Does anybody know the name of the district four girl in book one? You know, Katniss killed her with the tracker jacker nest? If she remained unnamed, I'll just make one up.

Chapter Nine

Madge awoke to the steps of footsteps. She was not alone. Of course, several insects and woodland creatures had surrounded her, and of the course the Gamemakers watched her 24/7, but this was different. This was human life.

She also heard the sound of voices. She gathered her jacket, bow, and sheath of arrows. She hid them behind a rock and held her breath.

There seemed to be about six of them, led by a boy named Cato and a girl named Glimmer. Glimmer. Nice story to tell in the afterlife. I got my throat ripped out by a girl named Glimmer. And Cato? Is there a limit of five characters?

She could probably take one of them out right now, if they were alone, but she couldn't take on all six. She assumed they were Careers, because they cast off the unmistakable smell of arrogance and blood that only a Career tribute could.

Madge reached for her knife. It was still in the sheath of arrows.

"Did you hear something?" asked Glimmer.

Madge held her breath. Paranoia. Paranoia, that's all it is.

"I did, actually," said Cato. Madge knew they would find her. She couldn't hide here forever. It was a nice delusion that they would look everywhere except where she was like in some old TV show, but it wasn't true. Madge could either jump up and fight, or run away.

Madge grabbed her jacket and slung her sheath across her back. She fired an arrow at Cato and ran away before she could see whether or not it made its mark.

She could hear them pursuing her. She could assume she had missed Cato, but the careers didn't exactly adopt the Boy Scouts' 'no scout left behind' philosophy. If she was going to outrun, she was going to have to ditch the bow. She wasn't very good with it anyway. She threw it into the woods, hoping the Careers would go after it. If they did, they would stop chasing her. If they didn't, she could go back for it later. The only win-win situation where the number one possible outcome is a slow, painful death.

Madge heard a loud, booming sound and wondered if a she was being shot at. Then she realized it was a canon. Somebody had died. Was it Cato?

Madge almost tripped over a log and couldn't help thinking that the gunshot was for her. She ran into a clearing and stopped. She was out of breath.

Surprisingly, there was a young girl sitting in one of the trees.

The Careers burst into the clearing. Madge drew her knife. She counted five. Cato was not among them. In the distance, she heard the sound of a helicopter.

"Alliance?" she suggested weakly. Was it too late to run again?

She wondered if somebody else would arrive, but it seemed everybody was already here. 11 dead, plus Cato, five Careers, herself, and Tree Girl. Nineteen people were present and accounted for.

"Look," she said, pointing at Tree Girl.

"What are you pointing to, Fire Girl?"

"I didn't design the costume," said Madge. "And I'm pointing to the girl in the trees."

"There is no girl in the trees," said Glimmer.

Madge didn't dare turn around to look. For some weird reason, it started to rain. Probably some distant tribute was just starting a fire. Then lightning started to strike. As soon as the trees caught, the rain and lightning mysteriously stopped. Madge worried what would become of Tree Girl.

She had two options. She could run towards the Careers, or she could run into the fire.

She tried not to inhale too much smoke as she ran. She still had her knife in her hand. She must have dropped her jacket somewhere in the forest. Madge was thankful she had put her Nightlock in her sheath.

The fire had to end somewhere. Madge pitied the animals, who were running also. No poisonous or even potentially dangerous animal was safe within miles of the Capitol. All that evolution had backfired.

And you thought only the tasty ones were hunted, thought Madge.

The fire seemed to have stopped. Madge turned around. It had disappeared. But who had lived? Who had died? The shot of the canons could easily have been lost in the roaring fire.

Was Peeta alive? The careers? Tree Girl? Madge knew she could wait until the night, when the Capitol seal flashed in the sky. Why had they even started the fire?

Madge was not in the best shape. It was vey hot, she had no food or water, and her only weapons were a knife and two bowless arrows. She also had the Nightlock, but that wasn't really good for anything except poisoning food, and if Madge could find some food, she would eat it.

Water. She needed to find some. Had the stream survived the fire? It might be filled with debris, but it might be drinkable. And food. She could probably find some animal.

For the first time, Madge noticed she was burned. The fringe on the end of her pants had burned off, her shoes falling off. She could see her hurt ankle had become swollen, and the bandage had burned off. The rest of her feet were scarred and damaged by the fire. Her arms were also scraped up and burned, and her face hurt. For the first time in her life, Madge felt truly damaged. She was going to die.

Madge took out the Nightlock and held it up to see. She could take it now and end it all. It would be the quickest, least painful way to go. But who would win the Hunger Games?

Madge lay down in the grass and closed her eyes. She hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep when the Capitol anthem began to play.

Madge sat up abruptly. The faces in the sky! The dead tributes! She had missed them!

It was night. Madge had slept all day, and now she had sunburns to match her real ones. It was too dark to see much of anything. Madge wished she had a flashlight. And some food and water. And a real bed. And some nice weapons.

Madge smiled. It's what every sixteen year old girl wants for her birthday! A big, pointy javelin!

Madge tried to figure out who was dead. Eleven died on the first day, plus Cato. That makes 12 known deaths. There was also her, so that makes 11 not present or accounted for. Peeta and Tree Girl she could trust. Up to five Careers who were definitely not to be trusted. That leaves six people she had not yet encountered. Those were the ones to watch out for.

Madge wasn't tired. She had already slept. It was too dark to go out, so for now Madge was stuck. She tried to go to sleep, but couldn't. She set out as soon as the sun peeked over the horizon.

Knife in hand, Madge walked slowly into the forest. It was decimated, the ground still smoking. If she encountered somebody, she was in no condition to run or fight. She would just have to hope the other person was too. It wasn't too late for alliances.

Madge couldn't find the stream. She would have to walk across the burnt area to the clean part of the forest, if there was any. She started to walk when she came across a body. It had an arrow in its left shoulder and looked male. Madge was sure it was Cato, but the shoulder wound wasn't fatal. It simply weakened him enough for the fire to get him and the Careers to abandon him. So if the canon yesterday wasn't Cato's, then who's was it? Madge trudged on.

After walking for about an hour, she came across a small girl. Her body was badly burned, but she had a pulse. At Madge's touch, her eyes fluttered open.

"Where's the note?" she asked.

"Tree Girl," said Madge.

"Rue," said Tree Girl.

"What note?" asked Madge.

"The note from 13. It said there was Nightlock, but there wasn't."

Nightlock. 13. The note must have been in the other pocket of the jacket, but fallen out.

"13? What do you mean 13? The thirteenth what?"

"The thirteenth district."

A note from district 13? District 13 had burned to the ground. It must be the Capitol, messing with their heads. Madge bet that the Nightlock wasn't even real.

Really? Are you willing to bet your life on that one?

"It burned to the ground," said Madge.

"To the ground," said Rue. "Not under it."

"Underground?"

"The note says," said Rue. "If you win the Hunger Games, take the Nightlock. If you're killed, give your killer the note and the Nightlock. It wasn't supposed to be there. The Capitol used the fire to destroy it."

"What about the Nightlock?"

"I have no idea where it is."

"I do." Madge pulled the Nightlock from her sheath.

"Destroy it," said Rue. "Destroy it or the Capitol will."

"I would never take it," said Madge.

"Are you sure?"

"100%," she lied. "Why would I kill myself for 13? They never did anything for me."

"Then give it to me. I need it."

"No. C'mon, let's go."

"I can't walk. Leave me here."

"No. Let me carry you." Madge turned around. "Hold on to my back."

With Madge's help, Rue put her arms around her neck. They went through the burnt forest, piggyback style. Rue was light for a human being, but heavy for an object to carry. Madge would have gone faster without her, but she didn't feel right leaving her there.

"I take it I've got myself an alliance," said Rue as they walked.

"You can count on me until we're the only two left, Rue."

"And then?"

"We'll see."

Madge walked until high noon. Finally, green leaves began to show. They had made it through the burned area. Madge put Rue down.

"I think I can walk now," said Rue.

"We need to find food," said Madge. "And water. Also, I missed the tributes last night. Did you see them?"

"No, I was unconscious."

"Too bad. We could be the last two and not even know it."

"Highly unlikely."

"You look for water. I'll look for food."

"Ok."

Madge decided that meat would most likely be the least poisonous way to go, but plants would be easier to get. She spotted a bush with red berries growing on it.

"Ill take my chances," she said out loud.

She grabbed some of the berries and put them in her sheath.

"Did you find any water?" she asked.

"Yes." Rue led her to a stream. They sat down on a rock, where Madge revealed the berries.

"I'll bet you they're poisonous," said Rue.

"We would eat something else if we had anything."

"All right, let's go."

They looked at each other. Neither of them was eating.

"You go first," said Rue.

"No way."

"I'm not going first."

"I saved you. You owe me one."

"Fine." Rue gingerly took a berry from the pile and put it in her mouth. She sucked on it a little bit, and then bit down. She did not spontaneously combust or keel over in pain.

"They're good," said Rue.

They ate the berries until they were full. They were bitter, but tangy. They tasted pretty good for what they were, but their best quality was their non-fatality.

They also took turns bathing. Rue went first. After Madge had taken a bath, it started to get dark. Madge and Rue both went to sleep. There were no casualties that day. They both slept the night.

Rue woke up to the sound of a canon shot. She shook Madge awake.

"Somebody died," said Rue.

"Who?"

"Dunno. Heard the canon."

"Shh. There's somebody here."

They sat still for about five seconds.

"Reveal your self," said Madge. "We won't hurt you."

Somebody stepped out from behind a rock. He was tall, and looked almost eighteen. Madge didn't recognize him, but Rue did.

"Thresh," she said.

"It's me."

"Thresh, did you see the faces in the sky? Who's alive?"

"Eight of us. Most of the Careers are dead, except the girl…"

"Glimmer."

"Yeah, her. And some kid, didn't look like a Career."

"Peeta?"

"Peeta's alive."

Madge thought. Peeta, Rue, Glimmer, and her made four of the living eight, minus the one who died today. Who were the other three?

"Alliance," said Rue. It wasn't a question.

"What's the plan?" asked Madge.

"We need to find Glimmer," said Thresh. "And kill her."

"Right," said Madge. "Let's follow the stream. Glimmer is probably looking for water too."

They walked down the stream, occasionally stopping for water. They finally came upon the form of a burnt sleeping girl.

"Glimmer," said Madge. "Thresh, you got a weapon? All I have is a knife and three arrows."

"No, I opted for the run away."

"Wait," said Rue. "She's not sleeping." She gently turned Glimmer's head. There was a deep gash on the side that ran down her throat.

"She was the canon this morning," said Madge.

"Who killed her?" asked Thresh.

Somebody emerged from the forest.

"I did," she said. Madge recognized her voice. She was a Career.

"We were the last of the Careers," she said. "Glimmer was badly burned. I ran faster, and remained unharmed. I set up camp here, and Glimmer found me. She asked to strike up an alliance. I said no."

"How did you kill her?" asked Madge.

"Like this," said Clove. She took a knife from her belt and threw it. It hit Thresh in the chest, and he stumbled back.

"Thresh!" screamed Rue. She ran to him and put her hand on his chest.

"Rue," said Thresh. He closed his eyes. A canon sounded.

"He's dead," said Madge. She pulled the knife from his chest and was about to put it in her sheath when Rue said, "No, give it to me. I need a weapon too."

"You won't need any weapons after I kill you," said Clove. She pulled a knife from her belt. Rue jumped on her and knocked her over. She tried to stab her face with the knife, but Clove stopped her hand. She threw Rue off of her. Rue lay on the ground, unconscious with the knife laying on the ground by her hand.

Clove selected a third knife from her belt and moved in to kill Rue. Rue's eyes popped open and she grabbed the knife. She jammed it into Clove's face, aiming for her eye. The knife missed the eye, but it stuck into Clove's cheek. Rue took it out and pushed Clove to the ground. She sat on top of her. Clove attempted to buck her off, but she was still in pain.

"You killed Thresh!" she screamed, stabbing her. She screamed this until her voice was cut off by the sound of a canon. She got up.

"There are five left," said Madge. "Us and Peeta, we don't have to worry about, but that makes two who are still hunting us."

"It's getting dark," said Rue. "I say we go to sleep."

"Tomorrow," said Madge, "We find Peeta."