A/N: Here's a long one for the wait.
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Nate walked through the woods as quickly and quietly as possible. It was the dead of night and he had to be careful. His plan wouldn't succeed if anybody heard him. Discretion was the key.
The trickiest part was leaving Sophie alone. Nate had been terrified of the idea of it ever since the attack on her. In fact, he set traps all around the area just to make certain nobody would be able to get in. Then he realized that if she wanted to leave she would set off a trap so he immediately got rid of that idea. So the boy from District Twelve had been back to square one.
"We need to get rid of the Career's food supply in order to win," Nate had complained while they were eating.
Sophie just rolled her eyes at his statement and ignored him. She had been doing that a lot lately. No matter how often Nate tried to talk to her she would either answer with a simple word or nod her head. He didn't know what he did wrong but he figured it had something to do with her head injury. She was probably embarrassed that she needed rescuing.
"So far you are the only Career-like person whose strategy didn't actually rely on getting to the cornucopia and taking all of the food there," Nate continued. He was making some training arrows for Sophie because he was a faster eater. It was the only way he could do something with his hands other than strangle her for not cooperating.
Sophie heaved out a puff of air heavily and glared at him. That was enough for the boy. She finally looked him directly in the eyes after a full day of nothing more than sleeping and pretending he didn't exist while she was awake. He finally achieved a beautiful reaction out of her. It was all he needed to make his move.
Nate calmly held out his hand and gently gripped the girl's chin. He pulled her closer so they were staring each other directly in the eyes. "It was yours and Maggie's plan, Sophie," he said, "It's time to follow through."
Sophie's charcoal brown eyes unexpectedly glistened with water at his words. He understood the reaction because that was why he said it. It was the last plan they had agreed upon before tragedy struck. It was the only way she would let him go.
"It was a stupid plan that got Maggie killed," she said instead, surprising him and probably all of Panem along with him. Then she moved her left up to her chin and snatched onto his hand. She placed her right hand on top of it and gently started rubbing circles. Nate stared at the action completely puzzled.
"We just need to focus on surviving now," Sophie finished sadly. She was still rubbing circles in his hand and fighting against tears to keep her image up. It was a heart-wrenching sight, if you didn't know Sophie.
"Don't try to con me out of this!" Nate snarled at her, taking his hand away in disgust. He shook it just to get rid of the tingling sensation. He knew his jibe was a low blow but this was ridiculous. "You know getting rid of your friends' camp is the only way to win!"
Sophie's eyes grew wide with surprise and anger. Her lips pursed out a bit signaling that her long lost scowl had finally decided to make a reappearance. The flicker of anger was dazzling bright within her brown doe eyes. "Fine but you're not doing it without me!"
"Dammit Sophie!" Nate raised his hands in exasperation. How could she do this? How could someone like her be so kind and generous and amazing one minute and then downright infuriating the next? It just wasn't fair. "By the time you're all healed up they'll be ready for an attack! That's a bad strategy and you know it! We can't wait for your head to finish healing."
"Then we'll go right now," Sophie nodded stiffly. Her eyes unfocussed at the movement and she went a little cross-eyed but she blinked and everything was back to normal. Then she started working on getting herself up and away from the sleeping bag. Her eyes went cross-eyed again.
"No!" Nate growled softly towards her. He immediately grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and restrained himself from shaking her. Once his anger was in check he set her down as carefully as possible. "You're not coming with me, Sophie!"
Sophie crossed her arms defiantly and huffed in annoyance. "Then you're not going!"
And that was it. Her word was final and there was nothing he could do about it. So, the boy from District Twelve sent her a scowl of his own and promptly left the safety of the cave to avoid killing the girl. He had some important fishing to do if he wanted to get some food in her anyway. Yeah, he would use that to convince her of his plan. And if that didn't work he could sneak off at night while she was sleeping. Of course, when she woke up she would probably leave the cave and go searching for him and then get herself killed or worse. Yeah, he needed a new plan.
"I need something to ensure that she won't sneak off while I'm destroying their food supply," Nate grumbled to himself, thinking out loud to better strategize. Then he realized that he was a tribute with a mentor whose job it was to send him what he needed when he needed it.
The boy's head snapped up and he started looking around him for some cameras. He knew they were close. For some reason the cameras seemed to be around him nonstop for the past four days since he and Sophie were left alone. Well, since he brought Sophie back and started taking care of her that is. He knew they were around there somewhere.
"Haymitch," Nate called out quietly. He wasn't far enough away from the cave to be certain Sophie wouldn't hear him. He was dead positive she had the super hearing of a wolf. He didn't want to know why she had such good hearing though.
"Haymitch, I need you to send some of that sleeping serum," Nate continued, "You know what stuff I'm talking about. I need some of that stuff used to put people to sleep for long periods of time. It's the only way I'm going to be able to get rid of the Careers' camp."
Nate waited a few minutes for his request to be fulfilled. He even looked towards the sky in hopes of seeing a silver parachute clambering down towards him. He didn't. The serum he needed didn't seem to be stopping by for a visit.
"I need it now," Nate huffed towards the cameras. Then he immediately clamped his mouth shut because he said that way louder than originally intended. Luckily Sophie's super hearing didn't seem to hear his command and the boy heaved a sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was Sophie Devereaux figuring out his plan to defy her wishes.
"Please," Nate tried in a much more subdued and softer tone. He even held out his hands and did that puppy dog look Sophie always pulled on him. But nothing came. Apparently he was going to have to work in order to get the serum for Sophie. That just meant he was going to have to get the girl to admit something more about herself, just like last time.
Nate stomped his foot on the ground and glared in the direction of the cameras once again. "Fine," he huffed dramatically, "but you better send us food too. Remember, Sophie loves drop biscuits and if I'm going to succeed in drugging her it might as well be with something she enjoys! And it better be enough to keep her out for a few days!"
With that, the boy from District Twelve stomped towards the river in scorn and began his angry task of fishing for dinner. He cast out his fishing pole, a stick with string tied to it, and immediately grumbled under his breath about the fact that he seemed to be the only one working his butt off just to be told to work harder because what he was doing wasn't good enough. He caught three fish during his grumbling sulk and quickly went to work preparing them. He wasn't quite ready to return to the cave but he knew he would have to. Sophie would come looking for him if he didn't.
Nate scowled at his ally and once again wished he had killed her in that clearing on the second day of the games. At least then he wouldn't have to worry about her, of course he'd be dead too so there. The boy jerked his scaled and filleted fish into his hands and started trudging back to the cave. It was now time to retrieve information from Sophie Devereaux. It was going to be a long night indeed.
Dinner was quiet to say the least. Well, it wasn't quiet as much as ice cold silence. Sophie completely ignored him the whole time. She didn't even thank him for the meal and she always thanked him for the meal. She just kept her eyes on her food and ate as slowly as possible. She was being deliberately slow. It was like she knew he had a plan to disobey her order. Maybe she did hear his conversation with the cameras.
Anyway, Sophie was unusually careful with her meal and Nate was starting to suspect there was something else going on. She would only take a bite when he would and she wasn't even watching. He knew because he checked. Then his eyes narrowed and he quickly picked up some fish and reached towards her with it.
"Don't you even think about it!" She scowled at the slimy meat wiggling in front of her. Nate smiled because he had almost gotten it to her mouth before she protested. She wasn't watching as carefully as he originally thought.
"I just wanted to make sure you were hungry," Nate said with a laugh, "You're eating slow. You never eat slow."
"Maybe I want to take my time," Sophie crabbed towards him softly.
Nate smiled at the sarcastic response and moved right up tight against her. He reached out and turned her head towards him so their eyes were linked. "Or maybe you're trying to keep an eye on me without keeping an eye on me," he said. He was right and they both knew it.
"Can you blame me?" She asked with only the slightest crack in her voice as she looked at him, "We both know you're going to do whatever it takes to get your way despite the consequences."
"I won't leave until I know you're safe though," Nate nodded at her reply. They were both being honest and it really didn't matter that they were revealing their own plans. It was stupid and pointless to pretend they didn't exist. They were both too smart to fall for it anyway. They might as well be out in the open about it.
"You won't leave until you find yourself and opportunity," Sophie shook her head, "and I won't give it to you."
Nate sighed at that. She had a point. He really was waiting for an opportunity to appear. He was also waiting for something that probably wasn't coming anytime soon. He did have a couple back up plans and all.
"You know we have to start thinking about winning," Nate cringed at the sound of his voice. It felt like a betrayal to even support the games the way he was. But he had no other choice he promised Parker he would go home. He had to do this. "The Capitol is going to get sick of us just sitting around and waiting. An attack will buy us time for strategy. You know this is the right thing to do. You knew it when you suggested it to Maggie."
Sophie stared at him speechless. She probably thought he didn't know it was her plan from the very beginning. The girl probably didn't realize just how much he was able to read her until this very moment. Of course it had been her plan. Maggie wouldn't have suggested it without some changes. The original plan probably even involved a few deaths. It still might, depending on how everything goes.
"That was before it was just the two of us," Sophie growled towards him. It was a soft growl, more like a kitten's purr than an actual growl. She wasn't angry anymore, just afraid. She didn't want to lose him and he was just as attached to her. It was the major reason why he should have killed her when he had the chance. "Nate, you won't have anyone to watch your back if you go without me. That's too dangerous. What if the bombs go off and force you into unconsciousness? What's to stop one of the other tributes from slicing you into a million pieces? You have to think about your promise to Parker!"
Nate rolled his eyes at the play and his scowl deepened considerably. She was right and he hated it. It sucked that they were playing at the same level and it sucked that she knew him so well after only a few weeks in the trenches. It wasn't fair. She got to know everything about him and he got nothing. He just got a wall.
"Don't you dare use my promise to Parker on me!" Nate pointed an angry index finger directly into her face, "You don't get to do that! You have no right!"
"No right?" Sophie looked affronted at the idea of it.
"Let me finish!" He interrupted, "You have no right because you won't share! Every time I ask you anything about home you change the subject and I'm sick of it! I want answers! I want to know what your family is like. I want to know why you're doing this. It can't just be because you want to put food in your siblings' bellies, it can't be! There's something you're not telling me and I demand to know!"
At this Nate put his face as close to hers as possible and glared directly into her eyes. "I demand to know Sophie Devereaux!"
"What do you want to know?" Sophie hissed back just as loudly and just as close. Her breath was hot and smelled like sweet honeysuckles despite everything they'd been through. But her eyes held the fire he'd been looking for and he focused on that instead of everything else. He needed to focus on that instead of everything else.
"What's your favorite color?" He asked. It was a good starter question.
"Blue," she said softly. Then her cheeks sort of went pink and her eyes darted down before they went back to staring him defiantly down.
"What's your favorite animal?" Another softball question for the both of them.
Sophie moved closer to him with her eyes boring into his. "A robbingjay," she said. Their lips were moments apart.
"What's the one thing you want most in the world?" Nate demanded softly, struggling to keep his eyes level with hers. It was impossibly difficult all of a sudden. Her lips looked incredibly soft from where he was positioned.
"I want y…" Sophie backed away with wide eyes at whatever it was she was about to say. She looked downright startled at the very idea of it. Her cheeks were suddenly very red and she couldn't look him in the eyes anymore.
Nate didn't like the fact that she pulled away. He missed her warmth and her intense stare. So, he reached out his right hand and cupped her chin. He turned her head gently towards him and kept his gaze steady with hers. "You can tell me," He said, "I promise I won't let it come back to bite you later on."
Sophie just shook her head at the offer and blinked her eyes a bit. She looked away from him again and stared out the cave entrance. "I want the Capitol to see the evil it creates by sending children out into the arena to slaughter each other," she said softly. Nate was surprised to note the feeling of cameras still on them. Surely nobody in the Capitol would want to watch this.
"I want them to see just what they're doing when they ask children to make friends only to kill them later on," she continued, "I just want them to see that we're more than a just a form of entertainment. We're human beings who deserve to be loved just for being us."
And that was why the cameras were still on them. The game makers knew the girl from District One would be saying something worth keeping. They probably cut to the Careers' camp during her Capitol rant just so they could cut back to her the moment she said something worth keeping. All of Panem was probably sobbing in grief at the girl's brave statement. Of course, that was what Haymitch was hoping for. Sophie was somebody who easily won the hearts of Panem and he was her ally. That was exactly what the sponsors needed to hear to grant his plea. Hopefully it worked in their favor.
"Is it bad that I'm still hungry?" Sophie questioned sadly. Her voice cracked a bit as she spoke. Nate could see the wetness sparkling in the corners of her eyes.
Nate felt his heart squeeze at the miserable state she was in. He knew exactly what he was going to do to make it easier for her. "I'll go catch us some more fish, okay?"
Sophie's eyes lit up at his little statement and the grin on her face made his offer seem like something more than just a full belly. She made it seem like he was offering her the world on a silver platter. If everything went right he very well might.
Nate crawled out of the tent quickly and started towards the stream again. His pole was still there waiting for a nibble anyway. He knew Sophie was still going to be hungry and he had been determined to get that sleep serum. Thankfully his hunch was right.
A silver parachute appeared out of nowhere and slowly made its way towards the fishing pole. Nate raced towards it and jumped in the air in triumph. It was a basket of food. The drop biscuits he requested were there along with some stew and roasted chicken. There were even mashed potatoes. There was a small tin of silver neatly tucked beside the biscuits too. Nate lifted it up and was surprised to see a label on it. It was the serum complete with instructions.
The boy chuckled happily at amazing gift from above. He quickly read the label and memorized the amount needed. He hid the tin with the biscuits and quickly raced towards the cave. The plan for getting Sophie to sleep was now in full swing.
Sophie's eyes were blown wide with shock and excitement the moment the basket of food was in her sights. "What's that?"
"Food," Nate replied happily. It wasn't fake happiness either. They both really needed the food. He just had to be careful. Sophie Devereaux was not a very trusting young woman and she knew him. She would be on the watch for a trick and he had to make certain she didn't catch it. "We have stew, chicken, mashed potatoes and," he paused for dramatic effect, "drop biscuits."
"Drop biscuits!" Sophie's face contorted into one of blissful shock, "That's amazing. What did you do to get us this?"
"It wasn't me," Nate admitted honestly. Sophie would have detected the lie anyway and he needed her guard down in order to finish his plan. "It was you," he said.
"Me?" Sophie's eyebrows moved downward in confusion of the statement, "What did I do?"
"You told Panem that we are more than just entertainment," Nate smiled at her question, "You reminded them that we were worthy of being loved too."
"That didn't make it to the Capitol," Sophie rolled her eyes at his statement. "You just don't want to admit you did something amazing to get this for us."
"Are you still hungry?" Nate asked with a smile on his face so wide he was certain she was going to catch onto his plans soon enough. It didn't matter though. He just needed her to eat something with the serum on it.
"I'm famished," Sophie nodded her head and smiled back at him daintily. She probably already knew something was up simply by the way he changed the subject. Oh well, all she had to do was eat and he would be taking care of business somewhere else.
"Would you like a biscuit?" Nate questioned softly. He pulled out one for her to see and waved it in her face slowly. "There's even honey if you want it… or butter. You get to choose."
"Honey please," Sophie purred affectionately towards him. She was staring at the biscuit with hunger glowing in her eyes. Thankfully that hunger would be her undoing for the time being.
Nate quickly scooped up a biscuit and gently applied the serum right in front of her. He knew the color of the liquid was wrong but that didn't really matter. The Capitol experimented with everything. In fact, they were known for their clear honey. Well, they called it white honey but it was clear. Besides the food came from the Capitol, all Nate needed her to do was take a bite. He would take care of the rest.
"Open wide," Nate grinned towards her with as blank a look on his face as he could perform. He even kept his eyes on her mouth just to keep up appearances. It was not because he found it interesting and soft and her lips really did look delectable.
Sophie narrowed her eyes at the order but dutifully took a bite. She chewed the bite she had in her mouth and swallowed. "What are you up to?" She asked. Then she blessedly took another bite.
"Nothing," Nate hummed as he continued to hold the biscuit for her. He enjoyed holding her food for her. He was kind of sad that it had to be under these circumstances. He would have loved to feed her more often than just this very moment. Oh well, this was a very worthy sacrifice for their survival.
Sophie took another bite of the biscuit and her eyes went wide in shock. Her face suddenly grew pale and Nate felt his heart drop into his stomach. Did he put too much on? Did he kill her without meaning too?
"I know what you did," Sophie gasped. She pushed the biscuit away and put her hands over her mouth in shock. She shook her head a few times and attempted to crawl away. "You put that sleeping serum on that, didn't you?"
"Yes," Nate nodded. There was no sense in lying. She had figured him out and it would be more of a betrayal if he didn't own up to it.
"How long will I," she yawned and her eyes were already beginning to droop, "How long will I be out?"
"Not long enough," he admitted as he jumped towards her and gently placed her on the ground.
Sophie shook her head and tried to fight him off. Nate just played dirty because the serum was taking effect. He slammed the biscuit into her mouth and forced it down her throat as roughly as possible. Sophie gagged at the action and tried to force the food out of her mouth. Nate just grabbed his water bottle and started pouring it down her throat. He ignored the prickling feeling and wetness on his cheeks. He had to do this. Sophie struggled against him and began choking on the water and the biscuit. There were tears falling from her eyes as she tried to fight off what he was doing. So the boy from District Twelve did the only thing he had left. He slammed the girl's mouth closed and blew on her nose. She automatically swallowed and he repeated the action again just to make certain the task was done. Nate rubbed her throat and raised her to a sitting position. He began combing his fingers through her hair and brought up the water bottle.
"I'm sorry," he cried into her ear, "I'm so sorry, Sophie."
Sophie didn't say anything but she drank from his offered water bottle and continued to cry silently at what he had done. She fought hard to stay awake but it was futile. In fact, she was clinging to his shirt, breathing heavily for air when she finally succumbed to the serum within her.
Nate swallowed at the awful thing he'd done and carefully placed her back into her sleeping bag. He tucked her in and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.
"I'm so sorry, Soph," Nate sniffled out in sadness. He then carefully picked up the food and put it in a safe place. At least she would have something worthwhile to eat. He just took a chicken leg and the serum. He didn't really want anything else from that basket.
Nate took off the moment the Capitol crest went up into the sky. He set traps around the cave after dinner. They were set so Sophie could see them from the cave. He hoped he made it back before she was awake. If he didn't she would come looking for revenge. He knew it was the truth because it was exactly what he would have done. It was one of the few things they had in common. They were both stubborn and would do anything to get their way or protect their friends.
That was why Nate was walking in the dark with the night goggle shades on his face. Not surprisingly Sophie was right about them. They did make travel perfect during the night. He could see everything. He could see the trees, the animals sleeping; he could even see the traps around the Careers' camp. They hadn't even set up new ones when Sophie became his ally. This would be easier than originally planned.
The boy from District Twelve carefully moved closer to the camp and stopped just moments away. There was something off about the ground right in front of him. The grass was wrong. It looked like it had been moved. Nate arched an eyebrow at that. If he hadn't lived his whole life in the woods he would have never recognized the difference. He had found the mine. Now all he needed to do was figure out how he was going to set them all off without endangering himself.
Nate spent the rest of the night figuring out where each of the mines were. The Careers had encircled the entire area with only a small path that one person could get through. That was probably James' idea. He probably thought that would give him the perfect opportunity to kill off the rest of them while he planned on stealing Sophie back. Oh well, Nate was going to use that plan against him. He just needed to find the perfect tool to carry out his plan. The boy looked up and grinned.
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Nate took off his shades the moment the sun began to rise. It had been a long night and his day was just about to begin. Luckily the tree he was in provided the perfect amount of protection in the event that somebody would look up for any reason. It was also perfectly located so he could use his arrows to take out the sack of apples hanging from a branch directly over two of the mines. If he set those off, they would set off a chain reaction that would thus destroy every single bit of the campground and the food within.
All Nathan Ford had to do was wait, and wait he did. The young man from District Twelve watched as each of the five Career campground members rose for the day. James and Marcus were both awake within moments of each other. Then Marcus' fellow tribute from District Four was wide awake. The girl from District Three rose to her feet moments later and began to look over the perimeter carefully. The girl from District Two continued to sleep as if nothing else in the world happened.
Then Nate took notice of another tribute in the campground. Well, she was above it. The girl from District Seven was lazily standing in the branch above the sack of apples with hunger on her lips. Her intention was highly obvious. She was going to steal the apples.
Nate shrugged at that. His plan would not be deterred by her stealing. In fact, he was going to give her a gentle warning when the coast was clear. Right now, both tributes had to wait for the Careers to leave. It didn't take long after that either. The Career tributes left their clearing in a careful single file line. Nate could have picked them off one by one but that was stupid. They were down to the final eight and they would pick themselves off soon enough. He wasn't going to hurry along that process.
Once the small group of Careers was gone, the girl from District Seven stared down at the only tribute left. The girl from District Two was still sleeping like a baby. At least that's what it looked like. The girl from District Seven didn't seem so sure though.
She quickly picked up a twig and threw it off into the woods. She was right. The girl from District Two immediately rose to her feet and looked around in preparation for an attack. The girl from District Seven shrugged and threw another branch. The Career turned towards the noise and grinned. She slowly worked her way out of the clearing and headed in the direction of the noise, her knife glinting all the while.
The girl from District Seven stifled a laugh and quickly went to work securing a couple of apples. She collected them and quickly jumped through the trees as if nothing happened. Nate watched her go with a smile on his lips. Now he was going to implement his plan.
Nate slowly pulled out one of the practice arrows he made and aimed towards the sack of apples. He drew back his arm and released the arrow. The self-made arrow penetrated the sack of apples with a small slit just big enough for an apple to get stuck in. The first arrow was not enough. So, Nate placed another arrow against the quiver and fired off. This arrow widened the hole just enough for two apples to slide into the hole. The fabric was even tearing. Nate smiled wide and unleashed a third arrow. It hit its mark even better than the last one and the apples tumbled down.
Boom!
The ball of fire that erupted from the mines was monstrous to see as well as hear. It was hot and powerful. In fact, Nate felt himself slam into the trunk of the tree from the force of the blow. His head was swimming and his eyes went cross-eyed it was such a powerful push back. Then the fire ball suddenly ended and the world was too quiet to be believed. The young man from District Twelve winced at the pain in his head and moved to the other side of the tree. His vision went blurry around the edges and he immediately welcomed the darkness that begged for his arrival.
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Sophie awoke to a fuzzy feeling in her head and a weird taste in her mouth. She groggily felt around her sleeping bag for the way out and noticed her breath was the only thing she could hear. She sat up quickly and then wished she hadn't. Her head still hurt but it wasn't from the bump at the back of her head. This pain was drug induced. She was dehydrated.
The girl quickly found her pack and took a drink from her water bottle. It was nearly empty but that didn't really matter. She realized what was wrong with the cave. Nate was gone. His sleeping form was not lying beside her and it was absolutely disturbing. Ordinarily she would have just thought he was out fishing but his sleeping bag and most of his supplies were still there. The only thing missing was him and his pack.
Sophie quickly clambered out of her sleeping bag with every intention of chasing after the boy in search of him. Then she took notice of the basket carefully surrounded by ice packs and rocks. Her frown of fear quickly changed to a scowl of annoyance and disgust. She just remembered what happened. Nate had drugged her so he could do something stupid. She was going to kill him.
The girl sat down beside the basket and noted that most of the food was still in there from however many nights before. In fact the only things missing were the biscuit she ate, a chicken leg and the silver tin. Sophie smiled despite herself. Nate left her everything in case she was hungry. The bastard. The young woman from District One slowly made her way outside to get herself some water. Then she heard a twig snap and immediately raised her knife. She turned towards the source of the sound and nearly screamed.
Nate hobbled closer with his eyes crossed in pain. He looked bone tired and like he hadn't slept in days. Sophie wondered how long she'd been out and then assessed the boy's clothes. They were torn in places and there was most definitely blood stains in spots. Sophie immediately bit back her concern because he was not going to get off that easily. She quickly grabbed his hand and led him to the stream. She made no sound as they walked and just finished taking care of herself. Nate at least had the decency to look ashamed.
"Today we're going to work on finding roots," Sophie explained to him in the sweetest voice she had. She knew how to get payback and she was going to do it immediately. His behavior from before was unacceptable. He needed to learn that now before it became a habit.
"Sophie, I haven't slept a week since the mines knocked me out," Nate complained. It was the truth too. His eyes were red rimmed and he looked about ready to fall over at any minute. She would have none of it though. He needed to learn his lesson before she would take care of him like he needed to be taken care of.
"You're learning roots whether you like it or not," Sophie growled towards him with a smile. "You're on my time now."
Nate groaned but nodded his head. Then he winced at the movement because of his concussion. She would have to take a look at that later. Right now it was time for punishment.
"Come on," she said, "We're not going far."
She easily dodged the traps he set and waited for him to remove them. She watched as his careful fingers gently untied every knot and he refused to show any signs of weakness in front of her. The boy was swaying from side to side every time they stopped, but he kept up with her anyway. He knew he was in trouble. That was a good sign.
"See what you can find," Sophie ordered when she found some digging marks left over from some squirrels. At least she hoped they were squirrel tracks. She was getting sick and tired of mutts hanging around.
Nate did as told without complaint. He immediately kneeled to the ground and began shoving his hands into it. He scowled at the wetness of mud on his hands and immediately went towards the stream. He plunged his hands into it and felt something rub against them. He pulled on the rubbing thing and stared. He was holding a blue potato in his hand.
"Sophie," Nate called out softly. The girl just stared at him with alarm because his voice was really scratchy and he slurred her name a bit. "I found some poisoned potatoes!"
"That's a Katniss, Nate," Sophie corrected with a giggle. She couldn't help it. His lack of plant knowledge and the slurring of his words was just too funny. So she giggled a bit. "Alright, let's get you back to the cave and clean you up," she quickly brushed his hair out of his face and smiled at him, "I think you've learned your lesson. I'll even make you some Katniss stew for dinner if all of the food is gone by then."
"I'm really sorry for putting hurting you," Nate nodded in reply. The guilt swimming in his eyes was enough to confirm his words.
"I know," Sophie smiled gently, "Let's get you taken care of. You can teach me arrows later on."
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"Alright, now stand straight," Nate slowly moved around the girl from District One and worked to correct any errors. She had good posture and her arm was extended properly. It was the one pulling the string that was causing her problems.
"Here," Nate stood behind her and immediately set to work, pulling her arm back exactly as he always would. The arrow hit the mark perfectly. "You're still too tense when you draw back. You need to loosen up a bit."
"Well if you would stop scrutinizing every single little thing I do I might actually be able to do it!" Sophie growled in frustration. She looked pretty close to throwing the bow down and stomping on it. He'd never seen her so frustrated in the entire few weeks they had spent in the games. It was a new experience for them both.
"Calm down," Nate rolled his eyes at her behavior. He had to work hard to bite back the laugh that wanted to escape his lips. Laughing would be doing no favors for him and what they were trying to achieve. Of course it didn't help that he was so amused by her hot temper.
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Sophie barked at him reproachfully. She had venom in her eyes and looked ready to kill. She almost threw the bow down in her frustration towards him. "I'm trying to learn and all you're telling me is what I'm doing wrong. How about telling me what I'm doing right? Maybe I'll actually be able to listen!"
She did have a point. He wasn't going to tell her that though. It had only been a few days since his discovery of Katniss. In fact, he had forced the poor girl to make him Katniss for every meal once their other food supply ran out. He was man enough to admit he was addicted to them. It was officially his favorite food.
Nate took a deep breath and lifted Sophie's chin up a bit. "Picture yourself throwing a knife when you draw back," he said, "See if that helps."
Sophie did as instructed and the arrow fell to the ground a few feet away. She scowled at the arrow and then raised her head towards him. The scowl deepened and her hands found her hips. "It doesn't work," she said.
"I can see that," Nate raised both eyebrows at that. He needed to come up with a new strategy. Making her angry enough to kill only seemed to be doing worse. At least the arrow actually released from the bow this time. Before it just fell to the ground at her feet.
"Here," Nate came up from behind her and immediately felt her muscle's tense. "Stop doing that. You need to be loose as a goose. You won't be able to do anything if you keep tightening up. Relax."
"How am I supposed to relax when you're standing right behind me?" Sophie hissed towards him. Her temper was back and that was exactly what he didn't want to do.
"Relax," Nate gently put his hands on the girl's shoulders and started rubbing tiny circles into them. The reaction was immediate. Sophie's muscles loosened and the tingling sensation started to fill the tips of his fingers. Then the girl's body started leaning against his and causing the tingling all over.
Nate stepped back immediately and Sophie looked back at him in confusion. "Now try," Nate coughed. He refused to meet her eyes. He was going to focus solely on the target and not on the soft feel of the girl's skin.
Sophie took a deep breath and drew the arrow back. She took one look at Nate and then quickly looked back at the target. She released the quiver and arrow made a bulls-eye.
"I hit it!" Sophie shouted in glee. She immediately wrapped her arms around Nate and squeezed tight. Then she pushed him away and started clapping gleefully.
"You did indeed," Nate grinned at her. There was something in the way they were acting that felt different than before. Nate and Sophie could both feel it.
Nate could feel the dramatic pull towards the girl and how all he wanted was that tingly sensation all over. Sophie just stared at him in shock of the way the boy seemed to gravitate towards her. It was a delicious idea, so was taking a bite out of those lips of his.
A twig snapped and the trance was broken. Nate looked around and zeroed in on a specific spot. He signaled Sophie to inform her of his plan. He felt, more than saw, her head nod in agreement. The pair slowly walked into the woods and Nate held up his hand. Sophie stopped immediately and waited for further instructions. Nate continued down the trail with his eyes peeled for danger. The last thing they needed was an ambush out of revenge.
The young man from District Twelve slowly crept deeper and deeper into the woods. Sophie stayed near the edge and waited for the signal. Neither one were aware of the girl from District Seven in the trees, watching them. They were even unaware of the other Careers lying in wait.
A small hoot sounded and they attacked. The girl from District Seven swooped down from above and landed squarely on the boy. She cackled and jabbed her knife at him as much as possible. Nate fought her off as best as he could but it was no use. She was causing too much damage.
"Nate!" Sophie screamed in alarm when she saw the female tribute from District Seven stab him in the shoulder. She snipped an arrow into the girl's throat out of vengeance. She then took two arrows and shot them at the two people coming towards them on opposite sides. Three canons sounded and the girl couldn't help but hope that her friend was still alive. She heard the slight crinkle of leaves and raised her quiver for the kill. It was James lunging with his spear towards Nate's back.
The arrow zoomed through the air and caught James in the head. The male tribute of district one fell back from the force and his spear missed its target by inches. James' canon fired off.
Sophie didn't mourn her horrid deed. She saw the blood and headed right towards it. She picked Nate up as best she could and half-carried half-dragged him towards their little safety zone. She did her best to distort the trail they left behind before she decided treatment was a better idea. There were only two more tributes left. They would wait for better light.
Nate looked so pale against the crimson red of his blood. This was a worrying sign. He was losing too much blood. Sophie quickly cut away at her jacket and started making bandages to staunch it. She found the leaves she had told Nate were good for extracting poisons and quickly inserted them to make certain he would be safe. She found a plant that reminded her of dental floss and broke off one of her latches on her pin and quickly sterilized it. She put the floss through the needle and began to patch up the shoulder as best as she could. She needed to save him. He was supposed to win the hunger games. He was supposed to be saving her.
%
Nate groaned when he finally came to. There was a pulsing ache in his shoulder and his back didn't feel much better. The girl from district three stabbed him. He remembered that. He was doing something else. It was something important and impossible to describe. It made him happy. What was he…? He was teaching… "Sophie!"
Sophie didn't respond to his call and that worried him so he sat up. They were back in the cave that was their shelter. It was raining, hard. There wasn't any water getting in but that didn't really matter. Nate could see the roof and floor Sophie had made while he was out. Sophie was at the mouth of the cave staring at the water puddles splashing around. He called her name again, but she still didn't respond. She stared off into space. He noticed the tears and said nothing as he climbed his way beside her. He knew that's where he needed to be.
"How long have I been out?" Nate questioned instead. He knew she wouldn't enjoy him bringing up the crystals pouring from her brown eyes.
"A few days," Sophie reported simply. There was no emotion in her silvery voice and it was frightening. "It's been raining the entire time."
"You built this in the rain?" Nate asked with wide eyes, his hands automatically reaching towards her. She pulled away and shrugged.
"Yeah," was her only reply.
Nate lunged towards her and grappled with her until a fierce pain erupted in his shoulder. He yelped at the pressure but ignored it as best he could. He could feel the heat bouncing off of her in waves. She was sick and needed his help. He wasn't going to rest until she got it.
"I shot James," Sophie muttered out just as he succeeded in getting her on the floor. Her fever made her just weak enough where she couldn't fight him off. But it was the words that managed to win her the battle.
"What?" Nate stared at her in confusion. James was her fellow tribute from district one. Why would she shoot him now?
"He was going to kill you," Sophie whimpered towards him with tears cascading down her cheeks. She looked deathly pale and like she had just given up on the games. This was not good.
"Why didn't you let him kill me?" Nate demanded briskly. He couldn't help but shake her with his rage. He was angry with her for a reason he couldn't possibly understand. The rage was beating through his chest and head and refused to be caged. He didn't understand it but he knew it had something to do with the fact that she saved him.
"I couldn't," She cried out with more tears. She felt floppy in his hands. It was as if she was a pancake full of batter. She was slipping through his hands despite the strong grip he held. He was losing her in a way he had never expected.
"Why?" Nate demanded with another violent shake. He couldn't understand it. She chose him over James. "Why didn't you leave me to die? Why didn't you choose him? Why me?"
"I don't know," Sophie screamed out with more tears pouring from her hollow eyes. She was in a bad state and he needed to snap her out of it. She just betrayed her own district for him.
"Oh God," Nate groaned in misery. He knew why he was angry. She betrayed her district for him. She couldn't win now. She would die the moment she returned home. The entire district would make certain of it. "You idiot! You stupid, stupid girl!" She had just condemned herself to death for him.
"I'm sorry," Sophie explained in a tiny whisper. Her fever wasn't as bad as he thought. It was just a minor cold. She would be fine. Well, until the end of the hunger games she would be.
"It's alright," Nate kissed her warm forehead reassuringly. He used his good arm to hold her tight while his other arm rubbed circles in her back. He spoke comforting words into her ear while he continued to sooth her. He kissed her cheek and hair and muttered words of encouragement. He kissed her neck and shoulder babbling on about how everything would get better. He kissed her lips and his brain stopped. She was kissing back and he felt his whole chest fill with bliss. He didn't care where he was at the moment. She was the only thing that mattered.
"Nate!" Sophie snapped back just enough for air. "We can't."
"I know," Nate nodded because he understood everything she meant. It wasn't safe for them anymore. She had betrayed her district for him and he was going to lose her. The Capitol was watching their every move and they couldn't share anything else. A kiss would be the only thing they would be allowed. Everything else would never be. This would be their last time together. They were enemies after this moment. They had to be.