I'm distracted when Brutus is thrown into the water with an axe in his chest. Though the cannon doesn't fire out, there is no doubt in my mind that it won't be long before it does and we'll be rid of that danger in this Arena.
And then it's only us to worry about.
I try not to think about it, instead focusing on reaching the sand with Katniss by my side and still alive. When we crash down on the water's edge, she's huffing and groaning, her fingers pulling at her chest as she rolls onto her back in an attempt to draw in more air.
"We need to keep moving," I insist and get to my feet, pulling her up under her arms and supporting her as we make our way through the line of trees and down the beach.
Finnick heads out ahead, marking our trail as though he knows the best route. At one point, he shouts and pulls on a red marker made of fabric and leads us out of the trees and back onto the beach. It's only moments before the screech of monkeys seems to follow us along the forest edge and we're forced closer to the water.
We keep moving, heading in circles for what seems like hours until we come upon a makeshift shelter that's built into the trees. The ground is red surrounding it and I'm almost nervous to ask. I set Katniss down softly and put my palm to her cheek, rousing her from her fading consciousness due to pain and exhaustion.
"Blood rain," Her voice creaks. I look around at the sand, taking in the crunchy darkened ground.
"We have 6 hours until it rains again – let's get some rest and some food into us," Finnick takes charge as he and Mags head out to the water. I leave Katniss to rest and find Beetee to try to be helpful.
"How many Tributes are dead?" I ask into her hair, holding her close as the dark of the night surrounds us.
Finnick is on guard with Mags, having offered to volunteer to 'give the lovebirds some private time together'. I hadn't argued or scoffed at his mocking – all I'd wanted since she's appeared at the Cornucopia had been to hold her in my arms and breathe her in. And that's what I was doing, right now. It felt right.
"Well, including the one who fell off her launch pad yesterday-" I shake my head against her, my fingers finding hers along her stomach.
"She did it on purpose. Don't confuse it."
"Alright – okay. Fifteen in total, I think. The pairs from District's 5, 9 and 10 all died in the original launch, the one from 6 with Cecelia – from 8 – and Woof, her partner. Seeder was killed in the acid, Blight hit the force field two days ago and Cashmere and Gloss disappeared somehow..." Her voice drifts off as the shiver runs down my spine. She doesn't need to mention Wiress, I was there for that one.
There have been so many deaths already. So many dead Victors. It makes me nauseous.
"How long have I been gone?" I press on, distracting myself so that I don't think about what's happened to Brutus since we've yet to hear the cannon sound.
"Six days. You missed two before the launch and then we've been in here for four, well, five now. I think. I keep losing track, I'm sorry," Her body shudders next to mine and I pull myself closer, pressing my lips to the crux of her neck.
"Don't apologize, I wasn't here to help, I should be the one saying sorry."
The hiss emanating from her lips and the groan that echoes out of her chills me to the bone as she rolls over in my arms. Something seems worse than just some buggered up ribs, but I refuse to linger on it. She has to be alright. She will be alright.
"What happened to you in there? Mags told us some stuff, but we can barely understand her. All I got out of it was that they fixed her bones and made her watch old videos – that doesn't seem so bad. I don't think it could be that easy, not for a Victor," She rushes on, her eyes searching mine in the dark.
I close them reactively, terrified that she'll see what I've seen and run for the hills. I couldn't stand it if she had to witness what I had.
"They gave me a new leg," I murmur, my eyes still closed tight. She tries to sit up quickly but falters, pausing mid-movement to let out a yelp. I join her, knowing instinctively what she's searching for as I pull up my pant leg to where the pincers lock into my skin. They shine red in the darkness, swollen and angry. I let her fingers wander over it carefully, sliding along the ridges and calming the enflamed skin.
"Does it hurt?"
"Only a bit." I lie, looking over her shoulder to where Mags is watching me.
"What else?" She asks carefully, drawing my attention back to her with her hand on my jaw. I meet her head on, debating whether to tell her the truth or make up some story. I don't want to lie, but part of me just thinks it'll be better this way.
"We did some fighting training. And watched old Victor's tapes. Kinda like what we were doing back in 12, but more intense." I go for the half-truth, banking on the safe side so that I don't push her away in fear. Narrowing her eyes, there's a long pause between when I speak and when she opens her mouth to reply.
"I've spent too many days and nights with you Peeta to know when you're lying to me," She warns, her hands gripping my fingers over my thigh. I clench my eyes shut and lay back down, pulling her reluctant form with me.
"We watched people get tortured on video tape. For hours, alright?" I hiss, too ashamed at what I've seen to look at her while I admit it.
The first thing I feel is her palm on my cheek, then her lips on mine. It's a chaste kiss, only barely touching my lips, but it's still surprising.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," Her voice ghosts over me as her forehead slides against mine, coming to rest at my cheek as she slowly lays down next to me again.
"It was worse than our Games," I reply, just as the images begin to flash through my mind again. They haunt worse than a nightmare, riling me up when I'm still awake.
"What do you think they did it for?"
"I don't know – maybe to desensitize us? It just made me really angry." I run my hand through my hair and pull on the ends, daring my body to feel pain in any part of me that isn't my leg. It doesn't much help, but still I keep trying as Katniss wraps herself against me.
We lay there in silence for a while, listening to the waves crest on the shore as the silence drags on. At one point, I think that she's finally found some sleep when her breathing evens out. I'm startled when her hand grabs my collar tightly.
"I'm worried about you," She whispers so quietly that I can barely hear it in my ear. "It seems too easy – right? Like there's something more," She voices my fears, bringing up what I don't dare say out loud.
"Don't think about it. Please, Katniss. I came here with a purpose – let me do that and everything will be fine," I reply, trying to force the tension out of my body.
The silence consumes us once more, dragging her down into the depths of sleep while I stare at the false stars above us.
It's only an hour or two before Finnick is at my side, rousing us with a plate of shelled fish and telling us that we need to get a move on before the rain comes.
Another day passes of rotating through the clock. Beetee starts to mutter to himself about coils and wires and electricity but I can barely take any of it in. Nobody else seems really too intent on listening either, everyone is more focused on keeping an eye out for the wounded Brutus.
Mags and I both share desperate looks when we realize that he's likely survived based on what they've done to us as volunteers.
That's when I stop spending time alone with Katniss. That's when she notices it immediately.
"What are you trying to say?"
Her words are like a slap, burning me like a wound.
"I'm saying I think we should have split rotations so no one is in danger. I'll take watch with Mags so that we're segregated and nobody gets hurt."
We've taken a poll, Johanna and Mags agree, but the rest seem to think it foolish to pair up the two altered Tributes. I don't see it that way – all I want is to ensure that I don't strangle Katniss in my sleep one night when I least expect it.
I don't mention to anyone that I've started to hear echoes of Portia giving me tips on the Arena.
"That's stupid!" She nearly spits with rage, clearly seeing my request as a personal offence instead of intended as something to protect her. I nearly sigh, tired of the game where she keeps trying to make sure I live instead of her.
"Just, settle down Katniss. Ok?"
Even Finnick laughs at my words, knowing full well as I do that once they pass my lips they're the last things you should ever say to a scorned Katniss. I don't bother to move away from the incoming slap, prepared to take it on my chin.
But it never connects.
My fist is up, circling around her wrist and squeezing of its own accord, holding her hand at bay. When I realize what I've done, I force myself backwards, stumbling to the sand and crab-crawling to the water's edge. The group looks at me wearily, eying me with contempt.
"That wasn't you, Peeta," Mags calls out, clear as day. It's the most understandable thing she's said since I've known her and that thought gets under my skin.
"I know. This is what I'm saying!" I shout, staying put on the ground, watching everyone with wide eyes. "I can't control myself sometimes, I'm dangerous."
"You've been fine though," Finnick adds, side stepping until he hovers between Katniss and I. Absently, he reaches out an arm and lowers Katniss' palm from where it still hovers in shock from my actions. The tension only rises.
"And what happens when we're not?" Mags suggests, moving carefully closer to where I lay in the sand.
"It'll be fine!" Beetee shouts, startling us all. "You know what's going to happen, it will be fine."
I watch as Johanna's fists clench at her sides, opening and closing like the beat of a heart. Somehow our actions have nicked a nerve in Johanna's operation and she's struggling to hold her temper. I look to Mags nervously and then back to the four of our teammates.
"We need to distance ourselves," I affirm. I stare at Katniss over Finnick's shoulder while I say it, silently promising her that I'll keep her safe no matter the cost. I'll take down every body standing here if I have to.
"No," Katniss finally interjects, stepping forward and moving Finnick out of the way. Johanna lurches for her arm but she shakes it loose, shooting an angry look at her. "We stick together. We use this. We find Brutus and Enobaria, and Chaff, and we deal with them. Then we figure this out."
"Then Mags and I will keep watch, further down the beach," I agree, making for a compromise.
The look on Katniss' face, like I'm abandoning her, shocks straight to my system and makes my gut clench in response. Her shoulders fall a little as she nods, looking back at the other three and seeing if they agree.
With each nod of the head, Mags and I become a tool of the team, and no longer part of it. We're different now – there's no going back.
The first watch is difficult. Katniss tries repeatedly to join us on watch, each time getting shot down or told to go rest. She doesn't take it lightly, pulling out all the stops as she tries to remind me of what I don't have to miss at home. She forgets that everything I need is right here with me and that when these Games end, so do I.
It's only into the second hour when Mags starts discussing her transformation with me in speckled detail. She tries hard to make her words clear, but constantly seems to get lost in a slip of the tongue or a fall back into a language that I have no comprehension of.
For what I do follow along with, she had a very similar treatment to mine. They doped her up magnificently and gave her a medicine to heal the osteoporosis that she apparently suffered from which in turn made her body behave in a younger fashion. Her command training was subtly different, focusing on tasks and word manipulations so that she could speak clearer and use her words to steer her intent. I'm most surprised by this development, purely based on the fact that she has Finnick's ear who in turn has Johanna's.
Which in the end, means Katniss and I are the target of this alliance, should it dissolve too quickly.
I'm a little more candid in my descriptions, relaying only partial bits of what training I've received. There's no hiding the alteration to my leg and the way they've increased my strength, that's a given with the way I move now, but I don't tell her about the command combinations in full. I minimize it, instead focusing on the idea of movement control and dealing with that change. Mags doesn't question it and I start to wonder if she manipulated me in the same way.
As the hours pass, Mags takes the lead on gathering food from the water, knowing which fish to pull and which to leave alone. She teaches me how to spin a net with my twine and clean the fish with my knife, preparing them for the rest of the group as the sun crests over the trees.
"Good morning." I lean over Katniss, my fingers tapping on her chin to wake her from her sleep. I try not to notice that she's distanced herself from the others, choosing instead to curl up alone off to the side instead of lying on the mat weaved earlier in the day.
"Is it time to move?" She asks, her hands covering her eyes as she avoids me.
"Not yet – breakfast first."
Setting down her plate at her nose, I try to ignore the sting of rejection as I wander back towards Mags on the edge of the water. I attempt not to be annoyed with the way Katniss has chosen to treat me in light of this decision – it's the right one, and it won't matter in a few days anyways when she's the Victor.
In the distance, I hear the click of the insects in the nearby section and try to hum to myself to cover up the haunting sound.
"Today we try the plan," Beetee surprises us by walking up behind. His voice seems far away as we watch him scan the skyline and focus on a place in the distance. "How many hours until the lightning?"
"Four, I think," I reply, trying to process the math in my head. Beetee nods in agreement and settles down to eat his portion of the meal. Slowly the others join us, forming a careful circle around the food. Katniss stays off for as long as she can before Johanna drags her over and forces her down next to me. Resting my hand on her leg, I watch her out of the corner of my eye as Beetee explains what we're going to do.
"So we kill everything?" Johanna pipes up at the end, her eyes sparking with the thought. My hand inadvertently squeezes on Katniss' thigh and she covers it with hers, quietly reassuring me that we're still in this together.
"Exactly," Beetee confirms.
"And then what about us? Two Victors was a little much last year – I don't think we could get away with six," I mumble, pointing out the obvious.
"We'll get to that bridge when we have to cross it," Mags replies carefully, her thin fingers patting my shoulder comfortingly. Though honestly, not much comfort can be had from that realization.
We pack up what we can of the temporary camp and head clockwise around the beaches, determined to reach the section with the tree with enough time to set the trap. For the duration of the hike, Katniss refuses to let me out of her sight, entwining her hand in mine and reassuring me that I'm not a danger to anyone.
I try not to scoff. I try to savour the time I have with her. Every time she mentions it I steer us back to conversations from home and recounts of our favourite memories. She tells me more about her father and Prim, while I regale her with stories of the bake shop.
When we finally reach the base of the tree, deep in the woods and up the mountainous hill, Mags and I opt to separate ourselves from the group by running the wire to the water as per Beetee's plans. Only Katniss objects, as she has done to anything that takes me further than five feet from her.
"I'll meet you when it's over, in the next section," I affirm, placing a kiss on her knuckles as my other arm pulls her to my chest. We cling to each other for a moment before she pulls away, wiping her fist against her eyes.
"Let's get this shit done," She grunts and sniffs, trying to hide the tears that threaten to fall.
Beetee takes the lead on the plan and wraps the wire, handing the spool to me and nodding his good luck. I don't stick around for a further goodbye, instead racing off into the depths of the trees and down the slope with better footing than the day I came in. Mags is quick on my heels, offering to take the spool about halfway down.
"I've got it," I reply, just as my false foot catches in a looped vine. My heavy body comes crashing down with a thump as the spool falls from my hands.
"Don't worry – I'm on it," Mags shouts, scooping it up and bolting down the hill. We don't have much time so I don't even bother to argue as I get back to my feet and follow the golden wire down the hill. Up ahead, I see Mags disappear beyond the breach of the trees just as a net comes tangling into my legs. I don't get a step further as I come crashing down, thrashing at the entangling thread that surrounds me.
That's when I notice that the wire has been cut. Struggling harder, I try to pull myself free of the golden string only to find my hands bloody and ripped with each pull. I pause, sucking in a breath and try to relax as I begin to slip it off of first my feet, then my shins. It takes too long and I know the timing is about to be missed when Katniss comes bolting out of the trees with her bow in hand.
"Peeta!" She screams and it echoes around us. For a second, I debate whether to stay away. I'm not given the choice when another body breaks through the trees and traps her to the ground. My fake leg remains only partially tangled when I throw myself into the fray, adding a third body and a hell of a lot of confusion to the fight.
Enobaria is incredibly powerful, kicking out her legs and lashing her teeth at my arm to draw blood.
Left grab, knee tuck, toss
The voice rings out in my head and I don't have a chance to be terrified of the command before my hand is reaching out and gripping the woman's hair and thrusting it down towards my knee. The contact vibrates through my bones as I feel her jaw smash and her body go limp before I throw her away.
The cannon booms.
"Peeta," Katniss whimpers, staring at me as I huff out above her. I force myself to my feet, pushing back from her and kicking my leg finally free of the gold wire. Wiping my jaw of the trickle of blood that creeps down my chin from where someone hit me, I look away, desperate to have Katniss pull herself together before its too late.
I don't need to wait any longer.
Katniss is back on her feet, rushing up towards the tree where she's just come from. I follow behind quickly, keeping pace with her unlike I've ever been able to do before. When we reach the tree the first thing we see is an unconscious Beetee, lying at its base with blood pouring from his arm. Picking up the wire from the ground, Katniss lifts and attaches it to an arrow, frantically tying a knot I've only seen Finnick complete in such quick time.
"He tried to pierce the force field," Katniss says, catching me off guard.
I hear the other body bursting through the trees before I see him, launching towards us with a barred knife.
"Finnick!" Katniss shouts, startled and dropping the arrow as he grips her arm tightly in his hands.
"This will only hurt for a moment," He shouts, and digs the blade into her arm. I'm on him in a flash, ripping him backwards and tossing him to the ground with such a force that the knife falls from his fist. He eyes me carefully before rolling over and grabbing at the blade. Faster than I think, he launches himself towards me and we tumble down the hill with a new found force.
"Get off!" I growl when my back hits a tree stump and my muscles scream in shock. Finnick's hands find my throat as he tries to subdue me. In the back of my mind, I'm wondering where all of my command powers are right now.
"Just – trust me," Finnick gasps as his fingers wrap around my throat. I feel the blade enter my skin and flick just as the explosion rings out around us.
AN: Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I meant to get this out sooner but I got caught up in the other story and so it got two updates instead of this one and now I feel bad because I promised at the beginning that I would wrap up Swingsets before I got carried away with Watcher but now I've lied. Sorry to all you lovely readers who have had to wait far too long for this update!