Renata stood with her hand on her hip, looking at the point on the cornucopia. She felt a twinge of guilt for writing Wiress off as being in shock when it turned out she had figured out the arena before the rest of them had. It was a genius design, perfect for something as big as a Quarter Quell. She wasn't sure if Seneca would have been floored by Plutarch's brilliance or jealous that he hadn't come up with the idea himself.
"The tail points at twelve," Peeta motioned with his machete.
"That's where lightning strikes that big tree at noon and midnight," Katniss affirmed, pointing the tree out to Beetee.
Rini watched the older man squint into the distance and murmur to himself, his grip on the coil tight.
Peeta was drawing a diagram of the arena in the sand, naming what lay waiting in the sections they knew. "As long as we stay clear of the ones we haven't been in, we should be safe."
"Couldn't we just stay on the beach?" Rini offered, frowning. Behind her there was a strangled gasp and she whirled around, seeing that Gloss had sunk his knife into Wiress' neck. Before she could react, an arrow flew by her and pierced him in his bare chest and he fell into the water, taking Wiress with him.
The Careers had found them. Cashmere came running from around the other side of the cornucopia and Johanna didn't hesitate shoving Katniss out of the way, sinking her axe deep into the blonde woman's chest. Three cannons had sounded before Renata had any time to react. How had three more people died?
She turned around, having been nearly backed into the mouth of the cornucopia, and felt the blood drain from her face when Brutus pulled himself up onto the rock. Her spearhead plunged into his shoulder and Renata thought he was going to back off, but he wrapped his hand around the pole and yanked forward, meaning to send her flying into his arms.
Finnick grabbed her arm hard and pulled her back and proceeded to singlehandedly beat back the Careers from Two, his trident clanging against Brutus' weapon. She stumbled back against Peeta, whom she gripped tightly. For a second she was afraid Finnick had thrown her back into the arms of another Career. He seemed as clueless as she did, caught in the middle of the fighting without a chance to jump in and help.
Finnick cried out in pain and her head snapped around towards the sound, a shock of fury going through her when she saw that Enobaria had landed a blow on him. Blood seeped through his fingers when he clamped his hand around his arm and Renata grabbed another spear from one of the many weapon racks on hand, running past him to pursue the retreating Careers.
"Rini!" He called after her.
The ground shuddered beneath her feet and she lurched forward, throwing her arm out to catch herself against the side of the cornucopia. Had she just lost her footing? No, the cornucopia was definitely moving. She fell down to her knees and clung to the rocks as hard as she could, the arena turning into a blurred mess. The contents of her stomach threatened to reappear and she squeezed her eyes shut, praying that it would stop. The rocks cut into her palms as she held on tighter, feeling like she would go flying off the pedestal at any second. Finally, the spinning seemed to slow, but her insides didn't stop their spinning completely.
Her vision was blurred when she opened her eyes and she took a deep breath to calm her stomach. She could hear someone coughing and she struggled to her feet, her legs trembling as she walked around to the mouth of the cornucopia.
"Are you alright?" Finnick stepped up to her and looked her over, eyes wide with worry. She could have sworn there was a hint of annoyance in his look, like it was her fault that they kept getting separated.
"I'm fine. Is everyone else okay?"
Beetee stood near the cornucopia, while Johanna and Peeta had moved to one of the spokes. Katniss lay on the rocks, sputtering and waterlogged. There were six of them now.
"Let's just get what we need and get off this bloody island!" Johanna exclaimed.
"How's your arm?" Renata asked. She gently laid her hand on him and bit her lip when he flinched.
"I've had worse," he shrugged.
"So besides Brutus and Enobaria, who's left?" Katniss asked once the group stopped at the edge of the beach. Branches from the jungle cast a nice bit of shade and Rini closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the coolness on her skin.
"Maybe Chaff? Just those three."
"They know they're outnumbered. I doubt they'll attack again," Finnick mused. "We're safe here on the beach."
Rini nodded in agreement, not having any desire to find out what was lurking in the other sections of the arena, no matter what time it was. She looked across the water at the empty tree line, shivering. Were the others watching them? Seeing what their move was before they made their counter measures? Coming face to face with Brutus wasn't something she wanted to do again, and her stomach knotted with guilt when she thought of Finnick jumping in front of her to protect her. She let her hand fall from his arm and brush against the back of his hand, feeling him automatically move to entwine his fingers with hers.
Her blood ran cold when she heard the sound of a little girl screaming Katniss' name and she barely blinked before Katniss was running past her into the jungle.
"Katniss, wait!" Finnick reached for his trident, but Rini moved faster.
"I'll go!" She called over her shoulder and chased after Katniss. She could hear the sounds of the girl running and the elusive screams for help. "Hey! You okay?" She asked, coming upon her in a clearing.
"Rini!" Leona's voice screamed, clear as day in the arena.
Renata shot forward towards the sound, crying out for Leona. No, God no, they had gotten to her! How? There wasn't anything she could do in here. "Leona!" She screamed. "Where are you?!"
"Stop!" Katniss' hand clamped down on her shoulder, keeping her in one place. "It's not real, they're jabberjays! They're mutts!" Her face turned pale when a boy's voice cried for her and she shook her head in disbelief. "Gale…"
"No, they've gotten to them!" Renata cried, tears in her eyes. How else had they gotten their screams? The kids were calling for her now, a desperate tone to their voices that pulled at her heartstrings. Who was hurting them? Tears rolled down her face. "They're just kids! They didn't do anything!"
Katniss took her hand and yanked on it, pulling her back through the jungle and towards the beach. The foliage crashed around them and the jabberjays dive-bombed from above, turning the sky black with the fury of their beating wings. There was a sharp pain on her ear and a particularly loud scream and Rini felt blood running down her neck. This was worse than any blood rain.
The two girls crashed through a tangle of vines and at last they saw the others. Peeta was waving his hands, his eyes wide. His mouth was moving but his voice couldn't be heard above the screaming. Katniss hit the force field first and beat her hands against it, trying to break through.
Renata skidded to a halt and she pounded on the invisible force field, looking at Finnick with wide eyes. He was right there, right in front of her and he could do nothing but stare at her helplessly.
"Help me!" she screamed at him as she slammed her fists against the barrier, feeling Katniss fall to the ground beside her.
Leona had forgiven her for Cecil and now what? She should have stayed away. She knew she would do nothing but bring harm to the rest of them. Her eardrums were ringing and she stopped hitting the force field to claw at her ears. If she could only make the screaming stop!
Her knees hit the ground beside Katniss and she shook her head, screaming so hard her throat burned. The feeling she had fought so hard to rid herself of after Seneca and Cecil dying came alive in her chest with such a sudden ferocity that she clutched one hand to it, falling down on her side. Maybe it would be easier if she stopped fighting and just gave in.
Feathers fluttered to the ground all around the fallen girls, the birds unrelenting in their attack. Renata's eyes looked up, out of focus as she slipped slowly out of consciousness.
Someone shook her shoulder hard and she sat up, eyes wide. Her cracked sob was muffled against Finnick's shoulder and she clawed at him, shaking so hard that she moved him. "What's happened to them?" she coughed against his skin, her lips trembling. Her heart was pounding and the skin around her ears was sore, no doubt from her desperate clawing.
"They're fine, they didn't touch them," Finnick whispered in reassurance. He winced when she grabbed his injured arm without thinking but made no comment. "They're okay."
Johanna seemed to think the same way, but everyone in Panem knew who Katniss' sister was. Leona was just a widowed woman; there were no national broadcasts with her face in it. No one would riot if anything were to happen to her or her children. It would go about unnoticed. Still, her shaking lessened and she let go of Finnick, another pang of guilt hitting her when she saw his bloodied arm.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, eyes red from crying. He helped her to her feet and steadied her with a hand at her lower back. "Finnick…"
"Let's get you some water." He led her out of the jungle and onto the sand, not stopping until they were in the surf.
Renata closed her eyes and felt the water push and pull against her, an invitation to sweep her out further. Only there was nowhere she could go when she was trapped inside the arena. She took a breath and then submerged herself in the salt water, feeling a slight tingling at her ear where she had been cut. Her lungs burned but it was a good, familiar feeling. Most kids in Four could hold their breaths from upwards of several minutes. Would her child grow up to know the same? If she made it out alive, what world awaited them? What life would her child, her and Finnick's child, have? She had always wanted to make a new life for herself, now it included someone else. She ran her hand along the small swell of her stomach and burst out of the water, gasping.
Finnick started beside her, looking at her worriedly. "You okay?" He offered her a makeshift cup of water and grunted when she jumped onto him, making him fall down into the water. He laughed and coughed when they resurfaced, holding her waist and raising his brow. "If you're trying to drown me, I have bad news for you."
"Let's not get separated anymore. I'm staying with you no matter what," Renata whispered, her hands on his shoulders. "I promise." She smiled and felt her heart pounding at her discovery. She and Finnick had made a life together, and that was beautiful. This was the new beginning she wanted.
Finnick gave her a strange look but smiled, nodding. "I'm glad to hear it." He closed his eyes when she kissed him tenderly, unable to imagine what the people watching were saying. Something felt different, like a wall he hadn't known was there was suddenly gone and he could feel her again. His fingers brushed her cheek and a dimpled grin lit up his face, still unable to explain what he was feeling. Maybe she felt it too. "Together till the end?"
She nodded and kissed him again, letting her lips linger on his for a long moment before Johanna called for them. She stood up and started back up towards the camp, stopping when Finnick grabbed her hand.
"We could just stay here," He offered with a smile.
Renata smiled back but she shook her head. "No we can't." They couldn't stay put any longer. She had a feeling that the finale was close and they needed their wits about them. His fingers wove together with hers and they moved together as one unit, drawing their strength from one another.
Beetee looked up at them, glasses slung low on his nose. "I have a plan."
Remember how I said that this was the last chapter? Funny story, I didn't realize how much I had left to write for them! So this is the chapter before the last chapter! Sorry about that! I do appreciate your patience and hope that this chapter tickled your fancy. I can't wait for the end of this story and the adventure into the last story for Renata and Finnick! I can't believe it! Thanks for sticking around and if you could leave a review to let me know what you thought, loved, hated, that would be great! See you soon!
-Kelsey xx