I wake, unzip the sleeping bag, and try to gently remove myself from Peeta's arms. I need to get some air because the combination of Peeta's fevered body heat and the reflective nature of the bags has left me sticky.
I pull back the cover and step out into the cool air. I begin to wonder what I can do to bring his fever down since the pills have stopped working and Peeta is now somewhat refusing to eat.
I find some of Rue's berries and hope that maybe I can get him to eat some when I see the parachute come down. I open it hoping that it's medicine for Peeta's leg but I find a thick broth and the smell reminds me of something my mother makes. It won't help his leg but it will bring his fever down quickly.
I wrap the berries in the parachute and make my way back to the cave. I see him trying to sit himself up and I gave him the most genuine smile I can manage.
"Look what Haymitch sent you." He cocks an eyebrow and give me an unconvinced look.
"You're his favourite Katniss, we both know that." Me...well this is news to me. I am pretty sure he hates me.
"That's not true. He doesn't even like me." I'm not trying to say anything too negative about our mentor since he is a key to our survival.
"That's because you're too much like him. He gives you a hard time because he knows what you can be and he can't be that anymore and he doesn't want you to waste what you have." I take a minute to think about this and decide to not think about it and get food and the medicine into Peeta.
"Well this isn't for me so you're going to have to eat it all." He smile at me.
"What if I refuse too? What will you do then?" I roll my eyes and he just laughs.
"I'll just have to convince you then. I have ways." I try to say matter of factly but in truth I'm not sure what those ways are.
I sit down next to Peeta and know that I have a fight ahead of me. I know what it's like trying to get this into Prim when she's sick so I have no hope of it being easier with Peeta. I lift the spoon to his mouth and I can tell that he wants to spit it out but he swallows. "That tastes worse then it smells. I'm not..."
"Oh yes you are. You're going to eat every bit of it." He shakes his head and I come up with an idea.
"For every spoonful I'll give you a kiss. That way I have to suffer to." He takes the next spoonful and then smiles. It still takes almost an hour, and a few threats, to get it all into him.
He finishes the last spoonful and looks at me with such concern in his eyes.
"You didn't sleep at all." I try to tell him that I did but he knows that I'm lying.
"You stayed up all night and took care of me. Don't try to lie to me about it Katniss, you know you're not good at it." He's right about both.
"Sleep now. I'll keep an eye out and wake you if there's any problems. Please?" He pats his lab and I set down the pot and put my head in his lap as he unbraids my hair and runs his fingers through it. The action is comforting and I feel myself lulled to sleep.
The sound of the trumpets startles me. I'm on my feet and at the mouth of the cave in a flash, not wanting to miss a syllable. It's my new best friend, Claudius Templesmith.
As expected, he's inviting us to a feast. Well, we're not that hungry and I actually wave his offer away in indifference when he says, "Now hold on. Some of you may already be declining my invitation. But this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately."
That's when it hits me. Medicine for Peeta's leg.
"Each of you will find that something in a backpack, marked with your district number, at the Cornucopia at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this will be your last chance," says Claudius.
I jump when I feel Peeta's arms wrap around my waist and his chin rests on my head. "Your not risking your life for me Katniss." I feel his grip tighten as he places a kiss to the crown of my head.
"I'm not going. I never said I was going." I hear him sigh.
"So your not going?" I turn in his arms.
"Of course, I'm not going. Give me some credit. Do you think I'm running straight into some free for all against Cato and Clove and Thresh? Don't be stupid. I'll let them fight it out, we'll see who's in the sky tomorrow night and work out a plan from there."
I raise up on my tip toes and place a gentle kiss to his lips. The fingers of his right hand tangle into my hair and hold my lips to his as he deepens the kiss. He pulls away and laughs. "You're such a bad liar Katniss and you know it too."
I roll my eyes and he laughs harder. "It doesn't look that bad. You're a lot cooler now. Of course I'm not going."
He mimics my words and his tone is mocking. "Don't play cards Karniss. You'll loss every last coin."
My face flushes with anger and I want to hit him just to make him shut up. "I'm going and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
"I can go with you...cause a distraction. I'll be dead for sure then."
"You won't make it a hundred yards on that leg."
"I'll drag myself. If you go then I go too."
I know that he's stubborn enough, and maybe every strong enough to do it. I'd have to make a rock wall just to try to keep him in the cave and I'm not even sure that would work.
"What am I suppose to do Peeta just sit here and watch you while you die in my arms? Do you know what that would do to me? I'm not going to let that happen."
He leans down and kisses my forehead and I feel my body relax. "I won't die, I promise. If you promise you won't go."
We are at a stalemate so I decide on one last tactic. "I'll only promise to stay if...only if you do everything and I mean everything I ask you to do. Not questions asked. Deal?"
He looks into my eyes for a moment and I know he is trying to gauge the truth of my words.
"Deal. But only if you seal it wit a kiss." I'm sure the citizen of the Capitol are enjoying our little lover spat, adding some drama to the Games. I roll my eyes but I wrap my arms around his neck and crush my lips to his.
The kiss is not a gentle one and I feel that hunger deep inside start to make itself known to me. I guide Peeta back to the sleeping back and help him to the ground.
"I'm going to go wash up a bit and see if I can put something together for dinner, maybe a soup." He looks concerned.
"Don't start a fire." I kiss him quickly.
"I'll be careful I promise."
As I go down to the stream to wash up, all I can think is that he's going to die if I don't get to that feast. I'll keep him going for a day or two, and then the infection will reach his heart or his brain or his lungs and he'll be gone. And I'll be here all alone. Again. Waiting for the others.
I'm so lost in thought that I almost miss the parachute, even though it floats right by me. Then I spring after it, yanking it from the water, tearing off the silver fabric to retrieve the vial. Haymitch has done it! He's gotten the medicine, I don't know how, persuaded some gaggle of romantic fools to sell their jewels, and I can save Peeta! It's such a tiny vial though. It must be very strong to cure someone as ill as Peeta.
A ripple of doubt runs through me. I uncork the vial and take a deep sniff. My spirits fall at the sickly sweet scent. Just to be sure, I place a drop on the tip of my tongue. There's no question, it's sleep syrup. It's a common medicine in District 12. Cheap, as medicine goes, but very addictive.
I'm about to pour Haymitch's little gift into the stream when it hits me...it's enough to knock him out for a day. Long enough for me to go and get the real medicine. Now I just have to find a way to get it into him.
I stuff the vital into the pocket of my pants and try to make a soup out of the rest of the meat, some of Rue's roots, and some chives I find on the edge of the bank. I use some small rocks to warm the water and it's hot enough for what I need.
Peeta eats without complaint, even scraping out the pot to show his enthusiasm. He rambles on about how good it is, which would be encouraging if it wasn't for the fever. He's like listening to Haymitch before the alcohol has soaked him into incoherence. I give him another dose of fever medicine before he goes off his head completely.
When he's sleep I take the vial from my pocket and mix it into a pot of mushed berries and add some mint leaves in a vain hope it masks some of the taste. I put the lid on and go back to where Peeta is sleeping and lift his arm and settle against his chest.
He wakes a few hours later and I get him to drink some water before I find the pot of berries. Here we go Katniss, no turning back now.
I sit down next to him and Peeta opens his mouth for the first bite without hesitation. He swallows then frowns slightly. "They're very sweet." I smile and hope it's convincing enough.
"Yes, they're sugar berries, that's what my father called them. My mother makes jam from them. Haven't you ever had them before?" I say, poking the next spoonful in his mouth.
"No," he says, almost puzzled. "But they taste familiar."
"Well, you can't get them in the market much, they only grow wild," I say. Another mouthful goes down. Just one more to go.
"They're sweet as syrup," he says, taking the last spoonful. "Syrup."
His eyes widen as he realizes the truth. I clamp my hand over his mouth and nose hard, forcing him to swallow instead of spit. He tries to make himself vomit the stuff up, but it's too late, he's already losing consciousness. Even as he fades away, I can see in his eyes what I've done is unforgivable.
I position him and I wipe a stray stain from his lips. I kiss his cheek and wipe a strain of hair from his eyes. "Forgive me Peeta?" I ask knowing that he can't give me an answer.
In the remaining hours before nightfall, I gather rocks and do my best to camouflage the opening of the cave. It's a slow and arduous process, but after a lot of sweating and shifting things around, I'm pretty pleased with my work, The cave now appears to be part of a larger pile of rocks, like so many in the vicinity. I can still crawl in to Peeta through a small opening, but it's undetectable from the outside.
That's good, because I'll need to share that sleeping bag again tonight. Also, if I don't make it back from the feast, Peeta will be hidden but not entirely imprisoned. Although I doubt he can hang on much longer without medicine. If I die at the feast, District 12 isn't likely to have a victor.
I make a meal out of the smaller, bonier fish that inhabit the stream down here, fill every water container and purify it, and clean my weapons. I've nine arrows left in all. I debate leaving the knife with Peeta so he'll have some protection while I'm gone, but there's really no point.
He was right about camouflage being his final defence. But I still might have use for the knife. Who knows what I'll encounter.