Jessie "Jess" Tucson, District 10, 18

Moxie wound up for a kick, whinnying with fright.

Darryl flew backwards, blood already gathering on his chest.

"Darryl?" I cried. "Darryl!"

I sat up, gasping for air, my body covered with a cold sweat. I touched my face- my fingers came away wet.

"Jess?"

I looked over to the table. Ianto was on watch. Just my luck. "Hmm?"

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I said, wiping my face with my sleeve and laying back down, ignoring the look on his face. If I hadn't known any better, I'd have thought he felt sorry for me. Him feeling sorry for me? What a joke. We came from two different worlds, and I'd take mine over his any day.

Although, now, it occurred to me that perhaps that didn't matter anymore. We'd wound up in the same place in the end, right?

Ianto spent most of the day freaking out.

"It's been too quiet," he said, running his hands through his unruly red hair. "I don't like it. They're coming for us soon, they have to be."

"I don't see a problem with quiet," I said. "It's gotten us this far."

"Only because everyone else has been distracting enough to take the pressure off of us," he said. "But there's not as many people anymore."

"Then we'll prepare," said Levi.

"What if they come today?" he asked. "The Careers- the ones who are left- will come for us. It's only a matter of time. Our group is the same size as theirs now, if not bigger. We're a threat."

"Ianto," I said, "two Careers died yesterday. Who knows, maybe two more will go today."

"Even then, we have to assume someone killed them. The Gamemakers wouldn't have gotten rid of them- the Capitol loves them. So whoever managed to take down two Careers is still running around. Two Careers!"

"They could be wounded," Levi suggested.

"But we don't know any of that," said Ianto. "We can only guess and hide in this stupid cabin."

"I like the cabin," Sienna said softly.

"It can't protect us forever!" said Ianto. "Eventually, the Capitol is going to get sick of watching us sit around and play house. Eventually, the Careers are going to come after us. Ten people are dead! We can't keep pretending like everything's fine!"

Ianto, who had been standing by the table, then proceeded to kick the chair closest to him, sending it flying across the room.

"Ianto!" said Levi. "You need to calm down!"

"What's the point in staying calm?" he asked. "We're all going to die here!"

Silence fell over the cabin as Ianto's words sunk in. We stared at him, unsure of what to say.

"Well, it's true," said Ianto, his voice lower now, but much more hollow. "We're going to die."

"Ianto-" said Levi.

"Forget it," he said. He stormed out the front door, heading down to the lake. The door swung shut behind him. I looked back at Levi and Sienna, who were both staring after him, shocked.

"I should go talk to him," said Levi.

"Give him some space," I said. "At least for a little while."

Levi sighed and went over to pick up the chair Ianto had kicked.

"How's your leg?" Sienna asked, changing the subject.

"It's a lot better," I said. "It feels very tight. Not infected, though, so that's good."

"Good," Sienna echoed.

Good indeed, I thought.

I tried to push it back, but another thought crept into my head:

Is Ianto right?

Alula Callahan, District 11, 15

Yesterday went a lot different than I was expecting.

It had started off perfectly. I'd just managed to hide when the tribute from Five appeared at the edge of the woods, heading for the lake. By sheer luck, they managed to avoid my traps most of the time, but my net had gotten them. I'd just been ready to use my knife to get my first kill when the Careers showed up.

I'd run into the trees, narrowly escaping the boy's spear. A cannon echoed behind me as I ran. I'd hidden behind a tree, ready to jump out and stab him for when he chased me, but he never came after me.

Run, Cataleya had said. He'll come soon.

I'd ignored her. Her advice hadn't been the best lately, and going with my gut had felt like the better choice. Pushing her insults out of my head, I cautiously retraced my steps. I was curious to see what had kept the Careers away. Whatever it was, it had to be significant, and I wanted to know about it.

I'd arrived back at the edge of the lake just in time to hear the conversation between the boy and the red-haired girl. I hid behind another tree, gripping my knife, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"You only wanted to come along so you could kill me. The others were a happy accident," said the girl.

"Clever," the boy had replied.

The girl had then thrown her knife and missed. The boy had tackled her to the ground, and the two wrestled for a while until the boy ended up on top, dagger raised in the air. The girl was wriggling around desperately on the ground.

Searching for something, Cataleya had said. For the first time all day, I'd agreed with her.

Just as the boy was about to deal the final blow, the girl found what she was looking for. She pulled her arm out from behind her back, now holding a throwing knife. She thrusted it upwards into his chest. Even from the distance, I could see his eyes go glassy. He'd died quickly, his hand going slack as he fell to the side. Unfortunately for the girl, in killing him, he'd still released the dagger, which fell directly onto her face. When she stood, a deep line had been carved into her cheekbone, blood pouring down her face. She'd taken a look at the boy, dead in the grass.

Then she'd spat at him. "Fucker."

After that, she'd gathered up her knives and left, heading in the direction of the Cornucopia.

Once I was sure she was long gone, I came out from my hiding place. I went over to the boy in the grass first. The girl had taken the dagger, but I remembered his spear was still by the tree, so I picked that up. Then I'd remembered that the tribute in the net was still, well, in the net.

I'd walked over to them. They were dead too, blood still trickling down their face, eyes glassy. What interested me, though, was the backpack. It was the same one I'd tried to get at the Bloodbath, but this tribute had gotten there first. As if I needed another reason to claim it- it was rightfully mine in the first place.

It had taken a while to get it off of them- as it turned out, dead bodies were very stiff. But eventually, I'd pulled it free, hoisting it on my back, picking up my new spear, and returning to the treeline so the bodies could be removed.

Honestly, looking back, I was still a little angry about the whole thing. That tribute in the net was mine, not the red-haired girl's. And the Career boy, too- if he'd come after me, I had no doubts he would have been dead. She'd taken that kill from me. But much of that had been overshadowed by the fact that I'd finally gotten my backpack, as well as another weapon. That would be a huge help.

Speaking of the backpack, I wondered what was in it. I hadn't actually gone through it yet.

I sat down on the forest floor and unzipped it, rifling through its contents. There was a tiny bit of food. A full water bottle- of course, I'd seen them refill it myself. A belt, which was strange. Another knife, but with a proper handle this time. What really interested me, though, was the binoculars. I immediately brought them to my face and looked around. The green tint was irritating, and otherwise, everything looked the same. What was the point?

Night vision, Cataleya whispered.

Oh.

I smiled to myself. Now this could change things.

Yes, yes it can.

Just as I'd refilled my bag, my ears picked up the sound of footsteps. I drew my spear.

Glowla Lush, District 1, 18

"I need to talk to you guys," said Sadie.

The three of us were in the Cornucopia. Muir had spent the morning checking his traps, and there had been nothing unusual to report. Sadie had been cleaning her weapons of Virgil and the Five's blood, and I'd mostly been keeping watch.

"What about?" I asked.

"Trust," she replied.

Muir looked up from the knot he was fiddling with. "Huh?"

"I need to know I can trust you," said Sadie, looking at each of us. I noticed the cut on her face again. It was definitely deep, and it was still pretty swollen. It looked painful, honestly.

"That's fair," I said. "Yesterday was… a lot."

"True," said Muir.

"I don't know how to prove trust, though," said Sadie. She looked away. "Everyone I've trusted has turned on me. I trusted Cal, and he left. I trusted Virgil and Isla, to an extent, and I almost died because of it."

"We just need to be open with one another," I said. "All cards on the table."

"What does that mean?" Sadie asked.

"We tell each other everything," I said. "If we want to trust each other, there can't be any more secrets."

"Everything?" Muir asked.

I nodded. "Everything."

"Like what?" Sadie asked. "I'm an open book. You both know everything there is to know at this point. You know about what happened with my parents and Cal. That's it."

"I'm sure you can think of something," I said. "And Muir and I both have things we haven't shared."

"How do you know?" Muir asked.

"Muir, I know nothing about you," I said. "All I know is your district and your name. Plus, I remember a day in training that Virgil spent bragging about how he 'knew you better than everyone else' or something like that."

"What did you say to him?" Sadie asked, looking interested.

"Just some personal stuff," Muir said, shrugging.

"Like what?" I asked.

Muir hesitated.

"Look, if you share, then I'll share," I said. "And then once Sadie shares, we'll all be able to trust each other that much more. No more secrets, and especially no more secret agreements."

"No more secret agreements sounds nice," Muir admitted.

"Exactly," I said.

Muir sighed. "Well, I was at the snares station, and then Virgil came up…"

Muir continued talking, telling us about his girlfriend back home- it was very sweet, to be honest- before the conversation took a darker turn.

"Holy shit," Sadie said, her voice low. "You killed him?"

"I did what I had to," said Muir solemnly. "He would've killed my mom, and possibly the rest of us next. I had to keep us safe."

"Wow," I said, taking it in. "How old were you?"

"Eleven," he said.

"And I thought my parents were intense," Sadie remarked.

"Your turn," Muir said, turning to me.

"Um… okay," I said, slightly taken off guard by the sudden shift. "I… well, my dad wasn't the greatest either."

"Makes three of us," Sadie mumbled.

"He trained for the Games, but he didn't make it in," I said. "I'm not sure what happened next, but then he started gambling. He got addicted, and soon enough, there was nothing left. We were shunned by all of our old friends and family, but he still didn't stop, even when he couldn't pay anymore. And eventually, he died because of it. The price of his debts became his life."

"And now you're a gambler too?" Sadie asked.

"Not the same kind. He played the dice. I don't like dice. They're too unpredictable, no skill involved- it's all luck. I play cards," I said. "They're very different. I can control what happens with cards."

"How?" Muir asked, curious.

"Oh, you pick up on things after playing for a long time," I said vaguely, waving him off. No need to tell him anything more. And I didn't need my old Peacekeeper buddies hearing that, either.

"I'm confused. And then you started training?" Sadie asked.

"As I became better at cards, I started playing higher stakes, which means richer opponents. I caught the right people's attention, and they let me into the Academy after a while," I explained.

Sadie nodded with approval. "Nice."

"Thanks," I said, smiling in spite of myself. "Your turn."

"I… oh," said Sadie. She shifted her position on top of the picnic table. "I… I guess this counts."

"Go ahead," I encouraged her.

"My parents were rebels. Everyone knows that," she said. "But what I don't like talking about is that I used to be, too. I believed everything my parents told me. It wasn't until I started training that I started to see the truth. They brainwashed me."

"You were a little kid," I said. "Of course you believed them."

She shook her head. "I tried so hard to help them and keep them safe once I learned the truth. But they wouldn't listen to me. And even though I don't miss them… I still feel guilty that I couldn't save them."

We sat in silence for a few minutes after that, turning each other's words over in our heads. A lot had been said.

"Thanks for trusting us enough to share," I said quietly. "I feel better now."

"Me too," said Sadie.

Muir nodded. "Yeah."

"How about we make an agreement?" said Sadie. "I know trusting each other until the end is unrealistic. Until a certain day, or a certain number of tributes, we stay together. And then when that time comes, we split up peacefully and go our separate ways."

"That actually sounds like a good plan," I said. "How many tributes are left now, fourteen?"

"Fourteen," Muir agreed. "And yeah, that's fine with me."

"How about top six?" I asked. "Or top eight?"

"I like top eight better," Sadie said. "If that's okay with you guys."

Muir and I both nodded.

"Top eight it is, then," said Sadie. "What now?"

"I have some ideas," I said. "Now, for our next steps…"

Chaney Hallows, District 7, 15

After a morning of teaching the Nines how to climb trees, we were all sweaty and thirsty. Unfortunately, we were all out of water at this point. We'd all been drinking a lot to stay hydrated in the thick summer heat.

"It's okay, I'll go get some more," said Journie.

"We can come with you," said Reese. "Going alone is dangerous."

"I'll be fine," he said. "I'll take the knife, and I won't be gone long."

"If you say so," said Reese. They handed him the knife.

"Be back in a flash," said Journie. He gave us a little wave before heading off towards the lake, leaving Reese and I alone.

Reese walked over to a tree and sat down, using the tree as a back rest. "So," they said, looking over at me.

I looked back at them. "So?"

"So, I'd love to get to know you a little better," they said. "It's been two days, almost, and I still feel like I don't know anything about you on, like, a personal level."

I sighed. That had been on purpose. "I don't really like talking about that stuff."

"Oh, sorry," they said. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You're fine," I said, sitting up against a nearby tree. I set my backpack down beside me. "There's not a lot to know, anyway. I live with my family. I go to school. That's about it."

"What's your family like?" Reese asked.

I hesitated. "Um… normal, I guess. I have a mom and a dad and siblings."

"Oh, how many siblings?" Reese asked.

"Three," I said softly, barely stopping myself from saying 'four.'

"I have siblings too," Reese said brightly. "There's ten of us, and I'm the oldest."

"Ten?" I asked. "That's a lot."

"I know," they said with a smile. "I miss them like crazy."

"Yeah, me too," I said.

"What are their names?" Reese asked. "Mine are Cyrus, Melody, Evanna, Sierra, Terry, Aurora, Landon, Cassidy, and Emmett."

"My sister's name is Illana," I said. "My brothers are Cedar and Lincoln. I don't see them very often, though, because they live with my dad."

"Your parents don't live together?" Reese asked.

"No," I said. "They're divorced. My sister and I live with my mom."

"That stinks," said Reese. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said again. "It's not your fault."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't stink," said Reese.

I nodded. "I guess not."

I realized then that I actually liked talking to Reese. They didn't know anything about me, which was nice. That meant that they weren't scared of me, like everyone back home. And they seemed actually interested in what I had to say. I wasn't used to that.

Maybe that's why I said what I said next.

"I used to have another sister," I said, lowering my voice.

"Oh," said Reese. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah," I said, my voice thick. "Me too."

"Hey, it's not your fault," Reese said gently. They scooted over to me on their knees.

I shook my head. "It is, though. She'd be alive if it weren't for me."

"Don't say that," said Reese.

"It's the truth," I said, relieved to finally be admitting it out loud. For months, I'd been holding it in, walking on eggshells around everyone that I knew. Maybe now, sitting here with Reese, I could finally get it off my chest.

"I'm sure it was an accident," Reese insisted.

"It wasn't an accident," I said. "I could've stopped it, but I didn't."

"What happened?" they asked.

I took a deep breath. "We had an argument. It was so stupid, but it was so hot out, and I've never been the best with controlling my temper. And it got out of hand, and the next thing I knew, she was dead. There was so much blood…"

"Wait," said Reese, their eyes wide. "You… you didn't…?"

"I did," I said, a tear trickling down my face. "It was all my fault."

Reese shifted away from me, a strange look on their face. Fear? Anger?

No.

It was disgust.

An old, familiar spark ignited in my chest. One I hadn't experienced in months. Not since that fateful night.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.

Reese frowned, their eyebrows knitting together. "No matter how upset I got, I could never, ever, ever, hurt my family. Ever."

"I didn't mean it," I pleaded, pushing down the familiar heat rising within me. "I didn't mean it!"

They shook their head. "I was wrong about you. This was a mistake."

"What was a mistake?" I asked.

"Allying with you," they said. They shuddered. "I could never be a friend to someone like that. Hurting your family? Especially your sister? Oh, my God…"

"It was a mistake," I said. "Please…"

"Forget it," they said, standing. They brushed the forest debris off of them, avoiding eye contact.

The heat rose in me again. I tried to push it down again, but it was harder this time. Much harder. I started hyperventilating. "I'm sorry. We can forget I ever said anything!"

"No, we can't," said Reese, turning around. "I can't trust you! Someone who could do that to their own flesh and blood is dangerous and untrustworthy and sick. I'm going to go find Journie now. Goodbye, Chaney."

Their words cut deep. They were the same ones I'd been telling myself for months now. I was dangerous and sick and a monster, and I believed it. And so, when the heat of my temper rose in my chest a third time, I didn't resist.

I let it ignite me.

I reached for the knife.

Caligula Van Zandt, District 2, 18

It was hard to believe we'd been in the arena for five days at this point. It was also hard to believe that ten people were dead.

But the hardest thing was knowing that one of those deaths was all my fault.

I dreamed of the Bloodbath every night. Every time I closed my eyes, Salome's face would appear. Sometimes she was scared, sometimes she was angry, but the worst was when she was resigned. That moment when she closed her eyes, accepting her fate, was the most horrible of them all. Killing her was the biggest regret of my life.

I knew what everyone at home must have been saying about me. They were calling me weak, saying I'd "gone soft." I'd heard them say it about others for far less. Truthfully, though, I deserved it. I had done the unforgivable. No matter what Sadie said, I had no right to take people's lives from them.

I wondered how Sadie was doing. I had to imagine that without Virgil and Isla, things were a lot better over in the Cornucopia. They'd always been the shadiest of the bunch, although I had to admit Muir wasn't the most open either. I wondered if any of them were injured.

Since leaving them, I hadn't seen any other tributes for a long while. I'd taken the leftmost path because I'd remembered it had cabins in that direction. I thought I saw someone by Cabin D, so I headed over to Cabin C, which I'd found empty. I'd been there ever since, refilling my water at the lake when it ran out.

It was the other night at the lake that I'd finally seen another person. I only saw her for a split second, but it was enough for me to be sure she was there, and to be sure of her identity. She had braided blonde hair and pale skin and a terrified expression on her face. Her voice was one of the ones that had been echoing in my dreams for days, screaming Salome's name. I was sure of it. She'd ducked behind the plants to hide from me. I didn't want to scare her further, so I'd left her alone, heading back to my cabin to go back to bed.

Now, I was fairly sure that the rest of Salome's alliance was the group staying in Cabin D. For now, I was planning on leaving them alone. Even if I wanted to approach them, it was a terrible idea. They'd seen me murder one of their allies. If I went anywhere near them, they'd attack in self-defense, and I wouldn't blame them. So for now, I stayed in my cabin, biding my time.

Journie Teffs, District 9, 17

I left Chaney and Reese, heading towards the lake to refill our water bottle. I made my way over to it quickly, not wanting to be on my own or away from Reese for too long. I did my best to be quiet as I did so, keeping up a light jog and trying to avoid stepping on twigs or pinecones.

I was glad that Chaney was staying behind with Reese. It made me a little less nervous knowing that Reese wouldn't be all by themself. I knew it made them nervous. Besides, I knew they wanted to get to know Chaney a little better. Maybe they could bond while I was gone.

After a while, I reached the edge of the treeline by the lake and looked around. I didn't see anyone. I almost took a step forward when I noticed a mangled rope net lying in the grass. I squinted closer at the spot- some of the rope was stained red, and the area around the net was darker than the rest of the grass.

I wondered what had happened here. I altered my course, looping around the net as I walked closer to the lake. Around halfway there, I noticed another patch of grass that had been stained dark. I remembered the faces in the sky last night- this lake must have been where they died. The place was starting to give me the heebie-jeebies, so I headed down towards the lake's edge, quickly filling up the bottle. I didn't bother purifying it- that could wait for when I was out of here.

I stood, screwing the cap back on the bottle, and turned to return to my allies. I started jogging back towards the treeline. I was almost at the edge when my ears picked up something behind me. A noise.

Whoosh.

I reflexively ducked just in time to see a spear sail over my head. I immediately began sprinting away, stealing a single glance over my shoulder to see who it was. A small girl with dark hair was standing behind me, and I didn't give her time to wind up for another throw. I ran as fast as I could back to Reese and Chaney, adrenaline fueling me.

When I was sure she wasn't following me, I stopped to catch my breath for a moment, then started walking again towards where I'd left Reese and Chaney, trying to collect my thoughts. That encounter had been a lot closer than I would've liked. Still, it was good to know that the lake was dangerous. I was willing to bet that the girl I'd seen had made one of the kills yesterday, or at least had something to do with them. If I'd waited another second, I would've been the next cannon. The very thought made me shudder.

After another long while of walking, I was able to make out Reese and Chaney's figures in the distance. One of them was sitting, and the other was on the ground. After another few steps, I was close enough to make out their words.

"We can forget I ever said anything!" pleaded Chaney.

"No, we can't," said Reese. "I can't trust you!"

I started to quicken my pace. I wasn't sure what had happened after I'd left, but whatever it was, it definitely hadn't been good. I got closer, able to make out their faces now.

"I'm going to go find Journie," said Reese. "Goodbye, Chaney."

Reese turned their head, hearing my footsteps, and looked over in my direction. "Journie?"

Behind them, Chaney pulled something from her backpack and stood quickly, raising it high over her head.

Oh, God, no…

"Reese!" I screamed, breaking into a run.

They looked at me for a second, confused, before they realized what was happening. They turned, a second too late, as Chaney brought the knife down into Reese's chest once, twice, three times, blood spurting everywhere. Reese screamed as Chaney pulled the knife out a third time, Chaney seemingly stunned by her own actions. She looked from Reese to me, her face blank, before turning on her heel, grabbing her bag, and disappearing into the trees. Reese fell to the ground heavily, clutching their chest.

I wanted to chase after her. I wanted to make her pay for hurting Reese. I was about to do so when Reese called for me, their voice thick. "Journie?"

"Reese!" I cried, running over to them and kneeling down. The blood was everywhere, covering their torso and their hands and their forearms and the ground around them. I pulled them into my arms, trying not to cry. This was all my fault.

"You'll be okay," I said, my vision going blurry as I lied through my teeth.

"Journie," Reese whispered. "It's okay. I know."

"No!" I cried. "No, no no no. You'll be fine. You just have to stay with me."

"You have to win," Reese whispered, their voice weak. They coughed, sending a fresh burst of blood from their chest. "You have to, okay?"

"Reese," I pleaded. "Don't leave me."

They smiled softly, looking peaceful. I hated how peaceful they looked. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," I said. Reese was always apologizing, even as they died. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about. This is all my fault."

"Thank you for… for being my friend," they said faintly, their eyelids fluttering. They shut their eyes. Why did they have to look so peaceful?

"Stay with me," I pleaded.

Reese took a deep, shuddering breath, and then released it.

They went still.

Boom.

"Reese!" I screamed.

Dale Orion-Poplar, District 12, 17

As night fell, there was only one face in the sky today: one of the tributes from Nine.

"Thirteen now," said Travis.

I nodded. "Eleven gone."

"Almost halfway there," he noted.

Before I could respond, the familiar cry of a wolf's howl rang through the trees. We exchanged a glance, immediately jumping to our feet and hoisting on our gear. We wasted no time in heading to the nearest trees and climbing up, up, up. I didn't look down until I was at least fifteen feet up, and sure enough, several wolves were circling the tree trunks at the forest floor.

"What do we do now?" Travis called from his tree, which was the one directly next to mine.

"I don't know," I replied. "They could be here all night."

"Oh, shoot," said Travis, his eyes lighting up. He started shifting around, messing with his clothes as he did so.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Acadia told me about this trick," he said. "She said if you're in a tree, belt yourself to it so you don't fall out."

"So we'd be able to sleep up here and stay away from the wolves," I realized.

"Exactly," Travis replied.

I had to be honest, it sounded like a great idea. And the advice was coming from last year's Victor, so I was pretty sure it was legitimate. I started copying Travis, reaching down to unbuckle my belt. Once I had it free, I shifted around until I could wrap it around the tree, being careful to not lose my balance and fall into the wolve's snapping jaws. Luckily, the trunk wasn't too wide, and I was able to buckle myself to the tree.

"You secure?" Travis asked.

I looked down at the wolves. "Yeah!"

Was it strange that the wolves reminded me of Mr. Wolfe? I knew that they were trying to kill me, but somehow, it still felt like a good omen. Like he was cheering me on all the way from home.

"Why do you think they keep sending them after us?" Travis asked.

"I don't know," I said, glancing down at them again. "Maybe we're not interesting enough."

"That could actually be it," said Travis. "We haven't really done anything since the Bloodbath, now that I think about it."

"But how are we supposed to be interesting?" I asked. "I thought we wanted to stay out of danger for as long as possible. Being interesting means being in danger."

"Maybe we need to be closer to the action," said Travis. "Or maybe we could explore some more. We could go back to those tents we saw and see if anyone's nearby."

"I guess," I said reluctantly.

"Hey," said Travis, "better now than later. If we wait too long, the Gamemakers could send something worse."

"Like a bear," I said.

"Like a bear," he agreed. "Or a forest fire. I remember seeing them do that once."

"You have a point," I groaned. "But could we stay close to the water?"

"Sure," said Travis. "We'll figure it out some more in the morning."

"Right," I said, remembering the mutts lurking around beneath us. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Annie Cresta, District 4 Mentor, 33

"Did you know that about Muir?" I asked Finnick.

He shook his head, his eyebrows raised. "No. I didn't."

It was the end of the fifth day. Honestly, it was my least favorite day so far, besides perhaps the first. Only one death, but it was possibly the most difficult one to watch.

Finnick caught the look on my face. "You okay?"

"Yes," I said, nodding.

"You seem far away," he said. He put his hand on my shoulder. "Are you thinking about him?"

"Yes," I said softly.

He pulled me into a hug. "Come here."

I clung to him tightly, letting him hold me. With him, I felt safe. Finnick knew me better than anyone. He knew how I still thought about my district partner, Adrian, every day. He'd been dead fifteen years now, and I still thought about him every day.

And I knew better than anyone that if the Nine boy survived, he would think about his partner the same way.

Part of me hoped he didn't survive. That way, he wouldn't have to live with this burden.

*Eulogies:

14th: Reese Hastings, D9NB (knifed by Chaney): I have to admit, writing Reese's death was the most personally painful yet. That shit hurted. They (and Halley) were the first tribute I received for ETT, and I've held them close to my heart since the beginning. Reese was easily one of the most wholesome tributes in this story, and their relationship with Journie was wonderful (and they were easily the most wholesome district pair). In the end, Reese went out standing up for their most important value- family. At least Journie was there to comfort them as they died. Thank you to evilpencilbox for submitting Reese.

Kills:

Glowla- 1 (Ethan)

Caligula- 1 (Salome)

Sadie- 3 (Virgil, Ainsley, Deltro)

Damion- 1 (Halley)

Muir- 3 (Damion, Isla, Parker)

Travis- 1 (Samuel)

Chaney- 1 (Reese)

Alliances:

The Careers: Glowla, Sadie, Muir

(Salome's) Dream Team: Ianto, Levi, Jess, Sienna

Chatty/Secretive/Chill Bros: Travis, Dale

Loners: Caligula, Chaney, Journie, Alula

So… that was Day 5. Ouch. Fun fact: the phrase "all my fault" was used in three different POVs in this chapter. If you can name all of them, you get three brownie points from me. They don't mean anything, but I assure you that they are very very special :) who knows, maybe I'll decide they're important later on, haha. No cheating!

The blog will be updated ~momentarily~. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this chapter!

That's all from me for today. See you next weekend with Day 6!

-r-b*