Time stops for that moment. I see Katniss staring back at us, sitting in the shallows across the river. The others stare back too, unable to believe what they're seeing. One of the biggest threats left in the games is only a stone's throw away and, from the looks of it, completely unarmed.
Then, with some unspoken signal or understanding, we both start running, Katniss sprinting back into the forest and us bounding across the river to follow her. Cato takes lead, his long legs carrying him through the water with ease. Me and Glimmer are right behind him, possessing a similar advantage. I guess the others are behind me, but I don't see or hear them. I run desperately, still hacking from the smoke in my lungs. I have no idea how I'll help Katniss, but I do know that if Cato catches her first, I won't be able to.
Despite her head start, I can see we're gaining, closing in like the predators we are. Then she surprises me. She scampers up a tree with the climbing ability of a squirrel. I can hear the sound of running feet behind me as I join Cato at the base of the tree.
"Got her," announces Cato triumphantly, his cold gaze on Katniss, who's so high up in the tree that it makes me dizzy just looking at her.
By now, all the other slow-pokes have caught up, including Clove.
"Glad you were able to make it across without drowning. That must've been what? A foot of water? Maybe two?" Cato mocks, drawing a glare from the short girl.
"Piss off," she says, coughing and turning her gaze back to Katniss.
Once again, we all silently size each other up. Surprisingly, it's Katniss who ultimately breaks the silence.
"How's everything with you?" she calls down cheerfully.
I can tell by Cato's face that he was expecting something closer to pleading. The others look equally surprised, especially Peeta, who looks transfixed at the sight of Katniss in the tree.
"Well enough," Cato answers, "Yourself?"
Katniss shrugs. "It's been a bit warm for my tastes," she quips.
This is weird. Either she's got some nasty surprise that's giving her all this confidence or she's gone nuts from being out in the woods this whole time.
"The air's better up here. Why don't you come up?" says Katniss, goading Cato to action.
"Think I will," Cato answers, swaggering up to the tree trunk.
"Here, take this, Cato," Glimmer says, offering his silver bow and arrows to the hulking boy.
If I could only find a way to get those to Katniss, this could be over in a few seconds.
"No, I'll do better with my sword," Cato says, waving the bow off and patting the heavy blade hanging from his belt.
The second his hands hit the bark, Katniss starts climbing again, higher and higher into the tree. I'm amazed. She looks like she's almost eighty feet up. I bet if I even attempted that I'd break my goddamn neck. Then again, I am a lot heavier than her.
Heavier. My eyes widen. Katniss is pretty light…but Cato isn't. As I watch him climb after the girl from Twelve, I wonder how much longer those tree branches can support over two-hundred pounds of muscle. The answer comes as a loud crack when Cato's about halfway up the tree. It's borderline hilarious the way he falls, flapping his arms around as if he could fly and smacking into a few branches on the way down. He hits the ground with a tremendous thud. For a moment, I wonder if he's dead, but he gets up, uttering every curse in the English language as Glimmer rushes to his side. I glance at Brooke and Lewis, who I can tell are fighting the same battle as me to suppress their laughter.
Glimmer starts climbing immediately after that, determined until she hears a similar crack. That pretty much takes the starch out of her and she comes back down before she falls. Once down, Cato orders her to shoot. Glimmer nods and notches an arrow, but it's pretty obvious she's useless with a bow. The arrow lands harmlessly in the bark near Katniss, who yanks it out and waves it at her teasingly.
Goddamn it, Katniss. Stop pissing them off even more.
Glimmer huffs and fires another arrow that doesn't even hit the tree this time.
"Give me that," Cato snaps, taking the bow and firing an arrow that misses as well.
"Maybe you should throw the sword," Katniss calls down and I can hear the laughter in her voice. If the situation wasn't so dire, maybe I'd laugh too.
"What do we do now?" Glimmer asks, reclaiming her bow from Cato.
"We gotta get her down somehow," Cato says angrily, still simmering from his hilarious attempt at flight.
"Yeah, but how?" Glimmer asks.
"I don't know!" Cato thunders.
"We could set the tree on fire. Force her to jump," suggests Clove.
"Have we got any lighter fluid?" Glimmer asks.
"No," Cato mutters.
"I've had enough of fire for one day anyway," Brooke grumbles, still leaning on Lewis.
"Then how do you suggest we get her down?" Glimmer snaps.
"Maybe you should ask her nicely," Brooke drawls.
"Maybe you should shut up," Glimmer snaps.
It goes back and forth like that for a while. I lean against the trunk and watch my fellow careers snapping at each other and throwing out every possible idea for getting Katniss down except, amazingly, chopping down the tree. Lewis and Peeta are hanging back, watching the others going at it, although Peeta is making a conscious effort not to look at Katniss, who I'm sure isn't too pleased with him.
The arguing continues and I can see the sun dropping in the sky, our window of opportunity closing with every passing second. I step back and look up at Katniss, who appears to be watching the arguing. Her grey eyes then meet my green ones and I freeze. I mostly see confusion there, along with some anger and some hurt. I feel like turning away, but I know I can't. I deserve it. I didn't fulfill my part of the bargain in time and now we're in trouble. I can't see my own gaze, but I'm sure it's sad. All I can hope is that we figure a way out of this.
"Do you think we could hang some bait up there and attract some mutts?" suggests Glimmer.
Clove scoffs. "That may be the most retarded idea I've ever heard," she sneers.
"Well, what are we supposed to do? We can't just leave her up there," fumes Glimmer.
"I agree. We're not gonna get this opportunity again," says Cato, crossing his arms over his massive chest.
"It's almost dark. How the hell are we gonna get her down before nightfall?" Brooke asks, more frustrated than I've ever seen her, probably a result of her injury.
"I don't know, but maybe…" Cato trails off, uncharacteristically unsure of himself.
"Look around! We're out of fucking time! We need a solution or we need to go back!" Brooke snaps, her voice rising above the tall trees.
"We can't go back to the cornucopia, especially after she made us look so stupid!" Glimmer snaps.
"That's never really a challenge with you is it?" Brooke mutters.
"Fuck you!" spits Glimmer.
"No thanks. Your pants are crowded enough with Cato already in them," Brooke retorts.
They start yelling at each other again and it's a good thing because I couldn't suppress a chuckle at that last line. I see Lewis trying not to smile as well. The bickering swells, engulfing Cato and Clove as well. Once again, I find myself hanging back, waiting for the storm to die down. Lewis does the same, but Peeta surprisingly doesn't.
"Oh, let her stay up there. It's not like she's going anywhere. We'll deal with her in the morning," Peeta says, bringing the argument to a screeching halt.
The others are quiet, obviously contemplating the idea. I don't like it one bit. If I'm going to help Katniss out, I need to get them away from this tree or at the very least divide them. I can't do that if they're all just going to camp out under it.
"It might not be a good idea to stay out here all night. Who knows what kind of mutts are crawling around," I say, hoping this scares them into going back to the cornucopia.
"No, it's a good idea," Cato says, dismissing my concerns with his usual air of authority, "We'll just wait her out. Someone make a fire."
Oh Shit.
We're all huddled near the fire, embraced in it's warm glow. All around us, darkness has swallowed the forest, minus this fire and tree, which might as well be the whole world right now. My fire-starter knife came in handy since nobody remembered to bring matches. Cato sent Lewis back to watch Cooper a few hours ago, claiming we had plenty of people here already and needed to make sure Thresh didn't dispose of our newest ally in our absence. I think he really just wanted to split up Brooke and Lewis, the only cohesive pair left in the games minus him and Clove. He already knows me and Glimmer can't stand each other. If nobody else has an ally backing them up, he's got a two to one advantage in any fight.
Cato and Glimmer are sitting close to the fire. Cato keeps heating the tip of his sword on the coals and staring at the glowing orange metal like it's a work of art. Glimmer spends most of her time flirting with Cato, only periodically drawing his attention away from his sword. Clove hangs off to the right, throwing small knives into a lizard that foolishly wandered through our campsite. Peeta sits by himself as always, lost in his thoughts and a depressed look on his face. Maybe the reality of what he did to Katniss is really hitting home. I hope it is. The prick deserves every bit of guilt he's feeling.
My gaze drifts up to the tree Katniss sits in. I can't spot her in the darkness, although she can definitely see us thanks to the fire. I wonder if she's watching us, devising a crafty escape plan. Or perhaps she's already asleep. If I know one thing, it's that she hasn't given up. Anyone who can pick up the pieces and go on after a tragedy isn't easily destroyed again. Tragedy hardens you and makes you almost bulletproof. Things that might've made you cry before suddenly mean nothing. You start to realize most things are trivial and that you can survive them because you've survived far worse. I learned that from myself.
It's cold out, yet another way the gamemakers show us their love. I warm my hands over the fire, feeling the sensations of heat jumping to my fingertips and spreading through my hands, down my arms and into my torso. I look over and notice Brooke slumping against a tree, just at the edge of the glowing circle.
"How you doing?" I ask, walking over to sit beside her. She lifts her head up to look at me and gives a tired smile.
"I'm alright," she says.
"How's the leg doing?" I ask, motioning towards the injury that's now covered in a bandage.
"See for yourself," she says, removing the gauze. I'm immediately impressed by the capabilities of Capitol medicine. What was an angry, scalding burn of melted flesh a few hours ago has transformed into soft, pink baby-skin that looks damn near healed.
"Looks like you'll be back to full-speed in no time," I say, stretching my legs out and looking at the stars peeking out through the gaps between the tree branches.
"Hopefully," Brooke says quietly. She pauses for a while before continuing. "I never thanked you."
"Huh?" I ask.
"I never thanked you…for saving my life, I mean," says Brooke softly.
"It's fine," I shrug, "It wasn't just me either. Lewis was right beside you too."
"I know. He's…he's the best district partner I could've asked for and I knew what kind of person he was. I knew he'd help me when I needed it," Brooke says, "But I didn't know you would too."
"I'd be kind of a shitty friend to leave you like that," I say with a chuckle.
"You consider me a friend?" Brooke asks.
"Well…yeah. I know it's the Hunger Games, but I consider you and Lewis my friends," I say.
Brooke's face lights up into a smile. "I'm afraid I do too," she says with a sigh.
It's quiet for a moment, the crackling of the fire and the chirping of crickets mixing with Cato and Glimmer's muffled conversation.
"I wish things didn't have to be this way," Brooke says finally.
"Yeah," I answer, "It kinda sucks doesn't it?"
Brooke nods. "We could've been such good friends, you, me, Lewis. If only we'd met somewhere other than the fucking Hunger Games," she says bitterly.
I nod in understanding. I've felt this way for a while, about her, about Lewis…about Katniss. I wonder what we'd all be doing if we'd all been from the same district? Would we be hanging out, laughing and going on camping trips? I can see it. I bet Brooke can too. And that's what makes this all so terrible.
"Can I tell you something?" she asks.
"Sure," I say.
"I've got a bad feeling, like I don't have too much longer," she says quietly.
I instantly know what she means and I don't like it one bit. "Stop talking like that. You're fine," I say tersely.
"I know I'm fine right now, but ever since I got hit by that fireball I've had this ominous feeling. Like I've already outlived my time. Like I was supposed to die back in that fire and I'm cheating death just by being here now," she says, her voice way too calm for such a topic.
"Brooke, we're in the Hunger Games. All of us except for one are living on borrowed time right now. If you get lucky, just accept it and don't think about it too hard. Trust me, you'll never find an answer for why some things happen the way they do. I know. I've tried," I say, my voice forceful even in our hushed tones.
Brooke stares back towards the fire and the other careers. "Marvel, can you promise me something?" she asks.
"That depends on what it is," I answer, skeptical of what might be asked of me.
"If something happens to me and Lewis, I want you to promise me that you'll win and make sure one of those bastards doesn't," Brooke says, her eyes burning as they survey the others.
"I promise," I say earnestly.
Brooke smiles again and relaxes against the tree. "Thank you. You're a good friend, Marvel. I'm sorry I never did more for you," she says.
I smile back. "Trust me, you did plenty."
Not long after that, we pull in closer to the fire and get ready for bed. Despite her protests, Clove finally forces Glimmer to take a long-overdue turn on guard duty. I can't help but smirk as I curl up into my sleeping bag, seeing the pissed off look on her face. My joy doesn't last for long. I still have no plan for how to help Katniss or how to even talk to her. I've got no paper to send a message and I can't even climb within earshot without Glimmer noticing. I lie there, simmering in my frustrations and worried about tomorrow. By then, they may figure out a way to axe Katniss and then I'm really screwed. Hell, if they're torturing her, she may even divulge my treachery just to take me down with her.
My brooding go on, uninterrupted until a familiar sensation grabs my attention. Just like this morning, nature is calling. I get up and exit the campsite, not even receiving a questioning looks from Glimmer. I walk back a bit and find a nice tree. I unzip my fly and let all my tensions flow out again. My head tilts back in sweet relief and that's when I notice something in the tree to my left. I notice an odd little tree branch sticking out. One that almost looks like a hand.
Then it hits me. It is a hand and a hand means a tribute. I zip my fly so quickly that I pinch myself, cursing quietly before I'm able to get everything in order. I can't see anything else in the dark mass of the tree, but I can see that the hand is pointing. I follow its direction and notice it's pointing to Katniss' tree, where I can just make out her seated silhouette against the slightly lighter sky. Then, with some unspoken signal, Katniss begins climbing again, even higher into the tree. The hand-wielding tribute then disappears and I can tell by the rustling in nearby trees that they're jumping through the treetops. Only one tribute comes to mind. The same one that moved through the rope course with unbelievable speed. The same one agile enough to swipe Cato's knife and escape into the rafters. Rue.
So the kid's hanging in there and apparently helping Katniss. I turn my gaze back towards the tree just as I hear the anthem start. There were no deaths today so there's nothing to see, although I'm sure Katniss being trapped is keeping the Capital audience satisfied for now. Katniss looks like she's messing around with one of the branches, but I can't quite tell from here. Then, as soon as the anthem ends, she scampers back down to her original spot. Curious.
I look around for some tree to climb that could get me close enough to talk to her, but I don't see one. I don't even have any rocks or acorns to throw to get her attention. Frustrated and no closer to helping Katniss than I was three hours ago, I trudge back to camp and my sleeping bag. Glimmer is still awake and unfortunately clutching her bow and arrows, eliminating the possibility of me finding a way to get those damn things to Katniss. I curl up in my sleeping bag and watch the sky, my last thoughts before sleep being how lousy an ally I really am.
A/N: This was actually one of the more enjoyable chapters to write. I think it's because of all the Career dialogue. The more reserved characters definitely have their place in the story, but I'd be lying if I said they were as much fun. As always, all reviews, follows and favorites are greatly appreciated.