The second day


-Karima, D9F-

I wake up from where I was curled up in a tight ball in one of the still cushioned little cars that are still on the ride. It was dark and silent, but I at least had my bunny. My bunny is my home. My grandmother. It sill smells slightly like her house. It helped me to sleep and think of home. So far, we've made it through two days, but today we need to start scavenging for food or water.

"We need to start moving," Amari says. His voice is slightly deeper than usual and he sounds like he didn't get much sleep last night. I hate this, staying up through half the night. I'm a growing girl that needs sleep, after all, this is exhausting me and really draining my energy. I suppose it's doing the same for him. "We need to find food and water. Maybe something we can use for a weapon. I mean, we can really use help. After all, we have nothing. I know you're out there, sponsors!" he says, a light air around him. Hopefully that got some people to laugh.

"Right." I take his sleeve in one hand, holding my bunny with the other. We find the entrance to the ride and walk out into the Arena beyond. Amari seemed pretty certain that sponsors would jump to give us things, but I feel like I might be holding him back. After all, he did much better on the pre-Games stuff than I did… I know that I just have to keep on doing my best and showing Amari up whenever I can, just to prove that it's still worthwhile to have me around. When he starts walking, I walk with him, going quickly to keep up.

We walk together, silently. The silence is unsettling, and though I can see him fairly well beside me, I still wish we would break it. We walk for a while, and my stomach grumbles and complains, aching and wishing for food. Amari is quiet.

We're walking when we find a spicket in the ground, looking back in surprise.

"Maybe this will be a help…" Amari says, starting to turn at the handle. He grimaces with effort, trying to get it to move.

"Maybe it's just there to trick us," I say, my mouth feeling dry with thirst. I want this to have water just as he does.

"I'm not giving up," he says, concentrating and focusing as best as he can.

Suddenly, the need to surpass him comes back. "Let me try."

He shrugs a bit, letting go and stepping aside.

Alright Karima, I think, feeling waves of determination pulse through me. Show everyone that you're much better than him. I grab the rusty dial in my hands and hold it tight, pulling it around with all my might. I think about all the times I've one-upped Ferris back home, and use that to motivate me. Just because this guy's from District 6 doesn't mean that I can't outdo him too. I use all the strength I have to try and get it to budge.

Just then, though, I feel a slight give, and put all the effort I can into the last stretch until I get it to pop, and hear the sound of flowing water.

"Wow, you did it!" he sounds slightly surprised.

"Of course I did. I'll use it first," I say, knowing that I won the opportunity when I was the one that gave us water in the first place. I put my hands under the water first, and though it's warm, it feels wonderful. I put my bunny on the ground as I wash my face off and cup my hands to collect water, taking a drink. Amari kneels next to me and does the same.

"That's not too far from our base," Amari says, pointing the direction we came from where I see the silhouette of the ride in the distance.

"Oh. Yeah." We both stand up, turning off the water. Amari keeps walking, and I follow him.

We're a little while's away when I realize I forgot something.

"My bunny!" I say. A wave of horror washes over me as I quickly go back the way we came.

"Karima!" Amari runs after me.

I run and run, as fast as I can, until I see the spicket there and my bunny intact, just where I left it. I quickly pick it up and hug it tightly, burying my nose in it to get the familiar smell. I quiver and breathe hard with tears, but luckily I got the bunny back before I could start crying.

Amari catches up with me just then, panting from the run. "What the hell, Karima? You can't just run off like that."

"I lost it!" I say, gasping a bit as the tears haven't fully gone away yet. "I almost left it! It's alright, I have it now… It's alright… It's alright."

"You had me worried sick!" he says.

"I'm sorry," I say, sniffling a bit. "I'm really sorry."

There's a moment of tense silence, he looks kind of frustrated, but he relaxes again. "Just… Don't worry me like that again, alright?"

"Yeah," I agree, feeling relieved.

"C'mon. Let's keep going."

"A-Actually, I need a minute…" I say, still shaking slightly with the panic and fear of almost losing it. Amari nods and sits with me, keeping an eye out for other tributes. We sit like that until I get ahold of myself, rinsing my face with water. It takes a while, maybe close to an hour, for me to feel well enough to keep walking.

"S-Sorry," I say quietly, embarrassed for my outburst. "Let's keep going."

It's getting later, and darker, but we keep on going anyways.

We keep walking. After a bit, I see the silhouette of something dashing in front of us, and jump, letting my bunny go in surprise.

"Just a rat," Amari says, but I can tell by the look on his face that he was spooked by it too. "Nothing big and scary. Just a rat."

"Right." I quickly pick up my bunny and we keep on walking, neither of us talking.

After a while of wandering fruitlessly, we reach a building that looks old and dilapidated, but decide not to go in. We skim the perimeter instead, until we hear footsteps.

"Wh-Who is that?" I ask. It looks like a big figure, probably armed, maybe with an ally or maybe not. All I know is that we need to get out of there.

Amari stays close to the wall, and I do the same. He looks out around the corner, and I do the same. I can't make out who the silhouette is, though. Looks to be a big person, though. And I can tell that they have a weapon, a big weapon.

The footsteps come closer, and Amari turns around, pulling me along to run. I stumble after him, startled by the sudden motion. In the way, my grip releases on the other side, and I realize before I know it that my bunny slips out of my grip.

"Amari!" I yell. "Amari! We need to stop! Amari!" I feel panic wash over me, desperation to get back there and get it.

He doesn't stop, though, he keeps running, away, far away. He runs until we reach the bumper cars again, pulling me inside as I feel tears come to my eyes. I just want to stop, I have to go back and get it, I have to find it. I have to get it. I have to find it. I need my Gram, I need my home, I need it!

"Amari!" I yell. He doesn't listen. He doesn't let me go either. I feel tears of desperation and sadness hit my eyes, and this time I don't hold them back. I let out sobs as Amari keeps on pulling me along. He pulls me until we reach the ride again, going in quickly.

"AMARI WE HAVE TO GO BACK!" I feel desperation clawing at me, causing physical pain as I shout out and howl with sobs. I can't lose my family like this, I can't lose my home. "Amari we have to go back!" I choke with tears and sob, pleading with him.

"No." He forcefully makes me sit in one of the little cars, taking one of the seatbelts and wrapping it around me. I yell and scream with sobs.

I feel like nothing. I feel like I have no home, no family. Everything's been ripped away from me. I feel like I'm bleeding as I yell at my ally and sob.

He doesn't say anything, just sitting down instead. "No. We can't go back."

"We have to go back!" I say wrestling against the seatbelt and trying to figure out how to undo it.

"We can't go back unless you want to die."

I slump, crying quietly into my hands. I curl up into a tight ball, crying quietly. I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe I lost it. I feel sad, and angry, just at everything and everyone, especially Amari, for not going back, and at me. I was the one that dropped it. I start to sob again, quietly.

Amari doesn't move as the sky gets darker, and soon I can't see him anymore.


The second night


-Karima, D9F-

Over time, my tears quiet, but I can't escape the feeling of misery.

"Get some sleep," Amari says quietly, after I've been silent for a while.

"No," I say, rubbing at my eyes with my fists. "You do it. You deserve it."

"Alright." I hear him walk over, and his hands fumble to undo the seatbelt holding me in. Then, he gets into another little car.

I sit by myself in the silence, before something starts to happen. I hear something, I hear a noise in the distance. I hear someone giggling. I look around, alarmed, but see no one. Nothing.

Even so, though, the noise doesn't stop. The sound of the girl giggling gets louder and louder.

"Come with me!" she says, her voice echoing a little bit. "Come dance with me!" she giggles. "Dance with me! Dance with me!"

"No," I say under my breath. I want it to stop. "No…"

"Dance with me!" the giggles get louder and louder, until they consume me. I clutch for something, anything to remind me of who I am, but my bunny is gone. I'm stuck here. More tears start to stream out of my eyes, and I quickly stand up, knowing what I have to do.

I sneak out of the car and to the entrance, not looking back as I run out into the darkness. I have to get it back. I don't know which way to go and start running blindly, feeling the ground hit against my feet. Tears pour out of my eyes as I run blindly. Maybe I know that I won't be able to find it, but I don't care.

"Dance with me!" the giggling gets louder, it fills my head. I look around, trying to find something, anything, but there's nothing there. I sob and scream, feeling like I might be crazy, doing anything I possibly can to drown out the noise.

"Come! Be with me!" she beckons, but I keep screaming, trying to get the voice out of my head. I keep running and sobbing, desperate for my bun.

Just then, a flash of light covers my vision, causing me to stumble backwards, in shock. I don't know where I am, or how far I've gotten. I stumble back, still screaming, trying to get the voice in my head to leave me alone. I just want it to go away, I want my bunny back, I want to be at home where I belong, at home with my family and friends, with the people that care about me.

"It's Karima," I hear a voice say. I hear footsteps approach, but don't stop screaming.

"That's it! You and I can dance together forever!"

"NO!" I yell, crying. "NO!"

My suffering is cut short by an explosion of pain through my chest. I fall backwards, descending into darkness.

~.~.

-Vidarr, D2M-

There's nothing but a tense silence as the cannon booms. The girl from District 9 is sprawled out on the ground, her body eternally set an unnatural pose. I glance at Collin, who's holding the flashlight that had been sent to me by a sponsor. He was on watch, but the screaming had awakened both of us.

I walk over casually to the body and take the knife, numb to the stain of blood on it. Killing is something I've done plenty of before. The stinging, by now, is more like a dull ache than anything.

I'm honestly surprised that anyone was allowed to sponsor me, considering the reason I was thrown into this mess in the first place. And I'm surprised that I got a not from a "loyal fan" wishing me good luck. It's kind of surreal. I must've done something right to have at least one fan.

Collin and I haven't talked very much since getting here, usually just divvying up watch by one person going in the sleeping bag and the other knowing that it was their turn, and light shaking to wake each other up when we're too tired to keep going. In the days, we've just wandered with our weapons, searching for tributes.

This is our first kill of the Games. I feel like someone should say something. I can't think of any good words, though. I clean my knife off with Karima's shirt, not wanting to make my own crusty and smelly.

"What happened to you?" I ask her as I do it, ever so quietly. "You were perfectly alright before we got here… What happened to make you like this?"

I stand back up, glancing at her one last time. I suppose we won't ever know what it's about.

Collin sheds the flashlight all around, and on the girl's body.

"The bunny," Collin says quietly, almost mumbling.

I glance at the girl and realize that he's right. He doesn't need to explain it. I nod a bit. Wordlessly, he starts gathering our supplies, both of us knowing that we're going to have to move out of here so that the hovercraft can get the body. I realize how much easier it is to move around and know what's happening with a flashlight, and thank my sponsor a million times inside my head as we walk away from the body, not stopping until we have another ride in sight. He gives me a glance, and I shake my head, so we set up camp outside of there.

I give him a nod good night and climb back into the sleeping bag, closing my eyes.

I hear it just then. Quietly. Ever so quietly. At first I'm not sure if it's really happening or not, in fact. I sit up, looking around.

Collin's gone pale.

"That sounded like…" he trails off, paling some more.

"It's not just you," I say. That's really the most I've said to him since we got here. The giggling is really unnerving. I bet that's what Karima was hearing, too. Or something like it.

"Right…" he says, rubbing his eyes as if that'll make the noise go away. "Sorry."

I shake my head, not needing to talk as I lay back down.

"Come! Dance with me!" I shut my eyes tighter, silently cursing the Head Gamemakers for bringing this on. I know they're trying to make us go insane with this, just like Karima did.

I squeeze my eyes shut, a chill going down my spine and making me shiver. I know that I can't succumb to madness like Karima did. I close my eyes as tight as I can, willing sleep to come. I know that sleeping will bring dreams of Ashe, dreams of home. That's really all I need right now. I need to remember why I have to get home.

Eventually, thinking about Ashe, I'm able to quiet the noise and drift off into sleep, wondering what the third day will bring.

~.~.

A/N: In case you haven't noticed, the Arena chapters aren't going to be nearly as long as the others. If I did 4000 or 6000 word Arena chapters, it'd be too much boring filler, and I don't want to put three days in one chapter. I hope you guys understand. I'm sure it's no problem. So, the action is picking up. Also, if you sponsored and didn't see it in this chapter, don't worry. I just didn't want to do more filler. However, the tributes have gotten the gifts (except for Hope's, Kade won't get his until the next day because you can't sponsor two days in a row) and I'll put them on my profile.

Also, Emrys Holmes, who submitted Rachel, is also doing character drawings for this story and I'm putting on the blog! A big thank you goes out to her! If any of you guys want to draw for the story, PM me a link and I'll put it up on the blog! Also I would probably shower you with hugs. Y'know.

Hm. Alright. DAMMIT I remembered what I was going to say on the last chapter and now I totally forget it again! Grr!

Well, oh well. I'm sure I'll remember again as soon as I post this chapter. Just because.

Alright, well, hope you liked the chapter! Requests and thoughts are always welcome.

Thanks for Karima, Natasha! I hope her death was just as good as you wanted it to be!

Chapter Question: Which tributes do you want to see more of? Any confrontations you want to see?

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