The seal flashes in the sky along with the anthem. No faces flash in the sky tonight. No deaths probably means the Gamemakers will launch a new weapon soon. I think we're safe for a while though. Betee's plan holds enough promise for the Gamemakers to wait a little while longer. They're probably curious if it's gonna work.

Around nine, we start heading up for the lighting tree in the twelve o'clock sector. It's harder now that we're so full, plus there's only the moonlight to guide us.

Upon our arrival at the tree, Beetee unwinds tons of the wire then coils it around the tree with Finnick. The rest of us keep watch. But rather than watching out for other tributes, I start watching Beetee and Finnick. They encompass the tree with wire, passing the spool back and forth. It seems random at first but I realize they're creating an intricate pattern, sort of like the maze. Whether or not that's necessary, I don't know.

The ten o'clock wave starts just as Beetee and Finnick are finishing up on the trunk. I don't exactly know how the wave works- there must be some build up before it explodes and floods the sector. I'm guessing it's ten thirty. The sun agrees with that as well so it's a pretty educated guess.

Beetee walks over to us to explain the rest of his plan.

"Johanna and Prim, you'll take the spool and unwind the wire as you walk all the way to the beach. Throw the spool along with all the wire left on it into the water, making sure it sinks. Then go far away into the jungle. I chose you two since you're the fastest, so use that speed and make it quick."

"Got it."

"I'm going too so I can guard," Rory declares.

"Do you really think Johanna and Prim need you guarding them? No. Your combat skills aren't up to par and you'll be needed back here more than over there. You aren't as swift as them and will only hold them back. You're staying," Beetee says, "That's final."

I don't like it any more than Rory does. But it's true that he won't be much help to Johanna and I, plus we need to be quick. And I trust Beetee to keep Rory safe. At least that's what I'm hoping.

"Don't worry, we'll be right back," I assure Rory.

"Not to the lighting zone- you'll be fried alive. Try to get to the tall tree in the blood rain sector," Beetee reminds us. Johanna and I both nod. He hands us the coil. "Now get going, and make it quick."

I give Rory a quick hug and tell him not to worry, that I'd see him at midnight. I look into his eyes before giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Before he can say anything, I turn to Johanna.

"Let's go."

Johanna unwinds first while I guard. I'm no better guard than Rory but it's better than nothing. Conversation between Johanna and I is minimum, and we move at a pretty quick pace. At this rate, we'll make it to the beach and get to a safe place with no problem.

The insects in the eleven o'clock sector start clicking when we're halfway down.

"We should hurry up. We need to put as much distance between me and the water before the lighting strikes in case Volts miscalculated anything," Johanna says indifferently. I'm once again shocked by her bluntness. I don't say anything mean to her though. Instead I say,

"I'll take the coil now, you did a lot of work."

She nods and handing me the coil. Both our hands are on it when it starts vibrating. Suddenly the thin golden wire springs at us, wrapping around our wrists and snaking down to the jungle floor below us. I look at Johanna with wide eyes but I don't have to tell her anything. She knows too. Someone cut the wire and they're going to come after us.

I'm about to run when something hits me hard on the head. I fall and end up lying down in the vines. My head is ringing and my vision is blurry. I can't breathe well, and I can barely make out Johanna sitting on me, pinning my shoulders down with my knees.

"What are you doing?!" I exclaim in a muffled voice. It takes so much strength to get the words out. She ignores me. I then feel something sharp dig into my left forearm, and I guess it's Johanna and her knife. I clench my fists as if it could eradicate my pain. I feel an excruciating rip and I know she's achieved whatever she's been trying to do. Warmth runs down my arm, all the way down to my wrist, and then blood starts pooling up in my palm.

"Don't move," Johanna grunts. Don't move? Don't move?! She get's up and tosses some vines on my limp body as if to conceal me. She frantically tells me "It's for your own good" before darting off into the jungle. My own good?! She just attacked me! How can this be for my own good?!

I hear two heavy pairs of footprints, along with Brutus and Enobaria's voices. I'm suddenly glad that Johanna covered me in the vines. I'm in no position to move and without them, they would have spotted me. Maybe that was the whole purpose with the vines, I think to myself. No- stop trying to be so positive. You have you be realistic. Johanna just attacked you. The alliance is broken.

I go back and forth with myself, trying to figure out what's happening. Maybe Finnick and Johanna had already planned to break away tonight, or maybe it was just Johanna trying to get away from the Careers. Or maybe Johanna really was attacking me for my own good, if that's even possible.

Nothing makes sense. All I know is that Brutus, Enobaria and Johanna are out there somewhere, and Beetee, Finnick and Rory are still at the tree. Rory! My eyes open and I gasp. Oh no. I may not know anything else right now, but I know that I need to save Rory. That's my dying wish. I use my right arm to lift the vines off of me. It takes all my willpower to get up on my feet, and even then I need to lean on a tree for support. If it weren't there I would've fallen right back down, because the jungle is rocking back and forth in front of my eyes. This isn't good...

I lift my left arm up and assess the damage. It's pretty bad, but not too bad that I could bleed to death. I need to clean it out, stanch the bleeding, evaluate the wound once more, then perform a few more steps before stitching it up. But I can't do any of those things now. So I just grab a sheet of moss and cover it up. It's the only thing I can do right now. I keep walking toward the big lighting tree. I constantly fall over but I get up every time, knowing that I have to get back.

Suddenly I hear someone running down the slope towards me. This can't be good. The two people I trust- Beetee and Rory- are in no shape to run. This is someone else. I gasp when Finnick erupts from the vines.

Johanna and Finnick have been friends for a very long time. Surely Finnick will side with Johanna. Johanna's attack signifies her turning on me. I can no longer trust Finnick.

"Prim! Who did this to you? Where's Johanna?"

I don't know whether or not I should believe him, that he doesn't know that Johanna did this to me. I don't answer any of his questions. I simply tell him "I need to save Rory" before darting off. A little after Finnick is out of my sight, I trip on something and fall to the ground. Finnick's net, I automatically think. But then I see that it's the golden wire. It reminds me of the lighting soon to come and I listen for the clicking pincers of the insects. Thankfully it's still there but it's starting to fade. I hear a cannon go off and it only confirms that I'm running out of time.

I walk with the wire on the left of me, so that it can guide me but doesn't electrocute me when the lighting strikes. The wire-wrapped trunk finally comes into view after a few minutes of walking/limping. I make my last few steps quick as I approach the trunk. But no one is there.

"Rory?" I croak in a hoarse voice, unwilling to give up hope. I hear a moan. It's Beetee. "Beetee!" I exclaim, throwing myself onto the floor next to him. His left forearm is bleeding, just like mine. "Beetee! What's happening?!" I start crying and all I want is to understand what's going on. He moans again and points to a knife beside him. Rory was carrying that knife just a few hours ago. I grab the knife and it's wrapped in wire.

"What is it? What do you want me to do?!" I exclaim, tears streaming down my face. He raises a limp arm and points toward a shimmery square in the sky then falls unconscious.

I do not know what exactly he wanted me to do but I have a general idea. This was his backup plan. If we couldn't get the lighting's force into the water, he was going to get it to the forcefield. I have no idea what it'll do.

I start feeling dizzy and I look down at the blood soaked moss on my left forearm. I'm feeling light-headed, and I know I'll black out soon. I need to get away from the tree and-

"Primrose!" Rory's voice rings in my head. I don't know where he's at but I know he's near. He must have figured out that everyone's turning on each other. "Prim! Prim!"

"Rory!" I scream in a louder voice. "Rory! I'm here! I'm over here!"

I need to get all the attention off him and onto myself. And it works. I hear them heading towards me, two figures crashing through the jungle. My knees start shaking uncontrollably and I sink down to me feet. I reach for my slingshot and the darts, the weapons I feel most comfortable with. And even this is weak. It's not enough to kill someone.

I see Enobaria and Finnick nearing the tree. They can't see me because the ointment camouflages me pretty well and also because I'm higher up on the slope. I aim for Enobaria's neck. Hopefully I can kill her, and then Finnick will duck towards the tree for protection and get electrocuted. Both of them will be dead. Boom! Another cannon goes off.

"Primrose!" Rory shouts again. I don't answer. Beetee and I are as good as dead. Finnick and Enobaria will die. Two cannons went off. Johanna, Chaff and Brutus- only one will be alive. This leaves only one enemy for Rory to kill. This is my best effort.

Enemy...The word snaps me back to yesterday's thoughts. The real enemy. The Capitol.

I take the wire off of Beetee's knife, and shake it once to make sure the other end is still secured to the tree. I tie it to a dart using a knot that Finnick had taught me and pull it back in the slingshot. I step out into clear view, no longer caring about the others. I aim for the shimmery patch- the chink in the armor. The hairs on my nape bristle as the lighting strikes the tree, and I let go. A flash of blue and white runs up the wire as my dart penetrates it's target. The dome erupts in a big blue light. My body is thrown back to the ground and debris from the forcefield rains down on me.

This is how, where, and when we're all going to die.

~A/N~ Apologies for the short chapter...hope you liked it nevertheless!

Thank you so much for all your support. Sometime later this month, I will go back and dedicate each chapter of [Catching Fire: Prim] to a devoted fan :) (that's 27 of you peeps)

I cannot believe there is just one more chapter to go- see you then!!

-Monica

To those who've already submitted their entries: First off you're so amazing for turning them in so quickly- kudos to you. But I would like to advise you to read the last chapter (once it's posted) and make sure to adjust some things so that it fits with the rest of the story. That's all- keep writing :)