Could it be...AN UPDATE? YAAAYY. Sorry guys it's been a pretty stressful week :/ but hey, AN UPDATE!! BUT GUYS. 1.05K. 1.05K. You are seriously the BEST ASDFGHJKL!!! I remember when 32 reads was a lot XD

Also: May 26 will be The Eleventh Hunger Games one year anniversary!!! *crowd cheers* I intended on finishing this fic under a year but clearly that's not going to happen lol. That's okay though, because I love writing this story. And always, thank you all SO SO much for the votes, amazing comments, and reads!!!!!! I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

~Side note: I tried to make this first scene as least-gruesome as possible, sorry!

Enjoy!

Chapter Twelve

It would be an understatement to say that chaos erupted from the scene. The moment Tyveck and Nine's eyes locked, the battle had begun. With a blur, Nine whips out his concealed dagger and Tyveck raises his gleaming sword and leaps forward. Elastine quickly follows suit and charges towards a terrified Seven while the girl who killed the bird readies her spear. In less than a second Nine twists his body so Tyveck only manages to smash into Nine's side. Nine falls with a hmph escaping his lips, but quickly recovers and rolls to the side as Tyveck attempts to slash at his face with his sword. By now, Elastine has reached Seven and makes a swift cut through the air with the axe, just nearly missing Seven's face. His eyes widen and he spins on his heels and frantically scurries away from her, his bare feet sliding on the leaves. Now would be a horrible time to fall out of the tree...I quickly brush the thought of falling into slaughter grounds away and clasp the slim tree even tighter, my knuckles bone white.

I hear a yell. Down below, Nine has managed to make a deep cut in Tyveck's thigh. He takes Tyveck's pause as an advantage and immediately aims for the career tribute's heart. Or at least he would have, were it not for the giant spear burying itself into Nine's shoulder. He cries out in pain and drops the dagger. I suck in a breath and look for bird girl but end up with nothing. My heart leaps into my throat. What if she has spotted me? I risk shifting my position on the branch to look behind me. Still nothing. My eyes shoot back down to the fight, and suddenly I spot her peering behind an aspen tree near Seven and Elastine, gripping a small weapon in her hand. But clearly, her help is not needed, because Elastine has easily caught up to Seven and is now yanking on his shirt, spinning him around to face her. He gives a choked cry, defeat in his wild eyes, before she swings her axe and buries it in his head.

A cannon booms in the distance.

I stare down in horror at the inhumanity of it all. No, that's not quite right. The humanity of it all. We are willing to go so far as to kill another for pure enjoyment that it strips us down to our bare core, showing just how desperate and primitive we are. The mere thought churns my stomach. I hear Nine muffle a scream, whether in the pain in his shoulder or the loss of Seven (I suspect the latter.) Anger quickly replaces the pain in his eyes and he shoots to his feet, pulls out the spear, and charges at Tyveck with it. Tyveck quickly dodges the charge and jumps behind Nine, swinging his sword towards the tribute's neck. Nine immediately ducks his head and, using his good arm, brings down the spear and smashes it against the back of Tyveck's knees. He howls in pain but manages to keep his feet planted on the ground.

"You'll pay for that," Tyveck growls between clenched teeth. He swipes at Nine and a line of blood begins to form from the thin cut on Nine's cheek. Movement out of the corner of my eye makes me turn my head to see that Elastine has finally retrieved and is starting to slowly advance on Nine from the other side, motioning for the remaining tributes from her pack to stay put.

"You sure about that?" Nine seethes back. He makes a move with the spear towards Tyveck's head but changes directions and suddenly swings up his balled fist from his injured arm and punches Tyveck straight in the nose. I could hear the sharp crack of his nose breaking from up here. Tyveck moans and falls to his knees, covering his nose with his hands now coated in blood. "Didn't think so." Nine smirks, although the pain from his shoulder clearly seeps through his expression and he clenches his teeth. I wanted to yell. I wanted to scream, I wanted to do something to warn him. But it was too late.

"Oh but you're wrong," Tyveck says through a mouthful of red. In the blink of an eye, Elastine makes a final step behind Nine and digs her axe into Nine's side. He screams in pain and collapses onto the ground. I gasp and immediately press my hand against my mouth to stop from screaming out and force myself not to look away. Nine curls up in a ball, all of his tough, wise exterior peeled away in an instant, revealing an innocent teenager who just wanted to go back home. Elastine looks up at Tyveck and raises her eyebrow as if saying should I finish him off? Tyveck shakes his head.

"No. Let him suffer. I'm sure he'll bleed out soon enough anyway." Tyveck spits, brushing a finger tenderly across his bruised, crooked nose. Disappointment flashes across Elastine's face before she crouches down and pats Nine's head. He whimpers and squeezes his eyes tight. Bile rises in my throat and I force it back down, but this time, I can't help but turn my head away from the crime and squeeze my eyes shut.

. . . . . . . . .

I drop from the last branch and land with a crunch on the dry leaves. After the fight was finally over, the careers robbed anything useful from Nine and Seven, taking Nine's jacket (Seven's was nowhere to be seen) and their insufficient supply of weapons, leaving the boys dead on the forest floor in only their tattered pants and shirts. I make sure not to step on any blood on the forest floor and make my way to Nine's curled up figure. Immense pity swells my heart. It must have been nearly twenty minutes before he had sputtered his last breath and the cannon boomed. I know I have to get going before the hovercraft comes to pick up the bodies, but I can't help but to take a moment. They deserve at least that. I look down at Nine. Tri. Guilt pounds at my heart as if disciplining me. You could have done something. Anything. You could have warned him. You could have helped him. You could have saved him. Them. Coward. Tears begin to form in my eyes and I have to look away from Tri. You're such a coward, Mags. What do you think your mother is saying right now? I could picture my mother's brow furrowed in shame at me neglecting the opportunity to help. Next to her would be my father wearing a greedy smile on his face, most likely saying: there's my winner. Making her way to the top. I clutch my sides and walk over to Seven and crouch down beside him. His eyes remain open, glazed in the blanket of death. The tears finally spill out of my eyes and I choke back a sob.

"I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry." I weep, my shaking fingers gently pushing down his eyelids. "I'm sorry. I didn't even know your name." I don't bother to wipe away the tears that blur my vision and stand up and begin to walk away from the battlefield. The sound of the hovercraft drowns out my thoughts, yet something makes me glance back at their bodies. "I'm sorry." I whisper under my breath before saying a silent goodbye and turning my back from them.

. . . . . . . . .

I tread numbly through the aspen forest, staring at the dead ground. I hadn't even realized it was nightfall until I stepped into a patch of moonlight. I know I have to get out of this forest. This forest of nightmares. My legs quiver beneath me and I finally collapse at the base of a tree, my vision clouded. A pang of hunger hits me, as if saying that the games aren't finished with me yet. At that moment my brain cruelly conjures up the image of the delicious fish sandwich that my family and I would have every Friday. A special treat to end the long week. My stomach whines at the mere thought of food. I close my eyes and try to distract myself from the hunger, but only gruesome images from today welcome me. Blood running down bird girl's spear. So much blood. Blood on the ground. Blood even on me. Stuck to the heels of my feet that I tried to rub off, but only managing to tear the already fragile skin beneath. Blood that painted the world red by the wrath of humanity.

Suddenly the Capital's symbol replaces the moonlight, and the anthem echoes through the night sky. I press my lips together and look up beneath the branches. Seven's face appears, followed quickly by Nine's. Two deaths, yet it felt like a genocide. Just four nights ago, I was buried under a pile of leaves listening to the two hike through the forest while Seven complained about eating. And now they're dead. Gone. Just a sad memory. I didn't know them long, but I have a trusty feeling that if they found me that night, they would have spared my life.

When I wake, pale sunlight seeps through the trees, illuminating the forest in a fresh pastel glow. The air is cool and refreshing against my cracked lips, and in the distance, birds sing once again. I hopelessly blink a few times in last attempt to rid away the gory images of yesterday before finding a squishy plot of ground and digging into the earth. Fifteen minutes later, I drain the last bit of water into my parched mouth from my sleeve and look down at the hole I made. A sudden realization dawns upon me. A hole! I spring to my feet and quickly kick some leaves into the waterhole before racing across the forest floor. My mind spins as I try and remember the direction I came from yesterday. With hope dwindling by the minute, I begin to retrace my steps.

I'm surprised I found myself back at the empty space where the bodies were. I bite my lip and go around the tussled leaves and continue on my way. Maybe it was bigger than I thought. Maybe they had made a concealed path towards it. Or maybe it was just pure luck. But at last my hand finds its way to the little star shaped notch carved into the dark tree by Nine. It doesn't take long to find the hole. The sinking of leaves beneath my feet indicate the hidden treasure. I quickly skim my surroundings for enemies before pulling away the concealment. Excitement suddenly floods through my veins and I pull out the backpack from the ground. It is small in size and various pockets garnish the dark gray pack. Without a moment's hesitation, I unzip the largest part of the bag-and am greeted with a feast. Four Crackers-which must have been what Seven and Nine were munching on the first night I saw them-are neatly arranged in the small container. Beneath them is a handful of dried apple slices wedged between the folds of a thin blanket. My heart breaks open with joy and something more...relief. Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. I hunch over the backpack and a dry sob escaped my lips.

I decide to stay there the rest of the day. No need to waste energy until I think of a solid way to get out of this place. Sitting at the base of the notched tree I spread out the treasures yet again. Crackers, apple slices, a blanket, and a precious knife about three inches long, though oddly enough it was built without a handle. At least I had a way to defend myself now. I just wish I could have thanked them in person, Nine and Seven.

The night passes in silence. No deaths today. I sum up the remaining tributes in my head. Thirteen. Eleven deaths in a mere four days...A light drizzle suddenly begins to form in the sullen night and sprinkles down on my face. I burry myself deeper in the leaves, rolled up in the thin blanket with my hand clenching the knife, despite the bite of the metal against my palm. The world is dark, nature is at rest, and finally, unimaginably, I feel safe.

To be honest, I got really attached to Nine and Seven :( *sobs* but *sniffles*, there can only be one winner, and, well, I can't really kill off Mags soo...unless...PLOT TWIIISSSTTT!!! Just kidding. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I hope to update before May 26 but knowing me it might be longer...

~Ninjafranbow