The Lady of the Lake

Well here we are again, chapter 8! and we've proudly hit 30,000 words which is officially my longest story EVER. Three cheers for us!

I would never have written so much, or gotten nearly as far as I have without Heath, my sanity keeper and semi beta, or without you my beloved readers. Especially you guys who review. With every email I get saying New Review, I feel the desire to write more of this story grow more and more.

And I can't believe I got 10 Reviews for that last chapter! Incredible! Awesome! I love you Guys!

This chapter features the Bloodbath, and some very hard home truths for Sky. The reality of the Hunger Games has well and truly sunk in...

Review responses are at the end of the chapter!

Enjoy


Chapter 8

Sixty seconds.

I can make out the glowing numbers slowly ticking down on the metal of the cornucopia; they are light and bright and therefore easier to see against the darkness of the opening. Glancing around me, I can see all of us arrayed around the horn, all an equal distance from it, and dressed identically except for the number on our arms.

I can't make out faces, especially not those furthest from me, my nerves are ratcheting up with every number that passes by and my heart pounds in my throat. My eyes blur even more and I look around desperately.

Water.

My eyes lock onto the familiar blue and glitter of water and I feel some of my abject, freezing terror fade.

If I can get to the water…no one will be able to catch me.

I glance around again and pull a face. I'll have to run into the forest and make my way around. Running straight to the lake would mean I'd have to cut through the bloodbath about to unfold. The one place Finnick did not want me to be.

Licking my lips I steel myself, glancing up at the glowing numbers.

Twenty seconds.

My eyes flick to my right and I see Peeta there, pale but determined. He's set like me, ready to flee away from the Cornucopia, but his eyes are on Katniss.

I look to the left, and meet the male tribute from 5's frightened hazel eyes. Hastily I look away once more.

Five seconds.

I steady myself.

Three, two, one…

A horn blows and I take off, racing through the meadows grass. All I can hear is my heart pounding, the blood thundering through my ears as I sprint for the cover of the heavy trees.

My feet pound against the ground, and I almost feel a thrill at my speed, surely no one is following me.

A shape comes up near me, looming in my blurred periphery and I yelp, zagging away from my pursuer. Glancing around wildly, I see Peeta's blue eyes, and a flood of relief fills me.

He won't kill me, not yet.

Together we sprint into the trees and the instant we reach the cover and shade we stop. He throws himself behind a thick trunk and I dive into the thick undergrowth.

Together, without speaking we slide forward, driven by morbid curiousity, we have to see the bloodbath.

We have to see what we fled.

It's a mess, a giant mess of flailing Tributes, grappling and fighting, blood everywhere. I can't see details, but I can see the colours, the green and beige of the uniforms, red blood, flashing silver weapons. Peeta is beside me, crouching, and we peer together to see what is happening.

"Peeta," I ask, my breath slowly slowing down, "Can you see who's…dead?"

"Not really." He crawls forward an inch, squinting, "The boy from District 7 just got killed, Thresh is racing for that wheat field over there…" I can see the huge dark shape running away from the cornucopia.

I let out a shaky breath and Peeta presses his shoulder against mine.

"Everyone has high tailed it into the forest," he glances down at me, "Why didn't you?"

"Why didn't you?" I retort back in a whisper.

"I asked you first," he rolls his eyes, as I just look at him "Ergh, fine…I'm joining the Careers. Or I'm going to try to."

"Are you crazy?" I hiss at him, hauling him back down into the underbrush as he moves to stand, "Peeta! They'll kill you."

"They already said they'd take me if I survived the bloodbath." He looks at me, "I have to protect Katniss."

"And who's going to protect you?" I hold his arm, "Peeta…"

"I have to do this." He detaches his arm from my hands, "You take care."

"Peeta!" I grab his ankle, and he looks down at me with exasperation, "Just…be careful? And tell Darrien you saw me…that you saw Sky. He'll watch your back…if you watch his."

Peeta smiles down at me, his face pale again, and then he's stepping out into the field, walking towards the Cornucopia.

"They won't kill him."

I jerk, making the underbrush rustle slightly, and twist to glare at Teesa who seems to have materialised beside me out of thin air.

"Do you mind not sneaking up on me like that? Nearly gave me a heart attack…" I growl at her, letting out a deep breath.

Teesa smirks and we both watch Peeta walking across the green grass, "They won't kill him," she repeats, resting her delicately pointed chin on her hand, "Not yet anyway."

"What makes you so sure?" I ask, my eyes not leaving Peeta as I see some dark shapes merging to meet with him, "Who knows how many Tributes they just killed."

"Ten," Teesa's eyes are cool as she watches them too; "Ten tributes were killed in the bloodbath."

"How do….how do you know this stuff?" I ask her, impressed despite myself.

"I was watching." She shrugs elegantly, "It's amazing how little people pay attention when you're quiet and fast."

We watch silently as Peeta comes to a stop before the Careers and I hold my breath, fingers clutching at the underbrush.

A shape detaches from the Career group and I gasp as I recognise Darrien. I can't see his face but I can tell by the way he moves, it's Darrien, I'm sure of it. And he is slinging an arm about Peeta's shoulders, drawing him into the pack. Another steps out to move with them, and I think it's Marvel, shadowing my District partner yet again.

"He's good." Teesa rolls onto her back, relaxing slightly, "Told you he would be."

"How did you find me anyway?" I ask her, still watching the slightly blurred shapes of the Careers, they were sharpening a little now as my nerves began to settle.

Her answer is interrupted as cannons began to fire, and we quietly count them out loud.

"…eight, nine, ten."

"Ten dead, like I said," Teesa purses her lips, "Leaves fourteen of us, including the Careers. The odds are getting better."

I can't answer her, my mind is still focused on the whole idea of ten tributes, ten young people who had eaten their breakfast like me this morning, who had stood on those pedestals, who had been Reaped, taken from their families and Districts, ten children like me…were dead.

I knew Darrien was alive, I knew Cato was, his strong frame was impossible not to recognise even at this distance, Teesa was of course, and Peeta and Katniss. But what about little Rue? And sweet Zara? The odds were good that one of them was in that bloodied mess.

"Hey," Teesa elbows me gently, "You alive over there?"

"Yeah," I let out a slow breath, "I'm guessing you have the same plan as me?"

"Raid the Career camp when they are off hunting the other Tributes?" She smirks slightly, "They are predictable."

I nod and watch as Cato grabs Peeta by the scruff of the neck, hauling the boy with him down to the water. There is no real aggression in the gesture, and I'm shocked to realise that I can read the Career boy's body language. He's establishing dominance, making sure Peeta knows just who is at the top of the pack pecking order.

When did I start understanding the leader of the Careers?

Unnerved I look at Teesa, "You should get some sleep; we'll need to be fresh for sunset."

"You're good to guard?" She asks, eyeing me, already settling herself down.

"Yeah," I nod, "I want to watch those Careers some more. Maybe learn something."

Teesa snorts, "Schuyler they are humans at their most basic. Their concerns are killing, eating and sleeping. Anything else is just subsidiary at this point." I roll my eyes and she smirks, closing her eyes, "Oh lust might be in there too, judging by the way 1 and 4 keep eyeing each other."

"Teesa!"

She grins, a rare open grin and then rolls over. Soon enough I see her breath even out into sleep.

I look back out at the Careers and watch Darrien and Marvel stacking up supplies.

"Stay safe Darrien," I whisper, feeling concerned for the boy I'd come to love as a brother.


Night falls and the Careers, who had napped in the sunlight for most of the afternoon, begin milling about eagerly, gathering up weapons and some supplies.

Gently I shake Teesa's shoulder and she comes awake instantly, brown eyes blinking up at me before sharpening to full alertness. Together we watch the Careers pushing and shoving one another, their excited voices carrying in the still night air to our hiding place.

"How can they be like that?" I whisper, and Teesa shrugs.

"Same way kids can bully other ones; it's about being at the top of the pack. They'll get serious when one or two of them get picked off."

The figures disappear into the trees and both of us let out a low breath.

"Let's move," I stand and Teesa follows me as we quietly follow the forest around to the dark lake edge. There is a grove of trees here, leading down into the water, meeting the rushes and the reeds. We're much closer to the encampment from this position, and we have a clear view of where the Careers disappeared into the forest.

"The trick is to take enough to last us the days we need," Teesa murmurs in my ear, "But not take enough that they notice someone has been. If they notice, they'll start posting a guard, and I'd rather save that for later in the game."

I nod but the two of us stay where we are.

Both of us are cautious about the Careers, especially me. I don't think Peeta told Cato about my presence nearby, but I cannot be sure so we linger in the shadows.

Tracking the moon we realise we've waited almost a full hour and so we slowly slip out of our shadows.

Only to dive back in as suddenly the anthem of Panem blasts across the Arena.

"Seriously?" Teesa grumbles, glaring up at the sky, "They are seriously taunting us."

My smile is weak in response as I read the words 'The Fallen' under the Capitol crest, followed by the face of the girl from District 3, Teesa's male district partner is next but she doesn't show any emotion other than a tightening around her mouth.

"He didn't stand a chance." She says quietly, "He stuttered constantly, he couldn't even look at people."

Both of the tributes from 6 follow, then the two from 7, the boy from 8, and I breathe a sigh of relief because that means that Zara, little sweet Zara is still out there somewhere. Two 9's follow and then the girl from 10 and I release the breath I was holding. That's it; those are the ten tributes who died this morning.

The music fades away and Teesa and I remain in the shadows, not looking at one another.

"What was his name?" I ask quietly, unsure if she'll answer.

"Does it matter now?" she growls at me, shredding a blade of grass, "No one's going to remember him in a few days."

"Teesa," I touch her shoulderblade but she shrugs me off.

"Enbrin." She sighs and shakes herself, "We'll wait another hour, and then we'll go in."

I nod and we lay there in silence, me watching the trees and the camp, while she silently shreds the grass in her immediate vicinity.

"Alright," I murmur and she seems to perk up, relieved to be able to put her brooding thoughts about her District partner to the side, "Let's move."

Silently we race out into the open field, our boots thumping softly against the grass and then the hard packed earth around the mouth of the cornucopia.

"How generous of them," Teesa whispers to me as we look at the three distinct piles of supplies, "They sorted everything for us. Find a small pack for yourself and let's move."

I nod again and duck around the back of the largest pile, shifting a few things to tug out a backpack I'd noticed. It is dark blue and small enough not to be noticed missing. I check inside and smile as I find a small water container, water purifying tablets, matches, rope and wire.

"Perfect," I whisper and push them all back in.

Quickly I move to the second pile and open a container. Food. Quickly I select a small bread roll from the box and slip it back. I take one thing from each box I open until I have a good range of food supplies in my bag. And no one will notice their absence.

The third and smallest pile is weapons and I hesitate over them, unsure about touching such deadly things.

Finally I retrieve a pair of small hunting daggers, slipping them into the sides of my pack. A shortsword follows, too light and flexible to interest Cato, and then I grab the final thing I'm interested in.

A fishing trident.

It reminds me of Finnick, he won his games armed with a trident and a net of his own making. Having this, even though it's not nearly as beautifully crafted and deadly as his makes me feel a little like he is with me.

Plus…I can try to fish! I won't starve but fish would probably make an excellent fresh source of protein.

"Time to move," Teesa hisses at me and I nod, racing over to her and the two of us streak for the trees.

We are ten paces from the lake when I hear the scream.

It's a girl's scream, terrified, and my feet stumble because I know that voice.

I don't know how I know it's Zara, but something inside me recognises the sound of her voice. I have no doubts it's her.

And I have no doubts that what I'm going to do is crazy.

"See you in three days," I hiss at Teesa and race past her, I see her confused expression for a moment before I'm running through the forest, racing towards the scream, running at top speed towards the delicate tendril of smoke that I can now smell and see,

"Zara, tell me you didn't light a fire," I whisper as I run.

I hear laughter, the laughter of the Careers and I veer off to the side, looping around them. They are so busy being arrogant and show boating about their kill that they don't hear me as I dart silently by.

They don't realise Zara's canon hasn't gone off.

I break into the clearing and glance wildly around.

"Schuyler."

And there she is, sprawled beside the fire that cost her, her life.

"Zara," I whisper, dropping to my knees beside her, my fingers fluttering helplessly above her body before trying to staunch the terrible wound in her belly, "Oh Zara why did you do it!"

I can feel the tears welling in my eyes as the blood seeps around my fingers, spilling to the ground. Her face is pale, deathly pale, but she still manages to smile slightly.

"C-cold." She whispers, a small hand lifting to touch the tendril of a curl that had escaped my pony tail, "F-fire was the only s-s-station I was g-good at," her face contorts with agony and her breath hitches, "I w-w-want to go home Schuyler."

"Shhh," my fingers shake as I stroke her soft curls, brushing them out of her eyes, tucking them behind her small ears, "Shhh, now, you're going to be okay. I promise."

She smiles up at me, trusting, before her face betrays the pain again, "Sky…"

My head snaps up as I hear footsteps suddenly in the brush, and my hand reaches out for the fishing trident I'd dropped beside me. My breath hitches as I grab it, as fear begins to grip me. The Careers have realised that her cannon hasn't gone off.

They've come back to finish her off.

"Don't leave me," Zara's wide eyes are terrified, as she chokes on a wet cough, blood dribbling down her cheek, "I don't want to be alone!"

I'm frozen beside her as Peeta walks out into the clearing.

"Sky!" He hisses at me, before looking down at the dying girl with pity in his eyes, "Oh god, Sky I…"

"I can't…" I tell him, hating my weakness but as Zara whimpers again I clench my jaw, "Peeta…make it quick…"

He kneels beside me, beside her, and waits as I kiss her forehead.

"Ready?" he whispers.

"You're not alone," I murmur to her, holding her close, "I'm here little one, I'm here…"

My eyes meet Peeta's and don't leave as I hear his knife sink into her. There is a choked gasp and then…the cannon fires as I feel her final breath feather across my cheek.

The tears start to fall as I look down at her, the innocent little girl from District 8 who'd followed me around the training gym, who'd worn the purple dress, who'd been so proud of learning to make fire.

The primal wail builds up inside me, and Peeta grabs me, muffling it in his shirt as I sob and sob against him.

"Sky…Sky…I have to go…" He holds my arms, pulling me up and away from the dead girl, "Go…go! Don't let them see you…"

My chest aches as I stumble away, looking back only once at Zara, her little face illuminated by the fire.

There is no peace in this, not in these games.

I run, for the second time this evening, but this time I'm running the way I'd come, back towards the lake. I'm clutching the trident in my hands, silent sobs wracking my body.

Finally I stumble and fall, sobbing into the undergrowth, screaming and howling into the moss and dirt, muffling my grief in the ground. Zara. I'd never thought she'd win, but…I'd never thought of her dying either.

"Finnick…" I sob, hands tearing at the loose ground around me, "Finnick!"

I need him so much right now it hurts. But he's not here…he's back in the Capitol…watching me fall to pieces.

He said I reminded him of Annie Cresta, and suddenly I realise why.

I can't lose it…not like this. I promised him, I promised him I'd win.

The thought makes me still and I lay back, eyes closing, fingers tightening on the trident.

"May the waves carry you home." I whisper, "As one day they will carry me."

It's a small phrase, something from my District, but it calms me. Slowly I crawl up and into the hollow log nearby, not even caring if there is a venomous snake or something else equally deadly in there.

I simply curl up, and for the first time in almost two days, I fall into an exhausted sleep.


I know...I'm such a BAD PERSON. Poor little Zara.

RoseMaple - Thank you! As you can see I updated, and I hope you enjoyed it despite the sad ending :(

Sugarpearl - Sadly only a small mention of Cato in this chapter, but don't worry...he'll be making a splash with Sky soon enough. There is some fun stuff next chapter :) I promise.

IamCharliedaughterofPoseidon - Trust me, this busting out chapters thing is so far from usual for me its scary. Normally I update every couple of months, but this fic has just...smashed all my records. It's incredible. I'm glad you adore Finnick, he's grown on me something fierce, and I love Darrien/Marvel too, precious boys. And I'm always willing to babble about character development and such...just drop me a PM!

DancingAroundAFire - I hope you enjoyed this update and it makes your day a little bit again, and I hope you enjoyed Teesa's cameo this chapter!

Queen of sharks - No, no...a war is unnecessary, see? I updated!

It's-A-Passion - I approve of you getting carried away in your reviews! It fills me with glee and joy to read long rambling thoughts on my characters and fics. Cato is very much like that, he sees everything through a fighters viewpoint and sometimes completely misses the subtler, gentler points of social interaction. He finds Sky frustrating, but interesting, and she finds his dominance attractive and infuriating. As they get to know one another that will deepen and grow. Something I very much look forward to writing. Teesa was always a favourite of mine, I thought the way she flew under the radar, and the glimpses of how smart she was were really fascinating. And yes...don't worry there will be lots of tender little Finnick notes. Especially when Sky and Cato start bonding. He's a protective big brother after all!

StardustIsMagic - I ship Darvel too, Skato and Darvel ;) Darrien and Marvel are a bit tragic yeah, you know what's coming, but you don't know what is going to happen with them before the end. And it's going to be sweet before then, I guarantee it. Sky and Cato bring out things in one another that neither of them are quite sure about, so Cato tries to over compensate dominating wise, and Sky gets horrified at losing her temper...its funny really, but they will come together.

Azulish - They scare me too, and thank you :) I'm glad you like my Cato.

EGilly - Glad you like Darrien and Finnick, and I'm thrilled you like Sky angry. Cato exasperates her...it's fun to write.

Frazzle - I love Mags too, she's a complete riot of fun. I see her as treating Finnick rather like a young boy, very motherly. She adores him though, and he adores her. And thanks! I'm so glad you like Sky :)