Chapter Nine is here too. Finally Annie has entered the games, and to say the least, the pregnancy has made her slightly confused. Any ideas? Capital type punishments. Anything. Let me know via pm and most of all, review! Please, please review! Thanks you and enjoy :)

Chapter Nine

My trance is broken by Chris calling my name. I blink and then jumping off the platform I run through the bodies to meet him.

"Annie," Chris yells. I look up. 4

He's running towards me, handing me a spear. "You okay?" he asks.

Well, we're standing in the middle of a bloodbath pretending to be Careers while children die around us, but apart from that I'm fine, I feel like saying but I don't. Instead I smile slightly. "Better now."

"Oi. Come on. We have kids to kill," Tiger calls from the Cornucopia.

I look at Chris. "Your fine," he whispers. Then he stabs the sword behind me, killing a fourteen year old that was about to stab me in the back. I spin around, staring at the boy that falls to the ground, almost feeling sorry for him, but Chris nudges me and I'm back in the zone. Spinning round I head towards the Cornucopia. With Chris got my back, I manage to make it there in safety. Inside I load up on knifes, find spears and even pick up a bow and quiver. Better that then leave it to waste. I even find some survival packs nearer the back. We should be fine. Chris calling my name lets me know I'm safe to emerge. "District 4. Didn't do much killing there did you?" says Marla.

"I was checking out the packs," I say.

"Besides, didn't you see her kill the boy from 6?" Chris lies. I'm not entirely sure I've convinced them, but I don't have the chance to worry. From round the Cornucopia a girl emerges and no sooner has she raised her knife than has the spear Chris handed me entered her body. Butch nods in approval. Even I'm impressed. That, and totally horrified, but I hide that as best I can.

"Wow 4. Didn't think you had the guts to do it," she smirks. The cannon booms twelve times. Twelve of us gone, twelve to go.

There's a silence as we look from each over to the blood stained grass, to the bodies and back again. "What do we do now?" asks Vine

"We should hunt," Butch offers.

I don't know if he means for food or tributes but I don't care. I have other plans. "Shouldn't we collect the supplies, stop the others from getting them?" I ask.

The four of them turn to me and stare. Clearly none of them had thought of that. Especially not Marla, who seems like she's going to explode. Instead she manages to stay under control. "Fine. You two stay here. We'll hunt. Doubt you'll be of much use anyway," she snaps and that's when I know that I'm not excepted as a Career like Chris has been. In fact, the only reason I'm here is because he insisted I was.

He doesn't seem to mind about staying either. "Sounds good. Someone's got to guard the food right?"

More like me. Someone's got to protect me. We watch them leave the clearing, giving them thirty seconds to properly enter the woods, and as soon as they're out of earshot Chris pulls me in for a hug. "Bruises, bumps, cut? Tell me now," he demands.

"Not a scratch thanks to you," I smile coyly.

"I could say the same. So we're all okay?" He asks and I realize he's discreetly asking about the baby.

"Absolutely," I say, trying to hide my smile. He's not doing this just for me. He's doing it for my baby.

"Listen, go you think we should tell them?" he says. The cameras will defiantly be on us now. What's the big secret we're hiding? I know what Chris means. The baby. And the Careers.

"Not yet. It can be our little secret," I smile. I lean in and kiss his cheek. "Don't be afraid to show the audience that you love me though," I whisper.

"We better get to work. The sooner we get done the sooner you can rest," he says.

So I nod and begin gathering up the weapons and backpacks scattered around the cornucopia. I push them to the back of the horn. And then I have a look through. There's many flasks but no water, and one or two packs of food though not enough to keep us alive. I quickly gather the flasks and then gather some of the flasks in one bag. "I'm going to fill the flasks up by the lake," I say.

"Then I'd better come too," he says.

"I'll be fine. It's only the lake. I'll shout if I need you. Keep an eye on the supplies," I say.

Taking my hands, he nods. "Just stay safe. I'm not ready to lose you this early on in the Games."

I blush and walk down to the lake. Damn my blushing. Although for all that we're doing I doubt much that my blushing hinders my performance as a pose to strengthening it.

The lake is even more beautiful than I expected. Stunning even. The surface glitters in the morning sun, rippling and lapping like the beach I miss so much. Running my fingers through the surface I let the water swirl around my skin, distorting my reflection. I fill the bottles, everyone of then. Then I split them I half. I put half in an empty rucksack and another half in the one with the food. I glance around. On the opposite side of the Cornucopia is a tree so big, a hidden rucksack wouldn't be seen. Filled with regret I leave the lake I sneak over to the tree. At the bottom I see a gap big enough for the rucksack with food. I shove it down and them disguise it with sticks and leaves. Then taking the other one I head back. As I'm about to reach the Cornucopia I hear a yell. A yell from Chris. Maybe the careers have turned on him already.

My heartbeat quickens as I panic, my blood pumping so loud in my ears and I scream. I run as fast as I can, dread overflowing. And don't I run fast, but not before I've paused to think it through.

Filled with terror and ignoring my instincts to run away, I sprint back to the Cornucopia where Chris is wrestling with the boy from six. I hide behind the Cornucopia and load my bow. Then i step round the edge and shoot. But to my horror, where once was the back of the tribute is now the back of Chris. My mouth drops open. Please no.

"Chris," I yell. He slams the tribute over just in time to shield his body from the arrow. My knees collapse. Chris stands up, blood pouring from his cheek, his shirt stained with the tributes blood. I manage to force myself to stand and hug him. "I didn't tell you earlier, but when you said you weren't ready to lose me yet, it applied to you to," I choke. I step away and he nods guiltily.

"Snuck up on me. Should have seen him but I didn't," he says. We're both stained by blood now, a mix of the tributes and the Chris's. I empty a bottle of water over his cheek in hopes that it will clean it and then we drink. Then we sit down and wait for the others to return. The cannon booms and I avert my eyes from the tribute. A hovercraft appears and begins collecting the bodies of the dead so far. Then there's nothing left but the scenery and the sound of nature coming to life.

"What do you think?" he asks finally.

"Of what?" I ask, turning to face him.

"The arena. Stunning isn't it?"

I nod. The mountains are beautiful. I've never seen anything like them. And there's grass and flowers. A whole wood of them Finn. I've heard of them but never did I imagine them like this. Last but not least, the lake. It's like a taste of home Finnick. I want to stay near it for as long as possible," I say.

"They'll drag us away sooner or later. And don't be fooled by its beauty. It may be stunning but its deadly, you know that." He says. Suddenly I want to curse the capital for turning something as beautiful as this into a graveyard for kids. It seems so unjust. The capital never is fair, far from it, with a cruelty that words just can't describe. But cursing them won't save me, just insure I get killed either here or after. And its defiantly not going to bring sponsors.

I lean back against him. The day has moved so quickly. That's what game makers do, they speed up days, slow down nights, make it hot, cold, rain, snow. They are the game makers. They control us for their entertainment. And tonight, it's getting darker and colder by the minute. He pulls his jacket to meet mine, zipping them together. As the stars come out I begin to wonder if Dekklan and Mr Rif are looking up at them now at home. Chris knows I'm thinking, slowly slipping away into the land of want to be. Want-to-be-home. Want to be in the sea. Want to be with Finn, Dekk, Gran, Chris and Mr. Rif all together at home. He leans over to kiss my forehead. I look up at him and smile, and his face relaxes.

The boom of the cannon makes me jump twice, which considering we're both on guard isn't good; sudden noise or movement shouldn't make us jump. Then again, since we are zipped together we'd be no help anyway.

If I was to die, right here, right now, I wouldn't mind. After all, I am in Chris's arms, feeling the closest to save as I ever could feel. Then my stomach roles and I know I don't have the option to die.

As my eyelids grow heavy, I begin to wonder if they're never coming back and if we'll never have a meal, but the thumping of heavy footsteps proves me wrong. They're back and they don't sound happy.

Chris jumps to it, unzipping the jackets and sliding away from me. It's okay to make them think he likes me and I like him, but too much and they'll kill us there and then.

They've returned empty handed. They claimed its true, that they did kill two more tributes, but none of them thought about our need for food. I slump onto my side, lying down as comfortably as humanly possible and close my eyes as the anthem begins to play. Chris strokes my hair in a soothing manner and it's not long before I'm fast asleep...