Hello Pokela, how's "Brin" doing?

DAY SIX

Nate Morgue (D11)

I glance at Thistle. Our mound of supplies looks promising, well, you can't have too much. I check and re-check everything in the pile, it's safe, it's all safe. I sigh and pop another berry into my mouth. Thistle tuts at me but I ignore her, she's not my problem. My problem is getting enough to eat. I throw a handful of herbs into the pot Thistle has boiling. If we're to make a half decent stew we really should have meat, but the meat Thistle has caught is something she saves for herself, they're just squirrels but still, she's giving herself an unfair advantage. But when I think about it the careers have a lot more than an unfair advantage.

I know what I have to do, I have to leave her. It seems stupid, since we've only just become allies, but she's got the advantage and I just can't let that happen because then she has a better chance of winning than me. I breathe slowly and then shuffle next to Thistle by the pot of herbs.

"How are you?" I ask and Thistle looks at me like I'm mad.

"I'm in the middle of the hunger games, fighting to survive. How do you think I feel?"

"Never mind then." I mutter and turn away slowly but Thistle catches by arm and tugs me around. Surprised I lock eyes with her.

"What?" I ask.

"I feel so, so guilty." She admits.

"How so?" I ask, although I know perfectly well how so.

"It's just, it's just, I don't know if I will be able to look anyone in the eye again if I get back home, I have killed someone and, I'm a bad person, Nate. People will never think of me as they did before.

I duck my head down and slowly tug my knife forward, turning it upside down so I'm clenching the hilt. I nod piteously and then bring my arm up while I keep my head low, avoiding her face. Then I have the hilt of the knife raised above her head, poised and ready to strike. I freeze and then bring it crashing down onto Thistle's head. I feel the tough wood smash against bone and she looks at me, shocked.

I look up at Thistle, shake my head and sigh as she lets out her breath and slumps into unconsciousness, "You don't know half of it."

Twira *coughBrincough* Hearthright (D2)

The third shake sends us flying to the floor, desperately grappling to get hold of something, anything. Rod and I both cling to the first reach, in my case a log, in Rod's case a rock. We press ourselves to the ground as the shake sends us toppling left and right and we clutch onto the floor now, our grip on the tufts of grass lessening as each blade is plucked out of the ground. As soon as it started it stops and Rod and I get up. They're getting more violent every time, although I guess we have started getting used to them, preparing.

"Do you think they're going to keep on going?" Rod asks and I tut.

"Come on, you're meant to be the survival expert!" I say and Rod flushes red.

"I wouldn't exactly call myself that." He says and looks around, "But we need food and water. That's no survivial expert's feat."

"Well where are we going to get it?"

"The ground is getting more fertile the closer we get to the giant hill, that probably means that there is a lake or something on top of it."

"How do they get a lake on top of almost a mountain?" I hiss.

"I don't know, they're Gamemakers, they do these things." Explains Rod and I snort.

"'They're Gamemakers, they do these things.'" I imitate his voice, "I mean honestly Rod, you're meant to be a bit cleverer than that!"

"Well sorry." Huffs Rod and he picks up a stick and snaps it in two, "But now I'm going to do something clever."

I look at him distastefully. He holds a stick in each hand and lets his hand stay loose and the sticks swing in the air. He moves in a circle and the sticks cross the opposite way from the plateau.

"Mottled Mushrooms!" Rod curses and tries it again, this time the sticks cross to my left.

"What are you doing?" I ask him and Rod looks up momentarily.

"Dousing." Says Rod as if that would explain all.

"Dousing?" I ask and Rod nods slowly.

"You hold two sticks and the direction they cross in there's meant to be water."

"Right!" I say and grab the sticks before Rod can protest. I swing my arms around and as soon as they both point to the plateau hill then I jerk them so they cross.

"There! Now let's go!" I call and Rod sighs as he follows me towards the hill, towards fate.

Willow Grams (D10)

I pant desperately as I leap out of the tree to tumble to the ground again. I can't believe they did that. I can't believe Mitchel would, and did, sacrifice himself for me whereas Nate, the one who I was sure had true feelings for me instead of fleeting fancies, left me to die. I'm so confused. Evidently I don't know who is who or what is going on where. All I know is that I just have a sharp stick Mitchel swapped with a knife and a dwindling supply of food and water. I close my eyes and wish to wander upon a pool of water yet I find none. I find none at all.

I am just steadying myself after the last earthquake or whatever it was, all I know is that I'm scared, really scared. I try to breathe in and out, slowly, carefully. Breathe, breathe, breathe. I rummage through my supplies. I have a small water canteen attached to my hip only half full of water, enough for a day or maybe more if I measure it out, then I have some berries that Nate got and a handful of crackers, and then that's it.

My sponsors seem to have picked up on my desperation because when I look up to the sky I see a silver parachute flutter down towards me. I outstretch my hands, reaching out until the silk caresses my fragile skin which has been broken several times over. I slowly stroke the package of silver and rip it open. Inside is a bottle of water. I smile, it's not as much as I could have dreamed for but it should last me for a few more days extra, half a week or so. I get the message though, I now have enough water to move, find some. Because they wouldn't be giving me water if I already am near some. I have to move to find some and the place I can tell there is water is the Cornucopia, but that will have Careers there, so the only other place that I can think of is the plateau, the vegetation there is so lush, but that will mean going through the desert first and that in turn will mean risking my life.

But everything anyone does in the hunger games is a risk and I guess, alongside what I have done previously in the games, going through the desert shouldn't be such a great challenge. Anyway, it doesn't matter that much, I've got to survive and if crossing the desert means surviving then so be it. I'm a survivor, I'll do whatever it takes to survive, whatever it takes.

I am so sorry that this took ages but I'm afraid it's going to get worse! I've got exams coming up so for a couple of weeks there will be virtually none, if any, updates to anything on fanfic. I apologise but you know how it is, these are exams and they come before fanfic. When I started this I said Gnawing Hunger was my first priority and it still is. It's just the way it is, I did warn you. So I'm afraid there will probably be no more updates in a week's time and probably none till then, because if I do get around to doing something it will be Gnawing Hunger. So sorry everyone! By the way, I am now a beta reader and also I have a new poll up on my profile about Gnawing Hunger! Thanks a lot and sorry again, I just hope the next chapter will be worth the wait!

District One – Luxury Goods

BOY Tournaline "Tour" Solier X (Destiny Bond)

GIRL Destiny Bond (Lainey Rain, Shale Overheart)

District Two – Weapons, Peacekeepers +Architecture

BOY Shale Overheart (Lainey Rain, Destiny Bond)

GIRL Twira Hearthright (Roderick "Rod" Giffords)

District Three - Electronics

BOY Cole Dallan X (Earthquake)

GIRL Quazza Willowwhisper X (Cole Dallan)

District Four - Fishing

BOY Roderick "Rod" Giffords (Twira Hearthright)

GIRL Lainey Rain (Shale Overheart, Destiny Bond)

District Five - Science

BOY Arcturus "Arc" Starre (Fenora Kensington, Axel Leaf, Lindsey Grey)

GIRL Fenora Kensington (Arcturus "Arc" Starre, Axel Leaf, Lindsey Grey)

District Six - Medicine

BOY Brink Freeman X (Thistle Clay)

GIRL Reena Woodson X (Lusa Canvis)

District Seven - Lumber

BOY Axel Leaf (Lindsey Gray, Fenora Kensington, Arcturs "Arc" Starre)

GIRL Lindsey Gray (Axel Leaf, Febora Kensington, Arcturus "Arc Starre)

District Eight - Textiles

BOY Robert Tars X (Tournaline "Tour" Solier)

GIRL Tessinal "Tess" Carter X (Roderick "Rod" Giffords)

District Nine – Food Processing

BOY Dallas StarconnX (Twira Hearthright)

GIRL Lusa Canvis X (Mutts)

District Ten - Livestock

BOY Mitchel Rye X (Mutts)

GIRL Willow Grams

District Eleven - Agriculture

BOY Nate Morgue (Thistle Clay)

GIRL Thistle Clay (Nate Morgue)

District Twelve – Coal Mining

BOY Braxlin Coal X (Lainey Rain)

GIRL Match Lyte X (Twira Hearthright)