Fire and Water Chapter 6: The Arena, a hunger games fanfic

Chapter 6 - The Arena

I say my goodbyes to Finnick and Haymitch as I board the hovercraft that will take me to the arena. I expected Johanna and Mags to be on the same craft as me as the cheery announcer guy from the private training sessions had said something about having a male hovercraft and a female hovercraft but, I am the only on this particular vehicle.

They insert my tracker into my arm and somehow they manage to make it even more painful than last year.

I arrive in the brand new waiting area or as I like to call it 'torture chamber' and find Cinna waiting for me. I rush into his embrace and he hugs me tight. I'm dressed in a jumpsuit type thing with swimwear underneath. It's a wetsuit but if there was a prize for the most revealing wetsuit it would win hands down, there are panels that have been cut out of it revealing my skin, I'm grateful that the jumpsuit has been left alone. I also have a belt on which can't just be for style purposes so it must contain something useful.

"Katniss whatever happens just focus on getting to the cornucopia and your bow." He says gravely.

"Ok Cinna I will." I reply just as seriously.

"Good and don't forget I'm still betting on you." He smiles.

I pick up the jug of water and down three glasses of it; I don't know when I'll get to drink again so I might as well make the most of it. Eventually I just end up drinking it straight from the jug. Same goes for the food, I stuffed my face at breakfast and I do the same now.

"30 seconds." It's that cheerful guy again.

I hug Cinna for the last time and he puts my trusty pin onto my jumpsuit.

"Thank you for everything." I breathe and Cinna nods his head in response.

I step into the tube that will take me to my death and wait to be lifted up, just as I start moving Peacekeepers storm into the room and grab Cinna. They start whacking him and pounding his head, I throw myself against the glass in an attempt to save my friend but it's too late. The Peacekeepers drag a bloodied Cinna out of the room just as I emerge into the arena.

I look around to see water everywhere. There's a beach and some sort of forest beyond it.

The arena is round and the Cornucopia is sitting in the middle of it with all the weapons piled up at its mouth. I spot my bow near the top of the pile.

I look to see who's near me and I spot Finnick to my right and Johanna a couple of places to my left. Mags and Haymitch must be round the other side of the arena.

I look for the fastest way to get to the cornucopia and it's just to swim straight there. There are spokes of rock coming out of the Cornucopia's rocky base, separating the arena into segments.

I plunge into the water, definitely not the place for a Girl on Fire, and swim as fast as I can to the Cornucopia. Luckily I know how to swim unlike half of the tributes who are just dithering on their podiums.

I reach the Cornucopia second and make a mad dash for my bow, I don't know who got here before me, I have a strong suspicion that it's Finnick but I'm not taking any chances.

Someone steps up behind me and I whirl round pulling my bow on him or her. It's Finnick.

"Hey they built the arena just for you." I joke whilst shooting an arrow at someone.

I run round the perimeter of the Cornucopia looking for anything that could help us survive in this foreboding arena, something like the backpack I had last year. There's nothing only masses of weapon upon weapon.

"Anything useful?" Finnick shouts from the other side.

"No just weapons. Loads and loads of weapons.

Enobaria is at the Cornucopia now and she bares her teeth, or should I say fangs, at me.

"Don't trust One or Two." Finnick shouts.

I nod, "We've gotta get out of here!" I screech back.

We run down one of the rocky spokes towards Haymitch and Mags. Mags has just about managed to swim to one of the rocky spokes and Haymitch is just floundering in the water like a drowning cat.

I jump into the water to help him and Finnick follows close behind me.

"What are you doing Finnick? You should be protecting Mags." I yell at him.

"I thought you might need some help."

"Just because I don't come from District Four doesn't mean you're a better swimmer than me I am perfectly capable." I shoot back at him.

"In case you've both forgotten, I can't swim." Haymitch hollers at us both.

Right. Finnick and I lift Haymitch out of the water onto the rocks then we make a mad dash into the jungle. Finnick has Mags on his back but is still managing to stay with us, man he's strong…

We continue running through the forest, which is actually more of a jungle, until Finnick decides we're far enough from the beach.

"Katniss go and climb a tree and check out the area." He instructs.

"I'm sorry but, who put you in charge?" I object.

"I'm the oldest person, and the most mature, who can actually defend us." He replies, the cocky arrogant dumb ass.

"Wanna bet?" I counter.

"She's right you know Lover Boy, you do have a mental capacity of about 12. Although I have to agree that you should be the one to climb the tree Katniss you're like a bloody squirrel." Haymitch adds his enlightening point of view to the conversation.

"I can climb a tree it can't be that hard." Finnick protests.

I challenge him, "Go on then."

I have to give him some credit, he did try and it was very entertaining to watch. He's worse than Peeta and I thought he was bad. He keeps slipping off and I can't help but laugh.

"Lets see you do any better." He sulks and I raise an eyebrow, he did see me in my games right?

"Okay I will climb the tree. Not because you are in charge but because I actually want to know what's going on back at the Cornucopia." I go to the tree and nimbly climb up it.

"How the hell did she do that?" I hear Finnick screech.

The blood bath is still going on and I see Brutus and Enobaria doing most of the killing. Cashmere and Gloss are there but seem to be leaving not wanting to kill anymore of their friends. There are lots of bodies scattered around the Cornucopia and floating in the water. It must be hard for everyone to kill people they've known for years, it's hard for me and I barely know them I can't imagine how it must be for Haymitch who's games was 25 years ago. I might've been friends with these people if it wasn't for Snow and his stupid rigged Quarter Quell.

I look up into the sky and see the tell tale flickering of a force field.

I climb down the tree and Finnick shouts something at me almost giving me a heart attack. I lose my grip on the tree and slip falling straight into Finnick's waiting arms.

"Well Girl on Fire, it looks like you've finally fallen for me." Finnick kids.

"Yeah ok whatever you want to think." I mutter.

"Hey Katniss how comes you fell?" Haymitch asks with a wry smile.

"Someone not naming any names, Finnick Odair, decided to distract me." I complain.

"So I distract you do I KitKat?" Finnick winks.

"No, not in the way you're implying. Call me that again and you won't have to worry about surviving in this awful place anymore." I threaten.

His stares at me mouth hanging open at a loss for words. I stare back at him and make contact with his ocean coloured eyes. We don't break eye contact until Haymitch clears his throat.

"When you two are done mentally undressing each other, we were going to get moving and find somewhere to camp. You didn't see any water while you were up that tree did you?" He says.

I can hardly answer I'm too embarrassed I can only imagine how red my face is, I probably look like a tomato something I've eaten in the Capitol.

"No." My voice is a high-pitched squeak.

We continue walking until Haymitch and Mags decide we've found a suitable spot to make camp. Finnick and Mags start making a shelter weaving a canopy out of leaves and vines.

I decide to go hunting, for food and water. I wander through the jungle looking for something to eat. A movement catches my eye a small furry creature is scurrying down a tree. I raise my bow and shoot it right in the eye. I walk over to my kill and pick it up.

Its muzzle is wet, huh…

It must have a water source!

I scour the area for ages looking for where the tree rat, that's what I named it, could've got water from. There's no water anywhere. I walk back to the camp defeated.

"Find anything?" Finnick calls.

"I got a tree rat but I couldn't find any water. And I don't know how we can cook it, I'm good at starting fires but only with matches. Plus it would be unwise to start a fire here anyway all the green foliage will make loads of smoke." I sigh.

"Your boyfriend made some handy containers for if we do find water, sweetheart." Haymitch informs me. Wait what? Boyfriend? Finnick?

"He's not my boyfriend old man." I retort.

"Hey Katniss, can I borrow a kiss? I promise I'll give it back." Finnick winks.

I turn and walk away from him; he's really getting on my nerves. No one seems to care that we very possibly might have to kill each other and only one of us can make it out alive.

"Katniss you've explored a lot of this place right?" Finnick asks me.

"Yes." I say slowly, I'm not sure what he's up to but I can tell it's going to be something dumb.

"Well if I go straight down there," He says pointing in the direction I came from earlier. "will I reach your heart?"

"That's it! I've had enough of you behaving like an idiot trying to embarrass me. Or playing up to the cameras. Or…or whatever else you're doing." I roar at him not caring if the other tributes hear me. "If it weren't for the stupid rules I'd leave and never look back."

I turn and storm away into the forest.

"Sweetheart where are you going?" Haymitch asks carefully.

"Away from him!" I yell.

I charge deeper into the dense undergrowth, I can hear Haymitch and Finnick calling for me but I'm ignoring them.

Why does Finnick have to be so aggravating? He acts as if he likes me but then goes and does something like this. I slow my pace, might as well look for something useful whilst I'm out here. I'm so thirsty; the hot and humid conditions of the arena don't help. I'm sweating like crazy I'd take the jumpsuit off but the wetsuit underneath doesn't leave much to the imagination; I bet Finnick would love that. Everything seems to come back to Finnick, I start to think that maybe we're friends and then he makes a stupid comment and pisses me right off.

Finnick and Haymitch have almost caught up with me and just as they do I run into something I just make out the flickering weak spot of the force field before unconsciousness overtakes me.

Sorry I took so long to update, I've had so much revisin to do and it's been hard to juggle going back to school (and the homework that comes with it) with writing this story, so if it takes me over a week to update someone PM me and remind me to update.

This chapter is a little bit shorter than the others but this felt like a good place to end it. Thank you guys for all your reviews :) I have yet another question to ask you guys, it's important. So who do want to be taken by the Capitol when the arena gets destroyed?