It was almost dark by then, only the slightest hint of the sunset that was forming earlier. Zane and Amethyst were standing on different sides, working as well as they could. They placed the boxes like a pyramid, and set the bomb near the top, but it was short enough so they could reach it when they needed to.

"Are you sure this will be powerful enough?" Zane asked.

"I'm sure," Amethyst said, placing the rope on the boxes so something extra would burn from the bombs. "Look how many we have! Plus, the sponsor-whoever it was-knew our plan, so they wouldn't send a weak one."

"I guess that's true," Zane replied, but he didn't really know. It didn't look like it would be that strong, but it was too late to back out, now. He stacked the last of his boxes, and stood back from it, marveling at his work. "Finished."

"Good, me too," Amethyst replied. Amethyst walked over to Zane's side, holding one box and a few matches. "Now, it's time for the fire."

They sat down on the ground, a safe distance away from the fort they made, and they each lit a match, and transferred the flame to the box. It was a great result. They watched the orange flames dance on top of the carton, and how the smoke flowed into the air, and on top of the trees.

"It's perfect," They whispered in unison. It would definitely attract Skya. If it didn't, what would?

Then, they heard the Panem anthem. They desperately looked up to see who's face was on the sky. It was Fiona.

"If anything," Zane started. "this is better. Skya isn't as fast."

"But she's smart, and I think that equals up to Fiona's speed," said Amethyst.

"True. But at least now we know who we're up against." So, they waited for the fire to catch Skya's attention.

But the result came before they were expecting it to. Just after they said those words, they saw someone. A girl, from District 3, who held a bow and arrow that looked like they could puncture the stack at any moment.

"Amethyst," Zane whispered, without moving his mouth as best as he could. "light the peak." He paused. "Now."

She jumped up, and lit the match. Skya ran forward, and drew her bow. Zane grabbed the knife from off of the ground and ran towards her. Zane and Amethyst had made the fire a while away from their pile, which was a downside at that moment. Amethyst had to run all the way over there, while Zane stalled. 

Skya shot an arrow right at Zane, which luckily went above his shoulder. He didn't throw his knife, because he only had that one, and was just saving it for emergencies.  Zane tried his best to keep Skya nearest to the bomb, but it wasn't working very well. Skya managed to push Zane back by the stack, and held her arrow to him. She only had three left, and she couldn't play around anymore.

Zane stood, petrified. He hadn't been able to stall long enough for Amethyst to light the explosive, and now he was trapped.

"Drop your knife!" Skya demanded. When he didn't, she repeated, "Drop it!"

He did. That got Amethyst's attention. She looked right at them, and felt her match being blown out, but she didn't care. She dropped it onto the ground, and picked up the spear from where she was standing. 

She ran over to where they were, and held the spear, ready to fire at Skya. Skya saw her out of the corner of her eye, but she didn't move her head or her bow. She just kept it prepared.

But when Skya held her arrow that was Zane, ready to fire, she remembered how Diandra had been killed with that exact same bow. How it had pained her to see such an innocent child being killed, and how she vowed to never do it. And as she looked at Zane's shaking hands that were raised, his lip trembling, his chest beating twenty times a second, and his eyes looking like they could produce tears at any moment, she only saw how she would become Zeon by killing him.

She wanted to win, but she didn't want to kill. She wasn't good at that. She didn't want to be good at it. She had already killed Zeon, and she regretted it everyday, even if he had killed her friend. 

With each growing second of Skya holding her bow to Zane, Amethyst got more and more anxious. She knew that, if Skya were to shoot, she would shoot as well, so any decent person would put down their arrow. But she didn't know if Skya was decent or not.

Put it down, she thought to herself because she wasn't brave enough to say it aloud. Put it down now.

As if reading her thoughts, Skya did just that. And right as that happened, Amethyst dropped her spear and ran over to Zane, who was still shaking from fear. She didn't hesitate. She ran up and hugged him, hugged him for still being alive. He hugged her back, hugged her for that same reason. 

But it didn't last long. 

Skya realized she needed to do something to win, and she was smart. She saw the bomb that was on top of the pile, and how small it was. She knew she was far enough away, but Zane and Amethyst weren't. She took her already loaded bow and fired it right at the peak.

She missed, but only by a few inches.

Amethyst saw the arrow, and ducked, pushing Zane down with her. The arrow barely missed her head.

"Run!" She cried. Skya was going to blow the bomb up, the allies knew that. They just needed to escape before it exploded. 

Skya tried two more times to hit the bomb. The first time, it hit right under it. And the second created an explosion bigger than anyone would have thought, and explosion that wasn't too puny to create a huge forest fire.

But Skya wasn't far enough away to stay safe, and neither were Zane and Amethyst. 

A/N

OMG

ONE CHAPTER LEFT!!!

I AM SO EXCITED!

(but I am so sad at the same, both because it's almost over and that this and the next chapter are too depressing)