So is that what hangs above me? I look back to Rue for help, but shes melted into her tree. Given my circumstances, I guess it doesnt matter what type of wasp nest it is. Im wounded and trapped. Darkness has given me a brief reprieve, but by the time the sun rises, the Careers will have formulated a plan to kill me. Theres no way they could do otherwise after Ive made them look so stupid. That nest may be the sole option I have left. If I can drop it down on them, I may be able to escape. But Ill risk my life in the process. Of course, Ill never be able to get in close enough to the actual nest to cut it free. Ill have to saw off the branch at the trunk and send the whole thing down. The serrated portion of my knife should be able to manage that. But can my hands? And will the vibration from the sawing raise the swarm? And what if the Careers figure out what Im doing and move their camp? That would

I realize that the best chance Ill have to do the sawing without drawing notice will be during the anthem. That could begin any time. I drag myself out of my bag, make sure my knife is secured in my belt, and begin to make my way up the tree. This in itself is dangerous since the branches are becoming precariously thin even for me, but I persevere. When I reach the limb that supports the nest, the humming becomes more distinctive. But its still oddly subdued if these are tracker jackers. Its the smoke, I think. Its sedated them. This was the one defense the rebels found to battle the wasps.

The seal of the Capitol shines above me and the anthem blares out. Its now or never, I think, and begin to saw. Blisters burst on my right hand as I awkwardly drag the knife back and forth. Once Ive got a groove, the work requires less effort but is almost more than I can handle. I grit my teeth and saw away occasionally glancing at the sky to register that there were no deaths today. Thats all right. The audience will be sated seeing me injured and treed and the pack below me. But the anthems running out and Im only three quarters of the way through the wood when the music ends, the sky goes dark, and Im forced to stop. Now what? I could probably finish off the job by sense of feel but that may not be the smartest plan. If the wasps are too groggy, if the nest catches on its way down, if I try to escape, this could all be a deadly waste of time. Better, I think, to sneak up here at dawn and send the

In the faint light of the Careers torches, I inch back down to my fork to find the best surprise Ive ever had. Sitting on my sleeping bag is a small plastic pot attached