Chapter 36

NARRATOR | Ashlyn Ramsey, District 11

TIME | Day 6

TRIBUTES REMAINING | 15

Wyatt groans as I press against his wound. The skin has finally sealed shut - because of the sapphire, we were able to get medicinal creams that have sped up Wyatt's recovery considerably. He's still in pain, though, and he's not fully healed.

"Look at that," I say proudly. "Good as new, almost. Try not to make any sudden movements or it might rip back open."

"Come here," Wyatt says, giving me a rare smile. He reaches up and gives me a hug, but it's more of a pat on the back. Wyatt's not the warmest person, and I've noticed that he avoids physical contact with the rest of us when he can. He's barely let me even touch his leg in the last few days; still, I've grown very close to this boy over the last few days. At this point, he's just as much my friend as Ansel or Eddie.

"I would be dead if you hadn't done this," Wyatt mutters, staring into my eyes with sincerity. "I'd be dead if you hadn't saved me on the beach, actually. If there's something I can do to repay you for this, I will do it. I want you to know that."

"You've done enough," I tell him with a smile. "This group finally feels like a family again, and that's what I really needed. I finally feel like we're strong enough to make it to the end of these Games as a team."

As I'm speaking these words I know them to be true, but part of me is still glad that I have Wyatt's promise in my back pocket. I can rely on him, and that adds another layer of protection that I can depend on.

"Ashlyn, come grab this," Ansel interrupts from a few yards away, waving the sapphire bracelet at me. "It's time to switch."

After adding Wyatt and his sapphire bracelet to our group, we all decided that we should take turns wearing it; that way, nobody holds all the power, and we each get the chance to receive gifts from our mentors. Ansel was not a fan of the idea initially, but Eddie eventually convinced him to take his turn. It looks like it's going to be coming to me tonight.

"I wonder what Jordinia's gonna send," I say, smiling as I cross the clearing to grab the gold band.

When my fingertips are mere inches from the bracelet, Verity intervenes. "Actually, I think I should take it for tonight," she says, standing from the rock she was sitting on and walking closer to Ansel and me.

"You'll get it tomorrow, no?" I ask, taking hold of the bracelet and slipping it over my wrist. The metal band feels cold against my skin.

"Simon told me that if I lasted six days in the Arena, he'd send me something special," Verity says, but she's never mentioned this before. "It's a superstitious thing from back in Five. If I have the sapphire, he'll be able to send it without having to waste funds."

"It's Ashlyn's turn," Ansel argues. "Simon can send it to you tomorrow if he's worried about sponsors."

I agree with Ansel; Verity's motivations are making me suspicious. Does she really want the sapphire for a special gift, or is there another reason why she's been acting so weirdly lately?

Verity knows she can't win this fight, and she just nods. "Okay, I'll wait," she shrugs. She returns to her rocky perch; as she sits, I hear the sound of an approaching parachute. I glance up to see the familiar plastic casing drifting into our camp with the number 11 stamped on the side.

"I hope it's candy," I say with a grin, although I'm truly hoping it's something that'll help me stay alive in here. I can wait for candy until I'm out of this Arena.

I sit on the ground like a little girl, cracking open the plastic shell and digging inside. Across the clearing, Eddie and Wyatt sit together, watching expectantly as I pull out a single piece of paper.

"What the..." I mutter, unfolding the paper. Jordinia must be joking - where is my candy?

My heart plummets as Jordinia's note is revealed to me. The paper contains just one hastily scrawled word. RUN.

I hear a scream that sounds like a battle cry, and glance up to see a girl sprint into our camp. I'm so taken aback by our unexpected visitor that by the time I realize that it's Violet, she's already stabbing down at Eddie.

Wyatt is on his feet in a blur. Before Violet can reach Eddie, Wyatt swings his own sword up like a bat, locking metal on metal and pushing back against Violet.

As I struggle to regain my bearings, someone grabs me and pushes me flat against the ground. It's Verity; she leans over me, hissing in my face.

"Ashlyn, give me the sapphire," she says, her eyes wild. "Trust me, this is our only chance!"

All I can think of is the Bloodbath, of Violet stabbing through Safira's back. Is she doing the same to Wyatt right now? To Eddie?

Give Verity the sapphire, my heart tells me. I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of confusion, and this is my only chance of staying afloat.

I look into Verity's eyes, and I know that I can't. I've done my best over the last six days to trust Verity - Safira saw something in her that I didn't - but in this moment, all of that falls away to expose the root of the issue. I can't trust Verity, and I never truly did.

I use both of my hands to push the girl off of me, taking a quick look around the clearing. Eddie has taken over from Wyatt, baring his teeth as he protects himself from Violet's blows. Wyatt is fighting off Declan, so he's out of the picture, too... that leaves me with one option.

"Ansel!" I scream, throwing the bracelet at my ally. He turns, spotting the gleaming blue circle as it flies through the air. He raises his hand to catch it, but he's tackled to the ground by Evelyn, who appears out of nowhere. The sapphire falls to the grass, where it's grabbed almost immediately. My heart drops when I see the bracelet in Declan's hands; he rolls to the side as Wyatt stabs down at him, but his luck runs out when Wyatt finally catches him through the stomach with his sword. In his last moment of life, Declan throws the bracelet away from Wyatt, and it rolls slowly across the grass...

The sapphire comes to a stop at someone's feet, and they pick it up. It's Lucas from District Six; his eyes meet mine as he slips the bracelet on.

Lucas stares down at me, and I realize that I need to move now. Ansel screams from across the clearing, and Wyatt moves to help him. I grab my sword, rising to meet Lucas.

"Please," Lucas begs, and I notice that tears are streaming down his face. "I didn't want to do this, it was all Violet's idea, just let me go-"

"Give back the bracelet," I insist, stepping towards the boy and placing the point of my sword against his chest. My hand is shaking - do I have what it takes to kill this boy?

"I can't," Lucas chokes. "Violet will kill me, she told me so-"

I have to let this go; my allies need my help, and the sapphire is the least of my problems right now. "Fine," exhale, lowering my gaze to the ground. "But don't let Violet take control of these Games. Don't let her take control of you. If you do, she will walk out of here alive and the rest of us will die."

"I know," Lucas says. He looks into my eyes, and I can tell that he understands. "I will."

The sapphire bracelet flashes so brightly that it looks white. A column of light rises around Lucas as he raises the bracelet into the air; around me, the other tributes go silent, pausing to stare at the sudden burst of light. The bracelet illuminates the clearing around me; every set of eyes is set on Lucas.

Well, not every set of eyes. In the corner of my eye, I see someone lunge forward...

I turn just in time to see Violet swinging her sword with expert precision; in front of her, Eddie stays frozen, his eyes pointed at Lucas. All I can do is watch, horrified, as Violet's blade slices into my friend's chest.

And then everything comes crashing down.

A/N - Just want to clarify, I am not a fan of the whole dramatic trope of 'getting a note that warns of danger right before the danger arrives' because I feel like mentors would definitely not be allowed to warn tributes in the Arena with notes, etc (and also a similar scene was featured in Bleeding Hearts, one of my other stories). In this chapter I believe that Jordinia was allowed to send Ashlyn a warning note because Caius planned to send it right as Violet reached her alliance, which would create a dramatic moment for the Capitol audience. I didn't want it to come off as a poorly conceived excuse for more drama so just wanted to make that known :)

~S