"We have to get back,"I say desperately."Please, we have to go get her. Please."

Plutarch gives me a sad look."I'm afraid that isn't an option. We have to get in position near the arena. The whole point was to break out those girls. That was the plan all along."

"My brother's still in the Capitol, too,"Cashmere says gently."We just have to trust they'll get out. They let us go ahead because they wanted us in safety first. We go back now, your sister is screwed. No matter if we get your escort and the others, we definetly lose your sister."

I realise she's right. No matter how much I want her to be wrong, she isn't. I nod and walk over to where Haymitch is sitting, spitting insults at Finnick and pressing an icepack to his jaw. Without saying anything, I climb onto his lap and curl up. He sighs, stops talking to Finnick altogether and wraps an arm around me."It'll be okay, kiddo. Somehow."

Fulvia walks in and switches on a big screen, displaying the Games. Celeste checks the time and then a chart she's holding."We're running slightly behind our plan but still within the timeframe."

On screen, the alliance has reached the lightning tree. Olive is helping Curie, unrolling yards upon yards of the wire and securing it tightly around a broken branch and placing it on the they stand on either side of the tree, passing the spool back and forth as they wrap the wire around and around the trunk. At first it seems arbitrary, then I see a pattern, like an intricate maze, appearing in the moonlight on Curie's side. I wonder if it makes any difference how the wire's placed, or if this is merely to add to the speculation of the audience. I bet most of them know as much about electricity as I do.

Once they're done, Curie presses the spool of wire into Olive's hands.

"No way,"the girl from Two says,"I'm staying to guard you. Katniss can go."

My sister agrees readily enough, but Curie shakes her head, pointing at Katniss's bow and arrows. Olive frowns."Okay, so Madge and Demeter go. Katniss and I'll guard you."

"No way,"Katniss says, echoing Olive's sentiment from seconds before,"If I stay, you have to go. If the Careers intercept whoever has the wire, there's a better chance if you're there. Otherwise we're screwed."

"Alright,"Olive relents,"I'm taking Demeter, then. You and Madge have a better chance at keeping Jayjay safe. If you don't, I swear I'll personally fuck you up."

Katniss rolls her eyes."Whatever. We've got it."

Demeter takes the spool while Olive takes Curie's face in her hands and kisses her forehead."Be safe, okay? I'll see you at midnight." Then she turns to Demeter."I'll guard, you'll unwind. Let's go."

I watch as they run down the slope, midnight ticking nearer and nearer. And then the Careers show up on screen and my heart almost stops. No. We're so close. No, no, no, not now.

But Jonsa points out the wire and Glamour signals for her and Sapphire to follow it upwards before cutting the wire. Demeter and Olive freeze as the wire snaps around their heels, spinning around and looking for the Careers. When they aren't immediately upon them, Olive seems to come to the conclusion that they must be attacking the others. She takes of running back up the slope, screaming at the top of her lungs."Curie!"

Demeter takes of running after her but loses sight of her in the dark jungle. At the same time, Curie is wrapping the loose end of the wire around one of Katniss's arrows, pushing it into her hands and gesturing urgently.

"The force field,"Madge says,"She wants you to shoot the force field!"

Olive is still barreling through the trees when suddenly, she's stopped by Glamour. The two face off for a few seconds, then Olive launches herself at her, knocking her to the ground and pummeling her with her fists, yelling incoherent nonsense in a fit of rage.

I have to fight the urge to hide my face against Haymitch's shoulder, forcing myself to watch what is happening. Curie has her hands held up, slowly lowering one finger after the next, counting down for Katniss to loose her arrow.

Plutarch Heavensbee and Celeste Horan are giving last minute orders, telling people to get into position, to be ready. The pilot confirms that we're right where we are suppossed to be.

As Katniss lets the arrow fly, I turn away, unable to see if it actually works. Any second, I'll either have my sister back or have lost her forever. It has to work, it just has to, but I can't bare looking.

I look around the room to the others instead. Everyone looks about as nervous as I feel, Celeste biting her lower lip, Plutarch pacing, Finnick staring at the screen as if looking away were impossible for him. The pilot is pulling up data on a screen of his own, numbers and coordinates and bird-view footage of the arena, not that you can make out much except for the lightning tree and lots of jungle. Red crosses mark the tributes' locations and a big, green circle seems to be ours. I stare at those markings for a few seconds, not quite sure why it makes my heart beat even faster. Then I realise what's wrong."We're not near Katniss."

I say it so quietly, no one reacts. Getting to my feet, I raise my voice."We're not near Katniss. Why aren't we near Katniss? You said we were in position. Why aren't we near my sister?"

My voice is getting louder and shriller with each word until I'm almost screaming, but no one pays me any attention as lighting strikes the tree and the dome over the arena bursts into dazzling blue light. I can only watch as the claw drops from our hovercraft, like the ones they use to collect the dead, plucking up Olive before moving and dropping her in our craft before going down again.

I hear her raging in the next room and, reluctant as I am to leave this room before I know they got Katniss, I run after Finnick as he rushes towards her voice, anger and panic mingling to the point where it's hard to make out a single word she's screaming.

I reach the room to find two guards trying to calm her or atleast hold her still as she claws at every inch of them she can reach. A woman in white is carefully inching her way closer to them, a syringe in hand.

"Leave her alone,"I yell at the same time as one of the guards spits,"Just knock her out already!" and the woman rams the needle into Olive's neck and the girl limply sacks in the guards' hold on her.

Without checking on the girl she injected with whatever tranquilizer that was, the woman moves to check on bloodied, unconcious Glamour, the second tribute the claw retrieved.

Just as it returns for a third time, depositing Demeter uncerimoniously on the cold floor, Haymitch steps into the room, his face grim.

"No,"I whisper, knowing what he'll tell me just from the look in his eyes."No, no, no. Haymitch, no."

He shakes his head sadly, looking defeated, almost broken."They got them. The Capitol got them all."

)o(

I updated out of regular order to wish you all a very meryy Christmas! Yay!

Or less yay if you're Prim

But we aren't so yay!