The fighting at the cornucopia was definitive proof that at least initially, it was good to be in an alliance. The four career tributes had dominated the fight and were making quick work of most of the bystanders. Someone charged at Blaine as he tried to get to the doorway Kurt had gone through. Blaine didn't pay attention to who he was fighting, but he knew that this time his blow had been deadly. He was already on the move again when the blonde tribute fall dead at his feet. He tried not to think about the fact that he had taken someone's life as he kept trying to work his way to a doorway. He was quick on his feet, but the careers seemed determined to play with him like a cat and mouse. Every time he tried to move, he found his path blocked. After a couple of minutes of this, Blaine heard someone shout his name. His heart leapt into his throat when his initial thought was that Kurt had run back into the fight to try to save him. He recovered quickly when the blonde boy from 6 yelled his name again. The boy had made it to one of the doorways and Blaine saw that his path to it was clear of the career tributes who had been trying to back him into a corner.

Making a split second decision to trust the other boy, Blaine took off toward the doorway and followed the tribute from 6 around the corner. The two of them kept running, not stopping to determine where they were going as they heard the career pack behind them. After a few sharp turns, their quick pace allowed them to outmaneuver the other tributes. When they finally stopped to catch their breath, Blaine realized that this other boy had to die if Kurt was going to win the Games. Just as Blaine was deciding whether or not to run him through, the other boy set his weapon against the wall and held his hands up to show that he didn't intend to attack. Blaine held onto his sword but held it at his side.

“Thanks for that.” Blaine was genuinely grateful. The blonde boy could have left him to his fight with the careers. They were all occupied with Blaine and he would have had a clean getaway if he had just run.

“No problem. You looked like you needed a hand. My name's Sam.” He held his hand out. Blaine didn't take it. He wasn't here for the pleasantries. Sam just shrugged and lowered his hand.

“Blaine.” Sam laughed.

“Dude everyone knows who you are. Look, I know you're not in the market for an alliance, and I'm really not either. But the enemy of my enemy and all that. So I'm not going to fight you right now, and hopefully you're not going to kill me when I turn around when I go that way.” Sam picked his weapon back up and pointed at the path to the left. “I'll go my way, you can go yours, and next time we see each other, all bets are off.”

Blaine knew it was literally a life or death decision, but Games or no Games, it was generally considered bad form to attack someone who just saved your life. So he nodded and turned to head down the opposite path. As he turned to walk away, the sound of a cannon firing made Blaine jump. He listened as the cannon boomed again and again, each time signaling a fallen tribute. Ten times. ten dead tributes. Almost half of them were gone within the first hour, and Blaine knew one of them was his fault. He had a vision of a flash of blonde hair. Blaine shook his head to clear it.

“Hey Blaine -- May the odds be ever in your favor!” Sam had definitely mastered the Capitol accent. Blaine shook his head again and rounded the corner. He knew his next task was to find Kurt before anyone else did.

Kurt crept around the corner, ready to attack the injured tribute sitting against the wall, but he stopped short when he took in the scene. It was a girl and she was bleeding heavily from a deep gash on her thigh. Kurt couldn't see the cut, but judging by the pool of blood at his feet, she didn't have long to live. There was no need for him to finish her off, and he knew in that instant that he would never have been able to do it anyway. Ashamed, he turned to leave when the girl finally noticed him standing there.

“Please. Wait.” Her voice was weak and Kurt knew there was nothing anybody could do to help her. “I'm scared. Please don't leave me here alone.”

Kurt wished he had just kept walking, but his brain had disconnected from his legs again and he was rooted to the spot. The girl had tears running down her face and before Kurt could stop himself, he turned and kneeled next to her. “What's your name?”

“Tina.”

He couldn't remember her from training or her interview, and Kurt couldn't even recall what District she came from. “Hi Tina. I'm Kurt.”

“I know. You're from 12.” Of course she knew who he was. He and Blaine had been impossible to overlook. He felt even more ashamed that he had thought her so inconsequential he hadn't even registered her face.

“Tina, you've lost a lot of blood. Too much blood.” He didn't want to lie to her and tell her it would be alright. He knew it wouldn't be, and she probably did too. Even if she didn't bleed out, she wasn't going to survive for long if she couldn't run.

“Please just stay with me. Please.” He didn't know what he could say that might comfort her, but her quiet begging was tugging at Kurt's heartstrings. Not having the heart to just walk away, he sat on the ground beside Tina and took her hands in his. “Someone told me that you sing too. Will you?” She was having trouble keeping her head up and Kurt knew she was almost gone. He looked around. He hadn't heard anyone else come close, and he was rested enough to make a run for it if another tribute stumbled upon them. Her body started to convulse as she slowly bled to death. Kurt decided that he wanted to calm her fear. He tried to remember the lullaby his mom used to sing him when he had nightmares.

When you're all alone

Far away from home

There's a gift the angels send

When you're alone

Every day must end

But the night's our friend

Angels always send a star

When you're alone

…

He stopped singing when the cannon sounded. And just like that another tribute was gone. Kurt stood up, brushed Tina's hair off her face, tried to ignore the sticky blood on his hands and clothes, and resumed his attempt to find Blaine in this maze.

Burt let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding almost since the moment the gong sounded. Both boys survived the initial bloodbath at the cornucopia, and he knew they'd be looking for each other now. He had watched anxiously as Blaine ran into the fight trying to gather supplies. He knew the boy was quick and agile, but he also knew the core alliance from 1 and 2 could easily overpower him if they surrounded him. The mentor from 6 had nodded politely to him when his tribute had helped Blaine get out of the center room. The man was probably hoping for an alliance to form between the boys so he would have some access to Kurt and Blaine's sponsors. Burt was surprised at the man's attitude considering his female tribute had died in the cornucopia battle only moments ago. At Blaine's hand no less. He knew from his own experience that the initial fight is adrenaline charged, and it was clear that Blaine hadn't killed the girl with malice or personal triumph. In the heat of the Games, it was kill or be killed. Burt wanted to ask his son what he had been thinking when he moved toward the dying girl instead of running in the other direction. Every so often a tribute would prey on the more compassionate tributes like his son by pretending to be wounded and then attacking anyone who tried to offer help. If his son continued to play the Games with his heart on his sleeve, he would be an easy target for the others. His own heart fluttered as he remembered the song Kurt sang to the girl while she bled out. His first wife used to sing it whenever Kurt had nightmares and crawled into their bed. Now that the initial bloodbath was over, Burt needed to refocus and start working the sponsors. He was already thinking about a few gifts that would help them out.