𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒕𝒖𝒔; 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒓

𝑹𝒆𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒉𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔

Katniss cries and strokes Peeta's face in relief. Lilith watches their interaction, her skepticism about their relationship begins to fade.

"Be careful. There's a force field up there," Peeta jokes breathlessly.

Katniss laughs through her tears and kisses him. Lilith's eyes soften slightly as she watches them. Katniss does love Peeta. There is no doubt about that in Lilith's mind anymore.

"You were dead. Your heart stopped," Katniss rambles on while stroking Peeta's hair.

"It's okay. It's working now," Peeta assures her.

Katniss helps Peeta stand. Lilith steps back, giving them space.

The group continues to move when Peeta is ready. Katniss leads now, throwing nuts against the force field to make sure they don't run into it again.

"How'd you know he was going to run into the force field?" Lilith asks Katniss as they walk.

Katniss hesitates at first, "Uh, the Capitol reconstructed my ear after last year's games. They must've done a better job than I thought."

Lilith just nods, not entirely believing her, but also not pushing the subject.

"Hang on," Katniss says. She walks over to a tree and begins to climb.

"How are you feeling?" Lilith asks Peeta while they wait for Katniss.

"A bit better now," Peeta says.

"I'm sure you would be a lot better if we had water," Lilith says with a sigh.

Katniss climbs down and shares what she found.

"The force field is a dome. We're at the edge of the arena. I couldn't find any signs of fresh water," Katniss says with defeat.

Lilith groans internally. What if they don't ever find fresh water? What if they die of dehydration?

"It's gonna get dark soon. We'll be safe with our backs protected. We should set up camp. Take turns sleeping," Finnick suggests. "I can take first watch."

"Not a chance," Katniss says with a slight scoff.

Lilith rolls her eyes at Katniss's stubbornness.

"Honey, that things I did back there for Peeta? That was called 'saving his life.' If I wanted to kill either of you, I would've done it by now," Finnick snaps slightly.

"You could ease up a bit. You know, accept help while you have it," Lilith advises.

Katniss just glares at her. Lilith walks away, shaking her head as she does so.

Finnick helps Mags find a spot to rest. Lilith debates on whether she should rest or stay awake with Finnick and Katniss.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Finnick says, walking back to Lilith.

"Are you sure?" Lilith asks, still not convinced.

"I'll wake you if anything happens. I promise," Finnick assures her.

This is enough to convince Lilith to get a little bit of rest. She finds a spot to lay down, her exhaustion finally catching up to her. It's very hot, which makes sleeping uncomfortable, but it's her only option.

Some time later, Lilith gets woken up by the Panem Anthem. She perks up and watches the sky. When no one from District Two shows up, she sigh with relief. Silas is still alive.

A rhythmic beeping echos through the area. Lilith looks around for the source. She sees Katniss and Finnick rushing to a parachute. Katniss opens it and pulls out a metal thing.

"What is it?" Finnick questions.

"I think it's a spile," Katniss says, walking over to a tree.

"A what?" Finnick stands there in confusion.

Lilith jumps from her makeshift bed and follows Katniss.

"You use them to tap trees," Lilith quickly says.

Katniss uses a rock to put the spile into a tree. Peeta joins us and we watch in anticipation. After a moment, water starts rushing out of the spile. Katniss gasps in shock and begins drinking water.

"You're kidding me," Finnick says in disbelief.

"No way," Lilith says with a smile on her face.

Katniss moves away and lets Peeta get some water. After Peeta gets some, Finnick pushes Lilith to drink. She happily obliges.

The water feels so good in her mouth. It's not cold by any means, but water's water in times like these.

Lilith finishes and lets Finnick get some water. She wipes her mouth and feels refreshed in a way.

"I'm gonna get a leaf," Finnick mumbles when he's finished drinking.

Katniss cups her hands, fills them with water, and splashes it on her face. She takes another drink before moving out of the way so others can get water.

Lilith takes a small amount and splashes her own face with it. The water feels heavenly against her hot skin.

Finnick uses a leaf as a bowl and gets water for Mags. He helps her drink. Lilith watches warmly at Finnick's caring nature.

After everyone quenches their thirsts for the moment, they get some more rest. Suddenly, a gong starts sounding. Lilith sits up and looks at the sky. It rings a total of twelve times.

"I counted twelve," Katniss says.

"Me too," Lilith comments.

"What? Like midnight?" Finnick questions.

"Or the number of districts," Katniss suggests.

Lilith sits for a moment. This isn't like any arena Lilith has witnessed. It's certainly not like her first Games.

Thunder and lighting crackles. Lilith jumps slightly and looks for the source of the sound. She sees lightning striking a tree in the distance. Lilith sighs and lays back down. She closes her eyes, and feels herself drifting off.

Lilith sighs contently as she feels someone lay next to her.

"Goodnight, Lil," Finnick mumbles in Lilith's ear.

"Goodnight, Fin," Lilith sleepily mumbles back.

For a while, everything is peaceful. Suddenly, Lilith jolts awake when she hears Katniss's painful scream.