15: Strike One

Gale POV

I didn't know how difficult being a mentor was before. I thought that it would, not easy, but not too hard. I didn't take into account the lack of sleep- I don't trust Annie to watch Katniss and Haymitch after her mad episode yesterday. And also the helplessness that I feel when I watch them. In the bloodbath. I should have been there, protecting Katniss, not stuck in this room where the only thing I can do is send gifts.

I eat an energy bar that the Capitol provides for mentors. They don't taste good and they make me feel horrible, but they allow a person to stay up for long periods of time. They'll allow me to at least know what is happening to Katniss in the arena at most times, even if it will only frustrate me. The frustration of not knowing is worse than that of knowing and being able to do nothing.

Haymitch had the idea that it would be safer if they go to the edge of the arena as at least that way they couldn't be approached from one side there. So after around three hours of watching Katniss, Haymitch and Mags sleep and Finnick twirl his trident around stabbing imaginary enemies, they are finally doing something. They walk towards the direction of the force field.

Suddenly, Katniss flies backwards a few feet on my screen and I hear a scream tear from her mouth. The force field must have been dangerous. I zoom in on Katniss and see that she isn't breathing. "Catnip, you can't die like this!" I whisper, a tear streaming down my face. "Please, please, save her. Haymitch, Finnick, Mags- help her. She's isn't alive."

The rational part of my mind reminds me that there is still hope though. There hasn't been a cannon, which means that Katniss can still be revived. Nothing in the mentor magazine can help her now though. When I look back at the screen, Finnick is pumping down on her chest. He leans in to kiss her- is this some District Four custom to honour the dead? He keeps doing it and Katniss's chest rises slightly.

She's alive. Finnick saved Katniss's life. Any doubts that I had about his loyalty before are completely gone now. He could have easily let Katniss die, getting rid of the most dangerous competition. Then he'd be the one who would get all the sponsor gifts and he would have a good chance at winning. But now I know that he really is willing to give his life up to protect Katniss, to help the rebellion. I know that he can't see it, but I give him the District Twelve salute.

"Thank you Finnick Odair," I say. Annie smiles across from me, proud of her boyfriend and happy for Katniss as well. I'm surprised that she doesn't feel any resent towards me or Katniss. After all, because of us Finnick has no chance of getting out of these Games alive. Hell, it's probably because of us that Finnick and all of the others are even in the Games in the first place. I still wonder if I should have just eaten the berries. Katniss would have been sad, but she could have coped.

Katniss and Finnick lead the group next to the force field, sometimes throwing stones to check where it is. They make a buzzing noise as they hit and a blue glow marks where the force field is a few feet around it for a second before fading. Judging by the shape the force field looks like a dome. So getting out of the arena is impossible unless they can break the force field- and I highly doubt that the gamemakers would make a force field that could be broken by tributes.

They continue to walk for another half an hour or so. Luckily they are pretty far away from any of the other tributes now. The only ones that are a real threat are the careers though, and they're at the cornucopia and the other half of the arena. Cashmere and Gloss are guarding the supplies while Brutus and Enobaria are out hunting.

I wish I could tell Katniss and her allies to attack now and take the cornucopia while it's only Cashmere and Gloss there, but unfortunately mentors aren't allowed to give tributes any info about the arena or tributes, only tips on what to do to get sponsors. I guess it's a good thing though, Katniss and I would have been hunted down and killed by the careers within a few hours after our attack if mentors could give that info.

I hear an odd noise and look down at my screen. Lightning is striking the tallest tree in one part of the arena, making a loud noise. Thunder follows soon after. I count five strikes and wonder what the point of it is. Game makers like dramatic weather conditions, but they generally have some reason to them. Like torrential rain, or blizzards which are harmful to the tributes. Unless there's someone sitting in that tree it won't do anything.

xXx-X-xXx

Katniss POV

The lightning sounds ominous. Five strikes. It must mean something, but what? Is there going to be a thunderstorm? Maybe we should find shelter. I look at my allies uncertainly. They have had more time watching the Games than I have, maybe they'll have an idea of what to do. But they just look back at me, equally confused.

"We probably shouldn't stay under a tree in case there's more lightning," Finnick says. I look around me. Forest as far as the eye can see. Forest is the place I feel most comfortable normally, but now it seems a lot more dangerous to stay in the woods than to go out in the open. I've seen some trees get hit by lightning in twelve. Whenever a thunderstorm started, Gale and I would always rush back to the fence.

"That would be an excellent idea- if there wasn't forest for miles in every direction," I tell him. "And the only open place is the area around the cornucopia, where the careers are. There's more risk of us being killed over there than there is staying here with the lightning. It seems to have stopped now anyway."

"That would be true if you were out in a normal wood," Finnick says. "This is created lightning, it's here for a reason. And that reason is probably to drive us towards the cornucopia so that the Capitol will have something exciting to watch. If we stay it'll get closer and closer to us. One of us might even get hit."

"We should stay here unless it strikes again," Haymitch says. "We don't know for definite that the lightning is for that Finnick. They wouldn't want to kill us all this early into the Games and just have the careers hunting for the rest. They want it to be interesting. They want a good show, not something one-sided."

His words make sense. They don't want to kill us yet. And the woods is where I am best, the terrain I am used to. Finnick is right too though. There has to be a reason for that lightning, otherwise they wouldn't have made it. Maybe it was intended for another tribute- someone else in the same section. I wonder who it could be. I doubt that it's Johanna, Wiress or Beetee, we would have noticed a group. It could be a career team hunting, though again, we would have noticed. Or maybe Leon or the female morphling.

Rain starts to fall. A drop hits my skin and I gasp in pain. "It's boiling," I whisper-shout to the others. A few more drops hit my skin and I try not to scream. Mags gives a whimper as Finnick drags her close to a tree trunk for cover, wincing in pain himself. Haymitch uses his axe to cover his head and runs to a tree and I follow them.

I examine the burns on my skin. They are dark red. Blood red, I realise. That isn't just boiling water. It's raining blood. The rain starts to burn through the leaves of the tree and onto us again. "We have to get to the cornucopia," Finnick says. "There's water there. Hopefully the careers will be hunting."

I shrug helplessly and run in the direction of the cornucopia. The blood rain falls in my face and drips down over my eyelids. I force my eyes shut. If any of that gets in I could be blinded. I carry on running, trying to ignore the burning flesh on my face and hands. I snap my eyes open for a second to see where I'm going. The cornucopia isn't even in sight. Why did we have to be right at the edge of the arena?

Branches tear at my clothes as I race onwards. I can feel my heart pumping in my chest as my sleeve catches on a branch. I suck in my breathe as more of the rain falls and rip my arm free. The branch cuts across my arm, leaving a thin scratch leaking blood. I almost scream when the rain falls into it. It feel like it is burning through the muscle, right through to the bone.

My eyes open for a second. Finnick is disappearing off into the distance with Mags on his back. Haymitch is a few metres ahead of me. He's waiting for me, I realise. He's standing there getting burnt so I won't get separated from the group and hunted down. Haymitch really cares more about the rebellion and me than he does about his own life and well-being.

"Thanks," I mutter to him as I close my eyes again and start running. After a few minutes, I stop feeling the sharp sting of the blood rain on my skin. The ground texture changes beneath my feet. I think I'm here. I take a deep breath and open my eyes. The sight of sand greets me. I look up and see the cornucopia glinting in the sun and the water.

Water, I think dumbly, it not registering in my head. Water. I run over and jump in, relishing the cool waves spreading over my body, washing off the blood. The pain ebbs and I remember suddenly that the career camp is here. I need to watch out, at least one of them must be here. Where's Finnick, I wonder. Could he have been killed? And what about Mags? I hyperventilate. If they are dead.. No, they can't be. There was no cannon. They must be alive.

I emerge from the water and onto the island of the cornucopia. I draw my bow and fit an arrow to the string. All of the careers are incredibly fast with their chosen weapons. My only advantage is the element of surprise. I can't give that up. As if I'm hunting, I place my feet down on the sand quietly. Sand is better for silence than a forest floor. Cautiously, I walk around the corner of the cornucopia.

Standing a few metres away from me is Finnick. His trident is poised and I look at what he is aiming at. Gloss is looking out to the woods on the other side of the cornucopia, oblivious to our presence. I smile slightly. Too easy. He won't even see it coming. I draw the bowstring back to my shoulder and aim for the neck.

I fire my arrow at the same moment that Finnick throws his trident. My eyes track the arrow through the air as it impales Gloss through the neck just as he turns around. The trident hits him in the back. Blood pours from both locations, more from his neck. I must have hit an artery. At one point in our training, Gale and I studied arteries and how to kill quickly by blood loss. There was definitely at least one major artery in the neck.

The cannon booms and I hope the careers don't suspect that it might have been Gloss that was killed. I'm surprised that they didn't leave their supplies better guarded, knowing that there are two big alliances around. They need to hunt though and probably thought that we would be too afraid to come here.

Finnick turns around to look at me when he sees the arrow. He grins, bearing his straight white teeth at me. They're almost too white, I notice, like he's had surgery on them. He probably has I suppose. He has to stay looking pretty for all of the Capitolites so he can network with them.

"So you made it," he says. "I thought you would. Nice shot there by the way. Is Haymitch with you?"

"He was behind me, he's probably here now. What about Mags?"

Finnick gestures with his trident to the side. Mags is in the water, swimming around in loops slowly, a large smile on her face. "I sent her to hide in the forest until I killed the guard. She must have heard the cannon."

"The water helps," I tell Finnick. "With the burns. You should take a swim. I'll go find Haymitch. And well done with the trident. You should be more careful in future though. I could have just as easily shot you as I could Gloss. You didn't see me until the arrow, just like him."

Finnick dives into the water and I swim back to find Haymitch. I find him quite quickly at the edge of the woods where we came here from. "Gloss is dead," I tell him. "He was the only guard. You can come out now. Swimming helps with the burns, then we can eat some of the careers' food."

Haymitch shrugs and comes out. "You didn't put your life in danger, did you?" he demands. "Killing Gloss. You need to understand that we are trying to preserve your life here above all. We are trying to make you the victor. Now where are Finnick and Mags? If we've lost them we can't stay long."

"Finnick and Mags got here before us. And no, I killed Gloss from behind with an arrow at the same time as Finnick threw a trident at him. There was no danger to either of us. And thanks," I respond, not sure what to say about the fact that they are willing to die for me. On one hand it gives me a huge advantage in these Games, on the other hand I don't want people to have to die for me. If it wasn't for me they probably wouldn't be here in the first place.

Haymitch joins Finnick and Mags in the water and I swim back to the cornucopia to see the career supplies. They are mainly clustered underneath the point of the cornucopia. There are backpacks filled with food and matches, bottles of fresh water, some night vision glasses and snorkels. Leaning against the cornucopia are many spears. They were probably used by Gloss and Cashmere. There are a few swords as well and a shield.

Not as many supplies as there were last year, but this is a Quarter Quell, so I suppose they have to make things more difficult. There are still more supplies than we could have hoped to get before though. I keep the bow and arrow on my back. Just because we are alone doesn't mean I have to let my guard down. Haymitch says that he's trying to keep me alive and he waited for me in the blood storm, but that doesn't mean I have to trust Finnick.

Finnick could easily be looking out for his own life. He didn't wait for me and Haymitch after all. He did save my life though, I remind myself. He could have easily let me die when I hit the force field, but he didn't. I want to trust him and it makes sense to, but trusting a person I only met about a week ago to give up his life for me when the time comes just seems unrealistic.

A few minutes later, Haymitch, Finnick and Mags come out of the water. I have to respec Finnick's devotion to Mags. He took the time to carry her on his back whilst he was running, even though he knew that she would die anyway and would slow him down. I can't see Mags betraying me.

We split up the careers' food, making sure not to eat too much. This food has to last the rest of the Games, though I probably have enough sponsor money that I can eat like a queen for the entire Games. I don't want to do that though, that money should be spent on something that I can't get in the arena, like a weapon or medicine. Because of the baby, everyone wanted to sponsor me. I should probably start acting more like I'm pregnant to get them to trust me.

I touch my stomach and stroke it, where a baby would be. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Haymitch smile at me finally getting better at acting. If there was a baby, I wonder, what would it be like? I can't imagine myself being a mother and staying in with a baby at all. I can imagine Gale doing that either, but someone would have to. And it would be another person I love, another weakness. Having a baby is not a good idea for me.

I hear rustling in the trees and get up quickly, nocking an arrow. It could be the careers back from hunting. Finnick is by my side, his trident held in front of him, Haymitch on the other side brandishing the axe. None of us make a move, waiting for them to come out. My muscles are tense as I get ready to release the arrow.

The bushes split and three people come out. It's not the careers though. My heart jumps in relief. It's Johanna, Wiress, Beetee and Electra. They don't look in good shape, shallow scratches over their bodies. Johanna's axe is covered in blood and I wonder what happened. There weren't any cannons, so it couldn't have been other tributes.

"Katniss? Finnick?" Johanna shouts to us. She sheathes her axe and jumps in the water, swimming forward with powerful strokes. She reaches the shore in around a minute. Wiress, Beetee and Electra are behind her. "What are you doing here? I thought the careers had this place after the bloodbath."

"They did," Finnick replies. "We came here about an hour ago and killed the guard- Gloss. There was boiling blood raining in our part of the arena, we needed to get out."

"Gorillas in our section," Johanna answered. "Mutts. Sharp teeth and more intelligent and persistent than they normally are. Sometimes we came across them back in District Seven. We've had training in how to kill them with axes, but I didn't expect the things to have teeth like that."

"Is everyone OK?" I ask her. "No serious injuries that might get infected?"

"Any cut can get infected," Johanna answers. "No deep cuts though." As she speaks, a silver parachute falls from the sky. A sponsor gift. It lands in front of me and I open it. It's a large packet of disinfectant bandages, like we had last year. I read the label that came with it aloud.

"Doing well so far. Be careful though, you have a baby to look after too. Gale." It helps to have Gale contributing to the baby lie as well, of it was just me the people would get suspicious. I hand the bandages to Johanna. "That solves the infection problem. Make sure to change them every so often."

"I know how to deal with a cut," Johanna snaps at me. "Probably better than you do. I've dealt with axes since I was seven years old and all the experience you have is one Games where you just scraped by. So don't order me around, I know what I'm doing."

I shrug. Johanna's right, she does have more experience than I do, but she isn't subtle at all. I'll have to order her around sometimes to keep a good show, and I doubt she'll take it well. Johanna won't be easy to work with. I think Haymitch and Finnick have worked with her for a while though, maybe they can help me with Johanna.

xXx-X-xXx

Thanks for reading, sorry for the late update. I hope you enjoyed, and please review, follow or favourite.

-MoonOfPluto