Catching Fire: Burning '7'

Chapter 9

I’m resting peacefully, but Katniss shakes us. “Get up,” she orders. “Get up – we have to move.” I ignore her. I just want to rest. I want to ignore the world. Everything. I hear Nuts says, “Tick, tock!” I think she’s in a panic mode right now.

“Yes, tick, tock, the arena’s a clock. It’s a clock, Wiress, you were right. You were right.” Katniss says.

“Midnight.”

“It starts at midnight.” I get up.

“One thirty,” Wiress says.

“Exactly. One-thirty. And at two, a terrible poisonous fog begins there,” Katniss points at the nearby jungle and continues, “So we have to move somewhere safer. Are you thirsty?”

I see Nuts smiles, I roll my eyes. Katniss hands her the woven bowl and she gulps it down and Finnick gives her the last bit of bread. God. She’s so annoying. Peeta tries to lift Volts but he objects. “Wire.”

“Wiress is fine. She’s coming, too.” Peeta says, assuring him the Nuts is fine.

“Wire,” Volts insists. Suddenly, I remember what Blight said about Volts. The wire. Cornucopia. Beetee trying to get it.

“Oh, I know what he wants,” I say, irritated. I cross the beach and pick up the cylinder that Katniss took from Volts belt when she and Peeta were bathing him. “This worthless thing. It’s some ind of wire or something. That’s how he got cut. Running up to the Cornucopia to get this. I don’t know what kind of weapon it’s supposed to be. I guess you could pull off a piece and use it as a garrote or something. But really, can you imagine Beetee garroting somebody?”

“He won his Games with wire. Setting up that electrical trap. It’s the best weapon he could have.

“Seems like you’d have figured that out. Since you nicknamed him Volts and all.” Katniss says. I narrow my eyes at her.

“Yeah, that was really stupid of me, wasn’t it? I guess I must have been distracted by keeping your little friends alive. While you were… what, again? Getting Mags killed off?” Her finger tightens on the knife handle at her belt.

“Go ahead. Try it. I don’t care if you’re knocked up, I’ll rip your throat out,” I say.

“Maybe we all had better be careful where we step,” says Finnick, shooting Katniss a look. He takes the coil and sets it on Volts’ chest. “There’s your wire, Volts. Watch where you plug it.”

“Where to?” Peeta picks up Beetee.

“I’d like to go to the Cornucopia and watch. Just to make sure we’re right about the clock.” Finnick says.

We head to the Cornucopia and Peeta lays Beetee in the bit of shade the Cornucopia provides. Peeta tells Wiress to clean the coil and she nods. I roll my eyes. She starts singing the song again. I say, “Oh, not the song again. That went on for hours before she started tick-tocking.” I roll my eyes at her.

“Two.” Wiress says.

“Yes, look, Wiress is right. It’s two o’clock and the fog has started.” Katniss says.

“Like clockwork. You were very smart to figure that out, Wiress.” Peeta says, smiling at her.

“Oh, she’s more than smart. She’s intuitive.” I turn to Beetee. So do Katniss, Peeta and Finnick. “She can sense things before anyone else. Like a canary in one of your coal mines.” Beetee says.

“What’s that?” asks Finnick.

“It’s a bird that we take down into the mines to warn us if there’s bad air.” Katniss explains.