CI intended to address this before, but - if your tribute receives a sponsor gift from you, it won't always be mentioned in a chapter. Since I only have 6 POVs per chapter, I don't really see the point of using a whole POV for a sponsor gift unless something else happens. But they will receive it, even if it isn't mentioned.

Speaking of sponsor points, I realize I'm super behind on updating the points. I've been meaning to get around to it, but… I'm just super lazy and it's a pretty tedious task.

District 4

Lucretius Marlo

Someone roughly shakes me awake. I groan and peek my eyes open, hoping to avoid the blinding sun that has, unfortunately, waken me up every morning. One of the worst parts of being in one of the only clearings in the arena is the fact that the sun shines in my face every morning. However, today, it's barely light out.

I open my eyes all the way and see Glorian shaking me by my shoulder.

"What time is it?" I groan, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as he steps away.

"Do I look like I have a watch?"

I sit up groggily. I don't think I've woken up this early in the arena yet. The sun must not be over the treelines yet, because only a few thin rays make their way through the jungle to light our way. It's still a bit dark, but I can see everything fine. Glitter and Vincent are asleep, with Glitter nearly on top of him. Vincent must be in too deep a slumber to notice.

Cecelia and Noelani, to my surprise, are still curled around the smoldering ruins of the fire, asleep. I guess they fell asleep out there. What's more surprising is the fact that they didn't wake up, because judging by the dampness of the grass, it sprinkled a bit last night. It may just be morning dew, but it still couldn't be comfortable.

Glorian is standing above me, looking completely energized. I suspect he's the only morning person in the Career pack. Trajan is also up, but he doesn't look too pleased. He leans against his spear, his greasy brown hair sticking up on one side. He stares at the wall blankly, barely seeming to comprehend his surroundings. I'm guessing Glorian woke him up against his will, as well.

"What's up?" I ask Glorian, as I stand up. I brush off the seat of my cargo pants.

"We're nearly out of food," Glorian explains gruffly. "We only have a basket of fruit left, and after that, we're out of food. If it became too serious, we could probably get sponsors, but prices are probably rising by now, and we can't depend solely on them. We haven't had a lot of luck hunting so far, so I was hoping we could manage to kill something if we woke up earlier."

My mind's still half-asleep, so I only really understood half of what he said. However, I nod and stand up. I grab my spear and let out a giant yawn. Glorian, Trajan and I begin to exit the Cornucopia.

Glorian looks really prepared - he has his compass in one hand and his sword in the other and looks really excited at the prospect of getting food. Trajan and I both trudge along behind him. Hopefully, we manage to find something, because I'm starving. I'd at least like to find a water source. Water isn't super low yet, but I want to bathe. I still have a bit of dried blood on me from yesterday.

Glorian pauses at the fire and shakes Cecelia awake. She sits up quickly, holding her dagger threateningly as her eyes adjust to the morning. She lowers the dagger when she sees it's only Glorian.

I glance nervously between Cecelia and Trajan - is Cecelia coming with us, too? It doesn't seem like the best idea - not only would Trajan and Cecelia bicker the entire time and drive me insane, but they'd likely scare away any animals.

However, Glorian just says, "Trajan, Luc, and I are going hunting. We'll probably be back in the afternoon, hopefully with some food. Don't let Glitter and Vincent go off alone, and don't eat the last of the fruit."

Cecelia nods, and immediately curls back up next to Noelani. She doesn't seem to notice that the ground is soaked.

"Cecelia, don't fall asleep!" Glorian exclaims.

"Okay, okay," she mutters. "I wasn't."

I don't believe her, but she sits back up anyway and finally seems to realize that all of her clothes are soaking in rainwater. Glorian gives her a few more instructions, and we take off into the jungle.

District 1

Cecelia Hart

I know Glorian told me not to let Vincent and Glitter go off on their own, but they did anyway. At first, I half-heartedly tried to get them to stay, but Glitter completely ignored me, so then I just let them wander off. To be honest, I was slightly relieved. Glitter is one of the most irritating people I've ever had the displeasure of knowing.

Not only do I not have to put up with Glitter for the next few hours, but now I can just chat with Noelani. At first, I was furious at myself for becoming friends with her, rather than just allies, but knowing that both of us can survive makes me feel much better. I still don't want to get too attached, because there's still the chance that one or both of us don't make it to the finale, but at least I can relax a bit. It's no longer inevitable that one of us dies.

Without Glitter and Vincent and the rest of the Careers looming over us, Noelani and I can now plot freely. Both of our clothes are still soaked from sleeping in the rain, so Noelani suggests we climb up the Cornucopia so the sun can warm us up. I doubt our clothes will dry much since it's already super humid, but at least we'll be warmed up. Despite the hot temperature, I'm slightly cold with wet clothes on.

We sit atop the golden horn, and I'm relieved that the metal isn't too hot to touch, despite the sun shining on it. I suppose rain clouds help the sun from shining for too long. The metal is the perfect temperature, where it will warm me up but not scald me.

We strip off our jackets, shoes, and socks (we ditched the hats a long time ago, along with the rest of the Careers. The only person who kept his was Luc, who seems to like it) and we lay them out in the hope they might dry off a bit. My thin shirt is still wet, and sticking to my skin, but I'm not taking that off.

On top of the Cornucopia, we have a pretty decent view of the arena. It's not fantastic since the Cornucopia isn't super tall and the trees grow higher further from our clearing, but it's better than the ground. I can see a mountain, not too far away (though, the walk would likely take a few days), but other than that, there are just trees as far as the eye can see.

"So where's the gem you found?" Noelani asks, as soon as we've gotten comfortable. I point in the general direction.

"Somewhere over there."

"What if someone finds the ruby before us?" Noelani asks nervously.

"There are two others, and if those are taken, we can just kill whoever has a gem," I say simply. Noelani nods and leans back so that she's looking up at the sky. We sit in silence for a few minutes, then I ask, "what's District 4 like?"

Noelani's quiet for a moment, then responds. "Sometimes it's great. Other times, not so much."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there's the part of District 4 that's filled with people. There are always fishermen and vendors everywhere, so the whole place, especially town, reeks of fish and blood. And it's really crowded, and people are sometimes rude. But then there's also the less inhabited parts of District 4, with the beaches and ocean. It's really pretty, especially at sunset. The sun sets on the horizon, at the edge of the water, and makes it look kind of golden. And the Victor's Village is right up against the water. Elevated, of course, so it won't flood. But it's kind of secluded and really pretty and I've always looked forward to living there…" Noelani falls quiet.

"What?"

"I just realized I won't be able to live in the Victor's Village if I survive," Noelani says quietly.

"Oh," I say nervously. I'm afraid Noelani will want to win and want me to get the gem and her to win. Or, even worse, have the victory all to herself. But after a moment, Noelani smiles at me.

"It doesn't matter," Noelani says. "I'll be alive, I don't need a fancy house in the Victor's Village." I immediately feel myself relax again. Good… so I will still get to both win, and have Noelani survive.

If we make it, I remind myself. I can't let myself get too confident that we'll both make it to the finale, because it's still a long way off.

"Do you think it should just be us?" Noelani asks after a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… do you think we should add Luc to our alliance?"

I consider this for a moment. "I like Luc. He's sweet, but… would we be getting him a jewel, as well?"

"Hopefully," Noelani shrugs.

"Well… The problem is that we don't know where the others are. And it would feel wrong to have him help you get a jewel, and then just hope we somehow manage to find another jewel, so he can live along with the two of us."

"So you don't want Luc as part of our alliance?"

"No, I'd like for him to be part of our alliance… I just think we shouldn't invite him yet. Maybe we could try to find out where another jewel is first, or maybe we should just decide whether it's worth it," I explain, slightly unsure.

District 5

Dennis Fielder

I scramble up the side of the riverbank, coughing the water out of my lungs. My water-logged clothes weigh me down, but I crawl to shore.

After being shoved into the river, I nearly drowned. Even if I was an experienced swimmer, I doubt I could have swum to safety. The water was so fast, it was barely possible to keep my head above water long enough to get air. I floated downstream quite a bit before reaching a giant rock sticking out of the water. I climbed aboard, so I was at least partially above water and the immediate threat of drowning was past me.

But the rushing water prevented me from swimming to shore, so I was forced to stay on the rock all night long until I finally decided to risk the swim this morning. I just barely managed to get to shore before getting swept away again, but now I'm safe again.

I flop on my back in the mud, allowing my lungs to take in as much water as possible. Unfortunately, I'm probably really far away from the District 3 girl now… if she's even still alive. The water was too loud to hear a cannon. I cut off the entire lower half of her arm, so I doubt she's in good condition even if she is somehow alive.

I want to carry out my kill, but the walk would probably take a long time and I don't really think it's worth it. It's probably better if I just try to find another tribute to hunt.

When I've regained my breath, I sit up and take inventory of my supplies.

I'm missing a shoe and my hat, but all of my other clothes are still here. Soaked, but intact. My sleeping bag is still here, but it so soaked, I'm not sure if it has any more use. I have all of my water supply, but I've had enough water for today. My food seems fine since I have those weird food packs that are in air-tight packages.

My biggest loss is the weapons I were holding onto. My whip and dagger are gone, either left with the District 3 girl or let go of in the river. All I have left is my extra dagger, which is tucked into my belt. At least I have something. This is why it's always good to carry a back-up knife.

I pull the backup knife out of my belt and turn it around in my fingers.

Man, I wish I had my other knife. It was larger, and has a serrated edge. This one will work fine because it's sharper, but that also means less torture for the next unfortunate tribute to cross my path.

I stand up, slinging the wet sleeping bag back over my shoulder. While the sleeping bag itself may be useless, it's also holding my supplies so I can still use it in lieu of a backpack. I don't pack away my dagger, though. I don't know how far I am from all of the action, so it would be foolish to not have a weapon at hand.

The trees aren't actually super dense in this area, but there's mist so thick and strong that I can barely see six feet in front of me. I don't think I'd be able to see anyone approaching, so I'll need to depend on my ears.

Carefully, I begin moving deeper into the forest. Luckily, my natural stealth helps me walk through the forest quietly. I doubt anyone would hear me approaching, and if they did, they'd probably pass it off as a harmless animal or something.

It doesn't take me too long until I find a clearing. At first, I'm about to walk into it, but then I manage to make out the shape of the Cornucopia through the thick mist. I quietly curse and back up behind a tree. I can't see any Careers, but I doubt they'd leave all of their supplies alone.

However, I don't think all of them are lounging around inside the Cornucopia. They likely left one or two of their most incompetent members to guard the Cornucopia and the rest took off. I'm currently facing the back of the Cornucopia, so even through all of the fog, I wouldn't be able to see who's inside.

I consider attacking. I scored an 8 in training, and the Careers guarding probably scored the same. If I attacked, I'd have the element of surprise, as well. I don't think it would be overly risky. And if I saw someone inside the Cornucopia that I do not want to fight, I'll just run. The fog will likely conceal me, as will the tall grass around the Cornucopia (although, most of it has been trampled by the Careers by now).

Quiet as a mouse, I crouch low and sprint over to the mouth of the Cornucopia. I'm not directly beside it, that would be stupid, I run as far to the right as possible while still being able to see it. When I'm far enough to see into the mouth, I duck down into the grass and begin searching for the Careers. I scan the interior of the Cornucopia, but I don't see anyone.

Confused, I look around, as if the Careers may be patrolling the edges of the clearing. I can't see all of the edges, but I don't think they are.

Then, I hear a girl's muffled voice. I can't make out what she's saying, but it's definitely coming from the Cornucopia. I look inside again, and then I notice the two girls sitting atop the Cornucopia. I can't see them very well, thanks to the mist, but since one of them only has one arm, I can deduce that one is the girl from District 4.

I smirk in satisfaction. Not only have they not noticed me, but it would be almost impossible to spot me through the fog even if they knew I was here. They seem distracted with their conversation, so I take this as a great time to run into the horn. I race in my crouched position until I've reached the Cornucopia, and slip inside.

It's less foggy in here, and the grass is mostly dry. I can hear the girls chatting away above me. Once again assured that they have not yet noticed me, I begin to look through all of the supplies.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the Careers are too well off in terms of supplies, either. I recall that at the Bloodbath, supplies were sparse, but I assumed they'd have more than the meager display I see here. But's it's still better than nothing.

I only manage to find one pack of food and a carcass of some small animal that they forgot to throw out. I take the package, but leave the carcass. At first, I think my quest for food has ended, but then I realize I should look through the satchels. In the first satchel, I find a sleeve of crackers, a dagger, and a bunch of other crap. I take the dagger and crackers. In the second satchel, I find another sleeve of crackers and two full water bottles. I don't really need water, but I realize after some consideration, that taking the water is worth it, if it means the Careers don't get it. The last satchel only has a bunch of random, useless items, so I empty it out and take the satchel.

I move all of my new supplies into the satchel and then swap the supplies from my sleeping bag into the satchel as well. After a moment, I leave the sleeping bag. It's so wet, there's not much use for it. I take two blankets from the Careers' stash. The Careers will immediately notice the sleeping bag, but that kind of makes it better. I take all of their important supplies and leave a useless sleeping bag in return to rub salt in the wound.

The rest of the Careers' supplies is crap. I assume all of their good weapons are on them because the only weapons left on their racks are a shocking amount of whips and a single lasso. I don't know how to use a lasso, but I'm glad to regain a whip. I take one, but that probably won't impact them too much. Luckily, I've already caused a major dent in the little supplies they possessed. They have a bunch of water bottles, but they're all empty.

After one more scan, I decide it's time to leave. I pause, straining my ears, and breathe out a sigh of relief when I hear the girls continuing to chat atop the Cornucopia. One of them lets out a low chuckle, and I immediately recognize her as the District 1 female. During training, when I threatened her, she simply laughed at me with the same chuckle. That means the girls from 1 and 4 are the ones on the roof. And they clearly have no clue I'm stealing all of their supplies.

Grinning slyly, I slip back out of the Cornucopia. It's too easy.

District 2

Glorian Stafford

"Why is it so misty?" Lucretius wonders aloud as we trek through a particularly foggy section of the arena.

"Because it's raining," Trajan replies, and I glare at him. For some reason, Trajan needs to have a smart-ass reply to every single comment or question someone makes. It's really annoying, especially when we're all starving and tired from walking all morning. I can see the sun, thanks to the rain and fog, but I suspect it's somewhere around noon.

Trajan speed-walks ahead of us, until he's far ahead, and then returns to a normal pace.

"Where are you going?" I call over to him.

"Away from you," he calls back.

"Why are you so grumpy?" Luc asks him. "Come on, cheer up! It's a boys' day out!"

"Jesus Christ," mutters Trajan.

"I'm kidding," Luc responds, chuckling slightly. We make eye contact, and his infectious smile gets to me. I can't help but return a grin.

"What are you laughing about?" Trajan demands, spinning around. Luc laughs even harder when he sees Trajan hair, which he hasn't bothered to smooth down after this morning. It still sticks up on one end. "I swear, I'll skewer you with this spear," Trajan hisses, walking back over to us. Luc glares at him, but looks slightly frightened.

"Hey, calm down," I say, stepping between the two. I don't think Trajan would actually be stupid enough to kill Luc right now, but I'd still like to prevent the opportunity. My grip tightens on the handle of my sword, just in case Trajan does try to attack.

Trajan opens his mouth to respond, but just as he does, an arrow shoots past his face and imbeds itself in the mossy tree next to us. Shocked, we all turn to look into the mist. I didn't think there were any bows in the arena, so the only way someone could have one was from a sponsor gift.

The mist covers the archer's silhouette for a second, and then it fades, revealing a small boy, who's notching another arrow.

"Is that a tribute?" Trajan asks. I don't recognize the boy either. He looks about fifteen, slim with tanned skin. He's not wearing one of our arena outfits, he's bare-chested.

"Definitely not," Luc replies. The boy calls out in some foreign tongue, and suddenly, a large group of adults dressed the same as him come charging out of the mist. They all have some sort of weapons and wear matching expressions of anger, directed at us.

"Run!" I shout and take off in the opposite direction. I hear Luc and Trajan following me, but they're nearly drowned out by the thunder of our pursuers, as they chase us and shout stuff at each other in a language I don't recognize.

Unfortunately, none of us are particularly fast. I'm average speed, but Trajan and Luc are both kind of slow. Luc's actually quick on even terrain, but his clumsiness holds him back a lot. He keeps pulling ahead, then stumbling over roots and falling behind again. When he takes a nasty trip over a log, I stop to help him up.

Trajan, the helpful guy he is, runs ahead of us, shouting "farewell, fools!" as he leaves us in his dust. I yank Luc to his feet, but there's a large tear in one leg of his pants and a nasty cut. I look over my shoulder at the group behind us. Maybe fifteen people are charging at us, mostly male. One man, a ginormous guy with tan skin and long black hair yells something at us.

Then, in choppy English, he manages to say, "where is it?"

I don't have time to respond, because an arrow flies directly toward my face. I duck just in time, and I think it skims my hair. Not wanting to try and converse with these people, I begin to run again, dragging Luc along behind me.

"Ah, my ankle!" Luc exclaims. I ignore him, and continue pulling him through the jungle as he lets out cries of pain and continues to stumble over rocks and roots. I can see Trajan ahead, still running without looking back, and then he takes a sudden right turn.

I pull Luc in that direction, but he falls to the ground again. I kneel down beside him, ready to drag him along with me.

"I can't run!" he yells at me.

"Well, we're not going to walk!"

Luc looks at the approaching crowd with tears in his eyes. "Just leave me."

"No!" I immediately shout out. "I'll carry you, but I'm not going to leave you." Luc looks at me in shock, but I throw him over my shoulder in fireman's carry and stand up, groaning under his weight. Even though he hasn't eaten much in the past few days, his muscles make him pretty heavy.

I can manage, though. I've lifted weights every day for Hunger Games training, I'll just put it to good use now.

I take off, but the chasers are close behind. I don't stumble over anything, but Luc slows me down considerably. It's not helping that he won't stop shouting in my ear to put him down. I ignore him. When I reach the point Trajan was at, I also take a sharp right turn. To my surprise, it leads us to a giant cave.

Did Trajan go in here? It seems like it will just end in death or a dead end. I spin around to see how close the crowd is. They're directly behind us. But, to my surprise, they've stopped dead in their tracks. They glare at us, but begin to back up.

My mouth gaping open, I retire into the cave. It looks like they're too afraid to go in here, which is extremely fortunate luck for Luc and I. Hopefully they'll decide to leave rather than wait us out.

The cave is dark, so I can't see how large it is. I back farther into it, and when we're decently deep into it, I lower Luc to the ground.

"I told you not to carry me," Luc mutters, his face flushed.

"Well, we survived, didn't we? Or would you have rathered d-"

I'm cut off with a warlike scream, and I see a spear coming directly at me. I automatically knock it away, and Trajan comes stumbling out of the darkness.

"Are you ditching and killing us now?" I ask him angrily.

"I thought you were one of the people chasing us," he mutters, brushing his brown hair out of his eyes. I roll my eyes.

"Thanks for helping us, by the way," I say.

"Hey, I was doing the smart thing!" Trajan exclaims. "Not all of us want to risk our lives for the most annoying kid in the Hunger Games!"

"First of all," Luc says, sitting up, "I'm not the most annoying kid in the Hunger Games. I think we all agree that title belongs to Glitter." Trajan shrugs in concession. "Second of all, you didn't have to shout, 'farewell, fools' as you ditched us."

"Where did the people go, by the way?" Trajan asks, completely avoiding Luc's comment.

"They didn't want to enter the cave," I explain.

"Why?"

"I don't know," I answer, shrugging. "It's dark, kind of creepy, and maybe they thought there was something living in here." Luc's eyes widen at the last suggestion.

"Wait, how do we know there isn't?" he asks, panicked. I pause, realizing he's right. I struggle to come up with a reassuring answer but come up short.

"Should I search for something?" I finally ask.

"No, no…" Luc says. "But keep your sword ready." He scoots over to me, holding his spear out.

"Should we wait here?" I ask.

"I guess," Trajan shrugs. "I need to talk to you, by the way."

"About what?" I ask, completely confused.

"Leadership strategies."

Luc bursts out laughing, and Trajan glares at him.

"Okay, Luc. If I need any help with being a mindless lackey, I'll come to you," Trajan barks, which shuts Luc up. Trajan turns back to me, finally smoothing down his hair. "So? Can I talk to you?"

"I guess," I sigh. Trajan grins.

"Okay, so first of all, you shouldn't leave Cecelia and Noelani alone. Ever. I'm about 99% sure that they're plotting to ditch us at the first opportunity."

"I've been doing that," I reply. "In case you haven't noticed, I haven't allowed them to go hunting alone yet, and I left them with Glitter and Vincent today. Also, I trust Cecelia. She has too much reason to ditch us so early in the Games."

"Ha! Reason. Good one. Anyway," Trajan begins, but is cut off by Luc's scream.

I spin around in panic, and see a giant cobra slithering toward him. Luc immediately leaps to his feet, but falls back down as his ankle gives way. He lets out a scream as the cobra hisses, then launches itself at him.

Luc screams even louder, trying to attack the cobra, whose fangs are imbedded in his stomach, with the spear. However, the spear isn't much use against the cobra.

Remembering that I need to help, I leap into action. I slam my sword down on the cobra, instantly beheaded it. Luc sobs as he pulls the head away from his stomach. The snake's head is even larger than his fist, and the fangs are the size of his fingers.

"I can feel the venom," Luc exclaims.

"Trajan, suck out the venom! I'm going to see if there are any other snakes!" I demand. Trajan stares at me in shock.

"You want me to suck on that wound?" he repeats, sounding shocked.

"Yes! And you'd better do it, or I'll behead you the same way I did with the snake."

Trajan obediently rushes over to Luc and begins trying to suck out the venom, looking extremely disgusted and annoyed as he does so. I venture further into the darkness, but it's difficult to see. I don't find any other snakes, but I don't want to stay here.

I walk back over to Luc and Trajan. Trajan's kneeling next to Luc, his face pale.

"Did you suck out the venom?" I ask angrily.

"Yes," he spits back. He points at a puddle of green-tinted blood next to the two as proof. I nod, satisfied. I rush over to Luc. His snake bite is still bleeding heavily and he's crying in pain. I pull his torn shirt back, revealing two extremely deep puncture marks in his gut.

Even if Trajan managed to remove all of the venom, it's still a pretty bad wound. It looks deep, and it likely punctured an organ. Probably the stomach. It's not bleeding a ton, but the blood is very dark and thick as it runs out of his body in a steady stream.

"We have to get him back to camp," I decide, swinging one of his arms around my neck.

"What?" Trajan gapes at me. "But… but he's dying!"

"Maybe we can get a sponsor first. But I don't want to stay in here, in case there are more muttations."

At the mention of more muttations, Trajan leaps to his feet. "Okay, fair point. Let's go."

"Help me carry him," I demand, standing up. Luc dangles beside me. To my horror, I realize he's passed out. I quickly raise two fingers and feel his pulse. It's still there, but slowing. Trajan stands still. "Trajan."

Reluctantly, he loops Luc's other arm around his neck and we begin to carry him out of the cave. I'm glad to see the pursuers are no longer waiting for us.

"What if they're hiding around the bend?" Trajan asks nervously.

"I'd rather risk them than the snake. And Luc's not doing well, we need to get back as soon as possible."

District 3

Lennox Porter

I'm trying to ignore the pain in my arm, but it's impossible, even on all of the pain killers. The remains of my fire smolder in the center of the cave, sending a few tendrils of smoke into the air. I clench my eyes shut, trying to look anywhere but the mangled stump of my arm. The other half is probably sitting outside in the rain.

I feel bile rising in my throat again, but I manage to keep it down. Shakily, I use my remaining hand to grab a bottle of water. I've been smart enough to keep it uncapped, so all I need to do it clumsily raise it to my lips. I take a long gulp. I lost a lot of blood, but I have a pretty large supply of water thanks to the waterfall and rain.

I'm currently sitting in the ground-level cave directly behind the waterfall. It's not too big, but big enough to spread things out a bit. It's not like I'm moving around, anyway. I'm mostly concealed behind the shimmering screen of water, but I don't think it matters much. Most people wouldn't spend three days walking all the way to the waterfall. I don't think anyone else walked in this direction besides Dennis and I, and I think he got washed away by the river.

I hope he did, because if he manages to find me (which he will, if he's nearby) I'm a sitting duck. I've been lying in the same place for a full day, and I don't plan on moving any time soon. I know I will, after I regain a bit of strength, but for now I'm just sitting in place, trying to ignore the pain, and get some sleep.

After Dennis cut off half of my arm yesterday, I passed out from blood loss. I regained consciousness shortly after and got a sponsor gift with matches, a knife, some disinfectant, and a first-aid kit. I started a fire and cauterized the wound, which was excruciating. It was almost worse than getting my arm cut off, because I had to do it myself. I had to keep myself conscious for long enough, which was extremely difficult. I failed at that goal multiple times, but managed to complete the task.

Afterward, I just past out and tried to avoid looking at my left arm for longer than necessary. Luckily, I'm right-handed, but that doesn't seem to matter much at the moment. I hope Ada isn't watching. In fact, I hope she hasn't watched any of this yet. Eddie wouldn't let her, right?

I clumsily reach for the bottle of painkillers again. I know I shouldn't waste them, especially since they're so strong. Capitol meds numb the pain so much, I can barely feel my arm. But they fade quickly, so I have to deal with the pain again after a short few hours. I only received a bottle of five, so I've tried to be sparing. I'm already down to my last few.

I pour one of the final painkillers into my palm and consider it for a moment. I could have this now, and dull the pain, or take it later, when I'm trying to get some sleep.

While I'm thinking, a sharp pain shoots up my arm again.

Okay, I'll have this now, I immediately think, and swallow it with the help of another gulp of water. It will take a moment to set in, but I can relax now, knowing the pain will recede soon, even if temporarily.

At least I'm alive. That's more than some tributes can say.

District 4

Noelani King

BOOM!

Cecelia and I exchange a look - that's the first cannon today, and it could be any one of our allies. Glitter and Vincent, and Glorian, Luc, and Trajan haven't returned yet. It's been just Cecelia and I all morning. It hasn't been bad, in fact, it's been a major relief to be apart from everyone else, but I'm concerned about my allies.

Specifically, Luc.

"Do you think that's…?" I begin, but I can't find the words to continue. Cecelia shakes her head, guessing what I was about to say.

"I'm sure it's not him," she replies. "He's with Glorian and Trajan, who are both pretty strong. I don't think he'd die. If it's any of the Careers, it will probably be Glitter. Fingers crossed," she says, laughing nervously. I smile, but don't laugh, my thoughts preoccupied. Cecelia uncomfortably clears her throat. "This is probably a terrible time to ask this, but, um… is there anything going on between you and Luc? Like, romantically?"

Now I laugh a bit.

"Haha, no. He's more like a little brother."

"Okay, good," Cecelia says. "I mean, it's good because romances are complicated in the Hunger Games, right? Like, you don't want to get super attached to someone and then have them die. Like the two from District 9 last year. They were cute, yes, but it got complicated and now… now they're both dead." Cecelia's blushing heavily and looks really flustered.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I respond. "There's nothing romantic between Luc and me. I suppose it's good he Volunteered, though, because otherwise, I'd be with Mercury, and we may or may not have had something between us. But I don't think it matters as much this time. The idea that getting over-attached is a bad idea. Because multiple people can survive this time."

"I guess," Cecelia says. "But it's still not a guarantee we - they'll both live. They could still die, even if the possibility of two people living is there."

I feel a drop of rain splash on my forehead. The rain was really light before, so we didn't bother moving. But thinking about Luc dying made me realize how wet I was, and now I'm actually kind of cold. Which is not a problem I thought I'd encounter in this arena; so far, it's been sweltering heat and constant humidity.

"Maybe we should go back down into the Cornucopia," I suggest, pulling my jacket over me for warmth. Cecelia nods in agreement, and we slide off the Cornucopia. My feet hit the wet ground, and I'm surprised the amount of fog hovering down here. Luckily, there's no fog inside the Cornucopia and it's still mostly dry.

I immediately notice something new on the ground, and I walk over to it as Cecelia enters the horn.

"What's this?" I ask, lifting what appears to be a sleeping bag. "Was this here before?"

"I don't know…" Cecelia frowns. "Why are there only two satchels now?"

I look at the corner where all of the satchels are supposed to be, and as she said, there are only two. I feel my heart plummet.

"How much food do we have left?" Cecelia asks. I rush over to the corner where the food and water is stored, and I see nothing but a bunch of empty water bottles. I freeze, looking at the empty spot where the last package of food was. "How much?" I hear Cecelia ask nervously behind me.

"None…" I whisper.

Cecelia groans. I turn around in time to see her fall to the ground, pulling on her dirty blonde hair. She stares blankly at the grass, terror evident in her face.

"Glorian is going to kill me," she murmurs, staring at the ground.

"No, he isn't," I assure her, without much confidence. I walk over to her and wrap my arm around her in my best comforting gesture. She looks up at me, her big brown eyes full of fear and doubt.

"Noelani, Glorian left me in charge. He gave me two simple instructions; don't let Glitter and Vincent wander off by themselves, and don't let anything happen to the food. That's literally the two things I ended up doing. I let Glitter and Vincent leave, which will be evident when I try to explain why no one noticed the food being stolen, and the food was stolen literally directly under us." Cecelia groans and covers her face with her hands.

"Just blame everything on Glitter. That sounds fun, right?"

At first, Cecelia doesn't respond, and then she begins laughing. "That is tempting. But… but I should probably be honest with him. You wouldn't let him kill me, right?"

I know she's joking, but I still say, "Of course. I'll protect you with my one arm." Cecelia laughs and hugs me back, holding onto me tightly. "But seriously - he wouldn't kill you. Glorian's pretty loyal. He'll definitely be mad, but… you saved him from that leopard, right?"

"Jaguar," she corrects, but nods.

"Then he won't kill you. He'll see it as paying back the favor. You save him, and he spares his life."

"How do you know that?" Cecelia asks me, sounding genuinely curious.

"I don't. But it makes sense, doesn't it?" I ask. Cecelia nods.

"Remember that beef jerky I got from a sponsor last night?" she asks, and I nod. "Maybe we could snack on it until they return. I'm hungry - I haven't eaten all day."

"Good idea."

Cecelia stands up to get it, when we hear Glorian shouting in the distance. Cecelia's face pales instantly. I leap to my feet and rush out of the Cornucopia.

I can see three silhouettes through the mist and heavy rain, but it's impossible to see anything other than that. Despite the fact that it's still gray, the stormclouds make everything dark.

I wait where I am, letting the rain soak my clothes again. I have a bad feeling - it looks like the shorter figure is being carried, and that can't be good. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Cecelia stand next to me.

Glorian and Trajan step out of the fog wearing solemn expression. They're carrying a pale, motionless Luc between them. I'm scared, and then I see the rip and blood on Luc's shirt. My heart drops even lower than it was before.

Trajan and Glorian carry Luc over to the Cornucopia, where they lay him down. Not inside the Cornucopia, outside, in the rain. I kneel down beside him, at a loss for words. Despite the rain pouring around me, my throat feels dry. Glorian sits down on his other side, while Cecelia and Trajan stand slightly away from us.

I look down at the wound in his stomach and shakily peel back his shirt. There are two, extremely deep puncture wounds. I avert my eyes, not wanting to look, but they end up on his face, which is even worse. His skin is pale, and his brown eyes staring unblinkingly at the sky.

"Is he…?"

"Yes," Glorian responds. I look up at Glorian, and to my surprise, he looks like he's trying not to cry. Maybe he is crying - I can't tell through the rain. Even more surprising, I don't feel like crying at all. I don't know why, but… there aren't any tears. I feel someone wrap their arm around me and I jump, but it's just Cecelia.

The most surprising thing thus far; Trajan walks around until he's kneeling at Luc's head. He uses his hand to close Luc's eyes.

We sit in silence, in the rain, staring at Luc's corpse, until a hovercraft appears above us and collects him with a giant metal claw. Even after he's gone, none of us move. None of us speak.

Not even Trajan.

Two things;

First, I have a new poll for Day 4. It will have the most recent death, simply because it's including everyone who was alive at the start of Day 4.

Second, I was going to raise the sponsoring items, but when I tried, I realized I was making them way too high for so early in the Hunger Games, so I'm going to wait a bit longer. I'll let you know when I do, but this is a warning - they won't stay at the current places for much longer.

What did you think of this death? I'll explain reasoning in the eulogy next chapter, but this was a pretty tough choice.

I know this chapter was mostly Career-centric, but they had most of the drama. The next chapter will have more of the other alliances.

- Lilah