A/N- Whoosh! Another chapter done! This one was one I have been planning for a while now...so I hope it is as exciting for you to read as it was for me to write! Enjoy :D

Tal Fontaine, District 4 POV

"She can't have gone far." I say, for probably the tenth time in the last minute.

"You just said that about twenty seconds ago." Ray points out. "I think I get the point now."

"Yeah, but seriously, where the hell is she? You can't get that far away in such a short time. It's impossible!" I exclaim, tossing up my arms dramatically to emphasise my exclamation.

"Unless she sprouted wings and flew up over the rainbow and into a magical cloud land filled with pink unicorns." Ray says sarcastically, which is strange for him. He's usually quite boring. "Or she could have been sent an invisible cloak by sponsors and is actually following us as we speak. Or, if you want to be more adventurous, then she could be like some female Tarzan and-"

I punch him, hard, my fist landing with a smack against his solid bicep. I think it's a pretty decent punch...however, Ray barely flinches, so there goes that thought and now I just look weak. Oh well, I compensate for my lack of muscle with my charms and good looks; neither of which Ray excels in.

"Shut up, Ray." I moan. "Sarcasm ain't your thing."

Ray nods, the corner of his top lip curled upwards; not quite a grin, but almost one. "Too right it isn't. We all know that the language of sarcasm belongs to you and Bryn."

"Then why did you attempt it yourself?" I ask. "I thought you hated our sarcasm."

"I do hate it, you drive me round the bend with it. However, you're in such a dull mood that I thought I would try and lighten the atmosphere."

"I am not in a dull mood." I say defensively.

Ray raises his eyebrows sceptically. "Of course you're not. That's why your face looks like you're sucking a sour lemon."

"I am not sulking, ok?!" I snap. "I'm just annoyed about this girl, all right?"

Ray holds his hands up in surrender. "Ok, ok, chill. We'll find this girl and you can kill her slowly and painfully and get revenge for the injury of your beloved."

I go to protest about Bryn being called my 'beloved', but I decide to just take it. I can't be bothered anymore, they're always teasing me about it, so I've just given up trying.

"What, so you're not going to insist that you're 'just friends'?" Ray seems surprised.

"Nope."

"So you're going public then?"

"Just shut up and keep looking."

We collapse into silence again. Finally. Our footsteps fall together as we walk, so that each time I step, Ray steps at exactly the same time. This tends to happen when you're walking in silence with someone. When you're not concentrating on conversation, your brain starts to compensate by following walking patterns. All the while, I keep my eyes and ears peeled. I mainly have a close eye on the tops of the trees where the girl is most likely to be, but occasionally, I glance over to Ray who is looking insanely bored and swinging his scimitar dangerously in his hand. Not helping.

I'm not exactly sure why I am so desperate to find this girl. Originally, I thought I wanted to teach her a lesson for messing with the Careers. But then again, Ren is hardly the tough Career... So then my motive turned into one for revenge for Bryn's arm because...oh, I dunno, I guess I'm starting to feel a little protective over her even though she so clearly doesn't need protecting. Realising this, maybe my reasons for wanting to kill this girl are actually to impress Bryn. When we took down the girl in the woods a few days ago, it had felt so good and the adrenaline was fantastic. And afterwards, Bryn kept complimenting me on my skills of being an evil villain, so maybe now I just want that recognition again. Maybe.

"So..." Ray goes to start another conversation. "How are you planning on killing this girl?"

I shrug. "Dunno, depends on the situa-" I stop talking at the sound of a canon firing.

Ray shrugs. "Maybe someone beat you to it? Or maybe Bryn got annoyed with Ren and finished him off?"

"That wouldn't surprise me." I say. "However, I think Bryn would make use of Ren before she killed him. She's smarter than that."

"True, true." Ray agrees, then makes a totally irrelevant comment. "Oh look, we've reached the river."

I look over and see that we have indeed reached the river. From here it looks frozen solid, just like the water in the well back at camp.

"Hey, I wonder how other tributes have gotten water if the river's frozen?" Ray ponders out loud. "Maybe we should look and see if there are any prints in the snow beside the river. We could find someone else instead of the girl if we're lucky."

I go to reluctantly agree, but Ray is already on his way. I follow behind, the bottom of my trident skimming the top layers of snow on the ground where my arm is too tired to lift it higher. As I reach the river, Ray is already partway down it and is waving his hand in a gesture to beckon me over.

"What is it?" I ask, coming beside him. "Footprints?"

Ray shakes his head. "Nope, but I've found who the canon belonged to. Look."

My eyes glance over the frozen river, all smooth and shining in the bleak light until my eyes settle on a break in the otherwise perfect ice. Large cracks like lightning bolts extend around the gap and the edges of the ice look jagged, as if someone has just smashed into it with a hammer. And right up through the middle of the break in the ice an arm sticks out, the hand on the end resting still on the ice surface. It's like something from a horror story you tell at sleepovers...not that I've been to any sleepovers that is, that's a girl thing.

"Well isn't that a beautiful sight..." I say. "It's not every day you see a dead person's hand coming out from a frozen river. In fact, I wish I had a camera now. It would probably freak Ren out. What'ya think, eh? Reckon he would freak out? Ray? Dude?"

"Hey, quite ignoring me." I prod his shoulder, but he just shrugs it off and continues to blank me, his eyes unmoving from the hand. "Ray, don't tell me that you're freaked out by the hand? I didn't have you down as a wuss."

Ray still says nothing.

"Oh come on, Ray." I roll my eyes. "It's just a hand, I mean, you've killed someone yourself. This is nothing!"

Ray's head snaps around so suddenly that I almost expect it to come off his neck. I can see that his eyes are glazed with moisture. "Yeah, well what if that hand happened to belong to Brooklyn, eh? What if that was the case?"

My jaw drops slightly and I look in shock over to the hand. Actually, it does look a little like the slender fingers of Brooklyn and she was left alone... Oh my god. Oh my fucking god.

"Is it really her?" I ask, but sort of knowing the answer.

"One way to find out." Ray says, kneeling down as close to the edge of the river as he can without touching the fragile ice. He reaches out his arm, which is surprisingly long, and his hand just reaches the hand. I watch as he grabs the hand and starts to pull. Seeing that he is struggling a little, I come over and grab hold of the wrist, puffing as I heave with my little strength. After a few violent tugs, the person's head comes above the surface and I almost yelp as my eyes set on a ghostly white and clearly dead Brooklyn's head. Oh shit.

I drop the wrist, the dead pulse chilling against my fingers. Ray still holds onto Brooklyn's hand, so the rest of her arm just hangs limply rather than drops when I let go. He stays on his knees, holding the hand; silent and kinda creepy. I haven't seen Ray like this. Never.

"Ray, dude." I tap his shoulder. "You should let her go; they'll come to lift her body out of the arena soon. C'mon, we need to back off."

Ray nods, carefully placing Brooklyn's hand back onto the ice and stands back. "We need to tell the others."

"You ok?" I ask him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Ray replies, a little harsh on his tone. "She'd have to die anyway if I'm going to be Victor. Besides, she was really annoying."

I don't say anything, I just simply shrug and walk on. I can't quite get to grips with where we're going. With our discovery, my mind is a little messed up and I can't think straight. How did Brooklyn get to the river anyway? She can't have been forced, she's too tough and there were only her footprints in the snow, no sign of a struggle. But why did she go into the woods alone? Maybe she thought the river wouldn't be frozen like the water in the well? But that doesn't explain why she walked on top of the ice; she must have known what would happen, surely...unless it was suicide? No. No way, not Brooklyn. But then again, strange and unexpected things happen in the Games all the time...

There's a rustle in some bushes ahead and I freeze. Ray keeps on walking.

"Ray!" I whisper loudly. "Where are you going?! There's someone here! It could be the girl!"

Ray doesn't turn around, but replies with his back facing me so that his words bend around his square shoulders. "You get 'em yourself. I'm gonna catch up with Bryn and Ren and tell them about Brooklyn. Cya."

I stand still, my arms dropped to my sides and my trident puncturing a hole in the snowy ground. I watch Ray disappear between the trees until I'm alone...well, alone apart from the tribute I just heard in the bushes. I wonder if it is the girl..ooh, this is gonna be good.

As I advance towards the bushes, my trident brandished and ready to kill, I hear the gentle sound of boots treading in snow. But not my boots.

I spin around without haste, expecting to see a tribute, maybe the girl, fleeing for their life. However, what I do see is quite the opposite.

A boy, about the same height and age as me, with an uneven flop of chestnut brown hair that shadows his cold, slitting eyes that send me daggers. In his hand he grips a short sword that is stained with mud and blood. As he stares despisingly towards me, I feel a little unnerved. Why would a non-career approach a Career alone?

"You do realise that you're meant to avoid Careers, not deliberately approach them?" I say mockingly to him.

He replies with a slight snarl.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I ask.

He shakes his head and speaks in a low voice. "You've probably forgotten me, haven't you, Tal?"

Whoa, why does this crazed dude know my name? Actually, he probably remembers me from the training or the parade when we were all in the Capitol; I'm quite memorable. However, that doesn't quite explain why he's here now..and I'm guessing it's not for an autograph.

"Nope, sorry, you're not particularly familiar to me." I say. "Am I supposed to remember you?"

"Have you forgotten already, what you did?" The boy says darkly.

I nod. "Probably, yeah, I've done a lot of things. Are you going to remind me then because I'm bored now and just want to kill you already. I have things I need to attend to."

The boy laughs, a twisted chuckle that is not one usually heard from a non-career like him.

"You killed Luna." He says simply. "Remember now?"

Heidi Fitzherbit, District 12 POV

This house is a lot smaller than our last one. Ok, when I say 'our', I don't mean it belonged to us or anything, because this is the Hunger Games and nothing in here belongs to us, they're just things we borrow and then give up when we die and...yeah, I'm going to stop blabbering now and get to the point...

Anyways, so this house is a lot smaller than the last one. Where there used to be a large, spacious room, there is now a small rectangle that when you stand and hold out your arms horizontally, your fingertips can touch both walls beside you. Lucky for me, I'm not claustrophobic, so I actually think that this place is quite cosy. And when a fire is lit, it warms the whole room almost instantly. Oh, and not to mention that Guthrie gets to be a little closer to me.

"C'mon Guthrie." I urge him on. "Hurry up with the fire, I'm freezing."

"I'm going as fast as I can, but this wood just won't light properly." Guthrie replies. "They're a little damp from the snow and it's difficult without any matches."

Matches. We ran out of them yesterday. At first I didn't really think much of them; I mean, they're just tiny sticks, right? Wrong, Heidi. It turns out that matches are actually kinda important and where I thought you could easily light a fire with some twigs, it's actually much harder than it sounds. It's not just a case of rubbing two pieces of wood together, no, typically, it's much more complex than that. In the Capitol, when we were training, I never went to the fire making station, I thought it was just common sense. However, I am now wishing that I did go and had spent a little less time at the edible plants station because I already knew everything there, I just liked showing off my knowledge to any tributes passing by. Guthrie went to the fire making station, but what he learned isn't really helping right now. It seems that the trainers didn't mention what you would do if a whole load of snow damaged all the wood.

"Hey, I thought you went to the fire making station before we got into the arena?" I say to Guthrie.

He grunts. "I did, but somehow they forgot to tell us what to do in snowy weather."

"Well maybe they didn't know it would snow in the arena?" I suggest.

Guthrie shakes his head. "Nah, I bet they knew. They just probably wanted to see us suffer. But hey, what else did we expect?"

Guthrie strikes the wood again, but nothing comes of it. He tries again and again and again, each time his face gets redder and redder and his fist gets tighter and tighter. I can tell that this is getting on his nerves. Now, Guthrie isn't one to get angry about things, but I'm still doubtful.

"Guthrie," I put my hand on his arm. "stop, please. You'll just get annoyed with it and end up hurting yourself."

Guthrie sighs and nods, dropping the wood. He takes a few deep breaths and turns to me. "Thanks, Heidi. I just wanted to get the fire started to keep you warm."

"Hey, don't worry about it." I smile kindly. "You can just rub your hands around mine to stop my fingers from getting frostbitten."

Guthrie laughs and takes my hands. His are warm and despite what you would think, they're surprisingly soft. He gently runs his palms along my icy hands, squeezing the ends of my fingertips with a tiny pinch and making me giggle because it tickles. This makes him grin and do it more, until I have to pull my hands away, surrendering.

"Ok, ok, they're warm now." I say, still giggling. "It's just the rest of me that's cold now. Feel free to give a back or shoulder massage if you want."

Guthrie raises his eyebrows, shaking his head. "A massage? I thought that was your thing, remember? You told me about trading foot massages for your neighbour's milk. Now, I don't have any milk to offer, but I think I've done enough to deserve a foot massage."

I take a glance at his boots. His thick, dirty boots. I haven't seen him take off his boots lately, so his feet could have been in there for ages...ew, they might be sweaty and stinky!

I shake my head. "Nope. No way. No milk, no foot massage."

Guthrie sticks out his bottom lip, but I'm not backing down. "No, Guthrie. I mean it."

He sighs and stands up, his body looming over me like a dark shadow. "Fine, how about we strike a deal, eh? I'll get some fresh, dry firewood and in return, you give me a foot massage. How about it?"

I bite my lower lip, thinking. His feet may not be that bad...and I will get a nice fire...Fire or clean hands? Fire or clean hands? Fire.

"Ok, deal." I decide, holding out my hand. Guthrie takes it and gives it a firm shake.

"Righty ho, I'd best be off." He heads towards the door. "You all right on your own, or do you wanna come?"

"Nah, I'll be ok." I tell him. "I doubt anyone would come in here. And I have a weapon to protect me." I gesture to the jagged knife that lies beside my leg. "I'll be ok, I promise. Now go and get some wood already!"

"Ok, ok, I'm going." Guthrie grabs his sword from its leaning position on the wall. "I'll only be a few minutes anyway, the gap in the fence is only a few buildings down. I'll run into the woods, grab some dry wood and come back. Twenty minutes tops."

"Bye Guthrie." I say, hinting for him to leave. He gets the hint, waves and exits through the creaking door, shutting it firmly behind him. I listen out for his running footsteps until everything is silent.

Then I realise that this is my first time alone in the Games. I shiver passes down my spine. I'm not used to this, this silence. Even when everyone was asleep and I was awake doing a night watch or whatever, there would still be the sound of gentle snoring and heavy breathing. But now, there is nothing to be heard besides the sound of my own heavy breathing.

"No, Heidi." I tell myself sternly. "You won't be afraid. Nothing is going to happen, you're fine. Just sit still and wait until Guthrie comes back. Yes, just wait. He'll be back. Just wait."

I sit and I wait. My eyes flick around me, following the rays of dim sunlight that break through holes in the old door and shine on the bumpy walls of the building. The stone walls are ugly, I decide, too bleak and grey and dirty and lumpy. If I had some water and a sponge, I would clean those walls and then maybe this place will seem a little more comforting. And then maybe a nice rug on the floor to sit on so my bum doesn't get dusty and so when I lie down, my back has a little more comfort. Ooh, and then I could paint the door pink and have the number 3476 written in white because I like that number, it's a nice number. Yes! And maybe have some potted plants outside to brighten it up, and and-

I hear footsteps. Heavy footsteps. Oh, it must be Guthrie. His steps are probably heavier because of all the wood he must be carrying. I think I'll go and help him carry some in.

I get up to my feet, using to wall to balance me and pulling a disgusted face when I see the dirt that has now been printed onto my palms. Yuck.

As I'm walking towards the door, I start to rub my hand on my trousers to try and wipe off the black dirt. And then I hear something that doesn't sound like Guthrie.

"Ouch! Will you stop doing that? What part of I have a huge gash in my arm don't you understand?!"

"Sorry, it's not my fault you got injured by a non-career girl who didn't even have a proper weapon."

"Will you shut up saying that! At least I've actually killed someone in these Games, unlike you."

I instantly freeze. Oh my god. There are Careers outside. Holy cow.

Whilst they continue arguing, I quietly panic. My limbs go to jelly and my heart rate picks up. I'm aware that my breathing is so heavy that they can probably hear it outside, but I can't stop. I'm literally quaking in my boots here. What if they come in here? Sure, I have a knife, but what good is that going to do against Careers? Where is Guthrie? Oh I wish he was here right now.

Stay still and stay quiet, I think to myself, they'll just walk by and not notice you. Slowly, I lower myself down to the ground and settle on my bottom. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I cower in the far corner and listen.

"Seriously, will you two just shut the fuck up, ok?"

He doesn't sound pleased...

"Hey, what is up with you Ray? You've been acting all weird since you found us. And where is Tal anyway?"

"I told you; Tal has gone after that girl. And then I got bored and left, ok?"

"Ugh, I'm tired. Could we stop for a few seconds please? Then maybe we could carry on and not argue for a while?"

Rest?

"Fine, we'll take a few minutes and then carry on. How about in here?"

"Yeah sure, lets go in."

My eyes grow wide with fear. Please don't let them come in here. Please let it be somewhere else. Not here. Please, not here.

I watch the door, dreading what may happen. My body, now like a quaking volcano and my heart beat as unsteady as ever. I watch the door.

And slowly, the door opens.

Firstly, a boy walks in. Quite tall and largely built, with an angry look upon his face and a viciously curved sword in his hand. He takes a few steps in and then notices me. His face seems to light up with glee and all the anger in his forehead folds away.

"Oh look what we have here." He says, walking further in. "Ren, Bryn, look what I've found."

The door opens wider and in steps two others. One, an even taller boy, but a lot skinnier than the first and with a head full of wildly curly hair; he has a spear in his hand. And then behind him walks a girl; small and petite with short brown hair and evil, glaring eyes as bright as emeralds themselves. I notice that she has a set of knives strung along her belt.

The first boy that walked in, who I'm guessing is 'Ray', looks down at me and folds his arms across his wide chest. "So, what do you call yourself, girl?"

I say nothing.

"Aww, she's petrified, poor thing." Ray says, laughing darkly. "Well luckily, her fear will be over quickly. Ren? I'll let you take this one, seeing that you still haven't killed anyone yet."

I watch in horror and sheer terror as Ren comes from behind Ray and walks towards me. His fingers tapping on the pole of his spear and his eyes focused on me. I look up to him and my lower lip trembles.

"Pl-please d-d-don't k-k-kill m-me." I stammer so quietly that I'm not even sure if he can hear me or not. Even if he did hear me, he ignores it anyway and stops walking just a foot in front of me.

Sitting on the floor, he seems taller than ever standing before me. My neck aches as I tilt my head to stare at him. Maybe if I keep looking at him then he'll feel guilty and leave me alone? No, don't be so stupid, Heidi. He's a Career and you're just a weak girl. He could kill you in his sleep. Just face the facts and think of happy thoughts before you die.

I let out a small squeak as Ren raises his spear and points the sharp tip towards my heart. He takes a breath, tenses his arm and mouths 'sorry' to me.

What?!

He just mouthed 'sorry' to me?! A Career, who trains and loves to kill, he mouthed 'sorry' to me?! What on earth is wrong with him?

What happens next is even weirder. As Ren goes to stab me, he coils back and drops his arm. I watch, confused, as he mutters, "I can't do it."

"What do you mean, you can't do it?!" Ray explodes. "You're a Career! This is what you are meant to do! Just kill the girl for god's sake you stupid bastard!"

"No." Ren says firmly. "You're wrong. You're the stupid bastard and I am not a Career."

By now my jaw has dropped and my mouth gapes open, but it doesn't end there. Ray goes to stop Ren, but Ren is too quick and throws a punch, hitting Ray smack in the jaw. Ray falls back into the wall behind. Bryn is next to stop Ren, reaching for one of her many knives, but before she can, Ren shoves into her and she goes flying to the ground. Then he slips out the door and is gone.

What just happened?

I have no time to get my head around it, because I hear a grunt and Ray is back on his feet. The anger has returned to his face and he is fuming. A large red mark is printed on the side of his jaw and a trickle of crimson blood falls from his lip and down his chin.

He turns to me. "Don't think you're gonna survive now because that wimp ran away. Oh no, you're still gonna die."

I shuffle back on my hands until the wall prevents me from going any further. Ray presses on, backing me into a corner. I glance around and spot my knife. My hand reaches out and snaps it up and I swipe it at Ray's face. He scowls as the blade narrowly skims his cheek, barely leaving a scratch. He tosses the knife away.

"That all you got?" Ray laughs and grabs my neck, lifting me up to my feet with his incredible strength.

My feet thrash around, no longer touching the ground. My arms swipe at him, but I'm too far away to make any attempt to claw his face.

I gulp, trying so hard to breath, but my throat feels tighter and tighter as Ray's grip gets stronger and stronger.

"Guthrie!" I make a strangled attempt of a scream, but Ray simply laughs at my failing cry.

"Sorry, but I don't think he's going to make in on time." Ray says, then flashes me a vicious grin. "Say goodbye."

Goodbye Guthrie.

Zephyr Torelli, District 9 POV

"You killed Luna." I say, though it pains me to speak those words out loud. "Remember now?"

Tal looks back to me, a hint of recognition upon his tanned face. "Oh yes, I remember. The girl with the curled hair; quite pretty she was too. I presume you two were close, eh? She did keep shouting for you. A shame really, you would have made a sweet couple."

I feel my grip tightening on my sword, my fingers squeezing strenuously into the handle. I want to leap forwards and wipe that smug little smile off his stupid, browned face so desperately now that it takes a heck of a lot of mental persuasion to keep me standing still. I know Tal can see this, he's not thick, he knows what he's doing. And that is why he carries on.

"So what did you say her name was, Luna right?" Tal says. "Such a nice name too, it suited her, don't you think?"

I say nothing.

"Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to ask your name. Seeing that you know mine, it is only polite that I know yours also." says Tal. "What is it, your name?"

"As if I'm gonna tell you." I spit.

Tal sighs. "Why do people have to be sooo borrring?"

"Why do people have to be so sick and twisted?" I reply bitterly.

Tal lets out a small chuckle, "Hey, that was almost insulting, but seeing that killing other tributes is praised back in my district, I'll accept your comment as a compliment instead. Thank you for your kindness, unnamed one."

"How can you say that?" I say with disgust. "How can you honestly think that killing an innocent girl is a great achievement? How?!"

Tal rolls his eyes and it's obvious that we don't think with the same minds. "It's the Hunger Games, you're meant to kill, or are you stupid enough to forget that vital piece of information? It's a game of survival; you kill others to win. The only way to stay alive and win is to kill. So don't lecture me on morals."

"Maybe, but it's not right to deliberately set out and hunt someone down." I try, clutching at straws now. Tal is good at this, but I want to be better. "I guess I would kill someone if it came to it, but never would I go deliberately chasing someone."

"Then what are you doing now?"

I'm stuck, I don't know what to say to that. I guess I'm a hypocrite then, aren't I? I just said how wrong hunting down someone and killing them was, yet I am doing exactly that. I have deliberately set out to find Tal and yes, killing him was on my mind. Does that make me the same cold blooded person he and the other Careers are?

No. I'm nothing like them. I'm not here to kill for the sake or the, dare I suggest, the fun of it. No, I'm here to get even. A life for a life. Isn't that simply carrying out justice?

I think back to when I found Luna. She was lying, crumpled on the floor, her deep red blood oozing around her, soaking her clothes. Her face was peaceful, yet I know she had felt pain. And the way her hair still lay in soft curls around her face, framing her for a smile. She was a ray of sunshine for me, she helped me forget, no not forget but move on from Elodie. Luna helped me through that and because we didn't know each other for that long, I didn't get the chance to love her properly, but I was pretty close. And maybe if she was still here today, I could be even closer to loving her. But she isn't here because of him. Because of that boy standing in front of me, Luna was taken just like Elodie.

"Luna didn't deserve to die, you know." I say out loud.

"As I said before, it's a game." Tal replies. "I never said she deserved it. That's just the way life is sometimes."

"Because you'd know all about what life is really like, wouldn't you?" I say bitterly. "I bet your life was so easy and carefree back in your precious Career district. I bet you never had to suffer with anything. Everything handed to you on a plate. Pfft, you don't know what life is."

"And you do?" Tal challenges.

I shrug. "I've had a little taster. But not quite as much as Luna. You know, when you killed her, you didn't just kill Luna, but you destroyed her little sister's life as well."

"Oh, I'm such a terrible beast, kill me now." He says sarcastically. "So what? The majority of people who die in these games have siblings. It's hardly a special case."

"Fine, what if I told you that both Luna's parents and some of her other siblings died too? Yeah, what if I told you that Luna was left to care for her two year old sister when she was only fourteen by herself alone? What if I told you that you have just taken away the last person who loved and cared for that little girl?! And now you tell me that it's the way life is!" I have to catch my breath at the end of my outburst, my words had come out in such a hurry of rage that I forgot to breathe.

Tal looks at me for a moment. I almost start to think that maybe, just maybe he feels a little guilty. Maybe there is some tiny part of him that feels disgusted by is actions and now that he knows the true effects of what he did, maybe he feels a little bad? Just a little?

No, he does not.

"You know, I hear these sob stories every year. And frankly, they're getting pretty dull and boring now." Tal fakes a yawn. "So can we just get onto the killing already?"

I feel a flush of rage boiling up inside me and I grip the handle of my sword so tightly that my knuckles crack. "You make me sick."

"You're so full of hate, aren't you?" Tal says. "But it isn't really hate though, is it? Nah, this rage is just your guilt disguised because you can't bear to admit that you're a failure. Don't deny it either. I know that you're here because I'm simply someone to blame for your own mistakes. You think by killing me you're achieving justice. But not really, you'll just be adding another death to your conscience. Another death caused by you; just like your sister and Luna."

That's it. I can't take it any more. I know he's playing mind games with me, but I have to surrender and let him win this one. He's succeeded with his goal, but I can still fight back in round two. I still have a chance to draw even.

I lunge forwards, my sword thrust out in front of me. I let out a cry of rage as I push the blade towards Tal's torso. But he's expecting it and just steps to the side, laughing at me, mocking and patronizing me.

"Oh c'mon, that was so predictable." Tal laughs. "I could see that a mile off. You'll have to do a bit better than that, unnamed one."

"Arrrhh!" I yell in frustration, swiping for his neck. This time I'm a little closer, so the Tal only just dodges the attack, a smooth, but seriously close dodge.

I go again, this time, my sword knocks into Tal's silver trident and an ear-piercing screech sounds from metal on metal. I wince, but don't let it faze me. I still haven't hit Tal once yet.

The saliva in my mouth bubbles and I turn and spit it out. It lands with a miniature splash on the thinly coated ground. The snow is still here, but it's on its way out.

"Aren't you going to fight me?!" I shout back. "Or are you all talk?"

Tal's eyes drop as he looks at his trident, tiny reflected images of the weapon in his pupils. He then looks back to me, having made his decision, and says, "Oh you know I'm not all talk."

Tal steps into a fighting stance, once he was probably taught back home, and holds his trident firmly in his hand. It looks heavy, but Tal seems so used to it that to him it weighs nothing more than his own arm normally weighs. I stand facing him, a little messy with my own stance, but I've never been trained so this is new to me. I squint my eyes, sending cold daggers into his. My lower lip tenses as I give him a snarl. Tal responds with a sly grin. He thinks he'll win this fight. Me? I don't know what will happen.

"So how did your sister die anyway?" Tal asks. "Didn't last long, did she? And there was me thinking you volunteered to protect her. But I suppose you got distracted by Luna and forgot about helping your sister, right?"

I snap forwards and swing my blade with such a force that I'm almost thrown off balance. Tal, although he had expected it, is a little slow on dodging and the tip of the sword nips his shoulder. I can tell it hurt, but Tal refuses to seem weakened and instead heads straight for a response attack. I expect him to go for my torso, judging by the angle of the trident, so I jump out of the way. However, Tal quickly dips the trident and catches my calf. I make a small yelp as the spears of the trident stab into my leg, a searing pain making my eyes water.

"Oh I'm sorry, did that hurt?" Tal says spitefully.

I grit my teeth and push through the pain, turning and making an uncontrolled slash at Tal. He laughs at my failed attempt and uses the pole of his trident to knock me off balance and I stumble forwards into a tree. The rough bark scrapes along my cheek as my face collides with the trunk. The force of hitting the tree winds me and I gasp out for air.

Behind me, I hear Tal approaching slowly. His footsteps become my heartbeats. I groan as I turn myself around to face Tal. As he approaches me, I raise my sword with heavy arms and make a weak stab, which Tal deflects with his own weapon and pushes the sword out of my hand. I watch as it falls to the ground, a clanging thud on the forest floor. I want to go and reach it, but I'm still winded and Tal will stop me anyway. It looks like I'm losing.

Tal laughs, shaking his head as he lifts his trident and holds the spear points against the thin layer of skin that covers my neck. I can feel the points, like giant pins, pressing into my throat and I'm afraid to gulp for fear of having my neck pierced.

"It's funny how you ended up." Tal says. "This is such a coincidence with you pressed up against the tree like that and me with my trident against your weak body. This is exactly how Luna was. Did you know that? Did you?"

I don't reply. Tal gently presses the trident harder into my neck, the sharp points breaking my delicate skin. I can feel the narrow trickles of blood running down my neck.

"This would make a great tragedy story, wouldn't it?" Tal says. "The pretty, young damsel is brutally murdered at the foot of a tree and is found dead by her lover. The now grieving boy races off to find the murderer and seek revenge. However, he falls short and ends up being killed in exactly the same way as his lover. Aw, it brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it?"

"Stop...doing...this." I say weakly, my voice strained from the pressure on my neck.

"Stop doing what?" Tal asks. "What, this?" He presses the trident even further and the break in my skin opens further, more blood pumping out. I know it won't be long until he either pushes the trident straight through my neck, or he'll leave me barely alive and watch me bleed to death. I think I prefer the first option.

"You know, you're a very silly boy. Thinking you could beat a Career like me, pfft, you can't have been serious to think that you even had a chance!" Tal spits in my face. "You're nothing but a-"

He suddenly stops talking.

I look at him, confused, waiting for him to come out with another hurtful insult. But he says nothing. It's only when his body falls into me that I realise something has happened. I quickly push the trident from my neck and take a huge gulp of air. Tal still slumps against me and when I look over his shoulder, I see the beginning of a sword jutting out of his back. I gasp and push the body off me. It lands heavily on the floor.

"You ok there, dude?"

I look up from Tal's body and see Guthrie walking towards me, his face quite pale. He looks a little uneasy, but approaches me with steady confidence.

"Guthrie?" I stare in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm saving your butt, that's what I'm doing." He replies and a canon fires immediately after he finishes, marking Tal's death. "And it's a damn good thing I was passing by when I was or it would be you slumped dead on the floor and not him."

"Oh yeah, thanks for that, I owe you one." I say, then bite my lower lip. "Actually, I owe you two... Look, I'm sorry about leaving the alliance with Luna. I should have at least told you and not left a message. I was a real jerk for doing that."

"No worries, it's cool with me." Guthrie replies. "Oh, so I know about Luna...I saw her in the sky a few days ago. Sorry about that, what happened?"

I simply point to Tal. Guthrie nods.

"And I also saw that Rhea...yeah." I say. "How did that happen?"

"The flood. Fell of the roof when we were getting to high ground. The rush of water carried her off straight away; died instantly, so it wasn't so bad for her. Heidi was pretty cut up about it though."

"Oh, how is Heidi? Where is she?"

"She's back in a little building. I came out to get dry wood for a fire and she was too tired to come so she stayed. In fact, I should probably head back now, I don't want her getting worried." Guthrie says. "You're welcome to come back with me if you'd like. I know Heidi isn't mad at you either and you look pretty bad, no offence, you've got blood all down your neck and a couple of harsh scratches on your face. Heidi still has that first aid kit the sponsors sent her. I'm sure there's something in there that will help."

I'm hesitant at first, but I'll bleed to death if I don't get some medical attention, so I nod in agreement.

"Right, I'll show you the way." Guthrie starts off.

We walk through the woods, a route I'm not familiar with, until we reach the fence. Guthrie pulls back a plant and behind it, a gap in the fence awaits. Just as I go to climb through, I hear another canon and my body jumps at the sound.

"Who do you think-" I start, but Guthrie has shoved me out of the way and darts through the gap in the fence, leaving me trailing behind.

Oh no, he thinks it's Heidi. Oh, I really hope it isn't. Please don't be Heidi.

I follow Guthrie, though he's a lot faster than me at the moment and my leg still hurts from the fight before. I spot him darting into a small building and as I come in a little after him, I stop dead in my tracks.

Guthrie stands, his hands hung by his sides and his head bowed low. I peer over his shoulder and see the limp body of Heidi, her pale blue eyes still open, but her face drained of colour.

"She's dead." Guthrie says quietly. "She's dead."

A/N- :( :( :( Multiple sad faces :( That was hard to kill off two of our best loved tributes, it really was... Sorry to all you Tal fans (I know there are quite a number of you), this means there will be no more funny and sarcastic comments, nor pranks pulled on Ray and the worst of all...NO MORE TAL/BRYN LOVELY MOMENTS :( That depresses me. And also, to any Heidi fans, there will now be no more 'dumb blonde' moments or cute Heidi/Guthrie moments either. Heidi was quite a character and it is sad to see her go, she has grown so much since her reaping and she shocked us all by lasting so long. If only one more person died before her, then she would have made it to the final eight.

Yes, mentioning that, IT IS NOW THE FINAL EIGHT! Our remaining tributes are (in no particular order): Raymond Periwinkle, Bryn Rosella, Ren Elmwood, Layla Roberts, Arya Firestone, Inva Reinhardt, Zephyr Torelli and Guthrie Zython. From now, things get even more dramatic for our final eight and who will live to reach the end?

Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing, I love you lots like jelly tots (actually, I don't really like jelly tots, they're too sugary...). And please leave more reviews, I'm desperate to hear what you think about the story so far and I especially want to know your opinions on our final eight and WHO DO YOU THINK WILL WIN? I do know the victor, but do you?

Thanks, FireflyLlama xxx