Arrows in the Dark

Helping Hand

Why did i have to point it out? The words just sort of came out of my mouth. That seems to be happening a lot lately. My mouth and brain are working against each other. They both want safety but they both think they can accomplish this in a different way. My heart aches to see Peeta. It's been at best thirteen maybe fourteen hours since i last saw him. If only i knew which direction he went... But no. Our deal. If one see's the other. It will be a fight to the death. I still can't believe i told Cato of our deal. I don't think Peeta would like that. He also wouldn't like the fact that i'm with the Career's. God. Why am i so stupid.

I trip just then. I stumble and would've landed on my face if Cato hadn't caught me. His hand on my arm in a death grip. I look up at him and pull my hand out of this hold. "Thanks." i mutter. Clover is standing off to the side with a smirk on her face as she rolls her eyes. They continue walking side by side. I guess she's forgiven him for puling out his sword on her. It's farther away than i thought. At that moment the Capitol anthem plays. Theyr'e going to show the dead tributes now. They should have done it earlier but i guess they wanted to hear the conversation i was having with Cato. We all pause and look up at the night sky. The stars have all disappeared. The sky of course is the screen. The Capitol shield spins for a couple seconds.

Back home everyone has been watching live coverage of the tributes death in the arena. They play back every gruesome detail. I'll be in there killing that boy from nine. They won't show that here. All we get is a photo and the District number. I think i've stopped breathing. I'm hoping Peeta's face won't show. All the Career tributes have survived. I would know i've been with them this whole time. I could change that. They're captivated by the screen right now. Maybe i could kill one of them and run away. I would literally be stabbing them in the back right now. I decide against it. I need them. For now.

The first person they show is the Girl from District 3. The boy from 4. The boy from District 5.. So the girl with the flaming red hair is still alive. I knew she would be. Both tributes from 6 and 7 are gone. Wow. Both? The boy from 8. I anticipate it but it still comes as a shock. The boy from 9. His face flashes across the sky. He looks normal. No blood pouring from his mouth or the stricken look on his face. I try to capture this image and store it in my brain. I need to replace it with the image i have of him dying, but i know that will never happen. There's one more person left. Please don't be Peeta. Please don't be Peeta.

I breathe a sigh of relief the girl from 10. Does it make me a bad person that i'm glad she died and not Peeta? The seal reappears and the anthem finishes. They sky grows dark and the stars return. "I told you." i look at Cato startled. "Lover boy hasn't died. Yet." i try not to rush up to him and smack that smug grin off his face. Clover looks like she wants to burst into a fit of laughter.

"Let's just keep moving." i growl pushing past them heading deeper into the forest. Moving in and out through the trees has calmed me. I can almost forget that i am in an arena surrounded by people who want to kill me. I wonder where Peeta is. Is he sleeping on the ground tonight? Or in a tree? To my surprise, and his, Peeta had turned out to be pretty good at climbing trees. I showed him some tricks too. How to distribute your weight and how to climb a tree with hardly any footholds.

My next thought was of my parents. Did they approve of what i was doing? Joining the careers, killing someone? Going off into the forest to kill again? This was not how they raised me. Was Gale horrified at what i'd become? Did he still love me? Was he taking care of Katniss? All these questions were whirring through my head, i almost screamed when Cato yanked me back. His strong hand on my shoulder and one over my mouth. I was glaring up at him. He slowly placed a finger to his lips and gestured toward a break in the trees. A figure was on the ground probably asleep. The embers of a dying fire in front of her. Yes. It was definitely a girl. Her long hair billowed out behind her.