[16] - August

A/N - I got a few reviews asking about Rochelle's interview since it was not featured in the last chapter and was skipped over. Rochelle's interview was not included in this story because it doesn't have any significance to the overall plot, especially since most of the crowd does not pay attention to interviews after the Careers. I do understand that it seems like a missing piece, though - I'm thinking about adding it later as a bonus chapter or reworking the last few chapters at a later time to include it since we only get to see August's interview in this edition of the story. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

As I'm raised into the Arena, I'm hit by a wave of heat. The sudden change in temperature almost knocks me to the ground - after spending all morning in thick clothing, I was expecting frigid temperatures. Embarrassed, I steady myself. Come on, August. It'll take more than heat to knock you down.

The first thing I do when I'm in the Arena is scout out my surroundings. It's clear to see that we're in a desert - dunes surround the Cornucopia, and sand is the only thing visible as far as the eye can see.

I wonder how far away Rochelle is from me - we need to organize a meetup place. The plan right now is for her to hide as the Bloodbath unfolds. After that, she can meet me by the Cornucopia when the chaos has died down.

But where is Rochelle? I glance around me, and my heart plunges to my stomach.

On both sides of me, the only tributes here are boys. There isn't a girl in sight. No Rochelle, and no Princess.

I can feel my brain closing in on itself as I begin to panic. Of course Sylverthorn would separate us by gender - not only are we separated from our District partners, but we're separated from our actual partners as well. There's nothing I can do to protect Rochelle right now. She'll be forced to fend for herself.

The clock is ticking down, and my mind is whirring. If Princess and Rochelle are somewhere else in the Arena, maybe they can stick together to find me! But can I trust Princess not to kill Rochelle? Would Princess' hatred for Rochelle overcome her history with me?

I can't think about any of that right now - the clock is reaching zero. Right now, I have to grab what supplies I can and stay alive.

This is it; the clock's hit ten seconds. In a matter of minutes, who knows how many of us will be dead.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

The gong rings, and I leap off my pedestal as fast as I can, just like I've practiced. Father used to stack wooden crates in our yard so that I could practice leaping from them. This isn't practice anymore, though. This time, every move I make matters.

I sprint as hard as I can through the desert sand to the Cornucopia. Pollux and I are the first to arrive, and we distribute weapons to one another from a rack before turning to face the other tributes.

"Don't touch Jasper," Pollux reminds me, clearly looking out for Zinnia. I nod, but I don't even see Jasper when I turn back around. What I do see is Damon, the boy from Eleven, and he looks practically rabid. I don't know how he got a sword so fast, but I have to duck under his blade as he launches himself at me.

I groan internally as I begin to exchange blows with Damon - this is wasting precious time. I need to be going after the weaker boys to kill as many of them as possible while I can. Maybe this is good, though: Damon is a threat that needs to be disposed of, and Pollux seems to be doing just fine on his own.

Beads of sweat are already running down my face as I defend myself from Damon's attacks. I've never felt so hot in my life, and the heavy fleece I'm wearing is doing me no favors.

Damon manages to stab through my defenses, but I writhe out of the way of his blade just in time. Now I understand why Damon scored a nine in his assessments; I've been underestimating him this whole time. I know I need to distract him so I can break through his defenses...

I lock blades with Damon once again, baring my teeth with effort. Think, August. How can I outmatch him?

Damon's always been on my radar, but he's kept to himself throughout Training, mostly sitting in the corner with the girl from Three. Who knows what tricks he has up his sleeve; already, I feel unprepared.

Damon seems to realize that he's wasting time now - most of the other boys are gone now, and it's only a matter of time before Pollux comes back. Glancing around for a moment, Damon swiftly pulls his blade away from mine before lurching to the side, grabbing a backpack, and making a break for it.

I can't let Damon get away - outside of my own allies, he's one of the biggest threats. Decimus told me that the best time to eliminate competitors is right now at the beginning of the Games.

I move to sprint after Damon, but the boy suddenly collapses to the ground. I throw my blade up, expecting an arrow or a dart to shoot at me next, but there's nobody around.

Suddenly, everything makes sense: somebody must have killed the girl from Three. One partner goes down, and the other goes down with them.

I waste no time grabbing the nearest backpack and ripping it open to fill it with supplies. The whole time, my heart is racing. Seeing Damon die like that reminds me just how close to death I am myself. I'm still alive right now, though, so it's possible that Rochelle's doing better than expected. I need her to pull through today.

After stuffing my bag, I exit the Cornucopia. Pollux must be nearby somewhere.

Pollux is nearby, but he's not the only one. As he stabs down at the boy from Twelve, who looks long dead, Calder sifts through a crate of supplies behind him. I'm relieved to see Calder - if we can keep him close, I can ensure that Princess stays alive until I can find her.

Finally, Pollux stands from the boy beneath him, satisfied with his handiwork. His eyes are frantic as he looks around.

"Who'd you get?" He asks as I approach.

"Just Damon," I lie. "He put up a good fight, though."

"Good," Pollux says with a nod, as if I need his approval. "I got the boy from Six and this one."

"So that's at least six gone already," Calder says, his round face red and covered in sweat. He lays his bag down and starts to strip out of his fleece.

"Do that on the way, Calder," Pollux snaps, his demeanor changing rapidly. "We need to find the girls, now. Who knows where they could be right now."

Calder and I exchange a glance as Pollux picks up some extra rope from the ground. It's no coincidence that Pollux is so frantic now that we're in the Arena; just like me, he feels like he could die at any moment. Unlike me, though, Pollux made no arrangements with his partner, so who knows what could happen to her in here.

"Let's go," Pollux calls, already walking away. I help Calder pull his fleece off as we hurry to follow behind him.

Into the Arena we go.