The anthem plays as we stop dead in our tracks to take another look at the ones we killed. None of us appear, which is normal, and then girl from 3, boy from 4, boy from 5, both from 6 and 7, boy from 9, both from 9, and girl from 10. We don't wait any longer because after that a light appears in the distance. First sign of an idiot.
We creep through the shadows, wanting to come up on her in a surprise. It will be better for us this way. Marvel steps on a branch though as we approach. Glimmer steps on his foot for me and deciding to go with it, we keep stepping on the branches from different locations around the tree where the girl with the fire is. She looks around worriedly, trying to find the cause but it's coming from everywhere. She keeps the fire burning and dozes off. We are still kind of far away, so we gather ourselves again. After some brief whispers, we decide we still want to kill her now. And so we do.
We run over, waking her up as she comes face to face with Cato in the front, holding his sword and all of us gathered around him in the back.
"Please! Please No!" She cries. We finish her off quickly with a long scream. Just because it was quick doesn't mean we cut out any of the pain.
"Twelve down and eleven to go!" I shout and everyone else hoots with me. Glimmer checks the girl from the fire but we don't find anything.
"Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking," Cato tells us. We head the other way; I think we are going back to base.
"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?" I ask to no one in particular.
"I'd say yes. Nothing to prevent them from going in immediately," Marvel answers.
"Unless she isn't dead," Glimmer offers.
"She's dead. I struck her myself," Cato says as we stop underneath a tree.
"Then where's the cannon?" I counter.
"Someone should go back. Make sure the job's done," Glimmer agrees.
"Yeah, we don't want to have to track her down twice!" Marvel agrees that someone should go.
"I said she's dead!" Cato shouts, getting angrier that we aren't trusting him. We all break out into mulitple voices.
"We're wasting time! I'll go finish her and let's move on!" Peeta says, having stayed in the back the entire time seems different. I scoff. Are we really going to let him go by himself?
"Go on, then, Lover Boy. See for yourself," Cato tells him too.
"Go with him," I whisper to Glimmer, tugging her coat. She nods in response. Peeta starts his walk and Glimmer follows his tracks to make sure he doesn't get away. We carry on the conversation. I hear a shift in the tree, but ignore it for wind.
"Why don't we just kill him now and get it over with?" Marvel asks us.
"Let him tag along. What's the harm? And he's handy with that knife," Cato tells him, taking the physical side to count first.
"Besides, he's our best chance of finding her," I say, telling Marvel the real reason I wanted him in the first place. We already have one me, don't need another one.
"Why? You think she bought into that sappy romance stuff?" Marvel asks me. I don't really think he wants to go there, but I just clench my teeth. I knew no one would get it.
"She might have. Seemed pretty simpleminded to me. Every time I think about her spinning around in that dress, I want to puke," I tell him again. I glare at him.
"Wish we knew how she got that eleven," Marvel switches the conversation, a good choice.
"Bet you Lover Boy knows," Cato says, before we silence because Peeta returns with Glimmer behind him.
"Was she dead?" Cato asks.
"No. But she is now." Peeta tells us. Glimmer nods behind him as the cannon fires. "Ready to move on?"
We walk again back to base for real this time. When we get back, District 3 looks quite pleased with himself.
"Finished?" Cato asks.
"Yep. Just don't step there, there, there, or that general area," he tells us.
"Or you could just get it for us," Marvel suggests.
"I like that. That way you die if you made or make a mistake. Now, we are going to need some type of food this morning," Cato tells him. 3 runs off stepping between bombs in a careful position, pulls some food out, and brings it back to us without blowing himself up. I take it from him and pass it out to everyone.
"Good. Now just keep doing that."