I knew Beetee was brilliant, but I am really impressed with his idea of using the wire to electrocute the beach where the Careers will almost definitely be at midnight. I actually think it will work. No harm done even if it doesn't. As long as right when it happens, if it does, Peeta and I get the hell away from Finnick, Johanna and Beetee so that we don't have to be the first to betray them, or worse, they betray us.
"Katniss, Peeta, would you please take this wire down to the beach and drop this metal spool in the water?" Beetee asks, in his ever present polite tone. I try not to let my sigh of relief be too obvious- I was almost positive Beetee would have enough common sense to know that if Peeta and I are together after this, we could quickly abandon them as allies.
"Yeah, we will. We'll be quick." I say. "Frying is not the way I want to go out," I give a nervous laugh while feeling immediately guilty. Beetee's plan is about to kill the Careers for us and I feel the nagging sense that I owe him something. I hate owing people. I also really like Beetee. He's so kind and undoubtedly the most intelligent person I've ever met. But if Peeta is to live, Beetee must die, and I along with him.
"Well hurry the fuck up," Johanna says, "I don't have a watch on, but I'm pretty sure you're wasting precious time."
"Okay, Okay." Peeta says, grabbing the spool with the wire. He looks at me, "Let's go." I nod and we venture off into the jungle.
Once we are far enough away from our soon to be ex-allies, I say quietly, "You know we have to abandon them after this, right?"
Peeta keeps his eye on the spool, making sure the wire is being pulled correctly. "Yeah… I know." He's quiet for a few strides. "Like you said, Katniss, I don't know how we are supposed to kill these people. Especially these people." I can't say anything, so I just nod. I know what he means.
Me and Peeta make it to the beach and do exactly what Beetee told us to do. We dropped the spool in the ocean, made sure it sunk, and made sure the wire was resting on the beach- the place the Careers will be as soon as they notice it's vacant. The Careers might be strong and skilled, but I doubt they have figured out the arena is a clock. They'll just want to get the hell out of the jungle, where all the terrible things happen.
I try to think of what Peeta and I should do next. "Okay, here's what we are going to do."
"We are going to go half way between the lightning tree and the beach and we will climb a tree. I'll help you, don't worry."
Peeta smirks a little. "My beautiful knight in shining armor." He jokes. I've always loved that about Peeta. It's never bothered him that I can do things that he can't. Gale sometimes got frustrated when he realized that I could shoot better than him. Just thinking of Gale sends a pang to my chest, knowing I'll never see him again. I wonder how he's doing but I quickly shove the thought out of my mind. Peeta is the only thing I can afford to focus on right now.
"So, when we are up in the tree, we wait until midnight. If the plan works and we hear the cannon go off for the Careers, we will put distance between us and the others. If the plan doesn't work, we will go back to our, um, allies." I say while helping Peeta up a tree that looks easy enough to climb.
While it is an easy tree, Peeta is still weak. It takes a bit, but he gets up there after he starts using more of his upper body strength. I follow after him and we sit on a thick limb. And wait.
We both sit in anticipation of midnight. The anticipation is so overwhelming that it's hard to make conversation. Instead, I focus on Peeta's steady breathing and watch his profile. It strikes me how little time I have and how I will probably die tonight. It strikes me how much I care about Peeta. Every bone in my body wants Peeta to live. I feel the determination rise up and take me over, every inch of me, every cell, chanting Peeta will live.
Peeta looks over at me and tries to smile. "I've never really liked heights," he says, and the words come out strained.
Being up in a tree is so natural to me that I sometimes forget how some people hate it. "It's okay. I won't let you fall," I say. "Plus, it can't be long now."
My eye catches something in my peripheral vision and I turn my head towards the beach and see that Beetee was right. Of course. The Careers are coming out from the jungle onto the beach. They are bounding like they are happy to finally be out of the terrifying jungle. And in that moment, I feel sorry for them. They are just as much of victims to the Capitol as Peeta and I are, and they have no idea what's coming. The thought leaves as quick as it came though, because my determination rises back up. They must die so Peeta can live, my body chants.
Within the minute, I hear the 12 strikes of the clock and know this is it. It's midnight. This is when we find out if Beetee's plan will work. Instinctively, I grab Peeta's hand and we both turn to the lightning tree.
Suddenly, the lightning strikes. It illuminates the lightning tree with a loud crack and I hear screams from the area surrounding the tree. That's not right, my mind screams.
Boom, Boom
Two cannons already went off and I think that must be the end of the Careers, but once the lightning strikes for the second time, I see the wire light up beneath us. My eyes follow the light on the wire to the beach and suddenly, it's like the beach exploded. Water and sand go in every direction.
Boom, Boom
Peeta and I quickly look at each other in confusion. He speaks first. "Four cannons went off. Katniss, do you know what this means?" My mind puts the pieces together like a puzzle and I realize it means that two of our allies somehow died and both of the Careers died too.
The shock hits me full on. I never, ever, in a million years expected Beetee's plan to backfire on our side. Unless…
Unless he somehow tricked Finnick and Johanna and killed them with the electrocution as well.
I think Peeta has the same idea when he says, "Katniss, we've got to go see what happened." He breaks eye contact and starts down the tree. He lowers his voice before saying, "And we have to kill whoever is left."
Once we hit the ground we start running towards the lightning tree. I have my bow and arrow ready and Peeta has his machete in his tight grip.
Once we get to the sight, it's apparent what happened.
Beetee's plan didn't backfire at all. This was a pure accident.
The smell of charred bodies is overwhelming and sickening and I have to fight the urge to vomit.
Although it's hard to distinguish the blackened bodies at first, we recognize Beetee and Johanna next to the tree, as if they were still fixing the wire when the lightning struck. I feel their loss in the pit of my stomach, Beetee's kindness and intelligence and Johanna's fierceness and intense hatred towards the Capitol, something we both shared. After a moment of grief, I decide it's better this way. I'd rather the lightning kill them than I.
Then we hear the moaning sound. Like a wounded animal. Peeta mouths, Finnick, and I nod in agreement. He points to behind the tree and we slowly walk over there.
When we see him, it's obvious that we couldn't help him, even if we wanted to, and that there's no need in getting our hands bloody by killing him. His body is fried and nearly all blackened. My mind flashes back to Rue, and how I didn't want her to die alone. The same feeling overwhelms me while looking down at Finnick. Charming, kind, mysterious Finnick. Who's in love with the mad girl back home, Annie. Who saved Peeta's life.
I lean down and rest his head in my lap like Rue and try to sooth him like Peeta did with the morphling. Peeta takes my cue and leans down next to him, too. "It's okay, Finnick. We're here," We both murmur. He moans and tries to speak. "It's okay Finnick, you don't have to talk. Just relax, it will be okay."
I think about all the times I've told that lie- it will be okay. I'm tired of that lie. I'm tired of lying and I'm tired of living in this world where people send people to die, and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm tired of living in this world where happiness is so hard to find. I'm tired of living with these nightmares that haunt my sleep every night. In this moment, I'm ready to show the Capitol one last act of defiance by dying for Peeta.
"I…love…her," he manages to moan. I know he's talking about Annie before he even manages to whisper, "Annie…"
Minutes later, the cannon goes off, telling me and Peeta that he is gone.
I lay his head down carefully and close his eyes. Peeta and I step back from his lifeless body and do the three finger salute to his body. Somehow, we did it at the same time, and I think that's beautiful.
Suddenly, it's like I am broken out of a trance and I realize what comes next.
One of us has to die.
I quickly spin around and see Peeta picking up his machete and backing away from me.
"Katniss, listen to me," he says calmly. "I am going to die and you are going to live, and you are going to go home to your family. To your mother, Prim, and Gale. They need you Katniss. Please." He pleads, "I love you so much. I always have." He backs up even more. "And I don't want you to see this, but it's what has to happen. So either let me go in the jungle and do it myself, or follow me and watch it happen. Please don't do that to yourself."
"Peeta, no. Please Peeta." I am so frantic trying to think of a way to end myself. I can't do it with my bow and arrow... Then I see Finnick's trident and make a quick grab for it.
Peeta notices and yells "PUT IT DOWN, KATNISS."
Peeta has his machete aimed for his heart and I have the trident aimed for mine. We make eye contact for only a second longer and even though we are ten feet apart, I see his blue eyes shining with tears. "Please, Katniss. Don't make me do this in front of you. I don't want to do this to you."
I don't want to do this in front of him either, but I am more impulsive than he is and I will if I have to.
"Katniss, I love you. Always." He says quickly.
As soon as the last word leaves his mouth, he turns around and runs to the jungle and I know this is the time for me to do it.
So I do. I back up into the tree and aim it over my heart again.
My mind flashes images in front of my eyes- Prim with her goat, Lady. My mother and my father happily talking over our small dinners. Gale and I laughing in the woods. And Peeta. Peeta holding me during my nightmares. The thought of Peeta makes my whole body overflow with determination and in this moment, I know. I know I love Peeta Mellark. My dandelion in the spring. I feel every inch of me chanting again, Peeta will live. Peeta will live. Peeta will live.
I close my eyes and thrust my arm with all the force I have towards myself. The last sound I hear is of a cannon.
...
The 74th Annual Hunger Games: the year the Capitol almost lost both of their last two tributes.
The 75th Annual Hunger Games: the year they did.