I had a millisecond to register the fact I hadn't been blown sky high, and then the other tributes were rushing forward. Adrenaline coursing through my veins, I just about had time to take a ragged breath, before scrambling to my feet and bolting for the crossbow.

The other tributes were already fighting. I could see them moving in the corners of my eyes, but I didn't stop. Instead, I slipped around them or ducked beneath their wild swings as I drew closer to the Cornucopia. I was about three yards away when a boy I didn't recognise lunged forward, a wickedly sharp sword in his hand. I gasped in shock, but the blade barely caught the back of my jacket. Another blur of movement on my other side, a girl taking advantage of my momentary weakness, made me move on instinct, and I spun to grab the boy's wrists tightly. His eyes widened in fear, but all I did was yank his wrists forward, plunging his sword into the girl's stomach. The sickening squelch made me shiver, but I released him in the same second - now successfully distracted - and spun, gracefully leaping up the side of the Cornucopia.

Luckily, most of the other tributes were now too busy running away or fighting each other, so none of them noticed me as I scrambled across the top of the Cornucopia, jumping off the other end and landing with a gentle roll.

A bolt shot past me, missing my left arm by inches, and I went rigid on the spot.

In front of me, the boy from District 5 - I thought his name might be Troy - was stood, the crossbow aimed at me, or at least in my general direction. His hands shook as he held it, and despite the fact he was clearly trying to intimidate me, I could tell he hadn't loaded another bolt yet. The fear in his eyes was evident, and for a moment, the thought of killing this boy just because he was in my way made my stomach clench in guilt.

Footsteps sounded on my right, and I risked a look, to see the District 5 girl, Juno, staring between the two of us in fright. "Troy, we need to go!" she hissed, shivering. "Quick, before the Careers find us!"

His teeth ground together in forced determination. "She's the favourite to win," he said through his teeth. I remained motionless, crouched in front of them both with an expressionless face. "If I kill her . . ." The crossbow started shaking harder.

"Troy!" Juno complained weakly, shifting on the spot.

Voices grew louder behind me, and I could hear the Careers getting closer. The two of them automatically glanced in that direction in fright, and my eyes dropped to a spear sat on the floor five feet from me. Without hesitating, I pushed myself forward, racing toward it.

Juno shrieked, and Troy fumbled to load another bolt, taking several awkward steps backward. He managed to fire it at me, but it missed by several yards. Then my hand was tightening around the cold, steel spear, and the boy's face dropped. My eyes found his and in that split second, I knew what that look meant; he knew it wasn't getting away, and now, he was begging me to make it fast.

My chest clenched, but I only tightened my eyebrows and gave a slight bow of my head, assuring him it would be.

Then I launched the spear through the air, sending it straight through Troy's chest.

Above us, a cannon fired. The first kill of the Games.

Vaguely, I was aware of Juno screaming, and the sickening feeling that twisted my gut at the sight of Troy's body. But I focussed on the sound of the Career's moving closer, and it forced me to act. I kept racing forward, reaching Troy before his body hit the ground. Catching his corpse, I took the crossbow and locked in another bolt, turning around Troy's body and firing straight for Juno's heart. The girl didn't even have time to register the shock before she crumbled to the ground and another cannon fired.

Breathing hard, I let Troy's body fall to the ground - as gently as I could - and loaded yet another bolt, just as the first Career came barrelling around the Cornucopia.

Myles jerked to a halt, his eyes flicking over the crossbow aimed in his direction and the two dead tributes. "Been busy?" he snorted darkly. I didn't answer. Adrenaline was still coursing through me, and the only thought that could cross my mind was that I was in danger.

More noise emanated from behind Myles, and without a thought to the crossbow I held, he hurried forward, sword in hand, and snatched the spear from Troy's body. "Come on," he growled under his breath. "Iris has Layton, we need to move."

That brought me around, and a spike of fear shot through me. "Iris and Layton?" I repeated dimly. He let out a growling noise in response, and I gulped hard, shaking the thought away and moving to snatch the knife from Juno's lifeless grasp and a random back pack of supplies. I didn't dare take the time to check what was in it though. There was no time for that. Not yet.

I'd just turned to Myles, who had his mouth open to issue more instructions, when a shrill scream sliced through the air. Both of us went rigid, our eyes locked on each other. We both knew that scream. Only too well.

"Iris!" I called in panic, spinning on my heel and racing around the Cornucopia without a thought to what would be waiting for me on the other side. I could hear Myles moving, bolting around the other side in an attempt to take the Careers by surprise. At least one of us was thinking logically. I was too scared of what I might find.

My feet skidded to a halt, my breath catching in my throat. In front of me, both tributes from District 2 were closing in on Iris. The young girl's arm was bleeding too quickly, and her hand could only manage a feeble grip on the knife in her hands. Behind her, Layton was on the floor, unmoving. The sight made me freeze for a second, my eyes fixed on him, and anger began welling in the pit of my stomach.

He couldn't be dead. Not this soon. He couldn't be . . . could he?

It was impossible to tell. He was lay too still. My fists clenched at my sides, and I felt my eyes narrowed furiously. Jaw locking, I tightened my hand around my crossbow, just as Yves moved closer to Iris threateningly. The girl took a step backward, catching Layton's ankle and stumbling to the floor, shaking all over.

"Hey!" I yelled, and the tributes glanced to me. Iris twisted to look at me, relief flooding through her face. But I didn't look, my whole attention on Yves and Lori.

"Well, look who it is," Lori sneered, moving closer to Yves. "Think you can take us both on at once, 11?"

I hesitated, my face falling in surprise. 11? She was still calling me 11? Her sneer waved as I smiled at her, and for a fraction of a second, I was actually grateful she was here. Of course the other tributes were going to keep pretending I was just a District 11 kid. They weren't going to let the world know that I worried them, that they were scared of me.

Behind Yves and Lori, Myles crept around the outskirts of the Cornucopia, moving closer to them as quietly as he could. "I don't need to," I grinned at them.

Yves snorted, gesturing toward Iris and Layton. "You think they can help you?" he snarled at me.

"She didn't mean them," Myles growled, straightening out, and Yves and Lori leapt out of their skins, turning and keeping close to each other. I smirked as fear flashed across their faces, and for a second, they simply stood between Myles and me, glancing back and forth between us.

Then I saw their muscles flinch, and I knew what was coming next. Without another word, both of them twisted and raced for the treeline behind them. Automatically, Myles and I bolted after them, fully intent on hunting them down before they could escape.

"Blake!"

I skidded to a halt uncertainly, halfway toward the treeline, and twisted back to see Iris sat up beside Layton, her hand clamped over her wound and her eyes wide in panic. I gulped hard, shifting on the spot for a moment. "Hey, Myles!" I called over my shoulder, and the boy jogged to a standstill at the treeline, scowling into forest. "Leave them. We'll find them later."

He immediately scowled, making to argue, but I shot him a pointed look, jerking my head back toward Iris. Slowly, he locked his jaw once and nodded stiffly, spinning his spear in his hands and jogging back toward the Cornucopia.

As I knelt down beside Iris and Layton - relieved when I noted Layton was still breathing - Myles moved around the clearing, making sure we were alone. He found a first aid kit, launching it toward me with his trademark scowl before continuing on his hunt. Despite the fact Iris was bleeding, I felt the need to check on Layton first. My fingers pressed into his throat, checking for a pulse, and I sighed in relief as I found it, steady and strong.

"What happened?" I asked Iris, turning to take her hand away from her wound. She winced, but dug her teeth into her bottom lip and forced herself to keep quiet. A small swell of pride rose in my chest, and I smiled at her warmly.

"Layton was on the plate beside me," she said quietly. "I knew you'd want him alive, so I tried to help him."

I glanced up from the wound to scan her features, my chest tightening, but I didn't say anything. I wasn't sure what I could say to that. After all these years, she still surprised me by how brave she could be. She was a lot different from the terrified five year old I first met. Besides, it was hardly likely to be chance that Layton was on the plate beside her, but I couldn't tell her that. Not now we were on camera.

"What next?" I persisted, dropping my gaze back to the wound. It was reasonably deep, but nothing life threatening. The first aid kit I had here was more than enough to keep it from getting infected and wrapping it up.

"I managed to get this," she said, waving the knife feebly. "I made Layton stay close by, because one of the kids from 10 tried to get at him." I lifted an eyebrow in shock. If even the 10 kids were targeting Layton, they must really think he was an easy target. He's already unconscious, a dry voice in the back of my mind pointed out.

"Where's the tribute now?"

Iris shifted, her eyes clouded with guilt and her lips tugging into a sadden smile. She lifted a finger to pointed to the sky. "How'd you think I got this?" she murmured, glancing down darkly at the wound on her arm.

My lips pursed. I wasn't sure what I thought was going to happen in the Games, but the thought of her killing someone seemed wrong somehow. "And Layton?"

"They managed to get a knock to the head in before I took them down," Iris grimaced, lowering her head in guilt. "Sorry."

"Hey," I scolded, lifting her chin up to force her to look at me. "Don't apologise. You did great, kid. He'll be okay in a few hours."

"You're sure?" she asked quietly.

I laughed lightly, nodding once. "Trust me, I'm sure. I, err, have a little experience in being hit around the back of the head." She shot me a puzzled look, but I winked once and returned my attention to the wound on her arm.

Iris held her breath as I worked, allowing me to paste a clear lotion across it gently to stop any infection and keeping her arm locked still. Myles found us again as I was bandaging it up, declaring that there wasn't another tribute in sight, and seven tributes lay dead around the Cornucopia.

I finished off Iris's bandage, glancing up at him. "Which ones?" I asked.

He frowned. "The two you took down from 5," he started. "The girl from 10 is just around the side there, and I found most of the girl from 12 by her plate."

"Most?" Iris repeated, paling drastically. "Why only most?"

"She fell off her plate," I told her. Her lips twisted sickeningly, but she nodded and spun her knife in her hands nervously. I turned back to Myles. "Who else?"

"Uriel from 12, Gray from 6, and Jenia from 1," he completed.

I stared in shock. "The District 1 girl?" I confirmed, and he nodded darkly. "Who took her down?"

His face set. "I did." I hesitated, wondering if I should question him further. No doubt we were being shown in great detail in the Capitol about now. How often were the Careers driven from the Cornucopia by two District 11 kids and a thirteen year old girl, even if we did have Myles as back up?

I shook the questions away, and stood up, straightening out and scanning the surrounding area. "The Careers won't be pleased we've taken the Cornucopia," I pointed out, my lips tugging at the sides smugly. By my feet, Iris laughed under her breath, her eyes shining. I smirked at her, but shook it away when Myles scowled. "We shouldn't stay here too long. They'll try to take it back soon."

"What about him?" Myles grunted, indicating toward Layton. "We can't carry him. He'll slow us down too much."

"Well we sure as hell aren't leaving him here," I found myself growling back before I could think straight. Myles just stared back, as though waiting for me to come up with a better solution. My lips twisted and my eyes drifted back to the Cornucopia.

"We shouldn't let 1 and 2 take this place back," Iris suddenly declared determinedly. "Imagine what they could do with all those supplies."

"We don't have the strength or the numbers to hold them back indefinitely," Myles countered. "We have no choice." There was a little venom in his voice, and suddenly I realised that if it wasn't for me, Myles and Iris would be with the Career pack. They, along with 1 and 2, would have taken this place from themselves and none of the other tributes would dare to challenge them. As it was now, all they had for back-up was me and an unconscious 11 boy who was less use than a chocolate fireguard.

I bit my bottom lip, scowling at the Cornucopia in thought. "Collect what we need," I instructed carefully.

Myles scanned my expression. "And then?"

"We destroy the rest," I grinned. He lifted an eyebrow, and even though I knew I didn't need to explain myself to him, I felt the sudden urge to point out my train of thought for the Capitol viewers. The more I could show off, the more sponsors I'd get. "Iris is right. District 1 makes luxury items for the Capitol, right? And District 2 specialise in masonry. So what's the one thing neither of them have any need for?"

The two of them stared at me, Iris with a curious frown and Myles with his usual impassive gaze. I grinned. "Hunting. The Careers take the Cornucopia for the supplies, so that they don't have to hunt. When was the last time you watched the Hunger Games and saw 1 or 2 hunt?"

The two of them exchanged a glance. "Never," Iris remarked. "Last year, the tributes from our district caught fish for the whole group."

I grinned. "Exactly. We get rid of these supplies, and they'll have to hunt."

"Which they don't know how to do," Myles added. "Making them more open to attack."

"Brilliant!" Iris beamed. "We should get started. Hopefully Layton will have woken up before we need to leave."

So the three of us set to work collecting what we needed to survive out in the forest and piling up everything else. Myles found a can of gasoline in the back of the Cornucopia which he set to one side, ready to douse the pile and set it alight when we were done. It took a good few hours, and every now and then, he'd insisted on combing through the treeline to make sure there were no tracks from anyone trying to attack while we were distracted. I was grateful for it though. It put mine and Iris's minds at rest, and gave me time to cheer the young girl up a little when she started to overthink things again. Apparently, taking down the girl from 10 had rattled her a lot more than she'd been willing to admit, and while I understood, I also knew we didn't have time to be thinking like that. If I was to get either Iris or Layton out of this thing alive, they were both going to have to toughen up a bit and realise that, sooner or later, they were going to have to get their hands dirty to survive.

Layton began to stir just as we'd finishing piling the supplies up. Unable to work any longer with her injured arm, Iris agreed to sit with him and explain our plan while Myles and I finished off, arranging the pile in front of the Cornucopia carefully. All the supplies we were keeping were packed up and sat beside Layton and Iris, who was now forcing my fellow tribute to take small sips of water.

Satisfied with our work, I stretched out and handed Myles my crossbow reluctantly, beginning to climb the side of the Cornucopia again. "Hand me the gasoline," I instructed, and he lifted it up to me. It was reasonably heavy, but with careful, slow movements, I managed to climb the rest of the way up until I was stood at the top, directly over the pile of supplies.

"Careful up there," Myles warned, turning the crossbow in his hands and scanning the trees again. "You're an easy target."

"Gee, thanks," I mocked sarcastically, unscrewing the lid from the gasoline can. "Stand back." He took a few steps away, still scowling at the trees, and I began slowly pouring the fuel over the remaining supplies. It splashed quite a bit, but luckily, the others had moved far enough away that there was no chance it could catch them. I was careful not to get any on my hands and fingers, continuing to pour until the whole can was dripping over the pile. I dropped the empty can on top for good measure, straightening out and taking a deep breath.

"Here goes," I mumbled to myself, taking the box of matches out of my pocket and lighting one with slight grimace. Relieved I had managed to avoid setting myself on fire, I pursed my lips and dropped the match onto the pile.

Immediately, it caught fire with a grand whoosh noise, and I stepped back cautiously, biting my lip hard. Something in the pile began smoking heavily, and despite the fact I doubted the Careers would be brave enough to attack so soon, I suddenly felt the urge to get out of here as quickly as possible.

"Come on," I instructed, leaping off the side of the Cornucopia. "We need to get out of here before they see the smoke and decide to check what's going on." Myles nodded in agreement, throwing me the crossbow back.

We each grabbed a large rucksack of supplies, and made for the trees, Layton wavering between Myles and me. It was slow going, which didn't impress Myles very much, but we made it to the far right edge of the forest and continued inward, moving as far away from the smoke as possible.

As we walked, Layton became more steady on his feet. He still looked a little dazed, and every now and then would turn in panic to make sure I was still beside him. But Iris kept feeding him water, and soon enough, he came around enough to realise what had happened. Embarrassed at being looked after by a girl as young as Iris, he moved a little further away from Myles and me, keeping his head down and refusing to say a word.

"This isn't going to end well," Myles growled at me irritably, glowering in Layton's direction.

I wanted to tell him he was wrong, but deep down, I had a nagging feeling he might be right.