Let The Flames Begin

Chapter 8

When I wake up, the old blisters may have gone, but they've left scabs, causing a terrible itch. It's the worst itch I've ever felt in my life. I start to scratch uncontrollably. Katniss and Finnick can't help doing it either.

"Where's Haymitch when you need him?" Katniss groans mockingly.

"He's in the same boat as you are," I reply scathingly.

Good thing Peeta learned from me. He sends us a parachute with itching ointment a few minutes later. It's a little disturbing having to put this stuff on each other, but we have no other option. Without it, we'd scratch until our skin bleeds off.

We're pretty content on this little beach. Nothing comes our way for a while, but on the outskirts of the jungle, we see the low tide of what must have been a gigantic wave. It spreads so far that my ankles become wet. Not surprisingly, a cannon fires.

The wheels in my head start turning, and I tell my companions what I'm thinking. "This arena doesn't make any sense. First, poisonous fog, followed by killer monkeys, then a tall wave? It's shaped like a circle. And we're actually having moments of peace. How do they all come together?"

Finnick shrugs. "That's the big question, isn't it? If we discover the answer, that could be the key to surviving... for as long as we can, anyway."

While we're speaking, three tributes come toward us. We grab our weapons and arm up for battle, until we see them up close. They're not in any shape to fight. It's Beetee, Wiress... and Johanna Mason, that little axe girl from District Seven. No, she's not little, but she seemed like a puny thing when she entered the Games her first time. I have to say, that was a good tactic for her; pretending to be weak until only seven people were left. Bad news for the other tributes, though.

All three of them are drenched in blood. Not just a little. I mean, their clothes are completely ruined by it.

"Well, if it isn't Haymitch Abernathy," Johanna spits. "The District Twelve drunk. You always reminded me of my grandpa, but wow, you look older in person. Hey, Pops. How's withdrawal treating you?"

I fold my arms. "You. You killed one of my tributes." I can't forget how close my female tribute, Brielle Watters, came to winning in those Games. Johanna popped out of nowhere and chopped her limbs off in a bloody fight.

Katniss surveys Johanna unhappily. She's not a fan of Axe Girl either. But she still asks, "What did you three get into?"

Johanna tells us that Beetee was stabbed in the back during the Bloodbath, which explains why she's dragging him. Thankfully, his cut isn't deep. Then she talks about this downpour of blood that they encountered in the jungle. It was so blinding that they just kept running until they reached somewhere visible. Sounds like something from an old horror movie. I only know about those because of spending so much time in the Capitol.

"Tick tock," is all Wiress can say. The poor woman lost her ability to finish sentences after she won the Games. But I can't help wondering if there's something to what she's saying.

We all pitch in to help them clean up. I'm getting to know these people in a way that I never wanted to. But we never wanted to do the Games in the first place. It's the least we can do for each other. Katniss binds up Beetee's back to help his wound heal.

We decide it's time for another nap, but Katniss and Johanna stay awake to guard our little beach party. Not too long into sleeping, my ears are awakened by another bell. Once again, it goes off twelve times. A few words enter my mind.

Repetitive.

Twelve.

Chimes.

Circle.

Then it hits me: Clock.

I sit up abruptly. Katniss is awake a few feet away, her attention stirred by the bell.

I twist my head in her direction. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I ask quietly, so as not to disturb the others.

"Yeah. I know why Wiress kept saying, 'Tick Tock'. This arena's a clock."

I laugh softly. "That rhymed. How creative." I make clicking sounds with my mouth, imitating a ticking clock.

Katniss glowers at me. "Shut up, Haymitch. That's just obnoxious. We have to start moving again and investigate."

Once everyone's awake, we eat and gather up our belongings. Finnick suggests going back to the Cornucopia.

"Sounds good," I say. Katniss doesn't argue, and we march onward, not knowing if we'll run into any of the Careers. I welcome the prospect. Let them try to kill me. I didn't win the Second Quarter Quell for nothing.