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We're making our way towards the east-side in silence. We need to get to the beach to find food; I'm already starving. Azure had eaten one of the apples, and I had eaten one of the grain bars. I think about the boy from 5, and how guilty I felt for killing him. I think about his family. He most likely has a mother and father that love him; possibly a sibling, and I just took that away from them. My father has always told me that I have a bleeding heart. I wonder if my family thinks I'm a monster. "Tell me more about you, Azure." I suggest, not wanting to think about the boy I killed. She nods. We're getting close to the east-side, I can see it in the distance. I hear a canon go off, and look at Azure, hoping she talks soon.
"I have a lot of siblings. Four sisters, and three brothers. I love technology. Put me next to a screen, and I'm set. Put me next to a weapon...not so much." She starts.
"How old are your siblings?" I ask, pushing branches out of our way.
"Volta is the oldest. She's twenty-two. Crystal is nineteen, Candela's ten, and Tilsee is four. I'm in the middle of my sisters; I'm thirteen. Then there's my brothers. Newt's thirteen, too. My twin brother. Cyber is sixteen, and Thatcher is ten." I notice that Azure's face lights up when she talks about her family.
"Your parents must have their hands full." I chuckle.
"Yeah, but nothing is better than family. What about you?" She asks.
"Well, I've only got one sibling, Marina. She's just a year younger than me. It's us and my dad. My uncle is always around. We like to go on the boats, or go swimming...like you said. There's nothing better than family." I tell her. She smiles, and the next few seconds happen in a blur.
There's a bow flying towards my head; it grazed my ear lightly. I push Azure to the ground, blocking her from the second bow. My grip tightens on my trident, but he's trained better than I am. After trying the move with the trident that I'd used on the dummies, he disarms me. He kicks the back of me knee, causing me to lose my balance. He takes this opportunity to pin me against the nearest tree, and wrap his hands around my throat. I try to fight back, but I'm getting too weak. My eyes widen as I see Azure sneaking up behind him and dragging the knife across his patellar tendon, causing us both to fall to the ground. I regain my breath, watching him grab for Azure still. He's managed to pull her to the ground when I grab my trident, spin it above my head, and plunge it into his chest. Another canon sounds, and now that I can see his face clearly, I'm almost positive that it was the boy from 2. I help Azure off of the ground, and pull her into a hug as she cries into my chest.
"It's okay. He can't hurt you now." I tell her, staring at the second person I've killed. It's at this point that I know that if I win, I wouldn't be able to live with myself.
***
We're sitting near the water, eating fish I had caught. We'd found some drinkable water before we got to the east-side. I think about three hours have passed since I had murdered the boy from 2, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Azure notices this.
"You did what you had to do. It doesn't make you a bad person." She whispers. I nod, closing my eyes for a second. When I hear rustling behind us, I'm quick to grab my trident. Azure hides behind me, and my mouth falls agape when I see Blaze. He's got no weapons, he's not trying to fight; he's got his hand over his abdomen, keeping his guts from falling out.
"Please...I'm s-sorry. I don't want to die alone." He says falling to the ground. Knowing that there's no way he could over power me at the moment, I kneel next to him, and place my trident in the damp sand.
"What happened?" I ask. Blaze had been nothing but cruel to me, but as he was bleeding out, I couldn't help but to feel bad for him. He laughs, coughing some blood out.
"Colt, the boy from 1. Thought we had an alliance. I was wrong. I never thought that the weak one would outlast me." I frown, looking back at Azure. I'm surprised when he grabs my hand.
"I'm...sor...sorry. My father's a terrible person, and I...I took it out on you, and everyone around me." Blaze wasn't lying, his father was vile. Blaze is struggling to breathe.
"The oil spill...the child that went missing and was found dead...it was all him. I de...fended him. He's an abusive, drunk murderer, and for that, I'm sorry." He struggles to make out his words. Years ago, there had been an oil spill, caused by Blaze's dad while he was intoxicated on the job. There had been a fourteen year old boy that went missing; the son of the person who had witnissed everything. He'd killed the boy as a threat. No one had ever found out it had been Mr. Keenwood; no one except my uncle who had been out of sight to Blaze's dad, but could see it perfectly. "You...can win this." He tells me, squeezing my hand. "I was wrong about...you."
"I'm sorry." He says again. I can tell that he's crying. My face softens as I feel tears of my own siding down my cheeks.
"I forgive you." I say, causing him to smile. He takes his last breaths, and the canon goes off with the smile still on his face. I wipe my tears before turning back to Azure. She's giving me a sympathetic frown. The familiar music blares, and we look up at the sky.
The boy from 2 that I murdered is the first face to be shown. Then Blaze, the boy from six, the girl from eight, and both tributes from 10.
Azure is the one to pull me into a hug this time, and I cry onto her shoulder.
