The Hunger Games - Peeta's POV

Chapter Fifteen - Up a Tree

We sleep on the ground, which I have to admit isn't the worst I have slept. I wake up in the morning, thankful for a dreamless sleep. Glimmer was on watch, fiddling with the feathers of her arrows. Clove rested on Cato's arm, and Marvel rested his head on the backs of his palms. I sat there, talking to Glimmer. It was surprisingly normal, talking about their jobs at home. I talked about hauling the bread pans, and Glimmer talked about how she drew designs for jewelry. She said she started training when she was 14 years old, specializing in hand to hand combat. Bows and arrows were her secondary weapon, although she admitted her accuracy is around 80%. The rest of the pack woke up to the sound of roaring.
"Mutts?" asks Glimmer. I know it isn't mutts though, having dealt with years by a fireplace.
"Fire." I reply.
"We should wait for people to come running out of the fire. Pick them off." Says Marvel, clearly wanting some action. So the Careers and I locate the fire line, and wait for anyone to come running. Eventually, we hear a faint shriek, which was clearly attempted to be covered. And then a splash of water nearby. It was a small pond, not too far deep in the forest. We take a closer look, and find movement of a tribute there.
"Hey! It's her!" shouts Clove. My stomach, again, in knots. Tighter ones. My fears are only declared when I definitely see her face, stricken with fear and pain. Otherwise, she looks unharmed. Until she sees us, she immediately darts out of the pond, and runs deeper into the forest. She limps heavily, and I can see that a large burn lies on her leg. More knots. Katniss managed to dash up a tree, where the Careers finally stopped. So I did see her in the tree yesterday. Cato whips out his sword, and attempts to climb the thick tree. He doesn't get far, though. He used the same footholes as Katniss, but obviously he didn't take into account that she is probably 20 kilograms lighter than him. He falls to the ground, a loud thud sounding, but quickly gets back up to his feet.
"I'll kill her myself." says Glimmer. She pulls back an arrow on her bow, and aims. Katniss' eyes glow up at the sight of the bow, as she dodges the poorly aimed arrow that flies several inches to her right.
"Maybe you should throw the sword." croaks Katniss, chuckling to herself. I need to get the Careers away from her, safely, and get myself to Katniss. I can't think of anything, and I know that eventually, Glimmer's arrow would hit.
"Guys, let's just wait for her to come down." I say "she's gotta come down sometime. Either that or starve to death. We'll just kill her then." Katniss peeks out from the tall branch, but doesn't look disappointed, or frightened. She smirks. Why? Oh, it must be for the cameras. She must be acting as though she is in control of the situation. Wait, she must think I joined the Careers to kill her! How far from the truth that is. What can I do to tell her I am on her side? I don't know.
"Somebody make a fire." I was about to say that that could give our location away, but I remember that they are the Careers. No-one would ever dare to challenge the.
Sleep doesn't come easy that night. I watch the tribute slideshow, while the Careers are asleep. The girl from last night. It turns out her name was Maryar. I wish I hadn't seen her name. It would've been better calling her hazelnut girl. And Amber from 3 is dead. I watched Katniss that night, brainstorming ways to help her. She receives a parachute during the anthem, and I see as she moans thankfully, as it must be medicine for her burn. I drift off. My dreams are about space. The moon and stars. It is mostly me thanking them. For allowing my wishes. I find it strange how suddenly I rely on the stars. But when you're thrown into an arena, the stars are the last hope. But then I am falling, falling out of the sky, down back to earth. Into the arena, cornered by different threats. Fire, mutts, poison, the Careers. And they all strangle me. Choking me off as I plead for mercy. Like the girl I killed on the first night. She stares at me from the distance, her hazelnut eyes searing into my head. Her hand is the last to grip my throat before I wake up.