I'm back with a super fast update! I'm proud I updated so quickly haha.
Anyway...Enjoy!
I wake up at dawn. No matter where I am, I'm still on the sleep schedule of a hunter.
But, that's not the reason I woke up.
I smell smoke.
I look over and I see that half of the forest is ablaze.
"Shit!" I scream "Damian! Wake up!" I pinch him and he snaps awake.
"Five more minutes" he mumbles
"If we wait five more minutes we will be served extra crispy" The fire is getting closer
I quickly untie the rope and jump from my perch. Damian follows soon after.
"Which way?" He panics
"North, we head north!" We bolt north in hopes of beating the heat behind us.
The odds aren't in our favor.
I look up and see balls of fire coming towards us.
"Gamemakers" I growl as I hit the ground, narrowly avoiding a certain doom. The ball of fire crashes on a rock behind me and a large chunk lands on my leg.
I feel a searing pain rip through my body. But, I don't have time to look at it now. I have to keep running.
"Katniss, are you okay?" Damian asks worriedly
"Fine! Just keep running until you hit water! I'll meet you there" I croak. The pain is unbearable.
"I'm not leaving you" He says as he wraps his arm around me and begins running even faster.
A tree collapses right in front of us be we leap over it.
I can see the river from here!
I can also see the careers.
"Damian, you have to leave, now" I say calmly
"Why?" he asks. He must think I'm insane.
"The careers are coming and they want to kill me. If you go they'll only come after me. You can escape." We are getting nearer.
"Katniss-" his voice cracks. He looks like he's about to cry
"Hey" I say in a falsely happy tone "Everything is going to be okay, you will live. You can get back to whoever you want to get back to. The world doesn't need Katniss Everdeen." I smile
"B-But" he stutters
"Go" the word rolls off my tongue like silk. He nod and gives me a hug.
"I won't forget you" he whispers
"You better not" I chuckle. He nods and run away from the river.
I could get away but, that would mean Damian would be found and I need to clean this wound.
It hurts like a bitch.
I make my way as quietly as I can into the river. It feels like heaven.
I close my eyes for a second and I hear it.
"Hey look there she is!" Glimmer shrieks
Shit!
I get out of the water and run in the opposite direction of Damian. The pain is back
"Where you going Girl on Fire?" I hear Cato mock
I look around and find a suitable tree. Without hesitation, I climb it.
"Get back down here!" Clove calls.
"I'll get her" Cato growls as he tries to climb up after me.
Even with my injured leg, I'm still faster than him. I make it to a high branch and relax.
He's too heavy to climb. I hear a snap followed by a loud thud and I know he has fallen.
"Ugh, I'll get her" Glimmer say in her sickly high voice. She strings the bow.
My bow!
She shoots and misses.
Twice.
She's incompetent with a bow and arrow.
The arrows lodge themselves in the bark above me.
I grab them both and decide to have a little fun.
Cato tries the bow and also fails.
That's three arrows I have.
"Maybe you should throw the sword" I mock "I already have two of Clove's knives, three arrows, and a Morning Star. I'll have a little armory." I smirk
"How ya gonna shoot the arrows, you bitch?" Glimmer calls "You don't have a bow"
"Yes the bow seems to be in your incompetent hands. But, I can make my own bow." Glimmer is livid and I'm happy I made her that way.
Cato is pissed along with Clove.
Marvel is trying not to laugh.
"We'll just wait her out. She has to come down sometime" Clove sighs
"You're right. Let's make camp. Marvel you watch her" Cato says. He's obviously the leader.
"Aye aye Captain" he salutes.
I hear Cato mumble 'idiot' under his breath and it pisses me off.
At least Marvel is trying to make people smile.
The trio goes back to the Cornucopia.
I have to keep taunting or else the Capitol will think I favor Marvel. They pick up on the smallest things.
"So spear boy, how many children did the Capitol lackeys kill today? I sound like I could be talking to some of my friends but, the words don't match the tone.
"Can it Girl on Fire. You'll see tonight now won't we?" he says in a cold tone.
Good, he's playing along…I hope.
A wind breezes through the forest and against my newly burned skin.
The pain returns.
I gasp at the suddenness of it but, I can't show that I'm in too much pain.
Marvel hears my breath but, tries to ignore it the best he can.
We wait for three hours and I hear a canon go off.
"Shit! Please don't be Damian." I whisper
"Aw does the Girl on Fire and another loverboy?" I can hear the smirk in Marvel's voice.
"No, just a kid I helped escape from you guys" I say simply
Another hour passes and there is still no sign of the Careers.
"I just want to get out of this tree. I want to go!" I complain. We could meet Thresh now. The Careers would never know
"I'd like to see you try and get past me. Plus do you think I want to be here babysitting you?"
I stick my tongue out at him even though he's turned around.
Another hour of silence passes. Not too long after I can hear the howling laughter of the Careers.
"Oh joy…They're back" I deadpan
"Hey Girl on Fire, we brought you someone!" I hear Cato howl.
I freeze.
Who is it?
Rue, Thresh, Damian?
"He wanted to help us kill you so I was happy to oblige" Cato continues. I can barely see their faces through the light of the torch they're each holding.
My jaw drops.
Peeta.
I can see that Marvel is caught off guard as well. We both weren't expecting this.
"So…I turn you down and you kill me. You have issues Mellark" I snap
"Wait…Firegirl turned you down?" Clove laughs.
They don't seem right. Then the stench hits me.
Alcohol.
"Hey Marvel have a drink" Glimmer slurs as she shoves a bottle towards him.
"No I'm good." He smiles.
"Take the drink Marvel" Clove says in a scary tone.
He takes it and brings it to his lips.
Three hours later everyone but Cato and I are drunk out of their minds.
Cato won't drink.
It's dark and now my leg is constantly throbbing.
"I'm tired! Let's go to bed" Clove barely manages to get the word out of her mouth before collapsing. Followed by Marvel, Peeta, and Glimmer.
I hear Cato yawn
"You can sleep…I can't go anywhere anyway." I confess
"And why is that?" he questions
"Let's just say my leg is out of commission." I growl
"Fine but, if you try to escape I will catch you" he warns. He tries to sound mean but, it's ruined by the abrupt yawn that racks his body. His arms stretch out towards the sky and he lies down.
He almost looks like a normal teenager or a giant teddy bear.
At least Glimmer thinks so. I laugh
Glimmer grabs hold of Cato and uses him as a pillow. Clove does the same to Marvel.
That bugs me though.
The last thing Marvel would want is a bloodthirsty kid using him as a pillow.
I grab rope from my pack and tie myself to the tree. The rope grazes my leg and the searing pain is back. I let out a chocked breath. I have to clean it.
I grab my water from the bag and I brace myself. I gently pour the water onto my aggravated blistering skin.
It hurts so much. But, I'm not done.
I pull the under sleeves of my coat and cover the palm of my hand with it. I press the cloth to the wound.
Silent tears of unbearable pain escape my eyes.
I look up and 'The Fallen' roster is in the sky.
Only one tribute. And it's not one of my friends.
Should I be happy or?
I can't think about that. I need provisions.
I look up at the girl's face in the sky and I realize. I don't want to be up there.
I gather what's left of my pride and look up.
I whisper one word that might save my life.
"Help"
My vision starts to go blurry and the pain in my leg is so intense, that im swerving in and out of consciousness.
Not soon enough, I'm thrown into a pit of blissful, painless sleep.
I wake up to the sound of a tinkling bell.
I wish I hadn't.
The pain comes back three fold.
I let out a small scream and try not to look at the burn. My eyes look towards the sky where I see a sponsor gift being floated down.
"That's one lucky person" I mumble as I try to sleep again.
I soon hear a thump in the tree above me and my eyes shoot open.
No…
It can't be.
Can it?
My quivering gaze looks up at the branches above me and sure enough, there it s.
A small silver parachute lodged in a 'Y' branch. I untie myself and quickly scramble up the tree as I try not to cry out from the pain.
I reach the canister and open it.
A small silver tin falls out, along with a card.
'Apply generously and stay alive'
-H
I untwist the cap and see there is a foul smelling gel in it.
I almost scream in joy.
It's medicine.
I dip my fingers in it and gather a huge glob of the foul smelling substance.
I brace myself for pain but, when my fingers reach the wound, there is none.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
Numbing agents.
The pain is gone in seconds.
I look up to the sky and I know that I won't be on the 'Fallen' list anytime soon.
"Thank you" I breathe out before I fall into another slumber.
I hear growling and snarling.
I open my eyes and see that a large mass is running throughout the brush about a hundred feet away.
And it's heading this way.
I look down at the Careers and see that they're still fast asleep.
I can't just leave them.
"Marvel, get up!" I scream.
He doesn't.
Then I remember.
They're all drunk as hell.
All except…
"CATO!" I scream. He shoots into an upright position.
"What do you want Twelve?" he growls.
"You have to get out of here! I warn.
I really won't have a chance to.
"Why should I?" he asks
"There is something coming…something big! Take the Careers and get out of here! Save yourselves."
My eyes flick towards the beast.
It's getting closer and fast.
"Which way is it coming from?" he asks as he looks around.
I point towards the direction and he nods.
"Guys, wake up!" He says as he tries to wake up his companions.
Glimmer, Clove, and Peeta get up groggily. All that is left is Marvel.
"Marvel get your ass up!" Cato growls
"I think I can wake him" I say automatically.
Shit. I need to think before I speak.
"Go ahead!" Cato says urgently.
I climb to a lower branch and start to sing 'Deep in the Meadow'.
After the first verse he is up and ready to go.
"I'm not even going to ask" Cato murmurs as I climb back to my original spot
"GO!" I order.
"Wait, what about you?" Cato, Marvel and Peeta all say this at the exact same time.
"I'll be fine" I lie
The group stumbles away from my tree and I'm left alone.
I can't move. If I do that creature will surely see me. My best chance is to stay out of sight amongst the leaves.
I climb higher and soon I'm deep within the foliage.
The creature bursts through the clearing.
It's a mutt.
It reminds me of a really old creature from Greek mythology.
I was always fascinated by stuff like that.
It's a Minotaur.
I now know that I'm screwed no matter what I do.
Their sense of smelling and hearing are incredible.
The beast's head turns up towards me. But, then it whips away in the direction of a new sound.
I look towards the bush and see the familiar flash of blonde hair and the glint of a sword.
Cato is coming back.
He really doesn't have a brain now does he?
"CATO GET AWAY FROM HERE" I scream. He is still far enough away to escape. I look around to find a way for me to escape that's when I notice it.
A Trackerjacker nest.
It's my only shot.
"CATO LEAVE I CAN HANDLE THIS" he is still running here
I grab the blade with a serrated edge and start cutting the semi-thick branch that supports the nest.
I can hear my blood pounding in my ears.
I can feel the adrenalin coursing through my veins
The Minotaur is still deciding who to go after.
The blade is halfway through when I hear a crack.
The branch snapped.
The nest is sent flying downwards and it bursts open on the Minotaur's back.
I see the wasps swarm the beast. They sting every available area on it.
It tries to escape by running but, the bees follow it.
Soon both are out of sight.
Cato is in the clearing soon after.
"What did I miss?" he grins
"I just defeated a Minotaur using Trackerjackers." I say sternly. Why is he trying to act normal now? Like I'm an equal?
"So I missed all of the fun." He pouts
"Why did you come back?" I ask. My voice never wavers.
"To get Glimmer's bow. The idiot left it." He grins when he sees it lying on the ground.
He doesn't have time to react when I pin him to a tree by his shirt.
I throw the other knife and it pins his leg to the tree.
I climb down the tree.
I walk over to the bow casually and pick it up.
"My bow" I grin
He tries to pry the knives out but, he fails.
"Hold still" I order. He transfers his sword to the other hand and lashes out at me.
I duck under the blow and jab two fingers into the crevice between his shoulder and collarbone.
His arm goes limp.
I can't believe that worked.
He looks at his arm in horror.
"What the fuck did you just do?" he asks incredulously.
"Shh…Hold still." I say as I look for the pressure points to make him sleep.
I find them easily and in three quick jabs, he's unconscious.
I pull the knives out and hoist Cato over my shoulders.
God he's heavy. But, I can't leave him here just in case the Minotaur returns.
I walk in the directions the rest of the Careers ran.
Shocker…I reach the Cornucopia within ten minutes.
I throw Cato over my shoulders and onto the ground in front of me and look up.
The rest of the Careers are wandering aimlessly.
Their hangovers must suck.
I let out a loud whistle and draw the Careers' attention towards their fallen leader.
I take the sword from his grip and attach it on my belt next to the knives and Morning Star.
I nod in their direction and walk back into the thick foliage.
An hour later the world around me begins to shift and change.
I hear voices and the ground starts bubbling.
I am thrown into a pit of darkness.
I hate nightmares.
Especially the one I am currently reliving.
The day my father was blown to bit it that damned mine.
Words don't describe the pure grief I felt when I found out what had happened.
I didn't need to be told what happened exactly. I could feel the explosion rattle through the floors of my school. All of the kids from the Seam automatically began to panic. Most of them had a father or brother in the mines. We were all ushered out of the school and told to go to our homes and wait for our families to return. I ran to Prim's class and picked her up before we ran back to our home.
We waited there for hours. Hoping our father would walk through the door, smiling the kind of smile that lights up a room, a smile only he had.
He never did.
The nightmare moves from this to me trying to get my mother to do something, anything. She was the last thing Prim and I had left to protect us and she left.
Then it cuts to Prim being reaped.
That is probably the worst one there is.
I realize that I have lived this dream about five times now.
Effie has just called Prim's names when I feel something pulling me from the scene.
My eyes open and are met with soft blue ones.
"You're alive!" the figure jumps.
My eyes adjust to the blinding sunlight and I can clearly see who the person it.
"F-Foxface?" my dry throat scratches and the word barley come out.
"O-Oh here's some water" she says as she hands me a canteen. I take it and drink. The cool water moisturizes my dry throat and I can comfortably speak again.
"Thanks…What happened?" I ask
"You had three Trackerjacker stings" she says informatively
The memories come rushing back. The plan, the rebellion, and the enemies.
I'm in the Hunger Games.
I jump backwards.
"Why did you help me?" I question. This doesn't make sense. Why would she help me?
"I got this in my bag" she whispers as she hands me a small piece of paper with writing on it.
'Help, don't hurt.'- Jayjay
"Who's Jayjay?"I ask
"That's the male mentor from my district. He's smart, so I listened to him. Did I make the right decision?" she asks suspiciously.
"Yes you did." I smile.
Then I hear a familiar melody; Rue's melody, ringing throughout the trees.
"Mockingjays" Foxface smiles
"Yea" I whistle back my melody. The birds process it and then replay it.
"KATNISS!" The birds take flight in a cluster of flapping wings.
That's Rue's scream!
I bolt towards the voice. I can hear Foxface trailing behind me.
"RUE?" I scream back
"KATNISS H-HELP ME" she sounds terrified.
We continue running through the forest.
"Foxface, how long was I out for?" I call
"About three days" she calls back
Three days! That throws our entire plan out the window!
We burst through a clearing and see Rue.
Oh god she's trapped in a net.
I race over to her.
"Katniss?" she weakly calls
"It's okay Rue, I'm here" I say as I cut through the ropes. She leaps into my arms and sobs when she is free.
"Is she okay?" I hear Foxface ask
"She's fine" I smile. I stand and go over to Foxface.
I need to ask her more about her mentor.
When I turn around I see her face is ashen.
I hear the crackle of twigs being snapped.
The person is too heavy to be Rue. I freeze right in front of her and refuse to turn around.
I mouth the words 'Who is it?' and she answers with a person I really didn't want to see.
She mouths 'Peeta'.
"Go to the Wheatfield and tell Thresh that Peeta has Rue and I. Tell him to get Marvel and help us." I say quietly
She nods and bolts towards the field.
I steel my nerves and turn around.
It takes all of my self-control not to rip his head off right there.
"Hello Katniss" he smiles like a lunatic. His face is bruised and dirty. His clothes are in tatters and he has a look of mental instability in his eyes.
Worst part is that, he has a knife to Rue's throat.
Her back is pressed into his stomach and she's crying.
"Let her go" I seethe
"No. You are going to love me or else I will kill her" His grin broadens
I don't even think about it.
"Okay" I say quickly
"Great let's go" he says sharply and he turns to walk away with Rue still in his grasp.
"Wait, let her go. If I go with you, you have to let her go." I interrupt
"So you can just kill me and leave? No. I'm not an idiot. She" he shakes Rue; the tip of the blade just pierces her neck, drawing blood. "Is going to be with us twenty-four seven. So either you cooperate or I kill her. Your choice"
"What choice?" I grumble "Okay, just…don't hurt her"
"No, Katniss, you have to go!" Rue chokes out.
"I can't leave you" I smile and walk over to her. I never let my eyes stray from the knife against her neck.
Peeta takes a rope from his belt and ties it around Rue's neck like a leash. We walk back into the thick foliage.
Foxface PoV
The Wheatfield!
The Wheatfield!
The Wheatfield!
I run until the thick and rich greens slowly fade into a deep golden color.
I'm here.
"Thresh!" I call out
"THRESH! I'M NOT HERE TO HURT YOU!" still nothing
"Peeta has them" I say weakly as I crumble to the ground.
I saw the look in Peeta's eyes.
He is insane.
And now he has Rue and Katniss.
Sweet little Rue; she reminds me of myself when I was younger. Shy and smart, gentle yet fierce.
And Katniss! He has the Girl on Fire. She's outgoing and brave. The things I want to be.
I hear the faint rustling of the stalks being moved through.
I look up and see the beast of a boy.
"T-Thresh?" I say quietly
"What happened?" He says in a deep voice with a sense of urgency.
Katniss PoV:
He blindfolded me and gagged me.
That little shit of a person blindfolded me and gagged me!
I keep tripping over rocks and twigs; I'm making too much noise.
We'll be found.
That's either a good thing or a bad thing.
It would be a good thing if the tribute saves Rue and get her away.
It would be a bad thing if the tribute sees us as easy prey and kills us all.
The mutts could find us too.
The bad outweighs the good now.
I need to stay calm. There is no use of panicking
I take deep breaths through my nose.
I hope Foxface made it to Thresh.
How long has it been?
I can't tell. It may have been minutes, hours, or days.
I'm pushed down a hole and land hard. I smell earth.
I hear a small thud and a little squeak of pain…Rue.
Abruptly the blindfold is ripped from my eyes.
I expect to be blinded by sunlight but, instead my eyes have to adjust to darkness.
It's not night though, I'm in a cave. I'm guessing by the river. I can hear running water.
Peeta walks into my vision.
He's holding something.
He rips the gag from my mouth.
"What is that?" I say, nodding to the concealed object
His eyes light up. "Oh, This?" He puts the object clearly in my vision and I freeze.
Trackerjackers. Five of them. None of them look happy to be in a jar.
What is he going to do with them?
My eyes flick toward Rue, who is standing in a corner. He better not hurt her.
He notices.
"These aren't for the little brat" he spats. He looks hurt that I would assume that. "These"-he shakes the jar, only further angering the wasps-"Are for you"
"You won't kill me" I keep an emotionless voice.
"You're right, I could never do that to you" he says in a caring voice as he caresses my cheek.
Is this his version of love?
"What are you going to do to her?" Rue squeaks
He lets outs a huff of annoyance and turns to face Rue.
He storms over and slaps her…hard.
She falls to the ground. There's a cut on her cheek where his nail must have caught.
I can hear her whimper.
"You will only speak when spoken to, brat" he growls.
"Don't you dare hit her!" I scream
I'm not in the position to command but, I can't just sit here and watch him hurt her.
He rounds on me.
"Katniss, love, you'll be listening to me from now on" he smiles
"Make me" I growl
"Oh"- he chuckles-"I intend to"
He grabs a thick glove from his bag and unscrews the lid on the jar.
He quickly dips his hand in and picks up a single Trackerjacker by it body.
"W-What are you doing?" I stutter as he re-seals the jar and walk over to me.
"I'm going to make you love me" he grins.
I can see Rue's terrified eyes from the corner of mine.
He puts the wasp to the crook of my elbow and it stings me automatically.
Searing, blistering pain courses through my body. I scream.
My vision blurs and my mind slows down.
I can hear him whispering something, though I'm not sure who 'him' is.
It takes me a minute to understand him.
"Peeta Mellark" he whispers.
"Peeta Mellark" I drowsily whisper back
Images flash before my eyes of a blonde-haired blue-eyed boy from town.
Him working at the bakery.
Him throwing bread at a starving girl on a rainy day.
Him being reaped.
Him pinning a girl to a wall, trying to kiss her.
Him confessing his love for some girl named Katniss.
Him, once again, trying to force himself on some poor girl.
I don't like him.
"Bad" I say slowly
"No…Peeta Mellark is good" he says caringly.
The scenes start to change a bit.
The girl being pinned to the wall looks happy.
"Good?" I ask
"Yes, you love him with all of your heart. You want to marry him. You only want him. You will never leave him. He was always there for you." the man says smoothly.
The happy girl being pinned to the wall is me apparently.
Apparently, I'm Katniss.
He threw the bread to me.
"I love Peeta Mellark" I say. I really do.
"And Peeta Mellark owns you. He is everything you'll ever want and need."
"I am Peeta Mellark's" I whisper. The words feel like sugar on my tongue.
It all makes sense now!
I love Peeta Mellark. He is my prince. I will marry him and be his. I will do anything he wants me to do.
"Great" he sounds happy "Now, you don't know any of the other tributes"
All of their faces flash before me but, they're blurred.
"Tributes?" I ask
"You don't know them and they don't know you. They mean nothing to you except little Rue." The man continues
"L-Little Rue." I say
"She is your world. The others mean nothing, they are disposable. You don't even know their names." He says smoothly.
The faces are beyond recognition.
"W-Who?"
"The only people you love are little Rue and Peeta Mellark. They are your family."
"Family" I say softly.
I have a husband, Peeta Mellark and a-a daughter Rue.
My family.
"Yes now, go to sleep" he commands
"Sleep" I reply
My vision fades into black.
Ha! And you probably thought this would be all about Cato!
Well no.
Just for those of you who don't understand what just happened.
That is my version of being Trackerjacked!
Until next time!
~*~Momo