I awake the next morning in Finnegan's arms, not unlike that one time in the Capitol.

I had a surprisingly good night's sleep, and rub my eyes to get rid of any sleep. And then I realise where I am.

Looking around myself I see the cave like camp out which we reside in's rocky walls, which are, thankfully, untainted with any disturbing substances, aka blood. No one's died in here overnight.

I can't recall last night well, I know I stayed up talking for a while with Finnegan — an unusual thing to do during the Hunger Games.

But it's comforting, I suppose. Makes me feel a degree of normalcy, slightly.

I know I've seen horrors already, but I don't want to recall them.

My brain tries to, but I fight against it.

No.

Only Thamilia is awake at the moment and she's sat fiddling with her weapons she's gathered. She looks up and sees my open eyes and jumps to her feet.

'Time for action,' she says to me. 'This Cornucopia isn't going to guard itself, is it?'

She narrows her eyes at the unconscious forms beneath her. 'This is the Hunger Games,' she spits out. 'I could kill them at anytime, I hope they realise that.'

I make a mental reminder to wake up earlier than Thamilia from now on, lest she kills me, and the rest of us, in our sleep.

Which I don't doubt she'd do.

She proceeds to kick Zamuel, Ruby and Jacob until they wake up. I take a gentler approach to Finnegan, nudging him awake with my hand.

'No need to kick them, Thamilia,' I gasp as I watch her kick Zamuel extra hard.

This causes her to cast me one of the harshest glares I've ever seen. I regret opening my mouth at all and pause my shaking of Finnegan.

'Don't tell me what to do, 4,' she growls and I hold back a gulp. I can't look frightened or weak in front of her. She continues. 'I can get to you,' she tilts her head to Finnegan, an evil smile upon her face. I'm beginning to think I was wrong to feel so uneasy around Ruby: Thamilia is the clear leader of this alliance, and a huge threat. 'Don't think I didn't see you earlier. Sleeping in his arms? How sweet.'

She picks a knife up from the ground and strides over to Finnegan. I move in front of him quickly, protectively.

'Oh, move over,' she sighs, her eyes taunting. 'I'm just going to wake up your... boyfriend.' She lingers on the word.

I step to the side; she wouldn't kill Finnegan, would she? It's too earlier in the Games for that. She shouldn't hurt him badly either, that'd just inconvenience the alliance on a whole.

I run my hands over my face as Thamilia looks Finnegan up and down.

He's just slumped against the wall looking pretty helpless.

The others are up now, sleepy, but onlookers to the scene unfolding. I can only hope they don't really know what's going on, and won't know to use Finnegan as a weapon to weaken me.

Thamilia crouches down and presses her knife's tip to Finnegan's cheek. It hasn't left an indentation yet, but I still bite my lip. What is she going to do?

Thamilia looks up at me, right into my eyes, and throws me a smile, not unlike the horrible one she wore earlier. 'Don't worry,' she smirks. 'It won't hurt him too much. I'll try not to damage that nice face of his too much.'

She curves a line into his cheek, it doesn't look too deep, much to my relief, but blood gushes out. His eyes suddenly open and he bolts upright, bashing his head lightly on the uneven rock wall.

I try not to show my weakness for him by stepping back so I'm with the others.

Finnegan uses his shirt to try to stem the blood flow, and Zamuel chucks him a length of bandage, which he must've got from one of our rucksacks. I smile at him, feeling glad I stopped Thamilia from kicking him again a few minutes before.

'Now,' Thamilia turns to face us. 'Let that be a lesson to all of you. Be awake on time, or face the consequences.'

She marches over to underneath the large drain, the only place where light will filter through, and pushes the drain aside, then heaves herself up through the hole. The others follow suit and I wait last so I can help Finnegan with his minor wound.

'Do you feel alright?' I ask.

'Hurts a bit,' he smiles weakly. 'No big deal though, it could be worse.'

'I'll get Thamilia back sometime,' I promise him through a whisper. I can't risk being heard by anyone.

'You're too kind.'

I get up onto the ground above our camp and then help Finnegan through. Not that he needs it, really.

Thamilia stomps over. She looks mad.

'Lovebirds, you need to hurry the hell up. You just missed a tribute,' she says.

'What?' I say.

'We just saw a tribute trying to steal from the Cornucopia, and she got away, no thanks to you two.'

Now I'm the one feeling angry. How is that our fault in the slightest?!

'We're sorry,' Finnegan apologises on my behalf. It's probably best I don't speak right now; my angry words could get us both killed.

Thamilia eyes us both up and down. 'You're forgiven... for now.'

She hurries off to the others, who are scanning the forest for potential prey.

'She infuriates me,' I groan.

'Don't let her get to you,' Finnegan says.

'Easier said than done.'

We catch up with the rest of our allies, and Thamilia's assigning us all posts. A quick glance at my allies' faces tells me I'm not the only one bothered by Thamilia.

I feel bad to hope that she gets killed off soon.

'Jacob, you guard the Cornucopia with Zamuel.' They both nod.

'Ruby, you stay with me. We're going hunting for tributes.' Thamilia says this accompanied by a sadistic smile. Killing must be her idea of fun. I no longer feel bad to hope she dies as soon as possible.

'And then you two,' she looks at me and Finnegan with contempt. 'Go and explore. Try not to get killed? If you do... well, it won't be such a loss anyway.'

Rage bubbles up inside me. I know she wants me to sink to her level and perhaps even fight with her. But that'd just get me killed. Then Finnegan.

We all split up to go to our different tasks. I can hear Ruby and Thamilia's twisted laughter as they run into the woods, maybe already in pursuit of another tribute.

I hear screams about ten minutes after we all split up. Ruby and Thamilia must've found someone. I find myself grasping for Finnegan's hand in the darkness and I find him.

'Are you okay?' he asks me.

I hear pleading. 'Yes.'

I have to be alright for the cameras, and for my family. If I seem to be breaking down it won't gain me any sponsors. My plan to save Finnegan won't succeed.

'Okay,' he says, and leads me by my hand further into the trees.

Shadows seem to dance upon my mind, am I imagining it all or not? We progress forward anyway.

I jump when the cannon sounds, half expecting to be dead within seconds. But I'm not.

A scream pierces the silence and continues for minutes, someone cries out repeatedly. I tug at Finnegan's arm for us to turn around, it doesn't feel right out here.

But it's too late.

'Absidee,' he says, and I whirl around.

Someone I never expected to see again is stood before me.

'Finnick?' I breathe.

He's stood there, trident in hand, unmoving.

How could this happen? How is this possible?

He smiles for a few moments, a smile I've never seen Finnick wear before.

Finnegan slides a knife out from his belt before I can stop him, and I just stand there, gawping. How could this be happening?

I throw all reason out of the window.

My best friend is here. I feel the urge to cry with happiness, but I want to get Finnick out of this place. How is he here? How?

'Absidee,' is the only thing Finnick says to me before he runs at me, trident raised above his head.

He lurches out at me, his trident catching my arm. I yell out, dropping the spear I was carrying.

'Run!' Finnegan shouts at me, but I can't leave him. Confusion is overwhelming me. Why is Finnick trying to kill us?

I feel like a child trying to wrap their head around their first maths sum at school.

Trying to understand how to tie their first knot.

I can't.

Finnegan slashes out at Finnick, and I grab at his arm. He has to stop. Something's wrong, Finnick wouldn't do this.

Have I made him angry somehow? Perhaps that's why.

'Finnegan, stop it!' I shout at him, but it's like trying to control the sea during one of its storms. It doesn't happen.

'Absidee, go,' Finnegan shouts back.

I pull with all my strength on his arm as Finnick pulls back his arm, going in for the fatal strike.

Finnegan finally backs away, just missing the trident by millimetres.

I grab his hand and sprint away from the nightmare. We reach the clearing where the Cornucopia is situated within minutes, puffing and panting.

'What the hell happened?' shouts a voice I didn't expect; Jacob's.

'Mutt,' says Finnegan.

What mutt does he speak of? We only saw Finnick!

'Finnick isn't a mutt, Finnegan!' I say, and flop to the ground. We might be safe here. Finnick must've given up. I hope he's not too mad at me.

'Absidee, he wasn't real!' Finnegan tells me. 'He was a mutt, manufactured by the Capitol to look like Finnick. They would never actually bring Finnick in here.'

'What?' I hope he's telling the truth.

'It's the only logical explanation,' Zamuel reassures me.

I sigh loudly in relief. I'm OK. Finnegan's OK. Finnick's OK.

'Where's Ruby?' Finnegan says, and I notice her absence for the first time.

'Down at the camp. Screaming it out into her rucksack for something or other, I should think,' Jacob says casually.

'Why?' I say quietly. I'm still trying to get over the shock of what just happened.

'Thamilia's dead,' says Zamuel.

'Oh god,' says Finnegan. 'How?'

'Only Ruby knows, but she's hysterical at the moment. She should calm a bit, soon enough,' Jacob says. 'Must've been pretty bad, though.'

I lie back and survey my injury. A bloody arm.

Nothing much.

What could've happened to Thamilia haunts my thoughts for some strange reason.

Why?

I don't know.