May the Odds Be Never in Your Favor

[11] The Blistering Fog

Prim's POV

"You're not gonna like it," I say, turning Katniss' chin to the side again, examining her neck for the hundredth time, "but it's best if you don't talk. Especially no yelling,"

"What?" Katniss' voice, once filled with authority and power, comes out as a strained whisper. She rolls her eyes at her pathetic tone of shock.

"You'll loose your voice if you strain it," I advise.

"Sounds like I already have,"

I suppress a smile as she opens and closes her jaw, putting a hand to her throat. But I know Katniss, by the end of the day she'll be yelling at someone--probably Bram--and her lips won't make a sound. "Don't worry, it souldnt last that long." I stand up and place my hand on her shoulder. "Now, sleep. Doctor's orders," I laugh a little as she tries to protest.

"Prim!" Peeta calls. I walk over to where he's set himself up next to Cory. "She's awake," he tells me.

I smile. "Great," I bend so I'm a little closer to the ground. "How are you feeling?"

She moans slightly. "I'm guessing it looks worse than it feels,"

Peeta sighs. "I'm so happy you're awake. I was getting worried you wouldn't open your eyes again,"

"Oh, Peeta, stop crying." I bite my lip at her strong tone, like him showing weakness hurts her in the process. "Do you honestly think I would allow that poop-throwing beast to take me out?" The three of us laugh quietly.

Katniss stomps over to us, flinging herself on the sand next to Peeta. "What's wrong?" he asks.

She tries to say something, but the most that comes out is a gargling sound of a dying animal. She huffs in irritation and flings her arms in the air. I could only make out one explanation: "A bird pooped on you?" Her baffled look makes me brake down and laugh so hard it hurts.

"Wait. What happened?" Cory asks. "What made Katniss stop complaining?" Katniss sends her a glare.

"Girls, stop being mean." Peeta says.

"Oh, I know! You miss the woods back home," I guess. When she falls for my bait and nods, Cory finishes my planning like she could read my mind. "Probably because that's where Gale's at,"

Her smile fades. "He's her cousin," Peeta defends for a voiceless-Katniss.

"Yes," I continue, planning to put the cherry on top, "I bet the longing is very lip locking." A blush rises so quickly you'd think her face was always this red. Her eyes grow wide and she ducks her head. Cory and I burst into laughter. But Peeta and Katniss look unamused.

"This is fun," Cory says between desperate gulps of air. I merely nod my head, unable to contain myself.

"Hey! Bram, Crusher, Heavenly. Come here!" Finnick calls to them, walking to the four of us. Our laughter dies pretty quickly. "We need to make some rules," Finnick says as we all gather around. I'm awkwardly squished between Crusher and Bram. Both looking equally proud of themselves.

"What kind of rules?" Peeta asks.

"Rules that will keep us alive." For the first time, I see Finnick as a leader, not a cocky, sex devil. "We just let four people into our alliance and what happened? One of them killed Mags and the other killed a ten-year-old just to make a point. And the other,"--he looks at Crusher--"well, that doesn't matter. The point is we have to watch ourselves. I'm sorry if I don't want to see someone I care for die because we want to play allies."

I know he's not talking about Katniss, Peeta, Cory, or me, but I see where he's coming from. Katniss was almost strangled to death last night and if Fluorescent hadn't screamed then I would probably be an only-child right now. I don't want to see Cory or Peeta get hurt either. Since Katniss and Peeta have started hanging out with each other, I've grown to love Cory as a sister also. Peeta...I don't really know. But I do know I care for him enough that don't want to see his face in the sky.