The 200th Annual Hunger Games - The Ultimate Games

Game 1 Day 2 (Morning)

Ramona McMarthy POV

I scaled the cliff, with Chase behind me and Talia climbing high above me like a monkey. I huffed loudly. The sun was beating down on us and, although it was only morning, the temperature had swelled to at least 30°C.

"I found a cave!" Talia sing-songed. I looked up as she disappeared into an opening in the cliff face. She appeared moments later, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright. Despite the situation we were all in, she looked happy and full of life. She held out a hand for me, and I pulled myself up. Chase hauled himself up beside me, his face beet red.

I shuffled next to him and leaned against the wall of the cave, yawning loudly. None of us had gotten much sleep at night. Chase sat beside me, stretching out his arms.

"You alright?" I asked. Chase nodded. Talia sat a few metres away, tying her long auburn hair into a bun. She raised her eyes to look at us, an amused expression on her face.

I leaned into Chase and quickly kissed him. He grinned as I shuffled a bit closer, and Talia rolled her eyes.

"How about," Talia chirped, "I leave you two lovebirds alone and go look for breakfast?" There was no mistaking the amusement in her voice.

Chase nodded in agreement. Talia rolled her eyes and popped out of the cave, leaving Chase and I on our own.

For a few minutes we simply chatted quietly. About back in District 3, about Bailey, about how Demetria was already dead. I swallowed hard as the thought crossed my mind. She didn't deserve to die.

"How long do you think Talia will be?" Chase asked. I shrugged. "Who knows?"

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air. I jumped away suddenly, terrified.

"Was that..." Chase asked uncertainly. I looked at him, horrified. We both knew he was right. Another scream pierced the air.

"Just kill her, already!" someone screamed.

"Oh shit!" I shrieked, stumbling to my feet. "Talia!"

Talia Carter POV

I swung out of the cliff opening and began scaling the cliff again. Although I respected and liked my allies, their kissing got a bit irritating. No, scratch that. It got very irritating. My mind floated back to the bloodbath, and I sighed as I thought of Demetria. It sucked that she had died, but in a weird, selfish way I was kind of glad. I didn't want it to come down to a fight between us.

I shook my head, determined to stop my negative thinking. I looked up at the cliff, my stomach growling. I figured there should be some sort of animal that we could eat at the top of the cliff. As I hauled myself to the top of the cliff, I heard a sound that turned my blood cold. A high pitched, spiraling giggle. Aria.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, someone slammed into me, knocking me backwards. I stumbled and teetered on the very edge of the cliff for a second, before quickly stumbling forward. I fell to the ground, my heart racing in fear. I looked up slowly. First I saw boots, then cargo shorts, then a t-shirt, and finally the smirking faces of the Careers.

All five of them.

Wanting to kill me.

I tried to breathe, but my throat had closed up. My hands began to shake violently.

"Hey, Talia." Piper said mockingly. Her grip tightened on her bow.

I opened my mouth to call out to my allies, but Aria saw what I was doing and put her knife to my throat. My scream caught in my throat as froze. Not daring to move, not daring to breathe.