𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 | 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝑶𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒓

𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍.

𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.

Despite the heaviness in Rosie's eyes, she knew she couldn't let them fall shut. She needed to be constantly ready to jump into action, so she stood up, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

The initial insufferable heat had lessened, but the humidity stayed which meant the air still felt thick every time she took a breath. They hadn't seen anyone, she hoped it'd stay that way for a while, she hoped the Arena was large enough that if they stayed hidden no one would be able to search so in-depth that they'd be spotted when they didn't want to be.

Toby was leaning against a tree, his eyes were shut and his breathing was even, she thought he was likely asleep—another reason she had to be alert. The knife she had was held in her hand, ready to be used at the drop of a hat. She'd thrown it at the thick trunk of a tree a few times, trying to figure out the weight, something that hadn't taken long, but she was glad she did it as the first two were just a little off-kilter.

Her brain tried to fill the silence with its own talk. Once more she blocked the thoughts of her friend and family back in District 9, instead, she filled it with thoughts of the people she'd met in The Capitol. She wondered what Kit had thought of the turn of events after she'd played a part in the girl's death over the fight for the bag. She made sure not to think about what the people back in District 9 thought about that—one of the worries that had filled her after she'd come to terms with her fate on the train journey over, was the worry that they'd see her as a monster, and not someone who did everything they could to come home. She also couldn't help when her thoughts drifted to Finnick, she wondered how his Tributes were doing, it seemed like his faith in their winning was limited at best, and likely downright abysmal.

Hours passed and apart from her thoughts, the only thing that kept her from falling asleep on her feet was the strange lizards that ran around. She'd seen at least two, it was hard to know if the other sightings were the same two, or others.

She'd never seen lizards like that before, but Panem was a massive nation, so there was a lot of wildlife she had never seen, and only ever heard of; and lots she was none the wiser to.

It wasn't large, smaller than a standard ruler and only slightly thicker than her wrist at the widest part of its torso. It, for the most part, blended into its surroundings, a lush green, but in the glint of the moonlight, it would sometimes have a vibrant metallic flicker that gave it an almost wet appearance. Its head was large for its body, and its claws were thick. It seemed to be herbivorous, she'd watched as it munched on the greenery that lined the stream that fed the waterfall. It also seemed to be afraid of her, as it never came close to her, and if she happened to be near it and she moved they'd scatter into the shrubbery.

The sudden, loud anthem of Panem began to play in the Arena, it was jarring and made her jump, it also quickly woke Toby up from his slumber.

Her eyes rose to the sky, there was a patch that now glowed the national seal lit up the night sky, and written underneath in block letters were the words "THE FALLEN".

As the seal faded another image replaced it, it was the face of the girl from District 3, the image sent a chill through Rosie's body, it was the girl who so desperately wanted the bag. She looked so young, probably no older than thirteen. Her face swapped out for the boy of District 3, he seemed older, but his face was gaunt and he looked rather sickly. Then the boy of District 5 lit up the night sky, he had the ghost of a cocky smirk, she decided that was likely his downfall, being too confident. The girl from District 6 was next, she looked thin—Rosie knew her District partner had joined the Career pack as he was older and strong, and he was good with a spear. The District 7 girl, faded to the boy, Quinn, Rosie remembered his interview due to the strange nature, all he talked about was purple carrots, she thought perhaps the stress had sent him round the twist. The District 8 boy was next, he looked terrified and even younger than twelve, although Rosie knew he wasn't. Then there was the District 10 boy, Rosie decided he died due to overconfidence as he seemed strong and fit. The girl from District 11's face looked tired, she remembered her as someone who took a nap in the training centre and got reprimanded for it, there was clearly some physical ailment that plagued her as that made no sense to do. The final face was that of the District 12 girl, she was stoic but didn't seem physically fit enough to have a fighting chance.