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Taima Larkin
District Ten Female, 17 Years Old

"Wake up, sleepy head!"

Hovering over Zimmer's head, I let my hair dangle down, seeing his eyes slowly open. When he sees me above me, he jumps up, and I fall back playfully. Zimmer rubs his eyes, waking up from his long sleep. He's been asleep for a few hours now, as I just sat here and scouted out the area.

There's nothing special. Just stone.

That's about it.

"How'd you sleep?" I ask, bringing my legs in to sit crisscross. I hold my backpack in my lap, twirling one of the straps with my finger. "I couldn't fall asleep. I was too scared."

Zimmer shrugs, staying quiet and not responding to me. He reaches for his own backpack, turning his head away from me. He slips the remote for his contraption that he made before he slept in one of his pockets, and I watch him carefully. It's a small remote, with a single button on it. When pressed, it'll cause some reaction to blow something up.

It's tempting.

I don't know the range of the explosion nor where he even built it, but it's somewhere near us. He said something about building a perimeter around is and to help, I got as much wire from the Bloodbath as I could. It's for protection, he said. To make me feel safe.

"Is something wrong, Zim?" I ask, hushing the sound of my voice. "You seem down."

"Garret is dead," he states, and I roll my eyes. That's all he's been talking about, too. He was hunched over his wires all night and mumbling about Garret. "He's dead, Taima."

I tilt my head and run my hand through my hair. "People die, life goes on. That's the human experience."

Zimmer stops, his hands freezing on the ground. Without turning around completely, he looks at me, only spinning his head. He was always so full of energy – which got extremely annoying – and now, he's miserable. Did he really not expect to Garret to die? Did he not expect anyone to die?

Where are we again? The Hunger Games? Oh, yeah, that's where.

The arena with twenty-four people who are out to kill one another.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"How can you not care at all?" He asks, and even though I should tone it down and not get snappy with him, but I can't help him. He hasn't shut up about Garret and it has to stop.

If he doesn't shut up, then we'll have a problem. I only allied for him to sit back and protect me when he has to.

"What would you like me to do, then? Cry? Weep?" I quip, nodding my head at him. He looks down at the ground, looking like a hurt little puppy. "Get over it."

"I can't," he utters, standing up with his backpack. "He was my ally. He was my friend, Taima. Was he nothing to you?"

I suppress any laughter, standing up as well so we're even. Without stepping any closer, I put my hand on my hip, waiting to see if he'll continue his mindless chatter. "An ally is one thing, Zimmer. A friend is another."

"Was he nothing to you?" He repeats, the anger in his voice becoming more prominent. "Am I nothing to you?"

"Considering anyone your friend is your first mistake, Zimmer," I answer truthfully, even if it's too blunt and not what he wants to hear. "This isn't some playground to run around with friends."

Zimmer mumbles something else, but I just roll my eyes and ignore it. I can see him getting physically angry, and with every word he speaks, his fists clench tighter. I don't need him lashing out or anything, especially not with the remote in his pocket. But, as I think about it more, I get an idea.

I could use that remote.

Is it too soon, though? It's only been a day.

Approaching Zimmer slowly, I hold out my hands and wrap them around his arm. I embrace him, letting my hand trail down his side and into his pocket. He returns the hug, his body nearly suffocating me as I try to get the remote. Wrapping my fingers around it, I pull it out and pull away from him.

I hold it behind my back.

I can't do this, can I? It's not the right time.

"I just miss him is all, Taima."

Impulsively, I grip the remote in my hand, now seeing where he placed his wire contraption around us. He did somewhat make a perimeter, but it seems he ran out of resources halfway through. Sticking my finger out, I point to one area in between two larger pieces of stone and distract him.

"Is that your wire?" I ask. "I saw someone playing around with it before. I wasn't sure if they nibbled on it or something."

As Zimmer walks over to it, I hold the remote up in front of me, hearing his incessant babbling continue. I roll my eyes again, and although I don't want to do it, I have to. He's only a distraction and if he's going to act like this, he'll bring me down and get us caught.

He was always expendable.

I just never expected that I'd be the one to do it.

To kill him.

Taking a few steps back, I contemplate getting his backpack too, but I don't think I would have enough time then. I'll find more supplies after all of this done and I run away. After I distance myself away from him, I see him finally kneel down and begin to play with it. Just as he's about to look back at me over his shoulder, I let out a chuckle, making him look now.

And then he sees the remote in my hands.

Just as he opens his mouth to speak, I gently press the button, hearing the sizzling of wires and seeing a spark right near Zimmer's hand before it all goes red. The explosion pushes me back a little, and as I brace myself for impact against the stone, I only skid a few inches. Shaking my head, I stand up and get back on my feet without any scratches.

I keep my head turned away, not wanting to see anything going on in front of me. When I hear a cannon boom, though, I know it's his.

I just killed Zimmer.

My so-called ally.

I had my reasons, though. He wouldn't shut up and his miserable attitude was rubbing off on me.

I begin to walk away, slipping the backpack on my back and dropping the remote. Crushing it with my foot, I see a few shards of stone scattered in front of me, being grateful that none of that impaled me. For a moment, I think of what Zimmer's body must look like – if anything is left of his body, that is. There's nothing I can do about it now, anyway.

I did it. I killed him.

That explosion. That cannon. It was all because of me.

What I did, it wasn't beautiful. Nor was it admirable or appealing.

But, I'm not all that pure, am I? All that innocent?

I'm not the docile girl everyone thinks I am. That I'm useless. That I'm only a pretty face.

I'm dangerous.

And I cannot be trusted.

Lavender Argus
District Twelve Female, 16 Years Old

It wasn't my fault.

It was Wick's. He let himself get stuck in between those two rocks; he's the one that chose to attempt to slip through them. I was only a few steps ahead of him, and even though I managed to jump over one, he chose not to. He could have followed me, but of course not.

He had to do his own thing.

And that's what got him killed.

Yet, I don't feel any guilt. Or remorse, for that matter. When I see him get stuck, I shrugged my shoulder and kept running. I couldn't turn back for him, right? I would've gotten myself killed – I was smarter than that, and although I wish Wick was smarter, I always knew he wasn't.

I only allied with him because it was convenient. It crossed my mind that he would just slow me down, but I got over it, said yes, and that was that. Who knew he would've been one of the first deaths – if I did, I would have rejected him completely in the first place. Maybe that was my mistake, then.

Maybe I should have just kept to myself and not get mixed up with the wrong person.

Would it have really made a difference, though? I got some supplies out of it, anyway. He threw me his backpack before he got killed, so there's that. At least I did get something out of it at the end of the day.

Wick wasn't that big of a waste.

"Gage, what is that? Can I go see?"

Who's that?

Pushing myself off the ground with my palms, I peer over the rock in front of me, trying to see where the voice came from. It's a girl, definitely, and I assume it's the girl from Three with her ally. When I see a boy's head coming up from the slope, I lower my head, not wanting to be seen by them.

What is she talking about?

Did I drop something on the way here?

"What do you see?" The boy asks. The girl pops up next to him, her head glancing back and forth from the rock I'm hiding behind to the boy besides her. She points at the rock, but I can't look around to the front of it. "Oh, that. Go for it."

When the girl begins to prance over here, I hold my breath, not knowing what she sees. Did I drop my backpack? A weapon? A bottle? Glancing at my backpack, I shake my head, knowing that it's not that. Peering over the rock again, I see her getting closer, and that's when I get an idea.

The thought of killing never fazed me. I always knew that I could, in fact, do it if it came down to it. And, right now, the opportunity has presented itself, so why should I pass it up? It'll be one less tribute in my way, and besides, I could easily jump back after the job is done and run away.

There's an opening right behind me. I could swoop in, stab her in the back, and then sprint out of here. The boy is somewhat far away, so that'll give me enough time, and the girl doesn't seem like she could do much.

She's weaponless. She's small.

I have a knife. I could overpower her.

"I think it's a food pouch," the girl says, getting closer and closer to the rock. I brace myself, pressing my hand against the rock to get ready to spin around it and pounce. "How do you think it got here?"

And before the boy could answer, I swing around the rock, hurling myself forward with my feet. With the knife in my right hand, I extend my arm forward, aimlessly driving into wherever I can.

There's a gasp. Then, a scream. Then, a thud.

It all happens too quickly.

As the girl falls down to the ground below me, I fall on top of her, trying to roll myself off and get away before I won't have time to. She kicks out her legs, kicking me right in the shin, but I ignore the sudden shock of pain. She's lying on her back, the knife implanted right below her spine, the handle of it sticking out.

All I can hear is sobs.

"Emery!" The male screams, his eyes averting from her to me. He stares at me, his eyebrows furrowing, his fingers curling into a fist. "Emery…"

I try to lift myself off the ground, but my arms tremble, the scrapes on my knuckles hurting more than I want them to. The boy just stands there, his fists shaking as his lip trembles. I watch him carefully, slowly getting myself up, despite all of the aching. Shaking it off, I stand up, my knees shaking. My knife is in the girl's back, and as I look at her, I see that she's just lying there.

She's still alive, though.

She squirms, her fingers twitching every few seconds. Her head rolls back and forth, her face facing the ground, the blood beginning to pool beneath her. Looking away from her, I direct my attention back on the boy, not sure I can escape as easily as I thought.

I could still run, though.

I could just turn around and run away.

I won't do that – I can't do that. That would make me look weak. That would make all of District Twelve look weak.

"You killed her," he says, as if it's some surprise. Nodding my head, he takes a step forward, wanting to come near his ally. "You shouldn't have done that."

"She's still alive," I say, disregarding his melodrama. "Barely breathing and losing blood, but she's still alive."

It's all silent for a few minutes.

He just stands there, watching his poor ally dying, the rising and sinking of her chest beginning to fade. When he's finally had enough, he steps forward, this time drawing a weapon. It's a long blade from the back of his boot, but when I realize I'm completely weaponless now, I contemplate running.

But, I'm here to fight. I'm not here to run or to escape.

Besides, he's mad over nothing. This girl's impulsiveness and lack of self-control got her killed. She should have been more cautious and more aware of her surroundings. I don't even feel the slightest bit of pity for her, just like Wick. Both of them died because of their own stupidity. Just like Wick dying, she did too.

This isn't my fault, either. It's hers.

She made me do it.

She made me kill her.

Gage Orsini
District Three Male, 18 Years Old

It all happens so quickly.

Emery lying on the ground.

The knife in her back.

Lavender hovering above her.

"What else did you expect?" She taunts, stretching out her fingers that are now weaponless. I have my machete, though, and she has nothing… She has nothing.

And I have nothing now too.

Emery is dying. What will I have now? I'll be alone.

"I told you," I utter, reiterating my point. "You shouldn't have done that."

"And why is that?" Lavender sneers, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do something about it. Don't just stand there."

She's taunting me.

To see if I do something.

"Gage," I hear Emery's weak voice whisper, her body slowly becoming motionless. She just lies there, with Lavender still hovering over her. The blood… I can't look at it anymore.

"Answer her, Gage. She's calling out for you."

I start charging at her.

Broadening my shoulders, I raise my machete, ready to swing at her when I get near enough. She killed her as I just stood there. I did nothing. And now, I'm doing something. I'm doing what's right.

For once in my life, I'm taking action.

Although Lavender throws her hands out in front of her to deflect me, I tackle her down to the ground, both of our bodies landing with a thud on the ground. She scrambles to free her hands, but she landed on one of them, making her squeal out in pain. I knock the handle of the machete into her jaw unintentionally, and when I get this advantage, I bring the machete back up in the air.

When I bring it down, she turns her head, the handle banging onto the rock. It makes my hand vibrate for a moment, and when I recoil, I see the look on Lavender's face. She's helpless now. Everything she was saying, what she was taunting me with, was just a front.

She can't do anything else.

She already caused enough trouble.

The machete comes into contact with skin, and as I look at Emery to the left, I see blood splatter onto the rock near her. That's Lavender's blood, but I can't bear to see where I cut her. To see where my blade implanted itself. It's still in my hand, and as I throw it to the other side of me, I leave it there.

I don't look down at Lavender's face. Or throat. Or body.

All I hear is her cannon and that is enough.

I get off of Lavender and scoot over towards Emery. I fall down on my knees, bringing her hand into mine and through the nearly-closed slits of her eyes, we look at each other. She can barely breathe. She can't even look at me.

"I took care of her, Emery," I whisper, not knowing what else to say. I was never one to apologize. "I…"

"Don't let me go," Emery says through bated breath, her eyelids twitching and lip quivering. Her whole face seems pale now, the life being drained out of her as each second passes. "Don't let me die."

I can't do anything.

Now, I'm useless.

"Gage?"

"Yes, Emery?"

"Thank you," Emery says, barely being able to speak anymore. She shakes as she attempts to wrap her fingers around mine, and when I press my hand on hers, her lips twitch. I miss her smile already. "For everything."

For what? I think. I let you die and you're thanking me?

"Hold my hand," she says, her voice weakening. She feebly places a finger on my palm, and I interlock our fingers, bringing her closer to me. She's right on top of the pool of blood beneath her, and I disregard it, not letting it get to me. This is for her. "Thank you, Gage."

And then everything goes silent. Her breathing. Her voice. Her body.

Her fingers slowly unwrap themselves around mine, her hand going limp. Letting go of her hand, I press my ear against her chest, ignoring all of the blood around her. I don't care about that. I care about her.

I care about Emery. I can finally admit that.

And now, I lost her. I lost my ally. My friend.

The person who changed the way I perceive my life.

Standing back up, I ignore Lavender's body and my machete, figuring I'll find some other supplies along the way. I grab whatever I dropped before, and before I go back down the hill, I glance over my shoulder. This is the last time I'll see Emery in person, besides her face in the sky.

I nod my head, finding it hard to smile at the sight of her anymore.

"I'm sorry."

With that, I begin to walk away, the idea of not having Emery right next to me as I walk already making me uncomfortable. I was always used to having her voice in my ear, her light footsteps following alongside me. Now, it's just silent.

No one is there.

The sun is starting to go down, making the arena a little darker. The sunset shines through some of the cracks in the stone, creating shadows that stretch out across the rock. I walk sluggishly in a straight line, staring down at the ground, not paying attention to what's around me anymore.

What if someone were to pop up and attack me?

Would I have it in me to fight back? To defend myself?

I can't give up just like that, can I? Just because Emery died?

She gave me something to fight for. What else do I have to fight for now? Myself? That's pathetic.

Emery is gone and so is my motivation. She changed everything – how I feel about myself, how I perceive the world. She made me feel something, unlike anyone else before.

And, for once in my life, I found someone that distracted me from own emptiness. From my own hollowness.

She filled the void.

And now, she's gone.

I'm on my own again.

Ardell Chanson
District Nine Female, 18 Years Old

"How many cannons were there today?"

"Three."

"Any idea of who it could have been?"

"How would I know?"

"It was just a question," I snap defensively. Glaring at the side of his face, I watch him turn away slowly, looking up at the sky now. The faces should appear soon, which is why I was even asking in the first place, but there was no need for him to be rude to me. "You could have just said 'no'."

"I know just as much as you do," Riel says, looking at me for a moment, and then looking back at the sky. When the Capitol emblem appears in the sky, he raises his chin towards it, gesturing for me to look. "Let's see."

Biting down on my tongue, I don't let myself say something back. If he wants to act like this towards me, I won't give him the satisfaction of treating him the same way. Ever since we got in the arena things have changed between us, and honestly, I don't know why.

Maybe he's just nervous. Or afraid.

I know I am.

And I can admit that.

The first face in the sky is the girl from District Three. I remember seeing her around the Training Center, always clinging onto the side of her District partner. You never saw them apart from each other, and in a way, I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be that close to Riel – to someone. But, that couldn't happen.

I never let myself get that close to someone. I'm still not.

It's just another one of my self-destructive tendencies.

And I can admit that too.

The next face up in the sky is the boy from District Six. He has that same goofy grin on his face that he had in the interviews, and as I watch him begin to fade away, I wonder what happened to him. I know that he was allying with the boy from Five and the girl from Ten, Taima.

"Wouldn't be surprised if it was betrayal," Riel comments. "I wouldn't trust that girl."

I wouldn't trust me, either.

The last face that appears is the female from District Twelve. I never knew much about her or saw her around in the Capitol, but I remember her allying with the male from District Eight last minute. He died in the Bloodbath – I witnessed that. She wasn't around, though. She left him there.

Would Riel leave me like that?

Would I leave him like that?

"That's all," Riel says, leaning his head back on the stone behind him. The girl's face is gone now, and as the Capitol's emblem begins to fade away, I let the sound of the anthem fill the space before I will answer. "I'll see you in the morning."

"You're going to sleep?"

"What else should I do?" Riel says, yawning. "You don't have to keep watch or anything. No one will find us here."

"But, what if someone does?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Riel says, chuckling, bringing his knees up to his chest. He rests his head on them, closes his eyes for good now, and smirks. "Sh."

"Whatever."

Whatever.

It's always just whatever with him.

Crinkling my nose and making a face, I watch him fall asleep, not feeling too happy with him right now. For a moment, I think of leaving him. What's the worst that could happen?

I know I wouldn't survive that way.

I might be a burden to Riel, but it's better this way. Together.

Rolling my eyes, I lean my head back, staring up at the sky. It's not too cold or too warm in this arena, yet I'm still uncomfortable for some reason. Maybe it's just the hard rock beneath us – it's kind of hard to fall asleep on this. Perhaps that's why I haven't slept much lately.

Or maybe it's because I don't trust the arena. Or Riel. Or myself.

When you're asleep, you're vulnerable. If someone were to come and attack Riel and me, we'd be defenseless. When I talk like this, though, I realize that I'm just making excuses. Could Riel and I really kill someone?

Probably not.

Even though I try to close my eyes and sleep, I still can't. Opening my eyes slowly, I look at Riel again, almost hoping that he wakes up. He might have an attitude with me, but I still want to talk to him. It helps pass time. It helps me forget where we are too.

No one really talked here. It was all about strategy and tactics. About allies. About whom we'd kill.

No one ever got to know each other.

Does Riel really want to get to know me, though? I'm nothing special. I'm just a fucked up girl from District Nine –nothing more than that.

But, I don't know a lot about Riel, either. I never heard his name back in District Nine, but I'm sure he's heard of me. I was always the girl who people gossiped about. About what, I'm not sure.

What if he's heard rumors about me? Would he think of me differently?

He probably hates me enough. He probably doesn't even want me here. No one would. I'm just a burden. I'm just a liability for him now. And whenever I'm a liability on someone, they always let me down. They backstab me; turn their shoulder to me when I need them most.

That's what will happen with Riel – I know it. Everyone from District Nine is the same.

I shouldn't be here with him. I shouldn't have allied with Riel in the first place.

I'm only setting myself up for disappointment.

Everyone ends up disappointing me in some way.

Even myself.

I'm the biggest disappointment of them all.

District Six, Zimmer Hexley – Placed 15th

District Twelve, Lavender Argus - Placed 14th

District Three, Emery Adrion – Placed 13th

Author's Note:

This is a really random update. The chapter was mostly done, anyway, so I figured I'll just finish it and update. So, here it is? Here I am?

Have I quit FanFiction? No. Am I bored of it? Yes.

I'll come in and out with updates, I guess. Just expect them to be random and sporadic.

That's it, seriously. I'm still alive, so no one worry. Just not as interested or into this anymore.