Day Two.

5:27 am, The South Wing.

The sounds hadn't stopped all night.

Teagan had barely gotten any sleep, too caught up in her own head as her allies slept around her. She'd gotten too content with Liam by her side, had ignored any possibility that she'd lose him, and had projected too many of her insecurities onto Kyra only for them to hit her full force now that she was alone. In her fourteen years of life, never had she felt so alone, so unloved, so unwanted. All she wanted to do was go home, and even the Arena wouldn't let her forget that she was anywhere but home.

She tucked her knees up against her chest, burying her face in her legs as she tried to calm herself down. Around her, blades of grass rustled in a nonexistent wind, floorboards creaked even though no one was around, and Teagan could've sworn she'd heard a horse whinny once or twice.

Quite frankly, she felt on the verge of losing her mind.

A few hours ago, it had grown to be too much, so she tried to wake up Imperia to ask her about it only to get very grumpily told off. She'd quickly backed off for a while, only to shake Jude awake later. He'd been marginally nicer, his sleepy and confused state leading to him politely telling her he had no fucking clue what she was talking about before practically falling asleep in the middle of his sentence.

She'd quit trying after that.

Sleep didn't come easy, not when Teagan was too wound up to settle down. If she wasn't terrified of waking Imperia and Jude up again, she'd try to pace just to let out some of her excess energy. Instead, all she could do was sit on the floor, sleep deprived and half paralyzed.

What was she even scared for? Teagan was used to being pretty much on her own, so maybe she should've seen this coming. She still had two allies, but for some reason her brain refused to let her count them, insisting that she was all alone. She supposed she'd purposefully distanced herself from them, allowing herself to disappear into the woodwork of the alliance. It had worked well enough, until it suddenly backfired and all Teagan had left was herself.

Something wet hit her legs and Teagan flinched back, angrily swiping at her eyes with her sleeves when she realized she was crying. Teagan didn't cry. She wasn't weak. She wasn't like Kyra who cried all the time and was now dead. She wouldn't die - she couldn't die - because… because…

Sniffling, Teagan's shoulders shook as she tried to come up with reasoning for herself, something besides the truth. But she kept coming up empty, because despite it all, Teagan was too scared to die. If she was alone now, would she be alone when she died? Would her parents remember her when she was gone? Or would they just mourn what she offered them, a way to show off to their friends?

Teagan missed the simple times, when all she had to worry about was avoiding her parents and the stress of being their child. She'd escape on Gypsy, ride to the edges of the acres they owned, and spend the day pretending she'd successfully run away before she forced herself to go back home, dragging her feet as she went.

That was it, running away. Her hand twitched towards one of the backpacks before she caught herself, shaking her head. She couldn't leave, not now. What was she supposed to do when she was truly on her own?

She'd never felt quite so trapped before.

Teagan barely flinched as the floor creaked. She wiped her face clean of tears again and managed to get back down into a supine position. She could still sleep; there was still a chance. Teagan tried to tell herself she'd be more helpful if she succumbed to sleep, but she didn't know how effective her words were. All she could do was squeeze her eyes shut and hope for the best.

Teagan didn't remember anything after that.

8:48 am, The South Wing.

Now, Shai Kingston wasn't stupid. He made that clear to everyone around him at one point or another, and that's why he kept regarding Justus with an expectant look, hoping the other man would drop the facade and tell him why they'd split up like this.

He was still waiting.

They'd woken up early to Justus saying they needed to patrol and start checking out the area. Shai had immediately sidled over to Kano only to be quickly told that they were doing things a little different today. That's how Shai found himself stuck with Justus as they picked through rooms, searching for any sign of life.

Oh well. Shai was just glad he wasn't Alila, stuck sitting around the Cornucopia all day with only Phaedra for company. But he supposed she deserved that after the shit she pulled at the bloodbath.

Either way, he was starting to get bored. They couldn't have been patrolling for long, but Shai was already antsy due to the lack of action. So, he fixed his eyes on Justus and decided to do what he did best.

"I presume there's a reason you organized the pairs the way you did," Shai said lightly, moving closer to Justus. "That is, unless you're just very good at hiding your secret fondness for me."

Justus snorted and continued moving down the hall, looking into another room. "I think we both know it's not the latter."

Humming to himself, Shai just shrugged. "If that's the case, you must have something on your mind. With our drama-free day yesterday, I can't imagine what that would be."

"You seem very invested in helping Kano," Justus said, dodging Shai's comment entirely.

"If you're talking about the whole staff thing, that was just me evening the playing field. He may be a pain in the ass, but he's more useful to us alive than dead."

"I mean all of it," Justus said, stopping short. "You've attached yourself to him since the beginning. I can't imagine he has no idea, but I certainly don't think he realizes the extent of it."

A slight smile turned up the edges of Shai's lips. "Ah, I get it. Is this some kind of cautionary speech about how I'd better watch my back because he's volatile and look at how fast he turned on Alila? Or are you trying to figure out what I have up my sleeve?"

"So you do have something up your sleeve," Justus commented lightly, starting down the hallway again. "Besides those knives, of course. Congrats on your high placement."

"I'd congratulate you on yours, but I think we both know how that would go."

To his credit, Justus didn't even flinch, evidently becoming immune to those kinds of barbs. Shai frowned a bit, as he'd been hoping this little expedition would help him get a better feel for how to best get under Justus's skin. Ah, well, surely Shai would be able to improvise.

"Maybe I'm just surprised at how fast you threw Alila aside," Justus said, opening the door to another empty room. "Almost like you were waiting for it."

Shai paused before giving Justus a bright grin. "I guess you're right. I figured she'd fuck up at some point, but certainly not so early. I overheard part of one of her conversations with Estelle, something about how she didn't know if she could kill him if it came down to it."

"And you decided not to mention it to anyone?" Justus raised an eyebrow, leaning against the doorway.

"Obviously," Shai countered, rolling his eyes. "I didn't have any proof. Besides, it's not like I knew who he was. So I took a few days to figure it out, realized it was something anyone with eyes could see, and… redirected Kano's frustration on interview night to see if I was right. Turns out I was."

Justus stared at him for a long moment before asking, "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Why not?" Shai shoved his hands in his pockets, resuming his casual stroll down the hallway. "Not like you can do anything about it now."

"I could tell Kano."

A quiet laugh slipped out, and Shai shook his head. "You saw what he almost did to Alila. You really want to face that on your own, Five?"

There was a beat of silence as Shai's jab hit this time, but Justus was quick to shake it off. "I guess I still don't get why you told me all of this."

"A distraction technique, maybe. Or perhaps you were already close enough to figuring it out yourself. Either way, you're still left guessing. It's all part of the fun, right?"

Justus stayed quiet, as if he was trying to work out something in his mind before he spoke again. Shai didn't care either way. Maybe this early expedition into the Arena really could be fun.

"Was that all?" Shai asked, turning back to Justus. "Did you just want to keep tabs on me and Kano?"

Justus looked unamused. "Well, then. Since he is, in your words, 'volatile,' you might want to be a little more careful in the future."

Shai felt a flash of annoyance, covering it up with a simpering smile. "Careful now, Justus. I'll start to get the impression that you care about me."

Justus didn't respond to that, continuing down the hallway in search of tributes. Shai trailed along after him, far more entertained by this exchange than he had been for most of the day.

"I'm surprised you chose yourself to go out on patrol today," Shai said lightly.

"What makes you say that?"

"You always gave me the impression that you were… a bit soft for the Games." Shai held his hands up lightly, giving Justus an innocent smile. "No offense intended, of course. I just figured you'd station yourself at the Cornucopia for the most part."

Justus grumbled something under his breath before rolling his eyes. "I'm just doing my part."

"Are you really prepared to do your part, though?"

"I don't see why killing other tributes is the only part that matters to you right now," Justus said in a measured tone.

"It matters if I'm gonna have to be the one to kill anyone we run across," Shai shot back. "It matters because half of the pack has managed to get a kill and the other half hasn't. Kano could get one, we all know that, just like how we all know Makani won't. That just leaves you, oh righteous leader. Is your goal to get out of here as pure as you came in?"

Justus's jaw clenched and unclenched as he continued moving down the hallway, going around the corner. "I'd keep worrying about yourself. You're getting in over your head."

"With what?"

"With Kano. I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but clearly you're getting… attached. You say you have it all under control, but do you have any idea what you're really getting yourself into?" Justus asked insistently.

Shai let out a hollow laugh. "I know the one that came into the Games with a girlfriend isn't trying to lecture me on getting attached."

"Hold on."

If Shai didn't notice Justus's change in demeanor, he might've gone on more recklessly, digging into the double standards that Justus was trying to bring up, but instead he just slowly slid out his knives. Justus held his sword out in front of him, trying to portray himself like the brave leader he wanted to be, but Shai knew how to see through the chinks in his armor.

He had to wonder if someone like Justus would even be able to come out of the Games whole, or if the Games would irreparably reshape him into a completely different person.

Now that they'd both fallen silent, Shai could hear the quiet muttering that had gotten Justus's attention in the first place. It was too quiet for him to attempt to pinpoint which tribute it was, but the higher timbre let him assume it was a girl. Shai tried to run through the ones that were left - the unsettling one from Six? The hopelessly frail one from Five? - but Justus had moved before he finished organizing his thoughts.

Shai cursed softly, hanging back for a moment to see what exactly Justus planned on doing. He watched intently, briefly surprised to see that the girl they ran into was the one from Ten. She looked disheveled and was nearly spinning in circles as she surveyed what used to be a camp, likely one that she'd shared with her allies. Her hair was a mess, and she continuously raked her hands through it as she mumbled to herself. If Shai had to guess, she'd barely slept through the night - if she'd gotten any sleep at all.

The girl hadn't noticed them yet, but Justus was still frozen in place. Shai huffed a sigh and moved out from behind him, lifting a knife and taking a moment to aim before sending it directly at the girl just as she lifted her head. It hit her directly in the throat, a gurgle bubbling up as her throat started to fill with blood. She took a staggering step back, one hand reaching up for the knife, before she fell to the ground.

Justus immediately spun to face him, dropping his sword in favor of gripping Shai's jacket. "What was that for?" he asked insistently.

Shai glanced down at Justus's grip and casually swatted it away, taking a few steps around him. "She was about to notice you gaping at her. If she tried to run, it was going to be a lot more of an issue to track her down. So, you're welcome."

With that, Shai crossed over to the girl's prone body, her fingers still twitching. He sighed, hearing Justus splutter behind him.

"She didn't even know we were there! She didn't have a chance!"

He plucked the knife out of the girl's throat, unflinching as the cannon sounded and he turned to face Justus. Shai just raised an eyebrow, wiping a streak of blood on Justus's pure white jacket. "You think you'll get out of here without any blood on your hands? You can't escape it, Justus. It's on your hands as much as it is on mine. You want to talk about fair? Next time, sign up for another game."

Shai stalked away, scooping up one of the forgotten backpacks only to let out a harsh laugh. "They ditched her anyway. There was no way she was going to make it out of here alone. She already looked half out of her mind."

He could practically feel the frown Justus aimed at his back, but Shai was exceptionally good at shrugging things off. "Are we still going?" Justus asked carefully.

"I wasn't planning to give up this early," Shai said, more cheerfully. "We've got a long day ahead of us."

Another cannon, another body. If Shai had kept track after yesterday, that left them with sixteen tributes in the Arena; a third of them were gone in just barely a day. Shai just had to make sure he wasn't one of them. He wasn't done yet, not by a long shot.

There was nothing in this Arena that could stop him from achieving victory.

10:52 am, Bottom Floor of The East Wing.

Sleep didn't come easy when her thoughts were racing, too loud for Crush to settle down. An artist like her could hardly rest when she'd never felt more inspired in her life; she was still riding the high from the immense kindness her muse had shown her nearly a full day before. Never before had Crush felt more passionate about the art she knew she, and only she, could make.

With any hope of sleep out the window, she'd turned to wandering the halls, disappointed again and again as each room turned up nothing that would help her endeavor. Wood may have been a suitable material for some, but all materials were inferior in Crush's mind. She couldn't let her greatest work be ruined so easily. Each bedroom she'd passed had made her increasingly irate, leading to her trashing one of the rooms just to let out some of her frustration. It hadn't helped, not even when she tried to frame it to herself as an abstract art piece, but the descending spiral staircase she'd run into soon after did.

The floor the staircase led to was far finer than any of the others. Crush made her way through the wide hallways, peeking in at the intricately designed rooms. There were tall columns holding up the ceiling, and abstract artwork hung in gilded frames. She hummed to herself, staring up at one of the artworks and tilting her head to the side. Clicking her tongue, she shook her head and continued on. There was nothing worthwhile about it at all. She could contribute better if she could only find the proper materials for her work.

As she walked, Crush noticed marble flooring, which stretched as far as Crush could see. Crush nearly whimpered at the sight, but she held herself together. There was no use in trying to get a chunk of it for herself, not when she couldn't tell if she'd even be able to get it out of the ground. Sighing, she kicked at the floor. She'd have to find something else out of which to sculpt her masterpiece.

Wearily, Crush shoved open the closest doors and strolled into a large library, with books as far as she could see. This entire floor was well taken care of, a stark contrast to where she'd started. The finery, so different from her home back in Twelve, made her skin crawl. She'd never been around this many books, not even at school, and she'd certainly never paid attention to them before. That was Clamor's job.

Heaving a sigh, she pushed the straps of her backpack off her shoulders and tossed it on the ground. While she was here, she might as well look around unburdened.

She kept her chisel on her, twirling it between her fingers. The weight was a familiar comfort to her, and she'd been overjoyed to find it waiting for her, along with a hammer, in the Cornucopia. She'd been a little less overjoyed when she had to plunge it into the Seven girl's head on her way out. But, she supposed it was what had to be done. The girl had been in her way, and Crush didn't have any time to waste.

Her muse at the Cornucopia… Crush could remember it so clearly, the way Makani had looked directly at her and didn't make a move. They'd stayed like that for a few beats, time frozen around them. Crush had been several feet from her and yet she'd never felt closer. There was no fear in her heart as she grabbed a bag and the hammer and chisel, and for good reason. Makani didn't attempt to lash out at her - clearly a sign that Crush was meant to pick up on. No Career would be softhearted enough to let anyone by, not in the bloodbath. Just as Makani was special to Crush… Crush had to be special to Makani as well.

Her revelation had filled her with a special kind of delight, one bordering on delirium as she spent the rest of the first day roaming around the Arena in search of something to properly carve into Makani's likeness. She'd never felt so inspired in her life, and yet… and yet…

Frustration seeped into her bones, her fragile nerves alight as she took a book off of the shelf. Flipping it over to read the title, Crush scoffed and threw the thick volume of fairy tales aside. Everything here was completely and utterly useless to her. It wasn't fair. How was she going to create the ultimate masterpiece if she couldn't even find the proper materials? Her artistic vision was going to be squandered; it would overwhelm her, would tear her to pieces unless she found an outlet for it. She had to devote herself to her art once more.

She'd risked so much by straying so far from the Cornucopia. Crush could only imagine what her muse was doing now, too far away to do anything about it. But she'd had no other choice. There were no materials for her to work with there, nothing that could properly capture Makani's image.

Her mind was spinning with possibilities, enough to make Crush's heart race. She'd seen One grow close to Makani, and Crush had been distraught to find out that all of the Careers had lived through the first day. She had to find a way to get close again, had to find a way to get them all away from her muse.

She let out a frustrated yell, sweeping an entire row of books off the shelf. They tumbled to the floor and Crush stared bitterly at them. No silly book could help her, not now.

Stepping over the pile, she headed towards the back of the library, hoping that there would be something - anything - that caught her attention. But no, everything was too pristine, the books packed neatly on the shelves except for the small pile she'd left behind on the floor. There was nothing she could work with here, and Crush was starting to wonder why she'd bothered stopping here at all. As she wandered through the shelves, something finally caught her eye and she stopped short.

Her eyes narrowed on the two marble busts, one male and one female, each on a raised pedestal. They were white, clean, professional, and they made Crush's blood run hot as she stalked over to the feminine one. Her eyes were so… so lifeless, so devoid of passion that Crush's vision flashed brightly and the next thing she knew, the bust was on the floor in pieces.

Something in the room clicked, as if Crush had triggered some sort of mechanism. She frowned and glanced around, narrowing her eyes at the shelf closest to her. She gave the bookshelf a shove, but the structure did not give way. Baring her teeth, she took a minute to think before gripping the edges of the shelf and giving it a harsh tug, feeling something shift as she pulled. It slowly opened, a doorway into a dark abyss that she alone knew about.

But something more important than the dark, descending stairs caught her eye. Crush's breath shuddered as she exhaled, one hand extending to the jagged stone wall.

A doorway of opportunities had opened up to Crush, and who was she to deny herself entrance?

Without giving it a second thought, she retraced her steps to the front of the library and grabbed her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder. Her first step down into the abyss triggered the lighting of a torch, flame glaring brightly in the dark tunnel. The walls were close together, the space cramped as Crush had to duck her head to advance. But she didn't care about her current comfort level; all she could think about was her grip on the chisel in her hand and the possibilities that lay before her.

Crush knew exactly what she had to do next.

4:25 pm, The South Wing.

Justus frowned over the railing of the staircase, hesitant to follow Shai down. "Are you sure this is a good idea? We should probably go back."

Frowning up at him from halfway down the stairs, Shai put his hands on his hips. "This was supposed to mostly be a scouting mission, right? I'm scouting out the next floor."

The self-satisfied tone led Justus to believe that Shai truly did think he was helping, even if he was doing it in a particularly annoying way. But then again, Justus still wasn't over their run-in with Teagan. He absentmindedly tried to scrape off the spot of blood that had stained and dried on his jacket, but he only managed to get a piece of the edge off before giving up again. If he was a fraction less composed than he was now, he'd feel sick to his stomach, but right now all Justus felt was a cool blandness.

Turning his sword over in his hand, he sighed and started down the stairs as well. Surely it wouldn't hurt to look around for just a few minutes.

His head was still swimming from the weight of the expectations on him, inescapable even after he'd gotten this far. He'd gotten into the Games, had survived the bloodbath, had managed to do everything his father wanted. The only thing left for Justus to do was win. Justus had to wonder if things would ever change, even if he won. Would his father just find another way to pressure him? Could he ever be content with himself?

When would it all be over?

Even though he'd chosen to break up the pack like this for the day, Justus found himself regretting it. He missed having Phaedra at his side to ground him, and while he felt bad about leaving her behind after everything that had gone down yesterday, she'd insisted that she felt well enough to spend the day with Alila. Justus hoped that she could at least somewhat get to the bottom of what had happened during the bloodbath, but Alila had mostly kept to herself - not that he could blame her. Hopefully spending the day with Makani would calm Kano down so he didn't try anything again.

He hated how shaken he was after spending most of the day with Shai. It had gone well, for the most part, but Teagan's death was… different, somehow. Justus had never been quite that close to killing anyone, so he wasn't used to the feeling that it was all his fault. It didn't help that Shai of all people was the one at his side, and Justus kept getting the sense that Shai was waiting for him to stumble and fall.

What would Phaedra say if she was here? He missed the silent comfort her presence always brought, from a hand on his shoulder to a warm smile whenever he needed it most. But, however hard he tried, he couldn't seem to hear her voice telling him what to do.

So instead, Justus asked himself what he would tell Phaedra. He hummed to himself as he got down to the next floor, glancing around to find where Shai had gone. He wasn't too worried about catching up just yet, as he was appreciating the fleeting moments alone.

If he was talking to Phaedra, he'd make sure to say he was proud of her no matter what happened in the bloodbath. She was stronger than anyone else he knew, and always looked ahead to her destiny even if she didn't agree with it anymore. He admired a lot of things about her, but her strength and determination always came to mind first. So in the end… he'd tell her to go after what she wanted, no matter what.

Maybe he needed to learn how to take that advice too.

Carefully, Justus adjusted the strap on his shield. He stepped into the middle of the open area that the stairs had led to, frowning at his surroundings. This floor was just as empty as the last upon first look. Either the remaining tributes were good at hiding, or the Arena was bigger than Justus had anticipated, and he didn't like the implications of either option. Justus wondered if Kano and Makani were having luck in the eastern section, but considering he hadn't heard any more cannons, he wasn't holding out hope.

"Did you get lost on the way down?"

Justus jumped back, barely keeping from letting out an undignified yelp as he whirled to see Shai standing behind him. "Where the hell did you go?"

"Exploring, just like we said," Shai said innocently. "It's not my fault you weren't paying attention."

Sighing to himself, Justus tried to unclench his jaw. "Did you find anything?"

"Not yet," Shai said cheerfully, beginning to head down one of the hallways again. "But I think there's something interesting down this way."

Justus frowned after him before jogging to catch up. "What makes you say that?"

"There's a lot of bigger rooms on this floor," Shai said as they passed one of the rooms, nudging the door open to let Justus peek in. "Honestly, it might be a good idea to move down to this one as more of a central location."

Justus frowned into the empty, expansive room, but he had to admit Shai had a point. The tributes would likely scatter to the far corners, doing their best to get away from the Cornucopia as long as they knew that's where the pack was still stationed. "We can bring it up to everyone else tomorrow and think about it."

"It'll help once we clear this area," Shai said nonchalantly, continuing down the hall.

"Is there someone here?"

"Perhaps." Shai nodded to himself. "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

His manner was completely casual, which put Justus on edge even if he didn't understand why. Shai always gave off the vibe that he was up to something; he was a puzzle that Justus had to solve before it came back to bite him.

"Want to split up for a bit?" Shai asked, gesturing at the rooms around them. "We can clear this area and call it a day."

Justus narrowed his eyes slightly, but Shai just blinked back at him. "Fine," he agreed. "Just for a few."

"Stay safe!" Shai waved before turning away to saunter into one of the rooms.

With a sigh, Justus tightened his grip on his sword and headed into the closest room. He just had to look in a few and they could go back. Phaedra was waiting for him.

The room he stepped into appeared to be some kind of parlor, with an armchair and matching futon in front of a grand fireplace. There were drapes on either side of the fireplace, but when Justus crossed the room and threw them open, he saw a window with a faint hint of light coming through. It didn't take long for Justus to realize that any attempts to open the window would be futile; not only was it bolted shut, but there was some sort of screen obscuring whatever lay outside.

He supposed it was probably for the best. There was at least another floor to explore, so there was no telling how far below the ground would be.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and Justus turned around just in time to lift his shield and block a hit that could've taken his head off if he was merely seconds slower. Justus darted his eyes to the side and noticed that there was a door in the room he hadn't noticed yet, creeping open as if someone had just come out of it.

Oh.

He returned his focus to the boy from Eleven. The boy looked irritated that Justus had evaded him, but the irritation quickly gave way to panic as he realized he was up against someone trained. Justus shoved his shield against the boy's sword, sending him stumbling back. He watched Eleven right himself, trying to gain information from his movements. Eleven clearly wasn't well trained, so Justus had to believe he could take the boy in a fight. Phaedra. He had to get back to Phaedra.

Sweeping his sword in a wide arc, Justus forced the boy to duck, trying to get between him and the door. Justus didn't want to do this - he didn't want to fight, to kill, but Shai had disappeared and he had to protect himself. Justus couldn't rely on anyone else anymore.

His next movement was to jab his sword at the boy, trying to fend him off, but he'd misjudged how close they were to the futon and-

The wet noise of his sword entering the boy's body was enough to make Justus feel ill. He'd never been this close to death before, and seeing it play out in front of him made him fully understand why Phaedra had freaked out during the bloodbath. He faintly registered blood splattering his jacket, faintly heard his weapon clatter to the floor, but all Justus could see was his own sword stuck through the boy's chest. Eleven had tripped on the edge of the futon, making him unable to dodge Justus's sword.

Without thinking, Justus yanked his sword back, staring blankly at the body in front of him. Eleven fell back onto the futon, soaking the blue fabric in his blood. Justus was frozen in place, wondering if there was something - anything - that he could do to somehow save the boy, but he had to remind himself that this was the Games. He couldn't save everyone, not here.

Boom.

"Huh," Shai's voice said from the entrance of the room. "So you can fight."

His breaths were coming faster now, and he almost missed the way his sword slid out of his hand, landing directly in the puddle of blood. Slowly, Justus turned to face Shai, who looked completely unaffected by the sight in front of him.

"Did you know?"

Shai raised an eyebrow. "Know what? That there was someone else on the floor? I had guessed as much."

Justus shoved Shai into the wall, nearly delirious from the blood on his hands - his hands, it was his fault, his fault - and the new weight on his heart. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? You wanted us to split up so this would happen."

"It's not like I could tell what room he'd go into." Shai tilted his head to the side as if deep in thought. "Maybe I wanted the chance to do it myself and just picked wrong. I didn't know you'd get so worked up about it."

His grip tightened on Shai's shoulder, but the other boy didn't flinch. "Why didn't you warn me?"

Shai nearly grinned, unaffected by his current position. "You handled it, didn't you? What does it matter anymore? What's your plan now, are you going to kill me too?"

Justus pulled back from Shai as if he'd been burned, running a hand through his hair before remembering there was blood on his hands. "We should go back," he said hollowly. "Now."

"Fine by me," Shai agreed, knocking his shoulder into Justus's as he strolled over to the door. "Congrats on the kill, by the way. I knew you had it in you."

"Yeah," Justus muttered once Shai had left the room, his eyes once again trained on the person he'd killed. "I guess I did."

8:34 pm, The West Wing.

"Again."

Jack looked up from where she was, panting with her hands on her knees as Thay raised an eyebrow at her expectantly. Eleanor was tired just watching them, passing a knife between her two hands quietly. Ever since she'd hit her head yesterday, she hadn't exactly felt like joining in on their training sessions. They'd both looked worried, but Thay insisted she could learn something just by watching the two of them spar.

She had learned something. Knives were hard and Eleanor didn't particularly like them.

"Maybe you guys need a break," Eleanor interjected from where she sat.

Thay frowned, contemplating the idea as if he'd never considered it before. Furrowing her brows, Jack just shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Thay sized her up for a moment. "We can get back to it in a few minutes."

"No," Jack insisted, standing upright again. "You said again, let's go again."

This time Thay didn't hesitate before moving towards her, and Eleanor noticed that he was moving slower than normal. She thought it was fascinating to watch the difference between now and his fight with Liam, when he clearly wasn't holding back. His movements were still fluid, and he was always in control, but it was as if he made sure to emphasize weak spots for Jack to take advantage of.

Even so, Jack never lasted long. She was tall and lanky and didn't have the silent grace that Thay did, so she often got caught up in avoiding his knife and got overwhelmed by it. She'd manage to aim her knife at his ribs only to realize that his was at her throat. Sighing, she pulled back again, her frustration starting to become evident.

"Any comments?" Thay asked, turning to Eleanor.

Eleanor hummed to herself, crossing her legs. "Is there any way to make Jack move faster? She's stiff and it's almost like her feet are rooted to the ground."

Nodding, Thay looked back at Jack. "Keep your weight on the balls of your feet. With smaller weapons, it's better to be able to move around freely. And just… relax. Do you trust me?"

"... I guess," Jack muttered after a moment of hesitation.

"Trust doesn't change the fact that there's a knife headed toward her face," Eleanor pointed out. "Maybe drop your knife and just work with her using one today. She can learn defense by watching you, can't she?"

Thay shrugged and tossed his knife to the side, tugging his jacket off. "That works for me. Jack?"

"That's fine," she muttered, staring down at the knife in her hands. "I'll try not to hit you."

"I'd be more impressed if you did manage it," Thay said. "Hit me with whatever you've got."

Jack narrowed her eyes, giving him a silent nod. She seemed to be mulling something over, and Eleanor briefly wished that she could get a glimpse into her most mysterious ally's head. Thay clearly had things he didn't want to talk about, but Jack hardly talked about anything. Beyond the incident after interviews, Eleanor had barely seen any emotion come across the girl's face at all. She had to wonder what Jack was hiding, but she didn't know how to ask.

Time crawled by as Eleanor watched them, leaning her head against the wall as they continued their seemingly endless pattern of sparring and stopping. The actual spars continued to last for longer each time, if only by a few seconds. But, as they kept going, Eleanor found herself beginning to zone out, getting lost in her own head. Her allies were continuing to get stronger and Eleanor couldn't do anything to help. Would they start to resent her for the things she couldn't do?

"Sorry," Jack said, cutting through Eleanor's thoughts, dragging her attention back to her allies.

Blinking, Thay just looked down at the scratch along his forearm. "Don't be. That was pretty good. Maybe we should be done for the night, though."

"Do you need help with that?" Eleanor asked, hoping to get a closer look at it.

He managed something close to a smile. "That would be great, Norrie. Thanks."

Eleanor dug gauze out of one of the backpacks, along with a medical cream. Thay had already sat down in front of him, his arm resting on his leg as he waited. The gash was a few inches long, but it was only just deep enough to bleed. The flow of blood had already mostly stopped, but it was better to be cautious.

"Does it hurt?" Eleanor asked, poking at the skin around the gash.

The lack of flinching told her what she needed to know, and Thay responded, "Not really. I've had worse."

A soft laugh slipped out before she could help it, and Eleanor tried to hide the smile on her face as she cleaned the blood off of his arm. "You say a lot of strange things, and sometimes it's like you don't even realize it."

"Do I?" Thay's tone was nearly surprised, as if he hadn't realized it himself.

Eleanor smiled to herself as she started putting the medicine on his arm. "We make an odd trio, don't we?"

"I suppose," Thay said, watching as she finished and brought out the gauze. "I wouldn't have it any other way, though."

"Me neither," Eleanor whispered, focusing on the task in front of her.

She bit her lip as she started wrapping the gauze around his arm, once again thinking about the factory back home. She wondered if Kaia was watching her now, still desperately holding onto the hope that Eleanor would be able to bring help to the girls at CCIC.

Her shoulders slumped forward as she finished wrapping the gauze, the headache that hadn't fully gone away after yesterday beginning to bother her again. She could almost feel herself growing weaker, the toll of years of working in a likely toxic environment wearing away at her. It had seeped directly into her bones, giving her no chance at ever getting better. There was no one that could help Eleanor anymore, but she could help the other girls. Everyone back home was counting on her. She wanted to help the girls so badly, so desperately, that she would do anything for them. Never again would she let there be a Winifred. She had to save them.

It suddenly dawned on Eleanor that she didn't have to do it alone.

"Can I ask something?" Eleanor blurted out, unable to hold it back anymore.

Her allies both paused and directed their attention towards her, making her shrink back slightly. She wasn't used to much attention on her, which is why she'd abysmally failed at sharing the truth about CCIC during her interview. But she still had the chance to do something, so she had to try.

"What is it?" Jack asked, speaking up first.

Fiddling with the knife in her hands, Eleanor let out a slow breath. "If I don't make it out of here- just as a precaution, guys," she insisted, pausing to frown at Jack's worried face. "It's always a possibility, you know."

"We'll all be fine," Thay said reassuringly. "There's nothing we need to worry about, not now."

"I just want to make sure the girls back home are taken care of," Eleanor said quietly. "If I can't make it back to them… will one of you find a way?"

"Why do you think one of us will if you won't?" Jack asked, stoic as she watched Eleanor's face.

Eleanor paused and then shrugged. "I guess I just believe in you guys. You're the only ones I'd trust to do this for me."

Thay frowned to himself but appeared to be considering it. "I'm not sure how I'd manage it, but… I can try."

Hope fluttered in Eleanor's chest, though she dared not breathe and disturb it. She looked over to Jack expectantly, but the other girl was deep in thought.

"I can try," Jack echoed after a long silence.

Tears pricked at Eleanor's eyes. She so badly wanted the chance to help the girls back home herself, but at least the people she was with were willing to help her out however they could.

Even if it was too late for Eleanor, she refused to let it be too late for the people depending on her.

11:08 pm, The South Wing.

It was too early.

That was the only constant thought in Jude's mind. It was too early. Things had accelerated far before they were supposed to. Imperia, who always had things under control, had let things spiral until Jude couldn't reel her back in anymore. They were in it together, until the end, but he didn't know if he could do it anymore. Not with her.

"You're still quiet," Imperia said from where she sat, rooting through her bag for something. "Are you still upset about Teagan? I can't understand why; you never liked the little twat."

He clenched his teeth and then unclenched them, trying to ground himself before he started spiraling out of control as well. "We left her all alone, Imperia. I guess I just don't feel good about that."

"It's not like you haven't done worse," Imperia shot back, rolling her eyes. "Besides, we spent the whole night driving her half insane with all those noises. I really thought she was going to lose it right there."

His gut twisted, and Jude just looked away. "Yeah. Me too."

With a huff, Imperia shoved her backpack aside and looked up at him. "Come on, Jude, lighten up already. We've done some good work here. As far as experiments go, I think we've run some rather successful ones. I mean, come on, we got a coward to run into the bloodbath and-"

"Maybe we just have a different idea of what a successful experiment looks like," Jude cut in, not wanting to hear any more from her.

He could practically hear the frown on her face as she said, "Oh? Do tell - what do you have in mind?"

"I didn't want it all to end so early," Jude said, figuring now was as good a time as any to start voicing his problems. "It's the second night and we're down to just us. We're still on the same floor as the Careers, and considering that we left a few things behind, they must know we're around."

"They didn't follow us, so don't be ridiculous. There was no way of telling when we left. And besides, we'll go down to the next floor tomorrow."

"What if I don't think we work well together anymore?" Jude said, finally getting to his feet. "What if I think we never did? After everything… what good has ever come out of us being together?"

"Don't be stupid, Jude," Imperia said, rolling her eyes. "We have to stick together until the end. If anything, you're so hopelessly in love with me that-"

"You know what?" Jude was nearly seething at this point, a rage he hadn't realized was there until he was overwhelmed by it. He took a step closer to Imperia. "I'm tired of you trying to project your feelings onto me. You pride yourself on your hypotheses, but there's one you've never gotten right. You've been insisting that I was in love with you for years, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The truth is that you're in love with me and you're too much of a fucking coward to own up to it. Because guess what, Imperia? No one could ever love you."

Jude had spent nearly his whole lifetime with Imperia and yet he'd never seen her as shaken as she was now. Her face was pale and drawn, but that quickly disappeared as she slowly got to her feet. He had to wonder if they were as good at hiding the truth from each other as they were from everyone else.

The words tried to stick in his throat, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't stop. When Jude ruined things, he had to make sure they were completely and totally demolished. Words kept spilling out of his mouth, uncontrollable and unable to be taken back.

"You know why they could never love you? You're bossy and mean and you think you know everything when really you're just too scared to let anyone know about you. We're only 'equals' because no one else was willing to tolerate you. Your friends at school only liked you because you weren't really being yourself. How'd that work out for you? Remember Diana? I'm sure she's having a good time in that cell you threw her in!"

Her nostrils flared and all of a sudden Jude was met with her finger being jabbed into his chest. "We aren't equals, so don't flatter yourself, you half-baked lobotomite. We never were. A cruel understanding of each other is the only thing we ever truly had in common. No love, not even friendship. You were just another experiment to me in the end, Jude. But I guess you're used to that, aren't you?"

"What does that mean?" he asked before he could think better of it.

The only thing her eyes held was a cruel glint as she stared up at him. "You were an experiment to me, you were an experiment to your own fathers… Don't you get it, Jude?"

"At least I never tried to trick myself into thinking I was loved," Jude sneered. "I know I'm not and it doesn't bother me anymore."

Lies, lies, all of it lies. His own words cut deep in his heart - of course he knew. It hurt to be part of a family that had wanted him, had chosen him, only to be cast aside at every possible opportunity. Imperia had remained the one shining spot in his life, but even she couldn't make up for everything. Above all, Jude Caterham feared returning to the nothingness he was born into.

He didn't want to consider the possibility that he was already there.

"You ruin everything around you, Jude Caterham. You managed to ruin a family you never had when you killed Jett. You only leave destruction in your wake and the only thing that ever stayed was me."

He laughed, the sound harsh and grating in his own ears. "You want me to thank you or something? All we've ever done is feed into each other, Imperia. We can dance around each other for an eternity like this and never get anywhere. You can throw my lobotomies in my face and I can throw Diana in yours and where does that get us? Nowhere. Fucking nowhere."

"If that's true, then why are we even playing this game anymore?" Imperia hissed, and Jude couldn't help but notice that something resembling defeat clung to her features. Maybe he looked the same to her.

"Then let's split up, huh?" Jude spat, stalking over to his belongings. "Just for the night, get our heads on straight, and then we can finish what we started. I know you hate leaving things unfinished. But when we come back, we're nothing. Merely acquaintances trying to get through this together."

"Fine by me," Imperia snapped as she picked up her own bag. "Just try not to come crawling back to me in a few minutes."

"Believe me, I won't."

He didn't bother to look back as he left. Jude wanted to say a weight had left his chest, that he was lighter than before, but none of it would be true. He'd already forgotten half of what they just fought about, his anger dissipating into a blandness that made him unable to feel anything at all.

With a huff, he stopped in the middle of the hallway to grab a knife out of his backpack. If he had to be on his own, he wouldn't make the mistake of getting caught off guard.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he stopped walking, too mentally and physically exhausted to go on. This Arena was seemingly endless - he was pretty sure he hadn't hit a dead end yet. Whatever area he'd landed in made his skin crawl, but he tried to ignore it. Jude couldn't go back now. For the night, he was on his own.

"Jude?"

He almost dropped his knife in shock at hearing the familiar voice, whirling around to see Imperia standing a few feet away, as if he'd never left her. Though he'd never admit it aloud, a sense of relief flooded his body. He told himself it was just because he was glad she was okay.

Imperia didn't move from where she stood, her posture as stiff as ever. "I'm… it's good to see you."

Warily, Jude stepped closer to her. "You're not… mad?"

She sniffed and glanced away, her hair fluttering over one shoulder. "I'm certainly not happy, if that's what you're asking. But… we can't do this without each other. And besides, I have something to show you."

"Show me?" he asked, half delirious. She came back because there was something she wanted to show him? "Fine, whatever. Go ahead."

Imperia impatiently began to head down the hallway she'd come out of, not waiting for Jude to follow her. Sighing, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised by her attitude, and headed after her.

The surroundings quickly became familiar, and Jude found himself as on edge as he recognized the area. He and Imperia had come through here with Teagan just yesterday, and a bit farther down the hall was-

"We saw this yesterday," Jude said carefully, staying far back from the mirror. His shoulders were tense, and he knew it was stupid, but he couldn't shake the bad feeling he had.

It should've been nothing. It was just a mirror. Jude had been around plenty of those in his life, had hated his reflection not because of what he saw but because of what it didn't show: the monster he really was. They could make his skin prickle like nothing else, make him feel like everyone else was seeing something that he couldn't.

"I know," she remarked, crouching down in front of it. "But… come on, take a look."

There it was, that bossy, insistent tone of hers. For just a bit, Jude had convinced himself that he missed it. (Maybe he still did.)

Warily, he stepped up to the mirror, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Imperia got out of the way so he could get in front of it. He sighed and crouched down as well, frowning at his own reflection. He was still on edge about the whole thing, but he figured now was as good a time as any to get over it.

"What am I supposed to be seeing?" he asked with a sigh, looking at Imperia's reflection in the mirror.

His blood ran cold as her hands landed on his shoulders, watched with dawning horror as she leaned down until her lips nearly brushed his ear.

"See you on the other side."

Before he could stop it, Imperia shoved, sending him into the mirror. He braced himself for an impact that didn't come until seconds later, when he landed on a cold, hard floor. Darkness surrounded him, the only light source coming from the mirror he'd just been shoved through. On the other side, Imperia smiled and waved at him, but the action was suddenly so foreign that Jude didn't know if it was really Imperia at all.

"Wait!" he called out, desperately reaching towards the entrance. But something slammed down in front of it, the light fading as quickly as he'd noticed it. All Jude could hear was the sound of his own heart beating out of his chest.

And then there was nothing.

17. Teagan Kinsley, d10f. Killed by Shai Kingston, knife to the throat.

Despite it all, Teagan was too scared to die.

16. d11m. Killed by Justus Arculeo, sword through the chest.

Kill Counter:

Thay Yukimura: II

Shai Kingston: II

Phaedra Nikostratos: I

Alila Perwane: I

Lilith Beherit: I

Crush Xing: I

Justus Arculeo: I