"Ok, everyone, line up and hop from X to X." Noah directed. Resisting the urge to laugh at Cato who nearly face-planted on the hard dirt around the cornucopia, he adjusted his markings so everyone in the Career pack could jump on the marks.
"I assume we passed." Peeta said smiling at Noah as he hopped to the last X.
"Yeah, Peeta. 100%." Noah quipped as Peeta laughed. During the course of the exercise, Noah called each tribute by name even though the Careers simply referred to him as "Three."
"Don't get too friendly over there, loverboy!" Cato snarled.
"Three, put the food away!" Clove hissed waving one of her many sharp knives in Noah's face.
"Ok. And I'm going to work on the mines, so everyone take what you need for the afternoon." Noah ignored Cato's glare choosing not to rub in the fierce boy's face that he was taking orders from a scrawny 13 year old inventor.
"That's my boy! Look!" Beetee called proudly to the mentor room as the main screen flashed to the cornucopia where Noah was working on the mines. "That's my boy!" Chaff nodded and walked over to the wall, pushing a button on a panel that amplified the commentary.
"And Noah Tesla is working on a trap of some sort - takes after his parents after all." Claudius Templesmith commmented.
"This is a very rare moment - a District Three tribute joining an established Career Pack." Caesar Flickerman added. "I guess Noah is quite skilled at electronics as he's working with all those wires."
"Actually, it's explosives and small mechanical components -" Wiress began before Beetee wrapped an arm around her. "My son - my beautiful smart son - come home, baby, please -"
Noah paused to wipe his brow after heaving a large bag of apples to the top of a pile before gingerly placing loops of mines in strategic places on the food pile. He shrugged looking at the Careers lazily sprawled in the grass chatting and rubbing healing cream on their stings. As soon as they woke, they had received several large bags full of creams and antidotes to speed their recovery. Of course, they had also received a shipment of food which was now in the supply pile. "Don't even!" Cato growled as Noah longingly picked up a plastic bottle full of fresh purified water.
"I know." Noah called. He pulled off his jacket and aired out his shirt. Not being able to resist, he made farting noises with his hand in his armpit as he surveyed his pile.
"Buddy, cut that out, you're on TV." Beetee admonished even as a smile played on his lips. As night fell, Noah completed the pile.
"Well, the fire's ready." Peeta called. Noah eagerly hopped over to a small loaf of bread before Marvel snatched it away.
"Hey Noah, we have to wait until they're done, ok?" Peeta called. "Come sit here, man. You worked really hard today."
"Thanks." Noah said plopping down on a log by Peeta. "Mom and Dad saw me." Grinning, he waved at the sky.
"So proud - my boy - good job -" Wiress called blowing a kiss at the main screen..
"Nice work, son." Beetee's heart swelled with warmth watching Noah and Peeta talking.
"Do your parents help you with school projects?" Noah asked as Cato and Clove fought over a large pork drumstick that was roasting over the fire.
"Not really." Peeta replied. "They're busy running a bakery and well - we don't have cooking class at school."
"Well, I'm in the Engineering Academy where Mom and Dad went. So, when Stelle and I finish with our homework, we can go downstairs and work with Mom and Dad in the workshop -" Sniffling, Noah wiped his eyes on his jacket sleeve.
"Oh, buddy," Beetee whispered sadly watching his son's large eyes tear up.
"I'm sorry about your sister." Peeta replied automatically.
"I wanna go home, but - it won't be the same wiithout her." Peeta nodded.
"I have two brothers and they both can be jerks, but I love them. Ya know?"
"Jerks?" Noah asked. "Because they tease you?"
"Yeah. Once Rye had the brilliant idea to put cayenne pepper in my jock strap before wrestling practice one day -" Peeta began before blushing.
"EW!" Noah yelped. "Dad showed me those in the apartment at the Training Center because he made me wear one during training! That's - That would hurt soooo baaaaad!"
"Right?" Peeta asked as the two boys laughed.
"So, what did you do?" Noah asked grinning. "I mean, for revenge?"
"Let's just say when he unpacked his lunch next to a girl he liked, he found a loaf of bread shaped - especially for him." Noah nearly fell off the log laughing.
"Hey! Cut the racket over there!" Cato growled as he devoured his food.
"Guess we can eat now." Peeta said. "What did you bring?"
"A backpack of stuff." Noah and Peeta sorted through their supplies and each had a few crackers and some edible roots. Peeta gave Noah a small piece of beef jerky. "Mm - meat."
"Keep watch." Clove directed before she and Cato took off.
"I'll stay up for half the night, you stay up for the other half?" Peeta asked.
"You sure?" Noah asked as they unrolled their sleeping bags.
"Dude, you built that trap." Noah grinned.
"We'll spit on it." Beetee chuckled and shook his head grateful that Panem was watching Katniss and Rue's alliance on the main screen.
"Noah Terrimax -" Wiress scolded thinking the sixteen year old from Twelve had outgrown this middle-school ritual. However, she smiled as the two boys shook hands solemnly.
"Go to sleep, kid." Peeta said as Noah yawned in his sleeping bag.
Noah recited pi to himself as he scanned the surrounding area. Suddenly bushes rustled near him. Gasping, he unsheathed his knife and readied a light metal spear Marvel had lent him for the watch. The girl from Five peered out like a fox as she eyed the pile of food. Tiptoeing to her, Noah shook his head.
"I know it's booby-trapped." She whispered. "I watched you make it."
"Oh -" Noah gulped and gripped his knife. "Well - go away." Hands trembling, he grasped his spear with both hands. Her fear was mirrored in his large eyes. "Why - why are you this close anyway?"
"Look -" The girl rolled up her left pant-leg revealing a large scrape on her knee crudely bandaged with cloth from her shirt and long blades of grass. "It's swelling."
"Oh -" Noah paused before hopping to the medicine pile. Carefully, he dabbed some antiseptic ointment on his hands. "Here - " Taking her hands, he transferred the glob of ointment. "Now you really have to go away." He urged staring fearfully at the sleeping bags where the Careers slept. Nodding, the girl scampered away.
Biting his lip, Beetee allowed the tears to fall from his face as he watched Noah return to the log where he watched for other tributes. "He can't -" Wiress whispered, her voice wavering.
"He can't kill, baby." Beetee choked out. "My sweet boy - our sweet precious boy - he won't hurt anyone in there."
"I know - but - home -" Wiress pleaded looking at her son on Beetee's screen as her heart ached to hold him.
"I don't know." Beetee's voice cracked as his wife leaned against him crying silently.
The next day, Noah woke to Cato yelling at Marvel, Peeta, and Clove. "GET YOUR ASSES UP! WE GOT SOME TRIBUTES TO KILL!" Stomping over to Noah's sleeping bag, Cato kicked it roughly. "Engineer runt, get breakfast! Let's go!" Groaning, Noah hurried over to the smoldering embers and began a fire before roasting some meat. As the Careers ate, they argued over where to go and what weapons to bring.
"Well, you all could start there." Peeta remarked seeing a plume of grey smoke rise into the air.
"It's not Katniss!" Clove hissed. "Don't fool with us, you know she wouldn't build a fire all of Panem could see!" Her hand twitched in her pocket as she gripped one of her throwing knives.
"No, but - Katniss might be following said tribute." Peeta began before hopping through the maze of mines to grab some water. A gasp caused him to nearly fall over. "What's up, bud?"
"I thought you - I thought -" Peeta stared into large eyes reflecting shock. "You like her though -"
"Yeah, I'm trying to see where she is - to head her off. Don't tell anyone, ok?" Peeta asked in a low voice. "No - we don't have to spit on it, kiddo!" He added quickly seeing Noah working up some spit.
"Ok." Noah replied in a quiet voice before examining the pile.
"Hey! There's another fire! They're getting careless!" Clove cheered. "C'mon! I wanna knife some tributes!" Laughing and cheering, the Careers began gathering their weapons.
"See you later, kid. You're watching the camp?" Noah nodded.
"See you later, Peeta." Noah said gathering some spears Marvel hadn't grabbed.
"Noah -" Peeta paused. "I bet your parents are really proud of you." He received a large genuine grin in reply before he headed off after the Careers.
Humming to himself, Noah tightened some knots in the wires of his trap and counted the pile. Squinting, he stared at the medicine pile. "Aw man, she'd better not come back again." He grumbled knowing the girl he saw during the night had picked from their pile during breakfast. Sitting on a crate, he began sharpening Marvel's spears. Out of boredom, he began etching a simple electric circuit design into the handle of one of them.
Suddenly he saw a figure emerge from the forest. Gripping Marvel's spear, he stood on a crate to look menacing. "HEY! GO AWAY!" He yelled before gasping as Katniss Everdeen loaded an arrow in to her bow. Thinking fast, Noah grabbed a metal canteen to use as a shield. As she released the arrow, he threw the spear toward her but whirled around as an arrow soared over his head. As if in slow motion, he watched as it pierced the bag of apples detonating the mines in a perfect cascade.
"MOVE, NOAH TERRIMAX, MOVE, RUN!" Beetee screamed as Noah gaped at the aftermath of the explosion. "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, MY BOY, PLEASE! RUN!" Wiress' eyes were wide with fear as she saw the Careers approach the wreckage.
"I don't see any mines anywhere!" Noah called running toward Cato who stared at the pile stunned. "They were all detonated!"
"YOU SAID IT WOULD WORK!" Cato screamed furiously staring at the remains of the Careers' food and all their supplies.
"It did. Katniss shot an arrow into the supplies and detonated everything." Noah explained. "I can see if I can rebuild some of it for you." Lunging toward Noah, Cato wrapped his arm under Noah's chin and dug his meaty fingers into Noah's thick black hair.
"I'm done with you, Three!" Cato hissed before screaming in fury. Noah closed his eyes and remained stoic even as Cato's arms wrapped around his neck. With one twist of his torso, Cato snapped Wiress' and Beetee's hearts into a million pieces.