Disclaimer: My doc manager was acting weird and doing weird things to my document. I tried to get them all and I think I did, but if I missed one, I'll find it eventually. Apologies in advance.

I can't believe this.

No, actually, I can believe this.

I can absolutely believe that the Gamemakers would wipe out an undoubtedly new fan favorite and destroy everyone's supplies simultaneously for no better reason than to show off, I guess? Put the pressure on us, surely. And then, they call a feast knowing full well we were already going to the Cornucopia anyway.

Did I mention that the Careers would already be there and have first dibs? I doubt they'll be affected much, aside from the few days without a cushy pyramid of goodies, which is what sponsors are for.

What was all of this for anyway? What was the point?

"Amber?"

Drake's voice snaps me back to reality and I realize I've been pacing. Again.

I can't help it. It's been hours and I'm completely on edge.

I hold my hand in the air, silencing Drake before he can point it out. "Sorry, sorry," I say. "I'm just…trying to figure out how to handle this."

"Handle what?" Camdyn asks. "Attacking the Careers at the Cornucopia? Which will be replenished with supplies soon? As far as I'm concerned, the plan hasn't really changed. The only thing we lost is the element of surprise."

I slide down to the ground, cross-legged and annoyed at myself for not realizing it sooner. "And honestly," I mutter, "that's not necessarily a bad thing. It cuts out the complicatedness of the river water lie."

"Exactly!" Camdyn grins. She reaches out and gives me a gentle shoulder punch. "If anything, it makes things easier for us. Just tell the Careers that as far as we're concerned, you're scouting ahead. The less convoluted the lie, the more likely it is that the others will bite."

"See?" Drake adds. "We'll be just fine. Give yourself a little credit. Your plan is more foolproof than you think."

"That's if Bronze bites," I reply.

"If he doesn't, we'll be nearby," Camdyn says. "We're going to survive this."

"And what happens after?" Bran asks nervously.

"We'll…cross that bridge when we come to it," Camdyn says quietly.

That bridge involves all four of the Careers dying. I honestly doubt that will happen. The best I can reasonably hope for is to take the Cornucopia. Maybe there will be one left for us to hunt down but after that…

"We need to focus on making sure Link and Giemci get back safe," I say. "We'll need them tomorrow."

"Oh, we're safe!"

I look up and I see Lincoln and Giemci standing in the cavern entrance. Both are soaked and cold and Giemci is a little dazed, but they appear otherwise unharmed.

"Thank goodness you're okay," Camdyn breathes.

"What happened?" I asked. "Are you two, okay?"

"Giemci had a run irun-in Cedar," Link says. "I sliced up his face pretty good with an arrow before he took off."

"Shit, Gigi…" Drake breathes. "Are you okay?"

Giemci nods and smiles. "Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. Link saved me."

"I'm glad you're safe, Giemci," I say. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you from being swept away."

"Don't worry about it," Giemci replies. "You tried your best. Right now, we need to rethink our plan."

"It hasn't changed," I say. "In fact, it makes our lives easier."

"It does?" Link asks. He thinks about it for a moment, then shrugs. "Yeah, no, that makes sense."

"We should probably get some rest and wake up early tomorrow," I say. "We can't be super far from the Cornucopia, but we should scout out the area beforehand."

Everyone nods with inement. We assign watches and lay down for the evening. When the anthem plays, it's only Krystian's face in the sky.

Tomorrow, there will be more.

I just hope my plan doesn't get us all killed.

When it comes time for my watch, Bran stays up with me. He huddles under a blanket, eyes looking far off.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

Bran shakes his head. "I'm scared."

I take a deep breath and reach out towards Bran, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulling him into a side hug. "We're all scared, Bran. There's no shame in it."

"You and the others, you've all been brave so far. I'm trying to be brave too, I just…" His voice trails off and he shakes his head.

"You are being brave, Bran," I say. "Bravery isn't about not being afraid. It's about being afraid and pushing forward ananywayHonestly, I'd be more worried if you weren't scared. Fear isn't there to keep us from taking all risks. Just the stupid ones."

Bran looks up at me. He wipes the tears away from his eyes and smiles. "Where do you come up with these speeches?" he asks.

I smile and ruffle Bran's hair. "I read a lot of books."

"I'll try to keep being brave then."

My smile widens a bit. "Me too."

All too soon, it's time to head out. The trip to the Cornucopia goes by too quickly for my liking.

By the time we reach an area that's secluded, far enough away to not be spotted but close enough for the others to be any good if this goes wrong, it's late morning. Bran heads off to scout out the situation while we find various hiding places in case the Careers come this way.

I doubt they will though. If they're smart, they'll have the Cornucopia on lockdown.

We all pass the time in various ways. Link cleans his arrows. Drake polishes his knife. Giemci plucks the leaves absentmindedly from a tree and Camdyn takes inventory of our remaining supplies. I spend the morning staring up at the grey sky above. My heart pounds in my ears.

I wanted to go with Bran so badly but he talked me out of it. Less of a chance of getting discovered. It made sense, but I'm still worried.

I don't think I breathe until he returns, face hard.

"Well?" Camdyn asks.

"All four of them are there," Bran explains. "They're not really doing anything. They're definitely low on supplies, but I saw a bunch of weapons, including a sickle."

I immediately perk up. "Dibs," I say. "I call dibs."

"Yeah, we figured," Giemci says. "What else did you find, Bran?"

Bran shrugs. "That's it. They're just chilling. I think they're waiting for us."

"Or just me," I say quietly.

"Hey, this is going to work, Amber," Camdyn says calmly. "Don't doubt yourself now. Anyways, we should probably get into position. Everyone remember the plan?"

We all nod. I'm to go out and talk to the Careers and lead them back here. Link will provide cover fire from the trees while Drake and Camdyn engage head-on. Giemci and Bran are to provide support, avoiding direct confrontation but doing anything to make the battlefield less manageable for the Careers, such as throwing rocks and dirt.

I look up at the sky. The feast will be starting soon.

People will be dying soon.

"I better get going," I say, standing up.

"Do you want my knife?" Drake asks.

I shake my head. "No, best to go unarmed, not present myself as a threat. Besides, if this works, I'll have something better than a knife."

Hugs and good lucks are exchanged and I walk towards the Cornucopia. It's only a minute's walk away, but it feels like forever. My heart continues to pound, and a bit of adrenaline begins leaking out into my veins.

This has to work. It just has to.

When I reach the cornucopia, I immediately duck into some nearby bushes and gaze out at the field in front of me.

The Careers, like Bran said, are all sitting around and waiting. The broken remains of most of the supplies are scattered around the clearing. There appears to be some attempt at cleanup, but they must have given up. What was salvaged sits in a pile right next to the horn.

Belladonna seems on edge, probably because she hasn't gotten to kill someone in a while and she's expecting five other tributes to be able to slice up. Cedar just looks bored. He has bloodied bandages on his face, probably from the arrow that Link shot at him yesterday.

Sure enough, a steel sickle is sitting on one of the boxes, glittering from the rain and ready to be used.

That's mine! That's my weapon! A strange sense of euphoria rises in me at the idea of getting ahold of a weapon that I'm actually comfortable with. If I can just get it before the attack…

There is the sound of machinery moving and the Careers jump to their feet. The ground in front of the Cornucopia opens up and a larger pile of supplies and weapons rises into the arena.

The Careers begin taking inventory, occasionally looking out into the distance.

It's time.

I take a deep breath, steel my nerves, and step out into the clearing.

Bronze's hand flies to his quiver upon seeing me. He nocks an arrow to his bowstring in a single fluid motion. I raise my hands non-threateningly and take in my opponents for a brief moment before I look back at Bronze.

"What happened to the cannons we were promised?" he asks.

"Between the flood and the feast being called, I didn't get a real chance to take anyone out," I explain. "I was able to slip away though. I told them I was scouting ahead, seeing if the feast was worth it. I know exactly where they are. If you want, I can lead them right to you."

Bronze raises an eyebrow. "You'd really betray your friends just like that?"

"They were never my friends," I reply coolly. "Only a means to an end."

Bronze doesn't respond and instead stares me down. The moment seems to stretch out for a long time. My heart pounds and my palms begin to sweat.

Take the bait, Carlton. Take the bait.

Finally, Bronze lowers his bow and nods. "Okay, then. I'll accept that."

"So, we have a deal?" I ask.

"Yeah. We have a deal."

Jax grins and nudges Bronze. "See, what did I tell you? I knew she'd make the right choice."

Bronze smiles and shakes his head. "You told me. You could have been nicer, though."

"Is she capable of being nice?" Cedar asks.

Bronze shrugs. "Depends on the day of the week." He turns back to me. "Sorry about all of that, by the way."

I'm a bit taken aback by how Bronze just went from cold to relatively casual. "She took my knife," is all I get out.

"Are you seriously still upset about that?" Jax groans. "That was a whole two days ago! In my defense though, I couldn't resist. It was just so funny." I almost bristle at my words being thrown back at me.

"Stop antagonizing her," Bronze says. "She's our ally now, remember? At least she will be once she takes us to her friends." The way he says that…

Something is wrong.

Bronze turns to me, his expression once again stone cold, and I realize with a pang that his arrow has never left the bow.

Oh no…

"How stupid do you think I am?"

He raises his bow and I barely have time to react before he sends an arrow in my direction.

So that happened. Things really went to hell here, huh? Amber's not the only one experiencing a tactician arc. I was originally going to have Bronze shoot at Amber next chapter, but my evil gremlin side took over and left a cliffhanger behind. Next chapter will likely be shorter as a result, but it's the feast so a LOT is going to happen. I also understand that it might look as though the flood had ultimately zero purpose to the story other than the Feast, but trust me, there is a method to this madness. All will be revealed in time.

There was something else I wanted to discuss here too. I think I mentioned this before, but I was considering writing an SYOT after this. It would likely be a partial list so that I can get my feet wet, and it'd also take place in an AU so that I can do more if needed. I'm still hashing it out, but I'd probably keep it simple. So far, the running idea is that Thresh wins the Hunger Games instead of Katniss and the Games continue as a result, but I'm open to other ideas.

If that's something you're interested in, please let me know. Heck, if you want to reserve a spot early, just DM me and we can talk ideas! It's not a done deal yet, and it likely won't start for a while, but if there's enough interest, I'll upload something and start taking submissions.

What are your feast predictions? Who will fall? Who will live to fight another day? Will Amber dodge the arrow? Am I evil for this cliffhanger? Are you tired of all these questions? I think it's fun!