A Million Pieces - Hunger Games (Catching Fire & Mockingjay)

Chapter 21

When I wake up the next day, I've scratched my arms and face to blood, but there are two full bowls of water and one of shellfish to cheer me up. Finnick gives me a tired smile as a good morning. I look around and see that he's made another mat that shields Katniss and Peeta. They're still asleep, their fingers intertwined.

"Did you get any sleep?" I yawn.

"I figured I'd let all of you rest," he says.

"You should've woken me," I protest, but he shakes his head. "Thanks for the food."

"Clams," he says. We exchange a look.

I hated clams when I was younger. I can't remember why, just that I refused to eat them. Of course, I often regretted it, because I always ended up hungry. The first time I can remember actually tasting clams was at Caspian's. It was one of the first few weeks and I couldn't refuse, not when they had taken me in and shared the food they had. Reluctantly, I spooned the fleshy bit into my mouth, and I was stunned to find I didn't hate it at all. It was delicious.

There was a look on my face that evening that Caspian and Finnick have never let me live down, and shellfish, but particularly clams, became our comfort food, something that always reminded us of laughter and good times. It seems like a pity to waste it on the Games.

"Want to go for a swim?" I asked, putting the basket of water down and wiping a few drops from the corner of my lips.

"You go, I'll watch these two," says Finnick, nodding towards Katniss and Peeta.

The water immediately soothes me, but it does little to stop my itching scabs. Soon, I see Katniss stomp out of our shelter and shout something to the sky. A second later, a parachute drops into her hand. I get out of the water and sit down next to her and Finnick. It's medicine.

"Wow, we must have fans," I say, unable to keep the awe out of my voice.

Katniss passes me the tube of ointment and I glob it onto myself, rubbing it in gently. I groan with pleasure as the itching dulls. We take turns rubbing the ointment on each other's backs, then Katniss decides to wake Peeta.

"Let's do it together," Finnick says excitedly and I grin.

Finn and I wake with the sun, but Caspian's family will happily sleep all morning. So sometimes we have fun scaring Caspian and Malila awake. We did it to Coventina once, and I'll never forget how much a pillow slamming a face can hurt when a person thinks they're being attacked.

Peeta screams when he wakes up to find us inches from his nose and we explode with laughter. By the time the next parachute falls, even he is fighting a smile. Finnick takes the parachute, unwrapping the bread. It's a District 4 loaf. He turns it over in his hands, studying it carefully. Then, he hands it to me. I break the crust and smell the seaweed mixed into the dough, a small smile on my face.

As we eat the bread and shellfish, a section of the jungle across from us begins to vibrate. Then, an enormous wave roars down the slope to the water with such force that the water rises to our level and starts dragging away our few possessions. Our jumpsuits are taken, but they were too damaged to wear anyway, and we save the rest. Then a cannon fires, and a body is plucked from the jungle.

I'm still watching the hovercraft when Katniss grabs my shoulder. "There."

I follow her gaze and my eyes fall on three red figures stumbling onto the beach. We recede into the shadows of the jungle to watch. One of the figures is being dragged by another, and the third is walking in circles, looking disorientated.

Katniss loads an arrow and Peeta fingers his knife, but Finn and I keep our eyes narrowed on the familiar figures. The one being dragged collapses suddenly and the dragger throws a tantrum, stamping the sand and shoving Circles.