I awake to pain. I feel dried blood on my face and my arm and face hurt like heck. I moan and start to sit up.

"Don't," a voice says.

I can't see through my left eye, but I finally find Mike, who's sitting just across from me.

"How long was I out?" I say, though it comes out in a scratchy voice.

"An hour or two," Mike replies.

"Who's left?" I ask.

"The boy from 1," Mike says.

"Who'd you kill?" I ask.

"The boy from 4," Mike says.

"Greetings, tributes," a voice suddenly rings out. I reach inside my jacket and find a knife. "There will be an earthquake soon. If you don't reach the Cornucopia within five minutes, then... well, let's just say it won't end well for you."

I look at Mike and he quickly rushes over to me to pick me up.

"I can walk!" I bark, pushing myself off the ground and onto my feet. I immediately fall down, my legs not used to walking yet.

"No you can't," Mike says. I glare at him but let him pick me up. He dashes through the forest with me in his arms, and I feel shaking beneath me. Not from Mike running, but from something else. Trees start collapsing and almost crush Mike, but he dodges them quickly. We reach the cornucopia within minutes. Daylight is coming quickly, which I hate. It is easier to not be seen in the dark. Then again, that could mean the someone could hide. Maybe daylight is better.

I hear a whooshing noise and Mike suddenly tosses me into the air. I feel like I'm flying for two seconds, but then I crash onto the ground. The wind is knocked out of me and my vision is blurred. I shake my head and breathe in deeply, air returning to my lungs and sight coming back to my eyes. I see Mike punching the District 1 boy in the gut, but the boy quickly draws a sword. I get to my feet (no matter how much it hurts), pull out a knife, and swing it at the boy's head. He ducks just as it's about to hit him and it whooshes past his head. He charges toward me, no longer interested in Mike. I pull out another knife and throw it at him, but again he dodges it. He's tackled to the ground just as he's about to run his sword through me. Mike lifts his spear above his head and is about to drive it through District 1's back when the D1 boy quickly rolls away from Mike. Mike's spear buries itself into the grassy ground. The D1 boy seizes the opportunity and shoves his sword through Mike's chest.

I can't scream. I can't move. Everything is in slow-motion. I stare wide-eyed as the sword goes deeply into Mike's chest. I stare as the District 1 boy grins victoriously. I stare as Mike collapses to the ground. Then it all comes rushing back in full-motion. I charge at the District 1 boy, ignoring the pain, and throw my last knife at him. It buries itself into his head and he falls to the ground. But that's not good enough for me. I force the knife out of his head and stab in the back multiple times angrily. Tears are spilling out of me eyes and I won't stop stabbing him. I finally collapse on the ground in a fit of tears as a cannon sounds. Mike is dead. Twenty-three children are dead. I killed most of them. I'm a monster.

I cry some more, unable to stop. Then it hits me. There has been only one cannon. I rush over to Mike and kneel beside him, tears still falling.

"Mike," I whisper. He's still alive.

"Kill me," he whispers back.

"What?" I ask.

"Kill me," he repeats. "It hurts too much. Please, just kill me."

"I can't," I say, more tears falling.

"It hurts," Mike says, his face scrunched up in pain.

"I can't kill you," I whisper. "I can't."

I don't know why I can't. A few days ago I would have been more than willing to kill him. But now that we've had so much time to bond and grow, I realize something. I do remember him from before the reaping. I remember him sitting beside me in school. I remember hearing him say my name a few times to his friends. I remember seeing him staring at me through the window of my house and wondering what he wanted. I remember walking out of my house to ask him what he wanted but he would be gone. All the memories of him slam into me, and I think I'm going to cry but I don't. Instead, I do something unthinkable; I kiss him.