Part 5: The Girl On Fire

Chapter 20

I screamed in the water below. I couldn't breathe and was getting very dizzy. I tried my best to avoid the spinning rocks, scared they would hit me and knock me out. I thrashed around the water. I can't die now. I need to get Peeta safe. The rocks stopped spinning. I swam to the surface. I gasped for air. I coughed out water as I pulled myself onto a rock path. Johanna as well as everyone else ran up to me. Johanna reached me first and crouched down to see if I was ok. Peeta sprinted up and kind of nudged Johanna aside.

"You okay?" Peeta asked worried. I gave him a thumbs up. Peeta helped me up to my feet.

"Let's just get what we need and get off the bloody island." Johanna huffed. The sun started to set as we walked back towards the beach.

We all sat down in a circle underneath a tree. We each catched our breath. After a few minutes I spoke up.

"So besides Brutus and Enobaria, who's left?" I asked.

"Maybe Chaff. Just those three." Peeta said.

"They know they're outnumbered. I doubt they'll attack again. We're safe here on the beach." Finnick said.

"So what do we do? Hunt them down?" Johanna asked impatiently. Suddenly a scream pierced through the air.

"Maddie! Help me!" A girl screamed. It sounded exactly like Bri. I jumped to my feet.

"Bri! Bri! No!" I shouted. I ran off into the jungle. I heard Finnick calling after me but I ignored him. I continued to scream for Bri. I stopped and saw a bird fly out of the trees. A jabberjay. Bri's screams came from it. I aimed my bow and shot at the bird. Bri stopped screaming.

"Maddie!" Finnick yelled. He appeared from the jungle. I looked at him.

"You okay?" He asked. Suddenly another scream sounded.

"Finnick!" A woman screamed.

"Finnick." I said cautiously. He started to run towards the sound.

"No! It's not her!" I yelled.

"Annie!" Finnick screamed. I chased after him. He stopped still calling out for Annie.

"Finnick stop. It's not her. It's just a jabberjay. It's not her." I tried to explain.

"Well how do you think they got that sound? Jabberjay's copy." he said. I heard a man's loud groaning.

"Maddie!" It groaned. the voice was an all too familiar british accent.

"Newt." I breathed. Suddenly jabberjays flew out of the trees. Screaming. Everywhere. Me and Finnick started to run back to the beach. I tried to drown out the screaming but it just kept getting louder. When we got closer to the beach I saw Peeta.

"Peeta!" I yelled. I was about to run into him when a barrier stopped me. No. I saw Peeta on the other side mouthing words. He was telling me to stop. That it was okay. The screams drowned everything away. I covered my ears and sunk to the ground. I screamed.

***

I was still covering my ears. Rocking back and forth. I heard a voice.

"It's over. It's okay. They're gone. The hours gone. The hours up. It's all right." I heard a comforting voice say. I snapped out of it with a gasp. I saw Peeta in front of me. I grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Newt! Find Newt!" I begged.

"Newt? Maddie he's gone." Peeta worriedly said.

"What about Bri? Is she ok?" i asked

"She's safe." peeta said

"Are you okay?" Johanna asked Finnick. Finnick was looking in the distance.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'm fine." Finnick said.

"Bri is ok. All right?" Peeta kept telling me. I calmed down and nodded my head.

"Your fiancé's right. The whole country loves your sister. If they tortured her or did anything to her, forget the districts, there would be riots in the damn Capitol." Johanna said. She looked up to the sky.

"Hey how does that sound, Snow? What if we set your backyard on fire? You know you can't put everybody in here!" Johanna yelled at the sky. We all looked at her as if she lost her head.

"What? They can't hurt me. There's no one left that I love." Johanna said calmly. Then she sighed.

"I'll get you some water." She said. We all sat down on the beach. Finnick sat down in the water. I felt someone put something in my arrow sack. I flinched and looked back. Johanna put in extra arrows. She handed me a coconut full of fresh water.

"Thank you." I said. Johanna proceeded to sit down next to me. I looked at Finnick then back at Johanna.

"Who's Annie?" I asked.

"Annie Cresta. The girl Mags volunteered for. She won like 4 or 5 years ago before you did." Johanna said.

"Is she the one that went a little..." I asked carefully

"Mmmhmm." Johanna nodded. She then looked in the distance.

"Love is weird." Johanna said softly. I looked down at my feet. It is isn't it?