Finnick's POV
The sun's bright light awakens me and I realize something is wrong immediately. Squinting in the bright light, I sit up quickly.
It's morning.
"Hey Peeta, you didn't wake me for my turn to take watch." My voice sounding groggily from sleep. I search for him in his spot by the mossy tree. It's vacant and so is the place where Katniss was sleeping. Oh god, where are they?
"What the hell? We slept till morning?" Johanna practically screams, jumping up from her position. Her eyes flashing with pure anger as she chucks her axe across the beach. I dodge it absentmindedly.
"Shit!" She cries, kicking the sand.
"We weren't woken up for the plan! Beetee, the coil-the tree-"
"I am aware." He responds calmly, wiping his glasses.
"Katniss and Peeta are gone." Beetee glances up at us, still sitting in the wet sand.
"Our plan fell through because they left."
"Great! Well that's just wonderful isn't it? What were we thinking in trusting them? You could see it on their smug Twelve faces that they didn't give a shit about us!" Johanna rants, practically stomping her feet in frustration. Though I know her concern goes much deeper. Haymitch made us sware to watch over the both of them, yet Katniss and Peeta suspicions made them leave last night. We couldn't convince them to trust us. We've failed part of our mission.
"God, this completely ruins everything! The moment I saw them whispering to each other, I knew something was up! Why, it's my fault that I didn't bother to give a fu-"
"Johanna! Calm down, okay? We should have seen this coming. It was niave of us to think that they'd not do something stupid. All they are thinking about is keeping each other alive." My thoughts go back to the time Peeta got hit by the forcefeild. Of course Katniss would decide to leave, especially if she thought it would protect Peeta from us.
"Don't worry Johanna... are plan is not wasted. Nobody else knows about the coil and the tree except for Katniss and Peeta. Our plan can still be completed." Beetee says in a calming voice, still stroking his precious coil.
I shake my head. This was so careless of us. Haymitch and Plutarch must be furious watching us right now-this screws up the entire plan. The two star crossed lovers of District Twelve have left us. With both of their trackers still embedded in their arms.
"I'm getting water." Johanna announces after a moment of silence between the three of us. She trudges over to the place where she threw her axe. I lick my lips as I think of breakfast at that moment. They taste salty and chapped. I snatch up my trident from the damp sand. Just as I'm about to enter the outskirts of the jungle to look for some tree rats, Johanna goes on one of her shrieking rages again.
"And those sneaky dirty rats took our spile as well! Why do they even bother?" Her eyes flash up to the sky to silently curse the people behind our plan to start a rebellion. "This is never going to work. We'll die from thirst before we even have the chance to-"
"Johanna." I say in a stern tone. She's already on the edge of blowing our cover. Her big mouth may ruin this entire operation. If President Snow and the other gamemakers find out what we are up to-we're dead and so is everyone we love. I can't risk that. I can't risk my Annie.
Plutarch chose Katniss and Peeta to lead the rebellion... even if they are selfish traitors who stole our easy chance at water.
"There are other ways to get water. C'mon-let's search in the trees." I say, slamming my trident into one of the mossy ones. I'll make the trees bleed water if I have to.
By the time we return to our place at the beach, I sense the concern between Beetee and Johanna growing. If our plan is to continue, we need to somehow create the occasion to meet up with Katniss and Peeta again. With somehow our intention to look as though we want to kill them. I glance back down at the intertwined gold bangle hanging off my wrist.
"If all else fails, tell her to remember who the real enemy is."
Haymitch's last words to me before we parted that evening before the start of the games. Katniss's weakest spot in the arena is Peeta-I understand that now. After Peeta made contact with the force field and lost consciousness, I knew that she really did care for him. Even if I didn't know in what way. Yet, her resistance against Snow is strong. In the end she'll fight against the Capital if she has to. Katniss knows that in the end he is the real enemy, and we just need to prove it to her.
"Where did you think they went?" I ask tentatively, twisting my trident in my hand. I try to sound completely casual. Johanna cocks up her eyebrow.
"Perhaps they're cuddling in another cave?" She smirks. I roll my eyes, we both know they aren't doing that. The Victors all realize that it's just an act.
"My guess would be that they are seeking shelter in the safest part of the arena, not including the beach." Beetee suggests, keeping his voice mellow, making sure not to sound the slightest bit curious.
I nod.
"Let's continue with our plan then." I say, switching topics as to not sound attached to the tributes from Twelve. We must show the gamemakers that we don't care they left, that we'll just kill them the next time we meet.
"Tonight, at midnight?" I ask Beetee, looking off into the distance at the tall twisted tree erected above the jungle just at the twelve o'clock mark.
"Yes... at midnight." Beetee confirms, adjusting his glasses on his nose.
I nod to the two of them, then sling my trident over my right shoulder.
"Be back soon with breakfast." I say, though not looking back as I head into the trees.
