JUNIPER TRITON- Christobal Chanel

How can someone feel every feeling at once? I was happy I'd known Juni. Sad he was gone. Angry that he'd been murdered. Horrified at the way it happened. Scared it would happen to me next. And most of all, overwhelmed with guilt that I was still alive.

TYLER ALVAREZ- Talise Cicero

Had he been one of ours? It made sense. Tyler was strong enough that about the only thing that could kill him was us, the Circus kids, or our poison. It was a dirty way to do it. I didn't regret it but I did in my more wistful moments wish it had been a more glorious battle.

Calvary Warsaw- District Ten mentor

Bunch of cowards had to use poison. Careers train all their lives and then fight against little kids and even then it wasn't enough advantage for them. When they went home to be celebrated by their District I wondered if they ever reflected on how little they deserved it.

Bambi Kirkland- District Ten mentor

Raleigh wasn't the first little girl I'd lost. She wouldn't be the last. There had been so many over the years but every one of them stuck with me. What the Capitol couldn't understand was that none of them were Tributes. They were all children.

District Ten

There doesn't need to be an elegiac ending or a list of the tragic repercussions of each Hunger Games. All that needs to be said is that two children died.

Christobal Chanel- District Eight male (16)

As long as nothing was moving everything was all right. As long as I could look out my window and see nothing but dirt and sky I knew the Careers were far away and I was safe. The only thing I wanted to see moving out there was a tumbleweed. And I had seen some tumbleweeds. I'd only ever seen them in movies as a symbol that nothing was happening. It was neat seeing them in real life. They were just little balls of twigs that rolled along like they were plants but wouldn't let that stop them from taking a leisurely stroll. If I hadn't read about them in books I would have assumed they were dead. They certainly looked dead- all brown and spindly.

Otherwise, everything was still. It had been still ever since the hovercraft came and took Juni away. It was a feeling I'd never forget, dragging his body outside so the hovercraft could take him. There was a brown streak on the floorboards leading from the spot he'd died all the way out the door. I'd also never forget the way his face- his no-face, really- pointed up at me as I dragged him, too overwhelmed to take the time to flip him over. There were a lot of things in the Games I would never forget.

I hadn't played the piano since Juni died. I would again someday, I just wasn't ready yet. Besides, my favorite song so far was a duet. I didn't have two people anymore. I sat alone in a silent building with nothing but the creaking roof and blowing tumbleweeds for company.

The dot on the horizon was far too large to be a tumbleweed. It also didn't move like one. Tumbleweeds were batted to and fro by the wind. The dark splotch coming toward me was making a beeline straight for the building. That could only be a Tribute and could almost certainly only be the Careers.

A moment later the splotches were close enough to confirm there were two, not only one. And they weren't only Careers. Talise and Alice were riding on horses. Neither of them were going very fast. They were just walking leisurely toward my building.

I need to hide. I swept my eyes across the room and saw dozens of potential hiding spots- everything from the tiny space between the piano and the wall to under a pile of books in one corner. But it only depended on how thorough the Careers would be. If they were clearing buildings then they'd be clearing them. They'd stay until every spot was checked and anyone inside the building was eliminated.

I was already starting to panic when I caught sight of the metal bowls laid at the end of each of the long benches that filled the room in two rows. I looked down at the wooden floor. Maybe I needed to run...

Alice Mason- District Two female (17)

I still couldn't believe I was riding a horse. The only time I'd ever done it before was once at a party for some rich kid in my class. Those were just little ponies walking in a circle but this was a real horse. I'd already named her Misty.

Talise and I were heading for the weird building all the way out past the edge of town. We'd talked about it once or twice since the Games began but had avoided it to that point not least because something that far out of place was probably a trap. But we'd already checked just about every other building and that left the spooky white thing we were headed toward.

"Is that..." Talise started, then stopped, looking nervous.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said.

"What? What is it?" I asked. I couldn't fathom what would make her scared of a simple white building.

"It kind of looks like..." Talise said. She looked around nervously. "A church."

"Ohhhhh," I said. "I wouldn't know. I've never seen one."

"Just pretend you don't notice, okay? And don't read any books in there. The last thing we need is trouble from the Gamemakers," she said.

I shrugged. "Maybe someone's in there," I added a moment later.

Talise squinted. "I think there might be. One of the windows is broken."

I hunkered down closer to Misty's neck. Heaven forbid anyone in there had a gun and did some preemptive fire. Beside me Talise hunched down as well. Our horses loped up closer until we were fifteen feet from the door. I turned to Talise, about to say something about how to clear the doorway.

A sound like crashing cymbals burst all around me. I lurched crazily as Misty jerked her head sideways and shot forward toward the corner of the building. It was like trying to stay standing during an earthquake. As she moved I saw two things at the same time: Talise falling off her horse and Christobal sprinting from the door toward the town.

"Oh no you don't!" I yelled. Misty kind of hopped a little and kicked as I jumped off her to avoid being thrown. I took off after Christobal, sparing a glance behind my back to see Talise picking herself up.

Christobal Chanel- District Eight male (17)

It was a long sprint back to town but the cover of the buildings was my only hope. After I shoved the stacks of metal bowls to the ground I took off out the door like a shot. As I came out I saw Talise falling off her horse as it reared. I hoped the fall would kill her but I didn't hear any cannon. Alice's horse freaked out too and I got a few seconds of head start before she hopped off, as I'd hoped, and took off after me.

Alice was a trained runner but I was running for my life. I could hear she wasn't gaining on me. Then somehow she hit me right on the back of the head and I fell hard right on my face. I realized she'd thrown a rock at me as I flipped over and saw her closing the distance between us.

"All right, squirt," she said as she approached, panting slightly. She was already unslinging her rifle as I got up. She swung it at me like a bat to knock me back down and then stood over me, pointing it at my face.

They say angels play harps in heaven. Maybe they'll let me play guitar.

Talise Cicero- District Four female- (16)

I felt a sick helpless fear rush through me when my horse rose under me. The world lurched until I couldn't tell which way was up. I didn't figure it out until my back hit the ground just under my neck. The air left my lungs as my body smashed down and I lay like a thrown bag of potatoes. Above me I saw hooves beat down and thud to the dirt inches from my face. My horse almost skipped its legs as it whinnied and started to run toward the corner of the building.

I got thrown, I realized. It was far too late to do anything. It was just luck that the horse's hooves had hit the ground and not my face. I sat up, sucking in breath, and started to collect myself. I watched as not far away Alice threw a rock at Christobal, knocking him to the ground. She stood over him and fired point-blank into his face. His blood sprayed all over the front of her shirt.

"You all right?" Alice asked as I approached.

"Just sore and bruised," I said. My left leg was pretty stiff, too- it had been folded under me when I hit the ground. It was pretty smart what Christobal did. We certainly could have been killed if we'd been unlucky. As it was I was going to have to trot out after my horse and hope she didn't decide she preferred being free.

9th place: Christobal Chanel, District Eight- Shot by Alice

Christobal probably didn't think he'd make it this far but he got lucky a long way into the Games. He found a secluded spot to hide and his friendship with Juni got him votes. I reckon he only died now (at -3 votes) because there are fewer other people left to kill. Before he went he had time to make a friend and to make peace with his musical side. Thanks Auroramiri for our very own Coco.

Only one guy left! Will this get Lester more life votes? Time will tell...