AN: Okay, I FEEL SUPER GUILTY! For two reasons. One. It took me forever to upload. Two. This is only a filler. . .O.o Sorry. . .ITS SUPER CRUCIAL THOUGH! It sets up the next chapter (which is mostly already written) which is basically the turning point in the games. . .so. YAY!

Anywho. . .I'll try and make this one enjoyable. I should have the next one up in like . . .maybe a day? Maybe an hour. . .depends on how bad you want the next chapter (Which believe me, you do want to read the next one. . .its BIG)

Ellessa's Nightmare and Astell's Downfall

Rielle

The flash flood didn't hit us too bad. The soft valley dirt soaked most of the water up, leaving us only up to our knees.

I wish I could say that I had my first kiss in the rain. But, Bennet was nervously protecting out packs, leaving me sitting on a low hanging branch with my face in my palms. I hear screaming and gargling and cussing. . .the sounds flood my mind like the rest of the flash flood.

Bennet doesn't notice of course. He doesn't notice the difference between my tears and rain drops.

I sit there for an hour as the rain stops and Bennet takes notice of me again.

"Look at you, your soaking wet." He says with a laugh.

I wipe a tear out of my eye and smile up at him. "I'm cold too."

"I think the whole arena is. . ."

I look down, then jump off the branch. Without looking up I drape my arms around Bennet and bury my head in his chest. "I don't know how much longer I can do this, Ben."

"What do you mean?" he holds me against him and the tears start falling again. "It's only been a few days."

"My head still hurts, I'm frozen and miserable, and I keep hearing screams. . ."

"What screams?"

"You don't hear them?" I snap up at him, my voice rising an octave.

"No. . .I hear canons. . ." he says slowly. "When there aren't any. And I think they are all Ellessa's. "

We stand there in silence for a while, then I hear a cannon. Bennet jumps and hides his face in my shoulder.

"I heard that one too." I say.

Claudius Templesmith's voice booms out. "Ellessa has been pulled from the game for reasons only President Snow may divulge. She is alive, but she is no longer a tribute."

"No. . ."Bennet says pushing me away from him. I don't feel hurt. He's angry. I can't imagine the pain he is in. "No!" he turns and slams his fist hard into a nearby tree.

"Bennet!" I yelp at him rushing to his now bleeding knuckles. He pushes me away from him again.

"No, Rielle! Don't!" he looks at me with eyes I have never seen. Eyes full of anger. Eyes that once were calm, rational, and charming; turned into eyes that showed only hate, rage and fear. I back away from him. Remembering that in this game, he can kill me.

But Bennet would never do that to me.

I make my way to him slowly. He has calmed down considerably but his shoulders still shake with rage. I gently place my hand on his shoulder and he turns around to face me. He has tears streaking down his face. He wasn't shaking with anger, he was sobbing.

Before I have time to say anything he has me in his arms and continues sobbing. I don't know what makes me start to cry again but when I do it doesn't show signs of stopping soon. I can't tell you how long we stayed like that. But when we broke apart, we were dry all but for our tear stained faces.

Ellessa

For a few seconds I think that I am dead. All I see is darkness. All I feel is the throbbing water around me. My lungs are on fire. I can't remember a time when I held my breath this long.

"Don't think ya can do it, huh , Lessi?" Bennet teases as I watch Jeremy go under.

"No!" I say shaking a little. "I can do it!"

"No ya can't. Your scare."

"Wanna bet?" before I can stop myself I am under in the small canal.

I am under for no more than thirty seconds before I can't take it.

"Told you ya couldn't do it. Jeremy is still under. . ."

We were seven .

This has been at least three minutes. Or at least it feels that way. I desperately want to open my mouth and let in air. But I can't. My body is pressed against the ceiling of the cave, the thrumming water holding me there, the ceiling leaving deep cuts and gashes in my body.

Suddenly, there is no more ceiling and I don't feel water anymore. I suck in a large breath of air, open my eyes, and find a large silver hovercraft above me. I don't have time to think or scream at the strange situation before the claw grabs me and sucks me inside.

I hear the cannon, but I'm not dead.

No, I'm far from dead.

Capitol doctors. With daunting masks and equipment.

I am on my knees in their hovercraft, completely breathless and confused beyond belief. I look up at one of them who holds their hand out to me.

"Welcome Ellessa. . ."

I don't hear another word before I pass out. I have not completely blacked out. I can still feel. I can feel, but I can't see or hear. I feel hurt. I feel like someone drilled a hole in me. Cold against the floor. Shaking in my sleep. I feel a tear leak out of my eye and I am lifted onto a soft bed. My whole body aches. I am cold, wet, and empty.

"I want to go home," I say. "I want to see Bennet. . ."

"That all depends on how well Bennet plays his cards my dear." I feel hand grab my wrist and hold my arm out to them. A needle is inserted into my arm and I slowly feel liquid pump into me. I gasp at it and feel myself drift off but not completely go.

"This is a liquid compound. It will keep you alive, but just barely. We can easily switch out the liquid with a sedative if Bennet dies. Though you won't wake up."

A voice, not nearly as soft or comforting as the demented doctor's voice, came booming out. It gave me a headache.

"Ellessa has been pulled from the game for reasons only President Snow may divulge. She is alive, but she is no longer a tribute."

Dahlia

Crap.

I am very luck that I can swim.

The instant I collide with the parachute in water I go under. And I take the parachute down with me. In the water it wraps around me and I struggle to get the knife in my belt to cut it off me. It takes me a good two minutes to get it off and get above water and by then the storm has stopped.

But water has to drain somewhere.

Quickly, I get my bearing and realize that I am about to go over the waterfall, which is currently rushing at an insane speed. I don't have time to swim away before I am carried over into the rush of water.

The pressure is deafening. The roar is unbearable. It's a matter of seconds before I make contact with ground. The spray threw me against a rock and I just lay there. Moaning in pain. Not broken, just bruised really badly.

I heard voices. . .near the base of the waterfall at the Cornucopia.

"Wake up, we are moving."

Emerich

I clamp my hand over my mouth to silence my complaining. I will follow them . . .

And I will kill them. . .

All of them.

Once they start moving I follow them. What I find is a horror to befall.

Emerich

The instant the rains stops I wake up. I grab the pack and wake up Lyra who is asleep on Hackett's shoulder.

"Wake up. We are moving."

I have a good feeling about this. I have a good feeling about today.

It's not quite morning, but it's too early to call it night. No faces flashed last night, so no one died. The capitol is counting on me to give them a show. Who am I to deny their wish?

"Why are we moving this early?"

"Because, I'm going to torture that bitch Marina."

And no one is going to stop me.

Nikki

Astell didn't wake up straight away. She stayed unconscious for a majority of the day. Marina says she has a lower than normal temperature. I think she has hypothermia.

I don't doubt that she has it. I may have it myself.

Astell just lies there. She doesn't move. She just breaths.

"Will she be okay?" I ask Marina. She is leaning against a nearby tree wringing out her shirt.

"Ya. She's just cold."

I lean against a tree and breathe a sigh of relief.

We sit in an awkward silence for awhile before Marina speaks up.

"I know you killed Zach."

My eyes widen but I don't say anything.

"Emerich is out with a vengeance. Against me. He thinks I killed him." She says it so coolly that I wonder if she knows the severity situation she is in.

"So, why don't we go after him?"

She sits up in a defensive position. "You think I don't want to kill that bastard? Believe me, I do." She fists her hands and then lets them go. It's not until now that I realize how much she has put herself aside for us. For two girls she just met. "That son-of-a-bitch doesn't deserve to live."

We are interrupted by the sound of coughing. Astell sits up with a shiver. "If he doesn't deserve it, who are we to not take it away?"

The next moments happen so fast that I hardly remember how I got where I am now.

Three bodies jump out at us. Astell screams. Marian swears. I bite whatever hand is around my mouth.

Now Astell is pinned on the ground against a rock. Lyra has me. Hackett has Marina.

"Have you ever heard the screams of a little mouse, Marina?" Emerich daunts, pulling out a knife.

Astell takes one look at it and screams, tears streaming down her innocent face. She tries desperately to escape, but Emerich has his knee on her chest and is ten time stronger than she is. Terror being the only coherent thought I can make out.

"You let her go you bastard."

"Oh, no." he says dragging the knife down her cheek sadistically as Astell whimpers, "We've only just begun,"

AN: Cliffy no?

AHAH! I'm evil aren't I?

REVIEW AND YOU GET YOUR NEXT CHAPTER SOONER! And you want the next chapter. . .trust me. . .

You'll get your Rielle and Bennet. And you will get your big scene. . .hehehe.

REVIEW NOW!