A/N - You might have noticed that I changed the rating. As this goes on, the violence will amp up. Just thought I'd let you know :)

As it turns out, I'm right about Peeta's double motives. While he allies with the Careers very convincingly, it soon becomes clear he's leading them off her scent. Of course, there's no way for them to know this - they aren't seeing which way Katniss went moments before like we as viewers are - but when Peeta comes across a snare of hers, he stops to examine it, then leads them in the opposite direction. I don't know how long it will be before they realize he's giving them false information, but I'm certain that it won't end well for him when they do.

Despite his attempts to lead them off her tracks, Katniss seems to be pretty resourceful herself. That is, until it becomes obvious she is severely dehydrated. It's only a matter of days before she drops. The camera zooms in on her eyes, glassy and confused. She whispers hoarsely for water, but nothing drops from the sky. I wonder how Peeta will react when he sees her name in the sky. Will he stay with the Careers or break off the alliance now that he can't protect her anymore? She seems to be at death's door when she collapses in mud.

"Get up, silly girl," my wife says. "The water's right in front of your face." I turn to her sharply. I didn't think she cared that much about the Everdeen girl. I guess she is from Twelve and if Peeta doesn't win, we'll be pulling for her.

When she inches forward, through the mud, and treats a canteen of the newly discovered water, I feel everyone relax. She'll be alive for a little bit longer now that she's found this resource.

Then comes the fire. It's clearly Gamemaker material, but that doesn't make it any less deadly. In fact, it probably makes it more. The camera cuts to different shots of the tributes. A red-headed girl fleeing the flames on swift feet, a little girl flying from tree to tree, just ahead of the blaze, until she's forced to drop to the ground and continue on foot. The Careers and Peeta inhale a good deal of smoke and there's a lot of retching and coughing as they try to avoid the worst burns. Katniss gets a fireball to the leg. I wait for the Gamemakers to finish her off, or at least send another blow, but one doesn't come.

She stumbles to a pool, soaking her burns. The camera gets a good shot of the injury and I recoil. The skin is charred and angry. It'll disable her for awhile for sure.

"She's not going to sleep there is she?" my wife asks a bit later.

"That's what it looks like."

Katniss Everdeen has been dominating the screens for the past hour, the Capitol clearly on the edge of their seats to see what she'll do about the injury. She made herself dinner alright and now it looks as if she's settling down.

"Why doesn't she climb a tree? Stupid thing will get herself killed for sure!"

They just showed us a shot of the Career pack. They aren't exactly close, but they were heading in her direction. If they make good time through the night, they'll reach her by the time evening falls.

Sure enough, she barely has enough time to grab her pack and run before the Careers catch sight of her. The cameras linger on Peeta's face. The expression is that of complete shock. Katniss won't get very far trying to outrun them on that leg. Even though the Careers inhaled a lot of smoke, she's still outnumbered. They gather around the base of the tree she's climbing and whoop. Peeta is the only one not joining in. His eyes follow Katniss up the tree. I can almost see him willing her to climb faster, to ignore the pain that she's in. She calls down to them once she's twenty feet up.

"Poor guy looks like he's about to have a heart attack," his brother sighs.

He's right. As the rest of his "allies" take turns trying to reach Katniss, he stays quiet, his eyes locked on her branch. I can almost see the gears turning. Finally, he turns to them. "Oh, let her stay up there. It's not like she's going anywhere. We'll deal with her in the morning." His voice is angry, as if he can't stand that their target is out of reach, but I'm guessing it runs deeper than that. He's probably angry with himself for letting the pack get so close to the girl.

"He's going to give himself away," I hear my wife murmur.

"No, they think he's angry that she's evading them," I explain. "Remember, they can't see what we do. They don't know he's been leading them away from her all this time."

Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith are talking now.

"Well this is sure to keep viewers leaning in towards the screens," Claudius remarks. "Is this the end of The Girl on Fire? They've got her cornered. And let's take a closer look at the star-crossed-lover's silent exchange. She gets up in the tree and for a millisecond glances down at Peeta Mellark. And look at that face. So shocked. He's been protecting her, risking his life for her, and now it might just go up in smoke."

"Quite literally," Caesar says. "If you noticed how badly the burn is plaguing her, that could contribute to her downfall."

I wonder if her mentor was paying close attention to this bit of commentary because very soon after, a parachute floats down to Katniss containing medicine for her injuries. It might also be the fact that she appeared to be in so much pain as she sawed a branch with something hanging down a few moments before. It's not until Caesar and Claudius identify it though that I connect the dots.

"Claudius, I think those are tracker jackers, am I wrong?"

Tracker jackers. The genetically engineered wasps created by the Capitol during the Dark Days. Back in the living room, my sons confirm my fears.

"She's going to drop it on their head. On Peeta's head!"

"But why? He protected her! Those will kill them for sure."

Why would she drop the nest on him? True, she is treed and if her only way to escape is to drop that nest, she might just risk his life - and then I put it together.

"She doesn't know. She thinks he's with the Careers. She's aiming to kill him. To kill all of them."

It's late - very late - but we can't bear to tear ourselves away from the screen. But nothing much seems to be happening. The cameras show tributes settling down for the night in odd places. A nest of bushes. Under a pile of leaves. Katniss is still high in her tree, sound asleep. The Careers and my son are beneath the tree, but Peeta's not sleeping. He's staring up at the high branches, as if determined to keep his eyes on the dark form that is Katniss the entire night.

"I don't think anything else will be happening. Better try and get some rest," my wife stands and stretches. "The real action will be tomorrow morning."

Before I leave, I take one long glance at my son. If Katniss manages to drop the nest on him… well the odds are certainly not in his favor.