Chapter Eleven

I woke up to the dawn greeting me. I slowly sat up, so as not to squash Mariposa, and I stretched my limbs a bit. Looking around, I smiled and glanced around to survey the area, making sure there was no immediate danger within fifty feet of me. Standing up on my branch, I stuffed my blanket back into my pack, ate more dried berries, took another drink of the water bottle and hopped down. Mariposa fluttered after me a moment later and I grinned at her.

"Ready to start a new day in the arena?"

Ready to kill some Careers, you mean?

"Yep."

Of course.

I smiled and slung my pack over my shoulder, beginning my trek through the forest. There was a decided lack of human activity around me and this soothed me, knowing that I wasn't being followed or hunted at this very moment. I decided that I was going to stay in one general area of the forest. Taking off one of my boots, I used my pocketknife to carve a large 'K' into the bottom. After doing the same with the other boot, I tested out the carving and was rewarded with a 'K' shaped indent in the ground.

"Now I can follow my own tracks," I said to Mariposa as I started walking again. "Unless of course it rains." Mariposa fluttered in laughter.

"Now, since I'm staying in about the same place, why not mark my territory?"

Keeping my knife in hand, I marked a 'K' on every tree I passed. If the Careers saw them, then they'd know that they were in death terrain. The Gamemakers, of course, would think I was asking for trouble… well, I am. I walked in a very wide circle and marked my territory fairly well, a 'K' on both sides of every tree and the tree with the biggest 'K' was my tree. I would move from tree to tree every night so as not to get caught, but that was my specific tree where I would check for trouble. I smiled at my cunning and bravery for a split second before sitting underneath a large bush. Mariposa walked on a branch near me and settled down as well.

"I think that's good, don't you?" She walked onto my hand and looked up at me.

Aren't you afraid the Careers would find you?

"Not at all, my sweet Foreverfly. On the contrary, I want them to find me. That way, I won't have to find them and it makes me killing them much easier."

Mariposa nodded and settled on my arm as I thought about what I should do. I had two apples, a pack of turkey and a jar of honey. The main thing I knew I needed was meat. There was no way I was going to survive without it. So, I slowly stood from underneath the bush and took out my overabundance of string and began setting up some traps in the trees. This way, it can catch any game that ran through.

Heaven forbid you step on them yourself. Mariposa said, to which I chuckled.

"I won't step on one of my own traps, Mariposa, perhaps someone else's but never my own."

She flapped her wings as if to shrug. If you're sure, Kaos. I smiled and stroked her back, checking each of my traps to make sure they were lightly covered so that the game wouldn't catch them, but they weren't too heavily covered that they wouldn't catch anything.

"Let's go hunting, Mariposa." I began scoping out the boundaries of my territory, looking for any game within its boundaries. If there weren't any then I would venture out, but I was in luck. I saw a rabbit just a little ways away and licked my lips, my finger itching to get at it. Pulling my knife from my boot, I bit my tongue to concentrate and threw the knife at the rabbit, nailing it right in the side of the head like always. Smiling, I picked up the rodent and put it into my pack, before continuing my hunting mission.

All of a sudden, I heard quick footsteps from two people. Wait no. I listened closer. Three people, one further ahead than the other two. One light, the other graceful, the third thundering. The thundering footsteps were the ones in the front. I heard a sudden yell for help and turned to see the boy from District Seven running toward me.

I stepped into the shadows, hoping he hadn't seen me. My lucky day, he hadn't seen me. Deciding that if this is what came to me when I stayed in one spot, I might as well take the chance to test my skills. Sticking out my foot, I tripped him and was about to stab him when I heard the other two pairs of footsteps coming closer. Keeping to the shadows, I saw Shimmer and Shiner coming toward us with a length of string in each of their hands. Shimmer grinned down at the fallen boy and pulled his hands behind his back.

"You're in for a big treat today, Richie." She snickered maliciously, tying his arms behind his back.

"No! Please! I'll do anything!"

"Too late, Richard." Shiner murmured, pulling out a knife.

I knew what was about to happen and my stomach turned. Shiner was going to torture this boy until the bloodloss and pain killed him. What made me sick was that I was fascinated to see how she would do it. I stayed in the shadows, not wanting them to see me until they were finished. As I watched, Shiner slowly cut away little strips of skin from the arms and legs before cutting the fingers and toes of completely. When she had caused enough pain to the arms and legs, she shredded into the stomach and chest, going higher briefly to slice into the cheek or the mouth before continuing with larger expanses of skin. I had to give it to Richard; he managed to last all the way until she nearly finished ribboning his stomach. Then he passed out from bloodless and Shiner whooped in victory.

The entire time, Shimmer had been standing by with a look of amusement on her face and now she stepped forward with a chuckle. "Did you have fun, Shiner?"

"Yeah!" Shiner said excitedly. "I don't think anyone's lasted so long."

"Wonder if the Great Kaos could last as long." Shimmer mused.

At this, I let my arrogance fuel my actions for a moment and stepped out of the bushes. "Wanna find out?" They both jumped and turned to me angrily.

"How long have you been there?" Shimmer demanded.

"Long enough." I shrugged, easily sidestepping a knife thrown at my stomach. "So, wanna take me up on that offer?" I asked with a devious smile.

"Sure, why not?' Shiner said in excitement. The girl was only thirteen and she was already a sadistic chick. I'll put a stop to that.

"One catch." I said, sidestepping yet another knife, aimed for my heart. "Fistfight."

Shimmer glanced at Shiner and herself, then back at me and grinned triumphantly. "You're on." She said, dropping her knives.

"Hand them here." I told her. "If I lose, you two will get the pack. If I win, I get the pack and the knives. Deal?"

They both nodded and put their knives in my pack. I put mine in as well, being careful to keep on the one around my neck before tossing my pack into the bushes where Mariposa landed on top of it. She didn't look the least bit worried and that made me proud and honored that she had such confidence in me. I turned back to my two adversaries and smiled.

"On the count of three." I prayed that my instinct would kick in as soon as they began. "One, two, three!"

Shimmer jumped forward, so confident that she could take me on her own. I threw a simple punch with a lot of force behind it and knocked her backward. Shiner jumped up and tried to kick my feet out from under me, but I jumped and kicked her in the stomach. As Shiner stumbled back, Shimmer came forward and tried to throw a blow at my chest. I smirked and sidestepped her, sticking my foot up to catch her in the chin.

"What's the deal with you and hitting me in my face?" Shimmer demanded, as I blocked hits and jabs from Shiner. "Jealous of my beauty?"

"As if," I replied, flipping Shiner over my back and ramming her into a tree. "I have three different natural hair colors, flawless skin, piercing green eyes and a shapely, muscular figure. You have one natural hair color that marks you as stupid, skin that has been scarred by the wildlife around you, icy blue eyes and a curvy but somewhat flabby form. I'd much rather be the hunter I am than the slut you are."

Just as I threw Shiner into another tree, Shimmer's anger took over and she threw blow after blow, trying to catch me offguard. I blocked efficiently, not letting her get a hit in because I knew what that would mean for me. Just then, I heard the rustling of fabric and knew that Shiner had grabbed a knife to try and throw me offguard. I was correct because a moment later, I saw a flash of silver. Moving swiftly to the side, I let the majority of the thrust get Shimmer, while I miscalculated and the rest slit my turtleneck sleeve and grazed my arm.

Sighing, I turned and kicked Shiner in the jaw before taking my anger out on her face, chest and stomach. My fists were flying as fast as they've ever gone and Shiner was screaming out to Shimmer for help. I saw another flash of silver and knew that Shimmer knew that she wasn't going to win against me without playing dirty. I moved aside, this time calculating correctly, and Shimmer nearly stabbed Shiner. I saw that they had used the same knife to try and stab me, so I took up my pack and gave them a cheery wave before bounding into the brush and quickly climbing a tree.

I watched from afar as Shimmer helped Shiner to her feet and murmured, "Let's get you back to camp so that you can get those bruises checked out by Peece."

My ears perked up at the name and I was compelled to follow them. Following them by tree, I had to hide every so often because Shimmer wanted to make sure I wasn't following them to finish them off. She led me to a campsite that had obviously just been set up.

"Gato! Peece!" Shimmer shouted, supporting Shiner with both arms now. The younger girl was nearly unconscious from the pain I had inflicted with my fists, boots and nails. I smiled in appreciation for myself before returning my attention to the Career tributes below.

"What happened?" Gato demanded, wanting to know why Shiner was so beat up.

"Kaos happened." Shimmer replied, handing Shiner off to Peece.

"She beat up Shiner?" Gato gasped, aghast.

"She challenged us both and we thought we could take her. She's strong, Gato. Strong and skilled. She wasn't joking when she said she could fight. I barely got away with Shiner in time." Shimmer hugged Gato and he held her to him.

"Don't worry Shimmer," the hulking boy cooed softly. "We'll get her back."

Shimmer smiled and hugged Gato a little tighter. I let a guffaw escape my lips and inwardly groaned at my momentary lack of control. Gato looked up and I gave him a sly smile and a wave. Gato snarled and unsheathed his sword, making for the tree. I climbed up a little higher, knowing that Gato wouldn't last two seconds on any of the branches around me. He began climbing and I smirked at an almost inaudible cracking I heard.

"Are you sure you can come any higher, Gato?" I asked, goading him. "Big Bad Gato unable to catch Poor Helpless Kaos. That would be so tragic for your reputation when you win. Everyone will be asking, 'What about the girl that got away, Gato? Did it humiliate you to know that you couldn't catch her?'"

Gato's face was turning red with anger and embarrassment as he realized that he really couldn't catch me in a tree. "Yeah, well, how about a fight on the ground where everyone has equal footing?"

I smiled and laughed, pulling my own sword. "Are you sure, Kitty? We don't want you getting destroyed."

"Be careful, Gato." Shimmer called. "We don't know the extent of her knowledge. She could be dangerous with that."

Gato was trying to determine his chances of winning and he seemed to think they were pretty high because of his bulk and height over me. Actually, now I think about it, I don't think I've ever stood next to Gato. If I did, I wonder how tall I would be to him.

"So are we gonna do this?" I asked softly, wanting to get this show on the road. This was probably good for the Gamemakers, the tribute with the lowest score challenging each of the Careers and showing off her talent. Gato nodded and slowly climbed down to the ground. I shook my head with a soft chuckle and jumped lithely from my height, landing neatly on my feet before Gato, smiling at his dumbfounded look.

"I'll make it more interesting for you." I proposed. "Shimmer, go bring a large hunk of meat please."

She hurried away, too afraid at the moment to object. She came back a moment later with a hunk of ham. I put it into my pack and tossed it up to one of the lower branches that I knew Gato could reach.

"Winner get's that, while loser is either dying… or dead."

Gato nodded with a large smirk on his face. I flashed my sword for a moment before saying, "You count down to three since I counted down to three with Shiner and Shimmer."

Gato nodded and counted down. "Three, two, one!"

I waited as he rushed me and wondered vaguely why all of the Careers rushed their opponents. My sword easily clashed with Gato's and I began parrying with him, cat playing with the mouse. He thought he had the upper hand obviously, but we were the same height even though his width was about twice mine. However, my strength was more than a match for his and we continued trading blows without landing a hit on each other. I was getting very tired of this, really I was. But there was no way I was going to make this quick for Gato. I couldn't do that for him.

I took a quick survey of the area and noticed that Pine, Shake and Peece had all gathered around to watch the fight. I saw Shake getting a spear ready, just in case I succeeded in killing or injuring Gato; Pine had a knife at the ready as well. Peece was the only one not to draw a weapon and this confused me. Perhaps she was falling for Gato? Was she really so confident in him that she was sure he would win? This in itself, this lack of response from Peece, made me angry and territorial. She would be mine and no way was Gato going to stand in the way of that. I refused to let it happen.

Doubling my attacks, I saw Gato's eyes widen in shock that I hadn't worn down yet and I grinned ferally at him. Growling, I began moving my sword expertly, finding plaintive holes in Gato's techniques. Stabbing through most of them, I smiled to see Gato wearing down with the amount of gashes I had inflicted. He was backing away in fear, trying to decide whether he wants to look weak and run or look stupid and continue fighting. I figured goading him would be good enough for me to lure him into his own death trap, but before I could, I heard a whoosh. Stepping to the side easily, I watched the spear fly past me and nearly catch Gato too. I laughed triumphantly and went down low to kick out his feet. Gato fell backward and slammed his head into the tree. As he slid down, I pointed my sword at his throat and smirked.

"Give?" I inquired.

Gato stared up at me sourly before looking at his fellow Careers. "No. Get her!"

I sighed as everything moved slowly for me. Swirling my sword, I know I gave someone quite a gash in their body. I don't know where, but I also didn't wait around to find out. Kicking out and punching in, I managed to subdue all of the Careers after me for a moment. Using Gato's head as a stepping-stone, I climbed the tree, grabbed my pack and settled onto one of the higher branches.

"Well, I can't say it hasn't been fun because that was great. Nice exercise, really funny fights, very interesting moves. You all will be interesting to take on indeed. Just remember to be careful if you stray into my territory. And trust me, you'll know when it's MY territory."

With that, I swung to the next tree, just as a spear pierced the space where I had just been. "Too slow." I sang, continuing to the next tree.

"Peece!" Gato roared. I turned to see him approaching her. "Why didn't you join in the fight? You could have speared her with an arrow within seconds."

"Because I have to take care of Shiner. I couldn't do that if I jumped Kaos. Now come on, I need to put ointment on those cuts."

Gato huffed and followed her back to camp. I looked on curiously and decided to follow them to where Shiner was lying motionless on a sleeping bag. "Sit." Peece murmured, going into the tent near them and coming out again with some ointment and a washcloth. "Hold still." She told Gato softly, beginning to clean his wounds.

"I'm trying to figure out how she got through my defenses." Gato muttered, sulking and looking very close to pouting. "No one's ever gotten through my defenses except Bull."

"She killed Bull." Peece said distantly, applying white cream to the cuts.

"Did she really?" Gato asked in surprise. "Then she might actually be a real threat. How good do you think she is with a spear?"

Peece tasted her words for a moment before replying. "For your sake? I'd hope she wasn't very good." I resisted a chuckle.

When Gato was finished, he stood and stretched, testing the wounds. "Pack up your things. We're moving camp." He said. "Kaos knows where we are, which means she could attack at any moment. We head out tomorrow at dawn." When Gato walked away, Shimmer came and took a seat in front of her.

"Peece?" the brunette looked up. "Am I stupid?" My eyes widened in utter shock. I had actually made Shimmer doubt herself? Congratulations Kaos! I told myself, pumping a fist into the air.

"Shimmer, why would you think that?"

"Well, when I was fighting Kaos, she said some things that were… nasty."

"What did she say?" Peece asked gently, trying not to make Shimmer cry.

"She said that I had a hair color that marked me as stupid, ugly scars from the forestry, unappealing eyes and that I was fat. She didn't say it in those exact words, but from what she did say, that was the basis of it."

"Shimmer, you're not any of those things," Peece told her softly. "You're attractive, clever, easygoing and you always know how to take care of Shiner. You're great with kids and you don't mind being a part of the group. Don't listen to Kaos, alright? You're beautiful just how you are."

Shimmer smiled and nodded, moving back to her tent and looking genuinely happy. It was nearing dusk and I knew that Peece would be going to sleep soon. Swinging over to the tree closest her tent, I used some leftover string to hang myself upside down in front of the entrance. When Peece turned from Shiner's still motionless body, she caught sight of me and had to stifle a gasp. I cocked my head and smiled.

"You're a new one." I murmured, deciding to play a 'crazy' role. "You don't want them to find out I'm here, but you seem to hate me as much as them."

"I don't hate you." Peece muttered, staring at me.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "No contempt or disinterest? No self-righteous 'I'll get you back for hurting my friends' type of thing?"

"Well I-." Peece stopped. "How did you do this to Shiner?"

"She cut me and I went berserk. I kinda freaked out." This was bizarre to me. Here I was in the enemies' territory, talking with one of the enemies. And she didn't seem at all fazed about it.

"Why are you here?" Peece inquired.

I shrugged, playing off my momentary off balance of the question. "I just wanted to see the tribute that has just about all of Panem entranced. I mean, it was one thing for Peeta and Katniss because they're from the same District, but to have fallen for someone of a different District when you're both tributes is something the Capitol has never seen before. It's kind of capturing, if you know what I mean."

Peece shrugged. "The person I fell for doesn't love me back and probably wants to kill me anyway. So really, I'm trying to see them as much as possible before the day they kill me."

I nodded at this logic and sighed. "I should be going."

"Why?" Peece asked slowly.

"Because you're moving camp in the morning, which means you need to sleep."

Peece nodded and waved goodnight as I disappeared back into the trees. As I swung back to my own land, not bothering with the night-vision goggles since I could see just fine, I wondered on what had just happened between Peece and myself. She didn't seem threatened or angry with me. She was genuinely calm. That's something odd to me and, if I decided to admit it to myself, I wanted it to happen again.