My internet was out on friday and I couldn't get anything done on Saturday! I'm sorrry... life has been busy... *sigh* However I would ike to hear what you guys think of how the story is going! Literally a review takes about 30 seconds to a minute or two to write. It isnt that bad, beautiful people. Please let me know what you're thinking!

Thanks!

-Miche

disclaimer: (haven't wrote this in a while, but..) I do not own the Hunger Games :(

Chapter 16: Day 8, Dolphins

"My favorite memory had to be the first time I ever swam with a dolphin.

I had been surfing with my family along a private beach near our house. It was midsummer and I had just finished riding a big wave. My family was heading home and I wasn't able to beat the current very well.

I saw a large gray fin circling me and more followed. I just hoped it wasn't sharks and had previously heard they circled their prey or just shot up at it out of the blue, so I was terrified of both.

My father started swimming out to me, not caring about the sharks, and all I could do was bring my self on the surfboard. I was terrified they'd grab my legs if hanging over. The gray creature then surfaced after nudging my board a few times and I saw they were a group of wild dolphins. To this day, our family never thought dolphins would act in that manner. He'd never seen them behave like that: friendly towards a human. I smiled at the dolphins and they jumped around me and bumped me to swim with them.

One dolphin caught my hand as I felt them swim past, and moved me from my surfboard, dragging me as it swam. I felt like I was flying through the water, and felt like nothing I'd ever known. The fact that something living and air breathing had the capability to glide through the water that fast and effortlessly amazed me.

That's my favorite memory." My story finished. All of us underdog tributes sat around a circle we had made on the beach we settled on for the evening. Grey and I had caught more fish as the others set up our tree camp, and I found it relaxing we had worked that system. This way Grey and I could keep up our strengths as well as the others being scavengers and small hunters. Coal found smaller animals to shoot while Willow found any edible plants we could keep for long periods of time.

Coal had shared her first memorable snow fall that didn't have soot in it from the coal. She had been so amazed snow could be so white and her mother had told her it was because they had a good year in producing that the capital allowed them to be close for one day, clearing the skies from any smoke or chemicals that would have polluted the snow. She found out later it was because the wind had changed when it began to snow. It moved the polluted smoky air away from where the snow fell and allowed it to be pure white.

Grey shared his next. After Maple's passing we thought we may as well share what things we found most precious so the capitol and our families knew about us before we died. If one of us did make it, we would be able to remember the others' memories and share them with people or just not be forgotten.

"I remember when I was probably two years old.. This is a weird memory... I remember when I first heard a piano. I had gone to a concert with my mother to see the spring concerto the local school held, and the main conductor/director got up and played a beautiful song. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever heard or thought of hearing in my life at that time. Just to hear a piano for the first time, a graceful and elegant thing. I was barely able to structure a sentence much less a thought on what beauty was, but since then, I always loved music and pianos. I mastered it and it's always been my favorite thing." He threw a stick into a fire we had to cook the food. After sharing, each one of us did the same. Willow was last.

"Well... I guess my favorite memory was of my little brother. One time he got himself stuck in a large vat of mud when we were younger. He was crying and so scared our mother would be mad at him. She told us not to play in the mud; We had to keep our clothes we had clean. He was scared she would bring him back to the storks and he'd have to live with another family for the rest of his life." she laughed a the story, tearing up a bit thinking her brother.

"It was just so cute to see him covered from head to toe in the dark mud, it was caked to his once clean pants. See, he'd also taken off his shirt, socks and shoes so they didn't get dirty. He was three so he didn't know you'd still get them dirty when you put them back on. All he knew was that I caught him playing in the mud and I'd tell mama." her laugh turned a bit somber. "I bet he'll miss me."

"Who says you're not making it out?" I opposed."Um, the fact that all three of you could take me out twice-fold and still be able to kill each other for sport. Why are you keeping me alive if you know I wont make it?"

"Someone once told me that Dolphins represent something: Freedom in what we could have and the strength to keep going despite what others say. They also told me that Dolphins represent a fresh start, new beginnings. I of all people should know what that is like. Start believing in yourself and you just may surprise yourself." she didn't smile, but it answered her question.

To my surprise and benefit, Finnick had taught me many things before going in the games, despite my previous suspicions of him. I guessed it was a turning point for me, seeing why he really was like that, seeing that he wasn't volunteering, but he was forced into those things. One thing I promised myself that night, was if I ever made it out alive, I'd help put a stop to those acts. For him.

For Finnick.

The next morning we all woke for the second time. The first being in the middle of the night. A cannon had gone off and because we had already set up camp and were sleeping, we couldn't go and check for Pann. We could only hope it hadn't been him.

Once everyone was functioning and packed up to go, we headed out away from where Maple had lead the Careers. We had enough food and fresh water for the day, last nights leftovers and melted snow for drinking water, as we circled the island, hoping it would get better as we went around the northern side.

This was the side of the island I had seen the volcano erupt on. We would most likely find volcanic and igneous rock formations, no real cover from any careers, or any source of water.

As we made our way to the rocky terrain, we spoke of more memories we thought of. Willow walked with me as Coal was ahead with Grey. They had our food supplies while we carried the camping gear.

"The first night here, Maple told us a scary story memory she remembered from district seven when she was younger. She said they used to go camping occasionally in the far forests where they worked. Her and her friends would exchange horror stories of lumber jacks gone mad by wandering the forests at night alone. they would hear howls of the wolves that lived within the forests, and would say they were the cries of said mad men. Then they would have another person scar everyone listening to the story just to mess with them before going to bed." we both laughed at the image of girls screaming and laughing of simpler times.

"Once I was told if I went to the beach at night to swim, the sea monster that lived in the bay would grab my foot, and drag me under the water to his lair where he'd eat me. My brothers used to tell me these stories to keep me from swimming at night and also to keep me safe. It scared me, nonetheless, until I was about 14 and I'd go with Grey when we'd fish. But I did once feel something grab my foot in the dark water." Willow gasped and looked at me, scared It had been real. "It was just floating seaweed near the docks." she signed and matched my smile. I listened in on Coal and Grey's conversation as they walked, Willow doing the same.

"So, you have never seen a dolphin?"

"Never a real one. I've seen them in text books and drawings and pictures, but never in real life."

"I guess that makes sense since you've lived in Twelve your whole life-"

"-No one has ever left, besides Capitol workers or Peace Keepers-"

"-That's true." he smiled. She had to be around fifteen or sixteen, so him flirting with her like that must have lightened her world, however brief. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Five younger sisters, and One older brother. He's 19, and my other sisters follow a year after another after me: fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve, and eleven."

"Wow... I have an eleven year old little sister: Rosemary, and a little brother who's three: Brian. My father works as a Trawler. My mother stays at home with the younger ones. I was working for Rain's father's local fishing business as a personal long liner and underwater fishermen. We'd hunt octopus, small sharks, and other fish you could only get to personally." Coal found his story and life interesting. "You know one time we-" something sent every hair on my arms, neck, and body standing on end.

A scream for help erupted somewhere near us. I knew that voice.

"PANN?!" Coal screamed, Grey silencing her with his hand to allow us our location wasn't given away by the careers left. If that was Pann, then he was still alive. It wouldn't have been he who died the night before, but Lyant, the boy from ten. I had heard wolves one of the nights I spent with the careers, and only hoped those were what killed him, not those horrible people.

Coal pushed away from Grey, as Willow clung to my side. I wouldn't let her away from me. "PANN!" she screamed again. We all looked in and around our surroundings, staying in our spots.

Another scream followed hers. "COAL!" It was him, and he was near where we were headed. Coal sprinted without warning in that direction, leaving Grey to chase her, and Willow and I stumbling after. The brush was less dense as we neared the clearing of the rocky, volcanic, north side of the island this game commenced in. The rock was red and jagged, but in spots it was back and smooth, hardened lava.

Smoke billowed from the volcano opening, and from our now higher altitude we could see the forest line following up to the west bay of the island where the cornucopia was. From the mouth of the island to the northeast point where we emerged, the forest met the dark, once burning rock. There was barely any shelter to side from debris or enemies.

Ahead of us we saw where they had him. Pann was alive and struggling to get up. Upon running closer, we saw his entire left leg had been cut off with, what I guessed, a sword. Coal got within twenty feet of him when someone in a dark red jacket tackled her.

Diamonde appeared next from the limited brush in her jade green coat, her frazzled and naturally volumized, curly hair flying around her. A scab was forming on her lower lip I hoped from Pann fighting back.

Suddenly, we all witnessed as a silver flash emitted from Pann's chest, red bleeding through. A cannon sounded and everything around me blurred from my tears.