circus | finnick odair

tonight

Pennia's POV

My back ached, I wasn't able to do much at all. Bentley had to carry my backpack, the only thing I could carry was my spear.

"P, you sure you're good enough to walk?" Issac said, trying to take my spear again.

"Issac, I'm fine." I said, my irritation getting the best of me. "Why are we leaving the desert anyways?"

Issac opened his mouth but no words came out. He looked at anything other than me as I waited for a reply.

"The cornucopia moves, we don't want a repeat of last time." Bray said, saving Issac.

"Okay..?" I said, picking up my pace to get out of the scorching heat.

"Don't overwork yourself," Prim said, taking my free hand in hers.

"I don't have a disability, Prim." I groan, pulling my hand away from hers. "I'm fine, don't worry about me."

This sentence silenced everyone as we dragged out feet through the impeccable heat.

~

It seemed like hours before we were back in the comfortable temperatured forest. I took a deep breath of the clean, not sandy, air.

"We're out of water, we should go get more." Prim suggested, setting her backpack at the base of a tree.

"Bentley and I will go," Bray said, taking my backpack from her brother and setting it next to my feet.

"Penn and Prim need to rest, Issac will watch." Bentley says, nodding to Issac before backing away from our temporary camp.

"Not a disability!" I called after the retreating frames of my friends. I heard Bentley's cackle, which made me smile.

I remained standing, afraid that I wouldn't be able to get up if I sat down. As I stood, I looked around. The trees seemed greener, the birds sang louder. I glanced up at the sky, looking back down before realizing what I saw.

I looked at the sky once again, seeing dark grey clouds, slowly, moving their way over the arena.

"Just a thunder storm," I whispered to myself, slowly beginning to sit down against my inner voice's protests.

Once I was seated, I let out a puff of air and looked at the cuddly couple, who didn't seem very happy.

Furrowing my brows, I scooted closer to them, desperately trying to stay quiet. When I was close enough, I heard their frantic whispers.

"I don't know, Is!" Prim whispered, her hands gripping her husband's.

"Prim, it has to be. I don't understand how, but there's no other thing it could possible be!" Issac whispered back, just face was hard.

"It's only been a few days! That stuff doesn't happen this fast, babe." Prim said, her voice softer than usual.

"Then how do you explain the signs? You're throwing up, your feet are swelling, your stomach has a slight bump." Issac said, his hands moving to Prim's abdomen.

My mouth dropped open, the breath I was taking was violently knocked out of my lungs. I couldn't help myself when I jumped up and marched over to them.

"You're pregnant?!" I yelled, my eyes widening when I heard myself yell.

Prim and Issac jumped, their heads snapping to me. Their eyes must have mirrored mine, frightened and confused.

~

Katniss' POV

I stared at the screen, my mouth gaping open. After Penn's outburst, there was nothing but silence.

On screen, against Prim and Issac's efforts, Penn paced back and forth, gripping her brown hair.

"I don't understand how you two could be so irresponsible!" Penn screeched; and for once I agreed with her.

"It's not like we wanted this to happen, Penn!" Prim said, holding her head.

"Well it did! And now what? What the hell are we going to do?" Penn said, her nostrils flaring with anger.

"Nothing, we do nothing." Issac spoke for the first time in ten minutes. "We can't do anything."

Penn huffed, walking away from the couple in front if her. As she walked, she was mumbling a number of choice words. I could tell from her body language that she was infuriated. I understand why she was angry, but I didn't understand for which reason.

Was she mad because, now that Prim was pregnant, that she couldn't kill a pregnant woman? Or, was Penn mad that she wasn't the pregnant one?

"I can't believe I'm saying this but," I said, turning to Finnick. "I agree with your girlfriend."

Finnick rolled his eyes, I could see a small smile hiding behind his lips. I felt bad about judging Penn so quickly, it was ruining my friendship with Finnick.

"I'm kicking his ass when they get here," Peeta said, his cheerful mood was nowhere to be seen.

"Why?" Finnick said, holding a sleeping Rylan to his chest.

"He got a fourteen year old pregnant!" Peeta said, throwing his arms into the air.

"If it's that," Beetee said from the computer. "It's fast moving, faster than anything I've ever seen. So, who knows what it is."

"The Capitol was the one who sent down everything for the wedding, right?" Johanna asked, earning a nod from Beetee. "They must've put something in Prim's food to make this happen, and to speed it up."

"I suppose that's possible," I muttered, not too keen on the idea of Prim being pregnant. "Do you even have a room in the hospital for birthing?"

Coin looked at me, her face was blank. "Katniss, we've been underground for 76 years. Obviously we have a delivery room."

I narrowed my eyes at her, I didn't appreciate her snark.

"We need to go in now, we can't let a knocked up girl sit in the arena!" Peeta said, his voice still hard.

"The hovercrafts are stocked and ready for the rescue. My only concern is the soldiers going." Coin announced, hee gaze finally off of me.

"What do you mean exactly?" I heard Finnick bravely ask.

"I don't think they'll want to enter the arena two days prior to the scheduled date," Coin said, her tome sickenly calm.

"Then I'll go," Peeta said, raising up from his seat.

"I will too," Gale said, stepping forward and away from the doorframe.

"If they won't go, then we will." Johanna said, also standing.

"I'm sure they will go, madame." Plutarch said, nodding to one of the guards who quickly exits the room. They are probably going to round up the participants.

Five minutes later, a group of men and women entered the room.

"Soldiers, we have encountered a problem," Coin said, gesturing to the TV. "And we must go in immediately. Now, I understand if you won't leave early, but which of you will leave."

"How early?" I heard one of the males ask.

"Tonight."

~~~

NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE GOOOD GOOOOOOOD GOOOD.

-M