Misty Wolfe POV
I blinked.
I blinked twice.
"Quit squirming, you bitch!"
I heard the slap of a hand striking someone's face. A sob. I murmured gibberish and attempted to lean forward.
I was restrained. I tugged at my hands. They were tied together.
I was leaning against a tree, I could tell by the bark that scraped across my palms and the leaves that fluttered onto my head. I was tied to it by the waist and torso, my legs and hands both bound together. My arms were wrapped around the tree behind me, and I knew trying to break free from the restraints would cause massive amounts of pain and possibly a broken hand or too.
"Wakey, wakey!"
Something hit me upside the head. I gasped out and my eyes snapped open. In front of me was Xenia, smirking at me like she had won. My stomach plummeted.
In her grip, with a huge knife held to her throat and her mouth held shut, was Renee.
"No," I murmured.
"Well," Xenia smirked, her voice eerily calm, "Look at you. Nowhere to run."
"What are you doing?"
"Making good on a promise," Xenia smiled at me. I shook my head.
"Don't kill her."
Xenia raised her eyebrows.
"And why would I do that?"
"Let her go, please," I begged. Tears ran down my face, my body shaking in tremors. I couldn't let my sister die. Not again, "Please just let her go, she's everything I have left."
Xenia barked out a laugh. It wasn't how a laugh should be. It was cruel, mocking, it made a shiver run down my spine.
"Let her go?" Xenia howled, shaking her head like it was the funniest thing in the world, "LET HER GO? Are you thick? Why would I let her go?"
"...P-Please..."
"No," Xenia chuckled, pressing the blade closer to Renee's throat, "No," she repeated, darker this time, "You are going to sit there and you're going to keep your eyes open, and you will watch her die."
"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?" I screamed, "WHY ARE YOU KILLING HER AND NOT ME? SHE DID NOTHING!"
"Because I hate you," Xenia spat, "This is revenge. You murdered my brother. Now I'm gonna kill your sister, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."
"IT WASN'T ME!" I screamed, "IT WAS RAMONA AND TALIA, I DIDN'T TOUCH HIM!"
"Liar," Xenia snarled. Renee struggled in Xenia's grip some more, her face turning purple. Xenia smiled.
"Quit your squirming, dumb bitch," Xenia snarled, "Or I'll snap your neck in two."
"NO!" I screamed, "STOP, KILL ME INSTEAD!"
Xenia raised a brow at me.
"Really," she chuckled, "Oh how noble of you,"
"Please," I whispered. Xenia's grin widened.
"You know what's great about this?" she smiled, "I can do whatever I want to your sister, and you can't do a damn thing to stop me. I've got you in the palm of my hand."
"Fuck you."
"Damn," Xenia laughed cruelly, her tone mocking, "You've got hate in your heart, haven't you?"
Suddenly, Renee twitched. I glanced down as Renee bared her teeth and snapped her jaw closed around Xenia's hand.
Xenia roared and tore her hand free, blood spurting from the wounds made by the bite, then brought her knife across Renee's face. My mouth opened in a scream as the blade tore a gash across Renee's cheek from the corner of her lip, like a demented joker. Blood immediately gushed from the wound, and then the knife was back at Renee's neck.
"Try that again," Xenia snarled, "And I do the other side too."
Renee shut her eyes, tears beginning to fall from her eyes.
"LET HER GO!" I roared, "STOP!"
"YOU KILLED ALEJANDRO!" Xenia suddenly screamed. She grabbed onto Renee tighter, rocking back and forth slightly, "YOU MURDERED MY BROTHER, YOU DESERVE THIS!"
"Renee," I murmured. She looked up at me, shaking and her cheeks damp with tears.
"I'm gonna get you out, I promise,"
Xenia laughed, "Unkeepable promises, I see."
"Let her go," I whispered, "Don't kill her, please."
"No," Xenia spat out, the words sounding venomous rolling off her tongue, "You are going to watch your sister die, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to help her." She giggled suddenly, grinning toothily as if the current situation was hilarious to her.
She really had gone off the deep end. If she was unstable before, this was a complete collapse into madness. She was crazy enough to begin with.
Xenia giggled and pressed the knife closer to Renee, making her whimper in pain as the blade cut open a sliver of skin on her neck. I sobbed.
"Now," Xenia smiled at me, her grin maniacal, "Let's watch her die together."
Then, she flashed me a toothy grin and dug her knife into Renee's neck.
I screamed and writhed as blood immediately squirted from the jagged wound in the side of Renee's throat. Renee gasped out and screamed as Xenia sawed the knife through her neck agonizingly slowly. My vision rocked wildly, screams filling my head as my body shook with angry cries and tears. Xenia's maniacal laugh stabbed at my eardrums. I heard gurgling. Renee's screams died. I screamed louder and louder. Xenia's laugh grew.
BOOM!
"NO!" I roared with all my might, fighting wildly against my restraints, "NO! STOP IT!"
Xenia roared with laughter. I felt a sharp sting across my face as she slapped me. On instinct I opened my eyes, and instantly regretted it. Renee's headless body lay a few feet away, sprawled unnaturally as blood bubbled from the severed neck and down the skin.
Xenia grinned as she held Renee's head up in the air, holding it up by Renee's hair. I screamed again, louder and louder, as if my screams would awaken my twin from the dead.
"LOOK!" Xenia yelled. She grabbed me by the jaw and twisted my head to face Renee's head, shoving it mere centimetres from my face. Her skin was pale, her eyes milky and her jaw slack, her eyes rolled to the back of her head. I screamed again, lashing out with my legs. Xenia howled with laughter and tossed Renee's head over her shoulder. I watched it bounce along the ground, then come to a standstill a few metres away from her body.
"Night, Misty," Xenia winked at me. Ignoring my screams, she pulled her fist back and then punched me in the temple. My eyes danced with stars, then everything went black, Renee's headless corpse tattooed on the back of my eyelids.
Nick Ericson POV
I crept through the trees, keeping my eyes peeled. My feet treaded softly along the dirt, my knife held tightly in my clammy hand as I kept moving.
A strange smell crept its way into my nose.
I kept moving forward. The smell was stronger now. I recognized it.
It was the smell of death.
I swallowed hard, and debated for a moment whether to turn back and go another way. But the forest was deathly silent. And cold, so cold. I felt shivers race up and down my arms, but I wasn't sure if it was the chill in the air or the lingering presence of death. I steeled myself, and entered the clearing.
Blood was everywhere. On the trees, on the dirt, everywhere. It was overwhelming. I felt dizzy. I looked down, and on the ground was a large knife, it might have been a short sword, stained with blood. I took a deep breath.
Someone mumbled.
I glanced over at one of the trees. Her legs covered in blood, her head lolled to the side and unconscious, was Misty Wolfe from 11.
I approached her cautiously. Misty mumbled something and her head rocked to the side.
I pulled out my knife and began to cut at the rope binding her hands and torso to the tree. All the while a little nagging voice in my head jeered at me to murder her and heighten my odds, but I couldn't do it. I just couldn't.
I tore off the last of the rope and turned away, preparing to walk away. Suddenly, I heard someone clamber to their feet. I turned around just as Misty rushed towards me, the knife on the ground now clutched in her hand. Before I could get a word in, she grabbed the collar of my shirt and pushed me up against a tree.
"Get off me!" I yelled at her. It did nothing. Misty took a step back and released her grip from my collar, holding the knife towards me.
"What are you doing here?" Misty said. I took a step forward, going to explain.
"Get the fuck away from me!" Misty spat. Her eyes were alight, her arm trembling as she held the knife at arm's length.
"I don't want to-" my words were interrupted as Misty stepped forward and in a single fluid movement, had the blade positioned at my throat. I swallowed, and felt blood dribble down my neck.
"I can't trust anyone anymore," Misty said, more to herself than at me, "And now my sister is dead. Again."
"I don't want to hurt you," I said, "I want..."
"What?" Misty spat.
"An alliance, maybe."
Misty paused. I could see the gears in her head ticking as she deliberated over whether to trust me or not.
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why do you want an alliance? Chances are tomorrow is our last day in this damn arena. So why?"
I stopped for a moment, "Company?"
Misty paused. She gnawed on her bottom lip as she stared at me, obviously trying to decide whether to accept. I stood stock still, breathing heavily as my heart hammered in my chest. If she so chose, she could step forward and skewer that knife through my chest within a matter of seconds.
"Fine." Misty said, dropping the knife, "Okay, fine."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Can we get away from here?" Misty said, her voice sounding out of breath, "P-Please,"
I nodded, and moved from the clearing with Misty in tow. I wanted to ask what had happened in that clearing before I'd found her, but I had a feeling Misty wouldn't want to indulge that sort of information.
"Nick?"
I turned as Misty spoke, my eyebrows raised in question.
"What happened to Mike and Hope?"
I stiffened up immediately. Misty noticed, judging from the way her eyes flickered away, but she didn't dismiss her question.
"You saw the death toll yesterday," I answered, "They're gone."
"How. How'd they die?"
"Why do you want to know?" I snapped, whirling around to face Misty. She bit her lip.
"Sorry, I was just curious."
I felt bad, then, for snapping at her. All she'd done was ask a question.
"No, it's fine," I muttered, "Umm... Mike died to the sea storm, and Hope, she..."
"What?"
"Fern. Fern killed her."
Misty blinked for a moment.
"Shit."
"Yeah."
Silence fell upon us then. We stood, staring at eachother warily. Part of me knew we had to keep walking, but I couldn't move. I just stood there, staring at Misty. Her dirty blonde hair was matted around her face, her eyes sunken. She looked like the shell of a girl who was perhaps beautiful once.
"Hope and Mike had a thing, didn't they?"
"Yeah," I answered, "It never evolved into much. They liked each other but both were too afraid to do anything about it."
"I think that was wise," Misty murmured, scratching behind her ear, "Love gets you nowhe-"
"What happened, back in the clearing?"
Misty's eyes locked onto mine, "What?"
"You heard what I said."
Misty frowned, then glanced back at the direction we had come. She turned back to me.
"Xenia," her voice cracked, her tone laced with anger and fear, "Xenia happened."
I tipped my head to the side.
"Renee got brought back, and Xenia got it in her head that we murdered her brother, so," Misty paused for a moment, "She captured us and then murdered her in front of me."
"I'm sorry,"
"Don't be, what could you have done?"
Silence fell upon us yet again. I wondered if this would be our whole uneasy alliance – silence.
"It's weird," Misty admitted, "I'm used to Renee and Max being around all the time, but now... now you're my ally."
"Yeah," I said, "Eddie, Hope, Mike and Simon. They're all gone now."
Misty nodded. Her eyes were wet with tears. She wrung her hands together, then looked back up at me.
"And the horrible thing is that all those deaths were in vain."
"I miss them," I said simply. "I miss my friends. I want them back."
Misty took a step towards me. Then, she stepped closer and carefully wrapped her arms around me. I returned the hug, just enjoying the simple human company. Misty sighed.
"One more day."
Valentina Curtis POV
"Where's Aria?"
I rolled my eyes as Elinor asked the question for about the one millionth time. I'd been ignoring her up until now, but I was beginning to tire of her incessant questions.
"Where's Aria?"
"Your sister's dead, kid," I said coldly. Elinor's grip on my hand faltered.
"No!" she cried out plaintively, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "N-No, she's not!"
"We can go back and look at her corpse if you must have confirmation," I grumbled. I knew I was being an asshole to this little kid, but I was beginning to get sick of her. Elinor began to sob – loudly.
"Be quiet, people might hear," I snapped. Elinor continued to sob and I rolled my eyes, turning around and crouching down to her eye level. She sniffled and wiped her eyes.
"Why did you kill her?"
"I had to," I replied calmly, "If she lives, then I can't live. You'll understand someday."
"A-Are you gonna kill me?" Elinor murmured. She looked afraid.
"No," I reassured truthfully, "No, you don't have to die."
Elinor chewed on her thumb nail, her eyes darting around my face.
"Did you tell Xenia to kill my sister?"
"Yes."
"She scares me."
I nodded my head slowly, then rested my hands upon Elinor's shoulders.
"I'm not going to let Xenia come near you, okay?"
Elinor sniffled and shuffled her feet, her bottom lip trembling. I stood up, preparing to move forward, but Elinor stayed rooted to the spot. This was getting tiring.
"Okay look, you have two options," I said, crouching back down to Elinor, "One, you die and join your sister in the afterlike, heaven or whatever, I don't believe in that crud. Or two, you stick with me and I'll keep you alive until you get picked up at the death toll. Now, which will it be?"
Elinor scrunched up her face with a frown. She pulled her lower lip into her mouth and shuffled her shoes.
"What's a death toll?"
I rolled my eyes to heaven.
"Jesus christ," I muttered under my breath, standing up and grabbing her by the hand, "All right, c'mon."
Rudy Moreno POV
I had to tell her eventually. I couldn't keep my feelings to myself forever.
Camille trudged back into the clearing, wiping dirt off her face and a bundle of herbs clutched in her fist. I watched as she sat down next to me, rubbing the back of her neck with a sigh.
I hated this.
"Can I have the rabbit?" Camille asked, turning to me. I nodded and handed her the skinned and gutted animal, which she quickly brought onto her lap and smothered in crushed herbs and a bit of oil we'd gotten from a sponser. The next few minutes were spent rigging up a makeshift spit in the middle of the clearing, and before long the meat was cooking.
"We'll have to move now," Camille said, squinting up at the stars, "The smoke."
"Mm."
We sat in silence for a few moments, just reveling in each other's company. I wanted so badly, so badly to just turn to her and confess that I'd liked her for years now, but she sat there and I sat here, and I didn't say a word.
"Do you remember much from before the orphanage?" Camille asked suddenly, turning to me, "I never knew my parents, but I know you... did."
I stared at Camille for a moment. She gnawed on her bottom lip, her gaze locked on mine.
"Not really," I murmured, "Except for dad... um..."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Camille muttered, her cheeks flushing red. But the damage was done. Once again, my mind ticked back to when I was 8 years old, holding my baby sister as my father shot himself in the head right in front of us. Driven mad by mums death, passing away while Millie was born. I cringed and looked at the floor.
"Rudy, I'm sorry." Camille said softly. She rested her head on my shoulder, her hand finding mine, "I shouldn't have brought that up."
"It's okay," I muttered.
And then we were silent again.
Ali Richardson POV
"Over there," Daphne murmured.
Our group had decided to split in half in order to get more done for a few hours. Phillip and Thomas were off to collect some more water, which we were starting to get dangerously low on, leaving Daphne, Tatiana and I to hunt for food. Dominic had gone with the boys, as there was no way in hell I was going to let him see me hunt and watch these animals die. Maybe if he were older.
I pulled out my knife and advanced towards where Daphne had pointed, my eyes narrowed at the large rabbit, sniffing at some leaves at the base of a tree. I whipped the knife around and quickly sent it flying through the rabbit's skull. It emitted a small squeak as the knife shot through its head, then it went still.
"Good job," Tatiana said, walking over to the rabbit. She picked it up off the ground, wiping the dirt off of the fur. She pulled the knife from its skull and handed the blade back to me with a grimace. I accepted the knife.
Suddenly, I heard rustling.
"Stop," I ordered quietly. Tatiana and Daphne froze, looking at me with unease.
"What?" Daphne mouthed, but I just shook my head, glancing back over my shoulder.
The rustling happened again. And then Xenia Hale steps into the clearing, a smirk on her face and a sword in her grip.
"Crap," I muttered. I stepped away carefully, keeping my gaze locked on Xenia. My mind flashed back to the minigame, Thomas, Summer, Dianna and I cornered in the house with Xenia and Alejandro, and my heart began to palpitate.
No. Now was not the time to panic.
"Let's just get to the point," Xenia smiled at me. Then, she charged forward, slashing wildly at Daphne. I whipped my knife around and sent it hurtling towards Xenia. Xenia dodged it with a laugh, then changed targets and rushed towards me.
"Get away from them!" Tatiana yelled. She ran forward, holding a small sword in her grip. She dived in front of me as Xenia lashed out with her sword, taking the blow across the side of her stomach and making me fall backwards and to the ground. She hissed and held onto her wound, then drove forward and began to slash furiously at Xenia.
Tatiana slashed at Xenia, driving the girl further back as Daphne helped me to my feet. Suddenly, Xenia flicked her sword around and then abruptly to the side. Tatiana gasped as the force from the sudden blow knocked her own sword right out of her hands, but surged forward and grabbed at the hilt of Xenia's weapon. The two girls struggled with the sword for a moment, and for a minute it looked like Tatiana was going to triumph.
Then all of a sudden, Xenia tossed the sword away. I blinked in shock as Xenia reeled Tatiana in to her by the neck. Tatiana yelled and kicked at Xenia wildly, but it was too little too late. Xenia roughly grabbed onto Tatiana's head and, with one swift movement of the arms, twisted Tatiana's head to the side. A horrifying crack snapped through the air.
BOOM!
"NO!"
Daphne charged forward, her mouth twisted into an angry roar as she latched onto Xenia's arm and, with all her might, tore the older girls arm away from Tatiana. It was too late. The damage was done. I watched as Tatiana crumpled, her head smacking against the ground with a resounding thud as her eyes glazed over.
I was brought back to the fight as Daphne was suddenly flung across the clearing, smashing against a tree trunk with a cry of pain. I dashed forward as Xenia approached and ripped my dagger from its scabbard, standing in front of Daphne and protecting her from Xenia's rage as she struggled to her feet. Xenia slashed at me with her sword, letting out a cry with each stroke, whether to motivate herself or scare me I would never know.
Daphne clambered to her feet and ripped out an old piece of rope from the pack, then ran up behind Xenia and wrapped it around her neck, tugging hard. I rushed forward and plunged my dagger into Xenia's stomach, red hot fury burning deep within me. Gashes opened up on her torso, spilling blood onto my hands, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. Xenia choked out a weak exclamation of "bitch" and attempted to swing at me again, but Daphne pulled at the rope harder, making Xenia back up.
Suddenly, Daphne released Xenia from her grip. I looked over as she pulled one of her syringes from her belt and, with a darkly angered look on her face, plunged it into the back of Xenia's neck.
Xenia shrieked and twisted away, her hand flying to her neck and a look of horror painted across her face. She turned and limped from the clearing, bleeding a bloody breadcrumb trail, and neither Daphne or I went after her. We turned to Tatiana, motionless on the ground.
"ALI!" The voice of my little brother sounded. I looked up to see him dash hurriedly into the clearing on his little legs, his cheeks blushed from running. Phillip and Thomas followed him, and Phillips face went slack as his eyes fell upon Tatiana's corpse.
"Wh-" he staggered forward, crouching down next to Tatiana. He pressed a finger to her neck, his fingers trembling. His mouth began to move, but I wasn't sure if he was trying to talk to Tatiana or to himself. He looked back up at me, his face confused and pained.
"Wh... why?"
I bit my lip as tears threatened to spill over. I sniffed and glanced at Daphne, who looked completely deflated.
"She was protecting us from... from Xenia," I said softly. Guilt burned deep in my stomach as Phillip stared at me, his mouth slightly open as if he couldn't quite comprehend what had happened to Tatiana. She died protecting us.
I wasn't worth dying for.
Phillip shook his head slowly, his eyes beginning to water. He stared down at Tatiana again, resting a hand upon hers for a moment, then slowly got to his feet and wiped his eyes.
"I'm fine," he muttered, turning away, "I-I'm fine,"
"Phillip-"
"Can we just go?" He snapped abruptly, his voice thick with tears, "Please,"
I turned Dominic away from Tatiana's body, glancing over at her one more time. It felt like a punch in the gut.
"Okay," I murmured, "We can go."
Xenia Hale POV
What had that bitch done to me?
Another wave of dizziness suddenly struck and I reeled to the side, my head beginning to thump. I felt sick to my stomach, blinking rapidly as I tried to come to terms with what was surrounding me. I think I saw trees but I wasn't sure, I was confused, so confused.
My legs felt like jelly, my arms weighed down by invisible anchors as I staggered to and fro. My vision starting to wobble, and another bout of nausea struck me. I groaned and leaned against something – a tree, I think – my vision starting to blur.
My arms began to shake. I shut my eyes as I was wracked with tremors, my ears pounding as my senses seemed to intensify by a million. I was suddenly blatantly aware of every breath I took, of every scratch of bark or chirp of a bird, of every ant that crawled along the floor. The sound of crunching leaves, one I used to love, was now nails scraping on a chalkboard levels of awful, and I felt my skin crawl as I felt an ant crawl across my ankle. I leaned down to brush it off, and my head immediately became so heavy I feared I would fall flat. I grabbed back onto the tree, my head pounding.
I gasped in a breath and clung to the tree, my body still shaking. Every movement hurt, every time my arm twitched or my head tipped to the side it felt utterly excruciating. The space in front of me was nothing more than a messy blur, patches of green and brown and black the only spots that made up my vision now. I could hear everything, everything everything everything everything, and my head began to pound more and my throat was dry and I couldn't breathe and I felt like complete death.
My grip on the tree weakened and I slid to the floor, my body splitting apart as pain wracked me once again. My vision went black as my body shook even more, my entire being twitching and jarring violently. I couldn't move, could do nothing more than sit and let myself slip further into the oblivion. Screams began to erupt in my head, piercingly loud, and it took me a minute to realise they were mine.
Complete and utter terror gripped me. My head tipped back as my eyes rolled back in my head, foam beginning to spill from my lips and dribble down my chin. I gasped for air that never came, my lungs constricting in my chest as I foamed at the mouth like a rabid mutt. The shaking was unbearable, rattling my bones and my brain and everything, the only constant the thump thump thump thump thump in my head and I was scared and I was scared and all I could process was terror and pain and I wanted to scream and scream and -
Fern Steel POV
BOOM!
I glanced up at the cannon. Another dead. This day was proving more eventful than yesterday, that was certain. I walked over to Arwin, picking up an apple from the pack.
"Wonder who that was. Want some food?"
"Leave me alone, Fern,"
I stood behind Arwin as she sat curled on the ground, staring at a tree trunk with a blank expression on her face.
"I was offering food,"
"If I wanted food, I'd get some," Arwin snapped harshly, "Just leave me alone."
I mumbled an apology and moved away.
Arwin had become almost robotic in the past few hours. When Benji died she was absolutely gutted, but an hour or two later and she had become stone cold. Earlier we had seen Daphne Floyd and Ali Richardson, the 12 and 13 year olds, and Arwin had turned to me and coldly ordered me to kill them.
I'd refused, obviously, but Arwin had shaken her head and walked away, as if she were disappointed with me. It was clearly her putting up emotional barriers to protect herself from the brutality of the games, but I didn't like it one bit. Arwin had always been the more moral one out of the two of us, and I feared with her gone I would lose my own way.
Benji's death had taken its toll on her, that was clear. But this wasn't her anymore. This was not the Arwin Yates that had volunteered for her crippled older sister back in District 3, this was not the Arwin Yates I knew.
And it was all because of me.
I felt another wave of guilt rush through me as my mind went back to that fateful moment I plunged my knife into Benji's neck. At the time I was certain it was the right thing to do, now I wasn't so sure. Maybe Benji could have been cured, maybe he would have pulled through his illness. I would never know now, because he was dead and I killed him. I murdered my friend.
I couldn't lie anymore.
"I did it," I whispered, my voice muffled.
Arwin looked up, a scowl on her face, "What?"
"I killed him. I killed Benji." My voice shook and I shut my eyes, feeling tears begin to collect under my lashes.
Arwin looked up at me. For a few moments she just sat there, blinking rapidly as if to try and comprehend my words. She shook her head, her hands shaking.
"No," she murmured, "N-no, you wouldn't do that."
"I did," I whispered, my voice cracking. Arwin stared at me for a few moments, rising slowly to her feet. A look of hurt and betrayal was her face.
"I..." Arwin stammered out. She shook her head, "M.... W-Why?" Her voice was so timid, so full of hurt. My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes.
"I'm so sorry," I choked out, "I didn't want it to come to this."
"How could you do this?" Arwin whispered.
"You think I did this for myself?" My voice trembled, "Arwin, I did this because I didn't want him to suffer anymore. Y-You guys are my friends. I wouldn't betray you like that."
Arwin shook her head slowly. She took a step away from me.
"We aren't friends," she mumbled.
It felt like a punch in the gut. I bit my lip as I felt a sob rise within my chest.
"Arwin..." I murmured, reaching towards her. She recoiled immediately.
"No," Arwin snapped angrily, her eyes wet with angry tears, "Friends don't backstab eachother."
"I didn't..." I slowed for a moment, shutting my eyes, "I didn't backstab you."
Arwin let out a small chuckle, sarcastic and almost disbelieving.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice filled with contempt, "How was what you did NOT backstabbing?"
"I only did this because I care about him," I said, my voice shaking, "I did this because I didn't want him to suffer."
Arwin sniffed in derision, shaking her head at me, "Are you really trying to justify what you've done?"
"FOR FUCKS SAKE, Arwin," I yelled, making her jump, "I know I killed Benji and I know, in your eyes and probably the eyes of the districts, that's unforgiveable. But you gotta understand. He was in pain, he was dying, Arwin, we were just prolonging it."
"I was keeping him alive," Arwin trembled as she spoke, her eyes glittering with grief, "I was keeping him alive, and you just went and-"
"HE WAS SUFFERING!" I roared angrily, my sudden voice shattering every other sound around us. I was shaking horrendously, every fibre of my body violently jarring and twitching as I screamed at Arwin, "He was suffering and you were too blinded by your emotions to see it!"
Arwin took a step backwards, a vicious scowl on her face. Her chest was rising and falling heavily, and her eyes were narrowed into slits. She was angry now. No, she wasn't angry. She was enraged.
"Blinded by emotions, huh?" Arwin snapped cynically, "Like you were when Aria pushed Shane off that cliff?"
I blinked.
Everything seemed to slow down for a moment. Time slowed. My breathing was still normal – no, it was faster. It was getting faster and faster and faster and suddenly I was choking on my own breath and before I could register what I was doing, my hand had risen above my head and, fueled by all the anger and hatred and pain I'd ever encountered in these twisted games, from getting attacked by Aria, to watching Shane and Eve drop off the cliff like lifeless dolls, to driving my knife down into Benji's neck, to Arwin and I's friendship deteriorating at the seams, all the things I'd gone through in the games piled up rapidly and, before I realized what I was doing, my hand swung forward and violently slapped Arwin across the face.
"Don't you dare," I hissed, "Don't you dare bring Shane into this."
Arwin didn't cry or scream like I thought she would. Burning under my murderous glare, with a red hand mark now imprinted on her cheek like an ugly tattoo the Capitol freaks would probably get, she simply stood for a moment, her eyes wide in shock and her hand resting on her cheek. Then, her eyes hardened, and the hand resting upon her chest clenched into a fist.
Before I could register what was going on, Arwin suddenly lurched forward and, with all the force she could muster in her tiny, tiny body, punched me straight in the face. I rocked backwards with a scream as my whole face violently throbbed, and Arwin immediately ran forward, her fist colliding violently with my nose. I felt the bones in my nose crack and screamed, a hand instinctively flying upwards to staunch the instant flow of blood.
"You bitch," I hissed, "You broke my fucking nose!"
"You deserved it," Arwin spat. Fury erupted in my body like a volcano at her words, and in an instant I swiveled around and punched Arwin in the jaw. She screamed and staggered back as a loud 'crack' went through the air, and when I looked at her again her lower jaw was lopsided.
"I don't wanna hurt you," I said. Arwin laughed.
"You're the one who started throwing hits, Fern," she spat sarcastically, her eyes narrowed. She reached towards her jaw and cracked something back into place.
"And you're innocent?" I snarled, "How many people have you killed? Not out of pity or mercy either, just because you could."
Arwin glared at me. I knew it was a low blow, bringing up the murders she had orchestrated in the minigame, but at this point I didn't care anymore.
"Don't bring that up."
"Oh, so I can't bring that up, but it's all fine and good for you to bring Shane into the conversation?" I snapped. I knew I should just shut up, but I couldn't. It was like my voice had a mind of its own.
Arwin shook her head, "Why are we even talking about this?"
"I don't know."
Arwin bit her lip and looked up at me. "Do you honestly think I can forgive you for this?"
I didn't answer.
"You murdered him," she snarled, "You murdered Benji in cold blood and you still think you're in the right?"
"This isn't a case of right or wrong, Arwin," I snapped. Arwin scoffed and took a step back, her face one of disgust.
"I hate you," Arwin spat.
Then, she suddenly ran forward and punched me in the face. I cried out and staggered back, my cheek burning. Arwin punched me again and I roared, latching onto her arm with my hand and flinging her away. She skidded across the dirt and immediately leapt back to her feet, punching me in the stomach this time. I screamed as pain erupted in my abdomen and instinctively grabbed my knife from my scabbard.
Arwin ran forward to attack again and for a split second, my anger took control of my hand. My arm lashed out and I watched in horror as, almost against my will, my knife slashed across Arwin's upper arm.
I instantly knew I had made a terrible mistake.
Arwin stood still for a moment, staring down at the gash in the fabric and the blood quickly seeping through the cotton. Shock was painted across her face as her eyes watched the blood tribble from beneath her sleeve, tracing dark, crimson lines across her pale skin. Her eyes suddenly went from wide eyed to narrowed, and her whole body seemed to stiffen. Slowly, ever so slowly, she looked up at me with an expression that would send Satan himself cowering in fear, an expression that was truly murderous. And, for the first time in my life, I was scared of Arwin Yates.
Arwin stared at me with those cold, cold eyes for a few more moments. Then, she spoke, and it was in the darkest and scariest tone of voice I had ever heard the girl use.
"Get. Out." Arwin spat, the words sounding venomous rolling off her tongue. I didn't move, frozen in a combination of fear and confusion. Arwin's expression changed again, to one of complete and utter rage.
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" Arwin roared, taking a menacing step forward. I instinctively cringed backwards, alarmed by Arwin's tone of voice. She sounded truly terrifying. Arwin's eyes were ablaze with fury, glaring daggers at me as I stood. I took a step back. I took another step.
Then, I turned on my heel and sprinted into the forest.
Daphne Floyd POV
Phillip sat beside me against the tree trunk, staring blankly into the gentle fire blazing in the centre of the clearing. Ali sat on my other side, holding Dominic in her lap and her face despondent. Thomas was nowhere to be seen, out getting more firewood to make sure the flame didn't die whilst we were sleeping. This could very well be our last night here, and the last thing any of us wanted was to make it this far only to die from hypothermia.
Suddenly, the anthem began to blare. I looked up at the Capitol seal as it flashed in the sky, and then the faces of the dead began to show.
First up was Aria Reed, the 13 year old career from District 1. I didn't say anything, just watched. She was a career, a person I had a Very Strong Opinion on, but for the sake of respecting the dead I kept my thoughts to myself.
The next face was Benji Watts of District 4, and I bit my lip as I realized the only survivors left of the 24 tributes reaped for the first game were Fern and Arwin. 2 out of 24 were all that was left of that group.
Summer was next, her face smiling down at the arena as the number '7' was displayed behind her, and I felt a rush of guilt. I wasn't enough to stop her death, I couldn't save her. I was almost glad Thomas wasn't here right now, seeing his reaction to her face would have gutted me.
Xenia Hale from 8 was next, and I watched her face flash in the sky with a sense of satisfaction. She had murdered Tatiana, and I had killed her in revenge. Part of me wished I hadn't given her such a horrific poison, but most of me whispered 'she deserved it'.
Tatiana was the next face in the sky, smiling brightly down at the arena, and I felt my heart twist painfully in my chest. I turned to Phillip, but he was deliberately staring at the ground, refusing to look up.
Renee Wolfe was next, from 11. That left Misty all by herself. Again. I felt a rush of sympathy for her, to have your sister be brought back just to be snatched away all over again.
Then Phillip's dad was shown in the sky, staring down at the arena was a blank but calm expression, and I almost wanted to cry. I didn't have to look at Phillip to know that he was refusing to look up at the sky.
The capitol seal then flashed in the sky, and suddenly two beams of light dropped down into the arena, one near us and one further down near the beach. I knew what this meant. They were picking up the remaining family members. Thomas arrived back in the clearing, carrying a bundle of firewood under his arm.
"Okay, Dom," Ali murmured as she clambered to her feet, "Time for you to go home now."
"Are you coming too?" Dominic asked innocently. Ali bit her lip.
"No," she murmured, "N-No, I have to stay a little longer."
"But you'll come home," Dominic said, "You'll come home, won't you?"
Ali remained silent for a moment, gnawing on her bottom lip.
"I'll try," she murmured, "I'll try, Dom, I promise."
Dominic nodded as her, then turned to watch as Thomas approached the flames, tossing more firewood onto it. He sighed and sat down next to Phillip.
The beam of light entered the clearing now, and Ali reached down and gave her brother a final hug. They stayed like that for a few moments, and then the beam began to cross the clearing.
The beam went across the campfire, and I watched as the flame flickered and died under the light.
"Are you..." Thomas uttered slowly, "kidding me?"
"We can always restart the fire," I said as I watched the beam of light stop above Dominic. Ali bit her lip and whispered a final goodbye, then released his hand. Dominic waved to us as the beam took him up towards the hovercraft. We all waved back slowly as he disappeared into the vehicle, and then the hovercraft disappeared from view.
"One day left," Ali said slowly.
"Yep," Phillip murmured.
"One day," Thomas echoed.
"Yeah," I whispered.
Then silence.
~~~
Out of Fern and Arwin, who do you think was in the right or wrong? Is it really possible to distinguish the two? What do you make of the downfall of the careers? Any other thoughts on this chapter and the games so far?