Martyr

Winchester Barker

District 5 Female

I stare at the empty bottle standing on the rock before me. I think that's bad? That it's empty, I mean. Since I don't have any water. I sigh and close my eyes. The young boys' camp had no supplies, and I didn't dare to check the District 3 boy's pockets. Instead, I had rationed the bottle we had filled when we first found the river. Me and Wilson.

Honestly, it's funny how worried we were about finding water back then. Now I barely even care.

Klaus starts breathing heavily again next to me. I look over at his dirty body lying on the ground: his face is losing color increasingly quicker and last night he woke up sweating buckets. He can't be lasting long now. Probably some sort of sickness. Too bad he drank up all my water - what a waste.

The anthem blares again, but I barely react. Oh right, there were two cannons today. I've lost count of how many people remain in the arena and I honestly am not particularly interested in what poor souls lost their lives today. However, I still look up in the sky since I don't have anything else to do.

After Panem's weapon disappears the District 7 boy's face shows up in the sky. He is smiling confidently: compared to most of the other portraits he truly seems to be enjoying himself. His district partner joins him when it flips to the next face. The girl is the complete opposite: her eyes are devoid of emotions and I wouldn't even be able to guess her thoughts even if I tried.

I'm a bit envious. They don't seem particularly troubled. They're also dead.

Klaus groans and tries to sit up. Oh, he woke up.

"Hey, do you have anything to eat?" he asks, still blinking away the sleep.

"No."

"Shucks," he mutters and lays down again.

I look down at the knife in my belt. When I first met him, I contemplated killing him. I still do. It's not like I particularly like him, nor does he seem to particularly like me, and he's on death's door anyway. If I let him stay alive, he might try to stab me in the back. I know what happens if I hesitate to kill now.

However, ever since I've sat down the knife feels heavy. The bottle too. In fact, everything feels too heavy to wield. It's easier for me to simply sit here and don't move. It's a lot more relaxing too.

"So what poor bastards died today?" Klaus suddenly asks.

I raise an eyebrow. "You heard the cannons?"

"Yeah. I feel like dogshit but I ain't deaf yet," he says.

I'm quiet for a few minutes before saying: "The District 7 pair."

Klaus bursts out in laughter. It's a hoarse laughter, that soon goes over into violent coughing. "No way. Didn't they both get eights? And they both died before us! How pathetic is that!"

I don't say anything and burrow my face into my knees again. Honestly, I don't understand how I'm still alive. Wilson was strong. Smart too, well, at least smarter than me, and he was confident that he could make it far. Despite that, he died just two days after the games started. How do I even dare to think I can win? Klaus is right for once. It's pathetic that all these people have died before us.

I pick up a biscuit from the backpack and start munching on it. It doesn't taste anything. Maybe because it's too artificial or I have lost my sense of smell.

"Hey!" Klaus protests. "You said you didn't have any food!"

I stare daggers into him. "Not anything for you."

Klaus mutters something inaudible that I assume it's for the better that I don't understand before lying down on the ground and groans. "So how did your boyfriend die?"

I don't answer him, but he keeps pressing me: "C'mon, we don't have anything else to do. I'm curious!"

"He's not my boyfriend," I snap. I take a deep breath: "He wanted me to kill another tribute while he held the child down. I hesitated, so another boy ambushed him. That's it."

"Damn," Klaus says and scoffs. "He really trusted you huh? Wasn't a very good bet, it seems."

I press back the tears that are desperately trying to flow out. Why am I even arguing with him? Even then, I can't even disagree with him.

"So how did your other ally, that little girl die?"

Silence. There's no point in humoring him anymore.

Klaus sighs and rubs his eyes. "You know what's the best part of starving and feeling like fucking shit?" When I don't respond he adds: "It covers up my withdrawal symptoms. I have not even desired a smoke in a while now because my stomach gives me so much pain!"

I scoff, but he continues: "You know what? I'm kinda envious of you. You're like, pathetic, but people like you. And give you food! Teach me your secrets."

"People don't like me," I quickly say.

Klaus blinks. "Sure they do. You have had allies, no?"

"They died."

"Okay, sure, but it's better than having none at all! You have parents, no?"

"They threw me out because I wasn't enough of a girl to them."

"Oh. So you're homeless? Let's goooo, we're homeless buddies!"

I look the other way. "Another man took me in."

"See!" Klaus exclaims and throws out his arms. "Somehow people do like you! Even I like you! Kinda."

"You don't like me," I shoot back. "You're just trying to flatter me so you can get something to eat."

"You got me," he says, stretching his arms. We don't say anything else for a good while before Klaus once again begins: "But I didn't lie about the part of me being envious of you. At least you have a non-broken leg."

"You must have someone that you like," I mutter.

"Yeah, Ben," he says and laughs. "But I saw how he was losing hope the past few months. You know, he would have liked you. And that's not a lie. Can I have something to eat?"

"No."

I block out Klaus' protest as I realize there was actually something in what he said. Pretty much anything that comes out of his mouth is horseshit, but it made me realize something. Wilson and Willow actually liked me. My stepfather too. I remember the night before Wilson died and how worried I was because of how overbearing he was becoming. But isn't that evidence that he genuinely liked me?

If they all can like me, maybe even Klaus too if I'm generous, then am I wrong?

I'm too tired for these thoughts. Eventually, I have to leave: Klaus is just a liability right now. However, that can wait. I have to decide if I just want to give up and stay here until someone else finds me, or if I should continue. I crawl back together behind my knees and let the Sandman take me away.

Emerald Bywater

District 4 Female

Noelle looks so innocent when she sleeps.

I play with the twig in my hand, just to have something to touch on. Both of my allies are sleeping beside me while I keep watch. This part of the forest is a lot thicker than I am used to: smaller, leafy trees together with large bushes. Honestly, I got lost when we were chased away by that weird gravity phenomenon. The others don't want to admit it, but they seem quite lost themselves.

I don't mind it though. The cornucopia always gave me the chills: tributes seemed to flock to it like flies to a lamp. Tributes that we have to fight. That we have to kill. The thicker vegetation makes it a bit warmer too.

"Uh, is it my turn?" Alexi says, his voice dreary of exhaustion. He blinks himself awake and looks around.

"No, dummy," I say. "You still have an hour or so on you."

Alexi groans. "No shot! My apologies, I need to now recover this precious sleep I have just lost."

"You can take the post now if you are feeling excited," I say and smile.

"Not in a single lifetime!" he says and lays down, pretending to sleep. "The less time I spend wasting away doing nothing, the better."

Alexi always complained about how boring the nightwatch is, but I don't see it. It's nice to have some time alone for myself. If I had told myself that a few weeks ago I would have been shocked, but the serenity is a welcome between the turbulent days since I have been reaped.

"So you finally caught up to us, huh?" Alexi suddenly says with his eyes still closed.

I snicker. "Can't sleep?"

Alexi grimaces. "Don't tease me! Not being able to sleep in foreign places is, uh, normal! But anyway, you did get a kill today. How does it feel?"

I sigh, pulling my trident closer to me. The trident that has taken a life. We had walked our usual trips looking for tributes - which I wasn't sure even existed at this point considering how we hadn't found anyone yet - when we found a bloody trail. We were all mortified, but started following the track in a quiet agreement. At the end of the trail, we found the boy from Seven.

It was clear he had lost a lot of blood. He was resting next to a rock, breathing heavily. When he turned around to face us my eyes immediately went to his chopped right arm. How it happened, I don't know, but he was defenseless.

For a minute we didn't know what we should do. Then Alexi suggested I finish him and I obliged. One quick thrust and his body was impaled at the end of my trident. His death was quick, even if his suffering must have been long. The cannon fired and his body fell lifeless.

But it isn't his body that is burned into my memory. Rather, it was his eyes when he saw us. They were full of anger and fury, but also of fear. The last thing he did was desperately trying to reach his axe, even if it was obviously futile. His lifeless eyes were peaceful in comparison.

"I didn't like it," I say and sigh. What if he had a family? Friends that loved him? Okay, Olivia was always fidgety around him and he never seemed like a particularly nice person, but still. He was a living, breathing human that I killed.

"Got it," Alexi says. "Well, at least you did it. That's more important than you think!"

"Okay. How did it feel to kill that little boy in the bloodbath then?" I say. It's only fair: he has interrogated both me and Noelle on her wonderful experiences killing other children.

"Well, I don't remember," he answers. Even with his eyes closed, he looks troubled. "I never put much thought into him. Guess he had a family. That sucks."

There's an uncomfortable silence.

"You know, when we were with the others, I felt really stressed. Like I was on a sinking boat. Especially when we split up," he eventually says. "But now with you two, I feel like we have a good thing going on right now. I can sleep soundly and we don't argue. So I'm grateful for that, you should know."

I'm not sure how I am supposed to answer that.

"Anyway, I'm going to try to sleep now. For real this time," Alexi says, rolling over to his side. "When you wake me up, make sure to shake me up really hard. I'm fucking exhausted."

Eventually, I can hear his familiar snoring, the lone noise in the quiet night.

I'm still in shock because of what he said. From my perspective, we are on a sinking ship right now. Blush and Remus are still out there, stalking in the night after prey, and we replaced them with… Noelle. Did he not remember how she stabbed her ally in the back? Although it's not like she has been much of a hassle - now that I think about it. She has obediently followed our orders, which also just might be a way for her to buy our trust.

I walk out in the forest. Go back idiot, you're supposed to be on watch! I try telling myself, but I need some space for myself. Space to get it all out.

They can survive a few minutes alone.

When I'm far enough into the woods I growl and start hacking on a log. I'm not sure who I am angry at, so I just imagine the log being Rayan. After a minute or so of thrusting I stop, breathing heavily and my arms feel sore. I try to look within myself and see if I managed to get out some of my frustration or stress. Unfortunately, it's still very much there.

I look up in the starry sky(which has made me a lot more uncomfortable since the spiral incident). Alexi seems to be happy. And proud of me too. I've been sitting around and wondering what I need to do for all of this to make sense, and he is completely fine. Maybe I should try it? Try to be the district partner he thinks I am: a friend. That's what I wanted, right? But he also considered Noelle to be a trustworthy ally.

Honestly, why do I even dislike Noelle? It's not like she's rude. She's easy to talk to, at least once you know her, and she seems pretty competent. I will never trust her, but that is a bad idea with everyone in the arena. Maybe I should try giving her a chance - just for my sanity.

It feels like a heavy burden has just been lifted from my shoulders when I return to the camp. Truthfully, I like the people I am with. I should start acting like it.

I can begin by giving Noelle the night watch for this hour. As a peace offering.

Alexi would love the extra sleep too, I think, and snicker.

Unfortunately, the moment I reach the camp I notice something is wrong. It takes even less time for me to realize what is bothering me: Noelle is gone.

At first, I'm furious. Here I was, ready to extend the olive branch, and she had run away like a rat the moment I left her alone. That traitor; she was just as fake as I thought after all. I clench my fist, thinking of all the things I will say to her once I catch her. That is at least what I am feeling before I notice the machete next to where she slept.

"What?" I whisper. Noelle practically sleeps with her weapon as a teddy bear. Why didn't she take it? Then I notice her backpack sitting next to the machete too. Then the trampled mess of bushes that leads deeper into the forest. And then the stain of blood, small enough that I almost missed it, in front of the path.

Oh no.

I kick Alexi as hard as I can and growl: "Wake up! Noelle is gone!"

He mutters something inaudible but I'm already dashing into the way Noelle was taken. I don't have time to explain things to him - the cannon hasn't fired yet, so it's not over yet, but it might be a matter of seconds away. Jumping over roots and stones, I pray that I'm going the right way. A crow caws in the distance - almost like an ominous sign.

Please tell me I'm not too late.

Blush Beaumont

District 1 Female

Running backward while you are trying to hold a tribute down is harder than I thought. Especially since I am in a hurry.

The world around me seems to form into a blur as I focus on keeping my prey quiet. I do not know why the District 8 girl joined Emerald and Alexi and right now I do not care. A knife is stabbed into her right thigh and another one is burrowed in her side: hopefully deep enough to keep the blood from pouring out. The pain from the knives together with the chokehold I'm having her in should be enough to drain her strength.

And it seems it is indeed enough. She feebly fights back; I can feel her tears dropping down onto my arms. All she can do is try to mumble screams out of the mouth I have covered with my other arm.

I try to keep a low profile while dragging her far enough that they won't hear me kill her. The damn cannon would wake Alexi up and probably cause Emerald to return; I don't need to take any more risks. I was already lucky enough that Emerald decided for some reason to leave her post.

I breathe deeply. Focus. Do not panic. The District 8 girl's struggles seem to intensify the longer I drag her, probably from uncertainty about what I am going to do with her.

Don't worry, I want to whisper to her. This will be over soon.

Eventually, I decide that I have made it far enough and intensify my stranglehold. The girl trie tos scream but all that comes out is a choking wail, barely audible. As I choke her harder she starts trying to kick me, but her weak legs have no strength or power.

"Sorry girl," I mutter. "This is not personal."

She doesn't seem particularly comforted by those words.

I place my other arm so it covers her nose to hopefully speed up the process. I am not used to strangling others without a rope, but this should do the trick. There are only so many minutes a human can live without oxygen.

Finally, her vitality starts disappearing. Her struggles become more erratic, the gasps for air more desperate, and the tears more numerous. Then, she slowly stops moving. I can feel her heart beating on my chest, but it is only faintly right now. For every second it beats weaker and weaker, even if she has already probably lost consciousness.

Boom.

Only when I hear the cannon go off do I relax my grip. However, I'm not able to drop the body before I'm alarmed by bushes rattling to my right. Someone is here.

Once again I stand eye to eye with Remus Sparrow, an arrow aimed towards the space between my eyes.

I barely block the arrow by using Noelle's body as a shield. It makes a quiet thump as it latches into her chest. For a second, I panic. Why is he here? This is not good. He somehow managed to surprise me and right now I'm the deer stuck in the headlights. A flock of birds fly out of the trees above us, as they can expect the showdown that is about to go down.

I draw my knife and charge him, knowing that my biggest chance of winning is a first strike. Too bad he simply raises his crossbow and smashes it into my head.

For a second, everything is spinning. My head hurts like hell as I caress it, but what causes my heart to beat faster is the fact that I am unarmed and on the ground. Focus. Focus! I regain enough of my vision to see Remus reaching for my knife. Thinking fast, I kick his hand as hard as I can. Thankfully, he grunts in pain and even drops the crossbow - turning a doomed situation into a potentially winning one.

I reach for another knife, but he reacts faster. He punches me in the face, causing me to drop down on my back. Fuck, he's strong. As I ready myself to block more punches he instead takes me into a stranglehold.

Oh no.

I can't breathe. I punch, kick, and fight all I can, but his grip is strong. Never has it been more clear that he has trained for this, for the games - something I unfortunately haven't. His hands are around my neck and I can do nothing but gasp for air. I try to fumble after my knife, but he shoves his knee into my stomach and my head goes foggy. Oh god, I can't breathe.

I can't die. Not like this. It's pathetic. I had volunteered to escape my chains and here I am, being powerless against a simple teenager. I can't die like this.

My mind clears enough to see into his eyes. They are dark, devoid of any emotion. They devour me and leave nothing left to breathe. There's almost an obsession with how focused his face is; like a wall that can't be broken. His figure looks like a demon towering over me with the background of the night. Even if I could beg, there is nothing I could say to him to make him stop. He's the assassin and I'm his victim.

Never in my life have I been so grateful for faintly hearing someone running towards me.

"You two!"

Remus throws himself to the side to avoid the thrust of Emerald's trident. My airways finally clear and I take a great gasp to drink that sweet air, as my mind race to regain coherent thoughts. Focus. Focus! The danger is not over yet.

My vision becomes clear enough to see Emerald standing shocked over me, staring at Noelle's body. Before her eyes can wander to me, who's defenseless below her, I shove a knife into her legs.

She creams in pain and drops her trident. I kick it, not far enough that she can't recover it, unfortunately, but enough to give me time to escape.

Because there is no time to waste. In the back of my eyes, I see Remus loading another arrow and I already know who he will aim at.

Grabbing my backpack almost out of instinct, I stumble up back on two legs and scramble for the forest. I propel myself between the trees and rocks trying to make it as far as I can. Then, I throw myself onto the ground and start crawling. Anything, anything to prevent giving Remus a target to shoot or hints to where I am. I need to be as low as possible, as quiet as possible.

Finally, I turn around. Within the gaps in the bushes, I can see Remus standing there. I start breathing heavily as all my eyes can do is focus on his loaded crossbow pointed in my direction. His eyes are unmoving, as always, not giving me a hint if he knows where I am here. Please, please, please don't see me. My heart starts beating harder. He can't see me, I'm too well hidden - that is what I try to tell myself.

Please notice the bigger threat, I pray as Emerald pulls out the knife and reaches for the trident.

Somewhere, there's a God I have to thank. After a split second of doubt, he switches targets and fires.

Boom.

Without hesitation, I start running now that he has to reload. I can hear him run after me, but at this point, my lead is large enough that I don't have to worry. Slinking around trees and under rocks I take the most unpredictable paths I can take. Eventually, his footsteps faint into nothingness.

I still keep running until I'm completely safe.

Using a rock as a resting place, I heave my breath as I gasp for air. My legs start pounding from pain - the adrenaline is slowly draining out of my body. It still doesn't stop my heart from beating in Mach 10, almost to the point that I worry I'm having a heart attack.

I was so close. So close to dying. Just another minute, or even seconds, of his chokehold and I was a corpse. Just like that District 8 girl, the pathetic outer district child who hasn't held a weapon in her life and cried through her death. I was just like her. Never again. Never again can I be a victim like that. I'm supposed to be the hunter, not the prey! I almost feel like crying - a sentence I would never want to say.

Still in disbelief at what has just transpired, I start making my way deeper into the forest. This was the second time I was powerless in the face of my District partner: the scene during the first night when I almost died to his arrow is burned into my mind. For some reason, I can't beat him. No! That's the mindset of a corpse! There must be a way, a way to get out of the arena without any more trouble.

Thank god that the night is long because I have a lot to think about.

Alexi Atwater

District 4 Male

I'm confused.

Ever since Emerald woke me up by kicking me in the stomach I have felt lost. Of course, my first reaction was anger, because who wakes someone up by kicking them, but soon I realized something was wrong. Just as I was about to curse her out she disappeared, with her figure running into the forest. The fact that Noelle was gone and Emerald only took with her the trident was enough warning signals for me to be on high alert.

I scrambled for my throwing knives and started running in the direction Emerald went in. Or at least, the direction I believed she ran it. I was barely awake when she woke me up - it was genuinely an educated guess where I should run. All I knew was that I had to be quick.

The first cannon made me almost swallow my tongue. That couldn't have been Noelle or Emerald right? I decided to press those thoughts down and focus on making it to them so I could help. The fact that I kept running without finding anyone did nothing to help quell my worries though. When the second cannon was fired all I felt was frustration. What was happening? Instead of being there with them, fighting or surviving or whatever they are doing, I'm running around like a lost chicken in the forest.

Eventually, I realized I was going in the wrong direction. I was going too far without any signs of the girls. I started screaming their names, hoping for an answer. However, I was only met with silence.

I circled back to the camp(which I somehow managed to remember the path back to) and it was just as empty as when I left it. Two more times I ran into the forest and two times I returned empty-handed. The third time I packaged up what I could carry and left our camp for good.

And now I've spent an entire day searching for my allies without any sign of life. The idea of hunting other tributes hadn't even passed my mind for a second.

Frustrated, I kick a nearby stick so it flies across the forest floor. This is pointless. I sigh and drink a bit from my water bottle. They could be in District 11 for all I know; the arena is big enough that I could look for days without finding anything. I should go back to the cornucopia and wait there.

I look up in the sky between the tree crowns. At least I will soon know who the two cannons belonged to. Hopefully, they will give me a clue what happened.

What if it's Emerald or Noelle- I smack myself in the head. Bad thoughts. They're both alive. I'm not sure who they fought, but they are strong enough to beat them. Or well, that might be a stretch for Noelle, but she's a survivor! I've seen it in her eyes. If there is anyone I can trust in somehow making it through an impossible situation, it's her.

However, the one who is truly gnawing in my mind is Emerald. I shouldn't have to worry: she's trained. Just the thought of her being dead makes my stomach unruly. But why didn't she wait for me to wake up? We could have been much stronger united! No, that's my trying to pin the blame on someone else. I should have been more ready to act, more prepared to immediately be on my feet.

I shake my head as I sit down on a rock on a nice glade, waiting for the anthem to start playing. We are now split up. Again. Why does this always happen? I try to hold the group together but for some reason, it shatters the moment it is pressured by the slightest strain. I truly thought we had something good going on with Emerald and Noelle, but apparently not.

Finally, the anthem starts blaring and Panem's weapon appears.

I realize I have been unconsciously biting my nails. The anticipation and the nervousness make me want to vomit. Cmon, just show the faces already. I feel my entire body trembling. If anything, this makes me remember my grandpa's final days. The hours I was waiting outside his bedroom, anxiously waiting for any news. How every time when dad left the room I felt my heart stop beating, hoping for the best but being ready for the worst.

Finally, the weapon starts to fade. Please not Emerald, please not Emerald, please not Emerald-

Emerald's face shows up in the sky.

I'm stunned. What? I blink twice and double-check that I am not being mistaken. Her blonde hair, emerald green eyes, and confident, although sorrowful expression. It's her. That's Emerald. She's dead. My district partner, who was the only sane person in this mad world. I can feel my mouth being left agape as I try to process my new reality.

What happened? Did a career get her? Or a mutt? What happened with Noelle? Did she betray Emerald? That bastard, just like she did with her former ally-

Noelle shows up next.

I jump up and slam my backpack on the ground. No! This can't be happening. The two cannons were Emerald and Noelle. Not just one of them as I feared: but both. They're both dead. I breathe heavily as I stare at the backpack below me. My heart is beating so hard it hurts.

I want to scream. Scream into the night, to ask what happened? Because that is what truly makes me feel defeated. I do not know what happened, how they died and the faces tell me nothing. There is nothing I can do and I don't even know what I was supposed to do? I want to know: who I need to get revenge on and who I need to blame. The uncertainty is killing me from the inside.

A part of me wants to seek comfort in that the last thing I said to Emerald was that I was grateful for her, but what does it matter now that she is dead? I remember when we first met during the train rides. We were both a bit shocked at being reaped, but we hit it off quickly. Well, the first few hours were quite awkward, but for the rest of the ride, it was smooth sailing. She said that she had trained in the academy, but I didn't recognize her. She also said that her father was a trainer, whom I did recognize. At the time I hadn't thought much of the conversations, however, now she is dead. The girl I talked to is not here anymore. Every memory of Emerald seems surreal like the universe is playing a sick joke on me.

I relax my body and close my eyes. Calm down. What now?

Indeed, what now? I'm alone for the first time in the games. Even when the careers split up I still had Emerald and we added Noelle quite quickly. I always saw myself as the one leading the group, taking the initiative and trying to accommodate everyone. Please Blush and Remus even when they were unruly, mediate between Emerald and Noelle. It was stressful, but incredibly so, but I tried my best. I believed that a rising tide would lift all the boats, and so give me the best chance of winning. And if not me, Emerald. But I failed. Now I am all alone, and I feel-

I don't know what I feel.

Slowly I try to sort out my current situation. I'm in the final eight, that is obvious now. Since Emerald and Noelle are dead. Blush and Remus are still out there, and so is Casey(although I haven't heard from her in a while). A lot of dangerous opponents, but I still have my throwing knives and a good amount of supplies.

So once again it comes down to what now? I never planned this far - I expected to make it to the end with Emerald and then see what happens. What can I even do right now? Try to get sponsors? Contemplate all my failures that have led to this point?

Or I can win.

It's so obvious honestly, yet it's like a revelation has just appeared. I try to find any arguments against why I can't, but the truth is that I can win. Isn't that what I have been doing all these days? Try to win?

I'm in the final eight after all.

I break out in laughter. It is like a huge burden has just been lifted off my shoulders causing a wave of relief to fill my body. With how obsessed I am with my failure to keep everyone else breathing and strong I have forgotten that I am still alive. Alive and close to the end of the game.

That doesn't mean I don't care about Emerald. I do a lot, even a bit about Noelle. But right now, I have nothing to tie me down. I was thrown into the games unwillingly, reaped as one of the capitol's dumb jokes, but here I am. I can fight, much better than almost everyone else alive, and am slowly making it to the end. Why should I be scared of the games, when it should be the other tributes who are scared of me?

I lay down on the grass and breathe out. The soft ground almost feels like my bed from home, home that I am just seven kills away from.

"Aukai, River, Bayou, Mom, Dad. Are you proud of me?" I ask into the sky. "I managed to make it to the top Eight!"

I smile and close my eyes. I think I've known this since the very beginning. Maybe not when I was reaped, but when I killed that boy from 10 and felt nothing. I have trained for most of my life for this, so I should start acting like it. The games are terrifying, heart-wrenching, horrible but also adrenaline-inducing, exciting and challenging. Most kids in Four would kill for the opportunity I have, so why shouldn't I take it?

"I'm not crazy if that's what you guys think," I say and laugh. I am really not. I want to win the games, to take home honor to my District and riches to my family. I will throw massive parties for my friends and let my brother do anything he wants. I will sponsor my sister so she can get the best training and achieve her dreams. This is what I wanted, isn't it?

"Grandpa," I say as I reach out toward the stars. "Are you proud of me?"

I do not recognize the star patterns obviously, since the star sky is artificial. But I can still see the tributes who have died up there, just like Grandpa said. I can see Emerald, the largest and brightest pattern of them all, smiling at me. When I sat in the boat with Grandpa I was always fascinated by the stars, but I truly understood what he meant now. There's a beauty in them that I missed. I can almost feel my grandpa's hand on my shoulder, telling me that one day I will be a proud tribute. And I will, Grandpa. His snores can be heard from the back of the boat as I stare at the starry sky. A single tear forms in my eye.

Sitting up, I smile as big as I can and pick up my backpack.

"I will make you all proud."

11th: Quintin Arrow, District 7 Male, impaled with a trident by Emerald.

10th: Noelle Norfolk, District 8 Female, strangled by Blush.

9th: Emerald Bywaters, District 4 Female, shot with an arrow by Remus.