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Caelia Harlow
District Two Female, 18 Years Old

The ground beneath begins to vibrate, and for a moment, I keep my eyes shut. It feels like a dream.

But, when I feel the stone begin to crumble and the dust blow onto me, I know that it isn't. This is really happening… The arena is falling apart. Opening my eyes, I grab my sword, not having enough time to grab the backpack. I push myself off of the ground, turning into a full-on sprint.

Behind me, I hear the stone crumble fully now, the pieces falling exactly where I was sitting. I would've been dead. The rock to the sides of me begins to crumble as well, starting from the top to the bottom. I feel the ground shaking now, but not enough to ruin my direction.

I run forward, leaping side-to-side to avoid any falling rock. I'm headed for a cliff of some sort, so I brace myself, taking a big leap off of the edge. I keep on running and realize where I am; throughout my time here, I've kept track of where the middle of the arena is.

Where the Bloodbath happened.

The whole arena might look the same, but I have a good memory. It's ahead of me somewhere, and as I keep running, I don't look back. I feel the ground shaking more violently now, making me trip on my feet. Catching myself, I keep running, making sure that I don't lose my sword.

Beneath me, I feel the vibrations of the ground lessening. The rock isn't crumbling now and everything slows down. The shapes of the stone are even odder now, with jagged edges and pointed tips. I take gentle steps, not wanting to set anything off again.

When the arena goes quiet, I anticipate a cannon. Or two.

But, there's nothing. Everyone survived this.

That's disappointing.

I never thought any of the girls left would be able to withstand that. I would assume they're feeble bones would snap. They're all so weak, so delicate. Taima, Cerise, Liora – all of them.

They're pretty girls, I'll give them that. But, they're weak. They're stupid.

They're going to lose, that's for sure.

And me? I'm going to win. That still hasn't changed.

As I think about my competition, I realize that I'm the strongest one here. After Gage killed Darya for me yesterday, I had no competition. I took care of Gage easily – it only took a quick sword to the chest. I don't suspect Taima, Liora, or Cerise will be of any challenge, either.

They aren't trained. They're from outer-Districts.

I'm surprised all of them made it this far, anyway. I would've thought it would be me, Trent, and Darya in the finale.

These Games are full of surprises, it seems.

Suddenly, a knife glides passed my cheek, nearly cutting it. The knife misses me, luckily, and falls to the ground as it collides with the stone. I look in front of me, trying to see where it came from. Trying to who threw it, too.

Whoever did… That's the last thing they should have done.

"Who's there?" I call out, keeping my senses on high alert for another knife to come my way. "Reveal yourself."

Everything goes silent again, and when another knife comes my way, I dodge it. This time, I see where it came from; right behind the larger rock in front of me. I begin to back up, and when I see the arm come around the stone, I try to get a better glimpse as to who it is.

"I see you," I taunt. "Now come on out."

I see the person step to the side, revealing herself now. It's Cerise. I smile, gripping onto my sword. She has another knife in her hand, though. I shake my head.

I don't want to run.

I want to fight.

Don't be stupid, Caelia. She has a knife.

Before she can throw another one, I already take off running. I glance over my shoulder quickly, wanting to see if she's following me. I assume she will – this is simply a ploy. I continue to run, trying to find somewhere to hide behind.

When another knife flies past my head, though, I realize that I don't have time for that. She sees me and where I'm going. I know that I'll have to stop eventually, but for now, I'll waste her time. I'll drag it out and make her tired. I was trained for this.

For the chase.

I have the endurance. The speed.

I won't be the one to die. She will.

"You can't run forever!" Cerise calls out and I try to put more distance between us. "Fight me, Caelia. Why are you so scared?"

I am not scared.

If I turn around or stop for even a second, she'll throw a knife at me. I will be dead just like that. I'm not stupid.

She throws one knife and that makes me start running. I don't turn around to see where she is or how close she is to me, I just keep running. This is my life is being threatened – I can't risk it. I have to get to an advantage point. Plus, I only have my sword. I can't throw that.

I realize that I'm at the disadvantage here.

But, that won't stop me. I won't let her have it for long. This is my time show everyone how capable I am. To show everyone what tricks I have up my sleeve. But, first, I have to get away from her. I have to run.

Run. Run. Run.

You will kill her soon enough. You will get the chance.

You'll get the chance to kill them all.

Cerise Hessian
District Eight Female, 18 Years Old

One knife.

Two knives.

Three knives.

All of the knives miss by a small margin, banging right into the stone, making a screeching sound. Before I can throw another one, Caelia slips through two narrow pieces of stone, disappearing for a moment. I listen carefully, trying to keep track of her loud and heavy footsteps. I slip through the rock too, and when I get through, I don't know where she went.

It's silent.

She can't sneak up on me. I don't get surprised that easily.

"I know you're out there, Caelia," I taunt, turning my head from side-to-side to see where she'll come out from. She won't be behind me; I'm too close to the rock and she couldn't have run back that way. She wouldn't run, anyway.

She's not a coward.

And I respect that.

"Quit playing around," I taunt some more, wanting her to reveal herself. Why stop now? My next knife would have got her right in the shoulder. Or the back – I like the sound of that. "Come on out, Caelia."

I breathe slowly and quietly, listening even more carefully for footsteps now or for some other noise she'll make. Equipping myself with a knife in each hand, I slip the one in my left behind my back. It'll come in handy I'm sure. The sun is going down in the back, darkening the whole area. This doesn't help the situation I'm in, and if anything, it gives Caelia the advantage.

The fact that she's trained too might be an advantage.

But, I'm not scared. I'm not scared of some girl from District Two.

Suddenly, I see her coming at me from the side. She's holding the sword in the air, waving it as she sprints towards me. With the one knife, I aim for her chest, and at the same time, I slip out the other one behind my back. Releasing the first knife, it spirals right towards Caelia, but with one slash of her sword, she knocks it out of the way.

That was pure luck.

But, this time, she won't be as lucky.

Before she can draw the sword back, I whip the next knife towards her. This one cuts through the air, and as we both watch it, I smirk once I see where it's going to land. She tries to dodge it, but she squeals in pain as it gets lodged in her shoulder. She doesn't stop, though. She continues to run.

She doesn't give up.

I respect that, too.

When I reach in the pouch attached to the back of my belt, I realize that I only have two more knives left. They're small, so close-combat isn't really an option. She's still charging at me, though, but she's slowing down. She's not letting the pain stop her, but she's letting it get to her slowly.

She'll cave in eventually.

They all do.

"Does that hurt?" I tease, seeing that Caelia has stopped running and is now panting. She stands there, the blood clotting in her shoulder, but she doesn't even look at it. "How does it feel?"

"You'll see how it feels once my sword goes into your skull."

"Aggressive," I sneer, playing with one of the knives between my fingers. "Don't be so hostile."

"I am going to kill you, Cerise," she says, her hair falling down in front of her face. She leaves it dangling, making her seem that much more deranged. "I'm not fucking around."

"Do you promise?"

Without responding, she's at it again. I put enough distance between Caelia and I for me to throw one more knife. I won't waste my last one, but this one… I can use it on Caelia. She deserves it. I raise the knife in the air, but this time, she's not as stupid. She ducks, holding her sword out from underneath her. Aiming is too hard, and even if I do throw it, I'll miss.

I'm good, but not that good.

Just as she's a foot or so away with her sword, I jump to the side, elbowing her right in the back. She coughs, swiping the sword behind her as she stumbles forward. It slices the cloth off of my lower-leg, drawing some blood. I lean over, feeling the cut with my fingers. It's not deep; it's basically a stretch.

But, she drew blood.

I don't like blood.

"Do you feel better?" I ask, seeing the lunatic in her eyes as she turns around. She's angry, with her teeth gritting and sticking out of her mouth. "Put your teeth away, it's an unpleasant sight."

Throw the knife, Cerise.

Quit stalling. Just end her life.

Looking Caelia up and down one last time, I see that she's exhausted. She won't let it really show, but I can tell. She's pushing out her hip, the sword looking heavy in her hand. Her eyes are all bloodshot and she's struggling to breathe. I should just end her life.

It'd make her life easier.

Before I can even second-guess myself, I throw the knife. This time, the knife lands right between her upper-chest and her shoulder. She still doesn't fall to her knees, though. Once again, she comes running after me, the two knives lodged in her.

She's persistent, I'll give her that.

Everyone knows that knife throwing is the best way to kill, though. You can kill from a distance.

"Do you want more, Caelia?" I scream, the fact that she isn't dying yet bothering me. I raise my other knife in the air, showing it to her. She blinks once she sees it, still not being fazed by what I've done to her. "What's one more knife?!"

So, I throw it.

My last and final knife.

This time, the knife lands square in her chest. She finally stops, her sword dropping to the ground, rolling off to the side. She takes her time to fall to her knees, and as she does, her hands curl up into fists. She falls onto her fists, hunching over the ground. When I get over to her, I kick her down, her body falling to the side. She lies there, looking at me in the eyes, that same ugly smile still on her face.

"You are nothing," she mumbles. I kneel down, wanting our faces to be closer to one another. We look at each other directly in the eyes. "You don't deserve to win."

"Who does, then, Caelia?" I retort, screaming in her face now. "You most certainly didn't. Liora doesn't. Taima doesn't. I don't."

"I do," Caelia answers, but I just spit in her face.

"You're dead, honey," I reply, gliding the back of my hand across her face. She shakes, making her skin even warmer than it already is. "And I'm the one who killed you."

"I'm not dead…"

"You will be soon," I say, reaching over to rip out of one my knives. When I do tear it out of her, she lets out a muffled scream. "I'm going to need this. But, you know what?"

"I'm not dead…," she repeats.

"For the audience," I say, leaning closer to her, drawing the knife. I position it right in front of her throat, slowly moving it closer and closer. "They'll like this."

And with that, I shove the knife right through her throat. She coughs up blood, and just like that, she stops breathing. Her body goes silent and her eyelids close. It's a lot harder to take out the knife than it is to shove in, but I eventually get it, my hand becoming covered in blood.

Standing back up, I poke her body with my foot one more time. Once I do, her cannon goes off, indicating her death. Well, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I always knew I could kill a Career, but this really proved that. Not just to myself, but to everyone watching.

To Liora and Taima, too.

Wherever they are, I'll be coming for them next. With only three of us left, it's time to fight. Enough running around and hiding; if the Gamemakers don't push us together, I will. I'll instigate it all. I'll play the villain.

If I can kill Caelia, I can Liora. I can kill Taima.

I can kill anyone.

I will kill anyone.

District Two, Caelia Harlow – Placed 4th

Author's Note:

So, with Caelia gone, we have the Final Three: Liora, Cerise, and Taima. I'll tell you that Day Eight is the Final Day of the Games, so one of them will become Victor next chapter. Who will it be? Stay tuned to find out.

Questions!

Who do you think will be Victor?

Who do you want to be Victor?