A Collection of my Writer's Games Entries

Ribbons: Leonardo Nitel (AnonymousRice4)

!!Contains all entries for Leo!!

Form <><><><>

Name: Leonardo 'Leo' Nitel

Pronunciation: Leo Nigh-tel

Age: 16

Gender: Male

District: 8

Appearance: The first thing you notice about Leo is his height, he stands at six foot. For his age, he is quite tall and solidly built. His muscles are big from working in the factory and moving crates around – and in this game, strength is a good advantage to have. His skin is a light olive colour and his eyes are a light brown. His black hair is unkept but has a reasonably tame look to it. He generally brushes it to the side if it gets in the way.

Personality: Leo is what you would call 'street smart'. He doesn't get all the grades, but he knows his way around that and is clever in other areas. He knows how most things work, even if he doesn't know what 7 x 8 is. Leo isn't shy either; he speaks his mind but knows when he needs to keep his trap shut. Some might confuse him as boisterous from seeing him at school (which he no longer goes to) but out of school he is calm and an easy-going guy. Leo works at the factory and works hard to get the job done and earn money. Leo is caring to those who know him – take his sisters, for example. He takes care of them every spare minute. Leo has lots of friends, and has always been a popular person. He has a good sense of humor and tends to think on the brighter sides of terrible situations. If a difficult challenge arises, Leo is determined to find a way through it – he gives his best at everything and never gives up. He tries to make himself the best role model for his siblings.  

Background: At age 5, Leo's father passed away from a serious illness. His mother, pregnant at the time, had to work hard as a seamstress for anyone who was willing to pay. She was desperate and they struggled for several years. When Leo turned 12, he immediately signed up for terrassae to feed his family and he also got a job to work at the factory after school every day. Slowly, his family came back together. He left school at 14 to work full time at the factory, and his mother works as a teacher at the school. He does his best to take care of his sisters, Marla and Sarah, when his mother isn't home. Leo has his name in the Reaping over twenty times because he refuses Marla to risk herself for it. His family is everything to him, he would give up anything to keep them safe and well.

Family: Diana Nitel (43, mother)

               Liam Nitel (deceased, father)

             Marla (12, sister) and Sarah (10, sister)  

Romance: Leo isn't interested in any of the girls, despite his many admirers. Maybe he will find his love when times turn.

Weapon of Choice: Sword or throwing knives.

Favourite arena type: City layout. Leo is good at navigating and remembering landmarks in a cityscape.

Token: A small wooden doll that his sisters made for him.

Ribbon: Yellow

Anything you should know: Leo is a determined boy and will do anything survive. He's not one to be counted out just because of his lousy district. 

Task 1 <><><><>

"Marla, you look amazing!" I told my sister as a tugged her hand and led her out of the house.

"My dress isn't what's bothering me and you know it." She sobbed, following me reluctantly out of the door way.

"I'll admit, it's very scary but no one ever gets picked on their first year." I comforted her, though it was a lie. And as Marla gave me one of her famous 'looks', I knew I shouldn't have fibbed.

"So maybe that's not always the case, but I've made sure your name is only in the bowl once. Just trust me, Mar."

She said nothing in reply, but I didn't have to drag her as much. Sarah and Mum followed us until we reached the Peacekeepers desk. I gave them both big hugs.

"You promise you won't leave?" Sarah eyeballed me, cuddling my leg.

I crouched down to her level and whispered, "I promise." I kissed her on the forehead but caught my mother's eyes. My name was in the Reaping over 30 times, getting terrassae was the only way we could survive for two years and I always put my name in. I have never allowed Marla to do the same. So as I walked behind her, with her baby blue dress flowing in the gentle breeze, I couldn't help but feel scared for her. I remember walking up alone four years ago, for my first Reaping. I remember the girl who got picked, we were partners in history and she also worked at the factory. When she was picked, no one remembered her. Everything continued normally. But not for me, I still remember her death. I shivered.

I realised that I had found my own way to the sixteens section without saying anything to Marla. But I knew she would be alright. My best friend, Lucas, stood next to me – his smile still bright on his dark skin.

"How did Marla go?" he asked. Lucas knew I cared for my family. I rarely saw him, only on afternoon shifts in the factory since he stills goes to school, but our friendship had managed to maintain itself.

"Surprisingly well, she looked so grown up in her dress." I shrugged.

"Should have told her about our first year," he joked. Our first year was a bit of a laugh but also embarrassing.

"I'd rather not." I stifled a laugh as the escort, Calico Demaine, took the stage and began her usual routine. It consisted of a short welcome, along with some boring news from the Capitol and how they would always love us and blah, blah, blah.

"Also, a new rule has come into the Games this year – no one will be allowed to volunteer this time. Not that it matters in this dreary old place, but it was customary that I read it. So, there you go, no volunteering." She smiled, "I think we will start with the ladies first." Calico, with her beautiful poo green outfit, toddled to the female's side and plucked out a bit of paper.

"Larissa Vewer." She called into the eerie silence. Goosebumps rose on my skin as the small sound of someone walking hit my ears. A soft click each time the little feet hit the ground and then I realised that I knew this name.

Marla always complained that this girl would pick on her at school. As I watched Larissa walk, with tears streaming down her face, I really questioned how tough she was. Her brown hair was in simple pig-tails and her skin was light – she was relatively bulky for someone her age. Looked like a bully to me.

"And for the boys," Calico continued, I shook my head to focus as she unfolded the paper, "Lucas Camilla."

My head immediately whipped to my best friend. His pale blue eyes were sunken and his smile – which was constantly on his face – had disappeared. The sun had gone behind a cloud, making the whole place dim and devoid of light. He slowly made his way past me, bumping me roughly to get past. I had never seen him like this. Maybe the fact that no one could volunteer to save him bothered him, but he was stronger than this, I knew him – or so I thought.

As they both stood on the stage, with the dark rain cloud as a backdrop, I wondered what the delay was. I heard people mumbling and turned around just in time for the Peacekeeper to tow me away. I kicked at first, but something zapped me so I decided to go with it. They dragged me to the stairs and four people, including me, were being dragged up. I noticed that the other boy who was dragged up with me was Brian Thimbles, he hung around with Lucas sometimes, but I had never known them to be close. I was confused as I spotted my sister standing in front of Larissa, as well as a girl I recognized to be Brian's sister.

"Now, for the twist." Calico smirked, excitement was clear in her voice, "The two tributes called up will not be participating in this year's Games, unfortunately," I shivered at her voice. If they weren't who was? It occurred to me I was standing on the tributes stage but I wondered why six of us were currently up here. "One of their friends will be taking their place, the tributes picked – Larissa and Lucas – must choose who will take their place."

My chest tightened because I was pretty sure I had seen Brian's little sister and Larissa hanging out a lot, meaning Marla would be picked. As for me, it was obvious who Lucas would pick because I'm his best friend – we could both get out of this mess.

"Larissa, who will you pick?" Calico asked sweetly.

My little sister stood there, her black hair adorable curls and her tanned face streaked with tears. I held back my own tears, for her.

"I pick Rye to take my place." Larissa said, her voice was emotionless and did not sound like a child. Brian, standing next to me, gave a startled cry because I think he figured that he was be versing his sister in the Hunger Games – were only one survived. And Rye, Larissa's presumed 'BFF', with her shocked face, so surprised I didn't think she knew that tears poured down her face. She was silent. I, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief that Marla wouldn't be participating in a Game of death. I love her a lot, but I knew that she didn't stand a chance against some Career – but this might also be the year tables turn since no one can volunteer.

Marla and Larissa left the stage, with Marla's eyes twinkling with tears. I gave her a small smile of encouragement and she left. I would be fine, I told myself. I had to be.

"And Lucas, who will you pick?" Calico's voice was high with joy, obviously thrilled with the new twist. Lucas took a shuddering breath, his whole body shook and he swallowed nervously.

"Leo Nitel." He said, his eyes staring directly into mine. Something inside me exploded, I felt like I wanted to be sick and just die at the same time. Brian was equally shocked and then realised that I would probably try to kill his sister, so he went into a state of silence like Rye. I didn't know what to feel. I definitely felt betrayed by him, that he would pick me after over ten years of friendship. Maybe he had high expectation that I could win this and it would be the best for my family. I did not know but I knew that he had just given me a partial death sentence – I wouldn't stand a chance against a Career who had prepared their whole life to play this Game. Lucas didn't look at me after that. He left the stage, leaving me in the dark. I had no idea why he had picked me. It was betrayal. And he would pay for it.

"So here we have our two new tributes, Rye Thimbles and Leonardo Nitel!" Calico beamed. Except her excitement was futile, no one clapped or cheered. Instead everyone began to file out of the District square in silence as the rain began to fall. I let the rain hide my few tears before we were led into the Justice Building.

_____

The room was fancy. I couldn't tell you any of the materials in it because I hadn't gone to school in two or so years and my education had sort of gone downhill from there. I felt numb all over now. What if I didn't get to see my family again? What if they hated me because I killed someone? Who would I explain myself if I won? What if I died? I heard them before I saw them, though.

Mum, Marla and Sarah burst through the door and embraced me in a group hug. They were all puffy eyed. Mum looked up to me, still weeping. If I went soft on her, I would break down – and I couldn't let myself be weak.

"Mum," I hissed at her, "Stop crying." Marla and Sarah were busy hugging my waist so I knew they weren't listening. Mum was taken aback by my reaction.

"Don't cry for me, I'll try come home, okay?" I whispered, "Be strong for them. You'll just make it worse." She nodded and wiped her tears on her old dress which she hadn't worn since last Reaping. She adjusted herself.

"Leo, I can't lose you-"

"You have enough to get by for two months, I made sure of that. There's grain under my bed, flour behind the boards in my room too. You can get by. Lucas won't help anymore, but there's enough money for you to buy some meat for a few nights. Teach Marla some of the herbs and plants that Dad taught you – you can get by." I told her quickly, "You'll be fine and so will I."

I kissed Mum on the cheek and then hoisted Sarah up. She giggled and clutched my shoulders through her tears.

"Do you think you can win, Leo?" she asked, "Mummy thinks that we might not see you again, is that true?"

"I don't know yet, Sarah, but I'll try my best to come home. If I don't though I'll tell Daddy that you love him."

"Please come home!" she begged, "Who will play dolls with me?"

"Shh," I cooed, "You'll be fine. I'll come home, I'll try."

"Thanks, Leo." She whispered, kissing my cheek and I placed her down and she ran to Mum. Next was Marla, I sat down on the couch and she curled up on my legs.

"You didn't get picked." I told her.

"Almost." She smiled half-heartedly, "But you did." She added, "Why did Lucas pick you?"

"The same reason that mean girl didn't pick you." I replied, "We'll never know."

"Please try really hard to win, okay?" she whispered.

"I promise." I told her. A Peacekeeper burst into the room and shoved my family out.

"No matter what, I'll love you all!" I shouted as the door slammed shut. Then I sighed. I paced the room, waiting for another visitor, Lucas perhaps. But no one came. The door stayed shut and I was trapped in my own dark thoughts. Thoughts of how I would I die and what would it feel like. How many people I would kill in order to save myself?

And as they put me on the train I still clutched what Sarah had left me. It was like my lifeline to home – a piece of my family. It was her favourite doll, carved from wood and the only thing that my father left for her. In a way, I guess, it was Sarah's way of giving me hope. And right now, hope was all I needed.

Task 2 <><><><>

Point of View: Titania Essidia Flavous (Sponsor Task)

Titania felt out of place in the cramped room. She mindlessly twirled a pen-turned-dagger in her hand – a creation of her own – and her long fingernails tapped delicately on the desk in front of her. She stared at the computer screen in front of her. Titania's brain was almost always spinning with new ideas or inventions but once Jaede had told them her plan to let the Gamemakers compete to design the arena – Titania's mind had gone completely blank.

Currently, her mind was on the huge party that was on tonight: the party that she planned to crash, even though she didn't know who the host was. She had heard about the party from Titania's brother-in-law's step-sister's cousin's friend who had a rich father. It was all quite a complicated way to find out of the event. It was in the Garden of Eden, a small section of the Capitol that was reserved for fancy events – Titania had gone to several wild parties there already. She pictured the waterfall – when she had accepted the dare to jump off it (earning a broken leg for her troubles) and the beautiful lake at the bottom with the plants surrounding the lake and the moss that made the rock wall green....

Suddenly, it all clicked inside Titania's head. She almost wanted to scream her fabulous idea out but held back. She was sitting next to Octavia – a person who Titania didn't particularly like – and quickly took a peek on her screen. Like her own, Octavia's was a blank canvas but as Octavia tapped away on her phone Titania could see nothing but complaints. Octavia was a worry-wart, and had tried to stop Titania from jumping off the waterfall because it was 'dangerous'. Like that was going to stop her.

Titania went to work on her arena. Like most the Gamemakers, Titania wanted to put a piece of herself in the arena – to mark it as hers – and she had the perfect rebellious idea.

The Cornucopia was compulsory to be in the arena, so she started on that first. Rather than the traditional gold, Titania made it a metallic blue to match her hair as well as the scene. She then raised the ground surrounded the Cornucopia, so the centre of the arena was a perfect circle, with a diameter of fifty meters, that was twenty meters below the rest of the arena that surrounded it. The centre of the arena held the metallic blue Cornucopia on a grassy field and on the northern face of the rock wall was a beautiful blue waterfall that ran into a small lake which just reached the back of the Cornucopia. It was like her own Garden of Eden and many of the Capitol citizens would recognize it. The south face of the rock wall held three small openings, as if it were a mine shaft. The shaft on the left would lead up to the eastern side, the shaft on the right would lead up to the western side while the middle mine shaft would go a little deeper and would get narrower and much more difficult to get through – it would lead to the north part of the arena. All the mine shafts would finish in a city building. The arena itself, on top, was Capitol like. With skyscrapers dotting the horizon, small corner shops as well as housing and office buildings. Now for the twist, Titania thought with a smirk. She then changed the southern quarter's ground to mud, and some parts had sunk into the ground already, in which water drowned the place. The rest of the ground was plain roads or concrete and vehicles were scattered through the side streets, some of which would work. She added trees and vines to make the city a ruined place, and smashed up some cars. The vines, if approached, would strangle their victim until death and the trees would provide shelter – as well as housing a carnivorous purple flower that could be fatal to tributes. Food could be found in old food stores and other random items, such as medicines, weapons or extra clothing, could be found in apartments, offices or other odd shops.

With the basic grounds of her arena was completed, Titania leaned back on her chair and cracked her fingers with a grin. She was proud of her work already, though she did prefer designing weapons – she would get to that later.

Titania started on the mutts that would be scattered through the arena. She wanted to scare the tributes. She started with the basic human body and mutated it. She turned their skin to sickly colours, like dark green or brown, and dotted them with hideous wounds and black fluid bubbles on their arms. Some were missing limbs or eyes while others had long snake tongues or pointed teeth to kill the tributes. She added tails with razor sharp fins on the end and long claws stained with blood. Titania created many variations of these, all looking like hideous zombies or deranged humans with disease – definitely enough to scare the tributes in the night. For the day time, Titania got to work on making poisonous snakes that were larger than normal – thicker than an adult's thigh – and she created small bears with black furry wings that would fly and swoop their victim, they could double as a food source for any tribute game enough. Another mutant included colourful wolves that would shatter into glass when shot and a small bunny rabbit with piranha teeth with human-like eyes that could camouflage itself like a chameleon before attacking its prey – it could also be another food source. Regular birds could also be found in the Garden of Eden, along with poisonous snakes. As for the mine shafts, blood-sucking bats awaited in the darkness along with dog-sized rats with large canines that could pierce through flesh. There would be no safe haven in the arena.

Titania twisted the rings on her fingers thoughtfully, the weather. Glancing outside, she saw the sun shining down. Twisting her face in disgust, Titania began to change the weather. The sky would be constantly covered in clouds, the sun – only shining fully on the Cornucopia – giving a dim light during the day. The arena would not be a place for happiness, as it would be dreary and grey and rain majority of the time. A light shower of rain accompanied by the occasional down pour to make it hard to see and to keep the ground wet – the tributes could follow one another based on tracks.

Titania made the screen zoom out and admired her work. The terrain was mainly flat and muddy, the largest obstacle being the rock wall to get out of the center, but plenty of small tracks provided places to get up with good hand holds – you would have to be daring to go up, it would be dangerous. Titania knew that if she was a tribute she would go straight up the rock wall – maybe even have a fun jump off the waterfall and into the lake. She smiled at the thought. Cracking her fingers again she went into the bathroom for a break. It was chance that another person was in the ladies' room, Andree. She was head of sponsor gifts; Titania knew that Andree's job was useless.

"Hi." Andree squeaked politely. Despite having a useless job that paid well, Andree was loved throughout Gamemaker HQ.

"Hi Andree, how's your arena going?" Titania slipped the question in with ease.

"We aren't meant to talk about our arena designs," Andree said cautiously, knowing that Titania wasn't one to follow rules and as if to echo her thoughts Titania began,

"Rules are meant to be broken, that's why I'm here." Titania smirked, "You haven't answered my question either."

Andree hesitated, "Its fine. I've almost finished mine."

"Got any tricks up your sleeve?" Titania said nonchalantly as she inspected her fingernails, which were coloured blood red.

"Not really," Andree said, moving towards the door. She was eager to escape the corrupted weapon's designer, "I really should get going." Andree said politely before darting out the door.

"I can see your house getting egged before the party tonight." Titania muttered to herself before returning to her assigned computer. She flopped down in her chair with an exasperated sigh and rubbed her temples.

Titania suddenly sat up straighter and tapped away on the keyboard. After all, there had to be something to go wrong in the arena. For day two, she set up an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 and ensured that two skyscrapers and a few other buildings would fall down or have chunks broken off them. Cracks would open on the streets, providing an obstacle. Titania also inserted some black oily mutts down the bottom for any curious tributes. For day four, there would be a tornado storm in which ten tornadoes would rip through the city and tear out chunks of buildings. If they made it to day seven then a flood would ravage the city, causing all the tributes to come to the surface and, therefore, closer together.

Titania sat back with a smile on her face. Her concrete city full of tricks and disasters was complete. She quickly uploaded it onto her tablet and deleted it off the computer, in case someone wanted to steal her idea. Without waiting for dismissal, she handed her tablet with her arena on it to Jaede who was waiting at the door.

"You can't leave-" Jaede began but decided that Titania wouldn't listen anyway. Besides, Titania had more important things, like crashing the party tonight. She got out her pen-knife and twirled it in her fingers again. She had to make an entrance as well. Titania wondered where she had put her parachute as she stepped onto the elevator and clicked the ground floor. The echo of her high heeled boots fell silent as the elevator doors closed. She would win, or someone would have a misplaced test bomb in there room tomorrow. 

Task 3 <><><><>

I stood nervously backstage, awaiting my interview. I couldn't hear or see anything, they wouldn't let us, so I busied myself with studying my pants. There was no advantage about living in District 8, except for the fact that you knew a lot of different materials. So I knew I was wearing cotton and polyester pants, navy blue colour with a brown leather belt. My shirt was a simple white pure cotton button down with long sleeves. My navy jacket something mixed with polyester along with brown velvet ovals on my elbows – it was in fashion, or so they tell me. I also wore a fancy silk tie and, can you guess the colour: navy. I was the only person – apart from Rye – who had this many different materials on. Oh, the joy of textiles.

"Leonardo Nitel." A bodyguard in a black suit called. I reluctantly stood up. This whole week had been spent practicing interviews as well as training for the games – it was no secret that I preferred the killing side of things.

I followed the bodyguard to the curtains while I heard the interviewer, Darius Flickerman, warming up the crowd for me. I could just see him through the gap. This year he was wearing red: a red velvet suit with a matching tie and matching red leather shoes. His hair was spiked up, black with red tips giving it the effect that it was on fire.

"Now, give a huge welcome to Leonardo Nitel!" he roared over the excited crowd. The bodyguard gave me a nudge and I walked onto the stage into the bright lights. The first thing I noticed was the boxes, then the huge crowd that was cheering my name. The crowd quietened down as Darius walked towards me.

"I see you noticed the boxes," Darius grinned at me.

"They're a bit hard to miss." I replied and the crowd laughed, I didn't care though. I was eyeing what was inside – and it really boggled me. Inside were ribbons: red and yellow. I remember whispers about ribbons, but I hadn't watched the announcement – I was too busy practicing for these stupid interviews.

"Red signifies the Districts and yellow for the Capitol. You, young Leonardo, will be fighting for the Capitol in the arena tomorrow." Darius said as he grabbed my wrist and tied a yellow ribbon around it. I think I'll have to watch some replays of that announcement later, for now I had to make people want to sponsor me. Darius led me to the couch and I took a seat with him opposite me. I knew the process now, it had become all too familiar with me.

"Leo, can I call you that?"

"Doesn't bother me," I shrugged.

"How do you like the Capitol?" Darius asked me. Same question every year. My mentor told me to be honest and likable – I was good at that.

"It's nice, very different from home."

"How so?" Darius leaned forward.

"The girls." I wolf-whistled and some of the girls screamed. The girls did have nice shapes here, to be honest.

"It seems like you have a fan-base here in the Capitol." Darius laughed.

"I have a fan base everywhere," I told Darius.

"There must be a special someone back at home who is getting very jealous at the moment." Darius teased.

"Nope. I'm a family man and a worker." I showed my muscles to the crowd and got a few cheers.

"You must have a good sense of fashion,"

"Not as good as yours," I gestured to Darius's flame red suit and the crowd hooted.

"I have lived here longer," he laughed and I nodded.

"Let's get to the Games, what do you think your chances are?"

"I think they're pretty good, don't count me out." I said, winking at a girl in the crowd.

"Is there anyone you consider to be threats?" Darius asked.

I sucked in air between my teeth, "I'm not sure whether I should tell you that," I joked, "The career crew looks pretty tough this year, I'll have to watch my back."

"Have they offered a chance to join them?"

"Not yet. But they don't know what they're missing out on."

"Now," Darius began, "Just one final question before we run out of time. What makes you think you can win this?"

I took a moment to think about it while the crowd went dead silent. I didn't know if I could win – that was the problem.

"Determination," I told him, "To make it back to my family, because if I don't win then there's no point going back."

The buzzer rang out and I stood up while the crowd cheered my name. I bowed and left the stage in a hurry. I think I had done a good job on making the crowd like me. But the icy glares from the other tributes made me think that they were going to rip out my heart as soon as the games began. My mentor came up to me with a look of concern on his face and I walked over to him with a smile on my face.

"How did I go?" I asked.

"You did great, kid," he said with the slightest hint of alcohol on his breath, "But I have some bad news."

"What?" My stomach did somersaults. Was it the Games, me, him or home?

"It's your mother, Leo."

"What about her?" I asked dumbly.

"She's dead."

I don't know what he said after that if he said anything at all. My mind was only set on getting out of the room before someone saw my face. All I could think of was Sarah and what I told her. I wouldn't be telling Dad that she loves him. I would be coming home. Because now, I had more determination than ever: not just for my sisters, but to find the person who killed my mother.

Task 4 <><><><>

"Do not cry."

The eerie words of my mentor somehow slipped through all my defenses I had put up since hearing the news. Somehow, my body had managed to listen. I wanted to cry so badly, but I couldn't bring myself to cry. My brain wasn't up to processing anything. The three words of advice he had given me, ones that I didn't want to hear. But those words were the only ones I heard after the news.

"She's dead."

All I remembered from last night was running. Straight to my room, my interview was long forgotten. That's all I knew: that my mother was gone, forever. I couldn't do anything about it. I had to sit in the room and wait for the Games to start. It made me feel useless: I was important to them – the Capitol. I wanted revenge.

"Leo?" I heard a small knock. I didn't even bother protesting because I knew that my mentor would come in anyway, "Wow."

I think he was referring to the state of my room. I lifted my head from the pillow and gazed around at the destruction. Ripped cushions scattered the floor, books I had thrown were strewn around the place and my bed only had me and my pillow on it. It was a war zone: one that I couldn't care less about.

"It's from the Gamemakers," he held out a small envelope with the Capitol seal on it.

"Sending their condolences," I spat sarcastically but I shuffled to the edge of the bed and snatched it from his hand.

"We can't change what happened, Leo, you know that." He said, his face was sad, "I'll see you tonight kid." He left the room, the door clicked shut behind him. Tonight I would be in the Games avenging my mother, wouldn't I? I opened the letter and rubbed my eyes.

Mr. Nitel,

You have been invited to a final feast to celebrate the annual Hunger Games. The President, himself, has decided for it to be held in his mansion at 5pm tonight.
You're attendance it compulsory.

Regards, Head Gamemaker Jaede.

I laughed aloud though nobody would hear it. As if they thought I was going to actually go. I flopped back against the bed and stared at the clean white ceiling: that was what my life was like. Clean and pure, but I could see the cracks forming were the wall met it. Now the cracks had taken over me. I closed my eyes, hoping to go back to another restless sleep. Someone had to pay.

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They dragged me to the dinner: Literally dragged me. I bit and kicked, but I was no match for several Peacekeepers. I was dressed into a suit identical to the one I wore to the interviews, white shirt and navy pants and jacket. But everything was a blur to me now, people talked to me but I didn't hear them: I no longer cared.

That's how I ended up sitting at the round table. I noticed that there were two spare seats, one next to me and one next to Rye. The other three seats were filled by our escort and stylists, our mentor was nowhere to be seen. Somehow I missed him, but I still remembered not to cry. I couldn't even take in every detail. I couldn't tell you the music in the background, or who was talking on stage. My body wouldn't function.

"Leo, you need to drink." Someone said. So I did.

"Leo, you need to eat." Another person said, so I took one bite and pushed my plate away.

All I could think about were her warm arms hugging my body, I wanted her to come back.

"I see you're still alive," a voice from behind me joked. My ears picked the voice up straight away: it was one I had grown up with, right until the Reaping. I met his eyes, they were light. It was Lucas. He sat down beside me, watching me cautiously. I couldn't have imagined what I looked like. My body began to shake with anger.

"Before you-"

"Shut the hell up!" I shouted and all the eyes turned to me, "You son of a bitch! I trusted you!" I lunged at him and shoved him to the ground. I barreled my fists into his body. I was shouting anything at him, mainly curses. I felt the arms pulling me back, restraining me, "I trusted you, Lucas!" I shouted and Lucas stared at me in horror, he crawled away from me and wiped the blood from his mouth. His eyes were hollow and scared. I was forced into the chair and Lucas disappeared. He was a traitor, not me. How could he expect for me to welcome him back with what he had done. It was all his fault, if I wasn't here then Mum wouldn't have died. I could have protected her from this.

I barely noticed as he sat down beside me. I sat with my arms folded and a Peacekeeper at my side.

"Leo," Lucas began, "I had my reasons for all this, you know. I would never put you in danger. And what happened to your mother,"

"Don't even talk about her!" I hissed, spinning to face him. He jumped in fright as my words hit him, "I do not know you! Get out of my life!" I snarled quietly. I didn't regret it, even though I saw the hurt on his face, "I hate you!" He turned back to eating without talking any further. I watched him eat, as he chewed. How could I have been friends with this...this liar. He was a traitor to me. I was still watching him when he fell to the ground. At first, I thought he had fainted. But he wasn't breathing. Part of me wanted to help him, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything. I stared at his body, not knowing whether he was alive or not. Did I really care, though?

My attention was drawn to a lone figure on the stage, "Well, they got what they deserved, didn't they?" she smirked, "How could they betray you like that...No need to thank me, I'm simply doing you a favour. Now that they've been poisoned, you no longer need to worry about ever seeing them again." Jaede left the stage as quickly as she had appeared. I turned back to Lucas. My heart was torn. My mother...now Lucas.

"Don't you leave me too," I muttered under my breath. As much as I hated him, I knew Marla and Sarah liked him. And I knew that they couldn't do with another loss. I ran from the hall before anyone could tell me otherwise. I ran back to my destroyed room and fell on the bed. This time I cried, not for him though. I wasn't even sure. Too much had happened. I welcomed the sleep.

I sat next to Lucas. He was on the bed, the life machines beeped with his every heartbeat. He was paler than before. His eyes were closed like he was dead: but I had been told he is not. The beeping sound proves it.

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry," I tell him, even though I'm not sure if he can hear me, "And I'm not going to say that I understand why you did everything: because I don't. But I need you to wake up. I need you to tell me everything. I want to forgive you, Luke, I really do. But you can't imagine what I'm going through right now. I... I think I need you back." I whisper, I was slowly getting tired. I couldn't control it. The beeping of his monitor grew distant and as my eyes fell shut, I smiled. I gently pressed the blade I had been holding the whole time onto my wrists and I felt the blood pour down my arms. I moved it to my heart. I welcomed the blackness, as I fell into my mother's warm arms. I could hear her gentle words too.

"Wake up, Leo," she called, "Do not cry."

Task 5 <><><><>

The first thing I noticed was the place: I was at school. The second thing was that I wasn't in my body, rather I was in someone else's. I tried to speak or move but I couldn't. I wasn't in control. I could see my mother tidying her classroom after a day of work, she looked happy. My mother loved kids, always had, always will.

She's dead, Leo!

I ignored the voice because I could see my mother in front of me. I suddenly began to move, further into the school. I was in someone's body, I realised. We moved around until we stood at the entrance to my mother's classroom. I saw a flash of metal out of the corner of my eye, but ignored it. Something told me it wasn't a threat. My mother looked up at us.

"Can I help you?" she asked, clearly not knowing that it was me.

"Actually, you can." The person said, it definitely wasn't my voice.

"What with?" my mother smiled, she was always polite.

"Well, you see, I need you to scream." I know saw that the metallic object was a knife as the person carefully turned the blade in this hand.

"What was that?" my mother was startled.

"Scream. Like you did when your husband died, what was his name? He screamed an awful lot, that's why I had to kill him."

"What are you talking about?"

"He didn't die because of his disease, Diana. Your husband knew something, but he would never tell us. Now it's your turn."

"Get out of my classroom!" Mum ordered us. I wanted to scream and shout at her to run.

"You're forgetting, Diana, I want you to scream!"

And she did. We stabbed her, straight in the stomach. Blood covered our hands and I couldn't do anything to stop it. She begged for us to stop. Her hands reached out and clawed at our face...

~~

Something was clawing at my face. I barely caught a glimpse but I knew who it was. I kicked Lucas off me and for a moment everything slowed down. I didn't have time to register the difference between reality and dreams – I simply couldn't. I stared into Lucas's pitch black eyes and he smiled slightly at me, showing his pointed fangs.

"What have they done?" I whispered. It all crashed down on me. Lucas, my mother, the stabbing, the blood – I couldn't take it. I was thankful when my vision went black because it meant that there was no light. And in my life, I didn't want to see the light ever again. Yet I still couldn't tell the difference between what was real and what wasn't.

Nothing visited me in the darkness. Not a soul. Every time I thought about Lucas all I could see were his pitch black eyes and I knew it couldn't be true, but something in the back of my mind nagged at me. When I thought about Mum, all I could see was the blood on her and the blood on my hands.

I jumped awake quickly, pinching myself before I noticed anything. I cursed as the pain hit me. This was real. Is it? Something my father had told me was that in dreams you had extra fingers, I quickly counted them. Finishing at ten, so I knew it was definitely real. I looked up and noticed the Peacekeeper in front of me.

"Get changed." He ordered.

I slowly obeyed and change into a jumpsuit labelled with the number 8. This was the Launch Room, I was going to go in the Hunger Games, yet somehow it wasn't what I was worried about.

"Scream. Like you did when your husband died, what was his name? He screamed an awful lot, that's why I had to kill him."

I shivered. That's why I had to kill him. That wasn't true, my father died from an illness. Did you ever see the body? A voice asked. I shrugged it off, in fact they said no one would touch the body because no one wanted the disease. I remember a guy with a scarred face took my Dad's body. He got paid a lot, I remember him. He didn't say anything to us, instead he studied us like we were animals.

"Get in the tube." The Peacekeeper broke me out of my thoughts. I didn't know how I was going to deal with this. I didn't even know if it was real. I don't know why I was getting distracted with all this. He threw me a watch before the glass sealed me in, completely cutting off my connection to the outside world. I was now a part of the Hunger Games – a part of death. Like my mother...

The watch said it was one in the morning. That was why I didn't notice I had come up. I heard the sound of water crashing and realised I was in the middle of an ocean. The moon appeared from behind some clouds, casting an eerie light on the arena. My watch turned into a timer, my heart began to race. My mind wanted to solve what had happened to my parents, but I forced myself to stay on track. The Games come first, they always will: that was what I hated.

A sudden wave of heat washed over me and I spun around to find the Cornucopia in flames. The weapons and supplies, all of them were gone. I could see the other tribute's faces were horrified, I didn't know what mine was like. But I tried to mirror them, because I wasn't sure if anyone else had spotted the tunnel. There was just one tiny problem: I couldn't swim. Maybe it was a big problem, considering I was in the middle of the ocean. I was guessing a lot of people couldn't swim, the two girls beside me looked horrified yet they still wanted to go for the Cornucopia. If I killed someone, I would get better odds. But I'd be giving them the same fate as my mother...

Goddammit, focus!

I couldn't afford to think about her. The Games come first. My life comes first. And with those two thoughts in my head; the gong sounded through the arena. I jumped into the icy water. I could feel the waves trying to force me down, as if they were trying to take me away. But I fought them; I thrashed my way to the top and took a deep breath of air before I went back under. Beside me I could see a shadow creeping towards me, and as I fought my way to the top again I caught a glimpse of her. Carnation. She was mean and had aced training; and here she was coming straight for me.

Don't think about it.

I didn't. I went into fighting mode. She shoved me under the icy water but I pulled her down with me. District 6 weren't the best of swimmers. She kicked me in the stomach, making me swallow the salty water, but I quickly grabbed her leg and pulled her down. It was by chance that I got another breath of air before she pulled me back down. This time, we began to sink. I held her down as she thrashed. Each time she got weaker and weaker. I kicked her in the face as my eyes began to sting. I kicked and kicked, forcing my body up. I was gasping for breath as I struggled to keep myself afloat. I waited for Carnation to come up, only to find that she wasn't going to. I decided not to go to the Cornucopia, I could hear the fighting and screams.

I pushed my body to shore, crawling onto the sand. I panted and coughed up the salt water. I would be avoiding the ocean at all costs.

"Look what the ocean washed up," a voice laughed in front of me.

I lifted my head to see the girl in front of me. Tanned skin, long blonde hair; she was from District 4. No wonder she made it here so quickly.

"I usually give people a chance to beg for their lives," she sauntered closer so I quickly stood up, ignoring the pain in my head, "But I like the sound of their screams better."

Screams. I want to hear you scream. I could see her bloody body again. I shook the images away. I could see her twirling a knife in her hand delicately, just like the person I had been.

"Good luck with that," I sneered at her. As expected, she lunged towards me. I dodged her easily and elbowed her in the back. She fell down onto the sand. I pinned her down quickly; somehow she managed to get an arm free. The one with the knife. She raked the knife down my left arm and I shouted. I could feel my arm burning and my blood pouring out. I swore and punched her with my good arm. I grabbed her knife and stabbed her in the stomach.

Blood covered my hands and I couldn't help but smile at her pain. She begged for me to stop. She clawed at my body and my face...

We stabbed my mother, straight in the stomach. Blood covered our hands and I couldn't do anything to stop it. She begged for us to stop. Her hands reached out and clawed at our face...

The body before me was lifeless, and it wasn't my mother's. I shivered. Skyrah's body wasn't moving. She was a mangled and bloody mess. I shivered and ran into the jungle. I left behind her body. What was I becoming? It was a dream. The one with my mother, yet it was happening. It was like I was possessed. I wasn't myself.

I crumpled to the ground beside a tree. I wouldn't let myself cry, I couldn't. I was so focused on trying not to break down, that I didn't notice the silver package beside me. I knew they only came from sponsors. I eagerly opened it up, finding a sword and some rope. The sword was well-balanced, perfectly made for my hand. As for the rope, I had no use for it now. I clutched the sword in my hand, only just noticing the watch on my wrist flashing. I pressed it, hoping for it to stop. Instead, it produced a hologram. It was the arena, with red and yellow spots moving about. Red for the Districts and yellow for the Capitol, I remembered.

We had teams in the Games. How could I let someone trust me when I couldn't even trust myself? I ignored the hologram, and it eventually went away. I closed my eyes, waiting for sleep. And this time it wasn't my mother who welcomed me into my dreams. It was my two sisters, Marla and Sarah.

Task 6 <><><><>

Marla and Sarah were sitting at home, waiting for Mum to arrive. I could see them through the window. I don't even know how I got here because I was meant to be in the Games. Everything came rushing back at once.

Mum at school. Mum begging for her life. Mum's blood on my hands...

"I wonder where Mum is," Sarah said as she played with the small piece of cloth.

"She should be home by now," Marla replied. I ducked down as I felt her gaze sweep across the window. I remember exactly what happened, especially because I was the one doing it.

A sudden knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. I crouched down further until I was peering through a bush near the entrance. The person was dressed in white, her helmet was off: a Peacekeeper. The door slowly opened and Marla appeared. Marla recognized the Peacekeeper, her name was Brenda. Brenda was a kind Peacekeeper and regular patrolled our street, she often gave my sisters lollies and looked after us when we were younger when Mum had to take care of Dad.

"Hello, mam." She said politely, her voice was strong. She was acting as if she wasn't worried, but I could tell she was.

"Don't be silly, Marla, I'm off duty." Brenda smiled and crouched down, "Your mother wouldn't happen to be here, would she?"

Marla paused before answering, "No." she shook her head then quickly added, "She's not in trouble, is she?"

"No, dear," Brenda said as she gently took my sister's hand, "Your mother is missing. I'm sorry."

Marla crumpled to the ground and I saw Sarah come around. Brenda hugged them both. Missing always meant dead in 8, there was nothing else to it. But I felt a rush of anger rise through me because I didn't get to tell them. My body began to move and I caught I glimpse of myself in the window reflection.

It wasn't me.

This isn't real!

But it felt like it. The face in the reflection wasn't my own, it had a long jagged scar running from the eyebrow to his mouth; sort of in a crescent shape. The scar was still pink, as if it only happened a few days ago. The rest, though, did look like me. Black hair, olive skin and big brown eyes: puppy eyes, that's what Mum called them.

She's dead!

I felt my hand clutch the knife again. I tried to back pedal but I couldn't control this body. I lunged at the group of girls, their screams were like music to my ears. Brenda shoved me away but I slashed the knife across her hands.

"Run!" Brenda shouted, but it didn't sound like her. She pushed Marla and Sarah away. I felt someone grab my shoulders, it wasn't Brenda, "Run!"

-----------------

I was thrust back into my own body as a girl with sea green eyes shook my body.

"Get the hell up and run!" she shouted at me. I registered that the number on her uniform was 2, but I saw the yellow ribbon and knew it was safe. She pulled me to my feet as I grabbed my sword and rope. I followed her, I was wondering why I was listening to her in the first place. I had to save Marla and Sarah. I glanced behind to see a huge cat/lizard thing. It made my legs pump faster.

"What is that?!" I shouted as I turned my head back just in time to leap over a huge tree root.

"I have no idea," she puffed back, "But I think it wants to eat us."

I kept running and running. I almost had a heart attack when I heard the mutt roar. I heard it crash to the ground so I dared to glance behind me. The girl behind me – a yellow ribbon tied around her bicep – fired another arrow into the mutt before it fell silent. She met my eyes a nodded slightly, her bright red hair cascaded down her shoulders and her blue eyes gleamed. She looked beautiful as the sunlight danced on her light skin, she smiled slightly before pulling out her arrows and jogging towards us. I remembered her name was Crystal.

"That was pretty cool," I told her, "I'm Leo, District 8."

"You think so?" her cheeks flushed red – almost as red as her hair – so she looked down so her hair covered her cheeks, "I'm Crystal, District 12."

I was about to ask her if she could teach me a thing or two when a booming voice broke through the arena, "Hello tributes," the Head Gamemaker, Jaede, spoke, "It is time to divide and conquer. For your first challenge you must trade a tribute from amongst your team to go to the other team. You will vote within your teams to decide who will be the one to trade. The trading will take place where the green dot is on your maps. Have fun with your decisions and may the odds be ever in your favour!"

"Lucky we met up then," the girl from District 2 said, "I'm Zoey."

I repeated my introductions before I watched Crystal. She brought up the map on her watch and pointed to the green dot, "That's where we meet. And it looks like we are about to run into some more of our team."

I watched as five yellow dots approached us, soon enough I didn't even have to watch the map because I could see them walking through the trees. Everyone held at least one weapon. It looked like some sort of tribal meeting or something. I did notice that we had reduced in numbers but shrugged it off, death is a part of the Games.

And your life. A voice said in the back of my mind, and I immediately thought of my family. Well, what I had left of it.

"So are we going to vote or just stand here awkwardly?" Zoey broke the silence. It seemed that the majority of team yellow were quite reserved. Off to the side of the group I could feel the boy from District 6 eyeing us all: watching as if we were animals. I shrugged him off. Zoey caught my eye and I knew that this was my specialty. I was good at making bad situations seem easy, obviously Zoey – a Career – had picked that up in training.

"Why not just pick the weakest? We need to keep our team strong, chances are that the Reds will send their weakest over – why not do the same?" a boy with spiked red hair said. He had a solid build and was at least six foot, thankfully I was taller than him otherwise I might have felt threatened.

"And feed them to the dogs, isn't that just cruel?" Luke, District 5, said.

"Are you volunteering to go?" the red haired one sneered.

"Come on, see if you can take me! Loser switches sides" Luke's voice rose. I ran between the two of them and glared at them both.

"Great idea, fighting will solve the problem." I drawled sarcastically, "Grow up, idiots!"

"Maybe you should tell softie here that he should switch sides," the red haired one said. I remembered his name to be Nicolai.

"You aren't allowed to pick, we are going to vote. Everyone deserves a fair chance, if someone wants to volunteer: go for it. But majority rules, Nicolai, and you're only one person." I told him, I shoved him back hard enough for him to stumble.

"You think any of will volunteer?! All of us were picked to come here, all of us were betrayed! So if you think for one second that I'm going to take it easy, you're wrong 8! I'm here to win and I know all of you are too!"

"You think forcing someone is going to help, Nicolai? Our team needs more friends than enemies. We've all been betrayed but you don't see anyone else acting like a child." The girl held an axe in her hand but it looked way too big for her, even as she casually had it looped around her belt. She must have been from 7.

"With that said and done," I broke the few moments of silence, "Is anyone willing to go?"

No one answered, I looked around until my eyes landed back on the boy standing to the side. He had a small smirk on his face. I realised he was just watching, he probably had it all planned out.

"The entire Red team is made up of girls, why don't one of them go?" a boy with a dirt-covered face said quietly.

"How do you know that?" I asked and the boy, Fallon, rolled his eyes as if I were the dumbest person in Panem (FYI: I'm not).

"Counting the dead, and knowing that our entire team is here. There's no doubt that the other team consists of the females from District's One, Three, Six and Eleven." He said as a matter-of-factly.

I gave an exasperated sigh, "Thank you for that lovely information."

"He's right," Crystal whispered beside me, "It can only be girls. I watched the projection last night, didn't you?"

"I had a well-deserved nap," I told her and she smiled slightly and shook her head. Images of my family stained with blood flashed into my mind but I shook them away. Crystal eyed me warily but I gave her a short smile.

"Time to vote, people!" Zoey shouted. It echoed through the forest and I couldn't help but give a small laugh at how out-going she was.

Small bursts of chatter broken out, but one voice carried over them all.

"I'll go." He said. Everyone turned to him, he stood off the side. I think I was just as shocked as everyone else when he talked.

"So he speaks," the girl with the axe laughed, "Let's go."

She led the way through the forest and everyone hurried to follow her. I stayed at the back and watched for any threats. I learned that the District 6 boy was called Andrion, he walked beside me carrying a small knife in his hand.

"You handled the team well," he said, "Luke and Nicolai are normally bashing each other by now."

"I have two little sisters, they fight better than any boy." I chuckled before I realised my words. I didn't know if they were alive: I still had to find them. I didn't even know if Brenda told them about Mum – they were alone.

"Sisters are pretty mean," Andrion replied, "Mum could never handle one, let alone two."

I didn't reply to him because all I could see was Mum's face. Lifeless. Her body wasn't moving and it was mangled with organs and drenched in blood. I fell to the ground beside her. I felt tears running down my face. Voices around me shouted my name. Suddenly Mum's body sat up straight and screamed my name.

I fell backwards causing myself to hit my head on a tree rot. I cursed as my vision rippled like water. I could see red hair and beautiful green eyes.

"Leo, are you okay?" she asked, her voice was soft and gentle. It was Crystal, then I recognized other faces around her. Andrion and Zoey crouched beside her. I shook my head.

"What happened?" I muttered, rubbing my head where I had hit the root. I sat up slowly.

"You might want to tell us," Andrion said, "You kept screaming 'she's dead'. You literally dropped to the ground and started yelling."

"I..." I stuttered, I couldn't tell them I saw my mother who was dead. I couldn't tell them about my nightmares. They would think I was crazy, I just had to act normal – well try to, "I don't know."

"It was your mother, wasn't it?" Andrion said after a while, "I remember seeing you after the interviews, you ran like lightening."

I nodded slowly, "But I'm fine, okay? I promise."

Crystal eyed me again before helping me up. We caught up to the others who had, thankfully, ignored my cries of the dead. We were almost at the meeting point. I hoped that I wouldn't break down, I couldn't. Otherwise I would be the weak one, I would be the target. I knew I had to make it back to Marla and Sarah, I had to warn them and Brenda. I was the one who had to save them.

--------

The four girls stood on the beach, quite menacingly. Arms folded across their chest while their weapons hung on the belts loosely. The oldest was Kayla, she was from District Eleven. They were all fairly small but had a tough demeanor.

"Let's get this over with," Kayla called.

"Another thing," I called out, "To give everyone a chance, no killing until three."

The four girls murmured among themselves before Kayla replied, "Deal!" she shouted.

I checked my watch, it read 2:56pm. That meant four minutes to be clear of here. But we had a plan.

Andrion and the youngest from team Red began walking to cross the imaginary line we had drawn in our heads. Crystal moved a little closer to me.

"She's from District Three. Her name's Thalia." Crystal whispered.

"Obviously their weakest," I muttered back.

"Looks can be deceiving. She doesn't seem sad, so I would say that she volunteered to go."

"Why does everyone have to be so smart?" I sighed quietly.

"Just telling you what I see," Crystal smirked and went silent.

By the time Thalia had joined our side, it was 2:57. Meaning we had three minutes. I turned around to my team as we made room for Thalia.

"Stick to the plan," I whispered, "Fallon, Luke and Zoey: follow them as quietly as possible and we will meet you at the pond at midnight. Teris and Nicolai, you're hunting: remember to back in an hour. Crystal, Thalia and I will be setting up camp. Any arguments?" I asked. We had planned this before so I knew no one would speak up, "Good. Now let's get out of here." We all ran into the safety of the forest together, so it seemed we were leaving as a team. As soon as we hit the trees, we split off. This was how our team worked. We would win with as many people as possible.

We soon slowed to a walk and Thalia spoke up, "Seems like team Yellow is organised, but the girls have a much better plan. I listened Kayla and Zelie, Carnation wasn't a very good talker so I could hear them."

"That's good, because you're going to tell us everything." I told Thalia with a grin.

"Why would I do that?" Thalia said, a hint of malice in her voice.

"Because we have weapons and you don't," Crystal said as Thalia and I spun around to see her holding Thalia's dagger and blow gun along with the darts, "I don't care if you're on our team or not. Start talking."

Thalia growled under her breath while I couldn't help myself from laughing, "Welcome to the Yellow team Thalia." I chuckled.

Task 7 <><><><>

You get a sense of sorrow when you see the faces in the sky: the faces of the fallen. It makes you wonder how close your death is; it makes you wonder which one will make it out. No one ever speaks when the faces are shown because it is like a remembrance time. Everyone knows to respect it because we are the lucky ones who survived the day – we are the lucky ones that carry on to the next round. We are also the lucky ones that have to decide who to kill next. Because in a game of death, there is always someone who wants to win – and they're the ones who will stab you in the back the first chance they get.

---

I was surprised to wake up to see the sun rising. Not because I was concerned about my own team killing me (though it wasn't far off being on my list) but because I didn't see Marla or Sarah. What had happened to them? I remember Brenda telling me to run and that's how I woke up. I had enough on my plate with trying not to die: but now to wonder who was killing my family and what they wanted with my father and mother, it was insane! I couldn't figure it out all the way from here, especially when I can barely remember my father. I remember his black curly hair and I remember how tall he was, but I can only see him as he lay in his bed as the life faded out of him. Who had seen him last? The doctor who told us about his death? The nurse checked up on him? His friend who dropped by to give us a little extra money?

The possibilities of who could have killed him were endless, and they were ever so slightly slipping from my memory.

"Something on your mind?" Zoey sat down beside me fiddling with her favourite dagger.

"Is it that obvious?" I chuckled.

"Well, calling your name twenty times and you not replying is a bit of a giveaway." She laughed.

Twenty times? I guess I should be more alert. I thought it was weird that Zoey would talk to me out of everyone else on our team. She was the only Career left and I guess she didn't have much choice to pick an ally. Still, there were plenty of girls to talk to. Then again, I found myself to be more comfortable around her... almost like I could tell her everything.

"What did you need me for?" I asked, staring at her hands as they effortlessly twirled the knife. I could see the scares on her hands where she must have hit herself, but it fascinated me how she did it without looking.

"Nothing, really, I just needed to get away from Nicolai. He is a mental case; with Thalia around."

"Nicolai is always a mental case. I have a feeling he always wants to stab me," I nodded. I needed a distraction my thoughts; maybe if I gave it a rest the answer would come to me. Being a teen again made me feel free. Something that had been scarce for the past few years. I was forced to grow up quickly when my father died – now even quicker as I had to come here.

"It's about your parents, isn't it?" Zoey said after a moment of silence. I didn't know how to answer it because I didn't want anyone to know, I didn't reply but she grabbed my hand and stared my in the eyes, "Look, I know it's hard to trust people in this, and nothing – nothing – could prepare anyone for how this place was going to be. But if you ever need to talk, you know I'm here for you. I think we make a good team – I saved you from a mutt for Pete's sake."

"Thanks," I smiled, but I wasn't ready to tell anyone – not yet, "I still owe you for that one." I said, changing the topic.

"I'm sure I'll get myself into danger somehow," she laughed and shoved me from the log I was sitting on,

"Maybe I'll be the danger," I teased as I pulled her down. Her laugh was infectious and I couldn't help but join her. I did feel comfortable around her, she felt like a sister to me.

"You're no danger to me," she stuck her tongue out and jumped out of my reach, "I am the almighty Career!" she said in a deep voice mockingly.

"Where is your pack then, almighty Career?" I matched her voice trying not to laugh.

She paused to think of a response, "I cannot divulge that information to such a worthless peasant."

"Peasant?" I chuckled, "What does almighty Career think when peasant does this?" I said as I swept my legs under hers, causing Zoey to fall to the ground with a loud thud. She burst out laughing and then went bck to her deep voice.

"She thinks peasant swept her off her feet." Then throws her head back and giggles. I shake my head and laugh with her but something catches my eyes. And I'd be lying if I told you I didn't notice her earlier.

Crystal.

-----

As I walked through the forest my mind kept flashing back to the day of my father's death and each time I saw someone different. One time I saw a doctor, next I saw Marla's friends' father, then Mum's brother and back to the start. They were all people who came on the day of his death: they were all people I barely knew. The doctor had come once a week so I knew the basics, but he could have killed my father any time – he could have killed him straight away. I don't recall Dad saying anything about the doctor, other than the fact that he jokes around too much – he doesn't seem like a desperate guy so I wouldn't pick him for a killer. Or maybe that's what he wants me to think...

"Attention tributes!" a voice announced causing the group to fall silent, "Hidden in the arena are enough supplies for you to build a fortress. You will each be given coordinates for one set of supplies, one team – however- will be given coordinates to the other team's campsite." He continued on but I was frozen; supplies. Why did that ring a bell? A squeezed my eyes shut as the ringing in my ears began.

--

"Do you have it or not?" the man growled in my father's room. I continued playing with the piece of rope in my hands, not really paying attention.

"I can't get to the supply – I can barely move." My father sounded desperate.

"Then tell me where it is!" the man hissed quietly.

"You know I can't, it's against my orders. You'll either have to wait until Leo is old enough or until I get better. You know it's what he ordered."

"Goddammit Liam, I'm not waiting ten years: neither will our boss. I swear I'll find out from you or your kid – I don't care which."

The man stormed out of the room quickly and left the house just as fast as he had come. I only just managed to get a glimpse of his face. It was odd because he had different coloured eyes; one was black and one was brown. Like an injury had happened. The name...

--

"Leo?" someone shook my shoulders. I tilted my head down slightly to meet her blue eyes, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, but I was sure it didn't sound convincing: I barely convinced myself. The name...the person.

"You need to work on your lies," Crystal rolled her eyes playfully but I could tell something was up with her too.

"So do you," I replied, "You don't exactly look happy yourself."

"It's nothing," she said way too quickly, "Let's go anyways."

I followed Crystal to Zoey, "What did I miss?" I asked.

"You weren't listening, were you?" Zoey smirked.

"Sure I was. Something about supplies for camp and coordinates..." I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly.

"I'm surprised you listened for a second," Zoey laughed and Crystal could have killed her with the glare she gave, "Basically we have coordinates either to supplies or to the Red team. We can move camp but the coordinates follow us or we can leave our stuff here so our coordinates don't move." She paused for a moment because by now everyone was getting the Zoey-version of what had just been said, "Got it?"

A chorus of yes's and yeah's were muttered.

"I think we should leave the supplies," Nicolai grinned, "Then we can ambush the Red team."

"What if we don't have their coordinates," Luke countered.

"Either way we meet up, might as well be prepared. Who needs supplies anyways?" Nicolai shrugged.

"We need them. It's our best chance," Zoey said, which earned a glare from the red-head.

"Why don't we take our weapons and get to the coordinates we have as fast as possible and then get back here, that way we can be back by the time the Reds find us or we will find them on the way." I suggested.

"The coordinates aren't too far from where we are," Crystal said quietly.

"Whatever," Nicolai shrugged, "I think the little nerd girl has planned something, just because you're on Yellow doesn't mean you're one of us."

Thalia shrugged, "I don't need to be one of you – you can't kill me."

"Want to test that theory?' Nicolai smirked and moved forward. I put myself between the two.

"Don't start, Nicolai," I growled, "You need more friends than enemies right now."

Nicolai sneered and Thalia and stormed away. I shook my head and sighed; this was what was going to get me killed.

Like your father! A voice said in the back of my head. Maybe that's why I was here – to die. Or maybe my family was going to die and I had to live. I didn't know! I had always hated fate and destiny and whatever you want to call that crap. I was over it. Over everything! It would be so easy just to give up, maybe slip my knife into my stomach or run into team Red or maybe piss Nicolai off so much that he'd stab me. So easy, yet I wasn't sure if I was brave enough.

We started walking through the forest, I wasn't sure to where: I didn't care. I figured dying would be easy, but I didn't realise you had to be brave to beg for it. I can still remember in my vision when I was stabbing Mum – she was begging to die. It was so much pain that she could have survived – yet she asked for death. It was stupid. This was stupid. If I was brave, I'd give up and die. I wouldn't keep being selfish and cowardice, escaping death and killing people. The Capitol had it all wrong: brave was giving up and showing you're not bulletproof. It wasn't being so brave that you survived the Hunger Games. Yet, here I was in the midst of a Capitol-borne event on team Yellow (for the Capitol).

Fate, I snorted in my head, complete bullshit.

I noticed Crystal walking alone. Zoey was up the front, in her own little world but leading the way – she was a Career, who could argue? I remember Rye when she was asked about allies, she always talked about Crystal fondly. I think Rye was going to ask me to join her – I wanted to work with her, but I didn't want to put myself with her. I thought maybe she could have snuck through the Games with Crystal, quietly and unnoticed – I guess I was wrong.

I should go talk to Crystal, I sort of have a duty to – don't I? To take care of my District's ally. I don't know why I was so nervous about it... I've talked to her before. But I think my brain was more focused on staring at her rather than talking to her.

Her bright red hair was still wavy and seemed to be untamed. Her skin was pale and smooth, almost like a pearl. She was short and thin, like she had never really had enough food. In my eyes she was...she was..

I shook my head – figure out your own stuff first.

Suddenly, three people on my team were hoisted into the air. They did the worst thing possible – they screamed. I ran over.

"Shut up!" I hissed,

"You're not the one in a freaking trap, are you?" I think it was Luke who growled that at me.

"I'll leave you to the Reds than, shall I?" I said and he didn't reply, "So shut up,"

I grabbed my dagger from my pocket and began to cut the rope. Crystal and Fallon immediately came to help me. I noticed Crystal was using her arrow head to cut the rope: now that was smart. I thought that maybe it was a dummy trap, but then someone from Yellow confirmed my fears,

"Ambush!" the person shouted. The two or three remaining Red team jumped from the trees and the sound of metal clashing echoed everywhere. I continued sawing at a new piece of rope. I didn't last long before I was knocked to the ground. I caught a flash of silver hair.

Carnation.

I cursed and rolled, trying not to stab myself with the dagger in my hand. Her fist grazed my cheek as I rolled one more time and kicked her off me. She drew some sort of sort and I drew mine. I wasn't sure how good her skills were – but mine weren't very good.

She lunged forward and swung her sword. I blocked and stepped back and flicked my sword so she was on the defence. I parried with her, going on the attack, but she quickly turned that around as her sword scraped my ankle. I cursed loudly and went on defence mode as she endlessly thrust her sword at me from all different directions. I walked backwards while blocking each hit but she was close to breaking my defences. I grit my teeth as I felt the blood on my ankle trickle into my boot. Behind Carnation, the trap that three of my teammates were in had finally been broken and they stalked around like Red were their prey. I stupidly tripped over a tree root whilst walking backwards and rolled away just in time as I heard her sword hit the Earth. I think I was having an awful amount of luck today.

Crystal's red hair caught my eye and she spun around and fired an arrow at Carnation. It hit her shoulder and she screamed in agony – then I watched Crystal be tackled by Zelie. I saw the metal shine in the sunlight and knew Crystal would be in trouble. I kicked Carnation to the ground – she could survive for now – and ran to Crystal. She was being punched by Zelie so, without thinking, I barreled into Zelie and knocked her onto the ground with me landing on top of her. Zelie kicked me in my bad ankle – like she knew about it – and retreated. When I turned around, my team mates were sprawled on the forest floor. Though we had more people – we were taken by surprise. Zelie especially had managed to injure almost everyone.

I turned to Crystal, her cheek had a cut under her eye and the red blood stood out on her pearl skin.

"Your cheek," I murmured.

She smiled half-heartedly, "I'm alright."

"You need to work on your lies," I said quietly to her, like she had told me earlier.

"Why'd you save me?" she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed.

"I think I owed Rye, she was your ally."

"Thank you," she said.

"Stay awake," I told her as I reached into one of the bags that were strewn over the ground – I realised that we had found our supplies to build a fort as I grabbed some antiseptic cream and a patch that would cover her cut.

"Is your ankle okay?" Crystal asked as I cleaned the cut. Small tears creeped out of the corner of her eyes but I ignored them – it would hurt.

"Yeah," I told her, but bringing it to my attention made it hurt even more.

I ripped open the packaging for the patch. It was called Norwood Medicines and the name felt familiar. I gently pressed it on Crystal before my hand began to shake.

Norwood – my mother's maiden name.

"Why don't you have different coloured eyes, Mummy?" Marla asked.

"I don't know. I just know he's my brother," Mum replied.

Max Norwood. My mother's brother – my uncle. And, coincidentally, the man who killed my father and possibly my mother.

What'd you know? Fate might be bullshit, but it's a complete bitch as well.

Task 8 <><><><>

I felt like I was getting older and older. I was seeing things that no adult had seen before. It was one thing to watch the Hunger Games – you could turn away from the screen if you couldn't stomach it – but being in it was a whole new world. I couldn't turn away if I didn't like something, I had to face it head on – we all did. It was like a never-ending horror story, even though I knew it would end eventually – it was the way it felt: the bodies motionless on the ground, the blood that stains your clothes, the brave people who embrace death for their friends. We had been forced to grow up quickly and emotions were a factor we couldn't consider – the tables were turned. When I had thought bravery was volunteering, I realised bravery was giving yourself to death. Some part of me knew that I wasn't brave – I could act like I was, but I wasn't. I was determined – determined to find out my past, determined to find my future. Maybe some would call it brave for continuing – me? Well I thought it was plain stupid. Especially when we were playing games, and in every game someone wouldn't just get hurt – they'd die. This – this was the worst game to play.

---

"You're thinking again, aren't you?" Crystal limped towards me and sat on the bench. We had built our fort – it wasn't as glamorous as expected but it covered us from the other team. But concrete blocks got really heavy after an hour so we were all groaning in pain.

"I always am," I replied softly to her. The last few nights had allowed us to get closer. For some reason I felt warmer around her, she comforted me. Unlike Zoey, she didn't feel like a sister – she was more than that to me. Yet I couldn't bring myself to tell her about my most recent discovery of suddenly knowing who killed my father – she would think I was insane.

"This all changes us too much, doesn't it?" Crystal sighed as she stared into the green grass below us. A strand of her dark red hair fell to her cheek as her blue eyes studied the grass. I slowly reached out and gently tucked the strand behind her ear. Her cheeks went slightly rouge as she smiled, "Thanks,"

"Do you ever feel like we're already adults?" I asked her. I had to distract myself from my father, just for a while I wanted to be a kid.

She nodded slowly causing the crystal necklace on her neck to dangle, "Forced to grow up."

"Exactly! And you can never fully know a person because we've all built these defenses up around ourselves because no one trusts each other."

"Trust someone is hard," Crystal murmured and I could see the thought in her eyes. She had had trouble trusting in the past.

"Favourite colour?" I said suddenly.

"What?" she looked at me quizzically.

"Your favourite colour, what is it?" I asked. I wanted her to trust me, this was a baby step.

"I don't know," she half laughed, "Yours?"

"Green. Like this grass," I pulled my hand through the pieces of grass below us. It was dark but bright at the same time. Like the greenness back home. District Eight didn't have much, but at least it was colourful.

"Green," she nodded thoughtfully, "I'll keep that in mind." Her smile was amazing, she flashed her white teeth for an instant but it made myself smile.

"What?" she asked, I could see the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Nothing," I grinned and stood up. I extended my hand to help her get up to and she took the offer. Her light skin on my dark – her hands were warm and soft. Like they'd never touched a weapon but I knew they had – she was a silent killer. She smiled at me and we began walking, neither of us breaking the hold that I loved.

A sudden scream ruined our tranquility. We both broke into a run to find Teris rolling on the ground in agony with the remains of our team standing around in horror.

"Check the perimeters!" I shouted at them and Nicolai and Fallon jumped into action, while Teris continued wailing. As soon as I got a better look, I knew we weren't under attack – this was coming from inside her.

She stopped moving after a while and a gurgling sound came from her mouth. Large boils swelled on her arms and legs and her skin begins to burn. She screamed loudly in pain, "Help!" Her screams could only fall on deaf ears – children forced to grow up because we had to see this. None of us knew how to deal with it. Her screams suddenly broke off as she lay still – her chest barely rising.

The rest of the team had already arrived, but I noticed Thalia missing, "Where is Thalia?"

"Same state as Teris," Fallon said, looking at her feet.

"it's the Gamemakers," Crystal whispered beside me, "I've never seen this disease, it can only be man-made."

"I suppose you are all wondering about the sudden illness that has struck down your team mates," Jaede's voice echoed through the arena, "Today's game, or rather mission, is to Capture the Flag. Hidden in the arena are two flags, one with the antidote for this horrible disease and the other is a decoy. The location of each will not be given to you – because what fun would that be?" she laughed, "However clues may be given to help you on your hunt. Make it back before the timer hits zero, or your team mates die. Successfully manage to administer the antidote to all sick parties and they shall live. Happy Hunger Games tributes, the clock is ticking!"

I looked down at my watch immediately to find the reassuring watch ticking down. We had six hours. Six hours to find the flag – the right flag – and make it back.

"Are we going to leave them for dead, or actually do something?" Nicolai broke the silence with his sly remark.

"Help them, dimwit!" I hissed.

"Always taking the fun out of things, Leonardo," he chuckled.

"I'll be taking your balls out if you don't shut up!" I growled, Crystal soft hand was the only thing holding me back. I remembered who I was doing this for. To find out about my family – and save my team mates – I had to be alive. Starting a fight with my own group wouldn't do me any good.

"Her hand," I said as I noticed the piece of paper that Teris was clutching tightly. The first clue hidden in plain sight – yet I wouldn't have thought to check her.

Crystal gently pulled the piece of paper from her grip and read it aloud, "You can see it but it is also clear."

"I hate to break it to you guys, but I'm terrible at riddles." Zoey sighed but she began murmuring to herself to figure it out. What was clear? Glass was clear and you could see it, but there was no glass around here – the clues had to lead somewhere. I looked around our fort hoping to find something that would spark my mind, but all I could see was Teris's body – barely in motion.

It flashed to my father.

__

The suit he wore was the most expensive thing I had seen. Made of satin and straight black, I wished they'd never picked it. My uncle, Max Norwood, stood beside Mum and comforted her, but he wasn't crying like her. Instead it was almost a smirk. Mum had tears all over her face, she told me it was the disease.

"He didn't tell anything at all, you know you can talk to me Diana."

"He didn't say anything, Max! I said that already, now leave me alone."

"Your kids.." Max said questioningly.

"They stay with me, you hear that?" Mum hissed and pushed him away. She picked up a glass of water and drank from it, it mixed with her tears. They were almost clear on her skin...

__

It wasn't tears – it was water.

"Water!" I said excitedly, but my mind was still tossing with my most recent vision.

"There's a lot of water around." Fallon said plainly. I'll admit, I wasn't clever – but I had a feeling.

"There is," Crystal said, "But the Gamemakers know that too – they also know where we get our water from." She smiled at me encouragingly.

"The pond," I hoped it was right.

We grabbed our weapons and decided to leave Nicolai as a guard – we hoped he wouldn't kill them but I left a very good image of his beheaded self to keep him company.

I don't know why I hadn't suspected my uncle sooner. He was close enough that no one would, I suppose. But I still had to find out what he wanted – and why he was killing for it. He constantly harassed my mother – I think it was about keeping my sisters and I. But there was no way to be sure, especially when I was so tired. Little sleep with a lot of activity was messing with my head. I could barely stand. The only thing that kept me going was finding the antidote.

"Leo?" a voice said.

"Yeah?" I shook my head to focus – I could've been taken down so easily.

"You don't listen to a thing, do you?" Crystal shook her head in disdain but had a small smile on her mouth but not showing her teeth.

"Sure I do, it's called being selective." I replied with a smile to lighten the mood.

"What Crystal was saying," Zoey continued, "Was that the illness seemed to strike the youngest first. Thalia was so early we didn't hear her and she is the youngest, then Teris is younger than all of us – maybe 15. So you know what that means,"

"Sixteen year olds are next." I said slowly, processing the information.

"Bingo!" Zoey beamed.

Either me or Zoey would be next, "So either you or me." I said.

"Unfortunately that's bingo again," she said a bit quieter, "But we'll find this antidote in no time." She looked at her watch which I knew had the countdown on it, "Five and a half hours to find this thing."

We got to the pond a few minutes later and began to searched for the next clue. We figured that it had to be in the water, since that was where the riddle had point so I began my search in the shallows. My shadow cast down upon the water and the water rippled making it distort. I was glad I couldn't see my reflection because I had no doubt I would look older.

"Found it!" Fallon held up the paper in her dirt encrusted hand – she had found it in the muddy section of the pond. Fallon carefully slipped the clue out of the glass jar – which was clear so maybe I was partly right – and read it aloud, "I am the yellow hem of the sea's blue skirt."

Crystal looked deep in thought, as did Fallon. They both raced to find the answer while I didn't bother – I knew I wouldn't be able to figure it out – I could barely solve my own murder mystery. Max was a slippery man whom I barely remembered.

But there was something about him other than his different coloured eyes. It was the early stages of Dad's illness when Max burst into our home with his faced covered in blood. I remember he had said he had gotten into a fight about drugs and I had hid around the corner while mum patched him up. They had talked about finding the delivery location and about dad – Mum said she was clueless about the whole thing. He said he had almost found it but got jumped by a thug – "Slashed me straigh' down me cheek, he did," Uncle Max had said in his weird slang, "Then on me hand,"

I remembered the reflection I had seen in the vision about my sisters and the Peacekeeper. He had boasted a long scar down his cheek – like Max had described. And when I picture Mum's murder – I saw the hand holding the knife was also scarred. Definitely Max! No doubt. He wanted to find the delivery location – but of what?

"We started in the ocean, remember, that's the sea. Sand is the only thing that surrounds it – and it is yellow. So it has to be the beach!" Crystal's voice broke me away from my thoughts.

"That's over an hour walk," Fallon said.

"I guess we will have to do some jogging then, we can't let the Red team get there first!" Zoey said and grabbed my hand and dragged me behind her. Both Fallon and Crystal flashed me a glare before jogging after us. What was it with girls? Zoey was like a sibling to me, someone I could talk to – someone I could almost trust. But the trust still wasn't there.

---

"I forgot how long that would take," Zoey huffed as we collapsed onto the sand.

"It's worth it for our team, right?" I said. Her face brightened for a while.

"Still, this is a huge beach – and there's one small bit of paper we are looking for." Zoey sighed.

"Well, we know it's on the beach, right?" I said, trying not to think about my own problems. This was a distraction – a good one. I never thought I'd be thankful for this.

"Right, and it would have to be where the ocean meets the sand – yellow hem of the sea's blue skirt." Crystal nodded along but I could tell something was still bothering her. She was the ally of Rye – my District partner and I had heard rumours that she had seen the whole death. I couldn't even imagine how I would act if I saw Crystal die – I would go insane.

Death. It was all too close for my liking.

"Can I have the paper?" I asked suddenly. I snatched it from Crystal's grasp and studied it for any other clues. Don't think about your family – your sisters are safe, I am not.

Stop thinking about them!! I told myself.

Surely the clues had to link up with each other, my current guess would be that the message would be hidden in something clear.

Like the water, I thought dumbly. How couldn't we have thought of that before. I ran into the soft waves and sure enough a glass bottle was floating a couple meters to my left. I swam over and pulled it off the string before returning to the sand.

"Found it," I held up the bottle.

"And here we all thought you had no brains," Zoey grinned. I smashed the bottle on a nearby tree and carefully pulled out the message.

"No legs have I to dance, No lungs have I to breathe, No life I have to live or die And yet I do all three. What am I?" I read. Everyone's face with deep in thought, but Fallon had a small smirk, "You think this is a joke?" I asked her, slightly angry.

"No, actually," she scowled, "I think the answer is fire."

I went to yell at her but stopped. She was clever, and I wasn't. Maybe I wasn't top of the math class but I knew how to map a place in my mind – I could also remember things.

"Where is there a fire?" Crystal asked thoughtfully.

That was the real puzzle. No smoke was in the air, but the answer was a fire. Fire dances, fire breathes and fire lives. But where was the fire...

I stared at my hands that had tell-tale signs of a minor burn. I raised an eyebrow as Crystal's soft hands worked her way to cup them. I stared down into her blue eyes and fought the urge to kiss her.

"Burns," she whispered and all I could watch were her pink lips form the word.

"Where it all started – the Cornucopia." I whispered in reply. I lifted one of her hands to my lips and pressed them on her fingers. She blushed slightly with a small smile as I released her hand. Her smile reminded me of my sisters – how brght and eager they were, they are.

If they're still alive, I thought numbly. I turned away from Crystal suddenly and got a glimpse of the shock on her face. I was stupid to do that, stupid! "The Cornucopia, it was on fire when it started." I told the others and waded into the water.

We only had four hours left – two hours to find the clue plus two hours to get back. This was going to be a race against time.

---

The Cornucopia was a charred mess, to say the least. It wasn't golden like it had been in the past, instead it was charcoal black. We climbed the small hill to find the piece of paper in the middle of the ruin. Fallon read it herself before picking it up only to find it crumbled in her hands.

"That's tricky, isn't it?" she smirked again before repeating what she read, "Find the sword, then ten paces left. That's what it said."

"I found the sword then," Zoey pointed to the sword protruding from the ground. In the distance I spotted the remains of the Red team on the beach.

"We better hurry. They won't need the clue if they see us." I said hurriedly and scanned around the place, "Let's do ten paces each in different directions,"

We stood with our backs to the sword and did ten paces out, next to me was a large hole. I told the other only to find that they also had holes near them, "Split up, find your way back up when the countdown hits three hours – if you're not back by then, well, you might want to hurry."

Crystal counted to three and we all jumped down into the darkness. The rocks scraped my body as I fell to the bottom, and then – if possibly – it went darker.

-

Marla and Sarah sat at the counter with Mum's friend, Brenda, who was a Peacekeeper. She had blood on her white pants but the rest of her seemed to be unharmed.

"Do you guys remember anyone who visited lots when Mum was around?" Brenda asked softly.

Max! I wanted to scream but I couldn't talk – I could only sit by and watch.

"I don't think so," Marla said, "Mum had lots of friends. Uncle Max, Lily," Marla went on to list more.

"Did you recognize the man who attacked me last night?" Brenda asked cautiously. Sarah was half asleep already and I desperately hope she wasn't listening.

Uncle Max, Marla! Say his name! Please! I yelled in my mind.

"If I took you to see him, would you know?"

"Maybe," Marla mumbled tiredly.

They went to the station and sure enough, sitting behind the bars was a man with two coloured eyes, a scarred cheek and a scarred hand, he smiled with a toothy grin, "Why, shouldn't you be in bed Mar?"

Marla could only stand helpless as she screamed. Brenda crouched down beside her, "What's wrong, Marla, tell me please!"

"It's Max! Uncle Max!" she sobbed, then added quietly, "He tried to hurt you."

"He did," Brenda nodded softly and carried Marla out of the room, "He hurt you parents too."

-

I awoke with a sharp jolt. My cheek was pressed against the cool stone and the air was damp. I remembered the sensation of falling but my mind was spinning. They knew it was Max – if my dreams were real, then they'd caught him. I sighed as I sat back.

It still didn't explain why Max wanted my family.

My watch bleeped and I look down. Almost three hours to go!? I cursed loudly and stood up. I had ten minutes to search and get out of here.

I ran through the cave blindly, using my hands to feel my way around the place. The good thing was that it seemed to be one way as I stumbled around. Sometimes I could feel the rock moving and knew that some sort of creature was there. I didn't want to imagine the bugs in here. I went faster and faster until I crashed into something. It wasn't a wall, it was warm – it was a person. My watch barely lit up her face but I knew who it was. I crashed my lips onto hers and savoured the warmth and the sparks that spread throughout my body. I felt electrified, like we were the only two people on the planet.

I pulled away suddenly, "Hey."

"Hey to you too," she laughed. It sounded like music as it echoed through the cave, "Guess what I found," she held up a small bag with a glowing liquid inside and I smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

"Let's get out of here," I told her and grabbed her hand. I led her the way I had come – with all the bugs – but her hand gave me some sort of determination that I had never had before. I helped her climb up the way I had fell down. It took longer than ten minutes and I could already see our team swimming back to shore. I shouldn't have shouted, but I did.

"Guys!" I yelled and they turned momentarily and shouted something back and pointed. I spun around just in time to dodge Carnations attack. I used her momentum to shove her to the ground and pulled my sword out. She jumped back up with lightning speed so my sword barely caught her leg. I went for a side this time and hit her a bit above her hips. She was already weak, I could tell. An arrow suddenly hit her in the stomach and she screamed. I kicked her down and smiled a thanks at Crystal.

I had never swam so fast in my life. I think adrenaline had me going as I swam and then pulled Crystal along so we could get to land. But I began to grow weaker, not from fatigue. I could feel a bubbling in my stomach as I felt myself sink. Extra energy was used to keep me afloat until I couldn't do it any longer.

"Crystal," I barely managed to say her name. Water filled my mouth, but it was a relief as my arms burned in pain. I felt like a I was fire – fire and water together. Bubbles escaped my mouth as I screamed for help only to find no one was there. I was going to die. My eyelids fluttered but I could see hands reaching for me, but the ones below seemed to get closer – the arms of death.

I was suddenly yanked out of the water as hand grabbed my burnt arms. I writhed and screamed at them to stop. To let me die – I deserved it. Death only seemed rational.

The sand only made it worse as I was dragged up. I sharp pain exploded from my neck as I struggled to breath. My throat was swollen – put me out of my pain, I wanted to yell. I couldn't.

"Leo," voices shouted my name frantically.

"Leave – get the antidote to the others!" someone shouted, "We'll be back before sundown."

Everything went quiet until I could only hear I quiet sobbing noise, "Please wake up, Leo! Please!" the voice begged.

The voice was sweet, I wanted to inhale it – to own it. It was the only thing that kept me awake through the pain. But the pain slowly subsided. My world began to light back up until all I could see were two crystal blue eyes – they didn't belong my mother though.

"You're awake!" Crystal breathed.

"Any person would be stupid not to wake up for you," I croaked and pulled her down to me in a hug.

In that moment, I felt like I was free. Like I had no worries – like I was a child.

"Are you okay? You've been zoning out a lot lately,"

I couldn't keep it in. I had to tell her. About Max Norwood – the man who had killed my father, maybe my mother. I told her about the visions about my family. I told her my worries, all the while she sat there nodding and listening intently to every single word and worry I had. In that moment, I felt like we were the only people on the planet. There was no Hunger Games and nobody to interfere – just us.

Task 9 <><><><>

Marla's POV (POV of a loved one)

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't sleep. Sleep was what our bodies used to relax but I found sleep offered little comfort. All the darkness did was draw me into nightmares filled with my families screams that sounded so real that, sometimes, I believed them. I didn't know how things could change so quickly, all it took was one single second for the escort to read his name, all it took was a moment for a bullet to kill her – time could alter things so fast.

"Who am I kidding?" I sighed as I sat up in my small bed. I couldn't sleep, the sun would be up soon anyway. I could already see the light creeping through the makeshift curtain until its warmth touched my bare legs – the sun never felt the same anymore. I look into the shattered mirror beside the wall – it was no doubt that the changes had also affected me. I pretended not to notice the large dark rings under my eyes from a lack of sleep, I tried not to see the bones that stuck out if I sat a certain way and I tried to ignore my huge brown eyes that looked like my brother's own stare.

I ran my fingers through my hair, which was frizzy from a restless night, and skilfully braided it until it ran down my back like a second spine. I used to look pretty, maybe I still did, but I doubted it. I was bony and messy because without my parents or Leo – I couldn't get enough to feed Sarah and me. I couldn't get enough shifts because I had to watch the Games for my brother, it didn't help that I got paid the absolute minimum because I just started and because I'm only twelve.

Could I even go into the square to see if Leo's still actually alive? Did I still have a brother? I thought the same questions every morning. Yesterday I had seen him drowning, writhing in pain, and I knew he had only just scraped with death. Did he even know about Mum? If I lost Leo, I would lose everything – I couldn't keep going. I fall into my own mind, trapped with my own thoughts and nightmares that might just be as dangerous as any game.

I shouldn't be thinking that, I should be positive. But lately, I couldn't. I stood up and took one final look in the mirror, I was so thin. Exhaustion from working and watching the games had made me forget about my own body – I had to lie everyday so I wouldn't be taken to an orphanage, sometimes I believed it. Maybe for once, today would be okay. Okay was better than nothing.

"Leave me alone!" Sarah cried, she sounded like she was in pain. I ran out of the bedroom and into the main room to find a man holding Sarah by the wrist. I knew who he was – and I hated him, his coloured eyes told her that he was Max, her mother's brother.

"Mornin' Marla," Max grinned, "I was wonderin' if I could see ya' mother. Sarah just got confused, didn't you darl?"

"Take your hands off her," I said almost tiredly, I was surprised by how dead my voice was. Max noticed too. I barely had spoken to him because Mum had told me enough – she had told me things no one knew. About Max, about what he did and about what he was doing.

"Course," Max narrowed his eyes at me and let go of Sarah, she came running to my side and shielded herself behind me.

"Mum isn't feeling well enough to talk to anyone at the moment, I'll tell her you dropped by though." I had recited this line too many times that it almost sounded robotic – this was the lie I told anyone who came inside. I had gotten so used to saying it that I wished it was true – sometimes I checked to see if Mum was there, hiding in a corner and laughing saying that she's fine. I knew it was possible though. I had seen her body, ripped and torn to shreds with the blood still oozing down the side of her body like a tear drop.

"Is that right?" Max finally drawled out.

"Yes," I pursed my lips to stop myself from hissing at him, "Don't you have to go to work?"

I'd crossed a line by being so rude – I knew it and he knew it.

"Since your mother is dead, I'm here to take care of you." He said flatly, "Otherwise some people might just find out that she isn't even here. Then where would you go darling?"

My body went rigid at his threat but I didn't scream out. I wasn't sure whether it was for my sake or Sarah's, I think my own. What Max didn't know was that I was a smooth talker – like Leo – but unlike him, I was smart. The past few days had taught me some extra tricks in this world.

"If you loved my mother, then you wouldn't tell anyone." I told him and folded my arms, "Don't think I know what you did?" he narrowed his eyes at my reference but he didn't crack like he was supposed to.

"You're not accusing me, are you?" Max chuckled, "It happened so quickly, the Peacekeeper didn't mean to. He was only aimin' for the stabber."

His lie sounded just as worse as mine – like it was an old tale that had been told too many times for it to be believed. Besides, how did he know she was stabbed? How did he know there was a single bullet hole amongst the stab wounds that only Brenda had noticed in the first place? He would have had to been there to know these things because only Brenda and myself knew that sort of stuff.

It all clicked inside my mind. The scar on his face meant he was the attacker on the door step three nights ago – I remember Brenda saying that. But the scar was shorter on him now. He attacked my mother, and then he attacked us. How could I have missed it?

"I think you know more than you are letting on, Uncle Max. Or maybe you're not even him at all. I'm sure you've heard of the concept of someone being Masked, so maybe there isn't just one of you – maybe there is two." I tried to keep my voice emotionless but I was rubbing it in his face. His eyes lit up like flames because I must've been right – Mum was right.

Max pulled a gun so quickly that I barely had time to react. I only just managed to dive out of the way before it went off. It missed me, but when I turned around – it didn't miss Sarah.

"Bastard!" I screamed and launched myself at Max. I kicked him between his leg and as he fell to his knees I smashed my knee into his nose hearing a satisfying crunch. He fell to the ground cursing in pain. He hurt Sarah – but I knew I had to save her first.

I ran to her side and I could already see her skin paling. I gathered her in my arms, despite how heavy she was and walked as quickly as I could to Brenda's house. Sarah wasn't even screaming, which was what scared me most.

"Sarah, I want you to keep your eyes open. Okay, bub?" I said hurriedly and she nodded her head slightly.

Brenda's house was only six houses away so I burst into her home breathless, "Brenda! It's Max, he shot her. It should've been me!" I cried quietly as Brenda rushed into the main room. She took Sarah from me with a worried look in her eyes, "You have to arrest him."

"Peacekeepers would be in your home, Marla, and you've been lying to them. You'd be taken too."

"I don't care, he killed Mum – and now Sarah. She's dying, isn't she?"

"I have to get her to an infirmary, don't leave the house – lock it behind me." Brenda said almost calmly but avoided my question, "Marla, you'll be fine. Stay here, and you'll be fine."

She left so quickly and the door clicked shut behind me leaving me in an eerie silence. It should have hit me – the bullet was meant to hit me. I grabbed one of Brenda's coats that was hanging of the chair and pulled it over myself. I needed to clear my mind – I needed to do something normal. But there was nothing left – death had tainted everything in my life. Ignoring what Brenda said, I went outside. I had to face Max but I wasn't going to seek him out. He would be coming for me soon enough, I just didn't know if I would let him.

---

I woke up in a pile of old clothes in an alley with the sun dipping just below the factories of Eight. I didn't remember going to sleep, nor did I remember getting here. But I remembered what had happened. Sarah, Max and Brenda – I remembered it all so I threw my head back and fought the urge to scream out. Why was everything happening to me? I didn't deserve this – I deserved a good life, didn't I?

"Good evening, District Eight," a voice announced over a microphone, "You must be wondering why I'm here, but I bring good news – visiting hours are upon us."

I sprinted out of the alley and into the District square which was only filled with a few people. The scree that showed the games was turned off, which made my heart race in anticipation. Calico was standing with two mysterious shadows behind her as she reached inside a bowl – similar to the Reapings but it only held a few pieces of paper – three or four of them.

Did this mean Leo was dead? District Eight didn't have many people make it this far and I wasn't familiar with how things ran. Most of Eight were killed off in the bloodbath – a sad but true fact.

"Could Marla Nitel please come to the stage?" Calico announced, her eyes found me immediately almost like she recognised me from last time when I was almost picked to go into the Hunger Games. I almost shared the same fate as Leo.

I still had no idea what this was about but I went up on the stage with tears slowly creeping down my face. I could feel all the same emotions as those when I was up here before – confusion, fear and disgust. I looked out into the dusk night sky and I could glimpse of two shadows standing on the outskirts of the square – I could see the pinkness of their scars in the dim light and they both looked identical, except one of them had a longer scar. So there were two Max's and now I was leaving Sarah behind. They both held a grin on their faces which made me wonder was I meant to get picked in the first place. And that scared me more than anything – that this was all set up by someone who wanted to kill me.

---

A few hours later, I was dressed in a similar suit to what Leo had been wearing. Six or seven other were here as well and I noticed some of them look like tributes who were in the arena.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked as a Peacekeeper led me out of the room. But my protest seemed to have fallen on deaf ears – I wasn't going to get any answers. They pushed me into a pure white room with a single glass tube in one of the corners and I heard the door lock behind me.

Trapped. Was this what Max wanted? No, I knew he wanted Leo – Mum had told me that because he knew something. In the back of his mind, Dad had told him the location of something.

A microphone suddenly clicked on, "Attention tributes." It was Jaede, "Visiting hours are upon us, I repeat, visiting hours are upon us." There was a sense of satisfaction in her voice, "Today we will send in one sibling, one relative, or one friend of each and every one of you. They will be permitted to visit you in the arena for the next twenty-four hours. This is a no killing zone, for twenty-four hours there will be a cease fire." She paused.

I would be going into the arena. I felt the blood drained from my face. But who else would it have been? Maybe Max, or Luke, even Sarah? All my life I had feared the Games and now Iwas going in, not as a tribute – but as a visitor. Maybe I could get out alive. It was a big maybe, but it was hope.

"Don't worry, the visitors will not be harmed by tributes," Jaede emphasised the word, I realised it must be a reason, "they will carry a serum which prevents tributes from harming them."

It hit me – tributes couldn't harm me, but what else was in the arena. It still meant I could eat the wrong berry, it still meant a mutt could eat me – it still meant I could die.

"But it's just a visit, no need to worry." Jaede added mockingly, I could just hear the smirk in her voice. What could happen in here? All the terrible things that had happened to Leo. He was paralysed last time I saw him – he almost drowned. Not to mention the terrible monsters that chased after him. It was a place with no boundaries of human law – how many things was it okay to kill before you overtook the limit of your own life? No one knew – I suppose I'd find out.

The tube slid open and I had nowhere to go but inside it. I stepped in hesitantly and the door snapped close around me. I pressed my hands on the glass experimentally. Felt like someone had just trapped my life in a jar and was now holding it just out of reach – I had no control. For twenty-four hours I'd be powerless and trapped inside a cage with no way out.

I had expected to rise up in front of the charred mess that was the Cornucopia – instead I arrived at a place that looked like a small fort. The afternoon sun shone down on my and I gasped – this was the fort Leo was in.

"Marla?" a voice said beside me almost breathlessly. I knew the voice.

"Leo!" I cried. I ran towards him and once I reached him he lifted me from the ground almost effortlessly and spun my around like a ballet dancer. For a moment I forgot about everything – I was with Leo. Leo was alive!

"Marla," he said softly as he crouched down and looked into my eyes, "It's really you." He whispered.

I nodded, "It's me," I felt the tears escaping my eyes. He wiped them away with his thumb as he searched my eyes for something. Then he pulled me into another hug and I felt his fingers bury themselves into my hair. I felt his warmth – and I felt happy. I felt like I was alive again there were almost no words to describe how good it was to feel his arms around me – to feel someone protecting me: to have someone caring about me again and tell me that I was doing something wrong.

"I missed you," I mumbled as I sniffed back.

He didn't reply, instead he clutched onto me like a second heart. Somewhere inside me, I knew it was more pain for him – me being here. Because he had another mouth to feed and I knew he would give his own life to protect me – I wasn't going to pretend that I wasn't a nuisance for him. If he'd had a choice I knew he'd send me back to keep me safe but people were trying to kill me back home too.

We fell into silence as the other tributes cried out their loved ones names and shared the same experience as us. I liked to think that we were the only ones – but we weren't. Leo didn't know what had happened since he had left but I could somehow feel he knew something. He pulled away and I knew what he was going to ask,

"Is Max still in Eight?" he asked, I didn't bother asking how he knew.

I nodded because I had no words to explain. He leaned in to my ear and whispered, "I'm taking you to a place where there are no cameras, and everyone will be focused on the other meetings for a while. Okay?"

I nodded again numbly as he said the three words I had been waiting for, "Tell me everything."

So I did.

I felt both exhausted and relieved after I'd told him. I'd said it quietly and quickly, just like he had instructed. A huge weight had been lifted off me – he was the oldest one and I knew he'd take the responsibility from me.

"Mum's gone forever," I said, I now knew what Leo meant. I could feel us being watched – so I knew that our private talk was over.

"I was told just before the games," he replied, looking at his hands and his finger intertwined with one another before finding a new way to distract themselves.

"You kept going, though, that's pretty brave." I said admiringly. If he knew – he kept fighting for me.

"It wasn't brave, Marla, if I was brave I would have killed myself at the beginning. Instead, I was selfish – I took lives so I could survive and I hurt people with no reason but to save myself."

My brother had become so much more mature since coming here, he'd changed. His body was stronger and his eyes always seemed so distant, like there was something else always on his mind.

"What about me and Sarah?" If she's still alive? I added in my thoughts but I knew he'd added it too.

"You guys are much safer without me, Max only wants me." He said the last part as a whisper.

"Leo, look at me." I told him sternly, and he did, "I watched the Games all day to see if I still had a brother and each morning I wasn't even sure if I could face not having you. When I wasn't watching the games I was working or trying to sleep things off. I know you can see how skinny I am, I know you can see the dark rings under my eyes. So look at me and tell me that you didn't care enough to keep yourself alive for us. Look at me and tell me what you see." I told him, keeping my voice level.

He stared at me silently and more tears threatened to run down my cheeks. If he didn't answer me, I didn't know what I would do.

"You don't understand, Marla. When you're in here – everything changes. It's like," he searched for the word, "It's like you lose yourself. I can't even remember the name of your school, Marla because this is my world now."

"Help me understand then," I begged him, "I don't want to fight with you."

"You'll understand soon enough. It's what this place does to you." He said and threw his hands down, "Let's get you something to eat."

I didn't feel like eating though. My own brother thought he wasn't brave – he thought he was fighting for himself. I think he was fighting for me and Sarah – maybe he doesn't know it. Before I left I had to show him, he knew how much pain I was in. He knew about Max because his eyes only lit up with curiousness when I'd told him there were two of them, or when I'd said about the attack on the doorway, or how my mother died. Part of me thought he had seen it all because his expression could go from horrified then to blank as soon as I asked him what was wrong. This wasn't the brother that had left me – this was the brother who had changed.

I had to convince him to keep going – and I knew just the way to do it. Crystal.

---

By the time the sun was set, Leo and I's relationship was mutual. He took care of me but neither of us bought up our earlier conversation.

Jaede had given us a warning earlier, that every half an hour a mutt would terrorize us because of something we all did – we'd pay for it. But I couldn't tear my eyes from Leo. I noticed that when he wasn't sharpening his weapon, or eating, he was looking at Crystal. I don't know what was so fascinating about her – the red hair, her freckled skin or the way she carried herself. She was with a girl who I didn't know the name of yet, but they didn't look alike which led me to believe that they were just friends.

Crystal suddenly jumped up from her spot and I noticed her going towards where the food was so I bet her there.

"Hi." I said, when it became obvious she wasn't going to say anything.

"Leo's sister, right?"

"Yep," I nodded, "Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," she smiled.

I laughed before continuing, "Has Leo always been like this? He seems so different to me."

"Everyone changes. We weren't here as a choice, but we had to figure out a way to live with ourselves. Maybe he just doesn't feel like he's good enough for you."

Maybe he didn't. He had said that he had killed people, and he had also said that it was selfish of him to do so. But it was either him or the other person and that wasn't selfish – I think it was simply acting out of your normal state of mind, it was acting on human instincts to survive.

"Thanks," I told her, and just as she was about to leave I added, "He really likes you, you know."

"I know," Crystal's smile could be heard in her voice just before she hurried back to her friend.

So if Leo felt like he wasn't good enough for me, I had to make sure he knew he was.

I wondered over to where we had been sitting, only to find he wasn't there. I ran out of the fort, but stopped when I heard my name.

"Where are you going? It's dangerous at night there, you heard Jaede." Crystal said.

"Leo's out there," I said and I knew I didn't need to explain any further because she was already grabbing her bow. I took off into the forest, for the first time I didn't feel fear – I felt determination. I knew mutts would be out here, but so was Leo. Besides, none had been here so far.

It was a few minutes when I finally saw him standing next to a waterhole. It was almost dark by now.

"Leo!" I called.

"Wait back at camp, Marla." He said, with his back towards me.

"You're pushing yourself away from me, Leo! Now you are being selfish! Stop thinking about yourself and think about me, I need you and you can't just leave me!" I shouted at him. I didn't want to fight – but I was angry at him to think that he had to leave me. He turned around to face me.

"It's for your own good, Marla. It seems like you can take care of yourself." Leo shouted back.

"Did I tell you that Sarah got shot because of me? The bullet was meant to hit me but I jumped out of the way, she trusted me to protect her and I failed! I don't even know if she's alive and it's my fault because she trusted me!" I cried at him.

His face softened as he faced me, "Marla." He said softly.

"I put my trust in you that when we saw each other – you'd protect me. So if you think it was selfish to kill those people – think about me because I was so selfish I let my younger sister take a bullet for me! And I know you would have stayed in the same spot and get hit – you are brave, Leo! But right now you're being a coward because you don't think you're good enough for me – well you're my brother so God help me, act like one!" I screamed at the end and ran through the forest with the vines tearing at my body.

"Marla!" he shouted but his voice was almost unfamiliar to me. This wasn't the same person who had hugged me that day he left.

~~

"You didn't get picked," he smiled almost teasingly towards me.

"Almost," I replied with a smile, "But you did. Why did Lucas pick you?" I wondered aloud. Lucas was his best friend – why would he pick Leo over a boy who hated him?

"The same reason that mean girl didn't pick you." He replied poking my tummy, "We'll never know."

I almost laughed but I couldn't, I smiled half-hearted, "Please try really hard to win, okay?" I whispered.

"I promise." He whispered in reply, and then very quietly added, "I always would."

~~

He had been so happy and could make anyone smile no matter how bad the circumstance. I rarely saw that happen on screen.

Remembering my own words, I thought back to why Lucas had picked Leo. Lucas had been struggling lately – with food and money. But he almost seemed carefree now, he worked less but had more food than ever. Maybe everyone changed that day. To make your best friend fight for the death, that couldn't have been a moment's decision.

I stopped in my tracks and heard Leo crashing through the flora behind me. He ran into me and I stumbled down but he caught me at last minute.

"Don't run away like that," he scowled, part of me enjoyed that he still cared but I was distracted.

"Lucas had been fine to you before the Reaping, right?" I asked hurriedly.

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter. He sent me here; he put me in this position."

"What if he didn't want to? What if he was offered something to make you go in?" I asked him and Leo's eyes flickered to mine.

"He was bribed?" he said questioningly.

"By someone who needs information from you – by someone who has been trying to hurt us." I pressed on and I knew Leo knew that I meant kill instead of hurt.

"Max," he said in disbelief, "He couldn't have known though."

"How'd he get a Peacekeepers gun, then?" I said flatly because I knew we had partly solved our problem.

"All we have to do is get you back, Brenda will help you get him arrested. As for his double," Leo's voice died down and was replaced by a large growling sound.

A pool of drool had started to gather on the ground and I knew it couldn't be by a normal animal. This wasn't even an animal – it was a mutt. A glimpse was all it took to etch it into my brain. It stood on all fours like a huge dog – the size of Leo – and was covered in oozing blood. It had two huge fangs and a tongue that darted between its lips like a snake and the eyes...the eyes reminded me of Max, with one coal black and the other dark brown – in fact they looked exactly like his. Almost like the creators knew about everything.

Without a word, Leo grabbed my hand and dragged me through the forest at a lightning speed. I followed without a question as we weaved through the forest with the Max-snake-dog right on our heels. The camera had probably caught the resolution about Max, but now I was distracted with the mutt.

"Crystal! Close the gates on the fort!" Leo shouted loudly and it was followed by a groaning metal sound.

"Keep running, Marla, or I swear you'll be dog food!" Leo shouted as he released his grip on me and turned around. I dived through the gates as the closed and Crystal helped me to my feet.

"Leo!" I screamed as he sliced at the mutt with his sword, "Help him!" I cried desperately.

"It won't kill him," Crystal said, "They're after you, he knows that."

So did the mutt, it seemed, because it swiped Leo aside with a paw and made a bee line for the gate. I stumbled backwards as it charged but the gate didn't give. I sighed in relief but then I looked up and noticed the monkeys. The appeared adorable, with huge round sparkling blue eyes and soft fur coat – but I knew there must be something wrong with them.

"Crystal?" I said quietly, so I didn't startle them, "Look up."

Crystal made a weird squeaking sound but I heard her draw back the bowstring. An arrow flew straight into one of the monkeys and launched them into action. They dived but they didn't hurt me, instead they put their hands on my skin and ran away.

It was moments later when I felt the burn. I screamed in pain as I felt the pain tear through the spot. I was almost like it was on fire – I could smell the burning of it as it ate away at my skin. Another monkey got me on my leg and I fell down in pain. My body tingled as my skin was scorched and my vision blurred.

I saw another blob coming for me but silver smacked it away. A strong hand picked me up and put me on their back – it was Leo – and began to run. He fought away at the acid monkeys, knowing that they would hurt me – but would they hurt him to get to me?

I jumped out of his grip and headed straight for the fire that they had. I grabbed a stick from it, with one end lit and kept my back to the fire. Each one that jumped I burnt with the stick – their hisses in pain as they realised I was safe. I grinned as I whacked another away.

Part of me clicked that this was what it was like – I felt happy with each one that I hurt because it meant I was safe, it meant Leo was safe. That's why Leo wasn't himself because he had done the same thing with people – he had killed them to protect others and himself. It was self-defence, and on camera when I had watched him – it hadn't bothered him, but I had. He thought that he wasn't good enough for me – but he was. He was protecting himself for me – just like I should have protected Sarah by killing Max. I could have taken his gun and ended it.

Lucas could have ended it at the start.

"Marla, I think it's time I told you something. Something Dad told me a long time ago." Leo said, tearing me from my thoughts and I knew he was serious. Part of me knew the old Leo was coming around again – the light-hearted and honest Leo. He was serious now and I came closer to him.

"I'll take you somewhere safer first, then we can talk."

I followed him obediently. If Max had bribed Lucas to get Leo here – then rigged it so I would come here, he must've known Leo would tell me something about what he wanted to know. Hopefully this would answer everything – then all I had to do was survive long enough to get out of the arena. But I wouldn't be safe then, would I?

Results <><><><>

These games were discontinued but Leo was first place in rankings when there was five people left. Addie was a great gamemaker and I wish her well where ever she may be <3