(Jonas's POV)

After washing the blood from our hair for what felt like forever, Shanna and I were finally able to move on. That awful bloody mutt had almost burned us alive, and the puss was spitting out of my skin by the time I was able to somewhat bandage it. Shanna and I got strangely lucky. The back of our legs were the only thing that had really been effected, and by the time we had them soaked in snow, they were already starting to heal.
The careers, not so much. Shanna and I had a head start, but the wave started right at their camp, giving them no time whatsoever. Hopefully that would help us in the long run.

Shanna's words about being allies with Boston started to sink in over night, and my mind settled on something unpleasant. Unthinkable. Boston and I were closer than close. I had this unprecedented bond with my siblings that couldn't be torn. But maybe that's what these games were intended to do. Rip families apart. Make them kill each other. Maybe that fine line between survival and love was snapped when we were both reaped, and now Boston doesn't care. He probably was just putting on a show, trying to earn sponsors, making it seem like he loves me. Maybe he really does want to get me out, and maybe not.

Against that, I still want him to live more than anything. After all, isn't that why I voluntarily dove into a death game? To save Anil? I would never be able to kill my brother, no matter the betrayal that could come, the people he kills. But I finally settled on leaving him alone. Not being his ally. Maybe that would make things better for both of us.

"If I make it home, it's going to look like I dyed my hair red," spurts Shanna. She was right. Even through her dark, brown hair, the red blood glistened in the sunlight and clumped up our hair, no matter how much we washed it. Eventually, there wasn't any more snow on the ground, and we had to give up and accept our new hair color and the awful, sticky feeling of the blood.

The day drones on without any cannons. When the anthem played in the still bright sky, there were no faces. The bloody mutt had killed two tributes. The boy from Four and the girl from Eleven. Now, there were only nine tributes left, five of them being careers. Even with their supplies gone and their alliance with Boston separated, they seem to be surviving pretty auspiciously.

The heat becomes more extreme through the night. Usually, the ice caps freeze our toes as we sleep, but tonight the heat keeps us out of our coats and even avoiding the thin blankets. The Game-makers were now in the game, and weren't going to give us a day without surprises anymore. With the snow gone, so was our water source. We were able to fill up six water bottles, but dehydration was determined to win. Shanna and I drained the bottles, and at that point it was unbeknownst to us that we might not get any more.

"It's so hot!" I scream, and I collapse, not being able to walk any farther. The two of us were three hours into walking, and about a half hour in we had no energy left. The tip of my tongue is arid and has been refusing to irrigate all day, and I knew that this was the end. I might as well just die here.

"We have to keep going," pants Shanna.

"We can't," I moan. "We're both too weak and still blistered from the blood wave. I don't know if I can go any farther." All I wanted was for a sponsor to notice my pain. A sponsor to notice my situation and help me out. Please Grandma. Send me a sign of water. I can almost feel my insides collapsing in on themselves, deteriorating from dehydration.

"Shanna?"

"Yeah?" She's now I'm the ground too, trying to keep her breathing steady. Who knew dehydration was so... painful.

"Why did you want to be allies with me in the first place?" I raise my eyebrows skeptically, all of a sudden wondering about Shanna's random urge to befriend me in training.

"Because when someone volunteers in a non-career district, it stands out." Her breathing is slow now and she takes shallow breaths to continue talking. "And I wanted someone strong and someone who wouldn't abandon me."

"Who says I'm strong?" I whimper.

"Everyone."
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We're on the ground for what must be hours until the anthem plays in the sky again. Nothing. No one died, which surely means the cameras have been on us all day.

We fell asleep eventually, and when we woke up, I was relieved to find a little liquid salivating in my throat. That little notion of water gave me the energy to stand up, and I was able to walk around, still dizzy. If I didn't find water now, I was going to die.

And then it hit me. If no one had sent us anything yet, that must have meant a source of water was nearby. But that's not possible. The only water source is the snow.

"Shanna, please wake up." I shake her back and forth until her eyes flutter open, and she too is able to get up.

"Find any water?" She asks expectantly.

"No." I shake my head and drop it. And that's when the rain starts to fall.
We both squeal simultaneously as the rain pours down on our faces. We lap it up, not wanting to miss a single drop.

Cupping my hands, I drink more and more of the water until I've had too much, something I didn't think was possible a second ago. I drop into the sand again, but this time knowing I'll be able to get up. "Let's keep walking!" I say. But I have to strain my voice as the rain gets louder and louder, pounding harshly in my ears. "It doesn't look like the rain is going to stop."
She nods her head, but we don't get much farther. Because the sound of footprints stops us dead in our tracks.
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"So...." The girl from Thirteen rounds the corner. "I was hoping to find you two here. Word has it that you guys have a chance." My breath stops. That's almost exactly what she said to me in training. I was secretly hoping the careers had gotten to her. But no. She had to find us.

"Please don't hurt us," Shanna says, forcing an innocent tone.
She pulls a sword from behind her back.

"Don't worry," she says with a snarl. "It'll he quick." Shanna and I look at each other in horror, our eyes sending the same message.

Split run. A plan we had devised on one of our first nights in the arena. As Maria took a few more steps forward, she thrust the sword right in between us, hoping to kill two birds with one stone. Right at that moment, Shanna and I both duck in opposite directions, sending the sword flying into nothing. Now with no weapon in the moment, we had our chance to slip away.

Running in opposite directions, I sprint in the direction of the cornucopia, immediately losing sight of Shanna. I hear footsteps behind me though, and I know Maria is coming for me first.
I lose all my breath as something pounds me in the back, knocking me to the ground, I inhale slowly, trying to hang onto breath.

"I got you," Maria says as she hangs over me. "How's the weather down there? I bet it's cold."

"Why... are... you trying to hurt me?" I say slowly. "I thought maybe we would be allies, not enemies."

"If you think I'm going to pay forward your kindness of helping me in training with my face, then you're wrong. A girls got to do whatever it takes to survive." She wears a cocky grin as she pulls out another weapon, a knife she must have been hiding. She drags the tip of the blade over my arm, cutting chunks into my flesh, blood spilling everywhere.

I scream and the grin only gets wider and wider as she cuts deeper and deeper. "Might as well give them a show," she says. She doesn't hesitate any longer, jabbing the knife directly into my arm. I feel more pain then I knew possible, and I scream again.

"Shanna!" The rain is still pouring, washing my blood off my arm, staining the sand. Maria yanks the knife out of my arm, and drags it across my neck. I can see the wheels in her head turning.
"Hey Maria," I sputter. Blood joins my saliva as I spit in her face. "I hope your mom taught you the lesson of 'only ever dishing in what you can dish out.'"

"What?" I can tell she's about to continue, but Shanna's timing was perfect. Maria collapses on top of me, her sword protruding from her back. All the strength in my arms is gone and I don't even try to lift her off me. The cannon booms, and I gasp for air as Shanna tosses Maria's body to the side.

"Too close," I say. "We need to go, or else the hovercraft won't ever come." She nods and we walk just a couple hundred feet away, and we watch as a big claw hoists her off the ground. The rain hasn't slowed down, and it creates rivers of blood down my arm. The adrenaline had pushed away any pain from the beginning, but once I see my demolished arm, my vision goes fuzzy and I drop to the ground, everything slowly slipping away.
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The world slowly comes back, and I find myself slumped up against a rock, my arm wrapped in some sort of bandage. It's better than nothing.

"You all right?" Asks Shanna.

"I think so," I say. "She got me pretty good."

"We sure know how to retaliate," she adds.

"I wish we didn't have to," I say. She nods her head, and I start to get dizzy again from the loss of blood. "We should get some rest," I say. But I don't completely finish because I hang my head and shut my eyes, losing focus on the world.