Author's Note: Hey Everyone. Here is Chapter 15. It's a bit of a filler chapter, building more of the Career's personalities and Annie's interaction and thoughts about them and the games.
Please enjoy and let me know what you think.

Chapter Fifteen

I ran the rest of the way to the Cornucopia, grabbing as many lengths of rope as I could possibly pack into and onto my backpack, thinking of another stupid thing that we had done during just our first few hours of being in the Arena… we had left the Cornucopia unguarded. Not that it really matter much, since we have no food or water to steal but we do still have weapons and loads of them.

I spin in a slow circle, checking over everything that we had packed into the Cornucopia before we had left to find water.

Yeah, we've been robbed.

Not much has been taken, barely noticeable compared to everything that we have left, but yeah, stuff has definitely been taken from our stash.

I smack my forehead with my palm.

How could we be so stupid?! Now there are armed tributes running around in the forest somewhere, ready to jump us.

"Why didn't they just torch the place? Or steal and hide all of the weapons. They must realise we're without food and water? So why not take what's left of our assets?" I mumble to myself. "Yeah, and then bring the wrath of the Careers down upon their heads, smart… but without food, water and equipment, they'd be doomed within a couple of days. Plus they'd have to figure out who did it… though Jade wouldn't care, she'd just wants to kill everyone."

I rub my temple, silently telling myself to stop thinking of ways to kill off my allies without actually getting any of their blood on my hands.

Speaking of which, they've possibly killed themselves off while I've been gone and I would have no idea. No Cannon's sound during the first day of the Games, usually there are too many deaths occurring, making it too difficult for the Gamemakers to keep track of, but today…

"Today, they've had a pretty boring first act." I say with a snort before once more sighing and with last length of rope thrown over my arm, I start heading back for the lake, though this I time I use my brain and I have a sword strapped to my hip. A small, light weight one, but after a few experimental swings of it, I felt that I could at least badly injure anyone who tried to attacked me. A spear was strapped my pack as well.

"Where you been?" Merle grumbles when I return to lake side and surprisingly everyone is alive, they even have some berries gathered. Nightlock, of course, but since none of them are dead, I'm pretty sure I can swap them for the blueberries that I've been gathering on my way back. Yes, once again not the smartest thing I could have done but I was hungry.

I dump my pack on to the sandy shore and tell Merle to start teaching the others how to make nets for catching fish – none of them look impressed by this suggestion – while I check out the water to see if I can catch us some lunch.

"Without a net?" Serendipity sneered at me.

"Hands." I say and wiggle my fingers at her. She frowns at me in uncertainty, while Merle gives me a nod of good luck.

I eye the water of the lake cautiously. It's fresh water, obvious since we can drink it, and while I have fished in the few fresh water rivers that are around District Four, I'm not as certain with my fresh water fish as I am with my ocean ones. I'm not sure how many fresh water fish are poisonous but it would be just my luck that they'd be the ones swimming around in this lake. Not to mention, there could also be one of the Capital's mutts swimming in here too.

Lovely and I was about to go and start paddling around in this unknown body of water. All the rules and restrictions that have been drilled into me as a child come roaring back as soon as I take off my boots and socks and roll up my pants.

"Don't go in too deep. You don't know anything about this lake, what its currents do or if it has any rip pools in it or even how deep it gets or how quickly." Merle calls to me unexpectedly.

"Gotcha." I say and step into the lake. It's cool but I don't mind it and continue to step in, taking care to watch my steps and the water ahead of me.

I get about waist deep before I stop, partially because I loose my nerve to go any deeper, but mostly because I now have a school of fish swimming around me, not close enough to grab yet, but if you are patient, they will be. They get used to your presence and swim closer and closer and closer to you, until…

As fast as I had been taught to be by my Dad and my teachers, I snatched one of the fishes that swam just that little bit too close to my quiet, un-moving form out of the water, gave it a sharp wack over its head, killing it smartly before tying it to the rope I had brought with me around its tail. I then stopped moving.

I went through the whole process about ten or so more times before heading back to shore with over a dozen fish, over to where the others are just finishing off their nets and couple of rough traps and setting up a fire. Thankfully, starting up a fire is a skill that even Serendipity possesses.

"We should probably head back to the Cornucopia." I say when I walk up to them.

"Why?"

"Why? Because we left it unguarded for one thing and stuff could have been taken." I thought better than to actually mention that stuff had already been stolen, "Plus we need to get some stuff, equipment and such, to make camp."

"She's right." Cole says before the others can argue. "Let's pack up all this and head back and get some stuff together, and then," he looks towards Jade who looks ready to explode again, "we'll go hunting."

"We could have been hunting now if those bastard had simply given us food like they did every other bloody year!" Jade snarled angrily as we start packing up.

She continues to growl out complaints the whole way back to the Cornucopia. While I'm left to cook lunch, the others sort out things in the Cornucopia between them.

I feel a little sick that I'm being left out during this rather important sort, certain that I'm going to be left with the most useless of items.

I sigh and keep cooking the fish, thankful that I had used my brain before hand and had thought to grab a few vital things while I was grabbing the rope.

I thought about the snares that we had set up in a few strategic spots on the way back the Cornucopia, wondering if they'll catch anything; animal or tribute.

"Is it done yet?" Serendipity complained loudly nearby. I jumped a little when I realised she was right beside me.

"Almost." I turn each of the fishes carefully over the flames, before handing her one of the cooked ones.

"Are you sure its… safe?" she asked nervously as she sat down beside me.

"Um, yeah." I take another cooked fish from by the fire and cut it fully open with a practised hand while Serendipity cringed. When I had been gutting the fish, she had looked close to being sick.

I cut out some cooked, white fish meat and take a small experimental bite of it. I had cleaned and gutted the fish exactly as I had been taught, as well as looked for all the signs that suggested that it might be of a poisonous variety – and saw none, obviously - but still you couldn't be too careful.

I wait a minute or so, Serendipity watching me closely and cautiously for any ill effects that the fish might had caused me, but when I smiled she looked relieved before grimacing again.

"It doesn't taste bad." I reassure her gently.

She snorts.

"It'll taste fishy."

"It won't, it's not a fishy tasting fish." She gave me an odd look but I wasn't in the mood to explain how some fishes are more oily and fishy in taste than others, "besides, I've season them with so many herbs you can barely even taste the fish."

"Herbs?"

"The plants I was picking on the way back." I say around a mouth full of fish.

"Oh. I don't really know very much about all that."

No, really? I wanted to say but I kept my mouth shut.

"I can show you a few things, if you like." I tell her and she eyes me with suspicion.

"Why?"

"Why, what?" I ask after I've swallowed another mouthful of fish. It wasn't bad, yeah the herbs are a little overpowering, but overall, it's pretty tasty.

"Why are you being so nice, freely telling us all this survival stuff, why not keep it all to yourself."

"Because you'll kill me."

"We could kill you either way, so why not bolt while we fumble around, probably killing ourselves due to eating the wrong berries." She gives me a look, "I know you changed the ones we picked."

I smile at her, feeling somewhat sheepish. Maybe Serendipity wasn't such a spoiled, arrogant, stuck-up, drop-dead beautiful, stupid brat after all. She was a spoiled, arrogant, stuck-up, drop-dead beautiful, observant, stupid brat.

"Hey, are you two eating all the food? Stop eating all the food! They're eating all the food." We both heard Jeopardy complaining before he was rushing over, demanding his share in the fish.

"I'll find us some stuff to make up a proper meal, like greens and roots." I promise as we all sit around the fire eating our share of the goods that I had caught. I receive several noncommittal grunts in return, though Serendipity did look up at me, a strange look in her beautiful blue eyes.

I simply smile back at her before digging into my second fish.

"Well, it's dusk. Better start out." Cole said as Serendipity, Merle and I came back to the camp that we had set up by Cornucopia, each of us carrying a bundle of wood each.

"Finally!" Jade exclaimed jumping to her feet from where she had been lounging by the fire for most of the afternoon, refusing to give us any help with anything. "Now to give the people what they've been dying to see all day!"

"Well, if you hadn't played with your kills this morning we could have gotten more killed during the bloodbath." Jeopardy grumbled.

"Oh, so your lack of performance today was my fault? What, can't make a kill without someone holding your hand?" Jade sneered back at him. Jeopardy's face went red.

"Look, we all performed badly this morning, but tonight will be different, right?" Merle says loudly.

"It wasn't our fault," I heard Jeopardy complain to Serendipity; "none of them were running for the Cornucopia, they all just bolted into the forest as soon as the gong sounded."

This was true, none of the kids had stuck around for long, none of them had even really tried to make to the Cornucopia… that is, not until we had all gone off to search for water, then they had snuck in and taken a few provisions, stuff that these lot wouldn't notice being gone.

I stared up at the darkening sky, wondering who it was who had snuck in and taken stuff. Ronan and Willow perhaps. They weren't amongst the dead that had been picked up shortly after the Bloodbath finished.

I shudder at the memory of seeing all those young, white, dead faces staring up at me. Even the boy who had tried to kill me made me wince. Why hadn't he just run, like everyone else? He had somehow managed to get his hands on axe, why not just keep going? Why stick around? To be involved with the carnage maybe? Yeah, and look where that had gotten him.

I wondered if his family and friends back home were cursing mine and Merle's names. Would they look at his death as his life having to be sacrificed so that I could continue living or did they simply think murder, murder.

I close my eyes.

I hardly blamed them for thinking that. I would be too, no matter what the circumstances were. If my child was killed during these games, no matter what she or he had done previously in the games, I would be screaming and cursing the tribute who killed them. I wouldn't care if they killed them through self defence or simply because they wanted to win, I'd still hate them with every fibre of my being.

As I'm thinking all this, I feel my stomach roll and I remember that I do have child in these games, a child I had to protect with my life, but why did it have to make it so hard?

Oh, baby not now.

"You ok? You look like you're about to be sick." Merle says as I sway slightly clutching my belly with one hand, while my other is pressed to my mouth.

Stop it. Please, they'll kill us if they think we're weak and no more use to them.

"I'm fine. Just… never mind. Who's going and who's staying?" I ask.

The groups as to who was going to stay in camp and who was going out hunting were fairly obvious to me even though it wasn't to the twins.

"What! WHY?" They both yelled when they heard they were staying behind, with me, to guard the camp while Jade, Cole and Merle went out hunting for tributes.

"Look, there are six of us. Three go hunting; three stay behind, simple maths." Merle says and sends me questioning look.

"I'm fine with this."

"Of course you are." Jade snorts, but I ignore her as I lean against the moss covered log that I had found nearby just within the forest edge and continue creating snares.

I was quite proud of my snares and I was actually looking forward to setting them out, testing them out tomorrow. I wasn't sure how many rabbits the others snares had caught, but you can always live in hope can't you?

With a few more grumbles the Twin finally gave up and sunk down onto the ground nearby, their arms crossed and they were pouting.

"See you probably around dawn." Merle says as he hands me a spear.

"Why?" I start to ask.

"Just take the damn spear. You never know."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Merle,"

"What?" He looked back at me in irritation as he halts in his march with the other two to look back me.

"Good luck and take care of yourself." I say and instead of sneering or making so snarky remark, he simply nods before legging it to catch up with the other two.

Please, don't kill him. Please.

If Merle dies, I can pretty much bet whatever allies I have with the other four is off, completely. I might be useful, but I'm not liked by them and they'll only keep useful around for so long and if Merle goes… well, I just have to pray that Cole and Jade don't want him dead yet.

"Can't believe they left us." Jeopardy complained. "First night in the Games and we're stuck on Guard Duty!"

"Hey, you never know who might show up. That big guy from eleven might." Though I hoped he didn't. For one thing, I like him and secondly, he'd could, if he put his mind to it, kill us quite easily. Or at least harm the three of us quite badly.

"Yeah, point taken. They might want to take some weapons or something."

Yeah, but someone or ones already have, I think but still I keep quite. Even with these two, I'm not risking it.

Night had fully fallen when we all hear the anthem that precedes the death recap ring out throughout the arena, along with the seal of the Capital appearing floating in the darkening sky.

I hold my breath as the anthem ends because I know what will happen next. The faces of all the dead tributes will appear on another screen in the night sky. The screen doesn't show how the dead tributes died, but rather it shows the same photographs that they showed when they televised our training scores. Simply a head shot with the dead tributes district number glowing beside their head.

The first to appear in the sky was the girl from District 3. She was so young! Maybe thirteen or fourteen years of age. I can't even remember her name. Or any of the other kids either.

The next face to appear is the girl from District 8. Both the tributes from both 9 and 10 are gone. And those are the six.

Only one of those six looked to be an adult and that was the boy from 9, the rest of them looked to be all younger than me by at least two years.

I stare down at my hands, while the twins mutter to themselves about the dead tributes. My hands curl into fists as I try to stay calm.

The other two ignore me when I get into one of heat reflecting sleeping bags. I had placed the bag in between the Cornucopia and the still burning fire where the twins are still sitting around.

I curled up within the bag, hugging myself close. I had a knife and a spear close at hand but not for the first time this night, I wished that I was by myself, in a secluded little spot by the lake.

I closed my eyes that are now starting to burn with unwanted tears.

Don't cry, don't start crying.

I press a hand to my belly where the baby slept and I feel a sense of calm flow through me or maybe it was just the desire to live.

I fell into a deep sleep only to be woken by a loud sound, like a controlled explosion. Or the sound of a cannon, a voice whispers in my head. Whatever it was the noise had me sitting bolt upright in fright, my heart pounding madly in my chest.

"They got someone." I heard Serendipity whisper somewhere nearby.

"About time." Jeopardy yawned and I realise with horror and disbelief that we'd all been sleeping, all of us! No one had been keeping watch! We could have been killed in our sleep and we'd be none the wiser. How could we honestly have been so stupid… again!

"What's with you?" I heard Jeopardy complain as I started stoking the warm coals and setting up a bright, cheery little fire.

"Someone has to keep watch." I say and the twins look up at me from their sleeping bags, frowning. "Unless you feel like being killed in your sleep." I add and the two immediately stop looking at me sceptically.

I throw my sleeping bag over my legs, so in case I can jump up and fight someone off… or something and settle myself back down against the log that I had leant upon yesterday.

With my feet being toasted by the fire, I wonder which tribute had just died.

Don't be Willow, I think and I chide myself. She has to die for you and the baby to live. They all have to die, just accept it.

I stay vigilant for the rest of the night, but I see and hear nothing for the rest of it, however I welcome the morning. When the sun rises I feel my very soul lift. There is something about morning that makes the world appear just that bit less scary, even here in the arena.

My sense of peace and security however is destroyed when I hear the cannon sound again.

I close my eyes and try to fight back nausea as I tick off yet another tribute from the twenty-four of us.

Eight down, sixteen of us left to go.

"Morning." Jeopardy yawned widely as he ran a hand through his messy blonde bed hair.

"Morning." I reply but I'm no longer glad that it is. While the other two rouse themselves for the day, I go over in my mind what I want to do today. First thing I wanted to do is go and check my snares. We need food, as everything that I caught yesterday was eaten last night, and I doubt that the other three did any kind of food gathering, their minds too firmly focused on hunting down tributes and killing them.

A part of me wanted to just go off and collect food on my own, to just be on my own and away from the others, but I knew that wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do. Even though I'm a part of the Career group, and hopefully that means I'll get to live a little longer because of it, I know that I've set myself against every other tribute in the arena by 'siding' with these lot. So going off on my own would mean any tribute who felt that they could take on one lone Career, would. And if it was anyone like the huge boy from District Eleven, I would not stand a chance.

"I want to go and check my snares." I say to the other two who have joined me by the fire.

"Shouldn't we wait for the others?" Serendipity asked.

I shake my head.

"If we wait, we risk the chance of someone or an animal stealing our rabbits." I say patiently and the other two groan.

We are just getting ourselves ready to head out to go and check our snares when the other three arrive back at camp looking pleased with themselves. I was glad then that I had a empty stomach otherwise I would have thrown up.

"Where's breakfast?" Jade barked as a way of greeting.

"We were just going out to check whether or not any has been caught. And since you're back, we don't have to worry about the camp." I say brightly while Jade scowls at me as if I had done this to deliberately annoy her or something.

With weapons in hand and backpacks on our backs, the three of us headed off, leaving the others to mind the camp.

I walked ahead of the other two, hoping this wasn't yet another stupid move and that I wouldn't end up with a spear sticking out of my back.

"I don't trust her, Jep." I heard Serendipity hiss from behind.

"Why?"

"She terrifies me for one thing." I heard Serendipity softly admit and figured that she wasn't talking about me, since I was far from being terrifying to anyone. "I don't think she really cares about our alliance, I think she'll kill us the first chance she gets."

"So why not just leave then?" I call back to them, causing the two of them to glare back at me, "no one is making you stay. And if you're so afraid of Jade breaking off the alliance so soon in the games, then leaving now might be the best things."

"And give her more reason to take us out faster." Jeopardy grumbled and I shrugged.

"Why aren't you running?" Serendipity called after me.

I pause thinking for a moment before smiling sheepishly back at her.

"Because my mentors would have a fit if I did."

Serendipity frowned back at me.

"Why? You would survive ok on your own. I mean, your weapon skills suck, but you have survival skills that we don't have." Serendipity says with such sincerity I almost trip over.

I look back at her strangely and watch as her pretty face turns red.

"Well it's true!" She snapped glaring at both her brother and me while we simply look at her with startled expressions.

"Um, right." I say slowly and keep walking.

I find that our snares have been successful, and that we've been rewarded with three fine, plump rabbits.

I look down at them, trying not to feel too sorry for them as I pull them free of the snares, reassembling it again. As I do this, I try and remember everything that I know about rabbits and how I should prepare them for eating.

"I'm not eating that." Serendipity informed me and I roll my eyes.

"You said that about the fish." Jeopardy says, beating me to it.

"But…"

"Its food Sera," Jeopardy says as he takes two of the rabbits off me and ties them to his backpack.

"But…"

"What next?" Jeopardy asked me ignoring his sister.

"I guess we can try the lake and see if we can catch some fish." I say. The twins nod and together we walk in the direction of the lake and its huge waterfall.

I'm not sure why the twins are going along with my plans as quietly as they are; maybe they plan to murder me while my back is turned. I don't know. But even so, even if they are planning to kill me, they're not all that bad company, once their get over or forget to act all higher than thee, they're actually quite nice.