Pieces in the game. (The Hunger Games)

Chapter 13: The Fire

Lilly's POV.
We ran into the forest and I immediately got separated from the group. I keep running in the direction I thought they had went when a deer jumped out from the bush, running from the fire. It scared me so bad I fell back and landed on my butt. I just sat there for a while until I heard someone calling my name softly. I look up into Peeta's face. "Come on, get up! They've found them!" he whispers to me and I don't have to ask who the them is. Scrambling to my feet I run after Peeta. He stopped at the group as they huddled and watched something by the pool of water. Cato turns at the sound of our arrival and glares at Peeta. He then reached out and grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me closer to kiss me. I lean back, that is until he pinched the back of my neck in a warning. I stood there motionless, angry, while he kissed me and when he pulled back I punched him in the ribs. He grunted and I glared at him. I look out towards the pool and spot Katniss and Gale, but somethings wrong. Katniss's face is pale and there are pain lines etched into her face. The Careers are ready to strike and I panic, I need to warn them. But how? I spot a rock beside my foot and I crouch down as if tying my lace. I move off to one side and make sure no ones attention is on me. As soon as I'm sure I launch the stone and it drops into the pool. It also happened to be at that exact moment the Careers began to attack. The stone gave them just enough warning to get out of the pool and run.

They only had a minute head start on us and I began to worry. It's only now that I notice how late it has gotten and that the others must have ran towards the smoke because they sound hoarse and raspy. Cato coughs a few times but keeps moving. We stop when we reach the base of a tree and I laugh as I spot Katniss and Gale already high in the tree. For a moment everyone stops and surveys the scene. Clearly we outnumber them but they are in a tree. The Careers are more lethal in the group but all of them, with the exception of me are heavier than Gale. They won't be able to reach as high as Katniss and Gale can. Katniss and Gale seemed to have realised this now. As Gale kept climbing Katniss smiled smiled and looked down on us. "How's everything with you?" she calls down cheerfully. I hide my smile as I can imagine what the crowds in the Capitol will make of this. I can tell the others in my group are shocked though. Cato regains his composure the fastest. "Well enough," he sounds cocky. "Yourself?". "It's been a bit warm for my taste," she says. "The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?". Bad Katniss! Stop goading him! Cato tilts his head. "Think I will," he says. Glimmer offered him the bow and arrows but he declined, saying that he'd do better with his sword. I take pleasure in watching Cato climb and then fall out of the tree. Glimmer has a go then, even tries to shoot Katniss from the branch she was on and failed.

She clearly doesn't know how to hold the bow, let alone use it. The arrow gets lodged in the tree near Katniss and she grabs it. Then, smiling gleefully, she waves it above Glimmer's head. Glimmer climbs back down and we regroup. Or at least the others do, I join them, unwillingly, a minute later as Cato grabs my arm and yanks me into the group. I screamed as he wrenched my arm and I could almost feel Gales glare. "She's made us look like fools," Cato growls. "How are we supposed to get them down?" Heath asks. "Send her up while they're asleep?" Clove suggests. I pale and shake my head. "Can she climb that high?" Marvel asks and I shake my head again. "She stays on the ground, where I can see her," Cato growls out. What crawled up his ass and died? This continues on for a while before Peeta harshly says, "Oh, let them stay up there. It's not like they're going anywhere. We'll deal with them in the morning". Well, he's right about one thing. They're going nowhere. I'm more worried now. Cato is acting out, my guess is because he's jealous that Peeta came to find me and not him. I'll be honest in my guess that he was too caught up in wanting to kill Katniss and Gale that he forgot I even exist. Which isn't a bad thing considering the death glares I'm getting right now. Once the group starts to disband and find places to settle down for the night Cato drags me off to one side. "I thought I made it clear that you weren't supposed to go near him," he growled. With that I'd be certain that every screen in the whole of Panem is focused on us. Hell I can even feel Katniss and Gale and everyone else's eyes on us! "What?! You are getting angry with me for him bringing me back to the group when I am fairly damn sure you didn't even know I was missing, some boyfriend you are!" I seethe. There was venom clear in my voice, so much that he actually stepped back. Then shaking his head he stepped into my space and grabbed me by the hair, yanking my head to one side.

"Ow! Cato stop!" I yell. I hear Gale's growl from all the way down here. "I didn't think you'd want to watch as your sister died. I was trying to be considerate. But seeing as you want to be unreasonable I will be too!" he spits. Then dragging me to his pack by my hair he throws me to the ground. I start to scamper away and he sits on one of my legs. He sat down with such force though that I heard something snap. I screamed as pain bloomed through my leg. "Cato what are you doing?" Brooke screeched as Heath and Cobalt shoved him off me. Belle was at my side in a second. "It's not broken. A branch snapped under her leg. It only hurt because it stabbed her," she said as she yanked it out. A minute or two later it was all bandaged up, but it was deep enough that when I stood my leg crumpled. Great! Looks like I will not be moving around freely. I glare at Cato. He stares right back at me, seeming oddly..... pleased. Had he planned this? He walks back over to me and continues rummaging in his pack. He gave a grunt of happiness when he pulled out some rope. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" I ask, fear obvious in my voice. Thank you Cato! You have just given me my basis for escape! He grabs both my wrists and puts my hands together palm to palm. I start to struggle, trying to yank my hands away. I can hear Katniss and Gale now, yelling, calling my name. When Cato finally manages to get my wrists tied he ties the other end to the base of a tree behind me. Then he steps back and tilts his head up. "Oh she's fine, she just has to learn where she fits in the hierarchy! Under me that is," he yells up to my sister and brother in law.

It has gotten dark now and the rest of the group has set up camp and a fire. They are sitting off to one side and I can see every so often someone's eyes slide over to me while they talk. Some to make sure I'm ok. Others, ok ok, just Cato's slide over to make sure I'm still where he left me. Where can I go? I can't walk and even if I could I'm tied to a freaking tree. They must have decided on a watch schedule. When Cato comes back over I shrink away from him. Time to play this up! "Stay away from me!" I say as I try to move away. As bad as it sounds, the angrier that I make him the better he makes it for me. Over his shoulder I see Peeta and he looks horrified! Is it for me or is it because I'm hurting his reputation with the Careers? Cato looks over to see who I am staring and and growls, grabbing my hair again. "You don't even look at others! Especially not him! You need to learn your place," he says. I glance down and catch sight if the ugly bruise that's already formed on my arm from his hand. He looks down too. "If you're not a good girl there will be plenty more like that on you," he says and I gulp. I look into his eyes and I freeze. He's serious! I nod my head and look down, not daring to speak. He moves away and it is only then that I notice I am crying because Belle, Clove, Glimmer and Brooke all come over to give me a hug. All I want right now is a hug from Peeta. No! Bad brain! I meant to say Peeta! No, Peeta! No I mean Katniss! Once they move away I lie back and stare up at the two in the tree. I can see their worry and I nod once, to let them know I'm ok! After a while I look to the other trees. In one close to the refuge tree I see an odd bird. Only, it's too big to be a bird! I gasp as I see its Rue! I cover for myself by coughing for a little while. Then, ever so slowly, I see her poke a little hand out of her tree and point at something I can't see over Katniss's head. Oh dear! That's not good!

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Hey guys,

Sorry it took so long but here you lovely people understand I'm sure!

You know the drill!

Regards
~Annacricket