Min Yan’s POV:

‘’ Tributes! Good morning and Happy Hunger Games! Firstly, I’d like to congratulate you all on getting to day three, there are fourteen of you left in total and I wish you all the best of luck. As you are all very aware of, the Capitol has been voting on the special attractions that you will all be facing each day of the Games. Today is a new day, the mermaid sirens are gone with the tributes they took down with them, and I am happy to announce today’s attraction.

Today, to remind you all just how much blood has been spilt over the course of the Hunger Games, it will rain...in blood. The arena will be ravaged by storms, bad weather and of course the aforementioned blood rain until the equivalent of one hundred and twenty five years worth of blood has rained down upon you all. This blood includes the tributes, the beasts and mutts, the deaths brought on by revolts in Districts and of course the blood lost in the war that resulted in the creation of the Hunger Games. The storms will begin at twelve noon meaning thirty minutes. I look forward to speaking to you all again later, but until then, may the odds be ever in your favour.’’ The voice of the President booms throughout the arena, as he talks we are silent – it seems as though the whole island is – and when he finish we glance at each other in horror.

This is not going to be pleasant.

‘’ Oh God.’’ I mutter, thinking aloud. ‘’ How long will that rain last?’’

Stitch stays silent for a few moments, doing the addition in his head. ‘’ Hours. Tens of thousands have lost their lives in the last one hundred and twenty five years. Especially considering the fact that they are taking the Great War of Panem into consideration. It’s going to last the whole day.’’

‘’ Oh God. We should try find shelter somewhere.’’ I suggest.

‘’ Yeah, but we need to stay away from the housing area, it’s unlikely but the twins and them could still be there. I don’t fancy are chances if we’re down two to one.’’

‘’ Me neither.’’ He replies and we walk on.

We walk in silence most of the way as we manoeuvre through the trees, I’m actually quite glad I have Stitch despite the way I felt at the beginning of all this. He has given me some security. If there were no pairings, I wouldn’t have been able to pair with someone, through fear of being betrayed. The fact that we are a team permanently, no matter what gives a sense of security.

‘’ Have you ever been in love?’’ Questions Stitch.

‘’ I don’t really know, I’ve had a few crushes that I wish had became more than just that, but I don’t think so. I mean, what is love really?’’

‘’ My mum once told me true love is when you no longer have to hold in your farts.’’ He explains, there is a moment of silence between us – perhaps he thinks he has offended or disgusted me.

I grin widely at him and the two of us burst into laughter. ‘’ What!?’’

‘’ Think about it.’’ He replies. ‘’ It does make sense.’’

‘’ I suppose it does.’’ I grin.

‘’ I reckon it’s love when all the songs make sense.’’ He adds.

‘’ Do they?’’ I question.

He nods.

‘’ Do you have a girl back home?’’ I ask. ‘’ What’s she like.’’

‘’ I don’t, no. I’m not even sure if I am in love. I’m confused. My head is telling me one thing, but my heart the other. It’s difficult.’’

‘’ What do you mean?’’ I ask, hoping he isn’t insinuating what I think he is.

‘’ I dunno, it’s just I’ve never been one for romances in the Hunger Games, they are a stupid idea because only one of the pair would survive – and that’s if circumstances allow. But I guess this is different, because two can leave the arena...’’

Oh God. No. Please no. Please.

‘’ Stitch, I-‘’ I begin but he cuts me off.

‘’ No, wait. Can I just say something?’’

Reluctantly, I nod.

‘’ I have never been with a girl, heck I’ve never even kissed a girl! Why don’t we just try it? We might like each other.’’ He suggests and I feel as though I’ve been punched in the gut, why is he doing this?

‘’ I’m sorry Stitch, but-‘’ I begin.

‘’ Please.’’ He pleads. ‘’ Please, I really like you.’’

‘’ I’m sorry, there’s someone else. I have a boyfriend at home.’’ I explain, trying to sound as convincing as I can so he’ll believe it to be the truth. Sometimes white lies are better than the truth.

‘’ You’re lying.’’ He retorts, there is anger in his tone. ‘’ YOU’RE LYING!’’

‘’ Shh!’’ I order as he screams. ‘’ I’m not lying, I think you’re very good looking, I just don’t want to cheat on my boyfriend.’’

‘’ I don’t believe you.’’ He spits angrily, stopping as we walk and turning to face me.

‘’ I’m not lying. I would kiss you otherwise.’’ I lie; he is really beginning to scare me. I feel really uncomfortable in his presence. I have no choice though.

He continues walking and I follow. What the hell was that?! What’s wrong with him? Where did that even come from? I watch him caressing the knife in his grip as he walks. He stares at it and then to me, I pretend not to notice.

Oh my God! He wouldn’t kill me would he? No. We’re partners. He’d die too.

‘’ You know I’ve thought about suicide...No girls want me. All guys mock me. I’ve tried before. Max talked me out of it. But what do I really have to live for if we do get out of this? A shitty life alone? I don’t like the sound of that.’’

‘’ You won’t be alone forever. You’ll meet someone, there’s plenty of fish in the sea.’’ I say with a smile containing so much fear I’m sure he can tell it is fake.

‘’ Yeah but out of those fish, only one is suited to me. Do you understand how hard it is to find that person?’’

I nod, unsure of what else to say or do.

‘’ What’s your boyfriend’s name?’’ He questions.

I falter. ‘’ Eric.’’

‘’ I knew it!’’ He roars, drawing his knife and holding it towards me. I know he is not stronger than me, or faster but there is not much I can do to him. If I fight and kill him, I die. If I don’t fight then he’ll kill me. My options are quite limited.

Before he can say another word, I place my arm on his face and pull him close to me. My lips lock around his and I hear his dagger fall to the floor. He places both his hands on my ass and lifts me towards him. I try to fight the urge to recoil and wrap my arms around him. He leads the kiss; a lot more passionately than me and more fierce, I am more timid and reluctant. He doesn’t see this of course.

‘’ I knew you liked me. You were just playing hard to get weren’t you!?’’ He laughs, and I nod.

I have never felt so powerless in my whole life. I am no longer the hunter girl, the deadly sword wielder. I am no longer the girl from training, one of the highest ranking tributes. I am a shell of my old self. My father and sister are watching me on television right now, I just know it. This is not me. I’m not some girly girl that is dominated by a boy, I am an independent woman. This is not me. This is not me.

I feel a tear trickle down my face and I hope he doesn’t notice. This is not me. My family will be so ashamed of me.

Echo Spark’s POV:

I stand with Osmo beside me outside the lighthouse. There is a storm coming, there is absolutely no way we can stay at the lighthouse. In a matter of minutes the sky has darkened and filled with puffy black clouds that look like they will be troublesome. I have to get to the shore again, it isn’t safe for us hear. The problem is Osmo though; he isn’t the same since the sirens. Hopefully they will have something for him in the Capitol, but for now he is gone mentally.

I feel like I should still be crying, but after last night and all the muttering and screaming he did in his sleep, I feel pretty dried out – there are no more tears inside me. I hold his hand in mine, which twitches every so often and is accompanied by him muttering something under his breath. God only knows what the Games has done to the other tributes, but this is how it has taken its toll on Osmo.

‘’ OK Osmo, we’re going to go swimming again OK?’’ I say calmly, guiding him towards the water’s edge.

‘’ No! No! NO!’’ He screams, wriggling in my grip, desperately trying to break free.

‘’ We have no choice, we have to get back to the shore. It isn’t safe here, there’s a storm coming.’’ I explain, however my words do nothing, he continues to scream at the top of his lungs.

As he screams, there is a clap of thunder and a streak of lighting splits the sky. As it does, the heavens open and it begins to rain – as promised – blood. Osmo begins to scream even louder, roaring at the top of his voice as though someone is shoving needles into his skull. He shrieks and shrieks no matter what I say to him, again I feel I should be crying, but no tears come. As the blood splashes against my skin, I shiver and goose bumps break out along my arms and across the back of my neck. The Capitol has officially reached a new level of cruelty.

I grab Osmo again and pull him towards the water – now the waves have gotten violent, they smash against the rocks with an unbelievable amount of force. If we don’t get to shore soon, we are going to die. As I pull him, he wriggles again however due to the blood and water now coating my body, I lose my grip on him and he sprints back into the lighthouse – still screaming at the top of his lungs.

I dash after him as he darts up the stairs to the room I tied him up in yesterday. He sprints across the room and sits on the floor in the corner of the room, rocking back and forth with his hands over his ears and his mouth wide in a scream.

‘’ Osmo please! We have to go!’’ I roar, the noise of the wind and the rain smashing against the building is getting increasingly louder.

‘’ No! Not the water!’’ He roars. ‘’ You murdered the sirens. I won’t swim in their blood!’’

‘’ Please!’’ I roar, turning from Osmo and glancing around the room, hoping there is a camera that will pick me up on it. ‘’ Help us. Send us a sponsor gift! Please! Help us get to shore!’’

I dash outside, leaving Osmo screaming in the room as I head out in hope of a gift from someone. Anyone. Anything that will help us.

‘’ Please! We’re going to die if we stay here!’’ I scream up at the sky, blood splatters against my skin as it falls from the heavens above and I fight the urge to gag. It smells foul, it smells like death. ‘’ Please!’’

Osmo’s screams continue from inside the building.

‘’ PLEASE!’’

A few seconds drag by, and then I spot it. A metal parcel gliding towards me from the sky – as though it appeared from nowhere. I jump up into the air and catch it as it slowly descends and dash back into the lighthouse. I toss it on the floor and tear it open. It is a small metal sphere.

There is a note attached; ‘’ Throw it into the water and get in it! ‘’

What it is, I don’t know.

I dash back upstairs and pull Osmo to his feet. He lashing out at me as I drag him downstairs, protesting with screams about entering the water. I try to explain to him what is going on but his screams won’t allow that.

I drag him outside and back towards the water; I then drop the ball into the water and watch as it blows up into a small yellow inflatable dinghy. It is a boat. Without stopping to think, I shove Osmo forwards into the boat, and hop in myself. The momentum of my jump pushes us a few meters through the water and we leave the lighthouse. Osmo continues to scream, however he curls up in a ball and covers his ears – thankfully he doesn’t try to jump out.

The waves are rough, and we are tossed about in the tiny boat so much that I almost fall out on several occasions. The boat is slowly filling with blood from the rain and the ever increasing wave strength and height threaten to capsize us with each passing second.

I stare at Osmo as he roars. What is going on inside his head? What did the sirens do to him? What did I do to him? I approach him in the boat, raising my hand to place it on his shoulder and then the unthinkable happens – a wave crashes into us and we are both tossed from the boat.

As soon as I go under I feel the waves toss me about, and I have to fight hard to make it to the surface again. I am slowly being dragged further and further lower in the water. Instinctively, I wriggle from my bag and let it fall – swimming with just my bow and quiver of arrows – so I’m not pulled deeper under. I kick my legs as hard as I can and break the surface, gasping to draw oxygen into my lungs.

I look around for Osmo, he hasn’t yet resurfaced and the waves crashing into my faces accompanying the blood rain pouring from the skies make sight near impossible. It is only when I hear his gasp a few meters beside me – followed by his roars – that I can locate him. I quickly swim towards him and lock my hand around his wrist again, then I commence swimming to the shore.

Thankfully, the waves help greatly, and they push us along a lot quicker, meaning I just have to focus on keeping the two of us above the water. In five minutes we are crawling onto the shore, and Osmo has finally stopped screaming, although that is because his throat is dry from the roaring, not because he is calm.

I pull him to his feet and then we both freeze, standing a few meters away from us with a weapon clutches in her hand is Ravina, beside her stands Adaline.

Ravina Quill’s POV:

‘’ Hello Echo, long time no see!’’ I smirk and her face drops. This is going to be fun.

Echo takes a step back, then realises she nowhere to go and freezes on the spot. Osmo keeps glancing behind him at the ocean and muttering things under his breath. He is shaking slightly.

‘’ What’s up with him?’’ I ask.

‘’ Why do you care?’’ She spits.

‘’ Wow there!’’ I laugh fakely, mockingly. ‘’ Relax!’’

Echo draws an arrow and goes to load it into the bow.

‘’ Hang on there.’’ I warn. ‘’ You really don’t want to do that.’’

She continues to load the arrow so I sprint forwards with my axe in hand. An arrow fires from the bow but I somehow manage to deflect it with the axe. There is a clanging sound as metal hits off metal. She begins to load another but I lunge forwards and swing my axe at her. She ducks below the first swing and blocks the second with her bow – which somehow manages to stay intact after the blow.

She cries out as the axe smacks against her bow. I take advantage of this moment of weakness and strike again. The blade of the axed slices through the bow in her grasp and it splits into two separate pieces. She holds them in front of her like two small blades, although we both know they are going to do nothing to save her. This is the end for them.

I glance quickly to Osmo, sitting on the ground rocking back and forth like a child, muttering under his breath. I don’t bother looking back at Adaline, because I know she is standing a few meters away doing nothing to interfere – as instructed.

I swing the axe at Echo, cackling each time she ducks under my blow or when she attempts to deflect my axe with the two pieces of her bow. She cries out with each impact and I can tell I am weakening her. The swim to shore obviously took its toll on her as well, because she hobbles around slowly, only prolonging her imminent death.

‘’ What’s the matter Echo?’’ I shriek with a laugh. ‘’ Short range just not your thing?’’

She doesn’t reply, she keeps dodging my blows. I am only teasing her, fighting lightly so she’ll think she has a chance. However she is boring me now, perhaps I will have more fun with Osmo in his last few minutes as his collar slowly ticks down. He continues to sit with his hands over his ears, slowly shaking.

I kick Echo in the chest and she flies backwards. Both pieces of the bow fly from her grasp and she lands hard on her back, her head almost in the water. Before she has a chance to move, I dive onto her and pin her down.

‘’ Osmo!’’ She roars, but he barely looks up at her.

‘’ He doesn’t give a shit.’’ I laugh and press the blade of the axe to her throat. I slowly and delicately run the blade across her neck, drawing the tiniest amount of blood. She has begun to cry. Her white hair is permeated with blood, both her own and from the rain. Her clothes are in tatters and are soaked. She really is a sorry sight.

‘’ You’re the person I wanted to do this to the most, it’s funny how things work out.’’ I grin and prepare to cut through her throat but Adaline’s voice stops me.

‘’ RAVINA!’’

I turn to look at her and I see Gauze. The next thing I notice is the bolt whizzing towards me through the air and lodging itself in my shoulder. Before I can react, a second one lodges itself in my throat and I immediately feel the blood choking me from within. I glance at Echo who is getting to her feet and as I fade into the blackness, her words ring in my ear.

‘’ It is quite funny how things work out, burn in hell you bitch!’’

BOOM!