Cerdiwen Cadwaller, 17.
District 8 Female.
3:02 PM, Day 2.

Cerdiwen stumbled to a stop, leaning against a boulder as she caught her breath for the first time that day. She'd been running away from the Careers for a fair amount of time, but she didn't exactly know how much time. She did know she was somewhere high up in the mountains, though she'd managed to take off back towards the Cornucopia. The girl from Nine wasn't sure if the Careers were going to stay at the graveyard, or if they'd end up coming back towards where she was; she wasn't even sure if they were following her, or if they'd even been following her in the first place.

She settled down to the ground, leaning her head back against the boulder. She patted her pockets, trying to see what she'd escaped with. Cerdiwen felt a lump in the pocket of her jacket, and she unzipped the pocket, sticking her hand inside. Her fingers brushed against something distinctly plastic. She gripped whatever it was, pulling it out of her pocket. It was a sealed pack of dried fruit. She frantically checked the rest of her pockets- surely she had to have something, anything else! At least it was something, something was better than nothing. She opened the pack carefully, pouring out a few pieces of fruit into her hand and popping a piece in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. She was alone, all alone in the Arena, not an ally in sight but nobody hostile in sight either. Overall she was completely and utterly alone. She curled up, her aching body screaming for some rest, but she didn't want to give in, she couldn't. She was all alone, nobody to take watch over her while she slept. She missed Amara, missed her more than she'd ever missed anybody in her life. She wasn't sure if it was because she genuinely loved her, or if it was because she was all alone, nobody in sight and anybody she could or would encounter would most likely kill her. She slumped down to the ground further, curling in on herself more as her eyelids heavy with exhaustion forced themselves closed.

When she awoke, she rubbed the bleariness from her eyes as she looked around at her surroundings, the bright afternoon light having darkened significantly, casting shadows across the landscape before her. Once again, there were no visible threats, just her, the wind and some rocks. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she looked down the opposite side of the mountain, spotting the Cornucopia, shining in the dusk light. Surely the Careers wouldn't be able to carry everything, there must be something left there for her to pick through, like a vulture circling to pick through the metaphorical remains of the supplies. On one hand, she desperately needed supplies, but on the other hand, the Careers could show up to retrieve anything they left behind at a moment's notice. She squinted down at the shining cornucopia, weighing her options as she stretched her aching body out.

As Cerdiwen pulled herself to her feet, steadying herself against the boulder, she made her decision: she would go. She may die at the hand of the Careers if they ended up coming back to the Cornucopia, but she'd die just the same without supplies. Cerdiwen began the trek back down the slope of the mountain, to the Cornucopia she'd been so desperately running away from just a day prior. Well, except a day prior she had an ally and not just an ally but someone she had grown to love. And yet, she'd lost her just as quickly as she had gotten her, like a summer breeze succumbing to the bitter cold of fall winds, gone before she could even truly grasp her appreciation for them. Every step she took brought her closer to what may have been her salvation, or what could be her death, whichever it may be.

Cerdiwen moved fairly quickly, arriving at the Cornucopia within what she estimated to be about half an hour. It was easier to go down a hill than go up one, however, without a watch she really didn't know how much time she'd taken. She was convinced the Gamemakers were screwing with the time of the Arena, since during the day while the sun was up didn't seem like a full day, and the nights seemed to stretch on forever. She walked up to the mouth of the Cornucopia, bracing herself using her hand against the edge to catch her breath before she looked in, inhaling, exhaling, before stepping in.

"Holy shit," Cerdiwen said, to nobody but herself. Scattered before her were a few crates of supplies, opened but not empty. There was a rack of weapons that had been clearly ravaged by the Careers, however, there were still a few items left, including a sizeable machete similar to the one she'd left behind at the graveyard. She grabbed a bag that was haphazardly left on the floor, beginning to collect as many supplies as she possibly could as quickly as possible. The girl from District 9 grinned like a kid in a candy shop. Cerdiwen was back on top of the world, and most certainly back in the game.

Revan Allerix, 14.
District 5 Male.
8:54 PM, Night 2.

Revan leaned back in the hammock, swinging lazily, using one foot against the wall to rock himself gently, back and forth. He was at ease, as much as someone like him could be at ease which wasn't very much, but after the monumental sponsor gift they'd been sent the day prior, he was feeling quite pleased. He looked down at the sleek black crossbow he'd been sent, leaning against the wall alongside a quiver of arrows. He'd only been sent 10 arrows, but 10 was plenty. It only took one to kill, and Revan was a better shot than most, and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he would have to take somebody out. The strong survived, the weak died, and Revan was planning on sticking firmly to the strong side of the coin.

"Hey Revan, look at this!" Dustin called as he stepped into the tree trunk they'd been using as a shelter the past day, holding their lantern in one hand, and a dark bundle of something in the other. "My trap actually caught something!" Dustin continued, grinning in the harsh white light.

"The hell did you catch?" Revan said, leaning forward to see. Dustin ducked under his hammock, another sponsor gift meaning nobody had to sleep on the floor. Dustin crossed the small space quickly, as Revan hopped to his feet, eager to see what his ally had brought back. They had a decent amount of food, but who knows how long it may have to last them, so Revan was quite glad that Dustin had managed to catch something.

"I dunno, it's this weird looking rodent thing," Dustin said, as he unwrapped the strange creature from the net. It was some sort of furry thing, with large buck teeth protruding from its slack mouth, large floppy ears dangling freely alongside a large, strange-looking tail.

"What the hell is that thing?" Revan said, reaching out a hand to poke it, which Dustin smacked away.

"Dinner, I guess," Dustin replied with a shrug, as he set the creature down. "Or maybe breakfast since I'd rather not start a fire this late."

"You sure you don't wanna? It gets pretty cold out here, wouldn't want me crawling into bed with ya." Revan said as he hopped back into his hammock.

"You know, I wouldn't care. Feel free to." Dustin said as he hopped into his own, a few feet to Revan's left, gesturing to the open space next to him.

"Yeah yeah, I was just kidding," Revan said with a giggle, leaning back with his arm behind his head.

"I know. Who's taking the first watch tonight?" Dustin asked, rustling around as he got comfortable.

"I'll do it since you took it first last night," Revan replied.

"Sounds good, wake me up in a few hours," Dustin said, flashing Revan a thumbs up. Revan pulled himself to his feet, grabbing his crossbow from its spot against the wall, and slinging the quiver of arrows over his shoulder. He nearly dumped the quiver out all over the floor, but he fumbled with it, catching it at the last second before the arrows could fall.

"I saw that!" Dustin called after him as he picked up the small lantern on the floor next to the door.

"No, you didn't!" Revan called over his shoulder, flipping Dustin the middle finger over his shoulder as he exited. He heard Dustin laugh as he stepped out into the waning light outside. They'd agreed that whoever was on watch would sit near the door, and if anything happened they'd wake the other rather than trying to investigate on their own. It was Dustin's plan, Revan had simply just agreed to it. It reminded him of something his brother would come up with, he was always lecturing Revan on how he needed to be cautious, how he couldn't just rush into things unprepared. But Revan knew he was more than capable on his own. Revan took his seat just outside the opening, turning his lantern down to the lowest light setting. He lowered himself to the ground, crossing his legs as he settled in for the long haul.

Revan sat for a while, what little natural light that was left fading out slowly leaving only the harsh white light of the lantern. There was no movement, which didn't exactly surprise him, since they were deep in the woods where nobody was likely to find them. The time slipped by quickly, Revan barely noticing. By the time he figured he should wake Dustin, the world surrounding him was completely pitch black and freezing cold save for his small lantern, in the light of which he could see every breath he exhaled. A tiny beacon of light in a sea of darkness. As he pulled himself to his feet, bones cracking loudly as he stretched upwards, he heard a crack. The kind of crack that didn't come from his body, that could've only come from something else. Or, someone else. Revan grabbed his crossbow from the ground, as well as his quiver of arrows, quietly nocking an arrow.

Another quiet rustling rang out, Revan figured it came from the woods in front of him somewhere. He crept forward slowly, quietly, towards whatever it was. As he walked by the opening into their shelter, he thought about waking Dustin for backup, but he didn't need it, did he? Of course, he was capable on his own. As he walked he scanned the landscape before him. He didn't see anything, but that didn't mean that there wasn't anything. He held his crossbow up in front of him, as he continued moving forward cautiously, trying to make as little noise as possible. He crept out of the small circle of light his lantern provided, into the dark of the forest. As he rounded the corner, behind another tree, he heard the rustling again, and somebody grabbed the collar of his jacket, yanking him backwards.

"What the fuck-" Revan called, trying to spin around, trying to pry him out of their grasp.

"Calm the hell down, it's just me." A familiar voice, Dustin's voice, whispered harshly. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm just looking around!" Revan replied, squirming until Dustin released him. Dustin grabbed him by the arm and spinning Revan around to face him.

"You aren't following the damn plan!" Dustin growled, dragging Revan back to their shelter. Revan went without any protest, letting the stronger and taller boy take the lead.

"Well I'm sorry, I was just investigating, I was gonna come wake you up but-" Revan continued, being cut off by Dustin who dragged him into their shelter, staring down at the shorter boy with a look of immense annoyance "No buts you idiot, you're gonna get yourself killed," Dustin said, his voice gruff.

"Okay, fine. I won't do it again." Revan said, staring right back at Dustin, not backing down. Revan knew he should be intimidated, Dustin had pretty much every advantage over him, but he wasn't.

"Promise?" Dustin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Promise," Revan replied. Dustin nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer since he released Revan's arm from his iron grip.

"Good, now go the hell to bed and let me take the next watch," Dustin said, patting him on the shoulder gently before he walked out of their shelter. Revan watched him exit. He hoped to keep his promise, but would he be able to? He didn't know, but it wasn't a concern to him at the moment. All that was on his mind was going to bed.

Creed Odinshoot, 18.
District 2 Female.
2:12 AM, Day 3.

"Creed, can you help me?" Dyan's voice rang out from below Creed. She crouched down, looking down upon the small boy from 11.

"Yeah, give me your hand," Creed replied, reaching down and offering Dyan one of her hands. He took it, and she pulled him up onto the ledge she was perched on. Due to the fact the Careers had relocated away from the Cornucopia, Dyan needed to move as well, closer to her so she didn't have to go so far to see him. She wasn't sure why she was so attached to the kid, he was quite likely to die, and if she wanted to get out of the Arena, she knew he'd have to die.

"Thanks, dude," Dyan said as he brushed himself off, even though there was nothing on him to be brushed off. He grinned up at her as he did this, and the realization struck her. She didn't feel anything towards the other Careers, nothing like a real friendship. It was more like a business relationship between her and the others, everything was professional and cold. With Dyan, she felt like a person, a real person. It made her miss Justice, her only other real friend. However inconvenient, and dangerous her little friend had proven to be, she was sure grateful for him.

"No problem kiddo. This seems like a good place for you, eh?" Creed said with a smile, reaching out a hand to gently rub her knuckles on the shorter boy's head.

"Yeah, I think I can make do with it," Dyan said, his tone as cheerful as ever, but the bags under his eyes giving his exhaustion away.

"Sounds good kid, I'll see you tomorrow okay? Same time as usual." Creed said, flashing Dyan a thumbs up.

"Okay. Stay safe out there, who knows what kind of trouble you could get into without me." Dyan replied, puffing his chest out like some sort of strange-looking, pretentious bird.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, but I'll be sure to be careful," Creed said, turning and walking away out of the small, sheltered plateau. It was a strange little area, surrounded on three sides by rocks, and partially open on another. It was good for blocking the bitterly cold wind, which was currently biting into her exposed hands and face as well as her head, due to her short shaven hair. She moved quickly walking from the mountains back to the graveyard, her staff gripped firmly in one hand and a small flashlight in the other. She was almost scared, not because she was prone to attack, no that was the least of her worries, she was more afraid of being completely and utterly alone. There wasn't a soul in sight, hostile or friendly, just her and her thoughts. She quickly arrived at the gates of the graveyard, pushing the old creaky thing open gently, sliding in and closing it behind her all in one swift move.

"Who's there?" A voice, Pedro, called from nearby. He unzipped the door of the tent he was in, popping his head out and squinting in the harsh electric light coming from the nearby buildings. Handily enough, most of them had lights on the outside of the buildings that came on automatically when it got dark, they seemingly were on some sort of timer.

"It's just me," Creed replied, waving the hand that contained her flashlight at Pedro.

"Oh cool, you're back from patrol, what took you so long?" Pedro said, stepping out of the tent as he rubbed his eyes. Great, that meant he probably wanted to talk, and Creed certainly did not want to talk to him. She'd been sent a giant teddy bear by her admirer that day, and it seemed like the perfect thing to sleep on, really all she wanted to do was to go to bed.

"Oh uh, I was just being extra thorough?" Creed replied, her words coming out far less smoothly than intended. Pedro approached her, drawing the blanket he had wrapped around his shoulders tighter as he leaned against the wrought iron fence surrounding them.

"I see. Don't you go taking too long next time, eh?" Pedro said, flashing her a smile one that she could tell was probably fake.

"I'll take as much time as I need to make sure we're all safe," Creed replied, raising an eyebrow at the younger boy. Just because he was close to Ozzie meant he thought he was in control of everyone and everything. It wasn't a bad thing for Creed per see, it meant she could just go with the flow, under everyone's radar by just following instructions. However, due to the way Pedro was talking to her, it seemed like he knew something. Creed didn't know if it was her being suspicious, or if he did know something, but she knew one thing for sure. She couldn't stay with the Careers much longer. It had always been the plan to escape as soon as she could, but she needed to speed up the process if she could.

"Well, people might think you're doing something you shouldn't be," Pedro said, looking unimpressed.

"I'm just doing my job," Creed said. The boy from District 4 didn't look too bothered by the fact he was pushing the buttons of the deadliest tribute in the arena, but Creed knew whatever he was trying wouldn't work.

"I know. Just don't think I don't know about your little friend." Pedro said, his tone casual as if he didn't just drop a bombshell on the conversation.

Creeds body froze, stiff as a board. Her mind began racing- how did he find that out, she wasn't that obvious was she? She couldn't just kill Pedro right then and there, and she certainly couldn't let him tell the others. She could fight, yes, but there was no way she could take on the entire Career pack. Pedro had effectively forced her into a corner, her only option, the best option being to go with what he wanted.

"What the hell do you want from me?" Creed said softly.

"Your help. I want to overthrow Ozzie." Pedro said, gesturing over his shoulder at the tent behind him. "And you don't exactly have a choice here. So are you in?" He continued, offering a hand to her.

"You said it, I don't have a choice. So yes, I am." Creed replied with a sigh, shaking the boy's hand firmly. Creed knew she had to work with him, for now at least. Creed knew he'd come to regret this decision. Creed Odinshoot was not the kind of person you would want to back into a corner.

"Great. Let's get planning then." Pedro said, spinning on his heel as he gestured for her to follow him. She followed, as much as she didn't want to, she followed. She always did.

When would Creed Odinshoot stop following?

Lynus Delanova, 17.
District 3 Male.
8:24 AM, Day 3.

Lynus' eyes cracked open, he squinted in the morning light that was shining through the canvas walls of the tent he'd claimed the day prior. He and Selene escaped the Cornucopia, their third ally dead leaving just the two from District 3. They'd made it over the mountains that separated the Cornucopia from the rest of the arena no problem. They'd continued moving away from the Cornucopia, eventually stumbling upon the tent city they were in, near the edge of the Arena.

"Yo Lynus, you up?" Selene said, tapping on the front of the canvas tent, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'll be out soon just gimme a minute," Lynus replied, his voice raspy, sounding as if he needed a drink of water, which he was. He dragged himself to his feet, brushing himself off and making an attempt to pat down his hair, which was sticking up in every direction it possibly could. As soon as Lynus felt satisfied with himself, or as satisfied as he could be. He pushed the door flap up as he stepped out of the tent out onto the worn dirt path in front of his tent.

"What's up?" Lynus asked, rubbing his eyes with a yawn.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to wake you up so I can go to sleep," Selene said, pulling her long, dark hair back into a ponytail. She looked tired, noticeable bags having formed under her eyes seemingly overnight.

"That's fine. What's for breakfast?" Lynus said, nodding.

"Whatever's in the bags. I'll eat with you before I go to sleep." Selene said, gesturing to their supplies which were in a small pile near one of the fire pits. The whole place was like a ghost town, tents and shacks meant for what seemed to be a whole society, however, there was nobody. Nobody but them. Lynus wondered if anybody ever lived here, and if they did, where were they now? He shuddered slightly at that thought, not wanting to think about the possibilities as he trudged over to their bags.

"You okay?" Selene asked, her hand hovering above his shoulder. He was glad she remembered things he told her since he didn't exactly enjoy being touched by other people. Most people would forget that kind of thing, or disregard it completely, but not Selene. And he appreciated her all the more for it.

"Yeah, all good," Lynus said, locking eyes with Selene for a moment and nodding.

"Alright, if you say so. Now then, grab a seat and let Chef Selene cook you something up."

"You aren't cooking shit and we both know it," Lynus called over his shoulder as he lowered himself to sit on one of the roughly hewn wooden benches that surrounded the extinguished fire pit. They could've easily lit it if they wanted to, but the smoke it could potentially throw up into the air would be a problem. However, that may not be such a problem today, since in the few minutes since he'd exited the tent, the surrounding area had become blanketed in a thick layer of fog. It was almost comforting, reminding him of the thick layers of smog that would rest in the skies of District 3.

"Yeah, you're right, it's just gonna be whatever variety of dried goods I grab outta the bag first," Selene said, rummaging around in the bags behind him.

"It's kinda foggy, isn't it?" Lynus said as Selene approached, taking a seat next to him. She offered him an open package of crackers and some jerky, which he took, eating quickly.

"Yeah, that's a bit annoying. If anybody comes around we won't be able to see 'em coming." Selene said, ripping a piece of jerky in half with her teeth.

"Yeah, true. Does it remind you of home too?" Lynus asked as he snapped his crackers in half, since eating them without breaking them was against every rule in existence, at least in his books.

"Yeah, reminds me of the factories," Selene said, nodding in agreement as she gazed at the fog-blanketed landscape, before looking up, squinting. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Lynus asked, looking up alongside her. A silver parachute became visible through the fog, drifting towards them, landing on the ground in front of them.

"Well, it's definitely for us," Selene said, pointing to the large 3 emblazoned on the top of the box with a piece of jerky.

"Shall we open it?" Lynus said, stuffing the last of his rations in his mouth and dusting his hands off on his pants as he stood, moving towards the box. He picked up the awkwardly shaped package, placing it on a nearby bench and opening it.

"What's in it?" Selene said, joining him to peer into the box.

"It looks like wires, metal plating, a bunch of other shit. This is like what I'd use to build a bot back home." Lynus said, picking up a sleek piece of metal plating, showing it to Selene.

"Oh look, there's a note!" Selene said, picking up the note that was attached to the inside of the box, and reading it aloud. "Use wisely, it says. What the hell are these?" Selene continued, showing him the back of the note. Stuck to the back were a few small, metal capsules. They weren't labelled, but Lynus knew what they were regardless.

"They're explosives, they look like their Capitol grade. This is the kind of stuff my mom makes, back at home." Lynus said, gently taking the card from her. There were three, which was probably two too many. Just one would be powerful enough to take out an entire group of people, no problem.

"Are they gonna explode? Are we about to die?!" Selene yelped, jumping back from him.

"No, no. They won't go off unless I wire 'em up." Lynus said, shaking his head and laughing at Selene's reaction. She was seemingly fearless, so this display of terror was almost amusing to him.

"Oh thank Snow," Selene said, her tone relieved as she reapproached him, still cautious. He opened his mouth to continue speaking, but he was cut off by the startling boom of a cannon. He and Selene both froze, suffocated by the eerie quiet that followed the confirmation of death as they both looked around.

And then came a second booming cannon.