I HAVE PASSED THE ONE HUNDRED MARK! ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS, BABY! I LOVE YOU ALL!

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I would like to thank everyone who's helped me get this far: Number One Fan of Journey, Snuffy of the Wind, Arctica Corniculata Cirrhata, Obiwanlivesforever, ThisAwesomeKid, kopycat101, Socbballluver13, and the awesome Guest. You are all so amazing and awesome and thank you so much for reading my story. You have no idea how much it means to me.

Thank you so much. :D

Just a little warning: more swearing ahead.

Canada Williams, District Twelve

I trudge around the sandy desert, away from the Saloon. I'm out of the town, nearing the woods.

A ghost town surrounded by a sandy desert surrounded by forest. I think about that for a minute, contemplating on how utterly bizarre this arena is.

How can I be less invisible to sponsors? Kill. That's an easy question answered. I've got an ax and know how to use it. And I'm going to use it. If I want to win, killing is inevitable.

Killing aside, my mind is on another topic: loss. I haven't much left in my life. No allies on account of my mouthing off to them, no food as I didn't think to take any with me, and no shelter on account of my thoughtless wandering around the arena.

I'm not strong enough to win, though. That one kid won recently, true. But by the looks of it, though, the odds were in his favor. The odds are not in my favor.

I don't think I have the ability to actually kill. I can use my ax, sure, but I'm far too much of a goody-goody to actually murder someone.

I'd feel too awful if I killed someone. But if you don't kill, you don't live.

I'm going to die, aren't I?

I am going to die in the arena.

The fact that I'm going to die makes me feel even worse. Usa shouldn't have died. She should've won. I'm not saying that because I'm her brother-was her brother- okay fine. I am. I miss everyone so much. Are Maman and Papa fighting still? Do they still care about me?

What will they do after I die?

They won't be parents anymore, will they?

It's going to break their heart.

I have to win. I need to keep my family intact. I just can't bear the thought that my family won't even exist after I'm gone.

Maybe I just need more confidence. And maybe not listen to my conscience so much. I've always been the quiet, reserved type of person, but it's time for something new. It's time to be able to kill.

It's time to become the all new Canada Williams. I raise my ax to get a little more into character.

Yeah, this is going to be good.

Russo Ginski, District Six

Though my mind tells me that it's time to pull some weight in this alliance, my heart is not strong enough. Tino has been trying so hard to be nice, collecting berries and stuff for me.

Nobody thinks that a big guy needs protection or comfort. I am just like any other person. I need someone who cares about me. And I'm sure that Tino isn't sincere. I don't want his comfort.

We sit by log (a real one this time.) We don't know what to do with ourselves. We need some kind of food that's better than berries. Neither of us knows when we'll find another pig mutt or if there's any other meat in the arena.

Our lack of food only adds to my sadness. Tino tries to comfort me. "Russo, are you okay?" he asks for what seems like the millionth time.

"What do you think?" I spit. "You say you want to help me, but it can't seem to get past your feeble little mind that I don't want to be comforted by the likes of you."

He looks at me with a shocked expression. Didn't think I was going to say that, did he. The thing is, looking at that sad little face… it makes me smile. I like that I hurt him. Now he knows how it feels to be me, even if for just a tiny bit.

It makes me feel better, in a cruel way.

"Now if you excuse me, I'm going hunting before you can try to go out of your way to try and help me again. If you care to join me, go ahead. But don't you dare try to comfort me."

"Okay," Tino says. "Are we going…tribute hunting?"

"Yes," I say. "What, are you chicken?"

"No!" Tino says rather forcefully.

"Total chicken," I say with a grin. It is very, very fun to upset him. I pretend to whack him on the head with my pipe. He flinches, like I'm actually going to hit him.

"So, are you going or what?" I ask.

"I'm going." He says with a determined look on his face.

"Not afraid to kill, are you?" I ask.

"Nope," says Tino. He gets up from the log. "We'll go up to the forest part. See if there are any tributes out there. Right?"

"Okay then." I say. "Let's hunt."

Talia Venez, District Three

Hunting. Hunting, hunting, hunting, hunting, hunting, hunting!

I repeat the word over and over as we walk.

"Talia," Romano says in a voice that means I have to stop. Addison glares at me.

"Retard," she mutters, and then says something else that Romano says I shouldn't repeat.

"Why?" I ask.

"It's a bad word. Worse than the words I say, okay?"

"And what makes it worse?" I ask again.

"It means…that you're…less of a person." Romano says in a low whisper.

I'm about to ask why but he says, "Do not repeat the word, okay?"

"Okay." I say.

"Okay." Romano says.

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

How can somebody be less of a person, though? Since Romano isn't giving me answers, I ask Gerome.

"Don't pay attention to Addis, okay? She's nothing but a son of a bitch who doesn't know what she's talking about. If she said something that upset you, she doesn't know who she's dealing with. You aren't any less of a person, Talia."

"Thank you," I say. Romano says you should thank people when they complement you, even though he doesn't He should listen to his rules more often.

"But wait," I say, "If she's a son of a bitch, why do you hang out with her?" I ask.

"Talia!" Romano exclaims.

"I thought she was good, but she wasn't." says Gerome. "Okay?"

"Okay," I say. I think I understand. Some people act nice to you at first but then they turn out to be really…

Bad.

"Does she ever hurt you?" I whisper to Gerome.

"No," he says. "But she hurts others. You saw that kill, right?"

"Romano made me cover my eyes." I say. It's not like I wanted to watch, anyway.

"Talia, I just wanted to say that you are not any less of a person, okay? You. Are. Beautiful." Gerome says.

"Ugh, just shut up with the fricking lovey-dovey shit," says Addison. "It is so annoying." We keep walking without much discussion.

"Guys," Kiku says, "We're getting close to the Saloon. Get your weapons ready." I don't know how to use weapons too well. I lack the coordination. I have a knife, but I don't know how good that will be.

I'm scared. The people we are going to attack are Careers, too. I don't want to get killed by them.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay," I mutter. It makes me feel better.

"You alright, Talia?" asks Romano.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay." I repeat. Gerome puts his arm around me to comfort me. I don't flinch. I like Gerome. And I want to be near him.

"We will be fine," he says. I want to believe him.

I take a deep breath as we walk through the swinging doors of the Saloon.