Despite all that's happened, it's strange to go back to thinking of things as trivial as water.

Yesterday was went everything went wrong. Just yesterday. It feels like it's been forever since Jayden ran up to me and flooded me with questions, his voice coming from somewhere near my stomach and reminding me all too painfully, of Annie, back home, of my new net, my pearl, and my promise. If anything, seeing what happened in the clearing made me determined to get Cassius out of here alive. At least one brother will live.

"What happened, Alex? Where's Ash? Are you okay? Did you find water? Who was the cannon for, do you know?" Jayden's questions still bounce through my head, clear as ever.

Cass knew, right away, what had happened to us, and the minute Jayden pulled away from me he snatched me up and held me tight. In that moment there was nothing more needed, more wonderful than his strength. "Great seas, Alexis." he whispered. "I'm so sorry." He pulled away then, and I saw the sympathy, the true sadness in his eyes. You would have never guessed this was the same guy who volunteered for this all those weeks ago. It feels like years since I was back in District Four, my home, the place which, if my plan works, I'll never see again.

And yet, in spite of everything, we still have nothing to live on, forcing us to reach out of our shells and do something. I wonder, I think, somewhat angrily, whether there's really no sponsor money or if Finnick is just trying to keep me moving.

Well, despite his plans, if I'm right, I'm still for now, and yet, annoyingly, I still have to be alert. At least there's some comfort to now, as this is the first time Cass and I have been alone together since the avalanche.

"Don't worry just yet, Alexis. Willow's tough. If anything happened, you know we would hear something about it." His words are comforting, but his tone is not. I would thank him for trying, but it's really not making me feel any better. Willow and Jayden were supposed to be back by now from scouting duty. They took the morning shift, we took the afternoon. Sunrise to noon, noon to sundown. The schedule has kept us focused, at least for now. But the sun shines brightly directly above us, and there's no movement in sight.

"Listen, Alex."

I know where this is going. "Cass, we've been over this." I sigh.

"No, we haven't. You always cut me off."

"Because I KNOW what you're going to say."

"Well, I need to say it anyway."

I promptly ignore him, taking all the energy and strength I have left to walk away and stare off in the other direction. Come on, Willow. Get back here! I will her. A snap of a branch, far off, catches my attention. Are they coming? Or someone else? Are they okay?

"Listen, Lex, I know this is awful for you." Cass continues. I'm ignoring what he's saying, but he doesn't seem to have noticed the sound. Maybe I'm imagining things now. I just want them to come back.

"I know they're your friends. Seriously, I like them too. But I can't lose you again. You need to remember that-"

That's it. "They won't die, Cass! They can't!" My strength, what little I have left of it, suddenly breaks, and Cass has his arm around me.

"It'll be okay, Alexis. We'll make it through this."

"No! No, we won't! We can't!" I sob. This is impossible. How can I choose between these people when I'm condemning the others to death? How can he say "we" when he knows as well as I do that we both can't make it out. I faintly recall a conversation like this, what feels like years ago, of me promising to save us both, somehow. Look how our positions have switched. I was such a fool to think I could get us out of here.

"No." He says, in a strange voice, a voice that snaps me out of my thoughts. He turns me to face and says in a urgently, but slow tone, as if I need to catch every word. "We will make it OUT of here."

His words spin through my head. We will? How? And why "out"? The look in his eyes combined with the force in his words, the certainty, sounds, different. For some reason, I don't think he means we will win. We will die?

Well, yes, but according to him. Is that "out"?

I shake my head, trying to make sense out of nothing. "What…what do you mean?"

"Do you trust me, Alexis?" His intense look sends shivers through me almost as much as him using my full name. He never used to use it.

He's scaring me. "Well…up until now, honestly."

He gives a small, weak laugh, and loosens his grip a little. In the strangeness of all of this, my grief has been swept away by worry and confusion. What's happening?

"Just..trust me, okay?" He pleads, releasing me finally. "I….I have a plan. We'll be okay, I promise."

I can't get any sense into any of this, until he looks urgently at me, then obviously up to the sky.

Of course. Whatever he's trying to say, it isn't for the audience of the world to hear, who are probably currently hanging onto our every word.

I nod, so he knows I understand. "Okay, I'll trust you."

His grin of relief is so obvious and innocent that I laugh outright, a weird, gentle sound I haven't heard in ages, just as Willow and Jayden crash through the forest next to us.

I rush to them. "Oh, thank the seas!" I cry in relief, going to hug them but stopping dead when I see the look on Willow's face. "What's happened?" My joy, only seconds ago, is forgotten.

"Good news." She says, with no enthusiasm. "We found the water."

Cass' eyes' widen. "Well, that's good isn't it?"

Willow looks over at him, and I see a bit of glare in her eyes. She looks…jealous?

"For you, maybe. But it wasn't hard to find." She replies shortly, then heads over to start our little campfire.

I turn, desperate and confused, to Jayden. "What's happening?"

He looks worried, and he won't look me in the eye. What's going on with everyone right now? "Well, you know the moat you guys found at the bottom of the mountain?"

Cass steps closer to hear us. "Yeah?"

"Well…it's not at the bottom anymore. It's coming up."

While I fight off the silly instinct to yell "I told you so!" at all of them, Cass turns, confused, back to an angry Willow. "So?"

She turns to face us, the newly lit fire lighting her features, as well as her raised eyebrows. "So?" she repeats. "Well, to those of us" she glares pointedly at Cass, "who can swim, this might not seem like a big problem. To the rest of us, it means we need to retreat up, to get away from it."

Silence. So that's why she's jealous.

"To. The. Top." She enunciates every word as the fear finally shines through in her eyes and I see the true gravity of the situation.

"But at the top-" I start.

"I know." she snaps, fear filling her face. "That's the bad news."

We're going to have to face the Yeti. And soon.

THE FALLEN (NEWEST 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