Verity Sangster (District 1 Mentor)

"What in the hell is your girl thinking Verity? Seriously, what kind of career chooses the life of an ally over the chance to eliminate a dangerous opponent?"

I can't stand Julia; not only is she everything a proper career mentor should be, which makes her almost impossible to be around, unless you're part of the select group of like-minded career mentors, but she's a callous, uptight bitch to boot. And the fact that she's always so condescending and judgmental only makes her that much harder to work with, and it's not just me that thinks so. Hell if it wasn't for her partner Claudius I highly doubt the career alliance would still be a thing, not with mentors like Joyce, Allure, Velvet and me representing the other two districts anyway.

To make matters worse she seems to revel in the act of holding every career, as opposed to just her own, to the same ruthlessly efficient, and largely imagined, standard she thinks she set during her games. And on top of that, she has no problem belittling and second-guessing the intelligence and necessity of every signal decision any career makes. In short, she's easily the world's biggest bitch and one of the most difficult mentors to work with in any sort of marginally efficient way.

"Not all careers are as cold and heartless as you were Julia. And besides, it's your tribute she's saving, so it wouldn't kill you to show a little gratitude."

"You think I should be grateful that she's dragging my greatest failure as a meteor, a failure that's barely clinging to life I might add, back to safety so she can continue to embarrass herself and our district with her ineptitude?"

"Regardless of your, personal feelings regarding Cassia, the fact remains that MY tribute is currently carrying YOUR tribute to safety, not to mention she saved her damn life. Now that may not mean anything to you, and I don't believe for a second that it does, but at the very least you can show Kerensa the proper respect for having done something that you admit you'd never have been able too."

"I think you misunderstood my statement, Verity. I applaud her for having the strength of character to make the choice she did, but I do question her intelligence in making said decision. Even idiots and morons can see and understand the stupidity of saving an ally, and a grievously injured one at that while letting one of your most dangerous opponents live is dumb. Not to mention bad strategy."

Part of me knows she's right, and that's what makes this that much harder to stomach. On the one hand, there's a part of me, the more human part, which is extremely proud of Kerensa right now. She made an incredibly tough decision that's equal parts brave and risky, and she did so without hesitation while displaying the kind of decisive attitude that transforms tributes into victors.

Unfortunately I also have a Sangster side to me, and she's absolutely furious at Kerensa for being childish enough, if not downright stupid in choosing to save an ally, particularly one that's as divisive and short-tempered as Cassia, instead of cashing in on the signature kill that would have secured her whatever she needed in the way of sponsor support. But she passed on it and now I have to find a way to combine my happy and angry sides long enough to find a way to sell her decision to sponsors before they come to and settle on the same conclusion Julia has.

"Kerensa managed to make a very difficult decision and she did so without letting her emotions cloud her judgment. It may be hard to see how this benefits her in the short run, and to someone like you that can only see five seconds into the future I didn't expect anything less than disdain. But I'm confident that in the long run, once all is said and done, that her decision will not only be vindicated but also recognized as the moment she took her first clear steps towards winning the Games."

"Do you truly believe that Verity?"

"Yes, yes I do Julia. And if you had the same belief in and passion about your tributes that I have in mine, then maybe you wouldn't be personally overseeing the single longest drought between victors in District Two's illustrious history."

"I'd hardly call six years a drought; it's more like a small dry spell. But I am impressed at how quickly and effortlessly you managed to turn that around on me dear. You're every bit as cunning and devious as your brothers with your mother's looks and your father's dedication. It's no wonder you're the fifth Sangster to successfully navigate his or her way through the intricacies of the games and into the Capitols hearts. But you still have to deliver a victor to truly cement your claim to greatness, and I highly doubt either Kerensa or Claro have the fortitude to be the one to do it."

"We'll just have to wait and see. But we'll have to continue this, enthralling discussion another time. I have a meeting with a couple of sponsors in just over an hour, and I'd like to look my best while I'm securing my tributes the funding they'll need in order to send your district to a seventh consecutive year without a victor."


Claro Alabaster-18(D1M)

"Is there a reason you're insisting on bringing that stupid anchor back with us?"

"As a matter of fact Claro, there is a reason I'm dragging this 'stupid' anchor back with us."

"Are you going to tell me what it is or am I supposed to guess?"

"You're more than welcome to guess, but I'm not going to tell you if you're right. And if I'm not going to tell you if you're right, why in hell would I just outright tell you why I'm bringing it back with us?"

I don't think I'll ever actually understand Docker, and to be honest, I'm not sure I really want too. I mean he's as close to the textbook definition of scatterbrained as you can get without actually being scatterbrained. One minute he's talking about honoring and respecting a worthy adversary or how it's only worth fighting them if the fight is done on equal footing, and the next he's off cradling a rusty old anchor like a newborn baby. It's almost like there are two Dockers, the deep and pseudo-philosophical human and the brooding monster and the one you interact with depends on the situation and his personal preferences and whims.

"What the hell could possibly be taking Cassia and Kerensa this long to wrap up? If they don't hurry up and get here soon we'll never make it back before nightfall."

"What's the matter Claro; you're not, afraid of the dark, are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, of course, I'm not afraid of the dark. But that doesn't mean I relish the idea of wandering around in it, not to mention the fact that we'll be extremely vulnerable and exposed the entire time."

"Well, there's nothing to worry about kiddo. There's nothing coming out of those shadows that can take me, so as long as you stick close, and don't piss me off, you'll make it back to camp regardless of how light or dark it is outside."

I really can't tell if that was supposed to be sarcastic of comforting, but it definitely came across as more of the latter than it did the former. Then again, much like trying to walk the tightrope between his two, wildly different personalities, I've gotten pretty good at watching what I say around him as well as how I react physically, vocally and even subconsciously to the slightly disturbing things that end to slip out of his mouth from time to time.

But even so, there's something about how he's been acting since I finished off Ruby and he found that stupid, sun-bleached hunk of shit he calls an anchor that just, rubs me the wrong way. I mean he hasn't said or done anything out of the ordinary, at least not for him, but his whole demeanor, not to mention his already dangerously off-kilter mood, seemed to shift from one extreme to the other the second he wrapped his hands around that stupid hunk of metal.

But this could all just be in my head, and considering how unsettled I am right now, that's not as far-fetched an idea as it once seemed. Killing Ruby, particularly in such a close and deeply personal manner, hit me a lot harder than I'd care to admit, and while I have zero intention of letting Docker know how much killing her truly affected me, it's impossible for me to think about anything else right now. I'm just glad she was unconscious for the whole thing, I don't know if I'd have been able to do it if she'd been looking back at me the entire time.

"Holy shit, what the hell happened to you two?"

Docker's sudden outburst snaps me out of my pity party and back to reality where I'm greeted by the bruised and beaten face of my district partner as she slides an even worse looking Cassia off her shoulders just seconds before her legs give out and she collapses to the ground in a heap.

I spend the next several minutes trying to clean up Cassia's most severe injuries, but a few of them, particularly the nasty looking gashes covering her right eye and the majority of its associate cheek, are already covered in thin layer of noxious yellow puss. The fact that I'm trying to clean and treat her wounds with nothing but water and the tatters of a shirt I only decided to bring with me on the off-chance I needed something to wipe the sweat off my face. Unfortunately, that makes this nothing short of a losing battle and before long I'm forced to admit defeat and settle for gently covering her more serious injuries and praying that we have something in the first aid kit back at the cornucopia that can help.

After I finish up with Cassia I'm finally able to turn my attention to Kerensa, who for what it's worth, is in significantly better shape than Cassia. It doesn't take me long to use the water to flush out the clumps of dirt and loose pieces of gravel and wash away the leftover sweat that covered the road rash that used to be the left side of her face and get it wrapped up well enough that it should stay relatively clean until we get back to camp. The bruised and bloody mess that used to be her right eye is a different story, unfortunately. Every time I try to flush it out so I can get a better look at it she starts wigging out and flopping around like a fish out of water. Finally, after my fourth or fifth attempt ends in failure, by this point I've honestly lost count, I give up and decide to check it out once she wakes back up, provided she ever does.

Now I just have to find a way to convince Docker to help me carry them back to the cornucopia. Which is probably going to be a lot harder than it should be, if his complete lack of interest in their wellbeing over the last fifteen or so minutes is any indication that is? But I still have to try, because there's no way in hell I'll be able to drag them both back alone.

"Docker, I'm going to need you too…."

"Which one's too heavy for you to carry pretty boy?"

"I, excuse me?"

"Do I need to ask slower, or were you taken aback by the insinuation that one of these girls was too heavy for you to carry?"

"For the sake of moving this along, let's just assume it was the second one."

"Fair enough, so, do you want to carry Cassia and my anchor or would you rather take Kerensa and what's left of our supplies?"

"I guess….I guess I'll take Kerensa and the supplies."

"Good choice, I'm not sure you have the lower body strength to shoulder a person and an anchor."

I don't have the slightest idea how to respond to that, and fortunately, I don't have to as Docker seems to be solely focused on finding a way to balance Cassia across his massive shoulders while carrying his war hammer and anchor. To my surprise, he eventually decides that he can't do all three and with a casual shrug he tosses his hammer over the side of the bridge and into the gently moving waters below.

A few seconds later both of us are finally situated and ready to move out when I'm surprised again by Docker as he motions for me to take the lead while quietly mumbling something about the stronger of the two of us providing rear security. And just like I've been for most of the day I'm at a loss for how to respond to this so I just offer a small nod and mouth a silent thank you before taking off for the temple at a trot. I'm not sure if either of the girls is in mortal danger, but I'd rather not take a chance, at least not until Augustus has a chance to offer his input on the matter that is.


Perriwood "Perry" Coltrove-15(D6M

If I never have to swim again in my life it'll be too soon. In the last two days, I've found myself swimming for my life on two separate occasions and I can safely say that there's absolutely no other reason in the world for a human being to put themselves within spitting distance of this much water. But I guess the important thing for me to remember is that I'm still alive, for now anyway.

That's the one part of all this I still can't fully wrap my head around, the fact that despite having a clear shot and being a significantly better swimmer than I could ever hope to be, Docker let me get away. I don't believe for a second that he was satisfied with just finishing off Ruby, especially not after the beat down I gave her before he and Claro found her. But for some crazy reason, he let me escape and settled for finishing off a wounded animal instead.

Now that's not really fair, at least not completely so. After all, Ruby might not have been the smartest girl I've ever met, and she had no idea how to look at the big picture, but she was confident and extremely good-looking. Part of me was sad that I had to accelerate my timetable and get rid of her now, especially considering I'd only managed to finagle that one stupid little kiss out of her after I saved her life in the bloodbath. But circumstances forced my hand and I'll have to spend the rest of my life wondering how much more I could have coaxed out of her before we ended up in the same situation.

Before long I feel my mind starting to wonder and despite the fact that I really should be focusing on kicking and finding a way out of the water before it gets dark I decide to let my mind do its own thing and wander. Before long I'm bathed in memories, some real and some imaginary, of all the times I had a chance to make a move on Ruby but decided to play the gentleman instead of the girl-crazed teen boy I am. Eventually, my mind settles in on a particularly happy and surprisingly romantic memory of the first card trick I showed her.

The trick itself was a relatively simple and straightforward one and I remember being baffled at how something as simple as a sleight of hand and a stacked deck could so eloquently enthrall someone who at the time was trying to present herself to everyone as this overly sophisticated and elegant young woman who just happened to be from the poorest district in Panem. But I wasn't fooled and after a little gentle prodding, and a couple of little white lies about my intentions and how afraid and out of my element I was, she was eating out of the palm of my hand and it was only a matter of time until I had the super attractive ally I always wanted.

From that point forward I played my cards close to the vest, continued to wow her with some relatively easy and thoroughly unimaginative tricks, and kept telling her what she wanted to hear until it was too late for her to back out. Until the bloodbath started, that was her chance and mine to rethink this alliance and try something different, but I was committed and she was in too deep to back out, not to mention scared absolutely shitless by the brutality and carnage unfolding before her relatively sheltered eyes, to do anything but cling to the only source of comfort she had, me.

After I rescued her from the bloodbath and led her to safety outside the temple, she was mine. At that point, I'm pretty sure I could have convinced her to do anything I wanted and she'd have agreed; even if she didn't realize just what it was she was agreeing too. But I didn't, instead I settled for a very sweet, but incredibly inexperienced and childlike kiss and a thank you before moving on. After all, at that point, we had supplies, a weapon, and nothing between us and the relative safety of the arena. I was so sure I'd have plenty of opportunities to collect more rewards from my beautiful ally.

But fate can be a cruel mistress, and instead of rewarding my patience with a long and very fulfilling run with Ruby as my partner and fake girlfriend, I was forced to accelerate her demise and pray that whatever I manage to come up with to fill the void her early death leaves in my plans ends up being half as useful and rewarding as she would have been.

Unfortunately, I haven't got the slightest idea what to do next, outside of finding a way out of the water, and no real shot at the sponsor support I'd been hoping to use my 'relationship' with Ruby to cash in on. But there's not really anything I can do about all that right now, other than getting out of the water that is, so I might as well focus on that first and worry about the rest after I have a chance to rest and recover from today's ordeal.

With my mind now firmly focused on getting my ass out of this water I quickly banish the lingering tendrils of my previous dream like state and turn my muscles towards the task of getting around this next turn and to the dock I assume is on the other side. And that's what I do, I kick and swing my arms for all their worth in what I'm sure is a comical interpretation of swimming, but it seems to work and before long I'm making very real, if slightly unseemly and extremely uncoordinated progress.

Unfortunately, that progress doesn't seem to come with the way out of the water I'd been hoping for and after what feels like an eternity of kicking and stroking the last vestiges of the sun start to slip beyond the horizon and I'm bathed in the red-orange glow of the day's twilight. I'm just about to give up hope when I see it, a tiny boat fluttering in the current that's tied to the end of a tiny little dock jutting out into the water.

Realizing that this is my only chance of surviving this ordeal I redouble my effort and call up every ounce of strength I have left in my body in an effort to get to the safety of that stupid little boat and its stupid little dock. And as soon as my hand latches onto the soggy but reassuringly solid wood that makes up the dock, I finally let myself relax.

I quickly haul myself out of the water and onto the before crawling towards what looks like a set of stairs that winds back up the wall and onto dry land. But I never make it to the stairs, instead, my exhaustion overwhelms me and I decide that the middle of the dock is as good a place as any to sleep just seconds before my arms give out and I face plant onto the rough wood below. Fortunately, I'm already asleep by the time the wood finally meets my face.


Mazie Vernon-14(D10F)

As soon as the sun started to go down I decided to look for a place to sleep. Last night I had been too scared to stop early, but after the revelation, this morning that it had been James following me and not some bloodthirsty monster, and the fact that he's no longer following me, makes stopping tonight as easy as picking out a reality safe looking place and doing it.

Tonight I decided to make my camp on the roof of a building filled with shelves that are covered with important looking scrolls and books. Not that any of that really interests me, even if I could read English the scrolls and books are written in some kind of language I've never seen, making it impossible for anyone to read. No the reason I picked to spend my night here is that it's got a beautiful view of what I hope will be a night's sky that's as star filled and beautiful as last night's, the fact that there's only one way onto the roof and the trap door comes with a lock is just a bonus.

With all of that working in its favor it was a surprisingly easy decision to stay here for the night and within a few seconds I've got my makeshift bed rolled out and my slingshot and blowgun laid out within arm's reach with their associated ammo close by. Once I've got everything set up the way I want it I plop down in the middle of my bed and take the last three or four bites off the apple of been eating all day before washing it down with a small swig of water.

Once I finish eating my meager dinner I stare up and the sky as the last vestiges of light fade away and the arena is plunged into the same icky black darkness as yesterday. But then, almost as if on cue the stars start to flash to life one at a time until the entire sky is blanketed in twinkling diamonds. At this point, I'm just about ready to fall asleep, and I probably would have if the Capitol hadn't picked this precise moment to have the anthem cut through the warm night air.

The sudden return of sound to an otherwise perfectly quiet arena, the only noise I could hear before that had been the gentle crash of the water against the walls, almost scares the crap out of me and causes me to bolt upright in my bed and sends the empty supply bag I'd been using as a blanket flying off into the night. I let out an obviously audible curse at how I reacted even as the uncertainty and fear of whose faces I'll see in the sky tonight starts to gnaw at my insides.

I mean, I was the one that shut the door on an alliance with James, and even though I know he's going to have to die at some point if I'm going to make it out of here alive, I can't help but hope that one of the three cannons from today didn't belong to him. After all, he's been one of the few genuinely nice people I've met and if it's not my destiny to make it out of here alive I'd really like for him to be the person that does.

I find myself holding in a subconscious breath as the Seal of Panem fades into existence on the arenas moon only to be quickly replaced by the genuinely happy looking face of Inigo. As soon as I see his face I feel a genuine sadness wash over me as he looks down on the arena with wide, hope-filled eyes that will never get to see all the wonderful things he talked about wanting to see in his interview. A few seconds later his picture fades away and the very childlike like face of Briar replaces it.

I don't feel as sad about her death as I did at Inigo's, but I still feel awful that someone so young, hell even I'm old compared to her, had her life cut tragically short by the games. But as her picture fades away I feel the dread starting to build and I try my best to prepare myself to see James's face light up the world for the final time. But I don't and the picture of Briar is replaced by one of Ruby and despite how terrible I know it is I find myself breathing a sigh of relief that the last cannon belonged to her instead of James. A few seconds later her faces fades away as well and the seal replaces it for a few seconds until it too fades away with the music and the arena is once again covered in silence.

I spend the next several seconds trying to comprehend the joy I feel at James's survival and the disgust I have at myself for being happy that Ruby died until I finally come to the realization that this is only the beginning. A lot of undeserving people have already died, and a whole lot more still have to before anyone gets to walk out of the arena. And if I'm going to be the one that walks out I'm going to have to get used to being happy that someone else died, or at the very least less disgusted by my initial relief. I just hope doing so ends up being half as easy as I made turning down James's alliance offer seem.


Larkin Lindell-15(D7F)

I didn't think it was possible, especially not in the arena of all places, but it almost looks like Bryden is happy right now. I'm sure it's got something to do with sleeping for the first time in almost two days, and no matter what he's dreaming about, short of the nightmares I had last night of being torn apart and mutilated by mutts, anything would be an improvement over the hell we're stuck in.

That's not to say Bryden hasn't done as good a job as he can to make thing fun, because he has, but no matter how entertaining and laid back he tries to make things, I can't get past the fact that I'm going to die in here. Now I'd never say those words out loud, and I'm honestly afraid to even think them while Bryden is awake, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm living on borrowed time. I probably should have died in the bloodbath and the only reason I didn't is because Bryden was there to save me and he's continued to be there ever since. But his constant need to save and protect me is starting to take a toll, and I'm not sure how much longer he can survive doing it.

That's why I'm sitting here, staring at him while he sleeps while trying to work up the courage to walk away and go it alone. Because I know, in my heart of hearts, that my leaving is the only way I could ever truly pay him back for everything he's already sacrificed for me. And while abandoning my only ally this early in the games isn't exactly ideal, it's probably for the best. The sooner I'm out of here, and by extension no longer dragging him down, the sooner he can start focusing on winning instead of protecting me.

I spend the next few minutes wracking my brain and trying to find any glimmer of faultiness in my thinking, but I know there's nothing there and eventually I'm forced to admit out loud for the first time what my brain and heart have been telling me from the beginning even though it almost kills me to do so.

"It's….It's time for me to go."

I slip out of the makeshift hammock Bryden slung up for me in the orchard we've been hiding in and quickly stuff my half of the supplies, which is predominantly made up of dried fruit and water, as well as a sewing kit and a few fire starters into my bag. After that, I grab a stick and scribble a quick goodbye to Bryden in the muddy ground below before fishing the one thing of real value I have, the little piece of hazelnut wood my sister gave me before I left and gently placing it in the center of his chest. After that, I take one last quick look around the camp before scooping up my supplies and my hatchet and melting into the shadows.

I make my way carefully and quietly towards the outer edge of the orchard before I stop, and even then I only stop for a moment, just long enough for me to take one last look back into the mass of trees and mouth a silent thank you to my happily oblivious former ally. Once I've said my peace, and despite the logical part of my brain screaming at me not to, I turn my back on Bryden for the last time. And even as the tears start to flow freely down my dirt covered face I lower my head and sprint off into the night.


Augustus Rowkin-15(D2M)

"So let me see if I've got this straight. You're telling me that Kerensa just happened to stumble across the two of you by accident, with a seriously wounded Cassia draped across her shoulders, and what looks like a fractured eye socket, and if the swelling in her chest is any indication, a minimum of five broken ribs?"

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I'd be just as skeptical, but that's exactly what happened."

"Ok, for the sake of moving this along, let's say I believe your story. Why did you drag them back here?"

"What else were we supposed to do?"

"Do you really need me to answer that for you, Claro?"

"We're not killing them, Augustus, that's, that's out of the question."

"Why not; after all, killing them would be the career thing to do?"

"I said no, and that's the end of it. Now you can either help me take care of the girls, or you can help Docker look for medical supplies in that disaster area of a supply room."

"We've already gone through the medical supplies Claro and there's nothing in there to help them. We have seven different kinds of burn cream and a ridiculous amount of anti-venom, but no disinfectant or alcohol."

"Then we need to find a substitute, or mix something together that can kill Cassia's infection."

"Fantastic idea, unfortunately, none of us has any idea how to do that."

"Maybe not, but Kerensa does."

"Kerensa out cold Claro, how in the hell do you expect her to mix ingredients and perform first aid when she's in so much pain she can't even stay awake?"

"She'll feel better after she gets a little rest, and even if she's still not able to do the job herself, she can walk one of us through the steps."

"Do you really expect that to work? Honestly Claro?"

I can tell by the desperate look on his face that's he's searching for something, really anything to justify his stance on keeping Cassia alive. But he and I both know there's no good reason to do so, hell I honestly can't even think of a bad reason to keep her alive. At this point, the only reason for one of us, hopefully, me, not to kill her would be for the sheer pleasure of watching as her once proud and smug ass gets exactly what it deserves. But since I highly doubt I'd be able to sell anyone short of Docker on that idea, and even Docker would be a very shaky maybe, it's better for everyone if we just kill her now and get it over with.

"If you don't have the, how do I put this politely? If you don't have the balls to do it, Claro, just say the word and I'll do it for you."

"We're not killing either of them Augustus. What part of that do you not understand?"

"We don't have to kill Cassis because she's already dead. And you may not want to hear this, but the Capitol is laughing at us right now Claro, not chuckling, laughing. And the reason they're laughing, Claro, is because you've gone out of your way to look human instead of embracing your role and a killing machine."

"Did you ever stop and consider that I might not want to embrace that role? Maybe I'd rather be the human that I am instead of forcing myself to become the killing machine the people want me to be."

I'm honestly not sure how I'm supposed to respond to that statement, and luckily I don't have to. Because just seconds after he finishes talking Docker comes strolling out of the cornucopia's darkened interior and yells out the one thing I'd prayed never to hear.

"Hey dipshits, the girls are awake, and the story they've been telling me...Well, let's just say it's a story you'll have to hear to believe…."


A/N: And it looks like poor Augustus is going to be denied the chance to kill Cassia, at least for the time being. :O

I'd also like to apologize for the delay in posting this update; I had a little family emergency that ate up my weekend and most of my week so I've fallen a little behind schedule. But with the Labor day weekend coming up I'll have a full 3 days without work or school to write so be prepared for a few fast and furious updates in the near future :D

I also wanted to thank all of you for the praise and support you've given me in the comments and to let all of you know that I do indeed plan to do another story after this one and even though we're still a good ways away from the end, it's never too early to start planning your next tribute :)

Other than that please review and let me know what you think and I'll be looking for all of your smiling faces this weekend when we finally get our long-awaited start on Day 3 :D