Disclaimer: Still the poor teenager I was six months ago, so basically, I'm still not Suzanne Collins.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO RESPONDED TO MY QUESTION! How could I NOT continue after all the overwhelming support? :D
This chapter's for you, Amanda, because you're probably the sole reason I started to write again. Hope you all enjoy!
Mini-Refresher (cause it's been so long): Peeta's been with the Careers now for a couple of days, and he befriended Obel, the district 3 boy, and right now they're out hunting when the fire (created by the Gamemakers) starts.
It seems darker tonight—more ominous.
I can tell the others sense it too. Their sharp intakes of breath and quick-flashing eyes give them away.
A bird sounds off a warning call, and Calpurnia jumps in start. She quickly camouflages her face with a sneer of cold indifference, but I know better. She's scared.
Glimmer whispers something to Clove—who is leading the group beside Cato—but Clove coldly brushes her off with a shake of her head.
Glimmer sighs loudly, annoyed, and falls back to her place right behind the pair, her eyes squinting in anger. It's easy to guess she wants to call it quits and head back to camp, but Cato and Clove are determined to kill tonight. They're as hungry for blood as the audience.
The entire forest feels wrong. Different. The silence, the darkness—it all reminds me of the peace before a storm, and I can't help but think that the Gamemakers' are planning something.
There have been no deaths for awhile, and right now the viewers are probably getting antsy. And if there is one thing the Gamemakers cannot afford, it's disappointing the audience. Because if that happens—if they bore the people—guess who the Capitol blames, guess who the Capitol kills—them. The Gamemakers.
Somehow, right now, I know that they're planning something big—something that will be sure to kill off a bunch of us, and that will leave the audience wide-awake, something that will guarantee they live to see the next Game.
With that realization, my breath comes out in a sharp gasp and I feel my heart pound.
Katniss.
I have to do something. "Cato," I whisper loudly. "We need—" But I'm interrupted.
The eerie calm of the forest is suddenly broken by a loud, hair-raising screech. We all jump simultaneously, our pulses thundering in unison. All except for Cato, who spins wildly trying to locate the noise.
"What was that?" Glimmer whispers, her eyes wide with undisguised panic. "Where'd it come from?"
Cato points deeper into the forest, his face alight with madness. "It came from up ahead," his voice is excited. He wants to kill. "What are we waiting for? Let's get her!" He doesn't hesitate before sprinting in the direction the sound came from, the others following obediently.
Let's get her. Her.
By the way he spit out the word, I know who he wants it to be, and that thought sends me careening into the forest after them, forgetting everything except that I can't let him get her. I just can't let him get her.
I outstrip Glimmer and Calpurnia in seconds, Marvel, too, soon falls behind me. But Cato and Clove—the most blood-thirsty of us all—are leading the pack. I put all my energy into running fast, my newly healed knee starts to ache, but I ignore it, choosing instead to push faster. I catch up to them, and soon it's just me and Cato, neck-in-neck, running with no apparent direction.
My thoughts swivel around Katniss. If it was her that made the noise, she's already in some type of trouble. My stomach twists into knots, imagining all the horrors that would cause someone to scream like that.
Please, don't be her. Don't be Katniss.
We both stop simultaneously in a small clearing, the others are so far behind we can't even see them.
"Damn it," he curses. "Where is she? She's got to be around here."
I don't move for a second, my eyes scoring the woods. I'm certain that something is wrong, but the forest is silent again, as if the scream never happened.
Cato turns to me and sees my face. "What?" he asks, his voice belies his brave face, and I know he senses it too.
"Something's wrong," I say quietly. "Something's coming."
For the first time, I see real panic in Cato's eyes. He understands, like me, that the Gamemakers control everything here. It's only about time before they start playing with us.
"We need to get back to the lake," he says, all thoughts about the scream gone. "Whatever is coming, we'll fight it better from there with it at our backs."
I nod in agreement, but my thoughts are all centered on Katniss, trying to figure out how I could warn her about this unseen enemy. Give her a chance.
The others finally reach us, all panting heavily; they immediately sense the change in mood surrounding us.
"What's going on?" Clove asks, glancing suspiciously at me. "Where is she?"
"Did you already kill her?" Marvel asks angry, probably upset we outran him.
"No," Cato replies tersely, glaring at Marvel for a few extra seconds before turning to Clove. "That's not the problem. We need to get back to the lake. Now."
"What? Why?" Clove asks confused.
"Look around you. Something's up. We think the Gamemakers are planning something," he whispers the last part.
Something dawns in Clove's eyes. She's clever enough to realize we're right.
Marvel, however, is not. He laughs loudly, raucously. "Are you crazy? What could they plan? You just let Lover Boy get to your brain. Where's your common sense? The real problem here is that you let that girl escape."
Cato growls, and takes a step forward until they're inches apart. "You know what the real problem is?" he says in a low voice, his eyes flashing with insanity. "You—and I've had enough. So how about we solve this right now?"
Marvel smiles mockingly. "That's the best thought—"
Calpurnia starts to scream, her face wide with horror. Cato turns from Marvel, mouth open to yell at her. I watch as his eyes widen, and his face slackens in shock. I turn around, and have to physically stop myself from screaming too.
A wall of fire has appeared out of nowhere, and is descending on us all.
Cato is the first to recover. "Move you idiots! Don't just stand there, get to the lake!"
Terror—pure, animalistic terror—courses through my limbs. My instinct tells me to flee but my body refuses to listen. I'm frozen, stuck where I am about to face an absolute death.
I clear my head and start to sprint, with no real direction. The noise is now deafening, everything a roar, and everything ablaze with orange. I don't know what's happening, where I'm going, or what I'm doing. All I know is I need to get away.
I can't see the others. Smoke is now clouding my vision, entering my throat, clogging my thoughts. I pull my shirt over my mouth, but it hardly helps. I'm still running, the flames everywhere. I can't escape them, I feel the panic setting into my body, the tears running down my cheeks, and I feel like giving up. Like dying right now.
A branch falls, and I trip over it before I can stop myself. Its burning limbs sear through my shirt, and the abrupt pain brings awareness. I can survive this.
With the fire licking at my legs, I stand up, all thoughts focused again. I just need to make it out of the forest.
A deer hurtles past me, and although I can't keep up with it, at least I now know the direction to salvation. I start running after it. My legs burn—both from exhaustion and fire, and my shirt is still smoldering, my body is begging for relief, but I can't stop.
Everything becomes a blur of chaos. I keep in the same direction, not knowing if it's the right one, but it's all I got. Fire surrounds me in all directions now; trees fall and hinder my path. I'm all alone. So alone.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of black hair behind a big tree. I stop so abruptly, that my bad knee buckles and I trip. But I know what I saw. I turn back. The fire is reaching its evil hands toward the tree where she is.
"Katniss," I scream, but the smoke morphs my words. I charge back through the burning world, back toward the tree where I saw her. I reach it, my body shaking from both coughs and nerves.
"Katniss," I shout again. "Where are you?" I run around the trunk, looking everywhere, trying to find her through the chaotic mess. It's then that I see the hanging branch of black, withered leaves—the same color as her hair.
She's not here.
Despite my own situation, I can't help but sigh in relief. She's not here. Not dying.
I turn back to the problem at hand. Flames now surround me in all directions, and the only thing I can see is smoke and fire. I realize the only way out is through, and before I can change my mind, I'm backing up as far as I can. I take a deep breath than start to sprint, at the last second I jump, but I don't clear the blazing inferno.
My feet scream in pain as the fire hits them, but I'm through in a second, and running again. I don't know how long it's been, but it feels like an eternity—like l died and am now stuck in hell.
And then as sudden as it started, it stops. I'm not surrounded by fire. I'm still in the forest, and I can still hear it and see it, but it's like I crossed an invisible force and it can no longer reach me.
I collapse against a tree, and heave in the clean, smoke-free air. Realization seeps through everything clouding my brain. I can hear waves lapping against the shore—camp is near. I stumble to my feet, my only thought now about water and the relief it will bring.
I don't know how I make it, but somehow I force my feet to move until finally I can make out the Cornucopia and then the lake.
I stumble into the clearing, and Obel jumps up from where he was sitting.
"Finally! What happened to you?" he says, his face torn between anger and worry. "They all came back an hour ago, and I didn't know what to think. They were convinced you had died or ran away, and…hold on, are you okay?"
I shake my head once before falling to the ground, and then everything turns black, and I know no more.
***
Cold water splashes across my face, and I sit up sputtering in shock. Immediately, I realize I've been knocked out for a long time, and I wonder why no one bothered to wake me.
Another bucket of water hits my face. "I'm awake," I shout irritably at whoever keeps drenching me.
"Good," Cato's raspy voice says. Of course. "Now, hurry up, it's prime-time for hunting."
I open my eyes and stare at his retreating form. He's injured, but barely. He must have made it out quickly.
I try to stand, and then quickly wish I hadn't. The burns on my body stretch and hot, searing pain almost forces me to fall, but suddenly Obel is there and he steadies me with his weight.
"Quickly," he whispers. "Yell at me to take you to the water, so the others hear."
Understanding, I let a scowl settle onto my face before saying harshly, "You—Bomb Boy—bring me to the lake."
He hides his smile behind his palm. "Real convincing, Peeta," he says sarcastically with a quiet laugh.
"Oh, shut up," I say petulantly. "I'm in pain."
Once at the waterfront, it takes considerable effort to strip off my clothes, but once I hit the water, it's instant relief.
After a few minutes of soaking, I examine the shape my body is in. The worst of it is a burn that travels the length of my chest from when I tripped over the burning branch, whenever I twist my abdomen the burn bends, and intense pain blinds me.
Obel's washes my clothes out for me, while I rest, and I flash him a smile.
He just nods. I can tell something is on his mind. With that thought, I climb out of the lake and carefully put my clothes back on, wincing when the buttons of my shirt hit against my chest.
The Careers are all by the Cornucopia, sorting out weapons for the hunting trip—they're too busy to notice is us, and too far away to hear.
I sit on the beach to pull my shoes on, and Obel sits down beside me.
He sighs heavily once, before squinting out across the lake, avoiding my meaningful look.
"What's wrong?" I ask him.
He doesn't respond right away, nor do I expect him to. I finish tying up my shoes, and then lean against the boulder at my back. He mimics my actions.
"So are you going to tell me?" I question playfully, pushing his shoulder with my own.
He smiles. "It's nothing, really. You just scared me this morning when you fainted. I thought you were dead." His smile's gone, and instead replaced with a thoughtful frown. "And it just got me wondering what I would have done if you really had died…"
"Well, luckily I'm still here. You can't get rid of me that easily." I say, hoping to make him smile.
He just nods again, before shaking his head. "You're right, I guess. You just better not die, you hear? Because I don't know what I'll do without you." His tone is playful, but his eyes are serious.
I laugh quietly. "All right, let's make a deal then. I won't die if you don't die. Sound good?"
He grins. "Sounds perfect."
I put out my hand and he shakes it. We both laugh and refuse to acknowledge that whether we like it or not, our deal will be broken regardless.
***
With nearly an hour left before dusk, Cato leads us out for another hunting trip. I take up the back again, and on our way out, I wink at Obel, who is guarding camp again for the night.
"Remember our deal," he whispers, semi-serious. I smile, and mouth keep safe, before waving one last time.
His grinning face is soon eaten up by the dim light of the forest. We stay close to the lake this time, always only a few hundred yards away from its shores.
Cato and Clove are at the head of the pack again, and it isn't long before we hear the splashing of footsteps through water. Someone's near.
"Come on," Cato calls, his voice nearly gone from coughing. "Let's get her."
Dread wells in my stomach.
Oh, God. Please, no.
"Who is it?" Someone asks Cato. He turns to me, an evil smirk on his face.
Please, no. No, no, no.
"It's our Lover Boy's girlfriend," he says gleefully.
I don't let any emotion show on my face, but inside, I feel like I'm dying. My pulse starts to pound, and I can't breathe.
Katniss. No.
I don't know what to do. I don't know how to get her out of this.
I run as fast as my injuries allow me to, and soon I'm close enough to make out a braid of long black hair climbing a tree. My heart stops. There is no doubt now. It's her—Katniss.
I feel like throwing up.
We make it to the base of the tree when she's about twenty feet in the air. I refuse to look up, not wanting to meet her accusatory gaze, and also not wanting to see her broken-down, surrounded.
Cato smiles triumphantly. "I've got the bitch now."
I crumple my fist at my side, and attempt to resist the urge of punching him in the face. I take out my knife and begin to polish, if only to give my hands something to do and my mind time to think.
"How's everything with you?" she calls down cheerfully.
A shiver runs down my spine at the sound of her voice, it feels like forever ago that I last hear it. I chance a glance up and see her smiling down ruefully, before darting my eyes back down to my knife.
The Careers are surprised by her comment, apparently unaware she has a dry sense of humor.
"Well enough," Cato says, equally cheerful. "Yourself?"
"It's been a bit warm for my taste," she says. I have to bite back my laughter. Everything she says always catches me by surprise. "The air's better up here," she continues mockingly. "Why don't you come on up?"
I hide by smile by coughing. God, I love her.
"Think I will," Cato replies.
Glimmer offers him her bow and arrows, I resist the urge to look at Katniss, she'll have seen her weapon and be furious. I continue to polish my knife, feeling her burning gaze on my face. My pulse starts to pound again.
"No," Cato says. "I'll do better with my sword." He gets a grip of a branch and pulls himself up.
Katniss is already scurrying up the tree, her feet and hands automatically knowing—instinctively—where to go. She moves so fast it's hard to believe she isn't part animal.
Cato on the other hand, struggles. He's barely ten feet up when the branch snaps under his weight and he comes falling down. He's on his feet immediately, muttering swear words that would make my brother blush.
Glimmer, with the bow and arrows strapped to her back, rushes forward to try.
Marvel, her district-mate, helps her into the tree. "Make sure it can hold your weight," he calls to her.
She makes it about twenty-five feet before the branch starts to crack, and then stops, as Marvel told her to. Taking out an arrow, she attempts to shoot Katniss. Cato groans annoyed, as the arrow misses her by a full yard. It's immediately evident that she cannot use the weapon.
Katniss retrieves the stray arrow, and holds it above her head tauntingly, smiling like a mad-man.
Haymitch was right. She does have a lot of spunk.
Glimmer comes back down, and they begin to argue over how to kill her.
"We could try cutting the tree down," offers Calpurnia.
"That would take to long, plus what would happen if it fell the wrong way?" Clove says. "We could wait until she has to come down," she says instead. "Then we could fight her here, on our territory.
"That could take days," Cato says angrily. "I'm not waiting that long."
It's nearly twilight and I can't stand it anymore. Them arguing over how to kill her is just making it more evident that she's in danger, and that she might die. And I just can't take that thought right now.
I shout harshly over their bickering. "Oh, let her stay up there. It's not like she's going anywhere. We'll deal with her in the morning," I say annoyed.
Thankfully, the Careers see the sense in my words and begin to make camp at the base of the tree. Night settles in, and the anthem starts to play. Surprisingly, there were no deaths today.
I lie on my back, and stare up the tree. Even though I can't see her, it's like I can sense her presence up there, watching me—hating me. I wish I could make her understand that I'm doing this for her, that I'm really not with the Careers for my survival, but for hers.
I don't sleep at all; I just lay there, thinking, and let the night comfort me, willing morning to never come. But come it does and with it the end of my composure.
I hear a snap, and look up startled to see something come hurtling down from above, it obscurs the sun, outlining its shape, and I suddenly realize what it is. With a sickening crack, it breaks open—and then for the second time today, all hell breaks loose.
A/N: I'm baaaaack. For good this time. And now we're almost to the good stuff. I'd say two more chapters until the cave scenes. Which I'm sure we're all excited for. This was a sad chapter to write knowing that that was the last interaction Obel and Peeta would have before he dies. :( Next chapter will be up within 2 weeks, I PROMISE. And plus, Amanda (a friend in 'real' life) will kill me if I don't...so basically it's a guarantee.
So anyways, what did you think? Do I still have it or no? ;) Tell me.