I shivered heavily as the 16th night of the 100th Hunger Games reigned on. The wind continuously howled against the walls of the dirty old cabin the five of us had hidden ourselves in. I had practically turned my jacket into a cocoon and wrapped myself in it, yet I was unable to stop shuddering uncontrollably. There may not have been any snow in the day, but the night had managed to rival the days where I was all out alone in the snow. In fact it was quite possibly the coldest night of the games. In my unrest, I turn over and get a look at the rest of the alliance. As they were hours ago, they continue to surround Bran as if he was some new toy. Coincidentally as were the toys kids like me in 11 could get their hands on, Bran was broken.

Well I wouldn't say completely broken. He was just going to be unable to move around as much as he did prior to us all getting ambushed by that mutt a day ago. I think a lot about what might've happened that night when he and Zina we're all alone fighting that mutt for hours on end. I can only imagine the amount of pain he himself went through just to slow that beast down. My mind fiddles around. I'm wondering if it would've been best if me, Volva and Kona stayed behind and helped the strongest in this alliance. I turn over against the wall once again, both trying to ignore the thought that now attacks my brain while also simultaneously trapping any form of heat within my coat.

Time passes and I'm still unable to get any decent rest, but as I tried my hardest just to get some form of rest, my peripheral vision catches a figure silently scooting its way towards me. As it gets closer I realize that it's in fact Volva. I don't question her motives, and when she finally seats herself next to me her body heat warms me up just enough to feel far better than I had a few seconds ago. I roll back over towards the wall. As I do so Volva begins to whisper to me.

"Can't sleep either?" She asks me. Immediately, I roll right back over and face her. I shake my head. She lays back against the wall.

"Yeah… I'm feeling the exact same." She pulls her knees into her chest. She takes a deep breath.

"On a night like this I don't know how it'd even be possible to gain any rest honestly. I feel so anxious." She breaths out and lays against the wall with me. She looks towards her comrades.

"I can't believe we've been in this arena for almost 17 days now. Almost feels like we've been in here for a year. Maybe two." She says. I can hear the sadness in her voice. I understand it all too well. The feeling of being caged only grows larger and larger with each day the games continue. The mental stress of knowing that your death is inevitable as well. Days seem to become months, and months become years. I've tried my hardest to ignore that but the chaotic nature of this arena has made that hard to get around. I turn over and face Volva. She looks down at me and gives a smile that hints at her sadness.

"It'll all be over pretty soon though." I yawn as I stretch my arms and legs before pulling my legs into a fetal position. Volva looks away and towards her friends before giving a sigh.

"Yeah I guess you're right. But I mean… It's not like I'll be here once the games are over or anything; you know that right?" She claims. I give her a nod.

"Unfortunately that'll probably be the case. But we don't have to think about that do we? In fact, we could stop talking about death." I force a chuckle, trying to sound like this isn't that much of a matter. Volva gives a slight smile before turning to me and laughing (Albeit seriously unlike me).

"Bright idea 11." She tells me. Without thinking, I correct her and remind her of my actual name; doing so causes her to apologize right away.

"Though I understand why you'd really want me to know your name Altar. It feels better than just being a number." She says. I'm about to respond, but then I stop. I never actually thought about it that way. Really I just wanted to establish comradery between me and Volva. Though thinking about that causes me to think about that too. Again, telling Volva my name was an action I did without thinking. Do I really consider Volva a comrade? She's really nice to me, of course. However she isn't like any of the others I've spent time with in this arena. Unlike all of the others; I don't really understand what she's after. Byke and I both wanted the others sponsor items, Troy felt safe with his district partner, Monica wanted to spend her last days helping those who she felt would be easy pickings for others and my older brother… well, he's my older brother. Well, what about Volva? What makes her tic? What makes her treat me the way she does. I assume that like Monica, she has a younger sibling at home. One she projects onto me due to the stress of the arena and a longing for home. Despite figuring I have the full story, I turn to question her anyways.

"Why are you so nice to me?" I ask, blunty. She turns to me, seeming almost surprised I asked this. She stares at me for quite a while without words. Eventually though, I hear her begin to speak up. The answer though; it's not what I expected.

"I… I honestly don't know…" She turns toward the door; almost seeming ashamed of something.

"I-It's okay. You can tell me… I mean… If something's bothering you I mean." I speak up. She shakes her head.

"No. It isn't like that." She lays down all the way on the floor now.

"Do I remind you of anyone or something like that?" I ask her. However Volva quickly shakes her head.

"No." She says bluntly. However she quickly begins to continue. "I mean, you really can't. Not family… not friends… not… anyone… Because I mean, I have no one." I can tell she's beginning to shake.

"Huh?" I question her words. However I receive no answer and for a while she's silent; letting the sound of the hard rain pounding against the windows continue. Eventually though, she begins to stutter as words seem to come out of her mouth.

"I've lived at District 5's orphanage for most of my life. As such, I've never known my parents. On top of that, I've had nobody who I could call a friend. Nobody ever cared about me. Not the people who took care of me and not the other children. I've always been alone." She pulls herself into a fetal position.

"It makes sense though I mean… I've always been useless though… unimportant… Boring…" Her voice seems to fade into a whisper as she speaks.

"I was slow at doing all of the chores compared to everyone else, I always got overly emotional, I can barely even read well. Nobody wanted to be around me. They thought I was annoying and stupid." She said.

"The things you just said you were; honestly they don't sound like things you should be shunned for by everyone."

"Well in a place like the orphanage in 5 where everyone plays some role in how the place is run, I was the only one who never did anything. Because of that the foster parents all shunned me. The other children were forced to do the same and I… I was all alone…" I could tell she was crying now, maybe just a little.

"You know I was actually pretty glad I was reaped. Maybe I could come home and prove that my existence for once had purpose… But I was wrong. Back home I was pathetic and up here in the Capitol I'm no different." And right after she says this I can hear the grief in her voice as she begins to cry. For a minute I'm left to digest her rant and think on it. I can never relate to being shunned as she did. I've always had someone there for me whether they be my parents or my older brother.

"I'm so sorry Volva…" I turn away, feeling a bit bad about that. In response I lay my head against her to comfort her. She turns her head.

"I know it doesn't answer your question Altar but… I just needed to get that out of my system…" She slowly begins to stop crying. I look up at her before laying my head back down against her.

"It's okay. Lots of us have a lot of things we wanna get out of our system you know." I admit. Back when me and Alma met back up, I had been just waiting to vent the troubles I faced on the first 6 days of the arena to him.

"You know… Honestly I don't even know why I go out of my way for you. It's probably some sort of instinctual thing or something like that." She lamented. I nod

"That's understandable. I mean, you're not the only one in this arena to be like that to me after all." Saying that, I start to realize how much Volva reminds me of Monica. Sure Volva may not be a fighter but she almost has the same spirit.

"I'm gonna stop talking to you for tonight. We should be sleeping right now. Tomorrow is very important after all." She tells me. Personally I don't even know what's going to happen tomorrow. I doubt we'll be leaving so soon with the storm still going on but only time can tell…

Volva gets up and moves to the side of the room where Zina, Kona and Bran are all sleeping. They four of them make such an odd team. From my first impressions, I didn't expect them to be as hardened and good at working together as they were. However they were all pretty good at working together. I begin to fall asleep while I think about this…

They remind me so much of all the others… that helped me get to where I am now…

And that was the last thing I remembered before being suddenly woken up by the whole cabin being shaken by something. I jolt up swiftly and turn my head in different directions, hunting down the reasons. However as I notice the others getting up, I write it off as nothing more than a sudden bolt of lightning that must've struck nearby. The storm seems to have gotten worse into the night it seems. My heart slows back down to a more calm rate as all of that seems to set in. My eyes remain wide open though and I don't really feel tired anymore.

"You okay over there twinkle toes? You look like you've just seen a ghost?" Someone shouts at from the other side of the cabin. I snort and lay back down.

"Forget it." I say back at whoever it was and turn my back against the wall. I expect that to be the last bit of noise I hear for the night, but soon enough I hear footsteps heading in my direction from the 5/9 kids side of the cabin. I roll over and discover that it's Konna of all people, though he does not pay me any mind. Without looking up, I can tell that he seems to be peeking out of the window. I ignore him and try so I can try and go back to sleep. However I pick up a small gasping sound that comes from him.

"Shit… I was right…" I hear him whisper. His voice becoming heavier as he finishes the sentence. I'm unsure exactly what he meant by that, but I'm given the answers quite quickly as he tip toes to the other side of the cabin.

"Other tributes!" He whispers in a louder tone to get the attention of everyone. I quickly sit up, my heartbeat returning to a breakneck pace. The others seem to follow as they all quickly rise up.

"Tributes? As in more than one?" Zina asks. There is no direct answer given, but I can assume that it was a yes. I take a large number of breaths to keep myself calm and contained.

"Eleven. Take a peek through the window again and tell us exactly what you see. It'll be less noticable if you do it." Someone orders me. I don't even question if the order is logical but I do as I'm told and take a peek through, praying to whatever is out there that they are not the careers. When I do get a good look though, I completely choke on my own throat. Two tributes are wondering about outside. Two tributes with almost familiar figures. I feel myself beginning to ventilate harder than before.

"Who do you think they are, Altar?" Volva asks me. I'm quick to answer.

"Potentially Ten and the Eleven girl." I respond. The other side goes eerily silent. I assume it's to grasp exactly who they are and how strong they potentially are in comparison to us. Bran quickly sums up our situation.

"We're fucked." He exhales all at once and clutches his face with his hand aggressively. I don't understand exactly what he said, but I know it means that we are not in a good position.

"No… I mean… Some of us could run away if they actually attack us." Volva tries to convince. However Zina instantly disagrees.

"Yeah sure. Some of you could run away but for the most part if they actually entered this cabin we're all done for," She rants before pointing to the entrance. "This is our only entrance and exit, I hope you know that." She tells us.

"Not if we count the windows." Volva brings up. Zina instantly shoots that down too though, pointing out how they're too small and even if anyone successfully broke them and tried to get through them it would just make them an easy target for our potential attackers. Volva responds by sitting down and putting her face in her hands, accepting defeat. I bite the tip of my thumb, feeling the exact same way.

This can't be happening this can't be happening this can't be happening!

I'm reminded of the early morning many days ago when these two intruded upon the alliance I found myself in. When they killed Byke and Troy. I begin to shake. I bite down harder onto my thumb thinking about it

Never again… I won't let it happen again…

I look at the group of tributes I've found myself with this time. I wouldn't exactly call them my alliance, but they're a decent group of people…

They were all gonna die eventually through their attempt to blow out the arena though…

I feel a cold feeling run up my spine.

"We can't give up now… Remember… Your plans…" I turn my head to the others who I can tell are now looking at me in the dark.

"If we all die now, it'll have all been for nothing." I tell them.

"You're right Eleven… But what exactly are we gonna do?" Bran whispers from the other side of the cabin. I calm myself down before giving a nod.

"Bran. Zina. Get close to the door. Volva and I will stand across from the door looking vulnerable in order to grab their attention if they enter through there. This way, you two can catch them off guard hopefully giving us either a window of time to escape this cabin in or the potential opportunity to take them out." By the time I'm finished, everyone aside from myself and Konna have gotten into position.

"What about me?" Konna asks. I shake my head.

"Please don't die. That's all I ask from you. You're really important here too and you dying would jeopardize everything." I say.

"I'm surprised you came up with this plan all of a sudden Eleven" I hear Bran chuckle. I scoff.

"It's simple defense against monsters like them. They won't expect it if they end up coming in." I tell them before making a shushing motion with my finger and joining Volva in the back of the Cabin. I sit down and pull my knees close to my chest as Volva sits down next to me. I feel something rubbing against my hair and look up to see Volva rubbing my hair. I give her a very annoyed look, to which she responds with a smile.

"Nice planning." She chuckles as well. I surprise even myself by simply giving a real smile back.

"Thanks."

I turn my attention back towards what potentially awaits outside.

"By the way? How do you know they'll even come inside?" Volva asks me.

"It'd be the same reason we came here. Because this place is a shelter for the ongoing storm. It's simple logic." I begin yawning. After I shut myself up, the whole room is silent for several minutes. As I take deep breaths during the silence, I pray to myself that my "simple logic" is all a lie I thought to myself. Honestly who wouldn't wanna check out the one abandoned shack in the arena. It'd be a genuine surprise if they did come in. My eyebrows arch with anger and I stare forward at the door again. Even if the felt somebody was inside, they'd probably walk in anyways and stab the place up. That's how Ceres was at least. But from what I saw with the 10 girl as well it's pretty plausible that she'd be the exact same as well. I just wish that maybe for once, they don't consider themselves above every obstacle the Hunger Games would have to throw at them. However I physically clutch my face and shake my head.

I'm being silly…

The next thing I know, my eyes are slowly beginning to open and my body feels really sore and tired. It feels as if I've woken up from a nap, but I don't even remember closing my eyes. My eyes widen. What even happened? What about the plan?

I look around the cabin and realize the answer is right in front of me. Nobody came in and nobody fought us. After waiting for probably an hour we all just passed out asleep. Whatever tributes that were outside chose to avoid that cabin leaving us in peace. I give a large sigh of relief. I wasn't expecting that but I'm at least thankful we didn't have to fight or anything like that.

I begin to stand up and take in my surroundings. I'm the only one awake at the moment it seems. I tip-toe over to the window and get a peak through. However I'm caught off guard by the frozen wasteland that is what's outside. I begin to recognize how cold it is in the cabin. The place is just as, if not colder than it was at night. Snow seems to have coated the ground while we weren't paying attention, or maybe as we were sleeping the gamemakers decided to pull a sneaky on us. Whatever happened, I decide to ignore this. It's snowed enough in this arena before already. I don't think I need to repeat my problems with snow. Though there's a heavy chance it'll slow down this plan of this alliance. I yawn.

Not like I'm unhappy or anything

I lay back down on the floor, this time near the window and away from Volva. I expect myself to fall back asleep as I feel a little tired, however I'm unable to get any real rest before everyone else begins to awake. Once they all get up, they begin to ask the same questions I'd already answered in my head. Questioning what happened and why it was so cold. I end up giving out the answers to that right away which surprisingly I'm thanked for. After Volva reawakens, the group all get together in the corner where Bran is sleeping and appear to have some sort of meeting or something. I'm surprised they don't call me over too but I guess that means not all of them really consider me comrade material. What bothers me however is the fact that I hear no sound coming from the corner so... Is it not a meeting? What're they doing in the corner. Their little group huddles goes on for what I feel is a couple of more minutes and in that time I begin to feel more and more irritated. I decide I need to get in there and see what they're talking about. I gently walk over to them and lean my head in through Kona and Volva. Bran and Zina both look over at me before looking at their partners who look back at them. Before I know it, they're all staring at me... blankly... They don't make any motions for me to go away or to anything they literally just stare at me.

"What?" I end up coughing out. However my little interjection fails to put even a dent into the silence that brews in the air. However after a while I hear Zina begin to clear her throat.

"By the way do you know where your brother is up to?" She asks me. I quickly shake my head. I find that to be a very dumb question. I already told them when we met that I still haven't heard from Alma (which of course is a lie but details). However I hear a pretentious chuckle come from the 9 girls lips.

"Don't lie to us. You even told us how well you two worked together last night! Are you seriously going to lie to us?" She points at me. I look around at everyone else who all give me blank stares. I sigh.

"Okay yeah. I did lie. But it was because when you all grabbed me, I was afraid you'd kill me if I warned you of my brothers presence." I turn away. For a few moments after this, the group continues to stare at me. However one by one all of their gazes turn back to each other and they go back into their little group formation. I groan with annoyance, not understanding the point of getting called out like that by Zina. I stretch my arms out and yawn again, still recovering from my few hours of sleep. I take one more glance at my quote on quote "alliance". That's when I realize what they've been doing. They're using their hands to communicate or something like that. No wonder they're so quiet. I turn away, my mind now running in circles coming up with theories about what they could potentially be talking about. I bite my thumb.

Considering I was asked about my older brother, likely chance they're talking about the other tributes. Maybe even me...

I walk over to the window and look out of it again. For some reason though... I smile. I don't know why but I kind of feel a little interested in seeing where things go from here. Maybe it'll lead to an explosion that'll kill me and everyone else here... or maybe it'll lead to a road home...

EN: I wasn't looking and this story ended up turning 2 years old... nani?