Day Three:

Cathodette Lyte, District Three

The Gamemakers have left us alone for quite some time now. Since Eight's death yesterday, they've shown us some love by actually letting us rest. Sadly, I think her body's still where we left it – where Ceres left it – because I haven't seen a hovercraft enter the Arena since the night of the bloodbath.

''You okay?'' Ceres asks, crouching down to meet my eye level.

My breath catches in my throat and I'm unable to say anything. After basically choking for a few seconds, I answer. ''Y-Yeah, just fine. Why would you think that something's wrong?''

''Well, you've been staring at my sickle for the longest time now,'' she shrugs. ''Don't know if I should put it away or not.''

''Oh, sorry,'' I apologize. ''It's just that... you kinda left her dried blood on your sickle, and it bothers me.''

''I figured as much,'' she breathes, ''but I don't really have anything to clean this off with. There's water and such, but I think we're gonna need to drink that stuff and not waste it on cleaning weapons. Besides, why does it matter? Eventually everyone's weapons are gonna get bloodied, so what's the point in making them look clean and shiny?''

''Why do you say everyone? We're not all gonna become killers like you, you know?''

''Such as you?'' she raises an eyebrow, her gaze becoming cold. ''We're all still gonna fight, though, whether we know what we're doing or not.

''I tried, okay?''

''And you almost got us both killed,'' she mentions. My heart leaps against my chest, wanting to be thrown out and tossed to the side. ''Listen, it's whatever. Just my opinion.''

My eyes feel like they're gonna burst with tears, and I can sense my lips quivering, but I hold myself still, staring straight into Ceres' eyes even as she turns away from me. ''...How?''

''How what?''

''How did I almost get us both killed?''

''First off,'' she says, shaking her head, ''I'm not gonna argue with you. You were a liability in that fight, and the plan was so clear and simple. I told you to hold her still while I swung, but you looked like you were trying to force her down. And before that, you almost stabbed your knife into my head when she pushed me back. Who swings ten feet away from the target?''

''I'm not the most skilled fighter in the world, can't you understand that?!'' I yell at her, my mouth burning from how dry it is. ''If it wasn't for me, you would have never been able to kill her! I distracted her, I risked my life so that you could gain an opening, and you didn't even thank me for it!''

''Why are you getting so defensive? I clearly stated a few seconds ago that it's my opinion,'' she rolls her eyes, crossing her arms together, clearly playing with the handle of her sickle to scare me. ''No need to get butt-hurt.''

Fuck you, I wanna blurt out, but I control myself, keeping my walls high and mighty. No one breaks through them, not even an ally.

My cheeks glow red with the frustration of it all, and the feeling of wanting to cry hits me much harder than before. Why do I let her get the best of me? Why am I even still with her? I regret joining forces so much – especially after seeing what she's willing to do. She sacrificed Clarence, a boy who wasn't the kindest in the world but he surely didn't deserve death... Who does that?

I've never seen her like this because of how different she once was, before we entered the Arena.

Both of our heads turn to the right when we hear something. ''You heard that, too?'' she asks. I nod, pointing to the area that the sound resonated from. ''I'll be right back,'' she says confidently, holding her sickle proudly as she trudges through the wet grass and disappears before my eyes, behind a group of trees surrounded by bushes.

See what I mean? Who's willing to go after a noise that they heard in order to end something or someone's life besides the Careers? She's become bellicose to the thought of physical conflict with others.

I need to leave before something bad happens to me. But where do I go, what do I do? I basically rely on her. And if I stay, I lose; but if I leave, I also lose.

So what's a girl to do?

Poet Monroe, District Six

''She's doing better than I expected,'' I smile, looking down at Bree in my lap, her eyes fluttering in the cold breeze that the Gamemakers decided to send us as a reward for surviving.

''That's good,'' Kaster turns around from his view of the mountains, smiling as he walks towards the two of us. Her fingers twitch randomly at certain times, and she leaves her mouth open, mumbling to herself. ''She's probably just as cold as we are. Beck!''

''Gotcha,'' Beck calls back, tossing Kaster the backpack that we keep all the extra clothes inside.

He grabs it and takes out a jacket, saying, ''Poet, sit her up real quick, please.'' I do just ask he asks, raising her arms into the air, and Kaster dresses the extra large jacket over her regular shirt, and then frowns. ''Wish we had something for her legs.''

''Yeah,'' I say, placing her downwards and letting her rest against my lap, ''but I think the jacket will do just fine. Besides, she seems to like it, don't you think?''

We all stare down at her nibbling the arm sleeves of the jacket, drooling all over it. Though this is such a serious situation, all three of us laugh together, sharing a moment that neither of us have ever dreamed of experiencing.

''You figure the Capitol hates us for this?''

Our laughter dies down slowly, and Kaster peers up, asking, ''What do you mean by that?''

''It's just that, with our ally unable to do anything at this state, don't you think they'd want us to kill her?'' he brings up, and I swallow thickly. ''They're probably upset with us for not dying in the first place yesterday.''

''Probably, but what are you suggesting?'' Kaster inquires.

''Nothing. Nothing at all,'' Beck responds. ''Just stating what I think is happening outside of the Arena. With only one death yesterday, they're probably growing impatient. I just hope that they don't reflect back to us.''

Picking my head up and zoning out, I stare at the opening, or exit – give or take – of this cave, taking in the beauty that I never once paid attention to. The mountains are covered with a rug of trees, green, yellow, scarlet and orange, but their bare tops are scarfed and beribboned with snow. From the carved rocky outcrops, waterfalls drift like skeins of white lawn, and in the fields, we can see the amber glint of rivers and the occasional mirror-like flash of a mountain lake.

Something about the mountain ranges creeps me out, though. I just have this terrible feeling in my gut that something's gonna be appearing from them, and nothing good, at that. The air is just too calm and clear for the Gamemakers to be letting use slide. By tonight, we need to get out of here, along with any other tribute around this area – if there even are any, other than us.

There's serenity for now, but it'll be goon soon.

''Pweh!'' Bree shuffles, babbling out words. I look down, only to notice that her eyes are slowly beginning to close, much quicker than I would like – actually, scratch that, I don't want them to close at all!

''Guys,'' I say, watching as her eyes dim more and more.

''What do we do?'' Beckett asks.

''Water, now!'' I command, my voice deepening and becoming rough – something that's never happened to me before. Beckett hands me a bottle and I take it thankfully. Opening up the lid, I splash some of the liquid into her face, and that wakes her right up.

She shakes her head around, licking at the sides of her lips like she's trying to place the water in her mouth. Now that I think about it, she's probably thirsty, too – so I place the bottle in her hands, studying her movements, and surprisingly, she manages to hold it properly and drink by herself.

''Well, would you look at that,'' Kaster smiles. ''She's much more capable of doing things on her own more than we thought.''

''Classic Bree,'' I add in. ''I guess it's that leader mentality that she has. Even in a state of perturbation, she's able to let us know that she's a strong one who's always hanging in.''

''What a vocabulary word,'' Beck laughs. ''Didn't think you knew more than the basic, everyday, common words that we all use.''

''Most people don't know,'' I grin.

''Yeah, 'cuz of how humble you are, dude,'' he says, still kind of shocked. ''You must be more intelligent than we give you credit for. We learn more things about you everyday.''

''I'm just really literate,'' I wave my hand, trying to focus away from the topic. ''But thank you.''

An eerie trumpet noise vocalizes from the sky, and my stomach sinks in. ''Guys, we gotta go,'' I say, not able to hold it back any longer.

''But go where, and why?''

''Anywhere but here,'' I choke. ''Something's not right, I've had a bad feeling all day. That noise in the sky's a warning call for something that's about to happen, and I don't want us to be caught in whatever the Gamemakers have planned.''

''Any ideas on what we should do?'' Kaster interrogates.

''Of course. Kas, you pick up Bree. You're the strongest one here so you can carry her down our pathway and protect her. Beckett, you grab a couple of our weapons and I'll take the bags, including Kaster's warhammer. We all have to distribute the things we carry properly so that no one's left behind. What I've noticed since we entered this cavern is that there's nowhere to go but down, and if we want to leave, we gotta slide. Be careful and we'll survive. It's a risk, but I'd rather leave with a few scars on my body than die.''

''Attaboy, Poet!'' Beck encourages. ''Didn't know you had this in you!''

''You're a special guy, you know?'' Kaster informs me.

Looking at the two of them, grinning with the widest smile in the world, I shift my eyes to Bree's face and say, ''I learned it all from her. Without her, I don't think I would be able to take charge like this.''

They both nod their heads, showing me respect, and that's the greatest feeling in the world that you could ever receive from your allies – from the people that you've become attached to and see as your family, because of how beautifully well you all connect and how much you love them.

''And it's the least I can do for her while she's in her current state – show the rest of Panem that not all of us from Six are pushovers. I bet she'd be proud.''

Bree Andersson, District Six

Nothing's been the same since.

Every now and then, new things appear. ''New friends,'' you could call them – but they're never repetitive. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. There's a spectrum of orange one moment, then blue and green the next. I don't know what's going on, but I feel so at calm.

''How you doin'?'' I hear, looking around for the strange voice. No one's there, nor do they appear even as the swirling, colorful patterns wrap themselves around my arms and legs. My face contorts into a grimace, but suddenly I start laughing, my cheeks turning weak and letting up. ''Ahh, that's the spirit.''

The slow voice comforts me, making me feel even more sleepy than I actually am. Something moves from the shadows ahead of me, and out comes a man with a top hat that hangs down to his eyes and an umbrella. When he picks his head up, all I can see is a menacing smile, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on edge.

There's just nothing more creepy than a person who's emotions don't match the situation. Everything is so soothing and calm, but this guy... Well, he's evil. His eyes are of the palest watery blue, like a creature who's spent its life in perpetual shadows.

His body moves awkwardly, slithering and oozing from one place to another, smiling, slinking, leering, head bobbing erratically as if it's too heavy for its long, thin neck with the protruding Adam's apple. Inching closer, I watch as his thin fingers begin stretching unnaturally long, each like the tendril of a parasitic plant, reaching, searching.

I know that it's dumb to be scared, but I can't help it. I breathe in and out, but the air won't enter my lungs. Starved for air, my mind races at tremendous speeds, and my lungs shallowly rise and fall in time. Standing here for what feels like an eternity, I feel the man's hands dexterously holding my face.

''Run! Get out of here,'' he snakes, hissing. ''Let your friends know and convince them to leave before the water hits!''

''Water?''

''It'll crash and destroy and you'll all be swept away, your cannons resounding in the air.''

He lets go of my face, and I'm stuck in a paralysis.

''BOOM!'' he shouts, startling me, my breaths finally returning but being hitched. The man's body absorbs into the ground below me, and I morph into the air, way above the clouds.

Three shadow figures form in front of me, all male, and they begin to run away. ''Poet!'' I yell out, quickly realizing who they are. ''Kaster, Beckett!''

Snickering is heard from their distance, and I feel so betrayed. They all turn around, sticking their tongues out and booing at me, when a splash of water drips over my head. Peering up, I see a ginormous wave that completely blocks the sky from my vision.

Before I can even take a deep breath – the one thing that I'll need the most in this situation, other than my allies' help – the wave crashes down on me and I'm submerged into the deep water, unable to float back up. My eyes pop open, and as my lungs begin to burn from holding my breath too long, I let go of everything and bubbles stream up from my mouth.

Realization hits me as my nostrils push forward and I'm able to breathe. My body finally floats up to the surface of the water, and I'm just there, floating.

My mind swirls, giving me the largest headache I've ever experienced in my life. The pain's too much to handle, and I let out a shrill scream, the throbbing continually bouncing against my skull. But then everything stops once more, and I begin giggling.

''This is weirdddddddd,'' I say, uncontrollably. The giggling keeps going, even as I force my mouth shut. It's like I can't stop smiling, like a madman – er, madwoman – even as my energy runs low.

But then everything stops. The world around me turns black, engulfing me and leaving me with no clear indication of what's going on. Weeping catches my attention, and to my left, I approach a man. He sits in an attitude of profound distress beneath the randomly appearing mass of rocks. His hands hang limply over his knees, his eyes red and staring at me, and his face wet with tears.

''What's wrong?'' I pout, tilting my head sideways and feeling... sad? Yeah, sad...

''You shouldn't be asking me that question.'' The man's eyes become clearer when he stands up, towering over me, like I'm an ant and he's a cyclops. ''You should be asking yourself that question.''

He falls to the floor, wrapping his entire body around my legs and slowly creeping up to my face. I try to move but quickly realize how futile it is when I bite my lip to keep from crying out. Sharp pain lances through my head, arms, legs, feet, and stomach. Colorful spots flash in front of my eyes, making it feel like my whole body's being beaten and every movement is causing some type of muscle or bone to ache.

''It hurts, just like the outside, doesn't it?'' he breathes, his voice low and cold.

Crack! I hear, feeling my left hand slam into something extremely rough. The pain is too real, making me wince. Even rolling my wrist causes excruciating pain to erupt from that area.

''Aw, does something hurt?!'' the man questions. His shape morphs into that of a beautiful woman with chocolate brown hair and angel wings, his voice changing, too. ''It's something burning on the outside, what you can't see – what you'll never see.''

Then he – she? – disappears, leaving me all alone, yet I still can't move, nor do I understand what I just witnessed. The darkness rips apart, splashing colors all over me. First I see rainbows, then the wondrous blue sky, then the universe, and beyond that. Everything keeps expanding more and more, but I can't do anything about it – still!

Man, this is the weirdest trip ever.

Clarice Auden, District Four

''Hey, help me out a bit, please,'' I call, smiling at Zep. He turns away from his conversation with Atlas, pausing for a brief moment, but then he walks over towards me.

''Yeah, what's up?''

''You're much more talkative, I see,'' I raise an eyebrow. ''But, yeah, uh, can you help me out with this wound?'' Patting my shoulder, I show him the cut. ''This was inflicted during the Bloodbath and I just decided to pay it no attention – I couldn't let it hold me back, you know?''

''How'd you receive it?''

''I don't remember who exactly, but I was chasing another tribute and they stabbed me there. Didn't see it coming, to be honest. Thought he was just gonna crumble and let me end it quickly,'' I lie.

''You should know better than that,'' he sighs. ''But sure, I got you.'' Reaching into his bag, Zep takes out some type of saline solution and an elastic bandage wrap. He removes a small pad from the bag, too, pouring the solution on it and pressing it against my shoulder. I groan in pain, fidgeting with my hands, but he grabs my arm and holds it down as he tightens the bandage around my shoulder. ''Don't move that arm too much. You probably have an infection of some sort for leaving it exposed like that.''

''Told you something like that would happen,'' Emil smirks, overhearing our conversation.

''She good?'' Atlas walks over here, and Zep smiles. Smiles? I've known this kid for a while now, even before we Volunteered, and he's never been this emotional with someone. Always in the shadows, ego-less, icy, those are what describe Zeppelin – not outgoing, not friendly, not smiley. So what the hell?

''Yeah, she's fine,'' Zep says. ''She'll recover in no time, and then we can get back to making progress like we initially planned.''

''Good,'' Avery coughs up, '''cuz I was getting tired of us just sitting around and doing nothing. We could've eliminated two more contenders – traitors – from this Game, but Emil didn't wanna be a snitch.''

''Traitors?'' Zep inquires.

''Yeah. Blush and Adonis,'' Avery files in. ''Did we not tell you two about what happened?''

''No, we just figured that they went out to hunt while you guys came back and didn't bother to ask.''

''Oh... Well, they did. In the middle of the night of the Bloodbath, they took basically every necessity that we needed besides a first-aid kit that they spared Emil – and he didn't even say anything about it. Also, we came back yesterday – who the hell hunts for that long without returning, and why do you think that we didn't come back with as many items as we took with us? You guys really aren't that observant,'' Avery starts, his tone daring to turn into that of a condescending person's.

''Calm down,'' I interfere. The atmosphere around us isn't how I want it to be – currently, nothing's how I want it to be and that makes me want to pull my goddamn hair out! Zep's outgoing, Emil's enjoying himself, Atlas is starting to get in the way of my plans, Blush and Adonis are still alive, Avery's beginning to grow way too brave for comfort, and more than half of the tributes are still breathing!

''Shut up, pussy, don't tell me what to do,'' Avery growls.

''Who are you calling a pussy, pussy?'' I retort, biting back at him.

''Ha ha, you're both pussies,'' Emil laughs.

''Listen, I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting sick and tired of the repetitive shit that's going on,'' he says, clenching his fists. ''What have we done ever since the Bloodbath? Get our items stolen by our own allies? Gain injuries and become the least intimidating alliance in the Game? This is ridiculous!''

''Then leave the alliance,'' I shoo him away. ''If you're so bored with our progress, then get out. No one's gonna miss you. Bye.''

''What'd you say to me?'' Avery quickly takes a knife out of his pocket and points it at me. Staring at him coldly, I remain in my same spot, unfazed by his threatening stance.

''Okay, just calm down,'' Zeppelin grabs Avery's arm, pushing it downwards slowly. ''No need for conflict. Things are gonna change soon, right, Clarice?''

Remaining quiet, I bite down on my lips.

''Right? Who's the leader here? Didn't you all agree that you'd let me lead? So can we all just keep still and agree on something – for once, at least?''

''Fine,'' I hoist myself up, ''but only if things go properly.''

''And they will,'' Zep assures. ''What ideas did you have in mind?''

''Firstly, our priorities need to be straightened and organized,'' I start. ''Who's containing all of our food in one bag and all of our secondary-equipment in another bag? And instead of one group going out to hunt, all of us should go out. I mean, who's gonna come back to the Cornucopia until the Feast? Surely they should know by now that there's nothing left, so as a group, we can all scavenge together and pick off the remaining tributes. Things would be much easier then. Also, enough arguing, dammit! Just listen to one another and communicate, do things how they should be done, not how you want them to be done. Lastly, no more of our items are being destroyed or stolen anymore, do you guys understand that?''

Just as everyone nods, we hear a Chime!

We all face upwards, watching as a medium-sized package lands in Emil's hands – the least likely candidate here to gain a sponsor. When he opens it, his eyes light up. Move! my mind yells at me, and diving to the ground, I watch him pick up a microchip-like ball with circuits coursing through its outer surface, and throw it straight into the horn, where all of our remaining equipment is located.

In a few seconds, a series of flashes break out, lifting and spreading incandescent radioactive fumes, and then a great gush of flame rises. A column of pure hydrogen creates the explosion; the next blast of flames send everyone flying back, and I don't know if my mind's playing tricks on me or not, but I swear I heard a cannon. Great rags of fire, changing from red to violet and back to the spectrum of red again, go soaring away to dissipate not only the upper atmosphere, but the entire Cornucopia. The geysers of hot ash and molten rock spout upward; some of the white-hot debris lands right next to my face, barely missing me, and I shuffle away.

Through the fumes, I watch as Zep drags Atlas' body away from the blast, both of them coughing their lungs out. Avery flips through the fumes, rolling on the ground to escape, and I search for Emil.

Atlas seems to have taken the most amount of damage from the blast; as he's set down, clutching his arm and trying to cover his abdomen, he rolls one way on the ground, then another way, in agony. The pain's deep within his arm, stinging and burning, almost as if his humerus bone is smoldering.

And in the far distance, I hear it. Out through the flames, Emil bends over as sharply as he can, almost as if he'd just been punched in the stomach, and blood spatters out his mouth and to the dust at his feet. Everyone watches almost helplessly as the coughs continue to tear his mouth apart, his cries for help becoming unintelligible.

I wish he was dead! He's gonna wish he was dead after what you do to him, ha ha.

''EMIL, WHAT THE FUCK!'' I scream, unable to hold back my anger. It's the first thing that we learn to do in the Academy, but for this bullshit to occur specifically after I just stated what should and shouldn't be happening... No, that's some stupid shit right there!

''CLARICE!'' Zep screams, but his words don't reach me.

Emil looks up, reaching his hand out for me to grab, but I send my foot flying into his face, upset with his current acts. I can feel my veins popping against my forehead, and I'm honestly so over this shit. I can't hold back anymore, I just can't!

''CLARICE, STOP!'' Zep finally reaches me, pulling me off of Emil's body. And when he grabs me, I feel my breathing becoming much more calm – and I hate to admit it, but whenever he's around, I'm able to ease up properly. He's the only person I've ever known who was able to calm me down other than Milah.

And whether that's good or bad, I don't know. He holds me back from doing what I want to do at times, and that's becoming a problem; not to mention his relationship with Atlas, which is conflicting for me.

Emil picks himself up, walking out a bloody mess. He's grotesque; his eyes are swollen over and bloody spit drools from his slack jaw. He can't see anything, and he won't be able to for a while now. His face bears congealed blood and and his clothes are an utter mess. Then he tries to say my name, his cracked lips failing at the first syllable. I see the little package of those stupid electrons still in his hand, and I'm tempted to just walk over there and destroy them all, but I don't know how they work and I'm not risking another explosion. With a wrinkle in my nose, I turn away from him and breathe slowly.

I see Avery looking at me from the corner of my eye, smiling cruelly. Looking up at him, I glare straight into his eyes, mouthing, ''You're next if you don't fix your fucking attitude.''

Shrugging, he sticks his tongue out at me, giggling to himself.

''If any of you do some stupid shit like that ever again,'' I stop, taking out a pocket knife, ''I will fucking slaughter you!''

Colette Levine-Kane, District Two Citizen

''Wow,'' says the male District Four Mentor. I stare at him, observing his movements, as we all sit around a crowded table. ''Wasn't expecting that...''

''Don't think any of us were, son,'' says the District Five Mentor. The cigarette smoke from his mouth twists in an artistic way, forming curls in the gloomy, illuminated only by the age-speckled bar lights. ''That tribute of yours is gonna snap one of these days.''

''What do you mean by she's gonna snap?'' I look up, asking as each Victor turn their heads to me and smile. Hero pats me on the shoulder, but then Marelle holds her hands out, hoisting me up to her lap.

''Well,'' she says, softly, ''it's kind of like the tribute loses their mind in the Games. Say—''

''Do you mean when something pushes them over the edge, like what just happened then?'' I ask, interrupting her. ''And my apologies for interrupting you; I was trying to make sense of things.''

''Oh, it's no problem at all, sweetie, and yeah,'' she cheers. ''Looks like you've already got the hang of things.''

''Hey, you ever think about enrolling her into the Academy, Hero?'' Griffin asks, taking a shot of some type of alcoholic drink.

''Noooo,'' Hero waves his hands, disagreeing immediately, despite no argument being made. ''I don't... Nah, it's just...''

''We get it,'' Conly laughs, placing his elbows on the table. ''You don't want her going through that bullshit like you did.''

''Language!'' Jianna bites, smacking Conly on the arm.

''Bitch, if you don't—''

''Language, there's a child present, Conly!''

''Damn, okay.''

''Maybe it's not so much that he doesn't want her going through the pain, but he doesn't want to lose her,'' Amille, from Four, suggests. ''Think about it – the boy just came off of a fresh victory, losing three people closest to him in the matter of days. I don't think he'd wanna risk his daughter going in and dying, too.''

''I guess so, but I think she'd make a mighty fine Career, if you ask me,'' Jamie chimes in.

''You say that about every tribute!'' I point to him, smiling widely. He laughs, throwing his hands up into the air and exaggerating a cough.

''You got me!''

We all go quiet then, sitting and staring at the television screen. Some of the things that appear, these Mentors won't let me see – especially Hero. A few things happened days ago between certain tributes, and some of the attacks were too gruesome, apparently. It's unfortunate, but if they say I can't handle it, then I should heed their warning. After all, they've been through this before, and I haven't.

''You know,'' I say, breaking the silence. ''I've never thought about the Games. I actually wanna go out and explore Panem, not hold myself down to Volunteering like every kid in my District does. Being different isn't bad, you know?''

''Being different is one of the best things that could possibly happen to you,'' says Jamie. ''Look at me, I'm different.''

''You're only saying that because you've got two tributes who are still alive, and you mentored both,'' District Six's Delan responds, gaining a smile from everyone. ''The rest of us are constantly on our toes. But, sweetie,'' he refers to me, ''you do what you say you wanna do. Don't hold yourself down because that's your District's ideal way of a future for their children. Show them that you can be something else.''

''That's not all our District holds us to,'' Griffin says, pretending to be offended. ''She could become a Peacekeeper if she wanted.''

''Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,'' Delan chuckles. ''You're in a much better mood than I'd expected, though. Guess you've gotten over Sigrid's death?''

''Yeah,'' Griffin sighs. ''Some come and go, and you can never predict who's going far and who's a Bloodbath. It honestly hit me as a shock, since I've never had a tribute die that early, but, you know, Brylan's tribute just had to kill mine.''

Brylan, taking a sip of water, slowly places his cup down, searching around with his eyes as everyone stares at him. ''Oh, you mean me?'' the District Four Mentor swallows. ''Well, sometimes you just can't control your tributes. I told her to go out and do what she does best, and she ended up slaying yours. Not my fault...''

''You guys are ridiculous,'' I roll my eyes, smiling and crossing my hands together.

''You think we're ridiculous?'' Shion counteracts. ''You should've seen Hero last year. Even before he entered the Arena, he was the most lively tribute who found a way to make a joke out of everything. Before any of us became friends with him, most of us knew how fun he was to be around.''

''Wow,'' I say, looking up at Hero. He doesn't face us, probably zoned out or something, but I can't help but feel sad. Look at what the Games does to people...

Brylan gets up from his seat, reaching into his wallet.

''Where are you going?'' I ask, curious.

''Just going to send a sponsor item to Clarice,'' he says, pinching my cheeks softly as he walks by. ''Wasn't sure if she was truly worth it, but now I know.''

''I'll come with you,'' Shion springs up. ''I think Emil needs some help... Besides, after all the money I rounded up for him, I'm not letting him die.''

''Funny how his tribute almost killed your tribute and the both of you are sponsoring together,'' Gari walks into the bar, laughing at their misfortune.

''Shut up,'' they say in unison.

Gari ignores them and places a hand on Hero's shoulder. ''Hey, come with me to the Control Room real quick.''

''Why?''

''I gotta show you something – something big!'' Gari bounces on his toes, seemingly happy with what surely isn't gonna be good. We all stare at him, eyes focused on his body instead of the screen. The sound of horrified tribute screams emits from the television, but I close my eyes, paying no attention to their haunting voices.

Hero looks back at me, asking whether or not I'd like to come with them.

''No thanks,'' I smile ruefully. ''It's better I don't see what they're planning for the tributes. Don't wanna be spoiled, you know?''

I shy away, watching as they leave the room. I sigh quietly, pouting a little bit. The bartender walks over, holding a sundae ice cream out to me, saying, ''It's all yours, on the house.''

My eyes brighten with delight, and, grabbing it quickly, I say, ''Thank you, Mister!''

No Deaths

A/N: Ayeee! First chapter of 2017, and I hope that your New Year Day went amazing. Hope you just had a blast, partied, got hella drunk, turnt tf up, did whatever you guys do on celebration days like that! This chapter was pretty fun writing, and it has to be my favorite No Death chapter that I've written by far. All the shit that's happening is just leading up for next chapter, which'll finally get things kicked again. I feel like next chapter might come as a shock to some of you, but it'll be two parts. So Day Four Part One and Two, and for specific reasons. We'll just see, actually. Anyway, I hope 2017 is starting off right for you guys and treating you well. I wanted to add Colette in this chapter because it's been so long since we've seen her, and I think I've gotten a POV in for everyone already, with an addition of one extra for like, two-three tributes probably. I don't really have any questions for you guys today, just really excited about the beginning of the end of these Games, 'cuz I think it'll come much sooner than you guys expect. Alsoooo, for Bree's POV, as you know, them plants drugged tf outta her and shit. So I didn't really know how to write or explain that, but I remembered the hallucination shit, and my mind immediately traveled to LSD - or acid, whatever you know it as. And I tried to represent that as best as I could. I dunno what an acid trip feels like, but I guess it's similar, with bright, flashing colors popping in your face and just shit changing depending on your mood? Shit, hopefully the writing was straight, tho, 'cuz I dunno. This chapter was just a bundle of randomness mixed with some serious stuff, and a couple of foreshadowing, so hopefully you picked up on that. This story will probably be ending soon, now that I think about it. If this second half of school doesn't kick my ass when I go back on the 9th or 13th - I don't even know the date - I think I could finish by middle to late February. If not, then surely early March. Or April, depending on my schedule. Don't take my word on that, though. I'm not that reliable, as you all know, ehhh.

Basically, that's all for now. Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you all have a wonderful day/night/you know the deal, wherever you are. See y'all next chapter, bye! ^-^