𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟕𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 ✔️

𝕏𝕍

It's not long after we leave the boy from Three that something changes in the Arena. At first, I'm not exactly sure what is different, but I feel uneasy as we slowly walk through the black and white forest.

"Are you guys feeling uneasy right now?" Vesta asks the group. "Something's up, I can tell."

"It's gotten colder," Aurora says, shivering a bit. "Also, I think the white lines are dimmer than usual."

She's right - the lines are darker than they usually are during the day.

We're interrupted by a horrible noise. It reminds me of a howling animal, but it has a robotic screeching quality to it. Unlike the birds from a few days ago, however, the sound is much closer. Too close.

"Quick, get up into the trees!" I urge the others. "There must be wolves or something around."

Phoenix springs into action wordlessly, launching himself into the air and grabbing a tree branch. He hauls himself up before grabbing some rope and tying it to the branch. He lets the rope down, allowing Isabelle to climb up.

"Look!" Axel says, pointing at an object in the distance. It's a hulking, four-legged creature, and it's black and white, of course. Why would it be anything else?

Vesta climbs up the rope next, and it's clear we won't have enough time. "Come on," I say to Aurora. "We have to go somewhere else or it'll find us."

She nods, and we run to a nearby tree. I use all my might to jump and grab a hold of a branch of the tree, just like Phoenix did. All I have to do next is reach down and grab hold of Aurora, hauling her up.

Axel is the last up the rope, and he barely climbs into the tree before the beast arrives. I was right - they are wolves. They make creaking sounds as they walk, and breathe heavily as they scout the area. They sniff the colorful footprints beneath us, and one opens its mouth, letting out a heart-stopping screech.

A cannon shot fires as I clutch onto Aurora as tightly as I can. All I can do is hope that the wolves don't spot us.

"Stop holding me so tight," she complains. "You're hurting me."

I loosen my grip, but I still hold her as tight as I can. I don't want to fall off the branch - it'll mean certain death. I look over to see the others in the other tree as they try their best to balance in one tree.

After what seems like forever, the wolves let out one last collective robotic groan before seemingly dissolving into the gridded floor. Aurora and I let out a collective sigh of relief as we jump from the tree to the ground below.

Axel is pale when we rejoin with the others. "That was close," he says quietly. I can tell he's really shaken by almost being eaten by the wolves, especially since he was the last one up the rope.

It's not long before the Panem anthem plays for the third time since we entered the Arena. Tonight, there are only two tributes in the sky. The first is the girl from Six. The one Phoenix killed. After her is Rory Hawthorne from District 12. My heart drops a bit when I see him.

"The Gamemakers probably targeted him with the wolf mutts," Axel observes, "since he was Katniss' cousin, right?"

The others nod. I feel bad for Selina. I wonder what she's doing and where she is in the Arena. She probably knows she's the next to go after Rory.

The white grid lines around us disappear, leaving us in darkness.

"How many of us are left?" Aurora asks next to me, breaking the silence. It's a good question - I've lost track of how many have died already.

"Twelve," Vesta answers. "There's the six of us, the boy from Three, both from Seven, both from Eleven and the girl from Twelve."

I can't believe that half of the tributes who entered the Arena are already gone. I also can't believe that half of the tributes who remain are in my alliance - that makes me nervous. I feel like something could happen at any moment, and Aurora or I could get caught in the crossfire.

Something about the alliance makes me want to stay, though. Vesta's a sweet girl and a caring older sibling just like me, and Axel's a nice boy. Isabelle and Phoenix are a little crazy, but at least they get the killing done that the rest of us don't want to do. Just like every night, I'm left undecided about what to do. I feel like no matter what I do, I'll be choosing the wrong choice, and in the Arena, the wrong choice means certain death.