A/N: We've passed 600 reviews, so special thanks go to RealFiction, MJElliot, xx-Want-A-Sugar-Cube-xx, District4girl and mangesboy01 for reviewing! As ever, the support is welcomed :)

I apologise for the lack of updates over the weekend. I usually try to keep them as regular as possible but I've had a rather busy weekend. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it, though :)


"Can you hear the sounds of the static noise, blasting out in stereo?

Cater to the class and the paranoid, music to my nervous system

Advertising love and religion, murder on the airwaves

Slogans on the brink of corruption, visions of blasphemy, war and peace."

- Billie-Joe Armstrong, 2009.


The 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Third Quarter Quell) - Day 2, 2.05 pm

Enobaria Blake (30), District 2 Female (victor of the 62nd Annual Hunger Games)

Green Day - The Static Age (2009)


I look on from the undergrowth as Gloss dives into the water with a near-flawless dive, almost feeling jealousy at how quickly he seems to evaporate beneath the waves.

"I suppose we should get ready to back him up," Brutus says. I nod in approval, but Cashmere speaks up.

"No," she says firmly. We need to give him some space, to let him do what he does best," she says nervously. It's not hard to tell that she's worried for him, and doesn't really know what would be the best plan of action from here. "Give him fifteen or twenty seconds to creep up on them, then we'll make our move."

We watch from our hidden vantage point as Gloss' dark, shimmering figure glides beneath the waves towards the cornucopia. After what Cashmere judges to be fifteen or twenty seconds, she beckons us forward and we run for it.

The attack will be a combination of speed and stealth. One will get us close to our target, the other will get us close enough to strike without alerting them. I follow Cashmere onto a spur of sand connecting the beach to the cornucopia while Brutus takes Gloss' option of the water on my left. There's only one tribute on this side of the cornucopia - Wiress - and she's away in her own world, unaware of our advances. She'll be an easy first victim.

Cashmere and I have almost reached the small island that houses the golden horn when Wiress goes down, Gloss coming out of nowhere to deal the silent, lethal strike. A moment later and he's gone, crashing back into the waves, an arrow in his temple. For a moment Cashmere stops ahead of me, holding her hands to her head as we make land, then remember that time is of the essence and circles the cornucopia in an anticlockwise direction. I follow her until she's stopped abruptly, Johanna's axe plunged into her chest.

I'm not one for mourning loved ones - I never care enough about others - but even if I'd have wanted to mourn the imminent death of the Adlington twins, I wouldn't have time to. I realise my situation, back at the cornucopia, the odds now swung heavily against Brutus and myself. It's two against five, but now that I'm here I might as well finish the job.

Johanna, my nearest target, is still incapacitated, her axes buried in my former ally, and when I slip a knife from my belt I find myself honing in on Finnick Odair, who's further round the island. On the sloped, sandy surface of the island I'm momentarily worried that I've lost my balance as I throw at Finnick, and the blade seems to miss him, until he steps forward to block a spear, presumably thrown by my ally Brutus, which is strange, because it was thrown nowhere near him. Still, I'm not complaining, as my knife sinks into his leg and he crumples to the floor. It won't kill him, but he won't be able to harm us any time soon.

Sensing the tables turn against us as Johanna returns to her feet and Katniss reloads her bow, I turn on my heel and scarier, running back around the island, using the cornucopia as cover from our enemies. I quickly reach Brutus and, as if my some previously arranged agreement, we both turn away from the cornucopia, sprinting along a thin strip of sand and away into the surrounding jungle.

As I run, considerably out of breath, I realise that our adversaries are choosing not to pursue us any further, and I take a moment to think about the events that have just unfolded.

While our little ambush might not have been a complete success, it was by no means a total disaster. There were casualties for both sides - a thought confirmed as three cannons ring out across the arena for Cashmere, Gloss and Wiress - but I'm alive and unharmed, as is my district partner Brutus. We may be weakened by the loss of the tributes of District 1, but the field is slowly and surely being cut down to size. At least our enemies saved us the hassle of doing it ourselves. How many of us are there left, anyway? Ten? Twelve. There's Brutus and I, Beetee from Three and Finnick from District 4, Yvonne from District 5, Johanna, Chaff and the star-crossed lovers from District 12. That makes nine. Only just over twenty-four hours, and already we're at the business end of the 75th Annual Hunger Games. All the big players remain, so no doubt the Gamemakers will expect a dramatic finale of some sort. I'm under no pretence that Brutus and I won't fight it out at some point; our alliance is held together by mutual dependence, not compassion. Once I've outlived my usefulness, I'll be Brutus' enemy just like the rest of them. That's one of the few things that I'm sure about in this year's Hunger Games.

Possibly the only other thing that I'm sure about is that the Games may be nearing the end already, but I am in no ways done with the 75th Annual Hunger Games.


A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed :)