The fifth day

-Harleigh Noheg, 14, District 6-

She jolted awake to the sounds of the doors changing suits. She had no idea when in the night she'd fallen asleep, but she had no idea how the hell she managed to sleep so long… Every other day she'd awakened as soon as the lights started to turn on, but today she was down so deeply that she hadn't awakened until right now…

She was kicking herself for that. What if someone were to find her here like this!? She could have easily been offed, with no chance to even fight back! Then what would Davidson say?

She just had to keep holding home close to her. She had a lot waiting for her there, of course.

Harleigh rubbed her eyes. It took all the discipline in her to get up. She really wanted more sleep, as it had been such a good rest. But it was now time for Harleigh to get to business. She certainly had the goods to do it.

As Harleigh was stretching, the floor in front of her opened up and up came another cannister. It had been a couple days since the last one, but it was a relief that the home team was still on her side. She couldn't ever be sure after she'd done nothing these past couple of days…

The cannister was pretty small, so Harleigh was pretty sure she already knew what was inside. When she found the indigo token waiting for her, she pulled it out with a small smile. She already had six, but this was just another one… Just in case she supposed… It came with a piece of paper from Gian.

Use it wisely, and use it soon. -Gian

Haleigh was confused about why she might possibly need another token, but if Gian was sending it to her, that must have meant that there was something nearby that was worth her looking at.

With a new fire in her gut, Harleigh stood up and set off, deeper into the room. As she walked she catalogued her supplies in her head, wondering what kind of wheel was around here that she was meant to spin. She had plenty to survive off of, but this was the Hunger Games… She would be more comfortable if she had a weapon. Aha. So there was a wheel of weapons somewhere around here.

She saw a wheel in the distance, and picked up the pace until she saw the letters on top that twinkled and sparkled. It was even more beautiful in person, the weapons wheel. There were plenty of kinds of weapons on the colorful panels, any of which Harleigh would have gladly gotten.

She picked out the token from her pocket and put it in the slot. The machine lit up with colorful lights and Harleigh's heart pounded harder. You still have six more spins if you need them, she thought to herself. There was no need to get worked up about it. But she couldn't help that nervous feeling that she had in her chest.

With a great effort, she reached up and pulled the lever. The wheel spun around in a blur of colors, slowing down until it halted to a stop. On…

"Nunchucks. Wonderful," she deadpanned. The machine took a moment, then the indigo weapon appeared for Harleigh to take. They were heavy metal, but Harleigh was too afraid to give them a spin for fear of punching herself in the face with them. That would definitely hurt. Maybe this would work as a last resort, but then what is it going to get her?

Suddenly, the floor beside her opened up, and out came a very long canteen. That's… Odd. Harleigh went over and opened it up slowly. Looking at her was a glimmering fencing foil with an indigo handle. Harleigh's eyes widened as she picked up the weapon slowly. It was perfect. So lightweight and portable, and easy to use. And it had a point on it that could kill. All she needed for it now was some poison, then she could really be lethal with it.

Harleigh took out the sheath that came with it, and slung it over her shoulder with the weapon inside. She would have to practice with this before she actually tried to use it… but even if the circumstances were dire, she knew that she could have it right by her side.

With it was a note.

Keep home in your heart. We are rooting for you. -Gian

Harleigh read the note again, and took a deep breath. She so badly wanted that to be true… She had a feeling that it was.

She looked around and the coast was still clear. Maybe there was something else for her to find.

She munched on some nuts for lunch as she kept walking. She didn't particularly like them, but they had a good texture and the salt made Harleigh feel more alive. It was a good distraction to keep her on guard as she continued to walk through, until another wheel beckoned to her sight. This one was a little bit less colorful than the previous one, but that didn't make it any less enticing. The items on it were pretty basic, but many of them useful. She still had six tokens, so… Eh, why not? She was going to use them wisely after all.

Harleigh put the coin in the slot and pulled the lever. The wheel, labelled a general wheel, spun around and around. It was enticing… A little bit addicting as well if Harleigh wasn't so focused on staying strong so she could get home.

The wheel slowed, until it landed on… Bandages.

Harleigh took the white bandages lined with indigo on the edges. She sure hoped that she wouldn't need them any time soon. But in the Games, you never know…

Harleigh looked at some of the items, wondering if maybe she could win herself a first aid kit. That was the one thing that she didn't feel comfortable without. Eh, what could go wrong? Harleigh put in one token, focusing on the pale orange panel that had "Complex First Aid Kit" written on it. One more, for the money.

And instead, she got a fucking coffee mug. The indigo mug appeared, much to Harleigh's annoyance, and she knew that meant it was time to stop for today. She still put the mug in her bag, though, just in case. She didn't trust that the Gamemakers didn't have a plan for the random shit they were putting on these wheels.

The Arena was getting darker, so Harleigh decided that she would set up camp around there for the night. But she couldn't give up. She couldn't stay stagnant much longer. She had to keep moving forward, towards home. If she got her momentum going, she would never stop…

Keep home in your heart.

She was pretty sure that Gian knew that it never left.

-Jace Gallilei, 18, District 3-

He was lucky that he had his allies there to make sure he was sleeping at the right time. He had no idea what time of day it was, and his sleep schedule was so fucked it was past saving. And worst of all, he didn't even have an excuse to stay up all night to keep watch and monologue dramatically about how he couldn't sleep! He stayed up occasionally with the excuse that he wanted to pull his weight of the exhaustion, which was true, but also he liked the companionship of being with Elliot or Camellia. They were nice and easy to talk to, and made the night go faster.

Bec had made a friend in the Games too, and lost them too early. Obviously, Jace never saw Dyna's face, but they had a soft, gentle voice when Jace heard it. He knew they would be a good friend for him. And now, Jace had found some… Different kinds of friends. But just as good. If Jace didn't win, which he was still ready to do, he would like it to be Camellia or Elliot. They were both misfits in a way, just like he was. Camellia had a fire behind her to end this madness once and for all, and he was sure she actually could.

They had a very calm time in the Games so far. Elliot was injured in the bloodbath, but with the basic first aid they had, he seemed to be doing better. Each day, his voice sounded a little stronger. After that, nothing really happened to them, besides receiving sponsor gifts, which was very helpful. Well, except for that canteen that didn't fucking work. That wasn't as helpful. But everything else so far would be of use to them. He was just worried for the day they would have to use them…. Hopefully it wouldn't be for another little while.

"What day is it?" he asked Camellia, who was awake with him.

"It's the fifth day," she said quietly. Five days already!? To Jace, it felt like way less than five. It felt like every day dragged on and on, all of them blending into the last…

"That's almost a week," Jace said. Camellia let out a small sigh through her nose and murmured affirmation. She sounded exhausted, but Jace couldn't blame her. Eventually, they would be forced to move. The supplies they did have were starting to run out, and Jace had a feeling that they weren't going to find anything just laying around.

"Elliot's awake," she said quietly, and a deep yawn followed.

Jace frowned. "Isn't it early for that?" he asked. "Maybe he should go back to sleep."

"It's just about the right time," she said. "The lights are almost all the way on."

Jace felt his ears flush for sounding like a dumbass on national TV like that. His goal was to trick the viewers into forgetting that he couldn't see, hoping that if they did maybe they would bet on him and sponsor him… But he knew it was impossible to escape the label of that blind tribute. Still though, he wished he could be on the same page as the world around him all the time, without having to ask.

"Why didn't you guys wake me up?" Elliot asked groggily.

"You were actually asleep for once," Camellia said grimly. Jace knew how rare that was first hand. Each of them had their moments of deep rest, and waking up hadn't felt good as much as they just wanted to get back there.

"What's for breakfast?" Jace asked, but it was a joke because he already knew the answer.

"Hm…" Camellia said, sounding very deep in thought. "Well, there are apples here. Or maybe, some apples? If those don't sound good, we have some fresh apples here."

Just the thought of apples made his stomach spin. When he got out of here, Jace wasn't sure he'd ever want to eat another apple.

"So many choices," Elliot said. "I don't know how I could possibly decide!"

"I'll give you the special," Camellia said.

"I sure wonder what the special is," Jace quipped sarcastically, and the other two both laughed as he heard Camellia use one of their knives to cut the apple into pieces.

"Here," she said, and Jace put out his hand and felt the apple slice pressed into it. They only had a piece each for breakfast in the interest of conservation, but Jace knew that soon they would run out. Camellia and Elliot said it was a big bag, but they'd also been eating so many apples. It was a good thing they had some tokens left over from the bloodbath.

"Should we… Get moving today?" Elliot asked, his voice quiet and shy.

Jace let out a small sigh. He knew that Elliot was right, and he was sure Camellia knew it too.

"I suppose," she said. Jace's stomach did a flip at the thought of a confrontation. Hopefully they would find some wacky Arena bullshit instead of other tributes. That would at least be enough to keep the Capitol entertained. They ate in silence. Jace found himself eating slower at the thought that once breakfast ended, so would their security blanket. He could always play the blindness card, but he knew it would only make things worse. The Capitol would think them cowards and they would stop getting gifts. And oh, how badly he wanted something other than apples, a weapon other than knives. A weapon for him, as he didn't have one at the moment.

He finished the small sliver of apple, the sweetness beckoning for a sip from one of their canteens. Not that he wasn't glad to have a stomach that is at least half full, but… So many fucking apples.

"Ready?" Camellia asked.

"No," Elliot said, and Jace snorted. At least he's honest.

"Alright, let's go!" she said with enthusiasm that Jace could easily tell was fake.

"I can take a backpack," Jace said. He wanted to do something.

"Here," Elliot said, and Jace put out both of his hands to receive the backpack. It was heavier than he was expecting, but once he had it and Elliot let go, he grabbed a strap and swung it around his shoulders. He felt Elliot's arm link up with his own as he started walking forward.

"Is Camellia up front?" Jace asked.

"Mhm," came the affirmative response from Elliot. Jace nodded, forming the mental picture of the set-up as they kept a moderately slow pace.

"What do you see?" Jace whispered.

"It looks like most of the rest of the room," Elliot said. "Red carpet, chandelier lights, and…

Suddenly, the ground under Jace's feet began to shake with a low rumble. He almost lost his balance when the rumbling became louder and more intense.

"Look!" Camellia whisper-shouted.

"I'm not too great at that," Jace whispered back.

"The door…" Elliot murmured.

"What's happening to the door?" As soon as it started, the rumbling stopped. "What's going on?" Jace had no idea.

"The door just changed!" Camellia asked.

"Into what?"

"No, the picture on it," Elliot said, sounding deep in thought.

"It was a diamond, now it's a heart."

"Where is the door?" he asked.

"There." Elliot must have been pointing. Jace puffed out some air. Elliot realized his mistake and with a frazzled apology, turned Jace's body so he was facing it. Jace tried to visualize it, but he still didn't know how close or far he was.

"That must have been what the rumbling was yesterday too," Camellia said.

"That and the elevator," Elliot said. The fact that someone- probably the Careers- had control of the elevator was quite intimidating.

"Wait… Elliot, Jace, follow me. I think I see something." The urgency in Camellia's voice snapped Elliot and Jace both into action. Now, they were moving at a brisk jog forwards, and Jace was determined to keep up with them.

"It's a wheel!" Elliot said. Jace was surprised at the discovery.

"Not just that, it's a weapons wheel," Camellia said.

Jace perked up, digging his hand into his pocket to find tokens, when he heard a sharp gasp from Camellia and heard the sound of footsteps.

"Who is it?" Jace asked in a sharp whisper, but nobody was telling him what was happening until he heard a voice he recognized well.

"Let's just go, Coda!"

"Stand down!" The words burst out of Jace before he could stop them. "Let them go. We don't want to fight." There was a tense moment of silence, and Jace had no idea what was happening. Was someone hurt?

"Go," Camellia said, finally. Jace heard the sound of footsteps running away from them on the carpet.

Jace's heart was still pounding in his chest. "What happened?"

"Henley and Coda," Elliot said quietly. "They're long gone now, though."

Jace frowned. "Could you have taken them?" he asked. He had no idea if they were armed, but if they had better weapons, it could have been a bloody brawl.

"They both had tall blades," Camellia said.

"I think Coda was actually ready to use that lamp as a weapon though."

"That what?" Jace asked, and he heard Elliot laugh a little beside him.

"Yeah, they also had a floor lamp," Camellia said. Jace laughed a little at the image of the scrappy boy trying to attack them with a floor lamp. "But, Jace…" her voice became far more serious. "They looked terrible."

The smile quickly left his lips. His District partner had been kind to him, and of course Jace didn't want her to suffer for a long time. It sounded like she was doing just that, to his disappointment…

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called it off."

"Don't worry about it," Elliot said. Jace could sense some relief in his voice.

"Well, guess all we have left to do is give this wheel a spin," Camellia said.

Jace nodded, relieved himself that she didn't sound too mad at not fighting. He held out a token. "Here you go. Hopefully you have better luck than I have." He felt Camellia take it out of his hand.

"Wish me luck," she said. Jace could hear the metal token slide into the machine, and the sound of Camellia pulling the lever. He heard the small, rapid clicking sound of the wheel spinning around and around, slowing down until it reached a stop.

"Confetti cannon!?" Camellia asked, as the mechanical sound of the machine producing the prize.

"That's pretty big," Elliot said. "Maybe it can scare them away?"

"Yeah, the Careers are going to be so scared of this bright yellow confetti cannon," Camellia said with a huff.

"I have three more tokens," Jace said. There was a silence, which made Jace feel awkward, but he hoped that maybe they were thinking.

"Let's do one more," Elliot said.

"If you're going to do that then you're going to spin it, Pretty Boy," Camellia grumbled. Jace held out another token and Elliot gently took it.

The token slid in, the lever was pulled, the wheel spun and spun… Jace bit his lip nervously.

"Fencing foil?" Camellia said. "Who the hell uses a fencing foil!?"

"Hey, it's pointy and long, we can use it." Jace heard the machine present the weapon, and what he assumed was Elliot picking it up. "At least now we all have something we can use in a pinch."

"I do have two more tokens," Jace said, feeling for them in his pocket.

"No, we should save them. Maybe we'll find a food wheel," Elliot said.

"I'm not spinning, because if I do, I'll definitely get apples," Camellia said grumpily. "Or worse. A durian or some shit."

"Eeeew," Elliot said with a laugh.

"You're not wrong," Jace said.

"Now, let's get away from this door," Camellia said. "We don't need to stick around for tributes that aren't pacifistic like those two."

It took no time at all for both boys to agree, and soon the angry trio was back on their way.

~.~.

-Henley Dorset, 15, District 3-

They wouldn't have stood a chance against the two older teens. It didn't matter that they had better weapons, Henley could barely even stand at this point, let alone fight. She's almost hit the slot machines when she and Coda were running away. She knew that Jace had just won her some extra time to live… She wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to repay him for that…

And mostly, she had no idea why he would let the two of them go. Surely, the three older teens weren't afraid of Coda and Henley. It must have been purely out of pity. It was pretty easy to tell that they were on death's doorstep anyways…

"Henley?" Coda's voice made her realize that she'd stopped walking. She felt like she was about to go over, so she quickly grabbed the top of a chair that was bolted to the floor in front of a slot machine to keep from toppling over. She didn't know how much longer she could last like this…

Coda was by her side, the lamp waiting patiently next to him.

"You okay?"

"I can't…" she forced out, and suddenly she could feel it coming. Her whole body tensed, trying to stop it, trying to shut out the shocks…

She felt Coda catch her as she collapsed.

…

Could she open her eyes? Henley felt like she was using the very last calorie in her body to take a breath. She had nothing left. She couldn't urinate, her mouth was arid and dry. Her limbs ached and her brain felt like it had broken up into powder. There was nothing left. The thought of having to deal with another two, three, four seizures just in one day, then an entire night awake, having to worry about it, being stress and tense… Henley just didn't feel like she could do it anymore.

Her whole world was black, and when she opened her eyes just a little bit, all she saw was static. Nothing was there anymore. Henley certainly wasn't there anymore. She felt a million miles away. She was just exhausted. She couldn't do it. Her mind gave out again, and the world went black again.

…

She woke up again, and she felt like she was in a whirlwind… Her body was thrashing about wildly, so fast that Henley's stomach lurched. She might have thrown up, if she wasn't so damn empty…

The shaking started to make her feel dizzy, and when she took a deep breath of air, she realized where it was coming from: her ally. Coda was shaking her body so fast. She wanted to tell him to cut it out, but she couldn't even make her body do that. Maybe if she just blinked to show she was alive… She was still breathing, right?

Henley tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn't move. They were like lead. Her body wasn't ready for that.

The world faded to black again.

…

This time, the tornado of shaking combined with the sound of a blaring alarm. The sound was so hard to listen to, Henley just wanted it to stop so that she could go back to sleep like she had been. She was just so exhausted, she was so tired… The yelling was so loud and Henley squeezed her eyes shut as her vision exploded with bright colors…

The sound zeroed in, it was Coda, and he was saying something, very loudly. Henley knew that they might get caught if he continued being so loud, but Henley couldn't get up to tell him she was alright.

Was she alright?

She faded out before she could tell herself that she was.

…

When she came to again, the world was black. The cyclone and the noise had stopped. There was nothing now. Was Coda still there? Maybe he left. Maybe he thought she was dead… Maybe she was. Henley wanted to call out to him, to make sure he was still there, that someone was still looking out for her, but she couldn't make herself get up again. She wasn't comfortable, but she couldn't make herself flip over or stretch out to get comfortable.

Her head pounded, pounded against the cold, hard floor, the metal space her sleeping body had been stuffed into, was she there before? Did someone move her? Henley wanted to see where she was, but she couldn't force herself to do anything.

Silence surrounded her, beckoning her back to sleep.

…

The silence continued, but this time when Henley came to, she felt the warmth of a weight on her hand. It must have been Coda. He hadn't left her after all.

She felt a gentle weight on her chest, the side of his face, perhaps listening for her heartbeat before the weight was gone. His fingers stroked the top of her own nervously. Coda was murmuring something to himself next to her, his warm hand not leaving her own, which felt very cold. Cold because she was basically dead, right?

Except for the fact that she wasn't dead.

I'm alive.

She gave Coda's hand a squeeze in her own, but before she could get a reaction, she was gone again.

…

Henley slept for a long time after that. She didn't know how she knew it was a long time, but in her sleep she just knew that it was a much longer time than had been the previous times. She had no dreams, and saw nothing but black in her sight, not moving. She felt like she was floating above everything, like a ghost that was no loner here…

She was just barely holding on, tightrope walking between two worlds, and if she fell… She was losing her balance… She didn't want to fall… But her balance was going, her entire body thrown off course just by a gust of wind…

She was falling, falling, falling…

…

And then she woke up.

.

The fifth night

Henley finally had the energy to sit open her eyes. Her mind felt clear. Her body was still exhausted, but her mind was still there. Henley took a deep breath, and then her ears centered into the sound of quiet sobs beside her.

Henley wanted to be there for him, but she couldn't even get herself to move… As much as she wanted to. He had always been there for her, and now in this one moment she couldn't be there for him… She mustered the energy to sit up as she heard him try to calm himself down. Even his sniffles sounded dry. He was murmuring explicatives and taking jagged breaths… He would self-destruct if he was left to his devices like this…

With a great effort, Henley pushed herself into a sitting position, almost hitting her head on the bottom of the slot machine where Coda had put her to keep her hidden.

He immediately looked up at hearing the movement. "Henley!" He was trying to get it together, before he burst into another round of sobs. He was surrounded by the remains of a splintery, destroyed hairbrush.

"What happened?" She tried to ask him, but the words didn't come out of her mouth. All that came out was a wheeze. She didn't have the energy to speak. He hurried over to her and helped her out from under the slot machine. His hands were shaking, clammy… He surely would have been sweating if he had any water left in his body…

"I tried to save us," he said, his voice laced with spite. "I couldn't. One token, a chance at food… At water… and all I got…" The hairbrush. Now it was making sense to Henley.

"It's not your fault," she tried to say, but nothing was coming out. She was just so exhausted, her body could barely move. He had done his best, and it still wasn't enough. But she couldn't have guaranteed that she could do any better.

She swallowed again, and spoke in a quiet, feeble whisper.

"I should… stay here."

She knew that she was only deadweight to him, and was glad that he at least went out to try and find supplies without her. She knew that she didn't have much time left anyways. And he didn't have to be there on the day she didn't wake up, if that would happen to be the case. She didn't have nearly as much time as he did. And if she went, then she at least wanted him to have a chance.

Feebly, Henley reached into her bag and picked out the tracker, which had been vibrating gently. It was their last hope at this point… Last hope for anything.

"I don't want to leave you," he said, quickly shaking his head with another sob.

"You must." It was all she could muster the energy to say to him. They both knew it. She just hoped that he wouldn't make her say it another time. She wasn't sure she had the energy or the heart to.

Coda's face contorted into a frown. "I don't want to just leave you here to die! Henley!" The only part of her body that could possibly manage to argue him was her eyes. But it was enough, as Coda quickly looked away from her eyes and turned away from her.

"You have to hide and wait for me," he said quietly. "I will come back to you."

Henley gave him a nod, her lips forming into a frown. She would certainly miss his company… But what other choice did she have? He helped her back into her hiding space, under the slot machines. Henley reached out and gave his hand a squeeze. Coda had ugly crying face as he squeezed back with another dry sniffle.

"I'll be back," he said quietly.

"Goodbye, Coda," she said feebly.

Without another word, he was gone.

~.~.