Ronan Armstrong POV

Trees don't like to be climbed. I had been trying to get up a nice thick one with lots of branches for hours and I just couldn't seem to get past the second branch. I sagged in defeat.

I had no idea where I was. Once the gong rang I ran in the opposite direction of the Cornucopia and almost tripped over a saw. After I picked it up I just ran and ran until it got dark. I remembered seeing a waterfall but I probably couldn't have found it if my life depended on it. I chuckled at the thought. My life does depend on it.

I sat the base of the tree, listening. I listened for other tributes or running water, but only silence met my ears. It had been night time for at least four hours and if I didn't find some sort of shelter I would be staying up all night to keep watch. I wished I had made allies in advanced.

I sighed softly and stood up, ready to try again at climbing the tree. I grabbed the lowest branch and yanked myself up onto it. I carefully lifted myself up onto the next branch. This next part was where I hit my trouble.

The branches became farther apart and shorter. I stood on my tip toes to reach the next branch. I heaved myself up onto it. Yes! I made it to the third branch. My victory was short lived, however, because I then noticed that I was barely six feet off the ground.

I felt the branch beneath me begin to bend and then with a loud crack, it broke.

I cried out as I fell and landed on my back with an 'Oof' and successfully knocked the wind out of me. I lay on the ground gasping. Once I could breathe again I sat up grumbling profanities at the stupid tree. There was a rustle of leaves behind me. I spun around less than gracefully.

No one was in sight, but I couldn't help but feel that someone was watching me. I slowly stood up and sat down at the base of the tree. I looked back over to the place where I had heard the noise. Nothing.

Maybe it was just my imagination, I thought hopefully. Yeah, that's all. Just my imagination, I decided firmly. There was another rustling of leaves.

"Hey!" I called out with as much strength as I could muster. Silence.

I carefully reached for my saw.

"No!" A high pitched voice squealed from behind the bushes. After a moment of thought, I set down the saw but kept it next to my hand.

"Come out," I ordered. Silence again. I sighed.

"I know you're there now so just come out here. I won't hurt you," I told the person. I wasn't sure if I was telling the truth about the second part. There was more rustling and a little girl walked out of the foliage with a backpack over her shoulders. She had bright red hair and looked barely twelve. I recognized her from training. She was from District 9.

She stood far away from me, watching fearfully and I knew that I couldn't hurt her. She was too much like any of my siblings.

"I won't hurt you," I promised, half to myself and half to her. She looked at me with wide pleading eyes.

"What's your name?" I asked her softly, afraid that any loud noise or sudden movement might scare her away. There was a short pause.

"Rayna," she answered in a clear but scared voice.

"I'm Ronan. Don't be afraid," I said, hoping that she would listen.

"You are District 7," she informed me. I nodded. She relaxed a little.

"I forgot what the Careers looked like. I thought you might have been one of them.

"No, I'm not a Career. I'm not nearly smart enough," I admitted. She was beginning to relax a bit. She looked up at the tree and giggled. I looked at her confusedly.

"I saw you trying to climb the tree. That one's branches are too weak and scarce," she said. I was embarrassed that this little girl knew more about survival than me, at the moment. She pointed a little to my left. "That one would be much easier to get up."

And so without actually saying it officially, we were allies. She climbed nimbly up the tree she had suggested I try and I found that it was indeed much easier to get up than the other one. Rayna settled on the branch above me and we both decided to get some rest. She pulled a blanket out of the backpack and looked down at me.

"Don't you have a pack?" I shook my head. She looked through her backpack again and a thin blanket fell onto me.

"Sorry that's the only other one I have," she apologized.

"No, thanks. This is much better," I said, and it was true. Even a thin blanket was better than nothing.

End of Day 2

When I woke my branch was shaking. I looked around and realized that it was only Rayna climbing down from her branch.

"We've got to go," she told me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

"We need to get water soon. I only have a couple sips left in my canteen."

I nodded. "Where are we going to-" A loud 'Boom' cut my sentence off. It echoed through the Arena.

"The first death after the bloodbath," I murmured. I forced myself to not be sad by the thought of someone's death, but it was hard.

Rayna's lip trembled with fear and sadness. Without thinking I reached over and hugged her, the way I did to assure Azalea when she was upset. I held her protectively and she calmed noticeably.

"Let's get going," I said.

I packed up everything we had and started west. Neither of us knew where we were trying to go, but we didn't let that stop us. We were quiet for the first half hour or so, still thinking of the unknown tribute's death. There are only eighteen of us now, I thought. I wasn't sure whether I should be sad or happy about this.

"Do you think you can win?" Rayna asked me suddenly. I didn't really know what to say.

"I know I can't," she said sadly. "I can't fight, I am afraid of everything, and I'm tiny." She stopped and looked at me. "You could, though. You are strong and brave." I shook my head.

"No, I don't think I can. I'm not smart enough. I can't make any brilliant plans or anything."

"It doesn't matter," she insisted. We walked in silence for a few minutes.

"I hope you win, Ronan," she said quietly. I opened my mouth to say something, but then the ground began to shake. She looked up at me, fear in her eyes.

"What's happening," She yelled over the rumble of the earth. I shook my head. I had no idea. I looked past her and saw that, to my horror, the ground was collapsing in on itself.

"Run!" I shouted at her, and she did.

We sprinted away together. I realized, somewhere in my mind, that this was a Gamemaker plot. I was running as fast as I could when I heard a shriek. I looked back.

Rayna was a bit behind me, because my legs were so much longer than hers, but I saw that the end of the ground was literally on her heels.

"No!" I screamed, running back for her, but it was too late.

Rayna let out one more scream before tumbling into the ground. The shaking stopped and everything was silent.

I ran back to the huge hole where the floor had previously been and looked down. I felt nauseous when I saw that hole seemed to go down forever.

"Rayna!" I yelled down into the hole. My voice was thick with tears. "Rayna answer me!" There was no answer. I fell to my knees. I had let down the little girl who had trusted me with her life.

I was still crying when her cannon shot.