A/N- Tadaaa! See, I updated quicker! I can stick to my promise... but I'm not sure how long it will last... but lets cherish it for now :D

And also... I realised I haven't done a disclaimer in aaagggggeees... So: I do not own the Hunger Games, because if I did, then Katniss would have chosen Gale, not Peeta x

Brooklyn Virgona, District 1 POV

I'm seething. The world is a field of luscious green grass and I'm a wild fire, burning and destroying everything in my path. The blades of nature shrivel and crumble at my mercy. Steam is literally pouring from my finger tips and flames licking out from my head. My eyes are daggers that will stab anyone that gets in my way.

So yes, I'm not happy.

"Brooklyn!" Kelvin calls after me.

"Go away Kelvin!" I shout without looking back.

I hear footsteps behind me; heavy, running footsteps. A strong hand grabs my shoulder; I try to shrug it off, but the fingers dig in deeper to my bone. The hand pulls me round.

"Get off me" I snarl at Kelvin.

He shakes his head. "No, you'll just run away again. I want you to just stay still and calm yourself"

"How can I when you're pressing your knobbly fingers into my shoulder?" I ask, jerking my arm to release my trapped shoulder. But Kelvin's grip is strong and I'm confined to this position.

"Brooklyn, I know you're mad at me-"

"Mad doesn't even come close"

I feel a sharp pinch in my skin. "Brooklyn, you're overreacting"

"Pfft, I am not" I deny. "You wouldn't like it if I bossed you around and ordered you to do night watch with your worst enemy"

"Firstly, you are overreacting. Secondly, Bryn is not your worst enemy; she just knows how to wind you up." Kelvin says. "And thirdly, I didn't order you to do anything"

"It was hardly a friendly suggestion" I say.

"Yes, but I'm not forcing you" He says. "You're free to leave the alliance any time you want; I'm not stopping you"

With one precipitous tug, I free my shoulder from Kelvin's grasp and scowl at him. "You don't control this alliance, so you don't control me"

I turn sharply, flicking my hair so that it slaps Kelvin across the face and storm away.

Luckily, Kelvin doesn't follow me this time. Because I seriously think that I could murder him if he did.

Walking on, but not really sure where I'm heading, I pass the tents. They're all open; the flaps waving, propped up by spindling looking sticks and rippling in the gentle breeze of the day.

I pass them and continue on until I reach the well. And Ray. His back is facing me and he's leant over the well, pulling on the rope that brings up the bucket. I also don't fail to notice that he's shirtless, his vest top tossed to the side as if it's of little importance. The muscles in his bare back twitch as he pulls up the bucket.

"Hey, Ray!" I call over to him.

He turns around and raises a hand in greeting.

"Hey, Brooklyn" He says, winking.

"Well done, you managed to say my name" I say in a patronizing voice. "We're getting there"

As he stands, one eyebrow raised as if to say 'don't patronize me', I allow my eyes to freely scan his bare torso. It's pretty impressive- for someone from an outside district. His skin smooth, not a curl of hair and deep carvings to show off his muscles. As I said, pretty impressive.

"Forgot something when you got up this morning, Ray?" I gesture to the abandoned t-shirt.

He grins. "Haha, no. I'm getting a wash actually; it's quite warm out today"

"Hmm, I did notice an increase in the temperature when I got over here"

"Ah" He winks. "That'll be the heat radiating off my abs"

"Oh, I thought it was just the angle of the Sun" I say mockingly. "So, where are the others?"

"Bryn, Tal and Ren are off hunting tributes" Ray says. "I'm here, you're here and Kelvin's somewhere in the camp I'd guess"

"Probably polishing his ego or something" I shrug.

Ray laughs. "He is a bit bossy, isn't he?"

"Bossy? Talk about understatement of the Games"

"Why? You to fallen out again?"

"You could say that"

"What's he done this time?"

I roll my eyes. "Oh, you know, just the usual throwing his weight around and pretending he owns the place"

"Ah, I bet you gave him a piece of your mind" Ray guesses.

I sigh. "Actually, I wasn't that bad. I only made a few comments and walked off"

Ray claps his hands in an applause. "Wow, well done Brook-"

"Brooklyn"

"Brooklyn, sorry"

I smile, glad that I seem to have some power over Ray.

Ray turns back to the well and carries on pulling the rope, his biceps contracting and relaxing as he brings up the bucket. I stand and watch for a few moments, then movement from the tents grabs my attention and I look over.

At first I think it's another tribute coming to steal our stuff. A girl came the other day apparently, but Bryn and Tal let her escape. Stupid idiots. If I were there I'd make damn well sure that the thief ended up being taken away by a hovercraft.

Reaching for the bow that is attached to the back of my jacket, along with a set of neatly polished arrows, I look to the person. They don't seem to have noticed me. Where is Kelvin? He should be there to stop this plotting thief...

The tribute's head rises and I stop reaching for my bow. It's the devil himself, Kelvin.

I watch as he looks around, then disappears into one of the tents.

"Ugh" I say out loud.

"What?" I hear Ray asks.

I turn around.

"Just saw Kelvin, that's all" I say. "He has that effect on me"

"And what effect do I have on you?" Ray asks, daringly as he splashes cool water onto his bare chest.

"Well..." I pause. "That depends on whether you're wearing a shirt or not"

His top lip twitches, but he holds back the grin.

"When I am wearing one?" He asks.

I shrug. "You're kinda annoying, but I pretend to put up with you for the sake of my sanity"

"Ok... so what about when my shirt's off?" He asks, seemingly not offended by my comment. "Does that change anything?"

I lower my voice, so it sounds husky and seductive. "Oh yes. It changes everything..."

I half expect Ray to start grinning uncontrollably, but he actually keeps his cool. I'm surprised, but I don't show it. I'll just have to turn it up a notch or two.

"I don't know why they say you're not a real Career" I say, running my fingers delicately across his chest. "Your body certainly thinks you are"

Ray takes this as an opportunity to flex a bicep. "Ah, you know. The dedication pays off in time"

He's inviting me; deliberately showcasing his muscled arm to lure me in. He likes attention. He wants attention. So why not give him what he's hankering for?

I extend my arm and rest my hand across his bicep. My fingers gently squeeze into the solid muscle.

"Hmm, quite good" I report, removing my hand. "Got some pretty decent stuff there"

"And so do you, by the looks of it" His eyes wander down to my legs. One of my best features, I must admit.

Many a time have I been complimented on my toned thighs and calves. And even the shy boys who struggle to even wave a hand in greeting, they oggle. They'll probably deny it, but I've seen them. I have eyes in the back of my head.

"Ooh, is that a compliment, Raymond?" I ask. "I don't believe I've ever heard you say anything nice about someone other than yourself"

"You're right; I don't usually like to dish out compliments" He drops his voice." But maybe you should start getting used to them"

He steps in and bends his head towards mine. His eyelids close gently and his lips start to pout. It's obvious that he wants to kiss me.

But should I let him? I suppose I have been leading him on...

I raise one finger and press it to his damp lips.

"Hold your horses there" I push him back. "We don't want to rush into anything, now do we?"

Ray looks at me, both hurt and embarrassed, but covers it up with a casual shrug.

"That's fine with me" He says. "I just thought that was what you were angling at"

"Maybe I was and maybe I wasn't" I say teasingly. "But then again, you boys will never truly understand the desires of a girl"

"I'm an easy learner"

"Then learn this: patience is a virtue" I add a little smug smile to the end of the sentence.

Ray leans back on the well. "I can wait. It's you I'm worried about"

"Oh, believe me" I reply. "I can wait a hundred years for my Prince Charming"

I turn to leave.

"Just give me a shout if you ever want to wake up" Ray says to me. "I offer pretty good true love's kisses"

I can't help the little smile that grows on my lips. Saying nothing in return, I continue to walk away.

Movement catches my eye. I look over and see the body of one of the tents rippling and the entrance flapping open.

Kelvin emerges and instantly looks in my direction. He must be checking if I'm still with Ray.

I feel a rush of annoyance. Is he checking up on me? Really? Because, seriously, that is pathetic.

So, only thinking out of irritation I quickly turn on my heels, walk up to Ray and plant a kiss on his unsuspecting lips.

Now Kelvin has something to look at.

Ray, whom I caught off guard, recovers quickly and follows the flow of the kiss. At first it's simply a soft moment on the lips, but as I peep over to Kelvin and see the expression on his face, I'm determined to make it more.

I push harder, deepening the kiss, much to Ray's delight. In fact, if it weren't for this being to wind up Kelvin, I think I would enjoy this. Ray's not too bad. For an egotistic wannabe.

Eventually, Kelvin decides he's seen enough and flees back into his tent. I take this as a chance to break away from Ray, before he starts thinking we're a couple or something.

Ray daps his lips with his tongue, a look of satisfaction present on his face. "I knew it was you who was the impatient one. I could sense that you wanted me from the moment we first met"

"Oh really?" I ask, not convinced. Pfft, in his dreams. He's not that irresistible.

"Yup" He, however, sounds sure. "And that just proved it"

"Well" I pat him on the shoulder. "You've got some homework to do if you think that's what's going on inside my brain"

Ray goes to reply, or probably say some other arrogant comment. but I simply turn and walk away before he does.

He doesn't come after me, which I half expected he would. It seems that he does have some sense in that skull of his.

I guess I should be feeling a little guilty for leading him on like that; he'll probably think I'm really into him and start spreading it around. But what's the point in guilt? It's just to wind up Kelvin; Bryn and Tal pull pranks all the time and they don't feel guilty. And also, so what is Ray spreads it? That would actually be a better result. If I wanted to keep it a secret, I would have kissed Ren instead.

The thought of kissing Ren runs though my mind. And thinking about it, it wouldn't really be that bad. Yeah, Ren is a little awkward and weaker than the others, but he's still pretty good. I've seen him in training, he's quite sharp with spears. And also, he's not bad looking either. A little pretty for me; with his cute curls and dimpled cheeks, I prefer a darker, more mysterious kind of guy...

"Brooklyn" A dark voice comes from somewhere to my left. Haha, convenient. What a coincidence.

"What, Kelvin?" I turn and see Kelvin standing in the entrance of his and Ray's shared tent.

"I saw you" He says.

"Ooh, now isn't that weird?" I say sarcastically. "Fancy seeing your ally at your camp? How odd..."

"Enough with the sarcasm, Brooklyn" Kelvin says. "I mean, I saw you kissing Ray"

"You were supposed to" I reply. "And why does it matter anyway?"

"I'm not happy about it"

"Why not? You don't own me"

"It's not that..."

"What? Romance is illegal? Because if so, then I'd go and interrogate Bryn and Tal if I were you. There is no way they haven't done anything. I mean, have you seen them together?"

"I'm not talking about them"

I start to nod slowly, as if I understand. "Oh, I see it now. You're jealous"

His face turns slightly red. "I'm not jealous. Don't be ridiculous"

"Then why did you look crushed when you saw me kiss Ray? Or is it Ray you're after?"

"I am not gay and do not fancy Ray. That goes to you too"

"Oh, so you're a-sexual then?"

"No!" He protests. "I'm straight, ok? But I don't have a thing for you"

"So you shouldn't be bothered about me and Ray then" I say.

"No. Yes. Yes, I am bothered" He stutters.

"Why? You must be jealous then"

"I'm not jealous! I'm just...I erm...I'm..." Kelvin struggles to form his sentence. Which is a change. "I just...I don't...um, I mean I..."

I raise my eyebrows.

"Oh for goodness sake!" He snaps. "I can't be doing with words"

And then he crushes his lips onto mine.

I'm so shocked that it takes me a few moments to realise what's happening. Kelvin's kissing me! But as I try to push him away, I find that I can't. I physically can't bring myself to do it.

So we kiss. A long. full on kiss. My heart beats louder as Kelvin's scent pours onto me. I feel like I want him, like I need him. It's such a strange feeling. I'm supposed to hate his guts, but instead I'm kissing the crap outta him?

What has gotten into me? Is this a new feeling? Or has it always been there and has only just been discovered?

Guthrie Zython, District 8 POV

"There must be another water source somewhere in this arena" Annabeth says surely. "They can't just have one well, we'd die off like flies and the games would be over within a couple of days"

"Yeah, the Careers would be the only ones left, seeing that they've conveniently set up camp around the well. And anyone who tried to get near the water would be slaughtered" I agree.

"We weren't" Annabeth points out. "But I guess we were just lucky. Although I swear that was a one off; don't ask me to do anything like that again"

"You made the final decision" I remark. "Anyways, there must be like a river or something"

"There's probably one here in the forest" Annabeth says with optimism.

I nod my head and we continue walking, stepping over fallen branches and tree stumps, also avoiding low branches that threaten to slap my face. I've hit a few of them and now gained a handsome scratch across my cheek. Well, that's what Annabeth tells me.

"Hey, you know if that did happen and the Careers were the only ones left?" Annabeth says. "Which one do you think would win?"

I think for a moment. "Probably either the big guy from Two or the vicious girl from One. They're the toughest and seem to have had the most training"

"Hmm, yeah. But what about the girl from Two, Bryn? She's pretty amazing with those knives and hardly ever misses; well the only time I've seen her miss was when she threw one at me yesterday, but I was way ahead" She suggests. "Also, she looks like she could easily outrun the others"

I kick a branch. "Nah, I reckon I could take out the lot of them" I punch the air in front smoothly. "Bare-handed, with a blindfold"

Annabeth laughs. "Of course you could, Guthrie. The first tribute to win the games with no weapons and a blindfold. You'd be a legend"

"I'm already a legend"

"Whatever you say"

We keep walking for a while, aimlessly, just wandering in and out of trees. My stomach starts to rumble lightly, politely asking for food, rather than the angry cries I felt the other day. I pull my bag off my shoulder and unzip it. The wonderful sight of green apples greets my hungry eyes. I reach in and grab one.

"Want an apple? I'm having one" I ask Annabeth, who is now walking slightly ahead, navigating us both.

"We should save them"

I huff. "Ugh, what's the point in having food and not eating it? It's just one apple; I won't eat the whole bag"

I hear her sigh. "Oh go on then, but throw me one too"

Grinning with satisfaction, I toss her the apple and take another for myself. As I bite into the apple, the smooth skin tears and my teeth sink into the crunchy but moist inside. I let it rest on my tongue for a few moments, letting the sweet flavour soak into my taste buds and savour it for as long as I can before my teeth can't resist another bite.

I end up chomping my way through the whole apple in no time, leaving just the core and pips. And it's literally just the core and pips; I've eaten every last scrap of apple. Unsure of what to do with the core, I just shove it into the bag. I don't want to leave any evidence behind; if the Careers see the apple core, they'll know we took it and will be straight onto following our tracks. Thinking about it, I hastily scuff up some leaves with the toe of my boot, just to be sure that we haven't left a trail behind.

I twist my head and look behind me. There seems to obvious track, so I turn back and almost crash into the back of Annabeth.

"Whoa, you could have warned-" I start saying, but Annabeth hushes me sharply.

"Do you hear that?" She whispers so low that I have to lean closer to hear.

I listen.

The sound of a gentle breeze that catches on hanging leaves and whistles through branches is the first thing I hear, but I doubt that's what Annabeth means. I listen again. This time I hear the light scurry of birds in the trees above us, their wings brushing against the crispy leaves. Alas, I also think that that's not what Annabeth is talking about. It must be something like...running water.

I instantly recognise the sound of constant flowing water and feel almost like cheering. She was right; there is another water source!

"Hear it?" Annabeth says, her voice still hushed.

I nod slowly and whisper back. "A river"

A smile forms on her lips and she steps away from me. She looks around, waiting for a moment and then takes off in a direction.

I follow her, my steps right behind hers.

We walk through a thick patch of trees, their trunks packed together and their leaves merged. It seems like we're going into deeper forest, until I notice a clearing through the trees.

"Annabeth" I tap her shoulder in front. "Look to your right; there's a clearing. The river might be there"

She turns her head. "Oh yes, I can see it! It looks like a stream or something"

She picks up her speed, racing to the water. I start jogging too and we soon push through the foliage, emerging out into the open space.

And sitting a few metres ahead, is a narrow river.

Annabeth heads straight for the water, throwing her bag to the ground and wading in. She turns and looks to me, her arm waving for me to join her.

Smiling, I drop my bag next to hers and tear off my jacket. I leave it behind on the floor, draping across the bags and run towards the river.

Water sloshes at my feet, seeping into my trousers and cooling my legs. It's fairly warm today, not scorching, but enough to get you sweating while out walking. I greet the slight chill gladly, letting it soak into my clothes.

I wade over to Annabeth, the flow of the water slowing me down a little. It feels like I'm walking in solid metal boots; heavy and dragging across the stoned bed.

"I would take my boots off, but the bottom looks sharp and full of stones" Annabeth says, looking down.

"Well I hope the water cushions your landing" I grin mischievously.

Annabeth looks at me for a second, puzzled, but soon realises my motives as I step towards her and throw my arms out, pushing into her shoulders. She squeals as she falls back, her body plunging backwards into the water. She sinks down, her head just above the surface of the water as she sits on the stony bed. Her face is scowling.

"You're gonna pay for that move, Guthrie!" She says, struggling to her feet.

I laugh as she tries to stand, her arms splashing in the water uselessly and her feet slipping and sliding all over the place.

"Stop laughing! It-" She spits out some water. "isn't funny!"

This makes me laugh even more and she starts scowling again, but not seriously. And as she trips backwards once more, her hand shoots out and grabs my arm, forcing me down with her.

"Ah!" I let out a shout as I fall down with her.

My bottom hits the water with a slap and an uncomfortable dampness greets my skin. I shut my eyes tightly as water sprays my face and enters my mouth. I spit it out.

"Ugh, I'm drenched!" I exclaim. "Why did you have to pull me in?!"

I wait for Annabeth for reply with something along the lines of 'serves you right', but she doesn't even speak.

"Hey, got water in your ears?" I look to her. "Hello? Are you there?"

Annabeth says nothing, her face has frozen.

"What?" I wave my hand in front of her eyes. "Are you ignoring me or something?"

She doesn't reply. I notice that her shoulders are shaking slightly.

"Hey, are you cold?" I ask. "You're shivering. Maybe sitting in a river isn't the best idea we've had"

"Annabeeetthh? Will you be a dear and say something?"

Her eyes don't even flicker. I know she's good at ignoring me; but not that good. So I follow her eyes, a diagonal stare upwards to the rest of the forest. I trace a line in the air with my finger and when I hit the trees, I stop and lower my hand.

Now I can see what she's staring at. The row of trees in front are packed full of jet black birds, similar to crows, only more vicious looking. They have jagged feathers, as if they've been through a shredder and their beaks are orange and pointed like spears. Their beady green eyes shoot daggers at us and send shivers down my chilled spine. And their long, curved claws tap the wood of the branches they sit on.

Careful to minimise my movement, I very slowly twist my head and look around us. They're everywhere. Clustered in compact rows, lined up along every branch in every tree, surrounding us in a prisoning black circle.

"Don't move" I say in a low, steady voice. "If we move, they'll-"

One of the birds, the biggest and probably the leader, lets out a searing screech. I wince as the high frequency sound vibrates in my ear drums, burying into my brain like a tiny drill. Next to me, Annabeth's face has drained, her skin now the same colour of snow in the dead of winter.

We stay completely still as the bird finishes it's cry, then watch in horror as it starts flapping it's thick wings madly up and down, signalling to the other birds. They all copy, shaking their wings angrily and shouting down to us.

Then they lift from the trees.

Annabeth lets out a high pitched scream as hundreds of birds soar up, before plummeting down towards us at top speed, their beaks pointed and their bodies streamlined. It's like a snow storm, only black and far, far more dangerous.

Knowing they'll hit within seconds, I jump to my feet and run towards the shore. But the water slows me down and I find myself having to throw myself to the ground to dodge the swooping birds.

The ground hits my face hard, my nose cracking painfully as it thumps the dampened shore. I think it's broken, but I have no time to check as I'm crawling up on to my knees and scurrying along the ground towards the bags, where my sword is waiting.

I reach the pile of bags and jackets quickly. The adrenalin pumping through my veins is enough to power a Capitol train, so I'm quick to find my sword. My hand closes around it tightly and I get to my feet.

A cluster of about five birds squawk and zip towards me, their green eyes focused on me as their target. My other hand grabs the rest of the sword's handle and I swing it upwards, slicing into the birds. Two of them let out cries of pain and fall to the ground, injured beyond help. I spit on them and begin swinging the sword again, taking down another bird. And another, and another, until there's a small pile of dead birds at my feet.

I spin around, facing the river once more. I look for Annabeth and find her soon enough. She's still in the water, but on her feet, splashing frantically as she tries to run to land. A crowd of birds swarm around her, dipping and diving to peck at her body. She screams as she throws her arms about, trying to swat them away from her.

"Annabeth!" I yell. "Get to dry land! I'm coming to help you!"

She seems to get my message and makes a break for it, almost galloping through the river towards the shore. The birds, who now seem agitated, follow her.

I take off, sprinting to the edge of the water where Annabeth is heading for. I slash the air as I run, fighting the birds that fly in my way.

I skid into the shallows of the water, standing near to Annabeth and cutting at the birds that fly above her. They scream and collapse to the ground, wings torn and heads sliced off, at mercy to my sharp blade.

Once they've all succumbed and fallen to the ground, my heart is racing ridiculously fast and sweat pours down my face. I look to Annabeth.

"Are you ok?" I ask her while panting.

Her voice quivers as she speaks. "Yeah, I think I'm alright. I was bitten quite a lot on my arms, but I don't think I've lost too much blood"

I walk beside her and take her arm. Her jacket has been sliced into and the skin of her arm underneath is red and raw, blood seeping out. But she'll live.

"It doesn't look too bad" I say. "We can band-"

She screams again and points behind me. "Guthrie! There's more!"

I turn just in time as a swarm of black birds swoop towards me. They seem agitated and therefore, more vicious.

I slash wildly in the air, hacking at the birds randomly. A few miss my sword and dive at my bare arms, ripping my skin with their sharp beaks and sending agony rippling through my body. I grit my teeth and carry on despite the pain.

I hear Annabeth's screams behind me. She's screaming my name.

"Annabeth!" I yell back, turning to see her.

But the water is disrupted and flowing madly in all different directions. So as I try to step, my foot gets lost in the current and I stumble forwards. I try to step again to prevent my fall, but my other foot loses balance and my body tumbles down.

Annabeth screams my name again and I look up to see her bow to the ground, a huge swarm of birds on top of her.

And then the world goes black.

Heidi Fitzherbit, District 12 POV

"So, what do think of him?" Rhea asks in a low voice. She means Zephyr, our new addition to the alliance.

"I met him a few times in training and he seemed quite nice" I shrug. "And he hasn't tried to kill us, so he seems pretty trustworthy"

"I suppose" Rhea sighs. "I'm still a little wary, but I guess I don't really know him. He's pretty strong, so that could help me seeing that you and Luna aren't the strongest of people..."

"Hey!" I elbow her arm. "I have my uses too! Without me you wouldn't have the knowledge on edible plants"

"Luna knows some stuff" Rhea grins. "In fact, she is from Eleven, so she does deal with crops"

I pout. "Stop making me sound like I'm useless. In case you don't remember, I did create this alliance, which makes me leader"

"And what a great leader you are, Heidi. By allowing the only rule we have be broken already"

I go to protest, but then stop myself. She's right. I have broken our only rule by letting Zephyr in. We were supposed to be an all girls alliance; to show that we don't need boys to survive...and yet, I've just been a complete idiot and gone completely against our policy.

I sigh. "Oh well, things change don't they?" I look behind to the two behind us. "Anyways, I could really say no. You can see how much Luna likes him; I wouldn't want to do that to her"

"Or, you're just too soft" Rhea says.

"I am not too soft!" I retort.

"Fine then, maybe it's because you fancy him then" She grins wickedly.

I feel my cheeks blushing. "I do not"

Rhea laughs. "Of course you don't. It's not like you check out everything in trousers; and it's not like Zephyr hasn't got anything to check out..."

"You sound like you fancy him now"

"Well I don't. I can't be doing with boys right now"

"Hey!" A call comes from behind us. It's Zephyr. "Are you two conspiring about me?"

"Nope" Rhea shouts back. "We're just discussing how much Heidi fancies you"

I could murder that girl. Right here. Right now.

We stop walking, Zephyr and Luna catching us up.

Zephyr stops opposite me, a cheeky grin on his face. "So, Heidi..."

I put my hand on his shoulder before he says anything more. "Sorry, Zeph. You're lovely and all that, but you're not my type"

Rhea snorts. "You have a type?"

Ignoring her comment, I look back to Zephyr. "Besides, even if I did, I wouldn't make a move on you. In training I promised Luna that I would back off and let her have you"

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Luna's face turn bright red.

"No, we're just friends" Luna says quickly. "Just good friends"

"Oh, of course" I smile innocently. "Friends. My mistake"

Luna scowls at me while Zephyr starts to walk again. I give her an angelic smile in return and turn to follow Zephyr.

For the next half hour, we walk almost silently, breaking only to hear a bad joke cracked by Zephyr, who is really growing on me. He's actually really good to be around and I'm secretly glad I broke our rule and let him in. He adds a little spice to the alliance.

However, I've got to admit, his jokes get worse and worse.

"That was terrible!" Luna giggles. "How can you even call that a joke?"

"It's a classic!" Zephyr says back, grinning.

Luna rolls her eyes. "You've got to be kidding me. If they're the sorts of jokes you tell in Nine, then I'm glad I come from Eleven, where we tell some decent ones"

"Go on then, give me an example"

I cut through the middle of them, stopping their conversation.

"Ok, ok, that's enough you two" I say. "There is only a certain amount of bad jokes a girl can take in a day, and I think my ear drums are going to explode"

"So soon?" Zephyr asks. "But we haven't even started yet"

I narrow my eyes. "Seriously, I'm warning you now. If another bad joke comes out of your mouth, I swear I will-"

The sound of a canon halts my sentence.

We all freeze.

Then a rustle in the bushes beside us causes me to break the silence.

I scream.

"Whoa, calm down Heidi" Zephyr holds up calming hands. "If there's anyone in there, then we're not going to defeat them if your piercing our ear drums"

I shut my mouth. "Sorry"

"Good" He nods and brings forth his spear. "I'm going to check it out"

"Zephyr, be careful" Luna says worriedly.

"I will" He replies, slowly stepping towards the bush, the point of his spear leading his movements.

We watch tensely as he stands before the bush and pokes his weapon into the clump of leaves.

"Nothing in here" He reports, but instead of stepping back, he walks through the bush and disappears from view.

"What is he doing?" Rhea says, shocked. "There could be Careers waiting"

"It's a trap" Luna says.

"He's risking his life for us"

"We have to help him" Luna rushes forwards.

"Wait!" Both me and Rhea call out, but Luna refuses to listen and also slips through the bushes.

I turn to Rhea. "Together?"

"Together"

We take each others' hands, gripping them tightly, and edge towards the bush. My heart is beating at a hundred miles and hour and my breathing is scattered. My feet shake as they step closer and closer.

"On three" Rhea whispers. "One"

I take a breath. "Two"

"Three"

And we infiltrate through the barrier of leaves and spiked branches.

I close my eyes as we push through and when they open again, we're standing in a clearing.

A small river flows by, its ripples being the only sound except the heaviness of my breathing.

My hand slips from Rhea's as I look around. The ground is coated in thick, sticky pink gloop, which is broken up by small piles of mangled up black feathers.

Rhea pokes one with the toe of her boot and pulls a face. "They're all birds; dead birds"

Vile rises in my throat, but I swallow it back down again. "What happened?"

"I don't know, but my best guess is that someone else was here" She bends down and dips her finger in some of the pink gloop. "The blood is still warm, so whoever it was, they haven't been gone long"

"Or they might not be gone at all" I say, spotting two bent bodies a little way away. "There are two people over there"

"It's just Luna and Zephyr" Rhea says. "But I'm not entirely sure on what they're actually doing"

"Luna! Zephyr!" I shout over. "What are you doing?"

Luna looks up. "We've found a body"

"Dead or alive?" I ask, as if it's a completely normal question.

"Dead, we think" Luna replies. "She isn't breathing and she looks in a pretty bad state"

"She?"

"Yeah, I'm not quite sure who it is though. She looks kind of familiar; well, her hair does anyway"

"What's her hair like?"

"Long, blonde and curly. It reaches nearly down to her hips"

"Annabeth" I reply simply. "The girl from Eight"

Rhea, who is now standing near the edge of the river, pipes in. "She had an ally right?"

I nod. But I don't want to mention his name.

"Well I think I've found him" Rhea says. "He's lying in the river"

Without thinking about the state he might be in, I rush over to the river.

Rhea points down.

I look and see his body. He's lying on his stomach, but his head is turned to the side. His head isn't entirely covered by water, but it laps up, splashing into his nostrils, before pulling back again.

"Help me" I say to Rhea, bending down and grabbing under the boy's armpit. Rhea looks at me for a moment, but reluctantly bends down and helps.

With our combined strength, we manage to drag the body from the water, despite the fact that his clothes are soaked through and add a lot of extra weight.

Rhea sits back, gasping for breath; she did do the majority of pulling, as she's by far the strongest out of us two.

But I bend over the boy. I was right; it is who I thought it was.

His eyes are closed and his lips pale blue. He doesn't seem to be breathing, but he's not dead yet. He can't be.

My hands find his neck and I press my fingers hard, searching for a pulse. I find one, but it's weak. Very weak.

Launching into first aid, well what I know of it, I begin doing some chest compressions. My wrists pound deep into his chest, pumping and pumping. I finish the round and bend my head down to his. Pinching his nose, I cover his mouth with mine and puff a few breaths down. I'm practically kissing him, but I'm concentrating too much on saving his life that I don't really pay much attention to his lips on mine.

"C'mon, Guthrie" I say through gritted teeth, back on to chest compressions. "Don't die on me; my whole reputation is on the line now..."

"Heidi? What are you doing?" Luna comes over, Zephyr by her side.

"What... does... it...look like?" I say though deep breaths. Saving someone's life is exhausting. I've practised on sacks of flour at home, but never on a real person. Dylan would never let me try on him, but that's the sort of loving brother he is. I guess he was afraid that I'd end up giving him a heart attack or something.

Luna turns to Rhea. "Does she even know this guy?"

"Yeah, he's the one from Eight. You know, the dude she kept flirting with every time she saw him"

"Ohh... her 'soul mate'?"

I look up, my hands still pumping. "Guys...now is...not the...time..."

Looking down once more, I focus on Guthrie. Come on, please wake up...

And as if I possess mind powers, Guthrie moves beneath my hands.

His eyelids flutter open and he starts to cough, his body jerking as mouthfuls of water spout from his mouth.

I feel a wave of relief pass through me and my shoulders relax, my wrists still aching.

Finished coughing and spluttering, Guthrie looks to me. "Heidi? What happened?"

"It's kinda a long story..."

"Basically, she saved your life" Zephyr answers simply.

"Why?" Guthrie looks to me. "You should have left me to die; that's the point of the Games"

"But you saved me once, remember?" I say gently. "A life for a life"

A/N- Ah, yes. Another death. It was time, I'm sorry. We shall miss Annabeth, we shall indeed. Sorry to those who liked her and Tessabelle94 for submitting her. She was a really lovely tribute :D

Right, so instead of four POVs, I went to three in this chapter. But it was already too long before I started the fourth, so I shall leave that to another chapter. I hope it didn't disappoint anyone :P

Ok, so thoughts on this? Were you expecting Annabeth to die so soon? What about Guthrie, is he going to be another addition to the Girls Alliance? And do you think something will happen between him and Heidi? And finally, what do you think about Brooklyn, Ray and Kelvin? Is there a potential love triangle?

Next chapter will be up soon, as it will be a short one x Thanks for reading and reviewing and lets try to get it to 100 reviews! Whoever gets in the 100th review I will give the opportunity to send any sponsor gift to a tribute of their choice! Ooh! Yes, it can be anything (be realistic though...) So get those reviews in!

Thanks, FireflyLlama xxx