Ugh. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School and band and stuff has been super busy so...yeah. Anyway, I'm back now and we'll finally have some action in this chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.

Violet's POV

As Rose and I walked to school, hand in hand, not daring to make eye contact with anyone, we were scared. Even though our parents were but ten paces behind us, we clung to each other like one of us would disappear if the other let go.

"I don't want to start school. I'm scared." Rose whispered, bottom lip trembling.

"We have to. Everyone does." I glared at everyone who stared too long at us. Even at six years old, I would protect Rose no matter what.

A group of kids stood outside the building for First School. They were laughing and shoving each other. Playing tag, playing with balls. All of them happy and normal.

A boy with spiky hair spotted us and smirked. "Wanna play? Unless you're too scared."

"Am not!" I responded.

"What's with your eyes? Why are they purple?" He said this all with a smug look that I thought a six year-old could never achieve.

"They just are," I replied.

"Does she talk?" the boy asked rudely, pointing at Rose. "Hey, do you talk?"

Rose looked terrified and gave no answer. "Not if she doesn't want to. Why do you care anyway?"

"I don't know. You're weird."

"Eddy," a man said gruffly. "Get over here now. You'll be late for class."

Eddy's smug expression faltered. "Fine. Bye, weirdo."

"I do not want you talking to people like that, do you hear me?" the man whispered, ushering Eddy away.

I knew it even then. We were freaks. Both of us.

"Get up! Get up!" someone screams, jolting me out of my dream.

The careers are on us. Phoebe swipes her spear in an arc to ward them off. My knives are out in and I stand and I stand next to Aza, who is frozen with fear. "Hello, Phoebe," her district partner sneers. "Have a nice nap? Anemone probably won't like you sleeping with other girls."

Phoebe flushes red with anger. "Shut the hell up."

"We don't like people who shouldn't be where they don't belong," the blonde girl from District 1 hisses. She lunges at Phoebe menacingly. "You were always going to die anyway."

Keeping her eyes on the careers, Phoebe addresses me and Aza. "Violet, Aza. I'm sorry. Just do exactly as I say, please."

Thrusting the spear into the blonde girl's stomach, she yells, "Run!"

The cannon from the dead girl seems to sound us off. Aza and I are flying across the ground to the wall, fumbling with our hooks as two of the careers chase us. I manage to get mine up the wall and help Aza. We scramble up the wall, just out of reach and the two who chased us roar with defeat.

I throw one of my knives at the remaining girl and it lodges in her shoulder, wounding her rather than killing her. I don't even care. I just grab Aza's hand and run. We run for what seems like miles until we hear another cannon. Just one.

I stumble to a stop, hand over my mouth. I wait for more. There are none. There's only one of her and four of them...

Aza sobs and I wrap my arms around her, tears numbly falling down my cheeks in shock.

Phoebe's dead.

Aidan's POV

I wake up, no better than before and force myself to move through the maze. It's agonizing work, but I make it to another clearing. A tree with shiny red apples that look too good to eat. And underneath it…

"Hey!" Rowan, that boy from seven stands up. "You!"

I try to limp away but he slams me onto the ground. "Looks like Laurel and I can finally get a kill in. You should've agreed to be allies with us."

I fumble for the sword at my waist, which is difficult because he has my arms pinned down.

Laurel comes into my view, gripping a knife, bringing it down. I thrash out of Rowan's grasp and grab the sword. Her knife his my leg instead. My bad one. Of course.

I cry with pain, tears blurring my vision. Bringing up the sword, I thrust it it in the general direction of her body.

All I hear is a sickening noise and blood drips on my face. I hear Rowan shout, "No!"

Laurel falls to the ground, her breathing shallow. He whirls on me but I manage to get on one knee and shove the sword into his chest too. He gasps and looks down at the wound, before crumpling beside Laurel, the sword still in his body.

I can't believe what I've just done.

My body shakes violently and the entire world around me spins and whirls. I feel myself hit the ground as everything goes black.

Violet's POV

Aza is still in shock over Phoebe's death. She stares straight ahead from our spot on a bench. We dared to go back to one of our previous clearings, knowing where it was.

The anthem plays and I look up at the sky. My heart winces as Phoebe's face flashes across the sky, along with the girl from one and both from seven.

Aza starts to cry again, softly. I wrap my arms around her again and she leans into me. "Her girlfriend," she manages to hiccup out.

"Yeah," I say, feeling sick. Rose just watched that, I think. It could've been me, but it was Phoebe. Anemone must be devastated, numb with grief. I dare not think how Rose would react to me dying.

"I want to go home." Aza sobs, like a small child. She is one though, I realize. She's only thirteen. She shouldn't have to do this. Nobody should.

"I know, Aza, I know." I rock her back and forth. More than anything.

Sooo...yeah. A lot of drama in this chapter. And yes, Phoebe is dead because this is the Hunger Games and people are going to die (no matter how much you love them.) Until next time!

-Maxiecat14