Lively chatter could not be kept forever. Not in the Arena. It didn't die out either. Beetee called for the young couple—lovebirds, as Johanna referred to them—to begin a discussion over a new plan he was preparing. Not minding the interruption of their intimate moment, the couple joined the rest of the alliance near the treeline to listen to what Beetee had called them for.
"I think we'll all agree our next job is to kill Brutus and Enobaria," he said. "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?" Katniss asked.
"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're 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 us, but they must be asking themselves why it was done, and this, too, may lead them to the realisation that the arena's a clock," replied Beetee. "So I think our best bet will be setting our own trap."
With a swift motion, Beetee swooshed the entire group back a couple of steps. He picked the first thing nearby and drew a circle in the sand without much regard for perfection, and carried on to do twelve wedges.
"If you were Brutus and Enobaria, knowing what you do now about the jungle, where would you feel safest?" Beetee asked.
"Where we are now. On the beach," replied Peeta. "It's the safest place."
"So why aren't they on the beach?" insisted Beetee, like a schoolteacher, trying their best to help the children come to the right conclusions.
"Because we're here," Johanna said impatiently.
"Exactly. We're here, claiming the beach. Now where would you go?" Beetee kept on asking, which brought a sigh to Olive's lips, it was clear that the situation would take a while to come to a conclusion.
"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, who held onto patience for longer than Johanna or Olive could.
"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 at noon and at midnight?"
"The lightning bolt hits the tree," replied Katniss.
"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 is, 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.
The group fell into a deep silence as they thought over Beetee's plan. It wasn't just the dilemma of 'would it work or not', but whether they trusted Beetee enough to put all their lives in danger to electrocute two people. Or at least that was Olive's thoughts. Just by glancing over at Finnick and Johanna, she knew it wasn't theirs. They were already looking at her, mixed feelings flaring in their eyes. She could tell they were hoping for her to accept, to make it simple, to go on with their plan no matter how many 'ifs' she could find.
Then Peeta saved her from having to look into that emotional maze for a few more seconds. "Will that wire really be able to conduct that much power, Beetee? 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," said Beetee.
"How do you know?" Johanna turned her head over to Beetee, as if not convinced.
"Because I invented it," replied Beetee. "It's not actually wire in the usual sense. Nor is the lightning natural 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 nodded.
"Don't worry about the wire — it will do just what I say," Beetee assured.
"And where will we be when this happens?" Finnick asked, not doubting to spare a glance in Olive's direction.
"Far enough up in the jungle to be safe," Beetee replied.
"The Careers will be safe, too, then, unless they're in the vicinity of the water," Katniss pointed out.
"That's right," said Beetee.
"But all the seafood will be cooked," said Peeta.
"Probably more than cooked," answered Beetee. "We will most likely be eliminating that as a food source for good. But you found other edible things in the jungle, right, Katniss?"
"Yes. Nuts and rats. Well, the nuts were Olive's finding, not mine," Katniss said, pointing over to Olive, who nodded mindlessly. "We also have sponsors."
"Pretty good ones, too," Olive commented, her eyes detaching themselves from Beetee's drawing to look at Finnick and Johanna. "And they seem like they will last for a while."
"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 to attempt it is up to you five."
As if they had truly gone back to their school years, which for some had been fewer than for others, the five fell silent at the realisation that, no matter how many worries they could have, none left the most elementary concerns. They were hardly even grasping the plan. It seemed so simple when Beetee explained it, yet they had no idea how to do that themselves. Perhaps that was why he talked like that, for there would be no better way to make them even comprehend what was behind a plan as simple as—going to the tree, wrapping the wire, and then dumping it into the sea.
"Why not?" Katniss broke the silence. "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 food source, too."
"I say we try it," added Peeta. "Katniss is right."
Olive nodded to Peeta's words, but said nothing as she found her husband's eyes already on her, waiting for her decision to voice his own. Johanna did the same, glancing from her to Finnick, as if asking both of them to make up their mind while Finnick raised his eyebrows.
"I vote yes," said Olive plainly.
"All right," Johanna finally spoke. "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."
A great part of that morning was spent moving camp, going hiking in the twelfth section, examining the tree, and diving small tasks. Initially, Olive had none, but decided to tag along with Peeta in gathering nuts out of Katniss's badly hidden worry that he would simply find and eat the wrong kind and get poisoned. She didn't do much, really. Just kneel down to collect those nuts or edible plants she knew and toss away those she knew nothing of. At times, she fired a couple of arrows, taking down tree rats just in case Katniss found nothing during her hunting, which she and Peeta knew would be almost impossible.
Olive tossed a few more nuts into the 'edible pile' that Peeta had formed on the left side of a tree's root. He wasn't too far away, just at sight length, which both had agreed upon sporadically as they worked on their task. Neither would want to scout the jungle searching for the other, with the clock ticking closer to their section with every minute that passed.
"Why are you here with me, Olive?" Peeta began the first sign of conversation ever since they had left the rest of the alliance. "You fit more as a hunter with Katniss than a collector."
Olive crouched down by the pile, making sure every single nut was edible and not poisonous. "Katniss couldn't shake that worried expression off her face. What did you do for her not to trust you around possibly not-edible plants?"
"Almost got myself killed last year for mistaking nightlock for normal berries," replied Peeta like it was nothing.
"That's a good reason. But, hey, you're not alone. I was stupid enough to poison myself with some berries a few… a good few years back… I think… Anyway, I got a good earful from Annie once I got better," mumbled Olive, taking a nut from the pile, which, by its reddish tone, could likely be the embodiment of Katniss's worry. Not that she would let either find out, as she tossed it and made it as if no poison had ever been near Peeta's perfectly neat and edible pile of food. "I guess when one's a healer, it's their job to worry about others."
"Katniss a healer?" Peeta chuckled.
"Not all healers wear white and go around with a syringe in hand, Peeta," said Olive in a light tone. "You and I should know. Annie and Katniss are both very odd healers."
"What about you?" Peeta got up with a handful of nuts to dump onto the pile. "I actually don't think you're a hunter, you know? Not like Katniss… I don't think you're a healer either."
"Well, I could ask you the same," said Olive. "What are you, Peeta Mellark? Or should I say Peeta Everdeen?"
"As of now, I'm a tribute, Olive Navin Odair," Peeta laughed softly, receiving a playful look from Olive.
The comfortable atmosphere let both drown in it for as long as their senses of reality could be shut down, which wasn't for long. Both had responsibilities, and people to care about. Neither was ready to give up, even if one knew how far more than the other did. There was that one recurrent thought, the kind that didn't let them have a good night's sleep even if they tried their hardest or all the tributes left declared a truce during the night.
"So, you and Finnick…" Peeta began, but knew nothing of how to carry on.
"Yeah," Olive nodded. "And you and Katniss. Two married couples in the Games, isn't that a funny coincidence?"
"Mm–hmm," he got closer to place the last nuts on the pile, leaving it ready to dump it all in a bag and take it back to the rest of the alliance. "Olive… If Beetee's plan works, Katniss and I will flee."
"Why are you telling me that?" Olive raised an eyebrow at him. "Shouldn't it be some kind of secret?"
"Not when we want you and Finnick to come with us," said Peeta.
"Wow," Olive blinked in pure confusion, "you're delirious. I think you might need to drink some water, 'cause only dehydration can make someone say something that crazy."
"I'm not joking, being delirious, or ill, Olive," Peeta defended.
"Alright, then, tell me why you would want us to go, 'cause that sounds nuts. C'mon, Peeta, I can't remember my own Games, and even I know that's a bad idea."
"'Cause… if someone has to make it, and it can't be Katniss, I want it to be either you or Finnick."
"And then what, Peeta?" Olive's light tone disappeared with the odd question, which got a confused frown for a reply. "Let's say either Finnick or Katniss make it out of here without us. Then what? I'm not talking about whether they'll survive without us. That's different. Katniss and Finnick can perfectly survive without either of us. I mean living, you really think they could do that? I'm not so sure, Peeta."
"Katniss has her family," Peeta's eyes fell to the ground, as if thinking deeply about something, perhaps someone. "Her sister, her mother, and her cousin, Gale—"
"And those will keep her alive like they've done up until now," Olive smiled. "But, without you, odds bless her because she's gonna need all the help she can get."
"How are you so sure?" asked Peeta, curiosity mixing with fear in his stare.
"Because I would need it too," Olive shrugged her shoulders. "I love my family, and I would definitely survive for them. But living? Without Finnick? I'm not so sure that what I would do could be labelled as 'living'. If there's a reason I even remember who I am, who my family is, or, hell, even who you are, it's him. Without Finnick, I could have turned into a whole other person."
Peeta raised his eyes only to lock them with Olive's. "You love him a lot, don't you?"
"I do." Olive smiled and nodded. "Now, don't tell me that's not the standard for married couples, Mr Everdeen."
"Actually, Mrs Odair, if it's not, it should be." Peeta patted his clothes to rid them of the accumulated dirt that had piled up while gathering and got up. "We should get back to the others."
"Let's go then." Olive secured the bag of nuts and got up as well. "You lead the way, Mr Everdeen."
"You're not going to stop calling me that, are you?"
"Oh, I'm absolutely not going to stop. Not until I forget, at least."
"… I… Fine. Let's go then, Mrs Odair."
Perhaps it was due to not seeing it, but, as the ten o'clock wave made its sonorous presence, Olive managed to function mildly fine as she and Peeta walked back to the improvised camp. The chit-chat could have died out, but she kept her breathing at a normal pace. Her muttering could be rather loud, yet there were no screams, begs, or calls for Annie, so, in Peeta's eyes, it was a great improvement.
Once back, Olive settled next to Johanna, while Katniss and Peeta took it upon themselves to clean and roast the food with the force field. Out of all the tasks, Beetee's could seem the most complicated, yet the most fun. He kept on analysing the tree, taking measurements with Finnick's help, or just muttering to himself like his life depended on it, which, to be fair, it could.
"Maybe I should change Volts' nickname for Nuts," Johanna joked.
"Poor Wiress, don't give her nickname to some crazy man with a…" Olive stared at Beetee up and down. "Did he really just snap that branch to throw it at the force field?"
Johanna could not reply a word as Beetee glanced back at the branch, which had bounced back near the two girls. It was glowing. Not for long, but glowing a blinding colour, nonetheless.
"Well, that explains a lot," said Beetee.
Johanna and Olive exchanged a dubious look, which then caught Peeta and Katniss doing as well, just to have Finnick join seconds later. That branch explained nothing to anyone but Beetee, which made some have to bite down their lips to control themselves from laughing, and others to keep their perfected poker faces even at the chance of catching Beetee's intrigued sight.
Just when Beetee's mumbles had ceased, sounds of clicks rising from the sector right next to them appeared like a warning. It was eleven o'clock, too close to their section for comfort. It was quickly decided, which was sped up greatly thanks to Johanna's intervention, to get everyone up and about, that moving along before the lightning struck would be better than sitting around doing nothing. So the alliance moved camp and had a make-shift picnic at the blood-rain section, where they stayed until the lightning struck, and they could move back to the wave section.
For the rest of the afternoon, the alliance found itself in an odd break, which they knew nothing of how to handle while in the Arena. Waiting to put a plan into action was odd for most, even for Olive. She simply went with the flow, taking the same turn as Finnick to have a nap or talk with Katniss and Peeta when it was Johanna's turn to lie down. It wasn't until late in the afternoon that an idea was proposed. If the seafood would cease to be a food resort from that night on, not having a last taste of it would be wasteful.
To nobody's surprise, Olive opted for not joining, claiming that someone would have to take watch while everyone else followed Finnick's teaching. She didn't end up being alone either. Beetee found fishing too arduous for his body and chose to play around with his wire by Olive's side. They watched everything unfold in a peaceful silence—the four fishing, Katniss and Finnick diving for oysters, Johanna dipping out when it came to clean the catch, Peeta finding a pearl in one of the oysters, and the sweet moment that followed, which ended with Katniss receiving the pearl.
"And there we have it," Johanna pointed to the sky, where a parachute was descending in their direction, "our sponsors are as punctual as ever."
Olive stood behind Finnick as he opened and counted the contents. "What is it this time?"
"Same thing as ever," he replied. "Twenty-four rolls."
"All from District Three?" Olive asked, more to herself than anybody, as she raised her eyes to meet Beetee's. "Wow, you have great sponsors. You'll share some with us, won't you, Beetee?"
"Of course," Beetee smiled.
With little regard over exact divisions, the rolls were distributed, and the feast started. Everyone ate until they were full and not a single person could have another bite. Chatter had ended with their hunger, but got brought back as the pile of unfinished food laid right before their eyes. It was still good to eat, and so it would be for some hours. Enough time for the Careers to take it once they were gone. So, instead of letting them have that fair advantage over them, the alliance chose to dump the remaining food back into the water, and then disperse until it was time to leave.
The young couple undoubtedly preferred to be alone, sitting hand in hand by the water, which was of no surprise to anybody. It had, in fact, sparked an idea in Olive's mind. Not a great one, perhaps, but that pearl Katniss held onto with such devotion was enough to let her overlook the possible bad endings. She held onto her husband's hand as they left Beetee and Johanna to sit by themselves not far from the treeline.
"I have no idea what's going on in your mind." Olive glanced over at Finnick as they sat down. "No, I do know one thing. You're doing everything you can to protect me."
"That's all I've ever done," said Finnick.
"It should be about my turn to protect you now, shouldn't it?" Olive took off her mother's earring, making Finnick frown in utter confusion. "Finnick, whatever you're planning, I can't live without you, OK? Don't do that to me. And don't start naming my family to give me motives to survive. We both know if I ever get out of this arena, it won't be with my memories intact. Not after you…" She took a deep breath in, then out. "If I get back to them, it won't be as… They've suffered enough, Finnick. Six years of constant, 'Will she remember me when she wakes up?' and 'Nobody let her get stressed, so she doesn't forget us', it's enough. They've had enough. If you die, and I survive, the Olive everyone knows will die with you. The new one will be confused and will do nothing but cause pain—"
"Wait a minute… did you just refer to yourself as 'the Olive'?" asked Finnick worriedly.
"That's not important—"
"Not important?" Finnick repeated, almost outraged. "It is, Olive. Of course, it is. You are you. The one everyone knew, knows, and will know forever. With and without memories. Don't talk about yourself like its someone else."
"Well, maybe I do it because that's how it feels, Finnick!" Olive breathed in and out, eyes wide open at the realisation of what had just escaped the confines of her heart. "Whenever someone talks about me, it's about something I can't remember. It feels weird, like listening to something that happened to someone else. Like everyone's just trying to sell me a product… I'm sorry that everyone lost the Olive they met, or loved at some point, but she's dead. I'm not her… I'm not…"
"And you don't have to be," said Finnick, reaching out slowly to make sure Olive didn't mind any physical contact, which she did, as she flinched and moved somewhat to keep a millimetric distance between them. "You don't have to be what others tell you that you were, a story, or a memory."
"But…the problem is, if I'm not her, if I'm not that Olive… Who am I?" Tears had no need to fight their way to the surface, her eyes had accepted their presence with open arms, even as they overflew and streamed down to her chin. "If I were to lose my memories, who would be left? Or worse, who would everyone want me to be?" The earring pricked the palm of her hand, but not once did she let go or loosened her grip. "Won't they tell me everything about Olive? Won't they tell me I could take my time to 'remember it all'? To 'come back to being myself'? Let's face it, Finnick. Nobody wants me to go back. They want Olive, the one they knew, not the one they would have to deal with."
Thousands of questions swarmed Finnick's mind, most of which contained the same beginning 'Since when…'. He couldn't point out a moment he could have or should have noticed that worry eating Olive up. Not even the Quarter Quell could be to blame, as no such moments occurred to him before that. Everything seemed habitual, the same concerns repeating as if in a sloop, but never seeming like the start of the crisis that a simple conversation had triggered.
"Then tell them all about it—tell me all about it," replied Finnick. "We love you, Olive. Not for whom we remember, but for whom we see flourish each day. Who I see you be is no one other than the most caring wife, extremely doting sister, greatest daughter, and kindest, most reckless person I've ever met, with and without memories." He brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, making their eyes meet in the orange glow of the sunset. "And I'll be thrilled the day you see it for yourself, just how great of a person you can be. Until then, though, I'll reserve the luxury to gawk at you for the rest of my days—or hours, at this rate."
Olive smiled, and opened her hands, revealing the golden earring she so much appreciated, only to leave it on Finnick's palms. "The wave's in no time, and Beetee's plan will probably be really stressful, so I want you to have it, please. Give it back to me when it's all over."
Finnick could not hold his bafflement any longer, but instead of staying quiet and unmoving, as he had been for the entirety of the conversation, he wrapped his arms around Olive's shoulders and brought her into a hug. He let her bury her face in his chest and heard her cry all she needed, even if that attracted their allies' attention after the mild argument they had overheard bits of. He wouldn't mind any of them at the moment. Only the person he had in his arms.
His wife, who he had always seen as the strongest person he had ever and he would probably ever know, was breaking right in front of him. Every perfect piece of her puzzle was falling apart, and he couldn't dare to try to control it. But even the strongest deserved to break down from time to time. He only regretted it couldn't have been sooner, outside the Games, where nobody could see her beside him, where he could call her family without a problem. Now it was only him, and maybe Johanna, if Olive so desired. Although, as she clung onto his back, tears still streaming down her face while gulping down her sniffs, he doubted she would call anyone's name but his own.
"I will," he replied. "You'll see. You'll have the earring back before you know it."
What a lie, Olive thought, but preferred to ignore it for the time being.
Time passed with hardly any incidents for the alliance's luck. Not so much for Olive's. She sat surrounded by people at the beach until they departed to the lighting section, but she no longer partook in the conversation. Her eyes were lost, weighing more as the night went on, forming darker circles under them that were as ugly to watch as it was to feel them.
They were all the way up the slope when she finally blinked her way back to reality. Her mind did not stay for long there, however. Not since Finnick had to leave her side to help Beetee wrap the wire around the tree. The wave two sections away did not help either. Its loud roar was more notorious than it had been earlier in the day. Perhaps because, contrary to when she was with Peeta, she had nothing to do. No task, no distraction.
"Done," said Beetee.
Part two of the plan was set in motion with rather promptness. Katniss and Johanna had to go down the slope all over again, this time with the wire, which they would then dump into the water. That, however, did not please Peeta in the slightest, as he had to stay behind at the tree.
"I want to go with them as a guard," Peeta volunteered. "
"You're too slow. Besides, I'll need you on this end. Katniss will guard," replied Beetee. "There's no time to debate this. I'm sorry. If Katniss and Johanna are to get out of there alive, they need to move now."
In silent reluctance, Peeta went over to Katniss as Johanna received the wire. The young couple exchanged a few words, then a short-lived kiss. If reality had ever mattered to them, that clearly was not the moment. The two engulfed each other, muttering quick goodbyes before having to be broken up by Johanna's call, which got Katniss moving, and made the two girls disappear from everyone's sight.
Two minutes into the silence, Finnick and Beetee started a hushed conversation between the two. Peeta and Olive watched them with dubious eyes, yet said nothing, much less when it was proposed to scout the surrounding by turns to check the Careers wouldn't be in the vicinity of the tree.
"Olive, you go right, Peeta, you go left," said Beetee.
They both nodded and headed in their required directions, staying in sight range for the first couple of minutes, but adventuring further in as time passed. Olive had been barely five minutes away from sight range when a scream made everything crumble into pieces.
The voice was filled with such pain, such desperation. Chills ran down Olive's spine before she could process the owner of such a scream. It was Katniss. She had been attacked. And if she had, that meant Johanna could have been attacked too, perhaps even killed.
"Katniss!" Olive shouted, running off in no clear direction. "Johanna!"
Shouts appeared in the twelfth section like they would in Four's market. They engulfed the air, blocking Olive's lungs from any hope of air as she tumbled her way deeper into the jungle, not stopping as she followed after the ghost of Katniss's cry.
A cannon roared, and then the jungle fell quiet. No shouts, no yells, no calls for anybody's name. It was only the insects, the crunching leaves, and the rapid footsteps approaching. Olive could not hold a proper thought, but her body reacted by instinct without her permission, aiming her bow at the wildness. She wasn't putting enough attention on looking for the incoming person, though. Her thoughts didn't leave the cannon—the announcement of someone's death.
Who could have it been? Katniss, who had screamed earlier and could no longer be heard? Johanna, who had not been heard at all? One of the Careers? Beetee? Peeta? Or Finnick?
"Olive!" exclaimed Peeta, his machete cutting away some plants in his way. "Do you know where Katniss is? I heard her scream, but I can't find her, and… behind you."
The word took a second to be processed, but, as soon as it was, Olive made a harsh turn and let her arrow fly at the only odd-coloured shape in sight. Brutus fell to his knees with an arrow piercing his heart. The blood from his previous kill still lingering in his hands as Chaff's corpse lay not far behind him, just at sight length.
"I don't know anything about Katniss, just the scream." Olive turned around again. "You know anything about Finnick?"
"He was gone when I got back to the tree," replied Peeta. "Beetee was there too, twitching. I think something happened, and he went to warn either you or Katniss and Johanna."
"Let's go back to the tree, then," said Olive. "At least Beetee will have to be there. If the others don't come, we go to the meet up at the two o'clock section and wait for them there, OK?"
"Alright." Peeta nodded.
Nevertheless, there would be no time to run to the tree, nor to go to the two o'clock section. Right before their eyes, like a practical joke, the lightning appeared. It didn't just hit the tree as it usually did, though; it blew up the entire Arena.
A shockwave knocked Peeta and Olive back, forcing them to gasp for air as they watched, helpless, the sky turning into a dazzling blue. It was blinding, more than any artificial light they had ever seen in the Capitol. But it soon died out, and with it, the entire force field surrounding the Arena.
And as Olive lay down, hands stretched out, body paralysed, and nothing but Peeta's whimpers to hold on to, her mind got lost in the real sky beyond the Arena. The orange waves danced in the sky, engulfing every ounce of blue sparks in their way without mercy. A dance that went on for seconds until there was nothing left. Until the waves disappeared, and a sea was formed, blending it all in the same paused rhythm.
So coordinated, so perfect, Olive got lost in it for her last moments awake.