Infelicitous | f. odair

19 | RIOT

"I'm gonna go with them as guard," Peeta stepped forward, volunteering himself for something everybody didn't want or need.

Beetee shook his head. "No. No, no, no. You're staying here to protect me, and the tree."

"No, I need to go with her." Peeta said, not taking no as an answer.

"There are two careers out there, I need two guards."

Greyson stepped forward and put a hand on Peeta's shoulder, causing him to look at her. She'd gained his trust awhile ago, maybe not all of it, but enough. "I'll go with them, okay? You know just as much as I do that Finnick isn't stable enough to take on two victors by himself, and I only have a few arrows left. I haven't known you long, Peeta, but I know you aren't an idiot."

Peeta questionably looked to her, then to a stoic, but slightly desperate Katniss. Beetee broke the tension.

"You all agreed to keep me alive till midnight, correct?" He asked.

"It's his plan, we all agreed to it." Johanna said, eyeing Greyson with respect.

"Is there a problem, here?" Finnick stepped in with his trident clenched in his hand, letting it sink into the soft ground. He looked at Greyson with confusion and irritation. She wasn't supposed to be the one leaving with the coil.

"Excellent question," Beetee mused.

"No. There's no problem." Katniss kissed Peeta, saying something to him that Greyson couldn't hear.

Greyson stepped toward Finnick who immediately dropped his trident and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her slightly off the ground. He kissed her then moved his mouth unsuspectingly to her ear and whispered, "don't die."

She sadly smiled as he put her down. "I'll try not to." She didn't tell Finnick this, but if it came down to Katniss and her; the two Mockingjays, she wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice herself.

The two of them returned to an impatient Johanna, Greyson going to stand by her friend. "Alright, let's go," Johanna said, discreetly sharing a look with Finnick.

The hill was steep from the trek down, vines caught on their ankles and even as they tried to be as quiet as possible, twigs snapped underneath their feet. Greyson was gripping onto her only knife, her bow slung back across her chest. She had three arrows left, a necessity she didn't want to waste. They were almost to the beach, Greyson could see it in the distance.

"Come on," Johanna said as it was Katniss who had the coil. "I want to put as much distance between me and this beach as much as possible. Frying is not how I want to go."

Greyson was about to agree, but Katniss had suddenly stopped moving, tugging on the coil. It was stuck. "There's something . . ." Katniss said, letting go of the coil and grabbing onto the wire.

Greyson sucked in a quiet breath as Johanna picked up the coil just as Katniss realized the wire was cut. And as if it couldn't have gotten any worse, Brutus and Enobaria emerged from behind the rocks, her teeth bared and his eyes sinisterly focused on Greyson.

Johanna reacted quickly, knocking Katniss in the back of the head and allowing time for Greyson to cut into her arm, a scream emitting from Katniss. Greyson found the tracker and threw it away from where they were, down by the beach.