Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the wait on this chapter. Works been a little hectic so I haven't been writing as much as before.
This chapter turned out very differently to how I started planning it and in some ways, I'm not entirely happy with it, but I'll live with it and hopefully all of you can too.

Please enjoy and reviews are much loved!

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Not the easiest thing to plan, I might as well say up front. All our plans for her to sneak to the Cornucopia unseen all had flaws in them and left all too much up for chance.

The easiest and probably safest thing would be to swim over there, stay in the water until dawn and our things appeared in the Cornucopia's mouth, run for them, snag them and then pelt back into the lake and swim for safety. Only problem with this perfectly sound plan was that our best swimmer and runner was currently out of action.

"You said you think you could still swim, even with your feet how they are." Willow said as we ate some fish we had cooked up for lunch. While we were still reasonably wary about creating a fire while we knew there would be tributes nearby, we made sure the fire was small and made up of what little dry wood we had managed to bring back with us after the fire disaster. We put the fire out almost immediately after we had finished cooking our lunch.

"Yes, probably."

"Well, you could always swim me over and I run for our things at dawn, then we swim for safety before anyone knows what's what."

I chewed over this idea.

It would hurt to swim such a distance, hurt even more with me pulling someone along, not to mention tire me out quickly, two very dangerous things to be in deep, unknown water with a non-strong swimmer, but what other choice did we have?

Not go?

As much as I didn't want to "attend" the feast, I was also desperate to see what I had been left, hoping beyond hope that it would be something to help my poor feet.

I was trying not to think of the swim to and back from the Cornucopia with a broken foot. I have swum with a twisted ankle and broken toe before and that was painful enough.

I made a mental note to take half of my painkiller pills. Hopefully it would be enough to numb me to the pain while also not knocking me out cold. Last thing I needed was to fall unconscious during mid-swim.

I didn't much like our plan, too many flaws and if Cole or Jade was present with their spear or axes, it would be game over if I didn't get enough distance between us quick enough, but it was the best plan we could both think of.

I just hoped the Kraken felt like playing nicely as well.

I woke Willow up an hour or so before dawn. I had taken all precautions to make sure that I wouldn't fail in my part of this mission. I had taken half a pain pill to numb the pain in my feet, which I had wrapped and tied in tarp to try and keep the bandages dry. Before I woke her up I made myself go through the swimming exercises that I would usually do before any other normal swim.

This is just an early morning swim, I said to myself over and over again as I stretched my arms, rolling my shoulders, same as any other morning.

The lake's water was bitingly cold but I had swum in the ocean during winter so after a few moments my limps grew used to it. Willow however was already shaking with cold and she had only one foot in the water.

"Willow, we don't have to…" I say as I float carefully on my back, moving only my arms and trying to keep my feet as still as possible. The tarp that was tied around my ankles was working well in keeping them dry, but it stop the cold from getting to them, so for a few moments I had been frozen with pain before my feet once more became numb.

"No, we do, but," She looked longingly towards her coat and trousers (at the moment we were dressed only in our underclothes and the tight undershirt. When we came back (if we came back) we'd need warm or at least dry clothes to pull on to help fight off hyperthermia. Plus the fewer clothes we had on, the less drag there would be while we swam there and back.)

"Come on, let's get this over with." I say and coax her into the water, wincing as I watched her shivering grow worse. I tempted to tell her to simply jump in, to get it over and done with, but the splash would make too much noise.

When she was finally fully submerged into the water, I took her hand and we did a few practise laps, mainly to remind Willow's limbs of how they needed to move while in water. She was doing very well at keeping her head above water and her dogpaddle was pretty good for someone who only learnt to a day or so ago.

"Right, now do you think you can get to the shore?" I asked and even though she nodded her head enthusiastically, I knew she wasn't. She was a fast learner and already a good little swimmer but she could only dogpaddle and would be exhausted before we got even half way there.

"Take hold of my shoulder," I tell her, "but I need you to keep on paddling, ok?" She nodded and placed her hands on my shoulders. I was extremely grateful for how light Will already is, because even though water makes anyone light, I doubt I could have coped with swimming with anyone any heavier than her on my shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, I started to swimming. Even with the restriction I now had with my feet, I still moved smoothly through the water, my arm muscles remembering their strength and speed in water.

I fell quickly back into the dreamlike state that I fell into whenever I went swimming back home and all to soon we were at the a crop of rocks, only a few metres away from the Cornucopia. Willow slipped from my shoulders and gripping the rocks, moved closer for a better view of what we were facing.

"I don't see anyone." She relayed back to me.

"They might be hiding in the forest." I reply. She nods in agreement and we both fall silent. Dawn is now upon us, moving far more swiftly than any dawn had any right to, but I guess the Gamemakers have grown impatient and want the fun to begin.

I swallow nervously as I watch Willow move closer to the shore, crutching behind a rock, unseen to anyone in the forest but also left her blind to them too. It was my job to let her know if someone was coming.

We both held our breath as we saw a table covered with several different size backpacks appear in the mouth of the Cornucopia's mouth. I shoot another nervous look towards the forest, watching for any sign of movement.

There was none and with a heavy, frighten heart, I nodded for Willow to go.

She shot out from behind the rock like an octopus that has managed to escape a trap. She wasn't as fast as me at my full sprint but even so, the kid was quick on her feet. She moved in a zigzagging pattern so that if anyone had a spear, axe or bow it would harder for them to zone in on her with her jittering movements and speed.

She was at the table within moments, only for her pause, bouncing nervously on the balls of her feet. What was she doing?!

Finally, after what felt like an age, she finally grabbed two packs, one small, the other being quite large. She was sprinting back down the beach towards me when the first spear came hurtling towards her, missing by a breath.

Willow squealed and staggered sideways but continued running, splashing noisily into the lake. I swam quickly over to her and pulled her in behind some rocks just as Cole came into view from out of the forest.

He looked in bad shape. His left arm was hanging limply by his side and in the early morning sun I can see it glistening sickly, the flesh inflamed and red. Other parts of his body had been burnt also, but his arm was the worst.

Hopefully in his backpack, there would be some kind of cream to help him.

You really need to stop thinking like that, I think angrily but I really can't help it.

I hug Willow closer to me as we both watch Cole walk down the beach to pick up his spear, but he doesn't come any closer to the water, he doesn't even bother checking if we are hiding behind the rocks. He just picks up his spear and walks back towards the Cornucopia, ignoring our presence even though I knew that he must have seen Willow running for the water.

Maybe he remembers what happen last time he went into the lake, I thought, remembering our first encounter with the Kraken and how I had saved his life.

Which was a stupid thing to do, wasn't it? A voice that sounded a lot like Trout's snorted.

"We should go," I whisper to Willow softly, "before anyone else comes."

Willow nodded her head slowly, hugging our backpacks close to her chest.

This is too easy, I think as I start swimming slowly and carefully back towards our cove.

"COLE!"

Damn, thought as much.

I looked back towards the Cornucopia and saw Jade or at least someone who bore the vague resemblance of Jade came pelting down the beach towards Cole, her inflamed, burnt face twisted in a murderous rage, her axe raised high above her head.

Cole easily ducks away from her attack, causing her to stumble and her side to crash into the Cornucopia.

She snarled at him, teeth clearly gritted into a feral grin.

I couldn't help but wonder what had caused Jade to feel so murderously towards Cole. I mean, they had never been the best of friends, but they were still District Partners and District Partners, particularly Careers, rarely turned against each other until the very end. So what had happened since I left to cause this kind of hatred and rage between them?

It doesn't matter, my grandmother's voice said, speaking over my curiosity. It doesn't matter why they're fighting, what matters is you are wasting time and energy wondering why they're fighting instead of doing the smart thing and swimming back to your cove.

Taking heed of my smart, logical thought pattern, I started swimming back towards our cove again, trying to block out the screams and yells that were occurring from behind me.

We were just climbing out of the water into our cove when we heard the cannon fire for the first time since… well, the first time in a couple of days.

My mouth went dry. Which one of them had fallen.

"Nine." Willow says quietly from where she was wrapped in a blanket.

"Hmm?"

"There are nine of us left now."

"They'll be interviewing our families soon." I say wrapping myself into a blanket, not wanting to start thinking of dealing with my feet just yet.

Willow pulls a face before sighing, coming over to where I was and curling herself up against me. I comb my fingers through her hair like my grandmother used to do when I was younger and still did when I was upset.

I heard her give a sniff and hugged her closer, feeling her body start to tremble as she started to cry.

"I want to go home." She whispers, looking up at me with her bright grey eyes, tears rolling down her flushed cheeks.

"I know."

"Why are they doing this to us? Why can't they just let us be? Why…" I gently cover her mouth with my hand, giving my head a slight shake. Her eyes widen for a moment before they drooped in defeat, curling herself up closer to me and burying her face into my shoulder.

I waited until she had fallen into an exhausted sleep before I started looking over my feet. They were reasonably dry considering how long I spent in the water. Again I didn't touch my right foot but I did change the bandages of my left. It still looked as ugly and raw as it did before but at least it was no longer bleeding.

It was when I was looking over my feet that I remembered the backpacks. I left Will's one by her side while I sat on the opposite side of our rocky cove, soaking up the sunshine as I opened the backpack that had a large 'Four' stuck to it. It was large and surprisingly heavy. I was glad Will had been paddling along with me or else the weight of this pack along with her deadweight, would have drowned us both. No wonder the kid was so tired after having to swim across the lake with this thing on her back.

I opened it cautiously, unsure if the Gamemakers had felt incline to booby-trap it in some way. When nothing happened, I looked inside. I blinked and cocked my head to one side.

Boots?

Seriously?

These were the things I supposedly desperately needed? Boots?

They're more than boots, I heard Grandma sigh and with some resignation, I pulled the boots free of the pack.

To be fair, they weren't just boots. They were more than simply boots.

How heavy they were in the pack, they were surprisingly light to hold in my hands, they were made of a sturdy leather and rubber that only the very lucky and wealthy in District Four could afford to wear. But they were even more than that.

Looking inside of each of them I could see that they were padded and stiff, so even with my broken foot I would be able to walk around. Maybe not be able to run the way that I once had but I would be mobile again. And these boots would offer my broken foot the security and firmness it needed for the broken bones to set right.

Hesitating still because I knew that even though these boots were to help me, it would still hurt badly to get my feet into them.

I unlaced the boots fully, stretching their tongues as far back as I could and slide in my left foot into the left boot.

I winced as I settled it in and laced it back up but with the bandages and the padding, I could barely feel more than an irritating itch at the sole of my foot. An itch was far better than excruciating pain, so I would happily take it.

Now my right foot.

I bit down a groan as I carefully undid some of the bandages that were wrapped around my foot otherwise the damn thing won't fit in the boot. I bit back a sob as my foot started to throb from all my careless knocking of it. I can't stop the sob that escapes when I slide my foot into the boot.

I don't lace it up, can't bear to just yet, instead I simply lean back and take several deep breaths to try and calm my erratic breathing.

After a while, I finish tying the laces and simply sit there, testing the feel and weight of the boots on my feet.

They felt good, supportive without being too heavy. I twisted my feet carefully around, mindful of not doing anything that could hurt them before I start to think about trying to stand.

I grab hold of the wall and carefully, oh so carefully and slowly push my way up the rocky wall, biting my lip as did so. It hurt, yes, I mean, how could it not? But I wasn't falling down nor was I shaking or sobbing uncontrollably with pain.

I take a few small, cautious steps, biting on my tongue as I feel a small spike of pain shoot up my legs from my feet as I walk. But I could walk, yes, I'm limping and I doubt I could run anywhere fast, but I'm walking. And this is what makes me grin with pure and genuine happiness, even though I'm tired, hungry, in pain and still grieving for the lives that have been lost in these horrid games. I still remember how to smile a genuinely happy smile.

Author's Note: Has that got to be the most anti-climatic Feast you've ever read? It is for me, 'sighs'. I've read a couple and they had way more going on than my one here. I know that some of you wanted Annie to kill Jade during the Feast but I just felt that was too close to the book. I mean, yes Katniss isn't the one who actually kills Clove, but Clove still dies at the Feast and Jade is sort of my nod to both Clove and Cato and I want to keep her around til the end. But trust me, I have something very special planned for her, so don't worry, she'll have a good death... a good death? I am such a sad, twisted person 'hangs head'.
Did you like the idea of Annie's boots? I needed to get up and walking somehow and this how I've done it, lol. I have no idea what's in Willow's backpack, so suggestions are very welcome.
I don't know when Chapter Thirty - Wow, Chapter Thirty, who knew this fic would get this far, I certainly didn't - will be up, I'm juggling a few ideas for this last part and I need to sort out which ones I'm going to go with and which ones I'm not.
Does anyone want some of the other Tributes (beside Jade, obviously) to appear again before the end? Anyone in particular? Let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Thanks for reading,
Bye for now!