Allies (Katniss Everdeen & Finnick Odair)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The monkeys waste no time to jump on us, bearing their teeth and trying to get a hold of us with their claws. I shoot an arrow at one that is close to Peeta and it falls to the ground. I glance towards my right where Finnick is fighting off some monkeys with his trident. Peeta has the small sword on his hand and cuts through on monkey and tosses him aside. I begin shooting two arrows at a time and stabbing them as well.

I wonder if the monkeys would follow us if we go to the beach. Maybe that's the only way to escape from them.

"Finnick!" I yell.

He's fighting two monkeys right now but he still turns to me. "Yeah?" he sounds extremely agitated.

"We have to run towards the beach. I don't think they'll follow us there."

"I'm right behind you." He says.

I turn to Peeta now, and I don't have time to react when a monkey launches for him, but something blocks its path. Then I realize, it's not a something, it's a someone. The morphling addict from District 6.

The monkey buries its fangs into her ribcage and the blood begins to pour immediately. Peeta is in shock but manages to get hold of her and begins to drag her.

"Peeta! To the beach!"

He nods and begins to move as fast as he can behind me. Finnick is clearing our path and our feet finally reach the unsteady ground of sand. Peeta and I keep running towards the water but Finnick stays behind to fight the monkeys, but they stay on the edge of the jungle.

I turn to Peeta who's speaking softly to the addict. I know he's trying to prepare her for the end and I can't bear to look. I walk out of the water towards Finnick and put my arms around his neck. I hope people think it's because I'm upset about the girl is dying and, in part it is, but it's also of relief. Relief that he is here, with me, alive and well.

He returns the hug but we keep it short. We see how Peeta lets the body float on the water and the hovercraft brings its claw down to take it away. It's morning now and, if it weren't such a depressing scene before us, it would actually be quite beautiful.

"I don't even know her name and she sacrificed herself for me." Says Peeta in a quiet voice.

"You think she sacrificed?" I ask

"Seemed like it."

"Why would she? Doesn't make any sense."

"I don't know." He says and sits down.

"I'm gonna see if I catch some fish." Finnick announces and walks into the water.

"I'll go get some water. You stay here." I tell Peeta, although I know he's not going anywhere.

I need some time alone to think, why would she die to save Peeta? I have a motive but she barely knows him, I don't even know if they've ever spoken to each other. Could Finnick have some sort of theory about it... Finnick. He saved Peeta too, if he had let him die when he hit the force field, he would've been one step closer to surviving. And also Mags sacrificed herself so Finnick could carry Peeta, but why? Nothing makes sense, why would anyone have the same wish as me? To keep Peeta alive?

I pour some water into coconut shells and take them back to the beach. I see Finnick stabbing the beach water with his trident.

Finnick knows something, and he doesn't want to tell me. I don't know if I should confront him about it because if I do, then maybe the game makers will notice what's happening as well and do something about it, and as long as Peeta is alive, then I don't need to know why.

Finnick comes back to shore with some fish and oysters. We sit on the edge of the jungle and eat our food. I'm still too deep in thought and don't even realize that Peeta is holding something in his hand towards me. A pearl.

"For you." He says.

I take it carefully with my fingers. "Thank you." I whisper and can't help to glance at Finnick who's struggling to open and oyster with a slight frown.

Would he do something like this if we weren't being watched? I know Peeta does it because he knows we'll get sponsors but also because he does love me, but there weren't cameras everywhere, could I expect the same gesture from Finnick?

We hear a noise from the other side of the beach and see a giant wave rising and coming towards us from the jungle. Its size begins to decrease and when it reaches the Cornucopia, it looks like it slams into something and falls back to the beach.

Peeta and Finnick are as confused as me but I'm the only one who notices movement from a few feet to the right. "Someone's here." I say, and they snap out of their confusion and look towards where I'm glancing.

One of the people says something in a high-pitched voice. "Johanna?" Finnick says, and runs towards the people.

Peeta and I look at each other, him giving me and understanding look because he knows I don't have the best relationship with Johanna, but I'm curious to see who she's with so we follow Finnick.

Finnick and a blood-covered Johanna are deep in conversation when we reach them. "We thought it was rain... turned out to be blood!" Johanna says in an exasperated voice.

I look over to the side to see, surprisingly, Wiress and Beetee. Beetee is lying on the sand with an open wound on his back and some sort of wire in his hand. Wiress keeps walking around murmuring something like 'tick tock'.

Finnick is halfway through telling Johanna what happened with the poisonous fog when Wiress grabs Johanna's arm and starts saying 'tick tock' rapidly.

"Get off me!" Johanna shouts and pushes Wiress to the ground.

I don't know if I launch for Johanna because of what she did to Wiress or because Finnick hasn't even looked at me since we found them.

Johanna and I are begin each other when Peeta grabs me by the waist and pulls me back. Finnick gets Johanna. "I got them out for you!" Johanna screams as Finnick drags her away.

"For me?" I turn to Peeta, "What does she mean?"

"Well, you did want them as allies, maybe she got them out to make an alliance with you."

Johanna wanting to be allies with me? With Finnick sure but, why me?

I walk towards Wiress. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." I say to her and help her towards the water. I glance back at Finnick and see him talking intensely with Johanna. When I look up I see a lighting strike a big tree and Wiress begins saying 'tick tock, tick tock'.

I look around me. The perfect circle, the twelve spaces between the pedestals, the lightning that struck on the same tree as it did last night, the bell that sounded twelve times... it all makes sense now.

"It's a clock," I whisper. "The arena is a clock. Wiress, you're a genius!"

We walk back to the shore and tell everyone about the arena. Johanna seems annoyed that Wiress mumbling actually made sense and she didn't figure it out, but Finnick is looking at me with amusement in his eyes.

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