General reminder that Theo's pronouns are she/it

X.

Dominos

Nineteen tributes died in the bloodbath.

Nineteen tributes died in the bloodbath.

Nineteen people died in less than an hour.

Nineteen people died in less than an hour.

Almost the entire selection of a standard Hunger Games, gone in one swoop.

Almost the entire selection of a standard Hunger Games, gone in one swoop.

The thought kept Theo awake through the night. Everyone had stayed awake long enough to see the lights dim and the ceiling light up, holograms of deceased tributes appearing above them. No one spoke a word during it all, but it did become tense when the number of deceased went over ten. Even Desdemona's Games hadn't had this big of a bloodbath, though Theo did have to remind itself that the remaining seventy tributes were culled multiple times during each day following the Bloodbath. It was just so much to take in, all these faces that flashed as the national anthem played.

Bellatrix's face didn't appear among the dead, at least. That was one small consolation among the despair such high numbers brought. District Three and District Twelve were completely eliminated, and the only ones with all four tributes remaining for their Districts were One, Two, Four, Seven and Ten. Everyone else was scattered, many of the younger tributes dying in the bloodbath, and Theo felt a knot in its stomach every time it thought of the younger tributes it'd seen on the chariots.

Khoi and Cyanea didn't appear among the dead, either, but neither did any of the rival career pack. Most of the tributes dead were the outer District kids, people Theo didn't know and would never know. What Theo did know, however, was that if this was a standard Hunger Games, only five people would be left. With nineteen slain and blown up by the mines at launch, five people would be left in the arena for the next couple of days. Maybe less.

Theo had never felt so aware of how many people were in a room with her before.

Without Bellatrix with them, the alliance made up the perfect number of remaining standard Hunger Games tributes.

Theo laid in its cot and stared out into the dark depths on the other side of the wall. Everyone else was sleeping, albeit fitfully, and Char had done his best to stay awake and keep watch on the doors. But even he got tired, and when he laid down beside Theo in the cot and pressed his back to its, he softly told Theo to get some rest and to be ready to think of a plan in the morning.

Sleeping wasn't easy, though.

Sleeping felt like the last thing Theo wanted to do.

So Theo stayed away, eyes wide and unblinking. She stared at the water, at the dimly lit vacation dome across from them. She stared.

It stared until it began to see things in the water. It stared until it began to make out faces against the glass, staring back at it. It stared until it recognised the dead tributes tapping on the glass with long, taloned nails and sawed teeth.

Theo wasn't sure when exhaustion had hit, but she kept the psychosis to herself when she did wake up. No one needed to hear what horrific thing Theo had hallucinated while they'd slept, and Theo most of all didn't need to relive the dead trying to tap on the glass with razor-sharp smiles.

"I think I found a map?" Truffle backed out of a cupboard with a grunt, on all fours and trying to point to what they'd found. "It's screwed onto the back, but it has a marker for our room."

Theo was the first to take a peek at it, committing as much of the layout to memory as possible. The arena looked like a giant snowflake like this, each room branching out from the cornucopia like twigs and eventually leading to the launch pads in trios. There were a lot of rooms to remember—seventeen, cornucopia included—and Theo squinted at them all with a frown. If they ignored the middle domes, focused on the outer ones, they'd only need to remember eight rooms.

Char did his best to draw a replica on the back of some instructions for making a splint when he took a look at it. He marked where the medical dome was located on the map with an X, and then he set the chart down on Fortuna's cot so she could see it as well.

"So we're here," Char mumbled. "On our left was the swimming pool. Theo, who did we see in there?"

"I think it's just the duo from Ten," Theo reported. "I saw them sleeping on opposite sides of the dome when I woke up, so no one's gotten in with them."

Char wrote, SWIMMING POOL, on the dome to the left of the med bay, and then he added under it, D10. He moved to the dome on the med bay's right.

"That was me and Fuckface," Fortuna groaned. "It's an armoury. Every weapon not at the cornucopia should be in there. He killed two girls from District Eleven while I tried to run."

Both Theo and Char groaned. They could see the walls lined with racks and stands, but it had been hard to make out the contents hanging on them from this distance. If Montresor had unrestricted access to weapons, this was even more of an uphill battle.

Char wrote, WEAPONS, and then underneath it, D1 D11. He crossed out the D11 and sniffed.

"Okay, how many doors did you guys pass to get to us?" Theo asked the twins.

Saffron scrunched up her face, uncertain, but Truffle was a bit more confident. They pointed to one of the rooms on the opposite side of the arena, three domes left of Char and Theo's.

"I saw a girl from Seven run out of the one next to ours, and the kid from Eight came out of the one between hers and you guys'. So I say we were here," Truffle reported. And then, with a proud smile, Truffle added, "We had diving gear, and we both took care of the District Twelve pair that launched with us. No clue which direction the kids from Ten went, though. The two from Twelve were older, so we prioritised them."

Char jotted down, DIVING GEAR, and added, D1 D12 D10, crossing out the D12 when he was done. He nodded with a small huff, proud of himself. That gave them an idea of at least half of the rooms in the arena, Theo thought, so they knew what to work with.

Then Theo pointed out, "One of you saw someone run out with food. Which direction was that from?"

"I think that was the one next to the armoury," Truffle chimed in again. "The guy came out from behind the cornucopia, though, so he might've come from the next dome over."

Char drew a line between the dome next to the armoury and the next one over, and he tentatively wrote, food? next to the line.

Theo blinked and felt something was bothering her as she remembered the cornucopia. Someone went towards it, didn't they? Theo frowned, glanced at the dome where the Ten duo were sullenly keeping their distance, and then clicked her fingers.

"The survivor from the swimming pool dome went to the cornucopia. I didn't see his face in the lineup last night." It pointed to the cornucopia, and Char wrote D8 in the middle of the chart. "That's all I've got, though. I didn't pay much attention to everyone else while we were getting Fortuna out."

"It's more than enough," Char reassured it. Theo smiled softly, relieved, and planted its hands on its hips.

Now that left the question of which of the unknown rooms Bellatrix was in. Fortuna had her ideas, pointing out that Saffron and Truffle would've seen Ajax come out of the domes next to theirs on their way out. She'd made a run for it from the armoury because she'd noticed Theo and Char in the next dome over, so there was every chance the twins would've noticed a foe.

Char circled the two domes that the food supply was believed to be in and hummed. Theo glanced at Fortuna—mostly at the tray next to her cot—and noticed her water bottle was empty. Theo still had a few bottles that were unopened, and she hurried over to her bag and pulled them all out to hand out to everyone. The two Char had armed himself were back in his bag, and the twins hadn't touched theirs yet. It'd been agreed upon that resources would be split evenly, and once it became obvious that Gamemakers weren't collecting the bodies during the night, they gave each other permission to loot their corpses if they died with their bags.

Theo handed Fortuna a bottle, and Fortuna thanked her silently. Now that the tension of getting away from Montresor had faded and time was dedicated to resting her ankle, Fortuna had calmed considerably and apologised for yelling at Theo the day before. Theo accepted the apology without hesitation, and much of this morning was spent checking Fortuna's bandages and searching for ice packs to rest on the ankle so the swelling could go down.

"Once I can put weight on it, I can help," Fortuna had told Theo, almost as though trying to explain herself.

"Taking care of yourself first is more than helpful to us," Theo had reassured her. "The last thing any of us want to do is to hurt ourselves. Save your energy for the rematch with Montresor."

Despite Theo's words implying it would come later, it became pretty obvious that the rematch would likely come sooner rather than later. After all, how could they expect to get to Bellatrix without running into Montresor? Ideally, the group could move together for the food supply and hole up in there—sneak medical supplies and the copy of the map with them. But the numbers were very even, and with Montresor's career pack being armed in comparison to Theo's, someone was going to be lost along the way.

Theo just worried that, with his obsession, it would be Fortuna lost in the confusion.

"I can see a little out the window," Saffron told the group after she'd gone to check the door. "Some of the blood dried up, but I think someone wiped it down to peek inside earlier too. I don't see Monty or Ajax anywhere."

"I wonder if they passed out in the cornucopia," Char mumbled.

Fortuna hissed a little as Theo pressed an ice pack to her ankle, and Theo muttered an apology. Fortuna reached over and patted its hand reassuringly, letting it know she was fine.

"When I was with the group, they talked about seizing control of the cornucopia and adapting to a nocturnal cycle," she said. "Maybe they tried to do that already."

"Bit of a useless plan when everyone can just lock their doors," Truffle scoffed.

"They still have more of a plan than we do," Theo pointed out. She moved away from Fortuna's cot and towards the garden, and Saffron was hot on her heels like a lost puppy. Theo didn't unlock the door, but it did stare through the glass to try and see if it could find Montresor outside. Like Saffron said, someone had wiped some of the blood away and the remaining dried blood was easier to see through. Even though Montresor hadn't smeared it to the point of being impossible to see through, he had continued to punch the door with his busted knuckles to the point of bleeding enough to cover a window.

Through all of the jellyfish tanks and the natural lighting of the cornucopia's dome, Theo couldn't really see anyone on the other side. Not any of the rival pack, at least. What Theo did see, though, was the little boy from Eight sneaking out of the cornucopia with his backpack on, walking barefoot with his shoes in his hands as he watched the cornucopia with wide eyes.

If he was still alive and sneaking out, then Montresor's alliance was definitely asleep right now.

Theo nudged Saffron, and it said, "Have Char and Truffle pack as much stuff into their bags as possible, and then help Fortuna come to me. We're going to try to make a run for the food supply room while they're asleep and hole up in there. That way, if we have to wait them out, we don't starve to death."

Saffron nodded and scurried off in the direction of the med bay. It didn't take long for everyone to prepare their belongings. Char brought Theo's backpack over, Fortuna's weapon tucked inside of it, and Theo put it on over her chest. She knelt down so Fortuna could climb on her back, and Fortuna held her own bag as a shield in case Ajax woke up and tried to snipe them.

Char, Truffle and Saffron were armed and prepared. Saffron held daggers in each hand, and the rest of her throwing knives were strapped around her thighs securely. Truffle's sword rested on her shoulder, and Char's cutlass was held tightly in one hand as he reached up to slowly undo the lock.

The hiss the door let out wasn't loud, but it was enough to catch the boy from Eight's attention. His face was tear-stained as he hurried over to the door, begging without speaking to be let in. Char raised a finger to his lips, shushing the boy through the window, and when Char pointed behind him, the boy kept watch on the cornucopia. Despite shaking so much, he knew what he was being asked to do.

The group moved quietly as the door slowly slid open. They didn't hear a stir from the cornucopia, even when the boy whimpered and reached for Theo to hold onto her belt. Theo nodded for the group to move—Truffle and Saffron at the front, Char covering behind—and as they passed the door leading to the armoury dome, Theo paused.

If they could just get a couple more weapons, they might have a chance with a clash against Montresor's group. Theo chewed her lip, debating how important a weapon might be, and even Char gave it a nudge when he noticed it hesitate. The boy from Eight was trembling nonstop, and the twins looked back at Theo with uncertain frowns. If Theo could just sneak into the armoury. If Theo could just get the yari back. If one of them could get to the cornucopia without waking Montresor's alliance. If one of them—

A soft hiss came from the door to the armoury. Theo's breath stopped in its chest. Shit, was one of them in the armoury overnight? No one had checked after waking up. Stupid—stupid—Theo should've made sure! Theo should've checked!

And when the door slid open, soft and quiet so as not to wake the career alliance, Theo saw Khoi sneaking out with a nervous expression and two tridents—one in each hand. The alliance stared at them for a moment, bewildered, and when Khoi noticed them all, they seemed to debate running back in to hide. Theo shook its head quickly, though, more concerned about the noise shutting the door suddenly would make. And it was enough to make Khoi pause and take stock of the situation.

As Khoi held up one of the tridents, they nodded to Theo almost questioningly. Char looked back at the cornucopia, the boy from Eight still shaking like a leaf, and Theo nodded without hesitation. Khoi didn't take long to grab another spear, the very same yari Theo had thrown during the bloodbath, and when they shut the door softly behind them, they didn't bother to wind the wheel. Khoi tiptoed through the gladiolus garden and joined the group with trembling hands. Fortuna took the yari from them, nodding in thanks, and Char took one of the tridents to lessen the load on Khoi.

Before they moved, they made sure they were behind the cornucopia and out of sight before Char motioned for Khoi to hold out their hand. Khoi hesitated somewhat, but eventually held up their palm to Char. Theo saw Char spell out, F-O-O-D, on Khoi's palm, and Khoi brightened at the request.

Without a single word exchanged between them except "food", Khoi led the group towards the door that opened up to a garden of spider lilies and quietly spun the wheel open. They peeked inside, making sure no one was in the room, and as the career pack followed Khoi inside, the twins paused at the doorway to shut it and keep watch at the window. Even Theo could agree that this was too convenient—that Montresor hadn't positioned someone in there yet.

So when Char peeked through the window of the food dome, he hissed softly to himself and sneered. Khoi peeked inside as well, and they frowned at what they saw.

"Magellan and Sebastian," Khoi muttered, almost too quiet for Theo to hear. Theo was slowly beginning to realise Khoi's strengths seemed to lie in sneaking around and non-combat skills, something the Gamemakers wouldn't be able to judge like hitting something with a sword. Khoi rubbed their chin, peeking in again, and their expression softened a little. They reached up and tapped the window loudly, almost testing something, and Khoi and Char both hummed at what they saw.

"What?" Theo whispered.

"I think they're in a food coma," Char whispered back.

Fortuna shifted on Theo's back with a huff. "They would gorge when left to guard the food," she mumbled.

"Magellan's a light sleeper," Khoi whispered. "Cyanea says her mom would scare her awake every night until Megallen could wake up before her mom reached her bed. Called it conditioning. Can you guys fight if she wakes up?"

Theo and Char looked to each other. Char looked pointedly down at the kid from Eight.

The boy shook his head frantically.

"I can take them," Char finally said. "It's underhanded, but if I can kill them in their sleep, we don't have to worry about sneaking around."

"But Bellatrix isn't in there, isn't she?" Theo asked.

The group was silent for a moment. If Bellatrix wasn't in the food dome, that meant the group couldn't hole up inside forever. They had to figure out which of the four domes Bellatrix was in, and fast.

But then Khoi furrowed their brows, and asked, "Is she from Two, like you guys?"

Theo felt hope blossom in its chest as it nodded.

"She's with Cyanea," Khoi told her. "She helped throw Ajax out after he concussed Cyanea."

Both Theo and Char let out impressed sounds. It was good to see Bellatrix was holding her own without a weapon. But then again, Ajax was probably akin to a bowl of salad in her hands: So easily tossable.

The boy from Eight whimpered a little and looked back to the door, where the twins were standing guard. The twins hadn't moved, still staring out the window, so there was no rush right now to lock the door or run. But Theo did mutter for Khoi and Char to figure out if food was necessary, and both of them seemed to exchange looks that confirmed that food was a must. Khoi held their trident and let out a small breath, and they slowly spun the wheel as Char watched Magellan through the window.

Magellan didn't seem to wake up as the door was opened ever so slowly. The boy continued to tremble next to Theo, and he hid his face in its side as Char entered the room first. Theo watched as Char loomed over Magellan, the girl laying on her back with a bag of marshmallows for a pillow, and Theo saw her eyes flutter open for the briefest of seconds.

Magellan tried to call out and moved to jump up, her hands flying to a large stick beside her—a sledgehammer?—but it was all she could do before Char swung the cutlass across her neck. Blood sprayed from Magellan's throat, landing directly on top of Char. Theo had to step back a bit more as the blood landed on Sebastian, who was curled up a short distance away, and the boy from Eight trembled with another whimper as the sound of Magellan choking on her own blood echoed from the dome.

Theo didn't watch Khoi spear Sebastian through the head. It turned away, trying to shield Fortuna and the boy from the sight. Fortuna seemed to continue watching, staring at the door with a frown, but the boy hiccuped and clung to Theo like a lifeline. It took less than five minutes for Char and Khoi to rifle through the food storage and shut the door behind them, and then bags of food were dumped all on the floor for everyone to sift through. Char had Magellan's weapon tucked into his backpack's strap, confirming that she'd had a sledgehammer with her, and Theo moved closer to offer up its bag for Char to stuff food into.

Fruits and trail mixes and bags of juice with straws were stuffed into Theo's bag before being zipped up again, and Char pulled the boy from Eight closer to him to fill his bag as well. The sweets were put in the boy's bag—chocolates and marshmallows and candies—and Char even gave the boy one from an open packet of caramels to chew on. The boy seemed to calm down a little more, enjoying his caramel, and Khoi carried the rest of the food to the twins to fill their bags. Of all the food gathered, they had plenty to last a couple more days on top of the food they'd launched with. Meals would have to be rationed, for sure, but it was enough to last longer than staying in the med bay would've.

"They aren't awake yet," Saffron told Theo as she approached with Fortuna and the boy.

"But we need to hurry. What if they wake up to check on their allies?" Truffle added.

The door was opened and the group filed out in silence. Char stayed at the back of the group, doing his best to shut the door quietly as the rest of the group moved with tiptoes to the next door over.

It would've been a perfect execution—get a new ally, get some food, get some weapons, get to a safer dome—if Magellan's hammer didn't slip out from Char's strap and clatter to the glass with a loud bang. Spiderweb cracks exploded along the floor, and Theo felt her heart leap into her throat as Char gulped audibly. If the clang and cracks alone had not woken Montresor and Ajax inside the cornucopia, then the child screaming as the cracks reached him, Theo and Fortuna did.

Char picked up the hammer and began to run along the cracks, worsening the damage in his wake, as Ajax bolted out of the cornucopia with his bow and two arrows in hand. He was riddled with bedhead and his face was red from sleeping on it, and he swore loudly as he nocked an arrow and aimed for the group. Montresor ran out from the cornucopia and spotted Theo and Fortuna, and he shoved Ajax as the boy tried to aim for the unarmed members of the group.

The arrow was knocked off-course, and it pierced through the floor as Char reached the same spot. The floor collapsed, leaving a pool of water in its wake, and Char dropped into the water with a yelp.

"Char!" Theo cried. Khoi shoved Theo towards the open door to the black dahlia garden, and Theo didn't even notice that they were holding the bloodied oxygen tanks that the twins had packed into their bags. All Theo saw was Char sinking into the water under the weight of his backpack and weapons, and Khoi diving down after him without hesitation.

The boy tugged at Theo and continued to scream, looking back at Ajax and Montresor. Montresor was already picking up his mace and sprinting over, weaving around the jellyfish tanks with a scowl, and Ajax had nocked another arrow.

"Theo, move!" Fortuna yelled. Theo chewed down on its lip and tore its gaze away from the water. The last thing it saw was Khoi handing Char one of the tanks, and Theo clung to hope that there was enough oxygen for them to last underwater. The dome with the pool led out to the open water—Char knew that—and Theo begged whoever was listening above the water to let Khoi and Char survive the duo from Ten.

Theo finally moved, and the boy from Eight ran with her. The twins were crying out for Theo to hurry, that Montresor was right behind it, and Theo heard the whistle of another arrow. Theo braced herself, ready to feel the impact, but Fortuna pushed her to keep running. Another whistle—Ajax grabbed another arrow?—and then the boy from Eight dropped to the floor with a pained cry. Theo turned to see what had happened; the arrow was poking out from the boy's leg, having pierced clean through, and the boy sobbed on the floor as he reached for Theo.

Fortuna yelled for Theo to keep moving. Theo felt itself start to cry as it turned away from the boy. He pleaded with them to come back for him, to help him, that he didn't want to die. Theo pushed through the door and dropped Fortuna to the ground, as once again Montresor crashed into the door just as the twins shut it.

The door to the dome on the other side of the dahlia garden opened, and Bellatrix sprinted out with a stunned cry. She helped Fortuna up to her feet, carrying her into the dome as the twins and Theo locked the door, and Theo could feel the room start to spin as it watched Montresor back away from the door and turn his gaze to the boy on the floor.

Montresor seemed to be thinking on his next actions. He adjusted his grip on his mace as he loomed over the boy like the shadow of death, and Theo whimpered as she watched him raise it up above his head. The boy screamed and tried to curl up into a ball. When the mace came down, Theo watched as the boy's leg was torn almost clean off of the bone by the impact. The limb was mangled and shattered, glass from the floor digging through the boy's arena uniform, and Theo began to sob loudly as she watched Montresor grab him by the scruff of his neck and drag him towards the water.

He practically shoved the boy's head underwater and held it down as he watched the door. Theo stumbled back, hand clamped over its mouth, and she did her best to not watch the scene. Theo forced itself to look away and run through the garden, and the twins followed closely behind with pale faces and haunted expressions.

With the door to the dome shut behind them, Theo could take in the sight of everything and collapsed to the floor with a dry heave. Bellatrix was by its side and rubbing its back while the twins flocked to Fortuna, and as much as the reunion was needed, it didn't last for long. No sooner had Bellatrix reassured Theo that they'd made it, a slurred voice called from the other side of the dome, "Where's Khoi?"

The dome was filled with bunk beds and soft materials for blankets and pillows, obviously a communal dome that people could sleep in peacefully with light controls on the far wall and tables and chairs for regular living activities on the other side of the bunk beds. Cyanea was propped up on one such bunk bed, and Theo had to make sure not to look underneath the frame of her bed. A body was shoved underneath, wrapped in blankets, but long black hair was visible even from this distance.

"Where's Khoi?" Cyanea repeated, firmer this time. Bellatrix sighed and looked at Theo, searching for an answer.

"Theo, what happened to Char?" she asked, quiet so that Cyanea didn't hear.

Theo opened her mouth to speak, but words wouldn't come out. The room continued to spin as she clawed at her wrist and pulled the swimsuit back, desperately rubbing the yarn.

"The floor collapsed," Truffle spoke up. "Char went through it after Ajax pierced it with an arrow."

"Khoi dove after him," Saffron chimed in. "They took our oxygen tanks. But they only have fifteen minutes of air in each."

Swallowing the lump in its throat, Theo choked out, "Pool. Get back in through the pool."

She half-expected Cyanea to get angry and throw accusations. To blame Theo for not doing more. But when Theo looked back at her, slowly able to focus as it continued to play with the yarn around its wrist, Cyanea didn't look upset.

If anything, Cyanea seemed thoughtful over the fact that Khoi had willingly dove into the water after Char like that.

She mumbled to herself, "Khoi can hold their breath long enough," and leaned back onto her pillows. She didn't say anything else for the remainder of the day, slipping into sleep every so often that lasted for all of twenty minutes each time.

The twins helped drag Theo to the communal area, and Bellatrix stacked each backpack onto the tables and sifted through the contents.

"Thank God you guys stopped for food on the way," she sighed. "The kids from Twelve just ate all of their food before the bloodbath even began, and one of them ran with Cyanea's bag after Ajax concussed her. All we have right now is mine and Khoi's food, and we wouldn't have lasted another day with it."

"We would've had more," Truffle mumbled. "If Khoi and Char hadn't gotten separated. And the kid that was with us had a bag full of sweets."

"I could've used some chocolate right about now," Saffron lamented. "My nerves are all over the place."

Bellatrix opened one backpack and pulled out a packet of apple slices. She cracked it open and offered it to the twins. Saffron took one, and seemed to expect Truffle to take one as well, but Truffle said, "Oh, I don't like green apples."

"You love green apples, though?" Saffron said.

Truffle shrugged. "I prefer opal apples, actually."

Saffron made a small hum. It sounded like she was a little bothered, but Saffron didn't say anything in response.

Theo didn't get to listen in on the rest of the conversation. Bellatrix sat herself down next to Theo and sighed heavily. She offered the packet of apples to Theo, and she asked, "Have you eaten today yet?"

Theo shook its head a little. It took an apple and munched on it in silence.

"Were you injured anywhere?" Bellatrix tried to ask.

Theo shook its head again.

Bellatrix awkwardly tucked her knees to her chest.

"At least you have a weapon now, right?" she tried again.

Theo nodded, but stopped after one nod as the image of the yari grazing Montresor flashed through its mind. And after the memory of the blood, the horror of the boy from Eight's leg being demolished forced its way to the forefront.

With another dry heave, Theo dropped the rest of its apple slice and jumped to its feet. Bellatrix was quick to respond and guided Theo through the room, towards the very back of it, and Theo saw a small cupboard with buckets inside before Bellatrix grabbed one and shoved it into Theo's face. Theo threw up into the bucket with a defeated groan. By the time it was done throwing up, barely anything left in its stomach was sitting at the bottom of the bucket.

Frankly, it was all bile and the apple slice.

Theo laid down on one of the bunks after she was done throwing up, and she curled up and faced out to the water as the twins and Bellatrix exchanged what had happened so far over the past day. Theo drowned it out, mostly, still dizzy and struggling to breathe. All it could really do was hold Alamo's ring tightly in its hand as it played with the yarn.

Char and Khoi wouldn't be visible, if they'd sunk deeper into the ocean. But that also meant that, if Theo couldn't see them from here, they'd made it to the swimming pool. And that was all Theo could continue to hope for: That Char and Khoi surfaced at the dome across the arena from them, and that the boy from Ten hadn't slain them on sight. Even if Char had dropped his weapon and only salvaged his supplies, the oxygen tanks were proven lethal already by the twins during the bloodbath.

Theo vaguely heard Bellatrix ask about where the other tributes were. Time passed, tributes moved around, and when night finally fell, the announcements of the deceased rang out. Theo sat with the others at the table as the ceiling displayed the dead.

Magellan and Sebastian… The boy from Ten… His partner, the young girl… Three of the younger Seven children… A duo from Five…

Char and Khoi weren't listed. Based on the boy from Ten and his partner being dead, it was safe to say Khoi and Char had taken over the vacation dome for themselves and settled down for the night. The boy from Eight wasn't on the list either, and Theo pursed its lips between bits of food. The bread packaged in one of the bags was stale on its tongue, tasteless and unfulfilling.

That poor boy was kept alive by Montresor, probably in agony, and tributes were dropping like flies around them.

Twenty-eight tributes down. Nineteen to go until a victor was crowned.