AUTHOR'S NOTES: These last few months have been crazy, and I apologize for the great delay on this story. It was tricky to write, because I wasn't feeling it, and this is probably one of the most emotional chapters in the entire story for a variety of reasons. Anyways, now it's up and the excuses are gone, so I will hopefully ring in 2017 by being more efficient in my writing of fanfics.
Happy Reading!

CHAPTER 19: Innocence is Dead

The more time that passed, the more Cadence began to grow worried about District 9. He knew where Kilon, Xandra, and Sudi had gone, and since there was a temporary truce between them and the District 5 pair he was not worried about them going back on their word this soon. Serendipty and Nazir were on the run somewhere, considering that Serendipity's partner was long since a thing of the past, and the careers' other allies, Ratchet and Gabriela, had shown up in the sky the previous evening.

Lucia did not need to see to know that Cadence was worried as they trekked across the treacherous arena. She put a hand on his shoulder, bringing his fast-paced, almost stomping footsteps to a halt.

"Cadence…" she whispered, "I understand the risks of these games, but even I can tell how tense you are. That's not going to do you any favours."
"The angrier I am, the fiercer I'll fight," Cadence grunted in response.

"Or the more you'll be blinded by that anger and lose your focus." Lucia corrected him.

"If someone lays a finger on you, they'll learn just how swiftly I can react, and how I will brutally murder them." Cadence brandished his blades, which shimmered off of the afternoon sunlight as they wandered around the arena. Cadence was hoping to find some trace of Fox and Robin but to no avail. There were signs of disturbance in the grass, but Cadence didn't exactly keep track of tributes' shoe sizes (or even foot sizes; since he knew that he and Sudi, for example, were barefoot), and so these didn't do much good. Lucia followed one set of them towards a cliff, where a bhunk of the plateau was missing. Cadence spotted it in the distance, adjoined to another platform. If they had recently missed a tribute, he or she was long gone now.

With a mumble of curses and a sigh, he resigned to the fact that he was not likely to run into anyone that evening, and so he found a good place to make camp and got to work.

The anthem played that evening, but since no cannons had gone off during the day, the Gamemakers had nothing to show in the sky for Day 9's events. Cadence knew at the bottom of his mind that Lucia's odds were diminishing with each tribute that died. The weak were getting weeded out, and now only the strongest and most cunning tributes survived. He knew that Lucia was only alive because of his own wiles; she was not a fighter, and wasn't even really a hunter. She could sniff out game or plants for them, but she wasn't really one to want to end something's (or someone's) life.

Cadence sighed again. "I just wish that you could go home," he mumbled as they made settled down for the evening. The arena was so seemingly vast that he didn't even bother with watches anymore. Lucia was a light sleeper, and she would warn him if she woke up to any kind of noise.

Cadence turned to Lucia, whispering her name. She turned to face him, curiously.

"I know it doesn't mean much now, Lucia," he confessed, "but I have to say it before one of us gets killed."

"What is it?" Lucia had gears turning in her head, but remained subtle. Cadence always found her difficult to read, although that might not have said much considering that his antisocial personality had not gifted him with the ability to read emotions too well.

"I care about you," Cadence began with the obvious, "a lot. And now I know why." He paused and took a deep breath.

"I love you, Lucia. That is why I am so damn hell-bent on sending you home alive. You deserve to live!"

Lucia put her arms around Cadence and softly pulled him in. "I love you too, Cadence." she admitted, "I might extend those feelings towards people easier than you, but know that you are very special to me. I do not mean to be pessimistic when I speak of my death; I am only being logical. You have a much greater chance of surviving than I do."

"Why would I want to live a life after the games," Cadence grunted, "It would be without you—and I don't want that at all."

"Then let's enjoy what little time we have left…" Lucia whispered, pulling Cadence in for a kiss.

He cursed himself for briefly forgetting hormones were a thing, and he really wished that he could just throw everything else aside and spend the rest of his days with this beautiful blind girl, but alas; they were still in the games, and if other tributes found them unarmed and unaware, simply living the good life, they would be easy prey.

They pulled back a few moments later after what seemed like an eternity of bliss, even if it was only a few seconds. Cadence wished it had lasted forever, and he didn't have too many words to use as a reply.

"Thank you…" he whispered. "Just, I… thank you."

"Thank you, Cadence." Lucia whispered, running her hand through his red curls one last time. "let's get some sleep. Hopefully nothing bothers us in the night."
"Aye," Cadence sighed again. "that'd probably be for the best."

Fortunately for the both of them, nothing happened to them or their camp during the night except for a few missing apples. Cadence and Lucia had never even noticed their absence, and thus only the Gamemakers and whatever tribute won the game and watched the recaps would live to see that it had been Sudi. She might not have been honest in terms of her thievery, but she lived up to her word of not harming the District 5 pair while the careers (and '9) were out there. She had bigger fish to fry.

The sun was high in the sky when Cadence's entire world was turned upside down. Lucia was humming softly as they walked, with silence surrounding them save for the breeze in the leaves of the trees. Cadence only realized that something was wrong when Lucia's humming was cut short. She fell silently a moment later, and Cadence found himself face to face with a knife-wielding girl with a 9 on both of her shoulders: Fox Morrowson.

"The careers send their regards," Fox warned as she stepped back.

"You have 30 seconds to live," Cadence seethed. Fox ducked just in time to see a knife fly right over her head, whizzing right past the air where her neck had been only milliseconds before.

Surprisingly enough, the Gamemakers actually made bets on Cadence's assertion. Fox was fast, but Cadence was faster. They tore through the trees, Cadence's ferocity making the mutts that had torn Faren apart a few days ago look almost tame in comparison. Robin leapt to try and escape Cadence, but the boy also lunged through the air, daggers drawn. They found a home nestled in Fox's back.

"Tell me where your partner is, and I'll make this swift." his voice was more of a guttural growl in Robin's ear. "Otherwise, I'm happy to carve up your back and limbs and wait for you to bleed out."
"He's with the careers!" Fox cried out, "probably coming this way!"

There was a tone of desperation and fear in her voice, which made Cadence feel vindicated for a split second as he slashed her throat. A 2nd cannon went off, and he was ready to start ripping her body apart as some sort of attempt at avenging Lucia, but when he saw and heard the hovercraft above him heading back the way they had come, he raced after it. He had to see Lucia one last time.

A 2nd hovercraft flew in to collect Fox's corpse as Cadence raced after the craft to reach Lucia. The cannon had fired, which meant her tracker had shut down in accordance with her death. Still, he wished to hold her in his arms one final time.

Unfortunately, he was not able to realize this wish either. The craft had already pulled Lucia up in its massive claws and was flying away right as Cadence arrived. Not to let that be something to stop him, he jumped on a rock and into a tree and then lunged for the massive metal machinery. He actually managed to catch it, causing the craft to stop for a moment. Cadence saw Lucia's face between the claws, looking as serene in death as she had in life. Suddenly the machine lurched violently, throwing Cadence back to the ground as it carried Lucia's body away. He screamed at the top of his lungs, but apart from her name, he wasn't even sure what he shouted. Lucia's hovercraft disappeared, and Fox's disappeared right after it. Cadence stopped screaming, and a surreal silence fell over the arena—at least as far as Cadence was concerned.

18 days. He had only really gotten to know Lucia Alzar for 18 days before she was ripped out of his life. The 1st day was Reaping Day, where Cadence was reminded of the sick injustice of these games. The next 7 days were at the training center where he tried to teach her how to survive. The final 10 days of Lucia's life were spent surrounded by rocky, grassy cliffs that moved around at hourly whims. He had fought to protect her, but eventually came to genuinely like her, and then love her. Just the previous evening, they had even confessed that love for one another, proving it with the most wonderful kiss of Cadence's 15-year life. Now she was gone, and so was the voice of peace and the voice of reason. Cadence now only had one thing left on his mind: bloodlust. His goal now was to slay as many of the remaining tributes as possible and win it—win these games for the girl who could not.