The Eighty First Hunger Games «MAJOR REWRITING, REEDITING, AND REVISION»

:18: The Opposites Standoff

Echo and the girl from One were the first to come in contact. The girl from One swung her sword up and around, going for Echo's shoulder, but the short girl easily blocked it.

"Not as good as you think, Gloss. Guess you haven't been working out as much, huh?" Echo snarled.

Gloss snorted and attempted another swing at Echo, but was, once again, stopped. Echo lunged forward with her katana and managed to give Gloss a painful slice on the forearm.

Link had reached me by now, and was holding his sword above his head. I leaped to the left just a moment before his blade swept downward, where I had been a second before. I ducked as he swung his weapon my way, and dug my knife a few inches into his ankle. Link jumped and hobbled a little. As I had a mini celebration internally, he took my distraction as a chance to cut my shoulder. I felt the cool iron blade dig into my skin and flesh Pain shot through my veins, but I forced myself to stand.

As Link and I dodged each other's attempts, I caught glimpses of Panner and the boy from Two. As I sprang backwards, away from Link's swing, the two long-distance tributes got into each other's reach and seemed to notice the other at the same time. Panner notched an arrow and the boy from Two steadied his spear on his shoulder. The two weapons flew in the air simultaneously as I spun around and ran five feet from Link. The spear lodged itself into Panner's side as her arrow shot into the boy from Two's neck. I looked to my right frantically. Echo was swinging her katana at Gloss, who's eyes were wide and hands were empty. One blink later, the girl from One's head was flung into the air and landed with a thump a few yards away. It was then that Link noticed his two fallen allies. He ran off, giving me an open shot at him, but I wouldn't take it.

Echo reached Panner first. She yanked the spear out of the redhead's side and started taking the small white pills I had forgotten about out of her backpack while I held Panner's hand. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and I knew that, no matter what those pills did, Panner would be seeing Kay shortly.

"What do those do?" I asked Echo.

"Painkillers. So it won't hurt as much. I'd have given them to Kayte, but we didn't have our packs with us. But now..," she replied, giving two to Panner, along with a water canteen. Panner gladly took them, sighing afterwards.

"Illissa, Echo, thanks. I'll tell Kay how much you miss her... and I promise we're both rooting for you both..." Panner sighed. "I love you guys..."

A few minutes passed, but Panner's breathing did not cease.

"Issie," she spoke up, "may you do me a favor?"

"Anything," I responded.

"Kill me. Please, it's my time and I need to go."

"But-"

"Please, Illissa," Panner whispered.

I closed my eyes and turned my head, but it didn't matter. Even with my sight blocked, I could feel Panner's internal pain when I drove the knife into her chest, and I could feel her spirit leave her body to meet up with Kayte's.

Echo and I carried her body to the same stream we washed Kay down. Once again, I was in shock. I had just lost two friends in the same day. A week in the Hunger Games does things to you.

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Echo set up a camp while I hunted. We both needed some alone time for grieving.

It was twilight when I saw a rabbit. I tracked it down silently, staying downwind. Echo and I were loaded with weapons: we took what the fallen had dropped. Echo claimed Kay's ax and Gloss's sword while I kept Panner's bow and the spear of the boy from Two. I left the spear with Echo and went hunting with the bow. I had my knives with me incase I got attacked.

The rabbit I was chasing disappeared into the small section of wood. The forest that was untouched by the tornado was maybe three or four square miles wide, so I didn't have much room to hunt. Losing the only animal I've seen in a day is dangerous.

I dug through the underbrush and found the rabbit with a small metal blade in it's head.

Someone else was here.

I was out in the open when I was tracking that rabbit.

Someone wasn't after me.

Link would've killed me and Echo was setting up camp.

The boy from Nine was here.

And he didn't want me dead.

Why? We were all fighting to the death here, and he didn't have an alliance with me.

He emerged from behind a tree and headed in the direction of the rabbit. When his eyes opened, his froze mid-step and stared at me in shock. I picked up the rabbit and handed it to him.

"Hi," I started, "I'm Illissa, but you can call me Issie."

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Oh my god do you know how long I've been waiting to introduce him oh my god.

OH NO! PANNER IS DEAD! IT'S FINAL FOUR! THIS IS ENDING SOON!

Oh my you guys will so NOT expect the ending.

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES WOOPED SOME OTHER TEAM'S TUSHES TONIGHT YEAH BUDDEEEEYY

I've been working on this chapter ALL DAY. Good news: There's one more coming tonight. I might finish the story if possible by tomorrow or Tuesday.

Eeeek!

Watty Awards, here I come!

With a dying girl!

Yay!

Sigh. I'm still feeling blah.

But I've passed the strength test to prove I'm fine: I listened to My Immortal by Evanescence without crying.

That's good, right?

It means I'm over it, right?

I hope so.

Sigh.

Daylight Savings day. I woke up, technically, at one, but was gracefully given an extra hour (it was noon).

SORREH FOR PARTEH ROCKIN

Close eyes. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Are you guys annoyed by my author's notes yet? I just talk about boring crap.

Sigh.

Sigh.

Time to write 19 and 20.

Bye!

Filipo97/Lindsey

Where'd my music go? I had some chill songs on, now they stopped!

Oh wait...