The ninth night

-Eden Robins, 13, District 11-

As late as it was into the night, Eden's heart was still pounding uncontrollably. The canteen in her hands felt like it could have only existed in a dream, not even there at all… But here it was.

That was a ballsy move Robins, Sorrel said in her head. It wasn't the first time she pulled something spectacular like that, she'd done it more than once back home in Eleven. Times when her partner in crime thought for sure she was going to get herself into serious trouble. Jobs that Alder, one of her "bosses" back home and her brother's close friend, wouldn't give to her because he said they were too dangerous for the likes of a kid. On the contrary, though. Sometimes, those dangerous jobs could only be pulled off by a kid. Peacekeepers don't think that little kids are going to be swiping their Holos right from their pockets. There's some form of trust that exists in little kids like Eden. Something about her wide, seemingly innocent eyes makes them melt into her hands. Part of her wished that she would never have to grow old, just so that she would never lose that power.

Obviously, the alternative to growing old in an Arena like this is less than desirable. Since Union fell on the first day, Eden is District 11's only chance at a Victor. If only he had lasted just a little bit longer… just when she thought she understood him fully, her meat shield was taken from her. And she didn't even get to reap the benefits of his extra supplies, either.

It's a little sick to be thinking of your own District partner this way, don't you think? Perhaps it was. But it was necessary.

Isn't this how the Capitol would have thought of him? Eden shook her head. She didn't have a choice of what to think about Union. They were thrown into a death match together, and Eden was solely focused on survival. She had seven other people back home waiting for her, and that was only her family. The rebels back home would take a hit losing her.

But would they really? Eden really hoped that they would… After all, she was a notable runner, knowledgeable about all of the most effective routes and shortcuts to avoid Peacekeepers and deliver messages and intel in a timely fashion. They could just find another kid. But not a kid like her… Right?

The thermos that she sipped from in her distress was plenty indicator of what kind of kid she was. A kid that had stolen supplies from right under the Career's noses. She was really sure that they had her when she heard the yelling behind her, but she kept running. But she had escaped powerful authority figures before, she knew what to do.

She didn't expect there to be a scapegoat… Not at all. Did that mean she had indirectly taken out one of the biggest threats in the Arena? That caused a smile to spread across the girl's face in the dark. She was simply showing the world what she was capable of. They would regret losing her back home, because she was a special kind of kid. Deep down, she knew it. Otherwise she would have given up her resolve a long time ago.

As if on cue, her nose throbbed with pain when she inhaled, and she could only smell the metallic smell of pain. She'd done her best to treat the wound, but she didn't have anything to use. She lost her bandages in the dark box, and had no first aid. Her nose was now covered with caked-on blood, reminding her of the pain of the shot every single time she inhaled… Just when she thought she'd become immune to it, it would come back, even ranker than before…

Eden sighed. She knew there was no way she was going to be able to get revenge on Harleigh for that. Well, maybe, if she won, but indirectly at best. Eden had no idea what happened there, she was still so woozy from whatever had been in the black box… But the trail of blood made her wonder what happened. She didn't remember doing anything that would make Harleigh bleed that much… But maybe she did. Everything was really hazy…

Did she really have the strength and ability to do damage to an older tribute? What else could have possibly happened? It wasn't like Harleigh was going to make herself bleed. Eden wished she could say she regretted whatever she did to Harleigh that made her bleed like that, but she didn't. Survival was the name of the game. And honestly, Eden was just impressed with herself that she'd managed to do enough damage to keep Harleigh back, even in a daze. Maybe it was that, combined with Eden's experience as a runner, that lead her to the decision to raid Mercury's canteen. It was just so tempting, practically hanging out of his bag, and they were distracted with the weapons… Eden felt empowered. The water was such a nice reward, after so long of not having any…

But she had to be smart about it, of course. She tucked it back into her bag. Merc's face was completely blank when it appeared in the sky. He was never a real excited kind of guy. Eden wouldn't say she was glad that he was dead, but she was most certainly relieved. One less person standing between her and her home, her family, and her work. Delivering messages to Chervil would be so much easier if she won, considering they'd be next door neighbors. To have a house with consistent electricity, pressurized pipelines and running water… to have her own room and bathroom, while still living with the rest of her family… those were all the substance of silly dreams and fantasies that were suddenly coming to life for her. She was almost halfway there… Almost.

Eden let out a sigh. She wasn't sure if she could take another week here, but she didn't have another choice at this point.

Even though the room was dark, save for the dim flashing lights of the wheels, Eden was wide awake. Ever since Harleigh knocked her out cold in the middle of the day, Eden has been trying to sleep during the late afternoon into dusk so that she could be active at night. Consider it a strategy shift. After all, she felt like she could do anything.

But also, the more rational side of her was realistic about her ability to evade the Careers a second time: borderline impossible, especially now that they were onto her. Now that she got what she needed from them, it was time for Eden to put as much distance between her and them as possible. She collected her bags and stood up. It was time to get off of this floor and venture onto bigger and better things. And hopefully, find a wheel with a better chance at getting the first aid items she knew she should have.

Damn, how she missed those night vision goggles. They made maneuvering around at night far tougher… If only she had them, she could actually hunt at night. She would just have to kill fast, before sleeping tributes could wake up… But now, if she found someone that had a way to see in the dark, she would definitely be toast…

Eden tried to keep those thoughts out of her head so that her heart wouldn't pound out of her chest. She stepped as quietly and carefully as she could: aided greatly by the carpet on the floor that muffled her footsteps. Using the dim glows of the wheels the best she could, Eden continued to move forward. She was always careful, and now that care was more important than ever. She creeped around wheel after wheel, the surrounding area still and dark.

After a while of this careful moving, she started to hear the faint sound of breathing. Eden's heart beat harder as she swallowed a lump in her throat. She looked around the room, and eventually found the sources of the sound: three older tributes. Two of them were snoring quietly, the third appeared to be awake, but it was hard for Eden to tell at this point. If she had her night vision goggles, she could have checked out her supplies and pulled another trick… But at this point, she didn't need to start another fight. Especially one that she couldn't win.

As quietly as she could, Eden started to tiptoe around the trio. She couldn't make a single sound… Her feet quietly touched the floor, and she was practically holding her breath… Her heart pounded harder and faster with each step, to where she was sure that they would be able to hear it too… She felt along the wall, desperately searching for the door…

"Who's there?" the raspy voice of a boy made Eden physically jump she was so tense and startled. She heard shifting, someone getting up to their feet, and stayed close to the wall, fumbling for the axe she'd been using… She used it once before, apparently… She could use it again…

She'd never actually cleaned blood from the weapon though… The unsettling thought started to creep in as Eden heard the heavy, tired footsteps approaching her.

She pressed herself up against the wall, wondering if she should get the stuffed cat from her bag that made her look far younger than thirteen…

Elliot was within arm's reach of her quite suddenly, and Eden could sense the blade that was pointed so close to her… She held her breath, not daring to make a single movement, willing her heart to stop beating just so she could be completely still…

She heard a quiet sigh and felt his presence moving away from her. Eden released the breath she was holding as slowly and quietly as possible. As Elliot's back was turned, walking back to his own camp, Eden stepped closer and closer, still skimming the wall, until she felt the beveled pattern of stone on the door. Without a second thought, or even knowing where it might lead, Eden slid the door open and slipped quietly inside.

The staircase was pitch black. The only noise was the sound of water dripping off in the distance, otherwise complete silence. Eden's whole body was shaking: it was cold in the room, and she was terrified: but she moved forward. She felt a slick, cold metal bar on the far side of the room, and used it for guidance as she started downstairs. She moved carefully, taking it one step at a time, surrounded by silence and the sound of her breath and quiet, echoing footsteps. She walked down the staircase, hitting her foot on a stair that was now going up, and walked up for a while. She stumbled a few times as the staircases wound and turned, using the railing as guidance.

Soon, the silence became calming to her. She would definitely be able to hear if someone else was here, right? Her heart pounded at the thought of someone else being near her. But she just kept on moving, around and up the stairs, then almost tripping down them. Sometimes, she expected there to be another step up, and tripped over herself. Sometimes, she thought she was on a level platform and tripped upwards. She used the railing as best as she could, but sometimes she thought they were trying to trick her on purpose. She could never be too sure.

As she walked, she tried not to think too much. But as she couldn't see, it was hard to keep her mind from conjuring images of what could possibly be creeping up behind her… She quivered and shivered her way up and down the unforgiving staircases until she could feel the beveled pattern of cold stone on her fingers. She gave the doors a slight push, and they slid open easily for her.

The room itself was dark, with no wheels to provide even the slightest bit of light. Had she ended up on the fourth floor once again? She couldn't be sure.

She stepped into the room, not sure where she was or who she was with…

She would just have to remain vigilant until the morning, then she could make her plan for what to do next.

~.~.

-Jace Galillei, 18, District 3-

"I really thought something was there." Elliot's voice just sounded worse and worse with each coming day. Jace couldn't see the paleness in their complexions, the bags that he was sure were heavy and dark under each of their eyes. He couldn't see the hollow looks on their faces, absence of souls, any fire that had been burning surely long since extinguished… But he knew all of this was true, because he felt it happening to him.

"What did it sound like?" Camellia asked. Since they'd been here for over a week, her voice had grown more fragile over time, quieter, raspier, talking in paranoid whispers…

"Footsteps. Like, quiet footsteps, but still footsteps."

"Human footsteps?" Jace asked. It was unusual for mutts to come into play this early into the Games, but if there was one thing Jace had learned from his time here, it was to expect the unexpected. Anything could happen in this Arena. And there was only so much the assholes in the Capitol could do to pretend the battlefield was equal despite his blindness.

"I think so," Elliot said. "It's kind of hard to tell with the carpet and all though. I just sensed movement, but I didn't see anything."

"Well, if it was another tribute, they're obviously not a threat," Camellia said. "No harm, no foul."

"Could have been one step closer to getting home though," he mumbled, and Jace could hear the desperate frustration in his voice. He understood it. The three of them slipped into a tense silence at that.

He wasn't wrong. But at the same time, Jace didn't want to kill anyone. He had a feeling that Elliot and Camellia were in the same lifeboat as him on that one. The thought of taking a life still made him squeamish. He had no idea how Bec was able to do it. Perhaps when it came down to desperation, he would understand. He could only hope…

"Let's try not to worry too much about that right now," Camellia said. The keyword there was try. "We're in a secure position right now, and I'm sure that not all of the other tributes can say the same."

"I hope that's the case," Elliot murmured quietly. Jace's heart sunk to his stomach at the very thought that it might not be true.

"We just have to keep making do with what we have," she said quietly. "Breakfast is served." Jace held out his hand and received a stick of jerky. It was tough, outrageously salty, and chewy. But at least it wasn't apples.

"What do you think got Mercury?" Elliot asked quietly, no indication by his voice that he was eating.

"Hopefully we don't have to see it until someone is out of here," Camellia said.

"The seeing joke makes itself here folks," Jace said, trying a smile, but after a week of being here, the attempts they made at cheering each other up were just about as dry as the jerky he was chewing.

"In all honesty, though. I think it was probably one of his allies. The Games are moving slower than ever this year. A week and we're still not even halfway there. We're not looking good now, because Lux keeps getting in our way. Opens the door for a lot of frustration, and for the ego-meisters to pick a scapegoat."

"I hope that's true," Elliot said quietly.

"It could also have been a gimmick," Jace said, his stream of consciousness bursting forth as he thought out loud. "Not even the mighty Careers can escape the Arena fucking with them."

"Has a gimmick killed someone yet?" Camellia asked.

"Oh God," Elliot whispered. Jace could hear the trouble in his voice. They faded back into silence. That is, until Jace heard the faint beeping noise that had become music to his ears.

"Another one," Camellia said. "Here you go Sir."

"For me?" Elliot asked, causing Jace's hope to sink. Jace heard the somewhat familiar pop of the lid and rustling as Elliot reached inside the cannister.

"Another token," he remarked. "But… Huh?"

"What is it?" Jace asked quickly, not wanting to be left out of the loop.

"It has a star on it," Camellia said. "That's weird. The other tokens so far have not."

"One step closer to becoming a star. Just don't be jerk-y about it." Elliot said, his inflection indicating that he was reading off of a sponsor note. "From, Riggs. Gee, thanks Riggs. That's encouraging."

"I'm plenty encouraged," Jace said. "Guess we have to figure out what that star means now."

"Anything to do that isn't hunting," Camellia said, and the others agreed. He heard the rustling and zipping that indicated that it was time for them to get up and go. Jace dutifully grabbed his bags and made it to his feet. He felt the gentle, frigid touch of Camellia's hand in his own as the allies started walking. Jace had lost all indication of where he was in the midst of the Arena, but he continued to walk forward, trying to imagine the large, colorful wheels described by his allies that were spread out throughout the room.

The three of them walked in silence, the only noises when Camellia quietly indicated to Jace that they were about to change direction, or letting him know there was a wheel they were stepping around. He wasn't sure how much time passed before they stopped, but he felt like it was quite a lot.

"Woah…"

"Well, I think we found where to star token goes."

"What is it?" Jace asked.

"Why me?" Elliot asked quietly.

"It's quite literally called the star wheel," Camellia said. "It must be new."

"Well, what's on this Star Wheel."

"Steal supplies?!" Elliot squeaked. "That's… Insane."

"Looks like there isn't a way in hell to get a bad spin," Camellia said.

"Steal supplies?! Sounds like a dirty move," Jace said. "What else is on there?"

"Eliminate supplies," Elliot said. "Food, water, weapons, quarter, half, all… Oh God."

"The mentors have been put to work," Camellia said. "I don't think this power comes cheap."

"But why me?" Elliot asks.

"Guess you have a good following," Jace said. "All those fangirls frothing at the mouth and all."

"Cut that out," Elliot grumbled as Camellia gave a short laugh.

"Well, we're not getting any younger over here Russo. Spin it."

Jace heard him take a deep breath, and the sound of the coin sliding into the slot.

"Here goes nothing," Elliot mumbled, and Jace heard the click that indicated that he pulled the lever. The wheel was sent into a fury of clicking, before it slowed, slowed some more, and stopped.

"Eliminate half of the supplies of a random alliance…" Elliot read slowly. "Woah!"

"What?" Jace asked, as he heard another wheel being spun, this time higher pitch indicating that it's a smaller one.

"It's spinning to pick an alliance," Elliot said, as the wheel clicked to a stop.

"Wait… Why are the reds and oranges separated?" Camellia asked as the wheel stopped.

"Purple, cyan, brown? Who is that again?" Elliot asked, his voice betraying his nerves.

"Purple. My District partner."

"Will they know it was us?" Elliot asked, his voice starting to sound panicky.

"Guess we'll find out."

After a tense few seconds, Camellia released a breath. "Well, let's keep going."

"Right." Camellia took Jace's elbow again, and they set on.

"Another wheel," she said, and Jace was suddenly veered off course.

"What's this one?" Jace asked.

"The chaos wheel…" Camellia said, sounding deep in thought.

"I'm sorry, the what?"

"Real ass taser?!" Elliot squeaked out again.

"There's a what?!" Jace asked, feeling very alarmed at coming across another wheel that seemed overpowered.

"I'm looking at the big ass grenade," Camellia said.

"There's a WHAT?!"

"It does say chaos," Elliot said.

"You guys have to be shitting me," Jace said. "Does every panel really have the word ass on it?"

There was a long pause of Camellia and Elliot murmuring and moving the wheel.

"Yes," she said conclusively.

"No way."

"Expect the unexpected, I guess," Elliot said.

"Could this be what Helen was waiting for you to find?" Jace asked finally.

"Hm, I don't think so. Guess we should just keep walking."

"What?!" Jace called, but Camellia laughed and gave him a clap on the shoulder.

"I'm just kidding, of course we're going to spin this thing." Jace heard the sound of a coin sliding into the slot. The wheel was sent into a frenzy again, the clicking sounding like a train riding the tracks to insanity in another time, another place. With someone that looked remarkably like Philander Markov.

The wheel clicked to a stop.

"Well?" Jace asked, impatient with the excitement of the chaos.

"That is truly a big-ass Warhammer," Elliot murmured, as Camellia let out a small huff of effort to pick up her prize. "How does it feel?"

"I'm going to kick ass and take names now," she said, and Jace could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Is everything on the wheel that damn overpowered?" Jace asked.

"Not really," Camellia said.

"There is some fun-ass silly string though," Elliot said.

"Is it worth another spin?" Jace asked.

"Chaos is always worth another spin," Camellia said, hurriedly guiding him over to the wheel.

Jace took out his token, and without a second thought, felt the slot with his finger and pushed it in. He crawled his hands up until they wrapped around the lever, and pulled it down. He heard the rumbling of the wheel, going for shorter than when Camellia had spun it, until it quickly stopped.

"Real-ass smoke bombs," Camellia said. "Nice one man!"

"Those could really come in handy," Jace said, reaching forward until he felt the smooth spherical objects in his hands. "And certainly cause a lot of chaos."

"I'm just glad we surpassed the Suddenly, Lube panel," Elliot said. "I don't know what that means, but I don't think I want to."

"Oh, me neither," Camellia said with a laugh. They took the smoke bombs from Jace and put them in his backpack.

"I like to think we had a successful morning," Camellia said cheerfully, cut off by the sound of a cannon cracking in the distance.

One step closer to getting home…

They were officially halfway there.

~.~.

-Harleigh Noheg, 14, District 6-

That was far too close for comfort.

Harleigh hadn't slept a wink that night. She would have certainly been dead meat if not for the weapons wheel distracting the Careers at the very last moment. She could practically feel Arden's breath on her neck. Surely, they would have come back to check behind that desk if not for the distraction. The distraction Harleigh was sure she knew the source of. That meant that Eden was feeling just fine, despite the blows she took from Harleigh the previous day. She wasn't sure whether to feel disappointed or relieved…

Either way, whether she'd meant to or not, Eden had saved Harleigh's life. Or, at least, bought her more time. Harleigh was sure she'd have seen the little girl from 11's face in the sky by now, especially with that move she pulled yesterday. But somehow, Eden had managed to evade death yet again. Harleigh was impressed, and respected that Eden did what she had to. Perhaps if the two girls had known each other outside of here, they would have been friends. Perhaps she would have made a good ally after all: if only she didn't constantly pretend to be helpless, that was. But they were in a fight to the death, and in the Games, perhaps meant absolutely nothing.

Either way, Eden had done Harleigh a great service without even knowing it. She had plenty of time to think, and that time was invaluable. She had her thoughts, collected, and now with a plan in her mind, it was time to get the hell away from this mess of a floor.

Harleigh wasn't sure how she felt about her escape plan, but at this point, she was committed to it. Whether or not she was able to slip away was up to debate. This was by far the most advantageous floor in the whole Arena. There were wheels everywhere, wheels covered in supplies that tributes needed. She was sure it was more densely populated than ever. And frankly, Harleigh didn't need anything. She had no reason to stay there, especially not knowing that the District Two tributes were camped out somewhere on the floor. It was time for Harleigh to, as Wolf Jansing would so eloquently say, yeet on out of there.

Harleigh took a deep breath, making sure that everything was set, and was about to go when she heard footsteps and immediately sunk back down behind the counter. So close.

"This wasn't here yesterday." The Career's voice sent shivers down Harleigh's spine. She had gotten lucky the first time… How long was her luck going to last. Harleigh held her breath, pressing her body as tightly as she could against the cold, rough wood of the concierge desk.

"What's going on?" Remus asked, confirming Harleigh's fears. She willed her nose not to whistle, her body to stay completely still…

"Look," Arden said, and for a moment Harleigh thought she was looking over the desk at her. But she wasn't…

"Use me," Remus said. "I don't know about that, Arden."

"You think it might be a trick?" Harleigh kept eyeing the wall in front of her. Her brain screamed at her to attach herself to it and go, but she knew that if she moved, she wouldn't get more than two steps away without having a knife in her back. Sweat started to form at Harleigh's hairline as the two brutish tributes from District Two mumbled and murmured to each other about whatever was sitting on top of the concierge's desk.

"Remember what happened to Willie," he said.

"Oh come on, do you really think that's what happened to her?"

"I have no reason not to believe them," Remus said.

"We're in the Hunger Games, I'm not believing a single thing they say."

Harleigh had to pee she was so nervous and terrified.

"Whatever happened to Rammie, then. Where did she get those syringes?"

"This isn't a syringe though, Remus." She sounded like she was starting to get annoyed. Harleigh really wanted them to just go away. She took the quietest breath she'd ever taken, body shaking with fear, fear that even the littlest noise would set them off…

"I'm not going to stop you," he said simply. "I'm just saying, we can afford to be careful."

"Maybe you can, but I don't have all of my weapons," she said. "I have one whole fucking knife."

"Still, at least it's something."

There was a moment of silence, and Harleigh strained to listen for footsteps of them walking away. But instead, she heard the second-best thing…

The sound of the fencing foil being slid off of the table.

"It's really a beauty," Arden said quietly. "See? I wasn't electrocuted to death."

Remus gave a little laugh at that. "Alright, sure."

Harleigh hoped to hear footsteps, but still heard nothing… She felt her heart pick up as she knew what she would have to do.

Don't say I never tested fate, Harleigh thought to herself. Her hand wrapped around the smooth, cool handle. It was now or never for Harleigh. This would show them all what she was capable of.

Or it will be my certain death.

Harleigh didn't stop to think about it again: careful wasn't what won the Games. From her spot, she wailed the indigo coffee mug out of her hand. It smacked straight into a wheel with a tremendous noise of ceramics shattering. Almost immediately, she heard footsteps thundering away from the desk, and right after, a high-pitched scream. When Harleigh popped up, Arden was wailing and clutching her hand, Remus was putting in distance between them before he finally realized what was happening. In the moments of shock and pain, Harleigh thrust forward the slim sword she'd been carrying, into the Career's back. Arden shrieked again, but before Harleigh could try to push the weapon the rest of the way through her, Remus was running back towards them, his face contorted in anger and slight confusion.

Harleigh didn't need more than half a second to react to that, her footsteps thundering as she ran, without looking back behind her. A tremendous force sent her flying forward, but Harleigh caught herself, adrenaline pumping so much she didn't realize the pain that exploded into her back. Harleigh kept running until she made it to the diamond door, which quickly opened up for her. Barely able to see straight now that the pain was crawling up her back, Harleigh stumbled into the darkness of the staircase and collapsed as the doors closed behind her. They didn't open again.

Slowly, Harleigh clamored up the first set of stairs to a platform, then stopped, drinking in air like she was parched…

She felt her back for the star, but it had fallen out along the way, leaving a shallow wound in her lower back. It hurt so much Harleigh could practically feel her ears whistling, but it shouldn't be deadly. Unless… Something more was at play…

Hands shaking, Harleigh pulled out her canteen and took a couple of sips, her stomach doing backflips as she tried to get the water to stay down.

When the cannon boomed, she almost did a spit-take. Unless something outrageous had happened…

Harleigh's homemade Arena gimmick had taken out a Career.

The notes from Gian that were now ripped up for words and letters felt heavy in her pocket, the defective weapon now sprawled out on the floor next to a dead body…

Harleigh's hands started to shake at the thought that she'd done that. It was finally her time. She took a life. Harleigh let out a strange combination of a sob and a laugh, that echoed off of the walls of the staircase and made her cover her mouth. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Tears of sorrow at her actions? Perhaps. But in the moment, they just felt like tears of pure relief. Relief that she had escaped, and was now away from those tributes she'd scuffled with… Tears of disbelief that she had found it in her to take out someone like Arden… Tears of fear that Remus was going to be after her now… Harleigh took one last sip of water to ease the ache in her throat and patted her swollen eyes before she was able to bring herself up to her feet. Her back ached hotly, but right now, there wasn't much Harleigh could do about it. She didn't have first-aid at the moment, and her bandages were either in use or gone.

Slowly, step by step, she ascended. She wasn't sure how long she was there, taking each step at a time, but eventually she stopped for a meager dinner. As she sat on the ice cold platform, her mind wandered to home. Were they proud of her? Or ashamed? There was no way for Harleigh to know for sure. She hoped that they were proud of her, after all, she did this all for them. But right now, in an Arena without any contact with the outside world besides her coffee nut mentor, all she could do was hope.

Harleigh took a deep breath of air, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. She was alive to fight another day.

And fight she would.

~.~.

A/N: I'm back! Not too bad only having a month between updates, eh? I was just really excited to write this chapter, so here it is! Hope you all enjoyed! And tada, we're officially halfway through the Games! Only took 40 chapters, haha. But no worries, the action will pick up soon. I'm getting just as tired as you all are of all these no action check-up POVs. There is plenty more action on the horizon!

Chapter Question: Were you expecting this little homemade Arena gimmick? When did you figure out Harleigh's plan?

Eulogies:

13th Place: Arden Rivendell, District 2- Stabbed by Harleigh Noheg, District 6

These decisions get harder and harder, but ultimately the reason Arden went next is because her submitter hasn't contacted me at all since the beginning of the story. Ultimately, she's a great character, but with such a top-notch cast, things like no contact with the submitter tip my decisions for deaths. She was a really well-developed character, and I loved her backstory and her personality. Writing her was easy and lots of fun, her mama bear type personality with her friends, and her fiery leadership of the Careers, and her flirty relationship with Trap made a lot of really fun dynamics in her POVs. However, only one can win, and as much as it pains me, it was her time to go. She got too confident and fell for a clever trick. I'll miss writing her. RIP Arden. Thanks for her Exoreon!

That's all for now, see you next chapter!

Also… If you're interested, you may want to check the sponsor list. *wink*