Lethal Charm - THG [1]

14

Katniss had figured out why Wiress kept repeating the words, 'tick tock' over and over again. She was explaining it to the group as they made their way along the rocks to the cornucopia.

"This entire arena seems to be laid out like a clock," said Katniss, "with a new threat every hour, but they stay only within their wedge. It all starts with the lightning, then the blood rain, fog, monkeys. That's the first four hours. At 10:00 that big wave hits from over there."

"Wiress, you're a genius." Said Finnick.

"Look, the tail points to 12." Peeta pointed out.

"That's where the lightning strikes at noon and midnight." Said Katniss.

"Strikes where?" Asked Beetee. Katniss pointed to the lightning tree, "that big tree."

"Good."

Wiress sat down on the rocks by the water at the cornucopia, "Hickory Dickory Dock. The mouse ran up the clock." She sang, "the clock struck one, The mouse ran down. Hickory Dickory Dock." She kept reciting the same verse of the rhyme while the others gathered around to figure out the arena.

Peeta drew the arena layout in the sand with his machete. "So 12:00 to 1:00, lightning. Then 1:00 to 2:00 is blood. Then fog. And then monkeys."

"Hickory Dickory Dock. The dark barked at the clock. The clock struck 3:00..."

"And then 10:00 to 11:00, the wave." Said Katniss.

"What about everything else?" asked Knox, "did you guys see anything?"

"Hickory Dickory Dock."

"Nothing but blood." Said Johanna.

"It doesn't matter," said Peeta, "as long as we steer clear of whichever sector is active, we'll be safe."

"Yeah. Relatively speaking," said Finnick. Wiress gasped making them all turn to see Gloss pull a knife from her neck.

A cannon was fired to mark her death. Katniss fired an arrow hitting Gloss square in the chest. Another cannon.

Cashmere ran up behind Katniss but Johanna pushed the girl out of the way and threw her axe into cashmere's chest. A third cannon.

Brutus appeared from the other side of the cornucopia yelling as he threw a spear which narrowly missed Knox as she dodged out of the way.

Finnick fought him off with his trident. Brutus and Enobaria fled around the cornucopia to avoid the arrows that Katniss had fired.

Katniss ran after them and Peeta tried to follow but Finnick stopped him. Knox and Johanna ran after Katniss.

Brutus and Enobaria ran back along the rocks to the jungle and got away.

The ground beneath the cornucopia rumbled making Knox, Johanna and Katniss fall. The cornucopia began to spin and the tributes held onto the rocks as tight as they could to stay on.

Katniss began to slip towards the end of the cornucopia.

Knox quickly grabbed one of the girl's arms while trying to hold on to the rocks with her other hand. Johanna reached down and grabbed Katniss's other arm.

She dug her axe into the rocks to keep her grip.

The rocks were soaked by the water that was splashing up due to the spinning making it more difficult to hold on.

"Hold on!"

Johanna lost her grip on Katniss's hand, "no!"

Katniss swung towards Knox and in turn caused Knox to lose her grip on the rocks.

"Knox!"

Katniss and Knox were thrown from the cornucopia and into the water. Knox felt herself get twisted and thrown around by the whirlpool below the surface. Salt water burned her lungs.

The cornucopia stopped spinning and the current became weaker. She could see Katniss in the water below her so she reached down and grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her with her as she fought her way back up to the surface.

She helped Katniss up onto the rocks before pulling herself up, the pair of them coughing up water.

Knox pushed her wet hair out of her face as she caught her breath.

The others rushed over to them to see if they were okay. Johanna reached them first with Peeta just behind her.

Johanna patted Knox's back as she coughed up some water.

Peeta crouched down next to Katniss, "you okay?" He asked. Katniss gave him a shakey thumbs-up as Finnick and Beetee reached them.

Johanna pulled Knox to her feet, "let's just get what we need and get off the bloody island." She said.

A/N so sorry about the late update