Changing the Game Chapter 8: Allies, a hunger games fanfic

Changing the Game

Chapter 8 : Allies

~ Katniss ~

He's gone, Peeta is gone. They took him…The Gamemakers; they took him from me. My knees buckle, losing all their strength and I collapse as my heart plummets into my stomach. 'No, it's not possible', I tell myself. The grief that overtakes me is so agonizing, so gut-wrenchingly intense that I cannot move. I cannot breathe.

'Get a grip, Katniss, he's okay' I still feel Peeta's life force deep in my bones, so I force myself into an upright position and use the back of my sleeve to dry my face. I'm not sure if it's seconds, minutes, hours, or days before a hand reaches out and grabs me from the space where Peeta was snatched from me, and it sucks me in with it. I welcome the darkness as I feel myself falling into the void, I try to scream, but no sound comes out.

"Hey, it's okay." It's the soothing gentleness of Peeta's voice vibrating through my ears that causes me to question my sanity. Either that, or I'm dead. I pull him as close to me as I can, hugging him as tightly as he allows. I pat his face and run my fingers through his hair, craving the familiarity that is Peeta. Even in complete darkness, I know it is him.

"W-What's going on? Where are we? I thought they…I thought you were—" I stutter, fighting back the sobs as we finally stop descending, and another door opens to reveal a small television screen. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim flickering lights that bounce off the television. The screen displays a live video feed of our 'friends' in The Capitol. We see Cinna and Portia sitting with a man I do not recognize.

"What...how...is this... real...are you…." My words get stuck on their way out as my brain attempts to process the events of the last few minutes. I cling to Peeta, refusing to release my grip on him as we step off the platform that brought us down here and walk closer to the screen. Cinna smiles at me, showing off his pearly whites.

"We knew you'd figure it out, Lexie!" Once again, Cinna has used my father's term of endearment for me, which confirms his relationship with my dad. I see a hint of recognition glimmer across Peeta's face as he looks at our stylists and speaks the words for me.

"Explain." Well, that's not exactly what I expected, I figured he'd say something more elegant, but it sums up my thoughts. Cinna steps up and his face fills the screen, concealing the others behind him.

"Listen guys, we don't have long. This—" he places his hand on the shoulder of the man I don't recognize, "—is Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane. He has placed three trees throughout the arena with these secret passages for us to communicate. The second you slip inside, a hologram instantly portrays an image of the two of you on the outside for the viewers to see, so that no one is the wiser regarding your entrance in here." I'm too flabbergasted for speech as I absorb his words.

"You guys are special, —" Cinna's face is suddenly replaced by Portia's, "You guys are so very, very special, and it is our intention to get you both out of there, alive. Just keep doing what you're doing, stick together, and we'll send you a sign when we need to speak again. You'll know it when you see it. Once you step foot on the platform, you have seven minutes until the hologram deactivates. If you bring the additional transformer with you, the button will begin blinking in rapid succession to indicate when you must exit."

"Transformer?" Peeta implores.

Portia lightly hits the side of her head with her hand, in a 'duh' moment forgetting we don't know the language she speaks. "The little black box that opened the door for you."

"Why are we so special?" Peeta asks.

Seneca Crane looks at his watch with a frown, "First, I'd like to say what an honor and privilege it is to be speaking with you, but I'm sorry guys, you must return immediately. The only thing I can disclose at this time is each night you make camp, have as much of your supplies and gear packed as possible, in case there is a need to make a run for it. That's all I can reveal at the moment. You'll know it when you see it." He gives us a nervous smile, and the screen goes black.

"I'm going to underestimate and say we have three minutes to talk before we need to return, so I'll try to make this quick." Peeta spends the next three minutes retelling me about when Haymitch dragged him to this place called 'The Library' where he met Seneca Crane and was informed of some unknown plan to get us both out of here alive. The thought of this 'Unknown Plan' doesn't give me much confidence.

Having never released my grip on Peeta in fear that he will disappear from me again, we step back onto the platform that brought us down here, and it slowly sends us back up. We take a step out and are back on the tree. I finally release Peeta's hand as we make our way back to where our backpacks are.

Peeta begins stuffing our scattered supplies into the backpack. He packs up the sleeping bag but keeps the small blanket out for us. If we need to make a run for it, all we have to do is grab the bags and the blanket. We sleep with our weapons on our bodies, as if they are a part of us.

Peeta sits down pulling me next to him, urging me to rest my head on his chest. I comply and shut my eyes as the thoughts inundate my mind.

What the hell is going on? What was that in the tree? Why are we special? What are we special for? What do they need from us? How are they planning on getting us both out of here alive? What do they want in return for saving us? Never in the history of the games has there ever been a rule change ensuring that two tributes can be crowned victors.

My thoughts slowly drift from my dad to Madge, and then to Cinna, and finally to Haymitch, as I feel certain they each have some type of involvement in this, and if not directly, they at least have some knowledge about it. I shake off the feeling of resentment creeping its way up my veins; the residual effects of being left in the dark. I must be more exhausted than I realize because before I know it, I'm opening my eyes to the sun greeting me along the horizon.

Between being exhausted, thinking I'd lost Peeta, and the excitement of our journey into the tree, we either missed the anthem last night, or I slept through it. I make a mental note to ask Peeta about it. Peeta…Wait, where is he?

I look all around but Peeta is nowhere to be seen. I am instantly thrown into a panic, terrified that somehow the careers have taken him from me. As I'm about to climb up the tree and start picking off the careers with my arrows, I hear the crunching of branches. I look down and relief washes over me when I see Peeta, seemingly unharmed, climbing up to me.

I grab his hand to pull him up once he is within my reach. He turns his bag upside down to empty out two juicy rabbits that he retrieved from my snares.

"You scared me half to death Peeta, I thought the careers got you!" I take the carcasses from Peeta to find that he's already skinned, gutted and cooked them. I look up in disbelief, questioning him with my eyes.

"I couldn't sleep last night, so just before the sun came up, I went down to check the snares. I knew it would be too dangerous to build a fire, but we also couldn't eat raw meat, so, I went to the fire from last night and the coals were still hot. It took longer than it normally would, but it got the job done." I smile proudly and then place a quick kiss to Peeta's cheek. 'God, I love this boy.' I think to myself.

"What'd you say?" Peeta eyes me skeptically, as if he'd been privy to my thoughts.

"Wha-What? Nothing, I didn't say anything." I reply defensively. There is no way he could have heard me. Right?

It's not that I don't love Peeta, I do. I love him more than I'm willing to admit, and I guess that's the problem. I'm afraid if I say it out loud, I mean truly from my heart say it out loud, something will happen, and he'll be taken away from me. 'Yes,' I tell myself, 'It's better to keep these thoughts to myself.'

Peeta eyes me suspiciously, but remains silent as we each feast on our rabbit and I pull out our water bottles. I shake the bottles, almost hoping they will magically fill back up as I give Peeta a forlorn look. Between Peeta and I, we have less than one full bottle of water left. "We've got to find water soon." I tell him.

The sun is barely up and already, it's scorching hot. The gamemakers are having a field day playing with the temperature in the arena. We consolidate all our supplies into one backpack, plus the one Peeta wears around his waist. I carry my bow and arrows, and the supply backpack while Peeta carries his waist backpack and the sleeping bag. Peeta tucks a knife into each of his boots as well as carries one in each hand.

We climb down our tree and begin our search for water. Peeta and I walk side by side, always looking behind us and keeping our ears open for any sounds that could possibly be any other tributes as we scavenge for any type of water source. In the early hours of the day, Peeta is chipper and conversation flows freely. We joke around with each other, almost flirtatiously. At one point, I find Peeta trailing behind me, and I can feel his eyes boring into my back. I spin around hoping to catch him off guard and he averts his gaze to the ground in embarrassment.

"Were you just checking me out?" I accuse him.

"Who me? I would never! How dare you have the audacity to accuse me of such atrocious acts!" I shove him playfully and he ends up tickling me. I squeal in delight, quickly covering my mouth, remembering where we are.

As the day drags on and our water becomes nonexistent, Peeta loses his spunk. Simple tasks such as placing one foot in front of the other becomes difficult. My mouth tastes like cotton and I lack the energy to speak. Surely, we've earned some sponsors by now, right? Haymitch wouldn't just let us die out here from dehydration, of all things.

"Haymitch…I'm gonna be….pissed….if….he…lets….you die—" Peeta manages to sputter out.

Dehydrated to the point of exhaustion, I plop to the ground unable to go any further and Peeta stops behind me.

"Katniss, come on…Keep…moving."

"Just…a…minute…" I beg him. He sits down next to me, and I dig my fingers into the ground. 'I love mud' I think to myself.

"Mud?" Peeta croaks, standing up to walk over to the tall grass and spreads it open as if it's a door. The eyes that stare back at us freezes me in place.

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Cinna ~

"Do you think we told them enough? Do you think they'll figure it out?" I ask Portia as we make our way back to the training center. It would be too suspicious if we were all absent from the control room at the same time, so Haymitch sent me and Portia.

"I think they are brilliant children, and I'm certain they will figure it out." Portia places a reassuring hand on my shoulder as we head up the stairs to the control room. Effie, with her hands clasped together, is on pins and needles as she waits for us by the door.

"Did you enjoy your walk?" Her eyes glisten as she attempts to read my body language.

"It was perfect." Effie and Haymitch understand the hidden message.

"How are they?" I ask Haymitch as he remains unmoved, slouched into the sofa.

"Not much, the boy was restless, so he emptied their snares. The girl just woke up."

We sit around watching them as they search for water throughout the day. The day begins light and airy, they joke around and flirt with each other casually. As the day drags on and the Gamemaker's turn the heat up, their dehydration becomes evident. Their gait become slower and heavier, their faces become paler, we can see the cracks appearing on their lips and they lose the ability to speak efficiently. Their loss of vocal speech doesn't seem to deter their ability to communicate.

"Haymitch, don't we have sponsors? Can't we send them just a bit of water, just enough to get them through until they find it themselves?" An ocean of water pools in Effie's eyes as she pleads with Haymitch, but he continues to stare at the screen, his face unchanged.

"No." He squelches.

"I don't see what it could hurt, just enough for a sip or two." I'll give Portia credit for trying, but Haymitch has his mind made up.

"Trust me, it'll hurt. They need the drive; they have to find it on their own." Haymitch barks out.

"They'll die before they reach it, please Haymitch!" Effie resorts to whining, but Haymitch avoids her puppy dog eyes.

"I said NO! I'm the mentor, I decide what goes in, and I say no! Now stop asking because my answer won't change!"

"Well if they can't drink, neither can you!" Haymitch grabs his drink just as Effie tries to swipe it from the table.

"I can damn well drink whenever the hell I want to drink, you damn hag! Now keep your prissy fingers off my alcohol." His eyes soften slightly as he takes in the prevalent fear in Effie's eyes.

Effie's lower lip begins to quiver. "Haymitch, you're just going to let them die!"

"They're close to a pond. Nearly on top of it." It's as close to an apology as Effie is going to get.

"And just how do you know this, did you design the arena?" Haymitch rolls his eyes and then turns his glass up, finishing off the liquor.

"They did a wide shot earlier and I saw it. Just shut up and watch."

Katniss' stamina runs dry and she plops to the ground. Peeta urges her to keep moving, but she begs for just a moment to rest and he joins her on the ground. I see Katniss' face light up as she seems to recognize something when her fingers dig into the ground.

"Mud?" Katniss looks up to Peeta and gives him a strange look as he stands up and parts the giant grass behind them. They aren't alone anymore, it's the female tribute from District Eleven who stares wide eyed in shock back at them. Katniss follows Peeta, and excitement flashes across her eyes at the sight of Rue. Before anyone has a chance to respond to anyone, Thresh appears out of nowhere with a dagger pointed at our pair.

"You touch her Twelve, and you're dead." Thresh's voice is deep and threatening as he hides Rue behind his large frame. Katniss and Peeta both place their visible weapons to the ground and put both of their hands up in surrender.

"I would never hurt Rue; she reminds me too much of Katniss' baby sister." Peeta pleads with Thresh as he inches his self in front of Katniss protectively. Thresh eyes Katniss and Peeta, looking for any signs of danger. After a moment, he seems to believe them as he lowers his weapon.

"Allies for now?" Thresh asks them. Peeta nods just as Katniss grabs onto his arm for support.

"Peeta, something isn't right, I don't feel so good." Peeta catches Katniss just as she passes out from dehydration.

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Lilith Everdeen ~

"What can we do for you Dylan?" Dylan and I had been dating for nearly two years, unbeknownst to my parents when I accepted his proposal. I'm not sure why he came over to speak to my parents, but I stand behind him with my hand on his shoulders as he sits at the dining room table talking to my parents.

"Mr. and Mrs. Oakley, I love your daughter more than anything in this world. I came here today to ask for your permission, I mean your blessing to be her husband. She is the most amazing, caring woman with the kindest soul I have ever met, and I want to spend the rest of my life making her smile. Because when she smiles, her eyes light up my entire world."

My mother scowls quietly while I see the rage fume in my father's eyes. "And how will you support her? And what about children?"

"I believe sir, that once she becomes my wife that it will be my responsibility to support and care for her—"

"No, you do not have our blessing! You are from the Seam, what life can you give her other than a poverty stricken one!"

"Mother, Father, we did not come here for your permission. I am an adult and can make my own choices, and I love Dylan. I plan to marry him with or without your blessing. I was hoping for the latter, but I can't imagine a life without him. If you don't support us, then I'm sorry. I just hope—"

"GET OUT! No daughter of mine will betroth a miner! Think about what you're doing Lilly, you're throwing your life away. But let me tell you this, if you walk out that door, don't come crawling back when you change your mind!"

Dylan took me home to live with him and his parents with nothing but the clothes on my back. His parents took me in and loved me without a second guess. We were married within six months and moved into our own home. His parents died of influenza the year after Katniss was born, which was when I started my healing business in the Seam.

I never thought twice about leaving my entire life behind, because like him, I couldn't imagine a life without him. A week after the mine explosion that left him in a coma was the next time I saw my parents again. I walked into town and knocked on their door, not even knowing if they still lived there.

My mother opened the door with a shocked look on her face. "Lilith? What are you doing here?"

"Mama, Dylan was injured in the mines, and I have two girls who are starv—"

"I told you not to come back here. Can't say I didn't tell you so." My mother says with a smug look. I drop to my knees and clasp my hands together, throwing away any pride I have left.

"Please mama, anything you have for my girls. Even if it's just a few scraps—"

"You made your bed, now go lie in it." She slams the door in my face, leaving me broken on the other side of the door.

My thoughts are interrupted when I hear a knock at the door while I've been washing the dishes.

"Dylan? Did you forget your key?" I yell as I dry my hands off with a dish towel. Whoever is at the door is unresponsive, and I don't hear the clicking of the door that tells me he's coming in, so I open the door to see who it is. I open the door just a crack to see who my visitor is. As I poke my head through the crack of the door, I'm shellshocked, frozen in place as I stare into the eyes of the stranger.

"Mom? Wh-What are you doing here?" What irony it is to have been lost in memories of my estranged mother of whom I haven't seen in over five years. The very mother who slammed the door in my face when I announced my engagement to the love of my life. The mother who turned me and my starving children away due to her pride when my husband was injured in the mines. The mother I vowed never to think of again after that day.

"Hello Lilly, how are you?" My mother asks me with the brightest of smiles, as if a day hasn't passed since our last encounter.

"F-Fine." I stammer.

"May I come in?" My mind is screaming no, while my body seems to have a mind of its' own as I open the door to let her in. 'No, don't let her in!' The voice in my head screams back at me. She glances around my home, taking in the sights and makes herself comfortable on the sofa. I take a seat on the opposite side of the sofa, keeping as much distance as possible as I'm feeling nervous in my own skin.

I feel like that little girl again, seeking her mother's approval as I wonder what her reason for this impromptu visit could be. Yet, in the back of my mind, I know without a doubt what it is.

"What are you doing here?" I demand as I exhale slowly with pursed lips to calm my nerves.

"Well, it's good to see you too. How about something to drink?" I begin to regain control of my bodily functions the more time that passes by.

"No. What are you doing here?" Scared and timid as I feel, my voice comes out strong and commanding, with much more confidence that I'm feeling.

"I just wanted to see you, dear. I've missed you." Something in my gut tells me not to trust her. After everything she has done, well; everything she has not done, she is anything but trustworthy. My silence ebbs on as I try to figure out her motives, eventually I'll give her enough slack to hang herself, figuratively speaking.

"Your girls are just beautiful; I saw them on the television. And your Katniss seems to be doing such a fantastic job, her and her district partner that is." Ahh, I see what she wants now. I want to smack myself in the head for not seeing it sooner.

"So, that's why you're here. You see that my daughter is doing well in the games. You see that she's strong and that she'll come home, and you want her to share her riches. Well, you've got another thing coming if you think I'd ever allow her to give you a damn thing after what you did to me! To her, to my girls, to all of us! How dare you, with your self-righteous attitude think for a moment that I would allow her to give you a thing!"

"Lilly, honey, I'm sorry, but can't we leave the past in the past? Move forward? That was such a long time ago."

"You disowned me! I fell in love with Dylan and you just kicked me out on the street! Your own daughter! Your ONLY daughter! If it weren't for Dylan and his family, I would have starved to death! You have never even met your grandchildren, never even wanted to until this moment.

When Dylan was in his coma, I came to you asking for help to feed my girls, and you all but slammed the door in my face! Actually, you DID slam the door in my face. I stood on your porch and begged you, I literally dropped to my knees begging you for scraps of food so my girls wouldn't starve, and what was it you said to me? Oh, right, you said, 'You made your bed, now go lie in it.' So, what gives you the right—"

My rant is interrupted by the door swinging open and Dylan rushing in looking petrified.

"Lil—" He stops, taking notice of the person occupying the other end of our sofa, the person I'm currently screaming at.

"Elysium." Dylan says through gritted teeth.

"Alice, dear." She's always hated her name and prefers for people to refer to her as 'Alice.'

"Get out." Dylan's voice is barely above a whisper, but the anger and animosity is evident in his eyes.

"I'm sorry if I've upset you guys, it's just—"

"I don't give a damn what you think, you lost any right to my family the moment you slammed the door in Lilith's face over eighteen years ago. My kids are fighting for their lives, and we don't need you coming here and upsetting my family. Get out, and don't you ever come back." Dylan opens the door to show my mother out, refusing to hear any of her excuses. I can almost see the steam shooting from his ears.

"And when Katniss gets home, don't you dare come within one-hundred yards of any of us. If you so much as attempt to approach her, or send any of your friends for her, I will make it my life's mission to make your life hell!" My mother finally understands she is not welcome here. She grabs her purse and stands up with a forlorn look upon her face.

As one foot is out the door, she turns her head back to look at me and says, "Your father passed last year, I thought you should know." And then Dylan slams the door behind her and locks it.

"Are you okay?" My entire body is shaking in anger as I run into his comforting arms. I can't stop the sobs that escape my body, but they are not tears of sadness at discovering the loss of my father. My parents have been lost to me for such a long time, and I accepted that many years ago. I am completely and utterly outraged at the audacity of my own mother.

"She saw Katniss on the T.V. She knows she could win." Dylan rubs my back as I sob into his arms.

"I hate her, I hate her so much." The intense wailing refuses to stop until the door rushes open again.

"Mom, dad?" I lift my head and turn to the door to see Primrose. Her eyes are filled with fear as she sees how upset I am and sucks in a huge breath. "Is it Katniss? Peeta? Did they die?"

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Peeta ~

"Is she okay, what's wrong with her?" Rue inquires as she leans down next to Katniss.

"I think she's just dehydrated; do you have any water?" We are standing right on top of a pond hidden by the tall grass, but if I fill our bottles up, it will take at least thirty minutes before the water is safe to drink, and I don't know if Katniss has that long. I silently curse Haymitch for his lack of help just when Thresh hands me his canteen. I place it up to Katniss' lips and I pour some of the water into her mouth and then lift her chin up, urging her to swallow.

She swallows and relief washes over me when our eyes lock. I use my left hand to support her while she sits up, and using the other hand I pat the beads of sweat forming across her forehead. She glances around, surveying the area and her eyes widen in shock when she sees our new allies.

"Hey, it's okay, we have allies." I offer her a timid smile.

"Thought we lost you there for a minute, fire girl." Thresh smirks at Katniss while Rue refills their canteens and places some iodine drops in for later. Once I'm sure Katniss isn't going to pass out again, I accept the canteen and take a sip, and then proceed to fill our bottles.

We join Thresh and Rue in the pond, enjoying the cool water and rinsing our bodies off. Once our water is purified, we take turns drinking from one bottle while the other purifies until we feel alive again.

The sun is shining so bright, and it is so hot outside, we are all completely dry within thirty minutes.

"Sorry if I scared ya there, Rue is like my lil sister and I can't have nobody tryin' ta kill her." Thresh has a bit of an accent as he speaks.

We stay near the pond for the remainder of the day filling up on water, constantly keeping our bottles full. We share what's left of our rabbit with our new allies and then Katniss and I set some snares. I notice the sun along the horizon just as the air becomes thinner. 'We need to move to higher ground' I think to myself as I look around for a tree strong enough to hold all of us, yet close enough to the pond and our snares.

"How are you at tree climbing?" Katniss asks Thresh and Rue, as if she is privy to my thoughts. Rue gets a sly grin on her face as Thresh chuckles cockily.

"District Eleven, agriculture. We basically live in trees." Thresh informs us.

"Good, we need to move to higher grounds." I tell them.

Katniss squints her eyes as she searches for a tree for us to take shelter in for the night and then finally points toward the north. "That one."

The four of us grab our supplies and head over to the tree. We let the girls go first since they are the smallest. I follow in line after Katniss, with Thresh just behind me. Katniss and I settle on a branch just above Thresh and Rue.

For a moment, I wonder if this is one of the three trees in the arena that allows for communication with our allies in The Capitol. Immediately, I disregard that thought, knowing it must be kept secret from all but Katniss.

Katniss and I climb into our sleeping bag together as we watch the sun setting just as Thresh and Rue get comfortable on the branch just below us. I pull Katniss as close to me as possible, breathing in the scent of her as the fear of losing her overwhelms my every thought.

"Hey, I'm okay." She whispers to me, seeming to once again be able to read my thoughts. Ever since entering the arena, we seem to be doing this more and more.

This tree seems oddly sturdy just as the tree from last night did, and I thank whoever put it here.

"What is District Twelve like? I've always been curious." Rue pipes up after a moment of silence. We spend the rest of the evening getting to know our friends, and I say friends because that's what they feel like. Rue tells us all about her time with her sisters in the trees of District Eleven. She tells us the story of how her and Thresh became friends, the day he took a whipping for her.

"It was about two years ago, so I had just turned twelve years old." Rue begins.

"What! You're fourteen years old? I didn't think you were a day over twelve!" Katniss interrupts her.

I glare at Katniss as I whisper, "Katniss."

"It's okay Peeta. So, just when my basket was full, I heard the mockingjay's singing my sister's song, which told me it was quittin' time. Right before I reached the ground, the basket of apples slipped from my hands and they spilled all over the ground. Thresh noticed the Peacekeepers before I did and rushed to my side to help me gather the apples back up. You get three lashes for every bruised or damaged product, and the Peacekeeper counted nine. That would have been twenty-seven, which probably would have nearly killed me. So, Thresh took the blame, told the Peacekeepers he was the one who dropped them."

"For accidentally tripping and dropping some apples?" Katniss is outraged.

We spend the rest of the evening trading stories from our districts. We're sucked into their stories, as it's the closest thing we'll ever get to being able to travel.

Thresh is interrupted when we hear the anthem play followed by the seal of The Capitol. No images appear in the sky tonight, which for us, isn't a good sign. It means The Capitol will be bored, which means the Gamemaker's will have something extraordinarily gruesome in store for us very soon.

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Gale ~

"Gale, Gale! Come inside! Hurry Gale, you've gotta hurry!" Posie rams the door open, startling me and Madge as we talk on the steps of my porch. Posie's eyes are puffy and red rimmed as tears stream down her face. My heart stops in fear as I instinctively grab Madge's hand.

"Catnip." Madge and I jump up in unison and follow Posie inside the house.

"What's wrong? What happened? Is she okay?"

My mother, along with all of my siblings are just staring at the television screen as we watch giant fireballs zooming throughout the arena.

"Did someone start a fire?"

"That doesn't look like a natural fire Gale." Madge states.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Vick eyes Madge confused.

"What other kind of fire is there?" Rory barks at her and I squeeze Madge's hand apologetically as I glare at Rory.

"The kind the Gamemaker's create, the kind that is intended to push the tributes into one location." I've been forced to watch enough games to know that Madge's suspicions are spot on.

Katniss, Peeta, Thresh and Rue startle awake and scurry down the tree. They make it down uninjured and begin running away from the fireballs. Peeta dodges a fireball, and I think it barely misses him. If it got him, his face doesn't show it. Katniss gets a burn to her calf, but she doesn't let it stop her.

On another screen, we watch as the group of careers run for their lives. I find it odd that the fireballs aren't as prevalent in their area. Suddenly, the boy from Two stops running.

"Cato, what the hell are you doing?" Cato stabs his sword into the ground and uses it to steady his self as he catches his breath.

In-between breaths, he manages to sputter out, "Don't waste your breath, Clove, this fire isn't meant for us."

Glimmer slows down to a jog as she pants in between her words, "What are you talking about?"

"The girl on fire, this is for her. The gamemakers are showing us where she is, all we have to do is go in the direction of the fireballs."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Marvel, the boy from District Two counters.

My eyes widen as I lock eyes with Madge, knowing that this Cato is right.

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Haymitch ~

"I think it's stopped!" The girl pants, nearly out of breath as the fireballs suddenly come to a halt. The rest of the group follows in line, slowing their pace as they spot a small pond. They each stick whatever injured piece of their body that received a burn into the water, not daring to release their supplies, or risk damaging them by submerging their bodies in the water. This is smart thinking. I feel a whoosh of air as the door swings open, revealing a disheveled Effie.

"It's done." Effie announces, nearly out of breath. Did she run up here? I stand up and walk up to the screen. I begin using the touch screen and scroll through the list of available gifts to send. Once I find what I'm looking for, I check our sponsor funds and smile at the amount of money we have available. I select the burn cream and press send. The screen fills completely with an image of Seneca Crane in his largest ear-splitting grin with his thumbs up with the words, 'May the odds be ever in your favor' rolling across the bottom of the screen.

I take my seat back on the sofa as we watch the silver parachute glide down to the kids. The girl catches the parachute and opens it. She opens the paper to my note that reads, 'Stay Alive, -H' and then twists the lid off the burn cream. She shares it with her allies, and we hear them moan in pleasure as the burn cream takes immediate effect. She hands the container of burn cream to the boy, who stashes it away in his fanny pack for safe keeping.

Peeta received a burn to his chest, while Katniss has a pretty deep burn on her calf. Somehow, Thresh and Rue managed to come out with very minor injuries.

"Someone's coming!" The girl whispers as she jerks her head to the left.

"I don't hear anything." Thresh counters.

"Rue, go climb that tree and see if you can see anything." Rue notices the fear in the boy's voice and does as she's told.

"Katniss has the best ears of anyone I've ever met. If she says she hears something, we'd all be wise to heed her warning. Besides, better safe than sorry, right?" Thresh shrugs in agreement, as Rue has already made her way to the tree.

Rue scurries up the tree, reminding me of a little monkey as the rest of the group gets out of the water. They secure their backpacks and have their weapons ready just in time for when the career's come storming around the corner.

. . . . .

0o0o

. . . . .

~ Rue ~

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Marvel sneers as he rubs his hands together as if he's just caught his dinner. Well, maybe he has.

Katniss, Peeta and Thresh stand angled in a triangle against each other; as if protecting each other's back with their weapons at the ready.

"What took you guys so long? We were expecting you ages ago!" I smirk at Peeta's joking banter, but the careers don't seem to share his sense of humor.

My heart is racing in fear for my friends as I wonder what I can possibly do to help, or stall. There has to be something I can do. I climb higher in the tree, if I could just find something to throw at them with my slingshot, it could be the distraction they need to gain the upper hand and escape the careers.

Just as I'm about to give up, a parachute floats toward me. I reach for it and open it to find a knife that resembles a saw with a note attached to it. The only thing on the paper is an arrow pointing up. Or is it pointing down?

I look up just as I hear this faint buzzing noise to find that I am not alone up here. Just above my head, about three branches up is a giant beehive. I notice one of the bees exiting the hive and instantly am aware that this is no regular beehive, but a tracker jacker's nest.

I roll my sleeves down and hide my face into my shirt, keeping as much of my body covered as possible as I begin sawing at the branch where the hive lives. I'm much too high in the tree for anyone to hear me sawing, which means I'm also unable to give my friends much of any warning. There is no choice to make, it's the only thing I can do, I just have to hope the tracker jackers target the careers.

I'm not sure what is happening down below, but I hope Katniss, Peeta and Thresh are doing okay. It feels like it takes forever to saw the hive, but I can still hear Peeta talking to the careers, so it must not have been that long. Finally, I saw at the last bit of the branch when I hear a crash on the ground, followed by the petrified screams and wails of my fellow tributes.

...

Sneak Peek into Chapter 9 :

"When you feel the blood start to simmer in your body, you nod, smile, and agree with her. Once she walks away, you can do your little scowl thing, and then you tell yourself that you are amazing, smart, beautiful and skilled with a bow. You are the best shot in the entire district, and you have a compassionate soul, even if you don't like to show people." I feel the blush creep across my cheeks at his words.

"You think I'm beautiful?"