A/N- Hi everyone! Here I am, late as ever... This is the chapter that was meant to be up on the 16th... But both my betareader (mangesboy01) and I have been rather busy... However we hope you enjoy this chapter! The next chapter will be up either tomorrow or the day after :)

I have no idea how long we walk for, but the lush green leaves rustling in the wind gradually change to a range of reds, ambers and oranges. I look up, the canopy concealing the sky. The leaves form a fiery sky above me. The day is mostly spent in silence, and there is a heavy tension drifting through the air.

We tread as silently as possible through the forest, minding our feet on the crunchy leaves. Every so often we stop, take a few minutes to break – eat some of our seemingly endless supply of food – then begin back walking again. I have no idea where we are going now, but Willow is in the lead, taking us where ever she sees fit.

I don't know what it is that makes us feel tenser today, but if all four of us have a gut feeling then the chances are that we're going to be right. We don't question it out loud in case we are wrong, because this will only provoke the Gamemakers into setting mutts onto us. It's happened before.

We wander aimlessly through the autumnal section, unsure of where we are heading. We should make a plan, however no one dares to whisper. The air is cool and I have a gut feeling that someone's watching us. That sounds stupid, I tell myself, considering all of Panem is watching, but this feeling is different. A feeling that another tribute is nearby, maybe stalking us; waiting for the right time to slit our throats. Paranoia creeps in, and I'm constantly checking behind us. My gut has never been wrong before. And I know it isn't wrong now.

Darkness falls quicker today. Whether this is the Gamemakers' doing or whether we've really been walking this long; I don't know. My body aches until I flop down onto the ground like a rag doll and stretch out, only then does the pain cease. Laying there, my eye lids droop, but I resist the temptation to sleep for now.

I help set up camp, but since the weather is still humid with no rain, we don't need bother with shelter. We don't bother with blankets or sleeping bags tonight, because if we need to get up they will restrict us. We never know; waking up half a second too late or squirming out of a blanket could be the difference between life and death. It's a morbid thought, but it's true, so we stuff the bags and blankets back to the bottom of our packs. I am just settling down against a tree when the fanfare begins. I know Wave is going to be up there tonight. I wish the other canon was for the other adversary group. It would be even better if it were one of the two careers in that group.

The golden Capitol seal vanishes, and is replaced by Wave's face. His eyes are the same as ever; green and blue, shimmering like the surface of water. I miss those eyes already and have to look away in order to remain composed. I can't get emotional now. I won't allow myself to.

With Wave's face shining first, I realize this means the careers from 1 and 2 are still alive.

District Four is out of the Hunger Games.

It has to be the first time in a long time that District Four hasn't had a tribute in the final eight. I do the math quickly in my head. Wave was the tenth to die… so he placed fourteenth.

His eyes don't look sad or accusing. I know I should have killed Gild whilst I had the chance, but it makes me feel better that Wave is a decent enough person to understand. I hope he is looking down on me now in forgiveness. He understands; I know he does, because of that chat we had just a few hours before his death. His conscience was clear; he killed no one in these sick Games.

I sigh heavily as his image vanishes.

Bye, Wave.

Nothing can prepare me for the next image I see in the sky. I let out a strangled sob as I see Cortez in the sky. Milo slams his fist into the ground. She was only twelve.

"This is sick." Aaron spits.

"Poor kid," Willow's eyes are set on the ground. "But at least we know the others are safe for now." She adds after a lengthy pause.

"They can't be that safe if Cortez was killed. They might be fighting right now and we don't even know it." Milo mutters. Our thoughts are so much darker after losing Wave. I didn't realise how much we needed him. If only he were here now, he would have us all looking on the bright side.

I think for a second before shaking my head. "I think they're safe. Think about it logically; we fought Gild, Estella and the guy from District 12 today, and they're in no position to go and attack our allies. The second adversary group then passed us later, so they can't be close to them, unless the arena is tiny or they looped back around." I give the others a chance to understand what I'm saying before I continue.

"So the adversary groups are trying to meet up because of safety in numbers, right? So we know there's a chance that they're injured and seeking safety. This also means we are probably closer to our allies than we realise since we walked parallel to the other group that came through yesterday." For the first time in a while, I believe in what I am saying. My head is clearer today.

Aaron is nodding enthusiastically.

"But we never know." Willow says. "Anyone could have moved anywhere in the space of a few hours."

"But we can at least try and work out where they are." I say. "It makes us safer."

"No." Willow says firmly. "No, it doesn't. It gives us a false sense of security when, in reality, in here we are never safe." Her voice is cold, but it's true.

Not even if we win the games.

Her words are spoken so firmly, with such conviction, that it shakes me to my core. She's right. I glance around. Someone is definitely here, I can feel it.

Or maybe I'm just being paranoid.

After a lengthy debate, despite my exhaustion, Milo and I are put on watch whilst Willow and Aaron rest. I sigh heavily at the decision and roll my eyes, but otherwise don't complain. There's no point wasting my breath, because when Willow's mind is made up, there's no changing it. I'll get my sleep in a few hours anyway, along with some alone time with Milo.

We perch on a branch in a nearby tree, whilst the pair sleeps below us amongst the bushes. The bushes are ripe with berries, but since both of them are wary, we will not take the risk. We can get meat for food anyway, and we have our supplies.

I sit, talking softly with Milo whilst plaiting some of the dry grass that grows in this section of the arena. Everything here is dry. I get the feeling we won't be finding any water sources soon. It's lucky we have enough left from our last stop.

I want to head back into the lush section. It is nicer there. But Aaron won't go where Willow doesn't want to go so it looks like we're stuck following Willow. Not that I mind too much, because then it won't be my fault if I lead us into some trap. It sounds selfish, but I wouldn't be able to deal with anymore guilt.

I pester Milo until he allows me to weave grass into his hair. He smiles and rolls his eyes at my childishness. It gives my mind something to do rather than worry or feel guilty about things I can't change now; such as Wave, Cortez and Cyri. I shake my head, trying to rid them from my thoughts. I busy myself with weaving the grass into Milo's dark hair, much like we had the grain in our hair at the chariot rides. Giggling childishly I hand Milo some so he can do the same for me. The light strands of grass in our dark hair stand out, and make us look as if we have blonde highlights. I can feel his careful fingers delicately shifting my hair around the grass. It's soothing, having the slight breeze and Milo's comfort; however I can't help but feel wary of where we are.

My eyes are constantly darting around. Everything seems so different now. Now we've had time to adjust, I am registering a strong, new feeling in myself. Fear. I am scared, terrified, of what may happen. My gut feeling is this section of the arena is a bad place to be, but I have no reason to justify this feeling with. It just makes me feel uneasy.

I jump in Milo's arms. I swear I just heard a crackle of a leaf underfoot. Milo whispers to me, ensuring me that it is nothing. He pulls me gently back so I rest against his chest.

"Calm down." He strokes my hair. "It's nothing. No one's here. You're just tired and imagining things."

I can't believe the words he is saying. My mind is not playing tricks on me. I wish he would believe my instincts. Even when part of my mind is telling me to feel safe in Milo's arms, the other part of my mind is telling me to ignore it; I am never safe in the arena.

Tributes Alive: 13

Total Tributes Dead: 11

Tributes dead (order of death)

Hilda (District 8)

Rio (District 11)

Sayla (District 4)

Gus (District 10)

Kwell (District 6)

Star (District 10)

Rosetta (District 11)

Cyri (District 5)

Mercy (District 6)

Wave (District 4)

Cortez (District 12)