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Glimmer was dead. Peeta tried to save Katniss by tricking the Careers. Cato stabbed him in the leg. Katniss' new ally, Rue, was killed. Marvel was killed by Katniss.
It all happened so quick that Zoya barley had time to witness any of it. When Peeta began to bleed out, struggling near the stream, Zoya made a dash for any of the capitals sponsors. She talked Peeta up to be the most amazing, show stopping human out there. An entire hour she spent, going over and beyond to them about how he'd been such an amazing friend to her, how if anyone in the arena was the kindness to her, it was him.
That being said, how could the people of the capital turn down their precious Zoya when she needed them most?
Peeta, bleeding out and no longer being able to walk, laid nearest the stream so he could force himself to hide under water if it came down to it. When the parachute whistled, he almost panicked, thinking it was Cato to come finish him off. But as the small gift landed just a foot from him, the boy realized this was for him, something to help him in the best way possible. Keep him alive.
Peeta pulled the gift basket open, looking at the tiny slip of paper first.
Do what you do best. Maybe stay alive while you're at it.
-Zoya
Under the paper laid a small pack of grey, black, green, brown, and white paints.
"They're planning something." Haymitch shook his head, coming back from getting Katniss her own sponsors. Zoya turned his way, haven't taken her eyes off the three tributes she only cared about.
"What could you possibly mean?" Effie gave a look of disbelief.
"Something big." Haymitch shook his head, sitting down next to Zoya. Her naturally inherited bronzed skin, from her father, looked pale and pasty. It was impossibly to know if she'd eaten, snacking when Cinna would bring her over little treats, but that seemed to be all.
"Mutts?" Zoya suggested.
As if on que, the announcer from the projector heard through the speakers and within the arena, "Attention, tributes, attention. The regulations requiring a single victor have been suspended. From now on, two victors may be crowned if both originate from the same district. This will be the only announcement."
Effie's shriek of joy sounded like water in Zoyas ears. The speech replayed in her head a few times, three before a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and shook her relentlessly. Zoya turned at find it had been Haymitch to shake her back into thoughts. A bright grin across his red, lined face , "You hear that, kid?
Zoya let out a breath as a small grin spread across her face, facing the projector again when Katniss shrieked Peetas name, kicking herself when she realized what she'd done, and was sprinting off in the last place she'd seen him, nearest the stream. Zoya rooted for Katniss to find Peeta, considering the camera hadn't been on him since he received his parachute.
Katniss leaned next to fresh, bright red blood, feeling it's warmthness in order to track Peeta.
"Come on, Katniss!" Zoya called, as if she could hear it. It earned a cheer from Haymitch and Cinna as well. They were typical capitol people now, rooting for their favorite victor in the deadly games. But it was hard to help in when everyone in the room had been dreading Katniss or Peetas death, now knowing they had the chance to see not just one, but both of them again.
Katniss rummaged around for another good ten minutes, walking down stream before a hand wrapped around her ankle. Even Zoya wasn't expecting it. Peeta had somehow read Zoyas mind, camouflaging himself into the rock. Of course, she's expected him to do it up in a tree somewhere.
"Oh my god, Peeta!" Katniss shrieked as she bend down for him.
"Hi." he mumbled back to her weak like. Surely, his open wounded leg wasn't doing well at all. It was impossible to tell through his pant leg, but Katniss managed to balance his bad leg up with her own weight, the pair getting to the nearest by cave after getting the paint off his face as much as possible, but a grey tint still lingered.
"We'll just get you some medicine." Katniss reassured him after getting him off his body weight at all.
"Zoya sent me some paints." Peeta joked slightly, "Unless she managed to mix medicine in those."
"Well, she's known to mix things." Katniss went along with his small sense of humor. Zoya smiled, even though it could have possibly been seen as them putting her down, Zoya knew neither had been. If anything, Zoya should have through about doing that as well, "We'll figure something out."
"Like what?" Peeta looked up at her.
"Something." Katniss reassured with a kiss to his cheek. It made Zoya straighten her back up some. Katniss was never one for affection, she nearly died when Zoya gave her a side hug before leaving the night before she'd been taken to the games. She tried to remember the act, the fact that they'd get more sponsors now that the star crossed lovers were back together again and could possibly come home together.
Cinna put a hand on Zoyas shoulder for a moment.
"It's not working." Haymitch commented as he stared at the screen, "The capitol isn't gonna believe a kiss on the cheek."
Zoya knew, despite not liking it, that he was right, "I'm gonna work on sending them some food."
"I've got the soup." Haymitch nodded, the pair leaving together as quick as they could.
•
kylie speaks
sorry if this seemed rushed, i'm just trying to get through the games pretty quick considering zoya is just watching and it's probably gonna bore you guys some. probably just two or three chapters left before they are back.
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