Ok, I finished this yesterday but waited until today to post it because guess what? Today is the 2 year anniversary of this story! Holy crap, that feels weird to say. So much has happened since I first made this SYOT. Haha, I had no idea what I was doing back then. Hopefully, my writing skills have improved…? I don't know, maybe they have and maybe they haven't. Anyways, though, thank you SO SO much to everybody who's been reading this story. Even doing something as small as giving it a follow honestly means the world to me.

So yeah, here's Night 4! I hope you enjoy it. :)

District 11: Cole Cambridge, Age 13

Despite the heat from the jungle, I shiver, crossing my arms in front of my chest to keep myself from freezing. My whole body is covered with little droplets of water that sting like little knives.

I still can't believe what happened earlier today. I thought for sure that those little water creatures were going to drown me. If it wasn't for Beckett, Angelica and I would have both died. The thought chills me to the bone.

I glance over at Beckett, who sits beside me silently. He stares into the trees, looking deep in thought. I realize that I never really thanked him for saving us.

"Hey, um… What you did back there was really brave. Thanks." I say to him, giving him a smile.

"It was nothing," He says shortly. He seems like he's in a bad mood. Then again, Beckett is always in a bad mood. I glance at Angelica quizzically, but she just shrugs.

"No, I'm serious," I say, trying again. "I really-"

"I'm serious. It was nothing. You can thank me in the future by not doing stupid things like climbing down a slippery rock wall for no reason."

I sigh and give up. Sometimes it's a pain putting up with Beckett, but Angelica and I can't exactly leave him. After all, he's really strong and skilled, and we're just a couple of measly thirteen year olds. In fact, he's probably the only thing keeping us alive right now.

After all, if he wasn't there today, we'd already be dead.

District 4: Nemo Fisher, Age 18

Swish!

My sword flies through the air and decapitates the crude stick dummy I made in one clean blow. The makeshift head hits the ground and rolls until it comes to a stop at my feet.

I feel the color drain from my face as I look down at the head. Killing a pile of sticks is one thing, but doing something like this to an actual person makes me feel sick. I wish I'd never volunteered. But then again, if I hadn't… Tank would be the one who would have to go through this nightmare. Tank makes all of this worth the pain.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps tramping through the jungle behind me. It's probably one of the Careers, I decide. Still, I tighten my grip on my sword just in case it's not one of my allies. "Ariana?" I say softly. She grabs her bow and peers out of the Cornucopia.

I begin to make out two female voices talking loudly and give a small sigh in relief, although Ariana looks disappointed- she was probably hoping that Blaze was back. After a moment, Juno and Marine come walking out of the jungle. Marine gives me a grin when she sees me.

"We killed someone," She says. "And not just a weak outer tribute, either. It was the boy from District 7. Remember him? The guy that volunteered and got a pretty high score in training? Well, we wiped him out without any trouble." She laughs and high-fives Juno.

"Oh, that's great," I say, forcing a smile. Honestly, I don't understand how Marine can have such a messed-up brain that she doesn't see the issue with killing innocent children. She seems pretty smart. How can she possibly be alright with child murder?
Oh, well. Marine is pretty agressive, but she's a little more reasonable and logical than most other Careers, so I sort of trust her- at least, more than I trust Juno or Octavian.

I remember the conversation I had with Octavian earlier about sticking together if the pack breaks up. I was lying, obviously. I think Octavian's lost his mind over the games, and I certainly don't want to be anywhere near him without some other allies as protection. But it's obvious that I'm the outsider with the Careers, so being friends with the leader of the pack could help me gain some leverage. I don't know how much it'll help me, but surely the conversation didn't hurt me. After all, I can always just betray Octavian. I'd like to consider myself a pretty loyal person, but Octavian… well, I don't think I'd really have a problem with going behind his back.

Juno leans against the wall of the Cornucopia and smirks. "Now we wait for the boys to get back," She says with a smile. "I have a feeling Octavian won't be happy when he finds out he lost the competition."

District 12: Erin Arden, Age 15

"I think if I get back home, I'm going to-"
"Shhhhh."

"What? What is it?"
"Albin, please stop talking."

"How come? Do you see some-"

"Shut up!"

Albin follows my gaze and freezes up when he sees what I'm looking at. A giant humanoid looking creature is staring at us, snarling softly. It's muscular and has shaggy black fur that shines from the light that filters through the trees. I remember a picture book I read when I was little that had this animal in it. Gorilla, I think the book said it was called.

"Alright, Albin," I whisper through gritted teeth. "When I count to 3, we're going to run away from this thing as fast as we possibly can." Albin nods, his eyes riveted on the huge beast.

"1," I say, preparing to run.

2," I take a deep breath to calm my pounding heart, trying not to think about how easy it would be for the gorilla to rip me to shreds.

"3."

And the chase is on.

District 2: Juno Armstrong, Age 18

I relax against the side of the Cornucopia, munching on some carrots I found in a can at the back of the Cornucopia.

"Do you think Octavian's ever going to show up?" I complain, taking a drink of water. Marine smirks.

"He'll be back soon," She says. "He just can't stand coming back here, knowing he's lost the contest to a couple of girls." She thinks for a moment and laughs. "He reminds me of my dad."

"What's it like, living with him?" I ask, mildly interested. She groans dramatically.

"You have no idea. It's the worst. My brothers are always getting special treatment, and he acts like I'm too stupid to understand anything he says. He barely even let me volunteer." I think for a moment about living under a father like that, always being treated poorly because I'm a girl.

"That is the worst," I agree after a moment. Suddenly, I hear footsteps from the jungle. Marine and I share a smug look as Octavian stomps out of the jungle dejectedly, Blaze following behind him.

"Hey," I say with fake cheerfulness. "Did you kill anyone?" Octavian glares at me and brushes past me without answering.

"I guess that's a no," Marine says. "Well, we did! I guess that means we win the competition, then?"

"Shut up," Octavian grumbles. "You just got lucky, I'm sure."

"Luck?" I spit. "We don't need luck. We killed the 7 boy with pure skill."
"Yeah, whatever," Octavian says through gritted teeth. "Go to sleep. We're getting up early tomorrow to go hunting."

District 3: Scorpius Herin, Age 16

I leap to my feet when I hear footsteps crashing through the trees.

I draw my knives and back away from the noise slowly. I freeze when I hear the shouting of tributes. Before I have time to run, I catch sight of a boy and girl sprinting straight towards me. They stop about 20 feet away, gasping and out of breath.

"I think we lost it," the boy says. I'm pretty sure he's the one from 9.

The girl looks up and sees me. Her eyes go wide and she nudges her ally. I turn on my heel to run when the boy shouts, "Wait, hold on! We want to ally with you!"

The words catch me so off-guard that I stop and turn around incredulously. "What?"

"We heard you have a bomb," The girl says- I recognize her as the girl from 12. I'm a bit taken aback. How did they know about that?

"Why do you want my bomb?" I ask suspiciously.

"We want to blow up the Careers," the boy says.

I burst out laughing.

The tributes give me an odd look. "What's so funny?" the boy from 9 asks.

"Well, there are a lot of flaws to that plan," I say. "I mean, so many things could go wrong and get you killed. Why would you want to risk something like that?"

"Well, it's better than just hiding out in the jungle, waiting for the Careers to track you down and kill you," the girl from 12 snaps. "So is your bomb going to work for this or not?"

I open my mouth to respond, then shut it, thinking hard. The answer to her question is 'no'- I examined the pieces and decided that it probably only has enough power to kill about one or two people. It could take out a few Careers, but the others would still be alive and very angry. But if I tell Erin and Albin about this, I'll no longer be useful to them and they'll probably kill me. I'm not bad with knives, but I don't think I could beat two armed tributes in a fight. So…

"Yeah, it'll work. But you'll need me to assemble it and set it off," I add quickly, just in case they get the idea to kill me and then take both the bomb and my supplies. A plan is beginning to form in my head- a plan that doesn't end well for either of my new allies.

The boy's face splits into a smile. "Great!" he says. "My name's Albin, by the way."
"I'm Erin," the girl says, inclining her head slightly.

"Nice to meet you," I say, giving them both a fake smile. "My name's Scorpius."

District 6: Livia Fleet, Age 15

60.

59.

58.

An explosion a few pedestals to my left rocks me forward, and I just barely manage to stay on my feet. Someone is dead already. Someone with a family, with people who loved them…

Stop! I shake my head to force the thoughts away. I have a family too, and I want to get home to them. I have to focus now, for my parents, for my friends.

50.

49.

48.

Ok, where are we? I look around and see huge trees looming above me in every direction. A jungle. Yes! That'll leave lots of places to hide. My eyes survey the circle of tributes. I see that Alyx is five pedestals away from me, and only one tribute stands between her and Wyatt. To my left is the boy from District 10, and to my right is…

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.

It's the girl from 2. Of course. One of the most vicious tributes in the games has been placed right next to me.

40.

29.

28.

Calm down, Livia. Calm down. Things could be worse. I could have a Career on either side of me. I'm fairly certain I could beat the 10 boy in a fight, although I hope it doesn't come to that. I take a deep breath to steady my nerves. Alyx, Wyatt and I decided last night that we would all grab some supplies on the outskirts of the Cornucopia, then meet up at the edge of the clearing and run away from the bloodbath together. I glance at Alyx; her eyes are riveted to the empty pedestal a few spots away from her. No, Alyx, we don't have time to worry about that, I think, trying to tell her with my eyes that she needs to focus. It's pointless.

30.

29.

28.

I can feel my chest tightening as the timer ticks down, and I force myself to calm down. I can survive. As long as I stay away from the Careers, I'll be fine.

20.

19.

18.

I look towards my allies again. Wyatt is looking at Alyx oddly. I feel a rush of fear, remembering his reaping, his time at training, his interview. Alyx told me that he had schizophrenia. I was hesitant to let him into the alliance, but I didn't have the heart to kick him out. Now, though, I'm worried that I should never have let him stay. Take one look at the hungry look on his face and one could immediately tell that he was not playing with a full deck of cards.

10.

9.

8.

Wyatt keeps on staring at Alyx. His teeth are bared in a small smile, sending a shiver up my spine. I'm suddenly scared for my ally's life- for my friend's life.

7.

6.

5.

I force my attention back to the Cornucopia, and my eyes lock on a hatchet sitting not too far away from me. I shift my feet so that I'm facing it.

4.

Oh, God, I'm scared.

3.

I need to stay alert.

2.

I can do this.

1.

Here we go…

0.

I leap off my pedestal and hit the ground hard, which sends a jolt through my legs, but I ignore it and race towards the hatchet. The 2 girl, Juno, ignores me- thank God- and I get my hands on the hatchet without too much trouble. I pick up a pack and sling it over my shoulder when my mind suddenly goes back to Alyx and I search the clearing for her.

A feeling of panic surges through my body when I see Wyatt charging at her. I'm running before my brain has time to catch up. He barrels her to the ground. I find myself behind Wyatt's back, my hatchet feeling heavy in my hand. I raise my weapon to end Wyatt's life, but hesitate. Can I really do this? Can I kill my ally?

Wyatt brings his knife up. Alyx screams.

I slam my hatchet down.

It buries itself in his back, and he inhales sharply before falling to the ground, limp. His wide, unseeing eyes seem to be fixated on me. I feel my body freeze up. I can't believe it. I just did that. I just killed a human being…

I jolt awake with a gasp, sweat running down my face. I feel tears gathering in the corner of my eyes and force them down. I hadn't thought about Wyatt much since the first night, as I had a lot of other things to worry about, but the nightmare brings back all of the painful memories. I still can't believe I killed him. He was crazy, sure, but he didn't deserve to die.

"Hey, you okay?" Alyx asks from beside me. She was keeping watch while I slept.

I force myself to smile at her. "Yeah," I say. "It was just… just a dream."

District 1: Ariana Angel, Age 15

"Ariana?"
I blink my eyes open and see Blaze standing over me.

"It's your turn to keep watch," he says quietly. I nod and get to my feet, shaking my head to clear the fog from my vision. Outside, the sky is totally dark, reminding me that there could be a tribute lurking in the shadows not too far away, waiting for the right moment to strike. The thought is silly, of course. Almost nobody is stupid enough to attack the Careers. Still, though, it scares me a little. I've got training, but there are kids in this arena that are bigger and stronger than me. I imagine the boy from 12 snapping my neck, or the boy from 3 stabbing me through the chest with one of his knives. I imagine falling to the ground, my face pressed up against the dirt as the life drains out of me. I remember how Carlina looked just like that, a pool of blood oozing from her body, her hair fanned out around her in the dirt, an arrow sticking out of her back- my arrow sticking out of her back.

Shut up, shut up, shut up, my brain tells me. Stop thinking about that! It had to happen. You had to kill her. She was never going to win. You were doing her a favor, really, taking her out early. At least she didn't have to suffer…

"Want a cookie?" Blaze asks me. He holds a half-filled bag of chocolate chip cookies in his hand. I smile gratefully at him and take one, closing my eyes in delight as the chocolate melts on my tongue.

"This reminds me of the cookies Mom used to make for my brother and I," I say.

"Do you miss your family?" Blaze asks me.

"A little. Well… Actually, a lot," I admit. My mind drifts back to life in District 1, when I would hunt for food and hang out with Aquarius. I remember my little brother, Caleb, and the way his eyes lit up whenever he saw me. It suddenly dawns on me how much I really miss my old life. Why did I ever volunteer in the first place? I wonder to myself.

"I'm thinking about leaving the Careers," Blaze whispers.

"Wait, what?" I say. I wasn't expecting him to say that. "Why?"

"It's only going to be a matter of time before this group turns on each other like animals," Blaze says, "and I don't want to be here when that happens."

I glance behind me to make sure that none of the other Careers are awake. "Why are you telling me this?" I hiss.

"Because I want you to come with me," Blaze tells me.

I gape at him.

"No."

The words come out of my mouth immediately. Blaze looks crestfallen, so I try to explain myself better. "I mean, how in the world would we live out in the jungle? We don't have any survival skills. Besides, the Careers wouldn't be happy if we abandoned them."

"That wouldn't matter as long as they never found us," Blaze pointed out. "Come on, please? I don't want to go out there alone."

"No," I repeat. "There are too many risks. I'm not going to leave our allies. And I don't think you should either." With that, I turn my back on him, signaling that the conversation is over. I feel myself breaking a little inside. Why did he have to do that? Blaze is the only person I trust in these games, and I want to stick with him. But leaving the Careers could be a fatal decision, and I'm not sure if I want to throw my life away for a guy I don't even know very well. I hope that Blaze will just forget about the idea and stick with the Careers.

But for some reason, I doubt that'll happen.

Ok, that's that! Sorry it took so long to get this out, but I just couldn't find the motivation to write it. POVs are a lot shorter this time because I just wanted to post this. Actually, they're probably going to be pretty short from now on. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy writing this story, but I also want to speed it up a little so I can move on to my next SYOT (which everybody probably thinks is abandoned, lol, since I haven't updated it in more than a year).

Hopefully Day 5 will be posted sooner than this. :D