When I was younger, there were two boys who used to pick on me. No matter what I did, they were always there to berate me. I could be in school, or out in the orchids. One of them was always there. It started off small enough - just Hosil making cutting remarks about my clothes or my hair. His family wasn't better off than mine, but it seemed like it because it was just him and his mom. His best friend was Vole. Vole's father was in charge of the factory that helped ship out what we grew in 11 to other Districts.

I don't blame Vole for disliking me. His younger sister had to be sent to a relative's house in another town once she was demoted. She had just gotten too big to be out in the orchids. Pickers didn't make as much, after all. I'd felt bad for her - for taking her spot, but I hadn't cared much beyond that. I was too busy being ecstatic that my sister didn't have to take out as many tessarae because of me. It wasn't a big source of income, but it was enough.

It was enough to have Vole and Hosil really target me. My mother would pull my hair into pigtails or a braid, but they would pull it out. My hands and knees were dotted with scrapes from when they'd run by and shove me. They were much bigger than me, but it hadn't stopped them.

Thatcher did.

["If you get anywhere near my sister, I'll kill you." Thatcher sneered, clenching his hand into a fist.

Hosil wiped his nose, wincing when he saw the blood on his palm. His friends picked him up from behind.

"We're not afraid of you, Trosse!" Vole shoved Hosil behind him. "Your sister got mine in trouble. She doesn't live here anymore. Because of her!"

To my brother's credit, the indifferent shrug he directed at them was enough to get them riled up. It was his intention if the way his eyebrow twitched was any indication. "So take out some more tessaraes?" His mouth twisted into a firm line. "Everyone else makes do with what they have. Why're you so special?"

"Just you wait." Vole threatened, spitting at us and not quite making it. "You'll change your mind about saying that when you're old enough for the Games."

"Come back next year and ask me." He said bluntly. "Until then, find someone your own size to pick on. Because, either you get out of here or I knock your teeth in. You really won't be able to work if you get on my bad side."

At eleven, my brother was already a decent size. He was already developing enough muscles that he had to work with father instead of picking or packaging. He dismissed the boys without a second glance and circled around me twice to make sure that there was no big injury. "Are you okay, Rosey-Posey?"

I wrinkled my nose at the nickname. I was much too old for it, after all. All that happened was that I had to sniff to keep from mucus run down my face. I'd been crying, and my palms hurt from where they'd shoved me. The worst I had were the scrapes on my hands - one of my scapes had reopened. I felt it pulsing. I was lucky - it was one of the days that Thatcher appeared before they could do anything else. Normally, I was left sobbing much harder. "I'm okay, Thatch."

"Good." He laughed, bending down and letting me climb up on his back. He was careful not to touch my knee. "Etta's gonna get mad at me for hitting so, so let's keep it a secret, okay?"

"Okay!" I beamed, hugging him. "Thanks for protecting me!"

"Of course." He said so easily. "You're my little sister. I'll always protect you.]

Blood.

I have blood all over me. It's an overwhelming, overpowering stench that doesn't go away as I run through the forest. I have Four's sword loosely in my hand. I'm not sure exactly where I'm running to. I keep screaming Thatcher's name. At this point, I don't care who hears me. I don't care who comes after me.

We're so close. We're so close to going home - one of us, Thatcher. I'm going crazy. I know I am because I see dead tributes all around me. Wedge can't quite keep up with me, falling behind more often than not. Hadrian runs ahead of me, but she can't get too far away before she's yanked back by some invisible force. I don't know where Mother went, but she's not with me.

Oh, God. What if she went to comfort her son? What if she had to go and welcome him to the afterlife? It's not fair. It's not fair!

'It'snotfairIt'snotfairIt'snotfair!'

"THATCHER." I scream again, pausing in my running and looking around frantically. I can hear the sounds of a fight going on.

"ROSEY!" I hear a shout.

I whip my head and glare down at the dead tributes with me. I didn't notice that Four joined my little group of people, but there she was staring in the same direction Hadrian was.

"That way, Rosey." Wedge gestured. "We think they're that way."

I give myself a second to hesitate, looking in the direction of the coastline. I know that was the direction I last left them in.

"ROSALIE! STAY AWAY."

I don't listen. I know who that voice is, and I know that he's in danger.

Thatcher always had my back. Even when I would get in trouble with our parents, he would try to take half the blame. He got into trouble more times than I did, but that didn't stop him from trying to take the blame.

I have to be faster.

"Look forward and remember to breathe. Quit swinging your arms to the side, move them forwards and backwards. It'll make you faster." Hadrian pants.

I only just manage to duck and roll as a spear stabs the tree where my head was. I don't manage to avoid that kick that forces me down the hill. My body flails all over the place, hitting against the rocks and the hills.

"Tuck your arms in closer to your body, and close your legs if you can." Darya avises. "You'll roll down faster and be able to get up on your feet before Jiang can get to you."

I listen to her, and get up dizzily. I'm still only just getting the world to stop spinning when Jiang's sneering face comes into view. I don't even hesitate. I know I can't take him on my own, and listening to all these dead tributes isn't going to help me beat him. I dig my nails into the bark of the small tree. It's too skinny - to small to hold me long enough for me to run through the trees, but it's strong enough to get me away from Two.

"Rosalie!" Jiang laughs coldly. "Glad you found your way to me."

"He can talk?" Hadrian's mouth drops open, gaping at him. "He never speaks!"

"I'm not afraid of you." I snort instead, waiting until I'm a decent way up before settling down on one of the thicker branches.

The limbs won't hold his weight - he's too big.

"Then, why are you running?" He kicks the base of the tree.

"Because I want you to come up here." I say as innocently as I can, beaming at him. "That way I can hang you like I did your partner!"

"You think that's funny?" He growls, kicking the tree again. This time, he does it hard enough that some of the bark breaks off. It's not a big enough dent for me to be worried.

"It's hilarious." I deadpan, tilting my head. "Hey, where's your partner? Finally realize he was wasting your time?"

"Oh, him." Two shrugs his shoulders. "I killed him."

I'm not sure where my brother is. Now that I know that other cannon wasn't him, I relax some. I relax enough to realize that he had to be out there, somewhere, with Adit and at the mercy of the Gamemakers.

"Sure." I say as lightly as I can. I'm pretty sure I'm sporting the best 'panicked-out-of-my-mind' look right now, and I have to clench my fists so that my hands don't start shaking. I know he's lying. I know he is. That canon - it had to be One or Twelve, and I know Thatcher wouldn't kill Adit unless it was the last possible second. If it's not us, it's him.

I know it's not them.

But, that doesn't it make it any easier to stop worrying.

"You're going to starve up there, little girl." Jiang says, more calmly this time. It's like whatever bloodthirst or eagerness to fight has left him, and he plops down at the base of the tree opposite mine. His shoulders are still tense, and his eyes are still 'casually' looking around like he's waiting for someone to attack him at any second.

I'm waiting for it, too.

"Obviously, you've never been to District 11." I continue this ruse of good humor. "We're always starving."

He looks suspicious at what I said, but he shakes his head rather than engage me in any conversation. I don't stop trying - I use what Hadrian and Darya tell me to try to get him going. I need to have more information, but he doesn't bother responding. Instead, he keeps silent and watches.

["You know, you have to be careful sometimes." Thatcher nodded, walking me to the corner of the orchid and glaring at the trees. "Watch out when you're up there. Remember that Petal fell, and they immediately gave her spot away."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence!" I said dryly. "I can take care of myself, you know!"

I even put my hands on my hips and quit walking to make myself look over. At eleven, I'm scrawny and the only really great thing about me is my curly hair. Thatcher liked to pull on it. That's why Mother normally pulled it into the braided bun it was in now.

"I know. I just don't think you should have to." He sighed. "Just let me take care of you. You only have a couple of more years before you get married and move out."

"You're older than I am." I wrinkled my nose, but moved on. I entered the gates leading towards the orchids and turned around, sticking my tongue out. "I'll have to give you away to your wife first, and trust me! She's going to have to answer a lot of questions! You can't marry her unless you have my permission."

"You'll never give me away." He said dramatically, rolling his eyes.

"That's cause no one's ever gonna be perfect enough!"

"Shouldn't I be saying that?"]

One second, I'm sitting down on the branch keeping an eye on Two. The next, my brother is rolling on him with flailing fists. The spear stays embedded into the ground next to where Jiang was sitting. Thatcher's caught him off guard. One minute, he's punching him. The next, he's up on his feet and running away, winking at me over his shoulder. Two's so angry that he takes off after him immediately.

I drop down the branches as fast as I possibly can without falling down. I'm not so high up that I would break anything, but I know I'd sprain something and then I'd never catch up to him.

"Rosalie!" Adit gasps, stopping right next to me and wincing.

I try very hard not to just stare and gape at the way his legs look. I don't have an idea how he's managing to stay standing. My the looks of his legs, I'd have collapsed.

"Adit! It was One!" I say in relief, brushing my hands off on my suit and grinning at him. "Two told me, but I didn't really think...I was afraid…"

"That your brother killed me, or vice versa?" I wince at the wry look he has on his face, but I do nod sheepishly at him. "Do you think you can run? I know where your brother was headed. We set up a trap."

"That's brilliant!" I nod my head. "No, I'm good!"

"Rosey, don't." Wedge warns, but I ignore her. I'm not even worried.

He grits his teeth, but nods and points. "We better hurry, yeah?"

"Exactly. I know Thatcher's strong enough, but I don't like the thought of him going up against Two by himself. You'll be alright?" I gesture down to his legs.

"I'll be fine."

We take off running. My mind is so concentrated on my brother - so focused on not thinking of all the times he's been there for me that I don't see it coming. All I can think about is how much I want my brother to be safe. How much I want for him to still be alive when I get there. I want to focus on who's going to be alive to go home.

Part of me zeroes in on that when I feel something prick at my right shoulder. It almost sets me off balance and sends me rocking down a hill that leads to the charred remains of where the lava struck. I only have just enough time to stop myself from pitching downwards by slamming my hands on some simmering bark. It immediately burns, and I pull back my hands with a quick hiss.

Twelve's face is passive, and his hands clenched in fists. He doesn't even give me the chance to ask him what just happened when he's on me. I'm small, and, given the chance, I think I could put up a hell of a fight. But, Adit is almost as big as Thatcher is. Thatcher is far bigger than I am - in terms of muscle and height. He's got me off guard, so I don't even have the advantage. He rips something out of my shoulder - a knife I didn't see him with. Did he stab me? I didn't even feel it - and shoves me back. His knees dig into my stomach, and his fists fly into my face.

I don't even notice them, aside from the sharp turns my head turned. I don't feel much of anything except anxiety.

'He's going to kill me.'

"You're going to kill me!" My voice is a lot more panicked, and I start trying to push him off.

I don't even do much, but he's determined. I see the knife dig into my right side again, but I only really experience the pain of it cutting through my flesh. There's nothing but anxiety when he pulls it out, and after a couple of more hits, I'm too dizzy to pick up my head.

"You'll be dead soon." He slides off and gets to his feet, trembling. "I want to go home. Wedge would want me to go home."

He's muttering again, and I'm not sure who he's reassuring. Me or himself. My jaw hurts too much to open. The only thing I can really move are my fingers. Everything else is numb.

"I need you to stay alive until I kill your brother. I'll come back, okay, Rosey?" He smothers my hair down.

His hand is red with blood - my blood.

"I promise to make it quick."

He doesn't.

AN: Uhm. Yes. Words can't express how sorry I am that this is such crap, and sooo late in coming for you guys.