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Gage Orsini
District Three Male, 18 Years Old

Seeing her face in the sky is what hit me the most.

Knowing that, after her face disappears, I won't ever see her again. I won't hear her squeaky laugh ever again, I won't see her sleepy eyes and bedhead when she wakes up ever again, and I won't feel her clinging onto my finger ever again.

It won't ever be the same.

But, do you know what the worst part of it all was? The part that I can't wrap my head around, the part that I don't quite understand?

It's that I let it get this way. That I got this attached to some girl – to some girl I never even saw the face of back in District Three. I had no idea who she was, but once we hit the Games… I gave her a chance. I let her in, which is something I never do. It was new.

I don't regret a thing.

But, I could have avoided this. If I just kept my walls up, if I didn't open up to her, none of this would have happened. I would have been on my own, and when I saw her face in the sky then, I would have closed my eyes and turned away.

But, that isn't how it is. This feeling… Am I grieving her death? Is that what this is?

I don't know.

I can't read my emotions.

Whenever I do, it makes me feel like some child. Even thinking about the memories Emery and I shared makes me feel puerile. It makes me feel immature, like I don't know where we are. I don't enjoy the Hunger Games, but having Emery here with me made it tolerable. And, without her, I'm back to my old self.

There isn't anyone else, anyway.

It was always her.

Rubbing my eyes, I sit up, staring off into the distance. This is one of the higher points in the arena, letting me see most of everything in front of me. Just like it was an hour ago, it's all stone. Stone hills, stone pillars, stone everything. It's not the nicest sight, and although I'm not one to complain, it's much hotter than it should be.

I never complained much with Emery.

She gave me something not to complain about. She distracted me from it all.

Bringing my hand over my eyes, I block my eyes from the sunlight, trying to see if I can see anything. Off in the distance, much further away from where I am, I can see the circular stone area where we started on Day One. It's Day Four now, I believe. Two days after Emery died. That's how I tell time.

I'm surprised I don't see anyone out walking around, either. With ten of us, there's bound to be some interactions before the Gamemakers force us to find one another. I tried to scale the edges of the arena and find the furthest point from the middle, which is where I am at right now.

It's better to seclude yourself from people. To isolate yourself.

They won't find you this way.

It's weird, though. With Emery, I found myself talking nonstop. We would talk about anything, from our favorite colors to our favorite part of District Three. We had something to talk about, but now? I would just seem crazy. People would think I have officially lost my mind if I started to talk to myself. At least with Emery I was entertained.

That's another thing.

I'm just bored without Emery.

Leaning back against the rock behind me, I stare off into the distance, waiting for something to happen. It might be morbid, but I'm hoping I see someone. Not that I want to get in a fight, but it'll give me something to do. Someone to track, to watch from all the way over there.

I don't know what to anymore.

Do I go out there and find someone? If I do, that means I'll have to fight. I'm not sure I'm ready for another fight.

Last fight… That's when I lost Emery. And, next confrontation, I'll either kill again or lose myself. I don't know which is worst. Would I rather risk my sanity and kill again or die? Would dying even be worth it anymore?

Don't I have a cause? A purpose?

It's to fight for Emery. To survive for her. To win for her.

That would make District Three proud. It would finally make me known in District Three, to give people a reason to like me. Would that change anything, though? What if I did win?

I'd go back to being the same person I was before I got here. Closed-off. Cagey. Cold.

That won't change.

I always blamed District Three for making me like that. For making me act and think like I'm better than anyone, that I don't have time for petty drama or relationships. I always thought I was above it all. I'll admit, I do miss District Three a little. The familiarity, I guess. I don't miss the mundane routine and the sense of uselessness I felt there, though. I could live without that.

Just thinking of District Three makes me smirk. I miss it, I know that, but why? Why would I miss the District I felt ostracized in? It's all ironic.

I'm homesick.

But, I'm not sure a home exists for me.

There's nowhere out there for me.

There never has been.

Salya Ionatti
District Seven Female, 17 Years Old

"I'm getting bored."

"What was that?" Dalton hollers, all the way in back of me. He's too slow of a walker for my liking, so I'll let him trail behind me. "I can't hear you from all the way up there."

I stop for a second, waiting for him to catch up to me. Laughing, I say, "Don't drag me down, Dalton. Or else."

"Or else what?" Dalton asks, but when he finally catches up, his voice trails off. He looks around him, tightening the strap of the backpack around his back. I'm not sure what he's sensing, and when he looks at me, I raise an eyebrow. "Did you hear that?"

"Are you hearing things now?"

Dalton shrugs and we both continue to walk on. He stares up at the sky, like he's waiting for the sky to light up with the tributes that have died today. Now that I think of it, there were no cannons today. There have been a few everyday so far in the Games, but today it's been quiet. Too quiet if you ask me.

"Salya."

"Yes?"

"I hear something."

"Is little Dalton getting scared?"

Dalton puts his finger over his mouth, shushing me. The gesture kind of irks me, but when Dalton takes me by the arm and leads me behind a rock, I know he's sensing something I'm not. I press myself against the rock, trying to peer around the other side of it, the axe in my right hand ready.

If anyone's coming, I'm prepared. I've killed before.

I can do it again.

I can't let that affect me now.

Hearing a footstep that's probably only a few feet away, I shoot a glance at Dalton who nods his head. Someone's coming, and from the two separate footstep sounds, there are two of them. Who else is left that's in a pair? The Careers? The District Nine tributes?

"Let's just find somewhere to sleep."

"I can help you with that," I say, my voice a whisper. I take one step forward, slowly dropping my backpack to the ground. I won't need that now, and besides, it'll only weigh me down. "On my lead."

Dalton might not be the most useful ally, but this could change it all.

It's time for him to come face-to-face with a fight. With a struggle. He had it too easy so far.

Dalton takes the other side of the large piece of stone, and as we see the two dark figures approaching, we both get ready. I squint my eyes, trying to see who it is, but I can only infer who it is by their hair; one's a girl and the other's a boy. So, it must be the two from District Nine.

This will be one less District for us to compete with.

"When?"

"Now."

Before Dalton follows my lead, I swing around the rock, heading right for the girl. Extending my arm, I grapple it around her waist, spinning her around and sending her flying forward. She falls to her knees, and as she's on the ground, I see Dalton attempting to fight with the boy. Riel was his name. Her name is Ardell.

What an ugly name.

"Who-"

Without giving her enough time to move or pull out her own weapon, I send my foot into her face, stamping on it. She shouts on in pain, the sound of one of the boys groaning following it. Ardell grabs at my foot, attempting to pull me down with her, but I just rip it out of her grasp. Raising the axe in the air, I bring it down, the sound of it coming down on metal being unpleasant.

Ardell grunts, flipping on her side and pushing herself forward. I try to grab after her foot, but I miss it by an inch or so, which is my first mistake. Now, she has enough time to pull out her own blade. When she swipes it behind her, it slits my fingers wrapped around the axe, the burning sensation making me bite my lip.

We both stand up now, facing each other. Then, as if it's both of our concern right now, we look at Dalton and Riel in unison. It's too dark to really see what's going on, but all I see is Riel dominating the fight at the moment. He sends a punch right into Dalton's jaw, the crack making me wince. Shaking my head, I realize that this is my time.

When I take a lunge at Ardell, she seems to have already anticipated that move. She spins around, her blade nearly impaling my stomach, but I deflect it just in time. I slam her hand down with my axe, trying to cut at her in any way I can.

But, I realize that this is my second mistake.

As my hand is up in the air with the axe, she brings her hand back around, plunging the blade deep into my lower abdomen. I drop the axe and she flinches at the sound of the metal hitting the stone. I lean forward, placing my hand on her shoulder, the blade feeling uncomfortable if anything.

I stare at her, wide-eyed. My head begins to spin, as if all of the blood is draining out of me and pouring out onto the ground. I can't feel anything anymore… I can't even move my legs. My hands. Everything is shaking.

"I…"

I gulp and my eyes shut from feeling too heavy. She takes my hand off of her shoulder, and as she slowly places me down on the ground, I let my head fall to the side. I can still hear Dalton and Riel going at it in the background, but my eyes won't happen… It's all too heavy.

Dalton...

Don't leave me here…

I was supposed to be able to do this by myself. On my own. Independently.

Why am I dying? Why did I let her kill me?

I let my guard down. I let her get the upper-hand.

I am weak.

Dalton Taylor
District Seven Male, 15 Years Old

"Salya!"

Releasing my grasp around the boy's wrist, I let him go, feeling him fall to the ground with a thud. I take a step forward, not seeing everything that just unraveled in front of me. They were fighting… I thought Salya was winning. She always won every fight.

How could she lose against her?

Salya was one of the fiercest girls here. She killed that boy from District Ten in the Bloodbath without any hesitation or without any trouble.

"Salya!" I scream, expecting her to answer. But, all I hear is her cannon in response. Behind me, Riel coughs, and Ardell falls to her knees. She leans over Salya's body, completely ignoring Riel and I.

"She's dead," Ardell mutters, repeating herself. "She's dead."

She can't be dead.

How am I supposed to do this on my own? Without her?

"Get over it," Riel utters, spitting out blood. He pushes himself up, but doesn't move more than that. "We're all bound to die some time."

His words make my stomach flip. "And you're just going to accept that? That, because we're going to die, none of this matters?"

"I'd rather die right here," he says, leaning back his head a little. "Not in that wretched District."

"How miserable could you be?" I ask, completely disagreeing with him. Why would he want to die here? If he were to win, he would have a life of riches and fame. Why wouldn't he want that?

Riel shrugs. "People win to impress everyone. To show off what they're capable of, to show what they'll win and how famous they'll become. I have no one to impress."

"Why don't you just kill yourself?"

"I'm not that pathetic. Besides, I wouldn't just based on principle."

"On principle?" I ask, my hand with the axe beginning to shake. I don't want to speak to him anymore… If Salya came here to fight, so have I. I won't give up now.

"That's what everyone would want me to do, right?" Riel asks, smirking. "I'm not obliged to anyone. I don't like people telling me what to do, anyway."

"Do you want me to kill you, then?"

"You can try."

And I will try. For Salya.

For myself.

Shutting my mouth tightly, I bite down, and with all my upper-body strength, charge at him. I wrap my arms around him and tackle him down to the ground, knowing that he's weaponless now. He struggles a bit, scratching at the back of my neck and trying to push his knee into my groin. Trying to pin him down on the ground, I send a punch flying into his face here and there, trying to subdue.

He won't stop moving… He has to!

"Stop moving," I say, my voice shaking as I struggle with him.

"It isn't," he says, taking a deep breath. "It isn't going to be that easy."

When I take in his words, I let my guard down for a quick second, giving him the chance to bring his fist into the side of my head. My ear begins to ring, and I press my hand over it, seeing him scramble to grab anything around him. I still have my axe, but this knife that he had before is somewhere else now. There's nothing around him, so I should be able to do this.

He has no weapon. No defense.

I can kill him… I can kill. Salya told me I can. She taught me how to.

"If you want to die," I begin, trying to catch my breath. "Why are you wasting so much time?"

"Why do you care so much? I'm not your ally."

"I just… I just don't understand."

"You don't have to understand everything," Riel comments, his eyes averting to Ardell. "I know I won't."

I go at him again, this time swinging my axe out in front of me. It tears across his chest, revealing his pale skin beneath it. It doesn't draw any blood, but he reacts as if it did. He takes both of his hands, pushes me down, and tries to pin me down just like I tried to do to him. But, before we hit the ground, I throw him off of me.

I'm done with this. I'm done listening to him.

Riel stumbles backwards, not looking up at me. I jog forward, the axe dangling to my side. When I am right in front of him, though, I watch him before I do anything. I shake my head, not letting myself think twice about this now. I have to do this. I always knew I would have to kill.

Swinging the axe upwards, it lodges into Riel's stomach, the sound of the gurgling and squishy sound making me feel nauseous. My arm drops, leaving the axe in his stomach area. He lets his arm dangle to the side, and as he stares down at his stomach, I turn around.

Will Ardell came after me now too?

Will I have to fight her?

Riel's body sways side-to-side, still standing up. His fingers twitch and the color begins to drain from his skin. There's blood… So much of it. Ardell still isn't coming over, though.

Is this my time to run?

That's not right, though. To leave Salya like that. I should avenge her. I should kill her killer. But, I know I can't… One was enough. And two? I'm not sure I can do that.

Salya might be dead, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. That doesn't mean I'm going to let myself get killed now. If anything, this will make me stronger. I let her die, but I can't let the fate happen to me. That was Salya. I am Dalton. I can survive.

If I couldn't save her, I have to save myself.

I have to move on.

Riel Seiholdt
District Nine Male, 16 Years Old

"Ardell…"

She's still on the ground, her hands clutched around her stomach, but as she looks over her shoulder, her face becomes contorted. Her jaw drops as she looks at Dalton in front of me, his axe driven into my stomach. The shovel drops out of my fingertips, the sound of the metal hitting the rock make Ardell shriek.

The axe didn't get me too deep, probably because of Dalton's lack of strength. The blood stains my suit, and as it begins to seep down to the ground, I can barely stand up. The energy is knocked out of me, and as the corners of my eyes begin to dim, I feel like I'm going to pass out.

"Riel!"

My head tilts to the side as I try to witness what is about to unfold, but before Ardell gets even a foot away from me, I'm already on the ground. I lay there, my fingers desperately trying to touch my shovel. Dalton picks up the shovel, using it for his own defense now. When Ardell begins to sprint towards him, though, he takes a step back.

I let out a chuckle, distracting him for a moment. He looks down at me, then at Ardell who is slowly approaching him, and then back at me. Ardell has Salya's blood all over her hands, but she ignores it, gripping her knife out in front of her. She's running head-on to attack Dalton, to defend me.

To do what I couldn't.

With all strength and adrenaline she has left in her, she sprints towards Dalton, the anger in her face obvious. This gesture – the look that she genuinely cares – makes me groan. She doesn't have to do this… She doesn't have to risk her own life to… To what? To avenge me?

To kill Dalton?

What would that prove? It's unnecessary.

Dalton is standing there trembling, and before he can move out of the way, Ardell barges into him with all she has in her. It knocks him down and sends him flying. He lands right on his head, the sound making me feel even more pain. Ardell rushes over to him, her knife in the air, and without even a moment of hesitation, brings it down right into his skull.

But, she isn't done.

Ripping the knife out of his skull, she brings it down again, stabbing him a second time in his skull. The blood squirts out all over her, but she doesn't even flinch or stop. She keeps going. Three times. Four times. And then, finally, she leaves it in his head. She straightens her back and looks up at the sky.

His cannon soon follows, the sound seeming muffled in my ears.

This time, Ardell doesn't fall to her knees and buckle over. She leaves the knife there, and as she spins on her heels, she locks eyes with-me. She walks over, but just hovers over me, as if she's ready to leave. She doesn't want to waste any more time here.

And I don't blame her.

She should have been long gone a while ago.

"You're still here," I say feebly, my voice croaking. "You shouldn't be."

Ardell stands there in silence, the look in her eyes telling me she's really not there. She's locked inside that head of hers, completely unfazed by everything that had just happened. She isn't letting it get to her… She's always been like that.

I'll miss her, I admit.

She was interesting.

"I don't know what to say."

I chuckle, but it comes out hoarse. "I could always count on you for moral support, Ardell. I'll always appreciate that."

Ardell is already backing up away from me, and although I feel like I should be upset by this, I don't have it in me to put forth the effort. I'm not going to feel betrayed, either. She killed Salya and Dalton, while I just laid here in pain and couldn't even stand back up. She killed them, but I know I can't survive.

I know I'm going to die.

I've come to that realization quite some time ago. Even when I'm slowly slipping and fading away, I don't want to give up just yet. I'm not done here, especially not before Ardell leaves. We spent most of our time here together and I want to bid good-bye in a proper way.

"I have to go, Riel."

"It looks like I do too," I say, coughing, making my body ache in pain. I open my mouth, but my voice barely comes out as a whisper. "We're just going different ways."

Before Ardell turns around and leaves, I swear I see her smirk a little. The same smirk that Ardell always had, although she hardened once she got into the arena. She was different back in the Capitol. It's clear that the Games have changed her, made her become someone else. A murderer.

But, am I any better? Are any of us better than Ardell?

We were all put into this arena for the same reasons. To survive. Some of us chose to fight, while some of us chose to not… And, unfortunately, I was one of those who didn't fight. Ardell is a fight. That's not the only thing she is, though.

She's a murderer.

Who am I to judge, though? I'm even worse than a murderer.

I'm a victim.

And we'll each pay the price for what we've done. We'll each suffer the consequences.

I'm just paying mine now.

District Seven, Salya Ionatti – Placed 10th

District Seven, Dalton Taylor – Placed 9th

District Nine, Riel Seiholdt – Placed 8th

Author's Note:

Once again, here's another update. I'll keep it short but frankly? I guess that review gave me some motivation. I really do like writing (especially Hunger Games SYOTs), but they just get tedious and drag out after a while, which I think we can all admit. I really do enjoy Fanfiction and all, but whatever.

Settle a Score won't happen for a little while, anyway.

So, here are three more deaths, and now we're at the Top Seven. I know I kill people rapidly and often, but that's just how I like my stories to progress. Regardless, I'll ask some questions.

Are you surprised anyone has made it this far? Is there anyone you wanted to die?

Who do you think will be victor? Who do you want as victor?