24. Mayhem

A noise woke me up.

I fluttered my eyes open to notice I had turned in my sleep, and my head was right on Bane's chest. I scowled. I craned my neck to see his face peaceful. How did that noise not wake him up?

I heard movement behind me, so I assumed Jenna or Victor was awake. I felt Bane stretch against my body, opening his eyes. He smiled like he just won the Games.

"See? What did I tell you?" he gloated. "You're still alive and breathing."

"Did you hear the noise?"

"What noise?"

Suddenly, Jenna screamed. I rolled out from under the blanket, knife whipped out and ready. My body stiffened up, eyes bulged.

Jenna was retreating from Victor, but I thought it wasn't him at first. Cautiously, I crept towards his body. I jumped back a step.

Victor's eyes were eerily open, staring into an endless space. His arms were folded tightly across his chest, as if he had been trying to warm himself overnight. His fingers were black, as was the tip of his nose. His lips were a frightening blue, and I saw no fog of breath escape from his lips.

Victor was dead.

I shook my head, turning away. He was a corpse now, a frozen body. The noise that woke me up had been Victor's cannon, I now realized. He had died while we were all asleep.

"And here he thought he could survive the night," Jen whispered. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself. "Props to him for being brave, but he was still stupid."

"He died just now, while we were asleep," I croaked. I saw his sword near his body. "We better take his weapon before the hovercraft comes for him."

Jenna made a quick snatch for Victor's sword.

I turned my back on Victor, not wanting to take a second glance at him. I wasn't sure if Bane ever saw him, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. To me, losing Victor wasn't like losing family—it was more like losing a friend I lost touch with for years. That was the same for Ben and Aubrey.

We crawled our way out into humid woods. I sucked in a breath; I didn't like humidity very much. The woods seemed to be lively with a few birds and insects chattering around us. It was weird, because to me, it felt like we didn't lose Victor. It would take some time for me to realize that there were three Careers left instead of four.

Half the pack was wiped out, and half was still in the running to become the victor of the Hunger Games.

Since the humidity was so rough on us, we almost chugged through both of the water bottles I had filled with the rain from yesterday. I wondered where the other six tributes were. Were they fairing any better than we were? Were they all hiding from us or everything? Did anyone plan on making an attack on what was left of the pack, now that half was gone from the Games?

My thoughts went back to the Cornucopia explosion. We never got a chance to save Aubrey or at least see her one last time, she had died immediately. Ben had only outlasted her by a few minutes before he died. If it hadn't been for Bane seeing District 12's girl, we would have never gotten her—well, the rest of the pack never would have. I had had my own business to attend to at the time.

That still irked me. How could I hesitate when it was my job to wipe out all who opposed me? My mind wasn't in Career killer mode in that moment, because I let him go. Was that mindset wearing off?

I was looking down at the ground so intently that I bumped into a tree. I stumbled back, Jenna snickered.

"Are you okay back there?" Bane called.

"I don't know," I mumbled, pushing past Jenna to stay between the two. I couldn't tell them what was going on with me, what I had done. They would surely turn on me and kill me. Well, I wasn't too sure about Bane, but I knew Jenna would definitely sink a knife into my heart if she found out I let Shane go. In her eyes, he was one of Ben's killers.

My thoughts kept me entertained and more distracted than ever. Jenna had to pull me in the right direction so I wouldn't run into another tree again. Bane looked over at me a few times, giving me questioning looks. I tried not to meet his eye so he wouldn't interrogate me then and there. But I knew I couldn't avoid him talking to me later on at some point today.

I wondered what day we were on in the arena. The Gamemakers never let the tributes know when they showed the fallen. I wished they did, it'd be a nice thing to know. I'd like to see how many days I had survived in the arena. Some of the days were blending into one long one that seemed to never end. Those were the days that bothered me.

Eventually, we took a rest. Jenna carved into the nearest tree with her knife; Bane was pretending to practice with someone, swinging his sword like he was parrying another sword. I didn't see why he didn't just take Victor's sword, that way he had two instead of one. Having more weapons seemed like a good idea if we needed to kill something—whether it was food or a tribute.

I ran my fingers through my hair. I scanned the woods, and I thought I saw a flash of blond hair. Shane.

I shook my head, leaning forward to see closer. I must be going insane. People in previous Games had gone insane before. I bet I'd fit into that category soon if I kept seeing things like blond hair sneaking around.

During the time we took to rest, I swore I kept seeing blond hair or gray eyes near us. Jenna and Bane were taking naps. Lucky them, they weren't becoming paranoid with seeing the boy from 12 that was still alive thanks to me. Of course I would be seeing him; I failed to end his life. I could feel the regret inside of me building.

I tried to doze off, but footsteps nearby startled me awake. I frowned. All right, this was going to end now. I had enough of seeing parts of Shane's face looming around, tormenting me.

I rose into a crouch, whipping out my knife. I tiptoed away from Bane and Jenna, who were still napping, and pursued what was either Shane or a figment of my imagination.

Each step I took I felt needed to be silent. It was out of habit, because I felt like I was stalking prey. Really, I was. I was trailing the prey that I had let go last time. He was probably doing this to taunt me. If I got a hold of him, he wouldn't be able to taunt me anymore.

I looked over my shoulder to make sure Jen and Bane weren't following me and neither was Shane. But I didn't know if it was really him, I could be going crazy. Maybe I was the Shane-obsessed one, not Bane. I seemed to have the boy from 12 more on the brain that Bane did.

I swallowed constantly as my throat became parched. Swallowing my own spit wasn't as satisfying as actually downing water. The thought of water made my thirst much worse. Where was water when you needed it? Maybe Ross can send me down a bottle. The bottle I had in my pack—along with the blanket—was empty.

Leaves seemed to litter the ground more the farther I traveled. The grip on my knife was tight, ready to be thrown into the boy's heart. This time I wasn't going to hold back. I'd end his life, just like I should have when I had caught him running away from the crime he took part in.

The leaves seemed to want to give me away; I tried to keep my feet from crunching them.

One minute I was trying to find Shane—or trying to find nothing—and the next something snatched my ankle, flipping me up in the air and upside down. I yelped, dropping the knife to the ground. I was up at least ten feet.

I thrashed, nearly whacking myself into the tree I was hanging upside down from. Blood rushed to my head too quickly, almost painfully. I tried to reach the noose around my leg, but it was too far up and way out of my reach.

I snarled in outrage. Caught by a tribute-made trap. My lips pursed. I considered pulling out the blowgun, but what would that do? I couldn't shoot myself free, not unless I wanted to risk injury to myself. Well, there's only one thing I can really do at this point.

"Jenna! Bane!" I shouted. "Help!" I dangled above the ground. I'd call again if I didn't see them coming. I should be able to see them since I was up so high. I tried to prevent my head from throbbing. "Someone get me down from this thing, right now!"

I knew it was sort of risky, calling out for help when other tributes could chop me down from the trap and finish me off. I still had a blowgun to fall back on if it came to a physical confrontation. Or if I landed near my knife I could still reach it...

My knife. I saw it glittering in a beam of sunlight below me. My eyes narrowed. Why was it always me that got trapped or injured? I was starting to become a damsel in distress, which was something I clearly wasn't. I'm a Career. I'm crafty, I'm smart, I should be able to figure out a way to get myself free from this and run back to Jenna and Bane...wherever they are. I wasn't sure how far I had really hiked, so for all I knew, they could be miles from me and not reach me in time.

"Get me down from here!" I screeched again, more impatiently this time. I swung hopelessly above the ground.

I closed my eyes. I had nothing better to do at this point but to wait for either help or death.

I had closed my eyes for too long. I heard something snap, and I fell. I hit the ground stomach first, my nose almost getting bashed in by the ground. I groaned, grabbing my stomach. The throbbing in my head was starting to go away, but now my stomach was hurting.

Slowly, I picked myself up. Did the rope just snap on its own? There's no way someone would use a weak, thin rope to trap a tribute for such a short time.

I went to grab my knife, but I was pulled back. A hand covered my eyes, an arm contained both of mine pinned at my sides.

I breathed through my nostrils. "You've got five seconds to run before I kill you," I hissed.

"You didn't last time," the voice purred.

My heart skipped a beat. Shane.

"Boy, you're flirting with disaster."

"I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"For now."

He chuckled. As soon as he released me, I tumbled for my knife, whirling around. He was gone. My jaw clenched. This boy was seriously asking to be killed now by me. There was no way I was making this up in my head.

The trap that had captured me had to be his, then, probably. He probably saw I was easy to get to, so he led me into one of his traps only to...what? Let me go? Spare me? I got the feeling this boy wasn't a killer like his district partner had been.

I looked everywhere: around the tree the trap had been set up by, up in the tree. My face twisted into an expression of frustration. This boy couldn't avoid me forever. He was dancing with danger, and soon danger was going to get him.

"Crystal!" Bane called.

I saw Jenna first. Bane lugged in behind her, carrying both swords. Jenna had a knife in each hand, an eager, murderous glint in her eyes. They stopped, Jen looked around anxiously.

"We heard you," Jen panted. "What happened?"

"I got caught in a trap, but then I was let go," I explained.

"Who did it?" Bane probed.

"I don't know," I lied. "They're gone, whoever they are. I've checked everywhere. They know how to make a quick getaway."

"Damn it!" Jen hissed. "So I woke up, ready to kill, all for nothing?"

"I guess so."

"Then why didn't you get them?" Bane pressed.

"I didn't have a knife on me, and I was too busy recovering from getting the wind knocked out of me," I retorted. I wiped what dirt was on my knife off of it. "By the time I was on my feet, they vanished."

"These tributes seem to be hit-and-run," Jen murmured.

"At least some of us have the guts to challenge you," barked a voice.

We all looked up into the tree. I saw Bane clench his jaw.

"Coward! Why don't you come down and fight us yourself?" Jenna challenged him. "Wait a second..." Bane murmured. He looked at me. Jen looked at him, and something clicked in her brain.

"You set us up," she snarled.

"What?" I stammered. Damn it, Shane. You're trying to make me look like the bad guy in the pack. If I die because of you, I'll haunt your ass until you die.

"You set this whole thing up! You've been allying with the boy from Twelve behind our backs!"

"I haven't!" I took a step back.

"Bullshit." For a fourteen-year-old, Jenna had quite the bad mouth. She took a step forward, knives gleaming. I could see the bloodlust in her eyes, only they were for a member of the pack—me. Not Shane, not anybody else at the moment—just me.

There was an odd buzzing sound. I looked up, Bane and Jenna mirrored me.

Out of the trees, a huge nest fell. We were all too in awe to move away. Once it exploded, a mass of tracker jackers—genetically mutated wasps—emerged. We all screamed, swatting them away. Bane and Jenna were running around in circles.

I heard something crash behind me as I felt something poke me. I yipped. A tracker jacker stung me. Great, now I've got to deal with poison, I thought grimly. Their venom was very dangerous, giving those affected hallucinations, serious pain, and sometimes even death if there was too much in their system.

One tracker jacker stabbed me in the neck. I yelled. Something else exploded, sending us all into confusion. I coughed as smoke filled my lungs. Someone grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the mess. I heard at least one tracker jacker still track me; I heard the rest stay with Bane and Jenna.

"Traitor!" Jenna screamed, before screeching again in fear. Traitor? Why did she say that? I didn't betray them! "When I find you"—she screamed again, her voice seemed to become distant—"I'll sink that knife through your heart and twist it so you can suffer!"

My eyes began to focus to see the back of a blond head. I stumbled forward, my vision going whacky. Trees were duplicated; some were on fire, burning. I screamed, pulling back on Shane. Why the hell was he taking me with him? I was supposed to kill him. Or, according to Jenna, I was allies with him now.

Everything was happening too fast.

"Keep going," Shane said. He pulled me forward, but I lost him at one point.

I panted. I couldn't feel my legs, they were numb. I yowled as another stinger got me—another in my neck. I shook my head, making me dangerously dizzy. I felt like I was running like a drunk, my vision was spinning. How I didn't pass out yet was beyond me.

I couldn't see Shane anywhere. I stumbled around, alone, trying to avoid the flaming trees. I smacked into a tree hard, hurting my body even more. I coughed, and I felt my lips. On my fingers was my own blood. I swallowed, trying to not freak out or pass out.

I crawled along the ground now, the roar of the fire in my ears. I spat out more blood.

"Hang on, baby," crooned a voice.

I looked up to see a fuzzy figure. I recognized it almost immediately. The ice-blue eyes, the light brown hair. It was my mother. Why was she here, in the arena, in the Hunger Games?

"Mom?" I whispered. I tried crawling to her, but my limbs wouldn't move. I could hear my blood pounding in my ears. I wanted to reach her, to be in her arms. I hadn't seen her in so many days, probably almost a month at this point.

"No, not that way!" a voice roared.

I cried out, covering my ears with my hands. I saw two Shanes bending down to my level; he was starting to fade from my vision. I couldn't feel myself being lifted up, but I could see that I was.

"No!" I screamed. He was dragging me away from my mother. "No!"

"Shh!" he hissed. He tried to cover my mouth but I bit his hand.

"Let me go!" I pushed him off me only to take two steps towards her. "I need to get to her!" My legs buckled under me. I lay sprawled along the forest floor, my limbs suddenly not capable of propelling me to reach my mother. "Mom..." I reached a hand out to her, but she was too far away.

The vision of my mother was the last thing I saw before everything went black.

**Craziness! But that's the Hunger Games for you!

The tides have turned not in Crystal's favor. Let's see how she does in the next chapters.**