TIME FOR A GOOD OLD-FASHIONED SMACKDOWN BETWEEN THE BROS AND THE HOES, THE CHICKS AND THE DICKS. PLACE YOUR BETS BECAUSE THIS IS THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY, FOLKS. LET'S GET READY TO RUMMMBBBLLLLEEEEE!

I mean unless they resolve things peacefully. There's always that.

Also Eugenia is an honorary bro-hoe and Percy is an honorary chick-dick. ...Yeah.

Adrenaline was nearly spazzing out in her seat, two seconds from getting up, kicking off her heels, and running laps around the studio in a frenzy. "Oh man, oh man! It's almost sunset!"

Al shared her excitement, but was better at concealing it. "Place your bets!" He said in a singsong voice. "Only don't because gambling on the Hunger Games was made illegal in the recent year. Figuratively place your bets!"

"Oh, the ladies totally have this in the bag," Adrenaline said, forcing herself to calm down and hold a conversation with her cohost. "Those idiotic men have no idea how many tricks they have up their sleeve."

"Nahh, I disagree, I'd put my money on the boys," Al said. He shot a nervous glance at the camera and coughed. "Figuratively. Sides, they got Eugenia. She'll clue 'em in on all of the girls' sponsor gifts so they know what ta expect."

"But they don't know that Percy is with them. And he's got a huge. Freakin'. Mantis-Man under his control!" Adrenaline seemed ready to explode from pure…adrenaline. She flopped forward onto the desk and squealed, "Best…Hunger Games…EVER!"

"Speakin' of the Mantis-Man, we'll be talkin' muttations tomorrow morning. But for now, we'll stay focused on the action." Al bade audiences farewell with a wink. "See you then!"


"Who's out there?"

The sun had nearly set. The Bro Alliance plus Eugenia were hiding out in the gardens, peering through fronds at the open ground between the Cornucopia and the hedge maze. They spotted Tully waiting for them on the stretch of grass. Next to her stood Horatia. Perrin confirmed it for everyone.

"I don't think that's Horatia," Eugenia said quietly. She had already informed everyone of the girls' powers.

"Seems pretty suspicious their entire alliance isn't out there," Casca said. "Probably hiding out nearby. We'll do the same. Zion?"

Zion nodded. He'd volunteered to head out for negotiations, stating he was practically invincible. Still… "I'd like Eugenia to accompany me. We'll send out two to meet their two."

Perrin looked disappointed at his lack of involvement, but didn't protest. Casca allowed Eugenia to go along with Zion. Everyone else would hide here, prepared to provide assistance if need be. Chip was ready to go with his illusion power.

Meanwhile, Tully waited alongside Horatia's clone. Judith was hiding in the hedge maze with everyone else. Tully had been surprised to see the Mantis-Man when she returned from her trip earlier, but Judith had explained it was only for protection purposes. They wanted to be ready in case the opposing alliance tried something.

Tully made conversation with the clone while she waited, though it was mainly one-sided. "So do you really not feel any emotion?"

No response.

"…Why don't you talk to anyone else, huh? You can hear us right?"

Still no response. Tully could have sworn she saw the clone nod, though maybe it was her imagination.

"Out of curiosity, what happens if you outlive Horatia?"

Much to her surprise, the clone finally answered: "I lose my purpose."

"Huh?" She looked around to make sure Horatia wasn't nearby, and the clone was speaking to her.

She was. "I lose my purpose," she repeated calmly.

"Do you die?"

"No."

Tully remained quiet for a moment. The clone's responses were so vague. It made her even more curious. "You could always find a new purpose, couldn't you? Try to survive on your own?"

"That is irrelevant," The clone stated.

Tully sighed. "So you don't have any likes, dislikes, fears, desires? Nothing?" That's sad…

"Irrelevant."

"It's not. You may be Horatia's clone, but…you're still yourself. Aren't you? You deserve to find some happiness." And Horatia certainly isn't bringing you any, treating you as if you're her underling.

Once again, she received no response. The clone had resumed her vow of silence. Her blank eyes were focused on something in the distance.

Tully smiled when she saw Zion and Eugenia emerge from the gardens, passing underneath a trellis decorated with roses. These were two tributes that backed her plan.

The two conversed quietly as they approached.

"Are you really going to try and reach a solution with them?" Eugenia whispered.

"Yeah. Unlike the rest of my alliance, I'm willing to negotiate," Zion replied.

"Why did you bring me along?" Eugenia wondered aloud. She wasn't exactly good at making friends.

Zion answered honestly. "I'm the only thing standing between you and Casca torturing all of your information out of you. Don't think he won't—he'll jump at the chance."

Eugenia visibly shuddered. The memory of Daphne's demise flashed through her mind. "I don't doubt it." They were nearly to Tully. Before they reached her, Eugenia shot a quick glance at Zion. "But what about your safety?"

"What do you mean?"

"That you're not as invincible as you say you are."

There was no time to respond. They reached Tully, who greeted them with a big smile. "Zion, Eugenia! Thanks for coming. Where's the rest of your alliance?" She looked around curiously.

"Where's yours?" Zion returned. He observed the silent clone with interest. The clone did not acknowledge the newcomers' presence.

"They're nervous about the exchange…"

"Well, so is mine."

Awkward silence stretched between them. Eugenia shifted her weight from foot the foot, wondering if she should speak up. But Zion was looking at Tully, waiting for her to speak.

"So how do you propose we do this?"

"Well…I think we're already well on our way!" Tully launched into a description of her plan, which sounded like it would work in a perfect world. If they could bring out their alliance members, put down their weapons, and grow comfortable with one another, they could end the violence. They could rope all of the other tributes in as well. The Gamemakers had done nothing to stop them so far—maybe they had a chance to go through with it.

Zion played devil's advocate throughout, pointing out any flaws in her argument. Eugenia just watched in quiet amazement. As always, Tully spoke with so much confidence that she made it seem as though it could really work. But Zion had some excellent points to make as well.

Meanwhile, Judith watched from the maze with Horatia and Percy.

Percy was quivering with nerves. The Mantis-Man was growing restless. She had been with them for hours. Judith hadn't allowed Percy to give her any food or water, claiming that it was a waste of resources. His mole cricket, resting in his hood, was most likely experiencing the same hunger and thirst.

With all his mental energy, Percy beamed thoughts to the more threatening muttation. Please don't eat me please don't eat me please don't eat me…

Then he had an idea. While Judith and Horatia were focused on the exchange across the field, Percy crept up to the Mantis-Man and held his bound hands out to her. Please…please…

For a long moment, she stared at him with her piercing gaze. Just when he was about to give it up, thinking it was asking too much, the muttation swiped at him. In one swift motion, the ropes had been cut, her scythe narrowly missing his skin.

Percy grinned and turned around. Neither of the girls had realized what happened. Percy pretended his hands were still tied; adjusting them so no one would be able to tell the ropes had been cut.

"Where's the rest of the alliance? Aren't they going to show themselves?" Judith growled impatiently. She busied herself with nursing her broken wrist, yearning to get up and expend some energy.

"I guess they had the same idea as us," Horatia answered.

Judith waited, scanning the area, trying to locate where they might be hiding. But then she realized it didn't matter. Zion was right there, out in the open. Killing her old chariot partner was within her grasp. The other so-called "Career" of the Games. The temptation was too strong.

"We're going in," Judith declared, rising to her feet and snatching up her morning star.

"What?!" Horatia gasped, also jumping up.

Judith leaped into the air, soaring high over the heads of the other tributes. Zion and Eugenia instantly spotted her, backing up a few steps. Horatia came sprinting out of the maze a second later, armed with her knife and Tully's sword she had left with them. Percy and the Mantis-Man followed behind.

"Oh, here they are now!" Tully said happily. Then she noticed everyone had their weapons, and were approaching at an alarming speed.

"It's a trap!" Zion shouted at the top of his lungs, placing himself between Eugenia and their attackers.

"No, no, it's not!" Tully cried out, looking frantically between those two and her allies. "It wasn't meant to be!"

Judith landed right next to them, her arm drawn back as she prepared to drive her morning star into Zion's skull.

Tully groped for that arm, shouting, "Judith NO!"

Judith shoved her so hard she landed on the ground. Without a word, she flew at Zion. His brass knuckles did little to help him against a weapon such as the morning star. He could only dodge, using his agility to stay one step ahead of Judith. All the while, he kept Eugenia behind him, using himself as a human shield for her.

But it wasn't enough. The spikes caught his shoulder, ripping first through his jacket, then through his skin. Blood flecks flew. Zion didn't even feel it, reminding him of his inability to feel pain.

Then an idea struck him. He reached out with both hands and clamped them around the spiked end of Judith's morning star. The spikes dug deep into his skin, but he didn't even flinch.

Judith was so shocked, her attack halted for the briefest of moments. That was all Zion needed. He tore the morning star right out of her hands.

During this time, Casca and Perrin had sprung from their cover and were racing to his aid. Chip stayed where he was, taking deep breaths to keep calm, staring at the battle that raged between two of the strongest forces in the arena.

Horatia tossed Tully's sword to her. "Come on!" She demanded. "Fight!" Then she went to help Judith.

Tully leaped into her path, forcing her back. "No!" She screamed. "We're not supposed to fight! This isn't how it was supposed to be!"

"It's always been like this!" Horatia said, raising her knife.

Tully reacted. She swung her sword with such ferocity that it tumbled from her grip, and knocked Horatia's knife away as well. Before Horatia could claim either of the weapons, Tully tackled her to the ground in an effort to keep her from the fight. She was so angry. Never had she felt such raw anger. Tears were streaming from her eyes. She had only wanted to do something good. And everyone had lied to her. Taken advantage of her.

Horatia writhed beneath Tully, attempting to claw at her face. Tully just forced her back down. When she couldn't get a grip, she rolled onto her stomach and tried to push herself up. Then her hand touched something cold—something that had tumbled out of Tully's pocket when she had attacked.

Cicely's lighter.

Horatia grabbed it. In one quick motion, she thrust it between her and her attacker, and pressed the button. Light burst forth and went directly into Tully's eyes. An unearthly screech filled the air. Tully rolled off of Horatia, clutching her eyes. Spots filled her vision. "I can't see! I can't see!" She wailed.

Horatia, heaving with panic, clambered to her feet just in time to meet Casca and Perrin's onslaught. But before they could reach her, the Mantis-Man came trampling out of nowhere, waving its scythes. The boys scattered.

Little did the tributes know, for the past half hour, the female Mantis-Man had been emitting pheromones. Within minutes, the first group of male Mantis-Men had arrived. There were three of them. They were smaller than the female, brown in color…and they could fly. They fluttered down from above, beady eyes focused on their prospective mate. She hungrily awaited them.

Percy stood on the outskirts, attempting to maintain control of the female mantis. But he could feel it—the connection had been broken. He couldn't hope to get it back when so many other mantises were here, claiming her attention.

He grinned. Oh well.

Percy shook off the ropes on his wrists, letting them fall to the ground. Then he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted into the fray, "Bye losers! It's your problem now!"

Luckily for him, no one heard over the sound of mantis wings. Percy escaped in the direction of the skyscrapers without anyone to stop him.

"Let's get outta here!" Perrin called to Zion.

Zion was backing away from Judith, morning star clutched in his bleeding hands. Judith refused to back down. She didn't care if Zion could easily defeat her in hand-to-hand combat. She didn't care if Zion couldn't feel pain. She already lost her shield—she wasn't losing this.

She threw herself, screaming, at Zion. To her surprise, he threw the morning star as hard as he could. Past her. You're too soft! Judith thought, instantly going to retrieve it. If he were smarter, he would have taken the opportunity to kill her. But she always sensed he was a coward.

While Judith shot after her weapon, Zion escaped. "Time to go!" He declared to Eugenia, easily scooping her up in his arms before she could protest.

A male Mantis-Man charged them, but Casca intercepted it, driving his spear into its soft abdomen. The other mantises were getting worked up over the presence of the tributes, turning their attention from the female to the humans. This only served to irritate the tired, hungry female even further.

It was chaos at every turn. Tully managed to get up and stumble away, unnoticed. But Judith, Horatia, and Casca were still trapped at the center of it all, while Zion and Perrin embarked on their escape.

"Come on!" Horatia called to Judith, who had just reclaimed her weapon. Horatia had her knife as well as Tully's sword and lighter.

Judith looked at Horatia for a moment, as if considering escape. Then she saw Zion retreating and turned to follow him instead. Suddenly, she screamed.

Judith couldn't believe her eyes. The mountains were rushing towards her, closing in from every angle. How is this possible?! Judith thought, dropping to the ground, trying to make herself smaller. But the walls of rock pressed in on all sides, even from above. Claustrophobia made her heart pound and she screamed again, catching the attention of every Mantis-Man in the area.

"Judith?!" Horatia called. Her ally was huddled on the ground, screaming as though invisible demons were attacking her. She was about to go to her when her clone suddenly dragged her back, crying, "Look out!"

Another group of Mantis-Men had arrived. One landed right where Horatia had been standing moments before, flailing its scythe arms.

"Master, we must go!" The clone continued to drag Horatia backwards. "It is too dangerous!"

"But Judith-!" Horatia shouted.

Then she saw him. Casca was parting the crowd of Mantises with his spear, slashing his way towards her. The great insects ignored him, their attention focused on either the wailing Judith or the female mantis. Casca's eyes were focused on her. They shone with bloodlust.

Horatia had never seen a sight so terrifying. I take back everything I said about him being perfect, she thought, nailed to the ground with fear. Luckily, her clone was there to move her to action.

"Come, Master! I know of an escape route!"

The clone grabbed Horatia's hand and took off. Horatia struggled to keep up while carrying two weapons and a sponsor gift.

A Mantis-Man got in Casca's way as he tried to follow her. It took him a minute to dispose of it. He did so just in time to see Horatia disappear past the field riddled with holes, into the destroyed gardens. He followed as quickly as he could, leaving Judith the last tribute among the Mantis-Men.

They were closing in around her, but she barely seemed to realize. She was certain there were rock walls on every side of her. Pressing in. Forming a box that kept getting smaller even when it seemed impossible.

"No!" Judith shrieked aloud. "I won't let it end like this!"

Using her sponsor gift, she pushed off from the ground. The illusion vanished. She was soaring through the sky, air rushing around her. Feelings of serenity embraced her, chasing out the fear. Blessed oxygen refilled her lungs. As she reached the peak of her jump, she'd never felt freer.

Then something slammed into her. A male Mantis-Man caught her in midair and dragged her back down to the ground, into the waiting arms of the female.

There was no time to react. The last thing Judith saw was the female Mantis-Man's mandible closing around her head.


Horatia gasped when she heard the cannon. She tried to look back, but her clone just kept pulling her along. Through the ruined gardens they went, until they came upon a small, run-down shed. The clone opened the door, pulled Horatia inside, and slammed it behind her. The door rattled on its hinges.

Finally, the clone released her hand. Horatia took a moment to catch her breath. Then she berated the clone. "Why did you bring me here?! If Casca finds us, we're as good as dead!" She began fumbling with her weapons, trying to decide which would be the best to arm herself with.

The clone didn't respond. She was wandering around the tiny, dark room as if searching for something. There were some tools along one wall, such as a flimsy rake and a broom worn down to a few pieces of straw. Old bags of seed and a rototiller were clumped at the center and a dilapidated tractor stood in one corner. The clone stopped by the tractor.

"Here!" She declared. "Master, please help me move this."

"I'm the one who's supposed to give orders, not you," Horatia said stubbornly.

"Master, it would be in your best interest to cooperate."

Desperation made Horatia give in. She helped the clone pull the tractor a few inches forward. It was incredibly heavy. A few more inches and Horatia spotted what they had come here for—a dark tunnel had been dug in the corner of the room. The wall and the floors of the shed had splintered away. Past that, the hole burrowed through mud.

"It is a secret passage," The clone explained. "Unfortunately, you will have to continue on alone."

"What? Why?" Horatia asked fearfully.

"You will not be able to pull the tractor back into place from inside the tunnel. So I will stay here and do it for you. Then I shall try to lead Casca from your trail."

Horatia didn't argue. They moved the tractor another foot out of the way, giving her enough room to squeeze through the gap. Then she ducked into the tunnel without a word.

The clone peeked after her. "Meet me in the same place we met for the first time." Then the clone pushed the tractor back into place. Pushing was a lot easier than pulling. Then there was a rush of footsteps, the slam of a rickety door, and she was gone.

Horatia suddenly felt very trapped and very alone. The tunnel sloped steeply into the ground, leading to nothing but darkness. Deep, deep darkness…

The lighter! She remembered. She pulled the sponsor gift out of her pocket and turned it on.

Unfortunately, the contents had been emptied into Tully's face. All that remained were the dregs, emitting a very dim, foggy light. It was better than nothing. Horatia held it out ahead of her and began her descent.

As soon as she took a step, her boot slipped on the mud. She fell onto her back and plunged down the hole. She screamed—but the fall only lasted three seconds. Then the ground evened out and she was left lying in the mud, the scream dying in her throat.

That was anticlimactic, she thought, getting to her feet. She was covered in mud. Her violet hair was in greasy tangles. "I need a shower," Horatia whined aloud. For some reason, she thought of her friends, the ones that didn't care enough to call on Reaping day. They were probably laughing at her right now.

Horatia forced her mind away from home and focused on where she was. She had dropped the lighter in her descent, but found it lying a few feet ahead on the trail. She picked it up and continued on. As she did, she wondered how the secret passage had been formed. It looked like it had been dug by something. Perhaps by an army of Percy's beastly mole crickets. But strangely enough, she didn't see a single one.

Eventually, the air grew cooler and the mud hardened into dirt. The sound of water reached Horatia's ears. An underground spring? She thought excitedly, rushing ahead to find the source. The tunnel opened up into a cavern. As soon as she stepped into it, a putrid stench assaulted her nose.

It was a sewer. Her glorified secret passage had led her straight to a dump. Thanks a lot, clone.

She shone her light all around the area. Luckily, there was a decent-sized walkway. It rose a few feet above the murky, foul-smelling water that rushed alongside it. Horatia wrinkled her nose and continued on.

Splish.

Horatia looked over her shoulder. Something had splashed in the water behind her. But upon seeing no movement, she assumed it must have been her imagination. She went a few more steps.

Splash.

The sound came again. It didn't sound natural. Something had to have made that sound. Part of Horatia wanted to pick up the pace and never return to this godforsaken hole. The other half of her wanted to face up to this unknown threat, which was probably just a couple of frogs.

She stood tall and shone her light. It barely pierced the thick darkness. Still, nothing seemed to be amiss. Horatia let out a sigh of relief.

As soon as she did, something burst out of the water. The disgusting liquid flew in every direction, some of it landing on her windbreaker. She screamed, thrusting the lighter towards whatever it was.

At first, she could see nothing. But after focusing her eyes, she saw it. Distortions in the sewer wall and floor. A gelatinous shape was crawling out of the water, taking form. She had no way to describe it, for the monster was practically see-through. The only part that was not was a blue and white nucleus at the center of the gooey, plasma mass. It had no other features, and was completely silent.

The monster began seeping towards her, leaving a wet trail on the concrete floor. It moved calmly, slowly, as if it had no reason to hurry. As if it knew it could catch her no matter where she went.

Horatia screamed and ran. But in her panic, she dropped everything she was carrying: the knife, the sword, and the lighter. She ran a few more steps, tempted to leave them in the dust, thought better of it, and doubled back. She grabbed the knife, bypassed the sword, and reached for the lighter.

But the monster was already there. Its large body oozed over Cicely's sponsor gift, absorbing it. Horatia stumbled backwards, narrowly avoiding the beast's touch. She could only watch as the lighter dissolved before her eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that this would be her fate if she was caught by the monster.

Then she was off and running again, lurching through the darkness of the sewer. She thought she could hear the monster right behind her, steadily gaining. But she dare not look back.

Then she ran into a dead end. For a moment, panic flared in her chest. Then her hands met with a ladder, ascending upwards. Horatia cried out relief. She scaled the ladder in the blink of an eye. At the top of it, she was met with a hatch that barred her way.

Horatia looked down and was shocked to see the monster was beneath her. It was somehow gathering its body in towards itself. What seemed to be an invisible tentacle reached up to grip the first rung of the ladder. Despite its strange substance, it was able to hold on.

Horatia struggled to stay calm, wrestling with the latch that trapped her. That single moment felt like it lasted for hours, but in reality, it only took her a few seconds to get the hatch open. Then she was up and out of the sewers in a flash.

She barely noticed her new surroundings. She had arrived in the basement of the western skyscraper. Instantly, she located the flight of stairs and fled up them. Up and up she went, not bothering to count how many floors she scaled.

Finally, when she could run no more, she collapsed, sprawling her body across the steps. Her chest fought for breath. There were tears in her eyes and her body quivered all over. If a tribute happened across her now, she would have no strength to fight.

Curse that clone! Horatia thought. She was beginning to think she would have rather taken her chances with Casca than that horrible beast. Did her doppelganger know it was down there? She knew of the secret passage, so how could she not have?

Then a funny thought occurred to her. What happens if I die? Could my clone…could she win the Hunger Games and take my place in society? She giggled at the idea. No, it was silly.

And yet, even after Horatia had rested up, the nagging doubt wouldn't leave her mind. Maybe the clone couldn't be trusted.

She was so preoccupied with this new possibility, that she had forgotten one very important detail: she hadn't closed the hatch behind her.


Casca wasn't an idiot.

He knew Horatia's clone was trying to lead him off. It was a valiant attempt, but it wasn't going to work. He was certain the real Horatia was hiding out nearby, perhaps in the ruined gazebo or shed.

"Where are you…where are you…" he growled, searching every inch of the place.

But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find her. Even when he had climbed up the side of the skyscraper for a better vantage point. She seemed to have vanished into thin air. Frustration welled up from within, surprisingly strong. So strong that he couldn't contain it.

"Dammit!" He screamed, driving his fist into the burnt out shell of the gazebo. The rotted wood cracked under his fist. Pain lanced through his knuckles, but he didn't care. His head and heart were pounding. His throat felt as dry as a desert. On top of that, there was a tightness in his chest that made him feel like he couldn't get enough air.

He wanted to kill. He wanted to experience that feeling again. He wanted to feel it so badly, so so badly. And if Horatia couldn't give that to him, he would find it elsewhere.

Casca tried to locate the clone, but she had disappeared as well. He swore again, under his breath this time. She could have led him to Horatia. If not, he could have murdered her for her insolence. It would have been so easy. Eugenia had told them the clone couldn't fight back.

Eugenia. She could bring him the relief he desired.

Casca went back the way he had come, giving the swarm of Mantis-Men a wide berth. They were beginning to disperse. A number of male Mantis-Men were lying on the battlefield, dead. Decapitated. The female was nowhere to be found, her hunger finally sated.

Suddenly, the whir of the hovercraft approached. Casca stood back and watched as the claw reached down from the heavens. Mantis-Men took flight and returned to the maze, clearing the way.

The claw fixed its jaws around the only human among the throng of insect corpses. As it was lifted to the sky, Casca recognized Judith by her dark skin and the white boots on her feet. What a waste of a sponsor gift. I should have tried to grab those. As the claw rotated, Casca realized with a shock that Judith's head was missing.

The body was taken away and the hovercraft moved on. Seeing Judith had died lifted Casca's spirits slightly. She was a tough competitor. Her death meant another hurdle had been cleared.

Casca found his alliance regrouping within the gardens, as expected. Perrin was praising Chip's illusion power and lamenting the lameness of his own. Zion's hands were stained with his own blood. He was bent next to a pond, attempting to wash it off. Eugenia was a few yards behind him, standing with her arms wrapped around her petite body.

Casca made a beeline for her. As soon as Zion saw him coming, he rose up and blocked his path.

"Hey!" Zion greeted. "What's up?"

"Move," Casca snarled, pointing his spear at Eugenia. "She's outlived her usefulness."

The expressions on the rest of his alliance's face showed that they didn't agree.

"You're kidding," Zion said in disbelief. "She helped us going into that fight."

"Well, she's going to help us again. By telling us every single tribute's power right here and now, unless she wants to have a slow and painful death." He looked straight at Eugenia, who glared back at him.

Zion stepped forward threateningly. "That's not going to happen."

Casca gritted his teeth, thinking of how he had saved them from a Mantis-Man. He should have let the muttation tear into them. He would have, if he hadn't wanted to do the deed himself. Their usefulness was beginning to wear thin.

"You need to stop treating your allies like this," Zion went on. "Eugenia's a part of this alliance now—"

"No, she's not."

"Let me finish!" Zion shouted, so loudly that everyone flinched. Suddenly, he looked a great deal scarier than usual. His eyes were dark pits of anger. "We're all standing here, we're all part of this alliance! We're supposed to have each other's backs, for the time being. You need to stop subtly threatening us. We're not stupid; we know what you're doing. Trying to get in our heads. Well enough is enough!" He glowered at Casca, leaving him a space in which to speak.

For a long time, Casca just looked at him, eyes glittering. The spear in his hands felt strangely light. He wondered which part of Zion he would have to stab it into to ensure instant death.

When he didn't speak, Zion spoke once more. "I know what you're thinking," he said calmly. "And I'd like to see you try."

Still, Casca didn't move.

"Go on!" Zion said, voice rising once more. He took on a fighter's stance. "Do it! Let's go!"

"Zion, stop!" Eugenia shouted, surprised to find she was actually concerned for him.

"It's okay, Eugenia. If Zion dies, I'll protect you," Perrin offered.

She recoiled in disgust. "No thanks. I don't need protecting!"

"Whoa, whoa," Casca suddenly held up his hands in defense. "I'm not killing anyone. Jeez, just because I've killed two people, you all treat me like the villain. Zion has killed two people too, if you haven't forgotten."

Zion bowed his head slightly, his brow creased with grief. "…Casca, maybe you should try getting some sleep tonight," he said quietly, not addressing his point. "I think your lack of it might be driving you a little bit mad."

Casca narrowed his eyes, looking as though he wanted to argue. Instead he decided, "Maybe I will. Now let's get out of here," He pushed past his alliance, heading back towards the neighborhoods. "The Fallen will be soon."

One by one, everyone turned and followed. Chip was the last to do so, hesitating, thinking over his actions.

The tension had once again receded, like ocean waves. But Chip knew it was only a matter of time. Eventually, the tide would turn and come roaring back, stronger and stormier than ever…and he would make sure he wouldn't be here to see it.


"Judith is dead," Apollo confirmed after the hovercraft had disappeared. "I wonder what happened?"

"I'm sure you'll find out in the Victor's recap," Viatrix said sarcastically.

Apollo smirked. "That I will! No use—"

"Apollo…Vi, Lance..."

Apollo, Viatrix, and Lance whipped around at the sound of a new voice.

There stood Tully. See-through, her image wavering. Her eyes were closed. She opened them and looked at Apollo. Raw grief shone in their depths. "I can see you," she whispered, as though she couldn't believe it.

Apollo blinked. "Tullia?" He and Viatrix exchanged a confused glance. Her presence wasn't unwelcome, but it was extremely unexpected. Especially after their last encounter, when she'd been on cloud nine.

A strangled sob escaped Tully's throat. "I'm an idiot. If I couldn't save everyone, I thought I could have at least made a statement. I wanted to be a good person. And now…well, I've paid the price for my stupidity."

"Are you in danger?"

"N-no…I don't think so…"

No one in the alliance said anything. Both Viatrix and Lance looked at Apollo wordlessly, as though he should comfort her. He didn't.

"Cicely told me I was a good person, but…I don't think I ever really believed her," Tully went on tearfully. "Maybe I just did all this to make myself feel better, like you said, Apollo."

Apollo sighed heavily. "Tullia, you are not a good person."

Tully's eyes went wide, but strangely, she stopped crying. She stared at Apollo without a word.

"You are not a good person," He repeated. "But that's doesn't necessarily make you a bad person. You grew up in a twisted world and couldn't help but become twisted by it. Just like the rest of us."

When Cicely had consoled Tully the night before the Hunger Games, telling her she was a good person, there was still part of her that didn't believe it. But Apollo spoke the absolute truth. All of these years, being told she wasn't in the wrong, that she wasn't bad…it felt great to be told otherwise. She felt at peace.

"Thank you, Apollo," she whispered. "That was exactly what I needed to hear."

She closed her eyes and flickered out.