HAYMITCH
As soon as Katniss felt Leila's knife she let out a small groan of surprise. Tears filled her eyes, and fear invaded her face. She was paralyzed, the slightest movement meant her death. It only took a couple of seconds for the rest of the group to realize the situation. They all rose at the same time with their weapons in their hands. But no one moved, there was no way to attack Leila without Katniss losing her head. Peeta was the first to react.
"No Leila, please" Peeta begged "don't do it. If you kill her you'll only start a slaughter" he signaled to the rest of the group that they were ready to attack.
"Don't worry handsome, I'll take the risk." She smiled with amusement. The tension was palpable in everyone.
"Don't, not like this" Peeta begged again. "She's pregnant, you'll kill them both" Leila laughed, looking at him in amused disbelief. She knew this was not true. But Peeta kept trying "She has a little sister, you know? This will be the last memory she will have of Katniss. Please don't do it" he kept begging and I saw a slight falter in Leila.
"GO PEETA! run away!" Katniss recovered her voice. Leila pressed her closer to herself, closing her knives more against her neck
"Let me take her place then" Peeta offered.
"No!" Katniss gasped.
"She doesn't love you, what's the point of sacrificing yourself for her?" Leila replied sardonically.
"It's not true and if it were, I don't care. I just want her to be happy and that she can live a long life with her family." The boy had managed to capture Leila's attention. He continued "Her family needs her Leila, she is the one who has taken care of them since her father died. Do not do it please. Do you have family?" the girl's face faltered more " you know the sacrifices we are capable of making when you love someone, like Katniss did for her sister, let me do it for Katniss, take me instead" Peeta dropped his weapon, and took a slow step forward.
"Peeta please" Katniss begged.
"What makes you think that once I kill you, then I won't kill her and the rest of them?"
"Because I don't think you really want to. It must be quite difficult for you to always be fighting with everyone without respite. You can put down your weapons and join us" What the hell was this boy thinking? Leila, Finnick, Johanna, and Beetee all looked at Peeta in disbelief.
"Haymitch, what is Peeta planning?" Plutarch asked me.
"I have no idea. Distract or gain time perhaps. But I don't see how Katniss can get rid of Leila without getting her throat cut." And I think Leila thought the same thing, because she backed away, still dragging Katniss with her. Her grip tightened even more on her neck, that at the slightest movement of Katniss's head, she would slit her own throat. A thin trickle of blood ran down Katniss's neck.
"Please Leila" Peeta begged again. "I'm not lying, drop your weapons !" he ordered the others. But neither moved a muscle. Without taking his eyes off Leila's, he approached them and asked for the same thing again. "Trust me" he told them in a low voice, they all dropped their weapons suspiciously.
"You're making time for one of your little friends to stab me in the back, right?" Leila spoke with contempt in her voice. I saw every muscle in her arms tense, Peeta's time running out. She did not fall for his manipulation.
"No no no. Please Leila" Peeta begged, raising his arms in surrender, "there's no one else I swear. We had two more allies, Wirees but Gloss killed her a few hours ago in the cornucopia. And Mags" Peeta stopped when he saw Leila's reaction. Her eyes filled with tears with an expression of horror, her breathing quickened. Her frantic gaze began to search for something or rather someone around her. "Mags isn't coming" he answered the girl's unspoken question.
"How?" She asked with a shaky voice.
"The poison fog" Peeta told her. She gasped and a tear slipped down her cheek. She shook her head slightly, incredulous of what she was hearing. She looked at Finnick, who nodded tearfully. "She sacrificed herself so that we could live, her death was very painful" Leila was barely holding back her tears. This only confirms to me that Mags had covered for Leila that day in the training sessions, most likely she knew her better than anyone. Now that I remembered, Mags was the only one who didn't get up from the table to watch Leila's combat with the simulations. Peeta slowly took two steps closer and continued speaking to Leila. "You must know, from what I can see, you passed through that section of the arena as well "We have medicine that can help you with those injuries and also with the others that haven't healed yet" Peeta was referring to the still slightly visible burns on her body.
"I can't" Leila denied and said in a low, shaky voice. She was afraid
"Don't do it, you don't have to do it" I saw everyone's frustration and Peeta's concern at seeing Katniss trapped and with tears in her eyes begging him to leave her.
"The boy has to keep going, it's working" Plutarch commented,"He just had to push a little harder for her to let her guard down, and Katniss can break free." This was true, Peeta had a great talent for convincing and manipulating people, he had already done it with the Capitol people more than once.
"It's not just his freedom that's at stake, Snow has her family threatened, right?"
"Something like that, also other important people for her".
"If she doesn't kill Katniss, how many people are going to die, Plutarch?"
"Don't know. I have only promised myself to protect one regardless of the outcome of this, I owe it to her"
"What are you talking about?" He denied with his head. While Plutarch and I were talking, Peeta had managed to get closer until he was in the middle of the two groups.
" Leila let me help you" the girl shook her head slightly "Finnick give me the medicine!. Also bring me water and some food. I'm sure you haven't had anything to eat or drink, Leila, have you?" Peeta asked softly as if he were talking to a child. Leila just looked at him and shook her head. Finnick handed over everything Peeta asked for and slowly backed away again. Leila was like a threatened animal, any threatening move would bring down Peeta's job. I made no mistake in warning him and not Katniss.
"I can't" Her hands were shaking now.
"Yes you can. Come with me to the beach. The sun is almost going down, it's beautiful here. I don't remember if the 8th district has beaches, but I have to admit that the Capitol has offered us a good view from here" Peeta moved a little closer. They were barely two meters apart. "Come, I'll accompany you and you'll be safe, I promise no one will come near you, you can take all this and rest" Leila denied again but she loosened her grip a bit "tomorrow you can continue the game. You can think if you want to be our ally, today take it as a truce" . Peeta was now three feet away from them. "Please Leila, let her go. Do it for her sister, Prim, she must be suffering now for Katniss or for Mags, who would not have wanted a confrontation and see the blood of the people she loved flow" YEAH! Leila lowered her arms with a shocked face. Katniss fell to the ground in stupectation. "Would you mind helping Katniss, Finnick, while I accompany Leila?" Peeta continued speaking calmly, even though I knew he must be dying inside from not being able to comfort Katniss right now. The most important thing was to seize the moment and get Leila away from everyone.
"I don't think…" Johanna began to complain, but Peeta silenced her with a look. He led Leila to the beach, still with her two powerful knives held tightly in her hands. I didn't know why, but I was sure she wouldn't attack Peeta even though the others didn't think the same.
"I never thought I would see this day, Haymitch" Plutarch said, still astonished "In eight years that I've known that girl, this has been the first time that she has disobeyed Snow. She is or was his lap dog" .Suddenly he got up "I think I'll come back later I have issues to resolve. What Leila has just done is going to have repercussions." Plutarch shot out of the office. It was to be expected, I was sure that by now President Snow must be giving the order to execute all of Leila's loved ones. I couldn't help but feel sympathy for the girl, the only consolation is that she wouldn't be alive to know it. I was sure that before dawn Katniss, Finnick, Johanna or even Beetee would break Peeta's promise and kill Leila. Nobody decent wins the games.
Leila and Peeta were at the edge of the beach, where the waves did not reach them. Peeta handed her the water and some bread which she refused. She drank some of the water and Peeta uncapped the medicine to put some into her hand, but she backed away.
"Please don't touch me" Leila asked in a whisper.
"Okay I'll give you your space but I'll be close, Leila, no one will bother you, I assure you. Here I leave you the medicine and the bread in case you change your mind" the girl just nodded. Peeta went to join the others. The first thing he did upon arriving was hug and kiss Katniss.
"Are you OK? " he asked
"Yes, Peeta, you saved my life" Katniss replied in a choked voice, "that was very stupid asking you to trade places with me." What were you thinking? " she scolded him
"in saving my son's mother" they both laughed holding back their tears. Oh yeah, this show must be driving the Panem crowd crazy. But all the romance ended when Johanna with axe in hand began to address Leila. Peeta stopped her instantly.
"Don't even think about it, I gave my word" he spoke to her with a low but firm voice
"This is the opportunity to get rid of that brat and I'm not going to waste it."
"Johanna is right, Peeta. It doesn't matter to do it today, or wait for tomorrow" Finnick chimed in.
"Well, I don't care, that wouldn't be honorable." Katniss gave Peeta a frustrated look. That boy is too good for this game. " I'm going to stay close to her and keep my word in case any of you think of doing something else."
"and tomorrow what will happen Peeta? When the truce ends will you be able to do the job or will you wait until she cuts someone's throat first? " said Johanna scathingly.
"I'll do whatever it takes but as long as she's not a threat we don't have to attack her behind her back!"
"That's how she attacked Katniss," Finnick reasoned.
"But she released her and she didn't have to, so I'm going to keep my promise and we'll decide tomorrow, but I won't be the first to attack like this."
" We'll do what Peeta says, but at the slightest sign she gives, I'll shoot her, that's as far as my gratitude goes " Katniss snapped, ending the discussion.
Leila was still sitting where Peeta left her. She had applied some of the medicine he left her, she had drank some more water but she still hadn't touched the food. Her expression was distant and troubled. Then she pulled her legs to her chest, she hugged herself and buried her head in her knees and so she lay absolutely still. The others continued with her activities without taking an eye off her.
Late at night, Plutarch returned to the office. I knew that he had sent the signal to Beetee, so that he would execute the plan tomorrow at midnight.
"So you are already informed of the day and time, now we can only wait what is going to happen with Leila and the career tributes. Have you resolved your issues? " I asked intrigued
"More or less, although an unforeseen event arose" he said seriously, shrugging his shoulders.
"What does Snow think of the actions of his pet?"
"He has already sent the order to execute 4 and another 5 are in custody. He is waiting to see if what she did is an act or if she really disobeyed him".
" And what do you think ? acting or not?"
" Don't know. It's strange, I know her and she would never do something like that, especially when so many lives are at stake."
"Snow promised her freedom, that's all, right? "he nodded" and she understood well that that was not all that was at stake?"
"I don't know, I wasn't there the day she made the deal with Snow, but it would be very naive of her not to see it that way" he snorted "although I wouldn't be surprised from her."
"Apparently you know her well, Plutarch" he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, neither denying nor accepting it.
"In any case, they shouldn't trust her, maybe her common sense will come back and she will end the truce before dawn."Plutarch finished the conversation. Interestingly, I suspected that Plutarch was hiding something regarding the girl, and it must not be good.
The night passed without any incident, the group were still on the beach, taking turns to stand guard against the other tributes and keep an eye on Leila. She hadn't moved a single muscle from where she was. I was intrigued about what was going to happen in the morning, who would be the first to attack.