-March 31st, Year of the 75th Hunger Games-

The moment seems to freeze. I hear myself cry out as the blade stabs towards Tyga, but I don't remember opening my mouth. The air feels cold and icy fragments coat my lungs. She can't die. She can't.

The knife stabs down on her, and she hurls herself to the side. The blade lodges in the ground where she was, stabbing deep into the moss. Gloss rips the weapon out of the ground, sending a spray of dirt and launches onto Tyga once more. She rolls about, trying to grab at one of the knives strapped to her waist.

A punch. Tyga's fist hits around Gloss' cheek and he stabs the knife towards her. Again, she whips her body out of the way, but he has soon pulled the knife on her again. She rams her elbow into his chest, which causes him to cry out in pain. A punch. Tyga's head whips backwards, her lip bloody from Gloss' fist. She thrusts her arms backwards to give her as much power as possible as she rams her knee into Gloss' crotch.

His body jerks and she slips out from his grip. He clutches onto his crotch, but starts to get up. Hearing Brutus roar in the distance, Tyga takes no time at all to get back on her feet. Wiping her now-crimson chin, she darts off into the jungle.

She runs and runs, dodging trees, leaping over rocks, smashing through ferns. She keeps running until the sounds of the Careers fade into the background. Her face now red and her breathing fast and laboured, she sits down on the mossy ground.

I bare to look at the map, where the other tributes are identified. The Careers have returned to the cornucopia. Tyga is safe.

I suddenly become aware of my surroundings. Miami is passing me a tissue. I'm confused initially, but when I bring it to my face, I am alerted of my cheeks, wet from tears. I didn't realise I was crying.

For the first time in what must be a thousand years, I breathe.

I look around and then instantly regret it.

Vira is staring into space, drained of all emotion – her face suddenly white and hollow. Green stands at the back of the room, furiously focusing on the control panels below him. Miami has her jaw locked, her fists clenching and unclenching, clenching and unclenching. Annalee's face is tear-stained, but she looks more shocked by the other faces in the room. One of the control panels lies smashed to pieces on the floor. I can't see Surge.

'Where's Surge?' I ask to no one in particular.

'He went to throw up,' Miami replies.

The sound of a cannon ruptures through the room, causing Annalee to immediately burst into tears – I don't know if through sadness or just shock. Another follows it. And another.

As the victims of the cornucopia announce themselves one after another, we stand there as the sounds acknowledge eight of our friends' deaths. It's a few minutes before I remember that one of those deaths was Vice's.

'Eight,' says Miami.

'Eight.' I confirm.


Green is the only one to leave the room in the hours that follow. He suggests that Miami joins him to work with the District 2 mentors but she says that at this point, mentoring is pretty much a useless task. I'm not sure I agree, but I guess if your alliance consists of four Careers all of whom scored nine or more in training, maybe it is.

Surge and Vira don't leave either. I don't really know why. As strange as it is, Beetee and Wiress have allied with the District 7 tributes, so I guess they should be talking to their mentors, but they don't.

It's almost as if everyone's given up. Like we can all see how little our existence actually means to the Capitol. How we can win a fight to the death only to be thrown into another.

There hasn't been a lot of talking, mostly idle chit-chat, or talking about the strange arena. Three alliances have formed – District 3 and 7, District 1 and 2, and District 4 and 12 – and the rest are going solo. Tyga is resting in a small, hollowed out trunk, practically invisible to a passer-by.

'What time is it?' Annalee asks.

'Almost midnight,' Miami replies. 'Day one's nearly done. I suppose that's a good thing. The first day's always the worst.'

What Miami says jogs my memory. Haymitch told me that I just need to let Tyga survive until day 3. I can do that. She can do that. She can last another two days.

Suddenly the chime of a bell rattles through the room.

'What the-?' begins Miami, before being interrupted by another one.

Another. And another.

'Sounds like it's chiming midnight,' Annalee says.

Another chime.

'Well, can someone turn it off?!' Miami calls out the door.

Another.

'Wait!' says Surge, 'It's in the arena too – look!'

We look to the screens, and sure enough the tributes are looking around in the same confusion we are. The chimes continue for another seven rings, and then silence floods their wake.

Surge checks a watch-like gadget he's wearing. 'Yep, definitely midnight.'

Dark storm clouds spread over a section of the arena, and the screens light up as a flash of lightning descends onto a large tree. Surprisingly the tree remains unharmed. The storm continues, pouring rain and flashing with occasional forks of lightning.

'Curious,' says Surge, pearing into the screen, 'It appears that it's just that small section of the arena getting the storm.'

'Well, at least they've got water now if they need it,' says Miami. 'Look.'She points at the screen, 'Your guys aren't too far away from it.'

'I guess,' says Surge, not entirely focusing on Miami as he tries to analyse the odd layout of the storm.

The storm goes on for around about an hour, during which time Vira leaves to sleep, before the clouds start to spread slightly to the east and eventually the rain fizzles out. After a few minutes of dryness, the rain starts up again in a slightly altered location. It's Surge who notices that's something wrong.

'That water...it's...is the screen properly lit?' he asks. He begins checking some of the leads, but Miami responds quicker.

'Oh my god, you're right,' says Miami, 'It's...red.'

There's a shrill shriek from the arena. The camera zooms in on a group of four tributes.

'What is that?!' one of the women cries. It's Johanna.

The group of four – Johanna and Blight, plus the pair from 3 – look up in disbelief for a second.

'Oh...' Johanna begins, 'Oh-oh my god! Oh my god! It's blood!'

'It's blood?!' cries Surge from beside me.

'No, surely not.' Miami says.

The four on the screen are now running to find some kind of cover. The blood starts off slow but soon it's coming down thick and fast, coating the greenery in a deep crimson. Johanna and Blight are trying to yell instructions at each other, whilst Wiress shrieks and screams in horror. Beetee cries out in pain as the pouring blood hits his cornucopia wound.

'Oh my god,' murmurs Surge beside me, 'This is...it's horrific.'

'There's no point sending them a parachute,' says Miami, 'They'll never see it.'

The image is pretty much drenched in red now – if I had just walked in, I would assume the colour's playing up. It's incredible how quickly the landscape has become totally emersed. How can the Capitol do this? They've done bad things in the Games before, but this is just psychologically scarring. Wiress already looks like she's beginning to lose it.

'Look. Again, it's just in that small section of the arena,' points out Annalee, clearly trying to focus on something other than the tributes, but her attempt is cut short when there's a sudden scream from the speakers.

'BLIGHT!'

An explosion of sparks light up the screen as Blight goes flying back from the forcefield. He rams straight into a tree, his own blood mixing with that from the rain. A cannon sounds.

'BLIGHT!' Johanna screams again, rushing to his side. 'Blight!'

'He's gone!' cries Beetee, gagging on the blood, 'He's gone, Johanna!'

Wiress screams again. Johanna just looks at Blight's destroyed body, her face quivering.

'Johanna, come on! We have to find shelter.' Beetee tries to pull her away, but she slams her palm into his chest and pushes him away.

She gets to her feet and swings her head back. 'YOU ANIMALS!' she cries upwards, somehow managing to locate a camera to directly stare into. I don't know whether this is by chance or design. 'YOU KNOW WHAT, SNOW? YOU'LL GET WHAT'S COMING TO YOU!' Blood pours into her mouth but somehow the words still come out crystal clear.

Miami swallows hard. 'She's got guts, I'll give her that.'

Finally Beetee manages to convince Johanna to leave, and the trio stumble through the forest, failing to dodge trees coated in crimson.

They've mostly stopped screaming, so now we just listen to the blood rain pour down.

There's silence for a while until Wiress slips in a puddle of blood, screaming in terror, and I feel bile creep into my mouth. 'I can't watch this anymore.' I say, taking in slow breaths to stop myself from puking, 'I'm going to bed. Will you be alright here for a while, Annalee?'

She nods, her face white. 'I couldn't go to sleep.'

'You let me know if anyone even gets within a thousand metres of Tyga, okay?' I say.

'Okay,' replies Annalee.

'You promise!'

'Yes, yes, okay, I will. I promise, I promise.'

'Good,' I say. I make sure to lock eye contact with Annalee to show that I'm not kidding, not exaggerating.

I leave the room, taking a last glance at Tyga, who sleeps restlessly in the direct opposite side of the arena to the blood rain, which gives me some comfort.

I head upstairs with the intention of sleeping, even though I'm certain I will fail.


A/N: I hope you enjoyed that :) I'd really love to know your opinions because this is getting more fun to write at the moment :) Anything from Catching Fire you want me to include? Please REVIEW! I'd like that very much :)

By the way, it's unlikely I'll be able to update next Monday, apologies for that.