I'm sorry if this Fan fic is coming a little long, but I need to add so many details. Happy reading!

The water of the river flowed slowly. The heat had become unbearable and that crystal clear mirror was really inviting. Clarisse wiped the sweat from her forehead.

- How much iodine do we have left?- she asked, turning to Akkari. It had been three days since the boy had saved her life, and it hadn't taken much to convince him to join her. Well, he didn't talk much, but that wasn't really a problem, he was good at everything else. The little boy lifted his head from the blade he was sharpening and looked at it.

- Half a bottle more, I think, he answered succinctly and went back to his work. Clarisse looked around: it had been a long time since they had encountered other tributes, but they could not let their guard down. It was as if the Gamemakers were waiting for something. Or maybe something else had happened and she hadn't noticed; however, no one had died. They had eaten quite well the night before because they had managed to hunt but supplies were already starting to run out. But they were tired, so they decided to rest at the river; maybe later they would fish.

Akkari had been a pleasant discovery. He seemed ill-suited to his surroundings, delicate in his gestures and the few words he spoke. But Clarisse could not forget that he had slit a girl's throat without even thinking about it. But why, she had asked herself, had he saved her? "Why did you save that little boy, Helios, on the first day?" a small voice asked her. "Because we're still human...after all." For a moment it seemed to her that the air froze.

- Akkari?

- Shh-

They were silent for several seconds.

- Run! - Akkari suddenly shouted. It's a good thing she noticed because otherwise they would have been mauled by the hybrids.

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- What do you think he's doing?

Lyssa lifted one eye open and followed Helios' gaze. Deymark was crouching on the ground and tying knots in his thread, with a very concentrated expression.

- A trap- replied the little girl and closed her eyes again.

- Did he tell you that?

- Yes-

Helios shook his head and kept scratching the dirt from under his nails. It was a habit he hadn't gotten over yet. He was also doing it out of nervousness: three days, three damn days had passed and nothing was happening! It had given him time to rest, yes, but everyone was restless. Even the newest member of the team. Deymark to Helios was not convinced; he had promised to explain everything but had only answered three questions. "Where are you from?" "District 3" "Do you know where the other new tributes are?" "No, they left us in different places" "Why are you here?" "Our parents were judged traitors to the rebellion." That was it, nothing more. But Lyod was quiet enough, Jendy as well. Lyssa trusted him almost blindly, as if she'd forgotten she'd kill him if her friend didn't stop her.

- There's no one around- said Lyod coming out of the bushes. He and Jendy had gone on patrol.

- Are you sure? - asked Lyssa.

- Of course - answered Cinna's niece.

Deymark turned up his nose. Everyone looked at him. The older boy motioned the others to come closer.

- What shall we do with our...friend?" he asked in a low voice when they were all gathered around him.

- He doesn't seem to have given us much trouble - replied Lyssa - He can hunt...-.

- Just because he's caught two of those strange rabbits doesn't mean it wasn't a fluke," replied Helios, irritated. "He's been setting traps all day, and I don't know about you, who don't have experience with them, but those things make me wonder.

- We've had a good night's sleep with those traps, haven't we? - intervened Jendy.

- The girls are right, Helios - said Lyod - He seems to be quite happy to be with us actually.

- Of course...- Helios started to say.

- Guys! - Deymark called them - Listen up.

The group listened. After a few seconds howls shook the forest.

- The hybrids! - shouted Jendy.

- Grab the things and start running!- ordered Lyod grabbing one of the bundles closest to him. Without being told twice, the group obeyed. The only one really disoriented was Deymark; Lyssa grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him along. The herd didn't seem to be chasing them, but no one had that much of a death wish to stop and check. They ran for dozens and dozens of meters until they came to a grouping of large boulders.

- Behind the rocks!- shouted Helios, slinging himself into a crack between two stones together with Jendy. The others imitated him and waited. Helios tried to control his breath. For a moment his heart missed when he heard the beasts' footsteps getting closer. The dark body of one of the hybrids brushed against the rock where it was hidden, making him wince. But the creature ignored him and continued to advance as did the others. A horrible smell suddenly hit them and the little boy had to resist the urge to cough. In the middle of the pack, two hybrids were carrying two corpses with their mouths.

- Shit - Jendy whispered, swallowing. Helios looked at her and then crossed Lyssa's look: she was plugging with a hand Deymark's little girl shook her head. Suddenly one of the hybrids with a corpse yelped and let go his prey stumbling on his long tail. One of his companions nudged him with his head, forcing him to keep walking. The herd resumed running. A good half hour had to pass before the boys decided to come out of their hiding places. Slowly they emerged from the boulders and approached the body.

- It's one of the kids who entered the Arena with me- said Deymark.

- And the other body? - asked Lyod.

- That one too- answered the little boy- I think it was one of the two girls.

- And this one...-

The body moved. Everyone jumped back. The body turned on itself and lay on its back and opened its two eyes, one green and the other brown. He looked terrified at the people above him. He could not have been more than twelve years old. Lyod bent over him.

- Hello - he whispered, touching his shoulder. The little boy drew back.

- It's okay - continued the other - We won't hurt you.

- Juno - Deymark intervened - Her name is Juno, District 10.

- Okey- said Lyod - Juno-

Helios rolled his eyes.

- Well, now what do we do, give him a name tag and a welcome pat?

- What do you mean? Lyssa asked.

- I don't think you'll want to leave him here, so welcome to the Hunger Games hospice, Juno!- replied the other sarcastically. But Jendy looked at him suddenly enlightened.

- Deymark- she said looking at the other tribute- how many of you are there again?

- I don't know- replied the little boy- If no one else died maybe five-

- I don't know- replied the boy, -if no one else died, maybe five or six, I think.

- More Clarisse- Jendy murmured.

- What are you thinking about?- Lyssa asked suspiciously. Her friend tightened the necklace around her neck.

- This is our Hunger Games- she said, -We can decide, we... we can do something great.

They all looked at her without understanding.

- What if we went after the other tributes? We could all ally, we could... win together-.

- You're crazy - said Helios - We're not in a fairy tale of happy brotherhood and friendship, we can't all win.

- If we allied ourselves without killing each other, they would have to get us out.

- They will kill us with other ploys - said Lyod - Think of the hybrids.

- Let's kill them, said Lyssa, let's kill them all, they won't get any.

- I'm in- said Deymark, raising his hand.

- But...but- tried to object Helios. Lyssa glared at him. - Alright! - he blurted - We have to die somehow, let's do it together, come on!

Lyod smiled and nodded, then he looked at Juno and helped him to get up. At that moment a cannon fired.

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"I want to live, I want to live, I want to live." The leaves were pinching all over her skin, the ground had suddenly become moist and looked like mud. Clarisse gritted her teeth and kept running. Akkari was beside her. "Please go away" thought the little girl "they are following us because they can smell me, go away". She didn't want to hurt Akkari, she felt she loved him, they had eaten together, slept together, hunted together, survived for three days together.

- Don't stop!- her ally shouted, -Don't stop!

The ground became soft and they both slipped through the slush, rolling down a slope. They landed hard. Clarisse felt her body burning with pain. Akkari pulled her up and handed her a dagger.

- Get ready - he ordered her and brought the blowgun to her mouth - We can't go any farther.

Clarisse looked at him without understanding. Why was he doing this for her? Didn't she know who he was? Why was he risking his life for the granddaughter of the man who had also kept her District in bondage, why Akkari? Why?

- Go away- he said- leave me here, get to safety-

- No- Akkari replied incredulously- Absolutely not-

- Akkari...-

A hybrid the size of a bear jumped into the pit and lunged at him. Clarisse swung her dagger at the beast, striking it without precision. The scorpion's tail darted from side to side. The little girl could not see her ally, but she firmly hoped he had escaped. The beast bit into her leg, pulling her along. Clarisse cried out and saw the tip of the beast's tail glisten a foot from her face. "It's over now," she thought, "Akkari deserves to live more than I do." But the blow never came. Something heavy fell near her. When she opened her eyes again, the beast was gone and Akkari lay beside her, his chest half ripped open. Clarisse cried out again and struggled to sit up next to him. Her leg looked as if it had been pierced by a thousand swords and was bleeding profusely.

- Akkari- he murmured, shaking his friend, -why? Akkari...-

The little boy looked at her and smiled laboriously.

- No one... ever... cared... about me- he whispered with difficulty- Thank you-

- Akkari, I'm sorry! - Clarisse cried - He smelled me, I'm sorry, please don't die.

- I knew it- Akkari replied -that... he smelled you... but people like us... have to help each other.

- Who are those like us? The little girl asked - Akkari?

Akkari didn't answer. He was dead. The cannon fired a shot.