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Serious shit is about to go down... read on everyone.

~The Games, Part VIII~

All the fear has left me now
I'm not frightened anymore
It's my heart that pounds beneath my flesh
it's my mouth that pushes out this breath

~Sara Mclachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy~

District 10: Rowena Wilder

While the others sleep, I stay awake.

I told them that I would take the first watch, but it's not likely that I'll wake Lily or Beech up. I'm too mad at the District 7 boy for letting her into the alliance to make him do his job. And, well, there's just something about that girl. I don't believe her—she's not hurt—and I wouldn't be surprised if something awful happens tonight.

So, this is going to be a very long night.

My thoughts drift to the discovery I made earlier—the Career camp. I wonder if I could get Beech to follow me back there. Probably not, he'd try to include Wen and Lily and that can't happen. They'll get us caught, and then we'd end up dead.

It looks like I'll be going myself, then.

And whatever happens, happens and that's that. If Lily slaughters them while I'm gone, my job will be done with.

So why do I feel so guilty?

District 2: Mercy Tenebrae

I find myself staring at the ceiling, tired and content.

I haven't spoken a single word to Skylark in a good half an hour, but I don't really want to talk. There isn't much for me to say. I mean, one wrong word and we'll talk about our feelings and not just the physical ones either; it will move to emotional attachment eventually and that idea really makes me want to puke.

So I close my eyes and pretend to sleep.

It's not a very effective tactic, though, because he starts talking anyway.

"You can 'wake up' at any time."

"I'll keep that in mind," I tell him, keeping my eyes shut.

I hear him sigh and mutter something under his breath. "Are we really back to this?"

"Back to what?" I ask, playing dumb.

"You're attitude. Why are you still pretending that you don't give a damn?" he sounds so angry. I'm kind of thrilled that I could do absolutely nothing and still get him pissed off or rather, get a reaction out of him. Not that he'd ever find that out. I'd be taking that bit of information to my grave.

"It's not pretending," I assure him, venom dripping from my voice.

It only occurs to me that I shouldn't have said that when I see Skylark's face fall, a hurricane of emotions reflecting in his eyes. Pain is the most obvious feeling, sorrow comes in second, but anger is what he acts upon.

"Drizzle was right about you," he says quietly, and his eyes get even darker than they already are. I flinch at the rage in his words. "You are a whore."

I open my mouth, expecting some poorly-thought-out-yet-oh-so-insulting-barb to fall off my lips, but I'm completely silent. That hurts, and I can't even say anything to combat it—not when Skylark looks like that. Like he's been punched in the gut.

So I say nothing.

It's better that way.

"I thought so." he mutters, disappointed.

He gets off the bed, collects his clothing, storms out of the room, and then the front door slams shut.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. They're burning again and I'm praying that I won't start crying. Not again. Once is enough, once is one time too many, especially when I remember that I'm on television and everybody and their mother will be able to see me.

But the tears come anyway, and it doesn't even help.

Nothing will ever fill this gaping hole in my chest.

District 7: Almandine Bandica

"Do you hear that?" I ask Adrian, who is still trying to tune Angelina's nasally siren voice out.

"Sadly," he mumbles, though he looks guilty, like he shouldn't have said it at all. "I mean, she is an okay leader, but it would be nice if she'd just shut up."

"Hell will freeze over before that happens. But I'm talking about that noise." I cover his mouth so he can't respond and make him listen.

It sounds like some stupid squirrel fell out of a tree and got lost or something. I mean, no human can walk and make that little of a noise.

That's a lesson my dad taught me a long time ago.

"Almandine, stop playing with that knife and listen to me."

"I am listening!" I protest, but he takes the weapon from me anyway.

"We're training, and you're not taking this seriously."

"I am!"

He leaves the training room/pit of hell muttering curse words under his breath and I can hear him walking down the hallway and into his bedroom.

I don't remember how long he left me there, but I remember that it felt like forever before I even heard the smallest of noises. Not even the house settled. No bugs or mice made any sound within the walls. And then... hands wrap themselves around my neck, crushing my Goddamned windpipe.

"HELP!" I sputter, clawing at the fingers around my neck.

That makes the asshole tighten his grip.

I kick and scream—a few tears even roll down my face—and finally I can breathe.

"That is why you listen to me." he says sternly. "You have to be alert or you could be dead in seconds. Pay. Attention!"

I rub my throat, anger burning in my eyes. "Fuck you."

And that's the only lesson I take seriously.

I nudge Adrian and we both go over to the bushes, where the noise is gradually getting louder as time goes on. I change my mind about the squirrel. Animals are fleeting, Dad says they never stay in one place for too long, especially in the arena, where they are programmed to rip your fucking throat out.

I look over my shoulder.

Angelina still hasn't noticed the change in atmosphere.

More fun for me and Adrian, I guess.

I prod the District 2 boy in the back. "Look in the bushes, idiot."

"Okay..." he responds, sounding scared. "Here goes nothing..."

When Adrian parts the leaves, I see a tribute hiding there. I can't place her face nor can I think of a name for her. She looks at us with an expression of malice, but I can see the fear in her eyes, too. She's just as scared of us as Adrian is of her—or that weirdo Autumn, for that matter.

Fantastic.

"Well, well, well, look who decided she wanted to be part of the Careers."

Angelina Devon has finally decided to check back in—thank God. No more talking about life in District 1.

"What's your name?" I demand, hands on my hips.

Adrian throws a worried glance at me, and he can't even look our "leader" in the eyes.

"Rowena." he says, giving our latest victim a pleading look. "She's from District 10, right?"

"Shut up." is all she says in response.

I share a look with Angelina, who seems to be thinking the exact same thing as I am.

"Adrian, grab the rope."

"What? Why?" he asks, voice breaking at the last word.

"Oh," I say, "don't worry about that. You'll find out."

District 2: Mercy Tenebrae

For a brief moment, I consider going after him, but I can't bring myself to move from my spot.

He hates me now, so what's the point?

Just like Gabriel does... my best friend's face swims into my mind. I try to remember the good times, the days we spent hanging out with James, making fun of those popular girls in school, switching Iona's fancy shampoo with green hair dye, training for the Games, and just lying side by side; talking about nothing at all... meaningless things that somehow meant everything. But all I can picture is how hurt he looked when he spotted me making out with Pierce Sabre in ninth grade, when I kicked him out of my room the first night he was home, how I didn't care, never listened.

And then I compare his face to Skylark's. They looked nothing alike, of course but I can't think of two people who are more similar. I hurt him, too. So much so that he left me, just like Gabe did that last night before I entered the arena, when he didn't come to my room.

I should have stopped him... told him the truth... told him how much I really do care. Maybe said that I wouldn't have kissed him if I didn't like him—not like that, not in a moment of weakness, because God knows that I don't have a problem doing whatever I want when I think I have the upper-hand. Not even sex, and it's not like I can act like I wasn't vulnerable during that either.

Why do I have to push everyone away?

Sighing, I drag myself out of bed and retrieve my dress from the floor.

The house seems even more creepy now that I'm alone. I'm very aware of the skeletons behind those doors and the infant in the nursery, whom I also abandoned.

I yank the sleeves over my arms and leave the room. The air in here is way too stale and I feel like I'm suffocating.

I wander down that hallway, and I know where I'm going even though I know that place will send me to the brink of insanity yet again.

The nursery looks exactly the same as it did when I left it, but the door is shut... maybe Skylark closed it before he left. Whatever it the reason, it leaves me uneasy. She is still lying in the crib though, which I take as a good sign and there isn't a trace of those spiders either and that makes me think that I imagined the whole fucking thing.

I lean over, giving the baby a kiss on the forehead. I catch a glimpse of the writing on her onesie.

Chrysanthemum.

I'm immediately brought back to Gabe's interview with Caesar—the one he had right after he became victor—the green-haired loser had asked him what he planned on doing now that he could go back to District 2. Gabriel gave the party line: Spend more time with his family, maybe get married and have kids when enough time passes.

"And what will you name them?"

"Well, I like the name Chrysanthemum, but my best friend Mercy would probably kill me for that one."

I was right before. The Gamemakers are really pulling out all of the stops this year, even going as far as to torment me with a slight comment made a year ago. Why not remind me of all the terrible things I've done? Why stop at just something only Gabe and I will get?

Because they want it to look like you've gone insane for no reason, I think to myself.

Before I can even think about reacting to this new realization, I hear the door open and close.

"Skylark," I begin, telling myself that apologizing to him will be easy. "I'm—"

"Think again." the person says and I don't know whether to be pissed off or relieved to hear their voice.

Drizzle is finally here.

District 9: Fern Gresham

I killed Fallon.

His blood stains the knife I'm holding in my hand.

This kid's parents will never see their son again.

All because of me.

These things hit me one by one, smacking me in the chest like a wrecking ball. I can't reconcile what I feel now and my reasons for challenging the District 6 boy in the first place. Of course it had seemed like a great idea at the time, but now all I want to do is curl up in a ball and disintegrate.

I wonder if Dad will know I took someone's life away from them or if he is too drunk to realize what happened

Too drunk.

I wonder what Mick will do, because surely he saw every second of it. He's always out of the house during the span of the Games, watching them on the screen in the town square.

Probably vandalize Mrs. Mark's store.

What is Mom thinking?

That her daughter did what she had to so she could survive, she whispers.

But Fallon wasn't bothering me, he didn't even kill Sukara... I killed him because I thought he was a horrible person, but I don't even know if that is true or not.

Doesn't matter... Fawn says, like she has heard my every thought, we're all killers in this arena.

I look to my mother for confirmation.

She nods at me, smiling a very un-Mom-like smile.

She's right, Fern.

"I don't know about that..." I tell them.

Honey, have I ever steered you wrong?

"Of course not, Mom." Of course not.

Somehow, in those eight little words my fear of being hated fades away and I start to think that maybe things will be just fine.

District 8: Skylark Plont

"Trouble in paradise?"

I grit my teeth at the sound of Scout's voice. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know, you and Mercy. Don't you guys have a thing or something?" he wiggles his eyebrows in an attempt to be funny, but he can't pull it off.

"That's none of your damn business." I mutter, glaring at him.

"Of course it's not, but you're being stupid if you ask me."

"Yeah, well no one asked you."

He starts to walk beside me, as if he genuinely wants to talk to me about a relationship that has nothing to do with him. "I mean, think about it. Only one of us is going home, do you really want to spend the rest of your life acting like you hate someone who clearly care about?"

"It doesn't matter... I don't even know why you would care. Shouldn't you be killing me?"

"I probably will—eventually. But I love a good Happily Ever After so..." he takes my by the shoulders and steers me back toward the cabin.

"Get off of me man!"

I don't know why the hell he's being so pushy about this. I don't even know how he found out about it... unless he ran into Drizzle and she complained about it. Wait... if he saw her he might have hurt her. I try to think back to the past couple of days. How many cannons have fired. Two, I think. At least since the District 3 girl died.

"Did you kill my sister?" I demand, hitting Scout in his side.

He winces. "No, someone killed that pervert from five and that weird loner from six. Their pictures were in the sky last night. Weren't you paying attention?" he sounds like he's trying to hold back a laugh.

Relief floods my body.

I don't want to think about what would happen if I lost Drizzle, even considering it for a second bothers the shit out of me. I volunteered to make sure she won and even if her controlling attitude pisses me off sometimes, she just has my best interest at heart. And she was right about Mercy anyway...

"Nobody misses the pictures... unless their doing someone else."

"What?"At first, I think I've heard him wrong, but I know something is wrong when we approach the front door.

"Nothing." Scout says, "I was just saying that since Mercy was originally part of the Careers I went looking for her. She told me she allied with you... and that she feels terrible about what she said and she wants to say sorry."

Yeah right, I think. But I have to admit that the idea of Mercy Tenebrae being repentant is enough to make me go inside... and it's certainly not because I miss her either.

The tension that I felt outside is ten times worse in here and I can't ignore it now.

"Mercy?" I call, almost running down the hallway. "Mercy!"

The bedroom door is wide open and she's not there. I turn around and go into the only other room she could possible be in.

When I see the blood my stomach drops.

Mercy is the last person I expected to be in this situation and the fact that she is terrifies me. I rush over to her, thinking that maybe if I get there in time everything will disappear and she'll be fine. She has to be.

She is lying in the fetal position, hands placed on her stomach. Upon further inspection, I see that the wound is fairly deep, but fixable—hopefully.

"It's going to be okay... alright? I'll just put a bandage on this, okay?" I'm surprised at how frantic my voice sounds. "This might hurt a little."

I take a quilt from the rocking chair, try to place it over the laceration, but she cries and refuses to move her hands.

"Skylark... it's okay... listen..." tears are streaming down her face. "I've... l- lost too much b- blood... and... I j- just... want you to k- know... I don't regret anything... I c- care about y- you."

"No... I'm sorry. I know how you deal with things. I knew you don't mean what you said. If I hadn't left you alone you'd be okay."

She laughs, but it sounds like it's very painful for her. "I would... have died a- anyway. I'm... good at making e- enemies. I'm just... sorry... I made... you upset."

"It's okay." I hold her to my chest. "You'll be okay."

"Sure... it'll only hurt for a little bit, right?"

I kiss her. Her lips taste like blood. "Yeah."

"Skylark, do me a favor."

"Okay."

"Win for me... promise." she looks up at me with a glimmer of that bossy expression of hers.

I consider what she says, but I know I can't promise that, I can't lose my sister too. "Drizzle..."

Mercy's expression darkens. "Just try... for God's sake."

I roll my eyes. "I'll try."

I don't know how long we sit in silence before her cannon fires, I just know that I'm overwhelmed with grief. Why does it have to feel like something has ripped out all of my internal organs. I try to wipe the tears that are falling down my face. Mercy wouldn't want me to cry over her...

"Hey bro," Drizzle says, "are you okay?"

"Sure, I guess." I lie, taking a deep breath.

She sees through it anyway and comes over to give me a hug. "It'll be alright." I look up at her. Since she was gone, she has gained a cut on her arm and a few bruises on her face. Except they all look brand-new... and then I see the bloody knife tucked in her dress.

The Dead:

District 9: Kale Anson

District 10: Max Bane

District 11: Bengal

District 12: Clara Hellebore

District 4: Cameron Knight

District 4: Fawn Nolan

District 3: Sukara "Suka" Ravo

District 5: Ransom Sage

District 6: Fallon Zeider

District 2: Mercy Tenebrae

Okay, I feel like I got a little sappy there... I just couldn't help myself. But oh well. What did you guys think? And I'm excited because I've got the final four picked out. So, out of all the dead tributes (excluding the bloodbaths) who do you miss the most? And who do you think will make it to the end?