Chapter 51- Dexsia Greentree

So it's the girl from 8 who's still alive, along with Kouza.

"I guess she wasn't dead," Calypso says, looking up to the sky where the pictures just faded. "I wonder where she went."

"I wonder where she is now," I say. I'm keeping my hand on my sword, and I notice Calypso is doing the same with her trident. Neither of us trusts the other, and we shouldn't! Tomorrow, one of us is going to be dead, and I'm planning on it being her. It's a shame. If we weren't both tributes, I think Calypso and I could be friends. There's not room for friendship in the arena, though.

We have an unspoken agreement to not break the alliance until Kouza is dead. I could take the girl from 8 easily, so I'm not worried about her. But we'll need two people to take down Kouza. I kind of wish Velvet was still here so he could go at him, but considering how easily he went out, I'm not sure.

"Quiet tonight," I comment, glancing over at Calypso.

"Yeah. I kind of wish he would hurry up and get here. You know he's going to arrive at some point," Calypso says. She looks very serious, staring out the entrance of the Cornucopia. It's starting to snow a little again, but it's nothing crazy like this morning.

I could be in the Capitol tomorrow; I could see Aulus. He'll be so proud of me. Then, after the final interviews, I could go home and see my family and really reconnect with Gallus, which is what I want most right now. I'm even getting excited about Lucretia having the baby; I'd be an aunt! And on top of all that, I would be rich and famous, living in a mansion in the Victor's Village.

Life would be easy and happy. I just need to eliminate my last opponents and I'm free.

I could kill Calypso now, but I don't dare. I don't think I could take down Kouza on my own; Dussel was easy compared to the boy from 5. I know she's thinking the same things about me. There's no trust in this alliance, if you can even call it that now.

"Maybe he's staying in one spot for the night," I say, breaking the silence again. I could cut the tension in here with a knife, it's that thick. I wonder if my family will be staying up late to watch tonight. Just in case I become victor before the sun rises.

I will be victor; I know I'll be victor! Haven't I been training for this my whole life? I killed Dussel, didn't I? I killed Dussel, and the boy from 3, and the girl from 9. Do I feel guilty about it? No. That's how you play the Game. Either you kill them or they kill you. There's no room for guilt in here.

"He'll be here," Calypso says with a quiet certainty. We're both playing the waiting game right now. "I don't know when, but he'll be here before the sun rises. I know that."

"How?"

"A feeling."

"What about the girl from 8?" I ask.

"She'll probably freeze to death overnight. She's the least of my worries," Calypso says. Meaning I'm higher on her kill list than the curly haired girl from 8. That's alright; Calypso is higher on my kill list too.

I poke the fire every once in a while with my sword. It's a remarkable thing, this fire; it requires almost no fuel. I've been breaking wood off the crates near me and tossing them into the flames, more to keep entertained than anything else. It's a long night, with Calypso and I only talking once or twice more.

I'm dead tired, but there's no way I'm going to sleep this late in the Games. Calypso could easily decide to slit my throat, and then where would I be? In a pine box. I don't think so.

Calypso straightens up suddenly. "He's here," she says.

I grip my sword tighter and get to my feet. This is it; the last four will become three, and then two, and then I will be the victor.

The crunching through the snow sound irregular, though. Is he hurt? What's the matter with him? Is it really Kouza?

I get my answer when, instead of the hulking boy from 5, a large bear like creature lumbers its way towards our camp.

Calypso freezes, and I follow suit as I try to make sense of what's in front of me. The only way I can describe the creature is as a bear that isn't quite a bear anymore, if that makes any sense. It's white, and stands at least three feet taller than I do. It has the normal nose of a bear, but its eyes are wide and rolling, with red glowing pupils, and its mouth stretches from ear to ear, red, grotesque, and dripping saliva. Each of its teeth that I can see is razor sharp and pointed.

I've never seen a bear in real life before, but unless I'm extremely confused on what bears look like, this is a mutt.

The mutt stops six feet or so away from where we are, and stares us down. Calypso and I say nothing. If I get taken out by this mutt, I will be furious. I want to yell at it, Go after the other girl! But that wouldn't go over well.

"The fire's keeping it away," Calypso mutters, not taking her eyes off the mutt. It snarls, opening its mouth wide. Even in the dim firelight, I can see how bloody its jaws are. There have been no cannons, so I doubt it's been eating a tribute recently. I hope it's not still hungry.

I get my answer when the thing starts lumbering towards us; Calypso is on her feet instantly, trident raised. I get a good grip on my sword with both my hands, ready to fight the beast. The mutt snarls again, then snaps at us, coming closer to the fire at the entrance, then backing away.

"Get ready," I say. The mutt starts coming towards us again with determination this time, and I'm ready to kill it, when out of nowhere, a sword blade lodges in its side.

Tonight has taken an interesting turn.