| " D E A T H . " |

___♔___

My eyes dart around the arena quickly, taking in the scene around me. The Cornucopia is placed in the middle of a plain, surrounded by woods. 

This is the perfect arena for me.

Places around the Cornucopia, are twenty four platforms, each holding a tribute. I immediately spot Katniss, Tristan, and Zach. All of the careers are out of sight, along with Peeta and Tamora.

Zach locks eyes with me, then nods in the direction of the woods. I nod, knowing what he means.

Along the plain, are backpacks. No weapons are on the ground, making me assume they're in the Cornucopia. A Gamemaker says something, but I only catch the last of his sentence.

"May the odds be ever in your favor."

No one dares to move from their platform as the Gamemaker starts the countdown. I don't pay attention to him, as I look around for Cato, Clove, Glimmer, and Marvel. I won't be seeing them after this.

My eyes dart to Katniss as she looks around the arena.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

The gong sounds, and I jump off of the pedistool. I sprint to a backpack near me, and sling it over my shoulder. Zach rushes to me, a knife in his hand. Instead of running into the woods, I race to the Cornucopia.

Dead bodies already scatter the ground, pools of blood surrounding them. Inside of the Cornucopia, I grab an axe, and dart back out. Cato slashes a tribute's throat in front of me.

He then turns, gashing my arm. I yelp in pain, staring at him in shock. His eyes widen, and he rushes over to me. "I'm so sorry, Taylor." He apologizes. "I-"

"I know," I nod. "I'll be fine."

In a flash, I bolt off, swinging my axe at the boy from District nine. He dodges my movement, then throws a knife in my direction.

I duck down, and slash his shin. He yells in pain. I take his pain to my advantage, then lodge my axe in his stomach. The boy grunts, then falls to the ground, dead.

I rip my axe from his stomach with my good arm, then walk away to find Zach. My eyes land on Katniss as a boy runs at her. She holds an orange backpack in her arms, looking petrified.

Clove throws a knife into the boy's back, leading to his death. Then, she throws one right at Katniss. Sadly, Katniss puts her backpack in front of her face, and the knife buries into the backpack. She races into the forest, disappearing in the thick trees.

I huff, still looking for Zach. But the next thing I know, my knees are firmly in the ground, with my hands cupped around my mouth. A loud gasp escapes my lips, and a strangled cry locks in my throat.

Because laying in front of me is Tristan's dead body.

"NO!" I shake my head. "NO! Y-you can't be dead."

"Taylor. Come on. We have to go," Zach walks up behind me, pulling me up. I wrap my arms around his waist, still staring down at Tristan. His stomach is slashed, and his eyes stare at the sky, lifeless.

"Who did this to him?" I ask, a tear slipping from my eye.

"We have to go," Zach changes the subject. "We can find a cave."

"I need to talk to the careers first." I break away from him, and walk into the Cornucopia. By now, all of the tributes have scattered around the arena, and the careers have taken over the Cornucopia.

I wipe the tears from my face, hugging Cato tightly. His arms enclose around my waist, and I bury my face in his chest. "T-they killed him."

"They killed who?" He asks softly.

"Someone killed Tristan." I pull away, looking at Clove, Glimmer, and Marvel. "Did any of you see who did it?"

"It was the boy from nine," Glimmer frowns. "They were fighting, and..."

"I killed him." I growl. "But I didn't make his death painful enough."

"We need to go." Zach grabs my waist. "Or the tributes will start getting curious."

I sigh, but nod. "Bye, guys."

___♕___

I lay my head on Zach's shoulder, and stare into the darkness of the arena.

Tristan's dead.

He's gone.

He's not coming back.

Those words repeat over and over again in my head, leaving me nasious. And in some ways, I feel like this is my fault.

I should've stuck with him. He should be alive right now, a goofy grin plastered on his face as he talks about nothing.

I smile to myself as I close my eyes, remembering everything between Tristan and I. And soon enough- to my knowledge- I would see him again. I plan for Zach to win.

That way, he'll see his family again.

Ross would scold me right now, for making this decision. But he's not here. I only have my conscience, and it's telling me the right thing.

Cannons go off, one after another. But I don't count them. I sit in the cave, next to Zach, and listen to nothing. Pictures of the Fallen are displayed across the sky, along with the Capitol seal. But I don't watch it.

"What are you doing up here all alone?" A familiar voice asks. I smile as I turn to see Tristan.

"Just enjoying my view of the stars." I answer. "What about you? I thought this was only for District three tributes."

"Nope. There's stairs that lead to each balcony, and I just happened to come to yours." He says cooly, standing beside me, and putting his hands on the rails.

"I'm sorry about earlier- with Zach. He's just an over-protective friend of mine." I apologize.

"It's fine. I saw him at the reapings. After you volunteered, he did, too. At first, I thought he was your boyfriend."

"Nah. Zach and I have been friends forever. My parents died when I was young, and he was with me while I mourned them. It was a rough time for me . . . But he helped me get through it."

"I'm sorry that happened to you." He says sympathetically.

"Me too." I whisper. Then I clear my throat, and talk in a normal voice. "So, who's waiting for you back home?" He sighs, staring far into space.

"My parents, and my little brother, Dawson." He answers.

"Oh c'mon. Are you telling me you have no friends?" I shake his shoulders, making him laugh.

"Not really. I like to hide in the background, be unknown." He shrugs.

"Is that how you met me? Trying to hide?" I ask jokingly, nudging him.

"Not exactly. But I'd like to think that's how it happened." He leans over the balcony, still looking up at the sky. "These are artificial stars."

"Huh?" I furrow my eyebrows, staring at him in confusion.

"These aren't real stars. They're fake. They're to make you think they're real. There's protective glass around us, none of this is real."

I open my eyes again, and blink away a tear. As I look up, I notice that Zach's asleep, and snoring slightly. I chuckle softly, leaning back onto his shoulder.

My eyes droop from exhaust, and I fight to keep myself awake.

But as I fall alseep, I whisper to myself, reconsidering my whole being.

"None of this is real."

___♕___

The next morning, I wake with a jolt.

I groan, standing up from the cold cave floor, and begin to stretch like a bear. Zach enters the cave, weapons in hand, with a rabbit and a bird thrown over his shoulder with a rope.

"Did you kill those by yourself?" I raise an eyebrow jokingly. "Awww, my Zachy's all grown up."

"Shut up," He rolls his eyes, tossing the animals to the floor. "You need to skin those."

"Hell no." I shake my head, wiping the sleep from my eyes, and yawning. "I just woke up. I'm not skinning a freaking rabbit at this time in the morning."

"Then go find some nuts and berries." He says, plopping down onto the ground, then pulls out a knife. "I'll skin the animals."

"I don't like the idea of building a fire," I fret.

"Why not?" He looks up. "Who's gonna come looking for us?"

"Cato, Clove, Glimmer, Marvel . . . " I trail off.

"They're our allies, remember?" He scoffs. "Do you really believe that your boyfriend and his clan, would actually slaughter us?"

"Well, what if it's an accident?" I ask smartly. "What if they just start throwing swords and spears, not knowing who it is? Huh? What happens then?"

"You know Cato didn't mean to stab you, right?" He questions hesitantly.

"Yes, I know that."

"Then go find some food." He gestures to the opening of the cave.

"Why?" I whine.

"Go." He says, not looking up from skinning the rabbit. "Now."

When I leave the cave -with my backpack and axe-, I can't help but flip Zach off. Who cares? He deserves it.

As I scout through the forest, axe in hand, I find a bush of black berries. "Humph. That was easier than I thought."

I pull a container out of my backpack, and begin to fill it with the berries. A rustle behind me catches my attention.

Continuing like I don't know someone's behind me, I grip my axe in one hand, and grab berries with another. The container sits on the ground, and I bend over to place the berries in it, when a shadow appears behind me.

I smirk to myself as I turn slowly, twirling my axe in my hand.

The boy from District ten stands in front of me, his eyes narrowed. "You see," I start, playing with my axe blade, "Everyone in the arena has underestimated me. I understand why, really. But when my friend was killed last night, I kinda went a little kooky."

I chuckle, acting like I'm talking to a friend of mine. "Tristan. That was his name. Did you know him?" I ask.

"Yes," He replies, keeping his cool.

"Yeah, well, he sorta got his stomach slashed. So, I didn't know, but I killed the guy who murdered Tristan- which was Larson from District nine. The thing is, I didn't really get my revenge. I just feel like I need to get payback. I'm assuming that you didn't have anything to do with his murder."

"I didn't," He shakes his head, surprisingly, still listening to me.

"I heard that Larson has -well, had- a thing with his District Partner. Do you happen to know who Larson's District partner is? " I ask, tilting my head.

"Her name's Kretta." He answers. "She's hidden in a plain, not too far off from the Cornucopia."

"I'm going to slaughter that bitch," I smile. "Would you like to join me?"

"What's in it for me?" He raises his eyebrows.

"You don't get killed," I reply simply. "And, as a bonus, you get to kill someone."

He thinks for a moment, biting his lip. But then, something amazing happens.

I lodge my axe into his forhead, and laugh loudly as his cannon goes off. He falls to the ground, his body going limp.

"Psych! Wrong move, bitch!"

_______