I fulfilled my promise!

sorta...

And now for my explanation.

A lot of shit has been going down lately and all of this school crap. When summer hit, It will be non stop updates.

"I meant that I knew you liked me" he says so quietly I barely catch it. But, I do, and those are the words I fall asleep to. I feel a light pressure on my forehead and, with that; I let the darkness take me.

"GOOD MORNING TRIBUTES! IT'S A BRIGHT AND SUNNY DAY HERE IN THE ARENA. PERFECT TEMPERATURE FOR A SWIM OR HIKE, OR…I DON'T KNOW, TO WAKE UP?"

I jolt from my dream at the announcer like voice coming from below Marvel, Rue, and I. I shimmy out of Marvel's grasp and look over the edge of the Cornucopia. A sarcastic voice rings from the collar on Makarov. There's only one person who could muster that much sarcasm in one voice. Marvel groggily gets up and wishes me a good morning.

"Good Morning Haymitch" I say loudly enough for the microphone to pick up. Makarov lifts his head towards me as I climb down the metal face. He nudges my hand with his wet nose until I pat him on the head. "Good Morning to you too Makarov." Marvel lands next to me

"Mornin' Sweetheart and Sweetheart's boy toy" Haymitch says in a clear tone I've never heard him use. I see Marvel smirk out of the corner of my eye.

"Haymitch…are you…sober?" I ignore his shot at Marvel.

"Can you even get sober? I though you ingested so much liquor that you're permanently drunk." Marvel says

"Surprise, surprise. Mother dearest took away all of my medicine and no one can get permanently drunk." he says with a pout in his voice. By mother dearest, I'm sure he means Effie. Though, when I left her, she was downing whiskey like a female Haymitch.

"How is Effie anyway? I ask

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you"

"Okay then, how's Prim and everyone else?"

"There fine. Everyone else's families are being driven to District Thirteen as we speak."

"Everyone's?"

"Well, everyone who wanted to. Some-" I lose track of Haymitch's voice because of what I see in the brush on the shore. My body tenses and I can't seem to breathe.

"M-Marvel" I whisper. He just barely catches my voice and turns to me.

"Katniss? Are you okay?" he asks. My words get caught in my throat but, I manage to shake my head.

"What is it?" he follows my line of sight and when he sees what I do, his face sets into a furious mask.

"Peeta" he hisses at the smirking figure. I feel lightheaded and black starts to creep at the edges of my vision. I'm going to-

No

I will never let Peeta control me again.

"Get my bow, morning stars, knives, and anything else I can carry. Marvel, you're with me." I bark as I steady myself.

"We're going after him?" Marvel asks with giddiness

"Yes" I grab my bow and sling the quiver onto my shoulder. Marvel grabs his spears as I strap the morning star and sword onto my belt.

"Revenge shall be sweet" he almost growls

I lock eyes with Peeta again and he grins wickedly, his eyes are screaming "Come and get me, if you can"

"Let the games begin" as soon as the words leave my mouth, Peeta turns tail and disappears.

Much to the protest of the others, Marvel and I leave half an hour later, fading into the bushes with our cats.

"We have to be careful" I remind him "We don't know what else in in here, not to mention Peeta could have laid traps"

"With what? Nobody has seen him since we found you. I'm shocked he hasn't starved to death yet."

"We wouldn't be that lucky" I grumble

"No, I guess you're right. Is that why you packed so heavily?" he nods to the large barsack filled with supplies strapped to Kiera.

I grunt in reply.

"Were not heading back to the others anytime soon, are we?" he asks slowly

After a few moments of silence, I answer.

"I can't let Peeta just lurk in the shadows taunting us all. I can't let him hurt anyone else. He's already partially brainwashed Cato."

"Luckily he's so big. There wasn't enough Tracker Jacker venom to mess him up completely. It should be out of his system soon enough" Marvel cuts in.

"Yes but, is soon enough soon enough? You saw the way he looked at you when you helped me. He was about to kill you." I try to sound nonchalant but fear and frustration seeps into my voice.

"I could take him"

"No you couldn't. Not when he's hopped up on venom and jealousy. That can do a lot to a person."

"Well, I'm going after Peeta strictly for you and Rue. Mostly you but, that's a secret" he grins. I try to fight the smile that slips onto my face.

"Thank you" Marvel catches my whispered words.

"For you, the world"

A blush rises onto my face and I choke on my words.

"Uh-"

A thud from the right catches our attention. I shoot first and think later when I see the lion head of the chimera grinning at us. The arrows lands true but, bounces off and invisible force field.

"What?" I furrow my brows. I hear Marvel let out a breath next to me.

"If we can't get in, it can't get out." He reasons

"It's just like the Jabberyjays" I say. He cringes at the memory.

"What does it mean? Every beast has a section?" he fiddles with his hair in frustration.

My mind flickers back to when I found Clove and the others bathed in blood rain.

There was only a section of the forest that was red.

And the beetles.

They couldn't cross the beach.

"No" I say. "It's everything. Everything has a section. And it can't leave. But why?" I voice my questions.

As if god could hear me, static fizzled through the arena. A zipping noise grows into a lullaby like tone. But, it's one I've never heard."

Tick Tock goes the clock and what now shall we play?

Tick Tock and all too soon, summer's gone away.

That's it.

Tick Tock goes the clock and what now shall we see?

Tick Tock until the day, thou shall marry me.

It's so obvious!

Tick Tock goes the clock and all the years they fly.

Tick Tock and all too soon you and I must die.

"Marvel! It's a Clock! The entire arena is a clock."

Tick tock goes the clock he cradled her, he rocked her.

Tick Tock goes the clock, even for the Doctor.

"And the sections are hours!" he shouts in excitement. "They only come when it's their time!"

Tick Tock goes the clock; we laughed at fate and mourned her.

Tick Tock goes the clock, 'till River kills the doctor.

"What time is it?" he asks me. I look up and try to decipher.

Doctor, brave and true, he turned away from violence, when he understood the falling of the silence.

"Around sixish." I announce.

Tick Tock goes the clock; he gave all he could give her.

Tick Tock goes the close, now prison waits for River.

The song ends and the static cuts off.

"Beetee must have been able to hack the arena's code." I say aloud.

"It's six, right? That mean from six to seven is the Chimera's hour."

"Then what's seven to eight?" I ask

"We don't know yet and I don't think I'd want to know"

"I agree, so as soon as the Chimera disappears from that wall, we go in. If we're right the next tragedy can't get us."

Marvel and I follow along the wall searching for any clue as to where Peeta may be.

Our search is futile, though the cats are acting a bit jittery. I turn to the Chimera to see the snake tail looking back at me as the beast walks away.

"It's time to move" I announce

"Quickly would be good" Marvel says

"Why?"

"Quicksand. Hour seven to eight is quicksand. We found out. Now let's go!" he takes off and I see Kanji's feet sinking into the floor.

I curse and take off after Marvel.

With one leap, we're both on solid ground.

"That was almost anti-climactic." Marvel laughs.

"Shut up"

Sucks, I know but it's two A.M. and I'm running of rootbeer and the faith of my laptop.

GOOD NIGHT