Chapter 6

"There's no one here to kill. We need to move." For once, Drew is right; today is day six and we are on isle seven, so this place will become no more than water by tomorrow.

"Ok," I say. "Let's go."

Alexx grins (At the thought of killing?) and starts running about, shoving anything and everything into her rucksack. It doesn't take long.

We set off across he bridge to the eighth isle made up of sharp, spiky rocks with waterfalls running between them. The water runs straight from the centre of the isle to the outside and right off the edge which I'm sure looks very dramatic on camera. They don't really have waterfalls in District Ten.

The next isle along from that is a wheat field, but I am so sick of fields that I simply walk straight through it without a glance back, straight onto the next island, which is a hot, humid forest. The island itself is only about five metres in diameter, but very tightly packed with trees. There is, however, a neat little clearing in the centre, perfect for a camp. So that's where we set up.

It is now around noon, and we've walked quite a long way so everyone is hungry. I hand around some dried fruit, followed by a couple of cans. We now only have three cans, which is strange because we started with twenty and have only eaten a few. I can find no other food apart from a few slices of rabbit (Which are rapidly going off - we should eat them tonight) and those sachets of poison.

That sadistic part of my mind imagines combining the two and creating a totally lethal meal. I could do that... I should do that...

Boom!

The cannon startles me and stops the conversation between Rachel and Drew about the best way to decapitate a twelve-year-old (Thankfully; it was becoming rather disconcerting, especially when Alexx added her own opinions and methods).

"Who was that?" asks Rachel.

"Who cares?" retaliates Drew.

"Me," snaps Alexx. "Because it wasn't me who killed them."

"You don't say," mutters Drew.

"Drew," Rachel warns. "It's not funny. We haven't killed anyone since day one except those in our own alliance. Quite honestly, we aren't doing much. Mainly because you're in charge, may I add?"

"No," Drew snarls. "You may not." Then, in a calmer tone: "Or would you rather lead the group?"

"Ok," Rachel snaps. "I will."

"I bet you can't do it as well as me," Drew taunts.

"Even Frances would do it better than you," Rachel snaps.

This stops him. He glares at Rachel and she glares back.

"Stop it," I say quickly, trying to break the tension between them. "Stop it, both of you. We're running out of food, so we need to hunt tomorrow, and not just for humans."

"Why not now?"

"Um... Well, I suppose we could hunt now."

"Awesome, let's go."

Alexx leaps up and runs straight off into the woods, Drew hot on her heels. Rachl says she'll watch the camp, leaving me to go off alone.

Before long, I reach the bridge leading the the next isle, and only just stifle a scream. I'm not normally squeamish, but this... It's only just recognisable as the body of Simon He, the boy from Twelve. His short, black hair has been totally taken off, along with most of his scalp. He has scratches and scrapes all over his body, most of them deep and very painful-looking. I throw up over the side of the island and don't dare look any closer at the corpse. I think Riana's body probably looked like this when she died, though I never saw it. It was probably done by the same person.

I go through the remaining tributes in my head: Alexx, Rachel, Drew, me... I don't really know, actually; I haven't been keeping track of the skies. Well, both from Five and Six are dead, as is the girl from Seven as of yesterday. I think her partner is still alive, as is the girl from Eight... I think. The boy from my district is still around, and maybe one more? Maybe not.

Anyway, if the same person did Riana and Simon, it certainly wasn't Tad as we originally thought. Nor was it Drew, Rachel or Alexx nor the boy from Seven from what I saw of him. So it could've been Robert from my district or the brunette from Eight. Or maybe someone else who I can't think of.

Quite honestly, I don't remember much about the girl from Eight apart from the fact that she was a brunette. She could be the person behind these deaths for all I know. And as for Robert of Ten... I seriously don't remember him, either. My time in the Capitol is all a blur to me now, and I can barely remember what my apartment looked like, let alone the strengths, weaknesses and killing habits of my district partner.

And then I have the mystery of the eyes in the grass. Who could that have been? Are they still alive now? Again, that couldn't have been Alexx, Rachel or Drew, and I seem to remember the boy from Seven (Andrew, yes?) being more arty than cunning. So, again, it comes down to Robert or Eight. Or someone who I forgot about. Or someone who is already dead.

This whole attempted mystery-solving is giving me a headache.

And, anyway, I should be hunting.

I cross the bridge to the eleventh isle - another waterfall. I will not find anything to hunt here, but I could gather water.

Well, if I had something to gather it with.

I only just stay on the rocks as I cross the isle, thanking the Gamemakers for my grippy shoes.

The next - and final - isle is tiny, maybe one metre in diameter. However, the structures it has on it are enough to totally baffle me.

It is a perfect miniature replica of the Capitol. It still towers over my head, but not quite as much. I can't go into the buildings (The doors are too small) and the streets can only fit a couple of people side-by-side rather than twenty, but they are still grand and splendorous and the city still sparkles and shines in the glaring sun.

But the whole place is empty, so I can't hunt.

I hope the others did more than me.

The Tyler household is tall, grand and very imposing. The doorbell echoes through empty corridors for minutes after I ring it.

Jezzebelle opens the door wearing a shimmering silk night-gown and not much else. Her pink and blue hair falls on her shoulders in a tangled mess, but it somehow looks stunning and suits her perfectly.

"Adrastus!" she squeals, leaning forward and throwing her arms around me so tightly I think I am about to suffocate.

"Oh, hello, Jezzebelle," I gasp.

"Call me Jezz!" She beams. "Now, do come in!"

I follow her down the hallway and up a flight of stairs as she gives me earache.

"... normally here alone, you see. Mum advises people 24/7 and Dad is constantly a the Centre this half of the year, so my brothers are meant to look after me, except Marius is out down the back alleys getting hooked up most nights and Nyall is on a date over at his new girlfriend's house all day, so I just get left here..."

"Um, Miss Tyler?" I say, trying to get her to shut up for a second and give my ear a rest.

"Adrastus, call me Jezz, please!"

"Oh, um... Jezz." The name feels strange on my tongue. "I thought I was here to help you with homework."

"What?" She stares at me blankly. "But I don't do homework. Besides, my tutor never sets it."

"But you said you were on an appren-"

"Oh, that! Yes, I quit that last week."

"But you asked me yester-"

"Never mind that. You're here now." She lowers her voice and leans in close, her violet eyes shining. "Here, I want to show you something."

She disappears down the hallway and into a room. I follow at a distance.

"What is it?" I look around the room, but I can't see Jezzebelle anywhere. "Jezzebelle? Miss Tyler?" Where are you?"

Her voice floats faintly through another door. "I'm in here, give me a second! And call me Jezz!"

There are sounds of doors swinging open and bolts sliding into place, followed by a few clicks and Jezzebelle's cry of, "ok, come in!"

I cautiously step towards the door and place my fingers on the handle.

"Hurry up!"

I push the door open.

And, I swear, I almost faint. It is the most shocking and unexpected thing that has ever happened to me.

Jezzebelle is standing in the centre of a small, hexagonal closet with full-length mirrors surround her. Her hair is up in a bun, and she has removed the night-gown, replacing it with...

Nothing.

She is wearing only her underwear and standing in such a way that I can see every inch of her body in the mirrors.

And she just beams at me.