Cassio Marony, D1

"Where's Cressa and Cubic?" he asked Star, who was getting the wood set up for a fire.

"Out hunting. I wouldn't be starting a fire if there wasn't going to be anything to cook over it." Cassio noticed the worn out look on her face. It'd only been a week. She shouldn't have been that run down.

"What's up with you?" He asked, not sure yet if he really wanted an answer. She ignored him, so Cassio just went back to sorting out their supplies, which had been left to the last minute. The pair continued in silence for a while before Cassio heard Star sigh.

"Tell me. What's going on?" He said again. She needed to be on her A-game, and at the moment she just wasn't there.

"Luxe and Cubic know that they're allied. Are we? And if we are, why are we waiting around for people who would kill us in a heartbeat when the moment came? We're the mentors' children. We'd have the advantage if we broke off this alliance. I'm just saying that maybe the time has come to end things."

"We can't just abandon them, Star." Cassio set his backpack down and took a seat in the grass beside the girl. She looked over at him.

"Yes. Yes we can! It's a matter of life and death, Cassio! Why am I the only person here who seems to understand that? This isn't a game!"

"Then why are you here?" Cassio knew Star wasn't as enthusiastic about coming to the arena as the others, but she still volunteered. She'd made the choice.

"I have siblings. If I hadn't volunteered, my father would have found a way for them to end up here. He wants to continue the Cyrus legacy." Cassio had a feeling the game makers weren't airing them now, trying to hide the conversation. He wondered if Star's parents were seeing this. Was it true? Had she been forced into this life? Cassio couldn't imagine Star any other way. He could see her as one of the hundreds of quiet, starved children at school, who went looking for money after school instead of training. Of course, Star was from a Victor family. She probably would have been just fine.

Evie-Ellen Corona, D12

Evie was tired of riding on Haden's back. He and Haelle had made her climb up when they started up the slope at the base of the mountains, as far as possible from the volcano. She figured they though that she would slow them down. Hadn't she made it this far for a reason?

"I'm getting down," she said before suddenly releasing her grip on Haden's shoulders. He jolted as her weight disappeared from his back.

"Evie, we really need you to be able to keep pace."

"And I can. I'm small, not slow." She saw Haelle give in.

"Fine, but if you do start to slow, it's right back on Haden's back." She turned and continued leading them up the hill. Haden bent down and whispered in Evie's ear.

"I say you should ride on her shoulders next. Give a taste of it. No offense, but you're not the lightest twelve-year-old I've carried." Evie giggled, and so did Haden. She liked him better than Haelle.

Aaron Sierra, D3

"Where is it?" yelled Aaron, digging through the bags and just about everything else in the campsite. It had to have fallen in the leaves. He'd just seen it yesterday.

"Where's what?" asked Alyssandra, who'd just come back with firewood. Veris was still out looking for food.

"My ring! My token from Elizabeth. It can't be gone!" He quickly shoved his hands into his pockets, hoping that he'd simply been stupid enough not to notice it.

"You had a token? I never saw you wearing one."

"I didn't wear it. I kept it safe, hidden away so no other tribute could take it. I pulled it out every night to make sure it was still in perfect shape."

"Oh that thing. I haven't seen it. Sorry, Aaron." She took the wood over to their makeshift fire pit while Aaron continued to dig through the dirt and leaves that littered the ground. He wouldn't have a ring to give her when he made it home now. He could probably afford another one with Victor money, but it wouldn't be the same. Elizabeth shared the same hatred Aaron felt for the Capitol, and buying a ring with their money would mean she'd have to wear a piece of the Capitol for the rest of her life. He needed to find her ring.

After an hour of searching through every single pocket of their bags, Aaron had to accept that the ring wasn't there. He knew the cameras would be watching, and that Elizabeth would probably see this. Hopefully she saw it as him trying his best to find it, and not as him simply losing her engagement ring.

Damien Greyson, D9

Damien heard Sloan stir in the burrow at the base of the tree. He slid down from his perch, a bottle of water in one hand and a chunk from a loaf of bread in the other. Once on the ground, he saw that she was trying to crawl back out of the hole.

"Eat," he ordered calmly, "And stay inside. You're practically invisible from all angles, and I can take down anyone that gets too close, so please. Just stay inside."

"I hate you," she mumbled under her breath before taking the food and crawling back under the tree.

Sorry about such a short chapter. I'm not a big fan of this one because I literally whipped it out in 20 minutes before class. It's been so long since an update I feel this would have to do. Work is starting to pile up, and there's always less and less time to sit down and write.

But, anyway, please review.