It was raining when Katniss woke up. Peeta was stroking her cheek, making her hum in her sleep. Heather fidgeted with her fingers as she waited anxiously for Katniss to wake up. Her body slightly trembled from the cold of the backstage air conditioning due to the lack of clothing covering her. Thankfully, Haymitch noticed that and discreetly moved closer so he could share some of his body warmth. She leaned on him and was envious of the fact that so much heat was radiating off his body.
At this moment, she and Haymitch were in a studio where they were about to be interviewed by Caesar with a live audience. Since their tributes were one of the remaining in the arena, it was about time that they were called in for this. Besides them, there were Seeder for Thresh, Brutus for Cato, and Ivette for Emma.
Heather noticed Ivette looking at her and waved. The caramel-skinned woman gave a small smile and waved back. They weren't really close but since they were close in age, they were friends. It was an unspoken rule for the mentors to not speak to each other and simply watch how their tributes were doing as they waited for the interview to start.
With one last look at her fellow victor, Heather turned back to the screen to see Peeta holding a bottle of water for Katniss, who was now awake, to drink.
"You're better," Katniss realized.
"Much better. Whatever you shot into my arm did the trick," he said. "By this morning, almost all the swelling in my leg was gone."
He didn't seem to be angry about her tricking him, drugging him, and running off to the feast. Haymitch still kept his eye on him, waiting for some reaction.
"Did you eat?" Katniss asked.
"I'm sorry to say I gobbled down three pieces of that groosling before I realized it might have to last a while. Don't worry, I'm back on a strict diet"
"No, it's good. You need to eat. I'll go hunting soon."
"Not too soon, all right?" he said. "You just let me take care of you for a while."
Katniss sighed but accepted, she hated being dependent. Heather could tell her feelings about this from the screen. Peeta fed her bites of groosling and raisins and made her drink plenty of water. By now, Brutus was being called up for his turn. Heather paid no mind to him and kept her attention on the screen.
"Your boots and socks are still damp and the weather's not helping much," Peeta told her. Heather suddenly jumped as a clap of thunder sounded. Rain was dripping through several holes in the ceiling, but Peeta has built a sort of canopy over Katniss's head, an upper body by wedging the square of plastic into the rock above her.
"I wonder what brought on this storm? I mean, who's the target?" Peeta said. Heather also began to wonder about this as she never thought about it before.
"Cato and Thresh," Katniss answered. "Foxface will be in her den somewhere, and Clove. She cut me and then." Her voice trailed off.
"I know Clove's dead. I saw it in the sky last night," he said. "Did you kill her?"
"No. Thresh broke her skull with a rock."
"Lucky he didn't catch you, too."
Katniss looked sick as she recalled yesterday's memory. "He did. But he let me go." She then told him about the explosion, her deaf ear, Rue's death, how she killed Marvel and the bread. All of which led to what happened with Thresh and how he was paying off a debt of sorts.
"He let you go because he didn't want to owe you anything?" Peeta asked in disbelief.
"Yes. I don't expect you to understand it. You've always had enough. But if you'd lived in the Seam, I wouldn't have to explain," Katniss said.
"And don't try. Obviously, I'm too dim to get it."
"It's like the bread. How I never seem to get over owing you for that," Katniss said.
"The bread? What? From when we were kids?" he said. "I think we can let that go. I mean, you just brought me back from the dead."
"But you didn't know me. We had never even spoken. Besides, it's the first gift that's always the hardest to pay back. I wouldn't even have been here to do it if you hadn't helped me then," Katniss said. "Why did you, anyway?"
"Why? You know why?" Peeta said. She slightly shook her head. "Haymitch said you would take a lot of convincing."
"Haymitch?" Katniss asked. "What's he got to do with it?"
Heather looked expectantly at the man beside her. Haymitch ignored her and kept staring ahead. By now, Ivette was up next to go to the stage
"Nothing," Peeta said. "So, Cato and Thresh, huh? I guess it's too much to hope that they'll simultaneously destroy each other?"
"I think we would like Thresh. I think he'd be our friend back in District Twelve."
"Then let's hope Cato kills him, so we don't have to," Peeta exclaimed grimly.
Tears began to form in her eyes. Peeta looked at her in concern. "What is it? Are you in a lot of pain?"
"I want to go home, Peeta," she said plaintively, like a small child. Heather frowned. At that moment, she wanted to go to Katniss herself and take her home. But she couldn't. Not until they'd win
"You will. I promise," he assured her, bending over to kiss her.
"I want to go home now," Katniss repeated.
"Tell you what. You go back to sleep and dream of home. And you'll be there for real before you know it," Peeta suggested. "Okay?"
"Okay," she whispered. "Wake me if you need me to keep watch."
"I'm good and rested, thanks to you. Besides, who knows how long this will last?" he said.
Heather sighed in relief as Katniss fell back to sleep. She was glad nothing serious had happened and that Peeta wasn't angry to start a drama over Katniss slipping sleep syrup into his food. From the corner of her eye, she saw Seeder go onto the stage for her turn.
Wrapping her arm around his, Heather looked up at Haymitch. "So, what are the things we should avoid answering in the interview?"
Haymitch thought for a second before answering, "Nothing much, but we should be careful what to say about Katniss and Peeta's relationship."
Heather nodded, "Good point."
She resisted another urge to rub her face as the makeup on her face began to itch. She didn't want to do this interview. She didn't have the emotional energy. Right now, all her attention was focused on Katniss and Peeta. "I don't want to do this," Heather mumbled under her breath.
Haymitch heard her and placed his hand on her shoulder encouragingly. "Don't worry, it'll only take 10 minutes."
"Ten minutes isn't worth this."
However. before she knew it, Caesar called out for them to come on stage. Heather straightened her posture and mentally prepared herself. She placed a smile on her face as she became the Heather Mildbreeze the Capitol wanted to see. She didn't let go of Haymitch's arm. People weren't going to assume anything as they knew that they were close being the only living victors of District 12. Plus, they thought of their relationship as one a daughter and father would have which was weird and always left a bad taste in Heather's mouth when she thought about it.
The sound of the audience cheering and clapping soon became the only thing she could hear as she and Haymitch appeared before them. Of course, they were mainly happy to see Heather but it was also interesting when Haymitch was interviewed.
The standing ovation continued for about a minute. When the crowd settled down, Caesar grinned and turned to the victors and said, "Well, now it's clear who the favourites are."
Some of the audience laughed.
"Really?" Heather smiled. "I thought for sure that it'd be Ivette with Emma being so smart."
"Oh, Heather, ever so humbled," Caesar shook his head as if it was a helpless case. "How has it been for you two lately?"
"To be honest, it's emotionally draining. One moment, everything is alright then the next everything is in chaos and the situation seems helpless," Heather looked down on her lap. "It's just hard, you know."
"It's like taking a wild ride," Haymitch said.
"Exactly."
"I'm sure that if things keep going they are, Katniss and Peeta are going to win," Caesar consoled them.
"I'd like to believe that, Caesar but there is no telling of how things are going to turn out," Heather said.
Caesar nodded grimly, "Yes, I agree. That's true," Caesar turned to Haymitch.
Haymitch stared at him for a second then he said, "As Heather said, it's hard and we're trying our best to not lose hope of them coming out."
Caesar smiled, "So, how did you feel when Peeta joined Caro and the others?"
Heather and Haymitch exchanged a look. "Were we supposed to feel anything?" Heather asked, making Caesar and the audience confused.
"Peeta didn't tell us about his plan, but we already knew that he was doing this so he could protect Katniss," Haymitch explained.
"Really?" Caesar looked surprised.
"Trust me, you don't look at someone the way Peeta does at Katniss then betray them like that. There had to be an ulterior reason," Heather added.
Caesar took the time to look between the two, "One thing for sure, you two certainly know your tributes."
Heather giggled, "You could say that."
They continued to share their input on the major events their tributes had been through. While Heather's words were simple and to the point, Haymitch's were detailed and ample. On the contrary, Heather was less enthusiastic than usual and was a bit quiet. Unfortunately, Caesar seemed to notice that.
"Is everything alright with you, Heather?" he asked in concern. "I've noticed you've been awfully quiet today."
"Oh, it's nothing, I'm just worried about Peet and Katniss. It's the first time I've had both my tributes make it this far," Heather said.
His face softened and he reached to hold her hand, "While that's understandable, don't forget to take care of yourself."
Heather smiled, "Thanks, Caesar."
"I'd love to talk more with you but I'm afraid our time is up. Heather Mildbreeze and Haymitch Abernathy, everyone," he gestured to them and the crowd cheered once again.
Back in their apartment, Heather hurried to her room and got out of this restraining dress she had on. Relief immediately filled her after she removed it and changed into a looser dress. In her opinion, dresses were supposed to be more free and flowy, not restrictive. But, of course, things didn't work like that in the Capitol. After she washed the makeup off her face, Heather headed to the sitting room.
"Hey, you did great out there," Finnick said upon seeing her.
"Yeah, your computer's been pinging throughout your interview," Cashmere added, sipping from her drink.
"It has?" Heather furrowed her brows and went to take the computer. She sat down next to Cashmere and opened it. Finnick got up and joined them.
Opening it, Heather was instantly hit by the number of notifications as they were all sponsor requests.
"Whoa," Finnick exclaimed in wonder.
'Whoa' was right. Heather couldn't even say anything to say as she was astonished, staring at the number of sponsors' requests along with the amount of money next to it. To rich Capitol citizens, this amount wouldn't seem like a big deal to them. However, with this money, they could help get Peeta and Katniss some food if they're unable to go hunting. Perhaps, even send some supplies to them when they're vulnerable.
The voice in Heather's head, the negative logical voice, reminded her that this didn't guarantee their victory, just their survival. Heather was still grateful but she wasn't ecstatic.
Unfortunately, her friends noticed her mood.
"What's wrong, Heather? Are you not happy?" Cashmere asked her while Finnick gave her a worried look as well.
"Oh, no, I'm grateful and I'm just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night," Heather rubbed her furrows. "I'll go show Haymitch and take a nap."
Not giving them a chance to speak, Heather got up and pretended not to hear them calling after her. She didn't want to talk to them. Not bothering to knock on the door, Heather immediately entered his room. Haymitch was in the middle of putting on his shirt.
He studied her face and noticed the anxious features. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her bottom lip was out in a slight pout as she seemed to be deep in thought. She trotted to sit on the bed.
"Is something wrong?" he asked as he finished buttoning his shirt.
"Huh? Oh, nothing's wrong," she lied. But he didn't confront her about the lie. Unless it affected her well-being, he was going to wait for her to tell him. Heather then held out the computer for him, "We got some sponsors."
That perked him up. Haymitch went over and sat next to her. Instantly, Heather latched onto his arm as he opened the computer. It was an understatement to say that he was genuinely surprised. On instinct, his mind set out to find a reason why this happened and managed to settle on only one reason.
"Your distress over Katniss and Peeta must've caused this," he told her.
Heather frowned, "Was it that obvious?"
"I didn't think it was, but judging by the number of people wanting to sponsor us, it must've been."
Suddenly, a loud yawn escaped Heather. She quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment and hesitantly looked up at Haymitch to spy his reaction. He wore an amused smile and then leaned in to give her a kiss on the forehead.
"Sleep here, I'll wake you up if something happens," Haymitch told her.
Surprisingly, Heather didn't put up a fight and simply nodded her head in agreement. She must've been really tired because as soon as she placed her head on the pillow, it took her a minute to fall asleep. Haymitch watched her and wondered when this was going to be over.
Although Heather got a good amount of sleep, that didn't mean that she had a good nap. Throughout her unconscious time, she was being plagued with nightmares. Thankfully, when she woke up in cold sweat, she didn't remember what she was dreaming about. But Heather wasn't able to focus on the bright side of things as she silently shivered. The feeling of fear crept at her, making her pull her knees tightly to her chest.
Heather stayed in her small bubble of safety for a while. She didn't move until her heartbeat returned to normal and she was no longer trembling in fear. Since she was drenched in sweat, Heather got up to shower. But even a nice warm shower couldn't wash away her uneasiness.
Her hair was cold as it clung to her face. Walking up to Haymitc's drawer, Heather picked up the longest shirt to wear then went to her room to put on some underwear. She dried her hair with a towel then put it as a bun on the top of her head.
Currently, it was already evening. Heather was aware of the fact that her sleeping schedule was now disturbed so it didn't really bother her. A strand of her hair suddenly came in front of her face and she pushed it behind her ear. As she neared the sitting room, she heard Peeta and Katniss talking.
"Where did Thresh go? I mean, what's on the far side of the circle?"Katniss asked
"A field. As far as you can see it's full of grasses as high as my shoulders. I don't know, maybe some of them are grain. There are patches of different colours. But there are no paths," Peeta answered.
Heather quietly made her way over to where the others were sitting, careful to not make any noise. It wasn't until she stood beside the armchair Finnick was sitting at that they noticed her presence. Finnick jumped back and placed his hand on his heart dramatically.
"Heather!" He exclaimed. "When did you come here?"
Haymitch and Cashmere looked over at them. It was strange to see those two sitting together. Usually, Haymitch would be sitting alone in the armchair if Heather wasn't there. Heather had a distinct feeling that something was going on without her knowledge.
"A few minutes ago," Heather stifled a smile at the comical scene in front of her.
"This isn't the first time you sneaked in on me and almost gave me a heart attack," Finnick frowned. "We need to put a cowbell on you."
Heather rolled her eyes, "Uh-huh." She sat down on the ground and leaned her head against Finnick's leg.
"Why are you sitting on the floor?" Haymitch asked.
"Cause I feel like it," came her half-hearted response.
"Do you want food?" Cashmere asked.
"No," Heather felt Finnick poking at her bun. "Fin, stop touching me."
"... I'm bringing you food."
Heather chose not to reply and turned back to listen to Peeta and Katniss's conversation. She wasn't hungry and she didn't lack her appetite, she just didn't want to eat. But she also didn't have the energy to fight with Cashmere. Then again, she didn't have the energy to do anything these days.
"Well, he probably used up a lot of resources helping me knock you out," Katniss said mischievously. Confused, Heather poked Finnick to get his attention. He glanced at her then leaned down, offering her his ear.
"Who are they talking about?" Heather asked.
"Haymitch," he whispered. "They're wondering if you'll send them food."
"They just assume that was Haymitch's doing?" Heather scrunched her face in disbelief.
"Apparently, they still haven't discovered your devious true self," Finnick said with a smile.
Heather sneered and slapped his knee. Unfortunately, it didn't work in her favour as he burst out laughing. No longer happy in his company, Heather got up and went to sit next to Haymitch.
"Aww, Heather, don't leave me," Finnick reached out for her.
Heather crossed her arms and didn't look at him. Haymitch stayed quiet. Heather tended to be unreasonable when she wakes up, even more now since she was still during her time of the month.
"No! Just don't, Katniss!" Peeta tightened his grip around Katniss, and there was real anger in his voice. "Don't die for me. You won't be doing me any favours. All right?"
Katniss was startled by his intensity. "Maybe I did it for myself, Peeta, did you ever think of that? Maybe you aren't the only one who worries about what it would be like if-"
Katniss fumbled. She wasn't as smooth with words as Peeta.
"If what, Katniss?" he asked softly.
"That's exactly the kind of topic Haymitch told me to steer clear of," Katniss said evasively. From beside her, Haymitch was cursing Katniss out right now for dropping the ball during such an emotionally charged moment. But Peeta somehow caught it.
"Then I'll just have to fill in the blanks myself," he said and moved into her.
This was the first kiss where neither of them was hobbled by sickness or pain or simply unconscious. That was the moment where Cashmere walked into the room, holding a tray of food. She casually glanced at the screen where the two were kissing then shrugged as if it wasn't anything unusual.
She gave Heather the tray and reached to get the computer. "There are some comments from the interview you two did earlier that I wanted you to see."
Heather devoured the noodles of spaghetti as she waited for Cashmere to bring up the comment. She glanced up at Finnick, "Don't you wanna come and see them?"
"Nah, I already read 'em," He got up from the chair and stretched his arms. "Besides, it's already my bedtime."
"Oh, well, good night then," Heather waved.
He waved back before disappearing down the corridor. Heather looked back to the computer's screen. Cashmere opened the website where videos are shared and brought up her interview. She paused the video and clicked on the comment section. Most of them were sentences full of concern over Heather.
Heather blinked, she didn't know how to feel about this. On one hand, she was thankful they gained more sponsors due to her popularity but on the other, she hated being popular. Heather turned to Haymitch, "Well, I guess you were right about this."
"What?" Cashmere asked in confusion.
"Haymitch predicted that we got more sponsors because of my 'obvious' distress," Heather said the word 'obvious' in a sarcastic voice.
"Oh," Cashmere exclaimed distastefully as she narrowed her eyes at Haymitch. Of course, he was unaffected by this.
"It was the most logical reason," he simply said.
"Of course," Cashmere said, unimpressed.
Heather looked between the two of them, "Did something happen while I was sleeping?"
"Oh, nothing," Cashmere said.
"She interrogated and threatened me," Haymitch casually said, as if he was talking about the weather.
"Cash!" Heather looked at her friend in disappointment.
"What? I told you I don't trust him."
Heather sighed. She really didn't want to fight with Cashmere. She literally had no energy to do this. That was the reason she wasn't angry right now. "Cashmere, I appreciate your concern about me, but Haymitch isn't what you make him out to be. He takes care of me and he is sweet too. But only to me, though. Sometimes."
Cashmere frowned. She wanted to argue back but seeing how exhausted Heather made her hesitate. If there was anything she was certain about, it was that tired people were as honest and vulnerable as drunken people. Not that she doubted Heather's words before but this time was different. Heather was in a sensitive position and it was clear that she was tired from dealing with this issue with her.
"Okay," Cashmere exhaled in defeat. "But I'm still gonna watch you." she looked directly at Haymitch who was regarding her calmly.
"Fine by me," he could care less about what Cashmere thought of him. But she was one of Heather's closest friends so he felt obligated to treat her politely.
The next day was no better in terms of weather. The deluge continued as if the Gamemakers were intent on washing the tributes all away. The thunder was so powerful it seemed to shake the ground. Peeta considered heading out any way to scavenge for food, but Katniss said that in this storm, it would be pointless. And, she was right.
"We should send them food," Heather told Haymitch.
"Not yet," He replied.
"Not yet? What do you mean not yet?! At this point, they're going to starve all day!" she yelled at him.
Finnick and Cashmere looked over at them to see what the commotion was all about. Cashmere gave a warning look at Haymitch but he paid no mind to her.
Haymitch sighed, already dreading what he was about to say. "Look, the reason the gamemakers are manipulating the weather this way is to show the audience more of star-crossed lovers. This could also work in our favour because if they do change the rule back, some of the citizens can riot and force it to go back to two victors. Katniss already knows about this. If they want food, they'll have to bring out the romance."
Heather stared at him in shock. She couldn't believe her ears. What Haymitch said made sense but it still made her angry. Yes, he was helping them but it was at a cost and she didn't like that. However, it was unreasonable to argue with his logic. Even Cashmere and Finnick were at odds with his explanation.
Haymitch anxiously waited for Heather to say something. He knew she was angry and seeing her being all quiet made him more uneasy. He wanted some reaction, for her to yell at him and scream how horrible his plan was because he didn't want to do it but if he wanted both Peeta and Katniss to get out, this had to be done.
Finally, after what felt like hours Heather spoke. "Fine, but if they don't do anything by the evening, we're sending them food."
"Deal," Haymitch agreed, not wanting to argue with her.
As morning turned into evening, there was still no break in the weather. Peeta and Katniss didn't make any romantic scenes. Just as Heather was about to call it quits and send them something, Katniss acted.
"Peeta," she said his name lightly. "You said at the interview you'd had a crush on me forever. When did forever start?"
"Oh, let's see. I guess the first day of school. We were five. You had on a red plaid dress and your hair. it was in two braids instead of one. My father pointed you out when we were waiting to line up," Peeta told her.
"Your father? Why?" Katniss asked. Heather wondered the same thing.
"He said, 'See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner,'" Peeta said. Heather blinked in surprise as she had no idea about this.
"What? You're making that up!" Katniss exclaimed.
"No, true story," Peeta denied. "And I said, 'A coal miner? Why did she want a coal miner if she could've had you?' And he said, 'Because when he sings. even the birds stop to listen.'"
That was true. Mr. Everdeen had a beautiful voice. Heather's heart fell as she remembered him. She missed him.
"That's true. They do. I mean, they did," Katniss said. She was stunned, thinking of the baker telling this to Peeta.
"So that day, in music assembly, the teacher asked who knew the valley song. Your hand shot right up in the air. She stood you up on a stool and had you sing it for us. And I swear, every bird outside the windows fell silent," Peeta said.
"Oh, please," Katniss laughed.
"No, it happened. And right when your song ended, I knew - just like your mother - I was a goner," Peeta said. "Then for the next eleven years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you."
"Without success," Katniss added.
"Without success," he agreed. "So, in a way, my name being drawn in the reaping was a real piece of luck."
Katniss looked away shyly, looking down and smiling. Heather was so focused on this that she didn't notice the computer in Haymitch's lap as he sent food to their tributes.
"You have a remarkable memory," Katniss said haltingly.
"I remember everything about you," Peeta said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You're the one who wasn't paying attention."
"I am now," she said.
"Well, I don't have much competition here," he said.
Katniss swallowed hard and got the words out. "You don't have much competition anywhere."
"This is so romantic but so cheesy at the same time," Finnick commented.
"I agree."
"Me too."
Their lips were only able to brush against each other when a chunk sound came. Katniss immediately drew her bow, the arrow ready to fly, but there was no other sound. Peeta peered through the rocks and then gave a whoop.
He went out in the rain and came back with a silver parachute attached to a basket. Inside was a feast; fresh rolls, goat cheese, apples, and best of all, a tureen of that incredible lamb stew on wild rice.
Heather gave a sigh of relief then turned to Haymitch, "Thank you."
He smiled at her, "No, thank you for listening to me."
Heather leaned closer and placed her head on his shoulder. "I promised you that I'll always be by your side," she said in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear her.
He squeezed her waist. "And I'll always be grateful for that."
"We better take it slow on that stew. Remember the first night on the train? The rich food made me sick and I wasn't even starving then," Peeta said.
"You're right. And I could just inhale the whole thing!" Katniss said regretfully. They were sensible enough to each have a roll, half an apple, and an egg-size serving of stew and rice. When they finished, Katniss stared longingly at the dish. "I want more."
"Me, too. Tell you what. We wait an hour, if it stays down, then we get another serving," Peeta suggested.
"Agreed," Katniss nodded. "It's going to be a long hour."
"Maybe not that long," Peeta said. "What was that you were saying just before the food arrived? Something about me. No competition. Best thing that ever happened to you. "
"I don't remember that last part," Katniss blushed.
"Oh, that's right. That's what I was thinking," he said. "Scoot over, I'm freezing."
She made some room for him and they leaned back against the cave wall. Her head on his shoulder and his arms wrapped around her. "So, since we were five, you never even noticed any other girls?"
"No, I noticed just about every girl, but none of them made a lasting impression but you."
"I'm sure that would thrill your parents, you liking a girl from the Seam."
"Hardly. But I couldn't care less. Anyway, if we make it back, you won't be a girl from the Seam, you'll be a girl from the Victor's Village."
For a second, Katniss looked disturbed. "But then, our neighbour will be Haymitch!"
Hearing that, Heather started to giggle hysterically. Under any other circumstances, Haymitch would've rejoiced at the beautiful sound but at the moment, he was busy hating Katniss for bringing that fact up in a distasteful manner. Finnick and Cashmere had stifled laughs as well.
"You're forgetting about Heather, though," Peeta pointed out.
"Ugh, that's even worse" Katniss exclaimed, making Heather suddenly stop laughing. "Do you realize how much she'll smother us if we live closer? Don't even get started on the events she's going to set up where she'll force us to get along."
Now, it was Haymitch's turn to get amused as he cracked a smile. Finnick and Cashmere continued to laugh, knowing what Katniss said was going to be true.
"I don't mind that," Peeta said. "You and me and Heather and Haymitch. Very cozy. Picnics, birthdays, long winter nights around the fire retelling old Hunger Games' tales."
"I don't even want to imagine that," Katniss laughed. "Besides, Haymitch hates me."
"Only sometimes. I've never heard him say one negative thing about you," Peeta said.
"That's because you haven't seen the way he glares at me," Katniss said.
"Haymitch glares at everyone. I don't think people, in general, are his sort of thing."
Heather snickered. Peeta wasn't wrong about that.
"I'm certain that the only person he can stand is Heather."
"Not just stands, I think he likes her. Otherwise, he wouldn't be listening and doing what she asks of him."
"Yeah, I'm still surprised about that."
"But it does make sense, though. I mean, Haymitch was the only living victor for a long time then Heather came along. It's not surprising that they became close, especially since they went through the same ordeal."
"I guess, you're right."
Heather smiled and leaned close to Haymitch. She was certain that the audience was enjoying this conversation as much as she was. Haymitch has been around so long, he's practically an old friend to some of them. And Heather was well-liked so who wouldn't like a talk about their favourite victors from their own tributes.
"How do you think he did it?" Katniss asked.
"Who? Did what?" Peeta looked at her, confused.
"Haymitch. How do you think he won the Games?" Katniss enquired. Heather frowned. This was a sensitive topic for Haymitch. But then again, it was a sensitive topic for most victors. Not all of them were proud of how they won. Haymitch squeezed her hand gently in reassurance that he was fine. Still, that didn't make her worry any less.
Peeta considered this for a while before he answered, "He outsmarted the others."
Katniss nodded in agreement.
About half an hour passed before they decided to eat again. As Katniss was dishing up two more small servings of lamb stew and rice, the anthem began to play. Peeta pressed his eyes against a crack in the rocks to watch the sky. Heather looked at the highlights screen and gasped.
"There won't be anything to see tonight," Katniss told him "Nothing's happened or we would've heard a cannon."
"Katniss," Peeta said quietly.
"What? Should we split another roll, too?" Katniss asked.
"Katniss," he repeated, but Katniss ignored him.
"I'm going to split one. But I'll save the cheese for tomorrow," she said but Peeta kept staring at her. "What?"
"Thresh is dead," Peeta told her.
"He can't be," she denied.
"They must have fired the cannon during the thunder and we missed it," Peeta said.
"Are you sure? I mean, it's pouring buckets out there. I don't know how you can see anything," Katniss pushed him away from the rocks and squinted out into the dark, rainy sky. Ten seconds later, Katniss slumped down against the rocks. Her face was void of any emotions.
"You all right?" Peeta asked.
Katniss shrugged and cupped my elbows in her hands, hugging them close to her body. She later spoke, "It's just. if we didn't win. I wanted Thresh to. Because he let me go. And because of Rue."
Heather understood how she felt. However, the person she wanted to win immediately died during the bloodbath. Looking back at it, she should've realized that there was a low chance for her to win.
"Yeah, I know," Peeta said. "But this means we're one step closer to District Twelve." He nudged a plate of food into her hands. "Eat. It's still warm."
Katniss ate some. "It also means Cato will be back hunting us."
"And he's got supplies again."
"He'll be wounded, I bet."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because Thresh would have never gone down without a fight. He's so strong, I mean, he was. And they were in his territory."
"Good," Peeta said. "The more wounded Cato is the better. I wonder how Foxface is making out."
"Oh, she's fine," Katniss said peevishly. "Probably be easier to catch Cato than her."
"Maybe they'll catch each other and we can just go home," Peeta theorized. "But we better be extra careful about the watches. I dozed off a few times."
"Me, too," she admitted. "But not tonight."
They finished their food in silence and then Peeta took the first watch. Katniss burrowed down in the sleeping bag next to him, pulling her hood up over her face to hide it from the cameras.
Cashmere turned to Haymitch and Heather, "You can go to sleep. We'll wake you if something happens."
"Are you sure?" Heather was suspicious. Just a day before, Cashmere was ready to declare war on Haymitch but now she was acting all… normal with him?
"Yeah, go ahead."
Heather wanted to ask more questions but Haymitch was already pulling her towards his room. Eventually, suspicious thoughts of Cashmere went away. A smile decorated her face as she recalled Katniss and Peeta's conversation about her relationship. Feeling the need to tease him, Heather grabbed his arm and grinned.
"So, I hear you're not a people person."
He glanced down at her, "That's right."
"And I'm the only one you actually like?" she tilted her head.
"Well, not the only one," Haymitch said, a smile struggling to break through at seeing Heather being back to her old self.
"What about Luke? Do you love him?"
His face softened at the thought of the little boy, "Yeah, I love him."
"I miss him," Heather pouted.
He kissed her on the forehead as they got into bed together, "You'll see him soon."
"Mmmhh," she snuggled into his chest. "I hope so." She took a breath of his scent. "I just want this to be over."
"It will. I promise you, honeybee."
Maybe it was about the way he talked and how persuasive he can, but either way, Heather believed him at that moment.
While Heather was a heavy sleeper and could sleep through an explosion, Haymitch was sensitive to every little sound. So it made sense that he barely got sleep that night with Heather snoring next to him. It wasn't that she snored very loudly, her snores were soft and they didn't occur very often. But they still bothered him. Normally he was used to them, but during this time, he was more sensitive to noise than usual.
Finally, a few minutes after dawn, Haymitch had enough and got up. In the bathroom, he made sure that he didn't look sleep-deprived. Making Heather feel bad because of something she couldn't control was the last thing he wanted to do. He'd have to drink two cups of coffee.
Later, when he was just finishing breakfast, Heather entered the dining room, rubbing her eyes. She still wasn't fully awake. Since Cashmere and Finnick were asleep, they were the only ones in the room so Heather didn't hesitate to come and sit in his lap. She wrapped an arm around his neck and cuddled her head into his shoulder.
Haymitch reached out for an empty plate, "What do you want to eat?"
She softly groaned, "Anything is fine."
He filled her plate with pancakes, some fruit, two hash browns, and one ham. "Are you going to sit in a chair anytime soon?"
"No, you're more comfy," he felt her kiss him on the neck. "Can you turn on the tv?"
"They're still not awake," Haymitch told her. He didn't want her to start worrying this early this morning. Thankfully, she didn't fight with him and quietly ate her breakfast.
When they went to the sitting room, they found Katniss and Peeta packing their stuff. They soon got out of their cave. The day in the arena was sunny and warm. Katniss handed Peeta a knife and he slipped it into his belt.
"He'll be hunting us by now," Peeta said. "Cato isn't one to wait for his prey to wander by."
"If he's wounded - " Katniss reasoned.
"It won't matter," Peeta cut her off. "If he can move, he's coming."
Heather agreed with him. One could never let their guard down in the arena. She turned to the highlights screen and saw Cato wandering on the edge of Thresh's territory. At least, he was far from them.
With all the rain, the stream overran its banks by several feet on either side. They stopped to replenish our water. Katniss checked the snares that she set days ago and came up empty. Not a surprising fact with the weather.
"If we want food, we better head back up to my old hunting grounds," Katniss said.
"Your call. Just tell me what you need me to do," Peeta said.
"Keep an eye out," Katniss ordered. "Stay on the rocks as much as possible, no sense in leaving him tracks to follow. And listen for both of us."
As they travelled by foot, the boulders diminished to rocks that eventually turned to pebbles, and then, they were back on the forest floor. Suddenly, Katniss stopped and turned to look at him.
"What?" he asked.
"You've got to move more quietly," Katniss told him. "Forget about Cato, you're chasing off every rabbit in a ten-mile radius."
"Really?" Peeta said. "Sorry, I didn't know."
They walked again, but Peeta was still loud so Katniss suggested he take off his boots.
"Here?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Katniss said. "I will, too. That way we'll both be quieter." They both stripped off our boots and socks and, while there was some improvement, he still snapped some branches. Heather was worried for him as she hasn't seen Katniss got this annoyed in a long time.
Several hours later, they still haven't caught anything. By this point, Finnick and Cashmere woke up.
"What are they doing?" Cashmere asked.
"Trying to hunt but Peeta is too loud," Heather told her.
"Must be his injured leg," Finnick said. Heather shrugged.
"Katniss," Peeta called her name as they stopped to rest and drink water. "We need to split up. I know I'm chasing away the game."
"Only because your legs hurt," Katniss lied.
"I know," he said. "So, why don't you go on? Show me some plants to gather and that way we'll both be useful."
"Not if Cato comes and kills you." Katniss tried to say it in a nice way, so she didn't make him like a weakling.
Surprisingly, he laughed. "Look, I can handle Cato. I fought him before, didn't I?"
Katniss looked like she wanted to say something sarcastic but she held it back. "What if you climbed up in a tree and acted as a lookout while I hunted?" Katniss suggested, talking as if she was addressing a child.
"What if you show me what's edible around here and go get us some meat?" he said, mimicking her tone. "Just don't go far, in case you need help."
Katniss sighed and showed him where to dig some roots. She taught him a bird whistle which they could use to communicate that they were all right. Fortunately, he was good at it. Leaving him with the pack, Katniss left him.
This plan worked out since Katniss scored two rabbits and a fat squirrel. She also set some snares on her way. When she was done, Katniss whistled and waited for Peeta to respond. However, her whistle received no response, which caused her to run in panic. In the place where they parted, she found the pack and a neat pile of roots beside it.
"Peeta!" Katniss called out in a panic. "Peeta!" She turned to the rustle of bush and almost sent an arrow through him. Fortunately, she pulled her bow at the last second and it stuck in an oak trunk to his left. He jumped back, flinging a handful of berries into the foliage.
Katniss became angry. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be here, not running around in the woods!"
"I found some berries down by the stream," he said, confused by her outburst.
"I whistled. Why didn't you whistle back?" Katniss snapped at him.
"I didn't hear. The water's too loud, I guess," he said. He crossed and put his hands on her trembling shoulders.
"I thought Cato killed you!" she almost shouted.
"No, I'm fine." Peeta wrapped his arms around her, but she didn't respond. "Katniss?"
She pushed him away. "If two people agree on a signal, they stay in range. Because if one of them doesn't answer, they're in trouble, all right?"
"All right!" he said.
"All right. Because that's what happened with Rue, and I watched her die!" Katniss yelled. She turned away from him, went to the pack and opened a fresh bottle of water. It didn't look like she was going to forgive him anytime soon. "And you ate without me!" she yelled when she noticed part of the cheese missing.
"What? No, I didn't," Peeta denied.
"Oh, and I suppose the apples ate the cheese," Katniss said.
"I don't know what ate the cheese," Peeta said slowly and distinctly as if trying not to lose his temper, "but it wasn't me. I've been down by the stream collecting berries. Would you care for some?"
She walked over and squinted her eyes at the berries. She leaned down and scooped up a few, rolling them between her fingers. Heather recognized them as nightlocks.
Just then, the cannon fired. Katniss whipped around and Peeta raised his eyebrows at her. A hovercraft appeared a hundred yards or so away. Emma's emaciated body was lifted into the air.
Heather was confused for a moment before realization hit her, "She must've eaten the berries."
But she said that under her breath so no one heard her.
Peeta grabbed Katniss by the arm, pushing her toward a tree. "Climb. He'll be here in a second. We'll stand a better chance fighting him from above."
She stopped him, suddenly calm. "No, Peeta, she's your kill, not Cato's."
"What? I haven't even seen her since the first day," he said in confusion. "How could I have killed her?"
In answer, Katniss held out the berries. She explained the situation to Peeta. How Emma stole the food from the supply pile before she blew it up, how she tried to take enough to stay alive but not enough that anyone would notice it, how she wouldn't question the safety of berries they were preparing to eat ourselves.
"I wonder how she found us," Peeta said. "My fault, I guess, if I'm as loud as you say."
"And she's very clever, Peeta. Well, she was. Until you outfoxed her."
"Not on purpose. Doesn't seem fair somehow. I mean, we would have both been dead, too, if she hadn't eaten the berries first." He checked himself. "No, of course, we wouldn't. You recognized them, didn't you?"
Katniss nodded. "We call them nightlock."
"Even the name sounds deadly," he said. "I'm sorry, Katniss. I really thought they were the same ones you'd gathered."
"Don't apologize. It just means we're one step closer to home, right?" she asked.
"I'll get rid of the rest," Peeta said. He gathered up the sheet of blue plastic, careful to trap the berries inside, and went to toss them into the woods.
"Wait!" she cried out. Katniss took a leather pouch and filled it with a few handfuls of berries from the plastic. "If they fooled Foxface, maybe they can fool Cato as well. If he's chasing us or something, we can act like we accidentally drop the pouch and if he eats them-"
"Then hello District Twelve," Peeta said.
"That's it," Katniss said, securing the pouch to her belt.
"He'll know where we are now," Peeta said. "If he was anywhere nearby and saw that hovercraft, he'll know we killed her and come after us."
Peeta was right. This could be just the opportunity Cato's been waiting for. But even if they ran now, there was the meat to cook and their fire would be another sign of their whereabouts. "Let's make a fire. Right now." Katniss gathered to gather branches and brush.
"Are you ready to face him?" Peeta asked.
"I'm ready to eat. Better to cook our food while we have the chance. If he knows we're here, he knows. But he also knows there's two of us and probably assumes we were hunting Foxface. That means you're recovered. And the fire means we're not hiding, we're inviting him here. Would you show up?" Katniss asked.
"Maybe not," he said.
"Why do I get the feeling that the ending isn't going to be simple?" Heather told the others.
Finnick turned to her, "I got that feeling too."
Peeta was a whiz with fires, coaxing a blaze out of the damp wood. No surprise there, since he was a baker's son. In no time, the rabbits and squirrel roasting, the roots, wrapped in leaves, baking in the coals. They took turns gathering greens and keeping a careful watch for Cato, he didn't make an appearance.
When the food was cooked, Katniss packed most of it up, leaving them each a rabbit's leg to eat as they walked.
Katniss wanted to move higher into the woods, climb a good tree, and make camp for the night, but Peeta resisted. "I can't climb like you, Katniss, especially with my leg, and I don't think I could ever fall asleep fifty feet above the ground."
"It's not safe to stay in the open, Peeta," Katniss said.
"Can't we go back to the cave?" he asked. "It's near water and easy to defend."
Katniss sighed in frustration. Then, surprisingly, she reached up and kissed him. "Sure. Let's go back to the cave."
He looked pleased and relieved. "Well, that was easy."
Katniss went to retrieve the arrow from the oak tree. They tossed a bunch more wood on the fire. Later, they reached the stream and the water dropped considerably, moving at its old leisurely pace. Katniss suggested they walk back in it. Peeta obliged.
It was a long walk back to the cave though, even going downward. By the end of it, they were both exhausted by their hike today. They filled up their water bottles and climbed the little slope to their den.
Katniss prepared a good dinner out, but halfway through Peeta began to nod off. She ordered him into the sleeping bag and set aside the rest of his food for when he woke up. He dropped off immediately. She pulled the sleeping bag up to his chin and kissed his forehead.
The sky lit up with the seal, and Emma's face shone in the sky. Heather wondered how Ivette was doing and felt bad for not thinking of that earlier. Then Emma disappeared from the world forever.
Hi guys, it's been a long time and I'm sorry about that. School just started and before I realized it, I became swarmed with homework and evaluations, :(. I hope this long chapter recompensate for the time I've taken off.
I want to dedicate this chapter to KatrinaKat. Girl, I love you. I always look forward to reading your reviews. Sometimes, they're the only thing that keeps me going :).
I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always, leave a review if you have any thoughts to share, no pressure. I'll try to update by next Sunday or sometime this week but no promises.
Have a good day,
Angie