First of all, I want to apologize to anyone who submitted someone inside the Career group. I know I've been leaving you all on edge, but that will mostly be wrapped up this chapter.

The Inferno: Aurum, Ash.

Last time the requirement was picking berries (I know, I know). I think this time it might be slightly easier.

And for those of you who don't remember (cause I just barely did) … Queen Elinor's feast is today!

District 1

Flora Harper

So, I ditched the Careers.

I know it was a harsh thing to do, but it was my best option. When a crowd of vicious mutts with super-speed begin attacking your group, the most logical thing to do is to slip away. I managed to escape and run off into the forest, which I knew would be plentiful with food. However, after an incident involving poison berries that I was seconds away from eating, I realized that I wasn't cut out to live off the land.

Ditching them was super easy for me, but now I'm going to try to weasel my way back into the group. I know that the Capitol is going to see both of my actions as cowardly, but at this point, I don't care. I haven't eaten or drunken anything in a day and my stomach is growling loudly.

As I walk through the forest, the trees begin to become sparser. Not long after, I reach the edge of the forest. I quickly scale a tree so that I'll be able to survey the damage to my fellow Careers before walking into camp.

I squint my eyes to be able to make out the inside of the Cornucopia and am shocked by what I see. Besides the floor being covered with blood, every one of my allies is lying unconscious on the ground. It's way worse than I expected - I had presumed a few of them had gotten injured, but I didn't expect them to be on the edge of death. Maybe seeing this should make me feel worse about betraying them, but it doesn't. It just assures me that I made the right choice.

I quickly climb down until I'm only a few feet from the ground. I jump off the branch, regain my balance, and begin running toward the Cornucopia.

Upon closer inspection, I realize not all of the Careers are unconscious - Kana is awake, in seemingly perfect condition - reapplying bandages to Malakai's leg. I slow my pace to a trot. Kana hears me approaching and snaps up, her spear ready to fight.

"What a kind way to greet me," I remark sarcastically.

"You betrayed us," Kana reminds me, although her voice shakes slightly. "Why shouldn't I kill you?"

"Because if you tried, I'd kill you first." I unsheath my dagger and twirl it on my pointer finger threateningly. I raise an eyebrow at her, "are you going to take the odds that you can beat me?"

"I could beat you," Kana says, a little more confidently. "But first, tell me why you're back here."

"I came to check on my friends," I say in an innocent voice. "I wanted to make sure everyone was alright." To this, Kana scoffs.

"If you were so concerned about our wellbeing, why did you run away in the first place?"

"I panicked," I say simply. It isn't too far off from the truth, but I did have a lot more strategy behind it.

"If you really want to help everyone, you might as well help me keep them alive," Kana sighs. "Damien needs a new set of bandages. The bandages are in that bin over there -" she points to a bin, "- and the old bandages can just go into that corner." Kana points to a corner. "You better be telling the truth."

Kana returns to bandaging Malakai's leg, which is tinted green and has a nasty bite on it. I turn away from him and make my way over to Damien, whose bandages are soaked with his blood. I carefully pick my way over pools of blood, piles of used bandages, and Kata's body. I know Kana is doing her best, but you'd think she'd be able to find the time to tidy up this place.

I reach Damien, who looks pretty bad. His face is pale and his stump of a hand looks pretty bad. I select a bandage from the bin Kana directed me to and begin unwrapping his old bandage. I know that a look of disgust is crossing my face because this is seriously disgusting. I don't want to get into the gory details, but let's just say that when poison and blood mix, it does not look pretty.

I've finished unwrapping his bandage when I hear the unmistakable beeping of a sponsor gift. I cry out in excitement and throw down both the new bandage and the old bandage.

"I'll get it!" I shout. At least now I don't have to look at Damien's injury anymore. I rush outside of the Cornucopia, nearly tripping over Kata's bandaged legs in the process. When I'm outside, I look up into the sky, searching for the package. I finally see two packages floating down from the sky.

I jump up and down, impatient with the excitement of the gifts. They float down in unison and fall into my hands at the exact same time. I immediately set them down on the bright green grass and open the first one.

"It's for me!" I announce happily and quickly read the note.

Think things through next time. - E

Still excited about having a sponsor, I throw the note aside and looks at my gifts. A water bottle and a packet of beef strips. I eagerly take a sip of the water and slip the packet into one of my pockets.

I'm so excited, I almost miss the message. Not just the note, the entire message of the gift.

Next time when you run away, be prepared.

"Thank you!" I shout up at the sky and hope that my sponsor knows that I understand their message.

"Flora!" Kana shouts. "Could you please open the second gift? Our allies are kind of dying, here."

I roll my eyes but begin to open the second package. This one is slightly larger. I open it and am met with the sight of multiple vials of a light purple liquid labeled, "antidote". There's also a second box, only about half the size of the first. I pick up the note resting on top first and read it.

Don't die on us now, Damien. - A

"It's for Damien!" I shout at Kana.

"Is it an antidote?"

"Yeah, and something else."

"What's the something else?" Kana asks.

"I don't know, I haven't opened it yet."

"At least bring the antidote over!" Kana yells. With that, I scoop up both packages and trot over to where Kana is. I set the packages down in front of her. Kana squeals in excitement when she sees the vials.

"We should help Damien first," I decide. "It is his gift, after all." Kana frowns slightly at my point.

"And then Markus?"

"Fine." Kana runs over to where Damien is sitting, unscrewing the vial's cap. I follow her, although I'm a bit more cautious not to step in any blood puddles. Kana holds the vial at his arm but hesitates. "Do we pour it in the mouth or wound?" she asks me.

"I don't know," I shrug. "Why don't you just try the mouth?" Kana pours about half of the medicine into Damien's mouth. We wait for a minute. "Is it working?" I finally ask.

"Look!" Kana exclaims, pointing at Damien's arm. Where the skin was colored green, it's slowly shrinking back to its original color. "It's working! Let's not waste any time - you help Kata and I'll help Markus." Kana quickly wraps a bandage around Damien's stump and rushes over to Markus, a half-filled vial in her hand.

I stroll over to the case and pull out a vial. Honestly, I could care less about the well-being of my allies. In fact, I'd prefer them dead - that way, I'd have all of the supplies to myself. Garnet was the only member of the Careers I actually cared for, and now he's gone. Sure, I like Malakai a bit, but not enough to put him above my safety. But I can't say that aloud, so I might as well help everybody.

I know Kana ordered me to help Kata first, but frankly, I have more of an attachment with Mal and would prefer to help him first. I pick up a vial and walk over to where Mal is leaning against a wall. I tilt his head back and open his mouth. I quickly pop off the cap and pour a good amount of the medicine into his mouth. He doesn't do anything, but looking at his leg, I can see the poison fading.

I look around and see Kana helping Kata, so I decide to take this time to see what's in the second box. I screw the cap of the vial back on and stick it in my pocket, just in case I ever have a use for it. I kneel down in front of the package and remove the second box. I open it, and laugh aloud at what I see.

"What?" Kana asks, alarmed.

"It's a pirate hook!" I exclaim, laughing. I remove the hook from the box and hold it up so Kana can see. "Damien's going to be a pirate!"

"What's so funny?" Kana asks in a genuinely confused voice. I'm laughing too hard to explain.

"Is that a pirate hook?" Someone asks in a drowsy voice. Kana and I spin to face the person. Kata is awake.

District 5

Kayden Vercetti

"We should get going," I announce. Weepo nods his head in agreement and begins to collect all of his belongings. I have to admit, he's done better than I expected. I must have underestimated him - not only did he manage to stay alive, but he also received a pretty expensive sponsor gift. I'm glad there are people in the Capitol who believe in him.

He's also getting better with his zoning out problem. I think it has something to do with the fact that he hasn't taken his morphling in a few weeks. I can't say that his mental state is drastically improving, but it appears to be getting a bit better. At least he is a bit more aware of his surroundings.

And he managed to save my life. Yesterday, when I saw him standing over that dead mutt, I literally thought he was a superhero. I thought he had somehow gotten his hands on some radioactive material and developed superpowers (like practically every superhero I've read about).

"Are you ready?" Weepo asks. I nod at him, smiling. I sling the backpack around my shoulder and we take off.

Being in the nicer part of the forest, the forest floor is less dense and we're able to maneuver our way through it pretty easily. However, the farther we walk into the forest, the denser the trees become. They grow closer until we're nearly fighting through small cracks between the thick trunks to be able to keep moving. If we met another tribute right now, we'd be trapped.

There are also giant, thick hedges which grow higher than our heads. I take the lead, and use my sword to chop through them. I manage, but it slows down our progress considerably. Luckily the blade is sharp and manages to slice through somewhat easily. If it weren't for the swords, I'd probably give up by now.

Weepo doesn't seem to want to talk, so I let my mind wander to my life back in District 5 and what welcomes me when I return home. Not much - the only people I really care about are Indiana and Ashtyn. Sure, I have a few friends and people who would be glad to see me return, but the only people who would really be damaged if I didn't return home are my sister and girlfriend.

I assume that they're watching the Hunger Games right now. I don't have a very good grasp of time in the arena, but I'm guessing Ashtyn would be at school - maybe lunch, when they play the Hunger Games for everyone to watch while eating (I don't see why they want to show gore and death while we try to eat), which means that after they show some recaps from the morning, they'll be watching it live - possibly Weepo and I.

Indiana will be at home for sure. The direct families of the reaped are always allowed to stay at home until the Games end and are payed anyway. Sometimes their friends or sympathetic neighbors also chip in, giving them some extra money. I hope our neighbors are taking care of Indiana. If I die, which is probable, I hope she'll manage to get on with her life. Maybe it will even be better for her - she won't have to dip into her hard-earned savings to feed me, buy clothes for me, and so on. She could even get married (and let's hope her husband is rich).

But it would be even better if I could win. Then we would be rich, and I could live in the Victor's Village with Indiana. A few years after my Victory, Ashtyn could even move in. And I could have all I ever wanted - money, a great house, a full belly, and my family. But that's all in the future. If I want it to happen, I have to stay focused on right now.

My blade slams down on another hedge and it breaks open, revealing a brightly-lit clearing. I gasp in amazement. Weepo nudges me, and I step aside so he can see. We both stand, awe-struck for a minute, gazing at the wonders in front of us.

There's a canopy of leaves above our head, so we can't see the sun, but the light is plentiful anyway. The clearing is quite big and in the center is a giant tree. The trunk is so big, not even ten Kaydens could wrap their arms around it. The tree, which seems to be the center of the activity, is spotted with many different holes and divots. Buzzing in the clearing and around the tree is what at first glance appear to be tiny little fireflies, each a different color. When I stare at them for longer, I begin to realize that they're tiny little people with glowing wings.

"Fairies," Weepo sighs. I glance at his face and am amused to see his amazed expression. I can tell he's in heaven right now - he's always talked about fairies, and how one of his best friends, 'Opps', is a fairy who gives him 'pixie dust liquid'. I've pretty much put two and two together and decided that Opps is his drug dealer who sells him morphling, but he enjoys the idea that Opps is a fairy.

A look of realization crosses his face and he turns to look at me excitedly.

"Do you think Opps could be here?" he asks eagerly. "He could give me some more pixie dust liquid and make my tummy-ache go away!" I smile and shrug, not wanting to specifically encourage or discourage him. Weepo turns to the fairies and steps forward a bit, so he's in the clearing. In a loud voice, he questions, "Does anybody know an 'Opps'?"

All of the fairies pause in their business. Not just pausing - in unison, they all stop and turn to look at us. It's as if they just noticed us, which they must have. Weepo clears his throat. We wait a minute, unsure of what to do. It's a bit unsettled, all of the fairies staring at us, completing still except for their fluttering wings keeping them in the air.

"So that's a no?" I finally ask. The fairies remain still. It's hard to see their ridiculously tiny faces, but I'm pretty sure their eyes are fixed on Weepo. "Look, we don't want any trouble -"

"Do any of you guys have pixie dust liquid?" Weepo asks desperately and takes a step forward. This seems to trigger the fairies, and all hell breaks loose. Within seconds, they have flown at us and begun swarming us. Most target Weepo, but a few go for me.

I frantically bat them away, but they latch onto my clothes and stick there. I try crushing one of them with my hand, but it's strangely solid and my palm just bounces off of the fairy. After a few moments of trying to get the creatures off, I begin to hear Weepo cry out. He screams in pain and I begin to panic.

There is a cloud of fairies around my face, but I manage to catch a glimpse through to wear Weepo is. He is completely covered in fairies and I can't see an inch of his skin. However, I can see the shape of his body, and he seems to be thrashing about. I hear a few more cries of pain. I don't understand until I feel a sharp sting on my leg.

I instinctively slap my hand onto my leg, but it just hits the rock-hard fairy. My hand bounces off, and I feel another sting, this time on my ribcage. I begin to feel more stings, and the pain intensifies. I begin to feel a burning sensation after all of the stings. I begin to scream in pain, thrashing around. I throw myself onto the ground, and I hear a cracking sound, which I assume is the fairies caught underneath me.

I gasp, finding a way to defeat them. Struggling through the sharp stings and the spreading burn, I stand up and throw myself back onto the ground. More of the fairies are crushed.

"Kayden! He -" Weepo's scream becomes strangled, and an awful realization enters my mind -

They've gone into his throat.

Panicking, I quickly roll on the ground, crushing the remaining fairies. I ignore the pains and jump up. I turn to wear a cloud of fairies surround Weepo. I see them follow his shape to the ground, where he begins to moan in pain.

"Weepo!" I shout and rush forward. However, I'm stopped by a few fairies who spot me and decide to sting me instead. I fling myself against a tree, crushing them, and run back over to the Weepo crowd. I throw myself at the cloud again, but the same situation happens.

I continue to crush them and try to get to Weepo, but there are too many. I finally decide to stand back and watch helplessly as my friend's cries die down. I don't bother wiping the tears off my cheeks as I see the crowd diminish until only a few remain over Weepo's unconscious body. I shield my eyes from Weepo's scarred figure and begin to walk back into the treeline.

I've just re-entered the forest when I hear Weepo's cannon fire.

District 6

Mika Jordan

BOOM!

The noise marking a deceased tribute startles me, waking me up from my half-slumber. I blink a few times, readjusting to the light, and regain notice of my surroundings. I silently curse under my breath. It must be noon by now, and I've just been sleeping in the open! I'm technically inside the giant cottage, but it's so massive that anyone who walked in would immediately see me.

I stand up and dust off the seat of my cargo pants (which are quite dirty after sleeping on this incredibly dusty floor). I look around the room and sigh in relief. Now that it's lit up, I can see that it's clearly abandoned (based on the lack of furniture and layer of dust that settled on everything).

I snuck in here last night, trying to avoid the group camped outside. I recognized one of them as the girl from District 2. The other one's identity I was unsure of, but he looked pretty strong. Clearly, I would easily be demolished in a fight, so I slipped in here before they noticed.

This house clearly belongs to a giant, but I couldn't tell if it was occupied. Now I know that it is clearly not. The information is relieving, but I'm not eager to stay here. I know that the Gamemakers wouldn't build this giant place for no reason, and I'm sure it's filled with traps. That or the giant will return in any time. I can't stay here.

Besides, I have a meeting at the castle today - Queen Elinor is hosting a feast and Gracelyn and I were kindly invited. Of course, Gracelyn is no longer alive to feast there. At any other point in the Hunger Games, I'd be dismayed to have to be confined in a room with another tribute, but I would have preferred to have Gracelyn with me. The presence of another human is comforting… Queen Elinor is a bit creepy.

At least she promised me an army.

I pick up my parachute containing my bag of apples and begin to exit the building. However, I stop when I'm met with a familiar beeping sound. A large smile splits across my face as I begin to scan the ceiling for a parachute. I guess the ceiling is so high, I don't have to even go outside. I see a parachute slowly descending from high above my head.

I stretch out my arms, preparing for the gift to drop into them. It takes longer than I would have wanted, but the parachute finally falls into my arms. I eagerly kneel down in order to open it. I crack the case open and my grin widens even more at what I see inside. It's a knife - I can finally defend myself. I snatch the knife up and quickly examine it, thrilled by the shiny silver of the blade, not even smudged. I tuck it into my belt and quickly read the remaining note:

Protect yourself. - C

"Thank you," I whisper, tilting my head up at the ceiling. I'm assuming the camera's trained on me right now, so I hope my sponsor knows how much I appreciate the gift. I wonder if they're the same person who sent me the apples. Whether they are or aren't, I'm glad. If they aren't, I have multiple sponsors. If they are, a rich person really believes in me. It's a win-win situation!

My hopes strengthened by the sponsor and a weapon, I set out for the castle.

The group from yesterday aren't outside. My first thought is that they left, but then I spot all of their supplies sitting in a pile next to the lake. They must be in the Inferno, I think.

Feeling quite lucky, I approach the pile cautiously. Once I'm sure that it isn't a trap, I go to town on raiding their supplies. They're quite loaded up on the supplies, but I can't take all of it. I'm not very strong and I want to stay light, that way I'll be able to run and hide easily. I select a backpack and fill it with all of the food and water I can find. The only weapon I see is a discarded staff, but I don't have any use for that.

There are two parachutes, which show that they received sponsor gifts, but the gifts themselves are nowhere to be found. I assume they had the gifts on them when they were transported to the Inferno; they're quite lucky.

I can't take the rest of the supplies with me, which leaves a great deal remaining. I know it's not very kind, but I dump the rest of their supplies in the lake. I feel sort of bad for them, but if one of the most powerful alliances in the Games loses their supplies, it greatly tips the scales in my favor.

With that done, I begin hiking in the direction of the castle.

Queen Elinor wasn't specific about the time the feast started, but it was implied it begun a little before my average dinner time… so I'm assuming 4:30 to 5:00. I'm probably going to be a bit early, but it's better to arrive earlier than later, right?

My walk takes a while, but it's surprisingly uneventful. I don't run into any tributes, nor am I met with any mutts. Since this arena is flooded with mutts, I'm assuming the Gamemakers are specifically going out of their way to make sure I make it to the feast. I'm sure the Capitol citizens are quite excited to see what it entails.

I even pass the Cornucopia without any trouble. Sure, I snuck around it, but no Careers were lounging about outside or anything. They didn't notice me at all, which I thought they would have done considering the large area surrounding it has absolutely no hiding spots. I was super lucky.

I finally reach the castle and am glad to see that I don't have to go through the trouble of finding a way through again. The drawbridge is down, although the entrance is guarded by two suits of armor (who I've figured out by now are all alive). The moment I step foot onto the drawbridge, they kick into motion.

"Miss Mika, we've been expecting you," one of them says in a gravelly voice which sounds recorded. They both bow to me. "Follow us inside, we'll lead you to the dining hall."

They push open the large doors, revealing the dimly-lit great hall. I slip inside and they let the doors slam back shut. One of them begins to walk off down a hallway. After a moment I follow him, closely tailed by the second knight. I faintly recognize the path, although it's hard to recall the layout of the castle exactly, considering how much action has occurred with me the past few days. This time, I stare at the paintings on the wall - most of them are of the castle or Queen Elinor and her family. All of them have a creepy atmosphere.

The strangest part is that Queen Elinor looks relatively normal in the portraits - not the creepy mummy-esque person I saw a few days ago. This leaves me wondering about the possible backstory of the castle and royal family - clearly, it has one. Why would the Gamemakers go through all this trouble to design these paintings without having a story in mind? Besides, they like to intrigue their audience, don't they?

"Here we are," the leading knight says, stopping suddenly at a door. He stands still at it, so I decide to open it myself. My heart beating rapidly, I pull open the heavy wood door and slip inside. The door slams shut behind me, making me jump. I almost forget to breathe when I see the dining hall.

As with the rest of the castle, it has obvious signs of age - the dusty floor, discolored walls and furniture, a crooked chandelier that threatens to drop onto the table at any time… but the place is decorated nicely enough to make it regain some of its old beauty. The room is lit entirely with candles, giving it some creepiness, but mostly a nice atmosphere. The furniture has obviously been cleaned and polished to the point where it's glimmering brightly. The dining table, as with any feast, is piled with different displays of dishes. They're all covered with a metal lid, but the aroma promises deliciousness.

The mummies kind of ruin it. They're not mummies, of course, but they resemble them - Queen Elinor is sitting next to the head of the table (whose seat is unoccupied). Across from her is a girl, maybe about twelve, who must have been beautiful at one point. Now she resembles Queen Elinor with her sunken eyes and tight, yellowing flesh. Next to the girl is a tiny little boy who can't be more than seven. Finally, there is a boy who appears to be about sixteen. They all are wearing clothing that looks like it was once really fancy, but now is tattered and faded.

The dining table is really long, but most of the seats are taken up by mummies who look like servants. The only two seats open are the one at the head of the table and one in between Queen Elinor and the sixteen-year-old boy. At the opposite end is a jester, performing some kind of dance that they all appear to be watching and laughing at. My heart almost freezes when I notice the jester. How did the Gamemakers know that my worst fear is clowns?

Everyone pauses when they notice me standing here. After an awkward minute, they all begin clapping. The jester pops over to me and grabs my hand and shakes it enthusiastically. He's smiling, but all I can notice is how cracked the makeup around his eyes is. He's seriously creepy.

"The winner of the Queen's challenge!" the jester announces in a raspy voice. "Congratulations! We've all been excited to meet you! Queen Elinor sure has been talking you up." The jester places a hand on the small of my back and leads me over to the empty seat between Queen Elinor and her son.

"Hello, Mika," Queen Elinor greets me, looking pleased.

"Good evening, your majesty," I respond, curtseying uncomfortably. Queen Elinor pats the seat.

"Sit down, Mika," I do what she ordered. "I'm glad to see that you're doing well. I was sad to hear about Gracelyn - she wasn't as great as you, but she seemed alright. I think Annie and her would have gotten along well."

"Annie?" I ask.

"Me!" the little girl across from me answers. She gives me a smile, showing off her rotting teeth.

"Yes, my daughter. This is Prince William, but we just call him Little Billy -" she points to the little boy sitting next to Annie. He also grins and waves at me - "And this is Prince Robert - he's the one I was telling you about," Queen Elinor says.

"How are you?" I turn to look at Robert, who is smiling creepily at me. "I picked this from our garden for tonight," he tells me and brings out a decaying rose, whose petals have already browned. I take it anyway and hold it in my hand.

"Thank you," I say. "It's very lovely." I'm glad these mummies can't seem to detect any nervousness in my voice, because to me it feels like there's a ton. Robert continues to smile at me. I'm not sure what else to say, so I give him a quick smile and look down at the table.

"We'll begin dinner soon - we'll just watch the Jester finish up his routine, first. He's quite amusing - you should watch!" Annie says to me. I nod and follow everyone's gaze down the table to the jester (except Robert, whose eyes are still fixed on me). I watch at the jester does a funny little dance and proceded to juggle what appear to be wine bottles. The whole thing doesn't seem very funny to me, but I force a laugh when everybody else does.

The jester is in the middle of pretending to slip on a banana peel when the doors open once more. Everyone turns to face them.

"I didn't know we were expecting any more guests," Little Billy says in a confused tone.

"We weren't," Robert tells him.

"Then who could -" Little Billy stops when we see three knights enter. One of them stands in the front and faces Queen Elinor. The other two each are holding two tributes by the necks - I recognize them as the District 3 female, Taurus, and the two from District 9.

"Your Highness, we found these tributes wandering around the castle," the leading knight informs Queen Elinor. "Do we have your permission to kill them?"

District 3

Necessity Talbot

The mummy-like woman wearing a crown sighs and wrinkles her nose in disappointment.

"This was supposed to be a dinner party without any killing - a celebration of Gracelyn and Mika. I don't want anybody dying to ruin the atmosphere of the party," she says. I feel a little bit of hope bud in my chest - maybe I won't be killed today.

"So… no killing them?" the knight asks with obvious disappointment in his voice.

"No," says the Queen firmly. "In fact, why don't they join our feast?"

"As long as we're not eating any human flesh," Jimmy laughs. I know he's joking, but his joke sends fear through my heart. I wouldn't put it past the Gamemakers to pretend to serve humans. It would be mock-flesh of course, everyone knows that they frown on cannibalism, but it would be gross enough. The Queen narrows her bulging black eyes and stares at Jimmy for a minute.

"So you're a joker," she says to Jimmy. He nods uncomfortably. The Queen seems to be glaring at him angrily, but all of a sudden, she laughs aloud. "You should be a jester!"

"What?" Jimmy asks blankly.

"A jester! You can join that guy in entertaining us tonight! He can teach you how to juggle!" Jimmy looks uncertainly between Queen Elinor and the guy in the clown-ish suit, whose waving at him creepily.

"I've always wanted to learn how to juggle," Jimmy says in a weak voice, and struts over to the jester. The jester jumps with joy and does a backflip. He immediately slips three juggling balls out of his sleeve and into his hand and begins to teach Jimmy how to juggle. The rest of us turn to look at Queen Elinor.

"The rest of you, sit down!" Queen Elinor invites. I look around and realize that there are no empty seats - except for the one at the head, and that seems wrong to sit in for some reason. After a moment, Queen Elinor realizes the problem. She points at a few mummy-people sitting at one end. "You three - leave."

They immediately stand up, and like robots, march out of the dining hall, leaving three open seats. I immediately take the one in the middle, not wishing to sit next to any mummies. Brynn and Taurus hesitantly sit on either side of me.

"Oh, hi, Mika," I say, finally realizing her presence. I'm a bit surprised, but not as much as I am by these mummies. She nods hello at me, obviously comfortable with the mummy sitting next to her, who keeps boasting about his wealth.

I spare a glance down the end of the table, where Jimmy is practicing his juggling. He juggles each ball once, and then they all crash to the ground. Strangely enough, he seems to be enjoying himself. I didn't know that he would find juggling with a creepy mummy-clown fun.

"Hi, I'm Little Billy." I jump at the sound of a child's voice. I turn around in my chair and see a tiny mummy-child standing behind us. He's smiling wide, revealing his yellowed teeth. He waves hello.

"Hi, I'm Brynn," Brynn says in a much softer voice than I've heard her speak these entire Games. I try to say something, but I'm too scared to mutter anything except a squeal. Taurus seems to be in the same boat - when I look over at him, his face is pale. Little Billy, obviously not happy with Taurus and myself's lack of response, turns solely to Brynn.

"I want you to sit next to me," Little Billy says plainly. He points to the mummy next to his seat and bellows, "move!" in a terrifyingly fierce voice. The mummy immediately stands up and marches over to us. Little Billy waits until Brynn stands up and follows him over to his seat.

"Sorry," she mouths at me before she sits down. The mummy sits in her seat, leaving me between Taurus and this creepy mummy.

"Are you guys ready yet?" Queen Elinor interjects. I follow her eyes to see that she's talking to Jimmy and the jester.

"Pretty much," the jester says. Jimmy nods, a wide grin plastered across his face.

"Then, begin." The jester nods and he and Jimmy quickly slip three balls into their sleeves.

"Ready, set, go!" The jester yells at Jimmy, and they launch into a routine. It's pretty hard to follow - at one point they're mimes trapped in a box, at another they're slipping on banana peels. The jester does a lot of flips (which I'm glad Jimmy doesn't attempt, because that would end badly) and Jimmy demonstrates some of his juggling. It's mostly slipping and falling, which I guess is kind of amusing (mostly because of Jimmy hilarious facial expressions).

The rest of the company seems to enjoy it, laughing hysterically at some points. I glance over and see Mika playing along. I decide to do that as well. When they finish, they each take a large, sweeping bow.

"You shall forever be known as Jimmy the Jester," Brynn announces, laughing. Jimmy gives her a sheepish grin.

"Dinner now?" Annie asks eagerly. The Queen nods.

"The chefs will be out in a moment." My stomach rumbles as I catch a whiff of the sweet smell. If the food is half as good as it smells, it will be amazing. There's a covered dish in front of me which smells amazing. I can't place my finger on what it is, but I know that'll be the first dish I dive into when the chefs come out to uncover the plates.

I hear the door slam open and I smile, knowing it's the chefs and we can't finally eat. However, when I turn around, it's another suit of armor, looking as panicked as a suit or armor can look.

"There's an attack -" he announces, and slumps to the ground, unconscious. Panic immediately grows throughout the table. Most people stand up, confused.

"An attack?" One person demands. A few more say similar things, all confronting Queen Elinor, who looks overwhelmed.

"Everything's going to be fine," she assures. "Our guards have it under control -"

A cannonball crashes through the wall, crushing the table and a few mummies. It narrowly misses Brynn, who jumps aside at the last second. The rest of the mummies scream and run around in circles of chaos, no longer listening to Queen Elinor, who is trying to promote calmness.

"I don't want to alarm anyone, but I think we're going to die," Jimmy the Jester says calmly.

"This is not the time, Jimmy!" Brynn shouts. She runs across the room and yanks Taurus and me up from our chairs. "Let's go!" she shouts, waving Jimmy over. He takes a hint and runs toward the door. He slams his shoulder against it and bounces right off.

"Ouch," Jimmy says, and rubs his sore shoulder. Taurus easily pushes it open, and an embarrassed Jimmy slides out. Brynn follows him. Before leaving, I turn around and look at Mika, who is trying to fend off the mummy next to her. He has his arms wrapped around her and is promising that 'he'll protect her'.

"Mika, let's go!" I shout. Mika looks up at me, surprised, before finally breaking free of the guy's grip.

"Mika!" he complains, standing up. "I can keep you safe - I'm strong and know how to use a sword!"

"I don't care," she declares before we exit the room. I hear another crash and cries of anguish from inside.

District 4

Kata Brighton

Malakai sits up, gently cradling his wounded leg. He moans slightly, continuously shifting positions, trying to make his leg comfortable.

"Deal with it," Damien snaps at him. "You've got a few scratches and you're acting like your leg has been torn off. I've only got one hand now and a stupid hook. Do you hear me complaining? No."

"That was a complaint," I point out. Damien glares at me and goes back to inspecting the pirate hook on his wrist. He knows better than to mess with me - I'm the most injured here. Damien may be missing a hand, but he's otherwise unscathed. I've been dealt gashes all over my body, including some very deep ones. He can't say that he's hurting more than I am.

Besides, I could still destroy him in a fight.

We received even more medicine a few hours ago. First, it was the medicine to get rid of the poison, and then we got some for our injuries. I bet the Gamemakers don't want their Careers dying of blood loss. We took the medicine the moment we got it, but it's slow-working and doesn't help with the pain. So, we're all suffering until it begins to work.

Luckily, most of us have learned to deal with pain. There's always mishaps at the academy, like when someone's weapon slips while training or an incompetent eight-year-old accidentally fires an arrow at someone a few feet from the target. I don't know about the other Career Districts, but District Four has never suffered any casualties (at least, in the time that I've been there. The academy's been around for more than two centuries, so I'd be surprised if there wasn't a death at some point).

I've only had a few injuries in my years at the academy, none too serious. When I first began training I accidentally dropped a dagger on my foot. I received a gash on my thigh when trying to teach a kid how to swing a sword. And when my training partner and I were younger, he had a tendency to let the dagger slip out of his hand and into my arm (yes, that was Malakai).

So, I've got used to pain.

Markus hasn't and Kai's kind of a wimp when it comes to pain, which is why they're the only ones crying and complaining.

"So, um, Kana?" I clear my throat. Kana looks up at me, surprised, probably shocked that I finally addressed her by name. "Do you have any siblings?" Her face splits into a relieved smile.

"Yeah, I have a younger brother and two younger sisters. Morgan, Emily, and Alex. What about you?"

"I have a younger brother, Zabi."

My sudden interaction with Kana probably seems really random. I can tell by the shocked looks on Damien and Malakai's faces (Markus probably would be surprised, but he's too busy complaining in the corner to realize what's going on). I'm impressed and grateful that Kana kept us alive while we were all injured and dying.

If I were in her situation, here's what I'd have done: I'd have helped Malakai, then we would have gotten out of there, leaving the rest of the Careers for dead. It would have immediately gotten rid of my almost my entire competition (I almost forgot that Aurum's still out there). I'm usually a loyal person, but in the Hunger Games, if you get a chance to get rid of your competitors without having to work, you should do it.

But Kana didn't, which is why Malakai and I are still alive. I would thank her, but that would be super embarrassing, so this is the closest thing to a thank-you that she's going to get.

"I have a brother," Markus chimes in. I ignore him. He hasn't gained my respect. I know for a fact that he would have left us to die. He may have even left Kana to die, and he's friends with her.

"I don't have any siblings," Malakai shrugs.

"Neither do -"

"I was just asking Kana," I interrupt, cutting Damien off. Damien glares at me and goes back to picking at his hook.

"Are you a pirate?" Flora asks, laughing. I jump slightly. I forgot Flora was there - she's been sleeping for the past few hours behind a bunch of shredded water jugs (they broke when we were attacked by the muttations, which will eventually force us to visit the nearby river).

Damien glares at Flora, and she shrinks back, intimidated by his menacing gaze. Damien clears his throat and stands up, wincing when he moves his arm.

"I want to make something clear," he announces. "If anyone makes fun of my hook, I will kill you. Just because I have one hand, I can still murder you."

"Alright," I scoff. "I'm sure you'll be able to beat me in a fight now. You couldn't do it with two hands, so with one hand you'll be successful."

"Common sense," Malakai remarks sarcastically.

"So we're not allowed to make fun of your hook?" Flora asks, smirking.

"No," Damien sighs, exasperated.

"Alright… Captain Damien," Flora responds, suddenly snapping into a pirate accent. "We know you can't be bothered when sailing the seven seas. Got to get that treasure, aye?"

"Arrr," Malalai growls, chuckling.

"You guys are such jerks," Damien complains and leaves the Cornucopia to mope in private. As he passes by, he's bombarded with the rest of us making pirate jokes.

District 11

Taurus Hart

I know that it's not fair to be angry at Mika for joining our alliance. Necessity 'recruited' her, so it's technically Necessity's fault. But Necessity has helped me too much, so I can't be mad at her. That only leaves me to be mad at Mika, so I am.

I originally joined an alliance of five to further myself in the Game. I thought that if I was part of a large alliance, nobody would want to mess with me. Plus, I could easily overtake any of my old allies in a fight. Remus, Maudaline, and Lexi weren't exactly the best fighters. But Mika's pretty smart and strategic; even without physical strength, she can be pretty deadly in a fight. Brynn scored a 7 in training, and her hunting skills prove that it wasn't a fluke. Jimmy may not look it, but he is pretty talented with a sword.

I know that it's just a matter of time before someone turns on the alliance. Everyone here (except for Necessity) is determined to win and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. That includes turning on their alliance members. Whether they'll ditch us in the middle of the night with all the supplies, leave us in a moment of peril, or straight-up slit our throats while we sleep, I don't know. But one of the situations is bound to happen.

I need to make it home to my siblings. And I'm not going out because I put my trust in someone.

I look around at everyone. We're all sitting in a circle around a campfire. I know that fires draw tributes, but at this point, we're all kind of assured that no one will try to attack all five of us, especially since three are pretty powerful. Jimmy and Brynn are sitting together (as usual) Mika is talking to Necessity about her life in District 6, and I'm by myself.

The groupings are hard to watch. With Necessity and Mika bonding, that leaves me on the outs. I know that we're not going to be able to slither into Jimmy and Brynn's inner-alliance (not with Jimmy's puppy-dog crush on Brynn) but I was hoping that Necessity and I would at least stay tight. But it looks like that's not going to happen with Mika here, so I'm in danger.

"I'm done," I announce. Everyone looks up at me, surprised.

"What do you mean?" Necessity asks, her voice quivering.

"I can't be in this alliance. There's absolutely no trust here. It's dangerous."

"I trust Brynn," Jimmy comments, and I roll my eyes.

"That's my point. There are all these inner-alliances, which just leaves me on the outs."

"Taurus, you're being paranoid," Necessity says, standing up. I'm surprised to see that she's angry but quickly recover my confidence. "You've been paranoid this whole time - you get scared whenever I exchange a word with someone else. You get scared whenever someone dips into our food supply. You're insane."

"I'm not paranoid!" I protest. "I'm not insane! I'm just concerned for my safety. It's not like you can understand that. You strut around the arena, trying to make friends, with no concern about their loyalty whatsoever!" Everyone's silent for a minute. I feel a lump begin to form in my throat and I swallow it down. I never expected that I'd be rude to Necessity, but I guess that's what the Hunger Games does to its tributes. It changes you.

"Fine," Necessity finally says. "Leave." With everyone's eyes trained on me, I carefully select a backpack and begin placing my share of supplies in it.

"That's too much," Brynn comments when I take a pack of beef jerky. I glare at her but throw the beef jerky to the ground. I wish I could take it (which would be fair, it's not too much) but I don't want to be attacked by the four of them.

When my pack is full, I sling it around my shoulder and look around. We're camped at the very edge of the forest, which means I can basically go anywhere of my choice. The castle, the giant house, it's all acceptable. But my best chance of survival is to travel deeper into the forest. That's where I know how to survive.

"Goodbye," I say to Necessity. I don't wait for a response. I pick up my sickle and begin to walk away from everyone. I feel their eyes still on me as I walk away, deeper into the forest.

"No, Mika," I hear Necessity order. I don't know what Mika was trying to do, but I know she has a pack of throwing knives. I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to chuck one of them into my back. Without waiting to find out if she would, I take off into a run.

When I can no longer see my former alliance, I slow to a stop. I listen carefully and hear a slightly beeping sound coming from above. It sounds familiar… it's a sponsor gift! I scan the treetops, trying to spot the gift, but I can't see it. I'm forced to wait for a bit before I can see the parachute gently floating down. I rush over to stand directly below it, and soon after, it lands in my hands.

I look around, decide it's as good a spot as any to stay for the night, and sit down against a tree. I open the box and inside are water purification tablets and a bag of apples. I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," I whisper before noticing a small slip of paper at the bottom of the box. I pick it up and read it.

My money's on the line if you don't survive. Don't let me down. - H.

Someone believes in me. The thought is reassuring. Someone has bet that I'll be the one to make it home - and that I'll see Leona, Jay, Gizelle, and Hawk again. The message brightens my mood more than the gift itself. It's not only that someone wants me to win. It's that someone believes in me.

Sorry for the wait! I was busy last weekend and wasn't able to get a lot of writing done. I managed to crank it out though, and it's the longest one yet (I think)! So many cliffhangers last chapter… but they're finally resolved! You're welcome.

I also created a new poll! It's on my profile. Here are the top 6 rankings from the last poll (cause, why not?):

1. Necessity
2. Aurum
2. Mika
2. Jimmy
5. Weepo (sorry)
5. Taurus

EULOGIES:

15th Place: Weepo Crick (poisoned by fairies) - Agh! This was the hardest deaths to write so far, and will probably be one of the hardest this entire Games. I loved Weepo so much, but I couldn't justify him winning. Thus, I decided to kill him at a reasonable time which, unfortunately, was now. It was also really hard to decide on - I was going back and forth between Weepo and someone else for so long. But in the end, Weepo seemed the most likely to go next. He was so much fun to write for and one of my favorites. A lot of other people liked him as well. If I ever do one of those resurrection Hunger Games, you'll definitely be seeing him again ;). RIP Weepo - you'll be missed by many.

Day 1:

24th: Remus Carter (6)
23rd: Lexi Holstein (10)
22rd: Clara Maggins (7)
21st: Garnet Reed (1)
20th: Kalina Eden (11)
19th: George Fraga (10)

Day 2:

18th: Maudaline Barnett (8)

Day 3:

17th: Jet Winters (12)
16th: Gracelyn Mitchell (5)

Day 4:

None.

Day 5:

15th: Weepo Crick (3) :(

ALLIANCES:

Flora/Damien/Kata/Malakai/Markus/Kana
Aurum/Ash
Necessity/Mika/Brynn/Jimmy

SOLO:

Kayden
Taurus

REMAINING TRIBUTES/KILL LIST:

Flora - 1
Aurum - 1
Damien - 1
Necessity - 0
Kata - 2
Malakai - 0
Kayden - 1
Mika - 0
Ash - 1
Markus - 1
Brynn - 0
Jimmy the Jester - 0
Taurus - 0
Kana - 0

QUESTIONS:

1. Who are your top-five favorites out of the remaining tributes?

2. What did Damien receive in place of a hand?

3. How many children does Queen Elinor have and what are their names?

4. What is Jimmy's new nickname?

5. How many people received sponsor gifts today? (a sponsor gift for multiple people only counts as one)

Thanks for reading and please review!

- Lilah