Enemies
Katniss could barely see. Her head throbbed, her throat ached, and her arm was burning so caustically that she was convinced for one hysterical second that she really was the girl on fire. Maybe Johanna hadn't just bludgeoned and stabbed her but lighted a flint against her skin too. The tiny, fuzzy voice of logic told her that if her blood had been pounding enough to spray her in the face that the skin couldn't be burnt.
As Brutus and Enobaria's footsteps faded into the distance more of her wits returned. A bare minimum to be sure but the overwhelming reminder that she needed to be protecting Peeta was all she needed. Her legs were made of rubber and her torso couldn't support her weight but she still managed to stand. The little bit of the world that she could see swam before her eyes, her heart thudded dully, and with sheer force of will she took a step. Another, and another until she was almost hidden by the jungle foliage.
Not fast enough- someone else was coming. And coming too quickly to be anyone but-
"Katniss! Johanna!"
Finnick's voice was strained and shaky- or was that her hearing? She couldn't tell, she didn't care. There was no fear, just a hot, sticky sort of anger that strangled her. Rage, hurt, betrayal. Finnick had betrayed her. He had saved Peeta, kept them safe, lost his mentor, held her as she sobbed into the night and then conspired with Johanna Mason to get her killed and claim the prize for his own.
And to think, she had hesitated over the thought of him dying.
"Katniss!"
He found her. She turned as sharply as she could, which was not so sharply at all, and tried to give him her most impressive scowl, which wasn't so impressive. But from what she could glean from his blurry features, he didn't notice or react. In fact, if she could trust her spotty vision (which she didn't think she could) he looked worried. Frantic, really. Features pinched and eyes wild.
Good, she thought savagely. Then she blinked stupidly as his actions caught up with her- he was reaching out for her uninjured arm. Katniss jerked back fiercely.
"Get away from me!" She hissed, voice as venomous as her glares didn't manage. Finnick didn't withdraw, but an uninhibited wave of sadness washed over his face.
"Come one! Katniss we have to go!"
"Not with you!"
Seemingly tired with arguing and too frantic to gather himself, Finnick reached out and grabbed her hand. Katniss bucked, drawing back. He looked at a loss, bloodless and confused and so helpless that for the tiniest moment her rage abated.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, and before she could ask why- or more likely shoot his statement down- he grabbed her again and gathered her into a tight embrace.
He's going to kill me! Katniss' mind shrieked, but her heart slowed as her body remembered what her mind refused to acknowledge- that night-long hug that chased away the worst remnants of Prim's screaming.
"Why?" She asked. Finnick pulled away, his hands on her shoulders.
"There's no time," he said hurriedly, and without further ado he hefted her bodily over his shoulder. The action canceled out the gentle tightness of his hug and she flailed instinctively. Her fist connected with the surprisingly soft flesh of his cheek, but he only turned and carried her back into the jungle.
"Put me down! Let me go!" She kicked at him, boots thumping at his back not-too-weakly. Finnick's grip was as gentle as it could be to keep her in place on his shoulder.
"If I could I would! There's no time, you need to get out!"
Out? Out where? There was no out, not for her. For her there was death, maybe at Finnick's own hand. But there was out for Peeta- Peeta!
"I need to get to Peeta! I need to go! I need to get to him!"
"I know! I'm trying! Can you stop kicking me?"
It wasn't Finnick's plea but his assertion that he was bringing her to Peeta that caused her to stop whacking him. What the hell was going on? The world was bouncing, Finnick was carrying to her Peeta, Johanna had tried to kill her- the only thing that was sure was the quiver on her back and the bow she forgot she'd been clutching in her hand.
-The bow. Could she string it from this position? Could she hit him? What if she stabbed him through the neck with an arrow? That might work, and even if he felt her move Katniss instinctively felt that he wouldn't stop her. He hadn't reacted to her words, her fist, her kicking- he might just let her kill him then and there.
"We're almost there," he informed her, and Katniss knew that she could not kill him. Not now. Not like this. She needed something to ground her, to tell her what was right and what was wrong. That should have been Peeta, but her hands went to Finnick's waist and she held him, searching for something in him that she knew would make things clear.
There wasn't enough time. Footsteps were coming up behind them now and she knew somehow that they were not Johanna's. Too fast to be Peeta's or Beetee's, it had to be- Enobaria, right? Or... Chaff was still alive, wasn't he? Either of them could signal both of their deaths.
Finnick must have heard them too, because his strides slowed and she felt herself being lowered gently to the ground. Her legs wobbled but he steadied her and caught her gaze firmly.
"Go- run. Don't stop until it's time." He raised a finger at the start of her protest. "You'll know, okay? You'll know."
He pushed her, a gentle tap against her shoulder to signal to her to move. She followed his guidance, too woozy to think, and ran away from him. Not a moment too soon, as the sound of shouts and conflict echoed in her wake.
Surprisingly sure strides brought her far enough away to look around her surroundings. Katniss knew where she was. The lightning tree. Or, rather, just close enough to identify her position. She wasn't on the tree but looking down she realized that there was something underfoot. Delicate looking, golden in the artificial afternoon light.
The wire. But hadn't it been cut? And going the other way? This was... the extra wire, the bit that hadn't been discussed. Still connected to the tree, still a powerful tool if she used it the right way.
With minutes to go until the electricity would surge, there wasn't much time left to think. She picked up the end of the wire and drew a bow from her quiver. A quick knot was made around the arrow's base- it would hold for a shot, and one shot was all she was going to get. The question was who, now. Who would be on the receiving end of this death sentence?
The sounds of a scuffle weren't too far behind. Finnick and whomever he was fighting. If she scrambled fast enough she could take either down. Perhaps Johanna or the last remaining tribute would be there; either of them would make for a good target. She had no idea where Beetee was at the moment but it didn't matter- even if he was masterminding all of their demises, something primal and pained clenched in her stomach at the thought of killing the older inventor with his own ingenious creation.
"Katniss!" A voice she recognized above all others consumed her and she knew she was hallucinating. She had to be, because Peeta had been separated from her and Finnick didn't have enough time to bring them together.
But there he was- broad shoulders, worried eyes, lines cutting across his face that were intimately familiar and loved in whatever capacity she could manage. Peeta. Peeta was here, running towards her, and as he came so did Haymitch's last words.
Don't forget who your enemies are.
In one crystallizing moment of pure clarity, Katniss realized that everything was wrong. They had all been kids here, once, and now here they were again. Broken, used by the Capitol and sentenced to a life of nightmares and guilt and self-loathing- and then deposited back in the arena that would never have left them anyway.
All of it, Finnick's arms, Johanna's eye rolls, Beetee's careful calculations, the thin veneer of confidence on the Careers faces, Prim's scream, Peeta- it was all wrong. None of them would die at her hands. Not again, not ever again.
I know who my enemies are, she thought. And it was the clearest thing she could muster since Johanna had clobbered her across the head. With narrowed eyes, and feeling Peeta finally join her side, Katniss strung her arrow and scanned the sky.
There it was, a glimmering, out of place section. The chink. Peeta knew- he had to know. His gentle grip on her waist was proof enough. She didn't hesitate. The arrow loosed and flew as sure as any other, lodging into the weak point above them.
They were out of time. Katniss wrapped her arms around Peeta and dove just as the world around them exploded. Lightning forked from the top of the arena, setting the tree alight and electrifying the ground around them. Noises faded into one tearing shriek from the bolt and a few muffled shouts and curses that were summarily swallowed.
Her head seemed to explode too, arms spasming and legs locking as she fought to keep control of her limbs and keep them around Peeta too. He was also bucking under her, caught in the electrical current. Her mind was fading, her body along with it. Above them, cutting through the screeching snaps of the lightning was the hum of a hover craft. Someone must have died, the canon blast lost in the chaos.
Please, please not... But Katniss didn't know who to pray for. She couldn't even bring herself to wish death on Johanna or Enobaria or Chaff. Not now. Not when the thought of death made her stomach roil. The thought of these Games made her want to punch a hole right through that damned forcefield.
But the ladder was descending above her and Peeta, and the hazy form of Plutarch Heavensbee was coming for them. We're not dead. Are we dead? Am I- is Peeta? She couldn't order her thoughts into anything coherent, and as the Head Gamemaker reached out for her she couldn't brace for the killing blow that was sure to land.
He didn't kill her. He did something far worse; a surprisingly gentle hand moved to her eyes and he closed them with his thumb. Now her last remaining sense was gone to her. Whatever they did to her, whatever was to come her way, she would be blind to it.
No, she tried to moan, but losing her sight wouldn't prove to be such a hindrance because she was blacking out anyway. Weakly, she tried to keep her hold on Peeta but Katniss would never know if she was successful as the darkness- her last ally and worst enemy- finally swallowed her whole.
A/N: Ta-da! Action! And the beginnings of a discernable plot! I had such a good time writing this chapter, I hope you enjoy it. This is, of course, going to carry us into the timeframe of Mockingjay, but with a large departure from the plot. So from here on out the chapters will be more cohesive, less "one shots" and much more connected.
I just want to take a moment to extend a gigantic thank you to my reviewers. I know that this isn't the most popular of pairings but I'm so happy that I can provide you all with something that you can enjoy! I have the sweetest, most loyal reviewers and I really appreciate your insight and all the love that you've been sharing. Thank you so, so much- and please continue! It helps me know that I'm going in the right direction!