damn. I need the Careers to take her out before I betray them. She's clearly the biggest threat amongst the Others. And then I'm horrified with myself for wishing the death of a girl who this boy clearly cares about – this boy who harbors no ill-will whatsoever towards me. But this is what the Capitol has done to us. It will require nothing less than the deaths of my 23 fellow tributes in order for me to see my family again.

As Peeta – I mean, Lover Boy – moves on to the second set of mines, he asks me, "I bet you're wondering why I'm here with the Careers, huh?" I shrug, trying to pretend that the information doesn't mean that much to me. "They offered me a deal that I couldn't refuse. They'll let me live if I help them find Katniss."

Well, yeah, I figured that much out for myself. "B-but, what about your interview?"

"I wasn't lying. I really do care – did care – about her. But the rules say that only one person can be the winner."

Only one person can be the winner. I guess that could explain it. I had thought that he would have wanted to spend as much of the remaining time as possible with the girl he loves. But when you get into the arena, you have to do what gives you the best chance of survival. Besides, who am I to criticize his decision to join the Careers, when I have done the exact same thing?

Peeta continues to chat amicably with me as we continue around the circle digging up mines. His friendliness cannot help but remind me of someone else that I have met this past week: Vincent. Alarm bells go off in my head. This is one of my weaknesses that Beetee had warned me about – getting emotionally attached to my fellow tributes. I have already done this with Vincent, and with Pixie. I can't afford to do this now with Pe… with Lover Boy. He's in the Career pack, and at some point, I am going to have to blow him up with the rest of them.

Thankfully, Psycho Knife Girl decides to interrupt our chat. "District 3, shouldn't you be taking the mines apart by now?" she yells. "Lover Boy can dig up the rest of them without your help." I nod meekly and head over to the growing pile of landmines.

It takes about an hour for me to take apart all the mines. Then I clear my mind and slip into my familiar mental zone, imagining that I am back at the Shop in District 3. Soon, I'm entirely engrossed in my work, almost completely forgetting the arena around me. All my attention is focused on the intricate maze of wires and circuits, figuring out exactly what purpose is served by each of the components. The very first thing that I did, of course, was to locate and disconnect the power sources. Rule number one when working on electronics: make sure they're unplugged first. There are two very practical reasons for this. Safety is one, obviously; you could get an electric shock if the system is live. But perhaps more important is that an accidental short circuit could damage the device even more. In my case, the two reasons are intertwined – a short could detonate the mines, which would be extremely unpleasant for me.

It takes me a little while to get a basic understanding of how the control unit functions. There is a built-in antenna to receive a signal from the Gamemakers, and also to broadcast back the status of the mine – armed or disarmed. Because the sensors are extremely sensitive, the mines are probably not activated until the moment the launch platforms have locked into place, beginning the sixty-second countdown. Then a second signal is sent as the gong sounds, deactivating the mines. The control unit itself performs a very simple function, acting as a gatekeeper between the sensors and the detonators. The sensors detect a change in pressure and send a signal to the control unit. If the mine is armed, the control unit relays the signal to the detonators, triggering the explosion. If the mine is unarmed, the control unit does not pass the signal through, so the mine doesn't explode.

Once I have figured that out, I realize that it would actually be pretty easy to bypass the control unit entirely. I'm actually kind of surprised that no one has ever considered doing this before – I'm pretty sure any tribute from District 3 could manage to get the mines to work again.

Of course, what I want to do is far more complex. Simply reactivating the mines to booby trap the Career's supplies will only buy me a few days. Eventually, all the supplies will be used up, or the alliance will break down, or they'll simply decide to get rid of me. No, what I really need is a way to control the mines so that I can quickly turn them into weapons that I can use against the Careers. Perhaps I can rewire some of the explosives to act as grenades instead of mines; we probably don't need all 24 sets to protect the supplies. But then the others might get suspicious if they see me working on the unused parts. Anyways, what am I thinking? The sensors are so pressure-sensitive that just moving them around could trigger an explosion, let alone trying to throw them. It's possible that I could adjust the threshold on the sensors, but that might take hours with no guarantee of success...

For the moment, a solution does not present itself to me. So I do what I usually do to clear my head when I get stuck on a project back in the Shop – I take a break and get a snack. I'm so preoccupied with the land mine project that I don't actually think about the ramifications of what I am doing. I simply walk over and grab an apple and start eating. After a whole day without food, it tastes delicious. I've just picked up a bottle of water when I see a movement out of the corner of my eye. I look over and see Angry Two marching toward me with a furious look on his face. Oops.

I try to get back over to the disassembled mines, but he's too fast for me. He pushes me from behind with such force that my legs can't keep up with my body, and I tumble to the ground. "How much longer?" he screams.

"N-n-not long n-now." The stuttering is back, as I suddenly realize exactly how much peril that I am in. I gave Angry Two his nickname because he always seemed to be in a foul mood during training, but I never guessed that his fuse was this short. It doesn't take much to set him off, and he could easily kill me in a fit of rage. Yikes. I need to placate him with an explanation, to show him that I know what I'm doing and that I'm making progress. "I just have to remove the wires that connect the remote to the mine. That's the part that allows the Gamemakers deactivate them. Deactivating that one part breaks the circuit so the electricity that provides the heat to make the powder explode can't work even if the mine is moved and the reaction is triggered."

By now I have the attention of all six of the others. I feel like I am Professor Ahyoo back at school, giving a lecture on the mechanics of a device. "That's how these differ from normal land mines. Normal land mines don't have a control unit; just the sensor and the explosives. There's a pin that keeps those two components separate, and once you pull it out, the mine is armed and can't be deactivated."

I'm really gaining momentum now. Imagining myself talking to Beetee, I go into even further technical detail about how the land mine works. "There's actually two different explosives in each mine. The primary explosive is a chemical that is highly stable under normal conditions. But when it is heated rapidly – which is what the booster charge does when ignited – the resulting explosion is extremely powerful. Now, the detonator works by sensing pressure – well, not so much pressure as pressure differential. They're extremely sensitive. If someone…"

At this point, Psycho Knife Girl has gotten tired of hearing me speak. "So all you have to do is make the circuit complete again, then the mines will work and the Gamemakers won't be able to deactivate them from the Control Room," she interrupts.

I stare at her in shock. The reason I was going into so much detail was that I was hoping to confuse them and make the job sound more difficult than it actually was. But Knife Girl wasn't fooled. How can she understand any of this? District 2 does two things – mine rocks and train Careers for the Hunger Games. How could this girl possibly have ever gained a basic understanding of electronics?

Her district partner sees the reaction on my face. "Oh yes, District 3," he says, "I know nothing about physics and District 1 over there knows nothing about anything, but she is smart as well as lethal. Make sure you don't forget that."

I look over at Doll Face, who looks like she's trying to decide if Angry Two complimented her or insulted her. I think he managed to do both in one sentence. "Maybe we should just leave him to get on with it," she says. If we're going to be hunting at night then we need to sleep or we'll end up becoming the hunted instead of the hunters." I'm lucky to have her around as the voice of reason. This is the second time she's come to my defense. Well, sort of.

The Careers let me get back to work. I examine the mines again, trying to figure out exactly what to do with them. What really would be useful is if I were able to control them remotely, like the Gamemakers do. Hmm. That's an idea. Each control unit is a transmitter as well as a receiver, so what if I converted one of the boxes into a remote control? I'll have to change the frequency, though. The last thing I need is the Gamemakers overriding my relatively weak signal with their own far more powerful one.

I make my decision. I can do this. I completely take apart four of the mines. When Mermaid Girl asks me what I'm doing, I tell her I need the spare parts to make the remaining mines work. She obviously buys my explanation; I'm pretty sure no one taught her how circuits work. She probably knows more about electric eels than she does about electricity.

Angry Two is harder to fool, however. When it's his turn to watch, he asks me question after question about what I am doing. "I thought you were disconnecting the remote, not rewiring it."

"T-the power source is part of the unit, I have to k-keep it attached for the mines to work," I tell him. I have a hard time deciding who is more dangerous, him or Psycho Knife Girl. I think Knife Girl's range makes her more lethal if they were both intent on killing me, but Angry Two seems a lot more unstable. And if he ever loses control, I'd be dead pretty quick. I keep working on modifying the control modules, but exhaustion is starting to set in. I have only had a couple of short naps since I entered the arena, and tired people get careless.

"Can I take a break, please? I'm really tired."

"Stop stalling," he growls.

"Really, I just need a little rest. I don't want to accidentally blow us all up."

The boy looks furious, but he sees the logic in my argument. "Fine. You have one hour. Then I expect you to get these mines activated."

I quickly grab a sleeping bag and lie down, breathing a sigh of relief. I just won a battle of the wills with District 2. Maybe it will be possible to manipulate the Careers into a trap, I think as I drift off into sleep.

Much too soon, I am awoken by someone kicking me in my sleeping bag. My eyes fly open and I see that it's Doll Face. "Get up and start working. We didn't keep you alive so that you can get a better night's sleep than any of us while the threat of our presence protects you." Protects me? I just spent the last hour dreaming of you all killing me. Looking around quickly, I see that Psycho Knife Girl is the only other one awake. I'm pretty sure she's looking for any reason at all to give up on the land mine idea, so I follow Doll Face's instructions and get back to work on the mines.

Doll Face proves to be a pretty pleasant person to work under, all things considered. She watches me intently, but she doesn't pester me with questions. I soon conclude that she doesn't have the slightest idea of what I'm actually trying to do with the mines, so I make decent progress on reconfiguring the control units before she yawns and decides it's time for a change in the watch. She walks over to Knife Girl, who has stayed awake this entire time. My heart sinks; Knife Girl is the last person in Panem that I would want supervising me. Not only does she have a better grasp on what my task is supposed to be than the others, I am simply freaking scared of her.

So I breathe a sigh of relief when I see her walk over to a sleeping Angry Two and wake him up. Although he's deeply enough asleep that he doesn't respond to Knife Girl's voice, he reacts instantly to her touch. A split second later, he has her pinned to the ground with a knife at her throat. It happened so fast that my mind can barely process what I just saw. Strangely, the girl shows no sign of fear at her predicament, and moments later Angry Two relaxes upon recognizing her and puts the knife down. Once again I'm struck by the apparent closeness between the two of them. Careers are pretty much the only tributes who will openly fight to the death with their own district partners, so letting your guard down could prove to be fatal. So it's extremely odd that two of the top contenders in the Games can be so trusting of each other. You'd almost think that… nah, that's ridiculous. The whole "star-crossed lovers" thing belongs to District 12, not District 2.

I'm prevented from contemplating further, because Knife Girl notices that I am watching the two of them. "Are those mines activated yet?" she screams at me.

Crap. I'd better get back to work. "Nearly."

Angry Two has had it with my stalling. "Good. If the job's not done in the next three hours then we will abandon the idea entirely, and you know what that means for you…"

So now I have a deadline. I'm not particularly worried about the threat to give up the idea, since I'm pretty sure I can do the simple bypass in a matter of minutes. Heck, I could lie to them and have them bury inactive mines – it's not like there's any way of testing them without blowing them up, which would not only deplete the stock, but give the others in the arena a clue of what is happening here at the camp. But I have a feeling that once the mines are buried I probably won't have much of a chance to work on them again. And if I can't control the mines, I'll need an entirely different way of wiping out the Careers.

Fortunately, I make the final breakthrough fairly quickly, and I finish with the mines long before the three hours are up. I give myself a moment to pause and admire my work. Twenty sets of working landmines that I can arm and disarm with a single push of a button from my remote control box, which just looks like a spare part to everyone else. A new feeling begins to creep through me: power. I have the most powerful weapons in the Games under my control, and the Careers don't have a clue. I have now become a real contender. Surely I've done enough to convince someone to sponsor me.

I break the news to Angry Two that the mines are ready. He looks surprised, but goes and wakes the others, starting with Knife Girl, who's fast asleep with her head practically in his lap. I don't say a word about it, though, since I'm afraid to make him angrier.

There's a discussion about how and where to arrange the supplies and the mines. Arrogant One thinks that we should surround the entire camp with mines, thereby protecting us if anyone tries to attack. "Who would be stupid enough to attack all seven of us? If we have to cross the minefield to get out, we'd only be hindering ourselves and risking our own lives," retorts Doll Face. The others don't like the idea of being anywhere near the live mines.

Mermaid Girl has a bright idea. "If we pile all the supplies together a safe distance away from our camp, it might tempt someone to try to run in there and steal something. When that happens…"

"Ka-boom. One less tribute for us to kill." Knife Girl grins evilly.

It's sunset by the time all the supplies have been moved. The bulk of the supplies are piled into a single pyramid. We surround it with some smaller piles out of lesser items in order to booby trap. At Lover Boy's suggestion, Arrogant One and Angry Two put up a canopy to protect the supplies and the soon-to-be minefield from objects being thrown at them. Now, all that remains is for me to arrange the mines.

"Wait," says Arrogant One. "There's still that big bag of apples." He hurries over and hangs the bag by a rope off the side of one of the large storage bins.

"Are you sure that's stable?" asks Mermaid Girl.

"Are you questioning my knot-tying skills? It'll be fine."

There's something rather foolish about hanging a bag of loose, round objects in the middle of a minefield, but just as I am about to protest, I hear Beetee's voice echo in my head once more: "You must appear weak to them." So I keep my mouth shut.

The others are too eager to begin tonight's hunt to worry about the apples. Angry Two calls me over and stares me down. "The minefield was your idea, so you will be the one to retrieve supplies for us when we need them. So you better not forget where you place the mines. Now hurry up and get them buried. I want the supplies completely protected by the time we return. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes, Cato." I've picked up most of their names by now, even though I prefer not to think of the others by name. But I can't exactly call him "Angry Two" to his face.

"Glimmer! Stay here and make sure Landmine Boy doesn't try anything stupid." Apparently Cato doesn't trust me enough to leave me unattended. I wonder if this will be the arrangement for every hunt. It certainly seems to defeat the purpose of having the supplies booby-trapped if they can't get that extra person out hunting.

I spend the next hour meticulously arranging the mines around the supplies. I can't prevent the six connected mines from going off simultaneously, but I have to make sure the different sets are spaced far enough apart that one explosion won't trigger a chain reaction. Of course, I can only guess at the blast radius, so I err on the side of caution. As a result, it's actually fairly easy to move through the minefield to get to the main pile of supplies, as long as you're being careful. The smaller piles are actually better protected, since I'm hoping anyone bold enough to try to raid us will head for the closest thing they can get to. Of course, there's no way I'm going to reveal to the others how easy it is to get through – they wouldn't need to keep me around anymore if they knew.

The anthem plays, and the girl from District 8 appears in the sky. I'm surprised to find that I feel anger over her death, even though I had virtually no interaction with her in the past week. Maybe it's the fact that she was just a helpless little girl, just like Pixie. Or maybe it's the fact that I know it was Arrogant One that killed her. The terrible truth hits me again: eleven more still have to die.

With my job completed, I start to lie down on my sleeping back to rest. Doll Face has other ideas, though. "If I have to stay awake, so do you." She forces me to sit next to her by the campfire, prodding me with a spear whenever it looks like I'm about to drift off.

It's a good thing we have the fire, though. As cold as last night was, it seems like tonight is even colder. Only a short while later, the other five return to the camp shivering. From their discussion, they were planning to come back and look for some warmer clothes, but instead they decide to simply give up for the night. I'm thankful for their choice, because it lets me off the hook and allows me to finally get some decent rest. Tomorrow, the Careers will resume their hunt, and once they take out the Girl on Fire and thin the rest of the field for me, it will be my time to strike. Tomorrow, the Games begin for real.

Once again, many thanks to Caisha702 for allowing me to use the descriptions and dialogue from her story, and for all her support and advice.