Chapter Eleven:

The medicine stung. It definitely was not a painkiller. My arm throbbed even worst as Cedric wrapped my elbow back up so I looked like a mummy again. I have finished his wound, so I reached over and shook Faren awake.

"We got sponsor gifts!" I told her excitedly. "Medicine and bread!"

"Why do they always send bread?" muttered Faren sleepily and almost angrily. "I'm allergic to glutton."

"You're allergic?" I said, sitting up in shock. People in the poorer districts rarely had allergies - they'd already be dead by our age.

"Mmhmm," Faren mumbled in reply, and Ronan started taking care of her injuries. That woke her up. "Yow! Ouch!"

"Sorry," Ronan said, flushing. "It stings."

Faren nodded a little, trying to relax.

Cedric broke a piece of bread in half and offered it to me. With a slight smile, I bit in to it and closed my eyes. The bread, with its nuts and warm taste, reminded me of home. When Dad stood at the oven and tried to teach Mom, Hearth, and me how to make bread. Mom failed epically. The bread was black all the way through when she was done. Hearth got too impatient, so his was doughy in the middle. Mine was okay. Nobody could bake bread as well as Dad though.

Boy with the bread, Mom had called him. Her boy with the bread. Mom was girl on fire. I wonder what that makes me? Fire bread girl?

Okay, so I was daydreaming a little. Daydreaming in the Games could get you killed. I forced myself to focus, but even then, I failed. I looked up at Cedric's eyes, and realized that the dark Seam eyes were very nice. Normally, I was attracted to bright blue eyes, but his dark gray eyes were so mysterious and friendly that I couldn't help but stare.

Flushing, I looked away. I have more important things to do than reminisce about home - which sends painful jolts through my heart, I miss Hearth so much - and stare at Cedric's beautiful gray eyes. I tried to stand up, but my knees buckled. I groaned in pain.

"Are you alright?" three voices asked.

I muttered, "Yeah. My knees...hurt."

"I'm thirsty," stated Ronan after an unsure silence.

"We should go look for a water source. It isn't wise to stay in the same camp spot forever anyway," Cedric commented, starting to pick up.

I glared at the both of them. "Well, super guys! Choose the time when I can't walk!" I hadn't meant to snap or yell, but my knees kept throbbing, and I was thirsty too, and... The clouds looked ominous, like something bad would happen soon. Wait, clouds?

"It's going to rain," I said. "We could stay."

"It might poison rain again," Ronan said unsurely.

I glared. "Well, your choice. We could wander around, get attacked by poison rain and NOT find a water source, or we could camp here, make my knees feel a bit better, and hide under a waterproof tent. Oh, and for the second option, did I mention we won't get hurt?"

"Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed," grumbled Ronan, but went on ahead to set up the waterproof tent.

Not a moment too soon, too, since the rain started falling just as the tent camp above our heads. I reached a cautious hand out to see if this was the healing rain, poison rain, or just...rain. The rain touched my hand, and a large sore erupted.

"Well," I said, my throat dry. "We might have to wait a moment."

Don't blame me. I didn't expect anything to happen. Bunny squirrels. By the thousands it would appear. I felt my throat go drier. I have never felt so much fear. Why did I fear ridiculous ugly little bunny squirrels anyway?

"B-b-bunny squirrels," I stammered, arming my bow.

Cedric grabbed his spear, Faren took out her knives, and Ronan his sword.

"I think..." Cedric said weakly. "They're getting bigger. They survive in the poison rain."

I started shooting arrows at the closest ones. Cedric stabbed at the ones that came close. Ronan and Faren took care of ones that were practically in the tent. I was just about to send another arrow flying and shout "look out!" when the sighting made my throat close up with fear. The bunny squirrel leapt out of the forest. It had to be almost as tall as my Dad. At least a foot taller than me.

I couldn't find my voice in time to tell the others my plan. This bunny squirrel looked murderous. Forget scary bright blue eyes. His eyes were a bulging red, making my blood run cold and sending a frightened panic in to my mind. I gathered my aching knees beneath me and sprung.

Don't ask how I got the strength to leap like that. I bowled in to the bunny squirrel, ignoring the searing pain the poison rain was causing and started stabbing at the bunny squirrel with my arrows. The creature's claws caught my uninjured arm, making blood seep through the new rips in the cloth on my arm. My red blood mixed with the rain, and I could feel my skin start to swell. With both of my throbbing arms and struggling to stand on aching knees, I stabbed at the ugly creature.

My eyes started to hurt, and my vision started to go fuzzy as rain seeped in to my eyes. My throat started to close up, but not with fear. It was swelling. I wouldn't be able to breathe soon. My nose was swelling too, and I was breathing heavily and labored. I sank to my knees, whose pain seemed miniscule now to the pain I felt.

For some reason though, my eyes stopped hurting. I began to breathe easier. I realized the bunny squirrel had stopped thrashing beneath me. The pain was replaced by something cool and soothing. I chanced opening my eyes.

Underneath me, dead, was the bunny squirrel. I lifted my head and felt cool water seep in to my hair, removing the poison rain sores. I looked up and smiled when I saw Ronan, Faren, and Cedric standing above me. How embarrassing that sounds, to be attacked by 'harmless' bunny squirrels.

"You are the craziest girl I've ever met," growled Cedric. "You could've killed yourself out there with the bunny squirrel and the poison rain."

"Bunny squirrels will be the death of me," I stated with an easygoing smile. "And I ache. All over." I tilted my head back and stuck my tongue out, trying to catch the falling water. It tasted delicious, cold and fresh and homely.

Cedric put his arms under mine and lifted me up to him. I could see tears in his eyes. "Don't do that again. I was so scared that I had lost you."

I smiled up at him sweetly. "You will never lose me as long as I have a say in something."

I could practically hear Haymitch's voice, and now I understood what my mother meant. I leaned up and kissed him. The kiss felt more real than all the others. Not rushed or scared or surprised. It was warm and gentle and reminded me of my home, where bunny squirrels weren't an issue and Hearth was waiting with dessert, a delicious maple candy.

I leaned in to him after we broke away. I didn't know what to do now, as Ronan quietly gathered the rain water in to as many leakless water containers he could find. Faren tried not to stare in jealousy at us. Ronan sat next to her when he was done and put an arm around her.

I know, we were allies. We shouldn't've payed so much attention to the individuals and taken care of everyone equally. But when we had teamed up, we had our original, unspoken allies. And those people were more important.