Finnick's POV

"Hiatus" That's all the paper on my dresser said this morning. It means we're coming close. I quickly shower and through a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt on before heading to Max's room. I knock lightly, she opens the door almost immediately, holding up the same piece of paper I received with a half happy, half guilty look. I nod, silently explaining that I received the same.

Together we walked back to the viewing room, both knowing that the only reason we'd be leaving would be two of the worst situations: either both our kids die, or one of them wins. We both know that no good comes from any of it.

We walk inside and can immediately feel the tension. Gloss is in his usual brooding mood, directing his glowering at a very terrified Enobaria who is holding onto the screen in front of her for dear life. Cash is standing at hers, arms crossed, muttering curses under her breath. Max and I run over to our screen eager to see what the commotion is about. I look at mine and see Adley sitting on a log sipping her water while sharpening a few of her knives, good girl. She knows she needs to prepare. I check over on Max's screen and I understand what the tension is about. Taupe, the boy from two, has Teeg, from one, in a death grip. She's crying, I can't tell if it's from the pain in her leg or sheer fear, maybe both. Her partner Ben is screaming at them to stop, as Satin smiles cruelly at Taupe, egging him on.

"She's useless" she says sternly. Her voice is hold, pointed. She turns toward Ben and brings her hand up to his face, caressing his cheek and jaw lightly, "She's going to die anyway," I shudder at how she uses her seductive nature to convince Ben to let them kill his partner. Satin looks over at Taupe and smiles evilly. Taupe tightens his grip around the girl's neck and her hands fly to his, trying desperately to break free. Ben starts toward the two, but Satin growls, animalistically, and lunges at him, effectively pinning him to a wall of the cave they were in.

A sickening crack echoes through the cave, then a loud thud as Taupe carelessly tosses Teeg's body to the ground. Ben's jaw tenses as he glares at his former ally. Satin smiles lustfully at him.

"What are you gonna do about it?" She growls again, but this time in dismay as Ben throws her off of him. She hits the ground hard then gets back up. The two of them circle each other, timing themselves, watching themselves, learning the other's weakness.

I look for the other two Careers. Taupe is leaning against the wall of the Cave looking smug, proud of his partner. Dars however is picking up a knife. I watch as Ben and Satin attack each other, neither of them noticing as Dars lifts the knife and throws it hard at the fighting couple. Ben staggers backward as the knife plants itself deep in his back. Satin finishes him off be snapping his neck. Dars takes this opportunity to run hard and fast into the woods surrounding them. Satin starts after him before Taupe steps in front of her.

"There's no point. She won't ally with him. He's stupid. He has nothing, no food, no water. He'll die. No point in putting yourself in danger." Satin is bouncing on her toes, watching after as their former ally disappears into the trees. Taupe puts his large hands on her shoulders, to hold her in place, and she looks at him.

The two just look at each other for what seems like an eternity. Satin whispers something that the microphones couldn't pick up. Apparently Taupe couldn't hear her either.

"Sorry, what?" He asks, leaning towards his partner. She looks longingly into his eyes.

"I'm sorry" He could barely make out a sound before she jammed a knife through his heart. The girl smiled as her partner crumpled to the ground. The canon went off and she stalked off into the woods.

Adley's POV

I jerk my head quickly at the crack of bark in the distance. I grab two of my recently sharpened knives and lower myself into a fighting stance. I know I'm lousy at hand to hand combat, but maybe if I can hit them before the get to me. I just heard 3 Canons go off, I know that means there are only two Careers left. I know they must have split up. And one of them is here.

"I know you're there" I state loudly. Arrogantly. I try to act as calm as possible, hoping they can't smell the fear on me.

"Adley?" I hear a familiar voice call out.

"Dars." I say. I grip my knives tighter, not trusting him. He steps out from behind the trees. He has nothing on him, no knives, no bag. My grip remains the same on my weapons.

"We have to kill her." I nod. Has he thought at all about what would happen after? If so, what is his plan. I quickly hatch my own. Hoping that is leaves me one step ahead of him. I reach over to the pile of knives I have and find one that I haven't sharpened yet. He can't do too much damage with a dull knife. I toss the knife toward him, he flinches as I release it and it lands on the ground in front of him. He grabs the knife, and I collect mine, and we head off.

"How have you been?" He asks. I shrug in response.

"The Careers are crazy, you were right to go alone." I stare straight ahead and nod.

"They killed each other, they were friends and they killed each other." He shook his head in disbelief. God, is he going to shut up. He's going to get us killed.

"So what's the plan?" He asks. I turn to him abruptly and hold a knife at his throat. I hold up a finger to my lips. He nods then cowers away. I'm amused. He was so cocky and arrogant before the games. Now look at him. Nothing. This is going to be easier than I thought.

A few hours later our silence is interrupted by an arrow whizzing past us and hitting a tree.

"You missed!" I shout.

"No I didn't" Satin calls as she steps out from her hiding place behind the foliage. She walks up to us, not moving to get another arrow or any other weapon. She looks at Dars and smiles, sinfully, "Long time no see."

Dars lunges at her. God I knew he was stupid. She ducked him easily and growled as she lifted him up with amazing strength. She held him by the neck against her, and whipped out a knife, holding it to his throat. Dars stilled in her grip.

Satin tsked at him, "How is it that *you* were one of us? God you have no balls at all." She pushed the knife into his skin, not nearly enough to kill, but enough to break the skin. Dars whimpered. Satin let out a monstrous laugh. "See? One little cut and you're ready to run home. What does your little partner think about that?" Satin turns to stare at me.

I just look at her and raise an eyebrow. "Why would I care?" I answered boldly. Dar's eyes widen in Satin's grip and looks at me with a pained expression. A faint whisper leaves his lips.

"Please"

"Gladly," I respond before hurling a knife into his heaving chest. Seconds later the Canon went off. Satin released her death grip on the boy. She claps her hands and stalks toward me before pulling out another knife. I spin my knives in my hands and start circling her. Quickly I throw a knife her way. She ducks, but not before it catches her face, leaving a long jagged cut on her cheek.

"Bitch" She calls and then lunges at me. Our fight is a mess of limbs, and blood, and metal. We tear at each other. I lose track of the times her knief rams into my sides, or nicks at my flesh. I run her towards a nearby tree and she trips over a rock, before I can get my knife into her she flings her foot out, bringing me to the ground.

Satin quickly hops up and lunges with her knife towards my heart. I roll out of the way, but her knife catches my stomach and as a I roll, the knife drags down my body cutting deep. I only feel agony and I grip my insides. I struggle to my feet before collapsing again. I bring my hand from my stomach to my face. Red. I've lost a lot of blood. I wince as I push myself up onto a rock. Satin stares at me, eyes red with madness.

"Do you ever take a fucking break." She hissed and lunges at me. I manage to pull my knife up and hold it above me as she falls on me. Her body collapsing onto my knife. She screams as the knife cuts through her, and her body becomes limp on top of mine. I feel her weight pressuring the blood out of my wound, I desperately wait for her canon to go off, for this agony to end, but it doesn't.

I groan as I rip the knife out from in between our bodies. I slid it up between us, catching myself a few times, but not really caring. I manage to pull the knife up between our necks and I push upward, driving my knife into her neck. I feel her body tense on top of mine as her life leaves her. The blood from her neck drips onto my chest, and the agony from her incision to my abdomen drives me into darkness.

A/N Well... Things happen in this. Yes they do. And Let's just say these last few chapters were the prologue to my story. All the fun... well not fun... starts now.

Yours, Alise