What are they doing to her? Why did they have to bring her into the games again?
Tears trickle down my cheeks, and I don't know if it's from the emotional or physical pain. Probably a little bit of both.
"Katniss!" I cry out between my huffs and panting. "Katniss...Katn-"
I look up to see the source of the horrible sound. It's a bird. It's a jabberjay. Anger boils inside me but there's also a sense of relief that Katniss isn't here. I throw a rock at the bird in frustration and it falls off it's tree with a shriek. I take a look at my mockingjay pin and I can see the resemblance. That's the father of my bird...
"Prim? You okay?" Finnick pants, catching up to me. I was told, I'm real fast.
"Yeah...yeah I'm fine," I start to say, then another scream pierces through the air. It sounds like it belongs to a woman in her mid twenties.
"Annie!" Finnick yells and runs into the jungle. I know there's no stopping him. I follow after him in his pursuit to save this Annie girl that will turn out to be a bird. He keeps running until he finds the bird and he literally strangles it to death. He crushes it's neck, his knuckles turning white.
"They got the sound from somewhere," he grits through his teeth. "They made her scream in fear and pain."
My eyes dilate and I start crying. Somewhere back at home, they've caused Katniss so much pain that she'd make such a horrible sound. She could be dead for all I know.
Finnick and I head back to camp. I hear another scream. It's Mother's, and though I know it's not real, it makes me want to reach her so badly. Somewhere sometime, they've made mother make this sound. They'll pay for this...
We see Rory, Johanna and Beetee ahead and I start running to reach them. I need a pair of sturdy arms to cry in. But then I bounce off a transparent wall and hit to floor on my bad arm. I wince in pain. I get up and bang on the invisible barrier between us and our allies with the other arm. Rory's moving his lips but no words come out. It must be sound proof too. We're trapped until the hour's over. I hear Vick- Rory's little brother- scream and I sink to my knees. How many people have they tortured? How many people have died back at home? ...am I just overreacting? It get's to the point where I just can't take it anymore. I cover my ears with my hands and scream, falling to the ground.
I wake up in Rory's arms. He tells me it's okay, that everything's going to be alright. But I just start crying and tell him, "No, it's not."
"Prim, calm down. It's okay," Beetee says. Eventually I do, and so does Finnick who's muttering things to himself and constantly banging on the floor with his clenched fists. It's almost like he's gone mad.
"Hey, it's okay. We're almost down to the top 8, and what happens then?" Rory says in a soothing voice.
"Seven left to kill," I mutter. I clamp my mouth in disbelief. I can't believe I just said that.
"Y-yeah that's true but they also interview our family back at home! And all of Panem is going to want to see how Katniss is doing, right? So they wouldn't have killed her."
He has a point.
"Y-yeah," I murmur. But I'm not entirely convinced. That's when Beetee steps in.
"There's a high chance those sounds have been computer generated. They could have taken their voices from previous interviews and distorted the sounds. It's not that hard- back at home, kids learn to do it in primary school."
I nod and hiccup a few times, and just lay there in Rory's arms.
"I'm going to go get some water," Johanna tells us. I grab her wrist when she walks by.
"Johanna, don't...The jabberjays-"
I remember they must be gone since the barrier's down but I still don't want anyone in there- it causes pain that no medicine can heal.
["They can't hurt me. I'm not like the rest of you. There's no one left to love," Johanna says, and frees her hand with an impatient shake. When she brings me back a shell of water, I take it with a silent nod of thanks, knowing how much she would despise the pity in my voice.] (page 347, lines 9~13)
I sit there and sip the water, Rory's arms tight around me. Beetee's off doing something with his wire, Finnick's out looking for food, and I have no clue what Johanna's up to. Anyways, we're alone. Alone together.
"Who'd they use on Finnick?" Rory asks.
"Someone named Annie."
"Annie Cresta? She's the one Mags volunteered for."
There's a short silence before Rory speaks again. "She went mad after her district partner was beheaded...she didn't kill anyone- she won because there was a flood and she was the best swimmer."
So that's who Finnick likes- not a filthy rich Capitol citizen but a mad girl at home.
"So," Rory clears his throat, "Jabberjays at four."
He makes some more markings on the leaf map. I nod and help him add some more parts. Neither of us are artists but it'll do. I realize we know where we are now- great.
The sun starts to set and Finnick get's his net and starts to fish. We're famished. While he does his fancy trident stuff, I go for a swim and apply some more ointment afterwards. The scabs are just an ugly reminder of what happened that night. A few moments later the moon makes it's way up and basically it's 'starry night'.
We line up along the edge of the shore when the seal shows up. The anthem starts and the faces of the fallen illuminate the arena. The siblings Cashmere and Gloss, our ally Wiress, the District 5 female, the morphling that saved my life, Johanna's reminder of home- Blight, and the District 10 male. That's eight. Added onto the previous eight it's sixteen, and there are eight of us alive. Two-thirds gone in a day and a half. It must be a new record of some sort.
"Who's left?"
The question hangs in the air as we all try to recall the remaining people. The five of us, Brutus and Enobaria, and...
"Chaff."
I remember because he was Haymitch's drinking buddy, and because he tried to kiss me.
A familiar tune rings in my ears and I smile when I see the silver parachute. With the five of us, they're probably more gifts to come. We all stare at it as it makes it's way to the ground and sits in the sand.
"Who's is it?"
We all offer it to the others but it ends up in my arms. Inside are two dozens of bread rolls.
"District 3 I think," I tell them, showing them the bread and eyeballing Beetee. He simply nods.
"I guess we should split them?"
"We can have three each, then whoever is alive next morning can have more," Johanna says. I laugh because it somehow makes complete sense. Johanna smiles approvingly. No- not approvingly...more like...pleasingly.
We all wait for the huge wave to recede and then finally we settle in in it's sector. We've got 12 hours from now. Johanna hasn't slept much in the arena so she lays down and falls asleep almost immediately. The remaining four of us all volunteer to keep watch but in the end it's Rory and I that get the job. Soon the rest of them are asleep and we're alone, alone together once again.
"We can't avoid the topic forever so I'm just going to bring it up- only one of us can make it home alive."
I'm almost surprised by his bluntness. But then he's always been like this. It explains for his bold behavior during the interviews. It's a weakness at it's extreme but in cases like this where one or the other need to speak up, it's a desirable quality.
"You need to make it back home," I say, unable to meet his eyes.
"No, it's you that needs to go home."
It's then that I realize that Haymitch must have made a double deal. I wanted to keep Rory alive but Rory must have told him he wanted me alive. I try to speak but he silences me with a finger to my lips. He pulls out something from his pocket. It's a locket. How'd he sneak that in? I thought his token was the necklace.
He opens up the locket to reveal three panels, lined with three photos. The first is of mother, smiling tenderly towards the camera. Next is Katniss, with a fierce look but a hint of a smile. Then in the next are Buttercup and Lady, frolicking playfully in the meadow.
"Primrose- think of everyone back at home that needs you. No one really needs me, it's you that must go home."
"Your mother needs you, and with Gale gone, Vick and Posy need you," I croak. "I need you."
Then before he can protest I press my lips onto his. It happens so quick and I don't know what's happening, nor why I did it. Somehow it feels right. Infatuation, I try to reason with myself, a passing infatuation. But I don't stop, nor do I don't pull away.
Boom! Sizzle! The first crack of lighting hits a tree and that's when we finally pull away from each other. I continue to stare into his deep grey eyes. I hear something shuffle behind us and I know it's Finnick. He's been tossing in his sleep. I break away from my gaze to look at him, who's eying us warily.
"I'll take watch with Rory," Finnick finally says. I nod and crawl over next to Johanna and lie down next to her. I'll call it a day.
~A/N~ Prory is sailing! I hope you guys are excited!!
With 3 chapters left, I've got three very important questions for you. Please answer them in the comment section down below!!
1. Would you like me to do a Q and A
2. Would you like Mockingjay: Prim to become a reality
3. Would you like a one shot contest (epilogue writing contest of 500-1000 words)
That's all folks, don't forget to click vote, and I'll see you in the next chapter :)
-Monica