A/N: THANK YOU mrspatrickdempsey (You'll see:)), PeetaLuver1, maryclumsy (Hehe, yeah, I did get your point:) Thanks), InLoveWithPeeta, FlamingArrows, Emmy (hehe, I'm happy to hear you would actually read a book written by me if you had to pay for;) But I don't think you'll ever have to. Writing is a hobby for me, I can't really imagine ever making my bread with it:) Besides...my stuff would probably be too provoking...), Aloha-Pinkly (Haha, am I going to feel your spoon of vengeance now? It did take me a week or so, after all:)), journey4eva, Mockingjay272 (I'm glad I made you happy with the fluff:)), SWPeetaxKatnissAvatarTLA, DebbyHayleyBieber119, SamiCatalfumo (Oh really? That's awesome! There isn't much in German on FF(only for Harry Potter, but that's an exception in general.) And really, I can't blame anyone. German is such a difficult language, I admire everyone who has the patience to learn it:) I will definetely read your one-shot:D And thank you:DD I always worry about my grammar...), Kari (I know. Sometimes I do want to kill her though), InLoveWithAFictionalCharacter 7, torigrace (Yeah, or so people say. About me and building suspense. Actually, I believe that's just coincidence. When I write, I am this character, and I only try to describe what they're feeling. If you ask me, it's a miracle I succeed, cuz usually I can't describe. I'm really awful with words...:)), DandelionOnFire (Hehe, It'll surprise you that I know what you meant immediately:)), Samlicker19 (You're welcome:)), DancingDP (Haha, don't worry, I know exactly what you mean. I just figured out that obviously, I'm not female, since highlighting the love triangle {and with that the romantic/fluffy part} in CF {the film} is their strategy of keeping the female audience. I must say I'm rather unnerved by that. They're turning THG into a second Twlilight and...bleh! I hate when people do that! They're so nothing alike! I'm going to kill them if they do that for MJ:)), LiveandBreatheWords (Yup:) But this one doesn't end on a clifhanger...not really:)), KMloveya, KHO, LoTS-Fanatic (Thank you:) I'm glad to hear that:)), sick-of-dreams (I don't think it's too bad...:)), mojojojo152, Mockingjay249 (Thanks a lot:)), ZaraB (Yeah, they are. It's alright:) I was happy to see you reviewed again though, thank you:D), Toghgal, Maxi OT (Ich weiß, es war ein reviewer für 'Ne', aber ich bin einfach zu doof dich auf ff (dot) de zu finden, also, falls du das hier liest, es ist die Antwort zu einer deiner Fragen...mein Alter verrat ich dir vielleicht sollte es mir je gelingen dich auf ff (dot) de zu finden...also: Nein, ich hab kein Auslandsjahr gemacht, würde das aber super gerne tun. Ich war allerdings mal in ner Gast-familie in England, wenn auch nur für zwei Wochen. Englisch gelernt hab ich ehrlich gesagt beim fanfiction lesen, und natürlich bei meiner genialen Englischlehrerin, die die einzige ist, der ich überhaupt zuhöre, und die einzige, die mir wirklich was beibringt:) Und 'n GANZ großes Dankeschön an dich:D)

A BIG THANK YOU to Sabrii, dafür das du alle Kapitel dieser Geschichte auf Deutsch review-t hast xD und dafür, dass du mein 300-ster Reviewer bist xD (for reviewing every single chapter of this story in German and for being my 300th reviewer)

Haha, I'm kind of pleased that none of you was able to predict what I have in mind...how I'm going to prevent Katniss from getting shot...or am I (believe me, I was tempted)?;)Don't worry, you aren't supposed to know:)

Chapter 12:

My first instinct is to shy back. I don't know whether the man holding it is Brains or Brawns, since he hasn't spoken, but I don't believe I'm going to find out. Don't believe he's interested in talking.

"Didn't know you had companions." Given my guess, I'm slightly startled when he does speak. He's not talking to me, like I first thought. No, he's talking to Cann. And it frightens me. Does he know him?

"And what a pretty one." He's taunting him, clearly, as he nudges me with his foot, as if I was some kind of dead animal, and he's speaking of me with less respect than you have for one.

"What is she, huh? Your girlfriend?" He must see the disgruntled expression on my face, showing what I think of that idea, because he laughs.

"Obviously not. Your bodyguard, then?" His eyes scan me. My fear forgotten, I scramble away from him. I don't like someone looking me up and down like prey. I quickly come to a stop when he raises his gun in a threatening manner, though.

He snorts. "Thought they'd give you something better. She doesn't look all that strong. And a bow? How…primitive, don't you think? Doesn't Coin have better weapons? I'll never get why he sees her as a threat."

Maybe I should be wondering who this 'Coin' or this 'he' is, but his comment about my bow upset me. It may be old-fashioned, but it did the task of providing my family more than well, and it was built by my father. I'm taking this personal.

Other than that, I do know who this man in front of me is, now. His voice revealed him. Brawns. My mother's murderer. And that comprehension fuels my anger.

"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up!"

He gives me a disapproving look and a shake of his head. "Such dirty words from such a pretty mouth." I'm tempted to spit at his feet. The only thing preventing me from doing so is the knowledge that I won't reach them.

"However, I'm not here to argue with Thirteen scum like her. You, boy, should know what I'm here for. And if you give me what I want, I might spare your little friends here."

I raise my head to look around. To see Sylvia lying at the ground, only a few feet away from Cann, clutching her shoulder, a mixture of fury, pain and fear on her face. But lying there are only the two of them.

My eyes immediately start darting around, frantically searching for Peeta. Did they get him? Where is he? Is he safe? Or is he...I can't even think about it.

When I spot him behind a tree, the first thing I feel is relief. He's alive, and they can't see him.

But then a unjustified jolt of anger rushes through me. Why isn't he helping us?

I mentally scold myself for thinking that way. It's selfish. He's watching out for his own life. It's his right. And I'm partly glad, too. It's what he should be doing. He shouldn't be putting his life in danger for me, not again. Only…not doing it seems so unlike him.

And then I remember Prim. Of course. She's out there, too. He's probably staying there, watching, making sure he can be there for Prim. That seems more like him, and suddenly, I'm thankful. He's going to watch out for her when I'm gone.

That what I think until I see him collapse. I can barely fight the urge to vomit as I see the reason, his calf, bits of flesh revealed by the torn material of his pants, covered in blood, and have to hold in my scream of agony. I can't scream. It would give away the fact that he's there. I must give him at least that much protection.

But watching this scene without doing anything is sheer torment, too, because of his face distorted in pain, the way he has to hold back his cry, the way he's pressing his eyes together, how he's clutching the tree trunk for support as the damaged leg conks out.

Coldness fills me as I realize he won't be able to help anyone in this state. Not even himself.

"You're not going to get what you want." Cann's voice is still calm, like always. I wonder where he takes that from. "I won't give it to you."

Brawns smirks and says in a disdainful voice, "It was just an offer. I can always shot you and get what I want after that."

For some weird reason, Cann smiles. "If you kill me you're never going to find it. It'll die with me."

Although Brawns smirk does return, his frown, the one he got on his face hearing Cann's words, doesn't vanish. He looks as though he's about to bare his teeth. "You're bluffing. And even if what you're saying is true, what's the harm? If this information vanishes completely…it would only be an advantage."

This time, Cann actually laughs. Is he crazy? This man has a point, and a good one. He could just shot us, if what my ally says was true. "You honestly think I'm the only human being having this knowledge?" Isn't that what he was implying? But he just shakes his head.

"No. But you know where I am. Here. You have me at your mercy."

Suddenly, his eyes widen and the smile disappears from his face. Only for the fraction of a second, but long enough for my trained hunter's eyes to notice. I'm confused for a moment, until I turn around to see someone else has also exited the hovercraft. He isn't making any noise, as if trying to approach unnoticed. What confuses me is that the only person that's not going to notice him is Brawns…his partner.

His snarling partner. "Stop playing you little games. I'm tired of them. I'm going to make out the others and I'll destroy them, just like you."

And then everything happens at once. In slow motion, I see Brawns pulling the trigger back, his gun now pointed at Cann's head. But a second before he lets go a bang rings through the air. So, just as the bullet leaves one gun, the shooter is hit by another.

He collapses, clutching his chest. There is a stain of blood, and it's quickly, steadily growing into a pool. The fabric of his jacket soaks it up, dying the once white material a deep red. My nausea returns as I watch the scene.

Brawns lets out a choked sound before his whole body goes rigid.

It takes me a few seconds to register what just happened. Brawns was killed. As I look around, I wonder if Cann's managed to grab his gun, but a glance at his heavily breathing form, lying a few inches away from the spot he was on before, since he had to avoid getting hit by the bullet, tells me he wasn't the one to kill Brawns.

And then it hits me. Of course. Cann couldn't have done it; the bullet didn't even come from his direction. It came from the opposite one.

I turn my head, not quite believing the track my thoughts are going. It's impossible.

But it isn't. There, a gun in his hand, a strangely tired expression on his face, mixed with relief, is Brains. Brawns partner. And obviously, a traitor.

"A shame. Such a miracle he even managed to talk to you for so long. I feared I'd be too late. But I had to shut cameras as well as microphones off. They're so suspicious, never trusting me. Only giving me this brutal machine to work with." He sighs.

To say I'm dumbfounded would be an understatement.

What? Who is this man? Is he talking to us? What is he talking about? And why? Why did he betray his partner, why did he save us? Is he a spy? And how can he stand there, looking so calm, as if he didn't just murder someone?

"No time to dwell on that, though. We have to hurry. We have exactly three hours to get to Thirteen. That's how long it'll take the other hovercrafts to appear. And they're going to come from every direction. I know they've sent them once they discovered I deactivated their monitoring system. And their bomb. That was their original plan to stop me from betraying them, but they underestimated the dumbness of this one." He nudges Brawn's corpse with his foot.

"He even bragged about how they would blow me to bits in case I tried to escape or do other 'funny business'."

He then gives us a questioning, almost exasperated look through his glasses. "Are you going to be staying there till they come?"

Cann is the first to rise. "He's right." He's looking around saying this, making clear he means Sylvia, Prim, Peeta and me. "We have to get going."

Sylvia look at him, flabbergasted, and asks the question that's on the tip of my tongue. "How can we trust him? Who is he?"

Cann offers her his hand, indifferent to her obvious doubt. "He's my uncle."

Usually I might want to know more now, since I can't say I trust Cann. But Brains doesn't seem like someone who would kill his partner only to get his enemies. And, thinking of it, he clearly seems related to Cann. They're both strangely calm, although Brains wasn't as indifferent with Brawns back on the clearing. In fact, he seemed rather unnerved then. Maybe it was the other man's attitude.

I raise to my feet, too. I turn around to find Prim has already hesitantly left her hiding spot and is looking at Brains with wide eyes.

I go over to her and whisper in her ear, "Get in. I'll come soon. I only need to help him." I shake my head in Peeta's direction. I know he won't be able to walk by himself for long.

Prim's expression darkens and she looks upset. "I'm going to help you. I know what to do."

I would discuss thing further with her, but Cann's turning to us to speak up. "I'll take him. Prim, please help Sylvia. Katniss, you can help whoever you want."

I glare at him. I can't stand people telling me what to do. But at the same time I'm thankful for him offering his help. He already has one arms lung around Peeta's waist when I approach and take his other side.

"Don't tell me what I have to do," I snap at him.

But then I have to admit that he really is helpful. Peeta, although he has lost a few pounds, is heavy and weighs more than me. Carrying was ruled out from the beginning, but even working as a crutch isn't as easy as I assumed. The bullet got him in the calf, so his leg isn't working at all.

Somehow we manage to usher him onto the hovercraft, though. Brains is already at the controls, closing the door at the same time as launching the hovercraft.

As it's raising higher and higher up in the air and we're depositing Peeta on one of those white, kind of creepy looking surfaces, which when I'm eyeing them don't seem like something I'd like the original purpose of, especially since there's something on the right side where the head is supposed to be that looks suspiciously like blood; Cann speaks up,

"I think you owe me an explanation. What are you doing here? I knew Thirteen was going to send someone, but I didn't know it would be you? Isn't the reason why I'm here because you aren't able to come to Thirteen on your own?"

The upset tone in his voice surprises me. It's not the first time I hear him use it, now that I think of it, I've heard it before, with Sylvia, but I supposed it had been caused by exhaustion. But he seemed perfectly composed talking to Brawns earlier, so that can't be the real reason. Maybe it was because of the fact that Brawns was threatening him. Maybe it was just a smart move.

Brains, however, chuckles. "Oh yes. I wasn't supposed to tell you until we were in this hovercraft. Which, I suppose, we are now. I'm going to tell you, but not here." He glances over at us, implying that we're the reason he doesn't tell him right away. "I don't want them to know. They could be spies, however unlikely that might seem to you."

At first I feel a pang of anger at the accusation of being spies for the Capitol, but thinking about it, I can't really blame him. He, a traitor himself, isn't bound to trust us, and I must admit that I would most likely be thinking along the same lines if I was in his skin. I wouldn't trust the strangers either.

Correction, I don't trust them. Don't trust Brains. Or Cann. Not even Sylvia, who, to my surprise, looks as astounded, if not stunned, by the turn of the events as I feel, and has gained more of my…not trust, but tolerance. She didn't know about this. So if there's a kind of treason, she isn't in it.

Only now do I notice the blood coming from her shoulder, and I start feeling nauseous again. My stomach turns at this sight, and it reminds me of the other injuries I've seen today. I decide I've seen too much blood. That's Prim's area of knowledge, her province. And if I don't get away from it fast enough, I'm sure I will vomit.

"I'm going to make sure we won't crash," I tell Brains and Cann. Meanwhile they can have their conversation. For me it's just an excuse to see something that isn't red and sticking to Peeta's jeans and the fabric of Sylvia's jacket. Usually, I'd run now, into the woods, and hide. But that isn't exactly an option, comfortably five hundred feet above the ground.

Brains shows me what button to push in case we lose height, although he stresses that we are on autopilot, and that changing the course would result in us crashing. Given his earlier suspicions, I suppose it's a warning for me not to take us to the Capitol. Which I didn't plan on doing. I'm not suicidal, after all.

Sitting here, in the front of the hovercraft, does prevent me from seeing whatever Prim's doing, but I'm still able to hear the soft groans coming from the back. She must have found some kind of disinfection agent, because the painful sounds don't last too long and are followed by a sigh of what I hope to be is relief.

Thankfully nothing remarkable happens, neither do the systems crap out nor do I hear a scream of pain which would signalize some big mistake on Prim's part. Now, I know she's a good healer, knows what she's doing, but she's only human, even though she does look like an angle. And her working conditions have been better, too, since the hovercraft isn't exactly shaky, but not as steady as real ground either. Or is it just my mind playing tricks on me?

"Katniss, you can look now. I'm done."

Curiosity and worry get the best of me and although I'm aware of what I might be greeted with, I turn around.

I'm relieved that my concerns were unjustified. When my eyes land on Peeta, who's lying on the first surface, blocking Sylvia from my view, which doesn't necessarily bother me, since I can't really say I care for her; I see he's wearing pants that don't even have a hint of red, and apart from the fact that he's somewhat pale, he appears to be well.

Prim, however, is frowning slightly. "He's lost much blood, and so has she. I don't know for how long we've been flying, but this man said we have three hours. We've probably been in the air for one. As soon as we arrive, they need medical attention. I did what I was able to do, but the wounds are too deep for what I have here. I don't know if it's life threatening, but…"

She trails off, glancing at her two patients, who are seemingly glued to her words. Of course. She's talking about their fate. About their not-so-well condition. And she doesn't want to say what she was going to say out loud, probably because she doesn't want to frighten them.

She sighs. "I don't think so. Neither bullet has hit any vital vein, as far as I can make out, but I'm not hundred per cent sure. In other words, I can't promise anything, but...if you get real medical attention soon, both of you should be fine."

Her words aren't exactly encouraging, but not as bad as they could be. Especially Sylvia must have had a lot of luck, since the shoulder is so close to her neck. If the bullet had hit her neck, she would have died.

I stroll over to Peeta, slightly hesitant, since I don't any of the injuries to open again, for his sake and mine, but eventually come to a stop next to his improvised bed, his sickbed, actually, and brush his curls out of his eyes.

He weakly smiles up at me. He's clearly exhausted. "You should rest now." I don't know if it's what he should do from the medical point of view, but I've never been a medic. I just see that he needs sleep, and badly.

"You should," Prim agrees with me. "But try not to fall asleep. You can do that once we get to Thirteen. They're going to sedate you when they treat you either way. But sleep…would be more counterproductive than anything else." She turns to Sylvia. "The same goes for you."

Neither of them objects. Either they're too tired to do so, or they understand that it really is the best for them. I can even image the latter, since Sylvia gives Prim a slight smile. A rarity from her.

Brains and Cann return after another hour, both with irritated expressions on their faces, but neither of them wasting any words on their conversation. They only take their places and start checking the instruments again. No one talks much.

It seems like an eternity before I feel how we lose height. But it must planned, since no one seems to want to do something against it.

I'm half relieved, half scared when the hovercraft finally hits the ground. Relieved because now I'm going to know if what they said is true. Because if it is, it also means Peeta is going to be treated.

But I'm also scared. Because I don't know. Even if what they said is true, I can't predict what our future holds. I don't know.

*Sigh* Poor Peeta. I'm sorry. But that was the only way to prevent him from doing something stupid. Same goes for Sylvia. At least they're all alive, huh?

OK, I'll stop babbling now, I don't want to prevent you from hitting my friend, the blue review button, any longer:)