Andrew "Drew" de Luce (18)- D4M

I can feel the back of my neck burning from the sun, sweat dripping off my nose. The ground is loose under my feet. Tomas said it's a rocky terrain around the mountains, and only becomes worse as we near the ocean. Tomas' hand is sweaty in mine as he slowly leads me down the slope.

"I think the cliff is too steep to climb down," Tomas says nervously.

"I can do it!" I growl, trying to keep moving forward. "I can do anything you can do if you help me."

"I don't think I can even do it," Tomas says. "It's a straight cliff."

"There has to be a way down. Otherwise it wouldn't be here."

"It could be the edge of the arena."

"No, it's too close to the Cornucopia. We need to get down there."

"Alright, let's look around."

He sounds exhausted. I try to remember that he's not trained for this. We've been running around in the desert heat for an hour or so now without any water or rest. It isn't bothering me as much, but I've been doing things like this for years back at the Academy.

"Try to look for a gap in the greenery," I say as we move along what I assume is the edge of the cliff. "That's how Gamemakers indicate a secret path."

"There's hardly any green in the first place," Tomas reminds me, sounding irritated. But I know there is some; I can feel the knee-high, rough, and itchy weeds brushing against my legs, even through the material of my pants.

Eventually, Tomas sighs and lets go of my hand. "Maybe we can climb down," he says from somewhere around my knees. "I can do it, but I don't know about you."

"How far is it?"

Tomas pauses. "Maybe forty feet."

I let out a sigh. "Well, we don't have much choice. We need water."

"We should stop and look at our supplies," Tomas says. "Then find somewhere to camp out for the night."

I can tell he's stalling. He doesn't want to see me fall off the cliff and die, or worse, injure myself so that he has to take care of me even more. And while I understand his hesitance, he must realize that we'll have to get down to the shore somehow, and quickly. The sea is an open invitation for any and all tributes to find water, so we need to get ours and get out as fast as possible.

Suddenly, cannon shots start ringing out into the humid air. I count each carefully, ending at ten. Only ten deaths. It's not a bad number, but also not phenomenal. It looks like Tomas and I will have lots of competition.

I can't see Tomas' reaction to them, and he doesn't say anything, so I continue our conversation as if nothing happened.

"Are we out in the open?" I ask skeptically. "If we're going to stop, we need to find cover."

"Uhhh… This area is pretty open. There's some boulders back behind us. We can hide there."

As we make our way to our shoddy cover, I grumble to myself about the Gamemakers not giving us any real shade, or any trees to climb. These arenas are always harder for the non-Careers. If I was still in the Career pack, I would be thrilled right now. But as I am, blind, unable to climb down a cliff or jog up a mountain, I'm pissed.

"This one hangs over us," Tomas says. "Kind of like a cave. We should get some rest. The sun will start going down soon."

I let Tomas lead me until my back is against the rock, then slide down onto the ground. I hear tomas rustling around in his pack as I stare at the only thing I can see: the sun. I suppose it can't do any damage to my eyes now. The direction of the bright light is the only thing I can make out.

"We have a water boiling kit!" Tomas says in delight, turning my attention over to him.

"Anything to start a fire?" I ask urgently.

"Some matches!" Tomas laughs happily. "You know how to make drinking water, don't you?"

"Yes, and you'll have to follow my instructions down to the T," I warn him. "Otherwise we'll dehydrate ourselves further."

"I know."

"What else do we have?"

"Hmmm… some kind of net. And some dried vegetables."

I turn to the sun again. "Not bad. We might stand a chance after all."

Tesla Sherman (16)- D3F

After the bloodbath, I make my way to the small stream that runs through the arena, and cross it with ease. I stop for a moment to stare into the shallow water, wondering if it's safe enough to drink. Too bad I don't have anything to gather it with. Attie had the backpack when I pushed her into the guy from One. Perhaps I should have grabbed another one, but I wasn't sure if he would come after me as well.

I remind myself that I can find my way back if I get too thirsty. I need to find somewhere to stay close to this water source, but also close to the mountain. Since I don't have any supplies, it would be smart to stay near gathering areas for other tributes. It looks like I'm going to have to steal to survive.

I keep walking, baking in the heat until I reach a cluster of boulders at the foot of the mountain that I can hide in. It's not the best plan, but I don't have many other options. I glance up at the mountain. Unless, of course, the mountainside would be a better place to go. As far as I can tell, there aren't any sources of food down here, not even any fish in the stream. The vegetation is sparse and not at all edible, and it only get worse the farther south I go. The desert seems to sprawl on, empty and barren, for miles past the mountains.

But the mountain itself doesn't seem as hopeless. Although the lower parts are dry, the farther up I look, the more green I see. And the more animals that will live there.

But I hesitate. I know this play; I've seen it a thousand times watching the Hunger Games. The arena has only one or two places that tributes can find food or water or shelter, so everyone ends up going there. Death is always the end result.

I decide against climbing the mountain, even if it does look inviting and actually easy to jog up. I'm sure many other tributes had the same idea and will find their deaths at each other's hands. Meanwhile, I will stay down here and wait to swoop in and steal the remnants.

I find a good place to rest, sheltered from the heat and not yet hungry. I know I will be able to go for days without food, so I don't mind not having a major food source quite yet. And as for water; I may be thirsty, but I don't want to drink out of the stream yet. Not until I see someone else do it.

I sit and rest for a few hours, knowing that I will have a one-up on most of the tributes as far as energy goes. I didn't run as far as many of them probably did, instead preferring to stay at a reasonable distance to the Cornucopia. It will be another prime stealing location if it ever comes to that. The cannon shots for the fallen tributes ring out as I rest. Not a very good number, but hopefully the strong tributes took each other out so I won't have to.

I try to stay lost in my thoughts and not focus on my current situation, but I feel thirstier and thirstier the longer I stay still. The sounds of the stream flowing not far away isn't helping. I'm trying to decide if I should just go and get a drink, no matter how dangerous, when I hear chatter bouncing off the rocks.

I immediately freeze and stay where I am, hoping that they don't see me. If it's an alliance of two non-Careers, maybe I'll be able to follow them and steal some supplies when they fall asleep. Unfortunately, the voices sound a lot like that of the boy from Two. I became well-acquainted with his manner of speaking after being seated next to him for so many events.

I pull my legs in closer to me, hoping they won't check my little cluster of rocks. When I hear them getting closer, I stand up to make my body even flatter against the rock, peeking out behind it to see my opponents. It's the boy from Two like I deduced, as well as the girl from Seven. They're talking together and not really watching their surroundings, which is a plus. But they aren't completely oblivious; they're coming to my hiding spot to check if someone is there.

I quickly hide behind the rock again, listening closely to see if I can hear their footsteps. As they approach me on the right, I move silently to the left, around the rock so they can't see me.

"I knew she wasn't going to win, but still," the boy says. "Dying in the bloodbath? She's disgrace to District Two."
"I hear you," the girl says. Despite their conversation, it does sound like they are checking around for tributes. "Does it look like someone was sitting here to you?"

I slowly back up until I can hide behind yet another rock, heart pounding. I need to keep my wits about me to get out of this.

"Could have been an animal."

"But these look like footprints."

"Are you sure those aren't yours?"

The two are silent for a time, then the girls chuckles and says, "Yeah, maybe."

"If someone did stop here, they would have went that way."

Luckily, that way seems to be the opposite direction. I hold my breath until I can't hear their voices anymore. I look up at the mountain above me. They will probably go up there at some point to find tributes… and if they do, they'll be able to see me underneath them. I need to find a safer place to stay.

Jason Sparks (18)- D6M

Nikki and I have been running for hours on end when we reach the cliff. We found the river almost immediately,, Nikki having a crazy sixth sense to find the water. Without a word, we had continued following the river away from the Cornucopia, just hoping it would lead us to somewhere safe. The sun is beating down on us, and the air seems to get heavier and heavier the farther we run.

My arm is bleeding onto the barren ground, holding my other hand over the puncture wound.. Nikki's long brown hair falls down her back in an elaborate braid, bouncing from side to side in front of me in a hypnotizing way. I can't stop thinking about her shoving her trident in Rufina's body, the trident she's still carrying now. The prongs are still stained with her blood, glistening in the sunlight.

The mouth of the river comes upon us suddenly. For far away, we can tell that it ends in a waterfall, but it's not until we reach the cliff itself that we realize where it leads to. The ocean extends before us, seemingly never ending. It's the bluest shade of blue that I've ever seen. It's an incredible sight; I never thought I would be able to see the ocean.

A light breeze blows off the water and reaches us, cooling us off. I sigh as I feel some of the sweat on my face dry, a very welcome sensation.

"The waterfall is our way down," Nikki says, her voice cracking from exertion. "We have to get to the beach."

I glance down below us at the tumbling water. There are various platforms of rock that we can climb down on, but it could be dangerous. The current isn't very strong, but the rocks will be slippery and loose. Either of us could end up sprawled on the beach with our limbs broken.

"We should see what we have first," I say, pointing to my backpack. "We might have something that will help us."

"Yeah," is all Nikki says, sitting down on the ground beside the water. As I sit next to her, she sets down her trident and takes off her own pack. She unzips it and peers inside. "Looks like we have a net," she says, pulling out the object. "We can use that to catch fish. And A sleeping bag, a flashlight, and some dried fruit. What about you?"

I open my bag. Inside is a small blanket, a packet of iodine, an empty water bottle, and a fire-starting kit. "We can use this to make the ocean water safe to drink," I say in reference to the iodine.

"No, no," Nikki says. "Iodine doesn't get rid of salt. But we can use it on this fresh water."

She takes the bottle and iodine from me and scoops up some water from the stream. She lets a few drops of iodine tincture fall into the liquid, then set it aside.

"We'll wait for a few minutes, then get going again. The iodine will take about half an hour to work."

I glance up at her. She's wearing the same unbothered, ferocious expression since the bloodbath. I imagine she wants the Capitol to still think of her as a fierce tribute with Career training, even though she isn't a Career anymore.

"The beach will be a primary spot for tributes to get water," Nikki says, peering into the bottle of water again. "But it's also at the edge of the arena. We should be able to stay out of sight."

I glance around. Most of the terrain right now seems incredibly open, especially here on this cliff. There isn't a lot of vegetation either, so I guess we'll have to rely on the ocean for food.

After waiting half an hour, Nikki and I take turns downing the water. It's delicious after running and sweating for so long. Nikki fills the bottle again and treats it with iodine so we'll have more for later. Then we begin our descent to the beach.

I insist on going first, just to see which rocks are stable. I'm heavier and therefore more likely to fall. But I discover that nearly all of them are completely flat and don't budge once. They were probably put here by the Gamemakers for this reason. I climb down easily and Nikki follows my lead.

Even though the climbing itself is easy, it takes a long time. We likely won't be able to make the trip everyday, or even one more time. We'll have to spend most of our time on this beach.

The sand slides underneath my feet, making it hard to walk straight. We both silently head towards the water, Nikki reaching it much faster than me. The water reaches my feet and I continue to wade into it, the salty spray hitting my face. I never thought I would experience something like this. Nikki is smiling at me, her mask broken for a moment. I can't help but notice that the color of her eyes matches the water perfectly.

Hadrian Cato (18)- D2M

The bloodbath didn't go as I'd hoped. Instead of making four kills, I'd only made two. An average number. Then my district partner died, the only person in this alliance I felt I could trust. Then I'd gotten stabbed by that little girl from Eight. Not to mention that only ten tributes died in the bloodbath overall, a pitiful number.

But the very worst of it is Tiger. He's been gloating about killing the highest combined training score all day. We had sat and watched the hovercraft take away the bloodbath bodies, listening to him boast about how he had chopped the Five boy's head clean off. I didn't dare mention that I got a look at the body before they took it, and the head was still attached.

Not that it mattered. Tiger's bloodbath performance all no doubt been the most impressive. An eight scorer and a five scorer would earn him attention for sure. Meanwhile, I had only killed the tiny boy from Three and the annoying princess from Eight. She had scored a seven, but she was a little girl that stood no match against me or anyone else. All she managed to do was puncture my shoulder before I sliced her up.

Speaking of, I wince in pain and roll my shoulder around. After getting tired of listening to Tiffany and Tiger talk hunting strategy, I proposed that we all go out alone to look for tributes. I could tell Tiffany didn't like the idea, but Tiger had stared at me, eyes glinting.

"Sure. Let's go alone and see who can kill the most tributes."

"I don't like it," Tiffany declared. "Willow isn't as experienced. And we need someone to guard the supplies."
"You do it, then," I said, shoving her the sword she had set on the ground. I paid no attention to her offended expression and grabbed my own broadsword.

"Willow should go with you then," Tiffany said. "She shouldn't be on her own."

And that's how I ended up here with Willow, looking out over the rolling desert.

"We should go in for just a little while," Willow says nervously. "To see if anyone is there. They couldn't have made it far if they didn't have supplies."

It's true. We didn't bring our water with us so that no one could steal it in case we get ambushed, but we have plenty of it but at the Cornucopia that we drank before leaving. But tributes out here alone in the desert would easily get dehydrated, even in a matter of hours.

"We need to check around the perimeter of the desert, then get back to the Cornucopia before dark," I say. It's tradition that the Careers all band together in one giant hunting party on the first night of the Games. Even though nothing has been working out as planned, I feel a thrill of excitement at the thought of finally participating. Willow and tiffany aren't too bad, and Tiger isn't unpleasant to be around when he isn't feeling jealous of my brother. Maybe he'll put aside his grudge for one night.

"Sounds good," Willow agrees with a nod.

We carefully scour the first half-mile or so of the desert, moving west back towards the Cornucopia as we go. There's no telling how far the arena extends before the forcefield stops tributes from moving farther, but I suspect it can't be any farther than two miles. Any tributes hiding among the dunes will be easy to flush out, and surely won't stay here for long. There isn't any water as far as we can see, and the only animal we see is one snake for a split second. There are no plants, either. This will be a difficult place to survive.

The sand is hard to walk on, always making us slip and trip over ourselves. At first it's annoying, but after a while, we start to laugh and take turns seeing how far we can run without falling. By the time the sun has started to set, my throat is dry and my shoulder is throbbing. We need to get back to the Cornucopia so I can get some medicine.

Eryn Winters (15)- D12F

I watch the Careers from a behind my trusty sand dune, barely able to hold my breath for fear. But it seems like most of my worries were pointless as they walk right past my dune, sliding over the sand. The girl from Seven laughs as she tumbles to the ground, sliding down a mound of sand onto the flat ground. I feel my eyes tear up as I watch her eyes scrunch together in glee. How can she be so carefree and cheerful after killing Triple A? He was just a child, younger than me, and he had family back home. Unlike her. At least she looks like she got a beating at the Cornucopia; her lips is swollen and one of her eyes is purple and nasty looking.

I try to control my rage and stay put until they pass. They don't seem too keen on checking for tributes, instead messing around and joking with each other. Maybe the Careers will die off early and leave me a good chance at surviving.

My empty bottle, spool of twine, and tarp aren't going to do much for me here. I can use the tarp to cover myself from the sun, but I don't have any food or water. Still, I'm terrified to get any closer to the mountains. The river flows out of the base of the eastern mountain and heads through the pass, and I haven't seen any other sources of water yet. I know lots of tributes will be crowding around the river for water, and it will be a easy hunting ground for the Careers. I need water, but I know drinking untreated water can be dangerous.

But my thirst overcomes all of these misgivings. If I take some water from the start of the river now, then I will have some to last the night. I pack up everything I have and head north.

I know the Careers probably won't come back this way, but I'm still cautious. I don't know who else could be lurking in the desert, just like I was. It takes me over an hour to get back to the river, at which point the sun is starting to set. I need to fill up my water bottle as fast as possible and find a safe spot to sleep.

The water gently bubbles up from the base of the mountain, burbling softly. It's just the gentle, soothing noise I need to calm myself. The stream is very narrow here, only a few feet wide and not deep at all. The pebbles on the shore slide under my feet as I bend down, almost faceplanting me into the water. I regain my balance and hold my bottle in the stream, letting it fill up completely before taking a large swig. It doesn't taste very good, but it's somehow pleasantly cold. I know I will likely get diarrhea or something worse from drinking this water, but that's problem for later. Right now, my first priority is survival no matter the cost.

I drink about half the bottle before filling it up again and vowing to conserve it until I can come back, probably late tomorrow. I don't know what I'm going to do for food yet, but I can survive the night without any, even if my stomach is growling.

Or is that something else growling? The sound continues on too long to my my own body, faint but clearly audible, seemingly coming from nowhere. I look behind me at the rolling dunes of sand that are now colored blue and pink by the setting sun, the sand glistening innocently. Maybe I'm imagining it. After all, it's been a stressful day, to say the least.

Then the sound increases in volume and sounds like it's coming closer. I still can't tell where it's coming from, but I quickly twist the cap on my water bottle and scurry away, running as fast and as quietly as I can until the noise fades. I keep going until the sun is completely down and I can't even see the ground beneath me.

I find my way to the base of one of the dunes and collapse, making sure my water is still secure. I know I should try to get some sleep, but I doubt I'll be able to manage it. But I can at least lay here and get some rest.

The stars are the same ones that I see in District Twelve, and it calms me. Back at home, my family is underneath those same stars, maybe even watching me right now...

Filly Marcoffe (18)- D10F

After stopping to rest at the foot of the mountain, I start my ascent. It's not steep at all at the bottom, easy to climb up. Just as the incline starts to increase, I find what seem to be steps carved into the rock. The Gamemakers always give tributes a way to explore something interesting for the viewers.

The trek up the mountain is long, and I feel incredibly exposed. Anyone could see me hiking up the mountainside from the ground, at least that's the way it feels. The sparse shrubbery increases the farther up I go, eventually transitioning into trees and actual plants. I even see some mice and a few strange cat-like creatures that run away if I get too close. I can't tell if they're mutts or just a foreign species of animal, but they put me on high-alert regardless. I could catch one if I have the tools to do so.

Sometimes I have to cut through vines that block the path with my knife, and I trip over several times. After a particularly hard fall that scraped my knee bloody, I take some time to rest and realize what's behind me: the endless blue ocean that extends forever.

The stairs wind around the mountain, and I have no idea how long I've been jogging, but sweat is dripping down my back and the sun hurts my eyes. I finally find some shade under a short tree, glancing up at the rest of the mountain to see how far I have to go. It looks like I've already scaled most of it, with maybe a fourth left to go. I want to get to the top no matter how long it takes me; it's not likely some place a lot of tributes will be able to get to. I already feel lightheaded from my journey, wishing I had some water.

I open my pack hopefully, but there's no water to drink. Instead, I have a net, a baggie of dried jerky, a blanket, and a pair of night-vision goggles. It's not a bag haul, but there's nothing to do with water. The stream below the mountain is probably at least somewhat safe to drink, but it's a long trek back down there. Whatever. I'll be safe up here for tonight. The Careers will be more interested in picking off tributes in easily accessible locations.

I decide to not eat at all today, packing up my supplies and getting to my feet. I brush the dust off my clothes and squint into the distance. To the south, the yellow, glistening desert extends forever, and the blue ocean gently rolls to the north. I glance up at the path ahead of me. Once the sun starts to set, I'll find a place to hide and sleep.

I walk for maybe another hour before the stairs start to even out again, a welcome change for my burning thighs and back. In a matter of minutes, the steps have turned into a flat plateau. I'm not at the top of the mountain yet, and I'm not even sure what would be up there if I managed to climb all the way up, but this seems to be purposeful. The path becomes narrower and narrower until I'm walking on a too-thin piece of rock clinging to the mountainside. It's plenty wide for me to fit on, but the sight of the desert floor beneath me makes me nervous. I continue walking until the path opens up again and I come around a corner to see something I never expected: something man made.

The shack itself isn't very big, but I freeze in fear when I see it, unwilling to get any closer. I've watched enough Hunger Games to know that this is probably a trap of some sort. One of the walls is leaning to the side, giving it a very creepy feeling. The wooden roof is mostly open, rotten and eaten away by nature. I stand in place a little while longer before deciding to get closer.

I tiptoe to the shack, glancing around to make sure there aren't any mutts about to jump out at me. There are some grape vines near the cliff, looking like they once had been held up by some wooden poles that are now fallen and overgrown. The shack appears more menacing the closer I creep, but nothing happens. I find a doorway in the wall facing the desert, the door either missing or never having existed. Inside the shack is the ancient frame of a bed, withered away so much that one of the legs is turned to dust.

There is also the remnants of a chair and a simple dresser. I hold my breath as I enter, gripping the handle of my knife tightly. There isn't anything hiding in the corners of the room, fortunately. I sigh and set my pack on the ground, rubbing over my face with my hand. Even if the Gamemakers have something planned for me here, it's still safe from the Careers and other tributes. And the grapes outside looked ripe and juicy.

Amelia Waltraud (16)- D6F

After looking at the contents of my bag, I have to decide where I'm going to go. The mountain above me looks incredibly intimidating and scary, so it's no question that I'll be staying at ground level. I decide to keep running along the river for as long as I can and then find a place to sleep for the night.

I run for a long time, and despite everything that's happened and where I am, I can't help but enjoy myself. I've missed my mornings running with Elanor. I picture her running alongside me as I go, laughing with her hair flowing behind her. She would love to see all of this. The mountains, the running water… the ocean!

I feel my jaw drop as the blue expanse comes into view. Now this is something I never thought I would see. And something that Caleb will never see. I feel tears rise in my eyes, but I shake them away. Caleb died for me, and the least I can do is honor his death. And our sister's.

As I near the edge of the cliff, I hear something to my left. I glance over and my heart nearly explodes out of my chest. Two people are sitting at the mouth of the river, on the other side. They're going through their backpacks, chatting with each other. I recognize the girl from Four and guy from Six. I must be quieter than I realize if they didn't hear me. I look around frantically, trying to figure out where I should go. To my right, there is an opening in the rock of the mountain. A cave!

I immediately sprint toward my savior cave. As soon as I'm inside, the temperature drops about ten degrees. I'm panting heavily, hiding behind the cave wall to watch my opponents. They still don't appear to hear or see me, drinking some water together, then resting a little while longer before standing and trying to climb down the waterfall. It's an insane idea, and one that I can't help but wish ends with their necks broken.

Once they're gone, I let out a long breath that I didn't realize I was holding. Behind me is nothing but a pitch black nothingness. The darkness makes shivers roll down my spine, but the thought of going back outside where the other tributes are makes me sweat nervously. I remember I have a flashlight and dig it out of my backpack, flicking it on and pointing it down the cave. The light bounces off the walls of the back wall of the cave. It's not very big, but it's better than nothing.

Then the light illuminates a hole in the wall. Another cave? I gather my courage to walk through it. It's even darker in here, but then to my right, I see sunlight! I hurry towards it and realize it's yet another cave, which opens up to the outside world again. This entrance faces the ocean directly, overlooking the breathtaking sight. I stand in the sun's rays as feel the sea spray on my face. The sounds of waves crashing and seagulls chirping drowns out every other noise, and I actually feel at peace.

I explore the cave a little bit more. This one is lit up with the sunlight, illuminating a strange oval-shaped hole full of water in the middle of the ground. There are some flat stones piled around it as if to accentuate it. It doesn't seem deep, but I'm afraid to step in it. I know the Gamemakers can hide horrors behind such seemingly innocent things. I steer clear and instead sit at the entrance of the cave with my body blocked by the rock, watching out for anyone or anything. But if I didn't know any better, I would think that the hole looked like a bathtub.

I watch the sun set over the sea, the beautiful colors reminding me of the the colors in Elanor's eyes. I determinedly only think about her and not about Caleb. Everytime I think of him, the only thing that comes to mind is the axe splintering into his neck, spraying me with blood. I look down at my clothes and try not to be filled with despair at the flecks of red. At least I still have a part of him here with me.

Tiffany Silk (18)- D1F

I've been cooped up here all day guarding our supplies, and I'm practically jumping out of my skin to see some action. No cannons have fired while the others were gone, telling me their campaigns were fruitless. It's not unusual for the first day, but we need to make some more kills soon. With both Fours out of the alliance and Rufina dead, we have a lot to prove.

I hear footsteps to my right and I grip the sword handle at my hip, strapped to me with a scabbard I found among the supplies, running around the Cornucopia to see who it is. To my relief, it's just Tiger. His lumbering gait is recognizable anywhere.

"Not a great day, huh?" I ask critically.

"There's lots of places to hide," he growls.

I raise an eyebrow and look around. "It sure doesn't seem like it. No trees or anything."

"Then they've all climbed the mountains!" he says sharply. "Or they went down to the beach."

"Beach?" I ask, eyes widening. "There's a beach."

He nods. "That's where we should go tonight. A lot of tributes will be around there for water."

I wholeheartedly agree. It sounds like an amazing trip, and I can feel myself start to feel actually excited. This is what I've waited my entire life for.

Tiger and I wait at the mouth of the Cornucopia for Hadrian and Willow to come back. They're a little later than I expected, especially since they didn't make any kills. Even worse, they say they didn't see anyone. It looks like we'll be going with Tiger's plan of exploring the beach.

I try not to be too hard on Hadrian and Willow, though; I know they've been through a lot since the bloodbath. I can tell Hadrian's shoulder injury is worse than he's pretending, and Willow's face is quite beaten up from her district partner. The two of them apply some medicine from the Cornucopia, and then the four of us eat and hydrate in preparation for our hunt.

I can already see it now; the four of us on the beach in the dark, blood dripping from our weapons and wetting the sand, a fallen tribute sacrificed to honor Panem at our feet. I take a swig of water from my canteen and then strap it to my belt. This time, everyone should bring water and food with us. We don't know how long we will be away. Sometimes the first hunt last for days if we find a tribute's trail.

"Try to conserve the water," I hear Hadrian warn Willow as she pours some on her face. "We don't have an unlimited supply."

"He's right," I say, kneeling down to tie my boot tighter. "We have a lot, and supplies to make fresh drinking water, but we shouldn't waste what we do have."

"Alright, mom and dad," Willow mutters. "Sorry."

Hadrian rolls his eyes and reaches down for more cream. He gently applies some to his shoulder, then mutters something about going to take a quick nap. While everyone rests, I do some squats and push-ups. In this arena, I need to be prepared to climb, run, and crawl.

The sunset happens quicker than I remember it happening in the Capitol and District One. The Gamemakers are ready for us to start some action. I grin to myself and re-do the ponytail my stylist gave me. I use the reflective surface of the Cornucopia to check my makeup. It still looks intact despite the events of the day. Hopefully it will last me at least a few more days. I know that its disappearance is inevitable; every female victor has to show their dirty, bloody, primal side at some point.

"Are you guys ready to go?" I shout into the Cornucopia where Willow and Hadrian are resting. Tiger is sharpening his axe on a sharpening stone he found earlier. I can tell by the look in his eyes that he's ready for blood, just like me.

Hadrian clambers out of the Cornucopia, yawning. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's do this." His sword is strapped to his back.

Willow unsteadily follows him, her eyes heavy. "I think I should stay here," she says. "Someone has to stay guard."

"Not if you're going to fall asleep," Tiger patronizes. "Our stuff will be fine. We all need to go together. Get your knives"
"I have them," she snaps. "Don't treat me like a child." She angrily straps her belt of knives around her waist.

"That's the spirit," I tell her. "Channel that energy into the hunt, alright? And over all, try to enjoy yourself!"

Sebastian "Seb" Cassara (18)- D7M

Even after the sun sets, t he moon and starlight provide enough light for us to see pretty well. We keep hiking up the mountain until we reach the peak. It's actually pretty flat; the mountain isn't that tall after all. All we can hope now is that the Careers don't come up here for a long time, instead choosing to hunt the tributes on flat ground. But they will for sure climb our mountain before the other one since ours is smaller. We'll have to keep moving to stay safe.

But our journey is over for the night. My arm is starting to hurt for real, and the amount of blood is starting to scare me, although I wouldn't say that to Tag. The stab wound doesn't seem very bad at first glance, but it's deep. By the time we stop for the night, hidden under some bushes, I'm feeling slightly faint. I settle down in the dust, Spool panting beside me. We're both sweating, but the temperature has already dropped several degrees since the sun disappeared. I glance at the knife that I'm still holding in my hand. It makes my stomach swoop and I feel even more sick.

"Here, Tag," I say, handing it to him. "Keep it close to you while you sleep, okay? I can just use my hands if I need to fight."

"Alright," Tag says confidently. I know he's trying to be strong for the cameras, but he's been anxiously looking at the sky every minute since the sun set. I think we're both worried about Sock. If her face shows up on the sky tonight, then that means she won't be meeting us no matter where we go. I can only hope that she's still alive and out there somewhere.

We sit in silence for several minutes, just soaking in everything that's happened. We don't have water or supplies, and I'm a little worried for Spool. He's small and going to need something to drink and eat soon enough.

Suddenly, there's a light tinkling sound above us. At first it makes me jump, but then i immediately recognize it.

"Seb!" Tag whispers excitedly. "Do you think that's for us?"

"Stay here," I warn. "I'll check."

I crawl out from the bush, wincing in pain. Just like we thought, there's a parachute gently floating down from the sky. I sigh in relief. The Capitol does love us after all.

The little silver box lands on the bush that Tag is still hidden under. I dig it out from the brambles and unscrew the lid. Inside is a strange smelling cream, some bandages, and a short note from Johanna- "Apply three times a day and cover the entire area."

I silently smile at the sky. I'm glad Johanna hasn't given up on me despite my alliance with two twelve-year olds. I did score a ten after all.

Suddenly there's another tinkling sound from above me. Almost unable to believe it, I look up. There's another parachute coming down for us.

"What is that?" Tag asks, crawling out from the bush. He looks at my package and then at the one that's still descending to us. "Two gifts? What's going on?"

"We're popular," I say with a smile. This one drifts right down into my hands. "Want to open it?"

"Sure!" He takes it from me and eagerly unscrews it. "It's for me!" he says happily. "I can't believe it, look!"

He lifts up the canteen to show me. "It's water!"

"It looks like we're all set," I say, pleased. "But try to hold off, okay? We still don't have a lot."

"I know, I know." He looks at the silver parachute and box in his hands, and then mine. "We need to do something with these. If someone finds them, they'll know we've been here."

I blink in surprise. "You're right."

"We could throw it over the side," he says, taking my parachute and walking to the edge.

"Okay, but be careful," I warn. He gently tosses both packages over the side of the mountain. They tumble down the rock before eventually coming to a halt quite a ways down.

"Let me help with your medicine," Tag tells me.

"Okay."

Instead of hiding in the bushes, we feel bold enough to sit at the cliff and apply the cream to my arm. It hurts to the touch, but I grit my teeth until Tag wraps the bandage around it.

"I think it's good," he says.

Suddenly the anthem of Panem booms throughout the arena. My breath catches, watching the sky with anticipation.

The first face that appears is the girl from Two, which is surprising to say the least. Then the boy from Three, the guy from Five, the creepy girl from Six… and then Sock. My heart sinks to my pair from Nine, the boy from Ten, the Capitol girl from Eleven, and the boy from Twelve are the rest of the fallen.

After the faces disappear, the world becomes deadly quiet.

"She didn't listen to the plan," Tag says matter-of-factly. "She acted stupid."

"Yeah," is all I can say. The image of my mother screaming in pain flashes before my eyes, and I close them and shake my head a little. "Let's get some rest," I say with my eyes still closed.

Hey everyone! Sorry there's such a long wait in between updates. It's been more difficult than I anticipated to switch from the setting of the Capitol to the arena. I think the updates will increase in frequency as I get used to the new setting. Also, I hope I'm describing the arena in a way that makes sense. Give me some genuine feedback about that because I feel like it's weakness of mine.

I know there wasn't a lot of action in this chapter, but we're just getting started! Who do you think has the best chances of survival? What do you think of the arena so far? I'll see you in the next chapter!