Chapter 9- Quiet Conversation

Hermione

"Ugh." I groaned as we settled into another apartment later.

"Birds have forever scarred me." Seamus tried to lighten the mood with a joke.

I could only look sadly at my feet as I plopped on the couch. "Hey…" Claire began. "Maybe we should say a few words?"

I looked up to see her and Seamus with their backpacks still slung over their shoulders, just looking over at me. Finally I just nodded.

"Kim Sheringham." She began. "You were an amazing person. You were young, strong, and caring. The arena had already begun to harden you along with the rest of us and so many others, but you still fought strong." She continued as we listened until she ran out of words or stopped out of time, whichever I do not know.

After more and more silent moments passed, Seamus spoke. "Claire… Who's voice was in your Jabberjay?"

She grimaced before answering. "It was my best friend. She was actually a Muggle… But she was so much fun, and so incredibly caring and aware of others…" She paused before giving a short laugh that wasn't really a laugh at all. "Thing is… they tried using the wrong person against me. I do care about her the most, but the thing is," She gulped. "She's dead."

After a moment of stunned silence I spoke. "W-who killed her?"

"This… man." Was all she managed to say. She looked almost frightened to say whom.

We were both about to press her more but she spoke before we could and said, "I really don't want to talk about it, I'm sorry."

I went to sit by her and tried to touch her in what I hoped was a comforting gesture on the shoulder. "It's alright. I understand." I tried to keep my voice from wavering, trying to stay strong.

"So… let's just talk to pass time during our hideout?" Seamus suggested.

Claire nodded, trying to lighten the mood with a smile. "So who are your best friends at school?" She began.

"Well… I'd have to say Dean Thomas is my closest friend." Seamus said, smiling sadly. "He helps me through just about everything and is always there for me… Too bad I'm never going to see him again."

"Don't talk like that, you don't know that." I said.

"I don't know that? Hermione, look around. We're in the bloody arena and it's just Ernie, Brutus, Chico, Alpin, and us. Alpin is just plain bloodthirsty, he's going to destroy everyone, including Ernie if he has to." His face twisted into an angry frown.

Ron

We watched the Battle in the common room, and it was just switching between Hermione's group, Ernie and Alpin, and Chico standing alone. Right now it was mainly focused on Hermione's group who was just talking in their little apartment to pass time.

"Well… I'd have to say Dean Thomas is my closest friend." Seamus answered Claire's question.

Most people looked at Dean to see him smiling an identical smile to the one Seamus was wearing, though you could just see him swelling with pride. "Too bad I'm never going to see him again." Seamus continued.

Dean's smile faded to be replaced with a frown. "He can do this. I'm sure he can." I heard him murmur.

"Hermione, who's your best friend or friends?" Claire asked.

She answered without a moment's hesitation. "Definitely Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Yeah, Ron is my boyfriend, but he's always been my best friend before that too. Since we were all eleven we've been friends." She smiled, seeming to go lost into memory of all our adventures.

As she said these words, I instantly knew how Dean felt. My own heart swelled with pride to be able to call Hermione my best friend as well as my girlfriend.

"What about you Claire?" I was jolted back to the screen to see the small French girl smile and say, "Alaine Bellamont. She's amazing. So sweet, caring, brave, strong, she's just everything and more." She smiled and I knew that wherever her friend was she was feeling exactly the same way Dean, Harry, and I had felt.

I just hoped that she'd make it out alive. Seamus was our friend and Claire seemed like a nice girl too, but who knows if any of them will make it out.

Like Seamus was saying, Alpin is bloodthirsty, and will most likely turn against Ernie to get what he wants.

And what he wants is to win.

Chaff

"I wonder if they're going to stop talking and get some action done." Enobaria muttered as we watched Claire, Hermione, and Seamus talk in an apartment.

I let out a short laugh. "They've done good so far Enobaria, they need a moment to talk and rest."

She grumbled something unintelligible. That's Enobaria for you, she went through her Games ripping people's throats out with her bare teeth, so she's used to action and always looking to watch for it. Even though she hates the Games, she believes that if she has to watch them, then they should at least be interesting.

When we saw Alpin fighting Hermione's group she was practically glowing with pride to say that she trained that tribute.

"HA!" Haymitch was watching a spider crawling along the wall. Yes, he was indeed drunk again. Yes, I'm also his 'drinking buddy' but even I don't drink as much as him.

We both drank to forget, but the thing about that was that it was only temporary. Unless Haymitch is training tributes himself than he doesn't watch the Games. He doesn't want to see the horrors that he had once lived. I can relate, we both sleep with knifes out of the pure fear that we would be killed in our sleep.

Even to this day we both have nightmares.

I shuddered and turned my attention back to the screen. They were still talking, this time about family and what they did outside of school. Hermione was talking about her parents who appeared to be Muggle dentists.

Dentists. I dislike them; they would probe around in your mouth while talking to you. How the hell were you supposed to answer when they did that? And dentists in the capital were even worse; they would dye your teeth different colors. Ew, no one understood the Capital fashions except for the inhabitants of the Capital. Obviously.

Wait, I just went completely off track from the Games, er, I mean… Battles.

Damn…

Author's Note- Okay, that was a bit of a weird ending. Sorry, but I hope you liked it all the same!

Big thanks to Arcticmist, obsessivegirl73, bluemickey22, and HarryPotterFanGirl for reviewing! Glad you like it!

Sorry for slow updates!