Another Tribute

After a couple days, I'm suprsingingly getting along with everyone really well. The Careers are always portrayed as these evil and vicious people when really they're just like everyone else with a little more training. They're not all that evil at all...that is, unless they're out to kill you next.

"I just don't know how we're going to do it. I mean, don't you think it's a little pointless to sit an wait by the trap? We need another plan," Kara complains. Dianca elbows her.

"We'll think of something eventually," Dianca says sighing. That's the moment I get an idea.

"I have an idea," I say, kind of dumbly. As soon as I say it I want to take it back, because the truth is I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for this kind of betrayal.

"What is it?" Dianca asks. Kara and Dianca's attention is all on me. Great.

"Maybe I could pretend to go back to them...and then you guys would be waiting, ready to strike," I say to them. The nod at this idea, excitement growing.

"That is such a great plan. I don't know why I didn't think of it before," Dianca says.

"Perfect, I'll get the group together," Kara says, running off. The pit in my stomach is growing, but I ignore it. Ariella wanted to kill me and told me she doesn't even like me. Eli would have lt me die. Who cares about them?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Eli? Ariella?" I call out into the night. I'm sticking to my "Don't know where their hiding place is" story so I have to try and run into them by suprise.

"We'll wait in the bushes around this clearing. Lead them here," Dianca whispers, disapearing into the underbrush. I nod and walk off.

"Hello? Guys?" I call out. Suddenly, I hear a rustle in the brush.

"Auden!" an excited voice says. I turn towards it and am enveloped by two strong arms surrounding me. I'm shocked stiff.

"Hello," I murmer, suddenly overcome with a warmth I hadn't felt since I was safe at home. The whole personality change I had decided to take over the past few days just melted away. I wrap my arms around his neck and just hug him tightly.

"Auden, I'm sorry I wasn't nicer to you," Ariella says to me. I loosen my grip on Eli.

"It's alright," I say, smiling at her. She moves forward to awkwardly hug me. It's a step.

Oh crap. What the heck was I thinking? Joing the Careers? Leading them here?

"Where have you been?" Eli asks me. This makes me frown.

"You have to get out of here," I whisper to Eli. I turn to Ariella to tell her too when we're suddenly surrounded.

"What's going on?" Eli asks me.

"Our new friend has got you right where we want you," Dianca says as Kara pounces on Ariella and one of the guys goes for Eli. Ariella tries to get out of Kara's grasp, but Eli doesn't struggle at all.

"Auden, this is where you've been?" Eli asks me, hurt. My heart breaks and I want to hide in a hole. How could I have possibly done this?

"Simple. To survive, Eli Leone. You would have let her die, how much better are you?" Dianca asks, getting up into his face.

"That is not true!" Eli says sternly. This hits a hard spot in me.

"That's what you said!" I say to him. He looks at me, his eyes reflecting an inner struggle.

"Auden, you misunderstood. When I said I don't know, I meant maybe we'd both be dead. I wouldn't have just given up, but I was trying to be smart," he explains. I feel terrible, because this makes complete sense. I am so hating myself right now.

"How touching. Auden, don't listen to him. He didn't even come after you," Dianca says, spitting in Eli's face. He scowls at her.

"Dianca, let's get to it," Kara says, holding up her sword to Ariella's throat. Ariella is looking at me with so much hate I have to look away just to regain some sanity.

"Oh fine, slit her throat already," Dianca says. And this is the moment I think I've gone insane. What I'm about to do goes against all the rules of survival.

"Hands off," I say, stepping forward with my sword out. Kara looks extremely confused.

"Jackson, come over here and hold her," she mutters, releasing Ariella to him. She steps forward with her sword out as well.

"Hands are off. What's the problem?" Kara asks me sarcastically. You would think that it would be all chaotic now, but all eyes are on Kara and me.

"The problem is Kara, you and Dianca manipulated my feelings! You knew I was upset and acting weird and you took advantage of it! That's not cool with me."

"Oh puh-lease. You were next on the hit list anyways," she says viciously. Dianca hits herself in the forehead.

"Well then, why don't we just see who'd really win," I say, lashing out at her. She immediately counters my attack.

"Pathetic. Just like Nico told us. I won't let my guard down like he did," Kara says as we battle it out. This is so sureal. I get so involved in my battle I don't realize all of hell has broken loose around me. The only thing that distracts me is when I hear Eli yelp nearby. Kara takes advantage of my sudden distraction.

"Auden Kwell, it is my pleasure to kill you today," she says as she disarms me.

"Atleast I'll know I died defending my friends instead of killing them!" I say harshly to her. She looks a bit taken back, but recovers quickly.

"I think I'll like you so much better dead," Kara mutters.

"I don't think I will though," Eli says, not even thinking as his knife finds its target in her back. She's dead instantly, and all I can do is stand there, shocked. Kara was mean, but she had been good to me before. Everything suddenly goes into slow motion. The Careers retreat at their co-leader's death, and Eli, Ariella, and I retreat in the opposite direction. Suddenly, though, Dianca stops.

"Auden Kwell, you will wish you'd been killed today," Dianca says.

"We'll see Dianca," I yell back. She gets this evil trance like look on her face and picks up her bow.

"Oh yes, we will," she says, pulling back her arrow and releasing it. I wait for impact, except it wasn't aimed for me at all.

"Eli!" Ariella exclaims as he slumps to the ground. Dianca runs off to join her friends, and I kneel on the ground to pick up mine.