As I walk through the forest, heading back for the lake to get more water for my journey, I try to make a plan on how to end these games as quickly as possible. There are 9 of us left; the six in Flora's alliance, Rachelle and Togru, who are most likely stalking that group, and me. Alone. An attack on either group would be suicidal. Rachelle and Togru have less numbers, but I have no idea where they are, giving them the element of surprise. Flora's alliance is at the Cornucopia, but six against one is not favorable odds. It's true that with everyone linked to their partner, the tributes would be less likely to go all-out on me if I did attack them. But the fact that they are still in the alliance with Flora shows that they aren't the smartest kids in here, and I would expect them to fight me just as hard as they normally would without a partner. I hear a noise behind me, and I spin to see a parachute slowly draping over a small container. A sponsor gift, most likely my last at this point in the games. I stoop down and pick it up, observing it. The container is glass; I can see that it is filled with small white cubes. Sugar? I then see the note attached to the lid of the container. "Do not drop in water!" I remember my dream, where Togru was sitting on the floor of the chemicals station in the Training Room, holding the same white cubes with his tongs.

"Pure sodium. Not very deadly by itself. But mix it with water and you'll get a violent explosion."

I stare at the container in awe. Cato has given me at least three pounds of sodium. I'm not a chemist, but I know for a fact that pure sodium cannot be found naturally on Earth. This must have been created in one of the new Capitol research centers. And it must have cost a fortune. For the first time, I entertain in my mind the thought that the citizens of the Capitol and District 2 must all be backing me. Here I am, the only tribute that lived after his partner died, the only tribute that is alone in the arena. And I'm doing well.

Excited, I run the rest of the way to the lake, pausing only momentarily at the forest's edge to make sure no tributes are nearby. Then I run to the lake, drop down to my knees, and scoop up some water with the canister in my backpack. I drop an iodine pill inside and set it aside. I snatch up the canister and twist the lid open. Pressurized air escapes with a hiss. I shake one of the sodium cubes into my hand. It's about the same size as a sugar cube; it even has the same texture. Time to test it. I take out my knife and whittle off one of the corners of the cube. I put the cube down on the grass, and stand up at the water's edge. With all my might, I throw the small bit of sodium as far as I can. It sails through the air and hits the water. Immediately, a geyser of water shoots up about five feet, accompanied with a small "bang". Amazing. I'm tempted to throw the rest of the cube into the water, but I decide not to; it might draw unwanted attention to the lake.

I decide to climb a tree not far from the edge of the forest and wait out the rest of the day. Up in the tallest tree I can find, I eat and drink some of my food, which I have a lot of thanks to Heather's meticulous packing the night she freed me. I occupy myself with thinking of ways to use the sodium against my competition. By the time the anthem sounds, I'm convinced that the only way the sodium would kill everyone is if it were raining. No deaths today. The anthem blinks out. I find a nice branch to sleep on and close my eyes. The cannon opens them up immediately. Someone has died. I get up from my reclined position and feel my heart begin to race as another cannon fires. The third cannon is what gets me to climb down from the tree. Rachelle and Togru must be attacking the tributes in Flora's alliance; this is the perfect moment to get the drop on them.

It takes me about an hour to get to the Cornucopia, and by that time, another cannon has fired, announcing the death of another tribute. The only light I see is a small campfire, around which two figures can be seen walking. Two others lie on the ground, struggling. I approach, using the darkness as cover, and lie down in a patch of grass close enough to see what's going on. The campfire provides good cover; its light prevents anyone's eyes from adjusting and seeing me in the grass. The boy and girl from 3 lie bound and gagged next to the campfire. Why are they still alive? Rachelle comes into view, dragging the body of the girl from 5 across the ground. She tosses her onto something that the campfire's light does not illuminate fully. I'd wager a guess that it's the bodies of Flora, her partner Flax, and the girl from 5's partner. My suspicions are confirmed as the hovercraft comes to pick up the dead tributes one at a time. Four claw drops and lifts later, the hovercraft disappears. Crawling backwards, I start to sneak away from the horn, and head back to my tree when I hear voices and freeze.

"Three left, Togru. Then we're going home." Rachelle sounds confident, but I can sense the fatigue behind her voice. Togru doesn't answer. He limps into view from behind the horn and slumps down onto the ground. He stares at his leg for a moment before muttering, "Do we have any bandages?" Rachelle goes to look for some behind the horn. In the light of the fire, I can see the stream of blood trickling out of Togru's leg. He must have been cut badly by one of Flora's group. Rachelle comes back with some cloth, and begins to wrap his leg. "Do you think you'll be able to run on it?" Togru nods. "I'll be fine tomorrow. It's just a little cut." Rachelle tightens the knot of cloth and Togru winces, sucking in breath sharply. Rachelle stares at him for a moment. Then she jumps up and rushes over to the boy from 3 on the ground. She groans and starts kicking him in the chest. Her groans quickly become screams of frustration. Then, with one final kick, she slumps to the ground and begins to sob. "We're gonna die. Lucas is gonna come and...and...he'll kill us tonight," she whimpers. Togru stares at his leg, and the two tributes from 3, especially the boy, scream and moan through their gags.

And once again, I'm at a loss for what to do. Kill, or run away?