A/N

I am writing this officially as a home owner, woo! Because of logistics, we haven't moved in yet, so that means I had the time to whip out another weekly update for you all. We are back in the arena, so the fear returns...

Accel Hayes, District Six Male

Accel had woken up beside beautiful girls before, but Anise Montague was in a league of her own, and one which Accel knew he was far out of reach of. And yet, here he was, nestled into the corner of a stone building with a famous Capitol popstar tucked under his arm, her head resting on his chest and her body curled in towards his own.

If he wasn't in a literal death game, he'd consider himself in paradise.

As Accel looked down fondly at the sleeping beauty, finding a smile creeping onto his lips at the feel of her warmth and the gentle sounds of her soft breaths, he suddenly realised the danger he had put them both in.

"Shit," he whispered sharply to himself, realising that he had supposed to have been awake on watch whilst Anise slept, but had accidentally fallen asleep fuck knows how long ago.

He was a fool. Anyone, anything, could have killed the both of them whilst they were under the vulnerability of unconsciousness. How could he have allowed himself to have risked not just his own, but the life of Anise simply out of carelessness? They had been lucky this time, but that was little cause for celebration; only relief.

At least the sword he had found at the start of the Games still sat on the floor beside him, so no one had stolen from him either. Not that they had anything other than the sword worth stealing after Moonshine had swiped the large rucksack he had also claimed from the outskirts of the cornucopia. Another foolish move, perhaps, though even with the consequences, Accel did not regret helping his district partner to scale the wall to freedom. She may have threatened him and she may made it brutally obvious her disgust towards him, but Moonshine was still a kid and there was no chance Accel could have hardened his heart and not helped her. He was still a good person, or at least he hoped he was.

Against him, Anise stirred, her eyelids fluttering open slowly. She looked up at Accel with her large brown eyes, the corners of them having gathered the remnants of sleep as she gently returned to consciousness.

"Morning," she smiled at him, and Accel felt his heart skip a beat. This wasn't the first time Anise had fallen asleep on him, but he still felt his pulse racing every time she looked at him.

"Funny lookin' morning," Accel grinned, looking at the darkness which hung outside the narrow window. "Still, it's a lot nicer a sky than the soot-filled skies of Six."

Despite his comment, Accel did miss home. He missed his parents, his sister, Axle –he even missed the yard. The scent of car oil, grease and smoking engines were ones he had become so accustomed to that it felt alien not to feel the scorch in the back of his throat and the dull ache in his lungs.

He wondered how Anise was feeling; did she miss home too? He supposed her home was the Capitol, which he imagined they were still in now, though the arena felt far from the lavish luxuries they had been surrounded by the week prior.

"Is there anything to eat?" Anise looked towards him hopefully.

Chewing his bottom lip, Accel sadly shook his head. They had managed to catch a bat before, but even after rationing the small amount of meat they could scrape from the bones, it hadn't lasted very long. At the thought of food, Accel's stomach groaned.

"Do not fear, my lady," Accel turned his frown into an optimistic smile. "I have a good feeling about today –we will find ourselves a treasure trove full of delights to fill that gorgeous belly of yours."

Anise rolled her eyes, though there was no malice in her manner. "You sound so dumb sometimes, you know. It's cute."

With a wink, Anise rose to her feet, dusting herself off and retying the up-do she had styled her hair in. Even in the arena, she seemed to care about her appearance, though Accel was certain that if Anise were to never wash or groom herself again she would still never lose the beauty that radiated from every inch of her being.

After straightening himself out with just a ruffle of his tousled hair and a slap on both of his cheeks to startle away the lingering tiredness, the two of them set off. The plan had been to slowly keep moving around the arena, stopping only to rest when they needed it. Remaining in one place for too long risked a false sense of security, and there was the possibility that other tributes could also be drawn to a place deemed safe enough to call a base. Accel was keen to avoid others for as long as he could, and it seemed as though Anise agreed. He had no intention of killing anyone, unless he absolutely had to, and he didn't particularly fancy having to fight anyone who wished to kill him either.

They made their way through the building they had settled in. It was a fairly large building, somewhat resembling an old manor, though the structure was made entirely of cold, grey stone. The interior was fairly bare, nothing more than piles of rubble seemed to fill their path as they explored. It was beginning to seem pointless in scavenging there, and Accel could sense the frustration rising in Anise as each step brought more disappointment. He wished he could do more to help her, but so far all he felt he could do was try to make her smile, which would contribute little towards her survival. It felt worthwhile, though.

"Hey, did I tell you about the time Axle and I pranked our boss with a bottle of grease?" he sparked up conversation.

Anise shook her head. "I don't think you've mentioned that one."

"Aw man, it was so good," and Accel launched into the story, ensuring to add in the humorous side quips which made him an entertaining storyteller. When he delivered the hilarious conclusion, he found himself in fits of giggles whilst Anise barely seemed entertained in the slightest.

She forced a smile, before quickly turning her head away and walking ahead, her toes treading carefully over the piles of rubble around them.

"Hey, hey, Anise," Accel reached out and wrapped his fingers around her dainty wrist. "Hold up."

Anise stopped.

"What's wrong?" he asked, turning her head towards him with the tip of his fingers gently beneath her chin. Her eyes were glazed over as she blinked a few times in quick succession.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she said, unconvincingly.

Accel shook his head. "No, you're not fine. Was it my story? Was it boring? I can shut up if I'm annoying you."

Without a word, Anise suddenly pressed a firm kiss on Accel's lips. Startled, Accel took a moment before he returned the kiss.

"Let's look out here," Anise pointed towards an open door. "Maybe we can find something useful."

Accel found himself following Anise into a small courtyard in the centre of the stone building. It was much more compact than the courtyard in which they entered the arena, and more closed in. It reminded Accel of the training centre, the way the building rose highly around them, with an open sky above their heads. A small feature stood in the centre of the courtyard, with a cluster of plants in some of the corners.

"There's water in here," Anise announced with pleasure, dipping her hands into what Accel realised was a fountain. She raised her hands to her lips, taking a drink in the most graceful of ways a person could drink from their hands.

Accel joined her, sighing with relief as he quenched his thirst. But there was still a sadness in Anise's eyes that he could not let go.

"The water is great, but you're still upset," Accel said to her, seriousness in his tone. "Talk to me, Anise. Let me help."

"I'm just tired, that's all," she replied with a small smile. "You've got some dirt on your face, allow me."

Accel allowed Anise to rub the side of his cheek with a damp finger. As she washed away the dirt, her eyes locked onto his and he felt his heartrate begin to quicken as she leant towards him again. But this time, he stopped her.

"Anise," he spoke softly. "You can't keep kissing me to avoid talking."

"Can't I?" she licked her lips, sliding her hands around his waist and pulling him closer. Involuntarily, Accel's body tingled with excitement, but he pushed past the desire as he had once pushed back the temptation of alcohol.

"Anise, I'm serious."

"Well I don't want you to be serious," she suddenly retorted with a huff, retreating away from him. "I thought you wanted me, but I guess not. You can fuck off now, Accel."

Accel let out a sigh. "Anise, I'm not rejecting you. I'm trying to help you."

"I don't need your help."

"Tough because I ain't going anywhere," he walked towards her, but she flinched as he reached out to touch her. "Anise, stop pushing me away."

As he walked around to her side, Accel noticed that Anise's cheeks were damp with tears. Accel went to hug her, but Anise put her arms out. Stronger than her, Accel managed to move her arms out of the way and pulled her into an embrace anyway. She seemed to resist at first until he began to stroke between her shoulder blades and she unfolded into him.

Her sobs were the saddest Accel had ever heard, and he felt his heart twinging as he held her.

"I just don't know what I'm doing," she spoke into his chest. "I feel as though everyone expects me to be like Mariposa all of the time, but I can't. Not in here, not when the world sees Anise. But if I'm not Mariposa then they'll forget about me and we'll both die in here."

Accel pulled back a little so that he could see Anise's face.

"No one could ever forget you," he disagreed. "But no one expects you to be like Mariposa all of the time –I certainly don't. I first met Anise, and even after I met Mariposa, I still preferred Anise. I prefer you."

Anise looked at him.

"You don't have to pretend to be anyone," he continued. "You're fucking amazing the way you are."

When Anise kissed him, Accel kissed her back. There was no ulterior motive to the action; no desperate distraction, no desire to please. They were just a boy and a girl, sharing a moment, and if Accel had been oblivious to the situation which had brought them together, then he could have called it love.

"Accel…" Anise began to speak, but the sound of a tiny bell paused her.

The two of them titled their heads back, watching as a silver parachute descended towards them.

With an excited gasp, Anise held out her hands, clutching hold of the gift as it lowered close enough for her to reach. Opening up the box, Anise's face lit up as she retrieved two wrapped parcels and handed one to Accel.

He unwrapped the first parcel, finding a small loaf of crusty bread which smelled incredible and made his mouth water instantly. Looking across to Anise, holding up the bread with glee, he watched her unfold the delicate wrapping of the second parcel.

"Oh," Anise seemed in awe as she unravelled a belt, which held four butterfly knives. They were clearly designed with Anise in mind as the handles were decorated in jewel-encrusted butterflies; deep purple, turquoise and platinum.

"See, they like the real you too," Accel smiled, and for a moment long enough to capture, so did Anise.

Cephus Sirona, District Four Male

The Sirona sibling adventure had not yet left the harbour. And with every moment that passed, Cephus was becoming ever more impatient.

The rest of them were in cahoots, Cephus knew it; they were onto their plan and they were trying to stop them. Perhaps Riddle had listened with her witchy powers; she did suddenly seem awfully keen on involving Cephus in various activities such as hunting, gathering and scouting. Riddle called it 'pulling their weight', but Cephus weighed hardly anything at all, so judging by that terminology, they really didn't have to pull much at all. Now, if they had to pull Riddle's weight then wow, that would be a workout and a half –just the weight of her ego was enough to pull a muscle. And yet, she continued to bark orders at Cephus as if she ran the fucking show, which as a matter of fact she did not.

If anyone was the ruler around here, it was Cephus, of course. They were just a more laid-back kind of ruler. Perhaps like an emperor rather than a dictator; emperor sounded much more fashionable at least. It made Cephus think of puffy sleeves and excessive jewellery. Ooh yes, what a look that would be.

"They're back!" Riddle's shout interrupted Cephus' fashionable thoughts as she waved over to where Peach, Beau and Matthew were walking towards them.

Oh joys, Cephus rolled their eyes. It wasn't that they particularly disliked the three of them; they just weren't Cephus' kind of people. Cephus was all about fun, but the group seemed far too sombre for the carefree lifestyle they adored. Peach could maybe be persuaded to let her hair down, but Beau was surgically attached to her hip most of the time, and Cephus couldn't imagine the quiet boy with the cute but sad looking face to know fun if it slapped him.

Maybe Cephus would slap Beau, just to see.

"Hi," Peach greeted Riddle, Beau by her side. Matthew hung back a few paces behind them, silent as ever.

Cephus wondered what Matthew's deal was; surely he couldn't keep up with the mysterious hot boy persona all of the time? Dammit, if only Cephus had been able to convince Risa to sneak some pills into their arena clothes; that would have made everything much more entertaining than the boring show it was. If this was TV, then this would have been one of those boring grandma programmes. Yawn.

At the thought of drugs, Cephus suddenly became aware again of the incessant headache they'd had since entering the arena. And the sporadic twitches, oh they were annoying too. Oh and boy, the thirst, their throat was drier than his grandma's vagina. No, actually, Cephus imagined that granny Sirona had a lot more action in the sheets than Riddle –pfft, their throat was drier than Riddle's vagina. Ha, witch.

"What are you grinning at?" Circe's gentle voice spoke beside them.

"Oh, just the joys of freedom of thought," Cephus responded with a flourish. "No one can tame my thoughts, not ever."

Circe smiled, though Cephus could tell that their sister was still in a lot of pain. The snake from Ten had dared to injure the most precious thing in Cephus' life, and it was not something they planned to let go any time soon.

When, and that was a when and not an if, Cephus and Circe managed to leave the rest of the Careers, it would be their mission to track down and bring an unpleasant end to the demon who had hurt their sister. Of course, Cephus hadn't quite decided how they would do that, but that's what improvisation existed for.

Cephus was great at improvising.

"So what happened out there?" Riddle asked Peach. "I saw two new faces in the sky earlier."

"We were onto the pair from Five," Peach told her. "The boy –the one who died –he'd fallen before we reached him. I went after the girl, but I lost her."

"We would have kept going, but figured we should probably regroup," Beau added.

Peach nodded, continuing on from where Beau left off. "If Circe is up for it, then we were thinking we should start to move out. Most of the others will have spread out by now, we'd have a better chance of finding them if we weren't stuck here."

"I agree," Riddle nodded. "I would have insisted on moving out sooner, had it not been for Circe. I think she's doing a bit better now –Circe?"

Circe looked up from her bitten nails at hearing her name. Cephus instantly grabbed hold of her wrist, holding her back.

"But you're not recovered, my angelfish," Cephus whispered to her with concern.

Circe lowered her voice. "I can walk, Cephus. And the sooner we get moving, the sooner we can slip off unnoticed. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

Cephus nodded. "I suppose you are right, sister."

They released Circe's arm, and she walked over to the others, Cephus following behind. As they approached, Cephus caught Beau's eyes for a moment long enough to wink at him. Beau seemed visibly horrified, quickly averting his eyes. Behind him, Matthew smirked.

"You're looking well, Circe," Peach went over and gave her a gentle hug, careful to avoid her ribs. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel like driftwood," Circe mumbled, her eyes hazing over.

As the others looked at her with confusion, Cephus leapt in the way, knowing the signs of their sister's tendencies to disorient herself from the world.

"What she means to say is that she feels like she has drifted ashore, a typical saying back at home," Cephus covered. "She has returned to us after her brief period of unconsciousness, thanks to the witchcraft of Riddle here."

Beau's eyes suddenly flashed and he shuffled uncomfortably on his feet.

"Oh yes, speaking of witchcraft," Riddle's glare landed on Beau. "A word, Beau?"

Peach suddenly cleared her throat, though Cephus suspected it was to hide a giggle as she nudged Beau towards Riddle. Matthew raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, his dark eyes wandering around the courtyard to where Ragnar was pacing up and down, miles away in thought.

"How about we start packing up so we can get moving?" Peach suggested, looking between Matthew, Cephus and Circe.

"Excellent idea," Cephus agreed, pointing over to some supplies. "My bag is over there, if you wouldn't mind fetching it for me?"

"Fetch it yourself," Matthew grumbled, walking past.

Cephus' mouth gaped open. "The audacity! Now listen here, young whippersnapper-"

"I'll fetch it for you," Peach interjected, stepping between Cephus and Matthew's turned back. "Which one is it?"

"The one with the flowers cut into it," Cephus replied with a huff. "Be careful not to damage the material. It's basically bespoke."

Peach smiled. "I'll be careful."

As Peach walked off towards the bag, Cephus turned to Circe.

"Are you ok, sister?" they asked with concern.

Circe frowned, her eyebrows furrowed deeply. "I…I've lost Madeline."

"No, no," Cephus rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Madeline is back at home. She'll be at the Academy, watching you. She's safe."

"Are you sure?" Circe's glistening eyes looked up at them. "But the ocean…the boat…"

"A dream, my sweet starfish," Cephus assured her. "Nothing but a dreadful dream. When you return home, Madeline will be waiting for you."

Madeline would probably be waiting with a scowl on her face, Cephus suspected. Their sister's rival at the Academy likely hadn't been pleased when Circe had surpassed her. Cephus had never been fond of Madeline, and they weren't quite sure what Circe's obsession was with her either. Supposedly they had been lovers in another life, Cephus had managed to piece together from Circe's intoxicated words over the past several months, though that was far from true in this life. Hopefully Circe would forget about Madeline one day, when the two of them were far far away from everything and everyone.

They should have set sail all those years ago when Cephus had suggested it. They could have been far away by now, in another land. Cephus as the emperor of the new world, of course, with Circe serving at their side. There would be a never-ending supply of trifle, and drugs. Actually, trifle and drugs together. A spiked trifle, what a wondrous idea! They would be sure to make a request when they got out of this dingy arena.

Emperor Cephus. It certainly had a ring to it.

Now, they just had to escape these fools first, and then it would be a life of trifle. A lifle, one could call it. How splendid.

Frankie Ellsworth, District One Female

How did I get here? Frankie asked herself for the thousandth time.

It may have been the wrong question to ask, as she supposed she knew how she got here; it was rather the why that she was struggling to comprehend. She knew why her parents had done what they had done, even though she hadn't been able to speak with them since the morning of the Reapings when she had been dragged from her front door by a handful of Peacekeepers. They had been protecting her, and Frankie supposed that had she been in their position, she may have found herself doing the same. So it wasn't her parents' actions Frankie was questioning, it was The Candid's.

Truth, truth, truth. That was all that The Candid insisted they sought. And yet, for all the truths they exposed, they seemed to keep their own secrets under lock and key –that's what Frankie had heard Cascade saying to Hina one night in the Capitol when she couldn't sleep. Frankie had always kept out of politics; she was too young to really understand it all, but from the snippets of conversations and observed side glances, Frankie had come to conclude that The Candid were hiding a lot more than they were exposing.

She supposed it didn't matter now, not for Frankie. Over the past week she had come to terms with the fact of her own death. It was a strange feeling, knowing that you were going to die. Frankie had always imagined that her death would come in old age, surrounded by grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Being brought up in District One, the fear of the reapings had never really existed for Frankie and her peers, even when the Games had returned after the five year break. It was always wondering who would volunteer from the Academy and somewhat admiring them as a role model. Frankie thought that she would have likely admired Peach and Beau, had she been watching them from home; maybe she would have even longed to be like Peach, had she been born with the courage to enter the Academy.

She missed Peach. And Beau. The two of them had always been so kind to her when they had no obligation to, and in a way, Frankie felt guilty for seeming ungrateful.

I trust you to make your own decision.

Peach had trusted her, but now, Frankie did not know whether she trusted herself.

Kazimir was sat on a rock, hunched over as he scribbled into his tattered journal. Frankie had been surprised that he'd managed to get it into the arena with him; perhaps his mentor had been able to help him out somehow. They were currently tucked under a large stone bridge, where a shallow river ran between the arches. Frankie dipped the toes of her boots into the water's edge, watching as the ripples grew larger and larger as they spread out ahead of her.

Kazimir had been a lot quieter lately. In the Capitol he had been chatty, asking Frankie questions about her hobbies and what things were like in District One, but in the arena he barely spoke more than a handful of words to her every couple of hours, and that was either to tell her what to do, or replying bluntly to her own push for conversation.

But she couldn't question him, not after what he had been through. Kazimir hadn't spoken much about Velaris, but Frankie guessed that he must have been pretty upset about her death. He had tried to save her, but he hadn't been able to –that must be pretty awful; Frankie could hardly imagine the pain he must be feeling. And he was still helping her, which she was enormously grateful for.

Reminding herself of this, Frankie felt bad for having doubted her ally.

"What are you writing?" she asked curiously, walking over to where Kazimir was sat.

Kazimir replied without looking up from the page. "Just making a plan."

"Oh, that sounds good," Frankie smiled with optimism. Kazimir always seemed to know what he was doing. "What's the plan?"

"I'll tell you later."

Maintaining her smile to hide her slight disappointment, Frankie nodded to Kazimir. "Ok! I'll erm, keep watch?"

Kazimir shrugged, continuing to scribble into his journal.

With a small sigh, Frankie walked back to the edge of the water, wading in so that the river washed slightly over the edges of her boots. She ensured to steer clear of the plants that hugged the riverbed, remembering the pain of the blisters that had formed on her hands during the green moon. The blisters had now faded, as had the moon, but she was still felt nervous every time she walked past a plant.

Frankie found herself wandering along the river, watching the water splashing quietly at her feet. It was only when she glanced behind her for a moment that she realised how far she had walked –the bridge was almost in the distance now.

A sudden sense of anxiety gripped her. She was alone, unarmed and in the open.

She turned back.

She gasped.

Standing a few metres away from her stood another tribute. They were alone, but they were looking straight at Frankie, with a crossbow pointing directly towards her.

Frankie's hands slowly raised as her lower lip trembled.

"P-please d-don't kill m-me…" she stuttered quietly, her heart rate tripled.

The tribute took a step closer, and Frankie realised that she recognised her. It was the girl from Eight, Angora, who she had encountered in the training centre when she had been speaking to Kazimir and Vel. Angora had seemed quite nice, but her ally, however, had not.

Frankie's heart dropped as she looked around her in panic for Angora's ally. She couldn't see anyone.

"Are you alone?" Angora asked her simply, taking another step forwards but still holding tightly onto her weapon.

Frankie nodded, but then quickly shook her head. "My-my ally isn't far behind."

Angora raised an eyebrow. "I didn't see anyone following you."

"He's probably hiding from you," Frankie found herself lying. "You should go before he sneaks up on you."

Angora was not convinced. "You're still with Kazimir? I know Velaris died; I saw her face in the sky."

Frankie slowly nodded, realising that she wasn't very good at lying. But the fact that Angora hadn't killed her yet gave her a slither of hope.

"I am," she answered honestly. "It's just us two now."

Angora's posture softened ever so slightly.

"Is he far?"

Frankie shook her head. "I wandered off, but I know where he is. You're…you're not going to kill me, are you?"

Angora did not reply.

"Take me to him," she demanded.

Frankie was taken aback. "W-why? So you and your friend can kill him? I won't let you do that."

"I don't want to kill him," insisted Angora. "I want to talk to him. Besides, I'm not with my…friend, anymore."

"Oh," Frankie couldn't help but feel relieved. "Why not?"

A bitter look passed Angora's face. "He ditched me. But that doesn't matter. Will you take me to Kazimir?"

Frankie hesitated.

"Sorry," Angora sighed, lowering her weapon. "I don't want to threaten you, that wasn't my intention. I actually thought we could help each other out?"

"How?" Frankie asked, surprised.

"Well we're both an ally down, and it helps to have friends, right?" she offered. "I've got some food and supplies –we could trade?"

"We don't have much," Frankie accidentally blurted out, regretting it instantly.

"That's ok," Angora replied to Frankie's surprise. "We can still all help each other, right? What do you think? It's up to you –if you say no, I'll just leave quietly in the opposite direction. I promise."

Frankie wanted to trust Angora, and in the moment, she felt as though she could. There were no signs of anyone else nearby, and she hadn't harmed her so far, so as far as Frankie could tell, Angora was telling the truth.

"Ok, follow me."

Frankie walked along the river, retracing her steps back towards the bridge. Angora followed behind her, keeping a safe enough distance. She even allowed Frankie to carry her crossbow to make her feel safer, which did help a lot.

By the time they reached the bridge, Kazimir was stood up, a look of concern on his shaded face.

He seemed relieved when he saw Frankie, but then his concerned face returned when he spotted Angora behind her.

"Stay back," he warned, holding out his large knife. "Frankie –come here."

Frankie remained where she was.

"Angora is unarmed," she held up the crossbow. "She just wants to talk."

Kazimir shook his head. "She could have other weapons –and what about Valak? He could be waiting to come out whilst we're distracted."

"Valak isn't with her," explained Frankie. "He left Angora at the cornucopia to go to that religious girl from Nine. Angora told me on the way here. She's alone."

Kazimir did not waver.

"It's true," Angora spoke, holding up her hands. "Search me if you want."

Kazimir looked towards Frankie. "Keep that crossbow aimed at her –if she so much as moves an inch, shoot her."

Frankie gasped, but she did as she was told, holding up the crossbow as Kazimir went over to Angora, removed her bag and patted her down.

As Frankie began to relax, believing Angora to be truthful as she had hoped, Kazimir suddenly moved, pressing his knife into the crease between Angora's jawline and her neck.

"No don't!" Frankie screamed, rushing forwards.

"I don't trust her," Kazimir spat, pushing the knife harder. Angora blinked slowly, but remained still.

"If I was lying, why would I have let you this close to me without a weapon to protect myself?" she asked him. "If Valak was waiting, he would have killed you before you even got close. Think about it, Kazimir, you saw what he was like in training. If he were here, you'd already be dead."

Kazimir kept the knife held against her neck, but he seemed to be thinking.

"The bastard ditched me, I hate him as much as you do –if not more," she said with bitterness. "If we team up then we'll stand a better chance against him if he finds us. From what I know, you don't have much between you –I could be an asset."

Kazimir frowned. "What's in it for you?"

"Protection," she answered plainly. "Not going to lie here, Kazimir. If Valak found me alone, I'd likely be dead. You would be too. The only way we can stand a chance is if we outnumber him. I also know how he works, what his tactics are –I can share them with you. Come on, it makes sense, you know it does."

Kazimir took a deep breath and lowered his knife.

"Fine," he said at last. "You can stay, but until you prove your worth, I'll be keeping hold of your crossbow."

Angora did not protest and neither did Frankie as she handed him the weapon.

"And if you turn out to be lying, you'll wish that Valak had found you first."

Frankie felt a chill down her spine as the words left Kazimir's mouth. Looking between him and Angora, she could almost touch the tension with her fingertips. But even so, Frankie's gut told her to trust Angora.

I trust you to make your own decision.

Peach had trusted Frankie to make her own decisions. And now, Frankie was learning to trust herself too.

A/N

The grim reaper remained out of this chapter, with a focus a little more on alliances here.

Accel and Anise seem to be growing ever closer, and as Anise struggles to battle the pressures she faces, Accel is there to keep her grounded. Anise believes that Panem wish to see her as the confident person she is as Mariposa, but after opening up to Accel, a sponsor gift arrives. Does Panem support her as Anise, or is Mariposa helping her out? Is Anise still using Accel, or does she care for him as he seems to care for her?

Cephus is keen to leave the Careers with Circe, but they have yet to come across an opportunity. Does Riddle suspect their plans, or is she simply wanting everyone to 'pull their weight'? Beau and Matthew regrouped with Peach after the last time we saw them, and the three of them are now back with the rest of the Careers. Ragnar still appears distant, however. With their plans to make a move, the other tributes need to keep a watchful eye out. Will Cephus and Circe get the chance to break away from the pack?

Finally, Frankie is struggling to understand the world around her. She begins to doubt her alliance with Kazimir, as he appears to have become more shut off, though she puts this down to him dealing with the grief of losing Vel (oh, Frankie, if only you knew what really happened with Vel...) and she decides she still trusts him. What is he writing down in his journal; what is his game plan? Should Frankie trust him? After wandering a little too far, Frankie comes across Angora, who convinces her to return to Kazimir where she strikes a deal. Are Angora's intentions true as she says? We know that Valak left her, but can Kazimir trust her, and equally, can she trust him? And what about Frankie, in the middle of it all?

As time continues to pass in the arena, what lies in store next? A little birdie tells me to keep an eye on the changing of the moons...

Until next time (which I cannot say when that will be as I am moving into the new house next weekend, and have lots of packing and prep to do!)

Firefly