"As you lay to die beside me, baby
On the morning that you came,
Would you wait for me,
the other one,
Would you wait for me?"

Jade Waterly

I find my feet moving before my brain has time to make a decision and I slide down without hesitation. I feel as if we are all suspended, feet moving in synchronization towards the cornucopia, some run away out the exits. I don't know what is about to happen, but I pray I survive.

Once I hit the ground I quickly scan for something useful. Bow and arrow. It's so close to me. I take off in a run, and watch Aeron dart off towards the knives. I reach out to grab it, and then I will run to join Aeron and Noah.

Before I close my hand around the bow somebody grabs me from behind and throws me down. I can't tell who it is. I am forced to my stomach and the person hovers above me, hands grasping my throat.

I take a good guess that it is a male that holds me down. Adrenaline courses through my veins. I feel something take over me. I hear Alexandrite, how long has it been since I've seen her? 'Concentrate'.

I dig my nails into his hands, drawing blood. His grip slackens a bit, and I use this to flip around on my back. He lets go and I swing a punch towards him. It's Glitter.

"Traitor!" I aim my fist towards him again but he blocks me. He is not built that strong, but it's enough to overpower me. His hands latch around my throat again, and I fight to get air into my lungs. I glance over just in time to see Dorien from District 5 sprint by and grab the bow and arrows. I would swear if I could breath.

Glitter is going to kill me. I shouldn't have underestimated him. I feel my vision blur, and then the choking is over. The pain is gone.

Is this what heaven feels like?

"Get up Jade!" I hear a voice and I open my eyes to see Aeron standing a few feet away, Noah next to her. "And grab that knife while you're at it.

I look over to Glitter who is now lying lifeless on the ground. A knife sticks between his eyes, and I grab the handle and pull. The suction pulls the knife back in and I pull harder this time with both hands. I hear Aeron snickering behind me, but all I want to do is puke everywhere.

"We don't need anything else. Let's go now!"

Stephanie Fox

I crash down the slide and feel a bit dizzy upon standing. Everyone is in the heat of the moment at the cornucopia, or they're darting pass me without a second glace. I take a moment to take everything in, and that's when I see two people wrestling far from the cornucopia.

The big brute Orion has Audrey pinned to the ground. She can't fight him back. I remember how nice to me she was during training, and I can't stop my feet from going towards them. I want to save her, but I have no idea how. I cross the area of the cornucopia, and that's how far I get before I feel a shot of pressure up my back.

I stagger a few steps and find that my legs are numb and I tumble to the ground. I look over to see Aeron, Noah and Jade running away. Why aren't they killing me? I reach behind me and feel some kind of liquid. When I pull my hand back I see it is covered in blood. I immediately fall into oblivion.

Audrey Carpenter

I am ready for death. There must have been a reason for this to happen.

I am done fighting back. I cannot overthrow Orion, so I let my body lie slack.

Soon it will be over, and I will be able to see my mother again. I wonder why Orion couldn't just break my neck. It would take less time, and it would be quicker.

It would be quicker and that's why. He wants to see me suffer, but I will not give him the benefit. I will not die a coward.

I feel a sharp pain in my side. Suddenly I can breathe again. I gasp for air to fill my burning lungs. What is going on? Orion's hands still clutch around my neck, his eyes know look hollow. Dead.

I come to my senses and try to roll away. They say the bigger they are the harder they fall and 250 pounds are about to fall on me. I almost make it out, but his bulk still lands on top of me. The only I have free is my head and one of my hands.

I turn to see who gave Rion his final blow, and that's when I see little Ashley running away. She has a spear in her hand, and blood is dripping from it. I automatically move my hand towards the stabbing pain, but it's under Orion's body and I can't assess the damage. I need to get out of here before I bleed to death.

I grasp the ground in front of me and pull as hard as I can. The exertion makes me breathless, and I fall flat into the grass. I feel blood pooling out from my wound, or is it Orion's blood? I cannot tell.

This is your second chance Audrey. Fight for your life. Fight to get out.

Scout Calloway

I feel panic set in as I begin swerving around back and forth on the slide. If I slip off the side I will plunge forty feet to my death, and I fight to steady myself. I pick up speed once the incline steepens and I spin around and start sliding backwards.

Why did they make this so steep? Somebody will die from falling off this. I guess that's the point.

I cannot see where I am going and suddenly I feel myself slipping into nothingness. I grab for the ledge, but my hand instantly slides off and I slip off, banging my head on the ledge, and getting crammed in between my slide and the one next to me.

"Scout!" I hear River's voice. I am stuck and I might possibly have a concussion, but I am alive.

"I'm alive," my voice is hoarse. I wasn't expecting that. The pain pushes outwards from my head like my brain is bigger than my skull. A weird sound emerges from my throat.

"Hold on, I'll get you out!"

River snags me by my jacket and yanks, but I don't budge. Normally I'd be thin enough to fit through the ledges, but I became stuck with my knees pressed to my chest. I am a few feet from the ground, suspended between the two walls.

"Can you reach the ledge?" He asks. "Or is there anything you can grab onto?"

I stretch my arms as high as I can, but there's no way I'm reaching the ledge. Who am I kidding?

"No, I'm too far down, and there's nothing but the wall."

He is silent, and I wonder if he ran off. "Okay I'm going to come in there."

I don't want to trust River, but right now I'm not in a position to be choosy.

River can fit underneath of me if he ducks down, and he grabs my feet and yanks on them. The metal sliding against my cramped legs burns like hell.

I grunt in pain and start squirming in frustration.

"I have one more idea," he says.

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Cross your fingers."

"I would but I can't."

He manages a laugh, and begins pushing my upper half upwards.

"Try to straighten your legs out."

I feel myself sliding up. I feel like I'm trapped in a cage too small, but I grit through the pain and force my legs to cooperate. River pushes harder forcing me to move up, while gravity forces against him to push me down.

"Straighten your legs more," he says, "try harder."

I pray I don't break anything as I push my legs away from me in attempt to make room to stand. River pushes one last time and I am straight and fall to the ground on my feet.

"Thanks, you saved my life," I say.

"Don't mention it," and he runs off. I turn to follow Kyra, or find Dorien, instead I see River drop to the ground. I blink a few times to be sure it isn't my head hallucinating, but when I look again River lies flat on the ground.

"Come on Scout!"

I turn to see Dorien. Bow poised in her hand. She shot him.

"You- you killed him!" I yell.

"Yeah, you said he was an asshole, and now he's gotten his karma."

Then why do I feel so guilty?

Aeron Swan

Something has taken over me. Call it maternal instinct, but I am not hesitant to kill. So when I see young Marilynn running frantically across the circle I don't think twice as I grab her and stab her in the heart. She falls like a rag doll, and I should feel bad, but instead I see another obstacle that I have overcome. Just one less person until I am home and my baby is safe and sound.

I turn to see Noah who has Daryl pinned to the ground and is finishing him off. Stupid boy ran in to distract him when the little girl went in for supplies. I honestly couldn't bring myself to killing Ashley, who is barely twelve years old, but I have no problems getting rid of the District 12 boy, so it worked out well.

"Which way are we going?" I ask picking up my pack of supplies.

"I say we take the left entrance. I don't know why, just intuition." Noah says as he throws the pack across his shoulder.

"Fine with me," I say and Jade wanders behind.

"Jade, we need to run!" I want to get rid of her so badly. Would Noah be angry? She's basically worthless, but he told me to save her when Glitter was strangling her so I should probably try to stay friendly. It will only be temporary though.

There are still a few tributes running away. I turn around to see that Jade is not behind me. Instead she's still at the cornucopia, playing games with the girl from District 3. I watch Jade try to stab her, but Athea swings around and smacks Jade in the jaw. That's going to hurt.

"We should help her," Noah says.

"I don't want to risk my life again," but Noah runs off. I decide to let him take care of it.

Jade swings her knife at Athea and catches her head. Blood spills from the cut, and Jade grabs Athea, ready to stab her. Maybe Jade will actually get a kill. Before Jade can swipe though Athea pulls out a small dagger, and thrust it into Jade's thigh.

Jade immediately crumples to the ground and Athea is gone in an instant.

"I am not carrying her," I say.

Mikaela Northman

When the timer hits zero, Shoal launches himself down the slide. I watch as Alice makes it safely down and darts away through the top entrance. Is he really going to follow her?

I slide down after him, but unfortunately my balancing skills are not as good as Alice's and I fall to the ground. I land on my left foot, and immediately fall to the ground gripping the painful foot. I didn't hear any cracking or snapping so I don't think it's broken.

I call for Shoal, but he doesn't hear me. I push myself up to the ground and the pain sears in my foot, and I fall again.

"Grab her Jasten!" I look over to see mentally unstable and his leader, David Hammer. I had a funny feeling about this kid.

I quickly get up on my foot. I can hobble on it, but running is almost impossible and I am overthrown. Jasten grabs my hands, and I fight to pull them away. I have three years over him, but his grip is deadly tight. I pull against, but I only end up twisting my wrists. He is too strong. There is something not right about this.

David grabs a fistful of my curly hair and yanks it back.

"Shoal!"

Shoal Creek

I here a scream that can only mean danger, and I turn around to see Mika on her knees, knife to her throat. I thought she was behind me. I run towards her as fast as I can. I'm not that far away. I can reach her. I can save her.

"You're too late lover boy! You made your choice, now you can live with it."

David yanks her head back further, I see her trachea exposed, I see it rise and fall as she swallows. How many kisses did I plant there?

I run faster, but I am too far away. David slices across her throat without a second thought.

"Let's go Jasten!" He yells and Jasten follows like a robot.

I fall next to Mika who lies, holding her throat. I know there's a major artery that runs through the throat. What was it called? The jugular. Blood is not spouting out as fast as it should be. Instead her trachea is cut through. The artery must still be intact and that means Mika will have to lay here and suffocate.

Her hands are streaked with red. Weird noises between gagging and gurgling emerge from her throat and I see her convulsing in panic as she tries to take in some kind of air. Instead her lungs make a bubbling noise that doesn't sound human.

I run my hand through her mahogany hair.

"I'm so sorry." Don't cry Shoal. "I- I thought you were behind me." I cradle her head and place it in my lap, stroking her hair.

Her eyes are filled with sadness and I watch as they swell with tears. I give her a small smile and wipe the tears from her eyes. She latches on to my hands, still gurgling and gagging.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. This world was too good for you anyways. You were too good for me. I'm such an idiot Mika. I don't know what I was thinking. You just told me that we couldn't take it seriously and I knew we couldn't… it's no excuse. I was just dumb. So dumb."

Mika reaches her hand weakly to my mouth placing a finger up and a small shh comes from her mouth.

I clutch her fragile hands. The tears push through my eyes. I cannot hold them back any longer. Mika reaches up and strokes the side of my face. A small smile appears across her face, and I see tears glistening from the corner of her eyes. How much pain is she in now? I hope it's not a lot.

She moves her mouth, but she's shaking so bad I can't understand. I shake my head.

She points to herself and then points to me. I understand, and I nod my head.

Her shirt is stained with blood. It can't be much longer now, but she seems to be fighting.

"Don't fight Mika. There is a wonderful journey ahead of you." She convulses underneath me, the gurgling becomes worse.

"I'll see you soon."

She grips my hand hard, and then it suddenly loosens. I place my hand over her heart. The beat is faint. She is unconscious.

The gurgling grows louder and she continues to convulse under me, practically dead, but still alive. Why does this have to happen to me? Can she still hear me? I fall forward, my forehead lies against hers, and I pray that she passes on. After a minute of eternity her body shakes one last time and she falls still. Her heart has stopped, though the blood still flows from her wound.

I don't know how long I sit with her. Darkness fills the arena before I finally release my hand from heres, her head from my lap and wipe her blood from my hands. They say people are suppose to look peaceful in death, but Mika looks like she has struggled with the Devil himself, and maybe she has.

I plant one more kiss on her forehead and say my last good-bye.

Audrey Carpenter

It's late by the time I finally yank myself free of being crushed. I am exhausted and out of breath. My wound makes me much more tired, and I immediately look at the damage.

It's a round hole, something a bullet could make, but it's not terribly deep. The spear must have pierced through Orion and sunk into me. I will be okay as long as I can clot the bleeding.

I look around at the bloodbath. A few bodies lay scattered. I look across the circle and I see a boy hunched over somebody. I could easily kill him, but I don't think I could live with that. I slowly make my way to the cornucopia. There's a chance that supplies are left. I tiptoe around the bodies, but as I pass one I hear a loud moan of pain.

I look around; making sure I wasn't hearing things. Who knows what this blood loss is doing to me?

I hear it again, and I look down and see Stephanie.

"Don't leave me," she moans, and I reach down and set her up. She looks okay, but when I pull my hand away I see blood.

She was stabbed in the back.

"Okay," I reach under her arms and drag her back towards the cornucopia. I lean her against its metal wall so she can sit up.

"How long have you been here?" I ask.

"I don't," she gasps for air, "know. I was here… since the beginning. I was… trying… to save you."

"You've been here for a few hours then. Why were you trying to save me?"

"I…. don't know. I… couldn't let… Orion kill… you like that. How are you… even here?"

"Somebody murdered him. Can you move?" I ask.

"No… earlier I could move… my arms… a little… but now… I don't feel… anything… except I have… a headache… and it's… hard to breathe... "

I see that, I think, but I don't say it out loud.

"Hold on a second. I need to find something for this wound. I rummage through the left over supplies. The only thing I can find that might be helpful is heavy duty tape. I lean forward and reach for the clothing on a body. I don't want to know whose it is. I try to close my eyes as I yank their shirt off, but I see it's Glitter's lifeless form and I turn away gagging.

Get a hold of yourself Audrey.

I rip it off, but then I turn and begin puking. Not good. I'm just going to dehydrate myself.

"You… okay?" Steph asks and I nod.

"Must've been my breakfast," and I chuckle nervously. I fold up the shirt and stuff it in my wound securing it over with tape. That should hold it for now.

I place my hand against Stephanie's head. She's burning up. I grab one of the bottles I was able to salvage from the back of the cornucopia and drizzle a little water on the back of her neck. I know it's wasteful, but I don't want to see her in so much pain.

"Will you… take my… jacket off? It's... so hot."

The arena is starting to cool off. I imagine the temperature is dropping into the fifties, and I'm shivering.

I slowly maneuver it from her arms, trying to keep her upright. Her body is basically dead, and so it falls like a dead weight against me. I finally manage to get her free, and I see she is sweating profusely. Blood loss. It won't be long now.

I sit next to her and get myself a drink and pick at some food I found with the water. I might as well rest here.

"Tell me about your life. I didn't get to know much about you."

Her eyes open slowly and her head tilts towards me. I wet my hand and hold it against her neck.

"My mother and I… ran a bakery in District… in District… I can't… remember what district… I'm from…"

"Six," I say.

She laughs, though it is weak and it makes her cough.

"We had a… bakery. My best friend… her name… was Lily… she was mad at me… she said good-bye… but it wasn't… for me… it was for her…"

Her voice becomes squeaky and I can see she is worked up, so I change the subject.

"What was your mother like?"

"She taught me… how to dance… how to bake… I miss her. My father… he died in… a freak accident… they happen a lot in… District… District…"

"Six," I say for her.

"I was… mad at him. We argued… before he left… I feel responsible. I want… my mom… to know… that I love her… even though we fought. I don't… want her… to feel… like I did."

"I'm sure she can hear you."

"I'm tired," she says as he head lulls forward and then snaps back.

"Take a nap," I tell her. "I'll be here."

"Okay, I will… Do you think… I will be able… to move when I wake up?"

I smile at her. "Yes I do."

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

"It's beautiful," she says before she falls asleep.

I don't know what she's calling beautiful, but I'm glad wherever she's going it's nice. I place two fingers on her neck. She has a pulse though it's faint.

I look at her dark hair, and olive skin. Her eyes were wide and shaped like almonds, and just the right shade or brown to be pretty. In another world, in another life Stephanie would've grown up and had no trouble finding a boy to call her a wife. She would've ran her mother's bakery and her mother would not have to watch her child die.

But this is not another world. This is Panem, and in Panem the Capitol decides to exercise their control by sending us to kill one another. It's not fair for any of us. Years from now the rebellion will be in the past, but I'm sure the Games will still be around. The purpose will be lost, but we will still die.

Stephanie's breathing stops an hour or so later. Her pulse is gone. I break into tears.