Journey on, if you dare

"People aren't against you; they are for themselves."

- Laozi

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Halle jumped up from where she'd been sitting when the ground began to rumble. Debris from the skylights began to fall, cracks and fissures formed in the cave walls - it felt as if a series of explosions were going off in the distance, one after another. Her head shot over to where Castor and Jasmine had been sleeping. They had both jolted awake, their eyes wide in shock as they tried to process what was happening.

She was just about to tell them to sit still and cover their heads when the rumbling grew louder. It was coming from behind them. She glanced over her shoulder and stared into the tunnel, her heart hammering in her chest as she tried to make sense of the earthquake.

When she saw a dust cloud in the distance and felt the shaking intensify, a shot of adrenaline rushed through her body.

This was no earthquake. The caves were collapsing.

She spun around and rushed over to Castor, pulling him by the shirt as he struggled to gather his supplies while Jasmine got to her feet. When Castor was fumbling with his blanket full of items, Halle snatched it from him and hoisted it over her shoulder and gave him a shove.

"Run!" Halle shouted out, her voice almost drowned out by the avalanche of rock.

She tightened her grip on the blanket and took the lead as she led them through the tunnel, her muscles straining as she ran. Pebbles were falling from the ceiling onto her head and shoulders. Dust was clouding the air from behind them. The ground was shaking so hard Halle almost stumbled a few times, but she kept herself upright, knowing that death awaited her if she fell.

She could just barely hear Castor and Jasmine running behind her, their breaths heavy as they struggled to supply their lungs with air. They were struggling to outrun the collapsing caves. Cracks were now beginning to form at their feet, threatening to trip them if they lost focus. Halle was beginning to think the Gamemakers were trying to bury them alive, not caring how that would look in the eyes of the Capitol. They'd done worse before. Perhaps it didn't matter if she was popular with the Capitol. They'd stop at nothing to screw her over.

Further on, the cave split into two. Which path were they supposed to take? Just after Halle managed to dodge a boulder that fell from the ceiling, she could see a crevice in the wall with light pouring out in the second cave. It wasn't huge, but it was big enough for them to fit through. As long as it led to an escape, she didn't care. They couldn't outrun this for long - they had to make a move.

She gritted her teeth as she pushed herself to move faster and entered the second cave. "Over here!" She yelled, hoping that Castor and Jasmine hadn't fallen behind.

As they grew closer to the small opening, Halle risked a glance over her shoulder. Castor was just behind her, but so was the mountain of debris bearing down on them. Jasmine had caught up and was now running right next to Halle, keeping at a furious pace.

Halle forced her gaze forward and focused on the crevice.

Forty feet.

Thirty feet.

Twenty feet.

Ten feet.

Just as she was bracing herself to dart to the right into the opening, she cried out when a large rock hit the wound on her shoulder. She stumbled, almost falling to the floor, but Castor had snatched her free hand and was pulling her forward, almost dragging her along as she pushed through the shock of the impact.

She found her footing again and followed Castor. She bit her lip. The opening was right there. With one last push, she and Castor leapt through the crevice, arms outstretched and feet leaving the ground. Just as the cave collapsed behind them, blocking the opening, they tumbled and rolled onto soft grass where fresh air and light surrounded them.

Halle was on her back, eyes wide as she stared up at the morning sky through a series of branches and leaves above her. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, as if it was still trying to escape the chaos of the caves.

She glanced over to where they had escaped. There was a pile of rocks spilling from the entrance and a cloud of dust still in the air. She had never come so close to dying. Even during the bloodbath, she had never felt such raw panic in her entire life - a driving force that spurred her body into moving at a speed she hadn't thought possible. Sweat was trickling down her back and pain was flaring in her shoulder. The blanket of items had been tossed to the side, its contents spilling out. She could sense Castor sprawled on the ground next to her, gasping for air.

Halle closed her eyes for a moment and forced herself to take in some deep, slow breaths in an attempt to calm her frantic nerves.

"Holy shit." A trembling voice hissed out. Halle opened her eyes and raised her body so she was leaning on her arms, wincing when her shoulder twinged in pain. There would definitely be a bruise from where that rock had hit her. She glanced over at Jasmine, who was hunched over, her hands splayed on the ground and her blonde hair covering her face. Castor had thrown his left arm over his eyes and went quiet, probably still processing what had happened.

After a few moments of heavy breathing, Jasmine finally lifted her head to glare at the sky before muttering something unintelligible. She struggled to get to her feet and swayed a little bit before bracing a hand on the trunk of a tree.

"Are they trying to fucking kill us?" Jasmine bit out.

Halle scowled and laid back down on the ground.

"You're really surprised?" Castor said, slightly out of breath. He groaned as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. With a huff, he shot a glare at Jasmine. "That is why I don't want to go through dark and spiky caves. This is the Hunger Games. People die."

"I know that." Jasmine said with less bravado. "I just . . ." She took in a deep breath, her blue eyes flickering between the crevice they'd jumped through and Castor as her expression morphed into one of uncertainty. "I never thought it would be like that. Were they really willing to lose three tributes? In one day?"

Halle could hear the desperation in her voice. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to relish in the fresh air.

"Yeah." Halle said, not bothering to meet Jasmine's eyes. "They were."

Halle had to admit, even she hadn't been prepared for something like that to happen. She couldn't figure out if the Gamemakers were singling her out specifically, or if the other tributes were going through their own personal nightmare. It was only the third day in the arena. How could she ever hope to survive with caves collapsing on her without a moment's notice?

They were all silent for a moment as they tried to process what had happened.

"This is insane." Jasmine mumbled to herself as she began to pace, no doubt still filled with adrenaline. "First, the entire arena is in caves. Caves! Then, they don't give us any animals to hunt or water. And now the caves are collapsing? How the fuck are we supposed to live through this?"

Halle released a heavy sigh and struggled to her feet, growing tired of Jasmine's ramblings.

"We're not supposed to get through anything." She said as she wiped the dirt and sweat off her palms, some of the dried blood coming off on her pants. She lifted her head and fixed Jasmine with a look. "Like Castor said, this is the Hunger Games. They pit us all against each other, they set up traps, and whoever happens to make it out alive becomes their victor. If you want to live, then you need to be smart, you need to run faster than their traps, and you need to fight harder than the other tributes. Complaining isn't going to get us anywhere."

Still, she understood where Jasmine was coming from. Everything she'd seen up to this point . . . it was unbelievable. Back home, while others had averted their eyes when watching the Hunger Games, Halle had always paid close attention to everything that happened. She had to because she had always known it was only a matter of time before she was reaped as well. She picked apart every strategy, took note of why a tribute died and how they could have avoided it. She absorbed the information like a sponge in case it became useful one day - in case it would save her life.

But nothing could have prepared her for what it was like inside of the arena. She'd always been a spectator, viewing from a different lens. Living through it in person? Halle still hadn't processed everything she'd seen, and she wouldn't, not until she was safe and out of danger.

But will I ever not be in danger?

Jasmine had grown quiet while Castor had laid back down to rest. Halle tucked a loose curl behind her ear while she soaked in their new surroundings. Although they were no longer inside the caves, they were still enclosed by rock. It was an area similar to the Cornucopia, except a bit smaller. There were tall trees with vines hanging down, thick bushes with webbed leaves, and a variety of plant life that were either edible, or poisonous.

Despite their hectic start to the day, a spark of hope washed over Halle as she glanced around them. In the caves, there had been no signs of life. But here in the jungle, there was sure to be something they could eat. With all of the plants surrounding them and humidity in the air, there was probably a way for them to find water. Without knowing where the other tributes were, all they could do was focus on basic survival and getting through the Gamemakers traps. They would probably be pushed back into the caves eventually, but until then, they could explore and gather materials.

"We should scout out the area." Halle said.

Jasmine's head shot up and she gave Halle an incredulous look. "What? Like, right now?"

Halle frowned. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"We almost died!"

"Yeah, and unless we get moving, we'll die from thirst, or starvation, or the fucking ground collapsing on us. In case it wasn't clear, if we don't move, the Gamemakers will do it for us."

Jasmine opened her mouth to say something, but promptly shut it close. They were all still on edge from running for their lives. The weight of the situation had yet to set in, but Halle didn't want to wait. She couldn't wait. There was a lingering fear that constantly hung over her head, driving every decision she made. In the arena, one had to take risks to survive, but those same risks could cost a tribute their life.

She watched as Jasmine's hands balled into fists. She was frustrated. Halle was too. It was terrifying having so little control over one's life. They were at the mercy of the Capitol and the Gamemakers. But if they were smart, if they were careful, then they could stand a chance at living for another day.

"Look," Halle said as she took a step forward, her voice softer, more understanding. "We're not in the caves anymore, so there might be food and water here. We should at least gather supplies before we have to head out again. Castor's jerky and water won't last us much longer."

Jasmine's brows furrowed as she seemed to mull over her words. When Halle raised her eyebrows at Jasmine, waiting for response, Jasmine frowned and folded her arms.

"Fine." she said. "Let's just go."

Halle moved her gaze over to Castor, who was now glaring at the sky as if it were the Gamemakers themselves. When his eyes wandered over to hers, he released an exasperated sigh and sat up. "As long as we get some fresh meat and water, I don't care what we do."

She gave him a soft smile and held a hand out to him. He reached out with his left hand and grasped onto it, groaning as she helped pull him up. She gathered his blanket of items and tied it around from her torso to her uninjured shoulder, ignoring Castor when he raised his eyebrows questioningly at her. She could tell it was awkward for him to carry, but to her relief, he didn't say anything as they all headed out to explore the jungle.

Jasmine was silent as they traveled. Yesterday, she hadn't been able to shut up, but now, it was as if she were trying to ignore them. Halle didn't mind in the slightest. Sure, they were in a team, but Halle wasn't prepared to let her walls down. Jasmine could turn on them at the drop of a hat. It was why she wasn't willing to let Jasmine take watch. She couldn't trust her.

But she did trust Castor.

Why though?

What made Castor different from any of the other tributes? Why did she feel so protective over him, when his survival would mean her death?

She glanced over at Castor from the corner of her eye. His gaze was hard, determined. Despite all that had happened, he hadn't broken down or given up, even though he had every reason to. She felt drawn to him in a way. From the beginning, there was this unspoken bond between the two of them - this inherent trust. It defied everything the Games were about. Even though they were from the same district, they were supposed to be enemies. There weren't two winners, there was only one. And yet, she cared about him. In just over a week, he had gone from a stranger to something resembling a friend.

She didn't know whether to be happy to have made such a connection, or lost. It wouldn't end well. She knew that. But she had made promises to him. She had made promises to all of Panem.

"All I would like to say is that District 7 will have a victor this year. No matter what."

She hadn't been lying when she'd said that during her interview. It hadn't been part of her facade, or some ploy to gather sponsors. She'd meant that with every fiber of her being. Whatever happened, it had to be her or Castor. Those were the only outcomes she was willing to accept.

As they all traveled through the thick jungle and kept their eyes out for signs of life and water, Halle's gaze drifted over to the back of Castor's head as she thought back to the promises she'd made him.

She had never broken a promise before. She could only hope that she would be able to endure whatever the Games had in store.

It was late when they finally came across animals to hunt. Jasmine, having come from the livestock district, was skilled with animals, both in hunting and dismembering. Having helped Cody catch wild game back home, Halle worked with Jasmine in gathering the vines hanging down from trees to use as rope. While they set traps throughout the area, Castor had gathered a variety of plants to show Halle. He wasn't sure which ones were edible, but between Halle and Jasmine, they were able to pick out which ones they were sure wouldn't kill them.

They were fairly silent as they worked. Every once in a while someone would make a suggestion, whether it was to keep some of the vines they gathered, store some of the plants they came across, or keep watch for other tributes. The enclosed jungle was small enough that they were sure they were the only tributes present, but they couldn't ignore the paranoia hanging over them. After what the Gamemakers pulled, they were all too wary to let their guard down.

The sun was beginning to set. Taking advantage of the light, Halle used the small piece of glass she'd taken from Simon to start a fire. It was curved, so when positioned a certain way, she could use the concentrated light to light a spark on the kindling they found. Normally, she would be hesitant to start a fire in case it would alert someone else to their presence, but given the circumstances, she didn't think it would be a problem.

While they cooked the wild dog Jasmine had caught, Castor passed around the last of the water. Some of the plants they'd found had been able to provide some moisture, but they were in desperate need of fresh water. After traveling for days and burning thousands of calories, Halle was beginning to feel the weight of dehydration. What little liquid was left in the water bottle, wasn't enough, but at least it was something.

Regardless, if they didn't find water by the end of tomorrow, the Gamemakers might as well drop another cave on them.

Halle glanced at Jasmine as Castor gave her the water bottle for one last sip. Jasmine was beginning to act suspicious. Every hour or so, she would mumble about needing some privacy to go pee or would make an excuse to leave. She would only be gone for a couple of minutes, but her constant disappearing was beginning to gnaw at Halle. What was she up to? A part of her was worried that she was planning something against her and Castor, but she seemed to be cooperating with their plans. She had stopped complaining. She was no longer pestering them with suggestions. On the surface, Halle had no reason to suspect Jasmine of anything.

And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was up.

The fire felt nice. It warmed Halle's aching bones, and after spending the last couple of days in the caves with minimal light, it was comforting. She picked a bone from the dog they'd cooked and ate every last piece of meat, even sucking on it for the flavor. A small part of her felt at peace, but she knew it wouldn't last. They wouldn't be able to stay here in the fresh air with plants and animals. They would be pushed back into the caves eventually. Perhaps this was their little reward for escaping the collapsing caves, or maybe the Gamemakers were allowing them to rest before they threw something even worse at them. Either way, she would enjoy it while it lasted.

It wasn't long before the sun had set and the night sky came to life.

Halle hesitated before she went to smother the fire. They needed the warmth, but while they hadn't seen any tributes, she didn't want to take the risk of alerting anyone to their presence. She had just stomped out the flames when Castor spoke up.

"Looks like there's no Anthem tonight," he mumbled tiredly.

She glanced at him before moving her gaze to the sky. She wasn't even sure if it was real. How much of the arena was natural wilderness? Was the sky a simulation? The Gamemakers altered the arena so much it was hard to tell what was real or what was man made.

Jasmine tossed her picked bone into the dying fire. "So there's what, twelve of us left?" she said.

Halle sighed and went to sit down next to Castor, throwing her arm over her raised knee before meeting Jasmine's eyes with a shrug. "Looks like it."

Jasmine frowned and looked to the sky. Castor was wrapped up in his blanket. Although it was nighttime, the jungle was thriving around them with sounds of insects and the rustling of leaves from the slight breeze. When Halle looked over at Castor, he seemed like he was about to doze off.

She smiled and gave his shoulder a small push, startling him. He looked up at her with a frown, but she simply laughed and said, "I'll take the first watch. Get some sleep."

"Are you sure?" He hesitated. "You'll wake me up when you get tired?"

"Of course." she said.

He considered her for a moment, as if trying to detect a lie in her words, before giving her a nod and moving away to make himself comfortable.

It didn't take him long to fall asleep. Jasmine, who had been watching them with an unreadable expression, brushed her hands off on her pants and stood up.

"I'll be right back." she said.

Halle frowned. "Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

Halle watched as Jasmine wandered off into the thick foliage, not trusting one word she'd said. This was the fifth time she'd wandered away that day. What was she up to? She glanced over at Castor, his chest lifting softly with every breath he took. She wasn't willing to leave him alone to follow Jasmine, but she couldn't help the suspicion taking root in the pit of her stomach.

Sure, Jasmine was cooperating for now, but how long would that last? With a heavy sigh, Halle leaned back and looked towards the sky, her mind weighted with thoughts.

Whatever was going on with Jasmine, Halle hoped it would sort itself out soon. When it came to the Games, she didn't like being out of the know.

The next day, Jasmine's behavior hadn't improved much.

While they packed up camp to head out for the day, Jasmine had been eerily quiet. Whenever Halle would ask her a question or prompt her for a response, Jasmine would merely shrug and say, 'Sounds fine' or 'Whatever you want.' She always seemed to be preoccupied with something in her pocket, as if reassuring herself of something. Halle wanted to press her, but she had to be careful to maintain their alliance. Sure, she wasn't a fan of Jasmine, but she wasn't going to go out of her way to make an enemy.

Like she promised, Halle had woken up Castor to take watch when she could no longer keep her eyes open. Jasmine had slept most of the night, still wandering off every so often to do God knows what. When Castor woke Halle up the next morning, he'd mentioned it to her, having noticed it himself.

She glanced over at Jasmine again while she slipped on her jacket. Jasmine had checked one of her traps and managed to catch another wild dog, although it was much smaller than the one they ate last night. Still, it was big enough that it would last them a couple of days if they ate sparingly.

Castor stood up and held his water bottle upside down over his mouth, trying to get even a small drop of water. When his face fell in disappointment, Halle felt a twinge of worry. It didn't matter what lay ahead of them if they couldn't get hydrated. They had to find a source of water today.

She looked down in thought as they each got ready for the day. They'd already scouted out the entire area yesterday. It wasn't very large. There was one cave entrance on the opposite side of them. Although the last thing she wanted to do was venture back into the tunnels that seemed to stretch on for miles, she wasn't sure where else to go.

She lifted her head and glanced between Castor and Jasmine. "I think we should go back into the caves today." she said.

"You can't be serious." Jasmine piped in, a look of disbelief on her face. After being so docile this morning, Halle was almost surprised at her protest. Jasmine crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Halle. "You want to go back into the place where we almost died?"

Halle shrugged. "Yeah, unless you know where else we might find water?"

She hesitated and glanced between Halle and Castor. "Maybe we could look around some more? There's food here. Not to mention we can actually see where we're going."

"We scouted this area all day yesterday." Castor said as he frowned at Jasmine. "There's no water here and you know it."

Jasmine's demeanor faltered. Halle was just as wary as Jasmine to go back into the caves. Apart from their near death experience yesterday, they had been spoiled by the fresh air and food. It felt safe out here - predictable. Inside of the caves, there was no telling where the tunnels would lead or when they would next come across food.

But that didn't matter. Without water, they were as good as dead. They had to go back into the caves.

Halle took a step towards Jasmine. "I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do, but I'm going back into those caves. If you want to stay here, then go ahead, but you know there's nothing left for us here."

Halle watched as Jasmine seemed to fight an internal battle. Her jaw was clenched and her eyes were drawn towards the ground. If she was being honest, a small part of her hoped that Jasmine would stay. Just like the caves, Halle didn't know what to make of her. Having Jasmine there was only depleting what little resources they had. Although, she had to give credit where it was due. They might not have caught as much food if it hadn't been for Jasmine.

Appearing to have come to a decision, Jasmine locked eyes with Halle and said, "Fine, but there'd better be water in those caves."

Castor scoffed and took a step forward. "Or what?" He said with a scowl on his face. "You're either with us, or you're against us. If you don't want to go into the caves, then don't."

He didn't wait to see how Jasmine would respond. Instead, he gathered up the rest of their supplies and placed them in his blanket, tying the ends around his upper torso and shoulder. He started walking in the direction of the cave entrance before turning to face them, his eyebrows raised. "Are you coming, or not?"

Halle immediately followed, a slight smile on her face, but Jasmine hesitated. She glanced between them as she mulled something over. When it became clear they were more than happy to leave without her, she grumbled something under her breath and ran to catch up with them.

They traveled in silence as they made their way to the cave entrance. It towered above them and it felt like looking into the mouth of a predator waiting to swallow them whole. Halle glanced over at Jasmine as they entered the cave, wondering if she would try and wander off again. In the jungle, she had been able to disappear into the trees for moments at a time, but she couldn't do that in the tunnels. Whatever it was Jasmine had been doing, she would either have to be more discreet, or come clean.

"Here we go." she heard Castor mumble as they entered the cave.

As soon as they entered, Halle narrowed her eyes. There was something different about these caves. Sure, stalactites still hung from the ceiling, skylights were still present, allowing some light to shine through, and the terrain was just as jagged, but it seemed like there was something different about the air.

Castor took the lead this time. Before, Halle had used her compass to lead them away from the Cornucopia, but after the caves collapsed, her compass had stopped working. It spun in endless circles, never revealing where the golden horn might be. She watched as Castor walked with confident steps, his demeanor never faltering. It amazed her that someone so young was handling the arena. She knew he was scared - they all were - but he didn't let that get in the way. He kept on moving forward, regardless of what was thrown at them.

Jasmine was lingering at the back. Every so often, Halle would glance back at her and see her stuff something back into her pocket, but she didn't press her on it. At one point they took a break and Halle had taken the opportunity to take the blanket from Castor, wrapping it around her torso instead. He had given her a look, but left it alone.

They had been hiking through the caves for several hours when Castor halted in his step.

Halle looked at him with a frown. "What is it?"

"Do you hear that?" he said as he cocked his head to the side.

"Hear what?" Jasmine said, but Castor didn't answer.

They stood still for a moment as they tried to hear what Castor was hearing. Halle closed her eyes and listened, but she couldn't hear anything unusual. Just as she was about to question Castor, he started rushing forward, further into the tunnel.

"Castor?" Halle called out as she raced to catch up with him. He didn't waver in his step, moving forward with a goal in mind. She adjusted the blanket of items on her back and began to run, slowing to a jog when she finally reached him.

"What is it?" she said as she ran side by side with him. Jasmine was jogging behind them, glancing between them with a furrowed brow, no doubt wondering what had gotten into Castor.

He stopped again, causing Halle to halt with him. He closed his eyes to listen again.

That's when Halle heard it.

They all paused, eyes wide as they looked at each other.

It was the sound of rushing water.

They all bolted into the tunnel at the prospect of water. As they journeyed on, Halle could begin to feel moisture in the air - mist. They'd had the last of their water last night, but that had been barely enough to keep them going. The sounds grew louder. When they finally rounded the corner and entered a cavern with a large crack in the ceiling revealing the sky, they could see a small river flowing in the caves.

Castor ran forward first and Halle was surprised to see a genuine smile on his face. He laughed and shrugged off his jacket, using his left arm to toss it behind them. Halle watched with amusement as he stepped into the river before dunking himself into the water, shaking his head when he resurfaced. Jasmine followed quickly behind, immediately immersing herself and washing off her face.

The river wasn't very big, but it was moving pretty fast. From what she could see, it was at Castor's waist so far. She suspected it went deeper than that, but Castor made no efforts to travel further in. He walked over to the edge of the river and sat down, allowing the water to wash over him. His head spun around and he met her eyes, his grin growing. "Come on, Halle!"

His clothes were soaked. His short, dark hair was sticking up in all sorts of directions. She could feel a smile forming on her face and something blossomed within her.

She laughed. A real, genuine laugh. It was unprovoked, unplanned. Jasmine looked at her with surprise, having never expected to hear the sound come out of Halle. Without wasting another moment, Halle untied the blanket of items and stripped off both her jackets. Although she wanted nothing more than to wash off all the dirt, blood and sweat, there was something they needed to do first.

She fished out the bottle of tablets from the blanket and grabbed onto Castor's water bottle. She walked over and placed the bottle in the water, allowing it to fill up before popping a tablet in. She shook it around, and once the tablet finally dissolved, she wandered over to Castor and handed it to him with a smile. "Drink up, Cas."

He let out an amused snort and snatched it from her, immediately downing as much water as he could stomach. She warned him to take it easy and not to drink too much at once, but she wasn't much better when it was her turn. They'd all been deprived of the water they'd needed. After traveling all hours of the day, they'd burned so many calories. Their bodies needed more water than they had in the Capitol, or even back home. Once Jasmine had her fill of water, Halle began filling it back up, making sure to use the tablets sparingly.

The water felt heavenly. She had shrugged off her boots and was washing off her body. While Jasmine and Castor took a break to nibble on some food, Halle was scrubbing her face vigorously. She hadn't realized how dirty she'd been.

Her hands lifted to undo her twin braids, but she was hesitant, knowing she would never be able to braid them as securely as Andromeda had. Despite this, she was desperate to get clean. She ran her fingers through her wet hair and pulled through knots, washed away the dirt, and finally weaved it back into as tight a braid as she could.

After she'd secured her red curls, she glanced down at her hands. There were still remnants of blood and dirt caked in patches on her palms and underneath her fingernails. When she washed away the blood, she watched as the water turned red before flowing downstream once more. The bloodbath seemed so far away, but it had only been a few days.

She was about to join Castor and Jasmine, but stilled when a thought occurred to her.

Castor, who noticed her change in demeanor, frowned and set down his water bottle and said, "Halle?"

She hesitated and looked down at her hands. They were clean now. No blood. She could almost pretend she hadn't killed someone three days prior.

Jasmine was watching them with furrowed brows. Castor leaned forward with a concerned expression. He was just about to ask something else, but Halle released a shaky sigh and allowed her hands to drop to her sides.

"Something isn't right." she said.

Castor exchanged a look with Jasmine before returning his gaze to Halle, hesitating for a moment. "What is it?"

She gestured around them. "This. All of this. It doesn't make any sense."

"Halle -" Castor began.

"Castor." she interrupted with a hard gaze. "Look around you. We have food, water. How did we get all of this? How did we get here."

He didn't seem to understand what she was talking about, but Jasmine jumped in, her expression severe. "The caves collapsed." she said.

"Exactly." Halle said. "And who is responsible for the caves collapsing?"

"The Gamemakers." Castor said, starting to catch on now.

She gave him a nod before her gaze wandered over to the flowing stream. Where she was standing, the water reached the top of her thighs. "If it weren't for the caves collapsing, we would have never been in that jungle, we would have never found food, and we wouldn't be sitting where we are now." She looked back at Castor and Jasmine. "Why? Why are we here?"

None of them seemed to have an answer. Their previous joy from having found water had faltered at the thought there might be something more, that the Gamemakers had something in store for them. And although they'd been spoiled with fresh air and sustenance, Halle had an inkling the Gamemakers next move wouldn't be in their favor. They had gotten lost in trying to survive. They had been so distracted after the caves collapsed that they hadn't stopped and asked themselves why.

Why did the Gamemakers lead them to the jungle - the one place with food and fresh air? After making such a show of placing Halle in the heart of the bloodbath the first day, why did they lead her to water, the lack of which could have easily killed her? If they could collapse the caves, why let her find Castor in the first place?

Why?

She simply couldn't make sense of it. In previous Games, it wasn't uncommon for the Gamemakers to do something to lead tributes to where they wanted. Sometimes they liked to bring tributes together to incite a fight. Other times, they simply wanted to shake things up and lead them into a trap.

They were more wary after Halle's revelation. Castor's smile had left his face. Instead of relaxing in the water, he was constantly looking around the caves, as if he could find the Gamemakers next trick. Jasmine, who had previously protested to journeying into the caves, now glanced back at the path behind them, wondering if the jungle had been safer after all. Halle didn't know what to think. She didn't know how to move forward. The Gamemakers had all of the power. They could kill them right now if they wanted.

She felt like she had that first day. Mentally exhausted, traumatized, constantly alert . . . lost.

A/N from Ao3 :

There's a storm brewing . . .

I hope you guys are ready. Fasten your seat belts. Shit's about to go down.

School is already kicking my ass, but I'm determined to update every two-ish weeks! I'm a little bit late, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter! There is so much to explore and I've barely scratched the surface. Think of the Games as Phase 1 of the story out of 4 parts. Can't wait to write Finnick and Johanna.

So grateful for the support for this story. I feel like I say this every chapter, but I truly mean it. As always, you guys rock, and I'll see you all for the next one!