i seriously hope that you like this :) i am having a BLAST writing this :) :) :) and i love smiley faces...and royal and victor...together...in looooovveee, and i promise more chemistry will happen, i think because she is shy, and he is more outgoing, this is going to blend in nicely... next chapter... also...

the weeks went on, I watched victor survive through it all. The boy from twelve died a few nights in, with a spear in his stomach while gathering firewood. He barely had a chance to tell them to run before he fell to the ground, drowning in his own blood.

A few of the careers died, leaving the pack with five ferocious people; the two from four, the two from two, and the male from one. I wasn't enjoying them, they got to close to victor and lephora way to much. The career pack this year was huge, with a whopping eight in all. We usually have five or six, but this year, the district seven tributes wowed them with their axes and were invited in. but they both died soon enough.

Victor and lephora were currently making camp in a tree, when the careers happen to stroll by on their nightly hunt. I watched nervously as they sunk silently into the trees shadows and barely dared to breathe.

Victor is coming extremely close to death often now…he needs to be careful.

VICTOR'S P.O.V

We saw them before they saw us, and sunk deeper into the trees shadows, waiting for a good moment. Lephora touched the bow in her hands and I nodded slowly at her. She took the string in her hand and pulled it back, I held up my cold hand to give her a signal, and whispered for her to take out as many as she could.

"I can take out all of them…" she breathed back, making me smile. They were coming into range, she squirmed, eager to take action, but I wouldn't let her until they were close enough to make some damage.

"aim for their heads or hearts. If they see us, don't shoot…" she nodded, and I eyed her fingers that started to twitch on the string.

"on my move…" she nodded again. They moved into the small clearing in front of us, the second I moved my hand, she took out two of them and had one flying to the third really strong boy from two, but to my astonishment, he caught it in his hand. She continued to shoot quick enough that he didn't see the source. She took down the rest of the careers and stopped. As soon as it began, it was over. We just took out the whole pack of careers! Of course excluding the one that caught the arrow. To think, he probably has some major sponsers at the moment for being able to do both of the impossible, survive a surprise ambush, and catch the arrow that was supposed to kill him. I could imagine some sponsers for us too, especially for lephora, I know I would bet on her. The final career snapped the arrow in half quickly and knelt down beside his district mate, for she had been shot first. It was in her chest, embedded deep. She had no chance really, but we watched silently, seeing what he would do.

"no, no dawn, don't die!" he brushed some hair out of her face, and stared at the arrow.

"get-…the…arrow- out-…" he did as she says, ripping it out slowly, making her squeal slightly.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, I had to lean forward to hear it, but I made it out all the same.

"its fine…just win for- me… okay? Get home and tell my parents that I loved them, and know that-…i-…love you-…" her head fell to the ground and her eyes shut. He still had the bloody arrow in his hand when he lowered his head and kissed her eyelids one last time.

I watched him stand, he looked around for us, but couldn't find our location. I smiled a little, but it felt horrible, sinister, as if it didn't belong there. I turned slightly to lephora and found her smiling evilly.

"I will find out who you are! I will avenge her!... don't think I wont," he paced around for a while, looking at the trees with his spear in hand.

"I'm GOING TO FIND YOU! YOU HAVE TO COME DOWN SOONER OR LATER!" I eyed lephora and found her frowning at her knees.

"you need to shoot him!" I whispered, looking at the boy.

"I cant! If I miss, he'll know where we are! Just wait it out, if he falls asleep, we kill him, if he stays awake, we do too. We cannot risk anything…"

"risk what! Just kill him!" she looked at me apprehensively, but didn't grab her bow, it annoyed me a little.

"we will risk being seen, now shut up, he's listening," he was in fact doing so, looking around and trying to locate us so he could let his spear fly and hopefully kill one of us.

We watched him for what seems like hours. The night crept slowly across the land, making it hard for us all to see. He finally gave up and ran away, but he didn't put down his spear.

"you should have killed him when we had the chance!"

"yeah? You know what! I wasn't about to die just yet…"

"whats with you and 'just yet?' do you want to die?" the way she looked away and fiddled with her hair, I guessed it.

"your planning on dying aren't you?..." she nodded, watching the boy disappear through the trees.

"well I'm not going home…"

"why do you think that? You cant be that negative."

"there is only six tributes left now. The games are getting hard, and I haven't got any gifts so far anyway. I know I'm not going to make it, so don't try and tell me otherwise."

"I'm not going to. But I am going to try and get you think that you have a chance…"

"I don't…I just want someone to get hurt because of me…" when I made a face, she laughed a little and continued, "I mean someone I care about. I got to know you over the last few weeks, you actually grew on me a little…"

"just promise me that when there is four tributes left, we'll split up, I mean if we aren't dead by then…"

"okay, that's good, I don't want to kill you,"

"nor me with you, how about we don't, we let others do. We get away from eachother and let the games happen…" she nodded once more, lowering her head and staring once again at her knees.

"so lephora….got anyone back home?" I asked casually, looking at her with the softest expression possible enough to muster.

Her eyes shot up quickly, I could feel the sorrow sweep off her in waves, "yeah… but I doubt that I'll get home to him…"

"does he know about you yet? I mean, liking him?"

"I don't think so…"

"well who is he?"

She sighed slightly, but whispered, "his name Drona. Drona loughling. I have liked him since forever, we were friends, and he came to see me before I came here… I couldn't tell him. I just couldn't."

I figured that cameras were on us now, obviously recording our conversation.

"so you think you'll never see him again. I bet you he is watching this right now, you can tell him how you really feel."

I saw that her heart broke, and she was fighting back tears, "no, he knows now… and I'll never see him again anyway victor, thanks for caring though. I'm going to scout the area," she climbed up a few branched quickly and was up and out of sight.

"I'm sorry!" I hissed at her, waiting for her to answer back, but she didn't. typically.

"Royal…I wonder if your watching, or if I'm able to be watched at the moment. I have to tell you that I'm glad I told you about my feelings, unlike lephora and drona. I hope you know that I love you, that I want to come home to you, maybe be able to tell you more. To just be with you…I know I sound like I should be out of a poem, or maybe a sappy love story, but its true…" I winced, feeling a sudden chill sweep over me.

"I'm going to try and make It home. We took out a lot of the careers already, all there is is one more and we might stand a chance. I don't like how he pushed that arrow aside as if it was a straw… but anyway, I'll try Royal…I will more than anyone. Think fondly of me my dear…" I laughed a little at the comment, and laid back into the sleeping bag, suddenly giving all the guard duty to lephora. I swore I heard sobs coming from somewhere above me, maybe I finally opened her eyes to the truth. Its sad that she wont go home, I plan to and I cannot give that up, Royal would be devastated.

I woke up a little later and found lephora next to me again. There were tears frozen onto her face, and I couldn't help but reach up and brush them off her suddenly, making her jump.

"two tributes died last night…" she whispered. I noticed she had her bag packed, full of the things we split between us after roman died. She had his sleeping bag, while I had mine.

"well then…we should split up?"

"yeah, and hope we don't meet up with eachother later…" I nodded silently, fearing the worst for both of us. But I made my way out of the bag, aware of her eyes on me at all times.

Once I was finished, a morose feeling spread over the two of us. We couldn't find eye contact with each other, and as I packed, I found her starting to cry.

"whats wrong?"

"I'm in the hunger games…" she whispered. It probably took guts to say that and hope a camera wasn't trained on our faces. I don't understand why she is so brave, her whole perspective on things is as if the whole world hates her or something. I don't get her that much, but I do know she is hurting, the life she came from isn't probably the easiest one. I know that a lot of the districts are struggling to survive. I know for a fact that Three has a lot of hopeless or homeless electronic inventors, four has a whole ocean to supply for them, so that's why they usually have voulenteers or something. Five supplies power, but I don't think they get a lot of it for themselves, and six makes modes of transportation, but do they get enough food on their table? The same for twelve and eleven, both seem hungry all the time, judging by their small tributes. The whole nation of panem is struggling, and I think our kids are the ones that show it the most.

"yeah…we are…."

"you know… I have a friend back home… she loves to climb… she taught me how to really… and the thought that I will never see her again, kills me…"

"I know, It kills me too, to think of everyone I've left. I have a brother, a sister, my mom and dad… I also have Royal…a beautiful girl back home that I have loved since forever. I want to get home to her so badly it aches… the thought of her crying or in pain makes me feel like crying too, I cant stand it. I should have told her what I felt earlier, but of course I didn't… I was to wimpy and scared. It hurts a lot though… but lephora… we need to split up now…we promised eachother."

"yeah, but I didn't think it would be so quick…"

"me neither, but we have to, or we will end up facing eachother at the end."

She nodded, and gave me a fleeting hug before climbing down and running into the distance silently. I watched her go for a long time, until she was a dot that vanished in the wetlands. i waited for a long time, staring at the spot where she vanished.

I figured I should just stay here. I was in a comfortable fork in the trees, but I wondered if lephora would come back and kill me if I did. Since we were not allies anymore, she could if she wanted to and it wouldn't be backstabbing anymore. So I started to climb down quickly, holding onto romans hatchet and my machete, they were life itself now.

I heard rustling from my left, and quickly stopped moving. I searched the trees for what I heard, and quickly located a small girl, crouching in the shadows of the neighboring tree. Her eyes seemed to glow as they observed me, and all I did was stare back.

"who are you?" I finally chocked out, looking at her as she crept into the early morning light fanning the outer branches.

"kallin…from district nine,"

"and why are you watching me."

"I have for the past few weeks actually… at first it was to kill you, but then you inturigued me so much, I couldn't bare to let your life slip between my fingers," she fingered the long knife in her hands, making me shy away, mostly out of terror that someone knew our location, we changed it so often.

"why watch me? How did I intrigue you?" I whispered back, now intrigued and fascinated that she watched us kill all those careers. Looking away in lephora's direction, I continued to speak, "I don't find myself very intrigueing, I killed a few people over the weeks, but you know…I don't find murder too intriguing…" I turned back to her, and found myself staring into her menacing yet beautiful yellow eyes.

"you talk to her as if she is next to you…" she whispered, i almost smiled, "I know that the final career is starting to go crazy. He hasn't killed one person in the WHOLE day you murdered his girlfriend. The only reason he came here was because she did, didn't you watch his reaping? She voulenteered and he did to, only to protect her though. He is going mad now, he keeps whispering 'I'll get you district three…'"

"who is he talking about? Me or my mate?"

"you dunder head….she died the first week," i had to frown, she was such a sweet girl, she only scored a two in training. she couldnt say anything negative about anything. she said that the food on the first day was fairly good, instead when it was horrible.

"how long did she make it?" i asked calmly, holding the hilt of my machete tightly.

"about the fourth day, i watched most of the people die really, it was just to-..." i knew what she was going to say before she said it, "facinating."

"i still dont understand how you think death is facinating,"

"oh i dont-" she paused, rubbing a small finger on her blade, "i think that LIFE is facinating, the way it moves. in or out i guess, with death and birth, there is always life moving, and i love to watch it, no matter how gruesome it seems. truth is i helped deliver my siblings. all of them. and there is a total of ten, NOT including me. yeah my mother has a hobby," she laughed a little, more of a menacing chuckle than a real laugh. i couldnt help but remember royals small, light airy laugh that made anyone smile in return...hers made anyone frown in return though.

"anyway, about that career. he wants revenge, he truly loved her, I hear that they were going to get married, but she was really crazy and voulenteered. From the beginning she seemed off though, always staring off into space or smiling crazily at the most retarded things. her whole auora scared me."

"so your telling me that he is coming after me?"

"yeah….and I want to help you kill him…" she smiled as a cannon went off in the distance, and a scream of rage sounded from the direction lephora went.

ROYAL'S P.O.V

"gizz! ANOTHER girl! Is he that attractive? I am not even kidding… no one can be THAT attractive!"

"Royal stop worrying, didn't you see him talk to you every night for the past weeks? He has made it this far, you cant expect him to fall in love with someone when he talks about you to everyone, cant see any of them anyway because they are all doomed one way or the other. He wont fall in love with anyone else, he is already wonderstruck with your gorgeous face."

"fine, if you think he is."

"he is, stop worrying…" I nodded and walked away from the TV, hopefully to go sing or play an instrument somewhere. Victors parents grew on me largely in the past weeks, so I would go watch the hunger games with them a few times. I think that victor's brother likes me, its kind of creepy, the way he sits to close to me and talks constantly in my ear. Its rather odd to think that he is eighteen, while I'm only sixteen, but he was nice and all.

"I'm going over to the Griffins then…I would like to play their piano."

"Royal, do they exactly like that? You just walking In and playing the piano or watching the games with them?"

"they know I love victor as much as they do, but not in the same way. I like how they accept me and treat me like I'm already part of the family,"

"fine then, be back for dinner okay…" I nodded as I slipped my old black jacket over my shoulders and continued out the door. As I walked down the street, looking in peoples windows to see them sitting together on the couch, watching the hunger games sadly. Suddenly, I walked by a house that had victor featured on it with that girl from nine. The people stood up quickly and jumped up and down. As I walked by the one house with my hands in my pockets, looking through their window from a distance, I saw someone see me, it was the boy I knew from school. I think his name is carrman. He jumped away from his sibling who was laughing and dancing with him and ran to the door. I stopped walking and watched him rush out the door and run to me.

"why aren't you watching the hunger games Royal! Victor just got into the final three! The boy from eight died a few seconds ago!" I smiled, but it turned into a frown as soon as it had pulled at the sides of my mouth. I was smiling at another kids death. But the boy stood in front of me, smiling and looking as if he was about to jump up and down.

"he is so close! All he has to do is kill that girl and that career.

"or maybe watch them kill eachother before they send in some mutts or something to add to the fun!" I smiled widely, feeling relief flood through me as I thought about him coming home.

"want to come watch really quick? My family wont mind! They would love to have you actually, after all, you are the love item of victor at the moment. Maybe you watching right now will give him luck or something!" he causally waved his hand, as if dismissing the idea, with a laugh.

"sure, that would be great. I was just headed to his house to watch it with his family, but if I miss him winning, that would kill me."

He laughed, "well come on then!" I nodded and followed him up the steps into his warm home.

"hey mom! Dad! Andrea! This is Royal Clearwater! Can she watch with us? I think its going to rain anyway."

"sure, anytime sweetie," his mother gave me a warm smile and patted the couch. I sat, Thanking her as I did so.

"of course!" we all watched the games with interest. A lot of the time we gasped and leaned back or forward in horror or astonishment.

Victor, that one career I neglected to figure out the name of, and that girl from nine were left, all three confronting eachother menacingly. We all knew that the girl was helping him bring the career down so they could figure out a way to die a little easier. The career charged at her, and she threw her blade at him. he dodged it and ran towards her with his spear. She was now defenseless, and about to be impailed with the spear. It left his hands quickly and found a home with a sickening sound. She screamed and fell to the ground, her hands fumbling desperately around the spear's shaft.

"I'm GOING TO WIN THIS!" the career screamed at her as her eyes glazed over. She was dead, never to make It home, her parents, possibly her boyfriend back home were probably crying their eyes out right now.

"and you-…" he struggled to get the spear out of her stomach. I found myself on my feet and whispering to myself quietly.

"victor! Kill him now! Come home victor! Come on COME ON!" and the knife left his hands. You could hear the cracking of his ribs as it broke into his side. Victor looked away, but no doubt heard him crumple to the ground and the cannon fire for his death.

"ladies and gentleman! The victor for the 64th hunger games, with an ironic name I might add, victor Griffiths of district three!" we all clapped, but when I saw victors expression, I stopped. He looked traumatized, and he turned away from the scene with glazed eyes. But a smile still formed on his lips.

"royal…I'm coming home!" he turned and yelled to the air. I felt tears in my eyes, weather they were happy ones or scared ones, They came, I found myself completely bawling by the time the anthem came back onto the screen.

"are you okay?" carrman asked, kneeling before me and gripping my knee.

"carrman! He's coming home!" he laughed and gave me a comforting yet happy hug.

"yeah! Finally district three has a victor! All we had was beetee and wiress for a long time! they need more company in the victors village."

I laughed, "well, thank you for letting me watch with you, I better go rejoice with his family. They will be sooooooo happy to have him home again." I thanked them once again, and with a grin on my face, I ran down the streets to his home. Along the way, people stopped me and gave me hugs when they saw me. I couldn't stop smiling, or crying for that matter, so by the time I got to the Griffiths house, I was a wreck.

"he is coming home!" his brother gave me a hug and swept me off my feet…literally. He swirled around with me laughing and hugging him tightly, I was scared I was going to go flying if I didn't hold on. He stopped and smiled at me. I ran to hug his sister, who was crying and laughing like me. His parents were swinging in a circle, laughing and yelling that their baby was coming home.

"royal! Play something! Something happy!" his sister mea said loudly, laughing and jumping up and down as she ran to the piano and took the cover off the keys.

"sure! Anything!" I ran to it and sat, I stayed silent for a few moments before thinking of a song, and beginning to play:

Well, you might think I'm crazy, to hang around with you. maybe you think I'm lucky to have something to do. Well I think that your wild, and so uniquely styled. You might think I'm foolish. Well baby its untrue, all I want is you, you might think I'm crazy, but all I want is you… well it was hard, so hard to take, theres no escape, without a scream, but you kept it going, until the sun fell down, you kept it going….

(you might think- the cars)

i love this song :) so yessss he won the games! thats exciting isnt it? right? RIGHT? sorry, getting hysterical here :) :) :) :)

review3 -jaybayray123