Hiro Kuromori, 18

District 1 Male

A part of me was shocked at what I'd done. I'd killed Tibalt. Just speared him in the chest and watched the life bleed out of him. Another part of me was satisfied, and that bit of my brain scared me.

Wavecrest was standing stock-still near Lir's body, trembling and staring out into nothing. I exchanged a nervous glance with Kalmin, who shrugged helplessly. I cleared my throat.

"We should move away and let them collect the bodies," I said hesitantly. Wavecrest turned slowly, eyes dark with fury.

"You," she growled, pointing past me. I craned my neck to see Martin standing behind me, picking through a backpack.

Wavecrest stormed past me, bumping her shoulder into mine.

"Wavecrest," I warned. "You should leave him alone. Lir's death wasn't his fault."

"Shut up!" Wavecrest yelled. "You said it yourself. District partners have to be there for each other. Allies have to be there for each other." She turned back to Martin and grabbed his collar.

Martin struggled out of her grip, a glare on his face.

"Wavecrest, what the hell? I didn't let him die on purpose! I was trying to keep the 9 girl from getting a weapon!"

Wavecrest turned away from him, letting out a breath. My shoulders relaxed a little. Then Wavecrest whirled around and jabbed a knife into his belly. Martin groaned, staggering backwards.

Cloelia rushed to Martin's side, but Wavecrest grabbed her wrist. "We don't need outer-District trash in our alliance," she snapped, pulling Cloelia away.

"Now, we need to decide who's going hunting and who's staying behind to guard the Cornucopia." Her eyes found mine. "Hiro. You'll be staying back. And if Martin's face isn't in the sky tonight, you're dying too."

Wavecrest led the others in collecting weapons and supplies and then they slipped through the rocks and vanished. I made my way to the edge of the clearing as Martin's cannon fired.

The hovercraft lifted each dead tribute into the sky, taking Martin last. I closed my eyes. Had I bitten off more than I could chew? Wavecrest seemed ready to snap at any moment. I didn't want to be next. I had to be the one to go home, the one to be the victor. Dad would never forgive me if I didn't.

Hollie Loveland, 18

District 7 Female

Ceras was crying silently beside me as we ran through the trees. My legs ached and my lungs felt like they'd burst, but we had to get away from the Cornucopia. I kept Ceras's hand tightly enclosed in mine.

We stopped at the edge of a gully with a stream in the bottom. Ceras bent over and put his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. I leaned against a tree, brushing a sweaty strand of hair aside.

"Willa's dead," Ceras finally sobbed. I chewed my lower lip, unsure of what to say to comfort him. How could he be reassured? We were in the freaking Hunger Games! There was no way for us to feel safe. The next one to two weeks would be absolute hell; there was no doubt about that.

"We need to find a place to camp," I told Ceras, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, teary-eyed, and then threw his arms around me. I hugged him back, holding him tight to my chest. Tears pricked at my eyelids too.

When we parted, Ceras wiped his nose on his sleeve and smiled sadly.

"So, a place to camp?"

"Yeah," I croaked.

We climbed carefully down into the gully and splashed across the stream. The other side was filled with rocks and ferns and the bitter wind stung my cheeks. I kept my ax held tightly in my hand.

"What about there?" Ceras finally asked. I turned my head to see a large tree leaning against a rock, creating a small alcove underneath.

"Good find," I complimented, beginning to wade through the undergrowth.

We dropped our stuff beneath the rock and then I began to haul branches over, trying to create a sheltered place for us to sleep. The wind here wasn't something I wanted to face at night.

Ceras was going through our packs, sorting dried fruit, jerky and crackers into one pile, and a water bottle and iodine tablets into another. We also had a thin sleeping bag, which he laid out on the flattest part of the ground.

I crawled into our new shelter and leaned against the rock, wincing as it sapped the warmth from my body.

"What's our strategy?" Ceras asked. I glanced at him. Honestly, we didn't really have one.

"I guess we'll just kill anyone that comes our way," I said. "We'll set up traps to hunt. We'll figure it out."

Ceras was silent for a few minutes.

"And what happens if it's just us?" I squeezed my eyes shut and took a few deep breaths.

"I don't know."

Christa Hewey, 12

District 9 Female

I stopped to breathe beside a wide river and sank to my knees, lungs heaving. I'd had a very close scrape with Martin during the bloodbath, but had been lucky enough to escape unscathed.

A branch cracked and I froze, listening for something else, but then a bird fluttered up between the pine branches and I relaxed. I opened the small black pack I'd managed to grab and rustled through its contents.

I had an empty water bottle and a small bottle of iodine tablets, but nothing else. Cursing, I scooped water into the bottle and dropped a tablet in. Then I continued to follow the river.

About half an hour later, I stopped at the cliffside. It looked steep, and I didn't want to scale it, but I'd also be safer down there.

I took a deep breath, fastened my pack, and began to climb. My arms shook with exhaustion as I neared the bottom, and my foot scrabbled for purchase. My next foot knocked a piece of rock loose and I found myself dangling from the cliff by my hands.

My fingers slipped quickly and I couldn't help but scream as I fell. I landed hard on my back, the air being forced out my lungs. I laid on my back, croaking, for a few moments before the air came back.

Shaking, I sat up and looked around. Wet sand coated my hair and back, and my body ached, but other than that, I felt unbroken. Further down the beach, I could faintly see a narrow trail. Of course. I rolled my eyes.

Oh well. I had to find a sheltered place to sleep, or I'd freeze. The wind was worse down on the beach, making my eyes water and my nose run. I scoured the beach, and finally found a small cave just large enough for me to curl up in.

I hunched over and crawled inside, curling around my backpack just as thunder rumbled and rain began to pour. A wolf howled in the distance and my stomach growled. The misery was beginning to sink in.

Author's Note

Here's another short, yet action-packed chapter. I was going to include Asha's POV today too, but I have an awful headache. Still, I wanted to get a chapter up, even though reviews are down. Again.

Eulogies

14th: Martin Blayze - Killed by Wavecrest Lore (stabbed in the gut with a knife)

Martin's death was one I had planned for a while. Then I was going to make him a finalist for a bit, but it seemed most fitting for him to fall here. Wavecrest was angry and sad, and Martin was unlucky. RIP Martin Blayze. You will be missed.

Alliances

The Careers: Hiro Kuromori, Kalmin Brykman, Cloelia Ferro, Wavecrest Lore

Best Friendos: Ceras Ambrette, Hollie Loveland

District Pride: Mason Ambers, Asha Morrow

SOLO (not an alliance): Seraphine Devereaux, Candela Watkin, Anastasia Valor, Rudi Carlson, Christa Hewey

Kills

Hiro: 1

Seraphine: 1

Kalmin: 1

Cloelia: 1

Lir: 1

Wavecrest: 3

Candela: 0

Ceras: 0

Hollie: 1

Anastasia: 1

Rudi: 0

Christa: 0

Sasha: 1

Mason: 0

Asha: 0