Thank you to all those who favorited this story, put it on alert and reviewed it. Sorry that this update has taken so long. The woman that I nanny for has been super busy a needed me a lot more than usual and watching twins leaves little to no time to write while I'm over there. And I'm there for 8-10 hours today! But I finally found time to write as I've been sick this week. ONTO THE TRACKER JACKERS!

Disclaimer: Sadly, Suzanne Collins owns the Hunger Games and everything involved with it, but I own my characters. So, don't steal them. Please? Thank you.

Your mind is in disturbia
It's like the darkness is the light (Disturbia)
Am I scaring you tonight? (Disturbia)
Ain't you to what you're like
Disturbia, disturbia

Chapter 15: Tracker Jackers

Sleep hadn't come easily throughout the night, and when it had, all I could see was his face. The slash marks appearing time after time as he bled out right in front of me. I couldn't move, forced to watch as he died over and over again. Everywhere I turned, he was there, staring at me as my trident came out of nowhere to tear at his face. Then, I was standing over his body as he died, and it started all over again. No matter what I did, I couldn't escape the boy from District Six.

As soon as I felt something over my mouth, I shot up, fully awake and alert. Katniss was in front of me, giving me a look that told me I needed to be quiet. At first, I thought I might have been screaming from the dream I had been having, but she didn't look worried. She looked almost happy. I looked down once she pulled away but saw that the Careers and Peeta were all still down there, even if they were asleep.

I started to open my mouth, but she put a finger to her lips. "What is it?" I mouthed, confused by what was happening. The rays from the morning sun was just starting to peak over the horizon through the trees, so I assumed if she had something planned, we needed to do it soon before the people beneath us woke up.

Katniss pointed a finger up, and I followed it, trying to discern what she was pointing at. At first all I could see were branches and leaves that thinned out toward the top of the tree. Then the large thing hanging from one of the branches started to take shape, and my mouth fell open. About twenty feet above us was a large nest and not just any nest. If the Gamemakers were pulling out all the stops, it was a tracker jacker nest. My heart pounded in my chest; I had heard plenty of horror stories from the days of the rebellion and the things the Capitol created in order to win. I had never thought I'd see something like that in person.

"What are we supposed to do?" I asked, genuinely worried. It seemed like we had nowhere to go.

"We aren't going to do anything," Katniss said, her voice barely qualifying as a whisper. "I need you to climb down quickly but quietly. I'm going up."

As her words registered, confusion marred my features. "Going up?"

She nodded, pulling the pack from her back, taking a large knife out. "I'm going to cut the nest down. Which is why I need you to move."

My gaze dropped from her down to the sleeping people below us, my eyes zeroing in on Cato's form. I knew exactly what she was planning as soon as she said it. We were stuck in that tree with no possible way of escape, and Peeta had said they would deal with us in the morning. I just hadn't realized that if we were going to escape, there was going to have to be deaths. My mind was swirling with all the emotions and thoughts running rampant through it. The time during the Games I had been dreading was possibly near. Thinking about him dying made me uneasy, something that was a dangerous thing to feel.

"You're going to drop it on them, aren't you?"

"That's the plan," she said, already starting to move up the tree.

"Katniss," I said louder than intended. Schooling myself, I lowered my voice again. Against my better judgment, she had become someone that I genuinely cared about. Cato wasn't the only reason I didn't want her to cut down the nest. Katniss was a kind girl who was put in her situation protecting her sister. It wasn't something she should have to die for, and I didn't want to just leave her up in the tree to die. "If you cut that thing down, you'll be stung, and you know exactly what that means."

She looked back to me for a moment, staring at me, as if trying to read me. Her face softened suddenly; she could tell that I was genuinely concerned for her safety. If she was stung too many times, there was a chance she could die. "April, this is our only shot to get out of this tree."

I thought about trying to convince her to change her mind, but it didn't seem like anything I said would get her to budge on what she had decided. After reaching for my pack, I reached out and took her free hand, giving it a squeeze. I mouthed a 'Good luck,' before starting my decent down the tree. The low light of the morning lit up the forest enough for me to see the trees, but that was bordering on bad. The tributes below wouldn't sleep forever; they had planned to deal with us once the sun rose. I had to do exactly as Katniss had said: quickly and quietly.

Quickly and quietly was easier said than done. If I began to move too fast, my shoulder would flare up on pain from the soreness of being slid back into place. And every little noise from anywhere in the forest had me freezing in my tracks. I knew, though, that if I didn't get out of that tree, I would be subjected to the tracker jackers just like anyone else. A quiet yelp of pain hit my ears, and I looked up to see Katniss grimacing. My fear had become a reality; she had been stung. I just had to hope that she wouldn't be stung enough to kill her.

I heard the branch holding the nest start to crack just as I reached about eight feet off the ground. The only thing left I had at my disposal to climb down were the small knots sticking out of the trunk. It had been difficult enough to climb up them. I wasn't sure how fast I could get down. With every crack and quiet whimper from Katniss above me, I knew I had to get out of and away from the tree soon, or I would meet the same fate as the five below me. But if I woke them up, they would chase after me before the nest could fall on them.

I found my eyes drifting to Cato's sleeping form again, and there was nothing I wanted to do more than to wake and warn him. That part of me was screaming out in my head loudly, overtaking the voice that was telling me to abandon him; if that voice hadn't sounded like Merrick, it would have been easier to ignore. Warning him meant that there was a chance I would wake everyone else, and Katniss cutting the nest down and risking her life would have been for nothing. So, I sat on the last real branch on the tree before the knots started, compromising between the two voices using my brain as a war zone.

I watched and waited, carefully keeping an eye on Katniss and her progress. If I timed it just right, I would jump from the tree before the nest could hit me without giving the Careers time to react to what was about to come. As much as I didn't want anything to happen to Cato, my self-preservation instinct was finally kicking in over worrying about his welfare. Xerxes words rang out in my head, calming me. I think you underestimate your instinct to do anything to live over anything else. It was the first time I felt it full force, to put myself above anyone else, including Cato. My will to live was finally winning out over the pull between the two of us. I could still feel the little tug, telling me that I cared about what happened to him, but it was buried under a pile of survival instinct.

A loud crack sounded through the forest, and when I looked up, I saw the branch barely hanging on. I didn't have any time left. I readied myself for the leap from the tree I would have to make to get down. It was the same branch I had been on the night before when Cato offered me a spot with the Careers once more. I was more than happy I had stuck with Katniss. Taking a deep breath, I jumped from the branch, landing with a thud on the forest floor. Cato's head shot up almost immediately, and I was thankful he was the only one to wake up. We stared at each other for a moment, and I opened my mouth to say something, but when I heard another loud crack, I didn't need to look up to know what was about to happen.

"Run," I whispered before standing up and sprinting at full speed away from the tree.

The sound of buzzing filled my ears as I continued to run, followed by the screams of the Careers once the tracker jackers began to sting them. The stories of what tracker jacker venom did to its victim were horrific, and it wasn't something I would wish on anyone, but it was the only way to get out of that tree and continue the Games. The buzzing was fading, but I couldn't tell if it was because I was getting farther away or the tracker jackers were following their targets. Either way, I slowed my pace to conserve my energy, not wanting to tire myself out too early in the day.

BOOM! The resounding fire of a cannon stopped me in my tracks, echoing through the forest down to my very bones, and then nothing but the sound of my ragged breathing remained. I had fully intended on going back for Katniss once I was sure it was safe, but with the cannon going off, I was worried there would be no one to go back for. Of course, there had only been one cannon go off. It could have been one of the Careers that was killed or even Peeta. The thought did nothing to stamp out the worry in my chest, images of Cato lying on the ground, covered in stings, racing through my mind. I had to find out. I had to go back.

I pulled one of the larger knives from my pack—though it was by no means large enough to strike fear in anyone—just in case I needed to protect myself from something or someone. I had practiced enough with close combat that I was confident I could use it to my advantage. The forest was too quiet for my liking, though, making me jump at every tweet of a bird or snap of a twig. The closer I got to the tree Katniss and I had sheltered ourselves in, the more on edge I became by just how quiet my surroundings were. I prayed that the cannon I had heard wasn't for Katniss. Unless I found Crest, I would be alone.

As soon as the tree was in sight, I saw someone running on the other side of it, a silver bow and quiver of arrows hanging on their back, but in the dim morning light, that was all I could make out. I gripped the knife tightly in my hand as I made my way closer to the tree, readying myself should the need to fight arise. Seconds later, my eyes landed on a body in front of the tree, and I lowered my defensive stance. The body was swollen beyond recognition, but the long flowing blonde tresses gave it away. Glimmer had perished in the tracker jacker attack.

I breathed a sigh of relief that it hadn't been Katniss, and with Glimmer dead, I didn't know how to feel. I had made jokes with Cato about wanted her dead as soon as possible, about being the one to end her life. Staring down at her corpse, I felt an overwhelming sense of pure guilt that I didn't feel bad that she was dead. Her body lying in front of me actually made me happy, and the mere thought of having that emotion made me want to throw up. I shook my head quickly; I would not let the Games turn me into a monster, so I let myself believe that it was the adrenaline that wasn't allowing me to feel bad.

A loud crunch of leaves and an almost roar like yell got my attention, and I was back in a defensive position. I could tell that the voice that had yelled was Cato; his tone of voice was discernible anywhere. The knife was held tightly in my hand, and I could feel the handle leaving indents in my palm. If he had been stung and was under the effects of the venom, no one would be safe in his path, not even me. Whatever bond we had would be marred and distorted until he was better.

I was surprised when I saw Peeta running through the trees with Cato not close behind. Peeta looked like he was limping terribly, as if his leg had been injured. When he changed directions and began running toward me, I could see the large gash in his leg, no doubt a wound inflicted by the large sword in Cato's hand. I stepped behind a tree, having not been seen my either of the boys, lying in wait. I knew if I was going to get either of them, I had to act fast, while the venom had them under its spell.

I stuck my leg out from the tree, far enough to catch their legs. As soon as Peeta passed the tree, he saw my leg and jumped in time, but Cato was too far gone from the venom and tumbled to the ground. His sword fell away from him, and I ran to pick it up. Peeta was gone before I could even look up, but it didn't matter. Cato was lying on the ground unarmed, and the moment of truth had arrived. I could rid myself of the problem forever, and not worry about him for the rest of the Games. Plus, killing the strongest tribute in the Games would catch the attention of sponsors, making my experience in the arena that much easier.

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to where Cato was lying, his breathing ragged from the exertion of chasing Peeta. He wasn't passed out yet, but I could tell the venom was taking its toll, and it was only a matter of time. Taking the sword in both my hands, unable to hold it with just one, I held it up above him, pointing it down straight at his chest. One plunge and it would be over, all my troubles and all my worrying would be carried off in a hovercraft. But as I stood there, all the feelings that I had tried to ignore and push back were clawing their way to the surface. The smile that seemed just for me entered my mind, and I screamed in anger, throwing Cato's sword to the side. Looking down at his almost limp body on the ground, those intense blue eyes staring up at me, I grabbed at the ends of my hair and groaned in frustration. Staring down at him had brought me to one simple conclusion: if Cato died, it would have to be by someone else's hands.

"Damn it!" I yelled again, angry at myself more than anything else. I had let Cato get under my skin so much that I couldn't kill him. Something told me that was exactly what he had wanted, and I had been weak enough to fall for it.

"April?" I heard him quietly ask, and I wanted so desperately to ignore it.

I wanted to just leave him there and go about my business. I had one major issue, though. Without Katniss, I had no ally to be with during the Games, and it was always better to be in some kind of alliance until there were too few people to really trust. Then it was every man for himself. Cato had wanted me to join him from the beginning, and that had been the plan until Glimmer had ruined it. She was gone, though, so there was no reason not to take him up on the offer. I could almost hear Merrick's voice in my head telling me to pick him up and be in an alliance with him. If only Merrick knew what was really going on between Cato and me.

After much inner deliberation, I decided to, for once, listen to my inner Merrick. It was better to face the Games with an ally than with no one at all. I placed Cato's sword where my trident normally rested in my pack, making sure it was tightened securely so it wouldn't fall out, before leaning down to lift one of Cato's arms over my shoulders.

"Cato, I know you're almost out, and you probably can't fully understand me, but I need your help," I said, hoping that some part of what I was saying could get through the haze in his brain. "All we need to do is get somewhere safe so you can rest for a few days, and get that junk out of your system."

All I received in response was a grunt, so I was surprised when Cato started pushing himself off the ground. Once he was fully standing, at least half of his weight was leaning on me. I was just thankful he was moving his feet and I didn't have to drag him. There was no way we would have made it anywhere that way. Deciding that north was the best option, I got us moving, in hopes of finding something we could use for a shelter. It wouldn't be long before Cato was passed out, and that wouldn't be good for either of us.

After what seemed like hours with his heavy frame draped over me and him mumbling unintelligible words, we happened upon a fallen tree, hollowed out by the elements. It was just wide enough to us to use as a shelter until Cato was better. At that point, I would have taken an alcove of rocks, so I was more than happy to have a solid shelter. Before we could get to it, though, Cato tumbled to the ground, taking me with him. The venom had finally taken its toll, and Cato was out for the count. Thankfully, we were only about ten feet from the tree. I could pull him that distance.

Moving out from under him, I threw my pack into the fallen tree. It would be easier to pull Cato without it hindering my movements. To no surprise, he was still out cold. It was better than having him incoherent and uncooperative. Rolling him over, I moved to his head, wrapping my hands under his arms. With every ounce of strength I had, I pulled and I pulled hard. He had at least seventy five more pounds on him than I did, most of it muscle, so it took almost all the energy I had to get him to the tree. Actually getting him into the tree was the hard part. The tree was maybe three feet in diameter, so I could stand to full height. But after some maneuvering, we were both finally in the tree, far enough inside it that someone would have to actively look inside it to see us.

I gave myself an hour to eat and drink to get my strength back up. I needed Cato to be back to one hundred percent as soon as possible, and I knew about a plant that could help with poisons and venoms. If I could find the leaves, I could get Cato healed up faster, and that would be better for the both of us. When I felt up to it, I crawled out of the tree and stretched. It looked to be about midday, so I would need to stay on my guard. That was the most popular time for tributes to be out hunting. Though, it gave me some comfort that half of the tributes were incapacitated by tracker jacker stings, I still gripped my knife tightly.

Looking for the plant was easier said than done. Either the plant wasn't in the arena or I was going in circles and getting myself nowhere, though I made sure to leave myself little marks on trees so I wouldn't get lost. It would take longer for Cato to heal without the leaves, and I didn't want to waste that time sitting around, waiting for other tributes to find us. Of course, there was always the chance they could be on the other side of the arena, and that was definitely no help. I moved to sit on a stump, trying to decide where I wanted to look next before it got dark. If push came to shove, I would look more when the sun came back up.

A twig snapping caught my attention, and I looked up just in time to see a spiral of hair pop behind a tree. I held the knife tightly in my hand, waiting to see if the person behind the tree was going to run away or make a move. I was prepared either way. There was no way I was going down so early in the Games. I would take whoever was behind the tree with me if I had to.

"You might as well come out. I know you're back there," I said, getting tired of waiting for them to do something. Once they stepped out and I saw who it was, I immediately lowered my knife. It was the little girl from District 11. And she had the leaves I needed in her hands. "I'm not going to do anything to you." I dropped the knife on the ground to show her I was serious. "Your name is… Rue, right?"

"Yes. And you're April," she replied quietly, playing with the leaves in her hand. I didn't want to make her nervous, but it seemed I was doing so without trying. "You were in the tree with Katniss when I told her about the nest."

"You pointed out the nest to Katniss?" I asked, and she nodded without a word. "Well, thank you. You got us out of a really tough spot today." I waited for her to say something, but she remained quiet. "Listen. I have a friend that was stung by a few of the tracker jackers, and I really need him to be better. Where did you find those?" She held them close to her chest, as if to protect them. "I'm not going to take them from you. I was going to get my own. I promise."

Rue stood quietly for a moment in front of me, considering my words. There was the chance that if she knew I was talking about Cato, she wouldn't help me at all. "The plants are on a cliff overlooking the river," she said, lifting her finger and pointing northwest. "That way. You can't miss it."

A sigh of relief left my lips, and I sent Rue a smile. There was no real reason for her to help me, but it seemed like she liked and trusted Katniss, so in turn, she trusted me. "Thank you so much, Rue." I took into consideration that she was getting those leaves for herself or for someone else. "And I hope whoever needs those gets better."

She opened her mouth to reply but just smiled softly and jogged away from me. It struck me as odd, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. I had to make it to the river and back to Cato before nightfall. There was still no way of knowing what could happen at night, even with the biggest competitors out of commission. The Gamemakers could do anything they wanted any time they wanted, day or night. It would make me feel infinitely better if I was in my hiding spot by the time night came around.

The trek to the river was, thankfully, uneventful. It had been a straight shot from where Rue had told me about the leaves, only a small hill providing no challenge. The tricky part was the rocky terrain on the cliff. I was sure Rue's light and nimble figure kept her from falling, but I had to be a lot more careful. Falling into the river from the height of the cliff would be devastating. If the water were just smooth, there would be no issue, but there were sharp rocks below that threatened to do me in. I kept my breathing steady as I used the knife to strip the plant of its leaves.

Once I thought there were enough, I started to back down the cliff, but the rocks beneath me were slippery. Suddenly, I lost my footing, and an involuntary yelp left my lips. I stayed on the cliff, but I dropped my knife and it slid right off the cliff. For a few moments, I stared in disbelief at the last spot that I had seen my knife before its descent to the river below. There was no way I was going to find it, and with no weapon, it made me extremely wary to walk back to the tree where Cato was waiting. But he needed the leaves to get better, and I needed him to get better so I wasn't alone in the arena.

"You can do this, April," I said, standing back up slowly and watching my footing as I made my way back down the cliff. A deep breath in and a deep breath out. "You know how to take care of yourself."

I would have felt much better if I had brought my pack with me, with Cato's sword tucked into the back of it. The sword was too heavy for me to use one handed, but in the situation, I would have made it work somehow. I had to play the cards I was dealt, though, so I started my walk back through the forest, looking for the identifying marks that I had left low on the trees to find my way back. It was quite something how hyper vigilant I became once I was defenseless; I felt even more jumpy than I had previously.

I let out a loud sigh of relief as I crawled into the hollowed out tree. Cato was shaking, a sheen of sweat covering his face, and my heart went out to him. As soon as I was in, I set to work on covering every sting with leaf. Quite a few of them still had the stingers in them, so I had to pull them out as I went. I tried not to think of Cato as who he was while I was digging around under his clothes. He was just the ally that was going to help me get through the Games, and I was making sure he got better. After I was confident he was fully patched up, I pulled out my sleeping bag from my pack, unzipping it fully and draped it over him. He was going to need it more than I was. I kept watch over him for hours, peering out of the tree every so often until I was too tired to keep my eyes open. With Cato still shaking, I crawled next to him under the sleeping bag and draped my body partially over his; his shaking stopped almost instantly.

Relief flooded through me at him seemingly being better, so I let myself relax until I could no longer stay awake.

CATO OC CATO OC CATO OC CATO OC CATO

I FINALLY FINISHED THE CHAPTER! Again, I'm sorry this took so long. My life has just been super hectic with watching the twins. But I will do my best to write more while they nap and stuff like that. Cato will wake up next chapter after some action takes place! Get ready for some kick ass April!