Quick updates, no? :D Before we continue to the next chappie, I have to say I am SO freaking grateful for all of you wonderful reviewers :3 Other fanfictioners are less fortunate, although their writing could be as amazing as the best writer in the world. If you see an amazing story, don't be shy, just drop a review. They'll be grateful like I am if they get small pieces of feedback for every other chapter. Heck, tell me if there's a good SYOT out there! Ima read it!

Oh, yeah. There's a new poll. Vote for your favorite tribbys so they don't die painful deaths :3

Cooper "Corvette"'s POV (yesterday night)

We're now in the little volcano villages. Pompeii, I believe it was called. Ehh, I don't really care. Elena is alive and that's all that matters.

I make a shelter inside one of the houses, with Elena following my tail. I'm wondering why no mutts have been sent after us… It's weird, because in past Games, there are usually mutt attacks every hour or so.

Rattlrattl. I might've spoken too soon.

"Elena, stay here," I command, in a firm voice. I cringe automatically, turning my head the other way. It hurts to tell a kid, "I might die so you should stay in here, and try to live for about another week or so on your own." But thankfully, she nods and continues inspecting her knife for fun. Yesterday she was rubbing the blade and squealing, "SHINY!" while getting multiple cuts all over herself. So at least it's an improvement.

Peeking my head out the obvious doorway, I look out and notice about five skeletons. They had ragged, torn leather clothes, and one of them even had armor. They were all armed. A skeleton child holds on to his mother's hand. I shiver inwardly; these mutts were creepy as shit.

Without warning, the child turns its head towards me with a sickening crack! It makes a beeline right for me, getting the older skeletons to attract attention to me as well. I groan exhaustedly; I hadn't slept since yesterday, and that was only for about two hours. I can't leave Elena alone. Liquid motivation courses through my body. I will survive. I WILL SURVIVE! AS LONG AS I KNOW HOW TO LOVE, I KNOW I'LL STAY ALIVE-

Um… I cough, blushing deeply despite the deadly situation I was in. I can't believe I just thought that. That was my jam when I was like, 13.

The child mutt was armed with a dagger. With ease, I knock its head off its shoulders with my wooden club- The mutt falls down immediately, the bones littering the moist ground underneath it.

I spin around, ready for the next skeleton. It was skinny and barely had anything on it, and only had its small pocket knife to protect themselves with. I kick them in the ribcage, shattering the frail, weak bones under my feet. Its head slams against a giant rock and splatters something… I don't want to know what that was.

Holding up the wooden club over my face, I scan the next enemy. I can identify that she's a female by the face shape… her head cocks sideways, as if she was thinking of something. All of sudden, I see nothing…

Except… Mindy.

"Cooper," she whispers, cupping my face in her hands. Tears of joy stream down her cheeks. "I've missed you so much."

Not knowing what to do, startled, I drop my wooden club on the floor. It makes a loud sound against the empty darkness I was seeing.

She leans closer to me, breathing softly. Mindy puts her arms around my neck. She feels familiar… her arms frame my collarbone perfectly. This was her. I could feel it.

I bend my head to kiss her. I couldn't remember what happened before this. All I saw was Mindy, all I could ever recall was Mindy. She was here. With me. The only thing I ever wanted.

Only… something was off. Instead of the lilac perfume she always used, it smelled of-

Rotting corpses.

I try to break away from her, everything coming back in a second. Elena needs me. Mindy is dead! They're coming for Elena right now, Cooper! THINK! Hot, angry tears come down my face in seconds. "L-Let go-"

Mindy- No, it- grabs me with unexplainable force. Her face returns to my lost love's. "What's wrong, Cooper? Isn't this what you've always wanted? To be reunited with me?" She sounds almost hurt. No. Demons twist around your desires and think they've got what you've always needed, only they don't know what love is. It's just a sick version of it.

"No," I growl. "You're not her. You're not Mindy."

Her eyes flash a furious red color. She bares her teeth, coming to the size of Godzilla. She bends down, about to bite off my head-

Crack! My surroundings come back. My name is Cooper. I am from District Six. I am eighteen. I need to protect Elena…

"Elena?" I croak. There she was. Holding a silver knife with the posture of a warrior. Standing over the body of two skeleton, breathing heavily. When she sees that I've come back, she smiles that innocent smile of hers.

"Cooper! I poked the thingies!" She exclaims excitedly.

I can't help but stare in shock, my mouth agape. Elena. The one who needs protecting. The one who has no idea what half of the dictionary means. The one who just saved me.

"H-How?!"

"I told you. I poked the thingies."

I grimace, thin puncture marks on my neck from the skeleton. Apparently it can sense your deepest desires… at least a part of them. "Good job, Elena."

A chime echoes from about ten feet away. A sponsor gift! Eagerly, Elena skimps over to it and rips out the wrapping. "More stuffed animals!" She shrieks happily, hugging it to her chest.

I chuckle softly. "Aren't you going to look at everything else?"

She stops and looks at the rest of the stuff. "Oh, yeah. There are these things that are sparkly and circley, and… FRENCH FRIES!" Elena enthusiastically pulls one of the potato sticks from the carton. I read the note.

"Hope you like the presents! Use these hair ties to tie your hair up!"

I hold up one of the 'hair ties'. Mindy used to wear these everyday when we were both 14. I remember watching her use them, holding her hair up with it in the morning.

"Elena, come here for a second." She skips over to where I'm sitting. With difficulty, I try to reenact what Mindy did to tie her hair. In two minutes or so, Elena's hair is tied up a bit sloppily, but effective.

I smile. "There. Now whenever you're fighting, your hair's out of your face."

There's yet another sponsor gift waiting for us, and it's huge! Inside it there is another sleeping bag, a hammer, a spile (although the only things in these trees would be blood…) and five guavas. My stomach growls, even though we don't have any shortage of food; it's just that I need some meat in my body. All we're getting is fruits.

But at least the odds are in our favor.

Nathaniel Reed's POV (D11) (back to day 6)

I haven't slept. I haven't eaten or drank anything since yesterday. Taimi is dead. Taimi is dead because of me! I've just been sitting in the same place, rocking back and forth. The only time I moved was when the hovercraft came and I was forced to move. It didn't seem real, until I saw Taimi's beaming face in the sky that night.

That was cruel. Killing yet another innocent tribute and leaving them with a smile as the last of their impacts are faded away. I don't think that made sense. Does it need to?

Although we weren't very close, I bet if she survived, we could've been best friends. But she's dead now. And I need to move on.

Do it for Dominique. Do it for Dominique.

After getting a few hour's rest hiding in some bushes, I start to get up and make progress. I'm just going to pretend to look for tributes so the Gamemakers don't send mutts after me. I hold up my sword as if I was prepared to defend myself from anything, and walked and explored places.

Soon, I stumbled upon an olive garden. There was a small, antique, rusted fence acting as a barrier. It seemed undisturbed. I climb over the metal bars and inspect the olives.

The color and the size was the same as a normal olive, but a bit bigger, so that was good. This was like an oasis, only a bit less plentiful but still helpful. I pick about twenty-five olives until the whole area was collected clean. As soon as I take one step out of the garden, it disappears. I'm betting it reappeared somewhere else.

Maybe about four hours later, I see in the distance a huge alliance near a big stadium-like building. I'm pretty sure it's the Colosseum, from what I could see.

A mixture of careless voices join in together. Huddling behind a thick bush, I try to listen to their conversations.

"The boy… 11… she's dead… allies…"

Huh. They had to be the Careers. So they were talking about me? I could kill one or two of them right now if I charged, but that would guarantee my death.

I stayed back, inching a bit closer. It doesn't hurt to get information.

"You think this is… he would be?" A masculine voice grunts. It is followed by a slightly higher-pitched voice. "Yes. Maybe. Most likely."

From afar, I see someone's hands raise from exasperation. "Isabelle… we've been following… hours and we haven't… anywhere!"

Well, this is my cue to leave. I turn my angular body around and was about to make a mad dash when suddenly-

Khhkhkkhkhkhkkhkh! Shoot oh shoot oh shoot oh shoot oh shoot. There, on top of me, was a spider mutt, green stuff foaming at the mouth.

I freeze, shock paralyzing my body. With slow, careful movements, I stab my sword into the glistening black body.

It tries to bite my head off, but I killed it to quick. It shrinks until it finally disintegrates and turns into another one of those cursed vials, only this one was green.

I'm just praying the Careers didn't hear this. I could already imagine one of them whipping around, shooting me with some random ranged weapons as I make my flawed escape.

As wary as I felt about these potion things, I put it in my pack anyway. Maybe I could throw it at some tribute, or mutt, and watch them die.

I stood up, cautiously. When I saw the coast was clear, I ran the hell out of there.

Astor Kerr's POV (D1)

Yeesh. It seems like everyday I wake up to Isabelle's bickering of, "District Four schists…" or "Get off your butt and kill some tributes!"

It was that bad. I hope I don't die listening to her screaming, although it was preeeetty likely.

I felt like I was all alone. I was planning to ditch this stupid alliance as soon as possible, maybe final fifteen. Pheobe and Jacob don't take my crap and laugh at my jokes like how Maxon and Emma did. And Isabelle is so much worse. The only reason I was still alive was probably because I got the first kill. And because I was fabulous.

Quickly, I switch my mind back to the alliance's conversation.

"I mean, I just hope he can take me back after all the times I've rejected him," Isabelle whispers sadly. Bullshit. I tried the 'crush on District partner' thing on her during train rides, and that didn't work. We talked a bit as well, and I learned that Garnet is just a friend. She didn't seem to blush at any mention of him there! Plus, one does not simply steal Jaceobe's fire. I might be in a death montage, but they're still my OTP.

Pheobe nods along, but it's clear that she's annoyed. "Yup. Yuppity yup yup. Mmhm." Their voices echo around the huge Colosseum we were back in. Jacob just slouches in one of the "seats", flipping around his lethal spear casually. That was us Careers; getting daggers as a 5th birthday presents. Seems legit.

I was kinda staring off into space in Jacob's general direction, so when he stopped spinning his spear he raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Hey, why are you staring at me? No homo, bro."

I snapped out of it. "Oh, yeah, because after calling you and Pheoebe OTP a million times yesterday I would suddenly start shipping you with myself. I mean, sure, why not?"

Jacob goes poker face. He picks up his stuff and moves away from me. I feel so loved.

For some reason, my mind goes to dresses. Huh. I start thinking about killing someone in a dress. Not to be sexist, but imagine the look on their face when they think they're getting killed by a girl. I know this all too well- whenever I'm playing Hunger Games simulator and Emma repeatedly camps and farms me, with Maxon backing her up. Good memories.

And there would be no danger of flashing at other people, because 1. They're dying 2. That just gives me more ammunition to use against them as they get distracted. GET REKT SON.

I feel a huge shadow loom over me. Is it Isabelle?

...why do I feel huge arms around me? Now it really can't be Isabelle, because I don't remember her being that fat. Or maybe she got a sponsor gift full of fried chicken or steroids; I'll never know.

Warily, I pick up my axe. I'm about to swing it behind my head when suddenly the thing grabbing me flips around, knocking my axe out of my hand.

I gulp. Am I screwed?

No. NO. I'm not! Astor will never be screwed! Seems pretty weird to say but Astor will not go down without a fight!

"YEEEEEEET!" I forcefully punch backwards, straining my arms and making them slightly sore. Okay, really sore. The hands turn me around, and I finally get a glimpse of who's attacking me.

It isn't Isabelle, but a hundred foot tall gladiator cladded in silver plated armor. Well, then again there isn't much of a difference between them.

I hear the Careers screaming and throwing things at the mutt, but not trying very hard it seems. Isabelle's already given up, and Pheobe and Jacob are trying but hardly. Do they not care? Watching one of their allies die is something that couldn't be helped? Do they think I'm a lost cause?

Rage fills my head and I can't think straight. I'm coming for them. They think I'm going to die, and they're wrong. My ex-alliance is going to wail in agony once I kill them and win these wretched Games.

I try even harder to get this guy to put me down. He must be a major mutt. I was almost out of ideas when I bit his hand.

The gladiator let a startled yell and dropped me. My mouth shaped an 'O'. I was going to die here. Because I fell to my doom! I wasn't going to die like this; that would be extremely embarassing for everyone in District One. With almost less than a second to react, I put my hands behind my head in last-minute defense.

Crack. Oh my gods- everything was on fire! My chest took the most impact, it felt like all my organs just floated next to my heart and made a home there. My legs were fine, although they still felt like lead weight. Bracing for the pain, I tried to move out my arm. Something along the lines of acid raced up my veins, mixing with my blood making it feel like fire. I twisted my head and saw what I expected- my arm bent backwards at the elbow. I almost puked at the sight of it… why is it so dark? It was difficult to breathe, and then I saw why.

I was underwater.

Dazed, I think to myself, 'There aren't any water sources near the…' I rack my brain trying to find the word. Why was I here? I don't understand. Some black substance floated upwards… blood. My blood. My mind was racing. I was breathing. Here. Underwater. Where the fish live.

Ahh… yes… my power! I would've smiled if it didn't hurt so much. I thought underwater breathing would be useless. Relief floods my brain… but my lungs still feel like liquid fire, like a balloon once full of air just farted and kinda died inside.

Boom! Holy cow- was that my cannon? Am I dead?! Why was I still breathing? My vision gets darker… I'm sinking…

I wake up in somewhere white. All white. Was… was this heaven? The smell of antiseptic was everywhere. I hear the beeping of monitors all around me. No, it couldn't be. My arm still hurt. Almost every inch of my body was covered in tubes.

I won? Did I win? My mind couldn't help but spout out questions every five seconds. Silver told me that he ended up in a blinding hospital when he won. I laugh, only to cough up blood a second afterwards.

I croak, hoping someone could hear me. Maybe if I roll over…

Suddenly, someone rushed to my side. Was that the District Six Victor? Why was she here?

"D-Did I win?" I ask weakly.

She smiles sadly. "I'm afraid not, Astor… but we just saved you from the Games."

Every hope I ever had dropped like a dead weight. Saved… from the Games. The Games. I didn't need saving! What was this lady doing here, ruining my future?! The Games were all I ever thought about, all I ever wanted. I was born for it. And here I was, being "saved". I suck in a startled breath, only to start a coughing fit. I didn't care; I'd rather die than return to District One a loser. What was happening?! I couldn't help but sobbing, tears leaking out of my eyes like a waterfall. I didn't care if I looked like a girl- I deserved this. I deserved to win the Games. I was the future Victor of the 83rd Annual Hunger Games, and it was all gone in less than a millisecond. People started looking at me disgustedly as if I was some random spoiled brat they found in the Capitol dumps, but wouldn't you do the same if your future was stolen from you?

Ahhhh. :D Have you noticed that the wolf mutt dropped a blue vial? And on the sponsor gifts, at least one of the ranged weapons is dipped in blue stuff? Oh, where could've that come from? ;)

Even though Astor's technically not dead, I'm going to do a fake memoir for him anyways :)

Astor Kerr, District One: Supposedly died because of a 100 foot Gladiator when his alliance was picking at their nails and not paying attention to his dying screams.

Oh my gods- I just noticed I killed off two of TheEmeraldQueen's tributes in a row! I'm so sorry ;-; Astor was my top three. I'm not kidding. I had never gotten a tribute like Astor. I was planning to make him Victor until Taimi died and all my plans kinda blew up, along with Astor winning. After that, I wanted Astor to die, and then I realized he has soo much more potential :) So now he's alive and being abducted by rebels. Seems legit, I mean this is just your everyday basis. And to those of you wondering…

Theo's Plan:

First: Have Aliana fire off the cannons a bit early

Second: Have the tracker make the tributes paralyzed so they look dead

Third: Get them into the hovercraft and abduct them to the rebel's hideout

No plan is without flaw.

#1. Favorite POV? Astor's had to be my favorite. Or Cooper. My baes.

#2. What did you like about this chapter? :3 And like specific parts when a character did something, said something, etc.

#3. I forgot to ask this last time, but how do you feel about Taimi and Ember's deaths?

#4. OMG, Astor was abducted?1! XD