We were just kids (Clove Kentwell)

Chapter 17

    Iris sat on the beach eating her fish in silence as no one said a word because they were too busy eating. Iris adjusted herself in the sand and as she moved her foot it came down on something sharp. She quickly lifted her foot up and found a beautiful small blue and purple Miter shell buried in the sand. Iris carefully picked it up and held it in the palm of her hand. She picked her head up and looked around at everyone sitting around her. Next to her was Finnick and Johanna. Iris looked around once more finding Clove sitting next to Beetee listening to his plan again for the 10 thousandth time. Iris squinted as she shifted her eyes between Clove and Beetee. Suddenly the lightning struck the tree once again making Wires go crazy, "Tik Tok Tik Tok." Wires said as she looked over at Iris. Iris looked at her for a second puzzled as she counted the lightning strikes. "9....10....11....12" Iris counted to herself as she looked at the tree then back at Wires. "Tik Tok Tik Tok." Wires kept repeating those words over and over. Iris looked down at the sand and thought for a second. "Wait..... wait Wires your a genius." Iris said getting up and looking around. "It's a clock." Iris said pointing towards the cornucopia. Everyone looked at her for a second before thinking about it and agreeing with her. "Great that makes my plan even better now that we know the times of the strikings." Beetee said pushing his glasses up higher on his nose.

    Beetee gave everyone a job to do wether it was go and gather leaves or sticks. Everyone did as he said and Iris finished gathering tree branches and brought them back to Beetee. Once she got back and dropped the tree branches Clove came out of the trees and dropped some rocks and started walking off. Iris jogged after her as she grabbed her arm. Clove turned around, "Let go of me." "Can we talk.... Please." Iris said flicking her eyes between Cloves brown ones. Clove let out a sigh then nodded. "Ok can we go to the cornucopia to get more weapons?" Iris asked Clove. "Sure" Clove said as she sounded a little annoyed that Iris was even talking to her.

   Iris knew her boundaries with Clove and didn't get to close but she also wasn't very far away. Clove needed her space and Iris was going to give it to her for as long as she needed. "W-what's wrong?" Iris asked almost scared to break the silence they were in, afraid she might just make Clove even more mad. "Nothing" Clove said looking at the ground infront of her. "Don't push me away please. Right now I need you." Iris said In desperation looking at Clove. Clove stayed silent again and Iris didn't push anymore as she looked at the ground with tears in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away as they made their way to the cornucopia in silence and once they got their Clove instantly went to the back and started searching. Iris's eyes lingered on her for a second before she too went and looked around.

  Iris found an axe laying on the ground and she picked it up checking the weight and the sharpness. Once she felt like it was good for her she moved on and tried to find smaller axes. Iris found a jacket full of small throwing axes, so she picked it up and put it on. It was more comfortable than she thought, she felt for where each axe was so she could reach for them at any time she needed them. Iris looked up and saw Clove with her hands on her hips and she had a belt on that had little knives secured on it so they wouldn't fall out. Iris nodded at Clove and Clove just turned around and started walking. Iris let out a quiet sigh and tried to catch up with Clove. They walked back in silence as Iris still kept her distance regretting even saying anything at all before. Once they got back Iris saw Beetee using all the things everyone gathered to make a wire. Iris gave him a questioning look before walking over. "What's this?" Clove asked before Iris could even get the words out of her mouth. "Copper wire." Beetee said still working on the wire. "What's it for." Iris asked looking down at the wire. Beetee stopped working and looked up at Iris annoyed, "Have you not been listening to any of the plan?" "Yes, yes I have sorry." Iris said giving him a nod as he went back to working. Iris walked off as Clove sat down next to him.

   Iris glanced over at Beetee and Clove talking as she squeezed the sand in her hand. Her eyes lingered for a little to long as Clove turned around and their eyes met. Iris instantly looked away fiddling with the sand around her. After feeling Cloves eyes off of her she looked up at the orangish pinkish sky. She closed her eyes for a second feeling the waves come over her feet and the sand under her hands. She opened her eyes again and looked at how the sky reflected on the water. It was breathtakingly beautiful as Iris focused on nothing else but how the water flowed. It almost calmed her as everything around seemed to be on pause but surely enough it wasn't as Finnick came up behind her, "Ready to go?" "Yeah I'm ready." Iris said starting to stand up. Finnick offered his hand and Iris took it standing all the way up. Finnick squeezed her hand before letting of and giving her a warm smile. "Everything is going to be okay because you've got me." Iris chuckled and turned to face him, "I am so glad I met you." Iris smiled at him as she hugged him he hugged her back. Iris felt his strong embrace around her almost like this was going to be the last time they talk or see each other. Iris smiled against his chest before pulling away and walking towards the rest of the group.

  "I am going to go over the plan one last time to make sure everyone knows what they're doing." Beetee said looking at everyone and eyeing Iris. Iris looked at the sand as she listened. "So Iris, Mags, and Finnick you will stay with me at the tree just in case someone comes to kill or hurt me. Clove, Wires, and Johanna you will take the wire across the water and the damp sand and tie it to a tree. When that is done if my timing is right then the lightning would strike that tree and anyone who is on the sand or water will be electrocuted and dead within instants. Everyone got it?" Beetee asked looking around. Everyone nodded their head or said yes. They all got up and started making their way to the lightning tree.

Once they all got to the tree Beetee wrapped his wire around the tree and handed it to Clove for her to take to the other side of the arena. Iris didn't care anymore as she walked up to Clove and gave her a hug before they set off. Iris felt Cloves arms slide up onto her back and squeeze tight. Iris had missed her touch, her gentleness, her sent, she missed her. Iris squeezed back then let go of her watching as she walked off. Iris already missed her touch as Clove disappeared behind a tree. Iris walked back next to Finnick and watched as Beetee was still wrapping the wire around a tree. "Your not supposed to watch me." Beetee said coming around the tree and looking at them. Iris and Finnick both turned around and gave each other a confused look.

They stood there for a little bit and everything hit Iris at once her guilt, regret, sadness, anger. She felt so many emotions at once but kept them all under control enough to where Finnick wouldn't notice. She stood there in silence as she suffered thinking about if anything happened to Clove and how she would never forgive herself, or even if someone touched her or hurt her. The thought was making Iris's blood boil but she still didn't say anything. Suddenly Iris was brought out of her thoughts as she heard a cannon go off. Iris's stomach instantly dropped and her feet started moving. Finnick tried to grab her arm and she heard him and Beetee screaming at her but she didn't hear what they were saying, she only had one thought on her mind and that was Clove. She ran and ran until she got to the beach she looked around for the wire but there was nothing there, no Johanna, no Clove, and no wire. Iris turned back around and started searching the the forest. She ran around and came across the wire. She looked down at the ground below the rock she was on but there was no one there. The wire was sitting there and there was blood on some of the wire and rocks and Wires's body was laid on the ground lifeless. Iris's heart hurt at the sight. "Clove." Iris whispered but as she expected there was no response. Iris ran back to the edge of the trees hoping Clove then retreated to an open area. Once she got to the edge of the tree there was a huge explosion behind her and she got blown onto the sand. She turned on her back and saw two people running out of the forest she squinted at them trying to make out who there were but neither of them were small enough to be Clove. Iris laid her head down unable to get up as she looked around the arena. She saw the top of it caving in and sunlight was starting to show through. Iris picked up her head and looked down at her legs which were fine but they were bleeding bad. Iris tried to force herself to get up but every time she got onto her knees she would just fall over again. So she tried calling out for help but no voice came out. "Clove" Iris whispered so quiet no one could even hear her. Suddenly a darkness started overcoming her but Iris refused to pass out now. She slapped herself in the face and even tried getting up again but every movement she did she just got more and more tired. Finally she lost all strength and fell over unable to get up or even move, she whispered Cloves name one more time before the darkness finally took over.

Iris woke up in a hovercraft faintly hearing people around her. Iris tried looking around and finally a person came into view at a different table with someone else on it. "Now that we have three of them Plutarch will have to give up now or else Snow might kill these people." Iris heard someone saw faintly. Someone walked over to her table with a white jacket and a mask on and they looked her in the eye and gasped. She turned around "Um they are awake." Iris looked around as more people surrounded her. "Snow said if they wake up just to put them back out." A man to the right of her said. "Who are you people?" Iris finally got out. No one responded as they all looked at one another. "Are we going home?" Iris asked another question since they didn't answer the first one. All the people looked down at her still not answering. A guy to her left reached for something and Iris felt a prim and then was quickly consumed with darkness with her questions still going unanswered.

(Ok kinda got back in my groove but I hope you liked this chapter it was pretty fun to write. Stay safe out there and you guys are the best. :)