| " C A N N O N . " |

___♔___

With my eyes darting around the arena, searching for anyone else I know, I find my nerves spiking intensely. My heart pounds in my chest- so hard, in fact, that I can hear it.

Ten seconds . . .

Death? That sounds about right for my near future.

Nine seconds . . .

Where are my allies?

Eight seconds . . .

Why did I have to volunteer for Christiana? This would've been so much simpler if I hadn't, despite her being young and vulnerable.

Seven seconds . . .

I want my district back. I want my family back. I want my life back.

Six seconds . . .

I can only imagine the blood bath that is ready to unfold in front of me. But where will I go? Should I stay or run for the woods?

Five seconds . . .

Where is Leane, and where are her minions? I don't see any of them, which halfway drives me to insanity.

Four seconds . . .

Are my sponsors rooting for me right now, or do I not have any?

Three seconds . . .

Am I really doing this?

Two seconds . . .

Is this a nightmare?

One second . . .

This is real.

And in that split second, the gong sounds. I jump from the pedistool, and run for the blood bath, grabbing a knife on my way over. Triton, Laila, and Seth are already killing tributes, dodging whatever swings their way.

While I'm distracted, Deedee jumps on top of me, tackling me to the ground with force. I grunt as she lands on my stomach. I plunge my knife into her shoulder, taking a breath of relief as she cries out. Instead of wasting time, the girl rips the knife from her flesh, stabbing it into my thigh.

Immediately, the pain brings tears to my eyes. I begin to struggle against her weight, throwing a punch to her jaw. Deedee, however, doesn't seem fazed by the punch as she continues her torture, shoving the knife deeper.

"Triton! Help!" I yell between sobs, looking to the boy who stands feet away from me. I'm pinned- there's nowhere to go. Triton struggles against the boy from twelve, his eyes finding me.

"Lover boy can't help you now, princess." Deedee grins, yanking the knife from my thigh, and jamming it into my side. I scream out, shoving against her again. But she doesn't budge. Where are my allies?

"Time for the royal to perish," She mumbles, retrieving the knife only to raise it in the air, high over my chest. And then it hits me.

She's going to kill me.

I'm going to die.

Deedee's weight is lifted from me in an instant. I look up to see a furious Triton, his gaze dead on Deedee. The girl yells out for Nason and Liam- her allies- but Triton silences her by a blow to the ribs.

I groan as my thigh and side ache, blood pouring from each of the wounds. Triton snaps Deedee's neck, and bends down beside of me in a hurry.

"Oh my god," He mutters as he looks over the stab wounds. "Seth! Bane!" He yells.

He holds his hand to the gash on my thigh, applying pressure. I wince at the contact, my tears falling heavily. "Shhh, Ana. I promise you'll be fine."

Seth, Bane, and Laila are by my side almost instantly, their eyes wide in horror as they take I'm my current state.

"Who did this?" Bane snaps.

"Deedee. She's dead, I took care of her." Triton replies, his eyes focused on me.

"We need some bandages, guys. She's going to bleed to death," Laila says, hovering over me. After that is said, a small 'ding' sounds from above us, capturing our attention.

"Sponsors," Seth murmers, grabbing the parachute.

Bandages and a small container of water are inside of a small box that has a note attached to it.

"'Stay alive, princess. Remember what I said. -Paul.'" Bane reads aloud, before grabbing the bandages.

The pain coursing through by body is unbearable. It's like I'm on fire- I'm suffering and feel like I'm dead. But I'm not. So all I can do now is deal with it.

"Go check on the other careers and Seth's group. I've got Lana," Laila tells the others.

"But-" Seth starts to protest, but I yelp as a new pain enters my body, cutting him off. With a sigh, the boys get up, leaving to find our other allies.

"Okay, Lana. I'm going to wrap up your wounds. This will be painful, so prepare yourself."

I nod at the girl, laying my head back and squeezing my eyes shut.

She pours the water into the cuts, and I bite my tongue to keep from screaming again. It grows even more intense when she wraps bandages around my side and thigh, doing it in the most gentle way possible.

"What happened to Lana?" Jonah asks, pushing his way through Laila. I open my eyes and give him a weak smile as he looks to the blood around me. "Who the hell did this?"

"Deedee did. Triton took care of her," I croak.

"She tricked us." He releases a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Raley questions, furrowing her eyebrows.

"She set us up. When she got a six in the training scores, she did it to look weak. She acted weak. If she was able to take down Lana, she was a major threat." Jonah explains.

My vision blurrs, and I blink a few times as I start to get dizzy.

"What's happening to her?" Grace asks, her eyes catching on me.

"I don't know. Lana? Lana?" Laila starts, but I don't hear the rest of her sentence as my hearing goes blank. I close my eyes, and let the darkness overwhelm my senses.

A cannon explodes loudly over my head as I lose consciousness.

And for a second, I think the cannon was mine.

___♕___

I open my eyes, taking in the scene around me. I'm in the cornucopia, and everyone surrounds me. I try to sit up, but wince as my side burns with pain.

"Woah, woah, woah. Lay back down, Lana." Bane says in a concerned voice, a groan leaving my lips in reply.

"How long have I been out?" I ask.

"Only about an hour." Raley replies.

"How many are dead?"

"Only a few. Deedee, Trent, and Savannah." Triton says. I sit up, ignoring the pain.

Almost immediately, another 'ding' sounds from above. I raise an eyebrow, watching as Triton grabs the parachute, opening it to reveal a small container of clear cream.

"It's medicine for your leg and hip," Triton says. "Laila, can you put it on her."

"Yeah. But first of all, I need you, Bane, Seth, and Jonah to leave the cornucopia. Maybe go for a hunt or something." She states, grabbing the container from his hands.

"Why would we do that?" Jonah asks.

"Because you guys won't like seeing Lana in pain. I promise, you'll probably hear her screams from the other side of the arena when I apply the medicine and change the bandages."

"I don't want to leave her," Bane argues.

"It's the best thing to do," Lilly announces.

"You'll probably kill me if you watch it happen," Laila shakes her head. "I promise, it's not something you'll want to watch or hear."

"Okay . . . " Jonah sighs, leaving the cornucopia with his weapon in his hand. With one last look at me, they're all gone.

"This will hurt." Laila starts, bending down beside of me. "So-"

"So be prepared," I finish for her. "I got it."

"Okay. Here we go."

___♕___

Later on in the day, when the boys are back, Raley stands up in her spot. I glance up at her from my spot on the ground, my eyebrows furrowed.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"I can't stand being held in here. I'm going hunting for tributes." She replies, picking up her bow and arrow.

"I'm coming, too," Laila joins in, moving towards her.

"Me three," Lily stands up.

"Me four," Grace twirls her sword in her hand.

"Okay, it's settled. All of the guys are staying here with Lana. We won't be gone long. Trust me, if you hear a cannon, it definitely won't be ours," Raley informs us.

"Sounds like a plan." Seth chimes.

With a last look, the girls leave the cornucopia like the boys did hours ago. I really wish I could walk around. I know it's for the best that I stay here, but it doesn't feel right, watching these people kill tributes for me.

"Are you in pain?" Triton asks, sitting down on the ground across from me.

"No. I think the medicine is starting to kick in."

"That's good." He says with a sigh, before looking to the ground. "I'm so sorry, Lana. I heard you scream my name when Deedee attacked you. I should've ran to you-"

"No. Don't think that. It wasn't your fault. I should've listened to Paul. He told me to go into the blood bath if you went with me. When I didn't see you near me, I should've ran and hid in a tree or cave or something. But I didn't."

In seconds, I hear a boy's scream, before a cannon explodes, echoing across the arena.

"Looks like Raley found a tribute, eh?" Seth asks, slouching into a sit next to me with a chuckle.

"I guess so." I mumble, playing with my fingers. "That fast, huh?"

"That was fun!" Raley yells excitedly from outside the cornucopia with other girls following behind her.

"Who did you kill?" I question.

"Some boy from District eleven. He was hiding in a tree. We threw rocks at him until he fell down, and I stabbed him with Grace's sword."

"Is that it?" Triton raises an eyebrow. "I figured you'd leave for a couple hours, not two minutes."

"One is enough for me today," Raley shrugs.

"What's the plan for tommorow?" Bane asks.

"Well, first of all, we need to go searching for food and water. Lana's leg should be healed in the morning."

"How is that possible?" Triton questions.

"The Capitol medications are extremely strong, and can heal in less than a few hours," Laila fills him in.

"Who's keeping watch tonight?" Jonah asks.

"I will," I volunteer.

"No you won't. Triton and Seth will watch," Bane states without hesitation.

"And what will you be doing?" Triton snaps, moving to stand in front of Bane. Bane narrows his eyes, his jaw clenching in frustration.

They look, overall, very intimidating. I shuffle uncomfortably in my spot, my eyes focused on the two.

"I'm going to stay in here and sleep with Lana," Bane grins.

"Woah, woah, woah. You guys need to calm down," Lily starts. "I know both of you love Lana, but you shouldn't argue like this. Seth loves her too, and he's not acting this way."

"I think that one of them should sleep next to Lana on a different night. Bane, you get Lana tonight. Triton, you can have her tomorrow night. And Seth, you get her the day after. Deal?" Laila asks.

"Whatever," Triton grumbles. He grabs his trident, then disappears from sight of the cornucopia. I sigh, slouching back into the wall.

"Bye Lana." Seth says with a wink. I can't help but smile as he follows Triton.

Bane mutters incoherent words under his breath as he walks over to me. He lays down, placing his arm over my waist, careful not to touch my side. I sink down onto the ground, putting my back to Bane's chest.

And as my body touches the exposed cold ground, I begin to shiver. No, not because of Bane, but because of the dropping temperature that's evident in the air.

"Guys, get Lana a blanket. She's freezing." Bane commands. Jonah nods, snatching a blanket from one of our supply bags, before laying it over me.

I close my eyes after that, and let the soft breathing of Bane lull me to sleep.

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