A/N: I found out on the day, but I hadn't had the chance to update my fanfic. RIP actor Cameron Boyce, famous for his work with Disney, passed away at the age of 20. May he rest in peace :,(
Not long after, a parachute descends from the sky. Rue retrieves it from a tree-branch and reveals a small container of cream. I immediately recognize it, it's burn cream. "Did you burn yourself in the forest fire?" I ask. I look at her legs, skin bubbling. "Yeah, its not too bad. Do you need some?" I show her my arm which is still wrapped in the plastic. I cover my burn in the cream. It works miracles as I'm already starting to feel better. We search for leaves to bring out any infection from our scratched hands. Once we clean ourselves up, the talking begins.
"I see footprints. Two." a boy says. "They've got to still be here!" a girl laughs. The last voice I recognize. It gets closer by the second. "I think they'd be gone. It might've been from a while ago." It's Peeta. "Marvel! You were right! There's people here!" Clove grins. They run towards us and I turn back to Rue, who has already begin climbing up the tree. I have no other choice, die or climb. My heart is racing and I don't think I have taken any breaths since we first heard them. "Marvel go get Lover Boy." The District 2 male orders. "Going right now, Cato." replies Marvel. His hair is light brown and he seems to be the minion of Cato. Cato is the District 2 male. His hair is blonde and his eyes give deathly stares.
The remaining careers rush towards the tree. I just reach above their heads when they arrive. Cato tries to pull me down, but he takes my shoe off instead. He throws it back at me, certainly trying to knock me out, but Rue catches it so I put it back on. "I'll get them." the other girl smirks. Her hair is golden and her eyes are blue like the ocean. She's beautiful, but not as beautiful as Katniss or my mother. "Get 'em Glimmer!" they cheer. Marvel returns with Peeta and whilst Marvel cheers, Peeta sits quietly on a log, head buried in his knees. Glimmer tries to climb up the tree, but the trees break under her weight. She rolls her eyes and pulls out a glistening bow. Katniss. She tries to hit us with one of the sharp arrows, but her aim needs improvement as she misses every shot. I take the arrows out of the trees and give them to Rue. She could use them for her slingshot. Rue and I laugh at the Careers, who are too heavy to climb up. "Lover Boy, why don't you be useful and go get them." Glimmer says. Peeta sighs heavily and begins to climb the tree. Just like the other Career's, he breaks every branch.
"Clove, you're the lightest. Even if you can get up a little, try and throw your knives." Cato smiles. Clove slips three sharp knives into her pocket. She chooses a sturdy branch and climbs up to about half the height we are at, when there are no other branches to support her. They're all too fragile. We tease her by throwing bark and a few poisonous berries at her head. Her face turns hot-red and she takes the knife out of her pocket and the blade wizzes past my head before lodging itself in a mossy oak a few metres behind us. She aims at our feet, slicing the other side of the branch in half.
It's her last knife. It's made out of glistening steel. Clove pulls her arm back with her eyes focusing on us. She swings her arm forward and the blade hits just between Rue's fingers, stuck in her backpack. "I was so close!" Clove growls. Cato pulls her into his arms and calms her down, but the way she glares at us shows that the fire inside her is still burning on. "Let's just trap them. Stay at the bottom of the tree. If they come down, we kill them. If they don't, they'll die from dehydration or starve." says Peeta. It takes a few minutes of arguing until they all agree. "But if they come down…" says Clove. "I get to kill them."