Blaze: Tristan smiles from across the river, hand beckoning me to join him. With wobbly legs, I make it across the dead tree-bridge. He's there, arm open to catch me if I fall. Surprisingly enough, I'm able to keep my balance, but he embraces me just the same. My head rests on his chest for a moment and I can faintly smell roses with an underlying note of something my brain can't quite place.

"Thanks," I say a tad awkwardly, breaking away from his embrace.

"Sure thing!" He smiles in reply and quickly looks away. His smile takes my breath away, and yet, there seems to be something wrong with it. It was almost as if he was too happy. Maybe I'm just imagining thing.

"Where are Caleb and Analease?" I question quickly.

"Who?"

I frown, doubt starting to settle in my stomach. For some reason, being around him makes my body want to run. It doesn't make any sense. Why should I be afraid of Tristan?

"Don't joke with me," I say, starting to turn him to face me, but he firmly brushes me aside.

"Geez, you need to lighten," he says annoyed, turning to face me with his eyes closed then turning away again. "Those two are back at our camp site."

"Did they find any food?" I ask. When he hesitates to answer my suspicion grows even more. He could be a mutt, a clone, but then why would he save me? It doesn't make any sense. Could he be trying to trick me? No, I can't be let my mind ruin this alliance. Once the seeds of suspicion are planted, they grow like weeds. Chances are, he probably ran into clones to and might think I'm one. Yes that must be why he's acting so cold to me, he's testing me.

"No, they didn't need to," he says with a laugh, "turns out they have a few more sponsors that anticipated."

"I think we have a few ourselves," I say with a sigh, pointing to my daggers and his bow and arrows. Of course, seeing as though he's facing away from me, he doesn't notice. When there's no reply, I suggest we head back and meet up with Analease and Caleb.

"Sure," He replies coldly, and we set off walking. The arrow lodges in Tristan's arm before I know what's happened. He lets out a cry of pain and I rush to his side.

"Are you okay?" I ask quickly before looking around for the attacker. We need to move soon. If we don't, we could end up looking like pin cushions.

"I'm fine," he says smoothly before yanking the arrow out without a single wince. Blood trickles down his arm followed by more and more.

"Come on," I say, grabbing his uninjured arm in an attempt to lead us away. He stays put and calmly shakes my hand away before notching an arrow to his bow.

"Come out," he commands as a hand suddenly snakes around my ankle, making me scream. Tristan let his arrow fly in the direction, but the other person is too fast.

"Blaze!" Calls Tristan's voice. The only problem is that Tristan, who's standing next to me, wasn't the one who yelled.

Out of the brush emerges another Tristan (aka Tristan number two). His clothes are torn all over and his eyes are wide with fear. His breath is ragged, as if he's been running at full force and his arrow is aimed at the Tristan beside me.

"What is going on?" I ask.

"Blaze," says Tristan number two in a frantic tone, "I know you might not be able to believe me, but the person standing next to you is a clone."

"Like she would ever believe you," Tristan scoffs, "It's obvious that you're the clone."

"Fine," I say, hoping that a simple question will straighten things out, "When was our first kiss."

"On the Training roof," Tristan answers with a smug smile.

"The night of the Opening Ceremonies," Tristan number two answers quietly.

A smile crosses my face. So the clones know about events that happened during the games, but not before.

"Wrong," I say pointing to Tristan number Two. His face falls and a look of sorrow and regret crosses his face as I draw out a knife.

"Want me to kill him?" Tristan asks with glee.

"Nope," I say and then I plunge my knife deep into the boy beside me, into the impostor Tristan's steel heart. Tristan number two, or should I say, the real Tristan's eyes widen.

"I thought I answered wrong," he says.

"If I had told that clone I knew he was the fake, he would have attacked me." I smile as the clone falls at my feet. Luckily, a direct hit to the heart also happens to kill these things.

"But why would you give the wrong time when you described you first kiss to Analease and Caleb." Tristan asks.

I blush, "The truth is, I honestly forgot the first time. Besides, the second one was more romantic and all. Anyhow, I guess my blunder turned out to be positive since the clone knew about our conversation that night."

"Yeah," Tristan sighs warily before falling to the ground. A second later, a cannon goes off.


Caleb: Tristan is completely gone by now and Analease is having a break down.

"We should have gone after him sooner," She cries.

I hold her tightly, "The best we can do now is search for him and Blaze and hope that they're both alright."

"I guess so," she sniffles, a defeated look in her eyes.

"Look," I say holding her chin up, "Knowing Tristan, he probably found Blaze with ease and she's such a strong girl I doubt anything bad could happen to her."

"And you wouldn't say that ending up in these games is bad?" Analease shoots back.

"No, I just meant that," my words are cut off by the sound of a cannon. Shortly after, another follows suit.

These is a silence between us before Analease breaks down completely. She doesn't even have to tell me what on her mind. Those two cannons could have been for Blaze and Tristan. However, there are still a goon number of other tributes it could be. We just have to hold hope that our friends are alive.

'But then?' A voice asks. What if luck is on our side and Blaze and Tristan keep surviving? Whet then? Suppose we get down to the final four and all of us are alive? Then what happens? I know for a fact that I don't plan on winning, but I will fight to the death to protect Analease and ensure she makes it home. But can I really kill Blaze?

Like Analease, I've know the girl forever. With a little luck maybe Tristan will turn on her, but I highly doubt it. From the look in his eyes, he loves Blaze like I care for Analease, and will do anything to protect her. If I die taking him out, it will leave Analease facing Blaze and Blaze will surely win. If I kill Blaze, then Tristan will kill both me and Analease. Even if we aren't all in the final four and I kill Blaze and Tristan in their sleep, some other tributes are bound to take us out. No matter how I look at it, I can't protect Analease.

'What a evil person you are,' I tell myself. Even if my ambitions aren't to save my own life, I'm seriously thinking of killing off my friends just for my own selfish desire to save the girl I love. Maybe we should just give up. Maybe I should suggest we commit suicide and die together, but that again is just selfish thinking. Damn, this game has turned me into a monster. No, it's not the game. Maybe I was always this twisted. Maybe this game had just given me a chance to let the demon inside show. Gosh, if the others knew my thoughts, they would despise me. They would...

"Caleb? Are you alright?" Analease calls, fear in her eyes.

"Yea," I fake smile, "Just lost in my own little Wonderland."


AN: I am really sorry for not writing this sooner. The truth is that I haven't been that inspired and I'm just plain lazy. To all of you out there reading this, please don't give up on me and thanks so much for your support!