The interviews were the second worst thing about the Hunger Games, next to the actual arena and child death that occurred every year.

Eden hated getting dressed up for the reaping each year and hated how her grandmother forced her into awkward and itchy dresses that felt weird to be in. This year, her final reaping had been the most comfortable she felt in her six years of attending them and it was because she got to where something made by her girlfriend, with the fabrics in mind she knew wouldn't irritate her.

Gods, how she loved Kassia Dragoste!

When her stylists came to her the day of the interviews, shaving every "unseemly hair" as they had put it, forcing her into her dress, styling her hair, and doing her makeup, she wanted to be sick. Eden hated every second, genuinely wishing the ground would swallow her up and take her away.

All of the discomforts had been worth it when she had seen Kassia though. They were brought to the stage together, lined up with all the other districts and Eden could not tear her eyes away.

She wore her dark hair down, the curls falling just past her shoulder blades, save for two strands pulled into two small plaits and tied together at the back of her head. Her makeup was astounding, subtle yet beautiful. She realised it was the first time Eden had appreciated makeup's gracefulness.

And her dress, hell, her dress was outstanding.

It was an off-shoulder, flowing pink dress, with layers of chiffon. In a gradual gradient, the ends of the sleeves and the dress became a soft blue. The fabric had something sparkly in it, Eden didn't pay enough in school to know what it was called. She had more important things to consider, like surviving the night if she couldn't stay with Kassia.

"You look amazing! You- I love everything. Especially the pink." Eden had told her when they were guided backstage. The crowd of Capitolites were flowing in, by the sound of the chatter coming from the auditorium the tributes approached.

"It's like they knew." Kassia seemed off, subdued.

"What's up? Is everything okay ba-..." Eden cut herself off sharply, aware Capitol workers and tributes surrounded them. Mavka was likely eavesdropping on their conversation, considering what she knew of the freak.

"Are you alright?" She asked, sitting in silence for a few moments before.

"They know, I know they do about us and our situation. I heard two escorts gossiping about two tributes and their "friendship". The Capitol knows, Eden."

At that moment, she wanted to vomit. Ruin her dress and hide where the Gamemakers couldn't find her. They had tried hard to appear as close friends, two best friends who would die for each other. Their efforts had failed. Eden steeled herself, her face void of emotion.

"If the Master of Ceremonies asks anything about us, be vague. Make it a possibility that you have feelings for someone else, not me. Hint they might be back home, watching you with love. It might throw them off our scent, if only for a little while." Eden murmured, keeping her voice as low as she possibly could.

She could see the panic rising in her district partner's eyes and placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"You'll be okay. I'll do the same. I promise you'll be okay," She paused as a thought made its way to the surface of her mind, "Don't talk about what your parents have done. Not yet."

"Eden, you know I have-"

"Just hold onto it. If you can reveal it in the finale, or… one of us does after leaving the arena, their lives will be ruined. And so will the mayors. We just need to hold onto it, for now. If we do it now, it'll cause such a stink back in Eight that nobody will bother to send sponsors."

(That was if people sponsored them at all.)

If people were figuring out that Kassia and Eden were a couple, it could help encourage sponsors, but it could also paint them as a target to the Gamemakers. Lovers were the Capitol's favourite trope, and the Gamemakers' favourite to torture. She had learned that fact in school, during their history lessons about the Hunger Games. It had always given her anxiety about being reaped, or Kassia being reaped, even before they were official.

"Fine. It's not fair though, that they get to continue life like normal after ruining ours." Kassia muttered, looking anywhere but at her girlfriend, hurt.

She had told her lover the truth, even if it irritated her. She wouldn't lie to her, not while they were trapped in this deathmatch.

She deserved the truth. No matter how much it hurt.

Always.


Pulling herself from the memory of the interview night, Eden stood silently in her room. Staring at her reflection in the transparent plastic pipe that would lead her to death.

She felt odd, as if she wasn't truly in her body, but rather an on-looker who was watching her before she stepped into the tube. The digital clock above the pipe counted down, leaving her a minute before she had to step in.

In an attempt to ground herself, Eden ran her hands along her clothes, the outfit designated for her to wear in the arena. She wore leather armour, dyed blood-red with black detailing along the sides and shoulder. Alongside it, she wore a long cloak of the same colours, slits at the sides for her arms and black wrist wraps.

Eden found the colours… unique and unusual but brushed them off as being another "Quarter Quell twist". She was curious if all the tributes wore the same colours, as her stylist had hinted that there might be some differences as she left the room.

And locked the door after her, leaving Eden to stew over her thoughts quietly.

"Thirty seconds remaining."

A disembodied, robotic voice informed her. Completely apathetic to the fact she was about to witness horrors. A lot of death, too much death.

The Eight tribute clenched her fists and focused on the texture and tightness of the wrist wraps, rather than the sinking feeling in her stomach.

"It's for her."

For the three of us, she thought, Kas, Cora and me. That's all that matters.

Those were the only two people who mattered to her at this moment. And would be the only ones who would matter throughout all of this. She had grown fond of Cora, and in the brief few days since they had known each other, she found they shared similar lives and similar humour. Eden felt that need to protect Cora, the same need she felt so intensely for Kassia.

To be fighting in the Hunger Games at fifteen… it both saddened and infuriated her. She forced herself not to think of the thirteen-year-old Kassia had mentioned last night, refusing to grow attached to anyone else. It wasn't stubbornness that drove her to think this way, it was fear.

A deep-seated, profound fear of losing everyone she cared for.

As the countdown from ten began, Eden glanced back at the locked door behind her. At the people behind it. At her old life, the old Eden.

What would have been had they not been intentionally reaped. Marriage, children, and growing old with her partner. All of it had to be forgotten.

She turned and approached the clear tube, entering it, the door sealing tight behind her. Within a few seconds, her pedestal began to move, pushing her upwards. A knot was forming in her stomach but Eden didn't have time to focus on it, only on figuring out where her two allies were and escaping the bloodbath. Supplies would be a bonus.

It felt like an eternity on this pedestal. She could feel her hands trembling, so Eden tightened her braided bun. As she lowered her arms, she crested over the lip of the pedestal stand, the light blinding her for a few moments.

As her eyes adjusted, along with all the other tributes, Eden took in her surroundings and was left breathless. It was beautiful, outstanding! She had never seen an arena like it in all of her history lessons.

The sky was brilliant blue, with clouds so perfect it was as if they were painted and lined with gold. The sunshine cast a beautiful golden glow along the area, the tributes in (what she assumed) a circle around a Cornucopia made of pure gold. There were lakes sprinkled around the area, and the ground itself was covered in snow. But there was no bitter cold chill that came along with snow and the sun didn't seem to be melting it.

It felt unnatural, leaving Eden with an unsettled feeling tingling through her body.

She turned her gaze to the Cornucopia again, searching for weapons, keeping in mind that she only had a minute until the gong rang.

The weapons' colour strangely matched her outfit, but there were also weapons in white with gold detailing. Her eyes found a pair of red and black hatchets atop a rucksack that glimmered in the sun's radiant light. They weren't far, six or seven metres away from where her podium stood.

Lastly, Eden searched for her allies, scanning every face of every girl surrounding her until she found to the west, six people separating them. Eden began to worry as she continued to search for her girlfriend, desperate to see her face before shit hit the fan. It took a couple more moments but she found her district partner, across the circle of girls, slightly to the right. If she was northeast from where Eden stood, it meant she was south in the circle.

At least, she hoped she was. She wasn't exactly a star at geography but she trusted her survival instincts. They had aided her right until now.

Eden focused on Kassia, who still searched for her allies, and basked in her beauty for possibly the last time. She wore different coloured armour and cloak, hers was white with gold detailing. A common theme with this arena, apparently.

Eden tore her gaze from her girlfriend, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins, making her hands tingle. They knew the plan, they had all discussed it the final time they were all together, after the interviews. Now she could only beg for whatever watched them to not end their lives today.

She looked at that bag, knowing it was all she wanted from this bloodbath. Weapons and supplies, simple.

Run in, grab, find allies, run away. Easy.

"Welcome ladies, esteemed tributes, to the Two Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favour."

The gong sounded, so loud that Eden felt the urge to cover her ears but forced herself not to. She bolted from her pedestal, running as fast as her legs would allow to those hatchets and rucksack.

When she reached it, grabbing the weapons and slinging the bag over her shoulders, it almost felt like a dream. She even smiled, in shock that she had reached it first. As she looked up, readying herself, she saw one of the Twelve girls barrelling towards her. Unfortunately, Eden was not quick enough to escape the brutal tackle as the two girls scrambled to the ground.

Eden fought hard against the desperate girl, who was doing everything in her power to yank her supplies and weapons off of her. Eden struggled and squirmed, fighting tooth and nail to escape. She shoved the girl back hard, and it gave her enough time to swing her knee up, colliding into Twelve's ribs. She yelled in pain and fell, half thrown to the ground by Eden as she forced herself to her feet, securing the bag tightly and tightening her grip on her hatchets.

Eden glanced at the girl briefly, unable to bring herself to kill her. She couldn't, she had to put it off, even if it was just for a little longer.

As she began to move, ready to find Kas and Cora, she felt hands grab her ankle and cloak violently and angrily, pulling her towards the snow.

"Let go! Please!" Eden pleaded, desperate to not take her life.

Twelve continued anyway, rabid as a wild animal.

"Give me them! They're mine! MINE!" The girl screamed, pulling Eden closer to her.

Eden would hate herself for the rest of her time here, knowing what she would do. And would have to continue to do. She knew this was always what was destined to happen here. People changed, and nobody left the same.

(But was it selfish of her to want to cling to her last bit of innocence? To take someone's life… it would be the beginning of a new, terrible person.)

(But she had to do it anyway. For her, for them.)

She swung a hatchet at the girl, slicing one of the arms holding her deep. The girl's grip relented and Eden seized her opportunity, slashing her other hatchet across Twelve's throat.

Blood poured from her throat as she fell, gripping her throat weakly as she gargled and drowned in her blood. Eden trembled at the sight, horrified by her actions. She had killed someone, taken the life of someone innocent. Desperate to survive, just like her.

"Help! Kassia! Eden! Help, please!" Cora's voice cried, clear as day to Eden despite the madness that was consuming all around them.

She forced away that fear, and the gnawing guilt because she needed to save her ally. Cora would not die today. None of them would.

Eden turned and darted towards where she could hear her ally, quickly finding her corner by two older girls. Three and Nine, if her memory served her well. She tightened her grip on the two hatchets as she ran, forcing herself to run as fast as she could.

Cora was struggling, swinging punches and kicking out her legs to try to keep the two girls at bay. One held a white and golden scimitar, the other a red and black mace. The closer Eden got, the more she saw they were dragging this out. Cora had bloody arms and clutched her side, which was bad news. Cora spotted Eden approaching, it felt like time slowed as Eden gave her a nod.

Keep them distracted and trust me.

That's all that needed to be communicated between the two tributes, as Cora returned to trying to fend off her attackers and Eden ran and raised one of her hatchets.

"ARGH! Fuck!"

Three screeched furiously as Eden slammed and wedged a hatchet into her back, kicking her knees out from under her. Nine was so shocked at this sudden attack, that Cora took her opportunity to send her knee colliding with her stomach. Eden threw the second hatchet to Cora, happy to give her something to help protect herself from these fuckers.

Gods, was everyone in the arena as wicked as Mavka, picking on a fifteen-year-old? Many things on Eden's mind angered her, but now was not the time to mull over them.

"You bitch! You'll get what's coming to you now!"

Three launched into an attack, slashing and slicing sloppy from a lack of training. Eden was no better with her weapons, still adjusting to the weight of a hatchet instead of a pocketknife. Eden dodged and parried as many of her attacks as she could, quickly finding herself panting heavily as she tried to hack at her a few times.

The girl was relentless! She had to be younger than Eden, she looked it. If she could just figure out a way to distract Three and her ally, Cora and her could slip away and find Kassia and-

"Argh!" Eden yelped as the tribute slashed at her upper right arm, leaving in the scimitar's wake a bloody and bad wound.

She had let her thoughts and worries occupy too much space. With her heart screaming at her not to take another life, she had to do what she needed to survive. That's all this ever would be—survival and endurance to get Kassia out.

Despite the burning pain in her arm, Eden dodged Three's next attack, spotting her opportunity to end this as the girl steadied herself from a too-forceful swing. Eden swung, striking the girl deep in the stomach with her hatchet. She gritted her teeth, running on her instinct to protect and survive, and then she yanked her weapon free. With no hesitation, Eden kicked the girl to the ground, straight into the bloody mess she had left her stomach in.

Eden had turned to help Cora before Three even hit the ground.

Cora had kept her attacker at bay, slashes covering Nine's arms from her attempts at getting closer. Good, Cora proved she could fight and defend herself like she had promised she could. Eden tightened her grip again, catching Cora's eye before bringing her hatchet down on the back of Nine's neck. The sound made her stomach turn. Fucking hell, she wanted to retch, to erase that horrible sound from her memory.

The tribute collapsed to the ground, twitching as her blood began to pool around her.

"Oh my god… shit, you should definitely do that more often."

"I… we need to move, we can talk later. The Careers will spot us if we stay for any longer, and we do not need Mavka on our asses straight off the bat." Eden told her, ignoring the intense throbbing in her arm as she began to run to where she last saw her girlfriend, her ally following behind.

With a glance at the Cornucopia, it was a bloody mess, with people fighting, struggling, and blood spraying everywhere. It had Eden quickly guiding Cora around this area, hiding behind lumps of snowbanks in order to remain unseen by the Careers.

Eden would peek her head over as they moved around, searching for her partner as her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

She's here. She's safe, I know she is.

As they silently approached the pedestal Kassia had been on, they saw that her pedestal's placement had been at the start of a path, leading away from this shitshow. Further along, it separated into different sections, meant to guide tributes to different areas.

But still no sign of Kas. That seed was sowing itself in Eden, the seed of doubt and worry. She could feel her panic building as she began to peer over the pedestal until a voice spoke. It startled the two girls and Eden instantly readied herself for a fight, Cora doing the same.

"It's me, you idiots!" The voice whispered, a head popping out from another mound of snow.

Eden could have burst into tears. Never was she so thankful to see her girlfriend's face, her beautifully dark complexion stark against the white and gold she wore. Mirroring Eden and Cora in her armour and cloak, the colours being the only difference.

"Kas!" Eden grinned wide, relief washing over her like a tidal wave.

"Let's go! C'mon, before the Careers or any other tributes see us!" Kassia told them, standing up slinging a bag over her shoulders, holding a white and golden dagger.

The two didn't need to be told twice, running as fast and as far as they all could away from the bloodbath, from where too many lives were likely lost.

They ran and ran, and ran.

Unbothered by their surroundings, refusing to interact with anything until they reached a safety point. Eden's chest burned, her breathing was heavy, and the wound on her arm was relentless in dishing her an agonizing amount of pain. But after passing two massive lakes, and endless amounts of snow mounds of all sizes, they saw a building - no, buildings.

They had found a small village! The thought of shelter felt like heaven… probably only temporarily, but somewhere they could gather themselves, determine what supplies they had, and rest.

Eden felt weak; she needed rest. So for a short while, they could forget about Mavka and the Careers, they could forget about the Capitol watching them, recuperate, and come up with a plan. After that, they could go from there.


They ended up spending the night in one of the houses in this village, one of the smaller golden ones as opposed to the massive mansion towards the north. Despite choosing a smaller house, it was filled with lavish, expensive-looking items and decorations - all shades of white. There was a massive hearth, one that seemed illogically big, and it was where they placed their bags and moved chairs and couches over to, all facing towards the door in case they needed to act fast.

Kassia had been the one to ensure none of them lit a fire, though they were all aware it was a bad idea.

"The Careers are bloodthirsty and will hunt us down, so it's best not to." She had said, still tense from the bloodbath.

There was a theme here, from the arena to the tributes to the pre-games. They truly took the theme of Divine and Corrupt seriously—the urge to roll her eyes over how stupid and pretentious the Capitolites and Gamemakers were. Trust them to make sure another Quell is as dramatic as possible.

Eight canons sounded once the bloodbath was officially over. When the three girls peered out the windows to see who had died, Eden felt a sickening pit in her stomach as the two faces of the tributes who had cornered Cora appeared.

I officially had a kill count, whoopee. Can't wait to see the Capitol fuck us over even more.

Eden thought to herself, sarcasm seeping from every word she thought of. Never in her life had she been filled with such conflict. She needed to protect Cora and Kassia but she didn't want to take a life. If she didn't kill, they died. If she did, someone else died.

She now sat on watch by the window, as night beared down on them, watching and listening for any source of life. She switched her gaze from the door to the living room to outside the window every minute. Eden needed to be the one to take the first watch, her skin felt as if ants were crawling underneath it. The bloodbath had ended hours ago, and yet she still felt as if they were in immediate danger.

That was probably their new reality. Looking over their shoulders, worried Mavka and her cronies would find them and slaughter them all. Eden still didn't understand the girl's obsession with Kassia. Did she have abandonment issues? Was she just mentally unstable? Surely not, considering she was a Career and they were usually handpicked.

They would have to face her eventually, she knew that well. Secretly, Eden hoped her allies would betray and kill her, anything that meant avoiding a confrontation with the redhead.

She sighed deeply, rubbing her face as her thoughts drove her slowly insane. In an attempt to distract herself the dark-haired girl reached across from her, grabbing the two bags they got at the bloodbath and mentally noting what supplies they had. She hissed quietly in pain as she used her right arm, her wound now cleaned and bandaged; courtesy of her girlfriend.

They had gotten three bottles of water, one sleeping bag (that Kas gave to Cora), three medical kits, 5 days worth of rations and two daggers, one red and black, the other white and gold.

For a short while, the three girls theorised why the weapons and tributes had certain colour schemes. The theories only grew more extravagant and ridiculous until Kassia attempted to hold the red and black dagger, only to receive a nasty shock through her body. After that, Eden held onto that dagger and Kassia held onto the other, her girlfriend mumbling about 'how the colours weren't even that badass anyways'.

Eden closed the two bags, pushing them against the side of the plush stool she sat on. As the silver moonlight shone down her face in the silence, she watched her allies. Her gaze fell on Cora first, who slept soundly in the sleeping bag. She looked peaceful, something Eden wasn't accustomed to. She had been through a lot at home, and already in this damned place. The world was becoming as cruel as it was for herself back in Eight.

She had thanked Eden for saving her life countless times over the evening, overwhelmed with some emotion Eden herself found hard to place. She didn't understand why she needed to be thanked for something so simple. Cora was her ally, her friend by now. If the same scenario happened, she'd jump in every time to save Cora, just to give the girl one more day of life before…

Eden looked away from the blonde, suppressing the thoughts of her imminent death. Instead, she found herself looking at Kassia, curled up on the extravagant sofa, underneath a lavish blanket. She must have seen a throw in the room, matching the white interior.

She loved the girl so passionately and intensely that it hurt her chest. Eden would give anything for Kassia, she would forfeit her soul if it meant she could be content for life. However, the world was ruthless. She could easily picture her girlfriend in a wedding dress, made by the finest designers. She would look radiant, her hair half-up, half-down. She would be as breathtaking as the day Eden realised the love she felt for her.

She tore her eyes away from the sleeping girl, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She refused to let the Capitol see the tears waiting to be released. If she started crying, she didn't know if she would ever stop, at all she had lost by being reaped.

Eden turned her gaze back outside, looking at the snow surrounding the area, glistening and glittering in the moonlight. She nearly leapt out of her skin when there was suddenly frantic banging at the front door.

Cora and Kassia were jerked awake by the noise, panicked and reaching for their weapons. Kassia opened her mouth to speak but Eden raised her finger to her lips, her only way to communicate without letting whatever was banging know they were in there.

Eden checked her side for the dagger, letting her hand run over it before she picked up her hatchet and silently moved towards the room's entrance. She silently mouthed 'hide' to her allies, and they did so without hesitation. She made the right call because moments after reaching the door, the front door slammed open, and someone ran in, panting heavily.

Her heart was pounding, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she raised her hatchet, readying herself to kill another tribute. It was the only way home, the only way to survive. She had to do it, she had no other choice.

The frantic person ran into the room, revealing herself to be a young girl, no older than thirteen. She wore the same colours as Kassia, white and gold. She looked panicked, with a wild look in her eyes and a nasty gash on her forehead leaking blood down her face. She didn't want to do this, but it was the only way to get them one step closer to home. She'd make it quick.

"Stop!"

Just as Eden began her attack, Kassia yelled out, rushing from her hiding spot. Eden stopped her attack and lowered her weapon, startled by the sudden interruption.

"You're-" Kassia began, kneeling in front of the girl and sheathing her dagger before looking at her girlfriend, "She's the girl I told you about! On the roof yesterday." The dark-skinned girl looked at the young tribute, her hands gently holding her hands.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? What happened out there?" She asked, looking around the girl's body for injuries.

"Kas, we can't-"

"Eden, not now."

Anger and frustration rose within the Eight tribute, but she squashed it down, telling that hesitant and wary voice to trust her girlfriend's instinct. She glanced to Cora, who now stood watching this scene play out. Her gaze found Eden's and she shrugged, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"I… No, I'm not hurt, I think… There were mutts out there… They chased me and…"

The girl began to shake, so Kassia led her towards their camp in the living room, grabbing the blanket she had been sleeping with before and wrapping it around her.

"It's okay, you're safe here with us. We won't hurt you." Kassia said softly, as sympathetic as always.

The girl nodded, her shaky breathing slowly evening. She was probably still in shock from whatever she encountered.

"What's your name?" Kassia asked.

"Sunny… Sunny De Beaux…" She replied quietly, eyes flicking between the floor and Kassia's gaze.

"Hi Sunny, I'm Kassia. But you can call me Kas."

"Thank you for stopping… her…" Sunny glanced warily at Eden, who now joined Cora by the couch Kassia had been sleeping on.

"I was just running and looking to hide from those things… they were so scary and freaky."

"What was chasing you?" Cora asked, piping up for the first time.

"Ghosts, or ghouls I think. They chased me here and got my ally before I got here. I tripped and ended up with this." Her voice cracked a little as she touched her forehead, the image of her dead ally was probably still fresh in her head.

"The arena, its gotten all eerie and mysterious since the sunset. A lot of places are filled with mist, and I keep seeing shadows of these screaming flying things." Sunny seemed to be settling, holding Kassia's hand as she spoke. Eden didn't interrupt, even though she desperately wanted to pull her girlfriend and friend away from this girl.

She was young, likely one of the youngest in this arena, but something did not feel right. Eden couldn't put her finger on it, only when she made eye contact with Sunny did she see this weird… sheen. As if the girl wasn't fully present, despite her words making her appear otherwise.

Kassia grabbed a bag with supplies, searching in it until she found disinfectant and bandages. She began to clean up the blood and wound, letting Sunny know every time she needed to do something that might startle her.

She had bandaged Eden up many times after tussles or bad exchanges on the streets of Eight, she knew well how to look after wounds, of that size anyway. Eden could still remember the first time she showed up at Kassia's house, after being mugged by some gang who knew she was homeless. Her then friend's face at the sight of her bloody and bruised.

She shoved that thought deep down. It made her feel uncomfortable to think about.

"You can stay with us. We couldn't work with it at the time, but we're not gonna leave you out there on your own now. Right guys?" Kassia cleaned the last of the blood off Sunny's face, moving on to bandaging.

That uneasy feeling remained, just ever so slightly unsettling. She glanced at Cora, who looked hesitant and conflicted. Between them, an unspoken deal seemed to be made.

Keep an eye on her. Don't let her steal from us or hurt us.

"Sure," The Eight girl responded nonchalantly, "No point in throwing her out to the dogs at this point. Just don't draw unwanted attention to us."

While Kassia saw to Sunny, Cora and Eden settled back down, though the latter kept her hatchet by her side as she looked out the window once more for any other tributes. She thought hard, trying to make sense of the arena and what its theme was.

It had to be something grand for a Quarter Quell, right? Was it still to do with the theme of Divine and Corrupt? What did mean for the tributes if it was? What would be in store for them? A silence had fallen over the four girls, not an uncomfortable one. Eden hated silence though, it gave her too much time to think, for her thoughts to turn on her.

"Do you think the Quarter Quell theme has anything to do with the arena?" She said aloud, to nobody in particular.

"It would make sense, I mean, they started this whole theme thing for a reason, probably," Kassia replied absentmindedly, finished with bandaging and ripping the end from the roll.

"The ghosts talked about wanting our souls. Needing them to survive. And the flying creatures looked weird like they had horns. Maybe that has something to do with it?" Sunny mentioned, smiling up at Kassia in thanks. Eden imagined after all that running, she had to be drained.

Cora was staring down at her dagger, a deep-set frown on her face. After another moment of silence, she answered Eden's questions.

"When we first arrived, when we all came up from our pedestals, everything looked perfect. Pristine. Whenever they taught us about old religions back in Seven, they taught us the colour that represented heaven was white and gold." She gestured to Kassia and Sunny, both wearing those colours.

"And red and black are associated with hell, which would make sense why we're dressed in that. But it doesn't exactly look like hell out there, considering there would be flames and stuff. So what is the arena at night?"

Cora spoke aloud, the information nearing overwhelming to Eden, after today's events. Cora seemed to be reacting the same, growing restless the more she thought about the topic.

"Whatever happens at night, doesn't matter right now. We can figure that out tomorrow, I think we should sleep while we can. I'm sure it won't be long before the sun rises. Kas, Sunny, you guys rest up. Cora, do you want to-"

"It does matter, though," Cora interrupted, her voice shaky and upset, "Considering we're some dumb arena! Fighting other girls who are stronger and older than me! If I can't figure out what the stupid arena theme is, how will I figure out how to get out of here? You had to save me in the bloodbath; I couldn't even fight two girls off by myself! How am I meant to kill someone, how am I supposed to either watch you all die or kill you myself by the end?!"

By the time she finished her rant, Cora was panting heavily, crying angrily and yelling, unable to contain her worries any longer. Eden didn't realise all of this had been building up, that she must have been holding onto her worries since the day she was reaped.

"Kas, why don't you, um, show Sunny the kitchen and the back of the house? I'll stay with Cora."

The kindest way of telling her girlfriend and their newfound ally to get out of the room for a while. Kassia, bless her soul, understood what Eden wanted to do. She guided Sunny out of the room, telling her about how they looked at all the houses in the village and what she found weird about them.

"Cora, I didn't know you felt like this. You can talk to me about stuff, you know that." Eden told her young ally, careful with her tone of voice to not sound condescending.

"What difference would it make! I'd still be in this fucked up place, seeing and doing fucked up things! It's not fair, Eden! I wanted to grow up, I- I wanted to have a girlfriend or boyfriend, I don't know! I wanted to live my life how I wanted to, even if people back home were terrible! It's just not fair!"

Cora broke down, sinking to the ground as she sobbed, her body shaking uncontrollably. Eden rushed over to her and knelt on the ground, unsure of how to comfort Cora. She was never good at comforting people; she found it difficult to know what to say or how to express it. So she just gently rested a hand on Cora's shoulder as she cried, her thumb gently stroking back and forth.

Cora's crying slowly began to lessen over ten minutes, and as she wiped the tears from her face, Eden spoke quietly, just enough for the two of them to hear.

"Things suck right now. A lot. Things are pretty messed up and probably will be for a good while yet. But know this: I'm here for you. We all are. Kas, me… and Sunny, it seems, will fight for you. Fight with you." Cora glanced at Eden, eyes still teary. But she wasn't crying anymore.

"You have a strong spirit and an even stronger soul, Cora. You cannot let them win, let them change who you are. It's what they want. Not just the Gamemakers but the world. The world hurt me a thousand times over, and I refuse to let them do the same to you. I see so much of myself in you, but there is time for things to be right. I don't want you to end up like me. Not when you have a chance to change things."

(A chance that she would never get to see if Eden wanted her girlfriend leaving this arena alive. Bitterness clung to her tongue, conflicted by the truths and lies her words were filled with.)

"We will survive these goddamn Games, bloodthirsty Careers, weird ghosts and flying things be damned. We will get through this together, I promise. Besides, if you weren't here with me, who is gonna join me in being super fuckin' annoying in the morning to Kas?"

Eden's final comment earned a weak but amused laugh from Cora, as she sniffled a little bit more.

"Can we ask her if she'd love us if we were all worms?" She asked softly, a small smile settling on her face.

"Oh hell yeah! She thinks stuff like that is so stupid but I, personally, think she secretly loves those questions!"

The two girls giggled to themselves, amused by their talk of love and worms and Eden's words of comfort. As they settled from their little fit of laughter, the two fell into silence as they sat on the white wooden floor.

"Thank you, Eden. For cheering me up and dealing with my stress." Cora said quietly, her eyes watching the dark sky out the window from the ground.

"It's no problem. Let's hope you don't become like front page news." Eden joked, winking at her friend.

"Oh god, don't even say that." Cora covered her face out of embarrassment, going red.

Another silence. And then…

"Can I have a hug?" Her young ally asked, sheepishly looking down.

Eden had never really shown affection to anyone that wasn't Kassia before but…

"Of course. C'mere."

The two scooched closer, and Eden wrapped her arms around Cora, giving her the best hug she could muster. As the two hugged, the closest they had ever been to each other, Eden felt her chest tighten, felt a twinge of something she didn't know what to call. It was uncomfortable and sat awkwardly in her chest, but it felt like a warning.

Like a little voice saying 'The worst is yet to come.'


Yoooo its me, ya boi, Art!

It's been two months without an update and that is mainly because Semester 1 of 2nd Year got busy af with assignments and then Christmas hit so it was family time for a while! But yippee, new Awaken chapter! And we're officially in the Games section now! And we're in 2025! I didn't focus heavily on interviews bc that shit doesn't matter in this atm so it was mentioned but not very focused on lmao

I hope everyone has had a nice Christmas and New Year, and hopefully, I'll be able to pump out more chapters soon, Semester 2 has begun, and it's gonna be busy, so we shall see!

Either way, have a good day, be slay and see ye in the next chapter :)