RENEGADE Chapter 6, a hunger games fanfic

A/N: Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Hunger Games trilogy all rights go to Suzanne Collins. I do however own Quinn and her story.

The black and silver bodysuit clung tight to her skin as the tube raised her into the arena. Her arm throbbed where her tracker had been injected and her stomach churned nauseatingly as her hands trembled with adrenaline and her heart beat out of her chest. Quinn had said no goodbyes because she was coming out alive; she was going to fulfil her role in the rebellion and then she was going to kill President Snow. That would be her salvation. That would keep her going; keep her killing. The platform on which she stood came to a halt, her eyes were flooded with artificial sunlight and her nose was teased with the smell of salt water. As her eyes adjusted she heard the countdown.

Her fingers twitched as she positioned herself ready to dive into the water.

She scanned the Cornucopia for a weapon, smirking as her ice blue eyes landed on two bows and two quivers of arrows. One for her and one meant for Katniss.

Her eyes searched the tributes as she tried to locate Peeta. Quinn calculated that he would need her help first.

She found the boy and he sent her a brief nod; he would watch her back if she watched his.

Every muscle in her body tensed and her blonde hairs stood on end.

She scanned the podiums for Katniss, she had a made a promise and intended to keep it.

Katniss sent her a knowing glance, they would fight through the bloodbath together.

One last glance to Peeta.

She analysed the careers and picked her first victim.

As the gunshot rang out and 75th Hunger Games began, she dived head first into the ice cold water; her skin prickled and a shiver ran up her spine unacknowledged as she entered autopilot and swam as fast as she possibly could. Within no time her small palms grazed the rocks at the base of the cornucopia and she pulled herself up. Quinn's senses were in overdrive as her innate desire to survive took over her every thought. She was the first to reach the weapons so she safely secured a belt of knives around her waist and swung a quiver of arrows over her left shoulder. As Katniss approached the Victor from 5 tossed her the other bow and the duo pulled back an arrow ready to shoot as Finnick appeared in front of them.

"Good thing we're allies right?" He smirked as he held up his wrist to show Katniss a gold bracelet.

"Where'd you get that?" Katniss asked monotonously.

"Where do you think? Don't trust one and two. I'll go find Peeta." Finnick flinched as Quinn's arrow grazed his cheek as it sailed into another victor's eye. The cannon sounded as he slowly turned to stare at the archer, wide eyed. She would be lying if she said that she didn't consider sending her arrow slightly to the left.

"You could have killed me." Finnick gasped slightly, with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh please. If I was going to kill you then you'd be dead." Quinn rolled her eyes as she turned away from him. "If you two want to survive then I suggest we get out of here because if anyone else comes I won't hesitate to shoot you in the leg and leave."

She waltzed away nonchalantly as her companions glanced at each other and grinned; despite her best efforts they found it hard to dislike the girl from 5. Quinn studied the water, trying to locate Peeta whilst Katniss shot at the encroaching careers. The world seemed to be in fast forward and showed no signs of slowing. She could feel her concentration wavering as she struggled against the monster inside her head; the bars of its cage were bending to its will as it screamed for freedom. The beast had no sense of loyalty, no moral understanding and certainly no patience. It was out for blood, craving the rush of the kill and the thrill of the chase and Quinn fought hard against it within the tempest of her mind.

"He's over there." A voice murmured in her ear, bringing her back to reality, before its owner received a swift elbow to the gut for standing too close. She watched as Finnick recovered, handed her his trident with a grin and swam over to help their ally who was thrashing about in the water with another tribute. Katniss raised her bow but was surprised as Quinn placed a hand on the arrow with an unreadable expression. The girl from 12 had learned in the short time that she had known her that she rarely did anything without a bigger plan; Quinn Larkin was cool and calculated and almost impossible to read.

The canon sounded as all three tributes were out of sight in the depths of the water. The victor from 5 unconsciously gripped the trident tighter, feeling the cool metal burn her skin. The world finally seemed to slow as the ripples on the water calmed. Time seemed to stand still until finally two emerged from the water; Peeta and Finnick. Quinn released a breath that she hadn't known she was holding and her grip loosened. She was teetering on a tight rope at the edge of insanity, every nerve and every muscle in her body urged her to kill everyone. It was true that she could end the games within the next few days, exit as a winner and then have her revenge on Snow and it was also true that she could do that without the need for allies. The battle for control that continued in her mind was momentarily shut off as she studied the careers who stood within a hundred feet of her, they were plotting.

Soon the band of mismatched allies were making their way through the trees. Quinn traipsed at the rear of the group like she was out for a walk rather than in a fight between life and death. The arena felt like a greenhouse on a hot summer's day and the beads of sweat that trickled down her forehead irritated her. She was in a world of her own as she stared heavily at the mud beneath her feet until she mindlessly walked into Finnick who had stopped with the rest of the group. The rude awakening to reality knocked her off balance and she muttered an apology as she steadied herself. Glancing around the group it was obvious that the heat was affecting them too; they needed water. As the group of unlikely allies sat on the forest floor, Finnick noticed the absent look in the Ice Queen's eyes and knew there was a storm brewing inside; her icy blue eyes were vacant but held a strong glare that could shake the ground beneath their feet and her jawline was set. In the years that he had known the young woman, he had always studied her with intrigue and he had come to realise the meaning behind every expression that crossed her pretty little face and the one that he was looking at wasn't a good sign.

"Guess we're not holding hands anymore." Finnick sniggered as the cannon sounded. Quinn glanced up from the ground to look at him briefly before turning her gaze to the canopy of trees that sheltered them from the sweltering sun.

"You think that's funny?" Katniss challenged causing her to roll her eyes with a bored expression.

"It's hilarious." Quinn emphasised and as she rolled her gaze to Katniss all eyes turned to her. "Why should we care if they kill each other? We might be allies but you and I both know that the second we turn our back on you, you wouldn't hesitate. So yeah, the cannon is music to our ears."

"What she said." Finnick smirked. Quinn returned to the storm within her mind as the pair argued.

The fragility of humanity was a concept that was all too real for a victor; a little too close to home. They had been promised the chance to live in peace yet found themselves struggling against their mortality like a gladiator in the colosseum. Being back in the arena brought back the faces that lived in Quinn's mind. The look in their eyes as she took their life and watched as their soul dimmed from their body. The feeling of their blood oozing over her pale hands and spurting across her delicate face. It haunted her and the images had rooted themselves into the deepest and darkest corners of her mind, remaining there until activated. In that moment they grew stronger, doubling in size like a tumour as they infested her every thought. Quinn was traumatised all those years ago and she remained traumatised to that very moment. A child should never have to take a life and the life of the child that lived in her head grew darker with every memory. The demons that she was well acquainted with thrived in the torment of her mind. It was as if she was stuck in a maze; every turn was a dead end and as time grew weary and the sky grew darker, the hedges grew taller. Demons don't discriminate between heroes and villains, the brave and the cowardly and in that moment they festered within her. Her body ached as they spread through her veins and curdled her blood. She watched, eyes wide in terror, as the lifeless faces of her victims sawed through her tightrope and as a single thread remained, allowing her to stand on the side of sanity, light became a stranger and she regressed to the life of a killer; the life of a Hunger Games Victor.

She remained silent as she was gently pulled to her feet. Remained numb as she was guided through the trees. Remained lost as she battled internally. She screamed within her mind, vying to be heard but it fell on deaf ears. No one could see through the silent stoic expression and the icy exterior that she had spent years creating; her disguise was perfect but Quinn knew that spidery cracks were beginning to appear on her concrete mask. No one could see through her but the person that she pushed away the most.

Quinn could never have prepared herself for this, never have predicted the turmoil. She would never have been prepared to break. The gentle hand that guided her disappeared as Peeta hit the force-field and Katniss fell apart. She couldn't understand the slight feeling of loss that tugged at her heart as she stood over the boy who seemed to understand her in a way that no one else did. She watched on like the Grim Reaper, watching as the life drained from the boy who wanted to be her friend until a voice roughly pulled her out of her head.

"Quinn! Help me!"

It was strange how the prospect of loss could move a person, force them to forget everything and act in a last attempt to defy death. The girl had been a prisoner to her own mind but in that moment the boy that she reluctantly cared for needed her. He needed the survivor, the girl who always knew what to do. He needed the Quinn that he introduced himself to at the tribute parade not the Quinn who had manifested after her first kill of the Quarter Quell and that prospect of loss was what forced her to appear.

Finnick noticed as her expression changed to one of determination and sighed in relief as she nudged him out of the way and took over the compressions.

"Don't you dare die on us, Peeta." She urged through gritted teeth as her fists pumped his chest. "Don't give them what they want."

The air hung heavily as the tributes held onto the last tether of hope. They could almost hear Katniss' heart breaking. They could almost see the gamemakers hovering over the cannon, praying that they could use it. They could almost hear the laugh of delight that danced on President Snow's lips as he watched the Mockingjay break into tiny little pieces.

And they most definitely felt defeat until they most definitely heard the sharp gasp of air that entered the boy's lungs.