So I got this chapter finished fairly quickly :) And i stuck to my promise and posted before the end of the week. I will say that one person did guess the correct characters who were going to make their debu. Anyway here's chapter 10, I hope you all like it.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Hunger Games, Suzzane Collins does. :) (havn't done one of those for a while, figured I probably should)

Chapter 10

Peeta turns pale white as he stares into the eyes of his two capturers, Thresh and Rue. It shocked me to see them working together, it shocked me even further that it was they who would kill Peeta. I wasn't expecting it nor had I been planning on it.

This couldn't happen. Peeta had to live. But what could I do? Rue has a small hand knife against his throat and Thresh has some sort of sword pinning him to the tree. Should I help him? Yes, you can't just leave him there… But what the hell should I do? This could be the moment that Peeta dies. Something stirs inside me and I realise that I don't want him to die.

I make up my mind and I know what I have to do. I may not be as strong as they, or have any sort of weapon that could make a difference, all I know is that I'm fast and could cause a distraction. Besides if they see me then they will see me as more of a threat than Peeta. Right? I was the one with a training score of 11. Besides Peeta looked helpless right now. I hate seeing him like that. But something tells me that he could take them on if he really wanted to, he just didn't want to hurt anybody. Sometimes I think Peeta is just too kind.

"TELL US WHERE SHE IS!" Thresh yells into Peeta's face.

"Where who is?" he asks calmly. I secretly salute him, he knows exactly who they are talking about, he's just playing a game.

"Where the girl is. We know you two are lovers. Where the hell is she?" He demands in a somewhat lighter tone.

"Thresh, you don't have to be so harsh." The little girl, Rue says quietly.

He turns sharply towards her, "I'm not. I just want to know where the girl from 12 is." Perfect. He wants me, he doesn't want Peeta. I take a deep breath and try to not think about what I'm about to do.

"I'm right here." I call. All three of them jump and look around. Idiots, they aren't seriously that blind are they? "Maybe you should look up."

They all do, even Peeta. He has a what-the-hell-are-you-doing expression on his face. I shrug it off. I'm saving his life. I scowl at Thresh and Rue, I want to make my-self look stronger and less scared than what I am really.

Then Thresh smiles. "Have you been up there the entire time?" he sounds kind of happy now. What was he playing at?

I scoff, "Well obviously. Unless you think I walked right passed you and climbed the tree."

"No I don't think that. Why don't you come down here and join us?" he asks.

I nod, "I might just do that. If you do a tiny favour for me first."

He raises an eyebrow and looks at me curiously, "Favour?"

I smile wickedly at him. "I'll come down if you let Peeta go."

He looks at me in disbelief, I notice that the girl is trying so hard not to laugh. "But we need him. I swear I won't kill him."

"I'll stay up here then. Why don't you just tell me what you want?" I ask rather rudely.

"I want us to be allies. Rue here saw the interaction between your-self and Cato. We know he has a somewhat of a soft spot for you. We want to work together to eliminate the Careers." He explains.

I certainly had not been expecting that. "How do I know you're not lying?"

He shrugs, "You don't you are just going to have to trust me."

"Get away from Peeta." I say.

"Katniss, don't." Peeta warns me.

I look down into his eyes, he would rather die than me die for him. But I just couldn't let that happen. "Get away from him. I'll come down if you do and then we can discuss this."

Rue steps away from Peeta first and then Thresh slowly follows suit. Peeta stays right where he is. Once I'm satisfied with the distance that has come between us, I climb down the tree. Once I'm down I step protectively in front of Peeta. He won't allow this though, he wraps his arms around my waist and spins me behind him, trapping me between his back and the tree.

"I promise that we won't hurt you, we just want your help." Rue whispers quietly. I glance at her. She's so young, I can see the kindness in her eyes and the love of life that radiates out of her. She reminds me so much of Prim, it breaks my heart.

"Why do you want us?" I ask from behind Peeta. I've tried wiggling out of his grasp, but it's pointless. It's like pushing against a brick wall.

"I told you. Cato has a thing for you. We figured we could use that against him." Thresh says.

"It sounds like I'm involved a lot in this. If he has a soft spot for me then you guys have the advantage, what's in it for Peeta and I?"

Peeta turns his head slightly towards me. "Us?"

"Yes Peeta, us. We are a team remember?" I kiss his cheek softly and he blushes before he turns back to face Rue and Thresh again.

"Well Rue knows a lot about plants. She can help you find edible food and what plants she can use that will help with poisons or stings. She's also fast and makes a great look out. I on the other hand offer a lot of strength. Cato wanted me to be a part of the of the Careers, that means he is threatened by me. All the tributes are this year. You could use my strength as a body guard."

I don't really need a body guard, and I know a lot about plants too, but maybe this wouldn't be so bad? "Fine Thresh, I'll be your ally."

"Great." He walks towards us and I can't help but tense. I still don't know whether I can trust him, but the arena is full of risks. What's one more? I step out from behind Peeta when he relaxes slightly. I want to shake hands with him, to confirm the team.

His grip is firm, I try to equal my force. "So what did you have in mind?" I ask.

"I want to destroy the Careers supplies."

Today had been a long day. I hadn't heard a canon so that meant there had been no deaths. The four of us had spent the day discussing the plan that we had set for the next couple of days (after we had eaten of course). We decided that I would walk into the clearing, pretending to be drink deprived. Hopefully Cato would find me and keeps me in a tent.

Once that happened I should be able to set off the bombs that they had surrounding the Cornucopia. Rue said that Foxface (that's what I call her, she looks like one) told her that the Careers had somehow managed to reactivate the metal plates and that they would explode if you touched them.

If I could I would set them all off, hopefully destroying all the supplies. Peeta, Rue and Thresh on the other hand would be causing distractions. They would each set a fire at different times and hopefully that would lure the Careers away from camp, except for maybe one to guard me. Hopefully the gang would get to me and help me before they were all caught.

Eventually the Careers would die, because they are usually all stupid and don't know how to survive without the Capital luxuries. The plan was ok, but there were a lot of if's involved.

"Katniss, are you sure about this?" Peeta whispers softly, Rue is somewhere up a tree and Thresh is hiding out in a bush area.

"Yes Peeta. We can do this." I say.

He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me towards him. I do the same but around his neck. "I'm so glad you're ok. I didn't like not knowing where you were. I was so worried that you would die before I found you…" Peeta trails off.

I look up into his eyes, which stand out in the darkness. "Peeta, I'm fine. I felt exactly the same way."

"You did?"

"I did. I was worried about you." I chuckle.

He sighs, "I missed you."

"I missed you too." I whisper. Peeta looks shocked but recovers quickly. He leans down and presses his lips to mine. How I've missed his lips on mine. It may have only been a couple of days, but his lips felt impossible good.

They were warm, soft but strong, and they were comforting. I kissed him back. Our lips moved together, giving and taking. We pulled away slightly to catch our breath, I didn't want the world to see too much. Mine and Peeta's business should be somewhat private. "Let's get some sleep Peeta."

He nods in agreement. I begin climbing my tree. It was a good spot to sleep and hide in. I make it to the sturdy, thick branch in moments, Peeta however struggles quite a lot. I hold back a laugh as I watch him. A few times I thought he was going to fall, but he eventually makes it. "Don't laugh, you know climbing isn't exactly my thing."

"Sorry, it was just funny." I move forwards so that Peeta can rest against the tree. It's a warm night tonight, so I don't need the sleeping bag. Peeta sits and hangs his legs either side of the branch. I sit close to him, but before I lay down Peeta grabs me and pulls me back into his chest. I stiffen a little but then relax into him. He hugs me from behind and I feel safe and warm. I won't admit this to him, but I love it when his arms are around me.

I close my eyes and let the darkness take over.

There's a crackling sound and I'm hot. Really hot. I open my eyes and see a wall of fire enclosing in on us. "PEETA!" I shout.

He stirs, "What?"

"We have to go right now!" He looks at me funny and then he notices the wall of fire. I scramble down the tree and Peeta follows suit. I can see Thresh and Rue already running. I follow them, Peeta is trailing behind slightly. "Peeta, come on!" I call frantically.

This fire isn't accidental, this fire was created by the gamemakers. They were obviously getting bored and wanted to see a little action. They were assholes really, they thought they were so clever setting fire to the girl on fire.

I sprint as fast as I can, Peeta right on my heels. The wall is getting closer and more unbearable. Then a fire ball flies straight at my face. "DUCK!" I scream. I get down just in time and then keep running. Peeta must have avoided it too. Another comes for me I dodge it and keep going. I look behind me and see a ball heading straight for Peeta.

I don't think about my actions, all I know is that I have to save him. I jump and push him to the ground. An awful pain shoots through my leg. I glance down and see blood and a huge burn on my leg. But right now I can't dwell much on that. I stand back up again and pull Peeta with me. I limp run in the direction Rue and Thresh had been going. Peeta notices my limp and wraps an arm around my waist supporting me. Together we keep running. My leg hurts but it will not make me stop.

Finally we run into a clearing and a lake. I don't hesitate to jump into the water pulling Peeta along with me. The water feels cool against my leg. It's rather nice actually. The fire wall has stopped, it looks like it had never been there.

I look around, Thresh and Rue are in the lake smiling. We're safe.

The safe feeling lasts for not even five seconds when I see them. "Move." I yell to Peeta. He glances to where my eyes had stridden and sees them. We climb out of the water, closely followed by Thresh and Rue.

I hear shouts from behind me, and I know that they've seen us. We all run. I completely forget about my leg, I just keep pushing my-self to move. We all run into the trees, but they are gaining ground. We are all still slightly tired from the fire and I am struggling to stay standing.

They circle us in the clearing. And I know we are as good as dead. "No-where to go now." Clove sneers. She's staring daggers at me. She hates me, I know she does.

"Hi guys, how are all of you?" I ask cheerfully. If I'm going to die, I want to at least have a little bit of fun.

They all appear shocked for a moment, I assume that it's because normally their 'pray' doesn't make a conversation with them nor look so calm.

"Great if you must know. Your-self?" Clove sneers, not even bothering to hide the venom in her voice.

"I'm fine, although it's a little too humid for me." I say sweetly.

"That's too bad." Clove says as she crosses her arms.

"Enough of the chit chat! Let's just kill them now!" Glimmer growls, she's staring daggers at me. I think it was supposed to intimidate me, but she doesn't scare me. Not in the slightest. I wave at her in a more of a 'toodles' way. I notice that her weapon of choice is a bow and arrow, my bow and arrow. It was meant for me, not her.

"If you guys want to fight then that's fine. We'll just excuse our-selves." I say before Glimmer can pounce on me.

Clove laughs, "You think you're so smart and great. Don't you? Just because you got an 11 does not mean you are better than us, because frankly I could kick your butt any day."

I raise an eyebrow. "You want to test that theory out?" She growls.

"ENOUGH!" Cato's booming voice cuts in. We all stare at him, most people flinched, but somehow I managed to stay put. "As much as I'm enjoying this? I kind of want to get a move on. No one touches her," he points to me, "she's mine."

Peeta steps protectively in front of me, much to my dismay. "You aren't touching her Cato. You will have to get through me first, and in case you have forgotten? I can beat you easy." I must admit I love seeing this strong Peeta. It's different and makes him dangerous – appealing. As much as I like soft and calm Peeta, protective Peeta is pretty sexy.

Cato turns red with anger, "I can beat you with both hands tied behind my back!"

Peeta scoffs, "You know that isn't true."

"I have a sword, what do you have?"

Peeta smirks, "See that just proves that you can't beat me. You're too afraid to take me on with just strength. You're a coward Cato."

Before I even have time to react, Cato lunges at Peeta. I watch as the two boys fight in a battle-till-the-death match. Next thing I know is Glimmer and Clove corner me. This is not good. I look around in hopes of getting some help, but quickly realise that it's not possible since Peeta is too busy with Cato, Rue is no-where to be seen and Thresh is kicking Marvels ass. I'm going to have take on the two of them.

"Afraid fire girl?" Glimmers sneers.

I glare at her, "Nope. Why should I be?"

Clove scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Maybe because we are going to kill you? And mind you it will not be pretty. I'll make sure to make it as slow and painful as possible."

I laugh in her face. "So be it Clove. Do your worst. I dare you."

She accepts the challenge and throws herself at me. I'm prepared for it though. I dodge out of the way just in time. I don't think she had been accepting speed and agility in my favour. She scowls at me, my usual trademark.

"Oh you're pathetic Clove. Let me do it, you can't even catch her." Glimmer growls.

I raise my eyebrow, "You up for it Princess? It doesn't look like you can handle yourself in a fight."

Clove actually laughs. "Don't laugh Clove. I can take you down."

"No you can't Glimmer. Fire girl's right; you are a princess who cannot handle herself in a fight."

Glimmer slaps Clove across the face, earning a hiss from Clove. Clove takes out a knife and lunges at her. Glimmer wasn't ready for Cloves attack. They rolled around on the grass for a few moments, until one of them gained the advantage. It didn't surprise me when I saw that it was Clove. The girl may be small, but she was strong, fast and smart. She intimidated a lot of people by just glaring at them. Clove was one of those people that screamed, 'I dare you to take me on'.

I watched as Clove pulled out a knife and pressed it into Glimmers neck. A trickle of blood slipped down Glimmers neck. I had to hold back my vomit. I hate blood. Sure I can kill animals, and skin them, but the sight of blood just makes me squirm.

I finally realise that they aren't after me right now, I should make my escape. But what about Peeta? I really can't just leave him here. I spin around and see him and Cato still at it. Blood is covering the both of them. They are going to kill each other soon if I don't do something.

I look around desperately. Thresh and Marvel are no-where to be found and the only other available weapon is the bow from Glimmer. I can't do much with that, without an arrow anyway. I look upwards in hopes of finding something I can use. To my surprise I see Rue. She notices my gaze and looks down at me. She's smiling and pointing to something in the tree next to her.

I glance in the direction that she's pointing and notice a big nest of Tracker Jackers. Tracker Jackers are like big wasps, expect they are deadly. They can cause hallucinations and when they are really bad; death. She's a smart girl that Rue.

I run to the tree and climb it. A few times I yelp when my burn brushes the bark on the tree or a leaf that I don't see. This burn is not good for me, I'm going to need to bandage it.

Never-the-less I keep climbing. I finally make it to the branch that had the nest of deadly creatures. I pull out the knife from my backpack. I start to cut into the branch. I cut into it, getting deeper and deeper.

A few times I get stung, but I keep going. Every sting feels like a shock to my core. I try so hard not to yelp, I don't want the careers to hear me – otherwise this will all be for nothing.

With one last cut the branch falls. I watch slowly as the nest hits the ground. All hell breaks loose. I scurry down the tree and make a run for it.

The careers are all screaming and making a run for it. I run in the opposite direction to them. I don't even get a chance to look for Peeta. I earn a few more stings and I start to feel the effect of them. I can't stand it much longer, I collapse to the ground before darkness swallows me.

Well there you have it. So yes Peeta got into another fight with Cato ;) I like a tough Peeta :) I hope that chapter wasn't a let down or anything.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Next Chapter will hopefully be up by Sunday, maybe sooner :) And next chapter will be VERY different to the books. Trust me, I bet NONE of you have an idea what's going to happen *evil laugh*

Untill next time; Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour!