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"Aim the slightest bit to the side when you shoot," Caelum said, gently nudging Daphne's extended arm. "But not that far."

"Are you underestimating my ability to aim?" Daphne teased, fixing her line of sight down the shaft of the arrow as she adjusted her aim. The tip was pointed just outside the small circle she'd carved into the tree as a makeshift target.

"Hey, I'm not the one who almost shot one of my arrows into the sea." Caelum snorted. "I only have four left. Unfortunately, unlike most archers in the books, I can run out of ammo and I'm going to if you keep aiming too far to the left."

"Okay, okay, my bad," Daphne released the arrow, which sank into the tree trunk a bit below the target. She lowered Caelum's bow proudly. "Look, I actually got it on the tree this time."

Daphne's headache had receded after a while, and she'd begged Caelum to teach her some archery. Not only did archers look really badass, an arrow could be shot way farther than a knife could be thrown. However, Daphne's aim with a bow was atrocious, which she would never admit aloud.

Caelum let out a laugh, snatching his bow back. "Your arm is dipping as soon as you release. That's why it's going downwards." He drew an arrow and nocked it, then hesitated. Daphne watched, expecting him to shoot a perfect beeline into the center of the target just to rub it in. Instead, his eyes fell shut, and she noticed his chest rising and falling at a growing pace. He lowered the bow, a haunted look in his eyes as he shook his head.

"I can't," he whispered. "Sorry, Daph, I don't know why. I haven't been able to shoot unless it's a frantic situation since- since..."

He didn't have to finish his sentence. Daphne understood. As the bow dropped from his shaking hand, Daphne wrapped her arms around him and felt his chin drop atop her head.

"Mellie, Theron, Azalea..." Caelum's voice was hoarse. "I know Theron and Azalea were just Cortexes, but still. I shot Theron when he was alive too."

"Hey, if you didn't shoot Mellie, I wouldn't be here right now." Daphne said gently. "If you had let the Cortexes live, they would've possessed and made us kill each other."

"I know, but still."

Daphne stood and held him for a little while after that, only lifting her head once he'd stopped shaking to press a kiss against his bruised cheek. More than anything, she understood. Every time she threw a knife, even if it was necessary to save herself and Caelum, a throbbing ache went through her heart, reminding her of the lives she'd taken using those very knives. Every damn time.

"Do you smell that?" Caelum suddenly asked, pulling away to sniff the air as his spine went straight with alertness.

Daphne frowned, the husky scent touching her nose. "Is that... smoke?"

"There's nothing burning here," Caelum said, surveying their surroundings. "Must be further away."

Daphne blanched as she caught sight of a wispy, gray smoke pillar beginning to rise up in the far distance, somewhere within the suburban beach town. "Caelum, I think you were right. They're definitely chasing the last few tributes together."

Caelum tightened his grip on his bow. "Then should we be worried that our own house will catch on fire?"

"Perhaps," Daphne said, "or maybe they're bringing the battle to us." She spun around to face Caelum, grabbing him by the shoulders. "The Games may end today, Caelum. Today. All we need to do is survive the final faceoff, and we're going home!"

Caelum bent to plant a kiss on her forehead. "You say that as if fighting off three other people is easy."

Daphne drew him down for another kiss, this time on the lips. "Are you saying you're scared?"

"Not at all," he rested his chin atop her head. "I only have four arrows left. I just wish I had a little more, that's all."

"Okay, tough guy." Daphne teased. "I can feel you quivering in your boots."

In actuality, Daphne was terrified herself. She ran through a mental checklist of all the moves she'd learned from Theia during their nightly training sessions, which had probably saved her ass countless times. But what if that wasn't enough? At least one Career was still alive. A Career that had trained their entire life to battle, kill and win. How could a ragtag shepherd and a novice butcher possibly beat that?

But the ragtag shepherd had grown up learning how to throw knives for this very reason. The novice butcher was also a swift, expert archer. Perhaps they stood a chance.

Still, Daphne couldn't shake the feeling that something could go horribly wrong. Just one mistake, one lapse of concentration and the dream of returning home happy and safe together would shatter before her eyes.

***

They'd decided to move.

Daphne and Caelum had packed up their meager belongings–which was actually just the supply bag, they didn't have anything else–and headed in the opposite direction as the fires. Daphne had left her trap still loaded on the front steps, not feeling like lugging around a crossbow and possibly hoping that one of the remaining tributes would come across it and die. Preferably Glory. Sylla sucked at fighting and was hence easier to kill.

But Daphne noticed that the fires in the distance seemed to be following them. If they traveled north, the smoke would seem to spread north. If they traveled east, east the fires would turn. Eventually, smoke ceased to rise to the sky, which Daphne couldn't tell was a good or bad thing.

They came across the raging canal, to which Daphne exclaimed, "oh CANAL! My dear old friend! Long time no see!"

A gaping hole seemed to open up in her chest then. Not at the fact that she'd nearly drowned in there once–which wasn't as scary looking back on it now–but at the memory of Azalea pulling her out. The moment she and Azalea had formed their fleeting, rocky alliance. How Azalea had stayed on the dock as Daphne recovered, then accompanied her into a shelter.

Daphne tore her gaze away from the rushing water. Caelum noticed, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "Let's keep going," he said quietly.

They were still in the suburban area, eventually coming across a thicket of trees and bushes that surrounded a small grassy clearing. It was in the center of some sort of town park, though Daphne had never wandered across it before. Nonetheless, they ventured into the clearing, hoping the trees would provide some protection.

The clearing wasn't quite as 'clear' as Daphne had expected. Probably because of the earthquake, it was littered with fallen tree branches, some big enough that Daphne wondered if it had been the entire trunk.

Suddenly, a sense of foreboding washed over Daphne's senses. The back of her neck prickled like it did whenever she could sense a coyote nearby with an eye on her sheep. Barley would've been barking a warning, confirming her suspicion, and she'd round up her sheep and hurriedly take them back to the safety of the pen while Barley chased the threat away.

Here, she didn't have a Barley to confirm that she wasn't just being paranoid. She did, however, have a Caelum.

And right now, he was alert, diligently scanning a three-sixty of their surroundings with an arrow nocked in his bow. Daphne slid a knife out of its sheath.

A bush began to rustle. Daphne jumped, stifling an alarmed squeak. Caelum pulled back his bowstring, the tip of the arrow quivering as he pointed it.

"Get behind me," he told Daphne tersely.

Daphne furrowed her eyebrows. "You get behind me."

On the opposite side of the clearing, more leaves started to swish. Daphne whirled around, holding out her knife. The rustling on both sides then began to move, two shadows gliding from bush to bush along the outside of the clearing, revolving like sharks around their trapped prey.

Daphne's pulse skyrocketed. She and Caelum were back to back, rotating as they kept their weapons trained on the circling threats.

"Come out and face us, you little shanks." Daphne spat. "Let's get this over with!"

"I will not hesitate to shoot if you insist on keeping up this game of hide-and-seek." Caelum added.

The concealed figures kept circling, keeping religiously to the cover of the trees' shadows as they moved within the bushes. Suddenly, the trees were beginning to look less like protection and more like a prison, trapping Daphne and Caelum in the tiny clearing.

Daphne caught a glimpse of fiery, amber eyes, and her anger intensified. It took all her self control not to spring or chuck her knife. She knew she had to remain calm. To not make any sudden movements that may just worsen the situation. She'd learned that the hard way.

But it didn't matter. Caelum let out a dry chuckle. "I warned you."

An arrow went streaking towards the bushes. It disappeared within the leaves, but the sound it made when hitting its target didn't seem like it had struck flesh.

The figures ceased movement then, each on opposite sides of the clearing. Daphne could hear Caelum's breathing, feel the tension in his body that was mirrored in hers. Anticipation hung heavy in the air. Daphne's palms began to sweat.

Everything seemed to happen at once. The two figures both exploded out of the bushes impossibly fast, one aimed for Caelum, one for Daphne. Caelum was sliced across the face with his own arrow. Daphne was barreled the ground.

Daphne yelped as her body struck the grass, a heavy weight atop her. Daphne's blood began to boil and a snarl twisted her face as she flung herself upwards, spittle flying from her mouth. She sent her attacker reeling backwards, falling onto their buttocks with a hiss. Still, the poisonous grin didn't leave their face. A grin Daphne had fantasized about slashing to pieces.

"Well, well, you crazy dipshit," Sylla sneered. "I guess it's time to find out who's the better woman once and for all."

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