The 200th Annual Hunger Games - The Ultimate Games

Game 3, Day 3 (Morning)

"I'm willing to bet it was Valentina's gang," Camille said absentmindedly.

"Misty, do you want to ally with us?" Rudy asked carefully, "We can't just leave you abandoned here. You're easy prey for the others."

"So you're calling me weak?" Misty muttered, "I can take care of myself,"

"Not in this state." I said grimly. Misty paused for a moment, an expression I couldn't describe painted across her face.

"Fine," she mumbled. She staggered to her feet, wiping the excess sand off her face. "Any of you have a weapon? I had a hatchet but it's probably in the sand now."

"Will knives do?" Camille asked. Misty nodded, and Camille handed over three knives of varying sizes. Misty nodded at her in thanks, then slipped the knives into her belt.

"You wanna leave now?" I asked carefully, "The hovercraft needs to pick up... um... the body."

Misty nodded sadly, her gaze switching back to the sandy grave her sister was rotting away in. Her eyes teared up and she mumbled something under her breath, then turned away and pushed past Rudy and Doug, walking along the sand. The rest of us hurried to catch up, and Doug fell in step with me.

"You think it was a good idea for her to join?" he asked softly. I shrugged.

"As long as she doesn't backstab, I'm cool with it. I'm just... worried." I replied. Doug nodded.

"I know what you mean," he agreed carefully. "C'mon, trees are just ahead."

Daphne Floyd POV

The first thing I heard was sobbing.

I frowned and peered through the leaves, squinting in an attempt to see in front of me. The sobbing continued, and I quickly stepped through the thin belt of trees and into a clearing. In front of me was a large puddle of blood, and several metres away was Shay Weber, curled up on the grass and lying in a puddle of her own blood. I hesitated for a moment, my hands flying to my belt with the poisons and toxins. As I took a step back, my foot stepped upon a dried leaf, and it crunched beneath my feet.

I froze, and Shay's crying instantly seized. I stood still as she staggered to her feet, and my eyes fell upon the gaping wound slicing open her arm and the numerous cuts along her legs and stomach. My jaw dropped. How had she survived that amount of blood loss?

"Get away!" Shay suddenly screamed. She ran forward, her steps faltering, and I easily stepped out of the way. Shay ran past were I previously was and then tripped over her own feet, plummeting once more to the ground. A scream tore its way out of her chest. I turned around, preparing to run before Shay tried to attack again, but a sudden sob stopped me.

I twisted around on my feet, my eyes landing upon Shay once again. She was crying, looking up at me with imploring eyes.

"Please..." Shay whispered, "Please just... kill me."

I stared at her, my breathing quickening. I couldn't just kill her. No, I couldn't. I refused to be a killer, I refused to be the monster the Capitol wanted me to be.

"Please, Daphne," Shay sobbed loudly, "I'm already dying. I just want it to be over."

"Who did this to you?" I whispered, taking a tentative step forward. I sunk to my knees beside the dying girl, hesitantly resting a hand upon her back. Shay sobbed louder.

"R-Rosalie... please, I just want to go home to mum..."

Sadness hit me like a ton of bricks. Shay had been in my year back in District 10. She was always so quiet, but no one ever approached her. Not after her mother's death. Shay would burst into tears randomly throughout class, and was often ridiculed and mocked. There was only one other person who was teased relentlessly like Shay, but that stopped when he...