If Fire Caught

Chapter 9: Katniss

"I think we should split up, cover more ground," Peeta says.

"For what?" I ask him.

"We need allies this time Katniss," he says. "You know that." We walk through the doors and I watch as the drunk male victor from 5 vomits, making me feel a little sick myself.

"So far I'm not overwhelmed by our options," I say getting a chuckle out of him.

"I'll meet you for lunch," he says kissing my cheek as he walks towards the sword fighting station. I look around and decide to go to the fire making station, where I find District 3's tributes, Beetee and Wiress. They are struggling greatly.

"You need to move you hands downward," I say as I walk up. "And faster." Beetee does as I say and within a few moments, a small flame starts to build on their kindling.

"It worked!" He says, just a little too over joyed making me wonder how on earth he is considered a genius."Thank you."

"Yeah, well I couldn't exactly let them throw you in there without knowing how to start a decent fire," I say.

"Look at that,"Wiress says pointing towards the Gamemakers.

"The Gamemakers?" I ask.

"No not them," Beetee says looking in that direction of the Gamemakers. "That glimmer over by the edge of the table." Sure enough, as I look closely at the wine glass at the edge of the table it looks distorted, as though I'm looking at it through water.

"What is that?" I ask.

"A forcefield," Wiress says.

"Separating us and them," Beetee says. "The glimmer is the weakest point, the chink in the armor as it were."

"That's probably my doing," I say. "I shot an arrow at them last year."

"Maybe," Beetee says thoughtfully. He quickly drops the subject and the three of us start making small talk. I find that they are both rather intelligent, just ignorant towards common sense. They talk about different things they have in their district that I can't even comprehend, yet they don't know the difference between half the plants at the edible plant station. I bid them farewell and go over to the knot tying station. I start playing with some of the rope, practicing different knots I learned last year.

"You don't know one of the most useful knots I've discovered," someone behind me says. I turn to find none other than Finnick Odair. He takes the rope from my hand and wraps it in various knots before sticking his head through it. "A noose!"

"Very funny," I say rolling my eyes and walking away, bored with this conversation.

At another table I find an old woman, Mags I think her name was, making fishing lures. She is a sweet old lady, at least eighty, and from District 4. She volunteered for a girl named Annie Cresta, whom is rumored to be the fiancé of Finnick Odair.

"I saw what you did for Annie," I say to her, "That was very brave." She smiles, showing only a few teeth and gently pats my stomach. Of course she figured it out. If Finnick didn't tell her, I'm sure she's seen enough expectant mothers to see past my attempts to disguise my swollen stomach."Yeah, not exactly bravery for me as much as stupidity." She pats my cheek, as though reassuring me that everything will be okay. I watch as she ties together fishing lures with skillful fingers. She must have been doing this all her life.

"If I show you how to shoot, could you teach me how to make one of those?" I ask her. She nods eagerly and takes my hands, leading my fingers to make the knots on the fishing line around the feathers and wire she fashioned into a hook.

After making a couple that she beams proudly at me for, I lead her over to the archery station. I pick up a medium sized bow and begin to shoot at the targets. It's pretty easy for me since they don't move. The instructor at the station starts throwing these little bird targets for me that while fun, really don't produce that much of a challenge for me. I turn to Mags, to give her a try, but when I turn I see not just Mags, but nearly half the tributes including Peeta, Finnick, Johanna, and the Careers. I walk up to Peeta and look around as the crowd disperses.

"Why were they all watching me?" I ask him.

"They were admiring your skill," Peeta says. "They just say you shoot, I mean really shoot. If we weren't already allies, I'd be begging to be yours. You have anyone in mind yet?"

"Beetee and Wiress," I say.

"Johanna calls them Nuts and Volts," he says making me frown.

"I don't care what Johanna calls them, I like them," I say. "They could be very useful."

"Okay, I'm not gonna argue with you," he says. "Anyone else?"

"Mags," I say.

"Haymitch isn't gonna be happy about that," he says.

"Haven't you learned by now," I say smirking. "I don't care what Haymitch thinks." My stomach rumbles making Peeta laugh.

"Come on," he says. "Lets get you two something to eat."