Changing the Game Chapter 7: The Black Box, a hunger games fanfic

A/N: First, I'd like to say thank you for all of you who have read & left reviews, they mean the world to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's not quite as long as the last two. And I'm still looking for someone to beta/pre-read if anyone is interested. I was also thinking of at the end of each chapter, of giving you a line or two from future chapters, what would you think about that?

Changing the Game

Chapter 7 : The Black Box

~ Madge ~

"So, Girl on Fire, everyone has noticed the chemistry brewing between you and your district partner, what can you tell us about that?" I'm sitting with Prim, Gale, both of their families along with Mr. Mellark as we watch the interviews in the square tonight. Thankfully, Katniss spent the majority of her time dazzling the audience with her dress going up in flames as she twirls for us, she's got to be close to out of time. She's unable to conceal the blush that spreads across her cheeks at Caesar's question.

"Well Caesar, he's um, he's... Peeta is my—"

"BZZZZZZZZZ" 'Saved by the bell' I think to myself as my heart rate slowly returns to normal. Peeta is up next, and I desperately hope he says something to captivate the audience, because other than her dress, Katniss' interview was less than mediocre.

Katniss is an amazing person to anyone who knows her, but she is not an easy person to get to know. To anyone who has just met her, she can come off as cold, stubborn, and standoffish, as she has layer upon layers of walls that she plies around herself for her own emotional protection.

Peeta comes onto the stage and does this little spinny-twirlish-dance move sort-of-thing and his suit emanates warm embers of flames. They aren't big flames like Katniss' dress, but reminds me of a slow burn of a candle. We hear the audience cheer in excitement and then he takes his seat next to Caesar, looking very relaxed. Caesar holds his hand up to silence the crowd, and they immediately obey.

"Welcome Peeta Mellark! So, tell me, how is The Capitol treating you?" Peeta is a natural with Caesar as he talks about how weird the showers are in The Capitol compared to the ones in District Twelve and offers his arm for Caesar to sniff. I think Caesar seems to have forgotten his question to Katniss until he asks his next question.

"So, Peeta...Tell me...A handsome lad like you, is there a special girl waiting at home for you?" The blush that creeps up Peeta's cheeks is evident.

"Actually Caesar, yes there is. See, she's been my best friend since we were kids, and I've loved her from the first moment I laid eyes on her, but it wasn't until recently that she admitted her feelings for me."

"Well that's it then! You win these games, and once you get back home to her you guys can live out your happily ever after!" Caesar suggests with so much excitement, but Peeta doesn't share Caesar's excitement as he looks down, clearly saddened by Caesar's suggestion.

"I'm sorry Caesar, but that's not going to work; at least not for me, it's just not in the cards."

"Why ever not, Peeta Mellark?"

"Because...because…well because she came here with me Caesar, and I intend to do everything in my power to make sure she's the victor of these games."

"BZZZZZZZZZ" The phrase 'poetic timing', enters my thoughts as the buzzer goes off just as I hear the majority of our district suck in a huge breath at Peeta's revelation. Peeta's feelings for Katniss have never been a secret to anyone who knows us, but very few people are aware of Katniss' feelings for Peeta. The people who do know, they probably knew before Katniss even knew herself.

"What the hell is he doing, is he a freaking idiot?" Gale shouts, livid with Peeta's confession. I offer him a confused look because Peeta seriously just stole everyone's heart, and in the process, earning them so many sponsors.

"What are you talking about?" I ask him with narrowed eyes.

"Do you think anyone will be willing to sponsor two lovesick idiots now? Hell no. He just made him and Katniss look weak and vulnerable."

"You're kidding right?" I ask him. "He just made her desirable to everyone in The Capitol, and in the process, he probably just snatched any sponsors who were previously planning to sponsor a career." I watch the expression on Gale's face transform from outraged to mad to confused, and then finally to one of acceptance.

"Okay, I guess I can see your point."

"Oh my gosh Madge, did you see them? Weren't they just amazing? Did you see Katniss' dress and how it erupted in flames when she twirled around? And Peeta, oh my gosh Peeta was soooo handsome! And when he did that spinny-thing, he looked like the embers of coal burning!" Prim runs over to us, intoxicated with happiness as she jumps up and down and squeals in delight as she recalls Katniss and Peeta. I give her a hug and glare at Gale as he stands behind Prim.

"They were absolutely radiant, Prim." I tell her.

Over the last few days, Gale and I have formed a 'sort of' friendship. I don't understand him at all. One minute he's all nice and kind to me and the next minute he's grumpy and short with me. It's like he wants to like me, but then he remembers that I'm the mayor's daughter, so he forces himself to be cruel to me.

The other day when he was acting like a two-year old and withholding my pen from me, I ended up telling him a little about what's going on. I think I just needed someone to talk to, having all of this information bottled up inside me was starting to get to me. I feel like I can trust him, but for Katniss, I know he will keep my secret.

"Madge?" Gale interrupts me from my thoughts and Prim has disappeared to gush over Peeta and Katniss with some of her friends. I meet Gale's eyes at the sound of my name, shocked because it's rare that he uses my first name, so this throws me off. Come to think of it…as of lately, he's been using my first name more often than usual.

"Do you want to...uh...maybe...—"

"Spit it out, Gale."

"Sorry. Do you want to go for a walk? It's really nice out tonight and there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Um...okay? Sure." I'm not sure where this sudden interest is coming from, but I really like Gale, I enjoy talking to him when he isn't being an ass, so I accept his invitation.

"Let me find my dad to let him know so that he doesn't worry, and I'll meet you back here."

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Haymitch ~

The girl was so mad last night after the boy's live proclamation of love. She's so hardheaded and narrow minded she didn't realize that what he did was only meant to help her. After I spoke with her, and she had time to process everything, I think she finally realized his game plan. I pretended not to notice them as I watched them sneak out of the suite last night. They deserve some time to themselves before they are faced with the morning.

My mind wanders to my last conversation with the boy just after the interviews and the promise I made him. There's no way I can keep it right? He wasn't serious, he didn't really mean it…he couldn't have. Right?

"Good morning, Haymitch!" Effie squeals in that damn high pitch annoying voice of hers. "I must be off; I have my District Twelve escort duties to fulfill! Will you please give my best to Katniss and Peeta?" She says this as if she has a choice in the matter.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Her voice is already giving me a headache, so I'm ready for her to be gone. Around six o'clock, the kids come strolling through the door hand in hand. What...I thought they were in their rooms? Have they been out all night? "Where the hell have you two been? " I demand.

"We went for a walk." The kid lies smoothly, but the fear is evident in the girl's eyes as I play dumb.

"Yeah, ok. You've got—" I look at the clock to see the time "—about forty-five minutes before your stylists are expecting you. Get dressed, do what you need to do, and I'll walk you up." I instruct them. Twenty minutes later, they are both dressed, all traces of embarrassment have disappeared from the girls' face. I wave my hand to motion them to follow me to the couch. For once the girl is obedient, not a single smart-ass comment escapes her lips; she must be scared. They both send me confused looks as I hand them each a bottle of water.

"Uhh...Thanks?" The boys' appreciation comes out more of a question than a statement.

"Drink as much as you can now so that your body is hydrated going in. No telling how long it'll take until you find more." They uncap their bottles and take a swig.

"So, listen, neither one of you are up for the battle at the cornucopia. You stay on your platform until that gong goes off, or they'll blast you sky high. When you hear the gong, you run AWAY from the fight. Away not toward—" I glare in the girls' direction knowing it's something she would do. "—You run and run and run until you think your lungs will explode. Then—"

"But what if—" Why must she insist on being rebellious at every twist and turn? Just as the thought enters my mind, I realize it is also the reason she was chosen.

"NO! I don't care if there is a bow, I don't care if there are flying elephants, you run away. Got it?" She scowls at me, but eventually she nods unhappily. "Then, you search for water. Run away, find water, stay alive. That's your job. Did you memorize your schedules?" My words begin in a yell and get lighter towards the end. It won't kill them if they didn't memorize it, but I sure as hell hope they did.

"Yes." the boy replies. The girl just shakes her head. Figures. Well, hopefully he can clue her in somehow. "Come on, let's go." They get up and follow me out the door.

"Any last words of advice?" The girl asks as we walk to the launch room.

"Stay alive." I've said it once before, and I'm saying it again. "Stay together. All the way—" I begin to add on, but it's the girl who interrupts me.

"All the way to the end." She whispers. So, she's catching on huh? Their job is to stay alive. I can't help a dead tribute. As I am walking away, there is a burning in my chest that I blame on my need for a drink, but deep down I know it's because they made me care about them. Those damn kids.

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Peeta ~

"Why couldn't the rules for the games be that both tributes from each district are a team? That would make this so much... less scary." I jokingly blurt out to Portia in an attempt to mask my fear. I add a timid chuckle in case someone is listening to us. Portia wraps her arms around me and embraces me in a hug.

"I know, Peeta, I know. But I want you to know what an honor it has been to know you, and I WILL see you again. You are such a wonderful, amazing young man, never let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Thank you, Portia, for everything you've done to help us out. Will you give Cinna my love and tell him thank you for me?"

"You can thank him when you return." I wish I shared her confidence. Even with everything I know, I've seen enough games to know that anything can happen. It can seem like a particular tribute will win, only for them to be mauled by one of The Capitol's mutts, or at the hands of another tribute. There are no absolute guarantee's in the arena.

"It's my pleasure Peeta. Cinna and I will be on the hovercraft that picks you g- picks you up." She almost blurted out 'picks you guys up' but stopped herself in time. I wouldn't doubt it if there were listening devices on this hovercraft.

Portia urges me to eat, but I'm a nervous wreck. I'm afraid that anything I eat will just come back up. I force myself to drink as much as possible, not knowing if or when I'll have access to more of the precious liquid.

For the most part, Portia and I sit in comfortable silence. My outfit is a simple long sleeve t-shirt with an undershirt, a pair of cargo pants with about ten-thousand pockets, a pair of socks, and a sturdy pair of boots, which also seems like they would be comfortable to run in. Portia stuffs two pair of socks and underwear into my pockets, and then places her finger over her lips. Even if it wasn't something that I have religiously done my entire life, I think I would still double knot my shoelaces, not wanting to risk falling on my face while attempting to run for my life.

Portia seems to understand my need for silence, and that her presence alone is comfort enough for me. As we sit here staring at the walls, I think about my outing to 'The Library' yesterday with Haymitch, and what I discovered.

"Close your mouth boy, your catchin' flies." Haymitch tells me. I am in complete and utter stupefaction as I stare into the eyes of Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane. Haymitch removes his wig and instructs me to do the same as I slowly regain control over my body. Seneca walks over to me to shake my hand.

"Hi Peeta, my name is-"

"Seneca Crane." I finish for him. "Wha-What are you...Why are you...Haymitch, what's going on?"

"Seneca Crane is on our side. You and the girl have been suspicious of us, picked up on some things, yeah?" I nod my head, not sure if my voice completely works yet.

"Before your name was called out at the reaping, I planned to do everything in my power to ensure that Katniss would be our victor this year, but you entering together has put a kink in our plans." Seneca tells me.

"No, the plan needs to stay the same. Katniss needs to win; her family needs her."

"Boy, just shut up and listen." Haymitch scolds me.

"Upon your arrival to The Capitol, we received a message from your mayor insisting that we modify our plans and figure out how to bring you both home. Katniss is of the utmost importance to the rebellion, but everyone agrees that not only would she refuse to return home without you, but she will be of no use to the rebellion if she were to lose you. I'm not sure how it's going to happen, but at some point in the games there will be an announcement declaring a rule change. All you have to do is stay alive until then."

Part of me has suspected this all along. Regardless, my head is spinning at this new information. I don't even know what to make of Seneca's comment about Katniss being of no use without me, is there truth to his words?

"FIFTEEN MINUTES UNTIL LAUNCH!" A voice booms from the speakers in the walls, lunging me back to the present.

"Almost time." Portia says with her gentle smile. A capitol attendant enters the room who comes off as rude, cold, and heartless in the manner that she speaks.

"I am here to place your tracker. Hold your arm out, elbow side down." She demands. I do as I'm told, and she squeezes my arm and plunges the needle into it.

"What is this?" I look to Portia; certain this lady will tell me nothing.

"It's your tracker. It lets us know your location in the arena at all times. It can also give us your vital signs at any given moment." Portia tries so hard to be kind.

"FIVE MINUTES UNTIL LAUNCH!" The voice booms again

"Come on, Peeta, let's get you into the launch pad." I follow her into the next room. Before I step through the clear sliding doors that will lead me to my impending death, she wraps her arms around me again to give me a hug. Then she places her hands on each of my shoulders to look into my eyes.

"Are you ready, Peeta?" She asks me. It feels as if she slipped something into one of my pockets during our embrace, but I'm too nervous to pay much attention. I chuckle at her question.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I tell her.

"You and Katniss, you take care of each other okay? All the way to the end, and I'll see you on the other side." There it is again, those words…that phrase. I give her an apprehensive smile as the doors slide shut.

I stand here for a moment, and then slowly I'm lifted up, like on the elevators in the training center. I see Portia get smaller and smaller, and then everything goes black. I can feel that I'm still moving, and then suddenly, I'm blinded by the light as I'm lifted completely out of the ground. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the brightness of the sun. Once it does, I see the other tributes, I see grass, and then the cornucopia in front of me. I know that I have sixty seconds, so I use my time wisely as I take in my surroundings.

Straight in front of me and approximately twenty yards away is the golden horn of the cornucopia. To my right and about forty yards away is a wheat field. To my left there is a lake which is only about ten yards from the cornucopia. And by some stroke of luck, to my right, which also happens to be facing west are trees. Lots and lots of trees, it's like...like...it's like a forest. Oh my God, this is perfect, Katniss is most at home in the woods; they have placed Katniss' natural habitat in this arena! I'm not sure if the gamemaker's are a genius, or just stupid.

I scan the tributes until I locate Katniss. It feels like it takes me five minutes, when its actually less than five seconds until I finally see her. She is four tributes to my left. She's looking straight ahead toward the cornucopia and has a gleam in her eye. I follow her line of sight to see what's got her so excited, and that is when I see it. Her bow. It's a beautiful shiny, silver bow just lying up with there, along with the quiver full of silver arrows. There are so many of them too, at least two dozen.

I implore her to look at me, screaming out her name in my head, knowing it's a trap. It's a shiny toy meant to lure her to her death, for if she goes for it, the career's will surely take her out. She catches my eye, and I shake my head fiercely at her, communicating to her that we'll figure out how to get it later. Right now, we run.

Approximately three feet in front of her lies a sheet of plastic, and about six feet to her left is an enormous bright red backpack. The only thing remotely close to me is a small backpack that looks more like one of those backpacks that are meant to hook around your waist.

"Welcome, welcome Tributes! Welcome to the 74th annual hunger games! Happy hunting and may the odds be ever in your favor!" Claudius Templesmith's voice booms throughout the entire arena, interrupting my thoughts. I stare at the giant hologram that displays the image of a clock that sits in the sky just above the cornucopia as it counts down our remaining time. Ten seconds. Katniss' eyes remain locked on me.

Don't do it Katniss.

Eight

Please.

Six

Grab the backpack.

Four

Please don't.

Two

RUN!

BOOM! Time's up!

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Katniss ~

I hesitate a moment too long, meaning that getting my bow is out of the question. I pick up the sheet of plastic that is just within my reach, and then I dive for the red backpack that is sure to house many supplies. Just as my fingers reach for the backpack, the boy from Six tries to scoop it up.

I grip it securely in my hands, prepared to fight him for it, but as he glares into my eyes this black sticky substance begins oozing from his mouth. He collapses to the ground, and I know that he is dead.

Before I have time to process his death, I see the girl from Two; I think her name is Clove, and for some reason, 'Killer Knife Thrower' is what pops into my mind. As she reaches for one of her knives, my instincts indicate that I am her target.

I lift my backpack to shield my face and catch her knife in the backpack. I thank her for the weapon as I dash off in a hurry, not daring to look back. I pull the knife out and hold it firmly in my hand as I somehow slide my arms through the straps of the backpack. Peeta said to run toward the west and we would find each other, so that's what I do.

I run as fast and as hard as my legs will allow me until I know that if I don't stop to catch my breath, that I just may stop breathing. I recall Haymitch's instructions to run until my lungs explode as I conceal myself behind a large tree. I bend over, resting my hands on my legs as my breathing slowly returns to a somewhat normal pace.

Mere seconds could mean the difference between life and death in the arena. I know that Peeta isn't dead, certain that I would feel it if he were. If Peeta died, surely a part of me would die along with him, and at the moment I feel whole, so I just know that he's making his way to find me. He has to be, right? Within seconds, I hear him screaming my name, but for some reason it sounds different.

While keeping myself hidden, I poke my head around the tree to see if I can see anything. I don't hear anything, so I feel like it's safe enough to do. Peeta is running at full force, with something in each of his hands.

'GO! GO! KATNISS RUN!' I hear him as clearly and as loudly as I'm sure he's screaming, but for some reason his mouth remains closed. I must be imagining things as the adrenaline surges throughout my body. Peeta is just inches from me, and yet he still doesn't slow down. He grabs ahold of my arm and pulls me along with him as he runs. I follow in line with his pace, thankful for having the sense to keep my backpack on.

We run like the wind for what feels like hours, and I thank Madge in my head for forcing me onto the track team. We're running so hard and fast, we are incapable of speech, so why do I keep hearing Peeta's voice? Maybe I've already succumbed to the effects of the arena and gone crazy. When we can no longer run, we come to a stop. We've had to run at least four to five miles when we find sanctuary near a tree which has several bushes around it. It is a monster of a tree too, at least six feet wide.

As my adrenaline dissipates, the realization of Peeta being alive hits me like a ton of bricks. The knife in my hand tumbles to the ground as I close the distance between us and nearly squeeze the life out of Peeta. He does the same, encircling my waist with his arms, and resting his face in the crook of my neck.

"Thank God you're okay, you nearly scared me to death at the cornucopia!" Peeta whispers in my ear.

"I saw my bow Peeta, I have to get it! I know they put it there for me, I just know it." He pulls back and sends me that mischievous grin that sends my stomach into somersaults.

"What did you do?" There is only one reason for that grin. He reaches down and picks something up from the ground and hands it to me.

"OH MY GOD! Is that…How did you…When did…PEETA!" I'm speechless as he hands me my bow along with the quiver full of shiny silver arrows.

"We need to get off the ground, it's not safe down here. We can catch up later."

A smile creeps across my lips as I watch Peeta climb the tree ahead of me. Peeta manages to carry the red backpack as well as the two backpacks he managed to retrieve from the cornucopia while I bring my bow and quiver of arrows as I follow in line behind him.

My heart swells with pride as I watch Peeta climb. He's come so far in the last few years. At one point, climbing five to ten feet terrified the living daylights out of him. Once we are at least twenty feet high, we settle on one of the branches, which is oddly thick and strong considering we're so high up. It makes me wonder if the gamemakers put this tree here specifically meant for a tribute to take shelter in. It seems the higher we go, the sturdier the branches are, which is the complete opposite of any tree that I've ever been in; and I've been in a LOT of trees. Once we have caught our breath and can form coherent words, Peeta sits down to rest, relieved to finally be able to relax.

"Let's see what kind of goodies are in these bags." Along with my bow and arrows, Peeta managed to get away with one large backpack, and one small backpack that you can fasten around your waist.

My backpack has three separate compartments. I unzip the first compartment since it is the largest, and I gasp in shock, amazed with the abundant amount of supplies the compartment holds. First, I pull out a small thin blanket. When I unfold it to see how big it is, I find one extra pair of clothes folded neatly inside.

Peeta reaches into the pockets of his pants and pulls out two pair of socks and underwear and tosses them in with the extra clothes.

Next in the first compartment there is a fairly large first aid kit which we will go through later. The last thing in the first compartment is a large clear bag filled with several smaller bags inside of it. The smaller individual bags are filled with nuts, dried fruit, beef jerky, and crackers; each is in their own re-sealable clear plastic bag.

The second compartment contains two twenty-ounce water bottles, and to my amazement, they are actually filled with the precious liquid. I find a bottle of iodine to purify any other water that we find, an empty squirt bottle, a pair of sunglasses, a large thick piece of rope, a flashlight, some matches, and a pair of scissors.

The last and smallest compartment contains nothing but knives, and snare wire. I also find a small black box thing with a single round button in the center with, well that's strange, in the center of the round button there is a symbol of a golden mockingjay, almost a replica of my district token, in which Cinna has securely pinned to my jacket. The box is a perfectly symmetrical square, no more than four inches by four inches, and maybe just two inches thick and fits perfectly in my hand. Wow, I feel like we hit the jackpot with just the contents of my backpack.

Peeta opens his largest bag first, and we discover that it is no ordinary bag, but a giant heat reflective sleeping bag. Small as we both are, we can fit in it together if we need to. His smaller bag is a 'mini version' of my backpack. It contains the dried food assortment, along with some rather scary looking serrated knives. He turns the bag upside down to shake it out, and another small square box falls out, the exact same as the one in my bag with the mockingjay symbol on the center of the button. Something tells me this is important and meant only for me.

I lay out my arrows on the blanket as I count twenty-two of them. I find it peculiar that the gamemaker's have given me enough arrows for each tribute in the arena, minus Peeta and I.

"We should make camp here for the rest of the night, seeing as we're about to lose daylight and then tomorrow, we need to find water. And food."

Peeta stuffs almost all of our supplies into the one red backpack and fastens the small backpack around his waist. He fills it with a few bags of the dried fruit and nuts, two knives, and one of the black boxes.

Even though we have enough food and water to survive off of for several days, we eat and drink as sparingly as possible. I brave the ground to set a few snares and then climb back up. I immediately grow anxious when I return and Peeta is nowhere to be seen. I hear a snapping sound above me and see that Peeta has ventured higher to explore. I make my way up to him and rest my hand on his shoulder as he's staring at something with so much intensity.

We can see the entire arena from our location, I can even see the tributes walking around. I'm going to assume the largest group of people walking around must be the careers. It's not unusual for them to ally up in the beginning to take out as many tributes as possible.

Technically, I could just stay up here and pick the other tributes off one by one, but I'm not a cold-blooded killer. I don't plan to take a life unless I absolutely have to.

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Dylan Everdeen ~

Tonight is the last night mandatory viewing is required in the square, as it is the first day of the games. Beginning tomorrow, we have the choice to watch from the square, but also have the option to watch from the privacy of our homes if we choose to. Lilly suggested we invite Bing to join us in our home so that he doesn't have to listen to Esther belittle Peeta the entire time. I have a feeling he's reached his limit with his wife and is contemplating leaving her soon.

"Look dad! There's a bow at the cornucopia! If Katniss could just get to it, none of the others would stand a chance." I look up to the screen and sure enough, Seneca has placed my daughter's weapon of choice in there. I pray that she doesn't attempt to retrieve it, for the career's will surely kill her before she reaches it.

Peeta catches her eye and vehemently shakes his head at her, demanding her not to go for it. Her eyes stay locked on Peeta just as the gong sounds, ruining any chances of her making a run to the cornucopia. She grabs the sheet of plastic in front of her and dives into a red backpack at the same time that another tribute does. She clenches on to it, refusing to part with it as one of the career girls impales a knife into his back. He immediately collapses, rendering him dead.

Katniss uses the backpack to shield her face as that same career girl aims her knife at Katniss, imbedding itself into her backpack. Relief washes over me at my daughter's cat like reflexes. Katniss scans the arena and then takes off towards the woods. She manages to remove the knife from the backpack and slide the backpack onto her shoulder while she's in flight.

Once I know that Katniss is safe, I immediately feel guilty for not paying attention to Peeta. During all of the commotion with Katniss, he managed to make it to the cornucopia and has Katniss' quiver secured over his shoulder and has looped the bow over his head and around his waist, kind of like a belt.

He has District Four in a headlock and manages to steal his knife, which he uses to stab his chest. Four drops to the ground and Peeta flees in the same direction as Katniss. I wonder if they discussed a meeting point prior to entering the arena.

It feels as if hours pass by before Peeta catches up to Katniss, but finally they do. Katniss is so excited to see him alive, she jumps into his arms, sending all of their belongings crashing to the ground. He finally shows her the bow, and she is overwhelmed with joy at the sight of it. They climb a tree to take shelter in for the night and examine the contents of their supplies. They made out pretty good, if I do say so myself. I try to hide my excitement when I see the transformer included in their bags. It's my hope that the mockingjay symbol will clue her in as these objects being of extreme importance.

"Why isn't she shooting the other tributes down? I know she can do it." I frown at Gale's comment. I'm thankful that Madge beats me to the punch, as I wouldn't have worded it quite as elegantly as her.

"Because Gale, she isn't a killer. She'll take them out if she absolutely has to, but not until then. I mean seriously, where is your humanity?" I smile at Madge and give her a wink. Her and Gale seem to be spending a lot of time together lately, and she seems to be taming him…slightly.

"Shouldn't they be searching for some water or something?" Gale is really getting on my nerves tonight with his constant need to question Katniss and Peeta's actions, and his incessant need to insinuate he could do it better.

"It's almost dark, and from what we know from previous games, wandering around on the ground at night is a death sentence.

The bloodbath lasted four hours this year, which means we can finally go home. My kids are safe…for now.

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Katniss ~

The booming of the cannons startle me nearly to the point that I almost fall out of the tree. Peeta grabs onto my arm just in time to catch me. Eleven. I counted eleven cannon shots. Since the bloodbath is so intense, the gamemakers wait until the fight is completely over to fire off the cannons. But from here on out, any time that a cannon is heard, it signifies the death of a tribute.

Peeta and I settle on a branch, opening up the sleeping bag, and we climb inside together. Neither of us is tired yet, but we just need to be next to each other, we just need to hold each other, to feel the security of each other's arms. At least for now.

We watch the sun set along the horizon, and even in the most horrible of places, it is a beautiful sight.

"At least they didn't take that from us." It's as if Peeta can read my mind as he whispers in my ear. I don't have to ask what he's talking about to understand his meaning.

I scoot closer to him to lie my head on his chest, wrap my arm around his torso, and pull myself closer to him. He doesn't require a response to know that I'm agreeing with him. Once the sun has disappeared from the sky, we hear the anthem play, followed by the seal of The Capitol.

Peeta and I squint in-between the branches and up into the sky as we bear witness to those we lost today. Regardless if they would have killed us had we crossed paths; they were someone's children. Maybe they had a brother, a sister, or perhaps someone who loved them. Maybe they had their own Peeta waiting for them, hoping they would make it back home.

The Capitol wants us to hate each other, but we are not each others' enemy, it's The Capitol who is the enemy.

The first image in the sky is the girl from Three. I feel Peeta's body tense up as the boy from Four's image appears. Next is the boy from Five, both from Six and Seven, followed by the boy from Eight, both from Nine, and finally, the boy from Ten. Eleven tributes killed on the first day, that is nearly half of us gone already; and the day isn't even over yet.

Finally, it's over and I feel Peeta's body relax as he curls even closer to me, nearly melting into my body.

"I'm kind of relieved the boy from Four is gone, he scared me." I confess to Peeta, although, I don't voice that I'm secretly wishing it was the boy from Two.

"I killed him." he divulges, as I bear witness to the silent tear that streams down his cheek.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He is silent for a moment as he gathers the courage to retell the events that resulted in him taking the life of another.

"He was gunning for you. The need to protect you consumed my every emotion; I didn't even think about it as I snuck up on him from behind. I didn't have a weapon yet, so I knew the only way to get the upper hand was if I had the element of surprise. I managed to get right up on him undetected and I stuck my foot in between his in order to trip him, and then I tackled him to the ground.

He tried to slash me with his knife, and the knife grazed my forehead, —" He lifts his bangs to show me the small laceration just above his eyebrow.

"During our struggle, I managed to pry the knife from his hand, and…and I didn't want to do it Katniss, I swear I didn't. But I knew in that moment, that it was either him or me. It took me less than a second to decide. That's it Katniss, less than two seconds to decide to end someone's life. And if it were him, he would have killed you, and there is no way I could allow that, so, I snatched his knife up and I stabbed him right here." He points to his chest where his heart is. And that is when the silent tears begin to fall profusely, and it is all I can do not to cry along with him.

Peeta is so amazingly good, he doesn't deserve to be here, to be put in a position where he's forced to take the life of another person. I mean, none of us do, but he is one of those people who are just inherently good, he would give you the shirt off his back in the dead of winter if he knew it would help you. If our roles were reversed, Peeta would know the perfect thing to say to me, and I'm terrible at that so, I do the only thing I know to do, I hold him in my arms, stroking circles on his back and support him while his silent tears fall.

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Peeta ~

The sun is gone for the night, which means the careers are patrolling the grounds looking for sleeping tributes to kill. The gamemakers have turned the temperature down in the arena tonight, probably hoping someone will cave into to the frigid temperatures and build a fire. Building a fire at night is like hanging a sign over your head, pointing the careers to your location, just asking to be killed. Thankfully, Katniss and I have this heat reflective sleeping bag in addition to each other to keep warm.

We have been lying in each other's arms on this gigantic tree branch for what seems like hours. Even though the branch is wide enough for both of us to lie flat on our backs next to each other with extra wiggle room, Katniss has used the rope to tie us in. 'Just in case', she says. Neither of us has spoken since my breakdown earlier, yet it has been a comfortable silence. I don't feel as if she's judging me for succumbing to the tears.

"Peeta?" Katniss says barely above a whisper.

"Mmm hmmmm?" I ask tracing circles along her arm.

"Do you smell that?" She asks me, and then I take a deep whiff of the air.

"Smoke. Someone's built a fire."

"Seriously? Are they stupid? If I knew the careers weren't on their way, I would go down there and smack the daylights out of them myself!" She whispers to me. And then, we hear them. We freeze, unable to move, afraid to so much as breathe.

"What dumb ass builds a fire in the hunger games? Well, unless you're us!" I hear a tribute yell out with too much confidence. I try to peek through the tree limbs and leaves to see if I can make out who the hunters are. I can barely see them, but I instantly know who they are.

It's both tributes from One and Two. Marvel, Glimmer, Cato, and Clove. They have made their way to the fire culprit. I hope they'll make it fast for whoever it is, but who am I kidding? They are the careers, and they have a reputation to uphold, a show to put on. Katniss somehow convinces me that we are too high up for them to see us, but I'm sure they can hear the beating thrum of my heart. We try not to listen as they torture the poor girl.

"Please, please don't kill me, I don't want to-" We hear the girl plead for her life.

"I hate to break it to you, dumb ass, but only one person makes it out, and sadly, it will not be you. " I think it's Cato who taunts her. You would think not being able to see would somehow make it easier, but it's not. The entire time I'm imagining what he's doing to her.

The sounds that I hear, I know that they are now permanently imbedded into my brain forever. I hear Cato stab her four more times, and then we hear the sound of her cannon. Katniss and I listen as they walk away, laughing and joking as if they didn't just torture and murder another human being.

"Wish that was fire girl." We hear Cato complain.

"Oh, shut up Cato, you're just mad she beat your score." Clove taunts him.

"Bet you lover boy knows." Glimmer squeals.

"What are you talking about?" Marvel questions.

"Where you find one, you'll find the other." Clove says.

"Shouldn't be that hard to find them, the girl didn't seem all that smart to me. With all of that giggling and twirling, I mean seriously!" I can hear the envy in Glimmer's words.

Finally, they are too far for us to make out their words, and Katniss and I both are able to breathe normally. Katniss looks furious at their comments about her. She unties the rope that is securing us in place and leaves me to climb higher. I follow behind her until she stops to stare at something.

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Katniss ~

"What's wrong Katniss?" Peeta asks me as I've stopped climbing to stare at a carving of my mockingjay symbol.

"Look." I point to the spot that's caught my attention.

"Holy shit…is that—" I look to Peeta's waist to see if he's wearing his 'belt backpack' and he is.

"Do you still have that box thingy in your backpack?" I ask him hopefully. He nods, and then unzips the zipper and hands me the box. I align the box to the carving in the tree to find that it fits perfectly. I press the button in the center of the box, and I have to rub my eyes to verify that my eyes aren't playing tricks on me as the tree opens up into a swirling black hole.

"Me first." Peeta wants to make sure it's safe before I enter. Peeta steps inside and the black hole of a door swallows him up, and just like that, he's gone.

A line from Chapter 8 comes from Thresh:

"You touch her Twelve, and you're dead."