Author Note:

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Chapter three. *Sandstorm plays in the background.*

Yes, chapter three took me a little longer than usual, but that's only because I've been working on chapter fifteen for Endergirl, which I'm about to release right after this. Not to mention I've run out of chocolate...

So as always, thank you to the reviewers and favouriters and followers. I will be responding to comments in the bottom author note.

Till then, ignore the fact that 'favouriters' isn't a word, and enjoy the story.

"We have to kill her."

The flame crackled in the silence.

A silence so deafening that even the slightest pin drop snapped the attention of both myself, and the girl from sixteen, towards its source. We had followed the descending tunnel for what seemed like an age, a speck of sunlight from the entrance only just visible behind us. The floor was uneven, forcing us to constantly watch our footing.

The blonde haired girl hung behind me, unsure of whether to stay close, or keep her distance. I didn't blame her for the lack of trust. She had a lot of gear that I would prosper from taking, not to mention killing her would increase my nation's chances of victory by one. But even if I wanted to, I doubt I could bring myself to hurt her.

Unexpectedly, the ground levelled out, causing my next step to become a little unbalanced. I managed to maintain my composure, my companion however, did not. With a small yelp of surprise she tripped forwards. It was all I could do to catch the flailing girl, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her back to her feet.

She stood still for a second, before pushing away from me. I smirked at her lack of manners, not that I really wanted any gratitude. Raising the torch into the air, the light cast sharp shadows from our surroundings.

We stood within a large cavern, larger than could be covered by the flickering light. It stretched onwards for a time, shaping out and caving in at odd angles. But it was spacious. I pressed forwards, anxious to ensure it was safe.

A rattle in the darkness. I stopped dead in my tracks. That sound…

Something flew through the air with a devastating speed. There was no time to react before loud thwack sent pain spiralling through my nerves. I looked down to find a chipped and rustic arrow shaft proceeding from the corner of my chest, the head planted solidly beneath my skin.

I groaned as I reached for the object, snapping it off in one sudden movement, prompting a gush of crimson. I looked over at sixteen, who stared at me, horrified. "Staff."

It took her a moment to process the request. She was obviously unaccustomed to the sight of blood. She blinked, returning a little to reality. Glancing down at the weapon first, she quickly passed it to me.

Taking the long hardwood stick in hand, I moved quickly. I tried to ignore the agony that overwhelmed my senses as I threw the light source into the centre of the room, illuminating its entirety.

The creature that stood rigidly against the back wall, was far from a pleasant sight. A cracked and disjointed bone structure clumped together awkwardly, standing on thin legs as if possessed by some demonic force. As I watched, it seemed to quake, the grey highlights trembling against each other to create that all too familiar rattling. Eyes, a soulless black, destroying light rather than processing it. Within its delicate grasp sat a tattered bow, curved at the ends to make it all the more powerful. And over its splintered shoulder hung a torn leather quiver, filled to the brim with duplicate arrows.

Its existence sent a shiver down my spine. This world was truly an abomination. Before another arrow could be strung, I sprinted forwards, swinging the staff out to the side. The creature moved with a surprising speed, notching another arrow and drawing the string back to its cheekbone.

I swerved to my right, letting the barb sail past me, leaving a small nick on my jaw. I bounded forwards, crashing into the hostile figure and hurtling to the ground. It struggled beneath me, shifting this way and that, trying to escape.

With only the instinct to survive coursing through my veins, I slammed the end of my weapon down into its skull. A sickening crack echoed around the cavern, but the possessed form still fought back. The polished staff made contact again.

And again.

And again.

And again…

Silence.

I knelt over the crushed remains. There was not a hint of life left in the once animated bones. It lay still, its carcass scattered across the floor. Why… had I done that? It was as if my instincts had taken over my entire body, no room for thought. There must have been other ways… Ways to avoid conflict… Right?

I stared down at the lifeless body for a time, only returning to reality when I felt a hand placed softly on top of my head. I looked up a little to find my companion standing above me, her eyes drowned in fear and concern. Afraid of me, but also worried.

"You okay?" She mumbled.

"Y- Yeah…" I returned my gaze to the ground, not too sure of my answer.

We didn't move for a time, our eyes transfixed on the remains before us. Her fingers ruffled my hair a little, before sliding away. "Let's finish what we came her to do."

She was brave. Most girls I knew wouldn't even set foot in this pit, let alone push through a confrontation with death.

I pushed myself back to my feet, wincing as I remembered the injury I had taken. Sighing, I looked over to the girl. "You might not want to look at this."

She nodded, but watched closely anyway. Pursing my lips, I dug my fingers into the wound. A fresh wave of agony ricocheted through my body as I searched through the muscle. Blood streamed down my chest, staining my already red shirt with a new shade. Finally, I latched onto my goal, tearing it from my system. The iron arrowhead clattered to the floor, bouncing briefly before coming to rest.

I breathed in rapidly, taking in new air whilst trying to expel pain. Struggling, I slipped my shirt off. The blonde haired girl looked away as I did, obviously embarrassed. I would have been too, if it weren't for the amount of blood I was losing. I hurried to tear the garment into a single long strip, which I wrapped tightly across the wound. "Can you…"

She looked to where the two ends of cloth sat untied on my back. I couldn't exactly reach it myself. Slowly, she secured a sturdy knot. I flinched as she pulled it tight. "Sorry." She mumbled. I heard her gasp as she studied the rest of my skin, undoubtedly noticing the mess of bruises that covered it. "How were you walking around like this?"

Unsure of what to say, I crouched to pick up the skeletons fallen armament. I studied the curved frame, briefly recalling the archery unit we covered in physical education. Mind you, the whole class had come to an end when someone took an arrow to the knee. Long ranged attacks… "Do you know how to use one of these?" I asked her.

She glanced at me briefly, noticing that I hadn't answered her question. "I know the basic principle behind them…"

In other words, she had no idea. "If you learnt how to use it, there wouldn't be a need to get close to your enemies." She seemed sceptical, either doubting my explanation, or her ability to use the weapon. I looked down at her satchel, and then around at the now empty cavern. "I'll teach you how to use it."

She tilted her head at me, curious. "What's the catch?"

"Lend me a few more torches."

The girl considered the options for a moment, trying to decide if a weapon which she didn't know how to use, would be more valuable than a light source. It occurred to me that it wasn't exactly the best deal for her…

It was hard to see what was going through her head. The way her eyes flickered like clockwork, ticking this way and that. They focused again, staring up at me. "You're surprisingly stable for someone who was just shot."

Shrugging, I held out a hand to her. "Deal?"

Ignoring my outstretched palm, she reached into her bag, handing me three more torches. "Deal."

I smirked at her lack of manners for the second time that day, unable to tell if she was rude, or just clueless. Taking my side of the bargain, I proceeded to prop them up against the walls, striking them as I went. By the time I had finished, the room was lit well enough to see every corner.

I turned back to her. "Let's head back up."

We started up the incline that lead to the surface, the dot of sunlight slowly becoming larger. Both of us slipped and fumbled our footing more than once, but somehow we managed to eventually hall ourselves onto the soft grass of the over world.

We lay in the breeze for a moment, exhausted from the long climb. It was well into the afternoon, the sun only a few hours away from the horizon. "Are you going to have enough time to get back?" I asked, a little worried.

A faint smile crossed her lips. She stared up at the sky, which was only slightly concealed by the wavering leaves above. "I should just make it, if I leave soon."

I followed her gaze, enjoying the endless shade of blue for a moment. The fresh air reminded me that I was still alive, letting out the stress and anxiety that had slowly built up over the period of the day. Sighing, I pushed myself up and held my hand out for my companion.

Her eyes examined me for a moment, softly, as if finally believing that I meant her no harm. She placed her hand in mine, allowing me to pull her up. I rested the bow in her grasp and pointed her towards the nearest tree. She took an arrow, and I showed her how to notch it onto the string. I adjusted her grip and her aim, before stopping myself.

We were close…

I was pressed up against her, my bare chest brushing against her back. My arms were wrapped around her figure, guiding her movements. As I paused, I felt her quick intake of breath as she seemed to make the same observation. We stood still for a moment, neither one of us daring to speak.

Swallowing, I pulled back the bowstring, her fingers resting underneath mine. The grey fletching of the arrow brushed against her cheek. "Release."

The string slipped from our grasp, sending the projectile flying towards its target.

A small thud echoed around the forest as the arrow implanted itself in the bark, sending a few splinters falling to the ground. We seemed to let out our pent up breath simultaneously, as if still synced in our movements.

Freezing for a second more, the girl nudged me with her elbow, pushing me back a little. "I- I'll try on my own…"

Words escaping me, I simply nodded, trying to ignore how cold I was now that I had been separated from the warmth of her skin. Although, I thought I noticed her tremble slightly in the breeze as well… It might have just been my imagination.

Taking another arrow, she drew the string back. Her arm quivered as she struggled with the force, unable to rely on my help anymore. With a last ditch effort, she hauled the string back to her cheek and let the ammo fly, aiming was something she didn't have time for.

She missed her mark by a few feet, sending the arrow far into the overgrowth. She let down the bow slowly, before looking at me. "It's harder than I thought."

"Just keep practicing, you'll be a natural in no ti-"

I cut off my sentence as I heard voices nearby. I searched through the gathering of trees for their source. A group of young teens filed through the woodlands, short wooden blades grasped in their hands. I recognised their faces briefly, so they must have been from my nation.

When one of them caught sight of me, he beckoned the whole group to stop in their tracks. At first his friends were confused, but they soon caught onto where his attention lay. "Who are you?" One of them asked, a curly haired boy.

Not seeing a reason to say otherwise, I spoke up. "Eli, I'm on orders from Jake."

The one who had asked nodded. "We were sent to find you, Jake was…" His sentence trailed off as he caught a glimpse of the girl who stood behind me. "Who's she?"

"She's…" I looked back at her, realising that she had never given me her name. My eyes flickered to the number on her shoulder. Almost instantly, I realised why she seemed to be hiding behind me. I turned back to the group of boys, who seemed anxious to test out their new blades. "She's a friend."

Despite his age, the phrase didn't throw him. "Then why is she hiding behind you?" When I didn't answer, he asked another question. "Which nation is she from?"

"She's just looking for somewhere to spend the night." I countered.

His grip tightened around the hilt of his short sword. "So she's not from our nation?"

"Does it matter?"

"We have to kill her." Another boy spoke up, obviously ignorant to what his words meant.

Surprised and a little annoyed, I almost shouted my response. "Are you serious? Nobody is killing anyone. We're going to find another way out of this game."

The boy stepped forwards, shaking his head. "There is no other way out."

I felt the girl from sixteen cling a little closer to me, scared. Anybody would be, if someone was threatening to murder you in cold blood. "We don't know that yet!" I tried to reason with him.

He pushed forwards, readying his sword. "Move." I held my ground, staring down the figure that was at least a head shorter than me. "Move!" He repeated, anger rising in his voice.

When I didn't, he rushed forwards, blade outstretched to pierce me. I kicked the weapon from his hands, flinging it to the ground. I caught onto his collar and hauled him upwards to peer into his eyes. My injuries complained, but I paid them no heed.

I let anger seep into my every word. "Don't touch her."

His face dropped in fear. He twisted in my grasp but was unable to escape. I threw the form backwards, letting him land heavily on the grass. His friends backed up a bit, assessing the situation. If all four of them rushed me… My chances of fending them off were minimal.

I looked over my shoulder to my companion. "You should go."

She nodded, refusing to look at me. "Th- Thanks…"

The corners of my mouth curved upwards slightly. "Stay alive."

"You too." She replied, finally meeting my gaze.

Glancing at the boys before us, she broke away from me. Securing the quiver of arrows across her chest, she held onto her bow tightly as she turned and walked a few paces. She stopped and looked back at me.

I smiled, trying to hide the disheartened feeling that nipped at my mind. This would probably be the last time we saw each other. After all, it seemed our nations were bound to become enemies. The ghost of a smile was reflected back to me before she turned once more, disappearing into the woodlands.

Letting out a sigh, I examined the small space around me. The kids stood on edge, unsure of what to do. The trees still wavered in the wind, unchanged by the events that took place underneath their branches. Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I took a few steps, leaning down to retrieve the object, my every move being watched.

I smirked as I stood, and strode past the small group, staff in hand.

She never had given me her name.

Author Note:

*Whistles* Damn... Things are starting to heat up. Fair warning, I'm beginning to get to the point where feedback is needed if you want the story to continue. I've got a whole heap of ideas spiralling and you're always welcome to suggest new ones, but lack of motivation is often my downfall. So review! Even if you're just here to say, "That was the largest pile of crap I've seen since I last ate Taco Bell." or alternatively, "Not bad. *Insert Obama meme here.*"

I DON'T CARE. FEEEEEDBAAAAACK.

Ahem. Now, onto reviews.

Thamiir Davis: Surprise! Nations 15 and 16 already hate each other! Hahahaha. And hey, I'd love to hear your suggestions, if they work, we can definitely implement them.
The Bet Guest: I tried to implement your suggestion, although in a not so glorious way. How'd I do?
WiseguyJaco: That's dark man, but you're totally right. Which is why she almost got killed off. Close enough?
Chase1998: Woah, woah, woah... Careful there, let's not go making enemies. :D But thanks Chase, your support is always uplifting.
Darkrider220: Thank god, I'm glad you approve. Criticism is the key to improvement, so thank you for helping out. :)

And that concludes the reviews section! Now, I'm off to post the next chapter for Endergirl, and after that I'm going to work on a story for a friend. So, take care, get some sleep and don't die.

- Sylent