Chapter 7 – Broken Bonds

D10F - Arabella Daunt - 14

The sound of Tilda's screams are still ringing in my ears, or maybe they're still playing. I'm completely unable to tell. I couldn't sleep last night, and honestly I don't know if I'll be able to sleep again. I think of when Tilly and I would play together, before we had to work, before we had to worry about when we were next gonna eat, before we had to worry about the games.

I realise that I'm starting to fall out a tree as I hear my knife clatter onto the ground. I try to climb down carefully but Tilda's cries are echoing in my head, putting me on edge. I manage to scramble down the tree far enough so that as I fall out I don't hit the ground to hard. I dust myself off and pick up my knife, still thinking about Tilda I decide to do something to take my mind off it.

I notice that I'm slightly lacking in water, so I decide to try to find some. I was hanging around a stream for a while but last night I seem to have strayed far away from it - at least I brought my bag I guess.

I spend a few hours searching the area for a water source but after finding nothing except a very suspicious pool of liquid under a bush I realise that if I was gonna find something I would've by now. I'm just about to turn back when I hear the sound of someone - or something - groaning in pain. I go round the tree to see what it could be and a wave of shock hits me.

D6F - Jemima Busby - 16

I see Arabella (the kid who wanted to ally with Tegan) standing over me, knife in hand. 'Jemima?' She says cautiously, 'Jemima who did this to you?' Honestly I'm thinking the same thing, the Tegan I know wouldn't do this. Arabella gets down on her knees and starts saying something but it just seems to wash over me. As she begins trying to lift me up I hear someone behind us. 'Arabella! How are you doing kid?' Tegan says smiling brightly. 'Tegan, someone's really hurt Jemima, what should we do? Do you know who did it?' Responds Arabella, panicking. 'I have a little idea who did it kid. Hand her over.' Although Arabella looks confused at Tegan's voice drop at the end she does as she's told and gives my aching body over to Tea. 'Don't worry kid, I'll make it quick.' Tegan says looking over at Arabella. The confusion seems to grow on her face, but it's too late for me. By the time she realises what's happening and yells 'Stop!' I'm already gone.

D5F - Celina Sparke - 13

Boom.

The sound of a cannon seems to wake Matt up. He crawls out of the little cave and looks up at the sun. 'Celina it looks like it's about 11 o'clock, I'm not wrong am I?' Honestly, I wake him to early I'm a bitch, and if I leave him to long I'm a piece of shit. 'Matt, you specifically told me not to wake you up early and I've got everything under control, can you just leave it!' I shout back. He rolls his eyes but seems to forgive me, then asks 'Where's Casper?' I point in the general direction of the stream (which appears to be slowly drying up) where I made Casper sit. His leg is looking a little better, but his stomach has lots of bruising and I have to keep changing his bandage.

I go to retrieve the fishing equipment - so that Matt and I can catch some food - when I hear a strange sound. I look up, scared, expecting to see Careers but I glance around and nobody's there. I quickly go over to Matt and Casper to explain what I heard and they look at each other with an air of knowledge. In a questioning tone I ask 'Why are you looking at each other like that? Did I do something dumb? Is there something on my face?' They almost start laughing at that, but their snickers stop just as the screams start.

D9M - Casper Dagan - 13

The screams of a young child start playing, presumably Celina's little brother and her face immediately goes white. 'Jace! JACE! JACE I LOVE YOU! CELINA LOVES YOU! STOP CRYING BABY! STOP!' She cries out as if he was here. 'JACE! JACE!' She yells before swiftly covering her mouth after realising the volume of the sound she just made.

But the damage is done.

Although we can barely hear them above the shrieks of both Celina and Jace we can see them. Careers. Victor the district 1 from yesterday is back (with the girl from 2) and he looks like he's long overdue a kill. I make eye contact with him as he starts running towards me. I manage to dart out the way causing him to slam neck first into the hilt of his sword. He manages to push himself up and (after correcting his breathing) pull his weapon out of the rocky soil. He starts trying to run towards me but I've already started climbing up a small cliff. He seems to accept that he won't be able to climb up my rock formation and turns around to see if he can help the District 2.

'Carlotta! What should I do?' Carlotta doesn't look around, clearly preoccupied with fending off Matt and shouts 'I didn't hear a cannon go of Vic. Are the screams just too loud or did the kid escape you?' Victor looks angry at this response and after trying to come up with an explanation finally settles on a look of disgust. Finally Matt breaks free from his and Carlotta's fight only for Victor to immediately grab him by the neck - both of them loosing their weapons in the process. Carlotta suddenly yelps in pain as Celina tries to stab her in the stomach, which results in Carlotta bleeding a bit and Celina in a headlock.

D10M - Matt Tanner - 18

As Victor and I struggle to be the one trapping the other Carlotta grabs the knife out of Celina's hand and holds it up to her throat. 'Victor, give up on him.' She says, little emotion in her voice. In one sudden movement Carlotta slices the knife into Celina's neck. Then as the canon sounds, Carlotta lets Celina's limp body fall down and she runs away. Victor takes this as his sign to let me go and starts sprinting in the same direction as Carlotta. Then it hits me.

They just killed Celina, a child who had a family to go back to, friends who were counting on her, classmates that would miss her. Celina wasn't just killed by Carlotta - sure she did the dirty work but really she is a victim too. The gamemakers knew what they were doing when they played those screams. They knew someone wouldn't make it out alive.

That someone just happened to be Celina.

D4M - Damian Kaimana - 18

I really don't understand why I always get the shitiest hunting partners. On day 2 I was with Victor, which was fine apart from the fact that he seems to have to do everything. On day 3 I was with the dumb blond Sapphire, who spent the whole day pissed that I saw her for who she was. Yesterday they made me guard camp with Carlotta, who wouldn't say anything at all and today Vic really decided that MARINA and I should hunt together. Can his stupid head not comprehend that we don't like each other, don't know each other and don't want to work together. That bitch literally started dating my best friend, turned him against me and encouraged him to volunteer for the games (which he died in!)

'Damian should we head back?' Marina says with a cool tone. I look up at the sun in the sky and nod my head, 'I think we should.' She turns around at that answer and starts walking away. 'Marina' I say, she turns around with a look of annoyance on her face. 'What do you want Damian?' I look her in the eyes and realise now is a good time. 'Marina. How's Alon doing?'

A tear forms at the edge of her eye, but she quickly wipes it away. I smile at that. Although I already know that I'm the better District 4 it does feel good to have that power over my emotional ally. We stumble back to the Cornucopia in silence for about an hour when we hear the metallic sound of a sponsor gift. The careers have got a total of five sponsor gifts so far, the first some knives for Carlotta, the second water for Victor. Then granola bars for Sapphire and water for Carlotta again. The latest was a disinfectant medicine for Carlos and obviously all the gifts were shared (except for Carlos's cream) but this is the first gift for a District 4 this year. As I reach up to get the parachute out of a tree I read the name on it. 'Who's it for?' Marina shouts up - my silence gives it away. 'Damian hand over my sponsor gift!' She says a smile plastered on her face. I rip the parachute out of the tree and chuck it, taking my anger out on this gift. 'Thank you Damian.' Says Marina sarcastically. She puts the gift into her backpack and pats it. 'We're nearly at the Cornucopia, I'll just open it there.' Marina narrates, completely unnecessarily. She smiles and carries on walking.

D2F - Carlotta Bridge - 17

After mine and Victors eventful day I'm glad to see everyone sitting around a sponsor gift as we get back. 'Lottie! We were waiting for you!' Shouts Carlos. I look at my baby brothers sweet face as he says this. Honestly, who decided Carlos should volunteer?

I look down at the number on the gift and ask Damian 'Is it yours?' He glares at Marina and I take that as a no. I hear Marina ask if she should open it before or after we eat and the general consensus is to open it before. Marina does the classic shake, like you do before a gift on your birthday. She opens the metal case and lets out a gasp. She pulls out a brown string with half a shell attached to it. Marina pulls out her token, a necklace that appears to be the other half. I hear her suppress a sob before quickly slipping into the girls tent.

Sapphire and Victor look over at each other, as do Carlos and I. Just as the silence is getting almost unbearable I turn around at the sound of laughing. I see Damian smiling widely, face red with laughter. 'Damian what has she got?' I ask, frowning. He looks up - smirking, 'My district partner, has exactly what I want her to have.

D7F - Teagan Birch - 16

I look over to Arabella, my new ally, and smile. 'List of the dead time!' I say cheerfully. She looks at me with a funny face but doesn't comment as the sky lights up. First up it's the girl from 5, Celina, I'm honestly surprised she made it this far she didn't seem to have any particular skills and was allied with two bloodbaths. The second and final dead tribute today is a my kill, Jemima. I see Arabella glance over in my direction and move away from me slightly.

'How could you kill her?' She asks, cautiously. 'Bella - Can I call you Bella?' Arabella takes a second to understand what I'm saying but after a pause she nods slowly. 'Well Bella, it really wasn't different to you killing that 3 boy-' I start saying before she interrupts. 'Josiah' I nod and carry on 'It wasn't different to you killing Josiah. I injured her and ended her suffering.'

'Just like how I hurt Josiah, you hurt Jemima… Hang on! It was YOU! YOU HURT JEMIMA LIKE THAT! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER TEGAN?!' Arabella grabs her knife and holds it towards me. I notice my axe is on the other side of the tree and that if Arabella wants to kill me there is nothing I can do to stop her. 'Bella!' I shout, slowly shuffling backwards. 'Arabella Daunt! I don't know what story you think you know but it isn't the right one!' She doesn't seem to be listening to me and starts saying something 'Jemima didn't look like she'd been attacked by weapons, and she was lying by the bottom of a tree… you could have shoved her into the tree, or out of it! You're stronger than she is - I doubt it would've been easy but it's definitely possible! Why did you wan to ally with me Tegan? So you could kill me too?!'

Just as Arabella finishes her little speech I feel my hand on the handle of my axe. 'I don't know why I allied with you Bella. But my death isn't gonna be the cause of our alliance breaking up!' As I raise my axe above my head and release it I see her duck down and move to the other side. By the time I've retrieved my weapon and look up again Arabella is out of my sight. I follow the sound of footsteps on twigs for a few minutes before I realise that's it's just a rabbit-like creature. Still I decapitate it and bring it back to my tree ready to eat in the morning.

I feel like I should say something about this chapter but I've got nothing...