miss americana and the heartbreak prince | katniss everdeen

the first night.

THE QUARTER QUELL
Nine | The First Night
•••

THEY MOVE THROUGH THE JUNGLE, AND PEETA AND FINNICK TAKE THE LEAD CUTTING THROUGH VINES. Mags trails behind them and Katniss and Fleur take up the rear.

"So, this baby?" Fleur asks, "Is it Peeta's?"

Katniss looks at Fleur, her brows lowering as she frowns. Fleur gets the hint that maybe she shouldn't have said that.

"I get the feeling I shouldn't have asked that," Fleur states.

"You shouldn't have," Katniss responds, her tone snappy. Fleur didn't expect them to be like they had been on the rooftop, but she hadn't expected open hostility. She didn't kill Katniss. She could have. She had her in the Cornucopia. She could have let someone else kill Katniss, but she saved her life.

"You know we don't have to kill each other," Fleur states before shrugging, "Well not yet anyway. So you can relax. You can even laugh at my jokes. You know I'm funny."

Katniss stops walking as she turns to look at Fleur, her eyes narrowing.

"You don't think I'm funny?" Fleur responds.

"I see through your act," Katniss responds, "You're trying to come off as innocent. Funny even. But how do I know that as soon as the sunsets and I turn my back, you won't drive a sword into it."

Fleur scoffs, If I wanted you dead, I'd have killed you in the Cornucopia."

"I could have killed you too-"

"No, you hesitated," Fleur responds, "You had your arrow aimed at me but I would have cut through you before you could even release the arrow. But I didn't. I saved your life because I don't want to hurt you. How many times do I have to say it before you believe me?"

"If someone killed my sister," Katniss begins, "I wouldn't save them."

"Maybe I'm a better person than you are, Twelve," Fleur retorts, "Besides I have nothing to return home to. So, if you kill me, it's no loss for anyone except for the gamblers who placed wages on me."

Katniss looks away from her, unable to hold eye contact. Fleur decides to keep walking, hoping to put the doubts of her loyalty to rest. She wonders how the situation must be coming off to Snow. Did he think she was fooling Katniss or was he aware that she had no plan of carrying through with his request?

They catch up to Finnick, Peeta, and Mags. Fleur isn't paying much attention as they're walking, but Katniss is as she lets out a warning scream, but it falls on deaf ears as Peeta is sent flying back by a forcefield.

Katniss runs to his side, kneeling over her. She's panicked, frantic. Fleur watches the scene calmly and curiously. It was no secret that Katniss did not care about Peeta the way that he cared for her. However, at this moment she could believe the story. She could see Katniss as a girl in love who feared for her lover's life.

"He's not breathing!" Katniss exclaims.

Finnick moves Katniss to the side as he begins doing CPR. Fleur waits for the cannon. She waits for the end of the lovers' story. Instead, Peeta lets out a breath.

"Careful," Peeta says weakly. "There's a force field up ahead."

Fleur smiles at the words and Katniss lets out a tearful laugh as she rests her head on Peeta's chest. Peeta's fingers find Katniss's hair and Fleur averts her gaze, feeling as though she was intruding on a moment between the lovers.

Finnick makes his way over to Fleur, "You okay?"

"I didn't get blown back by a forcefield," Fleur says with a chuckle.