A/N: I'm so  sorry that I've been neglecting this story for so long! I just really wanted to make sure that the second chapter lives up to the standards I set with the first one. I'm not sure if it is quite as good, but I tried hard to make a worthy successor. Well, I hope you enjoy it!

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Jasmine closed her eyes against tears that threatened to tear through her barrier of impassiveness. She had decided long ago to keep from showing too much. If she did, well, she never knew who may be watching, and when they would. Jasmine  left the gun in the hand of Jasper's body. She couldn't stand the thought of using that foul item any longer. Not after... Jasmine mentally chided herself. This was no time to be sentimental. In order to avenge Jasper, she had to be alert, she had to stay alive. Without another glance backwards, she left him, slumped against the green lady's hair.

Almost immediately, giant flood lights illuminated the Arena. 'But why would they light it like this?' Jasmine thought. It made very little sense to her.

"Jasmine!" She heard two voices whisper. Turning around, Jasmine saw Maya and Ginger. She rushed to them and the three embraced each other.
Then, the dreaded question came to Jasmine.

"Have you seen the guy?" Maya asked. Jasmine nodded slowly and jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. Ginger and Maya looked behind Jasmine.

"The voices, wasn't it?" Ginger asked. Jasmine only nodded again.

"They were horrible," Ginger said, "Everything was exactly like my dad would tell me. But, I've done it before, so I got through them again."

Jasmine nodded. She still didn't have the courage to speak up. If she did, she was terrified that she would hysterically sob, and would remain in that spot, sobbing until something came along to kill her. So Jasmine  didn't speak. She only walked ahead of the group, trying to figure out what was after them now.

"It's really weird that they would turn on these lights, isn't it?" Ginger mentioned.

"I suppose they can't have us wandering in total darkness. That's just inhumane," Maya replied.

"It isn't already inhumane?" 

"No, it's only cruel. There's a difference. Without lights, they would just be tossing us into our deaths once it was dark enough. Now, at least we have a fighting chance. "

"Tell me we have a fighting chance when everyone  is dead," Ginger said with finality.

Jasmine listened to them speak. She could tell that Ginger was adamant in her belief that nobody would survive. It was certainly likely. Nobody ever lived through the Arena before. However, Maya's point did have some viability. After all, why turn on those lights? How could that possibly work as a downfall?

All too well, Jasmine realized. There must be creatures trying to find the contestants. THEY were coming. The contestants were being handfed to THEM. Jasmine knew that she, Maya, and Ginger had to keep moving. They had to conceal themselves.

The trees. They were  shrouded in darkness. If Jasmine could keep the trio in the shadows, they would be safe. She looked around. To their south was a good deal of wooded area. Jasmine had it now fixed in her head that the shadow was their safety.

"Guys," she said and turned, "We need to go to the trees. The only reason that the lights were turned on  is to help THEM find us. The only protected area has to be the shadow."

"Are you sure, Jasmine? It seems too obvious," Maya said.

"It took us," Jasmine paused to look above, at the giant clock, "About half of the hour already to even figure it out."

"You know, I have a bad feeling about this, too," Ginger said, "I mean, it's been far too quiet for  my liking. Maybe THEY are hiding in the dark. I doubt anything is chasing us."

Almost instantly upon the conclusion of her statement, a loud scream rang through the Arena. Maya's eyes widened. Ginger looked Jasmine dead in the eyes. Jasmine  questioned Ginger with her own eyes, and Ginger nodded in agreement to the silent inquiry.

They ran at a dash to the trees and underbrush. The announcement of death hadn't been made, so there was still a chance that one of them  could be killed. Jasmine wouldn't let that happen. She had let Jasper take his own life, and she would be guilty for that for the rest of her life, even if her life only lasted a few more hours. She couldn't have the guilt of his death  and that of her friends' deaths crawling on her back. No, she would protect them. The three of them would survive.

They dove into the trees as another shout pierced the night. The trio sat, panting and full of adrenaline, terrified as the sound echoed. It created a sinking feeling in the pit of Jasmine's stomach.

"Are we sitting on poisoned ivy? I can't seem to stop itching," Ginger complained. She was scratching at the skin on her right arm. Slowly, Jasmine felt the same sensation. Maya was scratching at herself as well. It wasn't until  Ginger yelped out in pain that Jasmine noticed something. The itching- it had turned to burning.

"What is this? Is it supposed to hurt like this?" Maya asked.

Jasmine stood and moved away. In her head, she told herself that she had never actually felt poison ivy. Nobody ever had. It could feel like burning. She told this to herself and looked at the ground. It was a clean patch of dirt. No foliage, no vines curling around the trees. It wasn't any poisoned plant.

So what the hell was it?

Jasmine looked at her friends and saw smoke rising off of them. She glanced at her own arm. Even in the dark of night, she could see the skin turning an unnatural shade of red.

Panic  filled her completely, her only coherent thought being, "They were leading us to the shadow."

She shouted as much to Ginger and Maya as she ran out of the cover of the trees. Maya instantly followed. Ginger was close after them, stumbling a bit.

Maya and Jasmine bursted out of the darkness first. Ginger was paces behind them, when the edge of her sleeve was caught on a branch. She cried out in  pain, desperately attempting to pull her arm away from the toxic darkness. But, the offending branch would not release it's malicious hold. Freedom was just within her reach. Only her arm was still in the dark.

Jasmine and Maya hastily grabbed Ginger and yanked her away. Another female shout rang in their ears from somewhere else in the Arena. It continued for a sustained amount of time before dying away. Ginger collapsed to the ground.

The hated automated voice crackled to life once again,

"Second fatality-Ginger Carson."

There were twelve minutes left until the hour was up. The three could sit in peace until then. Thank goodness.  After that ordeal, they needed time to take it easy.

Their Ginger started to whimper in fear. "I-I can't feel my arm," she said, a tear slowly dripping from her eye, "I c-c-can't f-feel it!"

Maya pulled up Ginger's sleeve. Jasmine recoiled for a moment before placing a comforting arm around Ginger's shoulders.

The skin was completely black, some of it flaking away, revealing bright red underneath.

"It's dead," Maya stated.

"W-what can you do about it?" Ginger asked.

"Nothing. We don't have any medical tools. There's nothing to be done. I mean, we might be able to... No, I can't put you through that."

"To what? What can you do, Maya? Tell me!" Ginger pleaded.

Jasmine  grimaced. She had a feeling that she knew what Maya was about to say.