Day VI

Colors

Dawn's chorus gently fills the arena with sound. The birds chirping and singing like nature's alarm clock. The cameras will start rolling soon and the noise of the trickling stream nearby will be replaced with deafening screams. However, for now it is calm.

Light's fingers run through the hair of his ally until she turns and stares him in the face. The two allies lie in each other's arms for quite some time; Light twisting Bella's thin white hair around his index finger. White. Her hair was the absence of color, and yet when he looked at her all he saw was many shades and hues.

"Being found is a wonderful thing," thought Light amidst his happiness. It was the first he was able to sleep throughout the night, even in this nightmarish hell. He just hoped it would last.

XxXx

"I need them dead," Lexi whispered to herself. Since Lexi and Riley were deemed too dangerous to take watch at night together, she was left with the frail Amelia to keep the camp safe. However, the absence of her ally didn't keep her from trying to plot the imminent death of her career pack. All she saw was red. It was a red, hot burning desire flaring up in her heart.

Riley and Lexi's attempts to overtake the careers had failed many times and with the chaos of yesterday's second bloodbath it was getting harder and harder to formulate a plan. The careers were frenzied at this point and Lexi couldn't even begin to think about how to wrangle all of them into her trap.

Riley's words replay in her head, "We'll hit them when they're least expecting it." She chuckles at the thought. That would be hard to do now. Julian knew she had it out for him the day they shook hands on that reaping stage and the tension has only been growing thicker as the days passed. Apollo was close behind Julian's footsteps, acting as his wingman.

And Amelia, something was not right with that one. She stared at the girl sitting across the camp from her. Her knees hugged to her chest and a small knife just sitting beside her. For the first time, Lexi began to think if she didn't watch her back, Amelia, the weak one from District 3, might kill her before she sets any plan into place.

xXxXx

Nan awakes with a jolt, the sight of green flora surroundings flooding into her mind. It was all a sickening reminder of the scene in the sky last night. The emerald eyes of Safin's headshot still burned into her own. It stung more than any trackerjacker or salt on a wound could. Was it a pang of sadness? Of confusion? Maybe fear? She couldn't tell. All she could tell was that it stung. It stung horribly.

She would never know why he left or how he died. She only knew he would be gone and she had to be the strong one in her small alliance now. The night before when she saw the gruesome truth of her ally, she swallowed the pain, woke Aurora, and told her the news. Her ally lacked the strength to hold back the tears and Nan tried to comfort her without letting her face fall, the way she knew Safin would.

Nan took hold of the sleeping Aurora's hand thinking about what little time she had with her. A memory of grabbing her younger sister's hand took hold of Nan's mind, but Aurora's grip was cold and stiff. It made Nan wince.

A victor would take her out while she's weak. A good friend would spare her the suffering and put her to rest. But, Nan, especially with the events involving Safin last night, did not have the strength to be either of those people.

She had to keep moving, though. Safin had told them where to go and despite him leaving, she trusted him. "Aurora, it's time to get going," Nan nudged the District 4 girl. Aurora's eyes slowly fluttered open and looked up at the thirteen year-old Nan. Her eyes were puffy, but Nan couldn't tell if this was the illness' doing or Safin's death's. "Aurora, we need to go now," Nan repeated.

In a small sputter, Nan heard the last words she would hear from her ally's lips, "I- I can't move, Nan." The two froze, one paralyzed with fear and the other paralyzed from the chest down.

XxXx

Even though Lexi spent the morning thinking of all the ways she could eliminate her own career pack. Julian was making it easier than to be expected. He had suggested that before sundown the careers split and went tribute hunting. With no surprise, Apollo voted to go with Julian, but Julian declined his offer. He wanted to go with the girls, Lexi and Amelia, to "show them how it's done."

While his arrogance made her blood boil, Lexi didn't dislike the idea of killing some outer districts and then Julian himself. She needed her kill count to rise or else her sponsor count would die; or worse- her pride.

So they split the way Julian had planned for them. Apollo and Riley set foot for the autumn sector, as Julian's group of three began to trek to the flower filled spring sector. The careers would work their way inward and meet in the middle, then head back to camp to count and recall the stories of their kills. The thought of Julian tricking her crossed her mind, but greed and wrath had consumed the once cautious Lexi.

When the three careers of the spring sector reach the cliff they watched small Rose fall off, they stop to eat. The sun is just starting to set and the trio takes their time to watch the display of a bright array of colors in the sky. The sunsets never last this long in the games, so Lexi took the time to admire it, daring to think about all the sunsets she was yet to see outside of this arena. She would admire them much more, then.

However, it only took a second of letting go from reality for her to snapped back with a swing of a sword inches from her neck. Years of training gave her the good reflexes to move in time before she became split in two. She quickly got to her feet to retrieve the closest weapon to her, the small knife that sat beside Amelia earlier. They stood in front of each other with wicked smirks on their face. This is all they wanted, to kill each other. It felt different than Lexi imagined it, preparing to kill her district partner.

"This is what you wanted, right Miller?!" He yelled to her, his voice raised and rugged. "Well, let me tell you," he yelled again, this time with a small chuckle, "this is I ever wanted too! I would have cut off that fake little smile of yours the first time I saw you, if I was given the chance."

"Enough chit-chat," Lexi snarled as she lunged at him with the knife. He dodges and slices her arm with the sword. "This was not how her plan was supposed to go at all," she thought as she tried not to grimace at the blood oozing out of her right forearm.

Julian's voice has raised into a scream, "And that District 3 boy of yours! You had fun shoving your tongue down his throat, didn't you?! Don't think I didn't know what you were up to when you two left the group! But now—now you're both going home in boxes, sweetheart." He shoves Lexi to the ground and raises his sword above his head ready to give the final blow.

Julian had won. District 1 would not remember the name Lexi Miller. No, not her name. They would only remember Julian Devereaux as the ruthless career leader.

That's when the District 1 tribute is hit.

And Julian falls to the ground with an arrow pierced through his heart, revealing Lexi Miller's savior- the girl from District 3, Amelia Arthurs. She slowly lowers the large hunting bow to say, "I was tired of his tantrums," then calls a truce and walks off into the meadows of the spring sector. Lexi sits in the silence, staring in disbelief at Julian's corpse. A loud cannon sounds and the sky fades to black.

XxXx

"Get back!" Riley yells to Apollo, pushing him against a tree.

Apollo reaches for the dagger holstered in his belt, but releases his grip when he realizes Riley means no harm. In the distance, a smaller girl with auburn braids comes into eyesight. Apollo remembers her from the center of the arena, although she was with a boy, then. This is it. The kill that could prove his leadership to Julian.

Apollo begins to approach the lonely girl from 7, his dagger now firmly gripped in his hand. Riley follows him, questioning if this is the time to make his move on his target, as well.

BOOM.

Everyone stops. The sound of a cannon creates a frenzy scene in front of them. "Shay! Shay! Are you still there?" The boy from the second bloodbath rushes out of the bushes and grabs the girl from 7's face with both hands, then kissing the top of her forehead, "I-I thought I lost you. I only left for you for a few seconds, but..." The boy seems to be out of breath, as he trails off with his words.

"Isn't that sweet?" Apollo steps out from the suddenly dark tree line. The only light coming from the moon above them, just figures of the allies' are dimly illuminated in the night. Yet, he can still see the fear in their eyes and a shining canister reflecting the moonlight. "Got something special for me?" Apollo smiles eerily for only the night to see.

"Shay… Go! Go now," the boy says frantically, trying to pull himself together. The faint protests of the girl are heard before she runs into the trees. The boy goes to follow and Apollo begins to run after him. The only sound is the pattering footsteps of everyone running around. Leaves crunching and twigs snapping, the noises are quiet, but in the silence they are ear-shattering. Finally, Apollo corners the boy from District 7 against a pile of rocks.

Despite his years of climbing in 7, Ren Kirro is unable to escape the wall of rocks. He turns to see the boy from 2 approaching him. He thinks of Shay and how she has escaped, happy she at least escaped this terrible fate. As the words, "I love you, Shay" begin to leave his mouth, the boy from District 3, Riley White slides his knife into his abdomen. He falls to the ground, his lips unable to finish the words from shock. He watches the black sky turn into a dark purple haze as he takes his last breath.

Kill count:

Disease/Mutts/Natural (1): Lucas

Julian (3): Jeret, Safin, Devon

Lexi (2): Barley, Rose

Apollo (2): Ren, Sarah

Riley (2): Ryan, Reed

Amelia (1): Julian

Ren (1): Daisey

Zane (1): Himself (Suicide)