He doesn't know what to do.
The boy stands, panting, over the decimated carcass of a wolf. Its blood drips to the floor of the cave, pooling with the blood that flows from the tribute's scratches and bites, the blood that trickles from the blade of the knife.
He doesn't care. He can't bring himself to care.
All he sees – all he notices – are the strips of cloth that sit in the wolf's mouth. The torn, tattered remnants of his jacket.
He doesn't want to turn around. He can't bring himself to turn around. He knows all too well what he's going to see if he turns around.
He's seen it once before.
(He's made the same mistake once before.
How could he be so foolish?)
Deep breath.
In, out.
You owe this to her.
He shuts his eyes, turns around, and…
and there's no body.
All that remains of Ismeria is a shallow puddle of blood and another scrap of the boy's jacket.
He blinks. She was there when he left the cave. He heard her shrieks when the wolf attacked – or maybe it was wolves? Could the others have taken her somewhere?
Is there a chance she's still alive?
The boom of a cannon nips that theory in the bud.
It breaks him.
The boy falls to the ground, sobs wracking his body. This was supposed to be the way he could prove he'd changed, that he learned from his mistakes. He was going to protect Issy the way he couldn't Asli, to get her to the end safe and sound. And one choice – one stupid fucking choice, cost him – cost her everything.
How could he be so fucking stupid?
He doesn't know how long he sits, crying until there are no tears left to be shed. He doesn't know how long he mourns the loss of a girl whose life should never have fallen into his hands. He doesn't know when his eyes drift close, catapulting the boy into a fitful sleep.
But in the brief moment between when he becomes conscious and when he wakes, she comes to him.
"Oskan!" the specter calls. "Keep moving. You promised not to let my story die."
"But what if I don't deserve to tell it?"
"I chose you because you deserve it. Don't fail me now."
In a daze, as if he's controlled by something else, he wakes up. He gets to his feet. He picks up the scrap of his jacket from the puddle. He ties it around his wrist. He puts on his pack.
He takes one last look at the spot where Issy should be sleeping soundly.
He steps out of the cave.
He takes a deep breath.
And he starts walking.
He's not really sure which way to go in this vast, endless Arena. The boy isn't worried, though; he's all too used to wandering around without a destination in mind. For three years, it's all he did in Ten – meander from farm to farm, looking for whoever would take him in and give him a few days' work. At least now, he doesn't have to worry about looking for anything in particular. He can just wander.
He can just… be.
(He's not sure why this time feels different. Why the emptiness of the woods feels far lonelier, why his eyes keep drifting to look for something on the forest floor.
He hasn't quite processed that the snow's melted. That he's looking for footprints that don't exist.
That – despite everything - he's looking for someone to spend the rest of his time with.
How does his heart still want a companion? And why now?)
He knows that time passes; it's what time does, after all. But he has no idea how much time passes, how long he spends walking around the Arena. Day and night blur together into one in his mind. He knows that cannons fire – one? two? three? – but he has no idea how many, or how long passes between them. He knows he eats and sleeps, but he doesn't know when or how. He has the foresight to bandage up his wounds once, using a roll of gauze in his pack, but past that, he barely even registers that they're there.
If he became a shell of himself after Asli died, this version of the boy can't be more than a ghost.
He's broken out of his stupor by the sound of footsteps.
His hand moves faster than his brain can think, jumping to his knife and brandishing it in front of his chest. He spins around, eyes darting left and right as he tries to figure out which way the footsteps are coming from – and how many people are running right towards him.
An untrained ear wouldn't be able to make out anything specific from the cacophony of pounding feet that rushes through the forest. But the boy has spent more than enough time tracking animals in the woods that his hearing is sharp.
It's how he manages to realize that there are two people coming in his direction: one whose footsteps are light and fast, and one whose footsteps are heavy and lumbering.
At least one Career. Maybe two.
He manages to duck behind a tree just as his district partner bursts into the clearing. Daciana looks frantic, rabid even, as she spins around, frozen in the fear and panic that's etched itself into her pale eyes.
(The same fear he imagines Asli felt as the wolves descended on her.
The same panic he imagines Issy had as she woke to a wolf staring her in the face.)
There is no doubt in the boy's mind about what he has to do. He just has to time it right.
The minute he spots the other tribute's boot, Oskan Kemal leaps out of his hiding spot, throwing himself between Daciana and her assailant. Blindly, he stabs at the other tribute; he barely registers whether he makes contact or not before winding up to strike again, much less who the other tribute might be.
It's only when Oskan feels his entire arm rip open that he realizes who he's facing.
He looks up into the feral eyes of the boy from Two.
And without breaking eye contact, Oskan knees him in the crotch.
The split second in which Two doubles over in pain is just enough for Oskan to grab Daciana by the arm and bolt. Blood streams from the stinging cuts that stretch from his shoulder all the way past his elbow, but he doesn't pay it any mind. All that matters right now is getting Daciana to safety.
(It's nice to have something – someone – that matters again.)
He has no idea how long they run for. Even once Two's footsteps fade away, Oskan keeps running, checking behind him every few seconds to make sure that Daci's there. It's only once twilight settles over the Arena that Oskan finally feels safe to stop.
"You alright?" Oskan pants, slowly pacing back and forth in an attempt to lower his heart rate.
"Yeah," Daci replies. She pulls a water bottle out of her pack and takes a long swig. "Thank you. For stepping in there. I would have been a goner."
"It's the least I can do. Are you hurt at all?"
"No, I'm alright. I think he just got me a little bit on my… leg…" She trails off as her eyes land on Oskan's cuts. "But not nearly as bad as that. Are you ok?"
Oskan glances at his arm, which is now entirely coated in blood. "Oh. I didn't really notice that before."
"We gotta get you cleaned up." She rifles through her pack. "I have this roll of… some sort of medical wrap. And I guess we can use my jacket now that it's warm enough. Let me see if I have anything else-"
A thump cuts Daci off. She and Oskan look over to see that a parachute has landed beside them. Wordlessly, Oskan picks up the parachute and unties it to reveal its contents.
It's the biggest first aid kit Oskan has ever seen.
"Is that your first sponsor gift?" Daci asks, taking the box from Oskan.
"Yeah. How did you know?"
"Your eyes are the size of saucers."
"How many have you gotten so far?"
"A few. None with medical supplies, though."
Oskan frowns. Admittedly, part of him had forgotten that Abel had any involvement with the Games once the tributes were out of the Training Center. But something about the fact that Daciana has been consistently supported throughout the Games while her district partner has been hung out to dry makes Oskan rather nervous. Has Abel been helping her and not him?
What is she doing that he isn't?
"Oskan, sit for a second," Daci insists. "Let me patch you up."
"Are you sure?" Oskan replies. "I don't want to use too much of the supplies if…"
"If nothing. Your arm is a river of blood. Sit."
Oskan can't put his finger on why he hesitates before sitting down next to Daciana. He needs these cuts cleaned and bandaged so they don't bleed all over everything, and he certainly can't do it himself. And yet as he eases himself down to her side, he can't shake the uneasy feeling that builds up in his stomach.
For now, the best he can do is keep a close eye on her as she works. He just has to hope she knows what she's doing.
(He just has to hope there's nothing in the medical kit that could poison him.)
(She has no reason to poison him, right?)
(Where did that thought come from?)
"So what have your Games been like so far? What's happened to you?"
Oskan opens his mouth, then pauses. They may be district partners, but he's not sure how honest he wants to be with Daciana. At the same time, he knows Abel is watching; Oskan has a feeling Abel will not take kindly to one of his tributes lying to the other. And if Abel has been sending sponsor gifts to Daciana, Oskan knows which side he will take.
But as Oskan tries to put together a response somewhere between a lie by omission and the full truth, he realizes something much worse.
Before Issy died, all they did was wander around the Arena. After Issy died, all he did was wander around the Arena, but with even less of a sense of time. The only significant thing to happen to him has been the death of a twelve-year-old.
He cannot put his finger on anything he's done in the Arena thus far.
He has to say something. He can't make the mistake of saying nothing again. The last thing he needs is to make Daciana suspicious of him – especially if he has no concrete reason to be suspicious of her. So, trying not to sound as wary as he is, Oskan replies, "Things could have gone far worse."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," Oskan continues carefully. "I had a run-in with the mutts a few days ago – they… well… they killed my ally."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"I appreciate it." He pauses. "Did you have any allies?"
"Yeah. The boy from Nine, Barley. We were never really working together," Daci explains, gently wiping Oskan's arm. "It was more of a convenience thing, both in training and the Arena. We happened to launch next to each other, so we decided to run the same way, and it worked out just fine from there until the Careers got him."
"When did that happen?"
"Earlier today. I think he managed to take out one of the Careers before he got killed, though. At least, I assume those were the two cannons from earlier today."
Oskan winces. He didn't even realize there were two cannons earlier today. How much did he block out of his mind after Issy died?
He needs more information. But he cannot let Daci know how much he doesn't know. The last thing he needs is for her to suspect just how out of the game he's been.
And then, it occurs to him.
"Are you not sure? Weren't you two allies?"
"Well… we had a run-in with the Careers today. I ran one way, and he went another. Fe- Two was the only one who chased after me, so I have to assume that the others went after him. And there were two cannons… and I can't imagine Barley took down two Careers on his own."
"I guess we'll know for sure come the anthem, then."
As if on cue, the anthem blares. Oskan watches as two faces display in the sky: the girl from Two and the boy from Nine.
"Ah, so you were right."
"Yeah, though I didn't want to be. I feel bad that Barley's gone. But at least it's one person closer to going home."
"Very true."
It's then that Oskan realizes that he hasn't seen anyone's portrait since the first night of the Games. He also realizes that he doesn't remember any of the faces shown that night.
So who is left in the Arena? And how can he find out without tipping Daci off?
Carefully, he continues, "So that leaves the two of us, the boy from Two…"
"And the pair from One," Daci finishes. "Five of us left. Four more to go."
Oskan tenses every muscle in his face to keep his jaw from dropping. He has absolutely no idea how he managed to make it to the top five. By nearly every metric, he should be dead by now. And yet somehow, by some stroke of supernatural luck, he still has his breath and a pulse.
He hasn't given much thought to what he might do if he wins; when he made his promise to Issy, he didn't truly believe that he'd live to carry it out. Now, for the first time, the prospect that he might be able to keep his word feels like more than just a distant dream.
More than that – Oskan wants to.
It's the first time in years that he's found something to live for.
When Oskan wakes up the next morning, he's surprised to find Daciana still by his side. By this point in the Games, new alliances are liabilities at best, even for District Partners. He considers going out on his own – something about Daciana still makes Oskan nervous – but ultimately decides to stick with Daciana a little bit longer.
Given who else is still alive, it's better to take the devil he knows than the devil he doesn't. He might not fully trust her, but Oskan still feels a hair safer with Daciana at his side.
The pair decide to take the day to rest. Daciana points out just how action-packed the day before was; surely, enough happened for the Capitolites to rewatch over and over that the Gamemakers won't force them to do anything. They're better off taking a day to replenish their stores of water and food before pressing on tomorrow.
The two are mostly quiet as they work. Every now and then, they'll try to make some idle chatter – about their home lives, their hobbies, their time in training – but Oskan finds their conversations stilted at best.
And yet, the quiet feels worse. It's stifling, as if everything each has chosen not to say to the other hangs between them, a growing balloon that might burst at any minute.
The atmosphere could not be more different than it was with Issy, what feels like an eternity ago. With Issy, conversation was natural; with Issy, quiet was peaceful. Oskan knows that the odds of finding another girl that's anywhere near as special as Issy are slim, even if he does make it out alive.
(He could have said the same about Asli.)
By the end of the day, Oskan feels about as good as he can about their position as they approach the end of the Games. They don't have an abundance of food or water like he's sure the Careers do, but they have enough to get by as long as they ration carefully. They have some rabbit and berries for dinner, then Daciana dresses Oskan's wounds before the two settle down for the night.
They set out early the next morning, Daciana in front and Oskan behind. The boy has no doubt in his mind that his District Partner has a plan for today, and he figures it's better not to get in the way. But by the fourth time they pass the same tree, Oskan begins to wonder if that was a wise choice.
By the time they stop for the night, they've accomplished absolutely nothing; from what Oskan can tell, they camp out in the same place they camped out the night before. Oskan isn't sure whether he feels more uneasy about that or about the fact that Daci does not at all seem nervous. In fact, it seems to be quite the opposite; the girl seems just as content as she was that first evening with her popcorn and circle candies in the Training Center.
It's not until midway through his watch that an idea crosses his mind. If Daciana is correct about who's left, the only other tributes alive are the three Careers. And if his and Daciana's alliance is tenuous at best – and if the Careers haven't broken apart by now – he can't imagine how paranoid the trained killers must feel about sleeping around two other trained killers. It's a ticking time bomb. It's also great TV.
Clearly, the Gamemakers just are waiting for something to happen.
It's just a matter of what – and to whom.
The booming of a cannon jerks Oskan out of his sleep.
Immediately, he's on his feet, weapon in hand. His eyes dart around, looking for Daciana, but it's hard to make anything out in the early morning light. The longer it takes for his eyes to adjust, the more concerned he gets; Daciana very easily could have left him while on watch, exposing him to whoever or whatever might have stumbled across his path.
Fortunately – finally – his eyes make out a small figure sitting up against a tree a few meters away. He breathes a sigh of relief; Oskan doesn't completely remember what the Careers look like, but he's fairly sure none of them are as small as Daciana. Slowly – very slowly – he lowers his knife.
Immediately, his relief is shattered by the sound of a second cannon.
"Three left," Daciana says, a little too calmly for Oskan's liking. "I was hoping we'd be in this position."
"What do you mean by that?" Oskan asks.
"I was hoping we could outlast the Careers." Daci explains, "There's always a point in the Games where the Careers decide they can't stand each other. Usually it ends with a minimum of one death, often more. My hope was that we could stick together until at least one of them died because it would give us a better chance in the finale."
Oskan nods. That was basically the same thought he had before he went to sleep; whatever was going to happen with the Careers must have been what the Gamemakers were waiting for. The bigger question is, "So what do you plan to do next? I assume you have a plan."
"Of course I do. I think we should strike while the iron is hot."
"What… exactly do you mean by that?"
"There's one Career left. Whoever it is, they're probably expecting that the Gamemakers will give them a break before the finale. We should make sure they don't get that break."
Oskan swallows hard. Daciana didn't spell out her plan in detail, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what she intends to do. At face value, though risky, it's not the worst idea; Oskan is sure that she's not the first tribute to come up with this plan, and he's also sure she won't be the last.
No, what makes Oskan worried is that it's Daciana who's come up with it. Daciana is an incredibly smart player; it wouldn't surprise Oskan if she's been playing the Games smarter than anyone else. Even though they are working together, albeit informally, Oskan can only think of two reasons why she'd spell out a plan for him in this much detail at this stage of the Games.
One: She knows the Gamemakers won't let her carry out a plan she says out loud. If this is the case, she's, at best, intentionally not telling Oskan all the details, and at worst, baiting him with an entirely false plan. Oskan can only wonder whether that plan will be to his benefit or detriment in the end.
Two: She knows the Gamemakers will let her carry out a plan that she says out loud. If this is the case, it means Daciana has executed other plans in the Games in such a way that the Gamemakers like, for whatever reason; that, in turn, means that whatever she's got up her sleeves is going to be a damn good finale setup.
If either of those turns out to be true, Oskan would be foolish to stay with Daciana; no matter which of those is her plan, she's leading Oskan into a trap. Anyone with a right mind would tell Oskan that he has to leave if he wants to have a chance at getting out of the Arena alive – to keep his promise to Issy.
But then there's the possibility, however small, that neither of those is the case. That Daciana really isn't as smart as Oskan made her out to be – and that her bravado is a disguise for her fear.
He left Asli alone in the woods of Ten, and she died alone, in fear. He left Issy alone in the cave here in the Arena, and she died alone, in fear.
A protector stays with his ward no matter what.
To leave her right now, when she may be at her most vulnerable, would be a betrayal as bad as, if not worse than, anything she could do to him. If he made it home by leaving her in the dust, her family – the Capitol – will see him as nothing more than a monster. He cannot allow himself to do that.
And if she really is planning something… well, it may be better for Oskan to let himself get hurt. That way, he can finally hold true to his word for once in his life.
If that's how he dies, Oskan Keman can die satisfied.
(And then it hits him. The answer to the question he's been searching for from the moment he set foot on the train.
This is his angle. A protector.
A big brother.)
(It was always there, wasn't it?)
Oskan has no idea how Daciana managed to find her way back to the Cornucopia. Granted, he's been out of it for most of the Games, so he's not surprised that she has a better handle on the Arena than he does. Even so, he didn't expect someone who spent their whole life in the urban center of the district to have this good of a mental map.
They arrive at the Cornucopia just as the sun bursts over the horizon. Like a spotlight, one of its rays shines directly on a figure sitting in the mouth of the golden horn, using a towel to wipe off a set of metal claws.
Two. Of course it's Two.
"I had a feeling it would be him," Daci whispers.
Oskan is not surprised. "Why?"
"He was the strongest Career by far, and his district partner was the first to die. I bet he got paranoid that the other two – who are from the same district – were plotting to kill him, so he got ahead of the curve and killed them both first."
"Makes sense. What now, then?"
"We need to ambush him from both sides. One of us attacks first to distract Two, then the other sneaks up from behind Two to kill him."
"I'll take the front," Oskan offers, without hesitation – and without thought. "I think he's more likely to go after me than to go after you."
"You think?"
"You didn't attack him the last time we ran into him. I did."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. I can buy myself some time by sneaking up to attack him, too, especially if you distract him first by throwing a rock or something. I should be able to tire him out pretty well; just be ready to come in with the final blow."
"Alright. As long as you feel okay with it, that works for me."
Oskan has no idea how genuine Daciana is being right now. What he does know is that he cannot in good conscience allow her to put herself directly in harm's way.
He just hopes he can hold Two off for long enough for…
For…
(For Daci to survive? For himself to survive?
Oskan still doesn't know.
And he sure as hell doesn't have the time right now to figure it out.)
He crouches down behind a tree, watching Daciana carefully as she sneaks around to the other side of the Cornucopia. A moment passes, then another, before he hears a rustling sound – the sound of a rock being thrown in the general direction of the woods. Oskan watches as Two stands up, sharpens one set of claws with the other, and sets off in the direction of the noise.
Without hesitation, Oskan charges into the clearing and throws his entire body weight into the boy from Two.
The boys hit the ground hard. Oskan quickly pushes himself upright and whips out his knife, expecting Two to be on him again in an instant. But the Career doesn't get up right away.
He can't – he yanks, but his claws have gotten stuck in the ground.
Oskan has no idea how he managed that. But he has an opening now; to not take it would be stupid.
In one fluid motion, he slits the back of Two's neck.
Almost immediately, he feels a stabbing pain in his back.
Oskan whips around to see Daciana standing above him, the knife in her hand dripping blood. Her eyes look feral, clouded by rage and malice and… and not even a hint of remorse. Grinning, she lunges towards him again, but Oskan just barely manages to duck out of the way.
And it's a good thing he did. Because just as Daciana leans forward, Two, roaring in pain, yanks one of his hands' claws out of the ground. He turns, blinded by rage, and slashes, catching Daciana in the face.
She screams and stumbles backwards. Two hits her again, a third time, a fourth, a fifth.
Two sways back and forth before falling forward, unconscious.
Two bodies slump to the ground in a heap.
There's no time to think. Oskan rushes over and jabs his knife into Two's neck. He doesn't even wait for the cannon to boom to try to pull Two's body off of Daciana. The girl is still sobbing; maybe there's a chance he can do something.
But the body doesn't move.
Oskan tries again. Nothing.
He kneels down to Daciana's side. Blood pours out of her face; Oskan swears that at least one eye is now gone. He can't quite see her front – Two's body blocks the way – but he can tell two things.
First: her entire torso has been torn up by Two's claws.
Second: his claws are still stuck in her stomach.
Oskan feels himself growing lightheaded. He clutches Daciana's hand tightly, the smallest comfort he can offer her in this moment.
He pulls his knife out of Two's neck and gently slits his District Partner's throat.
Daciana's cannon booms just as Oskan Kemal falls unconscious.