Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games. They belong to Suzanne Collins.

Note: Been a while huh? I've had a few stories on the go and lots of my time has been put into my Master Degree. Originally I was gonna finish Bloodline Betrayal before this story continued, but I felt really inspired for this one and less so for BB. So here we are, Nettle's second day in the Arena... what horrors await our leading lady? Let's find out...

My eyes flicker open and instantly close again when something lands in them. I shriek, sitting up and scrambling to my feet. I slip on the grass and stumble back down in a heap. Great start to day two. Blinking a few times I look around to see what's going on.

I'm still alive, still in the same unharmed state I was yesterday besides the small bruising from when I got hit down in the Bloodbath... ironically, that probably saved my life. No tributes are near me, and my supplies are still in my backpack. Seems it was just rain that fell into my eyes.

Normally, I like the rain. I enjoy sitting by the window of my bedroom at the manor, just looking out at the storm for hours. It's got a strange kind of beauty to it, one I'm not sure how to describe. The thunder cares many children, but not me. Thunder is nice, it makes me feel strong to never fear it. Saying all his, you'd think I'd like being stuck here as a rainstorm is starting above me.

Well, you'd be wrong! I don't like this, I feel soggy! I must have slept through a lot of the rain already as my clothes feel damp, even my underwear. Great, it's gonna be hard to dry out. My skin is gonna sting for sure.

"Sponsor an umbrella?" I ask out loud. "Maybe one with a nice leaf pattern on it, hm?"

I wait for a few moments. I get up, grab my supplies and move under a tree to wait some more. Alas, it would appear I'll have to make do without an umbrella. Ridiculous. Back home, I'd always have an umbrella if I wanted to go outside when it rained... and there I go, being spoiled again.

If I go around asking for something any time I encounter a small problem nobody is going to sponsor me. I'll look, frankly, pathetic.

Oh, wait, my outfit has a hood...

It's with an unladylike huff that I put up the hood and get to my feet. I can't stay here all day, out in the open and only a few miles from the Cornucopia. Surely the Careers will be back from their hunt. The fact my death portrait wasn't in the Anthem would've had them running back earlier than planned... they'll be looking for me in the area around the Cornucopia.

I can't help but swallow hard as I think back to my encounter with Marvel at the training center. I'd been trying to learn how to use throwing knives - with limited, success, I'll admit - and then he came over. Oh, sure, he did practise as well... but the things he said to me as he did, I'll never forget.

'I'm gonna spear you right in the heart, slow and rough. It'll be marvellous.'

'See this knife? I might not throw it, I might just marvellously cut your throat with it.'

'Ever wished you were crushed by a tree? No You'll wish for that over what my marvellous min has in store for you.'

...For some reason he liked to make puns through the usage of his name. I know it's a common tactic Careers use every year - so said Blight when I overheard him talking to Wood - and chances are it's not meant as a personal threat to me, but does that matter? It's the Hunger Games, the threats are real. He will do as he says if he catches me!

So then, my objective is to make sure they do not catch me. Getting rid of some of their most vital supplies was a good start, but they can still be sponsored stuff. For now, the best offence is defence and that means staying away. Thus, as the Cornucopia was that way... I'll go this way.

"So wet," I mutter as I trudge along in my chosen direction. It looks like it could become a real downpour. Maybe enough to cause trees to fall over. Maybe enough to cause a flood? Well then, I'll steer clear of the low ground.

With a shriek I slip on the wet ground once again, falling over in a heap. Laying on my front, I sulk. How pouty and bitter must I look right now?"

"Just a minor setback," I force myself to smile as I stand back up and keep moving.

I have food, weapons and water. For now, I'm set... but, it won't last me forever. I do not have to kill, just last the longest. So, find water and some kind of food. Squirrels are edible... yeah, I can hunt a squirrel. Ranger and his friends do that back home and they claim it's simple. How hard could it be to set a snare or just axe it?

I think Johanna is going to be feeling like quite the fool soon enough when she sees I can survive. Not just that, but survive without her being needed at all. The thought of proving her wrong makes my smile go from fake to feeling kind of real.

Though, the constant feeling of unease certainly doesn't make my smile last long. Everything around me looks absolutely massive. Of course, almost every Arena is huge and several miles across... but all these huge trees, and me being just shy of five feet tall, it's got me a little anxious.

I grip my hatchet tightly in my hand, fiddling with one of my braids with the my hand.

"Just listen to the thunder," I order myself, firm as can be.

So, I do. Marching through the forest, the distant rumbles start to help me relax. Enough that I start to pick up the pace to a light sprint. I run for a while, encountering no trouble, until I step into a puddle. I slip and free fall for a moment before I hit the ground. I scream, tumbling down a dirt hill to a lower part of the forest floor. I groan, landing in a heap for the third time since I woke up.

"Nuts."

(Later...)

It's a very small mercy of the Gamemakers to have give us hoods with our outfits. Sure, water is seeping into the jacket anyway and my pants too, but at least I know it could be worse. Having my hood up and staying beneath the canopy of the forest keeps a lot of the rainwater off my as I walk on my way to... wherever my destination is.

It's a complete downpour. The sunshine of yesterday is gone, nothing but a groaning rainstorm in its place. The thunder I can deal with, but the issue here is that the lower parts of the forest are starting to flood, somewhat. Small rivers and pools have begun to form, and I know to stay well away from them. I can swim, correct, but the water may become toxic or there might be leeches within it! ...Kinda getting sick thinking about leeches, actually. Maybe better to think of something else.

Perhaps the fact that I'm really on edge as I wait to hear a cannon. Quite literally, it could happen at any second of the day. Besides me, there are fourteen others. Normally, a cannon would have fired by now, so the slower pace is starting to make me restless. I just know the instant I hear a cannon boom I'm gonna scream. It'll be a test of my will to not do it, no matter the urge.

I guess the rainfall and the fact the Careers have lost supplies because of a certain lady - though I would prefer to remain nameless - is slowing the pace down. This may well become a war of attrition in the days ahead, a game of who can outlast the rest. War, terrible war... the same lines from the same detestable video they show every reaping. Of course, that part isn't quite wrong. It's true that war is a bad thing, especially as I'm now stuck in what is essentially a fifteen kid war.

It reminds me of a book I have back home, one of old military leaders from before Panem, before anything we know now. What was it that man said, Robert Lee? Ah, he said 'it is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it'. Well, I think a certain quartet of tributes may beg to differ.

I shriek as a branch falls, jumping away from it. It's only a few moments before I relax, seeing that it wouldn't have hit me anyway. I sigh, shaking my head.

"I can assure you all, I am not normally this jumpy," I say for what little good it'll do. If any at all.

Time is passing, the rain not stopping at all. How far will the water rise if it doesn't stop? I'd normally expect the ground to absorb some of it and the rest to just stay down in the lower parts of the forest, but this isn't a normal forest. The Arena doesn't follow the same rules as the outside world does. Why, last year in that abandoned city there was a waterfall coming from a skyscraper... it flowed upwards. See? It's not normal in here.

Well, if it does rise I could climb a tree at least. A duel win for I'd be out of the water's range and feel a bit less small too.

I huff a little as I march my way up a hill,g ripping trees and gnarled roots that jut from the ground as a way to support myself. I pant a little at the job, soon drinking some of my water. If it runs out, I'm fucked.

How unladylike, swearing like that. I must be losing it sooner than I thought. At least the flavour of the dried beef I start to snack on distracts me from being too self-critical. Hmm... needs more salt, perhaps a touch of mustard and a nice glass of plum juice to go with it.

I miss the manor.

Wait... wait a second...

Ohhhh... oh dear.

Pocketing my water bottle I crouch down at the object I've spotted. Nothing deadly, but nothing that could possible be natural to this forest either. After all, how many forests have a ring with a copper butterfly on it laying around? Not bad craftsmanship on this thing. Seems pretty old too... a family heirloom, perhaps?

Wait, this must be a token from one of the other Tributes. Somebody's been here! But who? That's the question I'm unable to answer. I never saw what the other Tributes had for tokens, not even Wood. Is this his? Or somebody else? I don't believe the Careers are here yet, but even when taking them away there are plenty of other tributes who could easily kill me. That strong boy from Ten - I curse myself for forgetting his name - could probably beat me to death with his bare hands if he really wanted to. He gave off the impression of toughness in his interview...

If I run then I'll be seen as a coward. If I go on, I'm really pushing my luck. But, Johanna would assume me to flee and show her she's right. Not quite what I am all about, making myself fit her pre-decided mould she assumed of me. I grip my hatchet, taking a breath in and then another one out.

I start to match onwards again, batting aside branches here and there. The trees are getting pretty thick over in this part of the forest. At least it's high-ground, so the water's not a hazard yet.

I don't even have to kill anybody really, just scare them off a bit. Capitol citizens like that stuff too and if the pace of the Games is indeed slow, then they'll be interested in any action, no matter how non-lethal.

If nothing else, falling on my face again might fit me into the 'narrative' as comic relief. Charming...

(Some time passes...)

It may be pointless to do it, but I brush off some of the water that's accumulated on my jacket. A moment of relief passes before more swiftly gathers. Yep, pointless. I should have grabbed a bowl from the Cornucopia. That way I could catch the rainwater, as I think it's safe to drink. If it was toxic, everybody would be feeling it.

I'm not thirsty right now, though. Mainly, I'm feeling really nervous. I found some footprints a few minutes ago, and it's led me to where I am now - a particularly muddy area of the forest, the squelching beneath my shoes ever so horrid. But if mud is the biggest issue I have in the Hunger Games then I really don't have it that bad, do I?

"Where are you..." I mutter, looking around. Nothing but rain, mud and trees as far as I can see.

I get no response, of course. Either they're hiding, or waiting to jump out at me. My heart pounds hard and now I honestly wish I'd just turned and gone the other way. Though, they may be long gone by now. The footprints may have been old - I have no idea how to tell if they're recent - and the rain has started to remove the trail already. Perhaps nothing shall happen.

I hear somebody cry out, a splay following a moment later. A person, and from the sounds of it a female.

They're close, not even fifteen meters away I would guess. Just beyond that clump of trees. I hold my hatchet rightly and creep my way over. Of course, stealth is impossible with the squelching every footstep I take causes to happen. So, I'm not surprised when the girl hears me and tries to scramble up. I finally spot her a few feet away, falling over into the mud. I can relate to that...

Reddish hair, a plum red outfit and her face a little pointed... I believe this is the girl from District 5. She looks up at me, her face paling.

"Don't kill me!" she pleads, raising up her hands. "I'm unarmed, not a threat to you. I've not got anything except a bottle of water and two pieces of bread!"

She's shaking violently. Not from cold, but fear. My stomach tightens as I observe this scared girl at my feet. If I am to go home to the manor and my future of being the next Mayor... she has to die, one way or the other. It's not fun, but it's a fact.

"What's your name?" I ask her. It feels worse, not even knowing her name.

"Cinder Wilding." She chokes out, her iris shrinking as she looks at my hatchet.

"...Is this yours?" I ask her, showing her the butterfly ring. I see her terrified eyes lighten up, which makes me feel worse.

"Yes!" she squeaks. "I... I thought I'd lost it."

Her gaze returns to my hatchet and she's soon shaking again. It's time to make my choice... though, calling this a choice implies difficulty. It's not remotely hard to decide what I'm going to do here.

I reach down and help Cinder up to her feet. She sways a little, stunned. I guess it's unusual for a tribute to show mercy, but why should a citizen die if nobody has to? Is that not the point of a leader, to keep the citizens safe? I guess not in the case of President Snow, but in the Districts this is indeed the case.

I don't need to kill, just live longest.

I press the ring into Cinder's hand, letting her take hold of it.

"I think we'll stand more chance of being alive by sundown if we work together," I tell her. "This rainstorm is going to make the forest harder to navigate alone."

She looks confused, looking at me intensely as she pockets the ring. I'm being scrutinized by that fox-like gaze of hers. I think she's younger than me, so it feels all the more awkward that not only am I being stared at but she's also got at least four inches on me, maybe more. I try to quell the urge to stand on the tips of my toes.

"Not to be ungrateful, but... why?" she asks me, puzzled. "You've never spoken to me before, why spare me?"

She takes a step back, her face fearful once again.

"Not that I mind!" she adds, hastily.

"...We're all citizens of Panem right? Whatever our District, we're all of the same soil," is what I tell her, standing up straight. "I'm the Mayor's daughter back in Seven. A bit unbecoming of a future mayor to start killing citizens, is it not?"

"...That makes sense," Cinder says, glancing around easily. "Hey, uh, any ideas where we're gonna go? I ran from the Cornucopia and I've been running ever since."

"No sleep?" I ask her.

"How can we sleep when people are out there trying to kill us?" she says, matter-of-factly. "I can keep going like this, for now."

I'm getting uneasy, just standing here in the rain and the mud. Anybody could find us at any time, and if not a person then maybe a Mutt. It's now day two, so Mutts are now a real possibility. Nuts...

"Come on," I say, walking forth. "Let's go."

"Where?" Cinder asks.

"Not here. A moving target is harder to hit," I tell her. I flinch from the sounds the mud makes. "Urrgghh, so nasty..."

"Between mud and death, I'd pick mud," Cinder says as she walks slowly beside me. "At least you can clean mud off."

What an eloquent way to put it, I think. We move on as silent as the mud allows, scrambling out onto harder ground as soon as we can, and so we set off. I'm not sure where, but anywhere's better than here except maybe the Cornucopia. Far too dangerous to bother going back unless I become suicidal.

Not impossible. It happens every two or three years to some poor child.

"Seen anything interest around this place?" I ask her after maybe ten minutes.

"I saw the Boy from Ten looking for shelter from the rain a few hours ago," she tells me. I tense, knowing that boy is one of the strongest, and eldest, of us Tributes. "I kept away from him. He's strong, I'm not... I don't want to hurt anybody."

"Neither do I. Let's hope we shan't have to. Some years haven't had a final battle," I say as we step on a log and carefully cross over the foul water below. "Was Ten armed? And, uh, do you remember his name?"

"I think it might be Ramsey, maybe?" she says, though I can tell she's not certain. Until further notice, I hereby dub the Boy from Ten as 'Ramsey'. "He didn't have a knife or a sword or anything, but... he did have a length of rope. Thick rope."

"What's he gonna do with that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, he could tie people up but without a knife..."

I trail off as Cinder mimes hanging herself. I shudder, my face suddenly losing a lot of colour and heat. How pale I must look. Maybe my freckles lost colour too, as the thought of that is... is... no, I shan't think about it. Ramsey could lose the rope. In fact, I might not even see him at all.

We don't speak for a while after that.

(Time passes...)

It's surely the middle of the afternoon by now and the rain is showing no signs of stopping. In fact, I think it's raining even harder than it was before. At least I'm well fed and have water. I offered Cinder some, but she didn't accept it. She doesn't trust me... understandable.

I'm not sure why I just spared her so quickly. It would've gotten me more sponsors if I did... that... but what kind of a leader kills their citizens, or citizens of others? Snow, that's who and I am not like him. I try to justify it to myself as gaining an ally, a number, somebody to help me for a while... but really, I'm squeamish over killing. It's wrong. I know, high and mighty of me to say that when I'd probably do it to save my own life like anybody else, but... I just feel I have standards, an expectation even, to live up to.

Or maybe it's because I'm so frightened of blood. I'm never gonna forget what I saw in the aftermath of the Bloodbath until the day I die. Of course, that day could even be today for all I know.

I swallow hard at the thought.

"Stop," Cinder puts an arm in front of me, making me cease. "This looks bad."

Sure does. Looks like this might have originally been the lower ground of the forest - perhaps full of flowers and grass, or at least terrain that could be walked through - but not so much anymore. It's been flooded and not all that's left is a large, still lake. The rain send many ripples across its surface. I don't trust my odds of wading through it. Who knows what may lurk within?

I spot a log a distance away... it's got eyes.

Alligators.

I guess I know what's lurking in there now. Certainly no reason to go through the water.

"We should just turn back," I say to Cinder. "Look, over there? Alligator."

"Actually, I think you'll find that's a crocodile," Cinder correct me, peering closer. "You can tell by the pointier snout and how its teeth are still visible when the jaw is closed."

"Interesting. I never knew that," I take a step back from the edge. "We should get out of here. If this place floods higher then the crocodiles are going to start having more space to move around. They'd eat us."

My voice is a soft whisper, quiet so as to not attract the beasts, but Cinder gets the message and slowly nods. There'll be another path to take.

We start to make our way around the edge of the flooded lake, a few meters from the bank just to be safe.

"...What's it like in Five?" I ask after a while.

"Why do you want to know?" Cinder asks me.

"Better to talk of that than... this," I gesture my hand around the area.

"I suppose you're right," she agrees, huddling herself a little. "Well, it's bright. Our District is statistically the third most well off. Lots of bright lights and Peacekeepers always moving in bulk. I guess with how we make the power that keeps the Capitol shining they make sure things are running smoothly and that we've got enough money to stay afloat. It's not a bad life back there, really. My family are lovely; my parents, sisters, brother... oh, I miss them dearly. I miss sitting down to family dinners. I miss how my sisters would ask me about... um..."

She coughs, suddenly awkward.

"Well anyway, District Five is a good place to live," she says quickly. "I love going to the library and just reading the day away. You can learn so much from books and watching the people around you."

"Sounds like a nice life," I say, a little throbbing in my chest. Heartache, though more the emotional kind than the lethal kind, thankfully... not that it's a nice feeling either way.

"What's District Seven like?" she asks me.

"...Lots of trees," I say, softly. "Trees all around. Kind of like here, but... not. I live in a manor... I'm indoors a lot, just sitting. Reading. Not doing enough with my time, really. I'm alone a lot."

"Any family?" Cinder inquires.

"Yeah, just my dad," I reply, thinking of the man who raised me. "Sometimes not even him. We're a bit distant."

"Hmm... I see. Your mother? Siblings?" Cinder seems more open to the topic now. It's nice, but now I'm starting to see why tributes don't often talk about this kind of thing. Family is complex and makes the heart feel hurt.

"Neither," I say, shaking my head. "Careful, don't trip on the log. I have Ranger, my boyfriend, but uh... I don't want to distract myself. You have anybody?"

"Ummmmm..." she looks as red as her hair. "...Sometimes..."

"You did seem to be close with the Boy from Nine before..." I wince, trailing off. I can't help but have an image of his corpse, slumped on the ground, flash into my mind. "Sorry."

"It's ok," she says, quietly. "Miller was really nice, but... I'm young. If I win after killing nobody and go home... well, they call me foxy for a reason. Anyway, rain, lot's of it! How we gonna get dry?"

I don't comment on the rapid change of topic. I think on her point, as being this soaked for over a week, maybe two weeks... that'd be rough. On cold nights, it may lead to hypothermia which, as with suicide, is not unheard of in the Games. One year had most tributes die from the cold - fifteen of them if I recall correctly, the poor kids - and after that there was always a means of making fire added. That, and the Head Gamemaker was killed for it. It wouldn't do to make the Games 'boring' I guess...

"Unless we want to risk starting a fire then we won't be able to," I tell her, pouting. "Plus, with the rainfall it might be hard to even keep a fire going at all."

"Mmm, true," she sighs, pulling her hood further over her head.

Again, we're silent. Not much to say. I'm more focused on keeping my hatchet held tightly and keeping an eye on the water. I swear it's raised a few inches already. This is gonna be dangerous soon. I think we've moved to lower ground without meaning to, so now I'm looking for a hill or a slope. Anything to get higher up before this becomes deadly.

Ah, there we go. Just over there lays a steep hill leading up to the light outside the thickness of the canopy above us. Just beyond... oh come on! Really?

Two crocodiles lay on the ground. They might be sleeping, but I'm not certain. Even if they are, surely they'd heard us run by and start gnawing out bodies to a pulp, assuming they can't swallow us whole. I guess Cinder may know if they can or not... irrelevant details, how do we get past them? Going back wastes time, and there might be more of these creatures starting to leave the water.

"Any plan?" Cinder asks me quietly.

"Nothing yet," I whisper. "Your mentor likely to sponsor you some crocodile repellent?"

"Doubtful. How about yours?" she asks, hopeful.

"Johanna said she's not gonna bother helping me," I say, my tone perhaps a touch snooty. "So be it, I shan't need her half-rate help anyway. Though, what I do need is an idea... running by them is out, and attacking them would be foolish."

"I'm not going near them," Cinder says, firm. "I'm fast, but those things are actually quite fast too. Plus, I have no weapons."

"Think a hatchet would be enough?" I tense, hoping the answer is no so I shan't have to get near the crocodiles.

"Not even close," Cinder shakes her head. "We'll need to get around them."

"But how? There's no way around them except going in the water, a possible death sentence in itself," I groan, gripping my braids. "Stupid hungry beasts... wait, hungry..."

I reach into my bag and grab out a pack of dried meat. Perhaps not the best meat in Panem, but maybe these creatures will be interested anyway. Hopefully enough to go after it so we can have time to run past before they hunger for our guts.

"Get ready to run," I tell Cinder.

"Ready anytime," she says.

I don't hesitate for more than a few seconds. I throw the meat to the water and, like flies to fine honey, the crocodiles are swiftly after it. They ravenously tear it apart and I think they're devouring the packaging too. I don't spare much attention to them though, not when I'm much more focused on sprinting past the area they were guarding. Through here and up the steep slope, and then we're out of range of the flood for now.

I cry out, slipping on the wet ground. I moan, hitting the ground with a thud. Nuts! I try to scramble up so I can keep running but I stumble again. The crocodiles must be near by now. No!

"Come on, keep going!" Cinder runs back, yanking me up to my feet and pulling me along.

The crocodiles turn to snarl at us but we're already near the top of the slope by then. Mercifully we don't slip down or lose our footing at any point. Adrenaline gets us to the top and keeps us running on through an open grassy field.

We don't dare stop until we're at the other side of the field. Cinder slumps down on her butt gasping while I kneel over and wheeze deeply. I chug down a lot of what's in my bottle and I hold the bottle out for Cinder. She shakes her head, taking out her own water bottle to drink from. It's another stretch of time before either of us speak a word.

"Thank you," I say, pulling Cinder into a hug.

"Eep!" she squeals a bit, pulling out of my grasp. "You're welcome, just a thank you shall suffice. Um... huh..."

"What?" I ask. She's looking at me funny... am I bleeding?!

"You know, I never got your name," she says, realisation in her eyes. "We've worked together for a few hours, and I helped you back there... I don't even know your name."

"Nettle Bonsai," I say to her, sitting up straight. "I'm a bit of a 'spoiled sapling' according to some at home."

And the first girl in history to become both a Victor and a Mayor, is what I know better than to say out loud to her. Because if I become those things, it means only one thing for Cinder.

Certain death.

"Well, nice to know your name Nettle," she says, drawing up her knees. Her eyes travel down to look at my hatchet.

"I'm not gonna kill you," I tell her.

"I believe that more than I did earlier," she says. That's progress if ever I've heard it. "It's just..."

"Just what?" I ask, uncertain as to what she's getting at.

"...This is a bad idea for us both," Cinder says. "We're getting attached. That's killed so many tributes before us. We know each other's names, our home lives to a small degree, you spared me and I saved you back there... and..."

"And?" I gently press her to continue. "Is this bad?"

"It's nice, but dangerous," Cinder says, haunted. "If we get attached, it'll create issues later if we... now I'm not ungrateful, I'm thankful but it's just... I mean, even Sparky and I didn't risk getting too close when he was alive so..."

"You think we should split?" I say. It's not a question. Cinder's afraid of the moral and emotional quandaries that always pop up when tributes get close. It happens every few years, sometimes more than that. "It's dangerous if you're out there all alone."

"It's dangerous if we're together as well," she says. She's right... "Even the Careers in their big pack are not safe, and they always split every year, fighting viciously when the tension is too high."

I know she's right. But it still leaves me a little unhappy I'll be alone all over again. Even for just a few hours, company was pretty nice to have. Cinder's great to talk to, a girl matching my own interests in the intelligent things of life. But, I guess logic overrides emotion and the fact is... only one of us can live, and it just hurts even worse if one is to get close to others. Even the Careers can suffer the effects of this sometimes.

"In that case, best of luck to you Cinder," I tell her. "Think you'll make it?"

"I can try," she says. "However hopeless things are, we have to try. Otherwise we're only ensuring our deaths. Best of luck to you as well Nettle... thanks for giving me back my token, by the way. It's a family heirloom."

"Not a problem," I say to her, lightly smiling. "I'd not want to lose mine either."

I rummage in my pocket and show her a golden necklace, one with a small golden tree attached to it that is studded with emeralds.

"Family heirloom, just like yours," I tell her.

"It's beautiful," she whispers. "Why not wear it?"

"...People might grab it and, uh, try to choke me," I say, looking to the side.

Silence ensues. I cough awkwardly. Cinder scratches her side, also awkward.

"Well... farewell," she says, getting up to her feet.

She's young, and heading off unarmed. At least I, spoiled as I am, have supplies... she's really got nothing. Hmmm... you know, being a leader can come down to leading by example, to show people what the right thing to do is. The path best taken. I might never see District Five, except perhaps on my Tour that I will hopefully be alive for, but treating its citizens well can't hurt. Might even make my own citizens like me more, perhaps earn me a sponsor.

"Wait," I say, making Cinder pause. "It's dangerous to go alone. Take this."

I take out a dagger that I'd grabbed from the Cornucopia and pass it to her. She grips it tightly, uneasy but grateful.

"Thank you Nettle," she says, managing a smile. "I just... hope I won't need to use it on a person."

"I hope the same about this hatchet," I agree quietly.

With that, Cinder leaves. She goes from a walk to a jog and then to a sprint, vanishing into the trees. Not even half a minute goes by before she is completely out of sight. Once more, I'm alone. But, I'm still alive and I'm lacking any serious injuries.

Though, fourteen others still breath and many of them are strong. And... I think all but two of them are bigger than me. I feel so small, with how everybody but the two twelve year olds is bigger than me! Though, compared to the fates of those who died yesterday is that really a reason for me to whine? No.

Cinder went that way over there, so I'll go this way. Another thick area of the forest with many trees and bushes looming ahead. It towers over me just like the Capitol did. But at least I'll have somewhere to hide rather than being out in the open. Plus, I'll be out of the rain. This downpour seems endless, it's still going strong. I wonder how long they're gonna let it go on for. I can swim, but if the entire place floods... well, there are those crocodiles, and I'm no Annie Cresta in the water.

"Ok, next goal, find a cave," I tell myself, walking deeper into the forest.

(Later...)

The sun is setting now. I can't see it beyond the thick rainclouds, but it's getting darker. It certainly won't be much longer until nightfall arrives and with it the Anthem... and the cold, lots of cold. I'm soaked and no doubt a few other tributes are as well. Soaked from rain and lacking any warmth... we'd be lucky to not get hypothermia or something. The Careers, of course, can light a fire and not need to worry about a thing. Nobody would hunt them down at night in one go.

Well, nobody but the bravest of boys and girls. Or perhaps the most foolish.

As for me, I'm not sure I can even start a fire. But even if I can, could I risk it? It'd be a beacon to get people flooding towards me, if not to kill them out of desperation for warmth. It'd be a fight either way in the end. But it's so tempting right now, so tempting. I miss home, being able to lay by the fire in an armchair, curled up with a thick blanket and a good book.

I shake my head. I'll just make myself distracted and pouty if I think on it too hard.

I came to a river a while ago, one flooded past its usual depth, and I've been following along it for a while, a safe distant from the water. It must be flowing to the lake near the Cornucopia, so by walking against the current I'm going away from the horn of plenty and, in doing so, the Careers' main camp.

I'm so tired, but I'm forcing myself to keep going. Sleeping in the open, or out in the rain would both be near suicide. I need shelter, badly. I saw a cave, but it was already flooded. I need one at higher ground, if one exists. That or somebody could sponsor me a nice, warm log cabin. Perhaps with a television as well. Nuts, I think I'm missing the new Fiona and Lawrence episode right now.

"So cold..." my teeth chatter a little and I huddle myself a bit. What I'd give for some lovely sunshine...

Twigs crack and branches snap. I freeze for a moment, before I run behind a thick tree and duck down. I pray to the Forest God, I beg him... don't let whoever this is see me! Please, please, please...

A few moments pass before I hear somebody walking to the shore and panting a little. A few moments pass before I hear them uncap a bottle, I think, and scoop some water. they better hope they have iodine, or an immunity to potentially dirty water.

"So cold," says the person. A male, and thankfully it's not Marvel, Peeta or Cato. Based on the sound... I think it's somebody older than the small boy from Four.

I hear the sound of ruffling and then a package opening. I remain silent as the boy eats. Crouching low, I dare to peak out to have a quick glimpse of who it is. How many of the original twelve boys are still alive? Besides Marvel, Peeta and Cato... I think it's the boys from Three, Four, Ten... oh, and Wood. But this isn't Wood, I know that much.

It's not easy to see at first due to the darkness setting in, but I can glimpse the mustard yellow colour of his jacket all the same. It's the boy from Three. His name... come on... Weld? It was something like that.

I curse myself for not paying enough attention to the other interviews. They weren't even three days ago! The Careers and the Twelve's made themselves unforgettable, but not this boy. I feel a little shame for not remembering most of the others.

"This is bad," he mutters. His voice trembles from the cold. "I had a great plan. Dig up the mines and rearm them... but fuck, somebody's already done it! All of the mines, gone!"

He's silent. ..Wait, the mines are gone? Rearmed!? Is... is that even possible?

"It was her..." he continues to himself. He kicks the dirt and I flinch. The hatred from his voice is so vicious, so alarming. "Gadget... she must have eavesdropped on me somehow. I told her nothing, so how..."

He seethes, taking a few deep breathes. Wait, Gadget... that's his District Partner, right? Yeah, the younger, tall girl who cried a lot.

Tall.

...She must have been one of those two I saw yesterday right as I left the Cornucopia! She and the other Tribute with her must have been going for the mines!

"Kill Gadget painfully, get the mines," the boy continues, his tone steely. "Then blow this whole place to bits."

I don't like that voice he's speaking in... so lacking in warmth or any emotion but hatred. He's younger than me, and it's concerning how a young boy can speak so maliciously. Though, the Games do effect some differently than others. Maybe he's already changing.

Weld doesn't speak anymore, just standing there. I guess he's deep in thought, or maybe like me he's feeling lost on what to do, really. Easy to say he wants to kill Gadget but she could be anywhere. All of the others could be anywhere.

Again, I freeze as I hear the sound of somebody running. Somebody coming right towards us.

Nuts!

I cower where I am, hardly daring to breath. I hear Weld's scream over rainstorm and the yell of another boy, one certainly older and stronger. I don't know why, but I decide to peer out to see what's going on. Who is winning? Who is the other Tribute? How much therapy will I need after this?

I put a hand to my mouth, trying not to vomit. My eyes widen, and I feel as though my iris' shrink at what I am seeing. Weld is on his knees, screaming and choking. The other, larger boy - Ramsey from Ten - stands behind him. He's silent, but certainly not calm by how he's shaking.

His rope is tightly around Weld's neck, making the younger boy turn a horrific blue colour as he chokes and screams for oxygen. I duck away fast, out of sight and wishing I'd not looked. Why did I look!?

My whole body is shaking non-stop as the chokes and cries go on, getting quieter and more guttural over time. This feels worse than the Bloodbath. Those deaths were, while horrible, at least quick... this one is taking time, and Weld knows what is happening. Nuts, this poor boy...

I feel like such a coward, I should help him! But one thought of the rope around his neck and how Ramsay is simply much stronger and bigger than me has me shrinking back down. It'd be suicide to let him see me.

The chokes stop and I hear a thud. Ramsay lets out a deep, exhausted sigh. Certainly not a shout of triumph. My heart pounds hard as he leans himself against the other side of the tree.

He's not even a meter away from me.

I flinch as the cannon fires, the massive boom audible for miles. A step closer to home... but at what a price. I feel faint.

"Sorry partner," I hear Ramsey say. "Just business, and I had no other weapons to do it."

Ramsay takes a few deep breathes before he steps away. I hear him rummaging... I assume he's checking for what Weld's got on him before the Hovercraft takes the body.

"Hmmm, this'll work," I hear him say.

A swish, and then a thud against the other side of the tree. I gulp, thankful the rainstorm is covering the sounds of my breathing.

"Rest well," he says. "Ok Cato, you son of a bitch, where are you?"

Ramsay leaves downstream, a little hunched over and depressed by the looks of it. I can see that he holds the rope that killed Weld in one hand. In the other, he's got a big hand-axe. One much better than the hatchet I've got. I guess what's what he got from Weld.

I stay here, silent and close to screaming for several minutes before I rise. I should go now, fast, before the Hovercraft crew start getting annoyed. But, maybe Ramsay missed something?

Leaving my hiding spot I kneel down besides Weld's corpse. His face is an unnatural pal blue... so nasty... and his horrified eyes stare blankly up at nothing. As bloodless as the murder was, it was horrible Traumatising! So uncouth...

I shake my head, looking through his pockets quickly. Ramsay's already emptied out his bag, it seems, but maybe he overlooked something?

He did. In one pocket I find a small container of bruise cream. After the nasty shove I got in the Bloodbath, it's just what I need. Mine now. I also find a knife. Good, that'll replace the one I gave to Cinder. The better I am armed, the harder I am to kill.

In the other pocket though... huh, what's this? Looks like a photograph. Hmm... a man, woman and a... boy. This must be a family photograph, taken a few years ago it seems. Weld seems happy, a contrast to how he was acting both here and in the Training Centre at times. It must be his token.

If I put it back then it'd probably just get put into the Tribute Museum. I heard about that from Seven's Escort, Mascara. No, a family photo should be with family, I believe.

I pocket it. If I get out of here, I'll return it to Weld's family on the Victory Tour.

For now, I better run. I'm shivering worse now, with how it's getting darker and raining harder. Shelter, now!

On I go, running the opposite direction that Ramsay went. I hear the Hovercraft descending behind me. No doubt all kinds of wonderful supplies are on board, the crew enjoying them and being in indifferent to our suffering.

You know what would be nice? If some bold tribute climbed up that gathering claw and hijacked the Hovercraft!

(Some time goes by...)

I lay on my side by the fire, breathing wearily. I couldn't resist the temptation any longer and I've started a fire. Took an hour to get any sparks on it, but... I did it. It's so warm and wonderful, exactly what I needed most. I'm under an outcropping part of a cliff, the rocky overlook above me keeping me from getting soaked by the rain and hiding some of the smoke too.

It's hard to think properly with how exhausted I am. Harder still with the way Weld died, and how I heard all of it. The part I was stupid enough to watch repeats in my mind. It makes me want to cry.

That's ten dead now. Thirteen others left to go... aargh! This is insane! Crazy! Nonsense! How am I supposed to survive and not lose my damn mind in the process?! ...I just don't know.

Not just that, but not a single Sponsor yet either. Nor even a simple note of encouragement. I guess Johanna really meant it.

Well fine, screw her!

I shiver, huddling up when lighting flashes across the stormy sky. It hits a tree many miles away... not danger, yet. The lack of a cannon shows it was a danger to nobody else, either.

But speaking of danger... Weld unknowingly confirmed it for me. Gadget's rearmed the land mines around the pedestals. I'd not think it would be possible, but my fault for assuming. What's she going to do with them? Make a mine field, use them as hand grenades? A painless way to kill herself if she's faced with certain death by worse means later on? I don't know her at all, so I've got no idea.

And, the tribute who was with her. How do they factor into all of this? Did they give her the idea? ...So many questions buzz through my mind, which sucks as I really want to sleep.

I lay by the warm fire, dozing a bit as I listen to the rainfall. I'm so sleepy that even the lighting doesn't make me jump anymore. I just ignore it.

But, I can't ignore the Anthem. Wearily I open my eyes, looking out at the stormy, night sky beyond the overlook above me. That song... I tell you, I could probably write a better one. Maybe something with piano in it.

The Capitol Seal is displayed for a few moments before Weld's face is shown up in the sky. Again, his painful death flashes through my mind. That'll fuel a few weeks of nightmares, no doubt. Only a few moments pass by before his face disappears and the Anthem comes to a close for the night.

I stare up at the sky for a while, just... staring. Powerful tributes, slow murder, Mutts, flooding, rearmed land mines. It's all so much to deal with.

I can't help but sob a little bit as I settle down to sleep by the fire. I tell myself to be a big girl tomorrow. I make myself promise that, tomorrow, I'll be a braver person than I've been so far.

The thing is, I'm not so sure I can really keep that promise to myself. But it's like Cinder said, we have to at least try. If we don't try to overcome the problems we face, then do we really have any right to complain?

I'd say not.

END OF DAY 2...

REMAINING TRIBUTES

Marvel (District 1 Male)

Glimmer (District 1 Female)

Cato (District 2 Male)

Clove (District 2 Female)

Gadget (District 3 Female)

Urchin (District 4 Male)

Cinder (District 5 Female)

Wood (District 7 Male)

Nettle (District 7 Female)

Lacey (District 8 Female)

Rammy (District 10 Male)

Rue (District 11 Female)

Peeta (District 12 Male)

Katniss (District 12 Female)

THE FALLEN

15th- Weldar (District 3 Female) - Asphyxiated with a rope, by Rammy.

16th- Jason (District 6 Male) – Slashed several times in the stomach with a scythe, by Cato.

17th- Sparky (District 5 Male) – Speared in the gut with a spear and then stabbed in the chest with a knife, by Wood.

18th- Sickle (District 9 Female) – Stabbed in the chest with a knife, by Glimmer.

19th- Thresh (District 11 Male) – Disembowelled with a machete, by Cato.

20th- Marina (District 4 Female) - Struck in the neck with an axe by Weldar.

21st- Miller (District 9 Female) – Knife thrown into back, by Clove.

22nd- Tamora (District 6 Female) – Stabbed repeatedly in the gut, by Glimmer.

23rd- Sable (District 10 Female) – Stuck in the skull with an axe, by Cato.

24th- Callico (District 8 Male) – Stabbed with a kukri, by Marvel.

TRIBUTE NOTES

Weldar: A timeline of lesser prominence for him this time, though even in his small appearance he remains an interesting character to write for with his vast amount of negative emotions. Imagine what his own timeline must be like, huh? Here though, his survival was only limited. After all, he lost all access to the landmines as Gadget appears to have beaten him to the idea this time and so his biggest trump card was removed, along with him having no allies / servants. Quite the grisly death he received from Rammy, whom now has Weldar's axe too... this is why talking too loudly can be a bad move! With one tribute using his land mine idea and one using his axe, perhaps he really did have an impact even in death? Impact that remains to be fully seen...