A/N: I'm back! So I'm aiming for around 10-15 chapters, I'm sorry if the actual game chapters are pretty crappy, it's just that I know how to end it, just not how to build up to the end. I promise, you guys will love the ending!

Ciao peeps

Chapter 7 :Let the games begin

Towards the end of the evening, Pierce announced that the survival round would begin tomorrow. All the contestants looked shocked, all except me and Luke . He looked over at from his table and made a cutting motion at his throat. We'll see about that, I thought. We were told to be downstairs by 10, and were dismissed. As we walking out, a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me down a side corridor. It was Luke. I broke free of his grasp and turned around to go back but he put his arm round my waist and brought me back; holding me tight against his body. He began to nibble slightly on the top of my ear, and no matter how much I struggled I couldn't loosen his grip. I decided to conserve my energy, which he took as giving in.

"Finally you have accepted who is your master, my little meretrix." He began to pat my hair, gloating. "Now, tell me all you know about the plan to foil the games."

"Games? What games?" I decided he was no different to Pierce, so the same tactics would work with him.

"You know what I'm talking about. I heard you talking to Natalie and the others earlier." He said, one of the hands that held my waist moving up and resting on my right breast. He was making feel extremely uncomfortable.

"I don't...master. Please let me go, otherwise people will start wondering where we are." I put on a high pitched girlie voice.

"Fine them, but I'm going to mark you as mine."He bite down up my neck and began to suck slightly. He was giving me a hickey, the irrumator! Once he finished he loosened his grasp, and I quickly walked off but not before he managed to slap my ass. He would pay once we got in the games, I thought. As soon as I got out of his hearing range, I called Natalia.

"Luke's onto us about the games. He just cornered me and tried to get answers out of me." Gambit walked past me and smiled at me, and I smiled back.

Natalia cursed in a language I don't recongnise. "Okay just get up here. We're having team strategy meeting then at midnight I want you to come to the staff floor , alright?"

"Will do. I'm nearly there." I got into the elevator, and it took me quickly up to our floor. Natalia, Bucky and Skye were already there.

"Where were you Alexis? We waited for you but couldn't find you." Skye said, getting up and giving me a hug. I met Natalia's eyes and she lightly shook her head.

"I went outside for a moment. Don't worry about me; I can look after myself. " I sat down next to Bucky "So what's our stratagy? "

"Stay out of the way, and don't get killed. Onto kill if you have to and if something feels wrong in your gut, get the he'll out of there." Natalia sounded so hard, so cold, then I remembered what she'd said about people actually dying. I suppose she didn't want us to have that guilt weighing us down.

"Kill?" Skye said, sounding shocked.

"It's for the military Skye, they're going to have to kill people so we have to test that aspect." Bucky said. I suppose as he was from Central he was good at spreading The Government's watching tune. I wished I could tell them but I had to do this alone. I faked a yawn.

"I'm going to call it a night. Sorry guys but I want to be ready for tomorrow. " I got up and headed for the door, but halted. "Are we going to be able to sleep in the stimulation? "

Natalia nodded. "You will be able to act normally. Any food and drink you find in it you will be able to consume as well."

I slipped through the small gap between the door and the frame and closed it behind me. I slipped off the heels, and massaged my feet to get the blood flowing again. I unzipped the dress and it fell to my feet and I let out a deep breath. I put on a robe to cover myself, and began to take off the makeup I'd worn. I unclasped the necklace and placed it back in it's box, and made a mental note to give it back to Skye. I grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom. I adjusted the heat setting then got in the shower. I stayed there for nearly 20 minutes, thinking about last summer when I found a waterfall in the forest at the edge of the Fringes. The water was beautifully clear and being it was a stone ledge with a small cave. I slept out there one night and watched the stars and the nightlife.

After I got out, I pulled on a simple black longsleeve top and dark blue jeans..I went back into my room and put my mother's necklace back on along with the bracelets my father made me. I checked the time and realised I only had 15 minutes. I pulled know a pair of own ankle length hunting boots and slipped out the door.

Skye and Bucky were still up talking so I kept the edge of the room in the shadows. They didn't hear the door to the staff stairwell softly shut behind me. I ran up the 5 floors of stairs to the staff floor, ignoring the confused looks he maids I passed gave me. I burst through the door into the staff lounge just as the clock struck 12. All the mentors, Bruce, Loki and, surprisingly, Fury were there. They were all focused on a tall, black haired woman who was standing in the middle of the room with her back to Alexis talking animatedly. She had a voice that you has to listen to and you remember what they said. Everyone was enchanted, and they didn't notice Alexis until Tony looked at the door when the clock struck.

"Ah the prodigy is here!" He announced loudly and pulled Alexis towards the woman, who'd turned to see who'd arrived. Around the woman's neck was a scar, similar to the one you'd get if you'd survived being hung.

"Alexis this is the representative of the Opposers, the people who have helped infiltrate the games. She's here to update us on any decisions made about our plan, and to help us out. Her name is Cath. " The woman put her hand out and I stared at it.

"In sorry, I forgot. You're Fringe not Society. My apologies." She put her palm up but I still just stared at her palm. She slowly brought it down, looking hurt. I gave her a once over then went and sat by Natalia and Loki, who moved up the sofa when I sat down; to give me space or in disgust I didn't know.

"Why didn't you greet her?" Natalia leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Because of her and her little gang, I've been dragged into these stupid games and might die. Why the orcae should I greet her?" I hissed back. Loki must heard me as he looked over at me with a strange look on his face.

"So what's the plan? Any special magical item I have to find that saves the day?" I threw out there. Loki snorted.

"What do you do all day, play crappy video games?"

"No, I spent my days trying earn enough money so I could live? I spent them being bullied and ignored because I was an exile, because I wasn't good enough. Now, what do I have to do to get back to my dad?" I snapped. Cath's head snapped sharply towards me at the mention of my dad.

"You have to find the central console and hardware it to self district. It completely shuts down the games, and we'll get Pierce." Clint said from where he lounged, spinning some form of stick in his hands.

"Why hasn't Pierce already been arrested? Why wasn't he shut down after the first games? Why are kids still being dragged into this, being killed while people sat back and let it happen. " I sgood up and slammed my hands down on the table in front of me. "Tell me!" I shouted, and Natalia jerked back. They all gave each other side glances, challenging each other to answer. It as Cath who answered.

"We had to find it at we were dealing with. Shield inc. has been nearly completely infiltrated so we didn't know who we could trust. As the games are only held once a year, it was hard to gather information. This is our first and only chance."

"Well why not get them to hold a winners games? Why leave it down to a 16 year old exile who didn't want anything to do with with stupid job? I'm a kid for dios sake!"

"Because you were always more than just a kid." Cath said, then whispered under her breath, but I could hear because I was close enough, "Because you're my daughter. "

I took a step forward. "You are not my mother. My mother hung herself. She's dead so shut the fuck up."

The room fell into silence, waiting to see how Cath would respond. I stared at Cath, maintaining eye contact.

"It wasn't your father who got exiled, it was me. I kept spaking against the Government and they didn't like it. When we got the the Fringes , I got in contact with an underground group, the Opposers and started to do work for them. Eventually it got too dangerous for you and your father so I pretended kill myself. I did it for your own good Alexis."

"Well all it did was make it so I ended up back here. "I spat out.

"Please don't be like that. When I saw you at the station, I wanted to run out and hide you. Please forgive me." She stepped forward as if to hung me but I wouldn't let her. Instead I did the unthinkable: I flicked my wrists and slashed at her with the knives. She lifted her hand to the cuts along the top of her chest and her fingers dripped with blood. I reached up to my neck and yanked the locket, then threw it at her.

"I will never forgive you." I said, cold and calmly. I stalked out the room and into through elevator, and went up to the roof. There was a strong breeze which whipped my hair into my face but I didn't care; I sat at the edge and dangled my legs down. Considering what had just come to light, I didn't feel any different to how I did before. I heard the ping of the elevator behind me and glanced over my shoulder:it was Natalia. She sat down beside me.

"We didn't know. " She said softly. I shook my head.

"I don't care I want nothing to do with her."

"It's understandable. My mother is on the same commitee as her and said about the fact that Cath was willing to give up everything for the Opposers."

"Who did you have to kill?" I blurted out; it was a question that had been bouncing around my head for a while. Natalia fell silent and stared out into space. "It's okay if you don't to tell me."

"No it's only fair that I share something with you. It was my best friend, Alexi. He was severely wounded, and we'd made a pact to kill each other if we were wounded. As I shot holiday, he mouthed thank you. I saw his mother last time I was in the Fringes. I couldn't even look at her because of the guilt. "

I put my arm round her back. "You stopped his suffering. Better you than a random person. " Natalia nodded.

"Tomorrow, try to get out of the main square as soon as possible. Get to high ground, where you have a clear shooting radius. Get food and water. The ear piece will still work, so we'll contact you when you need to pull the plug."

"How will I know where to go?" I asked.

"We'll direct you. I'm assuming you can sort out the wiring? "

I snorted. "Simple. I've done it a million times."

"Good. You need to go get some sleep."

We hopped down off the roof and went our separate ways. I headed down the stairs and when I got to my floor, Bucky and Skye had gone to sleep. I collapsed onto my bed and instantly fell asleep.

)(

I woke around 7 and instantly remebered what happened last night. My mother was alive and helped pick me to die. What a lovely person. I got up and put on my training clothes. Skye and Bucky weren't awake yet, so I grabbed an apple and took a large bite as I called the elevator. I decided to go down to the gym and practise with a bow, as I hadn't had any practice since the summer. By the time I reached it, I'd finished my apple and chucked the core into the bin at the entrance of the gym.

I grabbed a bow from the weapons rack and on second thoughts sipped a knife into my belt so I could practise with that as well. I slung a quiver onto my back and headed to the range. The target was around 150 metres away; I notched an arrow, aimed and fired. It hit theget right in the centre . The second arrow I shot splaced the first one in half. I set the targets to moving, and began to shoot rapidly at the humanoid figures that disintegrated as soon as I hit them. I hit each one in a vital organ. Once my quiver was empty, I went to collect my arrows when I heard a dull this behind me. I swung round and without thinking chucked my knife at whoever it was. They barely managed to duck under it. It was Gambit.

"Good shot princess. Where did ya learn that?" He drawled. I shrugged and went back to collecting the arrows.

"Look I need a favour." He said, following me round. He'd picked up the knife and gave it to back me.

"Why ask me? Why not Steve,Jonathan or Lee?" I said as I brushed past him with a full quiver on my back.

"Because Jonathan and Lee are bottom rankers and I don't trust Steve. "

I raised an eyebrow at him. "And you trust me, even though we've never talked?"

"You know how to look after yourself, that's why came to you. I managed to piss Luke off last night, and noticed he's always giving you trouble, so how about we work together to take him down?" He leaned against the wall while I cleaned the bow.

"Fine, under one condition. "

"Great, what is it?"

"You learn my team alone . I'll leave yours alone."

"Sounds great princess. I'll walk with ya. "

I put the bow and knife, and headed up to the room we were all supposed to meet in. Along the way, we talked about where we lived. I found out he was actually in my PE class at school. We got there first, and were handed our bonus items. He'd chosen a staff, a ration pack and a knife. We hung around chatting till everyone else turned up and we were all kitted up. Then, our mentors led us into individual rooms. The scientists within our rooms placed sensors all over us, so they could monitor our stats. I hung by bow on my back, and slipped my knife into my boots. Loki's voice then came over the speakers.

"Stimulation beginning in 5..4..3

.2..1..0" As he said 0, the room suddenly went pitch black then lit back up. I was in an urban wasteland, with large derelict grey buildings. I looked arounand and saw other contestants scattered around. Bucky and Skye were next next to each other on the other side of the circle formation we were in. I saw Luke was one of the closest to me, and began to run. He followed me, shoving some of the other people out the way. I ducked into the nearest building and ran up the flights of stairs. I could hear Luke thundering up the stairs so I kept going. I reached the top floor and had no where to go. Luke was getting closer and closer. I looked out the window. The next building was a warehouse with a roof that was a level lower than my level. I took a few steps back and began to run. I used the windowsill as leverage and projected myself through the window. I flew through the air and landed with a loud bang on the warehouse. I rolled a few times the stopped. I looked back at the building and saw Luke hanging out the window, absolutely furious. I waved at him then slid down a drainpipe to the floor. Skye and Bucky came running over to me to check I was okay. From the otherside of the square we were in, Gambit was watching the chase with concern, obviously ignoring what Lee was trying to tell him. I decided we should head for one of the building a few streets down. Bucky and Skye agreed and we chose one which towered above the rest and made base on the top floor. I took first watch, so while the others slept I sat in the window, which had no glass, with my bow in my lap. I made note of where each team made camp, and made note of where Gambit's moon was full that night, and I thought of home.

A/n Sorry that it got bad towards the end, im nearly falling asleep. Im doing this on my phone, so it isnt spell checked