Author's Note: Hey Guys! I know it's been a little while since I've posted... Work has kept me busy lately, but I've been writing in my free time. I promise, I haven't forgotten you guys. ;) So I've finally got another chapter ready for you! :) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series or characters no matter how much I may wish that I did.

Hiraeth

Chapter 11

At first, I couldn't tell who the dark figure was, but I braced myself for the worst.

My hand that wasn't stuck to the tree reached for the dagger in my belt. I didn't dare pull it out yet, but I kept myself prepared in case I needed to.

The figure walked around the clearing, keeping in the shadows, appraising me. The person eventually seemed to come to some sort of decision, for they stepped out into the light and my fist tightened.

"Finnick." I said to the man curtly.

"Katniss." Finnick said with a nod, smiling a mischievous, boyish smile.

He was tossing a piece of fruit back and forth between his hands before taking a bite. His tongue darted out to catch the juice droplets that lingered around his lips as he walked towards me steadily.

The only weapon he appeared to have on him was his trident and length of rope. But is was more than enough to take me out, especially being stuck to the tree. I clutched the handle of my dagger even tighter. If I could just get a good shot…

Finnick kept coming closer, obviously believing himself safe.

He stepped around Seeder's body. Finnick's eyes flickered over to her for a split second. It almost seemed as if there was a flash of emotion in his eyes, but if there was, it was quickly concealed.

When he was less than a foot away, I took the dagger out from under belt and stabbed at him. He dove quickly out of the way.

"Woah, woah, calm down there!" Finnick said, raising his arms as a signal of surrender. But he didn't seem scared, not in the slightest.

He squatted down and slowly reach out and got ahold of the dagger that was keeping my leg stuck.

He grunted and tugged on it, finally, it came free. He dropped the dagger and moved on to the one at my wrist.

I stared at him with bewilderment. He wasn't trying to kill me? Or maybe he just wanted a more even fight…

But something told me that wasn't the case as he stepped back away from me.

I rubbed my aching and slightly bleeding wrist, looking to Finnick for an explanation. But he didn't give one. He just walked right on past me. I turned around, feeling even more confused.

"I don't think that our friends from District 2 realized quite how important this is." Finnick said. He reached up and plucked the golden ball from the tree and tossed it to me.

"Otherwise they would've never left it here with us."

"Then why-" I started.

"They want a good show. Just like any of us." Finnick said with a grin.

"And let's face it, Katniss." A strange shiver ran down my spine as his foreign tongue spoke my familiar name.

"You put on a damn good show."

"Well, then, let's give them one." I said, composing myself.

Finnick grabbed my hand that was still holding the dagger and leant in close enough that a twig would struggle to slide between us.

"I can't let you go to the Cornucopia. It's too dangerous." He whispered with a small yet noticeable smirk.

"You can't stop me." I hissed back, shaking him off, and walking in the direction I presumed the Cornucopia to be in. Finnick chuckled and followed me. With a pang of annoyance, I realized he was enjoying this immensely.

"Alright. Obviously, I can't stop you. But can we make one little detour first?" I turned back and eyed him distrustfully.

"Please?" He whispered in my ear, caressing my jawline with the tip of his pinky. I batted his hand away and glared at him. Finnick gave a light laugh and stalked off.

I held my dagger tightly and tentatively followed him. I figured at that point I had a better shot of making it if I followed him for a bit. I could abandon him later, before he had the chance to turn on me.

It was easier to last longer in the Games if you had someone else looking out for you. My mind drifted to Seeder and my throat tightened uncomfortably.

Don't cry, Katniss.

I told myself firmly. I just focused on walking steadily and taking in my surroundings. It was awfully quiet.

Finnick pushed his way through some thick branches into a clearing. The clearing was the same one that we had been in just earlier that morning.

The crude spile was sitting on the ground next to a small, old woman. Her long, gray hair blanketed her frail form.

At first I thought she was sleeping, she was so still and silent. But as I got closer I realized her eyes were peeled open, watching us carefully.

Finnick walked to her, bent over and effortlessly scooped Mags up into his arms. The small woman smiled and curled up closer to him.

For a moment I found myself staring. Watching him cradle the sweetest old woman who cradled a small knife in her wrinkled hands that he'd obviously left her to protect herself with.

I was thinking about what President Snow had done to us, to them. He sent us all in there to die. Mags didn't deserve that and maybe the rest of us didn't either.

We walked for a long time, occasionally stopping to check our direction in accordance to the fake sun. It was easy to forget it was fake when it looked so real.

Even though I no longer had a bow to use, we had no trouble getting lunch. Much to my annoyance Finnick was able to quickly catch a squirrel with his skilfull snares.

I tried to ignore the smug expression etched across his face.

We sat down for a bit. Even though Finnick wouldn't admit it, I knew he was getting tired, especially with carrying Mags.

Mags was curled up, sleeping fitfully in the thick grass, I worked on cooking the squirrel, and Finnick kept reaching out and snatching up vines, grass, and nimble twigs and knotting them together.

At first I thought he was just messing around, but out of the mess he was holding, something began to come together.

"Here." He finally said, stretching out the thing he was holding before me. It looked like a small bag, just the right size for the golden ball I was cradling in my palms.

"Go ahead, put it in." Finnick said with a small smirk. I shook my head, clutching the ball tighter.

"How do I know you're not going to take it?"

"Look, I'm on your side." I raised my eyebrow at him.

"I'm not going to take it!" And maybe it was the way he said it, but for some reason, I sighed and found myself putting the the golden ball into the sack.

I didn't know exactly what the ball was, but I knew it was important, important enough that I shouldn't be entrusting it to Finnick, even for a second.

Finnick shot me a winning smile. He tied the bag closed and tied it onto my belt with a length of the rope he had been carrying around with him.

It was heavy, but my belt was tough and didn't budge.

"You need to have both your hands free to take these Careers down." Finnick whispered and then he scooted away from me over towards Mags.

"It seems awfully quiet here. It's starting to make me nervous." I admitted, twisting a squirrel leg in between my fingers.

"You'd think something would pop out at us or something."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." Finnick said with a shake of his head. "It's not time yet." His words felt heavy, as if they carried some sort of hidden meaning.

I thought back to the flower bombs and the way they just stopped along a line. As if there were some sort of invisible barrier blocking them in. I thought back to the blood rain Seeder had told me about and the circular shape of the arena.

Suddenly the realization began to dawn on me.

"Wait, the arena, it's a… clock?" I said through a mouthful of squirrel. It seemed too odd an assumption to actually be true.

Finnick just gave me a wide smile.

There was an abrupt rustle of leaves. Finnick stood up, yanking his trident out of his belt. I stood, clutching my dagger. Both of us blocked a softly snoring Mags from view.

The leaves rustled again and a figure appeared. It was Johanna Mason who emerged from behind the trees.

"Well, there you are!" She said, a hint of frustration in her voice accompanied by a touch of a smile.

It immediately became clear to see the Finnick and Johanna considered themselves allies and they both seemed to, by some unspoken agreement, have decided to take me on as an ally as well.

They greeted each other like old friends, which made me feel even more uncomfortable.

I didn't trust Johanna at all. I hadn't wanted any allies in the first place and there I was, surrounded by them. Or at least, those who said they were.

Johanna glared at me hinting that she liked me even less than I like her.

Why was she trying to protect me if she disliked me so much? Or maybe they weren't trying to protect me… Maybe that was the plan all along.

We set off again before long and whenever they thought I wasn't looking or wasn't close enough to hear, I caught Johanna and Finnick talking in hushed voices.

I had to find a way to get away. Being around them, I found myself feeling progressively more helpless.

I knew that at any moment Johanna could turn around and kill me and I didn't even have my bow to protect myself anymore.

And the one thing that could really help me, the element surprise, was taken away from me with at least one pair of eyes on me at all times.

I knew I was outnumbered and in the midst of an old alliance that I couldn't possibly begin to understand. And only one person leaves the Games alive. It was clear the odds weren't in my favor at that moment.

I knew I didn't have a chance unless I found a way to get away.

We sat down again after a couple more miles. Mags rested again, Finnick was making knots with his rope and then unravelling them, and Johanna was wandering nearby, searching for food.

I knew then was my chance, probably the only chance I would get.

I stood up very quietly. I was grateful that I had learned how to move so silently over the years with Gale in the woods. I walked several feet away, amazed that no one had seemed to notice so far.

I twisted and turned around a few trees, ducking under their long, heavy branches.

"Where do you think you're going?" Johanna's voice rang through the air loud and clear. I cringed, mentally cursing.

"I have to pee." I said nonchalantly, it wasn't a complete lie. But Johanna could see through me, I knew it. She walked closer and closer, never taking her eyes off me.

"You're a terrible liar." She hissed, looking me up and down, appraising me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I wished that I had my bow more than ever.

"You couldn't outrun us." She said. Her tone was simple, conversational. But it felt more like a threat than anything.

"I wouldn't dream of it." I said.

"Good." She spoke. Johanna gave me a derisive smile before turning and heading back towards the others.

Through the leaves and twigs blocking my view, I caught a glimpse of Finnick watching me. He turned away quickly once I met his gaze.

I ducked behind a tree to relieve myself and to gather my thoughts.

Maybe Haymitch would know what to do if I were to find a way to get him back. I knew that underneath it all, he was actually quite clever.

But then I thought back to when Brutus dragged him off. How incompetent and frail Haymitch had seemed then.

I shook my head, I couldn't afford to think about that. I just had to find a way to get him back while keeping both of us alive, we'd figure out the rest of it afterwards.

I weighed Johanna's words on my mind, was it worth trying to get away?

I peaked out from behind the tree to see them whispering amongst themselves again.

Something snapped in me and without a second thought, I ran. I darted around trees and down a steep hill.

I ducked behind large trees and boulders every now and again and peaked around to check if I was being followed.

To my surprise, It didn't appear that I was. I fashioned myself a makeshift spile when I got thirsty and I ate some of the golden fruit from Seeder's district when I got hungry, all the while making my way towards the center of the arena.

It wasn't quite sunset when I got to the center of the arena, but it was certainly close.

My stomach dropped when I saw Haymitch. There was a large stake in the ground right before the Cornucopia and pile of weapons and Haymitch was standing in front of it.

His hands were tied tightly behind his back with some thick rope and there was blood dripping down his hands.

Good.

I thought to myself.

At least he struggled.

But the thought didn't really comfort me much. The man looked a little dazed and he kept lifting his right foot and he scratched his right ankle against his left knee. What an odd movement, yet he kept doing it.

Brutus and Enobaria were nowhere to be seen. But I didn't let that lure me into a false sense of safety.

There was no way that they would've left Haymitch completely alone, not when they wanted to take me out so much, not when they knew I was coming to get him.

I crouched down behind a few bushes. I couldn't get to him without drawing attention to myself.

I could swim, but it wasn't exactly a graceful thing. It was noisy enough that anyone who was waiting for me would easily.

I knew I would feel much better with my bow and arrows. All I had then was my dagger, still, it was better than nothing.

I curved my fingers around the hilt of the dagger. The smooth shape settled naturally in my fingers. I had to be ready.

I started to scoot forward ever so slightly. It was then that Haymitch looked in my direction. His eyes widened ever so slightly as he saw me.

Haymitch's eyes kept flickering upwards, again and again. I looked, at first unable to see what the man was trying to show me. But then after a few minutes of searching, I saw it.

There was a small, round indent near the top of the Cornucopia that drew me in. It was perfectly round, golden in color, and suddenly made me remember the weight tugging on my belt.

I looked down at the golden ball with dawning realization as I remembered the etchings on the nut.

It was a key… A key! For what, I didn't know. All I knew was that I had to find some way to fit the ball in the slot.

Ducking behind bushes I ran quietly along the edge of the strip of land. Maybe if I started out swimming towards the opposite side of the Cornucopia I could have a shot.

It wasn't the best plan, I knew. But I didn't have time to carefully think it through.

I dove into the water, propelling myself forwards as fast as I was able to. I reached the center land strip that the Cornucopia sat upon. I drug myself up onto the land and began to race towards the front of the Cornucopia.

Water droplets cascaded from my jumpsuit, shimmering and iridescent in the fading light.

The slight hiss in the air gave me just enough warning. I dropped flat on the ground, narrowly avoiding the knife that had been thrown at me.

"So we meet again, Everdeen. So predictable." Brutus drawled. His shoes crunched heavily in the wet sand.

I rolled over and snatched up the knife that had been thrown. I turned to see Brutus shaking his head as if he were scolding a child.

I stood up and ran as fast as I could, but it wasn't fast enough.

Brutus lurched forward and slammed his body into mine and we crashed to the ground.

I struggled underneath him. I slammed my knee into his thigh. He let out an angry howl and his fist smashed into my cheek.

The world spun angrily before my eyes and my cheek burst into pain. I was frozen for a second of disorientation, but that was all Brutus needed.

He flipped me around so I was on my knees and he held me in a headlock. His other arm trapped both of mine and he knees weighed down heavily on my legs. No matter how much I tried to move, he was stronger than me.

Enobaria emerged from the other side of the Cornucopia, an excited, sickening smile lit up her face.

That was it. I knew in that moment that I couldn't make it out. I looked up into Brutus's eyes and I saw death.

I swallowed down the couple drops of saliva that had sat upon my dry and spongy tongue. There was sand in my mouth, such an odd thing to realize in that moment, I almost laughed.

Enobaria bared her sharpened teeth slowly making her way towards me. I could see that she had every intention to make my death as long, painful, and drawn out as she could.

"I'm sorry, Peeta." I whispered, thinking of his face.

Knowing he was watching at that moment tore me apart.

I closed my eyes and imagined he was holding me, cradling my body, kissing me sweetly. I heard his soft, loving voice. I saw his beautiful blue eyes.

I knew at that moment that I'd never really admitted it to myself before, how much I loved the boy with the bread.

Brutus chuckled and made some comment about Peeta and I, something that was meant to hurt me, but I didn't listen. I was lost in my own world.

But I was shocked back to life when I heard a gasp and a gurgle from behind. Brutus crashed down on top of me, lifeless.

Author's Note: Thank you guys for reading! :) Any reviews/comments are appreciated!