The seventh night

-Kelwyn Murdock, 18, District 4-

The monster beneath his foot coughed up blood on his coat, and then breathed her last. Mutilated, bleeding out, the body she loved so much destroyed… Kelwyn couldn't help but feel satisfied at the sight.

The chaos around him suddenly came back into focus, the sound of groggy voices yelling at him and the chilling absence of Celestia…

"What the hell was that Kelwyn?!" Arden marched over, the other two behind her. Each of the others had something to say as well. But Kelwyn couldn't come up with an answer for her. There hadn't been a cannon yet, which meant that Celestia was still alive. Kelwyn forcefully threw over Rammie's mutilated body, taking the backpack off of her shoulders. What was on that dart?! Surely just one hit wouldn't be able to kill someone… Kelwyn took the backpack and ran as fast as he could over to the figure of Celestia, which looked like not much more than a dark mound in the light of the small fire that was burning away the lantern that Rammie had once been carrying.

She was still up, on her hands and knees. The rest of the alliance crowded around. "I'm here Celestia," he said hurriedly. "Just hold on for a moment…"

She looked over, but then her arms wobbled until they collapsed, sending her to the floor, and with it, Kelwyn's heart collapsed.

"Celestia please…" he begged her, as he tried to search through Rammie's backpack to find something, anything that could indicate what happened! That was when he pulled out the two syringes. One of them was emptied a little bit at the top, the other remained untouched. Kelwyn's heart was racing as he looked at the others, all of which were staring down at her, motionless.

"What the hell are you guys sitting around for! Do something! Keep her awake!" his voice cracked a little bit at the exclamation.

Mercury was the first to snap into action. He hit Celestia's cheeks gently and shook her body as Kelwyn tried to put together what to do. They looked exactly the same to Kelwyn. Who was to say that they weren't both poison and using it on her would only speed up her death!? Kelwyn didn't want to be responsible for it… Celestia let out a small moan as Mercury shook her body and talked to her in a quiet voice.

"She's not doing well," Mercury said, his voice sounding pained. Kelwyn knew that he had to act quickly, but what if he didn't' make the right choice?! What if he killed her? "Might want to do something over there if you can!"

Kelwyn wasn't given a choice. He took the syringe that wasn't emptied and thrust it in the other side of Celestia's neck.

"I'm so sorry," he said, just in case it didn't work… She would know that he cared, wouldn't she? She would know that he tried to save her, right? Maybe… Kelwyn pushed the plunger and watched the liquid be dispensed into Celestia's veins. His heart pounded in his chest for a long moment. Celestia's body relaxed, and slumped over. Hands shaking, Kelwyn dropped the empty syringe on the ground.

"What in the hell happened here?" Arden asked, but Kelwyn didn't have the heart to answer her. There was no way he'd be able to tell her of the horrors that happened here… The horrors under his own spear… Under his own inability to protect his ally…

Kelwyn couldn't form an answer. Instead, the tears trickled at the corner of his eyes… And this time, he let them go. Kelwyn wasn't sure what exactly changed in him… He was just exhausted at holding them in for so long. The tears freely flowed down his cheeks, the small sobs he had been holding in for so long finally being put out into the world, expelled, away from Kelwyn. He knew that now wasn't the right time or place, and tried to stop them. But there was just no way he could.

"I'll go restore the supplies," Remus said.

"But-" Remus didn't let Arden finish, just started dragging her in the other direction, and Mercury followed them, leaving Kelwyn alone.

They think you're such an idiot now, he scolded himself, cut it out, man up, this isn't what a Victor looks like, but the more he beat himself up, the more he cried. This always worked before…! But now, it only made him more upset, angrier at himself for letting it go this long… He covered his face with his hands as the hot tears continued to streak down his cheeks, rolling onto his fingers and down his hands. He had no words to say anymore. No more justification for why or how he was feeling this way. No more fake smiles to hide behind… He had nothing left to give to them anymore. This was who he was. A boy that was always hurting, always carrying a dull ache in the very pit of his stomach, that would flare up under the simplest circumstances.

He wasn't at all who they thought he was. He wasn't charismatic, friendly, he wasn't the leader everyone was expecting him to be. He wasn't the knowledgeable person they wanted. He wasn't the shoe-in Victor pick everyone told him he was at the party. He wasn't that person they all thought he was.

He wasn't happy. And if he isn't happy, then why is he still trying to fight for his life like this? If he isn't happy, why is he here, to waste 23 others that could have been happy where he can't? Maybe he thought that being a Victor would make him happy, but so far no part of this process had given him the happiness he craved: the happiness he saw in commercials, in the Victor's Village, hell, within his friends and family! Why should a broken man like him possibly win over someone like Celestia, who found so much contentment in everything she did? It wasn't fair to them…

But Kelwyn wasn't ready to die either. He had people that were depending on him to come home… He still had things waiting for him there that he wasn't ready to just give up on… Brizo… Lyle…

You think Lyle isn't terrified of you now? Kelwyn's spine went cold at the thought. He didn't want his little brother to be scared of him… Should have thought twice before you did what you did then… Kelwyn didn't know what happened. He was usually so good at holding it together. For some reason, he just snapped on her. He was so tired of being made to feel bad by so many people, but especially her…

He would just have to get home… If he can get home to his friends and family, all of this will have been worth it, right? Kelwyn couldn't know for sure, but he was willing to hope. He looked at the figure on the floor below him, laying so perfectly still… He didn't know why he'd clicked so well with her, but he did. And he didn't regret any moment of it, in the end. If he had to go back and do it again, he wouldn't have turned her away. She seemed like she needed a friend. And having a brother that struggled to make friends, Kelwyn was sympathetic.

A cannon suddenly boomed, and Kelwyn was jolted out of his thoughts. He tried to take a deep breath and compose himself, when he realized… There was only one cannon!

Kelwyn hurriedly leaned down and pressed his ear against her chest. Her heart hadn't stopped yet… She was still alive… He wiped his eyes, taking a deep breath as he shook her again, now desperate to wake her up…

Celestia's eyes came open faster than they had before. Could he have really saved her?

"Celestia," he said.

"Kelwyn…" she said back, her voice sounding raspy but mostly confused as to why that interaction had taken place.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I don't think I have to throw up anymore," she said. Kelwyn was so happy to hear her talk. He was still crying: a combination of pent-up emotions, feeling embarrassed for getting so melodramatic when she hadn't even died, and feeling overwhelmed that she was awake.

"Can you walk back to camp?" he asked. It wasn't that far away, but Celestia immediately shook her head.

"Can I carry you?"

After a short second, she nodded her head yes. She moved her legs up just a little so he could get his arm under them and he scooped her up. Celestia was far heavier than she seemed: the girl was pure muscle: but it wasn't that far of a distance. Kelwyn, straining only slightly, carried her back to camp and set her down.

"You can sleep now," Kelwyn said quietly. Celestia didn't say anything else, she wordlessly closed her eyes.

"We'll have to talk about this in the morning," Remus said levelly. "I'm willing to take watch now."

"I'll stay up too," Merc offered, even though he looked tired. Kelwyn was suddenly hit with how tired he was. He supposed the emotional energy he used up was enough to make him sleep through the night. As much as his brain wanted to stay awake, his body was dozing off. Arden was already asleep when Kelwyn laid down. He was worried about betrayal, nightmares, all the like… But for some reason, it wasn't keeping him awake anymore like it had. Maybe this was what healing felt like.

Kelwyn took a deep breath, situated himself on the pillow, and easily drifted off into a deep sleep.

~.~.

The eighth day

The tributes were shaken when they woke up at the dawn of the eighth day. Some, who were originally supposed to keep watch, rubbed their bleary eyes and tried to make sense of what had happened the previous night. However, the memories were fuzzy, as the sleeping gas that had been used to knock them all out wasn't completely expelled from their systems yet.

There was some degree of alarm in each of their eyes as they realized they were enclosed in a box of darkness. Disoriented, the tributes made it up to their feet and looked around for any semblance of something. They could not see their allies, or the Arena. All they could see was darkness.

Once they were all up, which didn't take long, their eyes were met with a single eerie light in their color. Some, like Camellia, were pressing up against the walls, trying in vain to push it open. Some, like Eden, were feeling around in the dark for anything they could be used… The Careers realized that they had all been stripped of weapons and supplies, which caused some visible unease.

"Good morning tributes," came Lux's voice over the speaker. In Ceru's box, closed captions appeared on the back wall where he was facing. "Seeing as we are down to fourteen, it's time we shook things up a little bit. Kelwyn started to panic, frantically feeling around through the box. "Your exit ticket is simple. All it requires is some spinning. And these wheels do not require a token."

"What is this?" Harleigh murmured to herself, moving forward towards the glowing indigo wheel in front of her. As she read through the materials, it was coming together. It sealed the deal when Harleigh saw "Coffee mug" on the wheel. They weren't spinning for anything new.

"Each spin will determine a supply of yours that you surrender."

Elliot's eyes got wide and he took a step back, away from the wheel in front of him. "No…" he murmured.

"The number of spins required of you is demonstrated above the wheel. Once all of your spins are completed, you will be released."

Owen was slamming his hands against the wall, gasping quietly in fear as he pounded. He let out a small scream at the darkness surrounding him.

"The wheels are officially mobile. May the odds be ever in your favor."

The clicking sound of the intercom turning off was accompanied by the sound of water trickling into each of the boxes. Ceru felt it puddle around his feet. By the time the water pooled around their ankles, the tributes started spinning.

The first wheel to land is Arden's, which stops on the panel titled "THROWING KNIVES."

"No," she whispered. "No!" The doors in front of her opened, and water rushed out of the room. The light hurt her eyes… She stepped out once she was adjusted to the light, and sure enough, all of the knives and belts were gone. Arden swallowed hard, gazing at each of the boxes scattered around the area, painted with a stripe at the top in each of her allies' colors.

Celestia watched nervously as the wheel stopped on "KO-NAGINATAS." Sure enough, by the time she was released, water splashing out around her feet, the weapons that she had used had vanished. Celestia's hands shook a little bit as she stared at the pile of supplies, which was only getting smaller…

Remus breathed a sigh of relief when his wheel landed on the panel labeled "ROPE." Both of his weapons of choice had been an option on the wheel, but for now, he wouldn't have to worry about them. For now…

Mercury didn't hesitate to spin once he felt the cold water lap at his ankles. His wheel went around for a short while, so that his shins were freezing when it finally stopped on "GAMEMAKER'S CHOICE." Mercury looked around desperately, waiting for something to happen… The wheel nicked around a few panels and finally stopped on… "SIMPLE FOOD PACKETS." Their most important source of food…

We have other types of food, he told himself… But how was he going to break this news to his allies?! He couldn't look them in the eyes when he stepped out of the box.

Kelwyn's wheel felt like it had been spinning forever and ever…. The water was only up to his knees, but he was getting alarmed. The wheel stopped on the panel that he didn't want it to at all… "SPEARS." Kelwyn let out a small yell of rage, kicking the monitor that the wheel was showing on with as much force as he could manage. What was he going to do!? He kicked it again and again, even after the doors were open… He just couldn't control the feeling of rage…

Jace had been guided to the wheel by hand rails in his box that guided his path. Upon feeling the water climb up to his knees, he knew that he couldn't put it off anymore. He felt around until he found the lever, then grabbed it and pulled. He could hear the clicking sounds of the wheel going around, slowing until a stop. The female voice resonated in his box, saying… "Bandages." Jace frowned worriedly at that. It was one of the things he thought they didn't have to worry about…

His ally, Elliot, was frozen in fear. He knew what he had to do, and that he didn't have a choice, but he was worried. What if he lost the little food they had left?! The water hit his waist and Elliot snapped into action. With a gasp and small sob, his first priority was reaching into his suit coat and pulling out a small piece of paper that he'd received early into the Games. He held it up high so it wouldn't get wet, and then approached the wheel. He pulled the lever and the wheel spun around and around. It slowed and slowed until it stopped… "BASIC FIRST AID." Elliot grabbed his chest, still holding up the paper. What if something happened and he couldn't save his allies because he'd fucked this up!? The doors opened and water poured out, but Elliot couldn't make himself move…

Camellia was the last of the angry trio to leave, not because of fear, but because of the panel her wheel landed on. GAMEMAKER'S CHOICE. Tears started to form in Camellia's eyes… Anything but that. They wanted to get her. And maybe they would. But it wasn't Elliot and Jace's price to pay. The full canteens were at stake for her, and she couldn't be the reason her allies died of dehydration… "Please," she pleads quietly, through her tears. This was their chance to finally get rid of her if they wanted to just leave her in there… She wasn't ready to go this way. Camellia's tears were wet as the water climbed up her legs. Finally, the lavender wheel on the screen clicked. One… Two… It stopped. "EMPTY THERMOS."

Camellia let out a small sob, this time of relief. The doors swung open and water gushed out of the cage. Camellia didn't mind that the light hurt her eyes, she couldn't get out of that hellish place fast enough. She saw the distraught look on Elliot's face and slowed down slightly.

Camellia was going to take this as a sign, though. She did have someone up there in that Complex that was on her side.

Lonan was the only other tribute from which only one spin was required. After being shut in a cage all day yesterday, he wasn't about to stay there any longer than he needed to. Lonan pulled the lever quickly, watching the wheel go around, finally stopping… "SWORDS." Lonan released the breath he was holding. Their food and water supply was safe, at least mostly. They had peanut butter if nothing else. Lonan took his time adjusting to the light as his allies had to risk it again.

After Owen had spun his first spin and gotten rid of the tennis ball, he felt a little bit more stable. He took his second spin, his body slightly less tense… The probability of it being something bad was bigger now that the tennis balls were out of the way… The water had reached his waist before the wheel stopped on the panel… "GAMEMAKER'S CHOICE." It didn't take very long for the wheel to click over one… Two… Three times…

"No," Owen said quietly. "Please."

The wheel stopped. "SIMPLE FOOD PACKETS." Owen put his hands together. "Please, no!" He couldn't be the reason his allies perished… He just wanted to protect them and take care of them… No… The doors opened and water rushed out, but Owen couldn't move.

Ceru didn't feel like he was having good luck. His first spin had landed on "BASIC FIRST AID," which wasn't the best one but wasn't the worst. Unless someone lost the complex first aid they had… Ceru swallowed a nervous lump in his throat as he pulled the lever. He watched the wheel spin for a while as he felt the water trickle into the bottom of his shirt. It stopped… "FUN KEYCHAIN." He smiled a little bit and let out a breath of relief as the doors opened to his cage. He picked his feet up off the ground and let the rushing water carry him out of the box.

Coda stared at the glowing lime green wheel in front of him and swallowed a lump in his throat. "You're guarding me now." He stepped forward and pulled the lever for his first spin. The items clicked and clicked, and stopped… "LAMP." Coda felt a smile spread across his face. This was it! This was when his luck was going to turn around. He took his second spin, heart pounding with worry, and watched it go until it landed… "SLEEPING BAG." That caused his smile to waver a little bit. He had just received it, and was enjoying it… but he still had food, water, and weapons. Hopefully that would remain true. He wasn't about to waste Henley's sacrifice with shitty luck. He wouldn't let it happen. Coda pulled the lever for his last spin and watched it go… "BLOWDARTS," the panel said. There was one more spin… It could mean all of his food: or all of his water: gone. No. Coda was going to have faith that her promise wouldn't fail him. He pulled the lever again. The wheel seemed to spin forever, the water reaching Coda's elbows before it stopped… "GORILLA GLUE."

"Yes!" he said out loud, smiling for once. Finally, this godforsaken Arena had done something good for him. He coasted out of there when the doors open, feeling better than ever about his chance at Victory.

A part of him would miss that lamp, though.

Eden only had three spins, but she was waiting for something else. She had allowed the cage to fill up to her knees, and then taken drinks and drinks of water. She had food to carry her to this point, but it just felt so good to drink. The water didn't taste great, but it didn't taste poisonous at least. Then again, who knew? Eden just couldn't help herself. It felt so good to have after being so damn dried out for the past week.

She didn't mind having to spin: she had plenty of things that were expendable and it would just be easier if they were gone. She took her first spin and watched it, willing it to not land on her food. It landed on the "KNIFE" panel first. Eden didn't mind: she had other weapons: but it wasn't the one she wanted to get rid of. The second spin landed on GAMEMAKER'S CHOICE. Eden watched, her heart pounding with anticipation as she took another gulp of water. The wheel clicked around, until it stopped… "BANDAGES."

Eden breathed a sigh of relief. The Gamemakers weren't out to get her quite yet. She took her third spin and watched, waiting... "NIGHT VISION GOGGLES." Shit. Eden had really relied on those for when she was moving at night. What was she going to do now…? Well, eat at least. She was thankful to have the bare essentials at least. When she was released, Eden held her nose and ducked all the way under the water, trying to absorb as much of it as she could into her clothes and hair. It wasn't ideal, but it was the only way she had to preserve water at this point.

Harleigh had three spins, but she had an incredibly bad feeling. She pulled the lever and waited, biting her lip. The wheel spun and stopped on… "PEANUT BUTTER." Harleigh let out a breath she was holding. She didn't have a ton of peanut butter left, and she still had some other food, so she could let it go. She took a deep breath and took her second spin. The wheel slowed and stopped on "BANDAGES." Harleigh cursed to herself. She could really afford to get rid of some of the other stuff she had. But she still had water, and her weapon of choice. Harleigh pulled the lever again, and the wheel spun and spun, lurching to a stop on…

"Fuck!" She had lost all the rest of her food supply. The doors opened, but Harleigh just looked out into the blinding light and knew that she would have to show Gian why he put his faith in her.

~.~.

-Harleigh Noheg, 14, District 6-

Harleigh hoped that maybe they wouldn't take all of her food. What a fickle thing it was, hope. The reality is that dreams never came true, no matter how hard you dreamt them. How much Harleigh had dreamt that her parents would come back, that she would get to live in the same house with her Mom, get kisses on the top of her head from her Dad, her real Dad… Her real Mom… Not just some nanny that was taking care of her and her brother. When she was younger, she thought that maybe they actually would come if she hoped enough. That it would come to pass that Nana was actually her mother, she would claim Harleigh and Davidson as her own children, and their father would come back after being lost from them, they could be a happy family together…

How silly she was, to dream like that back then. She should have known that fairytales don't happen for everyone. That's why they're fairytales: they're reserved for special people, people with privilege, people that have special talents… Not the average person like Harleigh. Perhaps if she were reaped a year or two ago, she would have been holding out hope that her real parents saw her in the Arena, recognized her, and felt terrible for how they left her and Davidson, and come back for them… But those types of things didn't happen to people like Harleigh. She had come to terms with that. She was okay with it. After all, there was nothing she could do to change it, so why waste the energy being sad about it?

Perhaps it was being so close to possible death, but those feelings were somehow finding her again, after so long of her shutting them away. And the hard part was that Harleigh wasn't upset about it. She forgot how badly she missed these feelings… And yet, she knew that they were dangerous. She was only setting herself up to be disappointed, just as she always had been before. She had to be realistic about her position so that she would remain alert and aware. But if she got out of here, maybe she could have a fairytale ending like she always wanted. It sure felt like one at the party, in a huge ballgown in the grand hall. Maybe if she opened the door, her parents would walk through it… How badly she wanted to have a family.

Not that Davidson wasn't enough for her… Not that Nana didn't take care of them… They were her family.

But she never even got to know what it was like to have two parents. Two parents that she could call Mom and Dad.

Once she got out of here, maybe she could make a family. Gian felt like her snarky older brother with a golden heart. He'd somehow done an amazing job at getting gifts for her, even though she could barely sell herself. The notes on the gifts were about sixty percent sappy, and forty percent snarky. Knowing that he was still out there working for her: and that there were people spending money on her: was enough for Harleigh to keep going. Now, she had something more to fight for than just herself and her brother. It was an unfamiliar feeling, but not one that Harleigh disliked. It gave her more purpose.

And now they were down to fourteen. It was so close to halfway… And yet, so so far away from returning home to District Six. But it would be far more than just returning… Her life would never be the same after coming home. A common motif in fairytales, she supposed… But not quite as dark as the Hunger Games.

Harleigh had been putting off confrontation for a while because she didn't have a weapon, but now she did… Maybe not poison for it, but she had the foil, and it was pretty sharp. It wouldn't be quite as deadly as Hamlet's weapon: the foil with poison on the end: but for now, it would do. The weapon wheel was looking at her temptingly, the vial of poison on it sticking out: even in her color, indigo (perhaps this was on purpose by the Gamemakers). But it was only one option out of over twenty, and if they were going to pull more shit like making the tributes spin to get rid of supplies, she was going to hold onto them.

She had lost all of her food in the process of spinning, but now Harleigh was prepared to show everyone why she was worthy of being supported. She had to show Gian that she was going to try to get back home so he wouldn't give up on her. That meant, for now, being resourceful and very careful with her tokens. You never know when they might come in handy later, after all.

Harleigh didn't feel so good after getting out of her box. Her head was spinning so quickly, and it just wouldn't stop… She had a headache, and her limbs were so stiff. Thinking back, she couldn't even remember the night before, only that she'd felt so tired and then she woke up in the box. It was almost like a spell had been put upon them: more accurately, probably a dirty trick from the Gamemakers.

If that was true, though, it was probably still affecting everyone around Harleigh. So if she could just fend it off, maybe she could have the higher ground… Harleigh took a sip of water, stretching her arms out and trying to have some more life in her bones. She was stubborn as a bull, and wasn't going to let a little bit of wooziness slow her down. She pushed herself up to her feet and took a moment to stabilize herself. The flashing lights and bright, eye-assaulting colors from the wheels made everything so much more difficult for her, but Harleigh wasn't going to let that stop her. She blinked a few times, adjusting her eyes, trying to get the floor under her feet to stop moving out from under them. She stumbled forward, trying to get moving.

The first step is always the hardest, the Gian in her head said. Always Mr. Wisdom. It was true though. Once Harleigh was moving herself forward, everything became easier for her. Soon, the world came into focus and she could tell exactly where she was going. She had to slow down every once in a while when a particularly flashy object would destroy her eyes, but she just looked away, took a breath, and kept on stubbornly moving forward. The more she moved, the better Harleigh felt. Hopefully being active would move whatever the hell it was through Harleigh's system faster. She kept moving stubbornly across the room. She knew that someone was there: she'd heard a voice. By the time she saw the figure laying there, Harleigh felt practically back to normal.

The bags hanging out of the backpack she was sitting next to was a good sign for Harleigh.

Eden noticed her just then. Her eyes widened and she let out a yelp and stumbled backwards. Harleigh wasn't sure she'd ever seen a girl look so scared. "Please don't hurt me!" she screeched.

Harleigh reached for her fencing foil, looking at the other girl threateningly. Eden didn't look too good. She had food, but it seemed she hadn't gotten a good drink of water for a while. She wanted to bargain with the little girl, but Harleigh knew that bargaining wasn't what made a Victor. She took a deep, shaking breath, looking into the face of the girl she was going to kill. Was she really going to kill her? Eden quivered, even though she was surrounded with weapons. But when Harleigh looked at Eden again, she didn't see someone that was scared at all: she saw someone that was calculating her murder.

Harleigh wasn't sure if it was adrenaline making her see things or what, but she wasn't going to spend any more time thinking about it. Victors don't think, they act.

Harleigh lurched forward at the girl, thrusting forward her fencing foil.

A piercing scream echoed through the floor…

But it wasn't coming from Eden.

As soon as Harleigh held the weapon tight enough to jab it, she felt a burning pain shoot through her hand, sending the weapon clattering down onto the floor. Harleigh's hand was gushing blood, but she didn't let it stop her. Eden was hurrying towards her: the younger girl's eyes fixed on the bags that were laying in front of Harleigh.

"Oh, hell no," Harleigh said. Eden was still not moving well, groggily charging. When she got there, Harleigh put her play wrestling with Davidson to the test, slamming her body into Eden's and throwing the discombobulated girl to the ground. Eden tried to get back up, but to Harleigh it was like she was moving in slow motion. She was moaning quietly, her eyes filled with tears, but Harleigh wasn't really sure she believed whatever Eden was pulling. Before Eden could get up: and reach for the axe that was laying behind her: Harleigh moved forward, slamming her heel into Eden's nose and sending her down to the ground. Eden twitched slightly on the ground, blood pouring out of her face, and Harleigh knew that this would be her chance… if something hadn't happened to her fencing foil. And, more importantly, her dominant hand.

She had a ko-naginata that was like the fencing foil, but Harleigh was sure that her non-dominant hand wasn't strong enough to make a killing impact on Eden. She would have to leave her, hopefully someone else would come pick up the mess she made…

Harleigh was losing more blood than she was comfortable with losing, and Eden was already coming to. Before she could consider either side, Harleigh decided to cut her loses, grabbing two bags of food from the backpack closest to her and then making a retreat while she still could. Harleigh ran until she reached the brown desk that she had been taking refuge in before. She searched her bag for the bandages she'd won before remembering that they weren't there anymore. Harleigh swore to herself as she took the blanket she'd been using. She tried to rip it apart, but the blanket wasn't budging with just her left hand and her mouth. Harleigh's eyes teared up with the pain, cursing the fact that she didn't have any first aid to treat it with. This is definitely going to get infected, she thought angrily, as she tried to crudely wrap the injury in the huge blanket. Her hand throbbed with pain and she could feel even more blood pouring out of it: she was covered in it from how it dripped off as she ran away. Her stomach did a somersault, but Harleigh pulled it back in.

This wasn't the end of her run, she wouldn't allow it to be. After all, she'd gotten the food she needed. She supposed she'd just have to depend on Gian for what she needed. Unless… She had to spin them away, but maybe she could spin them back. She remembered seeing a wheel with survival essentials somewhere on the floor, but it was just a matter of finding it. And that might mean having to finish what she started…

Her stomach flipped as she recounted the feeling of kicking Eden down, the crack of her nose under Harleigh's heel…

But what was really eating away at Harleigh was… What the hell happened?! At the thought of the stabbing pain she felt, her hand throbbed again. She was just holding the fencing foil when it happened… But the blade was pointed towards Eden. What the hell was in that handle that would have done something like that to Harleigh?!

…And why would Gian have sent it to her?

Harleigh clenched her teeth as she applied pressure to the blanket draped on top of her wound. Why would he play these kinds of games with her? She made it clear she didn't trust him, and he still tried to earn her trust, just to… Destroy it like this? What if Harleigh was fighting someone that wasn't Eden? That could have ended so badly… Harleigh couldn't believe he'd done this to her.

"You know, I trusted you," she said through her clenched teeth. This, this was why she needed to protect herself. This was why she never dared to hope. Nobody really cared about an orphan like Harleigh, and she never should have convinced herself that he did. Who was to say that all of these items weren't just trying to get Harleigh to die faster?! What if everything Gian sent her was a trap? Just a trap to get her to slip, so then he could focus on Elliot, the golden child… Harleigh felt the tears forming in her eyes, and she just felt so damn silly for letting her guard down.

And yet, amongst all of those thoughts was another, so weak at first, but growing in volume, growing until it was practically a shout.

No.

Harleigh couldn't explain why, but she just couldn't accept that it was true. She couldn't accept that Gian would knowingly sabotage her like that. Maybe that wasn't what the evidence said. The evidence said that he did. Her bleeding hand was proof. But Harleigh just couldn't make herself believe that he wasn't anxiously waiting for her to return home. She may have been battered and bruised, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was still out there trying to get money for her.

Harleigh wasn't ready to give up on her mentor, and she could only hope that he wasn't going to give up on her, either. She couldn't exactly explain whatever happened with the foil that caused this, but she wasn't going to give up the hope that she had people out there waiting for her to come back home. Harleigh Noheg had forbade herself from hope: but now that she had some, she wasn't going to give it up so easily. Because now, Harleigh had more to hope for than just Davidson and Nana. She had hope that she could come out of the Games with a support network that cared about her. She had hope that she could make a better life for herself and her family. She had hope that she could leave this Arena a better person than she entered it. She wasn't giving up. They could pry the hope out of her cold, dead hands.

You know, I trusted you…

"…And I still do."

~.~.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! This one is a very eventful one and I'm excited to keep on going with the action!

For anyone wondering about the twist: the tributes were put to sleep with sleeping gas, then put into the boxes. For alliances, the supplies were evenly divided on the wheels of each of the members, all of a certain thing were lumped together (so even though Harleigh had two rolls of bandages, she lost them both) and it was based off of the pool of the alliance's supplies. The spins were set up so that tributes lost about a quarter of their supplies.

Celestia lives to fight another day. We've leveled out at 14… For now.

Also, I have another update stockpiled, so I will have some content ready for when I'm student teaching this spring!

CQ: Will Eden be able to recover from her wound? Will the Angry Trio get caught in the crossfire?

15th place: Rammie Carnel, District 5- Killed by Kelwyn Murdock, D4

Ah, what is there even to say about Rammie? She was absolutely perfect for this story. She was sexy, she was mean, she was manipulative, and she was smart. She was just going after everyone, and getting into their heads. Her dramaticism was so fun to write every time, and I love to have someone mean that will send the good guys into action. She was exactly what this story needed and I'm so glad that I was the one to bring her to life (and give her a very painful death). I had big plans for Rammie to continue on, but she really just had shit luck throughout, and that plus her bad karma is what caused her early end. Thanks so much for her Plat!

See you who knows when for another update!