I don't know how much longer I can do this. Watching the Games, I mean. And I know it's stupid. I've never had a problem with them before. Of course, since I'm now front and centre, I hate it. Am I just being selfish? Weird? Frick, I don't know.

What I do know is that this whole situation is pushing problems front and centre that I can't hide from anymore. I don't have any solutions. I'm just so painfully tired of it all. Tired of the Quell. Tired of the Games. Tired of being tired. Tired of life. Tired of everything. Tired of being put on display and being treated like a prize to be won rather than a human being. Not a natural love, but one born out of obligation.

And honestly, seeing the way Kai and Shadow openly flirt with each other is not helping me feel any better about my situation.

I sympathize with poor Cordin, who looks absolutely bored as his allies chat with each other and ignore him. Yep, been there and done that. Third wheeling is never fun. Watching people be mushy with each other while being reminded of your own painful loveless existence and the fact you're so abnormally not one of them for reasons you can't control? Who wants to deal with that?

I hear the sound of chimes, which provides a more than welcome distraction. The sponsor gifts are starting to come in. One takes two parachutes to carry; it must be one of the swords that Aquilo wanted to send. It lands in front of Kai while a smaller parcel drifts over to Cordin.

"Hell yeah!" Kai peels the wrapping off his sword and gives it a few practice swings, cutting through the grass. "Now that's what I'm talking about! What did you get, Cordin?"

Cordin slowly unwraps his sponsor gift. A medical kit falls out and his face lights up as he rummages through it. "It's got everything in here. That'll be useful."

Kai whistles. "Niiiiiice. So you're gonna be my sexy nurse, then?"

Cordin begins to blush furiously. "What!?"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Shadow, you be the sexy nurse!"

"Why can't you be the sexy nurse?"

Kai brandishes his new sword into the air. "Because I'm the suave and handsome knight who's busy rescuing the sexy nurse from the likes of the deadly and evil Careers."

Shadow makes a swooning gesture. Cordin sighs. He stares uncomfortably at the ground. "Don't you guys think you're not really taking this seriously? The Careers don't mess around!"

"I can take them," Kai insists. "Well, probably not all of them. But I could take one of them in a fight. If we play it smart, we'll be alright."

"I don't know," Cordin mumbles. "I mean, most are older than us."

"Yeah," Shadow scowls. "And most are stupider than us."

Kai snorts. Cordin just sighs. He opens his mouth to say something, before suddenly pausing and glancing around. Kai and Shadow just watch in confusion as Cordin suddenly rises to his feet and grabs a spear.

"What?" Shadow asks. "Did you hear something?"

"I thought I did," Cordin mumbles, frantically spinning in a circle. But there is nothing to be seen except his allies. "Maybe I'm just feeling paranoid. God, this arena is starting to get to me."

"What?" Kai asks. "You feel like there's something hiding in the grass over there."

The grass nearby ruffles loudly. The three men just stare in confusion.

"Well…" Kai says. "...shit."

"Now!" a voice yells. Roxy and Belinda burst into the clearing and throw themselves at the trio. Roxy grabs Shadow and tackles him to the ground, throwing punches at his face. Belinda swings her mace at Kai, but he narrowly ducks out of the way, dropping his sword in the process.

Belinda growls as Kai dives for the sword, setting her sights on Cordin.

"Someone give me a hand here!" Shadow yells as he tries to shove Roxy off him. "She's on top of me!"

Kai drops to his side and grabs Roxy by her waist, trying to pull her away. "Get off him!"

Meanwhile, Belinda starts wrestling with Cordin, kicking him in the gut and climbing on top of him. She swings her mace but misses. My stomach churns, watching as Belinda's mace swings downwards and clips Cordin's hair. Blood trickles down his forehead.

Cordin gasps in shock before suddenly throwing his hands up. They grab Belinda's throat and tighten around her neck.

Belinda falters.

And that's the opening Cordin needs to slam his forehead against Belinda's. It's not enough force to knock her off him, but it briefly stuns her for a bit. Cordin claws at the ground until he picks up a knife and rams it through Belinda's stomach.

The camera is so close that for a moment I can almost see Belinda's guts. I have to look away.

Belinda pauses, briefly looking down at the knife handle sticking out of her. Both she and Cordin scramble to grab it.

Meanwhile, Kai has finally pulled Roxy off Shadow and gives her a swift kick to the back of her leg, knocking her down. Roxy grabs Kai's shoulders and practically heaves him over her head, throwing him almost into Shadow.

Cordin finally yanks the knife free from Belinda's flesh and stabs her a second time in the head. Belinda immediately collapses as Cordin stumbles backwards from the body, panting heavily.

"Oh my God…" he mutters. "Oh my God, I killed her…"

Roxy and Kai go crashing to the ground and Roxy raises a shiv over her head. Kai throws his hands up to protect himself before suddenly a backpack swings and hits Roxy in the side of her head. She drops the shiv.

Roxy cusses loudly and looks up fearfully just in time to see Shadow grab the shiv and slice it sideways across her throat.

Blood squirts everywhere.

Shadow kicks Roxy off Ka and helps his ally to his feet. Cordin drops to his knees and begins to sob.

The two cannons echo through the arena, signalling that Roxy and Belinda are gone for good. The Careers, who have gathered back at the Cornucopia for the night, stop eating their dinner as they look up.

"Dropping like flies," Chanel mutters into her sandwich. "Makes it easier for the rest of us, I suppose."

"You talk a lot for someone who sits on her ass all day," Gaius grumbles.

"Leave her alone," Cyrus warns. "We're all trying our best here."

Coral rolls her eyes. "Yeah, and what have you two done? You don't even hunt, you just sit at the Cornucopia all day! You're worthless excuses for Careers!"

Chanel and Cyrus both glare at her, but Coral refuses to back down. If anything, she stands up and throws the crust of her bread to the side. Gaius watches her with a strange gleam in his eyes and Beatrix ignores everything.

"You're being very unfair," Cyrus states evenly.

"I'm being right."

"You're being childish," Chanel retorts. Cyrus puts a hand on her shoulder but she shrugs them off.

Before Coral can argue further, the grass rustles. The Careers immediately scramble to grab weapons. Hyacinth stumbles into view, and gasps in horror when she realizes she has accidentally come across the Cornucopia.

And it's filled with Careers.

"Shoot!" Hyacinth turns to flee. A knife flies past her head and Coral yells when she misses. Gaius throws a spear and Hyacinth just barely manages to dodge it.

But it's Chanel who makes the blow.

Her spear goes straight through Hyacinth's leg. Hyacinth screams and collapses into the dirt. It smudges against her face and clothes. Blood begins to pool under her leg.

"Someone help me, please! Someone help!"

The Careers make no move towards Hyacinth. Chanel grins and flips her hair over her shoulder. "There. Who's the worthless excuse now?"

"You just got lucky," Coral hisses and she and Gaius slink back into the Cornucopia. Night falls and Hyacinth is left to just lie there. Alone. With nobody to help her.

It isn't until two hours later, when Extro is doing a recap of the day's events, that the cannon finally fires and Hyacinth is declared dead.

I don't sleep well that night. My dreams are filled with visions of the three dead tributes hunting me down. Roxy. Hyacinth. Belinda. All carrying spears tainted with blood.

In the morning, when I finally wake up, I come to a single conclusion.

I don't want to do this anymore.

11th place: Belinda Jamme, District 10. Stabbed in the head and stomach by Cordin.

10th place: Roxy Arroyo, District 9. Throat slit by Shadow.

9th place: Hyacinth Leilani Tassakou, District 7. Speared through the leg by Chanel and bled out.

Seems like Chanel is right; the tributes are dropping like flies. A thank you to D9T for Roxy and Willuna for Hyacinth. Sorry I keep killing your tributes brutally, Willuna!

Now that we're down to the final 8, do you have any winner predictions? What did Tati mean by that final statement?

See you all next chapter,

-Vr