Defenders of Panem (Being Rewritten)

Chapter 32

AN: Happy Thanksgiving! And Happy Birthday! Because it's probably someone's birthday somewhere! So here is a present to you wonderful people! I hope you enjoy it because there's no refunds and no returns! The only this you can do with it is read it or leave it...and leaving it makes it sad and it will be eaten by mutts in the arena. :(

Jem's POV

We reach the lake around noon; we spend a few minutes resting and then we get to work. We scout out the area and scope out the woods a few hundred yards from us. The shore of the lake is mostly rocks and pebbles, further around the lake the rocks got bigger. I stand on the beach skipping stones across the lake. Some go far enough that they hit the forcefield half way across the lake. Jace and Karter are setting up camp behind me, Meg and Collin are keeping watch.

My toes in the cool water, skipping rocks. I close my eyes and can imagine myself back at home, in District 4. I can almost imagine Dath walking down the beach to me...and shoving me into the water! I sputter and look up at the person who just pushed me in.

"Meg!" They're all laughing. So I grab her arm and pull her in with me.

"Jem!" She shouts and splashes me. I splash back. Collin is cracking up...so I splash him too. He stops laughing and glares at me. His gaze terrifies me. He comes towards us....and jumps into the water, splashing us both. "Hey! No fair!"

Karter and Jace run in and begin splashing us. And it becomes a full on water battle.

Maybe the sun is getting to us. Or we're so crazy and stressed out. Or we just need to be kids again. Or maybe all three. But in these few minutes we had fun, in the Hunger Games, splashing and playing like kids in this lake that could be filled with poison or mutts. We're all soaked, and still going. I'm about to splash Karter when I hear Collin shout. I look over and he's neck deep in the water. But only a few feet away from the beach.

"It drops off!" Meg says as she helps him up and we get back onto the beach.

"It's good that we got out of there...who knows what's after that drop off.." Karter says nervously. I pick up the trident.

"Well we need to get to work anyway. We're low on food." I look around at them, they all look cleaner then before. I chuckle quietly to myself. "So Jace. Do you know how to fish with a trident?" I look to him.

"Yeah. My mom taught me." I smile and hand him the trident.

"Then take what she taught you and I'll scare the fish toward you, just don't hit me." I say and take off my shirt and pants, leaving me in my sports bra and shorts-like underwear. I notice Karter and Jace blushing, Collin look away, and Meg roll her eyes at the three.

"Guy's we've all seen women in their underwear and swim suits. And not to mention what Jem has seen of us while fixing us up. So stop blushing and grow up! You don't see Jem and I blushing when you would walk around in your underwear." Meg defends me before walking away farther off shore. The stuff I'm wearing isnt even that revieling. I walk out into the water with Jace following behind me. I feel around the bottom of the lake with my foot, feeling for the drop off.