A L T H E A

   Gloss' smile froze on his face as an arrow sank into his temple. Althea felt bile rise in her throat as he fell backward into the water. She'd been dreaming of his death for far too many years, often praying she'd be the one to do it. As the canon boomed, she had enough time to choke back the rising vomit and slam a spear out of its course for Peeta. A grunt that she knew to be Finnick sounded off, followed by a second boom. Panic swelled in Althea's chest, but she couldn't turn to look as she chased after Brutus. Katniss was in front of her, leading the chase. Feet pounded behind her on the rocks.

   The rocky ground beneath her jerked violently. Already dizzy, Althea slammed into its surface. The clock underneath her began to spin. Jungle passed her vision in a blur. Force pulled the woman toward the water and rocks but she stabbed her sword into a crevice and held on tight. Althea clamped her mouth shut, holding her breath. She felt weakness in her chest and was lightheaded, but she held on with all of her strength.

   The water would not claim her again.

   When the roaring water and spinning quit, Althea stayed still for a moment, trying desperately to catch her breath. Hands hooked under her arms and pulled. She collapsed into Finnick's chest.

   "Easy, angelfish. Are you okay?" He asked, checking her over for injuries.

   She didn't want the others to hear. "Something feels wrong, Finn. I don't feel well," she whispered to him.

   He checked her over again, pressing a hand to her forehead. Frowning, he took her wrist and pressed two fingers to the inside. He counted under his breath, occasionally looking at her. "Your heart rate is really slow."

   "That would make sense." She leaned away from him at the sight of Johanna and Peeta frantically looking for something.

   "Where's Volts?" Johanna called.

   "Go," Althea ordered, pushing Finnick's chest. He started to protest, but she pushed again. "If he's in the water, you're his best bet. Go."

   With a reluctant glance, he left her. He dove into the water with the effortlessness of a sea god. Katniss said something, but Althea's head was still swimming. She sat down and placed her head between her knees. Peeta patted her back gently.

   "You don't look too good," he said. "Is there anything I can do?"

    "Thanks, kid," she quipped sarcastically. Then more gently, "No, thank you. Just need to breathe for a second."

   Katniss returned with the coil, looking more traumatized and upset than when she dove into the water. Finnick pulled a waterlogged but alive Beetee to shore. Katniss handed the remaining victor from three his precious wire. Finnick limped to Althea's side.

   "Angelfish," he murmured.

   "Yeah?"

    "What can I do?" It was such a pitifully desperate question. He had always wanted to make things easier for her, to help her.

   She looked at him. Squinting in the sun, she jerked her chin to his thigh where he sported a knife wound. "Take care of that. We only have room for one amputee here."

   Peeta scoffed a dry laugh. His fiance crossed the island and wrapped her arms around him. Katniss held him tightly. Perhaps she was imagining holding him forever and keeping him safe. The eldest victor turned her head to look at Finnick again. He'd unzipped his wetsuit and taken off his undershirt. He tied it tightly around his thigh, but not tight enough to be a tourniquet. Once finished, he cupped her face and just gazed at her. Memorizing her freckles, the scar on her brow, the state of her eyelashes, and the chapped skin of her lips.

   "Hey," she whispered somberly. Wiress was gone. Thatcher was gone. Everyone in their group had lost their district partner except for Katniss and Peeta. They were sure to follow soon.

   He brushed a few baby hairs from her face. "Hey."

   She leaned into the warmth of his hand and closed her eyes. Calluses against her skin, soft thumbs padding against her cheeks. When she opened them again, she could tell he was hiding something behind the walls of his head. His hair glowed in the sun, green eyes almost luminescent. But there was a crease in his brow that only presented itself when he was worried or angry. Althea reached up with a shaking hand and smoothed the crease with the pad of her thumb.

   He caught her wrist and pressed a kiss to it. "The lotion isn't helping," he observed.

   Althea shook her head. "Maybe it takes a little while."

   Finnick's brow furled again. "Sure." He let her smooth his brow out again, leaning into her touch like an attention-seeking pet.

   "Let's get off this fucking island," Johanna growled suddenly. She picked a pair of axes off of the ground. Finnick helped Althea to her feet, despite her protests. They make their way down a sand strip with Katniss helping Beetee walk. It's almost painfully slow how they move, but Althea knew deep down that something was wrong with her body. If they moved any faster, her aching chest and slow heart wouldn't hold. Once at the beach, Finnick, Peeta, and Johanna head in separate directions.

   "Twelve o'clock, right?" Peeta said. "The tail points at twelve."

   Another wave of dizziness pushed Althea further into Finnick's side. His grip around her tightened. "Before they spun us," he responded to Peeta. "I was judging by the sun."

   Katniss' brows arch. "The sun only tells you it's going on four, Finnick."

   "I think Katniss's point is, knowing the time doesn't mean you necessarily know where four is on the clock. You might have a general idea of the direction. Unless you consider that they may have shifted the outer ring of the jungle as well," Beetee explained smartly. The look in Katniss's eyes said that she hadn't been meaning that at all, but she nodded along with Beetee's words anyway.

   "Yes," she agreed, "so any one of these paths could lead to twelve o'clock."

   They circled the beach, exploring anyone and everyone's ideas. Katniss remembered a taller tree in the twelve sector, but now each of them held a similar tree. Johanna suggested following Brutus and Enobaria's tracks, but any trace had been washed away by the spin.

   Katniss sighed bitterly. "I should have never mentioned the clock. Now they've taken that advantage away as well."

   "Can't be helped, Katniss," Althea did her best to soothe. Katniss looked at her with thinly veiled concern. "It's only temporary, anyway. We'll see that damn wave again at ten."

   Peeta perked up. "Yes! They can't redesign the entire arena while we're still in it."

   "I feel like you've provoked the gods now, kiddo," Althea groaned.

   Impatient, Johanna kicked some sand. "It doesn't matter," she snapped. "You had to tell us or we never would have moved our camp in the first place, brainless." That seemed to be the piece that comforted Katniss. Her shoulders lessened in their tension. "Come on, I need water. Anyone have a good gut feeling?"

   The only gut feeling Althea had was that she was going to throw up. They chose a random path to follow without any idea what number they were heading for. Upon reaching the jungle, Althea and the others tried to decipher which sector they were in.

   "Well, it must be monkey hour. And I don't see any of them in there," Peeta stated, squinting as if to look further into the thick flora. "I'm going to try to tap a tree."

   "No, it's my turn," Finnick disagreed. Althea looked up at him. Peeta had been in too much danger in the jungle and it was best to keep him out of it. But was she willing to let him go instead?

   "I'll at least watch your back," Peeta said in return.

   "Katniss can do that," Johanna countered. "We need you to make another map. The other washed away." She yanked a large leaf off a tree and handed it to him.

   "And I need someone of a civilized company who won't make me feel like I have the intelligence of a five-year-old," Althea added, letting herself sink to a sitting position against a tree.

   "Bitch," Johanna quipped. Althea knew that she must've looked as awful as she felt because the others had stopped commenting, only exchanging worried looks. And if Johanna was avoiding the topic, that meant it was not good.

   Finnick caressed the top of her head before disappearing into the jungle with Katniss. Peeta sat beside Althea with a knife and a big leaf. He etched away, sketching the arena with effortless knife strokes. His shoulder was pressed against her side, offering warmth and comfort. She put her head on his shoulder.

   "You're a good kid, Peeta," she said quietly, closing her eyes.

   "You should watch me carve. I'm very proud of my skills," he said, nudging her with his strong shoulder. She opened her eyes, not oblivious to his tactic in keeping her awake.

   "If they're anything like your cake-decorating skills, I'm sure you are." She watched him etch out the map and scribble little pieces about which mutation or obstacle was where.

   He worked in silence for a while. Beetee sat in silence with a sad curve to his mouth. Althea knew his pain well. At least with Thatcher, she knew that Chaff truly hadn't meant any ill will towards them. Gloss, however, was malicious in his survival. Johanna paced and surveyed the arena. She was constantly looking for any perceivable threat. Althea did her best to match, but she was growing more tired with each passing minute.

   "Tell me about your family," Peeta said abruptly. "Please."

   Althea sighed. "My dad won his games when he was sixteen. Came back, and married my mom immediately. I have three siblings. Blaze is the oldest, then myself, then Graham and Willow is the baby. Blaze works at the electrical plant on the other side of town with Graham. Willow used to help run the gardens until she was put on bed rest. She likes to play piano. Blaze used to, but stopped when our mom died."

   Peeta paused his sketching. "I'm sorry about your mom."

   She shrugged her opposite shoulder. "Thanks. She's the strongest woman I've ever known. Other than Willow, of course. She got mom's strength more than the rest of us." Althea laughed a little. It rattled in her chest.

   Peeta looked at her over his shoulder. "I think you're the strongest woman I've ever known. Other than Katniss, of course."

   Althea smiled softly as warmth spread in her chest. "Of course. Thank you, Peeta." She leaned back onto the tree but kept their sides pressed together. "You're pretty brave, kid. A lion in the face of wolves."

   He continued sketching, golden hair shining in the lowering sun. "I just want to keep her safe. It requires a lot of sanity, patience, and bravery," he laughed sarcastically.

   "No way," Althea gasped in the same tone. He laughed. A real laugh. She smiled at him. He really was just a boy trying to survive and protect the girl he loved. 

    A hot wave rolled up her body, sweat starting to coat her forehead. "Peeta... something's wrong," she said weakly, grasping at his arm. 

   He looked at her with panic clear on his face. "Johanna!" he called. She came running, a look of horror crossing her features. 

   "Althea! What?" 

   "Jo, something's wrong. My head--" Her head felt like it'd been filled with cement. She gripped at Peeta's arm. "Please--"

    "Katniss!" A shrill voice screamed. A little girl. 

   Rolls of darkness clouded her vision, details furling in and out. Someone or multiple people were shouting her name. 

   She looked up to see a jabberjay sitting on a tree limb. It stared down at her like a crow on an electrical wire at home. 

   "Finnick," she wheezed weakly. 

   A canon boomed. 

A/N: don't kill me. i love you

xoxo, 

hadley