Alright well this is my first fanfiction everrr so I hope you all enjoy it. Please feel free to leave any feedback. (hopefully positive )

AN: Just to avoid any confusion from the start in this fic Katniss manages to save Rue in time and they find Peeta together. Foxface, Thresh, Clove, and Cato are the other surviving tributes at the time. All characters do not belong to me obviously.

Chapter 1: A Chance at Escape

Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I ran, feet pounding hard against the cold damp ground of the arena. It seemed like only yesterday that I'd blown the career's supplies sky high and managed to save Rue from the District 1 tribute. Together we'd found Peeta and while he'd been badly hurt, over time with Rue's vast knowledge of plants, he had gotten better and was now able to put his weight on the leg. It came just in the knick of time too.

I'd been out hunting in the woods, my arrow trained on a decent sized rabbit when it had sprung out of the way, startled by some noise deep in the woods. It was then that I heard them, Cato and Clove bickering somewhere within the woods. My heart skipped a beat and before any capable thoughts entered my mind I followed my instinct and ran as fast as I could towards the camp.

If it hadn't been for my light footfalls, which now made me ever grateful that I hadn't let Peeta tag along, I would've been discovered in a second. Either way I was crossing the small stream towards our hideout when I heard Clove exclaim that she'd found an arrow. I cursed under my breath. How could I have been so stupid! Being the only person who had a bow and arrow my identity had been given up and they now knew exactly who to look for.

I jumped the bushes that concealed our hiding place and for the moment was eased into the calming state that Peeta's presence always brought to me. There he stood, his blond hair in a mess on his head smiling at Rue who sat laughing at something he'd said. Sensing that they were no longer alone he turned towards me his smile growing larger at the sight of me.

"Katniss," he said his voice melodic and happy. However, upon seeing my state of distress his smile vanished. "What happened?" he yelped running towards me and pulling my hands into his.

"Its Cato and Clove they're coming this way. We have to get out of here right now!"

Peeta's eyes widened but he didn't ask anything else instead he turned gathering the most important of our items. While I knew our small hideout would eventually be discovered, a small part of me clung to the hope that no tribute would find us and the Capital would be happy enough with the sight of Peeta and me living together and in constant company of the other to not feel the need to set us on fire, or blow us up, or sick some horrible mutation on us. But of course that couldn't possibly have happened, it would be far to boring for the masses. As it is I'm sure that Cato and Clove didn't cross our paths coincidentally, it had to be the Capital's handy work.

"Do I take down the shelter?" Rue asked her dark eyes shinning with traces of fear I knew she didn't want to show.

"There's not enough time," I answered briskly, "Peeta lets go!"

He came out from the small cave carrying a small backpack and a short blade. He nodded towards me and we started off. We reached the edge of our hideout when I heard the district 2 tributes running behind us.

I froze my eyes darting up to meet Peeta's, which held my gaze.

"There!" Clove yelled.

Now here we were flying through the forest with Cato and Clove chasing us down. A knife sliced through the air and buried its way into a tree barely missing my head. I clenched my fist and turned quickly firing an arrow in the general direction that the tributes were running.

My foot got caught in a root and before I even had a chance to fall to the ground Peeta's strong arms caught me and he yanked me up off the ground dragging me forward until I had the sense to run again. I kept searching for Rue who was darting in and out of the trees at such a fast rate it appeared she was flying.

My eyes darted towards the right of the woods and a flash of red caught my attention. Foxface? Why would she be so close to other tributes?

My suspicions were confirmed as she leaped directly in front of our path and then ran off to our left towards the cornfields where I knew Thresh liked to hide. My thoughts soared, why would she intentionally put herself in the way of danger…unless there is something worse coming from the other side. I felt the burst of heat first and had it not been for Peeta I would've been fried.

Peeta threw me to the ground, his body shielding me from the fireball, which exploded a little to my right. We scrambled up and barely made it out of the explosion caused by the next fireball, which hit the ground in the exact spot we'd been in a few moments earlier. A gasp from behind me alerted me to the fact the Clove and Cato weren't having and easy time dodging the flames either.

Rue cried out in front of us and my heart sped. Rue sat on the ground clutching her arm, which had been burned by another burst of flames. Peeta ran forward pausing a second to lift Rue into his arms before taking off again with me in his wake.

"Run to the left," I screamed! Foxface knew her stuff so if she thought the left was safe then it must be.

We ran in a diagonal now pulling towards the left. I'd lost sight of Clove and Cato but I was sure they couldn't be too far behind us. Peeta ran ahead with little Rue and then froze at the edge of the trees. The forest had ended and to the left stood only the fields.

"What are you doing?" I yelped, "Keep running!" It was then I noticed the problem. There was nothing ahead, only a wall of sky.

Cato and Clove tumbled out of the woods behind us coughing like crazy. Upon seeing us Clove smiled a feral smile opening up her coat and selecting the sharpest blade she could find.

Peeta carefully lowered Rue to the ground and grabbing my wrist, yanked me behind him to stand in front of us protectively, an arrangement that I was not particularly fond of but now was not the time to argue.

"Awww well isn't that just adorable," Clove snarled. "Lover boy wants to protect little Katniss. Too bad there will be nothing left when I'm done with you."

Peeta tensed in front of me and I gripped his arm in warning to not do anything stupid.

Cato smirked, "Just hurry it up Clove, we've still got two more to take care of."

Clove sighed vaguely annoyed at Cato for trying to speed up her "fun". Faster then I could possibly process, she threw the blade. I yanked Peeta down and we both hit the ground. The knife imbedded itself in the sky wall.

For a moment nothing happened. Then suddenly electricity crackled along the knife and the entire sky burst. A wave of darkness fell upon the arena and seconds later the entire area was invaded by light. The wall had fallen and I spun around on me heel looking around me in disbelief. A valley spread outward from where we were, not incased or bound by anything. I gasped realizing what had just happened and finally I found my voice.

"Clove, you broke the arena."