Chapter 13: Kelly Netline, D4 Female

A/N: After many months, I have my life balanced- fanfiction has stopped being a thing getting in the way of my life and has become a simple hobby, which is what it should be. I think I'm finally ready for it not to be a problem any more- I used to take it waaaaaaaay too seriously. Abstaining from fanfiction seems to have cured me :) Anyway today's update is the last of the Bloodbath deaths, which will bring the total deaths up to 10, a standard Bloodbath number- neither too death-filled nor too little death-filled. Enter Kelly Netline of District 4!

Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins owns the Hunger Games, not me. Unless something really awesome happens soon.

Kelly's POV

I'm regretting my choice to join the career pack.

I watched in horror as Mason Stone, our leader from district 2, brutally tortured Laura from district 10 with his wicked knives. I was fixated to the spot in shock and fear and pain, although the knives did not touch my skin.

Alexia, the sadistic girl from 6, screeched so loudly it stopped even Mason for a moment. I was freed from my trance and I ran towards her, leaving alone some knives startlingly like Mason's in favour of a shiny axe. It glimmered in the sunlight, like the jewels Embyire is named after.

Embyire's the girl from district 1, and her parents went over the top on her name. Her first name is Emerald-Ruby-Sapphire, her middle names are Opal and Amethyst and her surname is Sparkle.

Emerald-Ruby-Sapphire Opal Amythest Sparkle. No wonder she prefers Embyire, which sounds feminine yet tough. 'Em' from Emerald, 'by' from Ruby, 'ire' from Sapphire. Em-bee-eye-er. Embyire.

I don't know why I'm pondering over this so much. It distracts me, I guess. Hunting a tribute isn't that fun.

Anyways, back to where we were. I grabbed the axe and sprinted over to Embyire and Jem, her district partner.

Embyire looked pleased. She was laughing with Jem and they were both running to Alexia. I soon caught up with them- part of my score of 9 was that I'm the fastest- and caught on to the conversation. Embyire was giggling because she had already killed two tributes. Oh, I remember thinking. Oh. But I guess this is why she scored 12. She's ruthless.

"Kelly! Embyire! She's run into the trees!" I remember Jem yelled. I cringed as I saw the fallen body of her district partner Ricky. I made a promise to myself to learn everyone's names, so they wouldn't be meaningless faces to me as a slaughtered them.

Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

Embyire growled. "We're losing her!" she said, frustrated. "Kelly, run after her. You're the fastest. GO!"

And this is where we are now. I'm running desperately after the girl I fear most in this arena to please the girl I probably should fear most.

But I don't fear Embyire- she might be tough, but she's friendly.

"Embyire! Jem!" I yell. "I can see her! Follow the sound of my voice!"

Alexia suddenly stops. I stop too, nearly bumping into her.

I'm stood right behind my greatest fear in this arena.

Alexia. The girl who plays mind games. The girl with two distinct personalities. Brutal killer. Scared little girl.

She's not even facing me, I'm looking at the back of her head, why isn't she facing me, why won't she just turn around?!

"Kelly." She says in an emotionless, detached voice. "Ke-lly."

"Uh… Hello Alexia…"

"Ke-lly. Kill me." Her voice goes up on the 'Ke' and on the 'Kill', and down on the 'lly' and the 'me'.

"Ke-lly. Kill me. You. Have. Won." She's still not looking at me.

"Ke-lly. Kill me. Ke-lly. Kill me. Ke-lly. Kill me. Ke-lly. Kill-"

"NO!" I yell. The sound doesn't seem to be coming from me, but the burning of my throat says differently. I didn't realise how loud it was going to be until it came out.

Alexia finally spins round. "Okay," she says, the creepy voice replaced by a pleased little girl's. She skips away, going deeper into the forest.

Embyire and Jem burst through the trees, Embyire using her sword to hack a branch to pieces so they can pass.

Embyire says in a concerned voice, "Kelly? Are you alright? Where's Alexia?"

I can't reply. I've never been any good at lying; plus Embyire seems good at reading people. And I can't tell the truth, that I let Alexia go without even a fight.

"Ke-lly," says Jem in the same voice Alexia used. "We saw EVERYTHING."

I burst into tears.

"Baby," mutters Jem.

"Jem, that wasn't kind, was it?! Poor Kelly. Alexia was playing her mind games, wasn't she, Kelly?" Embyire says in a sweet, gentle and somehow patronising tone.

I just nod, tears still streaming down my face.

"Come here," says Embyire, and she pulls me in for a hug. I said she was nice, didn't I?

"Now you've gone soft too, Em?" Jem rolls his eyes.

"'Course not," Embyire replies, and she shoves her sword through my stomach.

"I thought… we were friends… Embyire…!" I say with all my strength. Oh, it hurts, it hurts so much…

"We were," she shrugs. "But careers like me have no time carrying dead weight like you. You couldn't even kill a tribute who ASKED for death! I can't believe we ever thought you were career material. Goodbye, Ke-lly." Embyire's voice slips into a tone much like Alexia's, but mocking rather than scary.

I honestly thought we were friends. I thought we were going to be best buddies in the arena, laughing and giggling with Jessie Zurakki from district 2, the career girls all together. I looked up to Embyire. I never thought she'd kill me within the first half-hour of the Games.

Embyire and Jem leave me lying on the ground, and they don't even look back.

A/N: This chapter's a nice long one to make up for my absence. I'm sad this tribute had to go because she was such fun to write. Definitely my favourite tribute so far. Who's your favourite tribute? What do you think of Kelly, Embyire or any of the tributes so far? And what on earth has Brooke Stephens of district 5 got planned for the Games? Leave a review, and keep reading!