I do not own 'The Hunger Games' or anything related.


The girls put their food together, with the 11 assuring that a type of red berry was safe to eat. She also explained what the girl assumed were sunglasses were for. Despite my initial misgivings, it seemed that taking her own as an ally was becoming clear as a good choice as time passed on. I just hoped that the girl would be prepared for the consequences.

What am I saying, of course she won't be!

At night, the girl came up with a plan to destroy the careers' source of food, knowing that the non-career tributes usually won with it gone.

The next day, I noticed that the team for District 10 had gone. That meant that their remaining tribute, the one with the bad foot, had died the night before. Honestly, I was surprised he lasted this long, between the careers and the fire! That only left 1, 2, 3, 5, and 11. 4 had left after their remaining tribute had died, and were clearly not happy that they were out of the running so soon, particularly before any non-career districts (one of them angrily shoved away a reporter as he tried to get their thoughts on their loss!).

After breakfast, the girl and 11 tracked down the careers' base. They found it strange that their only guard was the boy from 3, with the food out in the open. I only knew from the broadcast that the boy had actually set up mines to protect the food using the pedestal that the tributes stand on as the game starts, and if they get off too soon or late, they explode. Hmmm. Using something the gamemakers never expected to be used. You'd think that that would mean consequences for those using it.

I became concerned as the two got to know each other, as if forming a real friendship. To tell you the truth, although allies are not supposed to be friends (for obvious reasons), the audience preferred watching a genuine relationship as opposed to one that was purely self-serving. Especially over the moment where one of the allies die in the other's arms. Which was the moment I was afraid of. I was convinced that the reason the girl liked the 11 so much was because she reminded her of her little sister. I knew from experience that it was never good to relate a tribute to someone you knew.


It had been a week since the start of the games. As the day passed Maysilee had decided that I had reached the stage of what she thought was someone who didn't look like they were on the verge of starvation, so now we could share our food equally. I still thought that she needed the food more than me, but I didn't want to risk another argument. The next day the maze had once again led us back into the centre of the woods. Once again, I tried a somewhat different route but in relatively the same direction.

While we walked, we heard sobbing. What were they thinking? I knew that the games were awful but you might as well be alerting everyone nearby to your attention and be shouting "Come and get me!" I looked at Maysilee. We both understood that we needed to get away as far as possible, from any tribute who was likely being drawn to the sound, including the careers. As we tried to walk away, I realised that it was a boy crying. A young boy. I remember that amongst the tribute there was one from 5 who looked like he was no older than Larie. I stopped.

"Haymitch, come on," Maysilee tried to beckon me to continue, "We need to keep moving."

I knew she was right. But I couldn't help it. All I could think of was that it was like Larie was in this arena. Larie upset. Larie scared. Larie all alone, with no one to protect him.

Against my better logic, I walked into the direction of the sound.

"Haymitch, what are you doing?"

Pass a few trees, I saw him. It was the boy who was Larie's age, huddle against the tree, sobbing.

"I could probably shoot him from here," Said Maysilee.

I looked at her, horrified at what she was suggesting.

"No," I firmly told her, "We are not killing him, he's just a boy!"

"So are you! We're all children here!"

"I mean a boy boy!"

"Haymitch, that sound could be bringing any tribute here at any moment, including the careers! We can't risk it! Besides, we can't pass up the opportunity for anything he has on him."

"Whatever food he might have taken he's probably eaten by now," I told him.

"That's not to say he might not have anything else on him that could be of use," Said Maysilee.

"We are not killing him," I hissed, "Or you can forget this alliance."

It's not like I wasn't prepared to kill anyone, if it was necessary, but even so, killing a boy who was no older than Larie, just to silence him, to steal from him, was just wrong. I know that being noble doesn't exactly assure you victory in the games, even inhibit it, but I just couldn't bring myself to even contemplate killing him. With the glare I gave her, eventually, Maysilee relented.

"Fine," She said, "But we've gotta do something about that crying."

"What do you propose?"

"Leave it to me," She smiled, standing up, "I don't think you have a gentle enough touch."

I frowned. The image of a younger version of myself outside the games poking my tongue at her came to mind.

Emerging from behind the tree, Maysilee walked towards the boy. I followed her.

"Hey there," She greeted.

Looking up, the boy appeared terrified, backing away.

"It's alright," She raised her hands, "We're not going to hurt you."

If only he knew.

The boy looked at her, seemingly confused. He had several large cuts across his face. It seemed he had a bad time himself in the Arena. It's no wonder then that he wouldn't be trusting!

"My name's Maysilee, and this is Haymitch. What's yours?"

"I want to go home! I'm scared! And I'm hungry."

Suddenly having an idea, Maysilee took out a piece of food and laid it on the ground. Looking at it suspiciously, the boy crept towards it before grabbing it and moving away, wolfing it down.

"The careers aren't the only ones who can make allies. Do you want to be our ally?"

His eyes brightened up.

"You – you really want me to be your ally?"

"Yeah, Boy," I reply, "We won't let anything happen to you. You can have as much food as you want with us."

I was worried that Maysilee wouldn't have approved of such a generous promise, but I didn't see any objection from her. The boy hugged Maysilee.

"Come on," I said, "Let's get out of here before anyone else arrives."

As we started walking, I saw Maysilee bring up her blow dart and fire.

"NO!"

I turned around. The boy had been struck in the neck, and he ended up seizuring just like the career, before dying. The canon fired.

"WHAT THE HELL?" I turned on Maysilee, "What did I say, WHAT DID I JUST SAY? No killing children! But oh, that's right, it's the Hunger Games, right?" I interrupted Maysilee before she had a chance to speak, "Killing other children is what we're supposed to be doing, right? Well you know what, killing, murdering a small child, is just plain evil! EVIL! You evil bitch! What kind of person gives someone assuring words, what kind of person hugs someone else, what kind of person leads someone in a false sense of security before murdering them?"

By the time I had finished, Maysilee had her arms crossed.

"If you're done shouting at me," She said, "I was trying to tell you that I had just saved your life."

"Saved my life? What are you talking about?"

"Look for yourself!"

She pointed. I turned to look at the dead boy, and –

What was that?

A few inches away, something that wasn't there before, was a knife. He must have dropped it after getting hit by the blow dart.

"That whole sobbing thing was just an act to lure unsuspecting tributes to him, before he could murder them and take away their stuff!"

"But – but – but why didn't he stab you in the back when he was hugging you?"

"He probably wanted to take down the larger threat first. You'll also find that those are fake wounds."

Bending down, licking her thumb, she wiped off what seemed like blood on the boy's face. It wasn't the boy's blood. More likely he had used the juice from some of the bright red fruit to make him look like he was injured.

A trick. Just like the mutts, that appeared innocent that lure you in with their seeming innocence, concealing their truly killer nature. I expected that sort of thing from the Capitol. But another tribute?

"Come on," Said Maysilee, "Let's get his backpack off him before the hovercraft comes to collect."

It felt wrong to steal from a dead boy, even a boy who was planning to murder you, but Maysilee was right. We couldn't let anything he had go to waste. As expected, he didn't have much on him.

We didn't speak to each other much for the rest of the day. Once again, ending up back in the maze, we sat down for dinner. We were reaching the point where we really had to start rationing our food, and I still thought that Maysilee needed it more than me, despite her objections. We just stared at each other. Eventually I was the one who broke the silence.

"I'm sorry," I said.

Maysilee looked at me, but didn't answer.

"I know I said some awful things to you back there."

"You mean like me being an evil bitch?"

"Among other things," I couldn't help but grin.

"It's OK. I understand why you were angry. Haymitch. That wasn't your little brother."

I felt myself go red.

"You think I couldn't tell the difference?"

"I think you saw your brother in that boy we encountered earlier."

"Oh, because you know me so well."

"Of course I don't know you, Haymitch, just like you don't know me. Other than that, well…"

"You mean that I'm the no good son of the former town drunk who murdered him?"

"I wasn't going to say that."

"Then what were you going to say?" I snapped.

"I said that I know you as this boy who always seem so angry all the time."

"Well don't I have the right to be angry?" I stood up.

Maysilee just continued to look at me.

"Like I said, I don't know you that well to make an opinion."

I sat back down.

"I'll take first watch, since you took the first," I said after the broadcast.

"Fine," She said back to me, laying down to sleep.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"No need to apologise again."

"No, not that. I mean. I'm sorry I got us into that mess in the first place. If I hadn't be drawn to the crying, if I hadn't told you not to kill him when you had the chance-"

"No. Don't do that. Don't apologise for being a decent human being. Especially one that's in the games."

Huh. I don't think I recall anyone calling me a decent human being before.

Truth be told, I didn't know her that well either. I knew of course that she was a merchant girl who worked at the sweet shop, but that was about it. I didn't want to know anything more about her, as if we were friends rather than allies. It would make it that much harder when the time came for one of us to die. Just like it would be for the girl.

But then, it's hard not to form a friendship with your ally in the arena.


When they got on the topic of Mockingjays, and how some of them were the 11's 'special friends', the girl took off a pin that I guessed was her token (Surprised that even made it into the arena given that a sharp object could be used as a weapon!).

"Here, you have this. It means more to you than me."

Wait a minute!

I leaned towards the screen, but there was no mistaking it.

That pin! That's Maysilee's pin! That's Maysilee's token! She was even wearing it on the train! How is it that I haven't noticed until now? Effie gasped, her hand covering her mouth. Yes. She watched my games. She would have known the pin's significance! A bolt of anger shot through me. What was she even doing with Maysilee's pin? I tried to think. It would have gone to her family, and her last surviving relative from her time would be her sister, the mayor's wife. They have a daughter around the girl's age. Did she give it to her? Were they friends? I didn't even think the girl had any friends! Aside from the 'tall boy' that she hung around with.

Starting to put her plan in motion, the girls part ways. Returning to the career camp, the girl watched them, as the 11 lit the campfire to draw their attention away, even taking the 3 with them. The girl stayed put for half an hour. I could tell that she was already wary of some kind of trap protecting the food. She was just about to make a move when several hundred feet to her right the tribute from 5 emerged. Having already worked out the trap, she managed to avoid the mines and take enough food without making it obvious that anything had been taken. Working it out, the girl whispered 'mines'. Coming across the metal plates that they stood on, she realised what must have happened. Then she tried to work out how to set them off. Pointing her arrow at the burlap of apples that the 5 had opened earlier, she shot an arrow. It tore a hole in the sack. A second arrow made the hole wider. An apple was already teetering when a third arrow ripped the torn flap from the bag, spilling the apples to the ground, causing a massive explosion that sent the girl flying backwards into the air and into the ground. She got up, but she seemed to have problems walking. It seemed the explosion affected her worse than I presumed, with blood pouring from one of her ears. Had the explosion damaged her hearing? Putting her hood up (Likely to stop any blood dropping), she managed to crawl away, just in time as the careers returned. The district 2 boy was furious, pulling out his hair and beating the ground. Turning on the 3, who tried to run away, only to be caught in a headlock and his neck snapped. The other two were trying to calm him down. The male 2 wanted to head into the woods, but the other two, thinking that whoever set off the trap must be dead, convinced him to wait to collect the body. The hovercraft collected the 3, but nothing came for the person who set off the trap. When the broadcast came and only showed the 10 and 3, it just confirmed that the person who set off the trap survived. They headed into the woods, thinking that the person had left the scene. The girl however stayed where she was.

5 Districts remained. 5 Districts, and 8 tributes. It had been a long time since someone from 12 had been in the top 8. I was sure that the reports were going to come to me and interview me over my tributes.

Using a sheet of plastic to cover her and her backpack to block the wind, the girl did her best to go to sleep.


The next day, the 5 was going through what remained of the careers' pile. After running away, the girl decided now was a time to move. The way she fiddled with her left ear made me think that perhaps she had gone deaf in that eye. That could be a problem, like losing an eye. Returning to where she and the 11 agreed to return to, she found she wasn't there. I checked the main monitor. That was because she was too busy escaping the careers!

Chewing the mint leaves, I was guessing that she was having a hollow day, when no matter what you put in your belly, it's never enough. Mint is meant to make your stomach think that eating time is over.

That afternoon she decided to look for her. Coming to the place where they agreed to light the third fire, she noticed that it was never lit. Continuing her search, the 11 made her four note letting her know that she was alright, which carried on to the girl. Then the 1 caught her in his net. The 11, having no idea with the girl was nearby, screamed for the girl's name. The girl replied, something she should not do as this will alert the enemy's attention, but that didn't matter at the moment. I was hearing another scream, but this one almost 25 years ago, a girl screaming though not as young, and I'm running, just as the girl is running, and I know that just like me, she'll arrive too late. She arrived just in time for the 1 to skewer the 11 with his spear.