Day 2: Forever Young

Forever Young by Alphaville

Let us die young or let us live forever…

Note: Wow… I honestly did not mean to post this chapter so late. The end of my senior year got hectic with graduation and finals. Now that I've graduated and wait to attend college, I've got some time. Work and preparing my leave from home are my main focuses, so I can't just leave this story like this. Updates will be irregular, and planning for this Arena has been the biggest obstacle which has left me discouraged at times. I'm afraid of not giving it justice, but I hope you all will hang in there with me. Thank you all so much for sticking around for this SYOT. It means a lot to me.

Arena 3- The Witch's House

Hero De'Rogue (16) District 2 Male of the 60th Games

After Mac's (well deserved) death, the remaining eleven of us were guided to a bedroom which was implied to be our resting chambers. I was disappointed to find the bare minimum of supplies and food at my area, I was hoping for more. I thought I had won the crowd over with my jokes and puns.

Maybe it wasn't enough.

"Hey, Hero. You ready to go?" Brielle calls from the open doorway. Her clothes are a bit wrinkled and her eyes are bright. Not like the others who trudge with bags under their eyes and frowns. "We gotta go!"

"Yeah, yeah." I grab my backpack and head out the door, closing the bedroom's door behind me. The eleven of us find ourselves in a foyer, different from the one we first entered from. This one is decorated with a rose vase, candles hang from the wall on old Victorian mounts and two hallways to the right and the left of us.

"Yo."

I find that damn black cat sitting on a small table near our resting chambers, his whiskers twitching slightly. "I decided to follow you for laughs. Incidentally, where the heck did you come from?"

"We came from our-"

My jaw drops as Brielle opens the door that was once our bedroom to now a dining area, furnished with high quality Capitol ware. My eyebrows knit together as I reopen and close the door several times. Our room is nowhere to be found.

"What the hell-"

"Your bedroom chamber moves depending on the puzzles you complete each day. Today you need to complete all the puzzles on this floor." The cat licks its paw. "Good luck."

He scampers away and the eleven of us are left to venture the first floor. Majority vote decides that we go to the left, Lilac opens the doorway and she leads us to a long corridor. There was another door right when we entered, but she decides we should examine everything from the end and go forward.

Seems good enough to me.

The hallway is narrow, so everyone files in one by one. For a house this nice, would figure there'd be pictures or something lining the walls. It's bare, just candles lighting the way. We make it to the end of the hallway to another door and a large grandfather clock. A small plaque engraved at the bottom of the hands of the clock read…

TIME MARCHES ON…

We enter through a door and find a small room. A pile of toys are cluttered in one corner while a small cabinet is at the other. A desk adorned with roses sits with an open diary, the pages turned to a written entry.

"Look!" Mitzi rushes to the pile of children's toys and finds a teddy bear. It looks to be an average bear, having very soft fur and a cute button nose. You know, the usual.

I crouch down and wrap my fingers around the knobs of the cabinet, wiggling the closed doors. Pssh, no luck here. I scrunch my eyes looking at small text engraved into the bottom of the cabinet.

OPENS WHEN THE HOUSE RETURNS TO NORMAL

"Let's head to the other room." Brielle leads the group, straggling right behind her. Ember staggers behind the rest, pulling the fabric of her coat towards herself. Her eyes cast to the sides suspiciously.

"Hurry up, Ember!" Brielle's lips turn upward in a snarl.

The tall black-haired girl casts Brielle a look of annoyance and jogs until she reaches Kale. The young man looks uninterested, tired even as we head into the next room. A single wood basket sits in the middle of the room, a humongous teddy bear inside it.

BEARS IN THE BASKET

"Hey, Mitzi! Put the teddy bear inside the basket!" Ashton yells at the dark brunette. He exhales frustrated as Mitzi skips with the teddy bear against her right breast. She giggles as she tries to fit the stuffed animal in the basket with no luck.

"It's arms and legs…" she mutters as she repeatedly smashes the stuffed bear in with the large one. "Maybe we need to cut them off!"

I shudder at the thought of ripping the bear's limbs apart. Mitzi hugs the bear again and skips out of the room, a crooked smile on her thin lips. The rest of us follow her out of the room and head to the mysterious left hallway. The door creaks open and the smell of musty oak fills my nose. The area is smaller than the other rooms we've been through. A small desk stands at the corner of the room with a pair of scissors chained to the countertop while a dusty cabinet lies just inches away from the entrance.

Another door lies just ahead…

"Damn." Ashton jimmies the handle, grunting as the door proves to be a dead end for now. "I'm tired of this shit."

"Let's test Mitzi's theory," Brielle chimes as she gestures toward the scissors. Brielle's eyebrows rise as Mitzi hacks at the teddy bear's limbs, red fluid oozing from the wounds. "Ummm…"

The eleven of us stare at the bear, a small frown and dark eyes cast a dark shadow on the once friendly looking bear. I hear Chord clear her throat and leave the room, her eyes shifting from us to the foyer.

"Just put the damn thing in the basket," Kale snaps. He's definitely taken a complete one-eighty since the Tribute Parade. I remember Glint remarking about how Kale would be a big threat later on. Is that what he meant?

Just as I lead everyone out of the room, a dark red paw print appears on the wall parallel to the entrance, a large slam reverberating in the hollow chambers. I jump and stand alert as the eleven of us stare intently at the paw print. Brielle gulps, her focused eyes now hazy. She shakes her head and leads everyone out of the room, her movements cautious and slow.

We trudge to the room, our feet dragging on the oak floors and the elegant carpentry. I still can't believe something like this is happening to us. I mean, this is absurd! Going through the Games like this… this is crazy!

"It fits like a glove!" Mitzi high fives everyone and giggles as she skips merrily out from the room.

"Damnit, Mitzi! Wait for the rest of us!" I will not get punished for someone else's mistakes. Nope.

As the ten of us rush after here, my heart stops as the candle wick fades abruptly. Oblivious Mitzi continues even as the black cat takes shelter under the shaking vase's tabletop.

Shit.

"Mitzi-" Fenella screams. A large teddy bear, with black beady eyes and a sinister smile begins to hop towards her. The black haired girl screams as she bolts toward us with wide eyes, her arms flailing.

"AHHHHH!" We run back towards the hallway, my balance faltering from the adrenaline and the violent trembling of the floorboards. By the grace of who knows what, Mitzi manages to dart ahead of us and dives into the room with the basket. Just as the bear's foot grazes the edge of the door, I slam it shut and slide down. My chest heaves as I try to catch my breath. Fenella and Chord help Mitzi to her feet and console her, the small alliance circled around in the bear basket room.

"WHAT THE HELL, MITZI?!"

Brielle is fuming red as she stomps over to the three girls. Her fists are balled at her sides, her nails leaving marks in her skin. Her face contorts in anger and frustration and she pushes the other girls away from Mitzi.

"Don't wander off without the rest of us! I will not die because of someone else's stupid fucking mistakes!" She pants as she swings her finger back at the rest of us. "I'm sure the rest of them feel the same way I do, so get your head out of your ass!"

A deep pang of hurt reverberates through me as Brielle lets out steam and leaves the room. Mitzi casts tear-filled eyes to the ground and sobs. Her allies help the miserable excuse of a girl to her feet, consoling her once more.

"The bear's gone…?"

Ashton peeks his head out the doorway with eyebrows knit. "The bear's gone…"

"Gone?" Brielle pushes past the green-eyed boy and enters the foyer. I can hear her steps as she presumably surveys the area. "I told you…"

"Let's go."

Are group now assembles closer and an uncomfortable silence falls heavily on us. We enter the bloody paw-print room once more and hear the click of a lock. Our eyes wander to the locked door and the eleven of us gather around the exit.

"Did someone check the dresser drawer over there," Brielle asks as she looks back at me.

"Um, yeah. There wasn't anything in it." If you'd like to count the heaps of dust and dirt I found in all the crooks and crannies of the drawers then yes, I did. But there's no way in hell I'm going to tell her that after the Mitzi incident.

Just as Brielle's fingers graze the brass knob, a muted thud echoes softly around us. My eyes wander to the floor and find the stuffed bear's limbs, the once bright crimson edges now a dark brown. Track collects the bear's parts and we gather 'round the door once more, waiting in anticipation as Brielle breathes deeply and places her small hand on the handle.

Brielle turns the knob and pushes the door open, her eyes widen as the slightly less dingy area comes to life. It is a dining room, a large dinner table decorated with lovely linens and chinaware and dark classical music strums softly from the speakers. We each take a seat at the table and decide collectively that we should take a lunch break. I see tributes like Azura and Ember eat hearty beef stews and desserts. My stomach growls as I pull out a small sandwich and apple from my backpack and stare blankly at the meager meal.

"I'll be back…"

Brielle doesn't miss a beat. "Where are you going?"

I clear my throat, smiling at her. I feel slightly annoyed at her prying, but it's just Brielle being Brielle. "Just right here." I point to the doorway to what I assume is the kitchen. She nods and continues to eat her turkey sub. I glance at the note next to the door and read…

LEND A HAND

My heart races with the thought of possibly getting a better meal for helping out. I conceal my eagerness from everyone as I sigh and open the door, my jaw dropping. A kitchen knife slices carrots in midair, no person or Capitol robot controlling the cooking. I leave the door open ajar as I stride over to the cooking pot. My nose curls and throat swells as the ripe smell of intestines reeks from the strange stew.

"Give a hand?"

I can barely make out the opaque figure near the chopping board, but it smiles and waits for my answer. I really don't want that stew, but I think I saw some cookies in the cabinet just a second ago.

I nod and it smiles back at me. "Good. I was in need of a hand or two."

"You see, aristocrats used…" I hear Charlotte begin to babble and I turn to the doorway to hear more until a superhuman force yanks my hand forward.

"…silverware to test for poisoned food."

My eyes bulge from my sockets as the large knife cutting vegetables now slices through my wrist cleanly. I howl as the pain shoots up my arm and my body convulses. The pain is searing hot and I begin to scream as blood pours from my stub of an arm. My eyes droop and I fall to the floor. The opaque figure snorts in an evil laughter, the sounds of steam and bubbling pounding in my eardrums.

"Hero?!" I hear Brielle's panicked voice and the stampede of running as they enter the room.

"Oh my-"

"HELP ME!" My voice trembles and stings as my cries tear my esophagus and a dull pain spreads through my left arm.

Fenella rushes to my side and surprisingly helps me up. My right arm is wrapped around her, while my left is at my side. The blood stains my shirt and I can feel the warm, sticky wetness seep into the thin fabric of my shirt.

"Idiot."

Brielle grabs the bear's limbs from Track and throws them at the figure. The person vanishes and a silver key appears on the tabletop. A clicking sound emits from the locked doorway and an announcement rings in the chaotic room.

Please return to your bed chamber, tributes.

A countdown begins as green numbers from a small device begin to flash.

60… 59… 58… 57… 56… 55…

"Hurry!" Ashton and Brielle scream as they hurry out the door. The rest follow suit and Fenella and I fall behind. I can hear the blonde, with every stride, breathe deeply as she tries to support my weight. I concentrate on staying conscious so that I don't become dead weight for her.

"Leave him, Fenella!"

I retch and snarl as the rest of them leave us behind. Only seconds remain as Fenella and I turn the corner and find the entrance to the bedroom open. I sigh in relief as we jump in, the door nearly catching my leg as it slams shut. The two of us catch our breath, my vision fades to black as I collapse. My body feels light and the last thing I hear is Fenella screaming for help.

No one helps us…

Fenella Wren (16) District 9 Female of the 81st Games

"Make it stop! Please, Fenella!" Hero's voice cracks, tears streaming down his pale cheeks. "I don't want to die!"

The sponsors haven't sent him much supplies, I'm working with very few materials and it still isn't enough to stop the blood. Why… why is there so much blood?!

"Fenella…" I'm leaning over him, his body lying limply on his cot. Everyone has turned an eye away from him. No one offered to help him after the incident, not even the District Four pair. I couldn't refuse to help him, not after all the people I turned away in my first Games.

"Yes, Hero?" His eyes are turning dull, his eyes drooping. He holds out his only hand to me, a weak smile managing to come to life.

"I-I don't want to die again… not after what my parents told me."

"I know…" I can't help the stream of tears that fall from my tired eyes. I've been by his side for several hours now, applying pressure to his stub of an arm. The blood just keeps soaking through bandage after bandage, sheet after sheet. "I'm sorry… I'm trying my best."

"Thank you." He continues to cry as my mind scrambles to find some way to take away some of the pain before he passes, anything. He wheezes, coughing up phlegm. His body is in shock, it's responding in the worst possible way.

I bring a cool towel to his forehead and press lightly, working over his face. He sighs and closes his eyes, the corners of his lips still fidgeting. The blood still oozes from the clean slice, the smell of it forever instilling itself in my mind.

"Is everyone asleep?" He murmurs as he turns to me. He opens his eyes, but I know he's fading. A black takes over his eyes, his eyes drift to mine and the ceiling.

"Yes…" I shake my head assuringly, keeping the pressure on his wrist. "I believe so."

"Thank you for showing kindness to a monster like me." Hero's voice is soft, like a feather. "Thank you… Fen…el..la." His eyes close. His breathing ceases. His hand loosens under my grip.

Boom

The speakers blare the cannon I know all too well. The projector lights up showing Hero's picture and a small clip of his unfortunate accident. I can still hear his scream, the screams of the others, my own.

I can still feel his hand in mine, an imprint of his own in mine. I can still hear his laughing and crying, his whimpers as the loss of blood slowly took away the boy known as Hero. I take his blanket and cover him with it, like you see nurses do when their patients die.

I drag my feet, feeling defeat as I tuck myself in my cot. I can't help the sobs that claw at my throat and I sing a song, a hymn for him and one that I will sing for each tribute that falls until it is my time to join them.

I've spent it in good company

And all the harm that ever I did

Alas it was to none but me

And all I've done for want of wit

To memory now I can't recall

So fill to me the parting glass

Good night and joy be with you all…

Arena 2- Mad Father

Barrik Solstice (17) Past District 9 Male of the 17th Games

A wave of drowsiness washed over us after the events that night. A few of us cried, a few of us screamed, some mourned silently for a friend, acquaintance. Others simply brushed off the bloody, pulverized remains of our teammates. The remaining ten of us we're directed back into our bed chambers to rest. I remember feeling the dragging sense of disgust and terror as I tossed and turned.

The sounds of scraping and pounding on our door, along with the wails and cries from unknown things and the people here kept me up all night. I couldn't sleep knowing that in the next couple days or hours, I could join Glint and Andra. I do not want to go back into the darkness, not ever again.

Even if it means I have to deceive the people closest to me now.

A bell tolls from the speakers, loud and crisp as the announcements from the Capitol blare throughout the small room.

You may now proceed with today's activities. May the odds be ever in your favor.

I can feel the corners of my lip turn upward in disgust as I throw my legs over the side of the cot. Rubbing my face, I watch the others trudge out of their cots in the same manner as yesterday. Deep circles and bags hang below glazed expressions and several tributes have swollen eyes.

"Let's just get this over with…" Azura murmurs as she reopens the bedroom's exit. The moaning and screams from outside intensify as the door swings open. A chill runs through me as we exit the room, finding the bloody remnants of Glint and Andra gone.

All that's left is the crimson footprints of the things.

"What the-"

"We still need to check out the rest of the house." El says as she leads us out to examine the areas in the right wing of the second floor. Besides the bedroom, sits a raven. It spreads its large black wings and descends down to the first floor, elegant and graceful.

"Hmmm. Well, let's continue." Azura and Steele lead the rest of us to another bedroom just feet away from our chambers. The doorway creaks loudly, the room musty and sullen. It looks almost identical to ours, the differences being slight. A small metal lock lies next to a medium sized bed, and at the window stands a woman. Her back is facing us, but I can tell from her disheveled and crimson smeared clothing that this is a person we better avoid.

"Guys I think that-"

"GgggggAAAaaaahHHHH!"

The woman turns to us screaming. Blood drips from her hairline, her eyes are eerie. Her banshee wails cause everyone to scream and shut the door. We separate, several groups heading different directions and some individuals running down the stairway. I simply stay put with El and Valiant as the chaos settles.

Valiant shakes his head. "We're not supposed to separate."

El nods and turns to me, giving me a nervous smile.

"I know… haven't they seen horror movies?" I try to chuckle and heighten the mood. It doesn't work.

Valiant shakes his head. "Let's go back in."

My eyes widen. "Are you freakin' crazy?!"

El chimes in. "I think he's referring to the key at her feet…"

Valiant turns the knob and swings the door open. The woman is nowhere in sight and a small silver key sits in a small pool of blood. "See?"

"Ahhh…" I shrug and retrieve the shiny object. Wiping the blood off with the front of my pants, I hold the key up and watch in awe as it shimmers against the moonlight streaming from outside. "It says… Archive key."

"Cool, let's see if there's something there…" The three of us exit the bedroom and head further into the right wing. My eyes drift down the stairway and I watch as the things throw their bodies against an entranceway. I remember some of the others heading that way when we separated… could they be chasing the others?"

"Darn…" El taps her finger against a mounted clock and sighs. The barely audible ticking of the clock signals that it should be working, but the still hands prove otherwise. "Stuck at midnight…"

"Weird…" I scavenge through some pots, with no luck. Venturing further down the hallway, we find Vetch and Rhea shivering near two doorways.

"Hey, why'd you-"

"They're human…" Rhea whispers, her eyes darkening. "They're human…"

"Wh-What…?"

She stays silent with Vetch, his eyes bloodshot and strained. I grab the key from my pocket and insert it into the door handle's lock. It unlocks with ease and the five of us enter. The smell of old books and documents wafts strongly in the area, dozens upon dozens scattered everywhere. The raven from before sits at a small oak table, perched on the edge of the tabletop.

"What the-?"

The bird flies out of the room, and turns to the left. I shake my head and continue my quest through the shelves.

"Ah, I remember this book…" El flips through some of the pages of a weathered novel and a warm smile brightens her usually melancholic expression. "There's a girl who can control fire. She goes on this umm… journey to find her family after the rebellion, proclaiming "Burn all those in my way!" and did exactly that to her enemies. Her powers went out of control and she destroyed the world… so she was never reunited with her family… she was all alone." Her face softens and her despondent demeanor comes back.

"Look at this." Valiant holds up a red book cover and flips to a folded page. Grim looking photographs of human cadavers mark the books pages and techniques for dissecting bodies are written in its contents.

"That's gross…!" I turn back and hold back the rising bile. Images of gore and dead bodies fill my mind and bring me back to my first Games.

Memories sent from hell.

"Look what's inside…" Valiant holds up a code for the safe in the other bedroom. It notes the number of each of the items such as number of barrels in the… first floor west hallway and number of red dolls in the doll room among others.

"Don't go in the doll room…" Vetch deadpans as he quakes slightly. "Don't go in there…"

"Well, do you remember how many red dolls there were?"

He inhales sharply and looks towards the ceiling, his eyes glazed. He bites his lip and shakes his head. "I don't remember…"

"Well looks like we're going in there." I make my way towards the Archive's entrance and place my hand on the cool, brass knob. "Where's it at?"

"Down the hall…"

"Cool. You two can stay. Valiant, El?" I turn to my ally with expecting eyes, flashing him a reassuring smile. Valiant nods in my direction and turns to Rhea and Vetch. El shakes her head and takes her place next to Rhea and Vetch. So just Valiant… not that I'm surprised or anything.

After avoiding the piles of research materials and literary pieces from long ago, Valiant finally makes it to the door with me. I open the door and witness the rise of wretched voices hanging in the air. The moans and screams of animals for the slaughter and humans on the verge of chaos ring violently in my chest. My thoughts run rampant as the void we traverse through could be our resting place. For good this time. The anxiety tears through my lungs and heart, still alive and beating. I haven't felt this way in a long time… and perhaps I'll feel this way even after I get out of here.

I don't know. All I know for certain is that I need to leave… I need to leave.

"Hey, Barrik." A low, almost barely audible voice calls me from down the hallway. Pushing past the overwhelming anticipation, I turn right from the doorway and turn right again to see Valiant near a dead end. My fears are soon realized as Azura and Steele stand near Valiant at a window pane, their eyes casted toward the gloomy night sky.

"Prepare yourself, Barrik." Steele mutters as he gazes out the window, his eyes filled with tears. "…"

"I…" I exhale frustrated as I grab the door handle. "Why are we even in this shit anyway?! I wish I was still dead!" A little lie won't hurt anyone, as long as they don't find out the truth.

My breathing becomes shallow as I face the oak door, the deep, musky scent of wood sending me back to District 9. I can feel my tear ducts begin to sting, causing me to wipe my eyes without detection from the others.

"It can't be that bad." The small amount of hope I had during the day and a half I've been in here was ripped apart and stomped on in front of me. I feel my legs tremble severely as I close the door behind me. The room is coated in blood, the splatter so thick and abundant that the room reeks of iron. Humans dressed in dresses and suits are lined in rows, some prim and proper, while others demonic. Creepy smiles and hollow eyes adorn porcelain flesh. I fall to my knees, wincing as they hit the foreign carpet beneath me.

It's not until my eyes land in one doll that my world shrinks and shrivels, my sense of self gone forever. Julia, my close friend and District partner sits in a red velveteen chair. She's covered in dark crimson, a familiar knife held in her dainty hands. My eyes wander to her left hand, a choked sob ruptures from my swollen throat.

My eyes.

Sitting in the palm of her hand lies my eyes, my real ones. A sinister smile spreads across her soft features, my mind spirals back to our Games…

"Julia can't save you now…"

I don't realize I'm screaming until I feel Rhea's and Vetch's warmth pressed against me as they pick me up. My legs feel like stone as my feet drag to our room, any sense of hope ripped from my chest and stomped in front of me. Closing my eyes, I feel as my body tucks into the cot that serves as a place of nightmares and hear a thudded noise chime from the masked speakers.

BOOM

Rhea Katze (17) Past District 3 Tribute of the 98th Games

Shortly after we put Barrik to bed, a cannon went off. Vetch and I, dodging the dead that had first greeted us, went to the left hallway and welcomed a most gruesome sight. The bathroom was soaked in blood, the bathtub filled with the crimson we all know and fear. Mercy's mangled body was left against the restroom's wall. Her arms made unnatural angles, her legs were bent beneath her. Other than that, it looked like the small blonde was sleeping. Her golden locks were soaked in blood and gore, blood coating her neck and t-shirt.

Now, the nine of us toss and turn in our cots as the chaos just outside our door churns and bubbles for the tasks we must complete tomorrow. Words from a small book I found in the archive haunt my state of my mind and I can't help and mouth the cursed lines…

Humans are beautiful. But that beauty soon fades.

That is the law of this world.

But I have overturned it.

After years of research, I have found "eternal beauty".

A body that will never fade even in death. A body as fresh as when they were still alive.

They have eternal beauty within their grasp…

Arena 1- Ib

Faust Stark (18) Past District 5 Male of the 1st Quarter Quell

"Damn…" I rub my head, feeling the intense pounding as I stand up. I remember the gallery, the creepy things happening and the painting. The painting that turned into a real pond…?

Fuck, I need to get my head straight.

Part of the ceiling where it looks like we came from goes on and on, infinite. The last thing I remember was falling, the cool waters taking us further and further into the chaos. It was so peaceful, blissful even. I didn't think I could feel that good after my first reaping.

"Hey, Faust." Tricity points to a set of blue stairs. "Let's go."

"Hmmm?" I look around and find the others already gone. I gather myself and head down the steps, two at a time. "What the hell is happening to us?"

"This is the Games. If you would've been awake… we discussed this." Tricity giggles and points to the bottom of the stairs to Mira. "We would have also witnessed me cussing that bitch out for pushing me in that stupid painting."

I look down at my shirt and pants and find no signs of dampness. My eyebrows knit as I stretch out the tight material of my shirt. "Shouldn't our clothes be…"

"Let's just go. If I think of all these crazy things all at once I'll go insane." Tricity grabs my arm and we descend the remaining steps to the others. The walls on either side of the stairway close with a muted thud and there's no turning back.

"Look!" Barkley goes down the left hallway and everyone chases after the tiny girl. The walls, the floor, everything is blue. The absent of any other color sends a wave of nausea through me, bile bubbling in my throat.

Come Come Come Come Come Come

Lines the walls in creepy scrawl. My heart stops as we come to the end of the hallway and find twelve vases, each one with a beautiful colored rose. My eyes wander and find different colors, all seeming artificial. Everyone gasps as the mere sight of the flower takes our breaths away.

"Look, there's one for everyone." Tricity chirps as she finds a bright crimson rose, inhaling the scent of the petals.

Further investigation proves that each vase has a small paper that inscribes a person's name. The roses are either vibrant or a darker color, a pale pastel or a rich ebony.

I find my rose and feel the rise of a chuckle caught in my throat. Retrieving the rose from its vase, I twirl the stem between my fingers. The jet-black petals remind of me of the darkness and pain inside my soul. The constant struggle between good and evil, order and chaos, hope and despair…

"Tough luck, man." My head snaps upward as I catch Bram shaking his head. "Black represents-"

"It's fine, actually." I cut him off before he can continue his ignorant babble. He shoots me a dirty look and holds up his rose. Dark green petals make up his rose and I quickly detect the problem with it. "Hmmm, why is your rose smaller than the rest of ours, Bram?"

Everyone gathers around us, whispering and nodding at the mention of Bram's rose. "Well… I think it represents the size of your tiny dick."

Several gasps fill the hallway and everyone's eyes land on the now red-faced teen. His expression falters for a few seconds before his face contorts in anger. "Shut the hell up! You don't know nothing about-"

I briskly exit the hallway and enter the room adjacent to all the vases and welcome a large painting of a woman. An oak table stands just two feet away from me and holds a blue key. As soon as I grab the key, however, the woman portrayed in the artwork grows a very unsettling smile. Her pupils become larger and an unsettling grin sets on her face.

Feeling very creeped out and almost violated, I quickly step out of the room and hold up the key. "Let's get the hell outta here." The others follow behind me as we make our way down the hallway, the words…

Thief Thief Thief Thief Thief Thief

Appear as we proceed. Turning the corner, we locate another sign in booklet and another door.

"Aww, jeez." Tricity snatches the quill from the ink bottle and scribbles her name down. "I'm fucking tired of this bullshit…"

"Welcome to the club, princess." Muttering under my breath, I turn the blue key in the lock and it clicks. "Bingo."

"Let's just get this over with." Mira pushes past everyone and heads into the room. The area is completely green, besides the different paintings of insects that line the hall. The color is nauseating, almost casting a bright, neon effect.

Crunch

The sound resonates from Barkley eating a red apple, her cheeks rosy as she munches on the sweet fruit. My stomach rumbles as I recall the mere package I received last night. Your basic loaf of bread with some roast beef and cheese. Not the fine culinary items like pizza and hearty stews that some of the others got.

Okay, I guess. I'm not looking to impress anyone.

"Ha, look at that." I hear Eli mumble as he squats down near the insect paintings. He draws his index finger across the carpeted flooring and scoops up a medium-sized black ant. The small insect crawls frantically alongside Eli's palm and fingers.

"I seriously just want to get this finished, so if you don't mind." Tricity pushes past us and heads down a very narrow hallway. She stays in the middle and makes her way across, ignoring the small note on a column near the insect paintings.

Beware the edges

It's the size of a post-it and blends in seamlessly to the wall. I notice that the others don't take notice and snicker silently as Bram and Yarrow walk side by side down the aisle. Large, monster-like hands with fingernails resembling claws strike through the wall and attack their roses. Yarrow screams as the hands scratch at her caramel toned skin, itching to pluck her virgin rose.

"AHHH!" Bram's girly scream pierces my eardrums, my head snaps to the left to see him crawling to safety on the other side. Tricity bellows in laughter as the startled youths emerge somewhat okay from the hallway.

The hands on either side of the walls cannot reach to the other side completely, a rather large gap separates the pairs of hands. Mira goes first, holding her multi-colored rose in the air as she sucks her gut in. Messiah follows after her, his large build proving to be a problem as his black shirt exposes part of his torso. Myself and the others are slim so getting across is fairly simple. Gathering around the exit, Orion jimmies the handle, but no luck.

"There was another doorway when we entered…" Carella mumbles as she turns away from Tricity's hazed eyes. "Maybe if we check over there we'll…"

"Fine, but I think that some of us should stay here and a group of you should go. We don't need anyone else losing their petals, do we?" Tricity snaps as she pulls out Popsicle sticks from her bag. "Whoever grabs the ones with the red marks has to go back."

"How the hell did you prepare for this?!" My teeth grit as I face her.

"I knew something like this would happen…" She smirks and holds the wooden sticks in front of her. "Now pick."

I grunt in frustration and pick the one in the middle. My pissy mood heightens when I find the bright red mark at the bottom of the stick. "Dammit."

The others pick theirs and Barkley, Carmini, and Eli join me as the unlucky ones.

"I'll trade places with Carmini!" Carella shouts, pushing past Orion. "She can't put herself in anymore stress!"

Tricity snickers. "She's a big girl. She can handle herself. Also… no one can trade places with you four."

"Who the fuck do you think you are?! You don't get to decide that!" Keither slams his hand against the wall, his usually pale face turning a dark red. The force of the impact makes the painting of the ant unhinge from the hook keeping it up and t falls to the floor with a thud.

"Fine. Since you're so sure of your ranking among everyone here, Career wannabe. You can take Barkley's place. Carmini still has to go in, though."

I growl in anger as I sprint across the hall, avoiding the clawing hands and wait as the other three slowly make their way over. Eli holds up the ant painting that had fallen over his head and leaves unscathed.

I lead the small group of us through the doorway and welcome a large gaping hole in the center of the small room. "Hey, Eli. Let's use that painting to get across."

He's hesitant, I can tell from the dip in his brow to his hands that clasp the frame fervently. He obliges however as he lays the work over the bottomless pit. The painting fits exactly and the four of us step over it to reach another doorway. The ant now looks squished, like roadkill.

I don't draw attention to my gaze to avoid a pity party for the art piece and turn the handle of the doorway. Frigid air hits me like a freight train and we enter. The green key sits in the middle of the room, perfectly in line with a headless mannequin we saw earlier in the gallery.

Just as I snatch the key, I sense a movement from the female mannequin. My eyes dart to her limbs to see no signs of being placed in different locations. I blink several times, standing paralyzed. I turn my back and I hear a growl emanate from its chest. Despite not having a mouth or skull, the intimidating sound has me hurling towards the door. My peripheral vision displays the headless woman sprinting after us, Eli heaving to catch up with the girls and I. There's a strange movement from Barkley as she steps over the painting, I don't question it I can barely keep my legs from spazzing out on me as well. When Carmini leaps over, her right foot comes crashing down on the side of the canvas and the entire thing rips, the masterpiece falling into unknown depths. She spins in the air to avoid a fatal impact of her abdomen on the floorboards.

Eli and I leap, my forearms manage to grip onto the other side of the hole. Unfortunately, Eli comes up short and falls, managing to grab my ankles. The weight is almost too much to bear as I hang on by my fingertips. Barkley grabs my wrist and tries to pull me up, but her small build proves difficult as she begins to slide toward the edge. I can hear Carmini gasping and the strain in her voice, I would imagine the impact of the fall would cause a sharp pain to her baby.

"Errr…ahh…" I try to kick Eli off me, but he's a stubborn son of a bitch. No matter how much I kick, he clings with all his might. The mannequin leaps at an angle into the hole, her body connects with Eli's and the sound of glass shattering drives my adrenaline through the roof. I look down and witness the horror as pieces of black glass pierce my calfs and Eli's face and neck. He screams as he realizes what has happened, his hands slick with both of our bloods. A large piece pierced his jugular and blood pumps viciously from the wound, his grip on my ankles becoming weaker and weaker by the second.

His grip on me vanishes, and I feel the air beneath me swoosh violently. With the weight of his body gone, I pull myself over the ledge and nearly choke in disbelief as the sound of his body connects with the floor below.

BOOM

Barkley rushes into my arms and sobs, terrified as her body shakes from the horror. Carmini latches onto me as well and cries, holding her hand over her large belly. We sit in the hallway for a very long time, it's not until Orion opens the door to the room that we stand up and walk out. I don't give an explanation of what happened, not to what happened to his ally or what happened here.

They'll all find out when the Capitol displays his picture in our bedroom tonight as the first victim in this hell.

Just ten more to go…

A/N: Here's Day 2 of the Games and the last day of the Bloodbath Be sure to review your thoughts, predictions, anything Blog is up to date! I do not own the traditional Scottish tune, 'The Parting Glass'.

Hero De'Rogue: His death was one of the first that came to mind, I really couldn't imagine anyone else willing to 'give a hand'. He was different from most sterotypical Careers which I liked, and he was corny ;) Thanks to the 'Axe Smelling God' for submitting him. Placed 33rd.

Mercy Jade: Another character of mine who has connections to a tribute from the Games before (Harmony Jade). I intended for her character to be on the psycho route, but I didn't want her character to drag on with everyone else. Puzzle solving would not have worked well… :/ Sorry, Mercy. Placed 32nd.

Elijah "Eli" Sonenclar: Oh, Eli. Our resident 'whimsical, quirky character'. He's my character and well… I'm really going to miss him. Who'll bother Tanner now? Placed 31st.

29 tributes to go…

Love Always, Domi