Chapter Forty Six- The Final Eight Feast

As the sun begins to set, the seven remaining tributes begin to head towards the Feast in the forest, none of them actually knowing where it is to be based. There are four different groups of tributes on their way there: the two remaining male Career tributes from One and Two, the girl from Three, the brother and sister from Seven, and the best friends from Eleven.

When each tribute draws closer to the area that the Feast will be held at, they all slow their pace slightly, listening carefully to try to hear any other tributes around them, as well as letting them navigate their way there easier. It only seems to be the two Careers who have an instinct for where to head to find their prey, but they soon become lost too, trailing the nearby forest like everyone else.

However, when each tribute hits a certain spot, they see something that attracts them in the direction of the clearing. Unlike most mutts or Capitol creations that have been introduced into the Games so far, these have not been made with the intention of killing a tribute; instead, they have been created with a voice and an unusual appearance to tempt the tribute forward.


As the two male tributes in the Career alliance walk forward, they spot a beautiful woman in front of them, sitting on the ground beneath a tree. She has long brown hair, which falls to the ground, with tree branches, leaves and flowers tied into it. Her low cut dress seems to actually be just roses sown together, which hardly cover her body. When she turns around to see them, they see her face and both falter, her beauty having caught them off guard.

They both stumble around, trying to make sense of the situation and trying to get the woman to talk to them, but she never answers their questions; she speaks only to seduce them. As well, whenever they try to get near to her, she gets to her feet and walks further along, leaving a trail of sweet smelling roses behind her. She waits until they have nearly caught up with her again, then moves on once more, their journey destined to work like that.


As the girl from Three slows down, unsure of where to go next, she feels the slightest pressure on her shoulder. She goes to swat away the bug or whatever it is, until she lifts her hand away and sees what she takes to be a minute human girl sitting on her finger. She tilts her head to the side as she studies her intricate little dress, made of forest plants, and then her face and body, which are both so similar to a regular person, just a lot smaller.

The bigger girl asks who and what the thing is, but she just laughs, puts her finger to her lips and beckons forward, flying away with the help of the silver wing type things on her back. Confused as to how the tiny human is doing such a thing, the tribute follows her forward and continues to ask her questions, none of which she seems to answer.


The brother walks with his arm protectively around his sister as they move silently through the forest, trying to find their way to the clearing. When they stop, so that they can try to work out where they are meant to go, a figure wearing a floor length white dress, with a gold shimmer around her and two huge wings on her back appears in front of them. She looks somewhat sad when she looks at them, her blue eyes and dark hair standing out against the rest of her pale appearance.

The younger tribute can't help but call out the name of who she thinks it is when she sees her, having not seen her mother since she was nine years old. She runs forward to catch the woman but she flies out of her reach before she has the chance to even get near. The look on the woman's face saddens as she tells the two tributes to follow her, from then on walking in silence, with the crying younger girl and her protective older brother walking behind.


One of the best friends is following the other with the belief that they know the way and will be fine. The truth is the boy actually no longer has an idea of where to go, as he assumed that it would be much easier to find. However, when they reach a tree, with a girl with pale skin, almost white hair and a beautiful face hanging from a branch, they pause, watching as she carefully jumps to the ground in front of them.

She instructs the friends to follow her and sings some kind of melody as she flits in between all of the trees, seemingly relaxed for being in such a dangerous place. Although her two tributes do not speak to her, she is the most talkative of all the projections, taunting the two best friends with her mischievous lies, and making the girl's blood boil, whilst the boy just tenses up beside her.


All of the projections- whether they're midway through taunting a tribute, seducing a tribute, or staying silent- all disappear when they reach a certain point, switching off and leaving all tributes at the edge of the forest, close enough to look, but not quite close enough to see all of the other tributes. It is so that they don't know if they are alone; so that they don't know whether or not they can risk leaving the safety of their place.

In the middle of the clearing, there is placed a huge table that looks like it has just been taken from the middle of a Capitol tea party and dumped into the Arena. Around all of the table are little chairs, some just plain wooden chairs- like they were from a District, some made to look as if they were meant for royalty- like they were the President's, and others somewhere in between the two.

On the actual table, there are at least fifty teacups and saucers, each one with a different intricate pattern painted over it; what the tributes can't tell is there are actually fifty five decorated ones- one for each Victor of the past fifty five Hunger Games- and one plain one- for the Victor of this year's Games. The teapots that are placed on the table with the cups are for the Presidents that have come and "gone".

Also on the table, there are piles of food so high that they'd even be taller than the tallest tribute in the Games, if he were to stand next to them. These foods are even more elaborately coloured than the foods that they sampled during their short stay in the Capitol, but, even from just looking at them, all the tributes can tell that, no matter how delicious they look, they are going to be poisonous.

In the very middle of the table, a glass container sits, carefully guarding the pink rose that has been placed inside it. The flower appears to have some magical glow around it, but that is not the part of it that interests the tributes most. As the tributes stare more closely at it, they can count seven petals still on the flower; if they were to look on the table beneath it, they'd see seventeen fallen petals, each one for a fallen tribute.

Around this glass capsule are five bags, each with a specified number upon it: One, Two, Three, Seven and Eleven. The tributes that are all standing at the edge of the clearing all want desperately to get their hands on their gift and then to run, except possibly for the Careers, who would probably like to kill someone; this is especially true of Ranger, who is planning to see and then kill Hope.

However, many of the tributes are still focussing on the surrounding area of land, not yet even beginning to make a plan of how to get their gifts. The trees that they all hide behind are taller than any ever seen before, even in District Seven. They are actually so tall that they appear to disappear into the clouds in the sky, and, also, they seem to be green the whole way up, with few branches or footholds.

As well, if the tributes were to look close enough, they would see that their helpful guides to the clearing have disappeared, to be replaced by some less than helpful projections. This time, they are mutts, programmed to wait until the tributes have tried to avoid a fight. But there are witches, dark elves, trolls, giants, and somewhere- according to the roar, at least- a dragon.

It takes a long time for there to be movement into the clearing on the tributes' behalf. The two Careers are arguing over who should grab the two's gifts and stay at the table, guarding it, whilst the other stays around the edge of the clearing. Neither particularly want to get the gifts, but Ranger is adamant that he should stay at the edge, although he doesn't say that it's so he can get Hope.

However, in the time that the two are fighting, the young girl from Three slips in and slips out again, hardly noticed. The other tributes only really see her just as she is about to disappear back into the forest, and they all curse the fact that they didn't consider going first, when no one else would be there to stop them; despite her age, she's actually quite clever.

Annoyed that they weren't in the clearing first, Domino seems to stomp in, grabbing his and his ally's bags. He dumps them on the ground in front of him, not even bothering to wonder if there's anything breakable in there, and then sits on the table, disregarding the chairs. He then drums some of the knives from his jacket on the table as he waits for someone to come.

When he sees the Career at the table, Elijah turns to his younger sister and tells her the code that he will use when he gets back with their bag. The girl doesn't even bother to argue- because she knows that it will be of no use- so she walks away to find a normal looking tree, climbing to the top of it and waiting until her brother will return with the signal and the bag.

Elijah creeps slowly into the clearing, out of Domino's sight, but ducking down to hide whenever he glances in his direction. He manages to get to the table without any mishap, so he silently empties the backpack he had onto the floor. He then carefully replaces the bag on the table for the now empty one, and then puts all of his old things into his new bag, before running out of the clearing.

Hope and Orion are the last two to make their mind up about how to get their gift. It is unfortunate that Orion is desperate to protect Hope but, as she points out, either place is going to be unsafe: Domino could turn on her the moment she gets into the clearing, whilst Ranger could be waiting until Orion goes, so that he can get her when she's on her own.

Eventually, Orion gives way and decides that letting her go to get the gift is going to be her safest option, especially if he is allowed to distract him whilst she's there. Therefore, they set off in different directions: Hope behind Domino and Orion in front, in an area where he could be heard but not seen. He distracts Domino and gives Hope the opportunity to grab the bag and run, which she does without thinking twice.

All the tributes- the Careers included when they realise that the other tributes have got their bags- then begin to head back to their camps, their aim to at least to see what they've got in their bags, before deciding what they will do next. As it's now dark, it's improbable that anyone will go out to hunt other tributes, but the safest option will be to go back to their camp just in case.

However, as all the tributes move away, the mutts that were stationed around the edge of the clearing wake up from their frozen position and towards their specified tribute; there was no fight, therefore they've been programmed to move in. It doesn't take long for the mutts to reach each of their tribute, though, pushing their tributes back into the clearing to meet everyone else.


The nymph that originally guided Domino and Ranger has now become a witch, her beautiful appearance turned to that of an old hag's. For the two boys who have been trained for their whole life to never be scared of anything, they have suddenly lost all confidence in themselves; this witch has unexpectedly changed everything that they knew, just by pushing them back into the clearing.


The minuscule human that she was before- more commonly known as a fairy in children's tales- has grown considerably in size, to the size of a giant. It reaches Orchid almost as soon as she arrives at her hideout, so she tries to run when she spots it, only to be caught straight away and carried back to the clearing, into the fight that has been arranged for everyone.


Elijah signals for Fearne to come down, which she does eventually, climbing back onto the forested floor in just a matter of seconds. However, just as they begin to walk swiftly away in the direction of their house, a troll steps into their path, so that they cannot get around it, without having to head back through the clearing. They decide to do this, though, instead of having to cross the monster.


What was before a white and pure creature has now turned into a dark version of its prior self, now filled with entirely evil thoughts, and no longer a mix of helpful yet mischievous ideas. Hope and Orion spot the elf and try to turn in the other direction to get away, only for it to appear there, too. Unfortunately, though, the only way that they manage to get away is by following its taunts, back to the clearing.


As all of the tributes arrive in the middle of the clearing, where the table has suddenly disappeared from, their backs hit each other's. However, it is not the other tributes that catch each other's attention, instead the mutts that still stand in front of them, pushing them all together. Despite the Capitol's plan, though, all the tributes are more preoccupied in fighting off the monsters, instead of each other.

Each tribute begins fighting off their own mutt and soon become so completely engrossed in their battle that they have no time to see the other tributes. Somehow, though, Ranger manages to leave his ally to fight off their mutt, so that he can make his way to Hope's side. As soon as he gets there, she glances around, takes a double glance, and then tries to move away, only to be stabbed in the side.

The girl falls against her District partner and he looks to her, trying to spot the cause of her sudden agony. It's unfortunate, though, that Ranger has suddenly disappeared back to Domino, to help the fight. As Orion looks at Hope again, he sees the pain going through her expression and then shoots the elf in front of them, so it hits and kills it.

The boy then picks her up in his arms and runs away, not looking back once to see if anyone's following them. Luckily, no one else can, as they are all still fighting their own mutts. The next to break free is Orchid, when she manages to catch the giant's legs from beneath his legs, so that he falls to the floor. She then jumps over him and sprints away, not planning to let anyone pull her back again.

Elijah is the main one fighting out of him and his sister because, for one thing, he is the only one with an actual weapon. As well, Fearne wants to never be responsible for the death of anything, even one of the Capitol mutts. Her brother spots a gap, though, from Orchid's disappearance and sends her through it, before beheading the troll, its heavy body hitting the ground with great force, and then following the younger girl away.

This leaves just the two Careers and, when the witch that they had been fighting notices this, she grabs the broomstick that she had been using as a weapon and flies away. The two boys stop their fight instantly and then, replacing their gifts on their shoulders, head back though the forest and to the Cornucopia, tired out after their just finished battle.


They walk in silence back to the Cornucopia, the first words uttered by the two from Ranger, as he offers, "I'll take first watch," when the two Careers reach their camp.

Domino nods, not even bothering to bid his ally goodnight before he's disappeared into the darkness of the Cornucopia. He takes his bag with the gift inside in with him, but he doesn't even look once in its direction until he's seated comfortably on the floor, surrounded by piles of ropes, nets and blankets. Even then, he waits another few minutes to eat before getting out the gift.

When he does finally see it, it is nothing more and nothing less than he thought it would be; in fact, it's not even different in the slightest to the only possible thing he imagined it could be. He was expecting his volunteering band that he was given by his District; he got his volunteering band that he was by his District. Unfortunately, there's no surprise there.

He slips the brown leather bracelet onto his wrist and looks at it, cringing slightly at the elaborate cliché-ness of it. Ha, they must have thought when they heard his name, let's make him suffer. Therefore, they designed his volunteering band- as each tribute has one personal to them- to have a huge, jewel encrusted domino in the middle of it. Perfect for the middle of a fight.

Despite his obvious distaste for the object around his wrist, he knows the importance of it, which is why he wears it now. Back at home, in his District, it was actually a punishable crime to be found without your volunteering band on, unless you had written proof of your reason as to why you weren't wearing it at that exact moment in time. No one really wanted to risk it.

Just before a child becomes eligible for the Reaping in District One, if they are not one of the very few who would have already pulled out of training for some strange reason, they go through round after round of training to see if they are good enough for being a potential volunteer. If they get through that round, they get the band to wear until they are taken out of the Volunteer Programme, when they're found not good enough after another round.

The Programme continues until they are eighteen, when they choose the boy and girl who will volunteer in the next Reaping. However, they decided not to finish it this year because the new announcement was made just before the final round of the Programme would have begun. There was no point in telling someone that they could volunteer when they no longer could. So Domino has no idea if he was actually meant to go in or not.


As soon as Domino enters the Cornucopia, Ranger sinks to the floor, dropping the bag on the ground beside him, so that he can put his face in his hands. The day suddenly comes rushing back to him as he replays the most memorable moments in his head: when his District partner died, and then the Feast, before which he promised to kill the girl from Eleven, something he couldn't even do.

He shouts out loud in anger and annoyance, punching the floor with so much force that he makes the bag at his side fall against his leg. He looks at it sceptically, wondering if he even wants to see it anymore, because what could be so important that they send something other than a District token? And, anyway, nothing from the District could be as precious to him anymore, now that the one girl he truly considered as a love his been torn away.

However, eventually, he decides to look at least, simply wondering what his parents could think of as important to him. When he removes the smaller plain bag from inside the bag, though, he realises that it's probably not going to be from his parents because he doesn't even recognise it, and they don't see the point in going out to buy expensive things, prior to a Victory.

After deciding that it's probably going to be something really angry from the girl who was- still is, technically, as they never officially broke up- his girlfriend. Instead, when he slides the contents of the bag out, he finds himself looking at a circular pin, with two golden swords crossed over. He raises his eyebrows at it- trying to work out who on earth would send this- before turning his attention to the letter next to it.

Ranger,

I now know that it probably wasn't the best idea to tell you who I was, just before you went into the Games. The truth is that I at least wanted you to know that I was there and that I wanted you to come home. I still do. I would like to meet you properly, although your parents would probably not approve.

The reason why they're not too fond of me is the reason for my existence. You may remember from when you were about six or seven that mum was in hospital for a long time. She was bloodied and bruised from being hit and abused by a man other than your father, and then she was really ill afterwards. They kept her in for much longer than she liked but, when she was finally let out, they told her the reason that she had been so ill was because she was pregnant.

Unfortunately, the child she was pregnant was not from your father because she had been raped, hence the reason why she had been abused, as well. Obviously, she and your father did not want to keep the child but when they asked for an abortion, they found out it would damage her more if she had one. So, when I was born, they put me into an orphanage or adoption centre.

Like everyone else in this District, I trained and so saw you at the Training Centre. I knew that you wanted to volunteer originally- and they wanted to rig the Reaping- so I thought I'd tell you and wish you further good luck.

Jasper

P.S. The pin was from mum- you probably don't want to tell you father as he didn't want her to have anything to do with me.

Ranger is frowning slightly when he puts the letter into his pocket and turns the pin over in his hand, before deciding to put it on the t-shirt under his jacket. To be honest, the first thing that he decides on is that it's slightly weird. It kind of makes sense that he wants to at least get to know his mum, but the rest of his family? He's not entirely certain that now is the best time to have to cope with it.

On top of that, he's wondering how exactly he should react to the letter and gift when he stretches his arms to the side, his hands running through the grass. His right hand brushes against something and he looks towards it, realising almost instantly that that's not his bag. His was plain, as if it had been thrown together at the last minute. This bag has obviously been cared for, like it means something.

It was made clear that each tribute would only get one gift, so what, he thinks, is he doing with two in front of him? However, it's only when he tips the bag up to reveal a plain silver bracelet, the name Stella Hadley engraved into it, that he realises that they hoped that they could send his District partner's gift to break him. Unfortunately, he knows that this probably will.

Almost as soon as Ranger walked into the training room that he originally thought of as deserted, a knife whizzed through the air, only grazing the top of his left arm. He looked through the darkness, searching for a pair of eyes, before spotting the glint of a knife and ducking under its shot. "We're meant to tell the other if we're going to have a fight. Arrange it with our trainers before," he reasoned, crouching down and waiting to see movement.

"Maybe I already have," challenged the voice of a girl, coming from no part of the room in particular. "How do you know that I haven't arranged it with our trainers, and agreed with them that, to get to this point, I need to do it without warning?"

Ranger stayed still at this comment. He thought to himself about how it's not normal for a trainer to arrange a fight without warning their trainee, but it makes sense, within reason. A tribute won't always be prepared for a fight within the Games- unless they are the one who starts it- so having some unexpected fights at home makes sense, he realised.

A sudden slightly heavier footstep made him grab the nearest weapon to him, swinging it around, only for it to be met by a heavy clank against something else. He kept his hold on the sword steady and refused to drop it, not willing to let the girl he was fighting- although not by choice- win. It was meant to be his first unprepared fight, therefore he was not going to let it go.

It was when he kept his position still that he finally saw the brown eyes of his unknown opponent, her eyes staring confidently back at his. He could not see much of her but, when she moved with such speed that he caught her off guard and allowed him to go crashing to the ground, he saw her blonde hair reflected in some light that found its way into the room.

Ranger tried desperately not to but he could feel his power weakening slightly as he fought, the girl's unusual tactics catching him out and tricking him. He tried to fight on but, where he began to slow down to work out what she was going to do next, it seemed like she had already worked every one of his possible moves. She had his tactics sussed long ago.

It was only when the trainers of the two teenagers that were part of the fight came in to tell the girl that she had managed it that Ranger realised that he had been part of a long thought out plan. They gave the girl a silver bracelet, her name inscribed into it- a symbol of a high level in training- and he finally worked out that, although she was a year younger than him, Stella Hadley would be his biggest competition if they ever both went into the Games.


Almost as soon as Orchid finds a decent place camp, she settles down for the night by making a bed out of leaves in the middle of a huge, tall and wide tree, big enough to sleep inside of. She puts her backpack with her weapon and few supplies in up against the "wall" and then lays her head on it, before turning her attention to the bag that she took from the Feast.

When she tips it up to reveal what is inside of it, a huge grin lights up her features as she holds the dark green, slightly frayed ribbon out in front of her to make sure it's the right one. It is, and she almost screams in excitement when she realises it, but decides to hug it close to her instead, merely because she's so happy to have her most important thing back in her life.

A nine years old girl stood at the train station, surrounded by four of her older brothers, her older sister and her parents. However, she was crying because her older brother was meant to be leaving that day, for five years exactly in the army. Although she had the rest of her family with her then and for the five years in which he would be away for, she particularly didn't want this one brother to go.

He was knelt in front of her, dressed up well in his brand new army uniform, especially smart for the occasion. He kept trying to tip her chin up, so she was looking at him, but she kept pulling her chin away, and, whenever he tried to wipe away a tear, another one would fall straight away to replace it. However hard he tried, she just wouldn't accept it.

"Come on, Orchid, it won't be long, I promise," he said softly, smiling at her as he squeezed her shoulder.

"You can't promise that, Turner," she argued, a sniffle in her voice. "You can't fool me that nothing will happen."

"I know I can't," Turner agreed, "but it will be less likely to happen if you know that I'm going to come home."

"It doesn't work like that," Orchid began, only to be interrupted before she carried on to say anything less positive.

"You may be the smartest girl in your year, but you don't seem to know that some things work if you think they do," her brother decided. "With some things, they can sense how you feel and react to that."

Orchid frowned, unknowingly having stopped her tears from falling. "A war zone isn't going to know how you feel," she pointed out.

"Give me some evidence to prove that then," Turner challenged.

"Give me some evidence to prove your point then," his sister retorted.

"Touché, my dear sister," laughed Turner. The girl raised her eyebrows and her brother laughed again. "It means 'good comeback', Orchid."

She finally cracked a smile. "I try my best." Then her smile dropped slightly as she asked, "How can you promise that you'll come back?"

"How about this?" Turner got something out of his pocket and put it in the palm of his sister's hand, talking before letting her see it. "You keep this on you at all times. As long as you've got it kept safe and in good condition, I'll be the same. What you've got in the palm of your hand is my lifeline."

When he pulled his hand away from hers, he revealed a simple dark green ribbon, in perfect condition. The girl nodded when she saw it and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "I won't let it go, Turner, I promise."

"I'm glad, Orchid. I'm counting on you," he said, kissing her cheek before getting to his feet. "I'll see you soon, soldier." And then he saluted before walking away.

Just as Orchid begins to fall asleep, she turns the ribbon over in her hands and reads in a familiar handwriting:

Now, you've got mine. It's my turn to look after yours- Turner


The brother and sister sit on the threadbare sofa, the bag that they took from the Feast in between them. "If we get each of our gifts out, you can get to bed afterwards," suggests Elijah.

The younger girl nods, watching as her brother takes out two smaller bags from inside the large one and places them between them. Fearne finds the name tags on either one, keeping her own one but then handing the other one to her brother.

"After three?" decides Elijah. "One, two, three." They both pull the string around the top of the bags to open them and then tip them up slightly, so that the contents of them slide out.

Onto Fearne's lap falls an old teddy bear, with one of its ears falling off and half of its nose missing, its original white colour now a grey, because of how desperately the girl clung to it before she left. It probably takes less than a second for her to recognise it, a huge smile lighting up her face, just as she pulls it against her chest and hugs it tightly.

The newest arrival to the Casswick household was lying on her mother's bed as she blinked her big blue eyes up at the woman she laid next to. She could hardly make sense of the world but it seemed that her few days old brain had already decided that this lady was going to be the most important thing ever to her. It seemed that she was already unable to let her out of her sight for even a few minutes.

"Can I hold the baby, mummy?" the little girl's younger sister asked, crawling into the room. Like any other girl of three, she could talk somewhat, but she still seemed to be unable of doing anything but dragging herself along the floor because her legs would collapse under her anytime she tried to stand; it was obviously beginning to worry her parents.

"Of course you may, my sweet," answered the girls' mother, getting up so quickly to pick up the older girl that the younger one had no time to notice her disappearance.

When the mother took her place back on the bed, Hazel climbed up onto her mother's lap, because she seemed to know that her mother would be more responsible than she would be with the new baby.

"What are you doing, baby?" questioned the mother, ruffling her daughter's hair.

"I'm not the baby, mummy. Fearne is," disagreed Hazel, pointing at her younger sister.

"Okay then," the mother laughed. "What are you doing, sweetie?"

"I don't want to drop the baby," the older girl admitted as she gently stroked her sister's cheek.

"I promise you that you won't," said their mother, carefully pick the baby up and holding her in front of Hazel. "I'll hold her with you, but put your arms around her," she instructed, taking her older daughter's hands in one of her own and guiding them around the younger girl, so that she would hold her correctly.

Hazel smiled when she met her sister's eyes, laughing when she tickled her stomach. "She's really pretty, mummy," she whispered, still smiling.

"You're beautiful, Hazel, as well," argued their mother, kissing Hazel's head.

"Fearne looks just like you, mummy," pointed out the girl. "You're really pretty."

"You look just like your daddy and your brother," the mother reasoned.

"But they're boys, mummy. You and Fearne are girls," moaned Hazel.

"You're a girl, too," laughed the older woman, hugging her two daughters closer to her chest.

Her daughter huffed but continued to cradle her sister in her arms, humming some sort of lullaby as her mother rested her chin on the top of her head, rocking the two back and forth.

Just as the baby was falling asleep in her sister's arms, her brother and father noisily entered their house, making her wake up almost instantly. As she began to cry, her mother took her away from her sister, so she wouldn't have to deal with her, and tried desperately to get her back to sleep as she called her husband and son into their room to come and see them.

The two shuffled guilty into the room, meeting the woman's eyes and apologising for waking up Fearne. However, the girl's mother only laughed, sitting back on the edge of the bed with Hazel, when the baby's cries lessened.

"We didn't know if she'd be awake when we returned or not," admitted the father. "We should have been quieter."

"Sorry to you and Fearne," added Elijah quickly.

The mother only laughed again, patting the space beside her for her son to sit on, before kissing her husband and stroking their youngest daughter's fluff of dark hair. "So, what were you doing in the end?" she asked, looking at the father and son.

"We thought Fearne would like it," replied Elijah, pulling out a white teddy bear from beneath his jacket and giving it to his youngest sister. "We thought she might like a toy of her own, because all of her toys so far haven't been new."

They all smiled when they watched the baby look at the teddy for less than a few seconds, before taking it and holding tightly onto it, as if her life depended on it.

"I remember when you got that bear," says Elijah, smiling as he watches his younger sister hugging the teddy. "I suppose this means you'll be sleeping easier now."

Fearne laughs and looks up. "I guess that's true. So, what did you get?"

Elijah offers out the picture and picture frame in his lap for his sister. In the old wooden frame is a picture, taken a week or so after Fearne was born. In the picture, the five family members are huddled closely together, all smiling happily. The baby holds her toy, in the arms of her mother, the oldest sister sits on her father's hip- who also has his arm around his wife- trying to reach out for her sister, and the brother stands, laughing at her attempts.

"That was your favourite picture at home, wasn't it?" asks Fearne, still smiling.

"It definitely was," admits Elijah. "It was probably one of the last times that we had proof of us all being happy."

Fearne sighs slightly, getting to her feet with her teddy still held tightly in her arms. "I think I'm going to head to bed now," she mutters.

Her brother nods, standing up and kissing her forehead. "Night, Fearne." As she walks silently out of the room and to her bedroom, Elijah sits back down on the sofa, and looks at the picture once again, before deciding that he should probably take it out of the frame to readjust it; after the ordeal of travelling from District Seven to the Arena, and being in a bag through a fight has not left it in the best of shapes.

However, as he lifts the picture up, another falls out, one he's never seen before. After looking at it for a second, a soft smile spreads across his face as he recognises what it probably is. There are only two figures in the picture, but they look happier than he'd ever seen them before: the man with dark hair and green eyes wearing a slightly shabby green suit, the woman with dark hair and blue eyes in his arms wearing a pale green dress. His parent's wedding photo.

And with this photo, too, is an old, crumpled piece of paper. Elijah unfolds it and then squints at the seemingly ancient writing, only to realise that it's probably only a year or so older than him. Because he has an awfully good idea of what this letter led to.

Catherine, my love,

Tomorrow will be three years since we first met, and what brilliant years they have been; I cannot imagine having spent them with anyone else. I know it may sound clichéd, but it is really true.

Therefore, I was hoping that tomorrow will be an especially remarkable day, hopefully one that you will remember for the rest of your life, for all the right reasons preferably.

I will come to collect you at any point tomorrow, so be prepared at all times. I'll take you to your favourite spot, and the day will be ours.

Forever yours,

Frederick

P.S. It would be awfully nice if you said yes.


"You know, if someone from the District found us now, we'd have to get married," points out Hope, sighing as she rests her hands on her stomach, her legs stretched over Orion's. After her best friend cleaned, attempted to fix and then bandaged up her wound, she became much more relaxed, although she was still secretly worried that the boy from Two would come to get her.

"I don't think they'd let a non-reaped person into the Arena anymore," Orion argues, shutting his eyes. "They don't even allow volunteers anymore."
"Yeah, I know," mutters Hope, her hand absentmindedly reaching down for her District partner's, her head going to lean on his shoulder. "But I wouldn't mind having to marry you."

"Even if it would only be for a few days?" the boy asks, taking her hand in his and touching the finger on which she'd have a ring. "Because we could get married here, but only one of us would come out alive."

"Even if it would only be for a few days," agrees Hope, suddenly sounding tired. "But I'd want it to be forever. We've been together happily before now, so why wouldn't it work afterwards?"

"You're desperately tired. Go to sleep," Orion whispers into her ear, hearing the tiredness in her voice, before kissing the top of her head gently and not actually answering her question. "I'll make sure you won't come to any harm."

She doesn't speak but tenses up just a little, the doubting that was present in her mind earlier resurfacing for just a second. However, she tries to push it away as she also remembers all that he did to help her that day.

"You don't believe me, do you?" the boy sighs, leaning away from her and loosening his grip around her hand.

"No, Orion, I do!" Hope complains, crawling up into his lap and looking desperately into his eyes. "I just- I can't completely. It's weird. I trust you more than anything, but I just feel funny sometimes."

Orion sighs. "I don't know, Hope. I've done nothing actually wrong to you- in fact I've done nothing but right things to you- so there are only unlikely reasons as to why your mood suddenly changes."

"I can take first watch, if you'd prefer," Hope suggests, watching her District partner.

He looks at her, slightly unconvinced by her suggestion, but then shakes his head. "No, it's alright. You're obviously tired."

Hope shrugs. "I don't mind."

"I'll take it. You go to sleep," decides Orion. The truth is- what he decided to keep quiet about- is that he can't completely trust her either. Yes, he does still love her more than anything, but she hasn't been predictable recently; she's snapped at random times and she has tried to kill him.

"Are you sure?" The boy raises his eyebrow, so his District partner takes it as a hint to back down. "Okay. Night."

Just as she curls up on the grass next to him, her head on a slightly raised part, Orion places the bag in front of her face. "You're not going to sleep without seeing what's in here, though."

"I don't need to, Orion," Hope mumbles, opening her eyes to look at the backpack with the number '11' printed onto it.

"Yeah, I know you don't, but you may as well," Orion decides, lifting her into a sitting position and placing the bag between them. "Do you want to get it out?"

"No," Hope admits. "I'm scared it won't really be a gift from home."

"Together?" her partner suggests, taking her hand in his when she nods, and then putting their joint hands in to retrieve the smaller velvet bag inside.

When they empty the bag onto the grass between them, they have to squint to make out the shape of two gold things they haven't seen in weeks. They are simply two gold keys, the top part in the slightly curved shape of a heart and then a little more on top; the keys to the small hut-like building they'd made together, with a little help from the boy's father. They are then tied together with a bracelet made of navy blue thread and a silver seashell charm.

"That's mum's favourite bracelet from home," mutters Orion. "I wonder what she's doing sending it."

Hope shrugs, lifting the two keys off of the ground and looking at them. "I've missed going there."

"Come on, Hope," laughed her best friend, holding both her hands in his and pulling her along.

"I can't go any faster when I can't see where I'm going," the girl complained, trying to remove her hands from his, so that she could push away the blindfold that covered her eyes.

Orion didn't give up, though, and carried on walking forward quickly. "It would spoil the surprise if you could see where you were going," he reasoned.

"Orion, I know the way around this District like the back of my hand," Hope pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," agreed Orion as they left the orchard to a rarely visited part of the District, something more reserved for the two of them. He span her on the spot three times, kissed her nose, and then walked behind her, removing the blindfold but then replacing it so quickly with his hands that she had no chance to sneak a look.

"Please. Can I just see?" Hope moaned.

"Just a few more steps," Orion whispered softly, trying desperately to hide his laugh because he knew that she no longer knew where she was. As he pulled her to a stop, he covered her eyes with his arm, reaching down for one of her hands with his and then dropping something heavy into it. "Have a look now," he instructed, kissing her cheek gently and uncovering her eyes.

"Oh my goodness." She stared at the thing in front of her, a grin slowly spreading across her lips. "You finished it," she added, spinning around and hugging her best friend. "I hope it's habitable."

"If you want it to be," Orion said, smiling.

Orion sighs and picks up a folded piece of paper off of the ground. "I would have liked to live there too."

The girl smiles. "They don't usually let people build their own houses, do they?"

It's her friend's turn to shrug as he opens up the letter and reads it out loud.

*Hello there, you two.

It's not anything to say we've missed you- it's been a lot more than that. We would desperately like you both to come home, but the chance of that happening? Unfortunately, I think it's less than impossible.

Both Genevieve and I thought that you would like the keys to your house as your gift from the District, though. We both imagined how hard it must be for you two to go for days without having time to yourselves, when you haven't had to fight for your life. You always said how you would have liked to live there together if you ever had to, so it's such a shame that you won't get the chance to try.

Orion, I can imagine that you've probably been trying to work out why exactly I sent it with my favourite bracelet, my one piece of home. The truth is that it's for your best friend. That bracelet means so much to me, so I want Hope to see how much she means to me, you and the rest of our family. She's been something so great to you that I've never seen you so happy before.

It's true, Hope. Every mention of you would either light his face up with a smile or with a blush, depending on what the mention was. I can't express in words how much it means to me that you told him that you liked him- although, of course, he "claimed" not to like you before. It's just such a shame that these Games will ultimately separate you, but I am glad that you have stayed strong to each other so far.

The important thing is that you've done so well up to this point, and I hope that you both continue to work so well, up until the end. I just don't want to think of what will happen then.

However, I am wishing you both the best,

Maria x

When he finishes reading the letter aloud, he unties the two keys- giving one to the girl and keeping the other to himself- and then ties the bracelet around her wrist. He kisses her hand before he whispers, "You can go to sleep now."

Hope doesn't say anything as she lays back down, her head on her best friend's lap, keeping a tight grip around her key in one hand and one of Orion's hands in the other.

However, Orion keeps the truth from her- for she assumes that his gift was the key- about his real gift. His is actually in a pocket in his trousers, hidden from everyone's sight, along with the message from their mentor, which he takes out as soon as he hears his District partner's soft purr.

orion.
as a mentor, i was asked to contact the parents of my trIbutes, and your mother told me that the keys to the house that you constructed with hope could be a Good idea, certainly one that yoU would both appreciate- i can see why they mEan so much to you. she alSo "warned me"- or perhaps "informed me" iS a better way to put it- abouT your plans for your birthdays after tHis year's reapings and what you had hoped to do.

I am awfully Sorry that this could not actually be the case, but i hope this gift Will be enough to make up for it. i can tell thAt it is not exactly as you wanted- something more Simple would be the case normally, if at all- but i think i know why you chose to find such a thing whilst you were here, in the capitol. again, it is unfortunate that you could not find a moMent to give it to her beforE the games begAn, but i can oNly guess that you wanted to do it at a special, specific Time.

your mother told me that the two keys would be enough For you, but i imagined that, if yOu had had the choice, you would have chosen both; theRefore, I chose to send both. i really Hope that you can find a way tO make this gift work for you, as i know that it would obviously mean a lot to you, otherwise you would not have bothered with such a Perfect gift.

use it wEll

The boy sighs as he contemplates how he is going to use it, and slips the note back into his pocket with the actual gift itself. Unfortunately, it will obviously not be used for the original purpose he thought- or more likely, wished- it could be used for, but he might be able to use it in the closest way possible. If only they hadn't both been reaped.


Author's Note: So the Final Eight Feast is finally up, after all these chapters of just talking about it. I hope it's as good as you wanted it to be, even though it's not very exciting; I think the aim of it was just for you guys to all see a little more of what the characters are like. Also, I'm wondering how many fairy tale elements of this chapter you can spot...

But now that the Final Eight has been and gone, the deaths are going to begin coming much more often.

Now, can I just say thank you? I know that I haven't quite finished this story yet, but you guys are all amazing! I'm over one hundred reviews and I'm so happy, it's unreal!

Buttons301: This is going to be an interesting one...

Philippa: I think I may have confused you slightly in the last chapter. It was actually Draven who stabbed Stella and who Ranger heard- Domino then killed him- but the reason that Stella didn't react was because of her training, that stated that they weren't to react to dying. The truth is that Draven wouldn't have actually had a silent footstep, so Stella heard him, but- being rather crafty- she told Ranger that it was Hope, so one: he wouldn't fall for Hope when Stella was gone, and two: so she could get him to kill her. I hope this clears it up slightly!

Philippa: And thank you for your suggestion!

StarJinx2110: I'm really sorry! I certainly didn't want to kill Stella because I liked her and, if you look at Georgie's review, you can see she wasn't best pleased with me either.

daddys number 1 girl: Thank you, I'm glad you like it!

Phoenix Abbot: I'm pleased you liked this chapter, and I hope that later chapters will fulfill your excitement. And thank you for number and word!

VikkiTayler: I know. I think that's definitely the worry now- in Hope's mind, especially!

GEORGIE: I feel kind of bad that I found this review kind of funny, because it was just so angry and caps lock-y and I had to stop what I was doing to read it, and then it kind of changed its tune halfway through. But I love you, jerk :*

RadMalfoyCookie: I think most people were kind of expecting Domino to go before Stella, it seems. But ooooh good numbers and words. I'm actually really looking forward to writing these!

Recap: Domino, Ranger, Orchid, Elijah, Fearne, Hope and Orion left. Ten chapters and the epilogue (I'm going to point out that only six more chapters are in the Arena, and it's the seventh one from now when the Victor is revealed).

Next chapter: Let's say that we've got six chapters and six deaths to come.

My challenge: It's still needing numbers and words! So far, the number's that have gone are 3, 5, 7, 8, 14 and 24, so anyone else is left if you want to submit another one!

I hope you enjoyed, so review!