I must say: THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! Okay so, this is the next chapter! There is a small surprise at the end. Read on to find out. :)
I vaguely remember falling asleep and Haymitch putting me on a bed of soft moss. I don't resist, and soon the tendrils of sleep have me well hidden within their grasp.
Dawn comes, and with it, the final deadline for me to tell Peeta about my pregnancy.
I cannot announce out loud that I am pregnant, because to the capitol, Peeta should already know that and saying it again would be weird. However, there is an idea slowly hatching at the back of my mind, yes, there is something else I can do.
I open my eyes, blinking sleepily in the morning air. I immediately realise there is no time for me to execute my plan. For it to work, Peeta and I must be alone.
Everyone is up already and are standing in a circle, discussing today's plans. I notice that standing among them is an old woman not less than 60, clutching a make-shift support made out of wood, Mags. Annie's thigh is covered in a layer of a type of soft green moss which looks very absorbent, that must be Mag's work. Once again, I feel a twinge of guilt knowing that I caused her injury.
"As I was saying, it is our highest priority right now. So-"Haymitch growls irritably.
"Yes, and I agree. I'm just suggesting we leave Katniss- " Peeta is clearly very frustrated, they must be having some kind of argument.
"No." Finnick says flat-out. "Katniss has a valuable skill in climbing trees. She could prove invaluable, especially in -"
"She's pregnant for goodness sake. You can't expect her to be climbing up and down..."
Ah... I see what this quarrel is about. Peeta is trying to fight for me to stay at camp and not help...well whatever involves climbing trees. Time to put an end to that.
I stand up, realising my legs have gone numb.
"It's okay." I insist. "I can help, I can climb trees."
"Katniss..."Peeta looks extremely embarrassed.
"Hello everyone, hello Mags." I nod to the old woman as a sign of respect. "What are we going to do today?"
In brief terms Haymitch quickly explains the need for us to find water to drink as soon as possible. There are mud puddles everywhere, and Mags has a basket weaved out of grass which we can hold the water in, however, there is no clean water source. Without water, we wouldn't survive long. Their plan was for me to climb up on to one of the higher trees, and hopefully from there I would be able to spot a water source.
"Peeta, however disagreed." Haymitch finished in a curt tone, letting me know what he thought of Peeta's point of view.
I sighed. Peeta was already so protective of me. What more when he finds out I really am pregnant.
"I'm fine Peeta, come here." I kiss him lightly on the cheek. We are supposed to be the star-crossed lovers after all.
I heave myself up onto the first branches of a tall tree and start climbing. I smile lightly at Peeta's call of "Be careful" as I take caution to avoid the thinner branches of the tree, I'm sure to have gained some extra weight during my pregnancy.I wave to him as I get higher and higher and smile knowingly, as if to say see? I'm fine. High above, I spot with relief that there is a small but long stream to the north of our location. However, we are not the only ones who now know about it. There is a tribute kneeling down next to it at this very moment, cupping water and drinking from it directly.
"There's a stream." I call down, careful to keep my voice just within hearing range so that other tributes do not hear us. "It's quite near, to the north, just..."
I suddenly feel really giddy, I seem to have trouble forming my words. Everything seems a bit too bright and hazy. I put one hand to my head, why is this arena so hot? My eyes close and I grip the rough surface of the tree firmly. I feel myself beginning to lose consciousness and the last thing I remember is calling Peeta's name before I black out.
But suddenly I gasp. There is an excruciating pain in my stomach, it seems to be getting worse and worse every second. I can only form one clear thought. What is happening to my baby? I grip the trunk of the tree tightly, feeling its rough surface as I slowly lower myself down. The last thing I remember is calling Peeta's name in agony before I black out.
I'm so sorry. Katniss still hasn't told Peeta about her pregnancy. It'll happen in the next chapter, I promise. Okay, it looks kinda confusing. I put a divider because it is NOT Katniss felt giddy then got stomach cramps. I typed ou these two ideas and they are equally good to me so I can't decide. The last part is sort of an alternate paragraph/plot sort of thing. Well I'm going to need you to choose one. Either Katniss faints from dehydration or she starts having cramps. You must vote for me to continue, please? I will pick the storyline that gets the most votes and continue from there. Thank you everyone for all your lovely reviews. Don't forget to review again this time. :) Thank you.
