°•°

KATNISS WAS RESTED AGAINST THE TREE BEHIND HER, her eyes moving toward where Finnick and Mags were. They were both asleep, no noise echoing throughout the forest. It was silent, and katniss didn't know whether she liked that or not. She moved her gaze to peeta who was a few feet away from her. A sigh leaves her lips as she takes a glance around the area.

She was worried. She would be an idiot to not be. Katniss knew Arya was gonna come for her again and the fact that it was very close in the cornucopia, it did spark a bit of fear within her. And with how Finnick hadn't attacked her, it didn't make her any quicker to trust him. In fact it just made her become more suspicious, she didn't care what he did to prove it to them that he was on their side.

Katniss looks back at Peeta as she stands up from her position. She takes another glance around before heading toward the sleeping man. Carefully moving down next to him, her hand rests on his shoulder. "Peeta?" She asks him quietly, lightly shaking him. Peeta doesn't really move, his breath even as his head rested against the tree. "Peeta, are you asleep?" Katniss questions, her voice a bit louder as she used a bit more pressure to shake the man.

After a few moments, the man started to stir. His eyebrows furrowed as he moves around a bit before his eyes opened. "Hm?" She could hear Peeta mumble, clearly still trying to get his surroundings. His eyes finally met hers and concern immediately engulfed is features. "Is something wrong?" Peeta asks, sitting up quickly but she places her hands on his chest.

"No, no." Katniss denies, shaking her head as she didnt mean to freak him out. Peeta looks around, his eyes moving to Finnick for a second. "I just.." She trails off for a moment, seemingly glancing in the direction that Peeta was. "I don't think we should trust finnick." She tells him, looking back at him to gage his reaction.

Peeta didnt seem to really share her concerns. He looked a bit wary, but mainly on how to approach this conversation. "I know you're not big on allies, but he did save my life." He says, referencing to the fact that not a few hours ago was Finnick bringing him back to life after he had hit the forcefully. He wouldn't have done it if he wanted them both dead.

"He also let Arya go." Katniss adds, staring over at Finnick. Peeta sighs, biting the inside of his cheek. He knew she was still very wary about Finnick, but maybe he had his reasons. "You know she'll come back to kill me." She says as she moves her eyes to Peeta. Peeta was quick to grab her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey, I won't let that happen." Peeta states, shaking his head. Katniss knew he'd try and protect her but Arya was very good in combat. They saw it. And she didn't want Peeta to get hurt because of her.

"She's skilled, Peeta."

"She won't attack when finnick is around." Peeta points out, gesturing to the man who was fast asleep on the ground. Anyone with eyes could see that she avoided Finnick. She might have taken a shot at him in the training room, but the arena was a very different thing.

Katniss didnt want to soley rely on that fact. If it was even true. She could have just seen that she was outnumbered or the fact the careers were close. They didnt know that it was actually Finnick that deterred her. "Right, because he changes everything." She states, clearly being sarcastic. Peeta moves closer to her, lowering his voice so that Finnick and Mags didnt overhear and wake up.

"When finnick got on the rocks, she didn't attack him. She knows he's good." Peeta responds but Katniss just keeps her gaze averted. "You know, you just have to have faith." He tells her, nudging her shoulder a bit. Katniss just rolls her eyes.

"What? That she'll die of starvation?" Katniss mumbles, almost to herself. It wasn't that she wanted Arya to die, but if it was down between the two of them, Katniss wasn't going to just go down without a fight.

"Katniss." Peeta scolds, furrowing his eyebrows. He didnt necessarily want to have to kill Arya. He didnt know her that well, to be honest he didnt know her at all. But if she wanted to wipe everyone out of these games, she would. The fact that she wasnt doing what she did in the 69th games, shows that this time it is different.

Maybe Katniss didnt want to believe that, maybe she didnt want to see the reasoning behind Arya's actions. But Peeta didnt want to blindly hate her because thats what the Capitol wanted. He judged her too quickly and he wasnt going to make that mistake. "She's only doing what she has to." Peeta adds, watching for Katniss's reaction. It would be hard to get Katniss to realize that, just as it would be hard to get Arya to not go after Katniss.

Katniss scoffs, shaking her head. She just stares down at her hands. Clearly Peeta was thinking in a different way than she was. "She doesn't have to come after us." She points out, clenching her jaw a bit. Peeta glances around the forest, hating how they couldn't really see much in front of them because it was so dark.

"You don't think Snow is controlling what she does?" Peeta asks her, he heard Katniss accuse Arya of working with Snow. So, how hard was it to believe that she wasn't voluntarily doing what Snow wanted of her.

"Why are you defending her?" Katniss asks, looking back at the man as she looked a bit angry that he wasn't on her side.

"I'm not." Peeta denies, staring at katniss. He knew why she was angry, Arya had taken a shot at her and it was clear that it was gonna happen again. "I'm just saying, he could be threatening someone she loves. So she feels like she has to take you out." He points out with a sigh. Snow was able to manipulate the way be wanted to, he had everything in his hands to make people do what he wants them to do.

Katniss understood what he was trying to say but Arya did have a choice. And she choice to do Snow's bidding. So, really, katniss didn't really have much sympathy for her. "Go back to sleep." Katniss tells him as she gets up and heading back to where she was previously sitting.

"You should get some rest too." Peeta tells her, looking over at the woman. Katniss just slumps back against the tree, wrapping her arms around her body.

"I'm fine." She mumbles, bringing her eyes to the ground. Peeta let's out a sigh, continuing to look in her direction before ultimately moving his gaze.

Peeta understood where katniss was coming from, he did. But he also understood that Arya was just doing what she needed to, to survive. And to save her loved ones. The Capitol were the enemies and they really needed to focus on that. But it seemed like these games were going to continue until once again, there was only one victor.

He just hoped they could figure something out beforehand, because he didn't want to lose Katniss. But he also didn't believe that anyone in these games deserved to die. They had won already, they shouldn't have had to come back. But once again, that was the power of the Capitol.

And if you went against that, you were going to get taken out.

°•°

ARYA STOOD WITHIN THE TREES, her eyes scanning over the area. She could see Katniss slightly awake but not really paying attention to her surroundings. The others were fast asleep which created a small window of opportunity. She knew they probably thought they were safe, having their backs to the force field, but they didn't really account not being able to see much in the dark. Especially if the person on watch was really tired.

Her hands tighten around the dagger in her hand as she goes to make her move. Arya didn't really know how she felt in this moment. She didn't know Katniss all too well so it wouldn't really affect her on a personal level. It was just the fact that this was Snow's bidding. It would make him happy. That was the only thing bringing her hesitancy. The fact that her killing Katniss would just help the plan that he had in his head.

She didn't know whether or not she was truly going to go through with. Guess it would be made clear when Katniss was either on the ground dead, or still alive. But either way, her decision was gonna be aired to the districts, to the capitol. Everyone would most likely hate her if she did end up killing the girl on fire. But it wasn't like she would have to deal with the hate.

A hand suddenly grabbed her and she was pressed against the tree. Her eyes met Wesley's as he glared at the woman. Arya meets it, narrowing her eyes. She didn't think that he would find her so quick. "What are you doing?" She hisses at him in a soft tone so that no one could overhear.

"Stopping you from making a big mistake." Wesley responds with a scoff, acting like it was obvious. Arya rolls her eyes, not needing him to seemingly jump in and rescue her like she was so damsel.

"It's not a mistake, Wesley. I have to do this." Arya tells him as she tries to move past but he only tightens his grip on her.

"Matthew will be fine. Snow can't hurt him."

"I'm just supposed to take your word for it that everything is gonna work out?" Arya asks him, crossing her arms. She understood that he thought they'd be more of a team and since they were from the same district he was deemed as 'trustworthy' but that wasn't how it worked for her.

"If you want to see him again, don't do this." Wesley says, staring at her. He was still partially blocking her but she could easily get past him if needed. Although they didn't have time to say anything else as they were interrupted by a scream from beside them.

"Run! Run, the fog is poison!" Katniss shouts which alerts Wesley and Arya. They glance to the side, seeing that there was indeed fog heading in their direction. Wesley was more alert as he started to move but Arya only stood there.

He notices this, grabbing onto her hand.
"Arya, we have to move!" He tells her, dragging her along with him. As they run through the forest, the fog seemed to be coming in all different directions, there wasn't really much escape. Arya gasps as the fog hit her skin, causing a searing pain to erupt. Wesley quickly moves her closer to him, blocking her from the fog as they ran faster.

Arya could hear the faint screams next to them and then the sound of a cannon. She didn't know who it was, but by how the voice sounded a lot like Finnick, she had to assume that Mags hadn't made it. She heard Wesley groaning from beside her and he had started to stumble a bit. Arya tried to help him the best he could but the fog had no almost engulfed them. She didn't know how they were going to escape from it.

But a sudden misstep sent them hurdling down the hill in front of them. Arya felt her body move around like a raggdoll. As she reached the bottom, her head smacked against a huge rock causing her vision to become blurry for a second. A ringing sound in her ear made her disoriented. She tried to look around as she brought her hand to her head.

She could feel a wet substance on her fingers and as she pulled her hand away, she could almost make out the blood. Arya squeezes her eyes shut for a second, a groan leaving her lips. As she reopens them, her gaze looks around before it lands on Wesley who was not too far from her.

But he was laying on the ground, seemingly unmoving. She tries to make her way over to him, crawling more than anything. Arya noticed how his skin was filled with bubbles and blisters, a foamy substance coming from his mouth as cuts and blood littered his skin. "Wesley.." She says softly as she lifts her hand to his face.

"The water, it helps!" She could hear Katniss say from not too far away. It seemed she was on the other side of the trees. Arya continues to lean over Wesley as he chokes slightly, his hand slowly lifting up toward her.

"Help..." his voice was hoarse and barely audible. Arya could only stare at him. "H-help me." Wesley pleads, a tear running from his eye. She knew she could blow her cover, get him to the water. But she couldn't give up this opportunity.

But she also knew that she couldn't just leave him to die. Maybe she would if things were a bit different, but he was from her district.  And she didn't want to repeat her last games. So she looks at the stick next to her as she gets up from the ground. Stomping on it, it makes a huge cracking noise. As the heads fly in her direction, she quickly moves out of view.

"There's someone over there." Peeta announces, glancing towards Katniss and Finnick. Finnick grabs his trident, slowly making his way toward the trees while Katniss was more wary.

Making his way through the bush, Finnick lands his eyes on a body on the ground. He furrows his eyebrows, trying to see who it was but he had to get closer to do so. As he does, his eyes widen as he notices that it was Wesley. Rushing over to him, he drops his trident. "Wes." He says as the man was barely conscious. "Wes, hey." Finnick could see that Wesley was severely injured, even more than he and Peeta had been.

Finnick moves his eyes to Peeta and Katniss who were stood a bit back. "Hey, help me get him to the water." He tells them, grabbing one of Wesley's arms. But when neither of them making any attempt to move, his eyes become angry. "Peeta." He demands. Peeta could see Katniss was still hesitant but he made his way over, helping Finnick take Wesley to the pond.

As they got him in, they could hear him muttering underneath his breath. Peeta furrows his eyebrows as he thought he maybe just hearing things. "Is he saying something?" He asks Finnick who looks at him for a moment before his gaze moves back to Wesley.

"Beh...behi--" He tries to say as he holds onto Finnick tightly.

"I don't understand." Finnick denies, furrowing his eyebrows. He leans closer to Wesley, trying to hear what he was actually saying.

"Behind you." Wesley manages to get out making Finnicks eyes widen. He did find it odd that he was alone, especially since they knew he was most likely with the person they were trying to avoid.

"Arya." He says, lifting his head. Peeta snaps his gaze to Finnick, becoming panicked all of a sudden. But finnick wasn't looking at him, more at something behind him.

"Do you think she's around here?" Peeta asks him curiously. Finnick takes a deep breath as he slowly gets up from the ground.

"I'd say it's a safe bet." He admits, nodding his head. Peeta was a bit confused, but as he turns around, he sees what Finnick was so wary about.

Arya was stood with Katniss in her arms and a dagger pressed clean against her neck. Her arms were covered in the bubbles from the poisonous fog and there was a clear cut on her forehead, but it didn't stop her from what she was doing. "Katniss!" Peeta shouts, going to move toward them but Finnick grabs his arm to stop him.

"Peeta, no." Finnick says, not needing him to speed up the process. He knew this was a very sensitive time and he had to think right about this if he didnt want a dead Katniss. "Arya, you don't want to do this." He denies, giving her a slightly stern look. But Arya just tightens her grip, looking at Katniss.

"I have to." Arya says, pressing the knife more against her throat which causes Katniss to gasp slightly.

"No, hey, you don't have to do what Snow wants." Finnick tells her.

"Right, cause it's that easy? I can just deny him and nothing will happen?" Arya replies, biting the inside of her cheek. How could he, of all people, tell her that she can just blatantly piss of Snow? "Finnick, you know what they do. You know what he does." She says, glaring at him. Finnick was one victor who she thought would understand her reasoning.

"I do." Finnick assures her, nodding his head. "But you know there's another way out of this." He says, trying not to make it too obvious.

"There's no way out of this, not for me." Arya denies, dropping her eyes from his.

"Why do you think that?" Finnick asks, more trying to keep her talking so that she wouldn't just go right ahead and cut Katniss's throat.

"If I don't kill katniss, he kills Matthew. I'll probably be killed by some other concoction the game maker made." Arya states. It was obvious that Snow wasnt just going to let her live if she failed to kill katniss. "If I do kill her. Well, I'm not exactly going back to a life of luxury, now am I?" She asks them, raising an eyebrow. Arya had signed her death warrant the moment she mentioned Lucy Gray but none of them knew that.

"You know there's a third option." Finnick states, staring at the woman. She knew what he was talking about. The revolution. Haymitchs plan. He was most likely trying to be discreet so that Katniss and Peeta didn't find out.

"If you truly think that's an option, then you really have gone insane." Arya retorts, shaking her head. She wasn't going to put her trust in some plan that was being made true by an alcoholic.

"I know you want to protect Matthew, but he's already safe. I promise you."

"You promise me?" She retorts, a humourless laugh leaving her lips. Arya didnt know what kind of tactic Finnick was going for, but it wasnt exactly working. "Finnick, why would I ever believe a word that comes out of your mouth?" Arya asks him, tightening her grip on Katniss who she could feel was trying to get out of her grasp.

"You wouldn't." Finnick denies, shrugging his shoulders. "But Matthew is safe. And I know that there's the smallest part of you, deep down inside, that knows there's truth to what I'm saying." He tells her, trying to watch her facial expressions for any type of hesitancy but he couldn't see anything.

"Don't you want to go back to your family?" Peeta asks, piping into the conversation. Arya moves her eyes to him, her jaw clenching as he brings it up.

"Family?" She questions him, her face now becoming void. Arya didn't have any family to survive for. "My own district hates me and you think I have a family?" Arya asks him with a scoff, glaring at Peeta.

"So, what's your plan?" Finnick asks, bringing her attention back to him. "You're smart, Arya. You know if you kill her, you're not getting out of here alive." He states as he just stares at her. But as he does, he sees the small flicker of pain flash through her eyes before they drift down to the ground.

He felt his heart sink as all he could do was watch the woman so evidently show her emotions while also trying to lock them away. "Unless that's what you want." Finnicks voice wasn't particularly loud but everyone had heard him. Katniss furrows her eyebrows, slightly softening in Aryas grip. Mainly because one slight movement and her throat was slit.

"You want me to kill you." Finnick states, a bit taken aback by what he had put together. Peeta didnt really see how this would really work out for her though. If she wanted to die, why even try and find them?

"You saw how she took down those men in the training room, she could be just lying to get us to lower our defense." Peeta suggests, not really wanting to trust it right now and not wanting Finnick to lower his guard.

"She's not." Wesley's voice comes from beside them. He had finally been able to stand up after healing in the water. Finnick and Peeta both glance toward him. "Arya is a lot of things. But she's not a liar." He denies, his eyes soft as he gazes at Arya. "She never intended on making it out of the arena." He didn't want to admit it, but the way she had come about these games, it showed all the signs of someone who never intended on winning.

But Finnick didnt want it to get to that point. He wanted to de-escalate the situation before anyone had to kill the other. "Just lower the dagger, and we'll make it out of here together. We can be safe." He tells the girl who couldn't help but smile but it was a mere pity one as she couldn't believe what he had said.

"Safe? You think we're safe out there?" Arya asks with a scoff and it was clear she was getting emotional about it all. Although she may look frightening, she still had a heart. She still felt fear.  "Anywhere we go, Snow will find us." She points out, hating how he has everything controlled.

They all knew it. You try to escape, you were killed or forced into confinement. "No one has ever escaped him before." She denies, although she knew that was most likely untrue. Arya wanted to believe that Lucy Gray had survived Snow and had lived a life of peace. "Well, no one that we know is still alive, anyways." Arya mumbles, looking down at the ground.

"Matthew spoke to you before you came into the arena, didn't he?" Finnick asks her, raising his eyebrows. If she didnt think he was telling the truth, then why would Matthew plead with her to join the alliance? "If you don't trust me, then trust him. Trust the decision he made." He states, just wanting to place the smallest bit of doubt in her mind.

Arya bites the inside of her cheek, feeling a tear slip from her eye. She was exhausted. Of the false life she had to live. Of what Snow made her do, controlling her every movement. Of being without her family. "I just want to see them again." Her voice cracked and it was the first time her tone held genuine emotion when speaking to them.

No one other than Wesley really knew who she was talking about. Most of the people, if they weren't from their district, didn't really know much about what had happened to her family. All they knew was she was really closed off and almost impossible to become friends with.

"You don't have to take Katniss down with you." Wesley denies, shaking his head. He knew about her family and it made sense that she wanted to be with them. But that didn't have to affect her choice here today. She could let Katniss go and if she truly wanted to die, she could do so on her own terms.

Finnick truly didnt think anyone elses commentary was needed in this moment. So, he tried to focus it back on him. "Arya, look at me." Finnick says, seeing her eyes flickering around the trio, mainly just trying to analyze what movements they might make. But her gaze lands on him and he knew she was scared. Thats all it was. "Just look at me." He tells her, tilting his head. Arya keeps her eyes on him but Finnick didn't know whether it was because she wanted to listen or because of something else.

He takes a deep breath, trying to think of what he wanted to say to her. "I know you're a good person and you're just scared. I can see that in your eyes." Finnick states as he frowns. He knew when people looked at her, all they saw was the girl who killed most of the tributes in the arena. But most people didn't understand the feeling of being brought into the games. They watched them, but they didnt know how much it took to actually kill someone.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, and I'm not asking you to." He knew asking her to trust him would lead him nowhere. They werent friends and she certainly didnt like him. "I just need you to believe me, even in the slightest little bit, that Matthew will be okay if you lower that dagger." Finnick tells her, gesturing to the dagger that was still pressed against katniss.

Arya hesitated, her eyes dropping from his for a slight moment. "And if we get through this, you will never have to go to Capitol again." Finnick assures her, shaking his head. He knew Haymitch would come for them and when that becomes, Arya could be safe away from the Capitol. "You won't ever have to see Snow again." He adds, knowing that was the most crucial part.

"That's all a fantasy." Arya denies, shaking her head as she once again, presses the knife harder against Katniss's throat. This time it drew a little blood. "No one ever wins the games and no one will every overpower the Capitol." She states, her eyes dropping. Finnick could tell he was losing her so he took a steady step forward.

"Yes, we will." Finnick assures her, holding up his hands to show her that he wasnt going to make any sudden movements. As he edges closer to her, he could see that Arya was analyzing his every movement. "Believe me." He says, not stopping. But if Arya wanted to stop him, she would which made him glad that she wasn't.

"Finnick--" Peeta starts to warn but Finnick just points a finger toward him. He didn't need any distractions, he just needed to focus on Arya. Her eyes were still on his as he got ever so closer. Arya was breathing a bit erratically as she felt her mind spinning at a thousand kilometers an hour.

Finnicks hand was suddenly on hers, his soft skin pressed against hers. He was just in front of her now, his eyes gazing into hers. "Believe me." He says once again, wanting her to release Katniss.

Now, Arya knew this could be just a tactic to get her to let Katniss go. But she saw the genuine emotion behind his eyes. She could see that he wasn't lying to her and that he truly wanted to help her. Although she might not have been his biggest fan and there hadn't been much interaction with him, she did feel like she could believe him.

No matter how much she had tried to fight it or find the inkling inside of his words that was false, she couldn't. Maybe he didn't really care whether or not she made it out of the arena but it was clear that he was being truthful about Matthew. Arya also knew that Matthew's instincts were almost always right and if he joined the alliance, maybe it wasn't all as bad as it seemed.

Finnick felt her hand loosen around Katniss and within a few seconds, the woman was free from Arya's gasp. She instantly rushes away, meeting Peeta halfway as he ran toward her. "Are you okay?" Peeta asks as he holds Katniss in his arms. The brunette nods her head, holding on him.

"I'm fine."

Arya held her gaze with finnick for a moment longer, feeling his hand still on hers before she pulled it away. Her eyes moved away from him as she wrapped her arms around herself, almost protectively. Her mind was still moving quickly, but she didn't miss the small branch snap from in front of her. She thought it may have just been Peeta or Katniss within the chaos, but she saw movement behind them. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Wesley sees Arya just staring at Peeta and Katniss, although he couldnt really pin point her expression. But it was making the couple very wary as they stared back at her. But as Arya's grip tightened on her dagger, Wesley took a slight step forward. He wasn't quick enough though as her dagger went flying through the air, heading in Peeta's direction. He was shocked, wondering what the hell she was thinking.

Until the dagger hit its target. The body dropped to the floor with a thud, making all of them turn to the sound. Peeta's breathing was heavy as he looks down and sees a tribute laying dead next to him, a spear in his hand. His eyes move back to Arya who had just turned and moved toward a tree to hold herself up a bit. She could still feel the blood from the cut on her forehead.

Peeta was still in slight shock that he didn't even notice the tribute sneaking up behind him. He was glad that Arya had been paying attention and clearly wasn't going to let the tribute touch them. He moves forward slightly, watching as Arya just rubs her face. "Thank you." He says, nodding his head toward her. Arya just glances toward him.

Finnick knew they had to be on guard,  but the whole situation just kind of got in the way of that. But they couldn't forget that there were still tributes that weren't in on the alliance and that did want to kill them. Wesley moves over to where Arya was, seeing that she was obviously injured from their fall down the hill as well as the acid fog.

He went to bring his arms toward her but he was met with a hard glare. "Wesley, I will snap your arm if you hug me." Arya snaps at him, not being used to physical contact unless it was from someone she trusted. She wasn't saying that Wesley was a stranger, she just didn't know him well enough to allow him to touch her.

But Wesley only let's out a chuckle, smirking lightly as he tilts his head. "And she's back." He states, clearly not worried about her state of mind anymore. He moved away from her, heading to scan the area to make sure that the tribute wasn't with anyone else.

As Arya sat on the ground, she looked up at the tree next to her. She knew he was watching, he always would. Especially when he tasked her with something like killing Katniss. And Arya didnt know how he was feeling in these last moments, but she knew he had to be angry.

Arya was believing Finnick though. Believing that Matthew was okay. Because if he was, then she was okay. She didnt care if Snow took it out on her in the arena, she didnt care if she died. Did she want to die? Of course not. She wanted to go back to Matthew. But she felt as long as she was alive, she was just a problem for him. Someone that would just make him collateral damage in the long run because Snow loved killing the people closest to you.

But if she was going to go down either way. She was not going to make it easy for him. Yes, she believed Finnick, even though that was a tricky thing for her to do. But she also went through the logistics of everything. What would killing Katniss even get her in the long run? Evidently nothing. Was being in the alliance something that she wanted? Not really. Especially with Finnick being in it.

She looked at it like this. If she killed Katniss, Snow got what he wanted. Arya didn't know what that would mean for the revolution that was apparently starting up. If it would bring it to a halt, or just add anger to the fire. Either way, there was a fifty-fifty chance of it happening whether or not Katniss lived.

But, if she killed Katniss and the revolution didn't start. Then she was just helping Snow continue the games for years to come. And she didn't want Matthew's sister to suffer because of the actions she made. Arya also didn't know how these games were supposed to end. She knew Haymitch had a plan, she didn't know precisely what it was though. So, if she made it out of the arena alive, maybe she would be out of Snow's grasp. Maybe she wouldn't. She would honestly rather die than leave it to chance.

If she didn't kill katniss, well, she was again, trusting what Finnick said. That Matthew wouldn't be harmed because of the decision she made. Although, she knew Snow would immediately want her taken out. If he saw her act of defiance and decided that she was of no use to him anymore, she wouldn't last very much longer in the arena.

But sides had their cons, neither really had a pro. Because you didn't really know what would happen. Maybe she could start a new life, a happy one, if this revolution started. But leaving it to chance wasn't something she liked doing. So, maybe she'd stick it out for as long as she could in the arena.

If it came to a point of getting out though. She most likely would just let herself die. Aryas fear was being taken by Snow and him completely ruining who she was as a person. She didn't want to lose herself. And she didn't want Matthew to suffer, knowing he couldn't help her. Maybe it would be easier for him just knowing that she was dead.

She knew she could just hope for the revolution but even then, people die in war. And her chances weren't very high even then. But no matter the outcome, she wasn't going to go out without reminding Snow of his past. Of what lead him to this point. Of what haunts him.

Aryas family had a very strange past that dated back to around the first rebellion. But one thing that's stayed throughout her family, was of her grandmother's memory's. The memory's that she would also share. Those of District twelves first winner; Lucy Gray.

"Nothing you can take was ever worth keeping." Her voice was soft, but with the enhanced mics that lingered around, there was no doubt that Snow was hearing her. That was why Finnick was speaking so low when mentioning Matthew to her. "No, nothing you can take was ever worth keeping." Her eyes were dead set on the camera above her, not swaying from it once.

She truly hoped for Snow's downfall. That fact never changed. And just as Snow falls, fire burns through it all. Reducing everything to ashes in its path.

°•°

SNOW WATCHED AS ARYA SANG IN THE WOODS. Not too far from her was Katniss Everdeen, the woman who she had just let live. He thought that he had instructed the right person to take care of his problem. But it seemed he instead caused another one. And this one was more of a threat. Because as he listened to the familiar song that filled his ears, he felt his fist clench. Snow knew where that song had originated and from who. It seemed she didn't care of the aftermath that would occur due to her little song.

"Sir, you needed something?" He hears from beside him. Snow moves his eyes away from the screen, looking at one of his assistants that had stopped beside him. Snow simply looks back at the screen, his jaw clenched as he narrowed his eyes a bit.

"What is the name of that man she's always around again?" Snow asks her curiously. The woman was a bit confused, wondering who he was referencing.

"Who?"

"Miss Ryker." Snow says, gesturing to the woman on the screen. His assistant just stared at Arya, furrowing her eyebrows. Letting out a sigh when he didnt recieve an answer, he flips the screen to a video of Arya within the Capitol with Matthew by her side. "Him." He states, nodding to the man.

"Matthew Thistle." The assistant answers him, clearing her throat a little bit. Snow had a hint of a smirk on his face as he tilted his head.

"Bring him to me." He insists and she immediately nods her head.

"Right away, sir." She responds before heading toward the door but he calls out to her before she could fully leave.

"And tell Plutarch Heavensbee that I wish to see him." Snow adds, continuing to watch the video. The woman leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

He truly didn't see where he went wrong with Arya. He had shown her more generosity than he had with any other victor. She had been allowed to live in the Capitol and was barely ever given to any of the citizens. That was very rare when you were desired among the population. But Snow saw her as a useful tool since she won her games. And he thought this would be no different.

Apparently he couldn't have been more wrong. Saying the name Lucy Gray, implied that she knew more about him than she let on. She knew about his past and anyone who knew that, was dangerous. Snow didn't know how she came to learn of such a thing but he couldn't allow her to go around speaking of this with other people.

Seeing as she wasn't going to complete her task anyways, he saw that he didn't really need her in that arena anymore. There were still other tributes who could take care of her. Arya was simply a pawn that was to be removed.

The door opened, bringing Snow from his thoughts. Plutarch made his way over to the President, skeptical on why he was brought in but kept a neutral face. "I thought we'd agreed to toast when this was all over." He says with a chuckle as he stops in front of Snow. The man didn't really acknowledge him, just staring at the screen.

"I have a request to be made." Snow admits, although he wasnt going to allow Plutarch to say no. "I need you to get rid of her by any means necessary." He tells the man who's eyes move to the screen. He saw it was Arya who Snow seemed to be referring to.

Plutarch was hesitant, although it would show the districts that the games were never in their favour, he didn't know if this would be the best outcome. "I can't just use the arena to go after one singular person." He denies, furrowing his eyebrows. But it was clear that Snow didn't care what he thought.

"I am not asking." Snow responds making Plutarch remain silent.  He didnt necessarily need Arya on the revolutions side but it was clear she had an effect on Snow, if not more than Katniss did. "Arya Ryker is a threat to the Capitol and she must be taken care of." He states as he zooms in on the screen that showed Arya in the arena.

She knew what it cost to go against him and yet she did it anyway when she knew he was watching her. Snow didn't know what her goal was, if she was a martyr, if she was just plain stupid. But either way, he wanted to eliminate her as soon as possible. It was bad enough having Katniss to deal with, he did not need yet another girl on fire.

So, he turned his head to Plutarch who still hadn't left the room to go back to working on the arena.

"Now."

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Thank u so much for getting this book to #2 in catching fire, that's so amazing and literally I never would have thought.