The Burning Darkness

But it only brought me to another nightmare.  The fear I had of losing Delta and Blank.  Watching them die would be torture.  Watching Lux die would be torture.  And the was the basis of my dreams that night.  And the deaths were a result of Alabaster Stone.  The words he said to me in the elevator were clearere than I have ever heard them before.

I woke to Lux shaking me awake holding his fingers to his lips.  The morning was actually morning which certainly meant he had stayed awake for the entire night.  "Stay."

I instictively pulled Delta and Blank closer to me.  We were hidden well under the shadow of this boulder but suddenly I felt like my existance here was all that was known.  Now that dawn was approaching, our shadow would reveal us in a more obvious and deadly way.    I watched as Lux went back to his spot he waited during his watch as the careers trudged their way through the forest.

They were all accounted for as well as . . .  Marina?  Then I saw Talon keeping his distance but not keeping Marina out of his sight.  As much as I hated seeing her in the company of Alabaster, I knew that Talon would keep her safe.  Although it would make allying with her far more difficult for the remainder of the Games.

It was as if she could hear me think.  Her eyes darted over toward the boulder where the kids and I were hiding desperately.  Lux was ready to attack if we were even slightly threatened but he was aware that if hiding could keep us alive, we would stay hidden as long as we possibly could.  I could see Marina squint her eyes and I just knew she saw us.

To my relief she avoided the area like the plague.  Almost as if she was trying to lure the group away from the area by trying to wander off almost.  Naturally Talon followed her gaze in our direction.

"You doing okay, Marina?"  He played off innocence well with that smirk he practiced so often.  

"Y-Yeah.  Hey, I think if we go this way, we'll run into more wildlife. We could do well with finding food to save what we already have."  Smart girl.  I knew I could trust her.  I involuntarily smiled to myself in hopes that she and I would become allies at some point in the games.  I knew Talon would make sure she would stay alive long enough for that if there was a chance of that.

"Well, whattya know?  Little Miss D12 thinks she's smart.  We'll stop here for the time being to get more water.  We're running out."   And with much agreement from the others, it was soon that we would be revealed to the careers and nothing could stop them from a massacre.

I didn't dare move.  I didn't dare breathe.  My hands were clasped around Delta's and Blank's mouths in hopes it would muffle their hyperventelation.  I watched as everyone in the group found an adequete spot to seat themselves.  Marina merely shrugged and trudged over to the boulder and  cleared the snow as if to make a wall for her back.

It was clear then that she was creating a snowy wall to hide us.  I could not be more thankful for her.  She seemed relaxed.  It seemed like she felt better when she was rebelling a bit again the careers regardless of teaming up with them.  Talon was still watching her like a hawk which concerned me.  That wall of snow by the boulder could certainly make our location more obvious.

My fear was that he woul take the first chance he had to kill me.  I knew it.  I could see it in his eyes when I confronted him that day.  He was furious.  The truth hurts no matter how incredible it is.  And the truth of this situation was no matter how hard Marina tried to hide us, there was always going to be that chance that she, Talon, Lux, Delta, Blank, and I would get mutilated on the second day of the Hunger Games.

I wasn't ready to accept that.

                “Uh, yeah.” I whispered back, confused at his concern and wondering why he didn’t just kill me right now.

                “Come down from there! I have food!” he reached into the bag on his back and pulled out an apple, smiling at me and waving it around dramatically before taking a bite. The lightning lit up his face again, and I hoped none of the other tributes were near, otherwise we’d both end up dead.

                A drop of ice cold rain splashed on my face, indicating that the storm was closer.

                “Come on, Marina!” Talon whined comically, his voice still quiet. I glared at him, and for the first time I noticed the blood on the tip of his spear. I’d almost forgotten about his earlier kill. Fear lurched my stomach once more as I quickly looked away.

                “No!” I whispered sharply back.

                “Aw, come on! Don’t make me come up there!”

                This got a laugh out of me, and I didn’t even try to hide it.

                “Like you could climb this.” I snorted. I heard him grunt angrily and looked down to see him attempting to climb in an agonizingly slow and clumsy manner.

                “Maybe not…but…” he began as he heaved himself onto a branch. “I’m not leaving you.”

                “Oh, cut the bullshit Talon! We’re not at the Capitol anymore! Drop the act!” I realized I was raising my voice, and looked around anxiously to see if anyone was near.

                “It’s not an act! Why do you think I helped you?”

                “For your own sake.” I answered automatically. He didn’t respond. “I knew it.” I muttered, letting out a sarcastic chuckle. “And here I thought you were different.”

                “It’s not what you think.” Talon’s voice growled, closer than I expected. I looked down to see that he was only about 8 feet below me now. “I risked everything-”

                “A tribute from District 1 helping a tribute from District 12…” I spat. “You knew everyone would eat it up. The perfect controversy.”

                “They don’t care-”

                “Yes they do!” I had to work to keep my voice down. Talon glared at me this time, but before he could say anything, he lost his footing on the branch and slid further down, catching himself on one of the lowest branches. Letting out a sigh of frustration, he looked up at me again.

                “Just because Caesar asked you and me about it doesn’t mean they all care, and if they do, they’ll stop when you come with me.” He promised, giving up climbing and hopping back onto the ground. “That’s what I came here for. Ally with me. Then you’ll be better off…you and I both damn well know it. And everyone watching will understand why I helped you and they won’t care in the way you think they will.”

                “I’m not allying with you.” I murmured, and instantly I thought about Huck. If he was still alive, which I assumed he was since I’d heard no more cannon fire, I needed to find him. Talon picked up on my hesitation.

                “He won’t do you any good.” Talon spoke up louder as the rain began to fall harder. “You want to survive? You come with me.”

                I weighed my options. Talon was probably right that I would last longer with him. But I had no chance of winning anyways, so would I be better off helping Huck? I moved down a few branches.

                “All I have to do is scream, and the rest of the careers will come and they’ll kill you.” Talon threatened.

                “I thought you wanted me to live.” I spat, climbing down a few more. I was already deciding that if he had wanted to kill me, he would have already. And he did have food.

                “I do…for the moment. But it’s your choice, and your death won’t be on my hands.”                      

                “That’s not what you told Alabaster.” I climbed down further, but slipped on the wet bark just as I was nearly there. With a gasp, I shut my eyes instinctively and planted my feet to help me land. Landing firmly, but with pain shooting up my legs, I felt Talon put his arms around me to steady me.

                “Get off me.” I snarled, pushing him away.

                “Ever figure that I was trying to protect you from him? Think what you want, though. I could care less about what you think at this point…or if you’re even thinking at all.” He ignored my glare. “But about allying with me…what’ll it be?” he was smirking again. I didn’t answer, instead grabbing an apple from his pack and eagerly taking a bite. He inhaled deeply, and I realized in an instant he was about to scream. Holding my apple in my teeth, I threw my hands over his mouth just as he started to make a sound.

                His stupid blue eyes twinkled amusedly at me as I let go and took my apple out of my mouth.

                “What’ll it be, baby?” he whispered arrogantly.

                “I’ll go with you, but promise me one thing.” I hissed.

“And what’ll that be?”

“Keep Huck alive.” I watched as anger washed over Talon’s face, but he said nothing. I continued. “If anything, don’t be the one that kills him unless you’re the last two left. Got it?”

“Fine.” He said sourly, grabbing my arm and practically dragging me toward a destination only he knew. I was nowhere near excited about this, but at least I knew I was doing all I could to keep Huck and I alive.

“Oh, and don’t call me baby.” I demanded, shuddering at the word. It just sounded so…wrong coming from him. With a smirk, he glanced back at me.

“You only asked me to promise you one thing, baby.” He drawled. I gave him the most menacing glare I could muster, although it didn’t have much affect apparently, as Talon just rolled his eyes and faced forward once more.

                He ended up leading me back to the Cornucopia, where all the careers had decided to take shelter. I should have known. The careers camp out by the Cornucopia every year unless some other place seems to be better. Here, they could use the Cornucopia for shelter, reactivate the mines for defense (if they knew how without blowing themselves up), and hoard all the food and resources they had gathered in the middle of the open area.

                Blood was stained in several spots on the snow-covered ground, leftover from the bloodbath at the beginning of the Games. I swallowed nervously, and nearly slipped on the snow as I tried to quickly get behind Talon. Alabaster was making his way toward us.

                “So you decided to join us, Marina,” he stated more than asked, grinning widely in a way that managed to make me shudder.

                “Yeah,” I mutter hesitantly, mentally refusing to go anywhere without Talon from this moment on. Even if he’s the one that kills me, I’d rather it be him than Alabaster.

                “Good!” Alabaster exclaims, before walking off towards Breccia, to my relief. I felt the urge to blurt out all of my fears to Talon for some reason…as if he’d have some magical words of assurance. But I knew better. Even though he’d trained for this all his life, he and I could both end up dead before I can blink.

                Althea marches up to Talon, never glancing in my direction.

                “Hey, so we’re gonna sleep in the Cornucopia. There’s no snow on the ground in there and it offers wind protection. Alabaster and Breccia will guard tonight, and you and I will guard tomorrow night and rotate until shit happens and…well…we can’t keep up that system.” She lets out a nervous laugh, before walking out to help Alabaster and Breccia haul more bags of resources to the center of the area the careers now controlled.

                Unfortunately, just as Talon and I made our way to the Cornucopia, Alabaster approached us again.

                “Bathroom break before we call it a night. Ladies first.” He winked at me, nodding towards the woods. I stiffened. The thought of being alone in the woods with Althea and Breccia was unnerving to say the least.

                “I don’t have to go.” I managed to reply, and thankfully that was true.

                “Suit yourself.” Alabaster shrugged and walked away once more. Finally, Talon and I could go into the Cornucopia. I tossed my apple core aside as we stepped in.

                “Want another apple?” Talon offered, pointing at his pack.

                “No thanks.” I gave him a small smile. Honestly, after everything that happened I had no appetite. I just ate the first apple he gave me because I knew I should.

                Talon settled down on the ground and began unpacking a blanket from his bag. I sat next to him as he handed it to me, before pulling another out of the bag. He didn’t reply when I thanked him. He just continued to unpack. There were wrap bandages, apples, needles and thread…and a few other things I couldn’t make out in the darkness.

                “What was Alabaster talking about? When he said he didn’t want to let me go because you had already let two others go…” I found myself asking. Talon didn’t meet my eyes, but just when I thought he was ignoring me, he spoke up.

                “It was those two kids from District 4. I think they’re both 12. They uh…I had them backed against the Cornucopia and my spear was ready and everything. But I couldn’t do it. They were so young…so scared…and I…even with all the training I’ve had, the thought of killing a child still doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t have the strength to do it, it seems.” He spat. I want to tell him that he is strong. In one small step, he’s already defying the careers. As much as his District and the Capitol would hate it, it was admirable to me. I couldn’t imagine what was going through his mind when he saw those kids after he’d been trained to kill without the blink of an eye.

                “I told them to go. Screamed at them to get out and…the little girl…she hugged me.” Talon continued, the shock of the little girl’s actions still evident on his face. “I watched all around me to make sure they got out to the woods safely, and when Alabaster started to go after them, I nailed him in the stomach.” He’s grinning now.

                “You did what?” I can’t help but laugh.

                “I punched him in the stomach.” He laughed as well. “It was priceless. I’m lucky he didn’t kill me, but I don’t regret it.”

                Talon goes back to sorting through the supplies as I watch. After a few moments, he looks at me once again.

                “You’ve got a cut on your arm.” He stated. I looked down, having completely forgotten that Althea’s arrow had nicked me. “I’ll take care of it for you.” He gently took my arm, and I blushed and jerked away.

                “Oh uh…no….you really don’t have to. I’m fine.” I promised hastily. He smiled at me, shaking his head.

                “You say that now, but if you let this go, it’ll get infected. I’m sure you don’t want that.” He cautioned. I frowned. He had a point. And I really had no logical reason to refuse. What could I say? That his touch made me nervous? That would surely make him laugh, and he’d probably bring it up again before he kills me. I’m also almost certain that seducing me is a tiny part of his plan to win the Games, and I can’t fall for it.

                Without a word, he washes off the dried blood with some water from a water bottle he snagged out of his pack. He then cleans the wound with antiseptic and bandages it with ease. “You’re welcome.” He grins before I can say thank you. As always, I smile back…and I can’t help but wonder if we could have been friends if he had been from District 12. Probably not, because I’d only ever really talked to Alec and Rosemary. My heart sank at the thought of them…the thought of home. I felt the tears come, and I bit my lip to hold them back.

                “What’s wrong? Are you alright?” Talon asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

                “Yeah.” I nod, forcing a smile. “I was just…thinking about home.”

                I can feel Talon looking at me. He stares at me long and hard for a few moments before moving to sit a little closer to me.

                “Tell me what it’s like. What it’s like in District 12.”

                I look at him in disbelief. Does he really want to know? He nods as if he heard my unspoken question. Why would he ever want to know about District 12?

                I tell him anyway. I talk about seeing the starvation and sickness and death…never getting used to it but learning to try and tolerate it. I tell him about making clothes with my mother in order to get food. I tell him about Alec and the coal mines. I tell him about Rosemary and the little boy that always waves at me. I tell him everything except for the fact that my special place is the tree by my house, where I like to write.

                To my surprise, he never interrupts me. He listens intently, and although I can’t decipher the emotions held within his eyes, I can tell that he genuinely wanted to know. I don’t know why I told him so much, but it felt nice to finally open up and talk to someone about everything.

                “What’s it like in District 1?” I ask, breaking the silence. He doesn’t tell me about the conditions or the people. He goes right into what it’s like to be a career.

                “My father won the 46th Hunger Games. All he could ever talk about was when I would become old enough to compete…and about how I would win. He never talked about anything else. I had to be the best. And I had to win.” He says, his voice choked with emotion. “I don’t remember life before training. Every day consisted of waking up, training, eating, training, eating, training, then going to bed and repeating the same thing the next day. I trained with Althea a lot. That’s how we became friends. I was also friends with a guy named Silver. Best friends, actually. I don’t know if you remember…but…he…he died in the Games last year.”

                I can see the pain in his eyes and it breaks my heart. Tears well in my eyes once more, and despite the fact that Talon probably thinks I’m a weak, overemotional little girl, I have the urge to hold his hand. But I know better.

                “I’m so sorry,” is all I can think to say. He just continues on, as if I’d never spoken.

                “It was my last year…this year, I mean. I’m 18, and I knew I had to volunteer. If I didn’t, all those years of training would have been a waste. And my father would have probably killed me himself if I hadn’t volunteered.” He choked out a laugh. He’s quiet for a moment, and then continues once more. “When I was 12, my mother and Silver’s mother got us matching rings.” He holds up his left hand to show off a simple yet beautiful ring made of gold, with a glistening ruby in the center.

                “How does that still fit you?” I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. He slips it off and I swear I see his lips twitch into a smile but I can’t be sure.

                “It’s made with gold that’s interlaced with this…material that expands and contracts with body heat.” He explains. “Here, try it on. It’ll fit.” I open my mouth to protest but he slips it on my ring finger regardless. The material quickly contracts until it fits my finger perfectly. I can’t help but gasp, never having seen anything like that before. I quickly take it off and hand it back before I end up breaking it or something along those lines. Knowing my luck, I’d ruin the most important thing he had with him…and in return he’d slit my throat.

“They let you wear that in the Games?” I asked, baffled. He nodded, a trace of a genuine smile flickering on his face.

“Actually, I snuck it on when they escorted me to the Capitol. But I knew they’d let me wear it after they inspected it because they let Silver wear his. Anyway, our mothers knew how close we were. And I guess they always knew that one of us was going to lose the other, so they wanted a way for us to keep a part of each other always. He was like a brother to me. And well, when this year came, I wanted to fight for Silver. To win for him.” A look of determination washes over his face, and suddenly it’s Talon I want to win this Game. If I can’t win and live, I’d rather have him win. Funny how a small exchange of words would make me feel like this, but I can’t help it. And I can’t help but notice how wrong Althea was in assuming that Talon had volunteered specifically to fight alongside her. Somehow, I find relief in that.

                I can hear footsteps right outside. Speaking of Althea….

                “Hello,” her voice cheerily greets us as she steps in.

                “Took you long enough.” Talon comments.

                “Breccia and I killed a tribute lurking around in the woods.” She grins in satisfaction. My stomach lurches and I hope like hell it wasn’t Huck or Joules.

                “Good.” Talon nods, getting up.

                “Who was it?” I ask, looking up at her.

                “Like I fucking know.” She snaps, glaring down at me.

                “She wants to know if it’s that skinny shit from her district.” Talon rolls his eyes.

                “Well, it wasn’t. Although I wish it had been.” She smirks, and I try to refrain from going off on her. She doesn’t deserve the satisfaction of knowing her words get under my skin.

                “I’m off to take a piss. You girls better play nicely.” Talon warns as he steps out. Instantly, the tension inside the Cornucopia increases, and the second Talon’s footsteps fade, Althea springs at me.

                Before I can grab my spear, she’s got a knife at my neck. I struggle as she grabs me, but she’s got a vice-like grip that even someone with strength would have trouble getting out of.

                “Look at you, all dolled up for death.” She flashes a sickening smile as she observes the makeup Aemilia had put on me before the start of the Games. Of course, all of the girls had makeup on, including Althea. But she must have found it amusing that such a poor, weak girl was made to look beautiful before she was killed.

“This came for you, by the way. From a sponsor. I thought about keeping it for myself, but as far as I know, you can’t kill with tiny sheets of paper.” She quickly uses the hand not holding the knife to shove something in my arms. It’s my notebook. Despite the current situation, I smile and thank Aemilia in my mind.

                “Listen,” she demands, as if I have a choice. “This is my chance to warn you not to cross me. Don’t do anything I won’t like, understand? Alabaster wants to kill you himself, and I won’t mess with that. But I can kill that boy from your district. You know I can. And I’ll make you watch.” She doesn’t know that Huck and I barely know each other. She doesn’t know how close we are at all. But she knows that’ll hurt me. She knows that I care about him. For all I know, she saw me save him. But of course, I can’t show any emotion. I can’t let her know the emotions her threat elicits.

                “And you may think Talon will protect you…being the strong, handsome man that he is, right?” she smirks, her voice disgustingly sweet. I don’t respond. “Well, he won’t. I’m his closest friend here. And don’t think that lust works in your favor. How could he ever want someone with a body like yours, when he could have someone with a body like mine? He could win and have any girl he wants. He won’t waste a breath on you unless it benefits him. But you should know that.”

                And with that she lets me go as Talon walks in. Althea and I both act nonchalant as he settles in between us and lies down. I lie down as well, pulling on the blanket he gave me. He’s not touching me at all, but I can feel his body heat, and I quickly move away.

                “Goodnight ladies.” Talon yawns, resting his head on his pack and shutting his eyes.

                “Goodnight.” Althea and I respond automatically. I turn away from them and am engulfed in silence. I wonder when they’ll play the Anthem. It’s my only way of knowing if Huck is alive.

                “You’re shivering.” Talon’s voice interrupts my thoughts, and before I can turn to see who he’s talking to, Althea laughs softly.

                “Yeah. It’s still cold even with these clothes on that are supposed to protect us. Stupid pieces of shit.” She mutters.

                “Come here,” he chuckles. “I’ve got a blanket. We can share.”

"Alabaster's the guy?!"  I snorted trying to keeping my laughter from escaping and quickly bit my lip to keep a straight face.  Laughter still ensued, but it was Talon that didn't do anything to keep it in.  To my surprise, it was Althea who raised her weapon to us.

"Whoa!" Lux put his hands up.  "Cut us a little slack, will ya?  It's the first day.  At least make us seem harder to kill by giving us a day."

I watched carefully, making absolute certain that the three of them weren't going to start hacking us to pieces.  It was then that I started noticing movement behind them.  I tried to keep the attention away from me as I stealthily peered beyond them to see what or who was behind them that caused the movement.  I couldn't help but smiled a little when I saw it was Delta and Blank.  The youngest.  The ones that Lux and I had recently grown attached too.

I gently tapped a finger on Lux's hand and he quickly noticed who was coming or our rescue.  He was radiating amusement as Alabaster got in his face and did his duty as being scary and unecessary to the games.  Lucky for him, Lux hadn't gotten a weapon yet.  Well, he did, but he gave it to me so I could defend myself.

Blank started a countdown with his hand starting with 'three',  Delta continued with 'two', and by the time 'one' came around they were aiming tree icicles at Althea, Talon, and Alabaster.  It was too late, but I still felt the instant dread that be the sorrow I would feel after Alabster, Althea, and Talon would catch up to them after they threw the ice.

"NOW!" It was incredible how accurate Delta and Blank were.  Alabaster was furious, Althea started chasing after them immediately and Talon just stood there not knowing what to do.  He didn't move but he watched Althea and Alabaster being outran and outsmarted by these kids.  Lux motioned his head for me to start running and I wasn't so sure if I should.  I was worried about them.

"This is their strategy, Joules.  Now, go!"  I looked back over to where they were being chased and they seemed to be enjoying themselves by making a fool out of Alabaster.  If I didn't know Alabaster was trying to kill them it would've been rather comical.  It was then that I noticed Talon had been watching us.  Well, he was glaring at me to be specific.

"You did all of this to help her?  Why?  You put yourselves in danger for her."  Lux was trying to pull me away and all I could do was smile back at Talon knowingly.  He couldn't deny it to someone who already knew.  When he was allowed to kill, he didn't.  He could threaten all he want but he knew it couldn't change what I knew.

"When you figure out why you decided to help her during training, you'll know the answer to your question, Talon Keene."  I took one last look at the happening going on with Alabaster and the kids when I saw them running toward us.  Althea and Alabaster were busy with someone else that happened to show up.  Just our luck.  I'd have to ask the kids if they knew who it was once we got back to safety.

Lux ended up giving Delta and ride on his back since she wasn't exactly the fastest of runners.  She was just particularily good at evasion and that was Althea's weakness.

"She was super slow.  Blank almost got hit a couple of times but he's really fast." Delta grinned.  We had found a clearing maybe 6 miles away from where we had been.  It was late enough in the day where the rest of the tributes were assumedly getting their camps set and looking through their cornicopia gems they had managed to get.  Lux and Blank were the only ones that had gotten anything.  Delta then began to tell us about how Talon had let her go in the Cornucopia which was why they had spared him any such harm with the icsicles.

"Who was it that they were attacking when you came to us, Blank?"  I watched him glance over at Delta who grew instantly quiet.  "Blank, who was it?"

"That guy you were training with."  I turned to Lux.  "Chamfer was his name, right?"

I nodded.  "He taught me how to defend myself.  I taught him about knots . . ."  I realized then that our trade wasn't fair.  Knots weren't that useful in terms of defense but only with food.  In warmer climates.  Not in this eternal winter we were trapped in.  "Are you two warm enough?"

"There's that maternal instinct.  I was wondering when it'd kick in."  Lux smirked while the kids giggled and assured me they were warm enough but were a little hungry.

"Well, let's melt some snow into some water.  We'll be needing a lot of it later."  Lux and Blank agreed to keep a watch out while Delta and I melt water.  We decided that it was the safest night to start a fire to melt enough snow for a few days worth of water.  Besides, it was better to boil it to get rid of the bacteria as well as keeping a bag of it by us at all times so we wouldn't freeze.

"You thought of everything, Joules.  I wish my mom taught me things like this."  I instincitvely reached out and gently scratched her head and brushed away the falling snowing from her hair.

"I only just thought of these things when I realized this whole place was frozen.  I'm just glad we found a safe area to tell you two about it just in case you have to go it alone."  I smiled.

"You're leaving us?"  I heard Blank exclaim and abandoned his watch to attach himself to me.  "Don't leave us!"

"We're not going to leave you."  Lux trudged over to the three of us.  "Not unless we're dead, okay?"  

"But--!"

"No, buts.  We're not leaving you two.  Is that understood?"  I gave them a look that I don't remember ever adopting but it seemed to work as they nodded slowly.  "Good.  Now, it's getting late.  Grab a warm bottle and try to get some good sleep, okay?"

                “20 seconds,” A soothing, almost robotic male voice murmured over speakers that I couldn’t see.

                “Come.” Aemilia said to me, taking my hand and bringing me towards the tube.

                “Um…my notebook…” I stutter, causing her to look back at me with expectant eyes. “It…could you um…it’s very important to me. Could you find a way to send it to me?”

                “Well…sure…” she nods, giving me a strange look that’s quickly replaced with a false smile as she drags me forward. She didn’t understand what I wanted it for…that I would use it to keep tabs on everyone in the arena.

                “10 seconds,” the robotic voice rang through the room again as I stepped into the tube and it began to rise up. The tube was soundproof, and the rise to the arena really wasn’t that far…but it seemed like an eternity as I waited for my fate with my heart pounding in my chest harder than it ever had.

                “5 seconds.” I was welcomed with the sight of a completely frozen arena. In an instant, I myself felt frozen with fear. This was worse than I had ever imagined. Glaciers and snow and ice…wind whipping harshly against my clothes that seemed to magically be keeping me warm despite how thin they were…

                There were pine trees…hundreds of them just yards away from the Cornecopia that drew together as a dark, secluded woods. And there, by the Cornecopia…I saw a metal spear.

                Three…Two…

One.

                There was no time to think any longer about the conditions. Immediately, all 24 of us dashed off the starting points. My eyes trained on the spear, I bolted forward. A male scream of pain pierced through the air, but I couldn’t even stop to look to see who it was. My heartbeat rang in my ears as another scream ripped through the air, female this time. I reached down to grab the metal spear as I passed it and continued running for my life into the woods.

                Motion to my right caused my eyes to shift toward it automatically, and I saw the exact moment that Talon Keene easily plunged a spear deep into the chest of another tribute. His eyes caught mine, and it was as if everything around me became muted except for a faint but high-pitched ringing in my ears.

                I couldn’t explain the fear I felt. I knew I should look away and never look back. I knew I should probably trust no one but myself. But I had just watched someone kill someone else…and as my brain wrapped around that fact I had to struggle to keep my breakfast down. I notice panic wash over Talon’s face as he looked at something behind me.

                “Marina!”  his yell brought every sound back into my ears. I turned to my left just as a knife whizzed past me, missing my ear by centimeters. The blonde from District 2 poised to throw another knife. I opted to keep running. I was almost near the woods.

                “Breccia, stop!” I heard Alabaster yell, and to my relief, the blonde turned away from me. Alabaster continued to speak, but I didn’t listen, I just ran. I hoped like hell everyone was now fully occupied and that I could get away.

                Up ahead of me, I saw Huck slip on the icy surface and fall as he neared the woods. Despite the danger I was in and everything that was happening around me, I let out a small chuckle. Urging my sore muscles to go faster, I tried my best to catch up to him. To my horror, someone else was closer, carrying a sickle-like weapon poised at Huck’s back.

                “Huck!” I screamed as loud as I could, frantically bringing my spear up and taking aim at the back of the other tribute. He scrambled up, and both he and the other tribute looked back at me. But I was close enough to throw now. Even though Talon had the strength to throw his spear and manage a kill from long distances away, I was now close enough where my throw could inflict the same damage.

                As quickly as I could, I aimed, and threw. Just as I had hoped, it sunk into the tribute’s back and the tribute fell forward. I had no idea how I managed to throw the spear in time before that tribute turned on me, or how I managed to hit him, but I had done it. The elation that I had just saved Huck combined with the terrifying reality of what I had just done, and once more I had to stop myself from throwing up.

                Apparently, my spear didn’t quite finish the job, and as I approached Huck he shoved my spear deeper until the tribute stopped struggling.

                “Thanks.” He said quickly to me as I blurted out apologies to the tribute as if he could hear me. I couldn’t believe I’d just taken part in ending a life, and saying sorry was an almost unconscious thing to do. Someone’s son, brother, friend, whatever he was…was gone now. Because of me. I felt my eyes fill up with tears.

                “Come on, Marina,” Huck said soothingly, but with some anxiousness in his voice. “We gotta go.” He yanked my spear out of the tribute’s back and handed it to me. As he took the tribute’s weapon, he motioned me to follow him. But the second we started moving, the one voice I feared most called out.

                “Oh, Marina!” Alabaster Stone drawled. I turned around slowly to face him, wondering what in the world he wanted and if stopping to face him would be what killed me. He held up his sword in greeting. I shivered in fear of what he might do, but at least I had Huck with me. “Looks like you don’t have as good of friends as you think you do.” Alabaster smirked, nodding his head so that I would turn back around. I glanced back quickly to see that Huck had already taken off and was unaware that I wasn’t behind him. All the adrenaline must have affected him so that he didn’t hear Alabaster had called my name. I refused to believe that he would abandon me to deal with Alabaster, Breccia, and now Talon and Althea as they walked up beside him.

                “Just let her go.” I heard Talon mutter sharply. Alabaster only laughed in reply, raising his sword. Althea lifted her bow and arrow as well, sneering at me.

                “You already let those two little demons go.” Alabaster poked his sword at Talon’s chest. Talon’s fists clenched.

                “They were just kids.” He argued.

                “So? They could very well kill you!” Alabaster yelled, turning his full attention to Talon. “I was right. You are going soft. You won’t last 24 hours in this damn arena.”

                I took this opportunity to plan my escape. Althea and Breccia were still watching me intently, but maybe with Alabaster and Talon distracted, I had a shot at getting away. I was inches from the woods, and the trees would provide cover from Breccia and Althea’s weapons, which, considering how far away from me they were, would require throwing. It was obvious Alabaster wanted my death to be on his hands.

                “I should just kill you now.” Alabaster hissed at Talon, who raised his spear in defense. My heart lurched once more in that painful, strange way I couldn’t even hope to understand.

                “Knock it off, Alabaster.” Althea growled, turning her arrow towards him. “The Games have only just begun. None of us will die yet. Do you hear me?”

                The second Breccia turned away, and all four careers were focused on each other, I took off into the woods. I didn’t know where I was going, but anywhere would be better than there. All I could do was hope that Huck realized that I wasn’t with him and had doubled back to find me. If I wasn’t mistaken, he wanted to ally with me. He was my only hope it seemed.

                “That little bitch!” I heard Althea shriek as one of her arrows sliced across my left arm. I hissed in pain but didn’t stop running. It sounded like Alabaster was saying something, and I noticed that there were no more arrows or knives thrown at me…and there were no sounds of footsteps either. But just when I thought I could slow down my pace and stop zigzagging through trees, I heard Alabaster yell as loud as he could:

                “MARINA! I JUST WANTED TO TALK! BUT IF YOU DON’T WANT TO COOPERATE, WHY DON’T YOU COME AND TALK TO MY SWORD?”

                Great, now he’s after me.

                I veered right and continued running towards who knows where. I hadn’t gone far when I nearly ran into two tributes.

                “Sorry!” I blurted, before raising my spear in defense.

                Christ, Marina, could you apologize much more? This is the Hunger Games! Focus before you get yourself killed!

                I looked up to see Joules and Lux from District 5, gazing at me in surprise and confusion. Joules recovered first and smiled warmly at me.

                “Lu, don’t worry, she’s good.” she whispered before Lux could charge at me. I lowered my spear hesitantly as Lux slowly calmed down. He offered me a small smile.

“Have you seen Huck?” I couldn’t help but ask. “The boy from my district?” I added in. Concern washed over Joules face instantly.

“No, sorry. We haven’t.” she murmured. I nodded. Maybe they could be my allies?

                “Oh, Marina!” Alabaster’s voice rang through the woods, much closer than I thought. I had almost forgotten he was after me. Lux instantly tensed, and I snapped to get his attention back on me.

                “You two, you both need to go!” I hissed. “Get out, don’t let him find you. I know you both know how strong he is. Go! He’s after me.”

                “We can distract him!” Joules insisted. I shook my head, but she didn’t back down. “It’s already getting dark. Just keep going the direction you were going and we’ll head across here.”

Thankful for the rare seclusion of the elevator, I went over the things I did today.  I attempted to spy on Alabaster Stone and failed horrendously as he made a throat-slitting motion in my direction and that was the end of that.  After that, I had managed to talk to the two youngest tributes from District Four, Blank and Delta.  It was now official that the four us would be allies -- Lux, Blank, Delta, and I -- and make the best of our time together in the arena before it got to the worst of it.

As I exited the elevator, I found myself wondering how I had managed the amount of actual and pending allies.  I had a total of four actual allies, which consisted of Lux, Chamfer, Blank, and Delta, and two pending allies -- Marina Pellgrove and Huck Wellwood.  Three tributes were a definite stay-away-from-them-no-matter-what-they-say-to-me zone of enemy which happened to be Alabaster Stone, Althea Vipointe, and Talon Keene.  The rest were all entirely neutral which makes things a lot harder to deal with wince you never know how capable they are in wanting to kill you.

I was immediately greeted by my mentor with a million questions.  Regardless of my refusal for help from them, they always would persist in knowing things that I had somehow discovered.  So, ignoring them with every ounce of patience I had, I grabbed Lux by the hand and pulled him to my room.  It was the night before the games and being bombarded with questions wasn't what I wanted nor needed.

"Joules?"  I glanced back at him, but didn't stop until we were completely alone and couldn't be bothered.  I needed this to be our time.  Our last time.  "Hey . . ."

"I'm so scared, Lu." I choked out.  It was hard enough knowing I was going insane from fear.  It was something else entirely when you know the person you love is doing the same and the only thing you can do is be insanely afraid together.  Forget being strong for the other person.  We were both such weak and fragile beings that we've accepted death before we've gotten there.  Somehow there's comfort in that.

"I know," was all he could muster and I just knew with everything I was that my heard was breaking and I was already losing him.  He wrapped his arms around me firmly.  We stood there like that and stayed that way for a long time.  This was as together as we could possibly be.

"Lu?"  I felt his voice hum his wordless response.  "What's your plan?"

"Well . . . I don't have one."

"At all?"  I swallowed.  I wasn't entirely surprised, but I couldn't keep it from my voice.

"You've always been the one with the better plans, remember?"  I heard him smile and I couldn't help but match what it sounded like.  I slowly looped my arms around him, his arms still around me.  "So, you tell me what the plan is."

"You already know my plan, Lu."  I kissed his shoulder lightly. 

"Then, I'll make sure that plan is fulfilled."

 "But, plan or no plan, stay away from Alabaster Stone, okay?"

"You too, okay?"

"You don't have to tell me twice."

"Well, you're no damsel in distress."

"And you're no gentleman."  I chuckled.

He finally let go of me and studied my face, smiling in a nostalgic way that only we could understand.

"Got any bets?"  I just smiled.  "You probably already know mine."

"And you probably know mine."

"Me, right?"  I nodded.  "You always have the better bets.  You're definitely winning this year."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

There's nothing worse than waking up from a night of being safely held in the arms of the person you love to be separated for preparation of a televised match with twenty-four other children fighting for survival and causing certain death.

Lartius couldn't seem to be bothered to care that we had feelings and immediately said that his bets would be on Alabaster Stone.  A good scolding from the mentor caused him just to leave the area and be ashamed of his District's tributes elsewhere.

Who knew that looking my best was necessary when entering a death match?  Heaven forbid I look like a train wreck before a tribute mutilates me into something far worse.

The clothes were actually practical and very familiar to me.  Cargo pants with bulking pockets would make carrying things easy if I didn't snatch a bag at all.  But my years of experience with having no money meant I could find something to make my own bag with.  I still would need a weapon.  I couldn't avoid people forever especially since the Gamekeeper would never allow a boring tribute to stay alive for very long.

As I dressed, I fondly remembered that time with Lux before we were rudely awakened and pulled to our 'duties.'  Neither of us could sleep, but we didn't want to bother the other either.  The last thing I remember was finally sleeping after Lux said he couldn't hide his love from me if he tried in the arena.  So, no more keeping us a secret.  I think he was finally realizing how much harder it would be for both of us to keep ourselves from each other.  That was one giant stress lifted which made today only a small bit bearable.  Not much at all, but just by a small percentage regardless.

Peacekeepers came and gathered us all and we were collectively lead to the hovercrafts that would bring us to the arena.  The worst part of this was that we could only plan so much in regards to what we'd do.  Every year the arena was different.  It could be a desert with no such water source save for a small, simple oasis.  Another arena could be filled mainly with water with the smallest island of land.  Or an abandoned city from the Old Times with buildings and cars fit to be safe havens or explosives.  Another point was the weather.  Even in the desert they could make it opposingly cold when it's expected to be extreme heat.

"Arm." A Peacekeeper roughly grabbed hold my my forearm and jabbed me with an incredibly thick needle without a proper warning.

"Well, that's one way to give you a shot."  I turned to Lux and gave him a concerned look.  He was terrified of needles.  It worked out fine until now.  Bless his heart for being light-hearted about it all.  "It's our tracker.  So they know where we are and when we die."

Oh.  I suddenly realized he was trying to comfort Blank and Delta while trying to help himself cope with what happened.  My heart swelled with pride for him.  While he was preoccupied with that, I took advantage of surveying the tributes for the last time before death would ensue.

District's One through Six were seated on one side of the hovercraft while Seven through Twelve sat opposite us.  I found myself parallel to Alara Timor from District Eleven.  Diagonal from me was Marina Pellgrove and Huck Wellwood and they were currently getting their shots of stalker-tracker.  She was taking it better than he was.  Amusing.

I felt a sudden pang of concern for Chamfer who I gathered was sitting across from Alabaster Stone.  No doubt he was explaining how he would rip Chamfer to pieces and cook them later for meals in the games.  I shivered at the thought and was thankful for the distraction of the hovercraft finally landing.

We were herded into rooms that would elevate us into the arena alone where we would wait for the countdown to reach 'begin.'  My fashion designer was waiting for me there with a jacket.  She told me there were some modifications done to them this year and she began to explain when the countdown started with sixty seconds remaining.

I was immediately ushered into the platform where I was surrounded by a tube-like structure.  Once my feet were firmly planted onto the platform, I started to ascend.  This was something that I was dreading.  This was actually happening.  But all of that left my mind when I surfaced and I knew my plans were going to change.

                “What shall we do first?” I ask as soon as I approach him.

                “Well, I was thinking we could start with the swords.” He says, grabbing two swords out of the bin next to him.

                “Swords?” I mutter nervously. It’s the night before the Games and I’m just now learning how to sword fight? That doesn’t make much sense.

                “I know you haven’t had much practice, but you have to be able to use something if you can’t get a spear.” He tosses a sword to me end first and I barely catch it, instinctively squeezing my eyes shut. “Come on, let’s get started.” He chuckles and drags me toward an open area.

                “This thing is…heavy.” I observe, clutching it with two hands.

                “Of course it is. It needs to be.” He informs me, expertly holding the sword up with only his right hand. “The proper way to hold a sword is only with one hand…technically…but I highly doubt a proper swordfight is what you’ll get in the arena, so we’ll just work on some basics.”

                An hour ticked by, and Talon and I were still using the swords. By now, he had me fighting against him. My breathing was heavy, my arms were exhausted, but I was improving. And he insisted that we wouldn’t take it any further than this, seeing as the Games were tomorrow.

               “Where does Althea think you are?” I ask, blocking his thrust.

                “She knows I’m training. She just doesn’t know you’re with me.” He winked as he blocked my swing.

                “Same with Huck, although I think he has his suspicions.” Talon’s eyes darkened at Huck’s name but surprisingly he didn’t insult him.

                “Dead.” He told me as I failed to block his thrust and his sword poked me lightly on the skin over my heart. “Again.” He commanded.  We backed up from one another and started again. This time I came up to him and pivoted around on my left foot, turning with my sword until I could see him again. Although I had been quick, my tired arms dragged down and my sword was near his legs. With one quick swing, I felt his blade on my neck, indicating that I would have been beheaded. “Dead.” He said between panting breaths. “You’re getting much better, though. Don’t beat yourself up about this.”

                “Yeah, well I doubt ‘much better’ will keep me alive.” I spat. His jaw clenched but he didn’t argue with me.

                “Again.” was all he said.

                I blocked his first thrust, but the moment I tried to swing from the side, he blocked it. Using his weight, he pushed my sword back with his sword, which in turn pushed me back. I pushed with my weight as well, and as soon as he drew his sword back I made a thrust toward his heart, careful to not actually stab him.

                “Dead.” I was elated to say, feeling myself grin automatically.

                “Lucky move, but yes, you got me,” he smiled back.

                “One more go at it?” I pleaded. He sighed heavily.

                “Alright, one more.”

                As soon as we began, Talon heaved his sword down at me and I blocked it. But he seemed to be slightly on edge at the fact that I had beaten him last round, and with a quick shove with his sword against mine, I lost my balance and fell back hard onto the ground.

                “Shit, sorry,” he blurted, looking terrified as if he’d forgotten how much strength he possessed. “Did I hurt you?”

                “No,” I giggled at his tone and expression. He let out a shaky laugh of relief.

                “Here, let me help you up,” he held out his hand.

                “I’m perfectly capable, Mr. Keene, but thanks.” I grabbed his hand but with a mischievous thought, I yanked down just to see how much strength I had when he was caught off guard. Just as I had hoped, with widened eyes he fell on top of me.

                “Oops,” I tried to look innocent.

                “Damn you.” He laughed, pinning my wrists down as he pushed himself up slightly. But to my surprise, he didn’t let go or get up. And as his smile faded I realized how close we were and how our bodies were touching. Heat flooded to my cheeks immediately and my only thought was that whatever he was thinking…whatever I was thinking…it wasn’t good. Any moment like this one was another moment that would let myself feel closer to him. That was a weakness. And for all I knew, him trying to get closer to me was just an act.

                Before I could shove him off, we heard footsteps outside. Glancing up, I saw Joules, the District 5 girl, walk by the doors. A knowing smile flickered on her lips as she peered at Talon, followed by a look of worry at me. But she didn’t stop into the training room. She kept walking past.

                “Dammit!” Talon hissed as he got up quickly. He took off after her. “Damn her for sneaking around and-”

                “Talon!” I shouted after him. He turned around, the anger on his face almost frightening. But I spoke up. “Don’t worry about her.”

                “Don’t worry? No one was supposed to see us! And that little shit’s onto us, I know she is! She’s gonna tell every-”

                “No, she won’t, Talon. Trust me! I promise you, she’s alright.” I put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He exhaled angrily but didn’t go after her.

                “Whatever. Let’s get water.” He mumbled, going toward the shelf full of sleek, metallic water bottles. Grabbing one and taking a long swig, he turned to me. “So the Gamekeepers gave you a score of 3?”

                “Um…yeah…”I blushed at the memory. I’d been so nervous that I missed the target on my first spear throw. But none of the Gamekeepers had been paying attention to me anyways, as I was from District 12. “I figured that was fine though…if I had gotten a good score, I might as well draw a target on my back and just stand there in the arena tomorrow to get my death over with.”

                “Exactly my thinking.” His smile was finally back. “You wanna do a few more throws though? Just to be safe? We’ll call it a night after that.”

                “Sounds good to me.” I grabbed a spear from the bin and tossed it to him. He easily caught it and I grabbed another and followed him to the targets. After around 10 throws, we decided we were done for the night. Talon said he was going to stay back and stretch a little and maybe lift some weights. I managed to talk him out of the weights, but he was insistent on stretching and said I should do some before bed.

                “Get some good rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” he told me. I nodded and began to walk out of the training room when I realized that I was still clutching the spear. With my tiredness and anxiousness, this wasn’t much of a surprise, but I still chuckled as I walked back in to put it away.

                What was a surprise was seeing Alabaster, the boy from District 2, talking to Talon. They seemed to be arguing and I quickly snuck behind the racks of weights to overhear. In any other circumstance, I’d say this wasn’t my business…but with the Hunger Games this could very well be.

                “You’re going soft, aren’t you?” Alabaster grinned in a way that made me shiver. He just looked like someone to be afraid of, despite being only 14. From what others had said, he was the most violent…and the look in his eyes certainly showed that.

                “Of course not!” Talon scoffed.

                “So you’re saying that little District 12 slut means nothing to you?” Alabaster continued to smile. Talon winced at his words but continued to speak.

                “No. She doesn’t mean anything to me.” My heart ached at those words for some reason, but I shoved it away. He shouldn’t mean anything to me either.

                “Listen, Keene. I like you. I trust you even more than Breccia, the girl from my district. I think you and I could make it to the final two…and end it with the battle of the best…more epic and violent than anyone has ever seen. But that’ll only happen if you don’t let anyone else drag you down.”

                “She won’t drag me down. She’ll help us kill off the other tributes quickly.” Talon promised.

                “As I hope she will. But when the time comes, will you let me kill her? I’ve thought long and hard about her death….maybe slow stabs with a knife in her heart…maybe a stab in the neck that leaves her gasping and choking on her own blood…something that is slow, painful, but yet enjoyable to watch.” My heart pounded in my ears as I found his words terrifying me more than anything else had.

                “Let me kill her.” Talon choked out, his face pale and full of disgust at Alabaster’s sick nature. I felt tears fill my eyes. He promised he wouldn’t kill me. I knew I shouldn’t trust him but he promised that he wouldn’t kill me.

                “Ah, but will you do it well?” Alabaster asked. Talon nodded. “Good, because I’m sure I’ll be there…and if you try to spare her some pain, I’ll kill her myself and you’ll be the next person I torture. I want to be able to know that she means nothing to you. I want to be able to know that she will do everything we tell her to and that you’ll kill her if she doesn’t. I want to be able to know I can count on you to end her when she is no longer useful. Do I have your word?”

                There was a long pause. Talon’s face was full of emotions I couldn’t read. But when he nodded, and the two of them shook hands, I knew I was done for. I’d been betrayed by the one person I thought I would get the chance to trust.

                Alabaster walked out the opposite door of me, satisfied at Talon’s loyalty. Once he was gone, I walked out from behind the weights and toward the bin of spears. I walked past Talon, shoving my spear into the bin. His gasp proved that my facial expression gave me away. He knew I’d heard everything.

                “Marina, it’s not what you think!” he sputtered, reaching out to me.

                “Get off!” I screeched, shoving him away as the tears began to fall. I stomped out of the training room into the hallway towards the living quarters. Walking right past Joules, I tried to hide my face from her view.

                “What the fuck are you looking at, five?” Talon spat as he tried to catch up with me.

                “What did you do to her?” Joules demanded.

                “I don’t remember my actions or Marina’s being any of your business, five!” he shouted in a final tone, and I didn’t hear her voice any more. “Marina!” I heard Talon calling my name over and over as he followed me all the way back to the room where I was staying.

                “Go away, Talon!” I spat, opening the door and slamming it behind me.

                “Marina, dear!” Effie exclaimed at my loud entrance.

                “It’s the District 1 boy.” I muttered as Huck came into the room. “Get rid of him for me, Effie, please.”

                “Oh, of course, darling!” Effie drawled, looking flustered as she made her way to the door. “I cannot believe he would have the nerve to even bring himself here.”

                “Marina, what’s wrong?” Huck asked, approaching me and searching my face with worry.

                “Nothing’s wrong, Huck. I just want to be alone. Please.” I said tiredly, waving him away.

                “But Marina…what did he do? Did he hurt you? Marina!” he tried to get my attention as I walked into my room. “If he hurt you I swear I’ll-” I shut the door into his face and locked it before he could finish his sentence. Feeling the hot, angry tears finally make their way down my cheeks, I collapsed onto the floor and let the sobs escape me.

                Not all of this emotion was Talon’s fault. The Games were tomorrow, and the pressure was getting to me. But upon finding out that the one person I began to trust was using me and lying about it, I broke down. I never let anyone into my life, and I knew I shouldn’t have let him in, but I did because I needed the help. And I thought he actually wanted to help me for my own benefit. How stupid of me to think such a thing. This was the Hunger Games. No one truly wanted to help anyone if they weren’t getting anything in return.

                “But I am from District 1! I should be allowed to speak with her for a few moments!” I heard Talon’s voice protest from outside the wall of my room. I never realized that I could actually hear what was going on out in the hallway from my room…but that was probably because no one was ever really there, much less shouting like Talon was.

                “You may be from District 1, Mr. Keene,” Effie began. “But you are still a tribute. If I do not wish to see you, then you are not to come in. Do you understand?”

                “But I just want to explain to her that-” Talon started.

                “Shut up, you arrogant bastard!” Huck’s voice interrupted. “It’s the night before the Games…don’t you have someplace else more important to be?”

                “No.” Talon responded firmly. No? What the hell was he doing? Why was he acting like this? Why was he so insistent on talking to me? I found out he was using me, so what? That still won’t damage whatever strategy he has. All he has to do if I can’t help him is kill me. One less person to get in his way of winning.

                “Like hell you don’t. Go back to your room and-”

                “Don’t tell me what to do, Scrawny.” Talon sneered, apparently giving Huck a nickname due to his starved skinny figure.

                “-don’t even look at Marina the wrong way or I swear I’ll-”

                “What’s she to you, huh?” Talon’s voice is getting louder, and I can hear the footsteps of what I can only assume are Peacekeepers holding them back from one another.

 I can hear Effie making a fuss but Haymitch’s voice interrupts her, saying something like “Just let them go at it. It’s better if they get it out now then when they’re in front of the cameras. And this may motivate him for the Games.” I know this convinces Effie because I can hear her footsteps coming back inside as Talon continues.

“You’re just a womanizer. A goddamn womanizer. And every guy can see it. I see the way you look at Althea from my District…how you look at that one girl from District 5…how you look at…Marina….”

                The way Huck looks at me? I’ve never noticed anything but a slight amount of arrogance brought on by his nervousness. And I’ve never seen him look at any of the girls any differently than he looked at anyone else. Was Talon seeing something I wasn’t, or did he actually feel threatened by Huck, of all people?

                “Oh yeah? You think I’m the bad one here?” Huck hisses. “All this attention you give Marina, it makes me sick. You’re just using her and I’ve been trying to tell her that. She tells me she knows, but she keeps going back because she thinks she needs the help you have to offer.”

                “I’m just trying to help her. I don’t understand why that’s so hard to believe.” Talon sighs angrily. I wished more than anything I could see his face right now. I needed to see if he was lying.

                “Oh maybe it has something to do with the fact that you’re from District 1.” Huck mocks.

                “So that means I can’t help someone if I so choose to?” Talon argues.

                “You’re not helping anyone….you’re just doing what you can to help yourself. Everyone knows that the second she becomes useless to you, you’ll kill her.”

                “I’m not going to kill her. And here you’re going to tell me that you don’t intend to kill her either?”

                “I don’t intend to.” Huck says lowly, and I press my ear against the wall to hear them better.

                “Say what you want, but we’re not required to believe and trust one another. This conversation is over.” I hear Talon’s footsteps as he walks away.

                “If there’s anything I intend to do,” Huck calls out. “It’ll be to kill you.”