Author's Note: I know you are all dying for a Peeta's POV and I promise there will be one soon, don't worry. As for now, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Thank you for all the love 3
Danny's story must have been entertaining enough, because the Gamemakers give us a full day of tranquility. But as the sun disappears for the seventh time in the Arena I remember Haymitch's gift, and that there will not be another one of those unless I 'keep it up', not to mention there is the possibility of another thunderstorm if the people on the Capitol grow bored, after all there has been no cannons today.
"You look so much like him," I whisper, but I know the microphones can pick it up. In the Arena your only secrets are your own thoughts, everything else is out there for the world to see. I smile at Danny softly, and continue to talk in whispers, as if it wasn't staged. The good thing is that I miss Peeta so much that it's obvious on my voice, or at least to him it would be. I'm not sure about the people on the Capitol, but I'm not going to turn into a sappy, cheesy girl just to please them. They won't take that from me. Instead, I just whisper to Danny, as if I was talking to him, and only him.
"Same blue, lie-detecting eyes. Same nose you obnoxiously stick on everyone's business..." Danny giggled, and I smirked a little, tickling his tummy over the sleeping bag. "Same shaggy, untamable blonde curls, the ears that redden when you are embarrassed, the never-full stomach. You look so much like him." I sigh and look away, because Danny has made everyone see that I'm a lovable, talented, sweet girl, but I cannot keep the facade on, and sooner or later the Capitol will realize that. Because I have never been worthy of Peeta, and it's harder to try to be when I'm so far away from him.
I swallow hard and return my eyes to him, forcing a smile on my face. "So I guess it's good, because you get to see him, and you don't have to worry about what the future will bring. You already know you will be a brave, tall, strong, very handsome, very nosy, very lovable man." Danny is smiling proudly, but the following words sting in my mouth so I just say them, giving the Capitol what they want: a show.
"I just wish I could be there to see it."
Danny gasps, but I just hold him close, hoping him and everyone back home watching will forgive me for what I've just said.
I know I won't forgive myself.
Sleeping seems like such a luxury.
After staying the whole night up, caressing Danny's hair, humming under my breath and watching the fire, sleeping is probably the best feeling on earth. I should have known that it wouldn't last that long.
Before the dawn is even close a very familiar laughter wakes me up. Cato. His name is on my lips as I sit up startled.
"You didn't think you could stay far from us for long, did you?" He snickered. Danny stirred against me in the sleeping bag. "You see, Twelve. You and I, we made a deal, didn't we? You were supposed to be one of us, and we were supposed to leave the kid alone."
I reach for the bow, because I know that I can take all of them down in a moment. But my hand freezes on it when I realize I'm not high enough for them not to reach me if they throw a spear. I've seen Marvel throw them, he never misses. I shouldn't push it.
"You didn't stick to your side of the deal, sweets." Clove said, a devilish grin on her face. And it's her voice what finally wakes Danny up, the Career's smile grows as she spots his terrified blue eyes. "So we are not sticking to ours."
My eyes go from Clove to Cato, who seems pleased with his companion's speech. Behind them Glimmer holds on tightly to a spear and keeps her focused eyes on me. Marvel is looking down, deliberately avoiding looking at us. I try not to think much about that.
"Start climbing." I whisper Danny without looking at him. He takes a second to react, but before anyone can move he is already doing what I said. He is not as skillful at it as I am, but the past week has helped him practice and he makes his way up the tree, bringing out some protests from the Career pack below me.
My eyes are focused on Glimmer as I slide out of the sleeping bag, carefully rolling it up and placing it on the backpack.
"I told you we were one sleeping bag short."
"That bitch stole from us."
"And she'll pay for it threefold, when she sees that precious child of hers fall down to his death." Cato is not joking, his voice is deep, determinate and dripping anger. It still amazes me to what point they trusted me. Cato is not just angry, he looks betrayed. It's ridiculous, how are you supposed to trust anyone in this place? Especially when a handshake is all the guarantee given. "Marvel, do it." He instructs, quieting the two girls behind him.
Marvel has a bronze-like skin, and his face lifts too quick when he hears his name, it's pale. I shiver.
Before he even processes the order my hand is already tensing the bow, aiming right at his heart. I know he has seen too much of me to expect me to miss. But I've seen too much of him to let go of the arrow that easily. Everything flashes through my eyes: Marvel telling me jokes on the forest, Danny laughing at them; Marvel warning me about Cato and the others, the panicked look on his face as he realizes he is the one supposed to kill Danny.
Maybe they are not all monsters. But they all still have to die.
I start savoring my apology to him on my mouth, readying myself to let go of the arrow. But then, everything happens too fast.
"Katniss!" I know I shouldn't have, but I turn around to see Danny immediately, foolishly giving my back to the Careers. Had they been faster, they could have taken me down right that moment. He is holding on tightly to the tree with one hand, but the other is pointing at something effusively. A rustle on the leaves around me suggest there is someone else in the trees, someone wisely running away. Before I allow myself to think twice about it I lift the bow and shoot at the branch that Danny's pointing at. We both cringe when I hit the target.
The beehive falls right at Glimmer's feet, and then hell breaks loose.
"Danny! Down, now!" I yell at him, knowing that the Careers will chose to run away instead of staying around to capture us. Especially when I realize that the buzzing creatures I've awoken are not bees, but tracker jackers.
By the time I touch the ground everyone's gone, except Glimmer. She was once a gorgeous woman of honey-like hair and green sparkling eyes, but now she is nothing but a squirming, swelling mass of tracker jackers pinching on her skin. I swat the insects away the best I can as I wait for Danny to come down, but I feel the sting in my hand first, and then on my lip. Glimmer's whimpers and cries for help disappear abruptly, and a cannon follows.
"Katniss!" Danny cries and I spot him down the tree, he doesn't need to call my name another time and he knows it, so he just runs and I follow him. I know he is trying to head towards the cave, but the hallucinations catch up with me before we are even close.
In my dream the mines explode a thousand times. As I watch Danny dying a hundred different, painful deaths, as I hear Peeta yelling at me because I was not able to save his brother, as I feel Prim flinching away from me and Gale calling me a monster, the mines explode as a background noise. Over and over again. And every time they do, I hear my father giving his last breath.
When I wake up the mines are still exploding. It takes a few blinks for me to realize it's just a headache. I sit up and press my palms against my closed eyes, trying to ease the pounding headache. Unfortunately, once it recedes I become too aware of my other injuries. My burns are still painful, my ankle is sprained and several points of my skin itch beyond words. When I bring my fingers to scratch my arm I notice there is a green stuff there. I remove it, confused, but I put it back again immediately when I realize it's easing the burning sensation the tracker jacker's venom have left on my skin.
Danny. The name pops in my mind and I feel guilty on how long it took me to think about the boy I've vowed to protect. I sharpen my senses only to hear two sounds I thought I would never hear again:
First there's water. Clean, flowing, bountiful water.
There's Danny's laughter too, but the odd thing is a girl is laughing along with him.