The Games We Played
Mhardman: Glad you liked this chapter. I wasn't sure it would be received well. But I had fun writing it. My goal was to show just how much the families missed the tributes. I'm sorry that I made you cry.
Rolyn: I'm so happy that I caused you such a reaction from you. Yes, Mrs. Mellark is definitely a major bitch and definitely deserves what's coming to her. You'll see soon I promise.
MangoMagic: The last chapter was definitely a 'filler' chapter. I, too, love Prim and Rory. I thought I'd show how they connected now that their older siblings are in the arena. I also needed some time away from the arena, a short break if you will. This chapter was difficult for me because, well you'll see. As for meeting Cato's parents, are you reading my mind? I was thinking about bringing them in soon…
lincolnlog89: Buttercup's death wasn't in my original plan for the story. I like doing the 'bonus chapters' as it gives me a break from trying to keep track of the 13 tributes plus their 'competition'. (And I had to sort through my 8 plus pages of tribute/arena notes lol.) Finnick will be back soon, but whether he will cause problems or whether he lets Peeta go remains to be seen. I have notes for both scenarios. Which I'll choose depends on what happens in the next chapter or 2 ;)
Chapter 11: Arena Day 3
Peeta wakes up alone on the bed. He sits up looking for Cato, finding him sitting on the log taking care of his sword. Peeta stays on the bed watching him, the way his muscles flex and relax as he moves. He can feel a stirring in his groin and forces himself to look away, missing the look of longing from the older blonde.
Peeta looks at his friends. He sees they've all broken off into smaller groups. Katniss is quietly talking to Marvel, sitting hip to hip. Gale and Clove are also sitting together talking in hushed tones. Peeta notices that the bandage is off Clove's ankle and she's back in her shoes. Rue and Rie are eating some dried fruit together. Glimmer and Madge are off to the side, shooting arrows at a tree. Thresh, Delly, and Foxface are talking together as well. Peeta is shocked out of his perusal when Clove plops herself down on the bed.
"Hey Bread Boy, now that you're finally awake are you ready to give me my lessons now?" she asks nudging his shoulder with her own.
"Sure thing Clover," he replies nudging her back. "Just let me put this bed away first."
He's not surprised when she gets up and helps him put it away. What shocks him, shocks them all, is the cannon blasts going off - five in total. With the one that interrupted him and Cato last night makes six. Peeta's mind wanders to the night before, the feeling of Cato's lips on his own. Had the cannon not gone off, how far would they have gone? He knows he cares for Cato, a lot, but is he ready for a physical relationship with the older blonde? He can't deny that he would like to be physical with Cato, to feel their bodies come together as one. But being where they are isn't the most ideal location. He wonders if Cato would be willing to wait until they're out of the arena. His thoughts are interrupted yet again by Clove.
"Stop drooling over Muscles and let's go," she says teasingly. "You can moon over him later."
He looks at her with wide eyes. She's far too perceptive as far as Peeta was concerned. She leans closer to him.
"He was lying there watching you sleep this morning. I had to tell him to go clean his sword before it rusted," she whispers. "If I hadn't said anything, you wouldn't have gotten the sleep you needed and the viewing public would have gotten quite the show."
Peeta's not quite sure why she's telling him all that, probably to embarrass him – which it did. He does feel well rested though. He looks over to Cato one more time. He sees Cato smile at him and he smiles back. He watches as Gale waves his hand in front of Cato's face to get his attention back. Peeta forces himself to turn to Clove.
"You got the stars?" he asks her, trying to refocus.
She shows him the stars and they move a safe distance away from the group but staying within eyesight. They spend the next hour throwing the stars at a tree. They only stop when Peeta's stomach growls.
"Sorry Peeta," Clove says. "I probably should have let you eat first. I was just really excited to learn."
"It's fine Clove. You've done amazingly. In fact, I want you to take three of them for yourself. Besides, I have my bow." Peeta says smiling at her. He's surprised when she hugs him. But when she immediately follows it with a punch in the arm, he just shakes his head. It was so like her.
They walk back into the camp and over to the pile of backpacks so Peeta could grab something to eat. He grabs the four rolls from last night and some dried meat before going to sit by Cato.
"How was the lesson?" Cato asks.
"She's really good with them. I gave her three of them," Peeta replies before beginning to eat.
Cato watches as Peeta eats. He can't believe how lucky he is to have Peeta with him. He thinks back to the night before, how soft the skin of Peeta's back was, how it felt to hold him in his arms. He's more than thankful the cannon went off when it did. He certainly doesn't want his first time with Peeta to be seen by the viewing public. He wonders if the younger boy would feel the same. He focuses his attention on Peeta again who has finished eating. He leans over and kisses Peeta on his temple.
"What was that for?" Peeta asks.
"No reason." Cato replies as he takes Peeta's hand in his own. "Do you want to take a walk with me? There's something I want to talk to you about."
"Sure, let's go." Peeta says standing up. He hopes it's nothing bad. He pulls Cato up and they walk off hand in hand.
"Hey you two stay where we can see you," Clove yells to them.
"And no funny business either," adds Gale. He and Clove start laughing. Peeta and Cato look back at them with annoyance before walking away.
Just past where Peeta gave Clove her lesson, the two boys stop. Peeta looks up expectantly at Cato.
"Um, about last night, I'm sorry that I almost took it too far. Had the cannon not gone off…?" Cato says sheepishly.
"Actually, if we're being honest, I'm glad the cannon went off as well." Peeta says reassuringly. "I don't want all of Panem to be watching when we decide we're ready for that."
"So, you don't mind waiting?" Cato asks.
"Not if you don't." Peeta replies.
"Well, now that that's settled," Cato rubs the back of his neck. "There's something I want to ask you." Cato says nervously.
"You can ask me anything Cato," Peeta says softly.
"I was hoping that, well, um, maybe that you'llbemyboyfriend." Cato says anxiously looking down at his feet.
"Cato, I didn't understand the last part. Can you repeat it?" Peeta says with a smile, despite understanding perfectly well what Cato said.
Cato takes a deep breath and with eyes closed asks, "Will you be my boyfriend?"
Peeta, smiling widely, pulls Cato's face to his own. "Look at me Cato." Cato opens his eyes. "I would love to be your boyfriend," Peeta whispers before kissing him.
Cato puts his arms around Peeta's waist, lifts him, and swings him in a circle.
"Put me down you fool!" Peeta demands laughing wrapping his arms around Cato's neck.
"Never," says Cato. "You're my boyfriend and I'll swing you around if I want." He spins in another circle to prove his point.
He sets Peeta back on his feet and kisses him one more time, this one filled with joy and happiness. They walk back to the camp, smiles wide on both their faces.
"You two look like cats that got the canary, what's with the smiles?" Marvel asks as the two make their way over to the rest of the group.
Cato pulls Peeta in front of him, his back to Cato's chest, as he wraps his arms around Peeta. "This amazing, wonderful, sweet, sexy guy has just agreed to be my boyfriend," Cato says proudly as he kisses Peeta's neck. Peeta's cheeks flush a bright red but he smiles as his fingers interlock with Cato's.
"So, Muscles decided to make things official by asking. Took you long enough," Clove teases. "Never thought I'd live to see the day you'd get serious about anyone."
"Oh Clover, your jealousy is showing," Cato says teasing her back. "Is it just because you haven't found your prince charming yet?"
Clove's cheeks turn a bright red but she decides to let Cato have this one – for now.
"So, what's the plan for today?" asks Glimmer changing the subject, a little jealous of the new couple.
Just then the ground began to shake.
"What was that?" Delly asks nervously.
"The cornucopia is back," says Rue pointing. She was up in a tree, holding on tightly.
"Should we go check it out?" Madge asks. "There might be something we can use."
"But we were told to stay here, where it's safe," Katniss grumbles, not wanting to leave.
"Why don't some of us go," Peeta suggests looking up at Cato. "Madge is right, there could be stuff there we could use, extra water bottles, weapons, a change of clothes." He was feeling a little grungy wearing the same clothes for three days.
"I agree with Peeta and Madge," Gale says. "We can go with just a few of us; the rest can stay here to watch our stuff and the camp."
It's decided that Glimmer, Gale, Clove, Marvel, Peeta, and Cato will go and check out the cornucopia. They grab just their weapons. Marvel goes over to Katniss. "I'll be back. Stay safe. Keep your bow with you at all times until I get back."
Katniss looks up into his green eyes, "You better come back," she says before kissing him quickly on his lips. He has a look of shock on his face before a grin breaks out.
"Let's go Marv. You can make out later," Cato calls out causing them to blush.
"Cato!" Peeta admonishes. "Be nice, please," he amends when he sees Cato's saddened face. He leans in to whisper, "It's her first boyfriend. Let them have a moment."
"Really?" Cato whispers back, stunned. "I thought her and Gale…"
Peeta shakes his head, "Nope, just friends."
Clove walks up and takes Peeta by the arm, "Come on Bread Boy, let's go. You and I are leading this group to the cornucopia." She turns to Cato, "You and Gale are bringing up the rear. And don't even say it Muscles!" she says, pointing one of her knives at him. "No butt jokes! We need to be serious now. Lives are on the line."
"Fine Clover. But I will enjoy the view of my boyfriend's ass and even you can't do anything about that." Cato smirks wagging his eyebrows.
"Cato!" Clove and Peeta exclaim. Cato just laughs as he walks over to Gale.
They make their way quickly and cautiously over to the cornucopia. Glimmer and Gale go inside while Peeta, Cato, Clove, and Marvel take up posts just in front of the opening. As she looks through the rubber boxes, she comes across one filled with t-shirts, cargo pants, underwear, and bras.
"Cool, clean clothes," she squeals taking the box and setting it near the mouth of the cornucopia.
Gale checked out the weapons hanging on the wall. He shook his head at the rusted damage that had been done while the cornucopia had been submerged for the past 2 days. "Such a waste," he mutters as he turns and opens the plastic box closest to him. Inside is a plain wooden box. He opens the wooden box and is shocked at what he sees.
"Peeta, come here for a minute." He calls hoping that Peeta will be as excited as himself.
"What'd ya find?" he asks curious about the excitement in Gale's voice.
"Look for yourself," he says, gesturing into the box moving to the side. Peeta goes to stand where Gale was and looks down. Inside the wooden box was the most beautiful looking Katana lying on a bed of purple velvet Peeta had ever seen. He picks it up by the red handle and noticed that it matched the sheath cover that was still in the box. The metal of the sword shined like new. Peeta smiled as he swung it.
"You should take it," Gale says. "You're really good with one of those." Peeta grins at his best friend and brother. He drapes his bow over his shoulder and offers his extra arrows to Gale who refuses to take them, for now.
"Peeta, get your sexy ass out here! We got company!" Cato calls out.
Peeta looks at Gale, "Stay here and keep looking! We'll keep you safe."
Gale nods and Peeta runs to the opening. He can see two tributes running across the bridge. What he missed was the shocked looks from Clove and Marvel, who didn't know that Peeta could use a sword of any type.
"You any good with that?" Marvel asks.
"Just watch and see," Peeta replies. He looks at Cato, signaling him to stay where he was. Cato just stares without replying as Peeta runs to the bridge and waits for the coming tributes, sword at the ready.
"Where'd they get their weapons?" Clove asks as she sees that they are indeed armed.
"Probably mentor gifts," Marvel replies watching Peeta intently.
The female tribute from District 11 reaches Peeta first. She takes a swing at him with her sickle. Peeta jumps back to avoid being hit. Cato starts to head over to help but Peeta's command of "Don't!" stops him in his tracks. He watches as his boyfriend takes a step towards the girl and swings the blade, decapitating the girl. The district one female that had been following falters in her step before growling at Peeta and bringing her own sword from behind her back. Peeta backs up, letting the girl come off the bridge. The two begin circling each other until the girls back is to Cato. Peeta smiles at his boyfriend to let him know that he could jump in at any time. Cato saunters up and clears his throat, startling the girl. She turns slightly then backs up a little so as to keep both boys in her sight. The sword play between the three tributes went unnoticed by Clove and Marvel.
Clove and Marvel could hear the clanging of metal to their right, but the hiss of an arrow flying by them a moment ago caught their attention.
"Hello Marvelous, Clover. Whatchya guarding?"
Marvel looks up to see 2 males less than 50 feet from him and Clove. Both were careers, one from D2 and the other from D4. The district 4 male was holding a spear; the district 2 male had a bow.
Clove looks at Marvel and raises two fingers. He understands it to mean that she'll take the district 2 male. He takes on the boy from district 4. Clove takes 2 of her knives and steps towards her district mate.
"You were always good with those girly. But from a distance," he sneers. "But let's see how well you do close up."
Clove just smirks. Cato had taught her how to fight knife-to-sword secretly at the academy. "Bring it on tough guy," she says venomously.
The two take small steps towards each other, circling. Clove desperately wants to show the idiot in front of her how much she knows. He takes a swing but she blocks it before swiping at him with her knife. He jumps back but still gets nicked.
"I'll take you piece by piece if I have to," she says prepared for his next move.
He lunges at her, sword aimed at her heart. She spins away and stabs him in his lower back, causing him to scream. She spins to face him, knives at the ready. He swings his sword aiming for her neck, but she blocks him easily. She manages to thrust a knife towards his arm, cutting him deep.
"You bitch!" he snarls facing her. "You will pay for that." He takes another swing at her that she blocks easily. She takes her other knife and stabs him in the heart.
"You should know Cato and I anticipated an attack like this. I hope you are ready to meet your maker," she says, surprised he's still standing yet ready for his next move.
He takes a swipe at her that she blocks easily before swinging her knife at his throat, hitting his jugular, blood spraying. He falls to the ground bleeding heavily. She watches as he slumps to the ground, his life ending. She turns to watch Marvel end the life of his opponent with the ease that she just showed taking down her own, with a spear to the heart.
"Marvel, Katniss would be so proud!" she exclaims.
"I doubt that," he says remorsefully. "She doesn't relish the thought of killing people," he says sadly.
"Well, I think you did well. You might want to have Foxface look at that later," she says pointing to him leg.
"I will," he says limping back to his position. "Cato did well also," he adds pointing towards where Cato and Peeta stood. They watch as Cato takes Peeta's hand and leads him back to the mouth of the cornucopia. Clove could see the love Cato has for Peeta and worries what would happen if something should happen to Bread Boy. She watches as Cato pulls him into his arms and hugs him.
They all turn to the voice that calls to Cato. "Ah, Cato. See you found a new boy toy. Replaced me so soon?"
"Cato?" Peeta is looking at Cato, the question in his eyes but spoken as well, "Who is that?"
"Leonitus Dante. We dated once. We haven't spoken in over a year." Cato tells Peeta. He could see the hurt in Peeta's eyes. "No, it was nothing like that. I swear. We went out on a couple dates that's all. Please believe me." Cato pleads.
Peeta looks deeply into Cato's eyes and sees the truth in them. "I believe you." Peeta says sincerely. "Go kick his ass." He adds before giving him a lingering kiss.
"Aww, how sweet giving Cato his goodbye kiss." Leonitus says. "Hope you enjoyed it 12. It will be your last."
Leonitus readies his bow, aims at Cato, and fires. Cato effectively blocks the incoming arrow and gets ready to attack when from behind him, an arrow is fired. It hits Leonitus in his right shoulder. "We are not finished Cato. I will see you again," he promises before running away.
Gale comes to stand next to Cato, "Sorry about that. I just wanted to get in on the action."
Cato looks at Peeta, "It's okay Gale." He can see that Peeta is hurting. He hangs his head and quietly says, "When we get back to camp, I will answer all your questions. Please just hear me out." He turns and walks into the cornucopia to check on Glimmer.
Gale looks at Peeta, "You okay? What was that all about?"
Peeta's eyes never leave Cato's form, "I'm fine. Just someone trying to cause Cato and I problems. Nothing to be concerned about right now." He looks at Gale, "Go check on Clove." He sees the surprise on Gale's face. "It's pretty obvious to me that you two like each other. Go, I'll be fine."
Gale nods and walks over to Clove who looks happy. Whether it's because of her kill or Gale, Peeta isn't sure. All he knows is that he wishes that Cato hadn't walked away as he watches him and Glimmer talking. Peeta turns around and looks around the side of the cornucopia. What he sees is a female from District 4, a male from District 5, and a female from District 10 working their way towards the cornucopia. He debates letting the others know. He looks at those with him, Cato and Glimmer are going through boxes and Marvel is talking with Gale and Clove. He chooses not to say anything and waits for the three tributes to get closer before he attacks.
The female from 4 attacks Peeta first, jabbing her trident at him. He spins and slashes the Katana hitting her in the stomach. She falls and the female from 10 runs at him, her scimitar clashing with his Katana. The sound of metal on metal causes the others to stop what they're doing and investigate. Luckily for Peeta that they do. While he is going toe-to-toe with the district 10 female, the district 5 male tries to sneak up and attack Peeta from behind with a Taser, hoping to paralyze Peeta long enough for the girl to kill him. Clove was the first to see the danger Peeta was in and goes after the male from 5, her knife slashing his throat from ear to ear. At the same time, Peeta thrusts his Katana into the chest of the female from 10, covering him in blood when he removes the blade, blood spraying.
"Peeta!" Cato calls running around the cornucopia and seeing him covered in blood. He reaches Peeta and begins searching Peeta for injuries. Finding none, he pulls a very tired Peeta to him. "You're okay. You're okay." Cato repeats, holding Peeta close. Peeta wraps his arms around Cato and relaxes in his embrace, wishing that they'd never left camp.
"I think that we've overstayed our welcome," Marvel says, surveying the scene. "Let's get whatever was found and get the fuck out of here." His stomach grumbles. "Besides, I'm hungry."
"I filled two backpacks. One with food, water, and medical supplies. The other has water bottles, some filled others empty." Glimmer says proud of what she did while the others fought. "I also found a box filled with clothes. I put the sheath for Peeta's sword inside that box. I say we take the whole box and let everyone get their own sizes."
Clove, Gale, and Marvel agree. Cato and Peeta never respond because they're too busy looking into each other's eyes. Marvel and Gale decide they'll carry the box while Clove breaks apart the two 'love birds'. Cato and Clove take the backpacks. Peeta and Glimmer bring up the rear, empty handed. As they cross the bridge, the ground begins to shake.
"The cornucopia is going to sink again, RUN!" Clove screams.
Glimmer turns around to grab Peeta's hand. But instead she trips him and pushes him down. Before she can get to her bow, she takes a trident to the chest. Clove throws her knife. It hits the district 4 girl right between the eyes just as an arrow hits the girl in the chest.
"What is with the guys of our group?" Clove demands. "I am very capable to take out tributes on my own!" Both Marvel and Gale look down at their feet, knowing that they were the ones she was talking about.
Peeta drops down next to Glimmer. She raises her hand to Peeta's cheek, "Take out that son of a bitch for me." Tears begin to flow down Peeta's cheek as he nods in agreement. He knows she talking about Snow. "Take care of Marvel. He is good at what he does but tends to get cocky." She adds quietly. The bridge begins to shake roughly.
Peeta feels someone lift him; "Put me down! I need to get Glimmer! I need to get her to shore! Let me go!" he screams, fighting whomever has him. He sees Gale run past him. Gale takes out the trident and lifts up Glimmer. The group barely makes it to shore before the bridge sinks into the water. Gale gently lays Glimmer on the sand as Cato lets Peeta go. Peeta scrambles over to Glimmers body dropping his sword and bow. "I'm so sorry. I failed. I failed the group," he cries as he lays his head on her chest, sobbing. Gale and Clove sit on the box that they got. He reaches for her hand and she cries softly on his shoulder. Marvel kneels down next to Glimmer's body, holds her hand, and quietly says his own goodbye. Cato stands behind Peeta, watching him cry, feeling helpless.
They hear noises coming from the jungle.
Back in camp
Katniss watches the group leave. She silently hopes that they'll be alright, especially Marvel. The note last night had told them to stay put. She sits under the tree Rue climbed up.
Rue watches the group from her place in a tree. She will be the eyes for the rest of the group, letting them know what's going on. She lets her group know that they made it to the cornucopia.
Delly and Madge arm themselves with their bows while Rie grabs his knives and Thresh grabs his sword. Foxface goes to sit with the pile of bags, making sure she can get to the medical supplies if they're needed. No one talks, ears straining for any noise.
They all jump at the sound of Rue's voice, "They're being attacked!" They can hear the sounds of fighting, wanting to go help yet knowing they should stay. Rue keeps them informed of the battle.
"They have weapons!"
"Peeta just cut off a girl's head."
"Clove killed a boy."
"Marvel is injured." This one causes Katniss to pale. "He killed the guy."
"Cato and Peeta are fine. Cato killed another girl."
"There's another tribute! Wait, he's running away!"
"I can't see Peeta anymore. He's gone around the cornucopia!"
As the group listens to Rue, they don't hear the two tributes that are headed for them until it's almost too late. A flying knife cuts Rie on his thigh deeply. Katniss jumps up, an arrow at the ready. She scans the area before spotting a boy from one and a girl from four.
"Over there," she points. "There are just two of them, I think."
Thresh and Rie go for the boy from 1 as Katniss, Delly, and Madge all take a shot at the female from 2 before the girl could throw another knife. Two of the three arrows hit, killing the girl. The girls turn to watch the battle of the boys, prepared to help if needed.
The male tribute from one thrusts his spear at the injured Rie, who just barely manages to avoid getting nicked again. While the District 1 male's attention is on Rie, Thresh attacks. He slices the boy across the arm. The tribute turns his attention to Thresh, swinging the spear. It barely misses contacting Thresh. Rie takes advantage of the distraction and thrusts a knife into the back of the tribute. The boy falls to the ground, bleeding heavily but not yet dead. Thresh slices the throat of the fallen boy.
Rie limps his way over to Foxface to get his thigh fixed, the pain finally hitting him. Rue has climbed out of the tree and joins the others as they make their way to where Foxface is taking care of Rie.
"Rie, this is pretty deep. I may have to put in stitches." Foxface tells him.
"Can we just wrap it for now? I hate needles." Rie tells her, shivering at the thought.
"Fine. But if you bleed through the bandage, I am stitching you up," she tells him firmly.
"Has anyone noticed that no cannons have gone off yet?" Delly questions.
The ground rumbles as it did earlier. They look towards the cornucopia.
"I'm going to go to the beach," Katniss says suddenly.
"We should stay together." Thresh says logically. "Are you sure you want to go?"
"Yes, I need to see the others," Katniss says frantic with worry. "They could be hurt."
Foxface stands, grabbing the bag with all the medical supplies before helping Rie to his feet.
"Rue, why don't you climb back up in your tree? Keep an eye on us as well as the camp," Madge suggests. Rue agrees and once she's settled, the other run towards the beach. The sight before them is heartbreaking. They run towards the other group. Except for Rie, who hobbles.
Marvel turns to see who was running towards them, as do Clove and Gale. Cato watched them coming from the corner of his eye, more concerned about Peeta than the other group. Marvel stands up before Katniss reaches him, opening his arms to hold her. She throws herself into them, crying.
"Shh, I'm fine. But we lost Glimmer." He whispers into her hair.
She looks down at Glimmers body before responding, "Rue said you were hurt. I was scared." She looks up into his tear filled eyes. "I'm sorry about Glimmer."
"Thank you. She was my partner for a long time." He says pulling her close. "Peeta's taking it pretty hard. She saved his life," he whispers in her ear. "She pushed him down and took a trident in the chest."
Katniss looks at Peeta who was still crying on Glimmer's chest, his sobs quieting.
"Who's hurt?" asks Foxface. "I can fix you up now."
Katniss looks at Marvel, "Go get that taken care of. I'll help with Peeta." She looks over to Rie and signals him to help with Cato.
Rie walks up to Cato, placing his hand on Cato's arm, "Cato, let's get the box back to camp. Katniss will bring Peeta soon. Besides, we left Rue alone in a tree to watch the camp. She'll be happy to see you." Cato nods, grabs the Katana and bow that Peeta dropped, and follows the other boy to the box.
Gale notices Rie's injury and takes his place carrying the box. Clove takes the weapons from Cato and they all leave. As soon as Foxface is finished wrapping Marvel's leg, they too head back to camp leaving Peeta and Katniss on the beach with Glimmer's body.
The cannons begin to go off causing Peeta to flinch with each of the 15 booms. Katniss kneels down next to him, and quietly observes him.
"Why did she do it?" he suddenly asks her.
"Why did she do what Peeta?" Katniss asks in return, a little confused.
Peeta is looking at Glimmer, brushing her hair from her cheek. "She was running in front of me. She turned towards me and the next thing I knew I was laying on the ground. I look up and she was lying next to me with a trident sticking out of her chest," He looks over at Katniss, eyes bloodshot from crying. "Why did she do it? Why did she take that trident for me? Why me?"
"I don't know Peeta," Katniss tells him. "Maybe she did it because we need you. Maybe she did it for you and Cato, to give you more time together." She looks down at Glimmer's body, "We'll never know why Peeta. I'm sorry she's gone but I'm also really grateful to her for saving you." Peeta doesn't say anything.
Katniss and Peeta stand up a few minutes later. Peeta turns to Katniss, "Go be with Marvel. I'll be there soon."
"I don't think – " Katniss begins.
"I just need a few more minutes and I'd like to be alone. I will be there soon, I promise," Peeta interrupts. Katniss nods reluctantly. She turns and heads into the jungle. Peeta runs down the beach a little way before turning into the jungle and climbing a tree.
Cato is the first to notice Katniss returning alone. "Where's Peeta?" he asks anxiously looking behind her. The others turn to see her walking into the camp alone.
"He needed a few minutes to collect himself, Cato." Katniss says putting a hand on his arm. "He doesn't understand why Glimmer gave her life for his. He'll be here soon."
"But he doesn't have a weapon Katniss," Clove informs her. "We brought them here, to have Cato clean the sword for him."
"He'll be fine." Gale says confidently. The five members from 12 begin to go through the box of clothes while the rest of the group worry for Peeta's safety. They don't think Peeta should have left weaponless.
Peeta had been sitting in the tree thinking about Glimmer, trying to understand why she helped him. They hadn't spent a lot of time together, especially in the arena. He's pulled from his thoughts when a parachute lands in his lap. He opens the container and is stunned by what's inside:
Her family wants you to have this. They say thank you.
~ C & G
And a second note:
You did everything you could. Keep fighting in her memory.
Fight for your family, fight for Cato.
~ H & E
Under the notes was Glimmer's token, a silver chain with a locket engraved with a G. Peeta opened the locket and saw a picture of Glimmer's family. Her parents on one side Glimmer and her siblings on the other. Peeta studies the photos before he closes the locket and put the chain around his neck. The other item in the container was a picture of his own family, minus his mother. It was from when he was younger. While studying the photo, he hears what sounds like a scream coming from deeper in the jungle. He puts the picture and notes back into the container, wraps the package on his wrist, and climbs out of the tree. He hears the scream again, this time closer. It sounds like Vick! He chases after the sound.
Back in camp, the clothes have been sorted for each person. All they were doing now was waiting for Peeta to come back. They had received a parachute that had told them of a place where they could clean up back in the pine forest. Gale was the first to hear the faint scream. He turns towards the sound. The second time he hears the scream, not only does he recognize it, but so do Rie and the three girls from district 12.
"Vick," Delly says. As the five from 12 get ready to look for Vick, Marvel grabs Katniss. "What's going on? Who is Vick?" Katniss turns to Marvel. "Vick is Gale's youngest brother," she tells him hysterically. "We have to find him."
"I'm coming," Marvel tells her.
"Me too." Cato adds. He turns to the others. "Stay here. Watch the stuff." Cato grabs his sword as well as Peeta's katana just in case.
Just then a new voice screams. "That's Wheet!" Rie yells. He takes off running, the others quickly chase after him. Soon a chorus of new screams are going – Posy, Rory, and Prim are added.
Peeta had found where Vicks were coming from. It was a bird up in the tree. It stopped when Peeta knocked it out the tree with a rock. Then Wheet started screaming from another direction. Peeta could hear Rie calling for Wheet and ran faster to find him. The two brothers ran into one another, falling to the ground.
"I can't find Wheet Peeta!" Rie says standing up. "Listen to him, he's in pain!"
Peeta grabs Rie's wrist, "Stop! It's not Wheet, look." Peeta points up into the tree. "It's just a bird! It's just a Jabber jay!"
Rie can see the bird. He watches as Peeta throws a rock at it but it flies out of the way. Suddenly more bird land in the tree. The screams of Posy, Rory, and Prim are added to Vick and Wheet's. "Let's get out of here!" Rie yells to Peeta. They take off in the direction that Rie had come from. Other voices that they know begin to scream; Mrs. Everdeen, Hazel, their dad, Haymitch, Effie, and even Glimmer. They can see their friends up ahead but don't understand why they're just standing there. Until they hit an invisible wall that separates the two boys from the others. To make matters worse, the birds followed the two boys and were in a tree behind them.
Peeta and Rie began throwing rocks at the birds, occasionally hitting one only to have it replaced by two more. They threw rocks until their arms were too tired. By that time, it seemed like everyone they knew from District 12 had a voice in those damn birds. Tired, they sat facing their friends on the other side of the barrier separating them. Peeta could see Cato swinging his sword at the barrier until Gale made him stop. Katniss was crying in Marvels arms. Delly and Madge just looked at the two boys sadly.
From where he was standing after Gale made him stop, Cato could see the anguish in both brothers' eyes. He, nor those with him, could hear the screams anymore. Cato kneeled on his side trying to keep Peeta's eyes focused on him. It didn't last long. He watched as Peeta closed his eyes tightly, hands covering his ears trying to block out the screams only he and Rie could hear. He looked over and saw Rie in the same position. He could tell both boys were rocking themselves.
No one was sure how long they sat there watching Rie and Peeta suffering. It was Delly who noticed that the birds began to fly away though. No one moved until they heard the whimpers coming from Peeta and Rie. Cato jumped up and picked up Peeta while Gale and Marvel grabbed Rie. Madge grabbed the swords that Cato had dropped as Delly grabbed the spear Marvel dropped.
"Katniss, it wasn't Prim. You saw the birds. Let's go." Delly said gently as she grabbed Katniss' hand and pulled her back to camp when she noticed the other girl staring into the jungle. "Come on. Marvel will be waiting for you." At the sound of his name, Katniss let Delly pull her back to camp.
When they reached the camp, Cato sat down on the log, holding a shaking Peeta in his lap. Marvel and Gale set Rie down near the log. Before Gale could walk away, Rie grabbed his hand. "I heard them." He said looking up at Gale with wide eyes.
"Who'd you hear?" Gale asks gently as he sat next to Rie.
"Your family. Even little Posy. They were in such pain Gale. All of them." Rie said, tears streaming down his face. "And not just your family but mine and Katniss's too."
Everyone jumped when they heard Peeta's quiet voice. "Glimmer, Haymitch, and Effie too." Cato hugged Peeta closer to him, rocking gently shushing him.
"I'm a little confused. What happened out there?" Thresh asks. Clove, Foxface, and Rue all admit their confusion as well.
Delly leads Katniss over to Marvel before sitting on the other side of Rie. Gale stood up and Madge took his place next to Rie. Each girl grabbed a hand as Gale explained to the others what happened.
"It wasn't Vick, Prim, Rory, or Wheet that we heard. It was jabber jays." He looks down at the two brothers, "They got caught behind a force field and heard the screams of our families."
"Not just the families, Gale. Everyone in 12." Rie says quietly. "They weren't just screams. They were in pain."
Foxface looks at the brothers, "If what Gale is saying is true, about the jabber jays I mean, then no one was in pain. It was just made to sound like they were in pain." She walks up to Cato and Peeta, "Peeta, you said you heard Glimmer right?" Peeta looks at her and nods. "Oh honey, it couldn't have been Glimmer. She died earlier today. Remember?" Peeta just looked at her, his face and eyes void of any emotion.
Cato gently takes Peeta's chin and forces Peeta to look at him when Peeta doesn't answer. What he sees scares him. It's almost like he wasn't there. "Peeta, honey, listen to her. She knows what she's saying." Cato watches Peeta's face for several moments. Peeta finally blinks. "Glimmer couldn't have been in pain because she died in front of me." Peeta says voice cracking.
"Peeta, it was just a game maker trick." Foxface tries again. Peeta looks at her and nods. He lays his head on Cato's shoulder and closes his eyes. Cato holds Peeta close, feeling his body shake with sobs. He listens to the sound of Peeta's breath hitching. He looks at the boy in his arms, looking for what he wasn't sure. It was then he noticed the parachute hanging from Peeta's wrist. "Peeta, did you get a gift?" Cato whispers.
Peeta sits up a little before showing Cato the necklace around his neck he'd gotten in the tree.
This catches the attention of the others who were quietly giving the two brother's time to get over their experience. Marvel and Katniss were standing, arms wrapped around each other. He catches sight of the necklace, "That was Glimmer's. She never took it off. How'd you get it?" Marvel asks enquiringly.
Peeta turns his head, "I was sitting in a tree, trying to work through what Glimmer did. I got a parachute." He lifts the arm with the package on it. "Her family wanted me to have it." He drops his arm back into his lap. He looks up at Cato, "I'm tired."
Cato looks down at Peeta, "Then go to sleep. I don't mind." He kisses Peeta's forehead and watches as Peeta's eyes close. He mindlessly rubs Peeta's arm gently as he listens to Peeta's breathing slow, indicating he fell asleep. Clove walks over and squats in front of Cato. She gently takes Peeta's arm and removes the parachute, setting it on the ground next to Cato's feet. She looks up at Cato, "Do you want me to get the bed out?" she asks quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping boy.
Cato looks at his best friend shaking his head, "No. I just want to hold him for now."
Clove nods in understanding, "If it gets to be too much, let me know."
Cato smiles and thanks her for her offer before looking back down at the boy in his arms. He brushes Peeta's hair back from his face and watches him sleep. It's hard for Cato to imagine everything Peeta has been through. And he was there for most of it.
Rue, who'd been quiet the entire time since they came back with Peeta and Rie, gets up and grabs some food and water to take to Rie. He looks up at her and takes the items she offered him. Delly gets up to put the weapons away and Rue takes her spot. "Did you really hear your families?"
Rie looks at her, contemplating her question. "When it happened, it seemed like it was real. But now, being here and hearing Foxface, it doesn't seem as real." He puts his arm around the young girl, "It was something that I never want to go through again." He looks at his brother sleeping in Cato's arms, "I hope you never have to go through it yourself Rue." Rie eats the food and drinks the water Rue gave him.
"I say a couple of us take that map we got and find that swimming hole. We should have plenty of time before it gets dark." Clove says looking down at her clothes. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't relish staying in these clothes."
It's decided that Clove, Gale, Thresh, Delly, and Foxface will look for the pool. Clove looks at Cato, "Are you sure you don't want me to get that bed out Muscles?"
"I'm good Clove," he replies. "Go find that pool. Oh, and take the empty water bottles. It couldn't hurt."
"See, that's why we keep you around big guy, you are more than just brute strength." teases Gale as he starts to gather the empty bottles. "You have brains to match."
"If I wasn't taking care of Peeta right now, I would so kick your scrawny ass Gale," retorts Cato.
"Really Muscles? Going to hide behind your boyfriend?" Clove goads.
"At least I have one," Cato mutters under his breath, not really wanting to fight with Clove.
Clove didn't hear what he said but she knew him well enough to know that it probably would have hurt her feelings or caused a big scene. Plus, she knew Peeta needed to rest for now. After fighting, meeting that creep Leonitus, losing Glimmer, then those damn birds he needed a break from reality. She grabbed a backpack filled with bottles and followed the group further into the jungle.
Cato watched them go. A part of him really wanted to go with them. But he needed to be here when Peeta woke up. He looked down at the boy in his arms again. Peeta looked peaceful, relaxed. Despite the blood that covered him.
It took almost two hours to find the pool of water, but it was worth it. The water was clear, deep, and blue. Across the way was a beautiful, small waterfall. The five tributes desperately wanted to jump in but collectively decided that they would wait for the others to be with them. They did take the time to wash off their arms and faces though. They filled all the bottles and treated the water just to be safe. It would be ready by the time they returned. With all the water bottles they had collected, at least the others would be able to wash their faces as well.
Clove used her knives to mark trees on the way back so they'd be able to find the pool faster tomorrow. The group realized that the walk was going faster back to camp than it was going to the pool. This worked in their favor as it was beginning to get dark. It wasn't until they got back to the jungle that they realized the water was up on a hill. Gale and Clove pulled out the flashlights they'd taken, but didn't turn them on as it was still light enough to see where they were going. Arriving back at camp, the group was greeted warmly and with questions. Katniss and Marvel gave the group some food as they regaled the tale of the crystal clear blue watered pool.
Peeta woke up an hour after the group left and began to freak out over the others having left. Cato managed to calm him down but he needed Katniss and Rie's help. Peeta was tense until he saw the others return. No one had ever seen Peeta like this before. It raised concern amongst his district mates. Gale thinks the birds affected Peeta more than they had imagined. He and Cato stuck pretty close to him the rest of the night. When he heard about the waterfall, he knew how to let the rest of them know that they needed to go to the ruined city for their rescue.
Rie's wound managed to seep through the bandage so Foxface stitched him up the best she could. Marvel and Thresh held his arms and legs while Rue verbally distracted him by telling the story about the time she got stuck in a tree at home and Thresh had to rescue her before the peacekeepers found them. He didn't flinch once during her story.
Madge and Delly sat at the backpacks and began sorting through them, removing any rotten, spoiled food. They were doing it by the fire, as the temperature had begun to drop. After emptying all the backpacks, each member of the group grabbed an empty bag and repacked it. The fresh clothes were put in last as the plan was to get clean in the morning.
Marvel and Katniss, who had taken a nap while Gale's group went to the pool, volunteered for first watch. Foxface and Thresh decided on the second watch, while Delly and Madge decided to take the third. A parachute landed in the camp, this time with 48 rolls from district 4, medicine for Marvel and Rie's legs, and a new sling shot and a bag of pebbles for Rue. There was no note.
As everyone got their bedding setup for the night, Foxface applied the medicine and rewrapped the boys' legs. Cato then helped Rie to the airbed. Rue declined to sleep on it. The anthem played and the deaths of the day shown:
District 1 male – Rie / Thresh - knife/sword
District 1 female (Glimmer) – District 4 girl / trident
District 2 male – Clove - knife
District 2 female – Katniss / Delly - bows
District 3 female – dehydration / desert
District 4 male – Marvel / spear
District 4 female – Cato / sword
District 4 female – Peeta/Clove – Katana/knife
District 5 male – Clove / knife
District 5 female – District 1 female / spear
District 6 male – freezing to death / winter tundra
District 6 female – mauled by lions / African savannah
District 7 male - freezing to death / winter tundra
District 7 female – District 1 female / spear
District 8 female – mauled by lions / African savannah
District 9 male – District 10 male / knife
District 9 female – District 2 male / sword (the cannon that interrupted Cato & Peeta the night before)
District 10 female – Peeta / Katana
District 10 female - freezing to death / winter tundra
District 11 male – mauled by lions / African savannah
District 11 female – Peeta / Katana
As the anthem played again, Peeta and Cato snuggled together under their blanket. Peeta laid his head on Cato chest and let the older boy's heartbeat lull him to sleep. Cato waited until he knew Peeta was asleep before he closed his own eyes. His last thought was that there were 11 other tributes left besides their group of 12.
The Mentor Room
As the kids were sleeping, the mentors prepared for their own escape. Lyme had managed to secure some guns and hid them in the tunnel below. Johanna, Finnick, and Cashmere managed to pack some food and water into some backpacks that were also hidden in the tunnels. Brutus, Enobaria, Haymitch, and Effie secured some Capitol peacekeeper uniforms. Now it became the waiting game.
The Gamemakers Room
Seneca Crane was pleased with himself. He had hoped raising the cornucopia would shrink the large group of tributes and he did get to see the death of one. The jabber jays he had sent in to mess with the 'boy on fire' worked as well, just not as completely as he hoped. He wanted to see that boy become a sniveling mass of goo that couldn't function. He hopes his plans for tomorrow would tear apart the group once and for all.
I would've had this up sooner, but I had to triple check my tributes and death counts. I have tables and graphs that I've been keeping track on. It's a very complicated business, lol. For those that care – 20 deaths the first day, 8 deaths the second day, and 21 deaths in this chapter = 49 deaths so far. 23 tributes left in the arena. Who will make it out? Can't say… yet ;)