Katniss woke up the next day and did the first thing she remembered; she slipped her two rings on her right ring finger. Finnick promised her she could use one of Cinna's creations for their wedding and reception when they will get married after the Quell. Then she jumped in the shower, knowing full aware to take her time with the soaps and lotions. It would be a while before she gets another shower.

She jumped on the hovercraft next to Peeta and across from her, saw Finnick smile at her and Johanna flash a nasty glare at Peeta before smirking at Katniss. Katniss sighed and knew she was just itching to get the Quell over with; that and her imminent death. Some Peacekeepr came around and injected a tracker into her right forearm.

Don't want to lose their precious tributes, don't they? Katniss thought bitterly.

Suddenly the hovercraft landed and she was lead to a secluded room in which there was a table set out with food and drinks. She ate a sandwich, a few cheese buns, and a tall glass of water. She suspected that this Games must make it harder to find a reliable source of water.

Cinna came in and handed her a pair of gloves and some sort of wetsuit. Katniss put on the wet suit, and the gloves which seemed to be made of the same material as her wetsuit. He pinned the Mockingjay pin on her wetsuit and placed her in a jumper, hiding her two tokens. Placing her in the glass tube, Cinna smiled, saying, "Remember, Girl on Fire, I'm betting on you."

Katniss smiled, as the glass tube closed on her. But it vanished when three Peacekeepers came in with bats and hit Cinna repeatedly in front of her. The fatal blow caused him to crash into her glass tube and his whole body went limp. Blood smeared on the glass as his dead body was jerked away from the glass tube and out of the room. Snow had made it clear he wouldn't tolerate even the smallest act of rebellion. And he decided to beat Cinna to death and use his torture as an example to Katniss, warning her what tampering with his peace could do to her for her loved ones.

Cinna knew that transforming her into a symbol of hope for the rebels would cost his life. And he did it anyways. Katniss knew she shouldn't let his selfless sacrifice go to waste. She would fight for him and make sure Panem is free; only then would Cinna's murder be truly avenged.

Her glass tube lifted up and an intercom started to drawl monotonously, "60 seconds to launch."

Katniss shielded her eyes from the blaring sun of the arena. Hearing the sloshing waves from around her launch pad, Katniss knew she was in the middle of the ocean. She knew how to swim. Maybe even comparable to the Careers from 4. Finnick told her so when he convinced her to swim instead of doing survival skills one morning of training.

She looked at the Cornucopia. 40 seconds left. She could see her bow-and-arrow. A gleaming set of knives. Finnick's beautiful trident. A couple of machetes that would be perfect for cleaving away the jungle roots.

30 seconds left. Katniss looked to her right and saw Peeta eyeing the display of swords. No doubt he would go for one of them.

20 seconds left. Katniss saw Johanna eyeing the axe. Mags was just looking for a way to swim to shore empty-handed, knowing she had allies to help her. Finnick eyed his trident, smirked and smiled at her.

10 seconds left. Katniss thought of her family and friends back in 12 who hate her. Deep in her heart, she knew she loved them and she wouldn't dare let them die, no matter how much they despise her presence now.

5

4

3

2

1

It was a moment frozen in time for Katniss. The gong blared obnoxiously, signaling her that the Games had started. She dove gracefully into the water just like a fish and swam towards the Cornucopia. She trusted Johanna with gathering Beetee and Wiress, so she didn't bother grabbing an axe. Johanna might need it to fend for herself.

Katniss grabbed the bow and arrow, three knives, and a machete. The trident was gone, and she hoped it was in Finnick's hands. Footsteps padded behind her and in a flash she twirled around, a knife at the attacker's throat. It turned out to be Finnick.

He smirked and lifted his wrist to show a gold Mockingjay bracelet. That Effie had given to Haymitch as a part of their little 'team' representation. Peeta had gotten a gold locket with a Mockingjay inscribed on it and she used her gold wig as a token herself.

"Good thing, we're allies," Finnick purred.

"Yeah, it's a good thing we're allies or I would have slit open your carotid artery," Katniss snapped.

"Could be so," Finnick smiled, then it vanished as he yelled, "Duck!"

Katniss did so and saw him spear the male tribute from 5 who crept up behind her, with the intention of killing her. She decided the longer they stayed on the Cornucopia the easier it would be for them to be killed.

"Let's go," Katniss tugged on his wrist and said, "Go get Peeta, I will make sure Mags is safe."

Finnick nodded and dived into the water again. Watching him swim off, she dived in too. She looked around and spot Mags swimming slowly in the tumultuous ocean water. She raced over to her and grabbed onto her hand, lacing their fingers and tugging Mags to the shore. Once Katniss and Mags waded to the sand, Katniss pulled out a knife and handed it to Mags.

"You need a weapon to use to hunt and fend for yourself," Katniss explained.

Mags smiled at her and accepted the weapon. They sat on the sand and waited for Finnick to show up. He eventually did but it seemed like he was furious. Katniss whispered, "What could be the reason this time?"

The District 4 female victor shrugged and just patted her hand, as if telling her not to worry too much. Eventually the both of them could hear what the commotion was about. Peeta had too much ego to accept that he had no knowledge of swimming. Finnick said he was saving his life for Katniss's sake. And when Peeta began to insult her, Finnick blew up, threatening Peeta that he would drown him if he ever insulted Katniss one more time.

"STOP IT BOTH OF YOU!" Katniss yelled, "I don't have time for petty fights, Peeta! Just accept it, you would drown if you were placed in a swimming pool. And let's get going before one of the Careers find us and kill us."

"They would've been our allies had you not picked Nuts and Volts," Peeta spat.

"What?" Katniss asked.

Finnick answered, "Those are Johanna's nicknames for Wiress and Beetee. But she doesn't say it with hatred; she gives everybody nicknames. You have to threaten her to get on her bad side."

"You listen clear and well. Just strength won't get you out of the Arena," Katniss glowered, "Beetee and Wiress are very smart and they won their games. They aren't morons or else they would have been killed off. So, get your head out of the sand and learn that you're not superior to any other contestant in the Quell. Now let's go."

"Someone's hormones are loose," Peeta snapped snarkily.

Katniss whirled around and thrust a machete at him, knocking the air out of Peeta. Snarling and flaring her nostrils like an ox, she bit back, "Yeah that's because I saw my stylist get beaten to death right before I got shipped into this arena."

She said this quietly so the cameras couldn't hear them but the three others did and Peeta shut his mouth, instead choosing to hack away at the jungle branches. Katniss instructed Mags and Finnick to stay behind, to watch their backs and to forage for food. Katniss knew Mags's knowledge of edible plants and roots was brilliant, even better than her own. Therefore, whatever the mother-like figure deemed safe, she would eat it in a heartbeat.

Suddenly Katniss paused while she hacked away at plants. Ahead of her, about 10 feet she could see something distort in the air. Almost like there was a static, a wisp of electricity. And then she remembered her conversation with Beetee and Wiress. It was a forcefield. And Peeta was headed straight into it.

"PEETA NO!" Katniss screamed out in alarm.

Peeta didn't hear her and raised his machete; he struck the weapon down and got blasted backwards five feet. He didn't move and Katniss ran to him, frantically hoping to find a pulse, if anything. His pulse was faint, making Katniss breathe in relief. But her eyes watered as she stared helplessly at Finnick and murmured, "What do I do? He's not gonna die, is he?"

Finnick had absolutely no clue why she would want to save someone who wished ill and even death upon her. But he knew if he were in her shoes, he would fight for his loved ones to live, even if they hated his guts. The thought of his family and Annie turning on him was unfathomable, but it could've happened if they were alive. Katniss's life was picture perfect until one by one they turned on her.

He sighed deeply before pushing her towards Mags. Mags wrapped an arm around Katniss's shoulders and kissed her cheek to subdue her cries. Finnick grumbled to himself as he started to do CPR, of 30 chest compressions to 2 mouth-to-mouth breaths.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon you little bastard, breathe! You aren't gonna die on Katniss and let guilt consume her," Finnick spat harshly in hatred, pausing to pinch his nose as he covered Peeta's mouth with his own to give him two life-saving breaths before resuming chest compressions. Eventually Peeta coughed in response and Finnick flew away from him, glad he didn't have to kiss him anymore.

Finnick drew Katniss into a hug and whispered, "If I had toothpaste, I would use the whole tube to wash the feeling of kissing that prick to administer CPR."

Katniss snorted but pushed him away to see Peeta glaring at Finnick, "Why were you touching me? I didn't know you were gay!"

"Listen here, you little dickhead," Finnick growled, "That thing I did over there? It's called saving your life."

"And you kissed me," Peeta spat.

"That's called mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, part of CPR training," Finnick snapped.

"Why would you need CPR training?" Peeta glared.

"People drown in accidents in fishing trips so someone would have to administer CPR to push the water out of the lungs to save them," Finnick rolled his eyes, "We have to maintain our certification."

"I had hoped you would drown in the ocean back at the Cornucopia," Peeta glared, "Makes it easier for me."

Mags gasped in shock and tears began to leak out of her eyes in hurt. Katniss noticed this and engulfed the eldest Victor into a warm hug. But Finnick had seen her tears and he swung another punch at his jaw, this one even harder.

"What the fuck, man?!" Peeta growled.

"Listen here, and listen well. I only saved your life because once you hit the forcefield, Katniss began to cry a river for you, fussing over you and blubbering about what to do. She would've been torn if you died on her and she didn't do anything to help if possible. Guilt would have driven her insane for the rest of the life because she cares about you. But if she didn't care about you, I would've been happy to just keep walking with her and Mags and find shelter, while your cannon booms, signifying your death. So, fuck off," Finnick swore, seething in anger.

Luckily Peeta was wise enough to shut up and he decided to throw some nuts Mags gathered. The forcefield had burnt the nut to a crisp and cooked it well. They spent the evening throwing nuts and the meat Katniss caught at the forcefield which roasted it very well. It made the game thoroughly cooked and safe to eat. But one thing remained, they were thirsty.

Katniss and Finnick called first watch and they decided to go search for a source of water. Peeta would stay up and watch over Mags while she slept in the meantime. His machete glinted in malice under the artificial moonlight, ready to chop of the head of any intruder who didn't look like Katniss or Finnick.

Meanwhile the two were having little luck finding any source of clean drinking water. Throwing up her hands in frustration, Katniss yelled to no one in particular, "Hey Haymitch, if you aren't too busy getting your ass drunk, maybe you can send us some water to drink?"

"Real smooth," Finnick smirked.

"Well I had to do that before I lose my voice due to thirst," Katniss shrugged.

They heard a distant beeping and saw a parachute get stuck at the top of an oak tree, which was 80 feet tall. Katniss cursed under her breath; she knew damn well everything in the arena down to the slightest breeze of the wind was controlled by the gamemakers. So they must be putting on a show by deliberately making the parachute get caught high in the air.

"Well I have no experience of climbing trees and you were climbing trees like a squirrel, as Haymitch said, only I preferred you reminded me of a bird as you glided through them," Finnick said.

"No," Katniss said, "Only Rue could do that."

Finnick was silent as he remembered the little girl from last year. He never paid too much attention but he remembered seeing her posture in the trees, always on her tiptoes, hands raised slightly as if in any given moment she could take flight.

By the time he had any idea what to respond, Katniss was high within the branches intent on seeking the parachute herself. She climbed the tree gracefully in fluid motions and within minutes she was so high he could've sworn she could touch the sky if she stretched herself a little further. Grasping the parachute in her hands in victory, Katniss began to glide down. But suddenly, a cannon sounded. But Katniss hugged the tree trunk to prevent losing her footing. When she calmed down she began to stiffly trek down the length of the tree and the moment her foot were firmly on the ground Finnick had crushed her against him in a hug.

"Don't ever do that to me," Finnick whispered into her hair.

"The canon caught me off guard," Katniss replied.

"I was still worried," Finnick said, "But what's in the parachute?"

It turned out it was some sort of metal thing, with a spout on one end and a sharp protruding spike on the other, as if it were to impale something, or someone.

"Great, Haymitch, you sent us a weapon," Finnick grumbled in annoyance, "I'll use it to kill somebody or threaten them to give me their water supply. Thanks man!"

However, Katniss focused on the weapon. Haymitch isn't dumb, he has a reason with each one of his sponsor gifts. She thought back to her father, when he explained the tools for survival. And one of them looked like the object like she has in her hands. It was used to extract sap from maple trees for syrup.

"It's a spile!" Katniss exclaimed.

"A what-what? Oh, so this weapon has a name?" Finnick asked.

"No, it's a tool. It's used to extract something we need from a tree," Katniss explained hastily.

Finnick grumbled in annoyance, "Well I sure am thirsty…"

"Water!" Katniss yelped, making him jump in surprise, "The trees must have water! With this tool we can collect all the water we can possibly need for days!"

Finnick snatched the spile from her hands and hacked away at a nearby tree trunk with his knife, given to him by Katniss. He jammed the sharp end of the spile into the hole and they waited for a minute. When they decided to just chuck the useless object in the ocean, a thin stream of lukewarm water began to stream out.

Immediately the two thrust their faces underneath the stream, greedily taking turns to quench their thirst. Then they filled the cups Mags wove out of grass with water for the two waiting for them. When they walked back to camp, they woke up Mags and gave both of them the containers they filled with water. Once their thirst was sated, Katniss called the first shift of the night.

Finnick dozed off, right next to Katniss. The last thing he felt before sleep overtook him was the soft caress of her palm and the satisfying feeling of her blunt nails gently scratching his scalp.

But then he woke up to Katniss screaming in pain and running towards them, her fingers covered in horrendous blisters. "It's poisonous! The fog is poisonous! We have to run!"

In a flash, thanks to his Victor reflexes, he hauled Mags on his back and they ran through the jungle. The fog was gaining on them fast and his muscles were getting sore. Katniss took Mags for a while because Peeta was being arrogant and wouldn't save her life if it placed his own in danger.

"Finnick, I can't carry her anymore! Can you?" Katniss yelled.

Mags shifted in her arms, making Katniss set the old lady down on the ground gently. The old woman simply smiled gently at Katniss and Finnick, but she glared at Peeta. Giving a gentle kiss on the cheek to Katniss first then Finnick, she walked straight into the fire.

Finnick's face contorted into horror as the last thing he saw of Mags before the fog engulfed her was her body twisting into odd angles. It was almost as if she were dancing to an odd rhythm. And out of nowhere, a large cannon boomed.

"MAGS! NO!" Finnick yelled as Katniss tearfully hugged him and dragged him and Peeta away from the poisonous fog.

TBC