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Cerise Hessian
District Eight Female, 18 Years Old

I'm lost.

This whole arena looks the same. The same rock, the same colored stone. It's all the same, and frankly, I have no idea where to go. Last night, I figured it would be best to travel, since no one would see me. But, I didn't know where I was going, and I took a little tumbled.

At the bottom of the hill was this pit. It's stone still, but there seems to be little alcoves and hallways of sorts. The sun rose a few hours ago, so I tried to find the hill I fell down to get here in the first place, but I couldn't. So, that's why I'm lost.

I don't know where I am. I don't know where I'm going.

It's ironic, though. I might be lost in the arena, but figuratively, people always told me that I was lost. That I had no direction in life, that I would end up nowhere. And, I'll admit, they had a point. I had no motivation to do anything – probably because of family.

They never cared about my life, both present and future.

So, I didn't either.

And, if that makes me lost, so be it. I'm lost.

Shrugging, I lean back on the rock, this one being the smoothest around. The rest are all jagged and hurt my back, but at least this one is a little curved, forming somewhat of an actual bed. It might lack any blankets or pillows, but who am I to complain about that? I never had those until the Capitol.

I would always sleep on the floor back in District Eight. I never had the luxury of having a warm, cozy bed, so there's really no difference. When I think about it, there aren't that many differences between District Eight and the arena. I've never killed anyone, no, but I wouldn't let people walk all over me back in Eight.

I would fight if I had to. Verbally, physically, you name it.

Have I had to fight anyone in the arena so far? Well, not really. Back on Day One, during the Bloodbath at that sad excuse for a Cornucopia, I got into a little scuffle. It was the girl from District Seven, the blonde one that is too keen for my liking. I don't trust her, but do I trust anyone?

Have I ever trusted anyone?

I laugh. No, I haven't.

Closing my eyes, I cross my arms over my chest, letting the warmth beat down on me from the sun. I don't fall asleep, no – I'm not that stupid. I would never let my guard down like that. I just rest a little. Ever since we entered this arena, I've been moving around. I never remain anywhere.

It's just another parallel to Ditsrict Eight.

Always moving around, always jumping from place-to-place. I like that, though. I don't like to be a constant in life. Or in anyone's life, for that matter. It all applies to my life or to others around me. I jumped from person-to-person, barely forming relationships with anyone.

I never had it in me to form an actual relationship. Maybe it's because I'm so self-righteous and independent. Or maybe it's because I don't trust anyone. Perhaps it's a mix of all those things.

Someone once told me that people didn't like me and that's why I never formed any relationships – because no one wanted to. Apparently, people didn't like the way I acted or talked. No one would ever say it to me, though, which just makes it worse. I hate gossip.

I hate two-faced people. District Eight was full of those.

It makes sense, though. Like in the Capitol, no one went out of their way to talk to me. Was I that intimidating? I just minded my own business – for the most part, anyway. I might have spoken up here and there, but it was solely for entertainment. That could be why people didn't want to ally with me.

There's nothing else to base their judgments off of. I never give people the leverage to perceive me, to see who I really am. People never know anything about, and that's the way I like it too. I detach myself from everyone around me, make myself private and secluded.

Why? Because, if people knew who I really was, they would have a reason to hate me. Now, people only hate me because I'm a bitch. Because I open my mouth when I shouldn't and because I'm crude and callous.

Because I'm a liar.

Because I'm cracked, broken.

Because I lack any human decency.

Why should I play nice, then? Why should I be nice to the people who say these things about me? What would I get out of doing that?

Being nice won't help me win the Hunger Games. Being cold will. Being brutal and wild will. Being sneaky will.

Everyone always saw me as being those things, anyway, so why should I stop that now? Why should I prove them wrong when those are the qualities I need in order to win? To survive?

I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. I'm not afraid to kill.

I'm not afraid to get blood stained on my suit.

I won't have to pretend, then.

Pretend that I'm not lethal. That I'm not crazy. That I'm not fucked up.

That I'm not afraid to hurt someone. Because, I will.

And there's a chance I'm even looking forward to it.

Darien Faust
District Two Male, 18 Years Old

"What was it like in District Two?"

Lifting up my head, I see Liora sitting crisscross in front of me, her knees a few inches from mine. Her head is tilted to the side and I glance down at her hands as they're place on top of each other in her lap. I raise an eyebrow, looking around for Caelia, Trent, or Darya, but they're off on their own.

She never really has talked to me before.

Or maybe I never really let her talk to me – Caelia said to stay away from her. She's never really seemed all that bad, though.

"I can't complain," I say, not knowing if I'm supposed to answer sincerely. Sometimes, I forget that all of this is broadcasted across Panem, which means that District Two is watching. "Nothing is perfect, you know?"

"Except me," Liora says, mostly to herself, and winks. Her eyes divert for a moment, and when she looks back at me, her face seems rather solemn. "I've always wanted to live in a Career District. They seem so interesting."

"Two had its perks," I continue, trying to come up with something that is somewhat impressive about my District. "It kind of reminds me of this arena."

"Darien?!"

And there's Caelia.

I feel a hand wrap tightly around my shoulder, and when I look down at the nails, I see that it's Caelia's hand. She leans forward, her shadow stretching out in front of me. Liora looks up at her, the same solemn expression on her face. She doesn't move, though, which makes me nervous.

Caelia really doesn't like her.

I'm not sure Liora quite understands that just yet.

"Hi, Caelia," she says, a little too sweetly. She's acting as if there's no tension between them, that Caelia wouldn't rip out her throat if they were alone. "What brings you over here?"

"Oh? Am I not welcome?"

"No, not that. You just interrupted me and Darien's conversation is all."

"What did she just say to me?" Caelia asks, peering at me from the side. Her mouth is probably agape, stunned that someone would speak to her like that. I stay out of it, letting the two of them go at it.

"I was talking to Darien."

"He doesn't want to talk to you. Trent might, but I'm sure he's interesting in something more than that."

"It's too early for that," Liora quips, smirking. Her solemn expression cracks, her eyes flaring up and a smirk appearing on her face. "You're welcome to join."

"That's repulsive."

"Don't tell me you're not into me, Caelia. I see the way you look at me."

Caelia laughs heartily, buckling over and grabbing onto her stomach. When she pops back up, she throws her hand up in the air, wheezing from laughing too hard. Liora's still sitting there, staring at Caelia as she sways back and forth while laughing. I'm uncomfortable now, the tension getting worse and worse.

Where are Trent and Darya?

They might be able to mediate this.

"You're a beaut, you know that? You're such a charmer," Caelia says, her voice laced with sarcasm. Whenever she gets this tone, I know she's going to be harsh – that she's going to be mean for no reason. "You have Trent wrapped around your finger, Darien falling for you. How do you do it, really?"

"Practice," Liora attempts to interject, but her voice is drowned out by Caelia's.

"It's such a pity, though. You lack any depth. What boy would want that? You're just a toy for them. Is that why you volunteered?" Caelia drags it out, making it worse for everyone.

And now Liora looks physically upset. She bites her bottom lip, still sitting crisscross across from me with her hands in her lap. She stares at Caelia, her eyes not tearing up yet, but I can tell it's coming soon. Why can't Caelia just quit it?

Why does she have to do this?

"To get away from it all? Did someone hurt you? Is that it? Did a boy break your heart? Did you finally realize people only use you?"

"No," Liora manages to cough up, her voice trembling.

"You might be beautiful, Liora, but you're empty."

Glancing to the side of me, I see Caelia walk away, shaking her head with every step. She walks to the edge of the circular platform, leaning against a rock and poking her knife out in front of her. For a second, I'm scared to look back at Liora. I don't want to see what she looks like right now.

She's a nice girl, really. Caelia shouldn't speak to her like that.

"She's a funny one," Liora says, and when I look back at her, she seems unfazed by everything that just happened. She's sitting there, bouncing her shoulders up and down as she smiles at me. "Did you know each back in District Two?"

"I've heard of the family name," I say, sighing, but I'm not sure why. This is all so exhausting – and it's nothing even physical. I'm mentally drained by being with all of them.

I can't say I regret allying with them, though. I wouldn't have made it this far without them. We're an alliance; I just have to keep reminding myself that. Caelia might despise Liora, but at the end of the day, we're here to protect one another.

We're the Careers.

"Darien?" Liora says, her voice in a hushed tone, nearly like a whisper. "Do you agree with everything Caelia said about me?"

I sigh again. "Of course not. Don't let her get to you."

Liora perks up, the smile on her face growing. She nods her head, moving away from the topic. "Okay. So, do you think we'll do anything today?"

"We might go hunting. I heard Trent talking about it."

"I don't like hunting."

Neither do I, Liora.

I don't like any of this, for that matter.

But, I'm here for good. There's no getting out of this unless I win.

So, that's what I have to aim for.

I have to get out of here.

Trent Ethillion
District Four Male, 18 Years Old

"They're all so annoying."

Darya shrugs her shoulder, going back to scratching the tip of her spear along the stone. She drags it back and forth, the noise not being too pleasant, but compared to the chatter of Caelia, it's more pleasing. Her voice is just grating, and honestly, I'd rather us sit in silence.

Without Larron, it got that much quieter, but still, until Caelia is gone, I won't be content. I only realized how annoying she is now.

And the rest?

Well, I don't care about them. Except Liora. She's the only that doesn't bother me.

Darya is too detached from it all. She's always off on her own and not speaking to any of us. Darien doesn't speak much, either, except when Caelia says something to him. He lost his sparkle after we left the Capitol – now he's dull. And me? I like me.

That won't change.

"I don't want them here anymore," I say, trying to convince myself that I mean. That I should just go over there, take Caelia by the head, and slit her neck. "By 'them,' I mean Caelia. Do you want her gone too?"

Darya shrugs. I expect her not to say anything, but then she does, which takes me by surprise. "There's no point. Get rid of the deadweight first."

Darien. He's the deadweight.

Gripping the knife in my hand, I stand up, giving Darya one last look. She's facing away from me, her spear now gripped in both of her hands, preparing to back me up with whatever I'm about to do. Turning towards Darien and Caelia, I see Liora wandering around the outskirts, which is good for her. Caelia might attempt to attack her if I grab Darien. I begin to walk over towards Darien, the knife behind my back now.

I approach Darien, who's completely unaware of where I am. Of what I'm going to him.

What I'm going to do to this.

I'm only doing what has to be done. This alliance is a mess – a pathetic excuse for a Career Group.

Reaching my left hand outwards, I drag my hand through his hair, grabbing a handful with my fist. He grunts and tries to fall forward, but my grip is too tight. He calls out, drawing the attention of both Liora and Caelia. Caelia slowly turns to look at me, the expression on her face contorting into something foul.

She was ugly to begin with, but this is a new level even for her.

"You should always condition, Darien," I banter, tugging at his hair harder. "It's all knotty."

"Let go of him," Caelia snaps, her voice deep. "Don't be fucking stupid."

"Stupid?" I sneer, drawing out my knife. "Stupid is this alliance. Stupid is you prancing around like you own the place. Stupid is your District partner."

"Trent. I am giving you one chance."

Before I can respond, Caelia looks around in a circle, probably trying to find Liora. She's nowhere to be found, though, and I can't even say that's because of me. She must be in hiding, then. She's smarter than she looks.

"Looking for someone?" I holler, laughing under my breath.

"Where is that whore?" Caelia shouts, raising her knife in front of her. "Where is she?!"

"Quiet down," I yell, only half-kidding. We don't need any more distractions right now. "You don't know what or who can hear you."

Darien squirms under my grasp, trying to kick out his legs, but he was sitting crisscross so it's hard for him. He just sits there, like a puppet, waiting for whatever I'll do to him. I'll drag it out a little longer, though; I'm sure the audience loves this.

"Are you just going to stand there, Darya?" Caelia calls out, avoiding what's in front of her. "I always knew you were a coward."

"Excuse me?" I wave the hand with the knife in it, adding some levity to it all. "Yeah, I'm over here. Leave her out of this."

"Leave Darien out of this."

"I can't do that."

Before Caelia can say one more thing, I swiftly bring the knife in front of his neck, and with one quick swipe, slit it. The blood squirts out, beginning to flow down his neck. I pull the knife away, a good amount of his blood all over my hand. Letting go of his hair, I throw any hair I pulled out to the side and wipe my hand.

Caelia gasps. I smirk.

And then his cannon sounds.

"Anything to say to that?" I call out, visibly seeing Caelia begin to shake. She grips her knife tighter and lowers her head, staring directly at me. "I'll take that as a no."

"I always saw right through your façade, Trent. Pretty boy, all charming and suave," Caelia comments, only wasting more of my time. If she's going to fight me, then she should get it over with. "I should have warned Darien."

"I don't care for your assessment of me, Caelia. You're only embarrassing District Two more than Darien just did."

And here comes Caelia.

It's cute; how loyal she was to this whole alliance, to her own District partner. It's a pity that Darya is standing over there all alone, only gawking at this whole scene. I wish she would do something – perhaps help me out and take care of Caelia.

But, she won't.

That's why she won't win. She's not proactive. She just sits there and lets everyone else do something until she has no other choice.

I still don't know where Liora is, either. If she ran off and left this alliance altogether, I'll lost some respect. I thought she'd stick around for the real fun.

"Come get me, Caelia," I call out, making Caelia run at me faster. I brace myself for impact, for her to launch herself at me with only her knife. "I'm finally taking you up on that offer to have some fun."

She'll be just as easy as her District partner.

They all will be.

Caelia Harlow
District Two Female, 18 Years Old

I launch myself at him.

Trent catches me in his arms, deflecting me and throwing me to the side. I roll a little, bracing myself for landing on the rock, but I quickly get back up. I ignore the aching pain in my right arm from landing right on top of it and spring back at him. He jumps to the side, trying to side-swipe me with his knife.

I dodge that and swipe my own knife. It barely catches his shoulder, although it tears some of the fabric. He chuckles, and when we make eye-contact for a second or so, I can see it in his eyes. He had this planned all along. He was always going to betray us.

The idea of killing his own allies never fazed him.

He's lucky, though. I was trained for this. I am prepared for this.

I've been betrayed before and I'll be betrayed again. But, this time, I won't get arrested for murder. I can get revenge on my betrayers, not like in District Two. I had my hands tied there, but in the arena… I'm free to do whatever I want.

"You're quick," Trent teases, our bodies frozen across from one another. "Weak, too."

Ignoring him, I lunge at him again, stabbing my knife outwards. He reacts, grabbing my wrist without the knife in it, twisting it. I grunt in pain, a burning sensation erupting in my hand. I knock him in the throat with the knife, although it was just the handle. He pushes me back, and as I stumble back, he runs towards me, his shoulders in front of him. He smashes into my chest, knocking the breath out of me.

Why aren't Liora or Darya helping?

Where's Darien when you need him?

Falling to the ground, I realize that this is the only way I can get Trent distracted. I place my hands in front of me, slipping the knife under my leg. Leaving my head hanging forward, I stare at the ground, watching carefully for Trent to come near me. Then, I'll strike. He won't even see it coming.

And when I see the shadow of his feet in front of me, I prepare to leap forward. I shake my head.

He's so stupid.

That was always one of his many problems."

"Don't give up already, Caelia," Trent says, a shadow of him holding his knife up in the air appearing. "But, I'm bored of this. I'll get it over with."

Before he has any more time to move, I shoot my head upwards, leaping right away up at him. I stab him in the neck with my knife, the force of him pushing me back down coming right after. I fall on my back against the rock, and as I watch him scream out in pain, I smirk.

"I'll do the honors, Trent."

He chokes on his own words, blood spewing out of his mouth. It drips down the side of his lip, and whenever he opens his mouth, all you can see is a crimson color filling it.

"You're an idiot," I say, watching Trent stagger backwards. The knife is implanted in his neck, the blood pouring down the side of him. He drops his own weapon and grabs at the knife in his neck. "You had potential, Trent. You ruined it. You just never know when to shut up."

Trent drops to his knees, his body falling to the side. He stops trying to speak and his screams cease, and when I turn around, I see Liora and Darya standing there a few apart. Liora looks at me as if I had done something wrong, as if I shouldn't have killed him. She probably wants me dead just as much as Trent did. Darya, on the other hand, might have the same stoic expression on her face, but I can tell she's on my side.

She knew it had to be done.

"Aw, what's wrong, Liora?"

"Caelia," she says, her voice trailing off. I take a step towards, the adrenaline in me convincing me that it's time to kill Liora too. She's unnecessary at this point, and plus, there's no one to protect her. The Careers no longer exist, so she won't have the privilege of staying with me.

"Leave her, Caelia."

Shooting Darya a glance, I raise an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?"

"It's not worth it."

"You know what?" I say, chuckling to myself. "I will. I'll leave you stranded here, Liora. You'll be all alone. See how you survive then."

"You'll be surprised," Liora says, but I ignore her. She's just spewing nonsense out of her mouth now. She probably won't even make it a day without her little protector Trent. He always covered for her, always took her place when hunting or guarding us when we sleep.

She'll probably die from tripping or something. She's just that stupid.

"Are you coming, Darya?" I ask, picking up one of the backpacks. I don't really expect her to follow me for much longer, but I just want to show Liora that I don't want her. I don't need her, either. She is nothing to me now.

"No."

I shrug. "Suit yourself. I'll see you eventually, then. And this time, I won't let you go."

With my knife and backpack, I begin to walk away, hoping that perhaps Darya will kill Liora. I let Liora go – for my own entertainment, really. I just can't wait to see her face up in the sky tonight or tomorrow. What's the point of killing her if she'll get herself killed somehow?

Darya won't kill her, though. I know that for sure.

The Careers have suffered enough today – whatever is left of us, that is. The alliance is dissolved, but I'm still here. Liora and Darya aren't real Careers – I am.

I am the Career to look out for.

I am the Career that is going to win.

That deserves to win.

District Two, Darien Faust – Placed 12th

District Four, Trent Ethillion – Placed 11th

Authors' Note:

Yo.

So, Mockingjay was really good. I hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did? But, anyway, here's another update. I know I said I'll be sporadic, but don't worry; I will get through Set in Stone. I have my next SYOT planned and everything, so that'll come shortly.

I'm getting my tonsils out soon, so I'll have a lot of time at home to write and whatnot.

That's all for Cashmere67 today!