Hey, I know it's a day early, but I wasn't sure if I could upload tomorrow, so here you go! Enjoy!

I know why she's here. It's because she's smart. She knows that Bliss and Chant are going to hunt as a team, and she understands that, whilst I'm not as strong as either of them, with them working as a pair, neither is she. But, with two of us, we could come up with tactics, or a backup plan. And whilst she doesn't want to admit it, I'm fairly certain she trusts me. And yes, maybe it's because she thinks I'm weak, but the trust is there. The only problem is I'm not sure if I trust her.

She sits herself a few feet away from me, placing the backpack she holds next to her. It thumps on the ground, sounding full, and I pray that some of that weight is made up of food.

'If I'm honest, I'm surprised you're still alive. Thought the Careers would have had you a long time ago.' she says, looking at me directly, which is rare for her.

'Me too.' I reply honestly, 'But, here I am.'

There's silence for a few seconds, before I get down to business. Ace isn't one for pleasantries, and I'm not going to bore her with them.

'So, who've you...killed?'

I pause at the word. It doesn't seem right. To bring this up in conversation so casually just doesn't feel right, but I need to know. I need to know who I'm dealing with.

'You really want to know?'

I consider saying no, but if I'm going to trust Ace, it's important I know what she's capable of.

'Yes.'

'The District 10 boy right at the start, in the Cornucopia. The girl from 7, but of course you know that. And I suppose you saw me kill the boys from 2 and 4.'

Four. I guess it's what I expected, but it still seems shocking. It also means it was, most likely, the Careers that got Frizz.

'And you?' she asks. I can tell by the way she asked that she's expecting me to tell her about how I've killed no one, and fluked by.

'Teal and Melissa.'

'Melissa? Wasn't she meant to be your ally?'

'Yeah. But sometimes things don't turn out the way you plan them.'

She contemplates this for a while before replying.

'And who's Teal?'

'The girl from 2'

'The girl from 2?!' Even Ace can't mask the shock from her face. 'You? You killed the girl from 2?'

She lightly chuckles.

'Well, Connor Jedd, I can honestly say you've surprised me.' And with a wry smile she adds, 'Maybe we have a better shot at beating District 1 than I thought.'

Compared to my meals for the past ten days, breakfast the next morning is basically a gourmet feast. Ace has been showered with parachutes as of late apparently, and we dine on meat, bread, cheese and fruit. She also has a fair supply of water – most of mine had to be poured away at risk of Nightlock contamination. After sharing our supplies last night, Ace gave me an upgrade on my current knife, presenting me with a set of four knives that she was given earlier from a sponsor and allowing me to choose one. It's obvious that the mentors favoured her, and I can't say I'm overly surprised, but I'm just happy that her support can benefit me now. She didn't take off the quiver of arrows all night, and the silver bow never left her hand as she slept.

'The Gamemakers probably won't force us into a fight today.' Ace says, between mouthfuls of meat. 'They'll be wanting a build up to the grand finale – time for promotion. The last fight usually happens pretty much when they schedule it to be.'

I think I know what she means, but I'm sure to clarify.

'What, like releasing Mutts or starting fires – things like that?'

'Yeah. It's unlikely they'll be trying to kill us. Maybe they'll pick off one or two of us, but the final battle is the pinnacle of the Games and to not have it would be disastrous. Chances are they'll just devise a few traps to push us towards the fight.'

I'm shocked at Ace's level of understanding about the Games. If she wins this, I know she'll be a great mentor, assuming she can loosen her cold shell. The conversation lulls for a bit, as we dig into the meal, until I eventually bring up a new subject of conversation

'So, what do you think the reaction of us getting this far will be back home?'

Ace lifts her head up from her meal to answer.

'Probably surprise mostly. We never do well. We're at such a disadvantage. For one thing, our industry teaches us nothing about using weapons. Plus, most people in our District always have enough to eat, so our bodies can't cope with the lack of food, and 5 is so industrialised, we've got barely any chance to learn how to hunt or find edible plants. It's the same problem for 6.'

With Ace putting it like that, I'm surprised either of us has made it this far.

'Well, maybe this year will be different. We could win you know.' I hesitate, and then quietly add 'Well, one of us.'

After that, the conversation turns to what today should consist of. We easily have enough food to last us a few days, and the water shouldn't run out for another two days or so, so we decide the only logical thing left to do is to practice handling our weapons. Ace is the one who suggests this. I can see that she doubts my ability, and if I can't help her out in a fight, then what good am I? Plus, maybe it will raise my chances of getting out of the arena alive.

We start off with knife skills. Ace shows me a few ways to throw a knife, and with my basic ability level being fairly good anyway, it's not long before she's comfortable with my skill. She then shows me a few manoeuvres for hand-on-hand combat, which I am less good at. However, there's a few tips I learn from her, which could get me out of a sticky situation or two.

Following this, the rest of the afternoon is spent practicing with my slingshot. As the afternoon progresses, I get increasingly more accurate, using stones from the ground and aiming them at trees. When night falls, I am consistently hitting trees far into the distance, and Ace is in a much improved mood now that she is more confident in my abilities. I reckon if the Gamemakers saw me now, my training score would have been significantly higher – a 7, perhaps even an 8.

Unsurprisingly, when the Capitol anthem finishes, not a single face is shown in the sky. There're still four of us left, and I don't reckon any of us will see another face appear in this way. I somehow have a feeling that if one of us dies, the Victor will be crowned the same day. Realistically, it's not about tactics anymore. It's about District 1 versus District 5. And whoever survives the battle will be crowned Victor.

My sleep is plagued by nightmares. My head is cluttered with guesses as to how the final battle will happen. Most likely, it'll be a basic tribute-on-tribute fight to the death, but what if they bring in mutts? I've seen too many tributes lose their lives to hideous Capitol creations, and have decided that that's certainly not the way I want to die. Ideally, I'd like to die happy, having lived a long and full life, surrounded by the people I love. But, I guess that's what I'm fighting for – the right to die on my terms.

When we awake on, what Ace and I determine as day 12 in the arena, there's an air of oncoming tragedy. We're both fairly certain that today will be the day the Victor is crowned. The Games usually last around about two weeks – sometimes less, not often much more. The air is slightly foggy and damp, but the temperature is average. As the morning progresses, the fog gets thicker further into the forest, but lighter in the direction of the ruins. We don't have to look deep to understand that the Gamemakers are instructing us to follow the lighter fog.

As expected, the fog gets progressively lighter as we travel. It's soon that Ace realises the fog is leading us to the Cornucopia. Half way through our journey, we abandon Ace's large backpack, and travel with just my small, lightweight bag, which has very little in it. This is sign that we won't be returning. We're half an hour away when we decide to properly arm ourselves. Ace places a knife in her pocket, and equips herself with her bow, arrow primed to shoot. I also place a knife in my pocket, and gather a selection of stones to use as ammo for my slingshot, which I hold in my hand.

When we arrive at the Cornucopia, we are shocked to find a massive wall of stone – a good ten or twelve feet high stretching from one side to the other, obscuring the view across the flat land. It cuts straight through the metal horn, with clean edges – a clear creation of the Gamemakers. On it, in big red writing is the number '5'. District 5 – this was meant for us. We walk over to it, with extreme caution, Ace and I with our backs to each other so we are aware of all our surroundings. We, however, remain untouched when we reach the wall.

'What does it mean?' I whisper to Ace, but she just stares at the wall, contemplating her next move.

Suddenly, a crack emerges at the top and runs the whole way down, until it reaches the floor. Then with a deafening roar, the whole wall crumbles into a pile of dust, and we are left staring at the other side of the pile of rubble where, just a few metres away from us, stand Bliss and Chant.

The Gamemakers have set the stage. They've drawn us in, and now we're ready to play the game. The game where three people die and one survives.

Welcome to the finale.

So, I've finished writing the final two chapters after this one. So, now it's up to you when they get posted. If I get three reviews for this chapter, I'll upload the next one early (as soon as I can after I get the reviews). If I don't, I'll still update on Monday, as usual, but this is your chance to get it uploaded early! So, predictions for the winner? Let me know in the reviews! And if I don't speak to you before then, Happy Christmas! :)

Oh, and I just a shoutout to Mattii16 who's recently become a very consistant reviewer! I appreciate's everyone's reviews, whether positive or constructive criticism, it's just nice to hear feedback, and it gets me motivated to write more! :)