☆°.˙ ▍𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐘𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘

⎰𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭⎱

          𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐔𝐑 𝐆𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐀 𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄 when the younger girl woke up and looked at the three woven bowls, two of which held water and the third one held shellfish. Finnick sat on the sand and cracked the shellfish open with a stone.

         "They're better fresh." Finnick explained as he ripped two chunks of flesh from a shell and gave a piece to Fleur before he popped it into his mouth.

          Katniss nodded and reached for one before stopping once she realized that her fingernails were caked with blood, which meant that she was scratching her skin in her sleep.

          "You know, if you scratch you'll bring on infection." Finnick stated.

          "That's what I've heard." Katniss replied before going into the saltwater and washing the blood off.

          Once she stomped back onto the beach in annoyance, she looked up. "Hey, Haymitch, if you're not too drunk, we could use a little something for our skin." Katniss snapped.

          "About time." Katniss stated once a tube landed in her palm.

          She sat down on the sand next to Finnick and screwed the lid off the tube. Inside was a dark ointment with an astringent smell, a combination of tar and pine needles. Katniss wrinkled her nose as she squeezed a glob of the medicine onto her palm and began to massage it into her leg. She tossed the tube to Finnick as she began to apply it onto the second leg. Finnick eyed her doubtfully.

          "It's like you're decomposing." Finnick stated before treating his own skin. After he finished applying it onto himself, he gestured for Fleur to come closer and applied the medicine onto her back, where most of the damage was, arms and face. 

          "Poor Finnick. Is this the first time in your life you haven't looked pretty?" Katniss asked jokingly, much to the amusement of the other two.

          "It must be. The sensation's completely new. How have you managed it all these years?" Finnick asked with a smirk.

          "Just avoid mirrors. You'll forget about it." Katniss replied

          "Not if I keep looking at you." Finnick countered.

          "I'm going to wake Peeta." Katniss stated.

          "No, wait." Finnick stopped Katniss. "Let's all do it together. Put our faces right in front of his."

          The three positioned themselves and leaned over until their faces were inches away from his. They gave him a shake. 

          "Peeta. Peeta, wake up." Katniss said in a sing-song voice.

          Peeta opened his eyes and jumped back once he saw their ointment covered faces. "Aa!" Peeta yelped in shock.

          Finnick and Katniss fell back in the sand while laughing their heads off while Fleur moved back and chuckled lightly at his reaction. After Finnick and Katniss were able to stop laughing, a parachute landed next to them with a fresh loaf of bread. 

          Finnick and Fleur looked at each other before examining the bread meticulously. Katniss gave them a look of confusion before shaking it off. 

          "This will go well with the shellfish." Finnick stated.

          They all sat down on the sand and began to eat the sweet meat with the salty bread from District Four.

.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

          Fleur jumped when she heard a scream come from the distance. A wedge of the jungle began to vibrate and an enormous wave roared down the slope. It hit the existing seawater with such force that the surf bubbled up around their knees. A cannon fired and a hovercraft appeared over the area where the wave began and plucked a body from the trees. 

          Katniss pointed out the three figures who stumbled onto the beach a couple minutes later, causing the tributes to slink into the shadows of the jungle, watching the trio. 

          The trio was in bad shape. One was dragged out by a second, and the third wandered in circles. They looked like they had been drenched in a red substance.

          "Who is that?" Peeta asked. "Or what? Muttations?"

          Katniss drew back an arrow, getting ready for an attack. But all that happened was that the one who was being dragged collapsed on the beach. The dragger stomped the ground in utter frustration and in a fit of anger, turned and shoved the one who was walking in circles over.

          Both Fleur and Finnick exchange glances of recognition before their faces lit up. 

          "Is that. . . ?" Fleur started to question, to which Finnick nodded.

          "Yeah, I think it is. Johanna!" Finnick called out as he and Fleur made their way to the trio.

          "Finnick! Fleur!" Johanna exclaimed.

          "Oh, are you okay?" Fleur questioned as she realized Johanna and her companions, Beetee and Wiress, which surprised Fleur slightly before realizing why she had brought them, were drenched in blood.

          "No, well yes. It's complicated." Johanna replied quickly.

          "Explain." Finnick stated.

          Johanna gestured to the jungle and began to explain quickly. "We thought it was rain, you know, because of the lightning, and we were all so thirsty. But when it started coming down, it turned out to be blood. Thick, hot blood. You couldn't see, you couldn't speak without getting a mouthful. We just staggered around, trying to get out of it. That's when Blight hit the force field."

          Fleur's expression turned to one of sympathy. "Oh, Johanna, I'm so sorry."

          "I'm sorry, Johanna." Finnick stated.

          "Yeah, well, he wasn't much, but he was from home." Johanna replied. "And he left me alone with these two." Johanna added as she nudged a barely conscious Beetee with her foot. "He got a knife in the back at the Cornucopia. And her —" Johanna stated as they all glanced towards Wiress.

          "Tick, tock. Tick, tock." Wiress mumbled as she continued to make circles.

          "Yeah, we know. Tick, tock. Nuts is in shock." Johanna explained which drew Wiress in her direction and she careened into Johanna. Johanna in retaliation, shoved her harshly into the ground. "Just stay down, will you?"

          "Lay off her." Katniss snapped angrily causing Johanna to look at her with hatred.

          "Lay off her?" Johanna hissed. She stepped forward and slapped Katniss extremely hard. "Who do you think got them out of that bleeding jungle for you? You —"

          Both Finnick and Fleur exchanged glances before Finnick tossed her body over his shoulder and carried her out into the water. Fleur tossed a handful of water at Johanna which stopped her screaming profanities at Katniss. Fleur gave the District Seven girl a sharp glance before helping her get out of her blood soaked jumpsuit.

          Johanna scrubbed the blood off of her body as much as she could with Fleur's help while her jumpsuit was being washed by the waves.

          "What happened to you? I saw the struggle in the Cornucopia." Johanna questioned about the first day when the tribute tried to drown Fleur.

          "Nothing much. A tribute tried to kill me, Finnick killed her to save me." Fleur replied much to Johanna's annoyance.

          "You both still don't see it, do you?" Johanna questioned with a sigh causing Fleur to look at her in confusion.

          "What do you mean?" Fleur questioned.

          "Your faces, what happened to them?" Johanna questioned, changing the subject.

          "Poison fog." Fleur replied before helping Johanna into her, now clean, jumpsuit.

          Fleur, Johanna and Finnick made their way back towards where Katniss and Peeta were tending to Beetee and Wiress.

          Fleur handed Johanna a bowl filled with water and some shellfish. Johanna gulped down the water and stuffed herself with shellfish, which was to be expected as she and her companions didn't have a good source of food and no source of water.

          Finnick told the other three people who had just joined them about the fog and the monkeys, avoiding the detail about Mags' death.

.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

          Johanna and Katniss stood guard while the others slept.

          "How'd you lose Mags?" Johanna questioned after she made sure Finnick was really asleep.

          "In the fog. Finnick had Peeta. I had Mags for a while. Then I couldn't lift her. Finnick said he couldn't take them both. Fleur offered to, but she couldn't either. Mags then kissed him and walked right into the poison." Katniss replied

          "She was half his family." Johann stated. "So is Fleur."

          "So what were you doing with Nuts and Volts?" Katniss questioned

          "I told you — I got them for you. Haymitch said if we were to be allies I had to bring them to you." Johanna replied. "That's what you told him, right?"

          Katniss nodded despite her knowing she never said that. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

          "I hope so." Johanna replied sourly.

          "Tick, tock." Wiress muttered as she sat next to the two and looked out into the jungle.

          "Oh, goody, she's back. Okay, I'm going to sleep. You and Nuts can guard together." Johanna stated before laying down on the ground behind the two of them.

          The realization that Katniss would come to would put the rebel plan to get the Mockingjay out of the Arena into motion, not that she knew that of course.