The Girl Who Sparked the Capitol - Book 2 - Peeta

Chapter 26

The anthem begins, but there are no faces in the sky tonight. The audience will be restless, thirsting for blood. Beetee's trap holdsenough promise, though, that the Gamemakers haven't sent in other attacks. Perhaps they are simply curious to see if it will work. 

At what Finnick and Alessia judge to be about nine, they leave their shell-strewn camp, cross to the twelve o'clock beach, and begin to quietlyhike up to the lightning tree in the light of the moon. Their full stomachs make them more uncomfortable and breathless than they were on themorning's climb. Alessia begins to regret those last dozen oysters.

Beetee asks Finnick to assist him, and the rest of them stand guard. Before he even attaches any wire to the tree, Beetee unrolls yards andyards of the stuff. He has Finnick secure it tightly around a broken branch and lay it on the ground. Then they stand on either side of thetree, passing the spool back and forth as they wrap the wire around and around the trunk. At first it seems arbitrary, then Alessia sees a pattern, likean intricate maze, appearing in the moonlight on Beetee's side. She wonders if it makes any difference how the wire's placed, or if this is merelyto add to the speculation of the audience. She bets most of them know as much about electricity as she does.

The work on the trunk's completed just as they hear the wave begin. Alessia has never really worked out at what point in the ten o'clock hour iterupts. There must be some buildup, then the wave itself, then the aftermath of the flooding. But the sky tells her ten-thirty. 

This is when Beetee reveals the rest of the plan. Since they move most swiftly through the trees, he wants Johanna and Alessia to take the coildown through the jungle, unwinding the wire as they go. They are to lay it across the twelve o'clock beach and drop the metal spool, withwhatever is left, deep into the water, making sure it sinks. Then run for the jungle. If they go now, right now, they should make it to safety. 

"I want to go with them as a guard," Peeta says immediately. After the moment with the pearl, Alessia knows he's less willing than ever to let her out of his sight.

"You're too slow. Besides, I'll need you on this end. Katniss will guard," says Beetee. "There's no time to debate this. I'm sorry. If thegirls are to get out of there alive, they need to move now." He hands the coil to Johanna.

Alessia doesn't like the plan any more than Peeta does. How can she protect him at a distance? But Beetee's right. With his leg, Peeta is too slow tomake it down the slope in time. Johanna and her are the fastest and most sure-footed on the jungle floor. Alessia can't think of any alternative. And if she trusts anyone here besides Peeta, it's Beetee.

"It's okay," Alessia tells Peeta. "We'll just drop the coil and come straight back up."

"Not into the lightning zone," Beetee reminds her. "Head for the tree in the one-to-two-o'clock sector. If you find you're running out oftime, move over one more. Don't even think about going back on the beach, though, until I can assess the damage." 

Alessia takes Peeta's face in her hands. "Don't worry. I'll see you at midnight." She gives him a kiss and, before he can object any further, she lets goand turns to Johanna. "Ready?"

"Why not?" says Johanna with a shrug. She's clearly no happier about being teamed up than Alessia is. But they're all caught up in Beetee'strap. "You guard, I'll unwind. We can trade off later."

Without further discussion, they head down the slope. In fact there's very little discussion between the two of them at all. They move at a pretty goodclip, one manning the coil, the other keeping watch. About halfway down, they hear the clicking beginning to rise, indicating it's aftereleven.

"Better hurry," Johanna says. "I want to put a lot of distance between me and that water before the lightning hits. Just in case Voltsmiscalculated something."