Day Four, Morning

Jynx Blackthorne, District 2 Victor:

Coffee in hand, I walked into the hotel room. It was almost as nice as the room the Victors gave us; regal carpets, nice walls, furniture crafted neatly from the rowan tree. I thought that I needed a coffee to get through today, but this was nice. Maybe I could go to sleep tonight without another murder on my conscience.

"Ah, Jynx," Caecilius smiled. He sat on a large chair, and gestured to one opposite. There was something intriguing about the new Hunger Games interviewer. Unlike last years' interviewer, Nadia, he managed to understand when to keep his nose out of other people's business. But still... I knew he had other motivations. "Do sit."

I obeyed, denying his offer of a drink and shaking my coffee in front of him. He smiled, and I took a sip.

"Well, I've never known a mentor to neglect all of their tributes at such a crucial moment," he said.

"You offered me a million credits for this exposé."

"And a million you shall receive, still, this interview is scheduled to last over twenty-four hours. In the Games, every hour is vital. Is it wise to just let your tributes go without your support or guidance for eight hours?"

I glared at him. "They're Careers, they're fine," I took another swig of coffee. "Why, do you know something I don't, pretty boy?"

"All I know is that when the day ends, you best check the recap," he said cryptically. For a second, I felt a little worried, but they had their escort looking after them. Jericho was strong and Lorelei could throw knives like no-one's business. And really, did I give a shit about them that much anyway? A million credits was enough to buy a village in District Two. I was quite happy with that. "Anyway," Caecilius continued. "Our interview, on your whole life and three Games, for The Panemian Standard. The cameras told your story, but we've never totally heard it all from those purple painted lips."

"You're very flattering," I laughed, placing my coffee cup back down onto the table as I finished it. "Interviewers haven't been so nice in a long time. It's popular to grill tributes as opposed to interviewing them, nowadays."

"This is the Capitol, and for a city that consists of sparkle and shine, we've lost a bit of it lately, haven't we?" Caecilius smiled. "But Jynx, it's your turn to sparkle and shine. First thing is first - your backstory."

"What is there to say?" I shrugged. "I was born in a comfortable family from District Two - I was literally raised in the Victor's village," I grinned. "My father, Cadence Blackthorne, won the one-hundredth and forty-ninth Games, the one before they gave the tributes superpowers for the Quarter Quell." I reminded Caecilius, and he nodded, remembering. Only old people were alive when that happened, but we'd all seen it on tape or at one AM replays of Games. "He was smart, skilled and strong. He married a beautiful woman and she became his housewife. He had two little girls." I looked into Caecilius' probing, warm eyes. "He was always a little disappointed that he never had a little boy to carry on the Victor thing."

"But he had the ultimate Victor, he had you," Caecilius said.

"Right. After my sister was born, he kind of gave up, decided it was time to train the girls," I smiled. "My little sister, Styx, always got offended whenever she found out he wanted boys. She wasn't like me. She wasn't cold, nor was she detached. She was a hot head who always wanted to prove herself, while I was a wallflower who didn't want to be a Victor; I wanted to be a vet, actually, but Styx trained all day every day to become the ultimate victor, much like my dad." I rolled my eyes. "I trained, and I was pretty good, but I wasn't as good as my sister was; she was always the ambitious, motivated one."

"But you volunteered."

"Yes..." I said, the memory stinging. "I volunteered the year after my dad died of cancer."

"Ah," Caecilius paused. "Sad."

"It shook my world," I told him, deciding to light a cigarette. I took a drag, exhaling purple smoke. "I was seventeen. My sister a little younger. I was approaching my last Reaping and Styx wouldn't volunteer for ages. I knew the moment he passed away in my arms that I had to drop my dreams of being a vet, I was to be a victor. That year, for the first time, I gave training my all. I desensitised myself from death by participating in District Two's execution schemes, helping them kill rapists, thieves, murderers and rebels. Every time I felt myself tire, I remembered I was doing this for him. Eventually, I became better than my acclaimed sister. That was in the space of a year. I knew it was the right time to volunteer."

"And you were right."

I blew a smoke ring in his face. "Of course I was. My pre-Games went well, I was accepted into a good Career alliance - though I always clashed with my District partner, Romulus, who was jealous of me. I got a score of twelve, one of only a tiny handful who had achieved the highest score, and my interview and chariot events went perfectly. I wasn't as confident as I was now; I was still quiet and unassuming, but a small part of me knew if I did things right, I had it in the bag." I stubbed out the cigarette, gripping a bottle of decanter and pouring it into a smaller glass. As I applied ice, I continued: "We all know my first Games' arena; it was a large high school, and we were all put in stupid school uniforms. The Bloodbath was a reasonable one. We lost the One girl, whose face I barely remember - a pretty face named Esmerelda, killed by the Ten boy. But we killed ten tributes. I killed three in that Bloodbath alone."

"Ah, you were quite the powerhouse - it was one of the biggest and greater Bloodbaths in one-hundred years."

"I'll drink to that," I lifted my glass in a toast, taking a gulp of alcohol. "Meant we were left alone for the first two days, no deaths, no need to hunt really. Gave me time to bond with my allies," I grinned. "I thought the Four tributes were nice, but I was wrong," I moved on: "Romulus was always a prick. He thought that because I was quiet and not domineering. He thought I was weak despite my skill. He tried to pick on me. But the One boy, Glint, was my favourite." I sighed. I only knew Glint for a week of my entire life. But his memory was a fond one for me. "We clicked over everything. He'd lost his dad, too. He was motivated to win like I was. We just clicked.

We started hunting on the third day of the Games, wandering the halls and raiding classrooms. But it wasn't that fruitful. A cannon did fire, though. The Eleven girl was killed. Still, we were frustrated. Romulus, who had assumed the role of leader, demanded that we all split up - we could take all of the tributes, who were probably simpering and weak, even when divided. That was his logic, but it got me into a load of shit. While Romulus went hunting with Glint, I went hunting with the Four tributes."

"I love this part," Caecilius said, scribbling notes furiously. I glared at him and took another sip of spirit.

"Azmus and Droplet, the Fours, still seemed sweet as we hunted. I kind of assumed they were best friends, like with Glint and I, they had become very tight knit. Our day was uneventful until we found blood trailing into a school cafeteria. It seemed like we were being directed to a kill, and there'd be loads of food there to steal. We all fell for the trap - the Six girl, who I always assumed was a weakling, had teamed up with her District partner. They lured us with a bunch of tributes into the room where there was a load of food in the middle. I remember her laughing, saying she had already ensured that there was a feast. With that, she ran away.

Sadly, we were up against strong tributes. The Tens were in an alliance - the girl was a pro with a crossbow, she must have been an animal herder back home. Her District partner was the one who killed Esmeralda, so I knew he was strong too. Only the Twelve boy was the weakest link, but he didn't have much luck. He tried to run away, but the Ten boy decapitated him with the swing of an axe. We couldn't move either; the Ten girl was ruthlessly pelting crossbow bolts at us. I ducked beneath a table, using it to block myself, and Azmus and Droplet had the same idea - but it was too late. Droplet was hit in the lung. The Ten boy collected most of the food while the girl held us off, and then they sprinted away. It was humiliating, being outed by non-Careers."

"But you weren't outed, you won," Caecilius said.

"That," I lifted a finger. "Will come later.

Anyway, to my annoyance, I was the only one with first aid knowledge. Pro tip: Don't get an arrow to the lung. We almost lost her, but after spending about eight hours nursing her to full health, she was okay again. We wasted a lot of resources, and about half the resources the Ten tributes left behind, but we did it." I rolled my eyes. "Which was a bad idea, because the stupid bitch started pointing a finger at me. Told her ally that it was my fault, I could have killed the Ten girl before she was hit with my throwing knives. Wish I had the chance to tell her how stupid she was being."

"Why? What happened?"

"He knocked me out, that's what," I sighed, gulping more alcohol down. "Can I have coffee with whiskey in it?" Caecilius nodded, snapping his fingers and summoning Avoxes. "I woke up tied to a stake." I nodded at Caecilius' expression - he was an intelligent creature, and a social chameleon. He seemed to know when and how to react to a person's story. "Apparently I deserved to 'burn like a witch.' So they lit the stake and got away. It was one of..." I counted. "Three times in my life I thought everything was over. But I kept a calm head - the flames burned like hell, but they were concentrated at the bottom of the stake. I waited for the bottom of the stake to get weakened, by then fire was already spreading across my legs. I used my strength and the stake's weakness, pushing back on it harshly with my body weight. It snapped and I was rolled away, moving the stake by a discarded arrow and using the edge to cut the ropes away. I was agonised, but I kept my cool and ran away."

My coffee had been handed to me, free with a topping of whiskey. My mind was a little bit buzzed now, but I was okay. I took a small sip.

"Same can't be said for other tributes," Caecilius said. "The fire destroyed the arena - and the Nine girl's life. But you got away okay, and was sponsored anti-burn cream that got you in tip top shape."

"The arena, the Nine girl," I shrugged and sipped. "Irrelevant. And I'd have survived without the cream."

"Okay... Carry on."

"The next day I got my way back to the Career camp. It was in ruins, but everyone survived okay. And the backstabbing Four pricks were there. I'd learned from that moment on to not trust Four kids - I mean, have you seen the new Four girl?" She made me look tame. "They'd lied, saying I was caught in rubble as the arena went up in flames, and I'd bleed out. As much as he was a bastard, my District partner was honest. He threw an axe in Azmus' head. So yeah, he died. His District partner speared Romulus in the shoulder, managing to limp away in the chaos. She was screaming incoherently, saying her and Azmus were lovers and they planned to win the Games together all this time," I drank and hiccoughed. "Stupid, young love. She died the next day, the stupid bitch. Day eight was a relaxing one, kind of. Glint told me he missed me and that he was upset at the prospect of me dying. It was... one of the few times I've been touched. Too bad Romulus, as much as a prick as ever, told us the Careers were over. He walked out on us. But I understood why," my words started to slur. "I respected the bastard. Never got to tell him that.

But I was with Glint. And we were glad to be together - we were a power couple in the final eight, considering the Six bitch's ally died. We assumed she betrayed him. We had another day of rest, but... It went downhill during the second day. The Gamemakers sent giant flies after us, flies that released a concrete substance that went solid instantly. Glint and I got away okay, but one of the tributes was killed. Seven left.

We were like action heroes. I thought... I thought we'd make it to the end," I sighed. "We didn't."

"The next moment you're about to describe to me is considered one of the most famous moments in Hunger Games history."

"Because I literally opened the girl's chest while she was alive?" I snorted, saying sarcastically: "Go me; we literally walked into her trap. We passed what looked like a gymnasium among the ruins, but it was intact. Through the door there was a sponsor gift, falling to the floor. Glint fell for it, but I saw that it was connected to a wire. I ran in after him, but it was too late. Wire trapped the doors shut. In the room, we could already hear screams. The Three girl died and the Six girl, who had gutted her, came out of the shadows, cackling.

I remembered the bitch. She'd set up the cafeteria trap, and now she'd set up an even better trap. Glint tried to break out, but failed. The Six girl introduced herself as Grace, telling us menacingly that she'd never killed a Career before. With the flick of a knife, a wire was snapped and my world felt like it shattered. A large light, cackling with electricity, fell on Glint's head, killing him. I had no time to mourn, because she was trying to kill me. I rolled out of the way, jumped, avoided her traps as she sent the ceiling plummeting after me. She'd also tried to throw knives, but she was a bad shot. When I outmanoeuvred her, she tried to run away. But I gripped her, shoving her against wall.

Her skull shattered against the wall. She was the same as other weaklings, only she had the ego to think she could beat Careers. The stupid bitch tried to manipulate me, calling me a murderer. But I slashed her chest once, calling her a hypocrite. She'd killed... She'd even killed her own ally."

"She didn't, though, did she?"

"Nah. She was crying and pleading, telling me she killed the Three girl because she'd killed her ally with a poison needle. She liked her ally. Still, my sympathy metre wasn't struck, not after she killed Glint. I told her she'd lost her ally," my words were becoming really slurred. "She knew how I felt. Like getting your heart torn out. She'd feel that again - so I did it, I slashed the skin of her chest away so she was still alive, her heart was visible underneath the ribcage. As she howled in agony, I tore it out. I remember feeling... nothing. Nothing but the blood running down my arm as the heart beat on its own two more times. Then she was silent, and it ceased in my hand."

"That was the moment we realised who you were."

"Same here," I nodded. "Four people entered that gymnasium. I was the only one who left, because I was the smartest, the quickest and strongest."

"And the finale?"

"Oh," I laughed. "I woke up in the most interesting way - the Gamemakers sent autonomous cars after us. Yep, cars. Were they out of ideas?" I laughed. "The cars chased me. I ran. I knew why when they made me run about a mile through the school grounds, to what looked like a football stadium. They stopped at the ticket gates and I forced myself in - I was greeted by the loudest noise. Screaming. Real screaming. I looked around and saw that thousands of Capitolites were there, protected by a forcefield, observing us and cheering us on.

But this was a gladiator battle, not a football match. This was the last battle.

Romulus walked in not long after me, barely out of breath. The Ten tributes entered afterwards, on opposite ends. When they saw each other, to the Capitol's delight and my luck, they charged at each other. There must have been something wrong that happened between them. Romulus charged after me, but at least I only had him to worry about for now. Still, he was the strongest competitor. Despite me scoring a twelve, he was almost as good, and he had a knack for making me feel worthless. He knocked me to my feet, and he apologised at me as he rose his spear.

A cannon fired in the background, but I had no time to linger on that thought: I rolled over, and before he could react I tore the spear out and slammed it into his gut. I remembered feeling his breaths freeze. In that next second I span around Romulus, the arrow bolt the Ten girl shot at me slammed into his chest. In retaliation, I launched a knife right into her neck. Another cannon fired and the Ten girl fell on top of her District partner's corpse.

Romulus slashed my side with a knife he kept. It took me by surprise. He was way more injured than I was. But he was ambitious, and god loves a trier. While the Capitol screamed, I finally slashed the knife into his throat."

"Do you remember your thoughts whilst winning? Or your last words to him?" Caecilius asked, scribbling another page out.

"Not really... I remember feeling happy. I was that shy girl who wanted to make her dad proud. I'd lost on the way, it was painful, but I did it. I won the Hunger Games with flying colours," I said, setting my drink down and feeling a funny feeling in my stomach. "The whole thing is so blurry now. Maybe because I'm drunk, maybe because it was so long ago. I remember I looked into Romulus' eyes as he died, and I told him 'We had our moments, but I liked you. But now you're dead. And I win.'" I paused. "When he fell to the ground, I said 'I'm stronger than everyone. I am the ultimate Victor.'"

Delilah Fauve, District 11, 16

Emptiness.

Since I got Iopian's message, I knew something was wrong. But what was it? Were my family dead? What was happening? Did I even have a chance of winning? Things had been going so well, I hadn't been caught and I had Lexie by my side. But now there was only darkness. The only thing that stopped me from slipping into nothingness completely was uncertainty; but in many ways, the uncertainty was what pained me the most. All I knew what that my cover had been blown somehow, maybe only the highest in the Capitol knew, maybe everybody in Panem bar the other tributes knew.

"Okay, we're by the library now," Lexie said. She had been looking at a portrait of a library for thirty minutes; it had a domed roof and many floors, the bookshelves spread out like towering fortresses, encompassing and trapping the room, towering right up the ceilings. The library seemed too grand to be real, though. It was a figment of an artists' imagination. "I just know it."

"Because we're by a picture of a library?" I tried to keep any snark out of my tone. Lexie had been understanding, or as understanding as somebody who had no idea what was actually happening could be.

"Just... Please, try to be optimistic," Lexie sighed, putting the portrait back to the wall. "God knows we need it."

I told her that I had a secret - a vital secret - up my sleeve. But I couldn't dare tell her what that was. Even if the whole Capitol knew, I couldn't tell her. How would she react? I'd grown to like Lexie. The thought of her ever turning against me, of hating me, actually hurt. Maybe she'd even turn against me or try to kill me for keeping such a vital secret from her. Maybe she'd even be understanding, as Lexie had always been. But the uncertainty, as usual, was constant and painful. Even worse, what if the Capitol actually didn't mind and that note meant something completely different? Whispering the secret to Lexie could be caught by the millions of microphones that bugged the Palace, and if those words were caught, my secret would definitely be exposed.

Lexie walked forward. Her white and gold dress was still, somehow, pure and clean even after three days. There was no blood or dirt across it. It had, in some ways, been torn after being dragged behind her for so long, it was a little ruffled, but it still gave an image of perfection. Her dark hair trailed behind her, melding with the gold of her dress. She was so much more beautiful and kind than I could hope to be. She almost gave off an angelic vibe. I couldn't help but stare after her, feeling bad. I had promised her my secret wouldn't hurt her, but when I thought about it, I didn't know if that promise could really be fulfilled.

"You coming?" She said, turning to face me. I smiled weakly at her. "Nate, what's up?"

"I'm just... Deep in thought," I said, straining my voice, keeping it deep. "No problem."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to explore," I said. "Stay close."

Lexie also had a bit of a flaw - well, it could considered bad or good - but she was a curious creature. She liked knowing everything going on around her. She was the kind of person who asked you if you were okay everytime you showed the tiniest hint of sadness. It made everything that bit more difficult.

My palm pressed itself against cold tapestry. The scene was definitely a weird one: it was a large book, surrounded by what looked like noblemen and kings. A priest of sorts was blessing the strange book. My hand trailed away, to something that was supposed to be part of the scene but seemed distinctly separate. It was a large scorpion, chained tightly as if tried to pinch and thrash at the people.

I crouched down to observe the scene more distinctly; it still looked strange, no matter how I tried to assess it. What was the book? Why were people surrounding it? What was the scorpion? Why was it that of all the tapestries, this one unsettled me most when it was surrounding by others depicting stories of marriage, joy, death and other vital life events? I traced patterns and spiralling colours before concluding that the picture probably meant nothing. I leaned up, stepping to decide and checking my reflection out in the nearest mirror.

I thought I was good at concealing my emotions - and my face did look blank. But it also seemed numb, too. I looked at my boyish face helplessly as a small tear rushed down my cheek, slipping to the floor. I didn't want to do this. What other options were there? I saw the Bloodbath, it was brutal. Nate would've easily been swept away in it. But... This was just too difficult, it was just too much. It was physically, emotionally and psychologically demanding on every level. And I cursed myself for thinking that it could've been any easier.

I froze when I noticed something. My reflection was staring at me with a smile on its face. But I wasn't smiling.

Even more unsettling, the smile was malicious.

"Hey, Nate, why the long face?" It said. That was my voice - and not the voice I had to put on every second. My natural, effeminate voice. "Or should I say Delilah?"

"What the..." I looked at it, shocked.

"Or Lia? You prefer that nickname, don't you?"

It felt weird, talking to myself. But I knew who I was talking too. The demonic reflection laughed infernally, but I pressed my palm against the glass desperately. "Who is this? Is this the Capitol? Who knows? Where are my parents?"

"Where are your parents?" It asked me darkly.

... Iopian... The Capitol wanted to get this out of me. He must have hid them successfully.

"I don't know," I smirked, facing up to it. It was weird to see myself look so shocked, so enraged. "And you're not going to find out."

"Aww, so gutsy," the reflection turned around and faced me again with red, glowing eyes. It shrieked out gales of psychopathic glee. "Well, we have you in our clutches Delilah Fauve!" Its whispers then turned into loud screams that filled the whole Palace. I turned around, noticing that its noise had attracted Lexie. She was running towards me, daggers at the ready: "We'll make sure you suffer a long, painful death, and your little girlfriend is going to suffer the same fate! You'll both die!"

I tried to run, but hands gripped me through the mirror. They were my hands, though they felt cold and dead. I tried to pull forwards, but could only scream helplessly. Next thing I knew, the hands yanked me back and I was forced into the glass of the mirror. Lexie didn't get there in time as I felt glass shatter on my back violently, sending blood dripping to the floor. I expected death, expecting to fall through the mirror and into a dark Wonderland, but I only slipped to the floor and joined the shards of glass while stars filled my vision. Lexie crouched down beside me, shocked.

Alexandria Tarsus, District 1, 15

"Nate?"

I pulled him up, noticing his back was torn and bloody. I didn't even know what happened. One second everything was normal, the next I just heard tremendous noise. It seemed as if everything was suddenly catapulting to action, and it was terrifying. Now I was nursing Nate. I checked his pulse and sighed when I noticed he was alive, though a little bit groggy. How would his heart cope with such an attack?

"Nate," I tapped his cheek. He looked up at me, his eyes misty.

I should've been there to help him - he won't die, assuming his heart won't give way, but he got a nasty shock. It could've all been avoidable had I rushed to his aid quickly. But everything was okay - how could've I expected it to go disastrously wrong in mere seconds? But this was the Hunger Games. I was stupid for not expecting everything to go wrong in mere seconds. I let his head rest in my arms, feeling as it was my fault.

"I'm okay," he finally breathed. I smiled as he leant up on his own accord, groaning. "Holy Panem, that hurt."

"Is your heart okay?" I said.

"Er, I had a shock... I... I think I'm fine."

"We have to stop, then," I smiled. "Rest your heart, before anything else goes wrong."

"No," Nate stood up. Instinctively, he went to check out his reflection, before realising the mirror was had smashed. However, unlike Nate, I noticed something. I noticed that there wasn't any wall behind the mirror. As he stepped back, wincing, I dashed towards it and gripped the frame, launching it aside and watching with interest as it revealed a long hole in the wall. The frame splintered, sending the remaining pieces of glass bouncing across the carpeted floor and I peered inside, gasping.

"What is that?" Nate asked.

"This is it," I said, hoisting myself in the hole and crouching. Slightly encumbered by my dress, I proceeded to crawl forward: "The library is here."

Nate grumbled something in protest, but after everything, I don't think he challenged me. I had used this library, with its apparent reward, as a incentive to go forward and not break down, and I think Nate understood that and in the process didn't challenge me. Not just that, but at this stage in our alliance, I don't think he had the power to challenge me. He was such a mysterious person, and I think he knew that if he burdened me anymore I may have to challenge him for once. But I did like him. Still, what was his secret? Why couldn't I learn it? And how could I lay awake at night assured it wouldn't destroy me?

"What was the mutt that attacked you?" I asked. It was weird I hadn't asked that yet.

"It was... my own reflection," Nate said. "It started talking to me - it was saying awful things. And then when I turned to call you it grabbed me, launched me backwards."

"Yeah, I wish we had first aid or something," I said apologetically. "I heard the thing shout. Something about you and 'your girlfriend' suffering a long, painful death. Standard Hunger Games stuff." I stopped crawling, turning to look at him. "Did it speak to you before that?"

"No," he replied almost instantaneously as we started crawling again. I didn't show him my reaction: a subtle smirk. He was lying, I knew that because his reply was fired back at me quicker than a bullet, as if he knew the question was coming and had rehearsed the answer. Still, for matters of convenience, I kept quiet even though suspicion and fear grew rampant inside.

Soon I was able to push myself out into freedom - into a large room. As soon as I did, I froze, and I heard Nate gasp behind me as I felt myself become dwarfed inside the largest room of the Palace thus far. A spiral staircase snaked around the walls, forming the many solid floors beneath and eventually ascending into a glass ceiling which blasted light downwards. And the walls were completely unseeable underneath the colossal oak bookshelves, which shot up the room like bamboo, possessing hundreds of thousands - maybe even millions - of leather bound books.

"Wow..." The library felt so warm. I felt the soft carpet underneath, observing the ladders that spread across the room. They could be climbed extremely high. It seemed as if they descended into heaven itself. "It's like in the painting..."

"It's... really cool," Nate agreed.

"Wow." I repeated, amazed.

The first floor of the library appeared to be the biggest. It was a field of bookshelves, fires that spread warmth throughout and plush couches. There was also beautiful art that only increased the feeling of regality; towering statues, large globes, rugs and - in the few spots where wall was visible - large, beautiful paintings. I turned around the room, still not comprehending its size and beauty. How did the Gamemakers design this library in six months, never mind the whole Palace? It made me feel incredibly small, like a planet within a deep universe.

And I was here, somehow feeling both enamoured and insignificant.

Spreading through the library, dancing down the staircase, was the voice of Leein Malpin. The Games' commentator. The one who announced important things.

"Tributes..."

Darius Cortez, District 8, 16

"Congratulations on making it to Day Four!" The voice announced. "Granted, it isn't extremely far in the Games, but nine tributes are dead. We've already made it a good way through the Games, and this is where is gets..." His cheery voice paused, and the next word was said with a darkness that sent chills down our whole spine: "Hot."

"What does he mean?" Hadley said, almost shrinking into a ball. His whole face dawned with terror. "What does that mean?"

"Shh," Mirane snapped.

"Last year, a week through the Games, we had a themed day - the day of fear!" Oh yeah, I remembered that. One of the tributes was burnt to a crisp and a Career got his brains blown out. Cheerful. "It went down a treat with viewers! So today we'll have another themed day. It may seem a little early, but we decided today will be the Day of Secrets - nifty, right? So, why day four? Because it's coincided beautifully! Four days have passed, and there are four tributes out there who are hiding their own lovely secrets! Isn't it a beautiful coincidence?"

I looked at Hadley and Mirane once. Both of them were listening intently.

"So, to those four tributes hiding secrets - you know who you are - the whole Gamemakers are doing something wonderful! We're going to send a pretty little letter down right now, with your name on it," there was a sharp laugh. "Your allies will read it out and all those little secrets you're hiding will be out in the open for everybody to enjoy! Good day!" The anthem blasted through the arena once for the next few minutes, sounding way too cheery as we stood in a black corridor that looked as if it were fit for a funeral. Mirane seemed to study Hadley and I for a few minutes.

"So, when do these letters arrive?" She was glaring at us.

"He said right now..." Hadley looked worried. "I-I don't have any secrets. I promise."

"Me neither," I said, truthfully. I looked at Mirane. "He said he'd do straight away. No letter has been sent, so don't be so trigger happy," I smiled at the gun which she held tightly in her hands.

She looked at both of us with a steely expression.

"Fine."

"Moving on," I said.

As if nothing happened, we continued forwards. When I went into the Palace last night, I had managed to stumble across something fascinating. Sadly, it meant that I had gotten lost. Mirane managed to find me, but I had to lead my allies to this new cranny in the mansion I had found. Hadley and I walked, though Mirane charged forwards authoritatively. I smiled at Hadley apologetically before increasing my pace, walking besides Mirane:

"Do you know where we're going?" I teased.

"Well, you certainly aren't leading the way," Mirane said.

"Left," I said as we reached the end of the corridor. She turned left. I was pretty sure it was left... But Mirane didn't like uncertainty. Not saying anything, I looked around for signs of familiarity.

"Where are you even taking us?" Mirane asked.

"Do you want to be surprised?"

"I hate surprises."

"You won't hate this one," I grinned.

"I'm hoping we have struck lucky," she lamented. "We need food. We've been starving for days, and though we managed to eat something last night, it wasn't enough - and we've already consumed like half of it." She sighed. "We've still got water, I guess. And a lot of ammo. It can't be all bad. All I know is that when we bump into a tribute, you need to tell Hadley to close his eyes. He's a soft kid. Death really gets to him, doesn't it?" I nodded. "Yeah. I don't know how he'd react if he saw me blow a kid's brain out. I know I wouldn't like it..."

"We have to do what has to be done," I said reluctantly. I knew that I would have to kill. The moment I was reaped, I remembered dread filling me - when I walked onto the stage, I didn't just feel as if my life was at risk, I knew that there was a big chance that I would take a life. And I did. And it hurt every single day. But I knew I'd do it again and again, especially if I knew it would protect my allies or let me see my family again.

"You're beginning to sound like me."

"You were always the practical one," I told her. "I-I'm not built for this. For killing," I glanced at the scabs that formed around my palms. "I don't know if I could kill again unless I really really had to, but I do know I could turn around and close my eyes as you do the dirty work. I'm a coward like that."

"You're smart," Mirane said. "Unlike Hadley." When I gave her an accusatory glance, she explained herself: "Not that Hadley is dumb. Hadley is a smart kid. He always says things that I don't quite understanding, he's so smart its out of my depth," she smiled. "But he isn't street smart. He's been sheltered. Death shocks him, and I doubt he'd have it in him to kill no matter what happens."

"He'll be okay," I said, glancing behind me. I wasn't sure if I was lying or not. Hadley was dawdling after us, observing the decor of the long corridor we were in. His eyes were transfixed on a familiar painting of an Angel which had its finger pointed directly at whoever dared look at it. I remembered that painting, too, because something about it was unsettling. It always felt as if its eyes were on you. At least I knew I was going in the right direction.

"He's a nice kid. I like him," Mirane said. "You should check up on him. He may look as if he's coping, but sometimes it's hard to tell whether someone like that is coping or is merely surviving on a coping mechanism. And he likes and knows you much more than he likes or knows me," she reminded me. "He'll like it even if you just check up on him. Just tell me where to go from here."

"Keep going forward," I told her as we started to pass large doorways. "On the third intersection, go right. Then we're there."

"Brilliant," she said, readying her gun.

I purposely lingered behind, letting Mirane stride a good few metres ahead of me. Eventually, I was level with Hadley. I purposely adjusted my pace so that I was walking the same way he was. He was going pretty slowly - not because he was slow, but he seemed to like to get to grips with his environment. He looked around at all the ornaments, probably searching for clues or traps.

"Did Mirane tell you to talk to me?" Hadley said. "I like her."

"Yeah, she did," I said honestly.

Hadley took the comment dishearteningly. "Oh. I should've known you didn't want to talk to me."

"No!" I sighed. "Don't think that for one second. I've known you since what? We've spoken well over a week now, of course I like you," Hadley looked at me unsurely, but I smiled. "You're my favourite person here, really. I consider you a friend. We've spoken since this hell started, and despite everything..." I didn't mention specifics, out of fear they'd stir old emotions up into the surface. "... You're still here. And I want to keep it that way for a while."

"I like you too," Hadley said. "I haven't been the nicest ally or friend lately. It's just... It's been difficult."

"I understand," I paused. "And I should have been understanding. That conversation we had... a day or two ago," I sighed. "I kind of brushed you off when you mentioned Freya's death. Said that there was no problem with it." I patted his shoulder. "And I know there's a problem with it. I killed a girl, none of that's your fault, and I know it was for the greater good... but I regret it," Mirane turned right as instructed, and Hadley and I soon followed suite. "And I know you don't want to talk about it, but I really am sorry about Brandy and Connie." I frowned. "Brandy's death still gets to me, it's hard to sleep without thinking about..." I paused. "And Connie seemed like a nice girl."

"She liked nice paintings," Hadley sighed. "She'd like this arena."

He didn't cry. In fact, he didn't show any emotions. I liked to think Hadley was improving. He was definitely coping a lot better, but I still knew he was in pain. We all were. We'd already seen things that no kid should see. If I left the arena alive and well tomorrow, the memory of the Bloodbath alone was enough to make sleeping difficult. I patted him again, not knowing if it was awkward or reassuring for Hadley. But he did give me a smile, and a smile that felt authentic and real. Knowing that we didn't need to talk anymore, I walked with my friend for a little while until we got there:

"Oh my god!" Mirane said. "Darius, this is... Perfect!"

We entered a quaint conservatory, filled with plush sofas and attractive plants. Through glass panes, prisms of light filled the room and gave us a glimpse of the azure sky and verdant greenery outside. That was what Mirane focused on. Even Hadley followed her in awe as she pulled down the door handle, letting the door open as fresh air filled the room. We stepped out into the garden, surrounding by the Palace's grounds and - even more importantly - the berry bushes and fruit trees which I stumbled across. For now, food wasn't a problem.

Trojan Reid, District 3, 15

Well, looks like somebody stood on the gingerbread house. Since the announcement, Seb and Carlie had started bickering. When it was revealed that someone in the alliance was a rat, it was hard to continue playing happy families.

The argument wasn't intense, but I knew Carlie wouldn't win. She was too sure of herself. She was smart, but the way she acted... She may as well have swan dived into a pit of lava. I just found it even more hilarious that of all people, it would be the Gamemakers to expose her secret. Not that her secret was exposed, but Seb now knew that somebody was hiding a secret in the alliance. The letter that the Gamemakers tried sending down had conveniently stuck itself on the ceiling beams, so it wasn't exactly accessible.

"I'm not hiding secrets from anybody!" Carlie snapped at Seb, repeating herself for the millionth time. "How could you distrust me like that?"

"I didn't ever distrust you, but I just know that somebody here is hiding secrets!"

"Well I know that's not me!"

"Oh yeah?" Carlie stood on her tip toes, pushing her face into Sebastian's. "Well you would say that, wouldn't you? That'd be convenient, right?"

Sebastian tried to retort, but he failed. Which made sense, really. I knew he had no secrets, Carlie knew and he knew. But he didn't have any proof. He could only open and close his mouth uselessly, before accepting some kind of defeat. Carlie glanced at him with some sympathy. She knew that she couldn't blame him, because she relied on him for now. She had to play strategically, to push the blame off herself in a way that allowed her to remain in an alliance with Seb. In that split second I felt the room go cold as she turned to glance at me.

"I trust you, Seb," Carlie told him. "And I beg of you... Please trust me! I would never hurt you! Isn't it obvious? It's always been me and you from the start, Seb, but this is the rat who is scheming against us."

See looked at me. "But he's tied up."

"Does that matter?" Carlie said venomously. "You don't need to be free to keep a secret."

"What can he do?"

"Don't be naive, Seb, this isn't sunshine and rainbows... It's the Hunger Games... I learned that the hard way when those kids just brutally killed Aurochs... With no remorse," Carlie glanced at Seb, sighing sadly. "Kids ain't nice like you are, Seb. In fact, they'll turn around and stab anybody in the back if it conveniences them. We know he's the same. I thought it'd be smart to keep him in, he seemed smart. But I just realised he was a kid who tried to happily crush us with a statue. I saved you that day, remember?" Seb nodded sadly, glaring at me and readying his gun. "He might not seem like much tied up, but he's up to something. He's waiting for our alliance to crash and burn so he can dance in the ruins."

I thrashed in my ropes. I couldn't let Carlie win. The Gamemakers were supposed to catalyse her downfall, but not my own. Unable to get away, I slumped to my side as Seb held his gun, aiming it at me:

"Yes," Seb said, his voice wavering. It then became more firm. "You're right."

"Seb, you're more reasonable than this," I squirmed uncomfortably, feeling scared and totally helpless for the first time ever. He paused before he aimed the gun at me. Carlie treated Seb like he was a simpleton who couldn't think beyond his morality, but I knew that he was rational. "I'm not going to tell you Carlie is wrong, I can't prove that, but you honestly don't know what is what. I know it'd be a pain for your conscience if you killed an innocent - you might kill an innocent now, right?" Carlie glared at me, annoyed, but she kept her cool. "And you're keeping someone with a secret in the alliance, too, setting yourself up for death."

Seb paused. "I..."

"Kill him, you trust me, Seb!"

"I... I don't know..." He paused.

"You have to know for sure, this is the Games," I looked him in the eyes. "Can you afford a slip up?"

Carlie looked at me once as Seb let the gun droop to his side. She had lost, and I knew before she did that she was going to act on it:

"Fine," she said. "So what do you suggest we do? Open the letter?"

"Free me," I said. "I can climb. I can get onto the chandelier, if I climb that I can access the beams, grab the letter and take it down, we can find out who is keeping a secret in this alliance."

"What?" Carlie seemed genuinely shocked at my proposal. "Seb, are you hearing what I'm hearing? If my papa were here-"

"It's not a bad plan," Seb said, thinking a little. "I have a gun. You may be fast, you may be able to climb, but you can't dodge bullets," I nodded to Carlie. "Let him free. He'll get that letter, if he doesn't..." He gave me a threatening look. It was the one I remembered when I first fought with Seb - the warrior he held underneath his golden armoured heart. "Then he'll try to escape, and we'll know it's him hiding secrets. Not just that, but he'll be a corpse. Untie him."

Carlie stormed over to me, looking furious. Knowing Seb couldn't see her expression, she shot me the most furious glance. I knew that she hated me, that she was on the verge of losing. If everything went to plan, she would lose. I smirked as she approached me. She started untying the knots, purposely raking her nails down my arm; I didn't know if that was a threat or you average, lovely gesture. Not wanting to give her satisfaction, I didn't make any noise, even though beads of blood dotted around my arm and pain danced through me. Soon, the ropes that had bound me for days were free.

"There, do it, expose this fraudster," Carlie hissed.

I smirked and stood up. My limbs throbbed, now unused to the liberty of moving. I think Carlie expected me to dash to the door, or to even attack her. Considering I had the aim of a shotgun neatly lined at me forehead, I knew a part of Seb expected it too. My heart beat way too fast as I made my way to the staircase, rushing up it while I felt a Seb adjust his aim to my back. I rushed up the whole stairs, reaching the edge of the banister and perching onto it. I don't know why I was shaking; maybe I was unused to moving, scared at climbing up so high or scared at the shotgun I could see pointed up at me.

I launched myself across, gripping the edge of the chandelier. The momentum led the chandelier to swing lightly to and fro like a pendulum, but I took it in my stride and went with the flow. As the momentum was lost and it only began to move a little, I used my strength to spin myself into the air and land on the edge of the chandelier. I knew it was weak and unable to take much weight, so I balanced my weight to avoid straining the chandelier into collapse.

I glanced at the thin string of the chandelier that trailed high up into the ceiling beams. It went up pretty high, but luckily, the letter didn't seem that far away now - it was golden envelope, jarred between some rotting wood. Scared that I would snap the chandelier, I tugged on the supporting ropes once. Nothing happened. I used it to hoist myself into the air, suspending myself and experimentally tugging, almost expecting to plunge. Once again, nothing happened. Scared, but assured, I moved my hands and kicked my feet so that I almost slid up the rope.

I could hear Carlie beneath:

"He's up to something Seb..."

"He's almost there!"

"Just shoot him!"

"Someone is hiding a secret, and I need to know who it was. I want to know if... if I've been betrayed."

"Seb, please!" She tugged on the arm which he held his gun. Eventually, I reached the destination. My legs seemed to jolt with relief at the feel of solid ground beneath them, but my ears were alarmed by the creaking the wood made as I made my way along it. I dashed to the letter, pinching it beneath my fingers and drawing it in front of my face.

"Who is it?" Seb asked.

I saw the name there. Carlie.

I barely had time to react, jumping instinctively as a large crack had filled the whole room. Pain roared through me as the bullet slid across the tip of my shoulder, grazing it and sending blood diving to the floor beneath. I lost my balance, swinging around uselessly and managing to keep on my feet as nausea swept over me. I don't know what happened exactly, but I knew that Carlie had somehow intercepted the gun from Seb. He was trying to grab it off her, but she screamed with rage and wrestled him, desperately trying to decorate my body with bullets.

"I. Hate. You."

With each word, Carlie's finger pushed the trigger. The first bullet had been way off, due to Seb twisting her arm and I heard plaster above crumble to the ground. When she pulled her arm away from Seb's grip, I ran behind a wooden beam, using it as protection from the second and almost falling when the wood was blasted away. To avoid the third, I suspended myself from the beam of wood, swinging and allowing myself to plummet onto the chandelier beneath.

As I gripped onto the solid metal edge, the chandelier groaned dangerously and dropped itself slightly. It almost broke, but thankfully everything was okay. As it swung violently, I released it and let physics do the rest for me. My shoulder still screaming in pain, I felt my body slam onto the solid, marble ground of the upper floor, rolling across it and groaning with agony.

"Let go of me!" I heard Carlie scream. She screeched over and over again.

I stood up, walking to the banister. Seb had grabbed Carlie, pinning her to his body with both arms. She kicked and screamed uselessly, but she was a lot smaller and weaker than he was. The shotgun lay across the ground uselessly.

"You have your rat," I announced, showing him the letter. "It was for Carlie."

"Screw you!" She screamed at me.

"Get down here and get that shotgun," Seb said, struggling with Carlie. He looked genuinely saddened. I guessed that was how most people reacted when people they trusted betrayed them. But he was naive to have trusted anybody in the first place. As the Games went on, I knew he'd either learn that himself or die. "A-And read what the letter says. I want to know the secret she has been keeping."

I ripped the envelope from the letter. I knew where this was going, and the news wouldn't be very nice for Seb, but it was his call. Smiling and acting like I hadn't almost died about ten times in the last fifteen minutes, I made my way down the stairs. My shoulder still hurt like hell. I gripped the gun, picking it up and aiming it directly at Carlie's chest. She suddenly stopped struggling and collapsed in her ally's arms, sobbing when she realised what would probably come. Seb was stupid to have trusted me with the shotgun - he barely knew me, and what stopped me from blasting his brains out? How did he know I wasn't lying, and it was my name on the letter, and I had manipulated them both?

Neither was going to be the case, but I noted Seb's strategic flaws. They could be used later.

"Okay," I glanced at the curly, silver handwriting on the yellowed parchment, reading it out to Sebastian:

"Dear Sebastian and Trojan,

You are the people who Carlie picked as her allies in one way or another. Little did you know Carlie had a great secret which she was withholding from you: She didn't consider either of you allies. You were merely pawn pieces in a game which she was more than happy to play. She planned to use your strength, wits or gun to get herself out of the arena alive, knowing full well that she was going to dispose of you both when it was convenient. To add salt to the wound, she's already done it before. As soon as Aurochs showed weakness, as soon as he became disposable, Carlie closed the doors in his face and left him to die.

With love,

The Gamemakers."

"No!" Carlie sobbed. "Th-They're lying! Let me go..." She keeled over his arms. "Please let me go."

Horror dawned on Sebastian's face. I think for him, everything seemed to click. "But they're not. You were using me, weren't you?" He threw her to the ground, and her dress and hair sprawled across the floor. She lay there, sobbing as a shamed and fallen woman. "You were planning to kill me right from the start. I considered you a friend. I considered Aurochs a friend. But you killed him. And you wanted to kill me."

"You have to understand-" She wailed into her dress.

"If it's any consolation, I do understand," I spoke up, both Seb and Carlie looking at me with shock. "What? I do. I admire people who do what they have to in order to survive, but you were plotting against me. And I do anything I can to survive, too. So, hopefully you dying will be no hard feelings-"

I aimed the gun at Carlie, but both she and Seb protested:

"No!"

I glanced at Seb, puzzled.

"I-I-"

Seb interrupted: "She's nothing without people. She's a spiteful, evil murderer, but underneath her manipulation she has no talents of her own which will enable her to survive. I want her to live what she's done, and suffer the consequences slowly. Death is too merciful," I noticed he was wiping tears away. He looked at Carlie with hatred... But there was also pain and regret.

"You sure?" I said, lowering the gun.

"Yeah," Seb said, emptily. "I'm sure."

"You've spared mine and her life now," I reminded him. "You can't always be merciful. People who are merciful too often can only expect to one day be reliant on others' mercy. Sadly, in the Hunger Games, mercy is a rare attribute."

"This isn't mercy," he said, turning away from her emptily. "Go. No bullets, no supplies, none of the chickens. Just go."

Carlie was trembling and pale. I think she was expecting to have died by now. Holding the folds of her dress in an attempt to keep them together, she got on her feet, shaking violently. Her face was red and blotchy with tears. She turned and glared at me, and then gave a more sympathetic look at Seb. She was pleading him, but he had blatantly disowned her. I didn't want to tell Seb, but I did genuinely think that Carlie cared for him. He was a pawn to her, but a pawn that she was beginning to care for. She then spat on the floor, shaking violently and running towards the door. She was still sobbing as she opened the large, towering doors that led into the ballroom.

She turned to us both.

"You'll regret this," she said to us. "You'll wish I shot you both."

And then the door slammed closed and she left the alliance forever. I stood there in silence; now free, now in an alliance I would have never expected, now without Carlie to be with. The bruises that covered my body throbbed, as did the gash that I could see along my shoulder. But I was alive. And I had a chance.

Seb snorted skeptically when silence filled the void, probably expressing skepticism at Carlie's last words to us.

But a part deep in me had a feeling she was right.

Here's your Christmas present! :)

Hope you all have a lovely holiday, whatever it is you celebrate. I thought Christmas Day would be a great day to debut 'The Day of Secrets.' It's going to be a big'un.

So, how about I get a festive review/favourite in return? :D

~Toxic

Capitol Commentator Question: Carlie's secret is out - what other secrets do you think will be exposed?

Interview Question: Favourite Christmas song? Mine is Fairytale of New York by the Pogues. LISTEN TO IT.