Note to self: Never, EVER, ask for the Hunger Games to be more interesting. Especially while you yourself and the people you love ARE CURRENTLY IN IT.

I'm such an idiot. Well, at least I brought my spear and net with me.

I whip my spear off my back and ready my net as Willow and Ash recover from their shock and do the same beside me. They're sweet, but this is between me and the girl with that sickly sweet voice.

"Shine, my, my, it's been forever, hasn't it?" I ask her, trying to keep my voice level. "Might I ask how you found us?"

The awful laugh rings through the clearing again, and Shine steps into the light. She's just as horrible and pretty and I remember. Oh seas, do I hate that face.

"Oh, we didn't mean to find you, sweetie. Just a happy coincidence, don't you think?" She twirls her knife lazily, but I know better than to think she's relaxed. This girl has trained her whole life for this moment, and this moment includes killing me.

"Well, I can't say I'm thrilled to run into you." Willow pips up from beside me, holding up her new spear. She's gotten pretty good at using it this past little while, and it certainly helps to have someone so confident at my side. Oh, how the Capitol must be loving this, the calm before the storm.

"No? Well, the same can't really be said for you either, Seven." Shine snaps, spinning on my ally. "I could do without having to see your long nose again. Or this girl's stupid peacock eyes." She adds, motioning to me. Instinctively, Willow raises a hand to her face, touching her nose, but I stay still, seething. Well, it's not like I've forgotten my eyes are there.

"Where's your little friend, One?" Ash moves between Willow and Shine, holding his sword up to her face, only a few feet away. Protecting her, I think, and I instantly have to battle with a small smile threatening to rise in my face. They are still so cute. "Hiding?"

She grins, and something drops in my stomach. Of course. Gray. TRAP, YOU IDIOT! A voice screams in head.

"DUCK!" I scream out loud, diving sideways and pushing Willow down with me. Gray's spear sails over me, narrowly missing my head, as me and Willow crash to the ground. I jump to feet, looking around for Gray, as he might at this moment be unarmed, but a wail cuts through all my thoughts. My head whips over, and suddenly the world is in slow motion.

Ash and Willow, on the ground.

Willow, shaking him desperately, willing him to wake up, but the dark red stain and spear shaft sticking out of his back says otherwise. I numbly register a cruel, high pitched laugh and I'm not sure if it's Death's or Shine's.

Gray joins in, a dark chuckle sounding through the clearing and into my head, muffled, as though my skull was stuffed with cotton balls. I sink to my knees, even though every instinct tells me not to. The voice inside my head is screaming that I'm an idiot, that me dying will make no difference in the fact that Ash is dead, but it sounds far off, a voice yelling in the distance. I don't care anymore.

"Wanna die with your little boyfriend, Seven? Maybe I'll go easier on you."

And then the voice in my head gets clearer, gets closer. I can't leave Willow to die. I struggle back up to my feet, and I see Willow doing to same beside me, shaking. She screams a horrible, horrible sound, the kind that you can only make once you've seen what we've seen, once you've felt what we've felt. When you feel like you've lost it all, and now you've found the person that took it all away from you. She runs straight at him.

I want to help, but there isn't much to be done. It feels like minutes during which Shine and I watch Willow and Gray battle, shocked, to shocked to help, or to fight each other. Gray is better trained but he moves to slow, and Willow is a menace. I numbly register a strange bit of pride as I see her use moves I only taught days ago, maybe even last night. She's not as skilled as Gray but it doesn't matter now, as he falls under her rage.

"MY BROTHER! MY BROTHER, YOU MONSTER!" She cries out, attacking him one last time.

Brother. The word registers somewhere far off in my mind, and a faint image of Cassius, back at camp flashes in front of me. Brother. I should have known. Tears prickle the backs of my eyes and I do nothing to stop them from coming. Brother.

I almost can't watch Gray's gruesome end, and as Willow turns back towards the clearing, towards us, I see the look in her eyes and almost feel bad for him. Almost.

I shake my head, realizing I've been standing still for much too long, and that I should be dead by now, but as I turn to look around I realize Shine has slipped away once more.

Willow and I drop to our knees beside Ash's body, Gray lying feet away, forgotten, as Willow gasps and grips his hand tightly, tearing streaming down our faces. I'm shaking head to toe, and my head is spinning, making it impossible to understand what's happening.

No, that stern, little voice at the back of my head says. Focus. Think. You are NOT going into shock!

And with that, seemingly against my will, my head is flooded with images, faces. The people I love, the people I have to fight for. Cass, Jayden, Willow, Annie, Brooke, my parents. I gasp as they fill me head with a warm soothing voice, You're not alone, Alexis. Now get up. For your sake. For everyone's sake. District One will NOT be winning this year.

And with that, I pull Willow to her feet beside me, albeit a little shakily, as two cannons ring through the arena, announcing the beginning of the final seven.

Let me know what you think!

THE FALLEN (CHANGES IN CAPS)

GRAY, DISTRICT ONE MALE, KILLED BY WILLOW (D7) ON DAY EIGHT
Tiana, District Two Female, killed by avalanche/Titus (D6) on DAY FIVE
Demetri, District Two Male, killed by Titus (D6) in the Bloodbath on DAY ONE
Pascale, District Three Female, killed by Gray (D1) in the Bloodbath on DAY ONE
Jane, District Five Female, killed by Alexis (D4) in the Bloodbath on DAY ONE
Darryn, District Five Male, killed by Cara (D11) in the Bloodbath on DAY ONE
Kya, District Six Female, killed by Gamemakers' chasm on DAY TWO
Titus, District Six Male, killed by avalanche/Tiana (D2) on DAY FIVE
ASH, DISTRICT SEVEN MALE, KILLED BY GRAY (D1) ON DAY EIGHT
Nico, District Eight Male, killed by Shine (D1) in the Bloodbath on DAY ONE
Heather, District Nine Female, killed by Shine (D1) in the Bloodbath on DAY ONE
Spencer, District Nine Male, killed by Titus (D6) on DAY FIVE
Avery, District Ten Female, killed by avalanche on DAY FIVES
Blake, District Ten Male, killed by Alexis (D4) in the Bloodbath on DAY ONE
Cara, District Eleven Female, killed by Alexis (D4) in the Bloodbath on DAY ONE
Camille, District Twelve Female killed by Titus (D6) on DAY TWO
DAMIEN, DISTRICT TWELVE MALE, KILLED BY SHINE (D1) ON DAY EIGHT

Total: 17, 7 Remaining

(And those remaining are...)
Shine D1
Jayden D3
Cassius D4
Alexis D4
Willow D7
Jasmine D8
Aaron D11

Stay tuned, the end is near!