Kodi Nyquist

So my district partner is dead, two Careers are alive and probably hunting us at this moment, and it's raining. How can this get possibly worse? Big thanks to the Gamemakers for making my, our, lives miserable.

Marquette and I have been trudging through this downpour for a few hours, trying to distance ourselves as far away from that damned town as possible. The sun had begun to set, causing the arena to become almost pitch-black, and the torrent of rain has completely reduced the visibility to zero. I can barely go 3 steps without having to wipe the drops out of my eyes.

Luckily, Quid managed to send some bread down, so that's something. Was it a consolation for Selene's death? Because unfortunately, it wasn't working. But hey, I'll give him props for trying, even if the best he could give was soggy loaves of bread.

Despite the pelting rain, roaring winds, and lack of good nourishment, Marquette has been surprisingly quiet throughout our entire trek. I suppose that's okay, because I need some time to think myself.

There's a bright flash of lightning that strikes a tree in the far distance. The bolt illuminates the arena for a second, allowing us to spy a cave a few meters away. Seeing as though we've got nowhere else to go, the two us head towards the rocky cove. But as we head towards the cave, I glance over to see the tall tree the lightning bolt struck, still smoldering red in the darkness. Not on fire, huh? It's another one of the Capitol's genetic experiments. Just another reminder that nothing in this arena is not what it seems.

Mark and I settle down into our makeshift abode. The cave is barely big enough to fit the two of us. In fact, I actually have to stick my feet out in order to squeeze in. We don't have anything to light the tiny alcove, so we just sit there, the only light coming from the periodical bursts of lightning from afar. I should feel right at home. The Children of Lightning…minus one.

Outside, the faces of the newly deceased are projected on the sky, barely visible from all the rain and storm clouds. But I can still make out the faces, the fried tributes from 1 and 2, Veranda from 7. I hope that the faces of the other Careers would show too. No such luck.

Last of all, Lynn. Shit, no…Selene. The sight of her lifeless body is still fresh in my mind. Her dull emerald eyes, the yellow dandelion I placed in her hair. The jagged knife jammed into her spinal column. Now where have I seen this before? Great, I know who's coming to visit me in my nightmares tonight.

"Kodi," Marquette whispers. It's the first thing she had said to me ever since we left Selene.

"Yeah?" I reply, fiddling around with my rusty old knife.

"About Selene, I'm just…really sorry. I mean, maybe if I had-."

"Don't say it Marquette. It was not your fault, and I can't blame you for anything. If there is anything we should blame, it's these lousy Games," I say. "Heh, Games huh? This isn't a game, it's barbaric."

"I wouldn't say that out loud, Kodi. The Gamemakers aren't going to be too happy," she replies cautiously.

"As if they could make my life any worse," I spit angrily. It's true though, can't really see how things could get worse. Except for me and Marquette dying. Shit, now I've just made myself feel worse.

I've decided that I've had enough stress and depression for today, so I mutter, "Let's go to sleep Mark. It's been a long day. Besides, no one can see anything in this downpour, so now's a better time than ever to get some rest."

She nods in agreement. So the two of us squeeze in tight, sharing our body heat to protect us from the cold, harsh rain. I slip my beanie off, meaning to slip them over my hands to keep them from freezing. But instead, I wrap the warm woolen cap around Marquette's cold hands. After all, she's all I've got in the arena now, and I'm not sure if I can take losing another ally to hypothermia. I wonder if Kat's watching me right now, huddled close with another girl I've literally just met about a week ago. But she'll understand; I know she will.

Before I can drift off into whatever nightmare awaited me tonight, I whisper to both my ally and my girlfriend on the other side of the screen, "Good night."

It was New Year's Day in District 3. It was 6:30 AM, and the first sunrise of the year began to peek over the horizon. Yesterday's nightly celebration had worn off, and almost all the denizens were asleep in their homes. All except two, a young couple barely in their teens, who sat next to a small secluded pond, away from the polluting factories.

The boy and girl sat there, whispering unintelligibly, their hands interlocked. The boy had a beanie on his head, and his eyes were stained red as if he had been crying recently. The girl, one the other hand, was watching him solemnly, a look of understanding on her pretty face.

Running his fingers through her soft blond hair, the boy said something quietly. Smiling gently, the girl repeated the words he had said. The two stared into each other's eyes for a second of two, returning the other's affectionate smiles. Then, the couple leaned in close, and their lips locked together in a tender, amorous kiss.

XxXxX

A thunderclap outside wakens me from my sweet slumber. Of course the one time I actually have a dream that doesn't make me piss my pants, and I have to prematurely wake up. It's the middle of the night, and it's still raining cats and dogs outside. Marquette's still sleeping soundly on my shoulder, and I can't help but think of how heavy a sleeper she is. But then again, that's coming from the guy who can't even stay asleep for a single night.

My cheeks feel wet, and I realize that I must have either slipped out into the pelting rain, or I was crying while I was dreaming. It figures that I cried while thinking of probably the happiest moment of my life. But I miss her so much, and it's kind of hard not to be homesick.

"What's up, sunshine?"

At first I think it's Mark making that remark. But no, instead it's a certain blond haired maiden who haunts my dreams. I give an exasperated sigh when I see her.

"What, not happy to see me?" Lynn asks disappointed.

"Well, I can't say I am considering the circumstances. Besides, you're not real," I whisper.

"How so?"

"Because you're probably just another vision I'm making up to comfort myself."

Lynn sits up against the rocks and looks at me straight in the eye. "Well, there's no proof that I'm not a ghost, but there isn't any proof I am either," she says with a smirk. "But, ghost or not, I'm obviously here for a reason, and it's not to comfort you, you conceited asshole."

I can't tell if she's insulting me or poking fun, so I just chuckle. That's my sister's humor for you, sarcastic and cynical.

"All joking aside, bro, there really is a reason I'm back. It's because…I can't help you anymore."

"What?" I inquire.

"You have to let me go, Kodi. You're not going to win unless you let me go. I think I should know, after all, I did lose," she answered bluntly. Let her go? How could I? I watched her die from the very same Games I was in right now, how can I just let that go?

"But-but I need you, Lynn. You're my twin, we're two halves of a whole, remember? I don't…I don't want to be alone," I plead. Not exactly the best argument, but I'm desperate.

The vision/ghost scoffs and says, "Are you stupid? You're not alone. You've got the perfect teammate right there!" Lynn points to Marquette, who is still curled up, asleep.

"Remember bro? When life hits you hard…"

"You hit back ten times harder," I reply solemnly. She's right. As much as don't want to, I have to move on. Easier said than done.

Damn, I hate it when she's right. Leave to my dead twin to give me advice. After a deep breath, I answer, "Okay Lynn, I will."

"That's the Kodi I know," my sister says, giving a thumbs up. "Later bro, I know you'll make the right choices. Oh, and Selene and Dad say hi."

Then, just as suddenly as she appeared, Lynn was gone, faded into the dark forest outside. Instinctively, I reach out for her fleeting figure, but it's too late. She's gone. And, for my sake, for good. So, leaning back into Marquette's warmth, I whisper, "Later sis." I slip my eyes closed, ready to slide back into my slumber…

No dreams tonight. Well, it's a start.

Marquette Tetra

I'm not sure what to think of last night. It sure was a great time to think, I can say that.

Kodi and I were huddled into that dark cave for a long time, waiting for the storm to pass. First he slipped his beanie around my hands, to which I thought like an idiot, Oh my gosh, he cares about me!

Then I realized how stupid that sounded, and how I was lucky I didn't say that out loud. So, trying to be a nonchalant as possible, I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. But truthfully, who could sleep in the Hunger Games? I mean, it's sort of difficult when thunder is booming around you and there are eight people out there potentially hunting you down. Sleep is a luxury tributes do not have sadly.

Then there's the matter of Kodi to deal with. When…if…it comes down to the two of us, well then what? Because I am definitely not bringing myself to kill him then.

My javelin sits at the mouth of the cave, within arm's reach. On instinct, I reached toward the pointed weapon. Oh how easy it would have been to grab that weapon and run Kodi through right there and then. And yet, it wouldn't have been easy, because I love him.

Love. Isn't it ironic how love, supposed to be the purest force in the world, is right now the bane of my existence?

Finally, I was tired of racking my brain with these thoughts. My head had actually begun to hurt from being so confused, if that's even possible. So I began drift into sleep, the one place where I could escape this arena.

Or so I thought.

Before waking up, (surprise!) I was dreaming about this blasted arena. It was night, it was cold, and I was surrounded by mutts, dogs that were about the size of a lion. Then one of them, the leader, leaped forward, and his face turned into my dad's. Well, it sort of was my dad, and it sort of wasn't. It was more demonic, his pupils were slits and they were glowing red, piercing deep into my mind. Without pause, he leaped towards me, aiming his jaws at my neck. That was when I woke up.

I thought I was still dreaming at first, because it was still dark. But I soon realized that the rain outside was all too real. I would've gotten up if I hadn't noticed Kodi was already up too. He was mumbling something, and at first I thought it was directed towards me. But he was facing the other direction, staring out into the cold rain, and I knew he wasn't talking to me.

I heard him say "Lynn". There's that name again. Who was she, anyway? Because obviously she's pretty important to Kodi if he's been mumbling about her ever since we'd joined together. He must have been having visions of her, poor guy. As much as I want to hug him, I don't think it would have been the right time for it. So all I do is listen.

After a few minutes of him talking, he finally sits back and closes his eyes once again, but not before uttering one last sentence. "Later sis."

So Lynn must be, or have been, his sister, huh? The two seem really close. It makes me smile, knowing that I can relate. I think of Kory, who has probably never left the screen for one second, not even for the fishing business. I remember his soft blue eyes on that last night when we had said goodbye. It's good knowing that I've got someone at home who wants me to win. Heck, it's probably the only thing keeping me sane right now.

Kodi has fallen asleep again, so I figure I should do the same. Before I close my eyes, I point to my heart, a little sign for my brother. "Later Kory," I whisper. Then I rest my head back on Kodi's shoulder, and nod back into sleep.

When I get back up once again, it's morning. The rain has subsided, leaving behind a few clouds in its wake. I'm about to say good morning to Kodi when I realize he's not there. Apparently he had somehow gotten away without waking up. Two things come to mind; one, I'm one heck of a sleeper. And two, holy crap, where did he go?

I crawl out of the cramped space, already wide awake. The last thing I need is to lose another teammate, and we all know what happened the last time I lost someone. Worried, I whisper urgently, "Kodi? You there?"

My heart races for a second, waiting for an answer. Then I hear, "Over here, Mark!" and I am relieved immediately. Taking the javelin at the mouth of the cave, I head over to the sound.

Kodi's sitting on a flat rock, twirling his rusty knife in the air. Upon seeing me, he smiles and says, "Mornin' sunshine!"

I toss him his beanie that he wrapped around my hands and sit down next to him. "Thanks for that. It was freezing last night, weren't you cold?" I say.

"Naw, it was fine Marquette. Nothing I couldn't handle," he replied cheerily.

I'm about to ask him about Lynn, but I decide against it. It's probably something personal, and if it was okay with him, then he'd probably tell me anyway. It's better not to press him, especially since he's my ally. And, of course, I'm completely madly in love with him, but that's another point entirely.

Instead, I reply, "You're in an awfully happy mood today. And I know that look, you're planning something aren't you? What's up?"

He smiles slyly and chuckles. He then flicks his wrist, sending the knife into a rabbit scurrying by. As he stands up, he looks at me and answers confidently, "We've been running for too long, Mark."

Taking the knife out of the dead creature, he wipes it on his sleeve and continues, "Today, we're hitting back. Ten times harder."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

What…is…up peoples? So, it's been what? Exactly one month since the last update? Man, I've been neglecting this story way too much than I would have hoped. But at least now you know I'm not dead! Anyway, Kodi's POV is a bit lopsided in this one, but whatever, I'll balance it out sooner or later. So anyway, hopefully you guys are still reading and please…

REVIEW!