If Fire Caught

Chapter 13: Katniss

I wake up to a knock on the door. I sit up and look at Peeta as he blinks open his eyes.

"I'll see you in a couple hours," he says and I nod before kissing his cheek and leaving so I can get dressed.

I wince as they insert the tracker in my arm and I sit across from Johanna as the hovercraft takes us to the games. She smirks at me and I cautiously cover my baby. When we are finally taken to the prep rooms under the arena, I find that Cinna already has my outfit out and ready. It is a blue jumpsuit with a thick purple belt.

"It isn't exactly thermally protective, so I'm guessing tropics." he says as he helps me into it.

"Can it protect from the sun?" I ask.

"If its been treated," he says. The purple belt fits a little snugly around my swollen stomach and Conna carefully pins my Mockingjay to my sleeve. He hugs me one last time and rubs my back. The sound of the timer saying I have thirty seconds to get in the tube break us apart.

"I want to thank you for the Mockingjay dress," I say. "In my opinion, it was your best work yet."

"Thank you," he says,"Be brave and remember, I'm still betting on you girl on fire." I step into the tube and wait to be taken up as the tube closes around me. But it doesn't. Something is wrong. Terribly wrong.

Suddenly, three peacekeepers come in and start beating Cinna. I start screaming for them to stop, but I am forced to watch as they drag his unconscious body out of the room. I keep crying as the platform starts to raise me up into the arena. I start breathing heavily as I'm raised into the sunlight. All around me, there is a sea and in the center is the cornucopia. I look around for Peeta and don't see him anywhere. He must be on the other side.

The water laps at the pedestal I'm standing on. There is one thing I know for sure. This is no place for a girl on fire.

The buzzer sounds and I jump into the water. I swim to one of the arms of the island that holds the cornucopia and pull myself out of the water I start running to the mouth and am stopped when I come face to face with Finnick Odair, who is wielding a trident, his favorite weapon.

"Good thing were allies huh," he says and I look at him quizzically as I notice something shine on his wrist. I look closely and find that it's Haymitch's gold bangle. I ponder for a second wether he stole it or not but I decide against it. I wouldn't pick an ally, so Haymitch picked one for us.

"Duck!"he yells and I do before I see him throw the trident and hear the sickening sound of it as it impacts its victim. I turn to see Finnick pull the trident out of the drunk from 5 and turn to see the careers coming towards me. I grab a bow that practically lays at my feet and shoot impaling Gloss in the calf. Brutus, the male from 2 runs forward with his belt in front of him, using it as a shield. I shoot and impale the belt, causing purple liquid to spurt into his face.

I look through the cornucopia and find its loaded with weapons. Absolutely nothing but weapons.

"Find anything? Finnick asks.

"Nothing but weapons," I say.

"Grab what you want and I'll go see if I can find Mags and Peeta," he says and I nod. I grab two golden bows, three quivers of arrows and a few knives. Suddenly Finnick pops back around the side of the cornucopia. "Mags found Peeta."

I follow him back around to the back to see Peeta struggling in the water, fighting with the male tribute from 8. Im about to try to go help him but Finnick stops me.

"I'll get him. We don't want you over exerting yourself," he says patting my stomach and jumping in the water. I watch as Peeta and the other tribute disappear under the water. I hear a cannon sound and yelp slightly.

Suddenly, Peeta's head pops out of the water and I breath out a sigh of relief. Finnick helps him get back to shore and I pull him out of the water. I pull him into a hug and he gently rubs my back. Finnick lifts Mags onto his back and coughs to get our attention.

"Come on," he says. "Lets get out of here before the real bloodbath starts," We nod and all four of us head towards the shore. we start going through the jungle.

"We need to find fresh water," I say.

"Lets see if there is some deeper in the forest," Peeta says and I look to Finnick to see what he says. He shrugs and Peeta starts through the forest, hacking through vines with a machete. I follow him and Finnick brings up the rear, still carrying Mags on his back.

As we travel I see no signs of water. The ground is extremely dry which makes me wonder how all this plant life is able to survive. I watch as Peeta blindly hacks through the the thick underbrush.

All of a sudden, I notice a flicker in the plants and realize we must be at the edge of the arena. Peeta pulls back the machete to cut through one of the vines that isn't really there and I scream.

"Peeta don't!" I yell but I'm too late. Peeta is thrown back from the shock and I run to his side. I lay my head on his chest where I so oftenly hear his calming heartbeat.

I feel tears in my eyes as I'm greeted with silence.