Day 5:

Walking was strange.

Hector had given himself some time to get used to the pain in his body. Then he had forced himself up. He couldn't give himself time to get boring to the audience, which would just lead to the Gamemakers sending mutts to dispatch him. He had to make himself interesting. And he had to find Meri.

However, walking—that was presenting more of a problem than Hector would have liked. After a few steps, the aches in his arms and legs had seemed banished, and moving had been easier. Hector had assumed that his muscles were warming up and becoming limber once more. After a while, though, the aches came back and Hector wondered why he didn't just sit down and stop for the day.

Because that would be giving up, Hector reminded himself. He couldn't give up. It wasn't just an idealistic thing. If he gave up, then the Capitol would get bored with him, and he would be faced with a threat he couldn't defeat.

Besides, he wanted to find Meri.

It was a strange thought to have. Hector's father had drilled into his mind that there was no place for friendship, in the Games or in Panem. Hector had spent most of his life ignoring his father. Still, if he wanted to live, he had a feeling that his father's words might be useful.

Get your priorities straight, Hector reminded himself. He needed to reassess what he wanted. Hermes had warned him that living, living as a Victor, as a puppet of the Capitol, would change him. By definition, Hector could not be a rebel if he tried to win.

But what did that even mean? What was a rebel, and how could the definition not be completely pliant? And at what point was Hector allowed to throw away the base ideals that came with rebellion? Wanting to live wasn't the same as being a Career or as being an object that the Capitol got to use. Certainly, no one blamed children from the lower Districts for fighting their hardest. When someone from District 9 or 10 won by cutting through the opposition, no one saw them as puppets or anti-rebels, they were simply seen as underdogs, as dark horses.

Because that's what they are! Hector knew that he was acting entitled and stupid. It's a miracle when they win, because by all rights, they shouldn't! That was why District 4 was so strange. It wasn't one of the impoverished Districts that never got to see their children come home. But it wasn't like 1 or 2 either, where training Tributes had become a career. It was a strange, in-between place.

So what were his priorities?
Hector knew that it was stupid to be thinking about her, but when he tried to force himself to think, to really think, the first thing that he visualized was a pair of hazel eyes. Food, Hector thought to himself. He had lost most of his supplies, and he needed to feed himself. But then there was the memory of a braid flicking over her shoulder. Weapons, Hector tried to think, because he had one knife remaining out of two and a waterlogged spear. He imagined a hammer, a good, heavy hammer, and knew that he needed one if he wanted to be a serious threat. That was the weapon he knew how to use, that was the weapon that he could make a threat. He touched his throat, where the small hammer pendant that was his token dangled. He was comforted to be reminded that it was still there. Cold. It was freezing and Hector had his jacket, which was practically frozen through.

A shark tooth necklace, wrapped around a tan wrist. A surprised laugh. The joking way that she said his name.

Fuck. Fuck it all.

Hector was going to find Meri.

Mushrooms and raw millet. Delicious.

Mist sighed.

She had never eaten particularly well in her life, but she had never been awfully fed, either. She had bounced back and forth between minor gangs, and they, along with black market trading, had always provided the food that Mist needed. Ironically, the best Mist had ever been fed was when a knife ripped open her face when she was young and she had to be nursed back to health. A stupid woman from the fields decided to take her in and help her. It was helpful for Mist, but the worst decision that the woman had ever made.

Mist glared up at the sky, wondering why Seeder didn't just send something. There had to be sponsor money! Mist knew that people had to be supporting her. They knew that she was strong! They knew that no one could take her down! Or was this because Mist was fighting with Zoe fucking Winter? Zoe was probably flashing skin and looking pretty. Maybe the Capitol wanted her to win.

But still. There had to be the smart people out there, the ones that knew Mist was undefeatable! So why the fuck wasn't Seeder sending anything?! Mist dismissed the possibility that Seeder was too bitter to send her gifts. Seeder wasn't like that. She was a doormat, a mentor who insisted on following the spirit of the law along with the letter. If there was money, she would have sent Mist food.

Mist pulled a sprig of millet out of her backpack and stuffed it in her mouth, gnawing the seed off and spitting out the straw. She had to chew it for several minutes before it could finally dissolve. She knew that she wasn't getting much nutrition. That was bad. Very bad. She needed to be well-fed if she could keep up with Faustia and Zoe.

"Come on," Mist muttered. "Come on." Mist was the first sure thing that Seeder had ever had. She was the strongest person District 11 would ever field.

So why wouldn't Seeder give her some help?!
Mist made a promise to herself. No matter what, she would make another kill by the end of the next day. She would let some warm blood flow on this crackling-cold day.

She couldn't take another day of this fucking inaction.

"Ash," Adalicia said, forcing herself not to grab Ash's arm.

"What?" Ash asked, sounding a bit annoyed. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. (Ash loved the fact that he was actually able to look down at someone for once.)

"Ash."

"Adalicia, what—"

Ash's heart jumped into his throat. "Run!" he yelled at her, and the two of them broke into a sprint.

Ash was freaking out. He hadn't expected the Careers to actually find them. That had been a fantasy, a nightmare. Not something that was actually going to happen.

He realized what a fool he was for not taking all of this seriously. He put on an extra burst of speed. "Evade," he managed, gasping it out. Adalicia didn't give any indication that she had heard him.

But she had. She couldn't manage to speak, not when every atom of her being was dedicated to running just a little bit faster. There were three Careers chasing them, and Adalicia knew that she was about to die. Trees whipped past her, blurred, and the frost-covered ground was flying by. Every breath that she dragged in stung like knives due to how cold the air was, and her breath was visible as it she rushed through the crowds of it in her efforts to get away. At least...the frostbite...won't set it, Adalicia thought between desperate gasps.

Then she whipped herself sideways, between two trees. She stumbled a bit, but got her footing, and kept running in that sideways direction. Someone was behind her—let it be Ash! Please, let it be Ash! Let it be Ash following her, not Faustia or Kaede or Landon! Adalicia felt bile rise in her throat and pushed it down. Where was Paris?

Ash saw Adalicia change directions and turned, momentum pulling him low. He scraped past a tree, feeling his icy skin being cut open by the rough bark. Faster! he screamed at himself, Faster! He had to run faster! He had to escape! Adalicia was somewhere ahead of him, her blonde hair standing out against the dark trees. Run faster, kid! he thought to her, trying to urge her forward.

Faustia felt sick as she saw Ash's face. Her District partner. She was hunting her District partner. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be on a team. She forced those doubts away—they'll make me weak—and made sure to keep her breaths even. She knew that breathing in this freezing air while running so fast could give her some sort of cold, but she didn't care anymore. Had the cannon earlier been Paris's? Perhaps today she'd be responsible for the deaths of two of the people she was supposed to trust. She kept her steps even, running fast, but couldn't force herself to sprint to catch up with them.

Kaede couldn't keep up with Faustia and Landon. He was used to walking through the cold, not sprinting through it, and he was quickly falling behind. Run! If they figure out you're weaker than them, they'll kill you! Kaede realized that leaving Paris behind as they had done might have been a mistake. It opened them to other betrayals. Faster! Kaede at least had to be better than Landon!

Landon, though, was getting ahead of his allies. He made himself go slower. He couldn't be on the front lines. He couldn't be the instigator. That was simply too dangerous. Still, Faustia and Kaede were falling behind, and what if they didn't get a kill? What if they got boring? And what if making this kill got him more sponsors?

"Knife," he heard Kaede rasp.

Knife.

Without pausing in his sprint, Landon reached for his knife. With a shaking hand, he flung it at the flash of movement that they were following.

Adalicia heard the word 'knife' behind her and knew that the Careers were catching up. On instinct, she forced herself to trip. She slammed into the hard, icy ground, rolling and scraping herself and coming up at the end with a million aches and bruises. But the knife sailed over her head, and that was all that mattered.

Still, she couldn't stop herself from groaning.

Landon knew as soon as he threw the knife that he had made a mistake. He hadn't hit Ash or Kronos or Fiori. He had throw his knife at little Adalicia. Nausea rose in him as if he had seen someone's hand being consumed by a fan at the power plant. He slowed down a bit, allowing Faustia's heavy steps to catch up with him. Adalicia...she was only 13. Almost as young as Kira.

Shut up! he screamed at himself. Kira was what he was trying to get back to! He had to kill Adalicia if he wanted to see her again!

Ash rushed past Adalicia's fallen form and immediately assumed the worst. He accidentally kept running past her. Go. Just go.

No. He couldn't do that.

He screeched to a halt and turned around, reaching his hand to Adalicia and trying to drag her up and forward, but then they were surrounded by the three Careers. Adalicia pulled out her knfie and Ash drew his sword. This was it. His heart pumped quickly. But no Career was going to be the end of him. He looked into Faustia's face and glared at her. "So much for District loyalty, huh?" he spat. He wasn't exactly trying to manipulate her. Just trying to tell the truth.

He realized that at the back of his mind, he had been wondering about how to protect Adalicia. He wondered if he should be focusing on that so much. Part of him knew that Adalicia had to learn to protect herself, that he wasn't responsible for her. The other part of him knew that if he didn't at least try to help her get through, he was the world's biggest asshole.

He wished that Robin were here.

Kaede looked at the two Tributes before him. Ash and Adalicia. He knew that they were about to die. He felt a strange emotion, guilt or sickness or something. All of the other deaths that had happened had seemed so...spontaneous. But this...Ash and Adalicia were like two trapped animals that they were playing with.

He looked to Faustia for guidance. But she had her gaze focused on Ash. Fuck, Kaede thought, anger bubbling in him. Once again, Faustia was being completely useless. Her damned ideals were going to get them killed! Kaede pulled his axe from his back, taking a step forward, intending to end this quickly.

But Ash and Adalicia surged as one. Ash caught the axe blade on his sword and took a step back, causing Kaede to slip forward. Meanwhile, Adalicia darted forward and stabbed at him. Kaede stumbled backwards, and she followed him, baiting him with the knife. Ash stood behind her, ready to attack.

But Landon joined, going forward with his knives. He brought his left hand forward, and when Ash blocked that knife, he used the knife in his left hand to drive past Ash's defenses. Ash flipped to the side, adjusting his grip and grabbing Landon's wrist, pulling Landon forward. Landon might have been taller, but Ash was surprisingly strong, and Landon felt himself tripping. He took a huge step forward to right himself and drove upwards with the left knife. Ash released him and jumped back, and Landon curved both knives forward in a large x, cutting across the edge of Ash's jacket.

Meanwhile, Kaede cut down at Adalicia like she was a tree trunk, but she ducked. He swung sideways, and she hit the ground, pushing herself up. It wasn't fast enough. His next blow caught her in the side and she let out a scream.

But she rolled. The blade didn't sink in enough to kill, or to maim her to the point where she would be easy to kill. She pushed herself up, getting on the balls of her feet and shifting back and forth. There was blood dripping down her side, and she was panting, her eyes wild with pain. She kept her knife forward, pointed at Kaede, as if that was going to do anything.

"I'm sorry," Kaede mumbled, and moved forward.

And all of this Faustia watched.

She had to join! She had to kill! She was a Career. She needed to dispatch her enemies. But she couldn't kill Ash—he was her District partner! And while Faustia had killed felons and rebels, she had never killed an angelic-looking thirteen-year old. Screaming, she moved towards Ash, her sword aloft. He groaned as he saw her coming, kicking Landon in the stomach, but Landon moved forward again. Ash went low, darting around Landon and slamming into Landon's back, knocking the boy from 5 over. He charged Faustia, not letting her start the fight, and their blades rang against each other. Faustia was almost glad that he was attacking. That way, she could be disgusted with him and his disloyalty.

She only hated herself.

He thrust at her chest, and she parried, moving to the offensive. She swung at his shoulder, and he bent backward so that it went over him. She swung again, this time at his side, and he brought his sword around to block it, the force sending him spiralling into Faustia herself. She grabbed him by the shoulder and forced her knee into the back of his knee, moving him to the ground. He shouted in pain, and she forced herself not to scream as she brought the sword to his throat. He struggled, slashing backwards at her, and Faustia dropped her own sword and grabbed his hand, twisting his wrist until he dropped his sword. She shoved him lower. He might have been strong, but she was stronger. She was capable. And she almost hated it.

Adalica saw what was happening, and screamed, "Ash!" The sound of her aungish seemed to echo across the woods and empty sky, until the cold air swallowed her scream.

Ash met her eyes, and she saw her own anger, her own shame, her own sarcasm, and she saw Ash's determination and the love he had for his boyfriend and the despair he felt.

"Run!" he shouted. "Don't argue, just run, you stupid fucking kid, it's not your fucking fault, get the fuck out of here, run, run!"

And so she ran.

She ran again.

She threw herself behind a tree and saw the axe hurtle past her. Her side felt like it was splitting open, and it was. She ran. She didn't let herself stop running. She heard shouts and heard someone start to chase her, but for some reason the footfalls didn't last. She left a trail of blood and tears and shame, and she ran.

"Kill him," Ash heard. He couldn't look backwards, but he knew it was Kaede's voice. Landon stood in front of him, two knives drawn, Faustia's sword was to his neck, and Ash was on his knees, before the Careers, the Capitol, the world, and he hated it.

"How very kind of you," Ash hissed. "Let me ask, how hard was it to convince yourself that you were doing the right thing? Believe me, you're doing a fucking beautiful job of being complete and utter assholes. You like to call me a traitor? You're betraying your own people!"

He was desperate, trying to stall, and he knew it. But he didn't understand why no one chased Adalicia. He didn't focus on it. He needed her to be safe, and if the Careers were letting her go, that was all the better.

"Kill him," Kaede repeated.

Landon made a small move forward, and Ash tried to flinch, but then he stopped. What the fuck is happening? Faustia made a small noise, and then said authoritatively, "Kaede, end it."

"No. You." Kaede's voice was rough and angry.

Faustia laughed, and Ash was disgusted and impressed by how much of a leader she sounded, by the way her laugh made it seem ridiculous that Kaede wasn't following her orders. "I got him down. Landon couldn't manage that, and you couldn't even kill a thirteen-year-old." Ash's anger exploded. "So you end this, Kaede."

"Face it," Kaede's voice came, "you can't kill."

"I'm not going to kill him. District loyalty means something to me, after all. Even you two didn't kill your own District partners. I believe you took care of them for each other." Ash grunted, punching backwards even though he knew that Faustia would grab his fist and crush it in her grip. She kept the pressure up, and Ash let out a moan of pain. He saw red for other reasons, too, though, such as the reason of Faustia callously discussing the murder of two fourteen-year-old girls.

"Prove yourself," Kaede said, his voice as icy as the wind.

Faustia twisted to look at Kaede, her eyes narrowed in a glare, and Kaede sighed, moving forward. He drew his small knife, not wanting Ash's death to be messier (or more painful) than necessary, stepping past Faustia and deftly slitting Ash's throat.

Ash Gabbro had been annoying, so Kaede didn't regret the way the cannon didn't sound for almost thirty seconds. They were a bad thirty, with Ash letting out some gurgles before finally collapsing. Faustia dropped his body (which had collapsed like a rag doll) and stood. "That's the last time you disobey my orders, Mitchell," she warned him. "I'm the leader here."

"Not much of one," Kaede pointed out, glad that he had told Landon not to go after Adalicia. "And that's the last time that you ruin this alliance with your weakness. And the last time you give an order, period."

He nodded at Landon, but Faustia was too quick for both of them. She quickly made an about-face, sprinting head-on at Landon. She grabbed one of his hands and pulled it up before kneeing him in the chest. He collapsed with a groan, and she kicked him in the face. Her grip on his arm meant that his body couldn't bend backwards, just his neck curving abnormally, and Kaede heard something crack. There was no cannon, just a lot of blood, and Kaede dove forward with his axe and knife. He swung the axe, but Faustia ducked out of the way, and Kaede had to change his swing to a throw so that he didn't stab Landon. Instead, he simply tripped over Landon. The two boys tried to push themselves up as Faustia disappeared into the woods. Kaede was up in a few moments, but Faustia was gone. He groaned in frustration, his inner self screaming and beating his fists. But a Mitchell never showed weakness. So what if he had just botched what was supposed to be the dispatchment of one of their greatest enemies? So what if he had just broken the Career alliance?

He looked at Landon, slightly disgusted by the weak boy who was bleeding heavily from the face. "That was a disaster."

Landon stood up, wiping his nose, knowing that he couldn't show any pain. "Yeah. Let's go."

"No. She's too strong."

"She'll be strong forever! We have to end this now. She's close. C'mon."

The two of them quickly sprinted in the general direction Faustia had gone in, but without actually knowing where she had gone, they had soon lost what little trail she had left. Kaede groaned, and Landon knew that he couldn't fuck this up, not now. It would be a while before he could sleep again. He said in his most non-aggressive tone, "we can starve her out."

"What do you mean?" Kaede asked.

"She's not used to hunger," Landon pointed out. "And the two of us are. We'll find weaker Tributes than her and kill them and wait for her to get weaker. Eventually, we'll come across her again."

"What about sponsors?" Kaede pointed out venemously.

"They all just saw how weak she was, right?" Landon didn't point out that he hadn't been able to kill Ash, either.

Kaede sighed. "No breaking the alliance until then."

Landon knew Kaede was lying. "Yes."

Kaede glared at Landon for a moment, his jaw working, and then he went still. "Alright. Let's do this. Do you want something for your face?"

Faustia must have run four miles before she let herself stop. She looked around the trees, feeling lost.

Well, she was lost! She had fucked up! She had disgraced herself as a Career! She was completely on her own, and had lost her chance at winning! And with her, District 2 had lost all chances. She had let Ash die. She was a failure.

Were my ideals worth this?

The answer had to be yes, right? Faustia was supposed to give up everything for honor. Eyes to the mountains. It was the District 2 way.

And yet...those same principles had lost her her alliance, her supplies, and even parts of her integrity. Being involved in the death of a District partner, even a rebellious one, spelled disaster and vindication for anyone in District 2.

So where do I go from here?

The thing was, Faustia couldn't stop now. She was from District 2, no matter what. She had to do her duty as a trained Tribute. She had to make everyone proud. She had to prove herself.

Well, she could hunt anyway. She wasn't anywhere near as strong alone, but she had taken down Ash and Landon. She could do a lot of damage. But who to hunt? Faustia wasn't interested in coming across Adalicia. She didn't want to kill that girl. Mist could deal with that, or Kronos. And speaking of them, they were far too dangerous as well.

Her mind went to Fiori, then Hector. They had known rebel sympathies. They had to go. But Faustia also thought of Kaede and Landon. She had to have her revenge.

Faustia regretted what had just happened more than anything.

But Kaede and Landon would, too. Faustia promised herself that.

A cannon boomed overhead, and Fiori shivered. Her thoughts went to Paris's body. She wondered if it had been removed yet, or if it still lay, festering and freezing, where she had left it. I should have buried it, she fretted. His ghost is still here. It's gonna find me. It'll never be able to rest. She wondered if all the dead Tributes that had ever been through these Arenas were waiting somewhere, their ghosts vengeful and restless.

I'm sorry, Fiori thought listlessly. I didn't...I didn't mean to. But she was disgusted with herself for thinking that. Her kill had been intentional. She was worse than a Career.

Well, no. She thought about the pack that had probably made the last kill. They were worse than her, right? They had left Paris for her to find. They were hunting others.

I could have left him alive. I should have left him alive.

Or was this all her fault? Had Fiori, and other rebels, driven the Careers to do what they did? The presence of the rebellious Tributes meant that someone had to drive the game forward. That was what Careers did. And the rebels had caused the rebellion, after all. The Capitol never should have imposed the killing quotas, the impossible workload, the starvation conditions. They shouldn't have hoarded resources. But the rebels had started the war. Had Fiori caused these Games through her own rebellion? Where the ghosts of all the dead Tributes hers? Had she been thinking about this wrong all along? She should have just been normal! A normal, non-rebel! She would never have gone into the Games that way, and even if she had, she would have been average, a quiet death, the kind of person without ghosts chasing her!

I'm sorry, thought Fiori. This is all my fault.

D1: Adalicia Corona (13)
D2: Faustia Graston (18)
D4: Hector Hardy (18); Meri Sutherland (16)
D5: Landon Mercer (17)
D6: Zoe Winter (18)
D7: Kaede Mitchell (18)
D9: Kronos Malakai (16); Florence Channing (17)
D10: Fiori Hart (17)
D11: Mist Orchard (18)
D12: Khol Thomas (16)

Alliances:

Landon, Kaede
Florence, Kronos
Zoe, Khol

Eulogies:

Ash: I think Ash was fairly well-liked among readers because of his sarcasm and take-no-shit attitude. I certainly enjoyed those things about him, and I also loved his relationship with Robin (he was honestly one of my personal favorites). He was a lot of fun to write, and I hope that he was fairly 3-D by the end. He deserved a happy life, and I wish that he could have gotten one. RIP, Ash. I'll miss you.

Notes:

Another one bites the dust. Sorry about killing Ash. Also dead is the Career alliance. I'm going to have fun with the former members in the next chapters. *evil laughter* Thanks as always to reviewers, you guys give me life. See you next update!

QotW:

Favorite TV show?