Chapter 9 I sit against the wall, looking out through a gap in between the two boulders we've made our shelter with I can't see much but I can get a good semi circle view of the Arena below, it's still but I can see a fire near the cornucopia where the career pack has presumably made camp. They're cocky they know that no one would attack their alliance this early on. I snack on some nuts while I keep watch. There is one cannon blast that goes off near dawn and I'm wondering who it is and in this Arena if it might just be exposure that killed them. James doesn't leave my mind except for when I think of Illumina, I wonder what her family had been like, perhaps why she chose to attack me, I think maybe she had wanted to win, to be able to have a chance at something better for herself and her loved ones. May wakes from a dream with a sniffle. "Audrie?" She calls softly and I slip over to her holding her gloved hand "I'm here" I reply "I hope the boys are okay, I miss Flint" she says wearily. "I know, I can't stop wondering where James is, if he's alright, I can't imagine how I'll feel if he dies tonight thinking I hate him" I say lowering my eyes. "It was just a tactic, appear more independent to show you might win, " May replies squeezing my hand. The sun rises behind thick gray clouds and we begin to move on after a breakfast of nuts and beef strips. We refill our canteens with clean snow and pack up the tarp. We start the trek to descend the other side of the mountain. I'm silently praying we run into James and Flint. We walk the sky still gray and the wind calmer than yesterday, it's quiet and I can't hear any animals. Unlike May this is my first time ever in a forest. "I never knew trees were so pretty" I say to May, "those all white ones are they dead?" I ask May laughs " no, those are birch trees, and they don't keep their leaves in winter, but the pines have needles that stay green all year round, you can get nuts from their seed cones and make tea from the needles" she says. I nod, realizing this could help us stay alive. We're down in the thick of the woods, when suddenly someone grabs my arm. I swing around drawing my knife. "Easy there princess, I'm supposed to bring this one to you as a gesture of goodwill" Polaris is the one who speaks to me, his eyes a light blue color. "Flint!" May shrieks as she pulls Flint into her arms and Polaris helps cut his bindings. "What's going on?" I ask Polaris Flint speaks up, one of his eyes is badly bruised and his wrists are rope burned, and he coughs shallowly, "Sappho and James got into a fight at the cornucopia, Polaris saved us from being killed, he's on your side Audrie, they've still got James and they said you have until the anthem tomorrow to show up in their camp and surrender" I look at Polaris, "why are you helping me?" I ask "Because Audrie, I saw you in training and all through the interviews, and the parade, and the ball" he begins "You could be a great Victor, and you and James that day with the bread, reminded me that the districts are stronger together, we could destroy the Capitol if we just united" I look at him for a long moment, May and Flint are still holding each other. "What's in it for you?" I growl, the images of James being killed flash through my mind who knows what kind of crazy things Sappho is doing to him right now. " my sister was killed in the games last year, my grandparents were rebels in the dark days, my father was caught ferrying two traitors on the run from another district across the sea, there's an island past the boundary line in the sea with a fishing cabin, they almost made it before being stopped by a patrol boat. They sank it and used her death to punish us further." He tells me, I nod. "My father was killed because he tried starting a union for fabric mill workers. " I say "We need to regroup, rest and plan, come back here" I use my knife to cut an X in the trunk of a large pine behind me " before the anthem tonight" He nods and extends his hand. I put out mine and he kisses it. " I'll do my best to return him to you" Polaris says before walking away. I go over and hug Flint, "I'm sorry Flint" I say my voice cracking, May pushes us onward into the thick of the forest towards the central mountain. "I should have waited for you and James, but Sappho and the career pack were getting closer, and then the girl from three came at me with a knife" I say We trek until the bit of sunlight behind clouds shows it is mid day we slump down with our backs to a pine. The needles of the lower branches providing some cover, I dish out the nuts and beef strips and begin to divide a portion up equally when a silver parachute falls in front of us I unwrap the gift to find a square of rough cloth containing a loaf of braided bread I hand it to Flint. "But it's your gift" he protests, " yes but you're the one who was held prisoner for a night" I reply. He breaks it In half then the half into three equal partitions. I take the other half and use my knife to tear the cloth in half wrapping and storing away the bread then putting some snow in the remaining cloth to put on Flint's eye. We feel filled by the lunch and I wait a few moments. "Okay so we need a plan" I begin, "can we trust Polaris?" May asks I nod " what if we wait until they're asleep, ask Polaris to volunteer to guard him tonight, Polaris can let him go to us and give us a head start before he sounds the alarm?" I propose "Sounds good, but I'm unarmed" Flint says I toss him the knife on my belt and the utility knife from my bag. "That will have to work for now, maybe we can get weapons from Polaris" May says tossing him a knife she took from the cornucopia yesterday. We wait for Polaris as night falls, by the pine with the X, he shows up as the anthem is finished and the boy from ten's face shows up in the sky the cannon we heard overnight. "I'm late and I don't have much time" he says using a flashlight and a stick to begin etching a map in the ice by our feet. "Start a fire about five hundred yards to the left side of the cornucopia, then run as fast as you can, me and Gleam will be guarding him while Sappho, Rarity and Calypso go off to hunt the nonexistent tribute, I'll keep Gleam occupied. Audrie you cut James loose and make off with the weapons and some supplies I've hidden, move quickly towards the center mountain and get as high as you can, do not light a fire tonight, she'll be livid, she will look for you. I nod "thank you Polaris, be careful please, you've been a great Ally" I thank him. He bows slightly " Audrie, promise me one thing" he says cupping his hand between his mouth and my ear. "If you get out of here, you'll stop these games and bring down the Capitol"he breathes pulling away I nod "promise" I say swallowing the lump in my throat. He turns and sprints away. "Tributes, tonight we dine in hell" I say looking them both in the eyes. We begin our plans kicking out the map in the snow Flint and May leave me and go to the spot arranged to start the fire. I climb a tree near the cornucopia and watch. The fire roars up in the distance, and I see Flint and May 's shadows as they run off towards the center mountain. I slide down the tree and sneak around the back of the cornucopia. I find James and crouch in the shadows behind him, "I'm here it's Audrie I'm getting you out," I whisper kissing his cheek. He stirs a little gasping for air. "I thought you wouldn't come"he whispers My hands work swiftly, removing the bonds on James' hands and ankles, I use an arrowhead to cut them loose. I grab his arm tightly pulling him behind the cornucopia. "Come on up and out of here" I say. I crouch to grab what Polaris has left us, finding a sword I pass it to James. A boot suddenly stomps on my hand. "Well, come back for loverboy?" A male voice I don't recognize taunts. I look up but something hits me in the back and the wind is knocked out of me . I can't see anything but his boots, James is behind me struggling to stand and suddenly I see James boots stepping over my body, the sword shining in the sliver of moonlight cutting through the clouds. I can hear the clink of weapons. " no one hurts Audrie" he says raising his sword arm and bringing it down swiftly. The sword cuts through his opponent's side but there is no cannon, James scoops me over his shoulder hauling the weapons and my supplies with him. Flint meets us shortly into the forest, I'm still dazed. Flint finds axes for him in the supplies from Polaris, as well as an extra sleeping bag, a flashlight, two canteens, and some provisions of canned stew, nuts, apples, and dried beef strips. We divide them up quickly and James hauls me back onto his shoulder, we begin to travel quickly towards the center mountain. "Wait!" I call out. " it could be a trap, May go to where we camped last night" I say, "Polaris has been trustworthy so far but why tell us where to run to? Unless he wanted to tip her off where we'd be and spare himself for letting the prisoner escape" I try to pull off of James but he keeps running with me on his shoulder, our breath becomes fog in the cold air as the wind whips around us, burning our cheeks like we've been slapped. James helps me up the mountain and the four of us clamber behind the boulders putting up the tarp just over our heads. Even through gloves my hands are freezing, but James, we've saved him and Flint. I throw myself over James my face landing in his shoulder. His left arm wraps around my back and his right hand runs through my hair "I thought I'd never see you again" I cry into his shoulder. "I'm so stupid, we'll never get any sponsors now, I lied to Caesar Flickerman the other night I do love you" I cry out he holds me tighter but I can tell he's weakened and fatigued. "I love you too Audrie, I always knew you loved me"