✦ Chapter 12: Love is Weird ✦
┅
IT HAS TO be only the early hours of the morning when everyone is woken up by a strange noise. At first, it sounds like people are talking in the jungle behind them. However, as the voices grow louder, it's clear that the sound is people screaming. Most of the voices are unfamiliar, but one stands out to Isla, although she can't quite place it.
Katniss recognizes several. She's running into the trees, screaming different names. Prim, her sister, and Gale, her cousin. They're screaming for her help, or just screaming in pain. Finnick perks up as his name is also called out, and that's when Isla realizes the familiar voice belongs to Annie. She is begging for Finnick's help, and seems to be in immense distress.
"Annie?" Finnick calls, standing to his feet. He looks around in panic, trying to locate the source. It comes from deep within the trees, along with the others.
The two run off into the trees, and before Isla can try to follow them, Johanna has wrapped her strong arms around her. Peeta stands still, unsure what to say or do. Isla fights against the girl's grip, but her arms are muscular from practicing with an axe. Isla can't compete with her, but she still tries with all of her might. "Let me go! What if it's a trap?" Isla begs Johanna, who just shakes her head vigorously.
"We can't all get stuck in there." She says, not loosening her hold.
"I don't think we can go in, look." Peeta walks forward, and is stopped by an invisible force. Like most of the different zones, it's walled off by a forcefield. But this one keeps not only the danger inside, but the tributes out and probably inside, too. "What do you think it is?" Peeta asks, looking at the two girls, and Beetee, with concern.
It's Beetee who answers his question, "Jabberjays."
Isla thinks for a moment, and concludes he must be right. The voices had been moving in the air without a visible source. The birds were liking hiding within the trees. And now, they've likely led the two deep into the jungle now. They'll have to find their way out again, as it's doubtful they'd be able to hear the others calling their names over the screaming.
After some time, the two come barreling back towards them. It's evident that they've discovered the source is fake, and want to escape the torturous screams. However, as they approach, Peeta waves for them to slow down. Katniss doesn't, and inevitably crashes into the forcefield. Her face is full of fear as she pounds on it, and Peeta tries to burst through to save her. He's shouting at her, telling her it's okay, but it doesn't seem like she can hear him.
Katniss collapses, clutching her head. Finnick lays down, covering his ears as well. Isla sits on the other side of the forcefield, unable to help and having to watch the two suffer through the screams. The Jabberjays circle them, swooping close to their ears. The forcefield has blocked their noise out now, too.
It feels like ages before the birds are suddenly called away by an unknown force. They disappear without a trace, and the forcefield seems to dissolve from in front of Peeta. He clutches Katniss, trying to soothe her rocking form. Johanna and Isla approach Finnick, and help him up, but he brushes them off insisting he's alright. However, there's a blank look in his eyes that indicates he is not.
They gather on the beach, and Peeta adds the birds to his makeshift map. Everyone is quiet, not wanting to disturb the two traumatized by the last hour. They spend much of their day sitting on the beach, unsure of what to do next. Eventually, though, as the sun is lowering towards the West, Beetee speaks up. He still has the coil of wire nearby, occasionally fiddling with it. "I have an idea." He says, looking at them all hesitantly.
"I'm gonna go get more water." Johanna sighs, clearly uninterested. She doesn't go far, still within earshot, but far enough to not have to act interested.
"I have an idea." Beetee repeats. They all nod, indicating for him to proceed. "At twelve, the lightning hits where?"
"That tree." Katniss points out the tree off in the distance, just the slightest bit taller than the rest in the area.
"Right. And where is the best place to be in the arena?" He asks.
"The beach." Peeta responds confidently. "Away from the stuff in the jungle."
"And why aren't the others on the beach?" Beetee continues. He reminds Isla of a school teacher, as he leads up to everything with a series of questions to test your comprehension skills. It annoys her.
"Because we're here." Finnick speaks up. It's the first time he's said anything for hours.
"Precisely. So, if we left, they'd come?" The man pushes his glasses up as he looks at them all.
"There's a good chance." Katniss responds. "Why?"
"If we wrap this coil around the tree, just before the lightning hits, and run it to the beach, we can electrocute the remaining tributes. The beach will still be wet from the ten o'clock wave."
"They'll be fried instantly." Peeta thinks aloud, and Beetee nods.
"So what do you need us to do?" Katniss asks, looking at the man apprehensively.
"Keep me alive, until then. That would be extremely helpful." He says to her, and she seems to accept the answer.
They're cut off by a canon. A hovercraft hovers over a sector in which they don't know the dangers of. Only one body is retrieved, and they all seem to agree it must be Chaff. Brutus and Enobaria wouldn't have turned on each other yet, and if Chaff killed one of them, the other would've turned around and killed him. No, they either found him, or something else did.
"So that's the plan then?" Isla asks, looking at them all. They all appear to still be jarred slightly by the sudden death. "Beetee says jump and we all say how high?" She's a bit astonished at how easily everyone accepts his plan to not only risk being in close vicinity to the lightning tree, but also wipe out the others in an instant. What is the plan after that? A free for all in the jungle after they run away?
"I don't think anyone has a better idea." Finnick says, looking at Isla with the stare she hates so much.
"Hunt them down normally?" She can't believe it hasn't crossed their minds.
"The jungle's too dangerous, they could purposely lead us into an active zone." Peeta says. He's right, but if they're careful, that shouldn't happen.
"I'm just saying this sounds a lot riskier. Maybe I'm old fashioned." Isla shrugs, standing to wipe the sand off of her. "It just seems a bit unnecessary. But, if it's the plan, it's the plan." And with that, she stalks off to sit a ways away from the others.
She notices Finnick following her shortly after, but ignores his presence. "I'm gonna go fishing, you coming?" He asks, but she just shakes his head. He sighs, then ventures off into the water with his trident. She watches him, but keeps her ears trained on the group of the others behind her.
"Who's Annie?" Katniss asks, in a voice she seems to think is too quiet for Isla to hear.
"She's a victor from District Four, she won like... five years ago?" Johanna responds, unsure of her answer.
"Isn't she the one that kind of went..." Katniss asks.
"Yeah, she kind of lost it after she saw her district partner get his head chopped off." Johanna responds in a flat voice.
"Finnick was calling for her? I thought he was with..." Katniss trails off, and Isla can feel as the girl's grey eyes burn a hole into the back of her skull.
"Yeah..." Johanna pauses, her axe thudding against the sand. "Love is weird."
Katniss doesn't say anything to that, and Isla pretends she hadn't heard the whole thing. The events early this morning had reminded Isla of her mission, and not to get carried away with Finnick. They'd grown extremely close in the past few weeks, but she can't let her heart get the best of her. Her whole purpose of being here is to ensure he can return to Annie, his true love. There will never be an Isla and Finnick. It's not meant to be. Especially now that they're both in the arena.
Finnick returns, and shares his catch with everyone. He sits next to Isla, giving her her share and settling down to eat. They eat in silence, and Isla avoids eye contact with him. She knows she should separate herself now, and be ready to leave him when the time is right. He needs to win, and she can't win with him. If Beetee's plan works, he may win much sooner than expected. By sunrise tomorrow, even.
"What are you thinking about?" Finnick asks, watching her as she stares off into the distance.
"Annie." Isla doesn't meet his gaze, and knows there is a look of sadness in his eyes.
"Isla..."
"I know, you don't have to say it. But what you feel for me, it isn't the same." She explains, shaking her head. Her appetite is gone, so she sets the rest of her fish down.
"Yes it is." He protests, but Isla doesn't want to hear it.
"No, Finnick. What you feel for me, it's only because of what I've done for you. You feel that way because I sacrificed myself for her. I saved her life, and it makes you want to kiss me and love me for doing it. But it's only because you don't know how else to thank me." She fights back tears as they prick at her eyes, turning away from him to stare in a different direction.
Finnick is speechless for a moment. He won't deny it, because it's true. No one can compare to Annie. "Someone can love two people." He says finally. His voice is soft and gentle, as if not wanting to set Isla off. But she's far from angry, just sad at the thought.
"Yes, they can. But where those feelings come from, and why they come, mean more. And you love Annie, because she's Annie. You love me, because I saved someone you love, at my own personal cost. And I'm helping you get through this, you need someone right now. Like I said, you don't love me for me. You love me for what I've done and because I'm here." Isla knows her words pain him, but it's important for him to know. This way, when she dies, he will be able to realize she was right. And he'll be able to go home to Annie, and live happily.
The sun has dipped far below the horizon by now, and the ten o'clock wave has already hit. It had broken the silence between Isla and Finnick, who still hadn't moved. The man can't find words to comfort her, and so they're stuck. The tension is thick as Johanna walks over. "It's time." She says.
Isla stands up, not giving Finnick another glance. They all head towards the tree. As they approach, the noisy insects in the eleven o'clock sector are buzzing loudly. "They quiet down the closer it gets to twelve." Katniss points out. "They must be able to feel it in the air."
Luckily, they're still at full blast as they march up the hill. Once there, Beetee begins to unravel the coil, and scope out the situation. As they stand there, the bugs get quieter ever so slightly, the minutes ticking by. Beetee finally begins to wrap the wire around the tree, zig zagging it through branches.
"Here," He hands the coil to Katniss now. "You, Isla, and Johanna go down to the beach and make sure the end is completely in the water. Then, meet us in the jungle in the one o'clock sector. If you get held up, just go anywhere but the beach."
His instructions are clear, but both Katniss and Isla go to object. Peeta is the first to speak up, though. "I want to stay with her." He says, motioning to Katniss.
"I need bodyguards, there's still two careers." Beetee points out.
"So, Peeta comes with me, and Johanna or Isla stays to protect you." Katniss says in response, her eyebrows furrowed.
"I need brute force, so these two need to stay. And whoever has the coil needs two bodyguards, in case something goes wrong."
"It's his plan." Finnick speaks up, followed by Johanna.
"Is there a problem?"
They all look at each other, and as much as Isla wants to protest, she knows Finnick can easily kill Peeta and Beetee if needed. Whether or not Peeta will have Finnick's back if Brutus and Enobaria show up is another story. But, Isla does know that Johanna will have her back if she decides to kill Katniss.
Without another word, they get ready to start the trek back down to the beach. Peeta and Katniss kiss, exchanging goodbyes. Isla looks at Finnick, who is staring at her. He seems as if he wants to say something, but she knows he knows she doesn't want to hear whatever he has to say. Besides, it's probably best to save the goodbyes for the actual end of the games. She won't let anything stop her from ensuring his survival.
The three girls start to descend the hill. They're following what appears to be a dried up river, or some sort of crevice in the earth. It makes a rocky path down to the beach, and they decide it's the best path to take, as it separates the trees to give them a view of their surroundings. Perfect to see Enobaria or Brutus if they've caught on to the plan.
"They'll be interviewing our families now." Katniss says, breaking the silence with a whisper. "There's only eight of us."
"Yeah, they'll talk to my dad who I haven't spoken to in a year." Isla snorts, shaking her head in disdain.
"They'll have to skip over me." Johanna chuckles, and Isla gives her a smile. Katniss seems a bit uncomfortable with their humour. It's obvious she has many people back in District Twelve who care about her, and they'll all be getting dressed nicely in preparation for the Capitol cameras.
Katniss stops, and Isla looks to see her jerk at the coil. It's stuck, either caught on something, or someone's holding it. She jerks it a few more times before the wire snaps back at them, cleanly sliced. "Fuck." Isla groans.
Johanna suddenly knocks Katniss upside the head, and drives a knife into her arm. Isla can't see what she's doing, but the girl is covered in blood by the end of it. As much as Isla wanted to be the one to kill Katniss, she starts to think it does more justice to Amelia to let the girl suffer, and maybe have Enobaria or Brutus find her and finish her off. Or get struck by the lightning and burnt to a crisp. So, she just spits on the unconscious girl, staring down at her in disgust.
"Come on." Johanna hisses, and Isla can hear the two careers descending down the rocks. Johanna flings her axe at them, and then the two girls turn and run at a diagonal through the heavy jungle brush.
"We need to lead them somewhere else, before we fight. The lightning-" Isla stops talking, hardly able to as they run. She needs to focus on her footing and keep her breathing steady. But, Johanna knows what she's saying, as the bugs have gotten even quieter.
They cross over to the one o'clock sector. They're unable to find Enobaria or Brutus now, and wonder if they lost them. The careers probably thought they'd run for the beach. They stop to catch their breath, unsure of what to do now. The plan is officially void, with the alliance broken, but they're all separated so half of the group has no idea that they're no longer playing friends.
"We need to wait here for them." Johanna says. "If we try to go back, we might get hit."
"We can't just leave Finnick in there." Isla says, torn between her options. Going in there likely won't get him out any faster, but she doesn't want to listen to him die.
As they wait, a canon goes off. They both look at each other, silently hoping it's anyone but Finnick. It's only one, though, which is a good sign. Maybe Katniss had finally been found by the careers, or gave up fighting her wounds. Or, Finnick decided to just kill Beetee and leave.
The bugs have completely stopped now, and Isla begins to worry. The lightning can hit at any moment, and Finnick's still somewhere in the sector. Along with, presumably, everyone else. She becomes antsy, pacing back and forth. The clouds have darkened, and the thunder rumbles.
"They aren't going to make it." Isla breathes, looking at Johanna, who looks equally as worried. Just as the words escape her lips, Peeta bursts out of the brush, calling Katniss' name. He's stunned to see Johanna and Isla, but no Katniss.
Then, the lightning comes. However, it doesn't seem to light up the tree, or the sector. An odd line flies up into the air, the current seeming to be running through it and towards the sky. Then, it hits the top of the dome. There's an explosion, and the sky starts to crumble in a fiery mess.
Johanna and Isla begin to run to avoid the rubble as it falls, and Johanna grabs Peeta who is standing in shock. They're unable to find much cover, as the pieces just crash through the leaves overhead. The metal rafters fall around them, and they eventually find an uprooted tree. They crouch in the base, watching as the arena collapses around them.
Something seems to be breaking through it, and a hovercraft is revealed above them. "They're going to take us out." Peeta says, confused.
"They're going to hurt us. Or just throw us back in. This can't be how it ends. Not after last year." Isla says, shaking her head. The hovercraft is beginning to lower through the hole.
Johanna doesn't say anything, but she grabs Isla's hand before they're immobilized by the current, and a large claw descends to grab them from the ground. As she's brought into the hovercraft, they're all detained by peacekeepers, and injected with needles full of dark liquid.
Isla tries to fight the sedative, to look around for Finnick, but her vision becomes too blurry to overcome. Then, blackness.