Reyna remembered being separated from Peeta and Katniss when they ran from the fog, remembered Finnick's screams mingling with hers. And it wasn't the poison and blisters that hurt her most. It was his screams.

Katniss was working the spile, getting them all water. After they had cleaned themselves of the ugly, bulging rashes, they just laid there for a while, reveling in the feeling of being alive.

She used Finnick's lap as a pillow, and he threaded his hands through her hair gently. It was so very soothing, so relaxing, that she was almost asleep within a few minutes.

Finnick shook her awake after a little while. "Don't panic, but get up. Slowly." He whispered. She did so, grabbing her swords at an agonizing pace. They were unsheathed, their scabbards still on her back and her throwing knives at her hip.

Katniss joined them, gesturing to look up. The two partners slowly did as she instructed, looking back down immediately afterward. They weren't alone. There were huge animals in the branches above them, with vividly colored faces and glaring eyes. "Monkeys." Katniss whispered.

Peeta was walking back to them with a leaf full of water in one hand and his machete in the other, a small smile on his face as he saw Katniss, then Reyna (the last woman mentioned was given a platonic smile.) Finnick and Katniss are right. Peeta is the only one of us that has compassion. That has kindness left in him. Reyna thought, her jaw tightening.

"Peeta," she whispered to catch his attention. "Don't move. Don't move a muscle." He froze, but made the mistake of looking up slowly. And meeting the eyes of one of the beasts. It snarled at him, making him back up to the others.

There was a pause, the tension building. "Get to the beach." Katniss said. Only, the creatures were blocking the way.

Their numbers were steadily growing, but none of them attacked, yet. Until one made a move. It leapt at Peeta with huge fangs and outstretched claws, but it never got close to hurting him. Reyna had thrown a knife into its spinal cord, severing it.

Then all hell broke loose. The animals–mutts, surely–started to attack. Reyna turned back to join the fight, met with the sight of a mutt leaping at her with killer intent.

She would be dead if not for the arrow that lodged feather-deep in the animal's side. A shaky breath escaped her lungs. I'll thank you later, Katniss. Vigorously. She vowed, before drawing her swords and starting to slash through the monsters.

The group killed each and every one of them that attacked, but they were all low on food and rest. They were tiring quickly.

Finnick got knocked down (which was surprising, considering how sturdy he usually was), barely holding the thing back from ripping his throat open. Katniss was in a similar situation, and Peeta was trying to help her. Which meant Reyna was left.

She gladly tackled the mutt, her own lips curled in a snarl to match its own. Her eyes glittered with malice as she stabbed it in the heart, only calming down when she helped Finnick up.

They couldn't stay here, they had to run away from the mutts as fast as they could while still fighting. The slick mud slipped under her feet, the only thing keeping her up being Finnick's tight grip on her arm.

A morphling jumped out to save Peeta, who was about to be killed by one of the animals. Her neck was torn open, Reyna just barely too late to save her.

Peeta and Katniss picked her up, bleeding, gasping and struggling to breathe. The two Tributes from 4 were in charge of fending off the mutts, at least until they got to the beach.

One of the animals caught Finnick on the arm, leaving a bloody cut. The injured Tribute grimaced, and Reyna pushed him towards the others while she held off their attackers.

She finished off several of them before turning and sprinting through the thick undergrowth, leaping over vines and ducking under branches. She felt their hot breath on her legs, could almost see herself torn to shreds, unable to be saved because it would mean her friends' deaths.

But she couldn't think like that. She pushed the gruesome thoughts away and dove forward, rolling down a little ways to the edge of the water, where the others were waiting.

Finnick hauled her to her feet and stood next to her, both pointing their weapons at the creatures. But they weren't attacking. Just snarling, baring their fangs.

The morphling was dying, she knew. Nobody could survive that kind of wound and live. Dawn was breaking, the beautiful orange kind.

The mutts were leaving, at least for now, so Reyna went over to the morphling. She crouched next to her fellow Tribute in the water, holding the dying woman's hand as the light left her eyes.

Then the cannon went off, and it was time to leave her for the Peacekeepers to pick up.

Finnick and Reyna went hunting while the others made camp. Everyone tore into the fish when they came back, then started prying open the oysters.

Peeta opened one, and inside was a black pearl. While he was giving it to Katniss, Reyna leaned toward her friend-whatever-they-are with a grin.

"Ah, young love. Isn't it just the sweetest?"

He replied in a low voice, pressing a kiss to the skin behind her ear. "We're still young and wild, you know."

Finnick stat next to Reyna, their hands twined together, resting on the sand. "If..." He began, his free hand fidgeting. "If we had the chance to... Would you go on a date with me?"

Reyna blushed, looking everywhere but him. "I-I would." She bit her lip, causing him to tut softly.

"What did I tell you about doing that?" He said, prompting her to turn her head to the side to look at him with (playfully) narrowed eyes. Only, she didn't expect that he had done the same thing. And now their lips were a breath apart.

Her eyes widened slightly, whereas his darkened. His smirk was evident, and she probably would have detected it even without looking. "Beautiful." He said quietly, caressing her face.

"What is?"

"You."

She blushed darkly, enticing a chuckle from him. Suddenly they lost their balance and voila! He was only holding himself up over her by his forearms, his lips hovering over hers.

His breath tickled her skin when he spoke. "You know why I didn't want to kiss you during the interviews?" She shook her head softly. "Because I wanted our first kiss to be real. Because you deserve something real. Because you are amazing, and everything no other girl could ever compare to in my eyes. Because I love you."

She opened her mouth to reply. "I-"