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TRIS

We are deep in the forest. Four and Peeta were slashing away the vines, clearing a path for me, Mags, Finnick, and Katniss.

"Do you think they are still fighting down their?" Peeta said, cutting down a few vines.

"Of course. We haven't heard any canon shots. They only do those when the bloodshed is over for the moment" Finnick said.

"Let's keep moving. We need water," Four said as we trekked up the hill.

"We need to think about shelter and food soon too. But water has to be our priority. We can only go three days without it" I said.

"Then we better find some soon." Finnick says "We need to be undercover when the others come hunting us tonight."

"Maybe we'll have better luck on the other side. Find a spring or something." Four said.

"There is enough plant life here and I hear different animals. There has to be some source of water near here" I said.

"That and the Gamemakers want a show. Not everyone passing out from dehydration." Katniss said.

I tightened my grip on my gun. Even if Finnick and Katniss sad the Careers were probably still at the Cornucopia I wasn't letting down my guard for anything. I scanned the forest, looking for anything; animals, water, people.

That's when my eyes catch on a funny, rippling square hanging like a warped pane of glass in the air. My heart stops. That's the trick I learned from Katniss for seeing force fields.

I turn to Katniss to try and see if she saw what I was seeing when a look of horror crossed her face for a moment.

I saw Peeta and Four heading straight for the force field. Four's knife swings out to slash away some vines and he makes contact with the force field.

There's a sharp zapping sound. Four was flung back, and my whole world seemed to stop.

I rush over to where he lies, motionless in a web of vines. "Four!?" There's a faint smell of singed hair. I place my hands on his shoulders, giving him a little shake, but he's unresponsive. My fingers fumble across his lips, where there's no warm breath. I press my ear against his chest, the place where I know I will hear the strong and steady beat of his heart.

Silence.

The silence is deafening.

"Four?" I call, pulling away from his chest. My heart is pounding. I can't feel the rest of my body.

"Tobias?" I said, my voice trembling.

"Tobias!" I yell shaking him again.

"Tobias Eaton you wake up this instant!" I scream, my voice shaking with fear.

My mind is racing and my breathing is labored.

Tobias can't die.

He survived everything the city had thrown at us and now...now... he was lying on a jungle floor.

"Let me" Finnick said setting Mags down near a tree and pushing me aside.

His fingers touch points at Tobias's neck, run over the bones in his ribs and spine. Then he pinches Tobias's nostrils shut.

"What are you doing?!" Katniss yelled.

"He needs air!" Peeta yelled.

And Finnick places his mouth on top of his.

I recognize what he is doing. CPR. Finnick is preforming CPR on Tobias.

"CPR. It's CPR. He's saving him" I mumble as I watch the scene play out in front of me.

He's got Tobias's nose blocked off but his mouth tilted open, and he's blowing air into his lungs. I can see this, I can actually see his chest rising and falling. Then Finnick unzips the top of Tobias's jumpsuit and begins to pump the spot over his heart with the heels of his hands.

Finnick's pace is on point, his compressions are textbook perfect. He has done this before. Repeatedly.

No one has that skill unless it has been practiced almost daily.

My heart is dropping as I try and count back to how long Our has been unconscious. My mind is racing to try and remember how long CPR can be done before its too late.

Right when I start to think everything is lost FOur gives a small cough as Finnick pulls back from another breath.

I fling myself at him, pushing Finnick aside.

"Four! Four!" I yelled, clutching him.

"Tris?" Four's voice croaks out.

"I thought you were gone" I said, burying my face in his chest. Four wraps his arms around me and I hear his heart beat. His wonderful, beautiful heartbeat.

I pull back to see him smiling weakly.

I smile too and then slap him right across the face.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" I scream "Do you have any idea the hell I was going through thinking you were dead!"

"I swear Tobias, you ever do something like that again I'll revive you just so I can kill you again!" I yelled.

Four lets out a small laugh and I felt his chest shaking as he does. Even though the laugh should have angered me it doesn't.

"Considered me warned." he said, sitting up on his elbows.

I lower my head so my forehead is resting on his chest.

"Please be more careful next time. I don't think I can take seeing you like that again" I said and Four's arms wrapped around me, holding me close.

"Hmm so you two aren't faking" Finnick said and I shot a glare at him.

"What?" I growled standing up.

"Thought for a moment their you two weren't actually together, or maybe you both thought you were in love" Finnick said grabbing his trident.

"What in the world are you talking about?" I said.

"Nothing, nothing." Finnick said "Do you think you can move on?" he asked Four who I helped get back on his feet.

I look at Four, who is zipping his jumpsuit back up.

"I've been through worse. It will take more than a little shock to keep me down" he said.

"Let's head a little bit slower next time. I don't think we will be as lucky next time we come in contact with a force field." I said.

"Slower is better than not moving at all" Finnick said.

"I'll lead" Katniss said.

Peeta was about to object before Finnick cut him off.

"No, let her do it. You knew that force field was there, didn't you? Right at the last second? You started to give a warning. Both of you." Katniss nods. "How did you know?"

Katniss bits her lip, I see the flicker of fear in her eyes. She didn't want to say how she saw the force field, she wanted to protect Beetee and Wiress.

"I don't know. It's almost as if I could hear it. Listen." she said.

Everyone stops and I hear the birds, wind, insects, but nothing unnatural.

"I don't hear anything," says Peeta.

"Yes," I insist, "it's like when the fence around District Twelve is on, only much, much quieter."

Everyone listens again intently. I wonder what in the world she is doing. She must have a plan, why on ear make up this crap about super hearing?

"There!" Katniss said pointing to the simmering part of the force field where Four was shocked "Can't you hear it? It's coming from right where Four got shocked."

"I don't hear it, either," says Four.

"But if you do, by all means, take the lead." Finnick said.

"That's weird," she said. Katniss turned her head from side to side as if puzzled. "I can only hear it out of my left ear."

"The one the doctors reconstructed?" asks Peeta.

"Oh yeah. In the area your ear was hurt. They fixed it?" I said.

" they did a better job than they thought. You know, sometimes I do hear funny things on that side. Things you wouldn't ordinarily think have a sound. Like insect wings. Or snow hitting the ground." she said shrugging.

I smile for a moment. I see what she was doing. She had just shifted the focus from herself onto some Capitol doctor who would have a lot of explaining to do.

"Okay, Katniss you lead. I'll be behind you. Finnick, you bring up the rear with Four, Peeta, and Mags looking out for our flanks." I said, devising a strategy.

"Your Erudite is showing Tris" Four said winking and I rolled my eyes.

"Just go Four. And try not to die this time" I said.

"I'll do my best" he said walking over and kissing my forehead and I pushed him away.

I quickly fashions a cane from a branch that was taken out by Four when he flew through the air for Mags. She thanked me in a soft voice and I was surprised as this was the first I had actually spoken.

I shook it off and took the lead with Katniss, my hand on the trigger of my gun.

"You've got this, right?" I whispered.

"Yes. And thanks, you know" Katniss said and I understood. She was thanking me for not ratting out her, Beetee, or Wiress.

"Your welcome, now lets try and not get killed by another force field" I said and she nodded. Katniss walks with the force field to her left, trying to keep up appearances. I see her looking or the force field desperately and quickly cut down a bunch of hard nuts that hang like grapes from a nearby tree and toss them to her.

Katniss catches on quickly, throwing the nuts ahead of us. Its working too because whenever I think we might be missing patches that indicate the force field a nut hits the force field and there's a puff of smoke before the nut lands, blackened and with a cracked shell, on the ground at our feet.

After a few minutes I become aware of a smacking sound behind me and Katniss. We turn to see Mags peeling the shell off one of the nuts and popping it in her already-full mouth. "Mags!" Katniss cries "Spit that out. It could be poisonous."

I remember one of the videos me and Four watched where literally everything in the arena was poisonous and the sinking feeling returned to my stomach as my heart dropped.

Mags mumbles something and licks her lips and fingers.

"I guess we'll find out," Finnick says flashing his famous smile.

We keep walking, Katniss tosses the nuts and I cut down the vines in her way.

The heat of the arena is getting to me as I am soaking, even though I hadn't touched the water near the Cornucopia for hours.

My breathing becomes labored as I feel I'm starting to reach my limit. Even though Dauntless training strengthened me and built up my endurance even I still had limits.

"Let's take a break," I say and Peeta nods along with Mags, who both look horrible.

Four looks tired as well, the shock obviously taking a lot out of him. Katniss even is showing the signs of exhaustion, and she needs to be taking it easy!

"I'll get another look from above." Katniss said.

"No way. Not in your condition" I said patting her stomach.

Finnick, Four, Mags, Peeta, and Katniss all sit down, their breathing is labored.

"Be careful Tris" Four said.

"Hey! its just like climbing the Ferris Wheel" I said smiling as I hand Four the gun and walk over to a tall tree.

"What's a Ferris Wheel?" I heard Peeta ask as I started to climb. I tested each branch before placing my foot or hand on it, luckily with my lighter frame the branches seemed to hold.

From this precarious vantage point, I can see the shape of the whole arena for the first time. A perfect circle. With a perfect wheel in the middle. The sky above the circumference of the jungle is tinged a uniform pink. And I think I can make out one or two of those wavy squares, chinks in the armor, like Katniss said. I climb down to give the others the bad news.

"So here I am, terrified of heights and this initiate girl is climbing up the wheel like its no big deal." Four said waving his arms around as he told everyone about the Ferris Wheel.

He saw me jump back to the ground and I sighed.

"The force field has us trapped in a circle. A dome, really. I don't know how high it goes. There's the Cornucopia, the sea, and then the jungle all around. Very exact. Very symmetrical. And not very large," I say.

"Did you see any water?" asks Finnick.

"Only the saltwater where we started the Games," I say "It doesn't make sense though! There has to be a water source around here somewhere. This foliage is far to thick to be sustained by a trickle of groundwater."

"If what you are saying is true, then there's no point in trying to find out what's over the edge of this hill, because the answer is nothing." Katniss said.

"Exactly" I said.

"There must be drinkable water between the force field and the wheel," Peeta insists.

We all know what this means. Heading back down. Heading back to the Careers and the bloodshed.

"We can't go back just yet" I said "At least try and find some food or maybe look for some water. But we can't go all the way back in this shape."

"Let's circle back, check around for any food or water and make camp close to a force field. That way we can use it against anyone that attacks" Four said.

"Perfect. Let's go" Katniss said, taking the lead once more as we move down the slope a few hundred yards.

Since Mags seems to have no ill effects from the nuts, Peeta collects bunches of them and fries them by bouncing them off the force field. He methodically peels off the shells, piling the meats on a leaf. Katniss stood guard as Peeta did while me and Four worked to organize our weapons.

By my count we had about thirty rounds of ammo left, three clips of ten. Along with the two guns, and about ten small hunting knives and a larger knife Four had gotten that was like a dagger.

"So along with Katniss's bow and arrow, Finnick's trident and Peeta's knife we seemed pretty well stocked in the weapons department" I said putting the clip of ammo back in my gun and loading it.

"We should try and hunt something. I hear a lot of animals moving and those nuts will not be enough for all of us" Four said.

"Use my hunting knives then. We should save the guns for an emergency" I said.

Four nodded, clipping the harness with the hunting knives diagonally across his torso.

"I'll go try and hunt over there" Four said pointing to our right.

"Katniss? How about you try to our left. Tris said you are a pretty good shot when it comes to hunting" Four called and Katniss nodded.

"I'll go with you" Peeta said to Katniss.

"No, you'll make to much noise" Katniss said and she and Four went in their separate directions.


KATNISS

I move stealthily through the trees, happy to find that the ground lends itself to soundless footsteps. I work my way down at a diagonal, but I find nothing except more lush, green plant life.

The sound of the cannon brings me to a halt. The initial bloodbath at the Cornucopia must be over. The death toll of the tributes is now available. I count the shots, each representing one dead victor. Eight. Not as many as last year. But it seems like more since I know most of their names.

I was thankful Peeta wasn't being represented with one of those canon blasts. But Four could have easily been one today.

The thought had been gnawing away at me ever since Finnick saved Four.

Why save him?

He would have been blameless. I would never have assumed he would have known what to do.

But he still saved Four. Four was a strong player for sure, he was skilled and strong, along with Tris they could have been extremely deadly together.

So why save him?

Suddenly weak, I lean against a tree to rest, feeling the heat draw the moisture from my body like a sponge. Already, swallowing is difficult and fatigue is creeping up on me. I try rubbing my hand across my belly, hoping some sympathetic pregnant woman will become my sponsor and Haymitch can send in some water. No luck. I sink to the ground.

In my stillness I begin to notice the animals starting to move around me. I quietly notch the arrow in my bow and draw it back. My sight is set on a rodent not too far away.

It's ugly, all right, a big rodent with a fuzz of mottled gray fur and two wicked-looking gnawing teeth protruding over its lower lip. I let the arrow fly and it hits its mark, right in its eye. I run over and start cleaning it so we can eat it later.

As I'm gutting and skinning it, I notice something else. Its muzzle is wet. Like an animal that's been drinking from a stream. Excited, I start at its home tree and move slowly out in a spiral. It can't be far, the creature's water source.

Nothing. I find nothing. Not so much as a dewdrop.

I groan as I realize I need to head back. The rodent should be cooked soon and I know Peeta will be worrying about me.

Plus my mouth is about as a desert and I don't think I have enough energy to keep searching.

When I return I see Tris, Finnick, Mags, and Peeta have been busy as well.

They were able to make a hut of sorts out of the grass mats, open on one side but with three walls, a floor, and a roof. Mags has also plaited several bowls that Peeta has filled with roasted nuts.

Their faces turn to me and see the kill in my hands "I got food but no water. It's out there, though. He knew where it was," I say, hoisting the skinned rodent up"He'd been drinking recently when I shot him out of a tree, but I couldn't find his source. I swear, I covered every inch of ground in a thirty-yard radius."

Four then walked up with two bright blue and orange lizards in his hands.

"I got two of these things and looked around for water, but couldn't find a drop" Four said.

"Can we eat them?" Tris asks.

"I don't think they are poisonous. I saw a bird try and grab one so I think they are edible" Four said.

"And this meat doesn't look that different from a squirrel. But we should cook all of them..." I said, hesitant to start a fire.

"We shouldn't even think about starting a fire" Tris said the slamming her fist on the ground "Stupid! I didn't even think about that"

"Wait! I have an idea!" Peeta said grabbing a stick and his knife, sharpening the branch and walking over to me and skewers.

He then proceeds to walk over to the force field and throw my kill at it.

There's a sharp sizzle and the stick flies back. I walk over and pick up the smoking piece of meat. I pull part of it to look on the inside and it seems its cooked all the way through.

We repeat the process with Four's two lizards and start eating the meat along with the nuts Peeta collected.

The white sun sinks in the rosy sky as we gather in the hut.


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