In Our Favor

Ch.11

📍Arena
⏰Day 2

I stab my spear into the water and pull it up to see a fattened fish on the other side. I pull it off and show my kill to Finnick, he smiles wide.

The aloe ended up making me feel so much better. We ripped up some of Eight's worn out clothes to use as a patch for my injury. Against Finnick's wishes, I decided to fish with him. Anything is better than sitting on the beach with Katniss and Peeta in an awkward silence.

"I got 3, I'm done." I tell Finnick, raising my 3 fish on a spear.

"Go ahead, I'm gonna catch get a few more." He tells me.

I nod and start to plow through the water to the shore. I walk over to Katniss and Peeta, who's sitting beside Eight, and drop the three fish on the ground in front of them.

"Thanks." Katniss says.

I sit down beside them and we all pick up a fish before starting to cut them open in silence.

"So what was that about?" Peeta finally speaks up.

We all know what he's talking about, but Katniss doesn't say anything, so I don't.

"What, am I not here?" He slightly scoffs.

"Nothing." Katniss says, focused on her fish.

"The kiss was nothing?" He asks, raising his voice.

"Can we not do this right now?" Katniss mumbles.

"Why, because we're on camera? You had no issue kissing right in front of my face." He says in an calm but bothered tone.

"It was my fault Peeta. I kissed her." I say, not looking at him.

"Well I could've guessed that."

"Peeta-"

"No, I'm just saying." He cuts Katniss off.
"It was a mistake trusting these careers in the first place."

"Peeta." She sternly stops him, looking up at him.

He takes a deep breath. "Our lives are on the line, and you're pulling this bullshit."

Just as he says this, Finnick walks up.

"Who's pulling what bullshit?" He asks. Almost challenging Peeta when he saw him getting loud with me.

"Ask your sister." Peeta picks up his fish and machete and walks away from us.

Finnick watches him walk away before taking his seat.

"What's his issue?" He asks, cutting his fish.

Katniss and I stay quiet.

-----

Peeta eventually came back and ate with us after he let off steam in the woods. We were finishing when we heard screeching screams from across the water. We all stand up and squint as we look on the opposite side.

There, we see the trees rumbling and falling down before a gigantic rush of water floods throughout the entire section of the forest. The trees are over taken by the flood and crumble in its path. Yet, when it hits the water, it doesn't escape that section of the water. As if there's a force field.

I go to make a comment, when I'm interrupted by another scream, much closer this time. We all look to the right of the beach to see three people who are completely red, covered in blood. Peeta and Katniss get ready to fight, but by the voice, we know who it is.

"Johanna!" Finnick shouts as he runs toward her.

I drop my fish, grab Eight's hand, and take off not too far behind him.

"Finnick!" She yells back.

We make it to the three and bear hug Johanna. It's nice to see a fresh face for once. Katniss and Peeta join us, walking over with their fish. We realize that the other two are Beetee and Wiress. Beetee begins to wash himself in the water as Johanna starts to ramble.

"We were all the way deep into the jungle where I thought it was going to be safe, that's when the rain started." She says, walking toward us. "Well I thought it was water, it turned out to be blood."

"Tic-tok." Wiress walks up behind her.

"Hot. Thick. Blood." She continues. "It was coming down, it was choking us."

"Tic-tok" Wiress repeats over and over again, getting pushed out of the way by Johanna.

"We were stumbling around, gagging on it blind."

She tells us how her partner, Blight, hit the force field and didn't make it. Almost like Peeta.

"What's wrong with her?" Katniss asks, referring to a crazed Wiress.

"She's in shock. Dehydration isn't helping." Beetee jumps in. "Do you have fresh water?"

"We can get some." Katniss says.

Wiress gets madly close to Johanna's face, repeating tic-tok. Johanna grabs her arms and starts pushing her off.

"Listen, stop it!" She screams, continuing to shove her back.

"Hey lay off her!" Katniss runs over to Johanna.

"Sit down!" Johanna pushes Wiress to the ground.

Katniss lunges herself at Johanna and they get in a fight of their own; Beetee and I just watching.

"What are you doing!?" Johanna screams as Katniss fights her.

Finnick pulls Johanna back as Peeta does the same to Katniss.

"I got them out for you!" Johanna yells at Katniss. "Let me go Finnick!" She pushes him.

Johanna walks to the tree line as Katniss helps Wiress up and into the water. Katniss starts to wash her off while I join Johanna.

She's cutting shapes into the sand with her knife when I sit down beside her, Eight by my side.

"So, you just have a really young looking friend or..."

"She's a kid. We think there was a mistake."

"Why haven't they flown her out yet?" Beetee joins in, walking over to us as well.

I shrug, stroking Eight's hair.

----------

Peeta, Finnick, Beetee, and I are all sitting on the beach in silence, looking out to the water. Katniss is walking back from the water with Wiress, a wide smile on her face. As she gets closer, we can make out what she's saying.

"Wiress you're a genius! You're a genius!" She excitedly says.

We all stand up.

"She's a genius?" Johanna asks.

"Now I think you've both lost it." I huff.