Living Lies ✜ Hunger Games x Reader

Risks

Hehe, that picture with Liam.  Proceed...

***

When you open your eyes, you can't quite recall how you fell asleep last night, because, a), there's a camp of bloodthirsty Careers camped beneath our tree and b), you still have a pretty nasty burn in your side.

It takes a second for you to adjust to your surroundings. You have to remind yourself that you're sitting high up in a tree in the Hunger Games, and not sleeping in your low quality District 12 bed at home. Dawn is just breaking over the horizon of the arena (if there is one) and a quick glance below you tells you that the Careers are still asleep. You look off to your side and, find to your genuine surprise, that there's a gift dangling by a parachute in the branch next to you.

Gingerly, so as not to strain your wound, you reach out and grasp it, gently plucking it from the branch and reading the tag on it.

Apply liberally and stay alive. -H

Smiling slightly, you noiselessly pry open the top. Inside is an ointment, which you suppose is to be used for your burnt side. You wonder how many sponsors it costs and what kind of strings Haymitch had to pull, but either way you're grateful.

After following the instructions and applying the ointment to your wound, you stow what's left of it away in your pack and look up, startled when you hear a low whistle. It was obviously meant for you to hear only, and you glance up at the source to find young Rue hovering in the tree branch above you in the tree next to yours. You smile in relief—a), because she's unlikely to kill you, and b), because she's actually alive.

Silently, knowing now that she has your full attention, Rue points to a tracker jacker nest in a branch right next to you and makes a cutting motion, which is abuzz with the animals. The nest is home to one of the deadliest and most hallucinogenic creatures in all of Panem's history.

And they just happen to be a very clever escape route. Well spotted Rue. Well spotted--and well played.

It's fairly obvious she wishes for you to cut the branch and free yourself (with risk, of course) but you hesitate. What about Peeta? This action would be uncalled for, not part of the plan and possibly deadly to the baker. It's a risky move, but even riskier is your plan to save him.

But it's a risk you have to take.

Motioning to Rue to find a safe place to run to and hide, you watch as the young girl that reminds you so much Prim disappear among the branches and leaves of the trees, hopefully safe for now.

Turning your attentions to the tributes sleeping somewhat peacefully beneath you, you note that they seem to be in a deep rest, untroubled. You pluck a stashed acorn out of a hollow spot in the tree—likely put there by a squirrel—and toss it in Peeta's direction.

Luckily, he's sleeping rather set apart from the others—probably due to trust issues—and when the acorn hits his back, he sits up quickly yet silently, looking around. When his eyes rest on your hunched figure in the tree, you motion downwards towards the ground, indicating you want to make your move now.

In response, Peeta gives you a somewhat incredulous look, as if thinking you're insane. While he's still looking at you, you point up towards the nest and proceed to pull your knife out of your bag—the same one Clove threw at you during the bloodbath.

Now he seems to grasp the idea you're currently trying to convey. He still looks a bit worried, however, and it takes an exasperated glare from you for him to finally agree that, yes, it's now or never. 

Nunc aut numquam, you think to yourself, attempting to encourage your own decision. 

As dangerous as this idea is, it can't possibly be a worse alternative than abandoning Peeta and carrying that guilt around with you. Still, you don't want to entertain the idea of promoting more risks and danger than necessary, so you try to brainstorm possible variables that could affect the plan.