Rising Storm

Chapter 21

Katniss

I carefully sit in the training center and practice knot tying half heartedly. Peeta won't let me do anything that involves physical activity, to wanting me to do anything that may harm the little one he has growing inside me.

I only look up as Mags, the eldery woman who had volunteered from 4 hands me a fishing lure she had crafted from a thin string, a strand of wire, and a feather. I take it in my hand and study under the intense fluorescent lights. I smile at her and try to hand it back to her but she shakes her head.

"Its beautiful, but I can't take it with me when I leave," I say. She just looks at me a moment before reaching forward to touch my stomach hidden below the table. Seeing as she can't talk, I know I have to take this as her saying something. She wants me to know how to feed myself and my child in the arena. Of anyone, I guess I should have known she would be able to tell my condition if anyone would seeing as she is in her late eighties with 5 children of her own, 4 of them who fought and lost the hunger games.

"Please, don't tell anyone," I whisper and she nods. I hold up the little hook and gesture to the pile of supplies in front of me. "What do you say I show you how to shoot and you show me how to make one of these?" She gives me a toothless grin and reach accross me to start her work.

An hour or so later, after a few usuable attempts at fishing hooks and an annoying visit with the ever irritating Finnick Odair to raise my blood pressure, I decide to relax by offering my half of the bargin. I test a few bows, pulling the strings back until I find one with a draw weight I like and enter the shooting range.

I walk into the glass room and walk over to the computer. There is every setting you can imagine for the enemies and conditions of attacks which I can encounter. I decide to do what feels right at the moment and turn the computer up to what I feel is necessary.

All the way.

I shoot at the enemies as they appear from all sides. It relaxes me as I destroy everything in my path. I forget about everything. Peeta, the baby, the impending death I plan to face, the people whose eyes no doubt fall on me now. They all fall into obilivian as I continue to draw my arrows and shoot what I see come for me.

I finish, feeling the eyes on me as I set my weapon back where I found them and walk out past all the people who had gathered. Peeta is amoung them and he has a smile but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"You said you would take it easy," he whispers in my ear as I stop next to him.

"You understand that if you want me to live, I may have to do that more than once in a week's time," I whisper back. "Besides, I will not be seen as weak."

"Well, you've definitely shown your strenth, sweetheart," he says and I feel a blush on my cheek. "A good last memory of one of the many reasons I love you." I shake my head and he squeezes my hand.

"Peeta, we talked about this," I say curtly and he just squeezes my hand. "Not here, please."

"Look on the bright side," he says quietly. "No shortage of allies for us after that. You've got the top pick of the best for an ally."

"Lets just see if any of them are worth to us what we would be worth to them," I say as I turn and leave his side.

The training week goes on in absolute agony after my display of strength. I'm smarmed with people trying to impress me. I ignore the flashy ones, the spoiled careers who think their endless years of training will make me instantly want them. The only time I even talk to one of them is when I notice Johanna trying to get close to my husband and I decide to get him back by chatting with Finnick. Which instantly backfires when he jokingly shows me how to tie a noose.