Faces in the sky:

Eros Buonafonte, District 1

Diana di Angelo, District 4

Liberty Stringer, District 4

Modus Pigeon, District 5

Splendour Rimbaud, District 5

Charon Regtti, District 6

Lacquera Wake, District 6

Katniss Everdeen, District 12

Peeta Mellark, District 12

Drachma Montez, 18, District 10 Tribute POV

I don't like looking at the faces in the sky. They remind me that the bloodbath split my alliance in half. I run through the districts in my head, wondering who's left, and realise that things are still salvageable. We're still three strong fighters. The most another alliance has is two.

Currently, we're camping out at the Cornucopia. As much as I want to spill outlier blood, I want to hold onto our small advantage. Hunting in the jungle will just put us at risk of traps and ambushes.

And I bet Silver Oberst has prepared plenty of those. I can't help but notice that he's still alive. So is his little boyfriend, Moss.

Not that I have any feelings at all regarding Silver's survival. Or any feelings regarding Silver at all.

Rusalka seems to have a lot of feelings, however. Too many feelings. She sees the projection in the sky switch from Eros to Diana - no sign of Fawkes - and flies into a rage.

"He's not dead!" She cries. "He's supposed to be dead!"

"Clearly, he isn't," I say. Based on my limited experiences with Rusalka Darien, she's not very good at picking up on things that should be obvious.

Rusalka screams at the sky, leaps into the sea and starts swimming away. She's halfway to the shore when I realise what's happening.

Rusalka's ditching us. And she's taking what little advantage we have which her.

"No!" I scream. "Come back!"

"She's not coming back," Mako says, numbly.

I ignore him. "Rusalka Darien! Get yourself over here now or I will rip your guts out!"

"She's not coming back," Mako repeats. "Drachma... this could be a good thing. We can make it a good thing, right?"

"How?" I snap.

"She was probably going to turn on us eventually," Mako says. "At least she's not killing us."

I think of the state Diana's body was in when Rusalka was finished with her and shudder. Then I think of the hurricane of destruction she'll likely unleash in the jungle and smile.

"Say she runs into the Wracks?" I say. "Or those girls - Régine and Ageis? Or... Silver Oberst? We could potentially lose some really tough opponents without even having to lift a finger."

Mako smiles. "That's pretty good."

"And..." I continue. "As far as our opponents are concerned, Rusalka is still with us. She'll still be with us until her face shows up in the sky. They'll be cautious about attacking us."

Mako's smile widens. "You know, if I had to pick someone to be my final ally, it'd be you, Drachma."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

"You're smart," Mako says. "Much smarter than me. And everyone else is stupid. Really, really stupid. That's why they're dead and we're still alive."

Navara Audi, 17, District 9 Tribute POV

The arena's hot. Renault likes the heat. He didn't like being in the cold water but that was a necessity.

I was between two Careers in the bloodbath. I jumped in the water and swum away and neither of them followed me.

I still can't believe I survived.

I watch the sky, the faces of everyone who didn't survive. Faces I can't recognise. One jumps out at me - the young boy from the district that Renault and I both come from.

Renault hopes that it isn't cold where this boy is going.

Eidolon Wrack, 19, District 2 Tribute POV

I can see Honey grimace as she watches the sky. I can tell why. None of those kills were hers.

I realise that I need to get her some kills. What good is a victor with no kills?

I start walking into the jungle.

"Eidolon, wait!" My sister calls. "Where are you going?"

I mime a bow and arrow with my hands. Then I mime stabbing someone and gesture for Honey to join me.

"Hunting?" She asks.

I nod.

"Let's go!" She says, brightly.

Houghton Field, 15, District 9 Tribute POV

The faces in the sky mean nothing to me.

But they mean a lot to Asteraceae.

"The Wracks, Oberst, Maurin, they were all on our side of the Cornucopia," she says. As she speaks, she starts weaving a net. I didn't get the chance to kill anyone in the bloodbath but I did get the chance to grab two weapons - a sickle for myself and a rope for Asteraceae.

"What does that mean?" I ask.

"There are potentially four trained killers nearby. And they could be coming for us."

"Okay," I say. "What about Jiro? Where is he?"

"I don't know," Asteraceae doesn't even look up. "Everdeen's dead so... he must've done something right. Maybe he just doesn't need us anymore."

"Would he... really just do that?" I'm shocked by how quickly our ally would just abandon us.

"Yeah, he would."

"Why?"

Asteraceae shrugs. "There can only be one victor."

"Oh..."

I keep forgetting that part.

Jiro Ethridge, 16, District 2 Tribute POV

I'm not sure what to think about both Twelves appearing in the sky. On one hand, I don't need to bother hunting down Peeta Mellark. On the other... I have competition.

Maybe I made a mistake introducing Asteraceae and Houghton to my plan. I managed to kill Katniss Everdeen without any help from them.

I can win without any help.

I look around and see trees, shadows and a million places to hide. Then I remember the way Silver Oberst looked at me during the bloodbath. There are a lot of dangerous tributes this year, no easy kills.

But you can't fight what you can't see.

Moss Hawkins, 16, District 11 Tribute POV

I'm almost relieved when Katniss Everdeen appears in the sky. I know that it dooms the rebellion but it also means that the guilt is not mine alone to bear. It's Silver's as well.

It's strange to think of Silver now. I never had any romantic feelings towards him but we did have a connection of sorts. He acts all cold and tough but there's a lonely, vulnerable boy beneath the façade. I wish I could've spent more time with him, just to show him some more kindness.

But, if I ever see him again, he'll probably be another opponent.

I try to forget about the rebellion and focus on my surroundings. It's so peaceful in the jungle but the air also thrums with life. I love the wilderness. I love the vibrancy of the leaves and the different species of plant that I can't quite name.

I'm used to forests but only the coniferous forests of District 7. The jungle brings me a heady mix of the familiar and the new. My gut instincts tell me I know this place but my mind is telling me that I'm somewhere new and exciting.

There's a high chance I'll die in this arena. But at least I'll die somewhere beautiful.

Silver Oberst, 18, District 7 Tribute POV

If someone had told me when I woke up this morning that I'd spend all day worrying about Fawkes Chau, I'd have probably punched them in the face. But now, as the sun vanishes, I realise that's exactly what I've been doing.

It's not out of any attachment to Fawkes or his allies. It's out of frustration with myself. I've failed twice now. I failed to win my games and I failed to save Katniss Everdeen. Now, I've taken it upon myself to save this hopelessly irritating boy in the hope of just doing something.

It's a hard task. Fawkes' right leg is broken. So are some of his ribs. His body is covered in bruises. I also found several slashes on his left arm.

I knew in an instant what those slashes were. There were a few kids in my academy classes who hid marks like those on their arms. I've found it's more common in the big, bold, loud kids, the one with the most faith in the academy and their methods.

Maybe Fawkes is like them. Maybe he tries to hide how ugly he feels inside behind a pretty face and a too-wide smile.

Or, at least, he did. Now he just stares into space, hollow-eyed. He can still speak but I haven't heard him say anything save short answers to pleading questions. At this point, I can't tell whether the damage that's making him like this is physical or mental or a mix of both.

I just hope I've done enough to save him. Fawkes' sponsors are very generous with the money and his mentor is very generous with the gifts so I was sent all the medical supplies I needed pretty much immediately. But we're in a jungle, not a hospital and I'm just a tribute with more medical skills than my allies, not a qualified doctor.

I force myself to watch the faces in the sky, mourn fellow rebels and cheer over the deaths of tough opponents. Try to act like they mean something to me.

But, as Katniss Everdeen's face appears in the sky, Fawkes mumbles something from where he's lying on the ground.

"Huh," Régine asks, crouching to hear what he's saying.

Fawkes says two words that make my blood run cold.

"Peeta's next."

The second victor's face fills the sky. My allies gasp, clearly trying to process things. I'm a few steps ahead.

If Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are dead, there's no point having allies anymore. There's no way the rebellion will try to rescue a handful of failed tributes from the arena. They'll cut their losses, lick their wounds and move on.

If I'm going to make a difference, I'll have to survive. I'll have to win.

So my allies will have to die.

I know I need to take out Ageis and Régine first. They're both good fighters. If Sankie's smart, she'll run. If she's not, I'll kill her before she can figure out what to do. Fawkes will be my last target because he'll be the easiest to kill. He can't even run.

I take the leap and thrust my sword towards Ageis' throat. Before Régine can react, I kick her in the side and send her sprawling on the ground. Then I press my foot down on her neck so she can't breathe. I look up just in time to see Ageis reaching for her spear. I press the edge of my sword closer to her throat.

"Move and I'll kill you," I say.

"Won't you kill me anyway?" She asks.

I'm about to make that fatal slice when Fawkes cries out.

"Silver, stop!"

I don't know what makes me turn my head. It's just another opponent begging for his life. He knows that I'll kill him once I'm done with Régine and Ageis. Maybe if he had the use of his legs, he'd be running away. But he can't.

But I turn my head. Which allows Ageis to lunge at me with her spear. I'm knocked backwards, onto the forest floor. I have just enough time to block a blow to my head with my sword.

But I know it's over. I thought I could kill Ageis and Régine with the element of surprise but, without that, I'm outnumbered. When Régine gets her breath back, she'll attack me and it'll all be over.

But Fawkes saves me.

"Ageis, stop!" He roars. "All of you, just stop."

This time, Ageis seems stunned. I take an opportunity to stab at her but she pins my arm down with her hand. She glares at me like she might ignore Fawkes and kill me anyway. Then Fawkes clears his throat and she turns to look at him. I twist my head around from where I'm pinned to the ground and I'm shocked by what I see.

Somehow, Fawkes has the strength to sit up. There's a wild, brilliant light in his eyes and a vast, yawning darkness. He looks like he's terrified out of his mind and in a lot of pain. But there's also something powerful in those eyes, something cold, hard and scary.

I've seen similar looks in the eyes of past tributes - especially victors. I've seen that grim determination not to die before. But never so powerful.

Fawkes Chau looks like he'll rip apart the fabric of life and death with his bare hands if it's the only way to save himself.

Or to save the rebellion.

"This isn't over," Fawkes says. "We can do this without Katniss and Peeta."

"How?" I ask.

"I know they were important people," Fawkes says. "They were both victors. But that doesn't mean the world has to stop because they died. That doesn't mean that we have to just give up on everything we've been fighting for. I know that people are going to be demoralised by the fact that two victors died in the bloodbath but powerful, important people like Katniss and Peeta aren't invincible. Nobody is. We're all just people."

Ageis gasps. Her grip on my arm relaxes a little. I could probably break free but I don't want to try.

I want to hear the end of this.

"There is nothing that makes you a victor or a hero," Fawkes says "It doesn't come in your DNA. There's no big, magic secret. You have to earn it, through hard work and difficult choices. You have to try, knowing it's not guaranteed to work all the time. But, if you want to be an important person that badly, you won't stop trying. That's the secret. That's all there is. Anyone who can work hard, push forwards and not give up can be important, even if it doesn't get them a fancy title and their own TV show. Sometimes, all you're going to get is the belief that you made a difference. But isn't that better than the guilt for giving up on your dream? Isn't that so much better, Panem?"

I realise what Fawkes is trying to do and I smile. He's not just talking to us. He's talking to the entire rebellion. He's encouraging them to keep fighting, even though Katniss and Peeta are dead.

Maybe he's talking to the people who are supposed to transport us to safety once we break out of the arena. Maybe he's trying to cling to our way out of the games before it slips away.

"Now, if there's one thing we know for sure, it's that all the tributes left are the second placers," Fawkes says. "The unlucky ones. The losers. If one of us can win, even though the odds were so far out of our favour, anyone can. We have all suffered. It's time to show them what our suffering has turned us into. It's time to show this country what the losers are capable of."

He pauses, eyes shining with some strange energy. "Are you with me?"

"I'm in," I say, before anyone else can react. "I'm sick of losing."

"As am I," Ageis says.

"We started this games together," Régine says. "We'll end them together."

Sankie ponders the situation. I wonder what will happen if she decides not to carry on with the plan. The worry is less about Sankie attacking us and more about Fawkes not being able to build a way out of the arena on his own.

"I'm in. You guys are all nice," Sankie says. "Apart from Silver. He's mean."

"But necessary," Régine says. "We're going to need a medic."

"Okay," Sankie says. "I guess if Silver stops being mean, we can keep him."

"So, have we stopped trying to kill each other?" Fawkes asks.

"Yes," we all chorus, like kids being told of by a teacher.

"Good," Fawkes says. "Now, I think I'll be able to walk if I have crutches."

"I can make some probably," I say. "But Ageis will have to get off me first."

"Sorry," Ageis says, sheepishly. She rolls off my body and helps me up.

As I start searching for pieces wood that I can carve into makeshift crutches for Fawkes, I realise something.

I'm in an alliance,an alliance that has to last the whole games. I'm going to have to spend time with these people, get to know them, maybe even make friends with them.

It seems like a harder challenge than winning the games on my own steam. But the rebellion is making me stronger. I'm capable of doing things I'd never normally do to help it and I'm sure that the only way I can help it is by keeping as many of my allies alive as possible.

I'm going to grit my teeth and teach myself how to be good ally.

The faces in the sky is something that happens across the entire arena so I decided to feature every tribute's reaction, whether it's through them or one of their allies. In some cases, it's plot relevant. In other cases, it's just a reminder that they're still alive. A special mention goes to Navara, who did absolutely nothing during the bloodbath.

Silver's POV is probably the main event of this chapter. I was originally going to do Fawkes' speech from his own perspective but then I thought it'd be more interesting to tell it from the potential traitor's point of view. Unlike Mako, Silver never gave up on the rebellion but, as a loner thrust into an alliance, he was always going to be the one to betray the alliance. Luckily, Fawkes' speech is enough to give him faith in the rebellion's strategy. Fawkes is hoping that, even though Katniss and Peeta are dead, the rebellion will still try to rescue the tributes from the arena. But whether that happens or not largely depends on the rebellion outside the arena...