The fire in front of you crackled and glowed a bright orange in the night as the six of you gathered, all of you on the lookout for any incoming tributes or animals coming by. Glimmer took this time to take stock of the remaining arrows; you and Clove sharpened your knives; Marvel was toasting up a rabbit that you managed to kill; Pearl was asleep; and Cato...well, Cato was sitting far away from the group, looking up at the tree Peeta was stuck in, a wistful look on his face.

Looking up briefly from the knife in your hand, your eyes landed on Cato watching Peeta, and your heart immediately gave a pang through your body. Time in the Capitol may not have reshaped everyone's confidence and weakened them, but it changed a lot of the tributes, and right now you saw Cato turn from a monster bad-boy supreme to someone vulnerable, someone...not exactly helpless, but more materialistic. In a flash you remembered what Peeta told you before the reaping--that he didn't want the Capitol to change him. Funny, because you did, a whole lot of people did...

"I don't know if I can keep up with this image," Cato's words floated back to you.

Slowly, you got up and approached Cato, leaving your knives with Clove, and sat beside him as you looked up at Peeta, still in the tree.

"Me too," you whispered, not daring to glance at Cato right beside you.

"Oh. Hey," he whispered back, turning to you with not very much of a smile on his face.

You sighed as you turned to Cato, biting your lip. "Well, you've seen him now. Do you regret making that promise to me? That he and I...that we'd be back together?"

"I don't know how this is going to work without any of the other Careers suspecting anything," Cato eventually admitted, turning back to the other Career tributes. "All I told them was that I wouldn't hurt you, should you join us. But I didn't tell them the other part about you going back to Peeta." He sighed as he looked down at your hand, and inched his hand over so that the side of his hand was just touching yours. "They'd suspect I'd go too far with you. But...I have to."

You raised an eyebrow, praying that at this moment the cameras were turned away. "Cato, what you're doing is actually pretty admirable. Rarely has any Career tribute helped out a tribute not from their district. But why are you doing this? I know you care but--"

"I told you," Cato murmured. "They see me as a potential victor. I'm a killer, (Y/N). But back in the past, I was only a citizen of District 2. My life wasn't only filled with training for the Games, you know. I had a family back home, I had friends, I had people who care." There suddenly came a noise as he whipped his head to the side, as if he sensed an animal or tribute come by, but then he shrugged it off. "They didn't want me to give up on them--to keep being strong. But...it's impossible. I'm just me. I'm just...Cato. I'm not a monster." Here, he moved his hand further so that it overlapped yours, tears threatening to spill down his face.

Cato's hand over yours made you experience a wash of pity, and you too had to wipe your eyes from the welling tears. "It's kind of strange, but Peeta said the same thing to me too. Back in District 12 before the reaping...he said he didn't want to die not being him. That he would die a citizen of 12, not a killing machine who has been blinded by the need to get out the arena alive." This immediately sparked your anger again at the Capitol for having to create this kind of torture, and funny enough, Cato thought the exact same thing.

"If only there was a better way to punish us than these Games!" he finally muttered angrily, picking up a couple leaves beside him and crumbling them in his fist into smaller leaf pieces, throwing them down on the ground again harshly. "It's just sick. The fact that everyone had to show up here, trained or not, to fight against each other as if WE were the enemies, as if WE were never together to fight against the Capitol--"

Suddenly, your breath hitched, and you gasped. This was almost exactly like the same kind of conversation you and Peeta would probably have every time you talked about the Games, and to hear a Career tribute say the exact same things made you wonder. It wasn't just you and Peeta and everyone from District 12. Tributes of the other districts had the same thoughts.

"--and to think that--hey, (Y/N)? You okay?" Cato asked suddenly, squeezing your hand.

You inhaled and exhaled shakily, nodding. "Yeah. Just, the way you were talking just now...you reminded me of Peeta."

Cato nodded, reaching up to wipe your tears. "I know it hurts to talk about Peeta. But just know I'm going to keep my promise...even if it means letting you go."

You chuckled softly in reply. "Letting me go? As in...?"

"You'll be gone," Cato simply said, trying not to feel heartbroken at the prospect. He loved you, he really did, but he knew you still loved Peeta and if it means paying his happiness for your own, he would have to keep his promise.

"Stop thinking that," you smirked. "You've been a great friend to me and I can't be anymore grateful for your company. Really. Just know that..." you whispered, your voice trailing off as you relaxed under Cato's grasp, falling asleep on his shoulder.

Cato smiled ruefully, reaching a hand up to brush some hair out of your eyes, before offering a light kiss on the cheek. "Sleep well, (Y/N). I'll take first watch."

PEETA POV

With every passing second into the night, I felt my strength seeping out of me. My right ankle throbbed so badly it hurt to imagine having to put weight on it again. My left calf was screaming for mercy, for something cold. I wish I had some ice on me, but I don't know where--

Suddenly, I bolted up in my sleeping bag. Haymitch! He could probably be my last resource. At least he could probably get some sponsors for me, to get me out of here alive. But how can I contact him when all the Careers and (Y/N) were below?

The anthem, which soon blared all around the arena, gave me my answer. I whispered, as loudly as I dared, "Medicine." As I looked up into the sky, I saw that no one has died today, which was alright. Then the anthem was out, but I still heard some tinkling sounds. Like...a wind chime, or a melody played on a tin instrument.

Ding ding ding, ding ding ding...

As I glanced off to my left, I saw a parachute float my way, and smiled. Haymitch finally got to me! I can't believe it. I quickly got out of my bag and climbed up the tree up to the branch where the parachute was resting. Opening the chamber of the parachute, I saw a message.

Take good care of yourself and (Y/N). Apply generously and stay alive. -H.

I smiled at first at the thought of Haymitch helping me, but then that smile faded when I thought about (Y/N) again. He probably knew that she was with the Careers, right? He should. Everyone is watching us, every step of the way. Even the districts whose tributes have been lost were also watching. They have to be. Anyway, whatever the case, he knew the truth. He knew that I was in love with (Y/N), not Katniss, yet he told me to confess that to the entire nation so that I can cope with my true feelings about (Y/N). But since she took it the wrong way, I tried to banish every single memory I had, only to come across one unintentionally and cry over it.

No, Peeta. Now is not the time to think about it.

Carefully, I opened the can. There was a waxy substance, kind of like some sort of balm. Just to be sure, I sniffed it, then dipped my fingers into it, convinced that it had to be some kind of medicine. Slowly, I lifted some of the substance up and applied it to my left calf, and almost sighed at the relief it gave me. It was as if the balm was erasing all the pain, leaving behind a soothing sensation.

"Thank you," I whispered to they sky, a smile on my face. I couldn't believe it. Haymitch had finally come to help. Now that I have the medicine to heal my calf, the only thing I need is (Y/N) to heal my heart. But of course, that is nigh impossible since I glanced down and saw her sleeping on Cato's shoulder...

Sighing again, I was just going to head back to my sleeping bag when I saw two eyes stare at me from the tree on my right. Curiosity overtook as I looked, and almost jumped out of the tree when I realized who it was.

Rue signaled me with a wave to get my attention, and I nodded. Then she slowly slid a finger and pointed upward. My eyes followed her finger direction and I almost backed away in fear.

A wasp's nest.

But this can't be any wasp. If this was the Hunger Games, it has to be something Capitol invented. The name tracker jacker immediately registers in my brain. How the heck would tracker jackers help me in this situation?

"Psst!" Rue whispered again. She pointed at the knife in my belt and made a sawing motion, pointing down at the Careers.

It took me a while, but my mind soon caught up, and I nodded excitedly at Rue. In a few hours, at least most of the Career band would be gone. But what would (Y/N) think if I pull this off? Would she still forgive me? She already looked really hurt when I professed my love for Katniss instead of her...

It won't win her back. But it would ensure that I still have a chance at this game.

Morning came by soon enough and the birds chirping signaled yet another day in the arena. My eyes slowly opened and the first thing on my mind was not the tracker jackers, but my calf. To my surprise, it was healing--from an angry red to something more subtle, a bit like a bright red from a typical scratch. I quietly packed all of my things, applied another layer of the medicine to my leg, and made my way up the tree to the tracker jacker nest.

I wasn't surprised to see some of the wasps moving up and about. Tracker jackers, as I knew, loved to get out and about early, and if they ever come across anyone trying to kill them then they can sting, and their stings bring on this venom that could trigger powerful hallucinations. Sure enough, I saw a few of them buzzing around the nest, and I knew that if I didn't hurry I could be a potential target and the whole plan I made with Rue could backfire.

Without another moment's hesitation, I pulled out my knife and started to saw through the thin branch, the knife making so much noise that more of the wasps started to float around. I kept going, faster and faster. Any moment now the Careers would wake up and move on, and I didn't want to lose time. Halfway through, a wasp immediately honed into my neck and I almost screamed in pain, but I kept going, breathing through my mouth as my other hand gripped onto the trunk of the tree. I felt another sting on my cheek, and another on the palm of my hand, but soon I managed to push the branch away from me.

Scratch, scratch, scratch... You were suddenly aware of some random noises going on in the tree that you were sure you trapped Peeta in, and your eyes opened instantly as they honed in on him. It took you a few moments to realize that he was trying to saw off a branch, but not just any branch--a branch that held a wasps' nest. But this wasn't any kind of wasp. If this was the Hunger Games, the Capitol wouldn't just bring in normal animals.

"Cato," you whispered, gripping onto his hand. But there was no movement.

"Cato!" you hissed again. "Get up!"

"Urngh..." Cato groaned, opening his eyes to see you. "Oh. Hello, (Y/N)."

You shook your head in shock. "Cato, look," you whispered, pointing to Peeta.

Cato's eyes widened immediately. "No way," he whispered back. "You don't think--"

"--he's trying to hurt any of us?" you asked back. "But--"

The question died in your throat. You didn't even have to ask it as you saw the nest go down, snagging on a few branches and then landing right by Glimmer and Marvel's feet, bursting open like an egg.