It's when we're down in the City Center, drumming up more support, that all hell breaks loose.
It's evening, and we're getting ready to head back up to dinner when I hear someone gasp. Turning round, I see the career pack heading straight for Katniss. Luckily, she sees them too, and takes off running almost immediately, splashing through the pool of water, and off into the trees.
They see her, of course, and take off after her, although Peeta looks a little pained. Like he's feeling bad about having to kill her.
She runs until they're closing in on her, then begins to climb. The pain from that in itself must be horrible, and I'm surprised she's not collapsed. I think I would have.
By the time they reach her, she's 20 feet up in the air.
Katniss surveys them for a minute before smiling. "How's everything with you?" The people around me erupt in laughter.
"Well enough." The boy from District 2 shouts up. "Yourself?"
"Been a bit what for my taste." Katniss quips, and the crowd laugh even harder. I can feel a smile twitching at my lips, despite the situation. "The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?"
"I think I will" The boy replies. That kills my smile.
"Here, take this Cato." The girl from District 1, Glimmer, tells him.
"No," he replies, cleaning his sword on the edge of his shirt. "I'll do better with this."
Cato begins to climb, but Katniss is faster, and she's up another thirty feet when there's a crack, and Cato falls back down to the floor.
Glimmer tries next, scaling the tree as far as she can before the branches begin to crack. While she's trying to fire arrows at Katniss, I can't help but notice how much she looks like Quinn.
Quinn. I look up and scan the room for her, find her about 30 feet away from me, eyes glued to the screen. She seems to sense my gaze though, and looks up when I don't look away. She mouths the word "roof" at me, and then returns her attention to the screen.
The careers eventually give up, Peeta telling them that they can wait at the bottom of the tree for her. I still can't figure out what his game is.
We're eating dinner when Katniss notices something in the trees across from her. I don't even think that the gamemakers knew she was there, but perching in a tree, eyes shining in the light from the careers fire, is Rue.
They keep eye contact for a minute before Rue lifts her hand and points towards something.
Tracker jackers. I know them well, from my own time in the arena, and from the forests surrounding 12. Katniss knows as well, knows what they do.
I see her looking up towards the nest and down towards the careers on the ground. I know what she's going to do before she does it. I watch her scramble through the tree, and take out her knife.
When the anthem plays, she begins to saw at the branch the wasps are attached to.
She realises she doesn't have enough time to finish sawing now though, and climbs back down the tree. She settles back down into her grove when Sue picks up the phone in the living room and mumbles a few words into it.
Seconds later, a silver parachute floats down towards Katniss. She takes the small pot attached to the parachute, then opens it. When she dips her fingers in it, she smiles.
"Oh," she whispers. "Thank you."
After I watch her apply the salve we've sent her, I rise, and head up to the roof, to a confrontation I don't want.