Just as soon as Serah’s feet hit the grass surrounding the lighthouse, she could hear the sound of sparring tributes as close as a few feet away. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the moonlight hitting the token in a way that reminded her of the shine of a victor’s crown. A crown she was determined to hold on her head.  With her war club and taser in hand, Serah wasn’t surprised in the slightest when Levi crossed in front of her, only momentarily cutting the token out of her view. All of the tributes were flocking to it, their shadows shooting through the night alongside him. Levi was instantly worried that Starling wouldn’t be safe, he was already nervous that his visions of her were slightly faded and he feared insanity. The silver glint on the ground beckoned him and as he ran for it he hit the ground hard as he felt a club knock him to the side. He hit the ground hard and twisted back to see his attacker. As Serah tries to pass him, he swung at her leg with his bat and knocked her down too.

“Long time no see,” she said with a smirk, not exactly ready to play around. That token was hers and she was determined to get it. Serah was sure that Levi made some sort of joking response, but she was already too far into her game plan. Right now there was no time for playing around with words and insults, Levi was an obstacle that she needed to get over but she was going to have fun with it. Levi hated the idea of hurting her but he knew he needed to do it to save Starling’s life. Both of them scrambled to their feet before running back toward the coin. Levi reached forward, grabbing the handle of Serah’s pack on her back and jerking her back toward him, trying to throw her behind him. He needed that coin for Star, to keep her safe. Serah drew a taser and drove it to his back, sending him crashing to the ground, twitching.

He shakily stood again and dove after her. Serah’s hand was wildly groping for the coin in the dark grass when she felt a smash of a bat into her back and she crumpled, letting out a yell. Levi bashed the bat into her again, crushing her ribs like Ara had broken his. But Serah could still move, albeit painfully, and she wouldn’t give up on finding that coin- and taking down Levi at the same time. Gripping her war club until her knuckles turned white, Serah was prepared to take all of her anger out on the small blonde boy now lying in the grass. She balanced the war club on his chest, pushing down just enough to elicit a cry of pain in response to the pressure on his already broken ribs. He looked frantically over at where he imagined Starling and Serah followed his view, but as she saw nothing, took the chance and thrust her taser toward him.

Levi rolled away, as if he’d been warned of the attack, and looked back over. “Thanks love,” he called to the side and Serah’s brow furrowed slightly in confusion. Levi took a swing at the girl with his baseball bat and she rolled to the side, groaning as she rolled over onto her already existing injury. Levi beat at her other side, trying to bash her head in but she was just too quick, too onto him.

“Love is a weakness, Levi. It always will be.” Serah stated simply. Swinging the bat up, it collided with Serah’s knee and caused her left leg to give out under her weight. “You bitch!” Serah yelled out, pain creeping into her voice. Finally Levi made a connection with her shoulder and shoved her over, kneeling over her much like Ara had done to him. She reached for him with the taser again but he blocked the hit with his wooden bat, cutting off the electricity and using the swing to knock the weapon from her tight grasp. “Don’t look, Starling!” He said loudly and Serah looked up at him, confused.

“She’s dead, you idiot!” She snapped, writhing underneath Levi’s seated position, his legs holding her arms down. He glared at her, his mind set on what he did now. “She’s not!” He roared. “She’s right there!” The look in his eyes was manic and terrifying, his eyes darting about as he reached for the side pouch and his water bottle.

Serah continued to struggle and Levi sent a left hook into her jaw, shutting her up and causing some blood to fill her mouth from him driving her teeth into her tongue with the punch. He’d nearly broken it, her mouth slightly opened with the scream of pain. He took the opportunity and gripped water bottle in his shaking hands. Levi unscrewed it, shoving the end of it into her bleeding mouth as she screamed. Squeezing tight, Levi forced the water down Serah’s esophagus, the sheer force of the water all rushing down at once causing her to panic, breathing it and beginning to drown. Her breathing shook and her focus was on being able to retain air, but all there was to breathe was water.

When Shamus woke up in the cell in orange coveralls and slip on shoes, he felt like he’s in a dream. He sat up, pausing to blink as blood rushes to his head, making him feel dizzy. Suddenly everything comes into focus. The cinderblock walls around him. The cot next to him and the pack lying on top. He approached the bars carefully and peered out. Directly across from him, Cardell was in a cell much like his. He sighed, having not wanted to meet the boy again until much later. He could not see anyone else in the two cells next to Cardell’s… but the third down, Shamus spied a disoriented Sebastian doing the same thing he was doing. A smile curled onto his lips for a brief moment when he realized that he could finally take that bastard out… until he thought of Olivia. He gasped, unsure of where she was but knew she had to be in that cell block somewhere. He needed to find her but first he needed a way out. Screams filled the cell block and some were followed by cannons. 5 cannons… 5, no, 7 gone already?

Suddenly, a voice came over the loudspeaker and announced the order in which tributes would be released. Shamus smiled. He would have a five minute head start on Cardell and Serah and even more on everyone else. His first mission: to find Olivia. But for now, he needed to know what was in his pack. As the clock counted down, he unzipped it to find what he considered a jackpot… and something that made him laugh. 4 potatoes? Really? He pulled out the shillelagh and kept the rest in his pack. He would save the molotov cocktail for later, even though tossing it in Sebastian’s cell was tempting. As the clock hit ten, shamus used his hands and ripped off some of the fabric from the mattress on the cot. He wrapped the bottle of alcohol to cushion it, shoved it in his pack and zipped it up.

The clock counted down to zero and Shamus’ bars buzzed and popped open. He tread down the center of the cell block, moving to his right and looking for Olivia. Finally, he found her, almost near the far right door on his right side. He approached her cell and reached in for her, making sure she was okay. He only had a few minutes, so he had to be quick. Their fingers laced together for a moment while Shamus explained his plan to Olivia. A quick kiss in between the iron bars and Shamus was off, running out the right door and into the unknown. His objective was to find a place in the shadows to hide, preferably somewhere where he could keep an eye on the door. And while he hid, he kept track of all the tributes that ran through that door.

*****

Slowly opening his eyes, Cardell sits up in his bed startled. His new surroundings so unfamiliar to him.  Last thing he remembered was staring into Samara’s eyes when the peacekeepers burst through the door. A flash of his friend Everret being shot comes to his mind. Anger boiling up inside of him, he jumps to his feet. Scanning the room, his eyes fall on a single bag hanging from the door.  Peeking out the small cell window as he grabs the bag, he sees more cell doors. Grabbing the bag he heads back to the bed, searching its contents. Hearing the first door open, he turns back to see Shamus emerging from his cell. Carr’s face shows no sign of surprise. They’re obviously going from best to worst, according to the scores they received. Realizing it means he was next to exit Carr pulls an axe from his bag, twirling it in his hands. Swinging the bag over his torso, he waits by his door, waiting for his escape.

Hearing a loud buzz, his iron bars open and he peaks into the hallway. From down the hall he sees his classmate Serah at her doorway, immediately pulling back into his cell. Carr listens closely until he no longer hears her footsteps. Walking through the doorway he makes an immediate left, not even glancing toward the exit to his right. As he slowly walks through the hallway he catches eyes with Elijah. Giving a slight nod he continues down. He comes to a door in the middle of the hallway, where he sees Samara in her cell. Careful not to alert her he pulls off his ring, placing it directly in front of the door before moving down the hallway. As he reaches the end of the hallway he bursts into a run. Before crossing the exit doorway, he looks to his left, giving Amley one of his famous smiles.

As he ran through the door he makes a sharp right. Hiding low, his presence virtually undetectable. He watches his classmates emerge from the door, easy kills for him. But he waits, counting each person as they emerge.

*****

As soon as the announcement was made that they were going into the arena, Serah readied herself in seconds. Losing control over herself when she was put under was something familiar that she had no intention of participating in again. Once awoken, Serah quickly adjusted to her surroundings and stayed quiet. No one needed to know where she was, and hopefully her silence would assist in that.