A/N- Okay, it's been a while, and I do apologize. But, I did make this chapter a little bit longer to hopefully make up for it. I hope that you enjoy it, and please review. It means a ton to me. Thank you.
Oh, and this is most likely the second to last chapter. Just a little forewarning.
Why? What could possibly possess President Snow to want to send the pathetic district partners home together? Are Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen really that captivating? Are they special enough that they get privileges that I didn't get? I was the Capitol's golden boy. Why would Katniss's wants get placed over mine?
Peeta is pathetic. He's a baker's son. If he dies, nothing will happen to his family. They'll be sad, they'll get over it. If Katniss actually liked him, she'd show some sign of it, but she probably hasn't even thought about him. Hell, without that rule, she probably would have stabbed him if she happened to run into him. They never spoke. They didn't care about each other.
Arowana and I were actually partners. I kissed her for crying out loud! That's better than some half assed proclamation of 'love' or whatever Peeta pulled. It was probably strategy to save his own pathetic ass. I liked Arowana. A lot. I still think about her, nine years later. If Katniss and Peeta win this stupid thing, they'll probably forget about each other the second they're out of the arena.
So why? Why would the stupid president decide to give them a chance that I never had? Why do they get to be a couple when all I ever got to be was a sex symbol?
I know I didn't kill Arowana, that she didn't die because of anything I tried. But if I would have known, things would have gone differently. My sponsors could have given her medicine when she was hit with that spear, or they would have given me my trident earlier. Whatever would have happened, I'm convinced that if I'd gotten the chance to in my Games, I would have pulled her out of that arena alive.
I cuss out loud and drive my foot into a wall, which obviously does no good. Arowana is dead. Nothing I can do now will help that. But it's infuriating, knowing that there could have been a rule change, that now there is one. In all honesty, I'm jealous of Katniss and Peeta. Insanely jealous. It doesn't matter if Peeta is almost dead. What matters is that they'll get a chance to leave the arena together. Arowana and I never got that chance, and now she's dead.
"Finnick," a very familiar voice says from behind me. I turn around to face Johanna. She's the only one I wouldn't have run from in that situation.
"What?" I ask her. My voice is more bitter than I'd like. It's not her fault that Snow screwed me over.
"Do you love Annie?"
"Yes."
"And do you think that you'd be with her right now if you got to drag your partner home with you?" It's kind of amazing, really, how well she knows me.
"Probably not. But that isn't-"
"Then why are you mad?"
"It's not the point," I snap at her. "I'd never sacrifice an innocent person's life just so I could be with Annie. It doesn't matter if I love her like crazy or not. A person's life is more important than a relationship, and don't even begin to tell me that Annie wouldn't agree. She'd want her sister back no matter what."
"But-"
"No buts. I got screwed over. My relationship with her was more convincing than whatever bull shit Peeta thinks he's pulling, but for some reason, there was no rule change for my stupid Games." I don't care that Snow's hearing all of this. He knows that I have a temper, and I doubt that anything will come of this tantrum. Actually, he's probably laughing at me right now, if he isn't paying too close of attention to his precious Games.
"Just calm down, Finnick. What happened in your Games is the past. It's done and over with. I know that it may not be fair, but if you think about it, would President Snow want the symbol of the Capitol to be tied down before his Games were finished? He knew what'd happen if he let both of you come out alive, and that's why he didn't. But now, these two other tributes do have a chance to come out together, and you can't be mad that another life might be spared."
I let out my breath in a whoosh of air, finally losing my steam as her words sink in.
"You're right," I admit. "I just can't stand thinking that there was a chance that I could have saved her, that a rule change like that was even possible." Johanna put a gentle hand on my arm.
"I know why they did. There are two couples in these Games, two pairs of tributes who could return to their districts. If I remember right, you and Arowana were the only district partners working together. They wouldn't have made that rule for one district in any case, much less when they wanted you single."
That's logical. Somehow, realizing that there is a reason for it helps me relax a little bit.
"You're right." A thought hits me. "But who're the other two?" I hadn't been paying very close attention to anything except for Katniss.
"Cato and Clove, from District 2. The crazy guy and his psycho girlfriend."
"Of course. I'm sure they're so romantic."
"Practically Romeo and Juliet," she says sarcastically. I let myself laugh. Realizing that having two victors could be a good thing, that it's not just a stupid scheme to throw the Arowana thing in my face, I even smile.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"Cheering me up," I answer her. Then I take her hand. "Rue is dead. You have got to come watch in Haymitch's room. He's got the most entertaining commentary." She rolls her eyes.
"Of course I'll come. There's no way I could miss see Haymitch sober. I've waited long enough."
Then we return to the room.
Katniss is already looking for Peeta, but she isn't very close, so I head back to my room, telling someone to come get me if they find each other.
It takes a while, but eventually Johanna comes in and gets me, saying that she found him.
For the next few days, I watch Katniss try to heal Peeta. She washes all of the mud and weeds he used as camouflage off first, then takes to healing his leg in the best way she can, but I get a good view of the cut for the first time, and it's almost to the bone. Then there's the puss and infection that's already set in.
"That thing's infected," I point out. Several people glare at me, probably for stating the obvious.
The sight of the thing gets worse as she actually forces him to walk downstream to a cave, which isn't quite as hidden as I'd like, but I know that Peeta can't go any further. Katniss gets him in there and shoves him in the sleeping bag. I don't watch very closely, because it's not like there's any actual action going on, and it's just too sick that the Hunger Games could every be portrayed as a romance story. Well, unless it would have been Arowana and I, when I was in the arena. But watching it is just horrible.
As Katniss keeps tending to Peeta, I can't help but remember how Arowana looked over me when I had pneumonia. There's just this weird feeling, and even though Katniss is nothing like her at all, I can't help but compare the two of them. They have that same fiery attitude, but I know that Katniss doesn't quite have her compassion. Sure, she went into the arena for her sister, but Arowana talked about how badly she hated killing, she actually said she'd never kill again. Katniss doesn't seem to be showing any ill effects at all.
As the days drag on, I get more and more bored with the whole thing. No one is dying, and I know it's callous, but I want the killing to start. If they're all going to die anyway, what's the point in waiting it out this long? I know that the Capitol is probably all over themselves about the whole star crossed lovers thing, but really, any dimwit could see that Peeta's on the verge of dying.
Katniss is being even stupider than the Gamemakers. She's doing what she did to Rue, getting too attached. A lot of the kiss she gives him and words she says are very obviously staged, but there are other things she does that shows she cares about him a little. It's in the ferocity of how she cares for him, the way her eyes light up just a little bit when they tell each other stories.
"He's going to die," I hiss, "and it's going to be worse than with the girl." Again, the room glares at me, Haymitch even more so than the rest.
"He won't die," he growled. "He won't."
But it keeps looking worse and worse, and it's pretty clear that he has blood poisoning, so I'm just waiting for the time he doesn't wake up, waiting for Katniss to react like I did and go kamikaze in an attempt to finish off the last tributes at quickly as possible. Maybe she'll even start smiling and singing like I did.
Then, a few days after they'd been in the cave, the trumpets blare and Claudius Templesmith's voice fills the room. He says that there's a feast, except not a normal one. Instead of food, he has something that each tribute desperately needs to win.
I can imagine a couple of them. The girl from Five needs a weapon of some sort if she ever gets into a confrontation. Cato and Clove will need things to protect them from the arrows, if they ever want to get close to Katniss. As for Thresh, I'm not as sure. He seems to be living pretty comfortably, but it may be something for the arrows as well. Then, obviously, District Twelve needs the medicine to save Peeta. And as soon as Templesmith's words register with Katniss, her eyes light up, and I know that she's going to do it.
"If she dies for him, I want Thresh to have his head," I mutter. Johanna puts a hand on my arm, but thankfully no one else hears me. Haymitch would have my head for saying that. He's gotten attached to Peeta, and I can tell that this isn't just getting an ideal rebel leader home anymore. Not to him. Those kids have begun to mean something to him.
"He's not going to let her go, anyway," Johanna whispers to me. I look up to see the two of them arguing, him saying that he'll start screaming after her if she leaves.
"He'll do it," I pipe up. Everyone turns to glare at me for interrupting the heated argument. "What? He'll kill himself to stop her from going, you say what he did with Cato. Maybe if she could sedate him for a few hours-" Haymitch turned to face me, and I thought he was going to be mad for suggesting it, but his face lit up at me.
"That's perfect. We'll knock him out, she'll get the medicine, and…" His words trail off. Yes, the medicine matters to me, but so does the stupid country, and now he's all excited to put the first actual candidate for head rebel up against people twice her size. I know that it's not going well. I just know it.
But, despite wanting to protest, I bite my tongue and Haymitch sends her the sleep syrup. Moments later, Peeta is out like a light.
Katniss spends some time concealing the hiding place a little better and hunting, then she departs for the cornucopia, where the feast is taking place. I carefully watch her settle in for the night. I watch the other tributes doing the same. Then, in the middle of the night, a red haired shadow dashes from the forest and hides herself in the cornucopia.
"And I thought Katniss was smart," Johanna comments, her words directly in line with my thoughts.
Other than the tributes taking their places, though, nothing else happens.
I doze on and off for the rest of the night, until I see the sun rising in the arena and decide that I better wake up. It's a good thing, too, because moments later, the gong sounds and the tributes are going at it. The girl from Five gets hers first and easily scampers out of the way, and then Katniss goes.
Only she isn't as lucky as the other girl. She gets her bag, but Clove hits her forehead with a knife and she staggers back onto the ground, where the bigger girl pins her down. I slam my first into the wall, Haymitch lets loose a string of curses that'd make a sailor blush, and the room suddenly gets a very different atmosphere.
"Where's your boyfriend, District Twelve?" Clove asks her. "Still hanging on?"
"He's out there now. Hunting Cato." She takes a deep breath and cries, "Peeta!" I hate to give her credit. She knows how to think under pressure.
"Liar," Clove said after a moment of hesitation. "He's nearly dead. Cato knows where he cut him. You've probably got him strapped in some tree while you try to keep his heart going. What's in the pretty little backpack? That medicine for Lover Boy? Too bad he'll never get it."
Wow. That girl's a bitch. I cringe when I remember toying with the people I murder. But even I wasn't that bad. Was I? I shake my head. There are more important things to think about.
"I promised Cato if he let me have you, I'd give the audience a good show."
No, I wasn't that bad. I can see that. And I can also tell that Clove isn't crazy. Her boyfriend is, but Clove knows exactly what she's doing. I didn't.
"Forget it District Twelve," she says in response to Katniss's struggles. "We're going to kill you. Just like we did your pathetic little ally… what was her name? The one who hopped around in the trees? Rue? Well, first Rue, then you, and then I think we'll just let nature take care of Lover Boy. How does that sound?"
Yeah. I was no where near that bad. Not at all. At least I was merciful enough not to prolong it so much. Even my gut keeps twisting at the look she's giving Katniss, and I swear that my heart is going to leap out of my chest. I feel like I'm going to be sick, and I'm sitting watching the thing on a stupid screen.
"Now, where to start?" Clove contemplates. "I think…" She eyes her face with an almost artistic approach. It makes me blanch. "I think we'll start with your mouth."
Katniss clamps her mouth shut, but keeps her eyes locked with Cloves, which is impressive in itself.
"Yes, I don't think you'll have much use for your lips anymore. Want to blow Lover Boy one last kiss?" Then, even more impressive than keeping eye contact, Katniss spit's a mouthful of blood and saliva right in her face. I can't help but smile just slightly, despite the attitude of the moment. Then I see a dark shadow emerge from the forest not ten feet away from them, and suddenly I can feel a little spark of hope.
"All right then. Let's get started." But just as Clove starts digging the knife into her skin, Thresh pulls her off of Katniss and traps her in his humongous arms. Okay, I'm six three, and not exactly tiny, but this guy would probably make me look like a dwarf. I don't think his size completely registered until I saw him lift Clove, who must be a hundred and fifty pounds at the minimum, up like she weighed nothing. He'd probably even make Rafe look small. The way that he flings her to the ground like a rag doll enforces my observations.
"What'd you do to that little girl? You kill her?" he asks Clove. His voice is soft and menacing, which makes him even scarier. Clove tries to scurry backwards on all fours.
"No! No, it wasn't me."
"You said her name. I heard you. You kill her?" Suddenly, his mouth twists up in a snarl. "You cut her up like you were going to cut up this girl here?"
"No! No, I-" Thresh lifts a big stone over his head, and the girl loses it. "Cato!" she shrieks. "Cato!" I nervously glance at his screen, but he's too far away. He won't make it.
"Clove!" he answers, sounding like he actually cares. It's kind of sad, if you think about it. The two of them would have been so perfect for each other if they could have made it out. I can just see them. It's like some ancient book we read in school before my Games. The two main characters were horrible people, but they loved each other anyway, and you had to feel just a little bit bad when they lost each other. That's what it feels like when I see the genuine worry on Cato's face. It makes him seem… human.
Then, the rock goes down on Cloves skull and leaves a horrible looking dent, and any kind of romance really disappears from the moment. I have to work not to look away, because Clove is still alive, and that's the worst part.
I can't worry about her for long, however, because Thresh rips around on Katniss next.
"What'd she mean? About Rue being your ally?"
"I- I- we teamed up. Blew up the supplies. I tried to save her, I did. But he got there first. District One." Her words are quick and breathless, but the sincerity in them impresses me.
"And you killed him?"
"Yes. I killed him. And buried her in flowers. And I sang her to sleep." She starts crying, and that's when I see the look in Thresh's eyes.
"He's going to let her go," I whisper. I get a few skeptical looks, but I just know.
"To sleep?"
"To death. I sang until she died. Your district… they sent me bread. Do it fast, okay Thresh?"
Now his conflicting emotions are more obvious, but he lowers his rock, just like I knew that he would.
"Just this one time, I let you go. For the little girl. You and me, we're even then. No more owed. You understand?" There's a collective sigh of relief all around the room.
She nods just as Cato bursts into the clearing. He hollers Cloves name, but it's no good. I look away from them to keep myself from feeling stupid pity. Thresh yells at Katniss to leave, and she does, staggering back through the forest with her little pack, until she makes it to the cave. Barely conscious, with a very scary trail of blood running down her face, she opens the bag and pulls out a needle, which she promptly sticks in Peeta's arm before she collapses to the ground. I'm nervous, but I know that when he wakes up, he'll take care of her, and for the first time, I'm hopeful that maybe both of them will make it out alive.