Author's Note: Hello everyone, thank you for reading, subscribing, and especially reviewing. I wanted to tell you guys my schedule for the summer. Starting next week, I'll be taking two weeks off from updating. I will definitely resume posting on Friday, June 22. For the duration of the summer, I will only be posting once a week on Fridays. I'm so busy during the summer so hopefully this extra time I'm getting will ensure the quality of the story. Thank you so much for allowing me to pour my unconscious onto you, and avoid reality. Enjoy!

-David: Day 4 of the Hunger Games-

The cannon boom pierced my unconscious, thrusting me back into reality.

After I forced my eyes open, I grabbed onto my throbbing head, and surveyed my surroundings. Everything stood motionless and silent expect the gentle rustle of trees and the chirping of birds getting ready for sleep. I lifted myself onto my feet. To my right, the logs I ran away from had utterly destroyed the slope; they cracked the spine of every tree and flattened the bushes. Thankfully, I had dove into this small hovel, and avoided a similar fate as the foliage. Although, that didn't stop the rolling tree from pushing debris into the pit, knocking me out.

I dusted myself off, and ran my hand through my hair. Although it hurt, nothing was bleeding. Hopefully, the debris didn't do any damage, besides knocking me out. Once I made sure everything was intact, I set off running.

Mia will, no doubt, try to finish the job. I thought to myself.

While I was unconscious, the sun had finally set. In its place, an unusually bright moon bathed the forest in light. With the aid of this unnatural light, I avoided the tangle of roots and bushes that littered the ground. For now, I needed to find a defendable area.

A jaunty tune began to blare above me. The Capitol anthem played, and the shining death list augmented the already bright sky. As I ran, tree branches flashed across my vision, but I still had a full view the faces looking down on me. The first two pounded into my head harder than any piece of debris could.

"District 4: Andrew. District 5: Eric. District 12: Shelby."

First Remington. Then Andrew. Now Eric. Everyone I had teamed up with was now dead. Remington was probably killed by Eric. Should I have told him? Andrew was swept away by the Capitol. Should I have said something? Eric has probably been killed by Mia. She says she killed them all. Should I believe her?

This isn't the Mia I know. From the slums of the district to training in the Capitol, she was always one the nicest people. Though she's a bit weird, of any one I met, she probably has the best moral character.

That crazy person isn't Mia.

I thought back to the time we trained together. I wondered if she said something to tip me off.

-David: 4 Days until the Hunger Games-

She hopped backwards and crossed her arms, narrowly avoiding stabbing herself with the knives in her hands. "Come on, David. I know you're not trying. How are we gunna get better if you don't even fight your hardest? This is training–"

Fine, you asked for it.

I gripped my wooden bludgeon and lunged at her. Judging from the slight delay in her reaction, I surprised her. That small hesitation was all I needed. With just enough force to cause her pain, but not enough to bruise her, I jabbed at her hands, forcing them to release the knives.

"Ow!"

She leaned backwards, but before I even heard the knives hit the floor, I swung the mace at her, stopping it an inch from face. Her eyes froze upon the weapon for just a moment, but momentum took over, and she continued to fall backwards, eventually hitting the floor.

She looked up at me. "Are you cheating? I'm pretty sure you are...somehow..." She jumped off the floor and picked up her knives.

I shook my head.

She glared at me. "How are you so good at this? It's totally unfair."

I shrugged my shoulders at her.

"Whatever, I still have a few days to get better. And besides," she held up her knife and aimed it at a nearby target, "I not too bad at this." She released the knife from her fingers and, while not exactly perfect, the knife did lodge cleanly into the second ring of the target.

"What do you think?"

I nodded my head approvingly.

She punched me in the arm. "You should, like, talk some more, you know? I didn't even notice you in the District, and the judges won't notice you now. You have to stand out: that's what my advisor said.

"Besides," she smiled at me, "you're pretty cool, and you're a nice guy. You just need to get more people to notice you."

I was about to shrug my shoulders in response, but I feared getting hit again. "Thank you." I could feel the warmth heading to my cheeks in embarrassment.

"No prob. I'm done for now. Do you want to go sit down and get something to eat?"

"Sure."

"I've been craving frozen yogurt all day. Ever since I tried it on the way here, that's all I want. It's addicting or something."

I stared at her. "Um...yeah, it's pretty good." I had never tried it before.

We walked past all of the other candidates to the corner of the room. By the door, a small bell sat on a doily in the center of a table. Mia picked up the bell and rang it.

From the door, a small Avox girl appeared and bowed to us.

Mia waved at her. "Hi, I'll have a salad and some of that frozen yogurt stuff." The pale girl nodded, and with piercing eyes, she turned to me, expectantly.

"Um...the same."

She bowed once again and walked out the door.

Mia turned to me. "Are you a vegetarian, too?"

"Uh...no."

"Oh, well do you know anyone in the livestock District?"

"Yeah." Leaning against the wall, I observed the other candidates. Most of them trained in pairs, though oddly, not always from the same District

"Who?"

"I know this guy named Remington. He talks about ponies a lot so I guess he's from the livestock district."

"Hmmm, I would like to meet him and ask him a few questions." Mia ran a hand through her long brown hair. "I feel bad ordering the yogurt if it came from farms that treat the animals badly." She frowned. "How can we decry the Capitol for putting us all in an enclosed space and slaughtering us, if we do the same thing?"

The door reopened, saving me the embarrassment of trying to respond to her. The small Avox girl carried out two dishes. She stood with perfect posture, but I was still afraid that the weight from the large dishes would topple her over.

Mia took one dish out of the Avox's hands and walked towards a table. The girl laid out the other plate for me to take. For a moment, our eyes met. Her sparkling blue orbs were amazing compared to my dull brown ones. I was usually pretty good at discerning emotions though eyes, but I couldn't tell what emotion she had, if she was experiencing one at all.

I opened my mouth to speak, to say something nice, but decided that she probably didn't want to talk to some tribute, and I wordlessly accepted the plate.

"David, come on!"

"One sec..." By the time I turned back, the Avox girl was gone. I shook my head and walked to the table where Mia sat.

"So, David," she whispered to me, "what's your plan for the Games?"

I glanced around us, but the only other ones in the area were two loud nerdy guys who were overly absorbed in their own conversation.

I avoided Mia's direct gaze. "Well, I've been talking with a group of guys. We think we're going to team up."

"Are they good?"

My mind drifted to an obsessed Remington, an equally weird Eric, and the full out crazy Andrew. "Well..."

Mia stabbed her yogurt and took a bite. "Then, why are you teaming up with them?" You are certainly direct when you feel like it.

I rubbed my arm. "They may be slightly odd, but they're funny, and they are really nice people." I attempted to redirect the subject. "Do you have a plan?"

"I've been talking with my advisor. We have something planned." She winked. "I have to keep it secret, though."

From me?"Interesting."

"Yup!" She threw down her fork; she completely demolished her salad in the time we spent talking. "Now, hurry up. We have training to do!" She grinned at me.

I smiled back at her.

-David: Day 4 of the Hunger Games-

Panting heavily, I stopped in a small circular clearing. The moonlight poured across the center of the circle; the whole thing was no more than twelve feet across. The trees bordering the area created an interesting contrast: an incredibly bright center, but pitch black darkness surrounding it. I leaned against a tree, covering myself in its shadow. I hoped that I had put enough distant between Mia and me.

Mia. Suddenly, though you didn't never display any sign of insanity, you are now completely crazy. You claimed to have killed people who I know you didn't kill. You are laughing manically like a villain out of bad fiction. What are you trying to tell me?

"You have to stand out: that's what my advisor said."

"I've been talking with my advisor. We have something planned."

"Yup, that was me. Doesn't it make this fight so much more interesting?"

I snapped my fingers. It dawned on me. That's exactly what you're doing, Mia, making it interesting for them. You're putting on an act for the Capitol, becoming a character. But, you only have to stay in character as long as someone watching you. You need to know where the cameras are. That's why you twirled!

I glanced around me. When you actually know what you're searching for, it is so much more obvious to find. I could see two shiny glass eyeballs observing me on the trunks of trees. Each reflected a glare from the moonshine.

Using the butt of my short mace, I broke the two cameras. After taking a second look, I found one more and did the same to it.

Mia, come find me. It will just be you and me, now. You won't have to be in character for this scene.

-Mia: Day 4 of the Hunger Games-

Five knives left.

Will it be enough?

I wondered if I could even kill him.

If I had the element of surprise, maybe I could. Even then...

I shook my head and continued to sprint, following his obvious trail. From the impact of the rolling logs, there was a distinct disturbance of plants that snaked into the forest. Thankfully, the bright moon gave me the ability to track it easily.

Hearing a small rustle, I flung a knife into its direction. My eyes followed its trajectory and both landed right beside a small squirrel, which remained oblivious of the projectile sent by its side. I reached down to retrieve the blade and heard the squirrel's familiar whir of internal gears. It's a mobile camera.

"Awww. Aren't you cute?" So, they are just keeping you at my side.

I stared at the fake sky. What? Have I wandered off one too many times? Are you just giving me a baby sitter now?

Out of somewhere, a desire surfaced in me. I wanted to kill it. I really wanted to kill it. I wanted to stab it over and over again until I could hold it open for the entire world to see how fake it is.

I kept running and the animal followed. I glanced back at it.

You're a monstrosity, a product of these Games. Do you know that? On the outside, you're just putting on a show us, but on the inside you're something completely different. Nobody sees it, but me. You're a fake. Why do you deserve to live in the world filled with real people?

I tried to ignore the pitter patter of paws, and kept running. I threw off my bag. I didn't care what was in it; it was only slowing me down. Beneath me, the trail seemed fresher. I was nearing him.

Do I have to fight him? Well, I told everyone that I had killed Remington and Andrew. I had to kill Eric. It only makes sense to finish the whole group. There has to be a climax to this arc. I built the set-up here, and the only logical conclusion to this part of the story is for me to fight him. If I tried anything different, the audience would not be happy with me.

But, could I do it?

-David: Day 4 of the Hunger Games-

I closed my eyes, hoping to open my other senses. After a few long minutes of silence, I picked up the small pitter patter of feet.

Well, it's now or never.

I shouted in the direction of the sound. "Mia! I'm here. Let's talk." The light of the moon worsened with my night vision, but nevertheless, I squinted into the dark.

My instincts took over as I sensed motion from the darkness, diving to the side as two knives passed where my head had once been. I backed up to the other side of the circle.

Mia's silhouette appeared, and separate from her body, her face came into the light first. The moon made her face a ghost white apparition.

"Mia, there are no more cam–" A small squirrel hopped out into the white circle of light, its eyes the same glass spheres as the cameras. "Damn."

Though her face was completely expressionless, her eyes displayed a sadness I had never seen from her before. I stared at them.

Out of the darkness where her body should have been, another knife was sent hurling towards my chest. I dove out of the way, but because of the short distance between us, the knife managed to slide against my arm. A small trail of blood dripped to my fingers.

The beady eye of the squirrel zoomed in on the gash. My only shot at getting Mia to talk to me was by destroying the thing.

I dove at it.

The squirrel hopped out of my reach. Mia burst from the shadows, pointing both of the knives in her hands at my chest.

I rolled in the opposite direction as both knives plunged into the soft ground. Out of the way, I grabbed the mace with both hands and swung at her hands. Evidently, she had gotten a bit better: my mace only hit one hand.

She shrieked and dropped the knife in her left hand. Taking the opportunity, I lunged for her other hand. Like a feral cat, she leapt backwards and glared at me. Tears dripped from her face. I couldn't tell if they were from pain or sorrow.

I lowered my weapon. "Mia, I'm–"

That small hesitation was all she needed. I tried to dodge, but she sliced my arm, forcing me to drop my mace. Before I even heard the mace hit the ground, she swung the knife at me, stopping it an inch from my eyes.

-Mia: Day 4 of the Hunger Games-

I stretched out my arm, putting the greatest distance I could between me and what I was about to do.

He looked up at me. "Mia, you don't have to do this."

I stared at him.

Was he right? Maybe this could be avoided. I didn't have to kill him. I could team up with him. We could win this together. We would be unstoppable.

Everyone's watching though. Everyone has such high expectation from me. They want me to be perfect, a flawless character who follows their commands and expectations. They couldn't stand any deviation from the norm.

But, he's your friend. He's a nice person. He has done nothing wrong to do you, ever. He just wants to help. You're being selfish.

Does it matter if I'm selfish? I'm trying to live. The only way I can win is with their support. The story needs him to die. They need him to die. You have to do this. You're merely an actress in a play. You have no choice.

You have a choice. It's your life. Do something.

I grabbed my hair and screamed. "Shut up! Shut up!"

This whole IB Program. Everyone is watching me. Everyone is expecting things from me. It's so difficult. Am I just a toy? What do I do?

Out of the corner of my eye, David snagged his mace off the ground and smashed the squirrel. Even though he got away from my knifepoint, the voices screaming in my head distracted me; I didn't care.

I smiled.

That's it.

I giggled to myself.

It's beautiful. So simple. Why didn't I think of it before?

All I have to do is stop caring.

About David. About my life. About keeping up this whole facade.

All I have to do is stop caring!

Everything is so much simpler now. I finally found the solution! I win.

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

-David: Day 4 of the Hunger Games-

That laugh chilled me to the bone. There was something different about it; it was more sincere than before.

"Mia, you don't have to put on an act any more. Look." I held up the crushed squirrel. "There are not more cameras."

Mia twirled around and laughed. I stared at her. Her eyes had lost their soul. "David, I don't care anymore!" She laughed once again.

I started backing away. "Mia, let's just talk. We're friends remember."

She faced me and pulled out her knife. "I don't care about you. I don't care about anyone." She giggled and stared at her blood which dripped off the blade. "That feels so good to say!"

What happened to you, Mia?"If you don't care, then why kill me?"

She flicked the blood off the blade and watched the droplets arc across the clearing, landing across my face. "I don't know why, it just seems like the right thing to do now."

She bounced across the gap, arm outstretched, one last knife at the end.

I wanted to parry, dodge, run, scream, do something, but my body did not obey my commands.

She plunged the knife into my chest, and just as quickly, wretched it out, standing back to watch me. I held onto the wound, futilely trying to keep the blood in my body. She shoved me to the ground and laughed. Mia finally won.

No, that's wrong. This wasn't Mia anymore. The Capitol turned her into this inhuman thing.

As darkness encroached on my vision, I looked up at her one last time.

She smiled at me and waved. "Good night!"