A/N: I am so sorry.


Ruby POV

After Justin died, I fell into a depression that mimicked my mother's after I was born. Even though she had a small child to care for, she was rarely around. When I was 3, my mother remarried, and the following year, she had Lexi. When I was 6, I learned to fend for not only myself, but my younger sister as well. By the time I was 8, I had stollen enough money to sign myself up for training. When Lexi turned 8, I did the same. At the age of 13, I met Jared. I tried to teach him how to throw knives and he tried to teach me how to shoot an arrow. It was a disaster.

Flashback

"Jared, you're holding it wrong," I say. "Your finger goes down the handle, and it's a flick of the wrist, not the arm." He throws the knife and it sails past the target. I sigh in mock frustration.

"I'm hopeless," he says. "How about we work on archery now?" I shudder, but oblige. We walk over to the archery corner and I grab a bow.

"You're holding it wrong," he says, and fixes my hands. I string an arrow and it hits a trainer in the leg. The trainer drops his clipboard and curses, hopping on one leg. My mouth drops open and Jared mouths run.

We sprint to the doors. Two trainers are guarding the doors and ask us where we're going. "Lunch," is my breathless response. They open the doors for us and we run out towards the lake. We ran across the sandy beach to the pier. We ran as far down the pier as we could, then sat down, legs dangling over the edge. I reach into my backpack and pull out a package of cookies. I open them and give two to Jared.

His eyes lit up. "Where did you get these?" He asks. Even though we live in the richest District in Panem, cookies are hard to come by.

"Being the daughter of a victor has it's perks," I say.

We eat our cookies and drink out of our water bottles. I guess this could be considered lunch. After a while, Jared asks "Truth or Dare?"

I ponder this for maybe a second and say "Dare."

He smirks, and it's clear that that's what he was hoping to hear from me. "I dare you to jump in," he says.

My eyes go wide for a moment, but this is Truth or Dare, and I have to do it. I unzip my hoodie and take it off, along with my leggings, socks and sneakers, revealing spandex and a tank top underneath, then I tie up my hair. I look at Jared to make sure he's serious. He smirks again and I roll my eyes. I take a few steps back, hold my nose and jump in. The water is only a few inches above my head, so I tread water.

"Truth or Dare?" I call up to him.

"Dare!" He yells.

"I dare you to jump in with me!" Without hesitation, he takes off his sweatshirt and jumps in. We're both laughing messes.

"Truth or Dare?" He asks me.

"Dare," I say again.

"I dare you to go under for twenty seconds."

I hold my nose, take a deep breath and go under. When I resurface, I ask him "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"Who do you like?"

"I said dare!"

"I dare you to tell me the truth. Who do you like?"

"You. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Who do you like?"

"You."

We're both smiling awkwardly until a Peacekeeper comes over. "What are you kids doing in the water?" He asks. "That's a District offense, I could have you written up and tried as adults. How would you like to be in the stocks?"

Jared pales and I swim forward a bit. "I would like I just fine," I say. "But I don't think my mother- the Victor of the 208th Hunger Games- would like to see her darling daughter being punished in the District square."

The Peacekeeper hesitates for a moment before saying "I'll let it go just this once, as long as you both get out of the water right now."

We quickly climb up on to the pier. As soon as he is out of earshot, Jared and I burst into hysterical laughter.

"Ok," I say, breathless. "Ok, you stay here with our stuff. I'll go buy some towels."

We stayed at the pier all day and completely forgot about the trainer that I maimed. That was the day that we informally started dating.

Looking back on that memory made it hard to chose between Jared and Justin. Even if they were both dead. I couldn't live with having to make a decision like this. I reach into my bag and pull out a dagger, the same one I used to slit the throat of the girl from District 11. I hover it above my wrist and cut. I cut for every bad memory, every hard decision. I cut for everyone I've lost. Jared, Justin, my father. I cut to match the emotional pain inflicted by those who said that I wasn't pretty enough to be from District 1, or said that I was District 12 trash.

I would've been proud to be District 12 trash, if that's what Justin and my father were considered to be.

When the pain becomes unbearable, I position the knife above my heart and stab.

The last thing I register is the sound of a cannon.

Sam POV

Boom

I jolt awake, hearing the sound of a canon. Margaret wakes up too, Alicia has been keeping watch. My internal clock tells me that it's about 5:00 am.

"Who do you think that was for?" Margaret asks, slightly wide-eyed.

"I'm not sure," Alicia says. "Sam, who's left?"

"The girl from One, both from Two and Four, they guys from Six, Seven and Eleven and us."

"Wow," Alicia says. "Two deaths away from the final eight. And it's only day four. At this rate, it looks like the arena really will have to blow up."

Suddenly, the trumpets blare to life. "Attention, tributes, attention. We feel that you are a bit too... Spread out for our liking. Commencing in 3 hours, each of you will have a bag where the Cornucopia used to be marked with your District number and male or female. Now, this is not any ordinary feast. Each bag will contain food, water, your weapon of choice and something that your family has sent in from home. How much of everything depends on your training score. For example, a training score of six would earn you six packets of food, six water bottles, six of your weapons of choice and six tokens. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

"We have to go," I say.

Unfortunately, just as I said that, Alicia says "We aren't going."

Margaret looks up at Alicia with doe eyes. "Leesh," she says. "As much as I hate to disagree with you, we have to go. All we have left is 2 cans, half a bottle of iodine and a shit ton of weapons. It isn't enough!"

"I don't want any of us getting hurt," Alicia says quietly. "I've got too much of a target on my back, and Sam, you're not fast enough to get all of our bags and come out unscathed. No offense."

"None taken," I say.

"Then I'll go," Margaret says. "Everyone just thinks that I'm that wimpy little girl who cried at the reaping and got a zero. They'll underestimate me. Besides, since I got a one, my bag would be almost empty."

"I-I really don't know..." Alicia says quietly.

"Leesh, think about it," I tell her. "If we get both of our bags, we'll have six short swords, nine knives, fifteen water bottles, fifteen food packets and I'll have 6 tokens and you'll have 9. You can't turn that down."

She bites her lip and looks down, tears in her eyes. "You're sure you want to do this?" She asks Margaret.

She replies without hesitation. "Wholeheartedly."

Luke POV

"And as soon as the table comes out, you grab the bags and run back to where we were hiding," James just finished informing me of the plan. James was the King, meaning he had all the power. He decided on the plans and chose how to put them into action. It was clear to Chris and I that any disagreement would result in our deaths.

Chris was the Rook. He didn't have all the power, but he clearly had some. After all, he killed my other alliance members without batting an eye. Probably because James told him to. But again, Chris's power could be taken away in a second if that's what James wants.

Then there's me. I'm just a pawn. If McKenzi's training score had been any higher, she' die a pawn with me. A pawn. Minute. Useless. Disposable.

But I had a plan. James and Chris's plan was to have me run out at the very beginning of the feast and grab all of our bags, risking my life in the process. Because that's what pawns do. And if I die, so be it. My plan, however, was pretty different. I'm not going to win these games. To be honest, I'm surprised it got this far. Things aren't the way they were before. Everyone in 6 wouldn't even recognize me anymore, not that they knew me back then, but it'll all come back to me in the end. (Disclaimer: Words are from 'In The End' by Linkin Park) My plan is to go out to the feast, not as fast as I could. Once I get the backpacks, I'll be sure to "accidentally" get "caught" by any of the Careers or the girl from 5. Then I'll die and they will take James and Chris's supplies. I don't care if this will result in a Career possibly winning. I just want to be with McKenzi again.

Chris checks the watch that he got as a sponsor gift. "Alright guys, time to go," he says.

"What do you mean go?" I ask. I just remembered "There's no way out."

"Yeah there is," James said. "When we attacked you guys yesterday, we jammed a knife in the door frame."

My mouth drops open. There was a way out this whole time and I could never leave?

Riley POV

"Ok, let's get something straight," Aiden says. "When we get to the feast, I will be the one to kill Alicia. No ifs ands or buts. Does anyone else wish to claim someone? Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"I want Ruby," Sianna says.

"The guy from 11," says Ethan.

They all look at me. "I don't really care," I say. "I just want to kill someone."

"And the rest of the weaklings will be killed how we-mostly me-see fit," Aiden says. I roll my eyes at him as soon as he turns his back.

Out of nowhere, I hear four consecutive tings. Four parachutes, each labeled Ethan, Sianna, Aiden or Riley lands at our feet. I open mine to find a pen and a piece of paper. It seems that the others have received this as well. The paper reads:

Congratulations Riley for making it into the final ten tributes in the 9th Quarter Quell. As you know by now, we are having a feast to celebrate. In everybody's bag will be their training score number of their weapon of choice. Say 'yes' to verify that your preferred weapon is the

[ ] Spear

[ ] Bow and arrow

[X] Sword

[ ] Axe/Hatchet

[ ] Throwing Knives

[ ] Short Sword

[ ] Trident

If this is not your preferred weapon, please place an X in the box with your chosen weapon. Thank you for your time. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

"Yes," I say.

Alicia POV

While we were walking back to where the cornucopia used to be, I stumbled across a berry bush that we hadn't seen before. I pluck a berry off of the bush and am just about to pop it in my mouth when I remember that it could be poisonous. I cut it open with a knife and find the dark purple berry almost black on the inside. I remember it as Hgyn Berries from training. If you eat one, drink the juice, have it in your blood or even smell it too heavily, you'll die a slow, painful death.

"Nice try," I say aloud. Then I have an idea. "Sam, do you still have the container that my medicine came in? The parachute as well?"

He nods and hands it to me. I open it to find it empty, just as I hoped. They only sent me enough medicine for 3 applications since sponsor gifts are probably getting really expensive at this point in time. I fill the container with Hgyn Berries, which from the outside look remarkably like the grapes we were given in the Capitol. I retie the strings to the parachute onto the container. Then, I pull all 23 knives and 3 short swords out of the bag. I pull the collar of my shirt up to cover my nose and gesture for my allies to do the same. I then use a knife to mash a couple handfuls of berries to a pulpy juice. I coat every blade in the substance.

"The blades are for people," I say. "The arrows are for food."


Eulogies

Ruby- Another one that I briefly considered having win. But then I realized that you had to be the one that ended your life, and the president wouldn't have let it happen if you were the Victor. I had this whole backstory set up in my head for you but I could never figure out how to put it into writing, so when I came up with the flashback/suicide, I had to get it written down. You're with Jared and Justin now, which is where you needed to be.

The Fallen

Ruby Debsberg- District 1 female

Jared Nilsen- District 1 male

Elizabeth Perry- District 3 female

Arthur Watts- District 3 male

McKenzi Phelps- District 6 female

Rose Klappe- District 7 female

Natalie Quimby- District 8 female

Jake Quimby- District 8 male

Grace Hadely- District 9 female

Ryan Polrain- District 9 male

Hayden Pierce- District 10 male

Melody Harrison- District 11 female

Peyton Johnson- District 12 female

Justin Hawthorne- District 12 male

Kill list

Jared: Natalie, Rose

Ruby: Melody, herself

Aiden: Peyton, Grace, Justin

Alicia: Arthur, Ryan, Hayden

McKenzi: Elizabeth

Chris: McKenzi, Jake

Grace: Jared

Alliances

The Careers: Ethan, Sianna, Aiden, Riley

The Babysitters Club: Sam, Alicia, Margaret

Chess Team: Luke, Chris, James

Oh, and if you guys couldn't tell, all of my arena days have been song names. So, disclaimer: Man Down belongs to Rihanna, Oblivion belongs to Bastille, Second Chance belongs to Shinedown and In The End belongs to Linkin Park.