The arena is strangely beautiful, with its muted grey sky and autumnal trees. The only downside is the rain. It starts dripping on us an hour into our trek, and as time went on, it comes down harder and harder, leaving us both soaked and chilled. Thankfully, our first sponsor gift arrives quickly in the form of an umbrella. Drake, being taller, volunteers to hold it. As we walk, we discuss the bloodbath and what we saw.

"So, Bronze shot Dashiell?" Drake asks, stunned.

"Yep," I reply, "Right as he was about to stab me."

Drake stares at the ground for a moment. "Thank goodness for that. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you too. Did Bronze try to shoot you too?"

I shake my head. "He didn't get a chance to. He sure was thinking about it though."

"Do you know who that sixth cannon belonged to?"

I shrug. "No clue. Considering how the fight between Cedar and Bronze was going when we left, I'm willing to bet it was him."

Since we're moving slower and more cautiously, it is late afternoon by the time we reach the river. It's large and runs quickly, not something I would want to fall into. This would make a good source of water, perhaps the only source of water besides the rain. We stay behind the tree line and take in the flowing water as it rushes loudly over and around the rocks poking above the surface.

"Something's wrong here," Drake says. "Why would the Gamemakers give us two perfectly full water yet provide lots of water here?"

I frown. "Yeah, that's a good point. You think it might be poisoned?"

"I don't know, and I'd rather not find out the hard way. I just hope that if Bran came here, he knows better or at least has a full water bottle."

"I'm going to sound like a bad person, but why don't we watch for other tributes and see if they drink from the river?"

Drake chuckles. "If that makes you a bad person then count me in. I was thinking the exact same thing. We can keep an eye out while we search for Bran near the river."

We spend the next several hours making our way down the riverbank before the sun begins to set behind the clouds. We have no way of seeing in the dark, so we're forced to stop and camp in a relatively large tree that has enough leaves on it for concealment. We enjoy a "dinner" of crackers and beef strips before settling in for the night. The temperature begins dropping and I find myself shivering. Drake notices and drapes the blanket around the both of us. Then, we're watching the sky, waiting for it to get dark enough for the anthem.

"I really hope Bran is okay," Drake says quietly.

"He will be," I reply. "He has to be."

Drake just sighs. "Right..."

He's still reeling over Jenny. To be honest, so am I. I still can't believe she's gone. Part of me still expects her to emerge from the trees, or pass us on the river, but there is nothing but heavy silence. Whatever I feel though, Drake is feeling it worse. They were district partners. He knew her and he had to watch her die. If Bran were to die this soon…

Call it delaying the inevitable, but I don't even want to think about that right now.

"How are you holding up?" I ask.

Drake shrugs. "Doing my best, just like you."

I open my mouth to say more, but the anthem begins to play throughout the arena and the seal of Panem appears in the sky. My certainty that Bran is still alive vanishes in the blink of an eye. My heart begins pounding furiously. Please let him be okay… Please let him be okay…

I sigh with relief when I see Xander's face in the sky. He was the missing cannon. Bran is fine. He's still alive.

The rest of the faces cycle through. Dashiell, Wendy, Urban, Jenny, and Atticus's faces all appear.

Seeing Jenny in the sky nearly makes me cry all over again. It's real now. She won't emerge from the trees. She won't pass us on the river. She's gone.

I turn my gaze towards the ground as the anthem ends. Was it really just yesterday we were all still in the Capitol? When that poor family in Five still had their two children? When Xander was so confident he was going to win? When Jenny and I hugged each other goodbye after last night's strategy meeting? When Bran and I were enjoying cake and our first sips of beer? It feels like so long ago now, like several lifetimes have passed. Now, we're here in the arena. Six of us are already gone. The curse could claim me at any time. It almost did today. Had Bronze not shot Dashiell when he did, had Brooke and Cedar not distracted him long enough for me to leave his line of sight, it might have been my face in the sky tonight.

Don't forget, Reeves. You chose this.

That I did. This was my choice, to ensure that the curse would either claim me in the next few weeks or not at all. The fact that death almost won today is slightly disconcerting. I lean back against the tree branch and shake the what-ifs from my mind. There's no time to think of what could have been. I have to focus on the now. Anything else will get me killed.

"You should get some sleep," Drake says quietly. "I'll take first watch."

"Are you sure? You could use the sleep."

Drake chuckles humorlessly. "I don't think I'm sleeping anytime soon. Do you want the sleeping bag?"

I shake my head. "No, you take it. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

I nod and close my eyes. "Just make sure I don't fall out, yeah? And wake me when you get tired."

I don't know how long I sleep before Drake wakes me for my watch. He insists I take the sleeping bag, stating I had been shivering earlier. Sure enough, I notice that Drake has wrapped the blanket around me completely. I reluctantly agree, but only on the condition that he takes the blanket instead.

The sun is just rising when I hear movement from the trees. I immediately peer through the branches and see a small figure stumbling through the tree line and to the river. I squint, trying to figure out who it is. Then, I faintly hear the violent cough over the rapids and I realize it's Chanel.

When I realize she's approaching the river, I gently nudge Drake and he wakes with a small start. "Hmm?" He breathes quietly. I point to the river. Drake turns towards where Chanel is and upon seeing her, leans forward with anticipation. A small part of me is screaming at me to warn her and stop her from drinking, but I shove it down. She has to die if either of us are to live, and this way, we'll know if the water is safe or not.

Chanel kneels down beside the water, coughing a bit as she does. She cups her hands, dips them into the river, and begins drinking. When she is finished, she stands back up. Immediately, she seems wobbly. She makes it about ten steps before she slips to the ground. Drake and I look at each other, then back at Chanel.

"No cannon…" Drake breathes. "Should we check her pulse?"

"I don't know," I reply. "Maybe we should wait a bit, see if we hear a cannon."

I don't know how much time passes. As it gets lighter, it's clear that Chanel is still alive. Her cannon would have fired by now if she wasn't. She doesn't seem to be in any distress or anything either.

"Is she…just asleep?" I ask quietly.

"She might be," Drake affirms. "She seemed fine before she drank the water. Coughing, but fine. Should we…do something?"

"Like what?" I ask.

"I don't know," Drake replies. "Maybe we can-"

Something must catch his eye because Drake suddenly stops talking and stiffens. He pulls out his knife and grips it tightly. I follow his gaze and sure enough, Nero comes walking out of the trees and towards the riverbank. I freeze where I am, not daring to move or even breathe. He doesn't have much, just a backpack and a pair of brass knuckles on his belt. Don't look over here, I plead silently. Don't look over here. If he looks over here, or if the Gamemakers do something to force a confrontation, we will likely not survive.

Nero notices Chanel and walks towards her and my heart sinks for her. Nero kneels next to her for a moment and checks her pulse. Then, he checks her hands, and gazes at the river for a moment. There's a small, foolish moment where I hope he's stupid enough to drink, pass out, and then it would only be a matter of climbing down the tree and cutting his throat.

He doesn't. Instead, he turns his attention to Chanel. He slaps her face, trying to wake her, but to no avail. I expect him to cut her throat or snap her neck, but what he does is even worse. He drags her over to the edge of the water and forces her head under.

Drake pales upon seeing this. I can tell by his face that he wants to charge in and save her, even though it ultimately wouldn't accomplish much, other than possibly get us killed, but we both know it's futile. I can only hope she's too unconscious to feel a thing as her cannon fires.

Nero lets go of Chanel's hair. He then stands and looks around a bit, but thankfully doesn't seem to notice us as he locates a shallow path through the river and carefully crosses over, into the trees, and out of sight. Still, we don't dare move from our position for at least a few minutes. Once we're certain Nero is gone, we both climb down from the tree and clear out so that they can collect Chanel's body.

"What a monster…" Drake mutters as we walk down the riverbank. "Dammit, we should have done something!"

"And get killed?" I remind him.

Drake sighs. "I know, I know, but he didn't even let her put up a fight."

"Yeah, well, that seems par for the course for him. Honestly, I'd rather not have to fight him until we're ready, is all. He's definitely going to have a grudge against me."

"Because of your sister?"

I nod. "Sunny was just defending herself, but yeah. Nero might not see it the same way. I sure didn't when the Token Taker killed her."

I was so very angry when I watched Sunny die. I just didn't understand why she had to rush in. What I did understand though, was how cathartic it was to see him get torn apart by mutts the next day.

We keep walking for a few hours and eventually decide to turn around before the Gamemakers decide we've wandered too far. It's around this time that we hear a cannon fire. Drake and I look at each other. "You think that was Nero again?" he asks.

"Or the Careers," I reply nervously. "I just wish there was a way to easily find Bran. He's not exactly easy to spot."

"Yeah…" Drake mutters. "This arena feels so big too. Maybe we should check the trees?"

Suddenly, it dawns on me. "He could be spying on someone while looking for us."

"Who though?"

"Probably not Nero. He's smarter than that. I also doubt he's spying on the Careers. That's a good way to get killed. That leaves Flower Power and the Sixes and Sevens."

Drake suddenly looks confused. "Speaking of, how did Cedar get out of the jam he was in? It looked like Bronze kicked his butt when they fought in the bloodbath. How was his face not in the sky last night?"

That is a very good question. I didn't see his allies at all when Drake and I were running from the cornucopia. In fact, Link was long gone. "I don't know…" I mutter. "Maybe they're holding him captive or something?"

Drake shrugs. "I suppose anything is possible at this point. Hell, that cannon just now might have been for him."

The second day seems to go by at the speed of a snail. We keep our eyes out for potential hiding places and other alliances, but we have little luck. There have been two deaths today, so I sincerely doubt the Gamemakers will attempt to force us together just yet. We'll be on our own for the time being.

Eventually, we are forced to stop for the night yet again. "If only we had night vision glasses," Drake points out.

I shrug. "Even the moon would be useful. We haven't even seen the sun since the Games started. It's been raining non-stop."

When the anthem finally plays, Chanel is the first to appear, followed by Harvey.

I sigh with relief, but I still feel this sense of dread, like he's going to be next. "We have to find him and fast. Before someone or something else does," Drake says.

"I know that," I retort. "He could be anywhere in the arena, and going back to the cornucopia right now would only get us killed."

Drake sighs. "I know, I know. I just wish there was something that could at least narrow things down."

We both take our watches and settle in for the night. The night passes uneventfully, surprisingly enough, but morning brings fog.

"At least the rain's stopped," Drake points out.

As the morning goes on, the fog grows thicker and thicker, and I feel more and more uneasy. "Drake," I breathe. "Something's wrong. We should stop."

There's no answer and my blood grows cold. "Drake?"

I turn around, only to find nothing but fog ahead. I begin looking around frantically, trying to find my bearings as the fog only grows thicker.

I wave my hands around wildly, trying to find something, anything to orient myself, but I can't even see my hands. I can't see anything at all.

"Drake!"

I've all but rage quit on the baseball season so I channeled my frustration into both work and this chapter and here we are! Our first two arena hazards have been revealed! The river and the fog! The water won't kill you, just knock you out, and leave you vulnerable to any tribute who cares. As for the fog…who knows what the fog does to you? Guess we'll just have to find out!

20th Place – Xander Browning – Stabbed by Camdyn Gloriana
Xander was the mystery cannon from the bloodbath. He died between Jenny and Atticus. He was tough and definitely had a shot at winning. Unfortunately, that put him on Camdyn's radar, and while the Ones were busy with the Fours, she made the big play that was taking him out. He did put up a fight though, which was why he was her only kill. I'm revealing that Camdyn killed Xander even though Amber doesn't know that, since it honestly won't matter in the end. Goodbye, Xander. May you win your next fight.

18th Place – Chanel Gibson – Drowned by Nero Mortis
Chanel was a character who was dealt a rough hand and was doomed from the start. The only reason she survived the bloodbath at all was because she ran away. She was still very weak from her illness and it wouldn't have been long before someone caught and killed her. She was also the first victim of the river. Unfortunately for Chanel, Drake and Amber realized that trying to save her may be futile…and then Nero showed up. At least she was unconscious when she died, so she didn't feel anything when she was drowned. Goodbye, Chanel. May you have better luck in the next life.

17th Place – Harvey Lyons – (Presumably) killed by the Careers
Harvey was another character that just didn't stand a chance. Since most of the tributes were in strong alliances, I needed someone for the Careers to kill. He died offscreen, but the nature of his death will have an impact on the story going forward, even if Amber doesn't know it yet. He was very much overshadowed by his district partner, and I'll admit there were several times when I almost forgot about him. Like Chanel, he was just dealt a rough hand. If only they had allied, perhaps they could have lasted longer, or perhaps not. Goodbye, Harvey. At least you're finally free from Belladonna.