BOMBSHELL - Finnick Odair

24

Ember

"I should have never mentioned the clock," Katniss says bitterly. "Now they've taken that advantage away as well."

"Only temporarily," Beetee reassured her. "At ten, we'll see the wave and be back on track again."

"Yes, they can't redesign the whole arena," Peeta adds.

"It doesn't matter," Johanna says. "You had to tell us or we never would have moved our camp in the first place, brainless."

I give her a look and she rolls her eyes at my scolding. "Come on, I need water. Ember, you have a good gut feeling?"

We pick a path and take it, despite not knowing what number.

"Well it must be monkey hour. And I don't see any of them in there," Peeta starts. "I'm going to try to tap a tree."

"No, it's my turn," I say, trying to keep the boy out of the jungle.

"I'll at least watch your back," he argues.

Johanna, picking up on what I was trying to do, says, "Katniss can do that. We need you to make another map."

I can tell Katniss is suspicious, but she reluctantly follows me into the jungle. I find what I believe to be a good tree and begin drilling into it with a knife.

The girl is silent. Deep in thought.

"Katniss," I say, pulling her back to reality. "Do you have the spile?"

Still silent, she cuts the vine holding it and holds it out for me to take. But that's when we hear a bloodcurdling scream.

Immediately Katniss drops the piece of metal and runs wildly in the direction of the noise. "Prim!" She hollers out.

I follow a few feet behind her as she repeatedly cries out for her younger sister. "Prim! Prim!"

I'm trailing further and further behind her, but can still hear her and the screams from what sounds like her sister.

The screams abruptly stop as I push through the vines and into the middle of the clearing she was standing in.

"Katniss?" I ask.

"It's okay. I'm okay," she says. "I thought I heard my sister but-"

A piercing shriek cuts her off and I recognize the sound from anywhere.

"Wes!"

"Ember-wait!"

I bolt in the direction of my younger brother, not taking the time to question how he even got here. I'm running uphill, panting, but still pushing forward. I reach a giant tree that I believe he's stranded in.

"Wes! Wes!" I say in a panic.

His screams echo through the jungle.

"I've done everything you've asked!" I cry out to Snow.

Then, his screaming stops, something landing at my feet with a thud. I pick what looks to be a bird up and slowly make the connection.