Nyxeris Abidas (District 9 Mentor)

"You're up early," yawns my husband, Keiji, his voice low and groggy, his eyes glazed with sleep as he stumbles out into the living room and plops down on the couch next to me before motioning for the nearest avox to bring him a cup of coffee. "What is it, like three in the morning?"

"It's four-thirty, and I never went to bed," I reply, my voice soft and loving but curt as I take a small sip of my latte. "I couldn't sleep."

"Again? That's the sixth time this week, babe."

"Actually, it's the eighth. I haven't slept since the night before the Reaping," I groan, my body screaming out for mercy as I shotgun the rest of my lukewarm latte before motioning for a refill.

"Not that I'm counting or anything."

"You can't keep doing this to yourself, Nyxeris. It's not healthy."

"I'll be fine," I say, my eyes drifting off his face and over to the avox walking towards me with a fresh latte in her hands. "Besides, I'm too wound up to sleep. And it wouldn't be fair for me to relax while Sentri's fighting for his life in the arena. I can sleep once I get him out.

"Thank you."

"You can't help him if you're too tired to think, love."

"Hence the latte," I whisper, my eyes lighting up as I take my first long, slow sip of piping hot goodness before looking back up at my husband with a playful smile on my lips. "What?"

"Nothing," he mumbles, his voice low and tired, his eyes darting off of me and over to the screen on the wall where the boys from Eleven are trying to save their dying ally.

"So, how is Sentri doing?" he asks, his eyes fixed on the screen as he sits back on the couch and takes a sip of his coffee.

"Good, as far as I can tell."

"What do you mean, 'as far as you can tell?'" he asks, a curious look on his face as he accepts a bowl of fruit and some cream from one of the avox with a polite nod.

"What about that statement is confusing? He was fine when you went to bed, and nothing's changed. He and his allies are still hiding in a one-room shack about fifty feet away from the boys from Seven."

"Why?!"

"How should I know? I'm a mentor, Keiji, not a psychic."

"That second part is debatable, but that's not what I meant. You have access to Sentri's private channel. Use it."

"I did," I snap, my voice low and defensive, my head throbbing in step with the beat of my heart as I take another small sip of my drink to calm my nerves. "But between the storm and all whispering —"

"You couldn't pick anything up."

"Oh, I picked up plenty. But it's hard to piece things together when you can only hear every fifth word.

"The four of them are obviously planning something big. But I don't know what. I have a few ideas —"

"But you're not comfortable guessing."

"Not with something this important," I whisper, the admission drawing a tired little sigh from my lips as I set my drink down on the table before melting back into the couch and laying my head on Keiji's shoulder. "I'm just not as brave as my big, strong husband," I joke, my words bringing a smug smile to his lips as he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me in closer as I snuggle down into his arms.

"What happened to her?" he asks, his tone light and curious, his eyes fixed on Ash's face as blood oozes out of the hole she cut in her throat.

"See for yourself," I mumble, my hand clutching the control tightly as I turn up the volume enough for him to hear before letting it slip from my fingers and into his lap.

"Suicide is nothing new in the arena. But I just don't understand what would push Ash to do something like this. She had so much to live for," coos Andromeda, the replay pausing mid-thrust so she and her guests can offer their expert opinion on which of the disasters from yesterday was the one that pushed her over the edge.

"That's because you don't want to understand, Andromeda," I whisper, my voice soft and angry as I sit here and stare at the screen while this poor child takes her own life. "It's easier to watch them die if you don't."

"What was that, baby?"

"Nothing," I lie, my eyes fluttering shut as I sit there and listen to the rhythmic thumping of his heart. "Will you switch this over to Sentri's feed, please? I can't watch this anymore."

"Of course."

"Thank you," I whisper, my head sliding off his shoulder and into his lap with a soft thud as my tribute's face flashes to life on the screen, and I finally allow myself to drift off to sleep.

This is the single stupidest thing I could have done. I was tired before, but at least I was still functional. Even if it was just barely.

But I'm not anymore. Because the second I close my eyes, all of the exhaustion I had been holding back with copious amounts of caffeine smashes through my defenses with a vengeance. Leaving me in a quasi-useless state a little while later when Keiji wakes me up with a few soft words and a gentle shake.

"Nyxeris ... Nyxeris, you need to wake up."

"Why?"

"Because something's happening."

"I don't care, Keiji," I growl. "I'm trying to sleep."

"I know that, baby. And I wouldn't wake you up if it wasn't important. But you need to see this."

"See what?" I ask, my eyes fluttering open just in time to see Oz and Leandra slip out of the hut and into Benny and Asuka's while Dana and Sentri watch them from the door.

"What's going on?" I ask, my voice tinged with panic as I bolt up from his lap and stare at the screen, my exhaustion long forgotten as I sit here and stare at Sentri's tired face as he watches his allies creep across the square in the direction of Benny and Asuka's hiding place. "What the hell are they doing?"

"They're going after the boys from Seven. ..."

Bennett "Benny" Ramirez-18 (District 7 Male)

I honestly don't know why I'm still trying to go back to sleep. Any chance I had of doing so is long gone. I'm wide awake, and even if I wasn't, it's just way too quiet for me to fall asleep.

I can't believe I'm saying that, but it's the truth.

Fortunately, Asuka doesn't have the same problem. He's been asleep for hours now, and that's probably a good thing. Between the bloodbath, the rain, and all of the running, he was exhausted. Plus, he looks so peaceful when he sleeps.

That's not really important, but it's as good a reason as any for me to be happy that he's sleeping; instead of being jealous that I'm not. Plus, I can think of worse ways to pass the time than watching him sleep.

So, that's what I do.

I lie here with my eyes fixed on his face as he snores softly — my breathing slowly slipping into rhythm with his as I drift in and out of things for a few minutes until I finally roll over on my side and do the one thing I didn't think I'd be able to do. Fall asleep.

~A Few Minutes Later~

"... quite. We don't want to wake Benny up."

"I know that."

"Then why are you making so much noise?"

"Isn't it obvious? So we can have this conversation."

"Asuka?" I mumble, my voice low and sleepy, as I push myself away from the wall and roll onto my back just in time to see Leandra slide the tip of her knife through the folds of Asuka's tunic and into his heart while Oz holds his hand over his mouth.

~BOOM~

"ASUKA?!"

"Oh, shit," mumbles Leandra, a look of fear burning in her eyes as she slides her knife out of Asuka's chest while I roll over onto my knees and stare up at them with tears running down my face as Asuka's blood drips off the tip of her knife and onto his face.

~DRIP~

~DRIP~

~DRIP~

"I thought you said he was asleep, Oz!"

"He was!"

"Shit.

"Bennett, we're sorry," she stammers, her voice tinged with sadness and shame as she stands there and stares down at me as Benny's blood oozes down her blade onto her fingers.

"Why?" I finally ask, my voice cracking with every word as I sit here and try to make sense of what she and Oz just did. "Why would you do this?"

"It doesn't matter," mumbles Oz, his eyes fixed not on me but on the little pile of supplies in the corner behind me.

"We don't owe you an explanation," he whispers, his voice tinged with the same sadness as hers but without a trace of the shame. "This is the Hunger Games. You had to know this was gonna happen eventually.

"Put him out of his misery, Leandra."

"You do it."

"Excuse me?" he says, his voice dripping with shock and confusion as she casually hands him the knife she used to kill Asuka before folding her arms across her chest.

"I said, you do it," she growls, her voice tinged with anger and annoyance as she nods in my direction as I slowly crawl over to Asuka's lifeless body. My face inches away from Oz's feet as he stands there and argues with his ally.

"Fine," he grumbles, his voice quivering with every word despite the determined glint in his eye as he bends down and places the tip of the knife on the back of my neck. "I will.

"I'm sorry, Benn —"

I don't give him the chance to finish that statement.

Instead, I let out an angry, pain-filled screech as I rear back and punch him in the groin as hard as I can. His half-assed attempt at an apology trailing off into nothing as his knife slips out of his hand as I pop up and sock him in the jaw before sweeping his legs out from under him.

His head bounces off the floor with a sickening thwap as I drop down on top of him, wrap my hands around his throat, and smash his head into the ground over — and over — and over — and over again. And I don't stop until he stops moving and the floor is covered in his blood.

And then I turn my attention to the monster who killed Asuka.

"You killed him," I growl, a wild, unhinged glint in my eye as I push myself up off Oz's blood-soaked body before kicking her knife over to her. "Pick it up."

"Why?"

"Because Asuka wouldn't want me to kill you like you killed him. He'd want it to be a fair fight.

"Now, pick it up."

"You don't have to do this, Bennett," she stammers, her voice low and uneasy, her eyes burning with an odd mix of fear and determination as she bends down to grab her knife before dropping into a defensive stance. "You can still walk away. I won't stop you."

"No, I can't," I whisper, my eyes locked on hers as I take one last deep, calming breath before lunging at her. Hoping against hope that I'll be able to catch her by surprise the same way I did Oz and end this fight before it even begins.

Unfortunately, Leandra is a lot smarter than Oz is, and my half-assed attempt at taking her by surprise ends with me crashing head first into the wall like an idiot as she glides out of the way with ease.

"Fine then. Have it your way," she says, her voice tinged with fear and confidence as she runs up behind me and kicks me in the knee as hard as she can before smashing my face back into the wall and pushing me to the ground. And then she drops down and stabs me in the back.

"GAH!" I scream, the pain surging through my body as I try and fail to push myself up onto my knees as she violently rips the knife out of my back and jams it into my shoulder a few inches below my neck before twisting it in as deep as she can.

"STOP!" I scream, my mind clouded with fear and pain as I thrash around like a wounded animal, my arms and legs flailing everywhere as I try desperately to throw her off my back as she carefully slides the knife out of my shoulder before tossing it into her off-hand, and jamming it into my side.

But she doesn't. She just keeps stabbing me over and over again as I lie here and scream for help I know will never come.

"Oh my god, I'm gonna die," I mumble, my cheeks slick with tears as I force myself to keep fighting as Leandra slowly stabs the fight out of me.

And then, all of a sudden, it stops. The pain disappears and I feel like I'm floating on a cloud as Leandra rolls me over onto my back and takes my hand in hers as the world starts to dim around me.

The last sound I hear on this side of death is her saying the two words I never thought I'd hear come out of the mouth of the person who killed me.

"I'm sorry. …"

Dana Shouwei-15 (District 6 Female)

"You know what, screw this," I mumble, my voice low and tinged with fear and anxiety as I push myself up off the floor and start towards the door of our hiding place.

"Dana, STOP!" growls Sentri, his voice soft and angry, his eyes burning with fear as he grabs me by the arm and stops me from heading out into the square.

"Why?!" I ask, my voice low and panicked as I stand here and stare at him with a confused look on my face while my heart pounds away in my ears.

"Because Oz and Leandra told us to stay here until they come back," he snaps, his voice tinged with annoyance as he rolls his eyes at me.

"And what if they can't come back?" I ask, my voice quivering with every word as I finally allow myself to think the unthinkable. "What if they're hurt?"

"They're not."

"But what if they are?"

"Trust me, they're not."

"How do you know that?" I growl, my voice dripping with fear and angst, my composure slipping by the second as I fight a losing battle with my emotions.

I really shouldn't have opened this door. I knew no good could come of it. But I did it anyway, and now I have no choice but to see where it leads.

SHIT!

"You know what, don't answer that. It doesn't matter. I'm done waiting."

"No, you're not. Now sit back down, or I'll make you."

"I'd like to see you try," I growl, my voice low and angry, my eyes burning with barely contained rage as I stand here with an angry scowl on my face and wait for him to make good on his threat.

But he doesn't. Not that I expected him to. If I've learned anything about Sentri in the last few days, it's that he's all talk. And he knows it.

He was never going to stop me. Hell, he wasn't even gonna try. Not really. But he felt obligated to pretend that he was. And now that he has, we can move on.

"That's what I thought. Now, are you coming with me or not?"

"They told us to wait, Dana."

"Is that a no?"

"You're impossible," he growls, his body oozing anger and frustration as he stomps over to our little pile of supplies and picks up our first aid kit and the shiv I helped him make before stomping back over to me with an annoyed scowl on his face.

"Here, take this," he says, handing me the first aid kit. "We might need it."

"I'm sure we will," I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm, my eyes burning with rage as I slap it out of his hand before sticking mine out expectantly. "So pick it up and give me the shiv."

"Excuse me?"

"I said, give me the shiv."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," he says, his voice flat and matter of fact as he stands there with a determined look on his face and the shiv clutched tightly in his left hand.

"Why not?" I ask, my voice tinged with resentment as I take a small step toward him. "It's no good to you. You don't even know how to use it."

"It's a knife, Dana," he grumbles, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "You stick 'em with the pointy end."

"No, it's a shiv. And it's a little more complicated than —"

~BOOM~

"Let's go," he mumbles, his eyes bleeding fear as he bends down to scoop up the first aid kit before tossing it to me as he sprints through the door and out into the square with me hot on his heels.

It takes us maybe two seconds to get from our hut to the one on the other side of the square. But once we get there, neither of us can bring ourselves to open the door. So we don't.

Instead, we stand here like the frightened children we are and wait. Until I work up the courage to push past Sentri and throw open the door before ducking back behind him as he bursts into the one-room hut with his shiv in his hand.

"Thank god you guys are here," groans Leandra, her hands covered in blood as she cradles Oz's head in her lap. "I need something to stop the bleeding."

"What the hell happened to him?" asks Sentri, his eyes glued to Oz's blood-soaked face as the color quickly drains from his.

"Benny," she whispers, her eyes drifting off us and over to his lifeless corpse.

"One second, Oz was getting ready to kill him. And the next, he was beating his face into the ground."

"Is he gonna make it?" I ask, my stomach churning like a tornado as I stand here with my eyes glued to Oz's bruised and bloodied face.

"He might if we can stop the bleeding."

"And if we can't?"

"Then he'll die."

"Jesus," mumbles Sentri, his face turning a sickly green color as he pushes past me and out into the square before throwing up all over the ground.

"Dana?"

"Yes?"

"I need you to focus if we're going to save him. Can you do that for me?"

"I'll ... I'll try."

"Good. Take this," she says, nodding to the knife on the floor beside her, "and cut the sleeves off Asuka's shirt."

Caspian Ashwood (President of Panem)

Well, this is a surprise. Part of me assumed that Leandra would rather slit Oz's throat than waste precious time and resources trying to save him. But here she is, walking Dana and Sentri through the steps necessary to save his miserable life.

I mean, it's not going to help. There's no way that Bennett didn't fracture his skull when he was pounding it into the ground. And even if he didn't, the swelling will take care of him eventually.

Mr. Channer is living on borrowed time, and Miss Chandri knows that. But she's still going through the motions. She might be better at playing this game than I thought.

"Excuse me, Mr. President?"

"Yes, Calpurnia?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir. But Miss Pike is here."

"Excellent," I say, my voice light and pleasant as I reluctantly slide off the couch and wander over to the bar on the far side of the room. "Please show her in."

"Of course, sir," she squeaks, her voice low and timid as she curtsies meekly before slipping out of the room without another word.

It takes her a few minutes to come back, and by the time she does, I've successfully fixed myself a cup of coffee and made my way back to the couch so I can watch Leandra and her little helpers try their damndest to save Oz's life.

"Miss Andromeda Pike," she squeaks, her voice barely above a whisper as she quickly ushers Andromeda into the room before sliding into a corner to wait for further instructions.

"Andromeda, it's good to see you."

"Thank you, Mr. President," she stammers, her voice tinged with exhaustion as she slowly hobbles over to the couch. "It's a privilege to be here."

"Oh, where are my manners?" I ask, my voice warm and pleasant as I set my cup down on the table and hurry over to help her. "Please, allow me."

"Thank you," she huffs, her face flush with exertion as she takes my arm and allows me to lead her over to the couch.

"Think nothing of it. You're my guest. It would be unconscionable for me to let you struggle along like that.

"Can I get you anything? Some water? Coffee? I think there's some oatmeal left in the kitchen if you're hungry?"

"No, thank you."

"Are you sure? If you'd rather have something else, I'm sure the chef would be more than happy to whip it up for you."

"I'm fine, sir. But thank you for the offer."

"Very well. You're dismissed, Calpurnia," I say, my eyes gleaming with excitement as I scoop up my coffee and slide into the chair across from Andromeda as my new assistant slips out of the room and closes the doors behind her. Leaving the two of us to sit in silence as Andromeda tries to figure out why she's here.

"So, how are you feeling?" I ask, my voice knifing through the awkward silence like a hot knife through butter as my eyes linger on the bruises on her face.

"I'm fine," she says, her voice cracking as she fights to keep her composure. "I hurt like hell, but my knee should be fine, and my kidney is still working. That's all I can really ask for."

"That's good to hear. And I want you to know that I'm not going to rest until I find the people responsible for this and bring them to just—"

"Why am I here, Caspian?"

"Well, that was quick," I joke, a playful smile on my lips as I lean back in my chair and take a sip of my coffee. "No time for small talk with an old friend?"

"I have as much time for that as you say I do, Mr. President. But we both know that's not why I'm here.

"So, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather we just get to the point. I do have other places that I'm supposed to be."

"Of course, you do. In fact, that's what I wanted to talk to you about.

"You have an interview with last year's champion scheduled for this afternoon. Correct?"

"If she's been released from the hospital."

"She will be. I've already spoken to her doctors, and they assure me she'll be ready."

"That's good to hear."

"It is. Because I have a job for the two of you. I've already spoken to Athena, but I need to make sure you're on board too."

"I'm not gonna like this. Am I?"

"Probably not," I admit, my voice flat and matter of fact as I lean forward in my chair and stare into her eyes. "But I don't really care about that."

"Of course not.

"What's the job?"

"Talking about Sarah Beth."

"Ok, I'll bite. Why?"

"Because she's going to win the Hunger Games, Andromeda. And I need her to be a believable victor when she does.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I think I do."

"I think you do too."

"Is that all, sir?"

"It is."

"In that case, I think I'd better get back to the studio. I have an interview to rewrite. Unless you've already done that for me?"

"I would never dream of stepping on your toes like that.

"I do, however, have a few suggestions."

"I look forward to hearing them, Mr. President."

"I'm sure you do. ..."

A/N: Death Order/Cause/Place

24: Hector Brennan - D5M - Speared through the back of the throat by Shimmer

23: Maira Renault - D12F - Speared through the eye by Shimmer

22: Sedge Hamilton - D9M - Throat slit by Bellatrix

21: Cypher Diamantis-D3M - Died of blood loss/ knife to the lung from Bellatrix

20: Luciana Bay - D10F - Drowned by Shirley

19: Shirley Gutters - D5M - Head split open by Sarah Beth

18: Ashlynn 'Ash' Haskell - D12F - Suicide

17: Asuka Tamura - D7M - Stabbed in the heart by Leandra

16: Bennett "Benny" Ramirez - D7M - Stabbed to death by Leandra

Kill Total

2-Bellatrix

2-Leandra

2-Shimmer

1-Sarah Beth

1-Ash (Suicide)

1-Shirley