SCHOOLS OUR FOR SUMMMERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I'll just let you read this chapter- longer than usual :)

Chapter 19- Undefeated

Chaye killed her first person today.

It was a boy. District Three. 14 years old.

He was washing off a cut he got in a river- not watching his back. Chaye and Lark spotted him from a distance and circled their way in- making sure he wasn't a threat. Because Lark was bigger he pounced on the boy and pinned him down so Chaye could lodge an axe in his chest. It sunk in deep and was held in strongly with his last breath. It took Chaye a few tugs before she was able to free it from between his lungs.

I question Cece about it- it was a disturbing death, merciless. It made my saliva thick and I had to swallow hard to get it moving down my throat. She said that Lark likes to play games and he wants to push Chaye to her boundaries. And the way they killed the boy really did push her. She hides it well but Cece points out the fractures in her façade; the tugging of her lips, obsessive stroking of a strand of hair, her tight band fast blinking- as if she is trying to get rid of something that only she can see. . . Lark is trying to crack her.

"Why?" I ask.

"It will be entertaining for the audience to see someone gradually lose it. And any time with her on camera is time where he isn't being tortured for the Capitols entertainment. He has thought this through."

I remember back in my Training Elden told me to do something like that- to entertain the audience in another way that doesn't involve your own suffering. Maybe Lark took some time to go and get some advice.

A part of me is glad that Elden is getting some pupils to train- because he is the reason I am alive. And he can help other people survive. But when his training is coming at the expense of my own tribute. . .

I begin to feel unnerved at Lark's dark intentions and I tug on my lip- as Chaye does. Cece is quick to notice and exhales loudly. "You know, Paisley, that Chaye is most likely not going to survive, right?"

Yes. I do know. "Good to see you are staying positive."

Cece looks at me carefully. "I'm being realistic. You have to face it. When I first started mentoring I kept a positive approach. But after years and years of losing people that I kept my hopes up for- well, then it becomes hard to stay optimistic. I just think that you should face facts."

"But she is doing well. We are a week in and there are only eleven tributes left, she has a chance."

Cece covers he eyes with her finger tips and shakes her head. She doesn't say anymore, instead she turns on her chair and starts pushing buttons and pulling up statistics. Chaye's kill sent her sponsors rocketing and now she has enough money to rely on if something bad happens. She is ranked 9th in the polls. Lark is 7th and all the careers occupy 1 to 6.

All the tributes from 5, 9, 11 and 12 are gone. The Careers are tracking down tributes by the day- following the obvious tracks made in the sand that are hard to cover up. Chaye and Lark have been sticking to the bushes where their tracks and masked more. The Careers are fairly distanced from them and haven't caught sign of them.

That was- until Chaye killed the boy from three.

Killing off a tribute is sought of a blessing and a burden in the way that you get rid of another opponent but you also give away your position to everyone in the arena. The giant hovercraft that collects the body gives you enough time to get some distance but not enough to completely rid yourself from the area.

The moment the cannon goes off the Careers heads snap up and they circle around as they scan the skies. After a few minutes the hovercraft picks up the boy's body and the pack are sprinting in that direction.

Even though some deaths in the arena are from natural causes -like dehydration- or a caused by the Gamemakers, the Careers always go to the sight of the killing.

Chaye and Lark are also running. Chaye is a lot swifter than Lark- whose bulkiness and size slow him down. But they are still making good distance. The only problem is that they have made no effort to cover their tracks. In their mad dash to get away they have neglected hiding themselves.

It's getting dark when the Careers finally make it to the dam where the boy was killed. There is enough light from them to see the scuffle marks and blood splatters but not bright enough for them to be able to follow the tracks effectively.

"There are two of them," Caius states as he examines the tracks with the aid of a torch. "Someone has teamed up."

"Bet you it's the big Ten and Seven boys," The girl from Four interjects.

"Nah, Ten said he wasn't interesting in an alliance. Stupid git."

"Then who's left?" The girl from One asks.

"Three girl, Seven boy, Eight girl and Ten boy," One of the Careers lists off.

"One of them is a boy- footprints are too big for a girl."

` "So Seven and Eight then?" The Four boy concludes. "Three is too wussy to align."

"Must be," Caius says, "Although those District usually have a pretty rocky relationship."

It's true. Seven and Eight detest each other. Our District hates the advantage Seven gets in the Games- they know their way around an axe whereas all we get is a needle and thread to arm ourselves with.

"So tomorrow we set off to kill two birds with one stone, right?" The boy from One asks.

"Right," Caius agrees.

The main camera flies from the Careers conversation to Chaye and Lark who have found a cluster of bushes to set up camp for the night. The monitors show the distance between the two groups- there is less than a 20 minute jog from the Careers to the pair. If they don't leave early enough in the morning the Careers will catch up to them.

"Do you think they are coming after us?" Chaye asks.

"Without a doubt," Lark replies, "It's the way they are taught. Best way to locate their tributes. They do it every year."

"We should get some rest," Chaye says- hinting at Lark that he should take the watch.

But Lark isn't going to let Chaye have it easy. He is still trying to push her… to break her. "You take first watch," He says, "I'm tired."

Chaye wants to argue but she can't. When you break it down Chaye is effectively Lark's prisoner. He has control over what happens.

So Chaye reluctantly agrees and he does what he has been doing every night- pulls out some rope and ties Chaye's arms behind her back. Chaye struggles as she has every night but Larks strength is too much for her- even in his fatigued state. "Can't have you offing me in the middle of the night," Lark recites as he fastens the rope to the stump of one of the thicker bushes.

It's hard to watch Chaye sit there, basically defenceless. All she can do it yell if danger comes and hope Lark wakes up quick enough to save her. But if it came down to that he would probably just run and leave her; tied up, hopeless and completely at the mercy of her killer.

The cameras keep a close watch on her and the commentators notice the twitching in her eyes and obsessive biting of her lip. They use the word 'unhinged' a few times and notice her unsteadiness. The Capitol are taking note of Chaye's decline into insanity and it is going to keep the audience watching.

After a few hours Chaye nudges Lark with her foot and he wakes up and they swap shifts. Lark unties her and she finally gets to lay down and sleep.

Her slumber is instant but not calm. She thrashes and cries. Her eyes squeeze tightly as she wills her nightmares to go away and her hands are in fists so tight that there is blood on her hands. For a while Lark tries to sooth her but he soon gives up. He is still tired- the minimal sleep was not enough to revive him and soon he is drifting off to sleep.

"No one is on watch," I say, "What if the Careers come."

But the cameras on the Careers show all but 1 are sound asleep. As long as Chaye wakes up before everyone else she will be okay.

And she does wake up. One of her dreams petrified her so much it caused her to shriek and jolt into the upright position. Her eyes are wide, frantic and panicked. She looks over to Lark to find him asleep- not at all stirred by her noise.

"Oh no," Cece says; the first words she has utters in a long time.

"What? What is it?"

Cece doesn't reply. But after a few moments I understand. A close up on Chaye's face show her eyes unfocussed and dazed and she gets an idea. They soon snap into attention and they dart from the thin axe in Lark's hand to his sleeping face. I know what she is going to do. Cece knows. The world knows.

"Don't do it," Cece says. Begs. Pleads. "Please don't do it."

But she does do it. She takes the axe gently out of his loose grip. She swallows hard and she brings up the axe. Then, with the precision of an executioner, she lets the axe swing right through the neck of the Boy from Seven.

He doesn't have time to open his eyes before his cannon rings out.

All the Careers are awake in an instant. Gathering their weapons and skimming the sky for the hovercraft that will be picking up Lark's body.

The cannon also wakes up Chaye. Wakes her up from her daze and brings her to her senses. She snaps out of the state she has been in and it dawns on her. The stupidness of her actions are realised.

"She is going to die," Cece says, defeated.

It's not hard to figure out why. The Careers were already close enough to find her but now she has given away her position again. There is enough light for the pack to begin their pursuit. Even Chaye's speed won't hold up for long. And she has lost her protection. Lark knew how to use that axe and Chaye hasn't a clue. She is a goner.

But in staying true to her undying stubbornness- Chaye does not accept that. She smacks herself in the head as she gathers up her things and begins to run. The Careers are running too- not as fast but still on her trail- following the tracks that have not been concealed. They bicker with each other about who is dead and who is going to take the next kill.

When Chaye has gotten a fair distance from Lark's body the hovercraft comes down and the Careers alter their path slightly to a more direct route.

"What do we do?! What do we do?!" I frantically ask.

Cece shakes her head sadly, "Nothing we can do."

I begin to get angry. "Don't say that! That isn't good enough! Chaye isn't giving up and we shouldn't either! We owe it to her- I owe it to her!"

"Paisley. Listen. We can't send her anything that can help."

"A weapon? Something she can long distance. A bow?"

"She doesn't have the experience- it wouldn't do her any good."

"A crossbow then! Anyone can point and shoot one of them."

"They are too expensive, Paisley!" Cece is beginning to get upset. "You think I don't want to help her?! You think I like having no control and have to sit back and watch her die because I can't do anything about it! Because I don't! I hate it, Paisley. I hate it. Every night I dream of all the tributes I lost. They come to me every fricken night to tell me I failed them. That I killed them. And every year I see more. Because even when I am at home they are still my tributes. I still have responsibility for them. I see Titch. I see his limbs blowing off and his face telling me I failed him. I saw Weyve last night. He told me I was the one who stabbed out his neck. I see them all. And tonight I will see Chaye. Because I can't do anything to stop this." Chaye gets up out of her chair and leaves the room without another word. Down the hall I hear doors slamming and things smashing.

A weight drops into my stomach and I want to curl up and cry. I feel so guilty- for forcing Cece to come out like that. I pushed her and she had no choice but to explode.

My mouth goes dry and I feel tears starting to well up. All this pressure is getting to me and I want to go to sleep- to a dreamless sleep. I don't want to have to think about any of this. I want to go home. I want to get away.

Just as my tears are about to spill over I hear the door open and shut loudly and a person march in.

A girl several years older than me comes storming up to me with her finger pointed. She is small and thin but it doesn't stop her from scaring the life out of me. She is a victor but I don't know her name. Her eyes are fiery and deadly and her overpowering presence forces my tears to sit still.

"Listen to me, girl," She snaps, "You are not going to cry. And you are not going to freeze out. You are going to turn around on that chair. You are going to face those screens and you are going to watch your tribute. And hell! You are probably going to watch them die. But you need to do it knowing you did what you could to make her death matter! Don't be like Cece who piles all this guilt on herself. Don't be one of those Victors who can't take the heat."

I am too stunned to say anything. And even if I could I wouldn't know what to say. This girl who I have never spoken to in my life has barged in here knowing I was about to break down. And she has told me to toughen up.

"You are going to be doing this for years, you know. And it doesn't get easier. But it happens. We can't change that. You just have to sit here and thank your stars that it isn't you in that arena anymore. Don't sit here and cry. Sit here and do something!"

With that she is gone.

Just like the cannon brought Chaye to her senses. This victor brought me back to the present. I spin around on my chair and pull up Chaye onto the main screen. She has stopped for minute to catch her breath and lean on a tree. She is sweating and hot and thirsty. Her tongue lolls out of her mouth trying to cool down.

I punch a few buttons on my screen and within seconds a big bottle of water is sent flying down in a parachute. Chaye grapples at it eagerly and looks up at the sky. "About bloody time," She says and I laugh a little.

The Careers have also stopped for water and to rest for a moment. But that is short lived. Because soon they are back running and Chaye is too. Chaye is fast but she is a sprinter not a distance runner. The longer she runs the slower she gets. The Careers are all super fit and can run at a steady pace for hours. They are slowly closing in.

Cece said weapons were too expensive but I check anyway. A crossbow is twice the budget- even before I bought the water. No money is rolling in because Career pack kills are always 'entertaining' and even gamblers sometimes prefer a good death even if it costs a few dollars.

Chaye is trying to keep her spirit but it is fading. When the Careers get her it will fade forever. When I think about it, it is not the loss of Chaye's life that I am dreading- because we never really got along. It's not the guaranteed gruesome death or the screams or the cheers of the Careers that I can't stand. It is the spirit of Chaye that is leaving the world. Chaye had it tough- she was dragged back into the Reaping after she survived it for so long yet she was able to hold on and be this stubborn girl who kept on fighting. It is the fire that is in her eyes that I can't bear going to waste.

You are probably going to watch them die. But you need to do it knowing you did what you could to make her death matter!

The line sticks in my head. What the victor said. I need to make Chaye's death matter.

I go back to the screens and scroll through the lists of possible gifts to send Chaye. But what I want isn't there. I have to go into the data base and look it up and put in a request. The request is instantly accepted and soon a package is floating from the sky and into Chaye's hands.

Her eyebrows rise when she sees it. What could it possibly be? She unties the strings and opens it up. The contents bewilder her for several moments but soon it clicks. A pen and paper.

Chaye sits down on the sandy ground and crosses her legs in front of her. She pulls out the pen and paper from the package and poises the tip to the pad. These are going to be Chaye's last thoughts and last chance to let her spirit live on through her words.

As she begins to write the main camera that the entire nation sees flicks off Chaye and onto the Careers who are catching up. The Capitol have no idea what she is going to write, they can't risk the world seeing it. But I watch Chaye's screen and zoom the camera so I can see her words-

By now I am on the road to death. And I am not scared. When they catch up I am not going to sit down and die. No, I could never do that. Of course I am going to fight. I won't let those bastards take me lying down. I am going to take down as many as I can before I finally fall.

But when I do, it won't be them who killed me. Mum, Dad, remember that when you see me die I am not being killed. Because you only get killed when you are fighting death. But I am not. I am embracing it. Because am not going to be defeated. You know me, Mum, when have I ever let you win an argument with me? When have I ever let someone have the last say?

I am not going to let these pricks defeat me. I am going to defeat myself. I can live my last moments knowing that I always won. I'm going to die undefeated.

There will be those who will say that I was defeated. That I am making excuses. I am talking to you Jakey. You are just as proud as I am. You could never let your big sister go out with any pride, could you? And maybe I am making excuses. I am stubborn and I won't accept being beaten. Jakey, remember that time you nearly beat me in checkers? You could never beat me but one day you were. You probably don't remember but I do. You had me stuck with nowhere to go but you didn't notice what you had. Any move I made would have meant complete annihilation for me. But I couldn't lose, not against you little brother. So I pretended that someone was knocking on the door and sent you to check. I switched the board and you never noticed. I still won. Even if I cheated, I still won. I always win.

I still win now. I don't get to become Victor and win a crown. But I still win.

She signs her letter, folds it up and puts in in her pocket. Not a single tear forms in her eyes. Her hands don't shake and she is as strong as metal.

Chaye is leaning against a tree when the Careers catch up. She pulls out her axe and wields it in front of her. The Careers laugh.

The Careers still don't have their breath but Chaye is completely rested. She is serene even. Peaceful. And her speed helps her now.

She is able to slice into the girl from Fours leg and take out a chunk from One girl's side. Both fatal injuries if not treated. Two of the Careers are out of the fight but the remaining Four close in on Chaye.

This is it.

But Chaye takes one final stand before she fully accepts her future. She picks the biggest guy. The one that is ranking the highest. The one that the Capitol is sure is going to win. Because she has nothing to lose. Caius. She sinks her axe deep into his chest cavity before she passes herself over to the rest.

She has caused too much damage for them to prolong her death. They make it quick. A knife to the heart. She falls instantly and the Careers leave her to die. She does one last thing before she goes. She takes the note from out of her pocket and sticks it to her chest with the blood- so the world has to see it when they pick her up. Then, with her final movement, she lifts up her hand and points it to the sky. She then, very deliberately, sticks up her middle finger and smiles.

This chapter took on a mind of it's on. All these ideas came to me out of nowhere and it was awesome. Couldn't stop writing!

I think people can guess who the victor that came to talk to Paisley was.

Also, when I first brought Chaye along I hated her. And I thought I would always hate her. But now I love her and I miss her and I am sad she had to die. But shit happens, life isn't always the way we want it to be.

Off note- I read the Ender's Game yesterday. Good book. Seeing the movie soon too. Asa Butterfeild is God.

Hopefully updating soon!

Much Love, Ashlee