Sorry it's taken so long... I graduated in May, so I had to finish a ton of tough courses, and after that I was working 40 hours a week at my part time job and then I went to camp and worked 60 hour weeks XD. Also I'm writing a novel, and I'm almost done editing it, so I've been wanting to work on that a lot.

Long story short, this chappy has been sitting unfinished in google docs since April... so almost six months.

But I'm back for now! Yay!

Eventually, Finnick decided to get some sleep, but I continued to sit up, taking my turn to keep watch. My thoughts kept drifting back to Cinna, the way the blood had smeared against the glass tube as his head slammed back against it. The odd angle of his leg as they dragged him across the floor by his arms. More blood smeared against the pristine white tile.

The jungle had cooled considerably through the night, but I was still hot and thirsty. I had serious sunburn on my face already, and it was only the first day.

When the green-ish fog made an appearance, I reached out to it against my better judgment, hoping it would refresh my sun-burned skin. Instead, I felt only pain. I felt nothing at first, but I could almost feel my pupils dilate as my brain caught up to my nerves.

I screamed, as my fingers tingled dangerously. I backed away, tripping over rocks and tumbling to the ground. Already, blisters formed on my hand. "Run!" I cried, pulling myself back up to my feet and shaking Finnick awake. "The fog! The fog is poison!" My companions woke quickly, and it took mere moments for them to register my words before Finnick scooped Mags up on his back and took off down the hill, with Peeta and I racing after him.

It wasn't long before Peeta lost his footing, still recovering from dying earlier.

"Peeta," I said. "Peeta, get up." I watched in horror as the fog drifted closer and closer. I yanked his arms, pulling him back up to his feet, but he stumbled again. We continued at a slower pace, but the fog was right behind us, and it danced across our backs.

"Finnick!" I cried out. He turned, staring at us with wide, fearful eyes. "I can't carry him!" It was true. My muscles were twitching painfully, and I could barely force my own body to keep moving.

Finnick set Mags down and grabbed Peeta, my brother lying across his back fireman style. "Can you take Mags?"

I nodded. "Yes I think so, but-"

Mags cut me off by laying a hand on my arm. She approached Finnick, who was still crouched on the ground and pressed a kiss to his face.

"Mags?" He questioned cautiously. Mags smiled at him and walked in the direction of the fog. I stared after her, not sure what she was doing, but I was sure she had a good plan. This was Mags, after all.

Finnick stood up, catching on much faster than me. "Mags!" He cried. "Mags, stop!" Mags did not stop. We watched as she entered the fog, her body contorting this way and that, until she stopped moving. A cannon echoed in the jungle.

"No!" Finnick screamed. "Mags! No!"

"Finnick," I said, tears pricking at my eyes. "Finnick, please. We have to go."

He looked at me, shock and pain plain on his face. He shook his head once, as if to clear it, then nodded and took off in the direction of the beach. I followed him closely.

He collapsed on the beach, face first in the sand. Peeta rolled off of him, and we both followed his example. I turned over, so I could watch our imminent death as it approached. The green fog crept closer, closer, closer, until it crashed against some invisible barrier, recoiled, and dissipated.

I let out a sigh of relief. I wasn't sure why the gamemakers chose to spare us this time, but I didn't voice my thoughts. No reason to tempt fate.

I eyed the sea water, lapping on the beach before us. I reached out with one blistered hand, knowing salt water would dry up and draw out the poison. I had anticipated some level of pain, but not like this. I screamed, my throat dry and painful from both the poison and the amount of screaming I had done in the last little while. And then the pain was replaced by cool relief. I gasped at the sensation, crawling further into water. "It helps," I gasped out. "The water helps."

Peeta followed my example, pulling his body into the sea. But Finnick remained planted in the sand. I briefly wondered if he was dead, but then I saw his chest expand as he inhaled and let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. He probably just sustained the most serious injuries, from sitting next to the fog for so long, watching Mags. He probably couldn't move.

I counted to three silently, then forced my head under water, my fingers working through my hair, dispelling the white fog into the water.

I pulled myself out of the water, and took my husband's arms, dragging him into the water face first, since I couldn't maneuver him much. Peeta helped me pull him in further.

"Katniss," Finnick's voice came out garbled as he tried to pull his head back above the water. I allowed him to take a deep breath before I shoved him down again, watching more white fog dispel from his head. When I saw no more, I allowed him back up again. "Are you trying to drown me?" He demanded, annoyed.

"Don't get huffy," I told him plainly. "Don't you feel so much better?"

Finnick huffed, which I told him not to do. "Yes," He spat at me. I shook my head at his childish behavior.

He stood up and walked out of the water. I followed him closely. Peeta stayed in the water.

"I'm sorry," I said as he sat in the sand.

"You did nothing wrong." He stared in the direction of the rising sun, streaking the sky with blue and red.

"Neither did you," I told him firmly. He continued to stare at the sky, saying nothing. "Tell me you know that, Finnick."

He stared at the rising sun for a second longer before speaking. "She was never going to make it. We all knew that. That's why she volunteered, isn't it?"

This time, I said nothing. I took his hand in mine, leaning my head on his shoulder. He burrowed his face in my hair, and I felt his tears falling on my wet hair like rain. "I love you," I told him. "You know that, right?" I felt him nod. "And she loved you, too. And she always will."

He swallowed and lifted his head. "Do you believe in the afterlife, Katniss?" He asked me. I was stunned when I realized we had never once thought to discuss this.

"I have to," I told him. "I have to believe there's something. I've lost too many people to believe there's nothing."

"I don't know how you have so much faith." He told me.

I looked at him, shocked. "Me? Usually it's the other way around."

Finnick shrugged, but once more said nothing. Finally, he stood, pressing a kiss to my head, and walked to the ocean. I watched him walk out far enough to swim. He dove in and out of the waves like a dolphin, and I stared, amazed. Peeta exited the water and sat down next to me.

"That's amazing," He remarked. "Is he alright?"

I shook my head. "I can't say he is."

"Are you alright?" He asked me.

"Mags and I weren't close the way she was with Finnick, but I guess I'm upset, too."

Peeta shook his head. "I mean is the baby alright?"

I glanced at him. "I don't know. I never know."

"Isn't there like, mother's intuition or something?"

I shrugged. "I guess that might be a thing. I don't know. I'venever been good at trusting my instincts."

Finnick walked out of the water, and almost reached us on the beach when we heard a violent scream.

Peeta and I stood up and met him halfway down the beach. I knocked an arrow. Peeta handed Finnick his trident and drew his machete.

The woman screamed once more, and then we heard her shouting. Finnick and I exchanged a look. "Johanna?" He called, then took off running. Peeta and I followed.

"Finnick!" She called back. Finnick hugged her quickly. Her eyes landed on me. "Glad to see you haven't been impaled yet, brainless."

I made a face at her. She stood next to Wiress, who shuffled her feet back and forth, muttering "Tick tock, tick tock," over and over again. Beetee sat planted in the sand, cradling a coil of bronze wire. All three of them were covered head to toe in blood.

"What happened?" Peeta asked Johanna, who seemed to be the only coherent one of the three. If you could even call her that.

"We were out in the jungle, minding our own business, hot and sticky, when the rain started to fall. We were excited at first, we hadn't had water all day. But then we realized what we thought was rain was actually blood. Hot, thick blood. We couldn't see a bloody thing. It was falling all around us. I thought we were going to drown. Of course, that's when Blight hit the force field..."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Well he wasn't much," Johanna said. "But he was from home."

"Tick tock," Wiress muttered.

"What's with her?" I asked.

"I don't know, she's been like that for hours now. It's driving me absolutely bonkers."

"Tick tock," WIress continued with more urgency, clutching Johanna's arm. "Tick tock. Tick tock."

"Get off!" Johanna shoved the older woman hard, and Wiress stumbled back.

"Lay off, Johanna," I said tiredly.

"Lay off?" Johanna stated. "Do you think I chose to stumble through the jungle with Nuts and Volts for a full day? I got them out of the Cornucopia for you. Because you wanted them out."

I shook my head at her dramatics, and took Wiress gently by the arm. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

Finnick helped Beetee to his feet and they waded into the water behind me.

"Tick tock," Wiress muttered over and over as I washed her hair. I sent a look of agitation to Finnick, and he rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Yep, tick tock," I agreed, hoping to placate her so she would shut up and let me finish.

She grabbed my arm as she did to Johanna. "Tick tock," She insisted.

I stared at her, and then it hit me. "Tick tock," I repeated. "Tick tock... It's a clock."

Wiress smiled widely as I began to understand. "Tick tock," she agreed.

"It's a clock," I turned to Finnick. "It's a clock," I told him.

He stared at me, wide eyed. "Honey, please don't start, too."

"Let's go," I told him. The four of us waded out of the water and joined Peeta and a soaking Johanna on the beach.

"The arena is a clock." I told them. "Each hour holds a different horror in a different section, starting at midnight with the lightning tree. It goes clockwise around the arena."

Finnick was the first to understand my chaotic, unorganized thoughts. He pressed a fierce kiss to my mouth. "You did it," He whispered. Then he turned to Wiress. "Wiress, you're a genius."

This is modern day Dani (From May 2024). Please remember to review if you're reading this! I had so many good readers before hiatus and I want you back!