Whatever Katniss had to say in order to make herself feel better was fine with Haymitch. Although he knew that Gale and Prim were safe, and that the younger Everdeen girl was no longer the burden he had once thought of her as, it was important that Katniss continued to give herself something to believe in. Meeting up with an alliance in the arena was never easy, and Haymitch had watched this very strategy fail time and time again, but this time, it felt different. There was no other option this time, nothing that said the uprising could wait another year or two, or for Panem to find another symbol to latch onto—they had to make it to the end or else the Capitol would have won over all of them.
Moving around in the arena was more or less the only way to stay safe. If someone sat still for too long, another tribute was likely to strike, or the Gamemakers would work their magic and force interactions so that no one at home got bored. Haymitch was more than happy to hear Katniss agree to his plan of walking the perimeter toward the mountains. It could mean missing people, of course, walking straight past them without ever knowing but it was a chance that he was willing to take. “Sleep well,” he said, surprised to find that Katniss wasn't going to fight him on taking first watch. He doubted that she was going to get much sleep, but any kind of rest counted for something when the days began to get longer.
As Katniss settled in next to him, Haymitch kept his arm around tightly wrapped around her. The warmth from the fire almost reminded him of home, and those nights he had spent training with Katniss out in the wilds before coming back to the Capitol. It was hard for him to think of that as a happy memory, something to dwell on when he was, once again, being confronted with death but those few weeks were the best he'd felt in years. Leaning, Haymitch kissed the top of Katniss's head before he felt her relax against him, the strain of the day having finally caught up to her.
There was a hidden upside to staying in the town all night, and it had everything to do with no one knowing where they were. The careers hadn't seen her come or go from either building, and Prim was certain that they would have wanted to kill she and Katniss no matter where they happened to be in the arena. The dilapidated building was a good source of shelter, a dry place to catch some sleep for the night and head out early from in the morning, when it was a little safer. The idea of wandering in the dark, through the unknown and facing down people with every weapon imaginable was hardly ideal and currently, Prim was doing her best to put all of that out of her mind.
Luckily, there were other things to focus on, and Prim eyed the coil of wire as Gale explained where it had come from. Instantly, she knew what it was for, and hoped that the confused expression that crinkled her eyebrows was believable enough for anyone who may have been watching. “Probably,” the blonde agreed, taking a piece of gamey meat. “Maybe we can use it for a trap tomorrow—catch something else to eat.” The only trap that it was going to be used for was the radio tower outside, but there were six more days to get through before that could happen, and they still had to find the others.
For a first day in the arena, a place that Prim thought she wouldn't have made it five minutes in, things weren't so bad. She leaned against Gale and smiled, laughing softly at his attempt to keep their spirits high. “Maybe Peeta will send us some candles, too,” she joked before pulling another piece of meat from the bones of the squirrel. She hadn't realized how hungry she was, but after hours of (more or less) going in a circle, her body was craving some kind of sustenance.
After the squirrel had been picked clean, Prim opened the canteen to share small sips of water with Gale. It was hard to tell when they would find clean water again, but it was important to stay hydrated. She remembered that tip from one of the training stations back at the Capitol; that the elements were more deadly than any weapon from the Cornucopia. “We should try to get some sleep,” she said, looking at Gale through the darkness that her eyes had started to adjust to. “Maybe one of us should sit in front of the door.” Her fears about the careers had eased some, but she hadn't forgotten their words.
For the last two hours, Katniss had been sound asleep against him, and Haymitch had done little more than stare into the fire and wonder what the next day had in store for them. After a while, he began to feel his eyes get heavy and soon enough, each blink lasted a little longer before the former Victor knew that it was his turn to sleep. With his free arm, he started to reach over when a rustling noise caught his attention and instantly made him more alert. “Katniss,” he whispered, staring into the brush as he slowly reached for his ax. Giving his arm a little shake, he tried to wake her again. “Katniss, we're not alone,” he whispered again and heard the distinct sound of footsteps behind them—that was at least two and Haymitch didn't want to wait around to be surrounded.
From behind the trees, the group attacked and Haymitch barely had time to get up before the new tribute from District 9 was on him, aiming a spear at his chest that Haymitch managed to knock away with the handle of his ax. There were two more with the boy who couldn't have been older than fifteen, and his female counterpart that looked more suited to play with dolls than hold a hatchet. The third tribute was behind them, and Haymitch couldn't see what was happening as he battled with the teenager.
