Morning arrived. The third day of the Quarter Quell has begun.
Everybody was already up and watching the descent of a silver parachute to the beach. Another twenty four rolls from District 3. They each took their share, and ate it.
When they were finished, Katniss spoke to Peeta. "Come on. I'll teach you how to swim." She turned her eyes towards Link, who was just finishing his last to. Katniss caught Link's eye, and signaled for him to follow. Link glanced back at the others, then stood and followed Katniss and Peeta to the sea.
Katniss wasn't actually teaching Peeta how to swim. Link realized that quickly. She wanted to tell something to the three of them, and to the three of them only. Johanna kept a careful eye on them, but eventually lost interest, and went to go take a nap. Beetee was playing with his wire, and Finnick was weaving a new net.
Before Katniss told them the important stuff, she realized that her scabs from the fog were peeling away with the sand and water. She showed Link and Peeta how to rub the scabs off, revealing fresh, new skin underneath.
While they were scrubbing themselves, Katniss spoke. "Look, the pool is down to nine. I think it's time we took off." She said under her voice.
Peeta and Link nodded. Peeta was considering something else too. "Tell you what." He said. "Let's stick around until Brutus and Enobaria are dead. I think Beetee's trying to put together some kind of trap for them now. Then, I promise, we'll go."
"All right." Said Katniss. "We'll stay until the Careers are dead. But that's the end of it." She turned and waved to Finnick. "Hey, Finnick, come on in! We figured out how to make you pretty again!"
The four of them scored all the scabs from their bodies, helping with each other's backs, and come out as pink as the sky. They applied another round of medicine because the skin seemed too delicate for the sunlight. It didn't look half as bad on smooth skin, and would be good camouflage. In the jungle.
Beetee called them over. He had indeed come up with a plan. "I think we can all agree that our next job is to kill Brutus and Enobaria. I doubt they'll attack us openly again, now that they're so outnumbered. We could track them down, I suppose, but it's dangerous, exhausting work."
"Do you think they've figured out about the clock?" Asked Link.
"If they haven't, they'll figure it out soon enough. Perhaps not as specifically as we have. But they must know that at least some of the zones are wired for attacks and that they are reoccurring in a circular fashion. Also, the fact that our last fight was cut off by Gamemaker intervention will not have gone unnoticed by them. We know it was an attempt to disorient is, but they must be asking themselves why it was done, and this, too, may lead them to the realization that the arena's a clock." Said Beetee. "So I think our best bet will be setting our own trap."
"Wait, let me get Johanna up." Said Finnick. "She'll be rabid if she thinks she missed something important."
"Or not." Link heard Katniss mutter under her breath.
When Johanna joined them, Beetee shooed them all back a bit so he can have room to work in the sand. He swiftly drew a circle and divided it into twelve wedges. "If you were Brutus and Enobaria, knowing what you do now about the jungle, where would you feel safest?"
"Where we are now. On the beach." Said Link. "It's the safest place."
"So why aren't they on the beach?" Asked Beetee.
"Because we're here." Said Johanna impatiently.
"Exactly. We're here, claiming the beach. Now where do you go?"
"I'd hide just at the edge of the jungle. So I could escape if an attack came. And so I could spy on us." Said Katniss.
"Also to eat." Finnick added. "The jungle's full of strange creatures and plants. But by watching us, I'd know the seafood's safe."
Beetee smiled. "Yes, good. You do see. Now here's what I propose: a twelve o'clock strike. What happens exactly and noon and midnight?"
"The lightning bolt hits the tree." Said Link.
"Yes. So what I'm suggesting is that after the bolt hits at noon, but before it hits at midnight, we run my wire from that tree all the way down into the saltwater, which it, of course, highly conductive. When the bolt strikes, the electricity will travel down the wire and into not only the water but also the surrounding beach, which will still be damp from the ten o'clock wave. Anyone in contact with those surfaces at that moment will be electrocuted." Said Beetee.
A long pause followed as everyone digested Beetee's words. Could it work?
"Will that wire really be able to conduct that much power, Beetee?" Asked Peeta. "It looks so fragile, like it would just burn up."
"Oh, it will. But not until the current has passed through it. It will act something like a fuse, in fact. Except the electricity will travel along it." Beetee replied.
"How do you know?" Asked Johanna, clearly not convinced.
Beetee sounded slightly surprised. "Because I invented it. It's not actually wire in a usual sense. Nor is the lightning real lightning nor the tree a real tree. You know trees better than any of us, Johanna. It would be destroyed by now, wouldn't it?"
"Yes." She said glumly.
"Don't worry about the wire-it will do just what I say." Beetee assured them.
"And where will we be when this happens?" Asked Finnick.
"Far enough up in the jungle to be safe."
"The Careers will be safe, too, then, unless they're in the vicinity of the water." Katniss pointed out.
"That's right."
"All the seafood will be cooked." Said Peeta.
"Probably more than cooked." Said Beetee. "We will most likely be eliminating that as a good source for good. But you found other edible things in the jungle, right, Katniss?"
"Yes." Came the reply. "Nuts and rats. And we have sponsors."
"Well, then. I don't see that as a problem." Said Beetee. "But as we are allies and this will require all our efforts, the decision of whether or not is up to you five."
Everyone thought about it for a bit. Finally, Link spoke. "Why not? If it fails, there's no harm done. If it works, there's a decent chance we'll kill them. And even if we don't and just kill the seafood, Brutus and Enobaria lose it as a for source too."
"I say we try it." Said Peeta. "Link is right."
Finnick turned to Johanna and raised his eyebrows. "All right." Said Johanna finally. "It's better than hunting them down in the jungle anyway. And I doubt they'll figure out our plan, since we can barely understand it ourselves."
Beetee wanted to inspect the tree before he rigged it. They broke camp, walked over to the beach that bordered the lightning section, and headed into the jungle. Link, Finnick, and Peeta took turns carrying Beetee up the slope, since he was still too weak to make it on his own.
As they neared the tree, Finnick suggested that Katniss took the lead. "Katniss can hear the forcefield."
"Hear it?" Asked Beetee.
"Only with the ear the Capitol reconstructed." Said Katniss. Beetee didn't buy it, but didn't question it either.
"Then by all means, let Katniss go first. Force fields are nothing to play around with." Beetee wiped the steam off his glasses.
When they reached the enormous tree, Katniss told them to wait while she checked the force field. She came back saying, "just stay below the lightning tree."
They divided duties. Link guarded Beetee while he examined the tree, Johanna tapped for water, Finnick weaved more baskets, Peeta collected nuts, and Katniss hunted nearby.
Katniss returned with three dead tree rats. She and Peeta began to roast them and the nuts that Peeta had collected. Beetee was still messing with the tree.
The clicking in eleven o'clock started. It was much louder than on the beach last night. Everyone listened intently.
"It's not mechanical." Said Beetee..
"I think they're insects." Said Link.
"Maybe beetles." Katniss nodded.
"Something with pincers." Finnick added.
The sound swelled.
"We should get out of her, anyway." Said Johanna. "There's less than an hour before the lightning states."
They moved to the blood-rain section, and ate lunch, waiting for the bolt. At Beetee's request, Katniss climbed up into a tree to watch. She reported her findings to Beetee, who seemed satisfied.
They took a circuitous route back to the ten o'clock beach, which was smooth from the wave. Beetee gave them the afternoon off while he worked with the wire. At first, they took turns having naps, but by late afternoon everyone was awake and restless. They gathered a feast of seafood, since it was probably their last chance of having it.
Johanna kept watch while Link, Peeta, Katniss, and Finnick cleaned and laid out the seafood. Peeta pried open an oyster. He laughed suddenly. "Hey, look at this!" He held up a perfect pearl about the size of a pea. "You know, if you put enough pressure on coal it turns to pearls." He said earnestly to Finnick and Link.
Link just looked confused while Finnick spoke. "No, it doesn't." Katniss cracked up.
Peeta rinsed off the pearl, and handed it to Katniss. "For you." Katniss studied it.
"Thanks." She closed her fist over it. She looked coolly into Peeta's eyes.
"The locket didn't work did it?" Asked Peeta. "Katniss?"
"It worked." Katniss replied.
"But not the way I wanted it to." Peeta turned his gaze away from Katniss. Link looked confused again. So did Finnick.
Just as they were about to eat, another parachute appeared with with a small pot of spicy red sauce, and yet another twenty four rolls from District 3. They divided them again.
They ate till they were full, and still had leftovers. They tossed the remaining food in the water.
They waited for night to fall.
R&R plz!
