The Fourth Night

Alessandra "Aly" Farro (13) D9F

There had been one more cannon. Final eight. It was beyond belief that I was in final eight. I didn't even have any kills to my credit but I needed one. I seriously needed one if I had to win. What scared me was that I didn't even feel sick or sad about the thought of killing or hurting anyone. Nobody mattered, and I secretly hoped to kill at least one of the Careers myself. They were horrible. So very horrible. They owed me so much.

At the moment however, it was water that I needed. And food. And sleep. I didn't remember the last time I had slept, or eaten. I felt I could literally eat a person right now, and I had never thought I would stoop to that level. It didn't matter. Nothing did except that Alessandra Farro had to get out somehow. Whatever the cost.

I didn't notice that as I trudged forward, there was something lying on the ground. I tripped over that something and soon I was wiping the dry soil from my face. On closer inspection, I saw that the thing was a person, and upon checking their pulse I discovered it to be so slow and irregular.

It did not matter who it was.

There was a water bottle clutched in their hand. I yanked it out of their iron grip and drained it down my throat. Finally, finally I got to re-hydrate myself, otherwise I might have fallen due to thirst like this tribute.

Who was it?

Due to thickness of the forest and the pronounced darkness, it was hard to make who it was. I pushed them over a bit and squinted my eyes, trying to get a better look. And when I finally saw it was…

"Hahaha!" I laughed, "Whoop! This is sooooo good!"

This was my opportunity! How peaceful she looked! As if she hadn't brutally murdered so many people. I giggled at Oceane's plight. This would be so much fun.

If the Career was here, her weapon should be too.

I looked around, trying to find the trident. How much fun it would be to drive her own weapon into her heart! Even fate agreed with me, because I soon found the trident.

The weapon was heavy and for the first time I felt so powerful. As long as I had this… there was no need to worry. It weighed a bit too much for my liking but Oceane was asleep and if all went well, she would say that way.

I stared at her pretty face for a second. She really looked like the seventeen-year-old she was and I suddenly didn't want to do it. She was a person!

A person who killed your allies. A person who would have killed you without hesitation.

That was true. Why was I feeling so guilty holding this mighty weapon over her? I had to do it. I had to.

That's the difference between you and her. You are a human.

I was a human; I couldn't be so heartless. I couldn't…

Good people never survive.

I frowned. Why was my mind counselling me in different ways? It didn't matter. Nothing did. Taking in a deep breath, I pushed the trident down.

The cannon rung.

And Oceane Cascade died in her sleep.

Wait… did I…? Did I really kill her…?

"No…" I whispered as I fell on my knees, "No…!"

I had killed someone. How could I…? No, this was a lie… the trident wasn't real. Nothing was. how could it be? No, I was asleep. Asleep.

Why are you crying then?

I was crying. Why? What happened? Nothing, nothing at all. This girl was sleeping. The red thing… it wasn't blood. It was a dye. That's right. A dye.

Who was I trying to fool?

"NOO!" I cried all of a sudden. I was a murderer! A murderer! What did I do?!

She killed your allies…

"B-but…"

You are one step closer to home. Remember, she was a Career.

I frowned. That was true. If our situations were reversed, she would have done the same. One step closer to home…

And then I laughed like I had never done. My voice was hoarse but I felt like laughing. Suddenly the sight of blood didn't bother me anymore.

"One down! Six more to go!"

Reynard Ciervo (18) D10M

My eyes flew open as soon as the cannon rung and I raised my sword. I couldn't believe I had fallen asleep although I had tried so hard not to. What if someone would have killed me in my sleep? I couldn't take such a risk.

But I still felt drowsy and honestly just wanted to lie down and go to sleep again. I kind of missed my days with Sevarian as my ally. We didn't trust each other but at least I could enjoy a few hours of sleep. Now, I had no idea how long I could stand on my feet.

I had hunted a squirrel despite having food in my bag. I needed to use my weapon anyway. But I had eaten like a starving man and the squirrel was gone in a single meal. Ah, there was nothing to be done about it. there was not a single animal, or edible plant, visible anywhere. I just wished I could go to sleep right now.

Then I recalled that the reason of the disturbance in my previous nap was the cannon sound. I frowned. Who could have died? I sort of wished it was Sevarian. I didn't want to face him, not since I fled. He would have done the same but that reason wouldn't really work.

He had killed Arrington.

No, I didn't like her. I kind of hated her even because of Ivy. But it was still sad when she died. I thought of her as an annoyance but when I saw the mutt devour her completely… there was a sadness that had engulfed me. I didn't want to run, wanted to help her too, but that would be illogical, and I couldn't get killed. I couldn't afford to. So even when I felt so terrible I only fled from the scene with the equipment necessary.

I stared into space when the silence around me was disturbed again, but due to something much closer.

Was it… hooves?

"Oh no," I muttered as I lifted my bag and ran as fast as I could. My heart was beating too fast now and it just felt that my legs were too slow. However hard I tried, these stupid limbs refused to cooperate.

And then I made the mistake of looking behind.

I had thought it would be a horse, a gigantic mutt but a horse nonetheless. But what I saw was so bizarre that I stopped for a second to just take in the appearance.

It had a horse's body alright but the rest of it… To begin with, it had a giraffe's head with pink spots and had it been any other situation I might have laughed. Then it had a tail which resembled a lizard, and on looking carefully that it was a lizard. Now how did that thing manage to survive with a lizard as its tail, I didn't know. However, I did know that it could kill me in less than a second.

My legs seemed to be frozen.

It wasn't a good idea to stop. The mutt was nearing and I could feel myself panicking. It wasn't good. Not good at all.

Calm down.

It was not easy to calm down, not when such a unique and weird creature was towering over me. it had come to a stop and that's what worried me more. It was toying with me.

Come on!

Forcing myself, I raced away from the spot, and the horse mutt stared as I increased the distance between us. My legs were tired and my lungs were protesting for rest but there was no way I could stop. I looked back once, to see that the mutt was gone.

I came to an abrupt halt and fell on the ground, panting furiously. I was alive. I was alive. The mutt was gone. Th-

I swung my sword as soon as I felt the warm breath on my shoulder but it was a mistake. A big mistake.

The giraffe head had my sword in its mouth. It bit it up and the sword was gone in a swallow. There was nothing I could do now and I shut my eyes even as the lizard tail bit me. It was completely painless but in around three seconds I could feel myself going weak. There was not a word I could speak but it was still… relaxing.

I went to sleep just as the cannon rung.

Galilee Schwartz (18) D1F

Two cannons and in such short interval of time too. This wasn't good.

"How many of us are left?" I asked Amaranth. I wanted to have a normal conversation with him. In a moment of weakness, I had let him know how vulnerable I was. how much al this was affecting me. but I couldn't let that happen. Things had to get normal.

"Six," he replied softly, "We're in the final six."

My heart was beating very fast. Final six. It seemed as if an eternity had passed since twenty-four of us came here. Final six… it was just hard to believe.

"I can't believe it Ama…"

And before I could say anything he hugged me. I flinched but then relaxed and hugged him back.

"Just hold on Gal," he whispered, "We have to make the final two."

"How will I kill you if- when- it comes to it?" I muttered.

He didn't reply but just patted my back. There was an unmistakable sigh and he pulled away just enough to look at my face. He looked really beautiful right now.

"It doesn't matter," he said finally, cupping my face in his hands, "We will fight like warriors and we'll hold nothing back. It is, after all, a competition. We will give our best. That's the reason we are here."

"That's so true," I answered, resting my head on his chest, "But Ama… will we be able to fight each other?"

His grip around me tightened.

"I don't know," he said in a barely audible voice, "I don't know, good friend. I just don't know."

There was silence after that. A silence that comforted me, a silence that I wished would never end. If only I had not volunteered… And Ama too. If only we were in the same district… There would have been a lot of possibilities for both of us. We would have been best friends even if we knew each other. That would have been such a delight.

"Attention tributes!"

Lorenzo's voice was so abrupt and so loud that we jumped apart and were armed in a second.

"Attention tributes," he said again and I could clearly imagine him smirking.

"All of you have fought hard bravely and you deserve to be in the final six. You all have entertained us very well so far. To congratulate you all on your success, we have arranged a feast near the cornucopia tomorrow morning at eight."

I wanted to scream now. The feast?! The feast?! I wasn't going to go too any feast! There had been too much bloodshed already!

"Of course, attendance is not mandatory. However, you may want to attend the feast nonetheless. You may find something… useful there."

And then he stopped.

I glanced at Amaranth. Looking at him, I knew what he wanted.

"You're going, aren't you?"

"By your leave," he said, "It is indeed a golden opportunity. We can get rid of all the competition even. I say we go."

"What about Olympia?"

His lips formed a straight line and looking at his eyes, I could see the rage and hurt in his eyes. It was no secret to me that he did like her and that's what I feared. Having these kind of feelings was not advisable, not in the arena at least.

"If we meet," he replied, "I will have no other option. I will have to kill her."

He tried so hard to hide it from me but I noticed the shaking in his voice, the slight slump of his shoulders.

"If you want," I urged, "We can just stay away."

"We can't Gal, we can't."

I didn't say anything after that. I wanted to spend some time with my… friend? Ally?... I didn't know. But I wanted to spend some time with Ama in peace, maybe in happiness too.

After all, the next day could very well be our last.

I know that this update is unbelievably late. But yeah, it's finally here. We're in the final six already! And the feast is coming up next. Are you excited?

So, this chapter was hard to write in all honesty. I loved both Oceane and Reynard so much and I honestly mean it when I say that I thought of both of them as victor. However, they sort of would have resembled the finalists of the previous story…

Eulogies:

8th: Oceane Cascade- Oceane was brilliant and I just liked her character. She was like a classic Career but not at the same time. She was strong and determined but compassionate at the same time. It was a joy to write for her and I won't lie when I say that she could have been a victor had it not been for what I planned. Rest in peace.

7th- Reynard Ciervo- Reynard was different than most other characters I have written for. He was pretty realistic and smart, knew how to handle situations well but wasn't overpowered. I feel as if I didn't manage to write him well, and I apologise if that is the case. He will be missed. Rest in peace.

I still can't believe we're in the final six… Congratulations to the finalists! Who do you think will win now? Was there anything unexpected in this chapter? I hope you enjoyed…

Death List:

Fynn King- killed by Bridge Carter

Rowan Clear- killed by Oceane Cascade

Burgundy Lumineer- killed by Oceane Cascade

Aspen Rust- killed by Galilee Schwartz

Oren Harper- killed by Cecelia Vertigo and arena radiations

Aileen Romeri- killed by Bennett DeVallier

Tab Hamasaki- killed by Olympia Rush

Cassidy Kelly- killed by Victory Fervaix

Victory Fervaix- killed by Galilee Schwartz and Asher Ravenstone

Asher Ravenstone- killed by Galilee Schwartz, Amaranthine Carteret and Bridge Carter

Quinoa Callus- killed by Mateo Dorsani

Cecelia Vertigo- killed by snake mutt

Arrington/ Ivy Hart- killed by Sevarian Vaask and rose mutt

Bennett DeVallier- killed by Sevarian Vaask and rose mutt

Bridge Carter- alive, used the Deserter's Bell

Persephone Aster- killed by Mateo Dorsani

Oceane Cascade- killed by Alessandra Farro

Reynard Ciervo- killed by horse-giraffe mutt

Have a great day!