Lethal Charm - THG [1]

16

When the group returned to the beach, Finnick immediately went and sat down in the water. Knox sat down in the treeline a few meters away from the others, close enough to see them and hear them if they spoke loudly enough but far enough that she could be alone.

She didn't want them to speak to her, she just wanted to sit alone in silence.

Katniss and Peeta sat in the treeline together, they glanced at Knox but they didn't know what to do or say to the woman so they left her to sit alone. Beetee sat with them.

Katniss was startled when Johanna walked up behind her and put an arrow back into her quiver.

Wordlessly, Johanna sat down on the sand next to Katniss.

"Who's Annie?" Asked Katniss.

"Annie Cresta." Said Johanna, "the girl mags volunteered for. She won like, four years... five years ago."

"Is she the one that went a little..." Katniss trailed off. Johanna nodded, "mmm-hmm."

"Love is weird," Johanna said, subconsciously looking over to where Knox was sitting with her knees to her chest.

"Do you...love Knox?" Katniss asked hesitantly, noticing where Johanna was looking.

"Maybe. I don't know," Johanna admitted, "after the games, I feel like maybe I can't feel love," she explained, "but if I could... I would probably love Knox. I want to love her," Johanna sighed deeply, "she's all I have left."

"How long have you guys been tog-"

"We're not," Johanna cut Katniss off, "not really. We can't be because of who she is." Katniss nodded and didn't ask anything else. She'd heard rumours about Knox, about how infamous she was in the Capitol and what she got up to.

Knox stared ahead of her at the small movement of the water. She felt out of it like she was drunk or something. It was probably shock but she didn't really care.

All of a sudden she felt herself be tackled from behind. Knox and the unknown person rolled forward and Knox felt her back be slammed onto the sand.

The person punched her in the face making her groan in pain. Enoch was on top of her with his hands around her neck, strangling her. It was like someone had flicked a switch in her brain as she quickly snapped back to her old self.

She couldn't get her hands away from her neck so she pushed his face away from hers. Knox dug her fingers into his eyes making him scream in pain and let go of her neck. Blood spewed from his eye sockets and onto Knox's face.

"Fucking bitch!" He screamed as he stood and blindly swung his arm towards her in an attempt to punch her but he missed due to his newfound blindness.

Crimson blood spewed from his eye sockets and down his face, dripping onto the sand. He scrambled to his feet but he was incredibly disoriented.

Knox stood, balled up her fist and punched him in the nose making him stumble back.

She reached back and pulled one of her katanas from where it was sheathed on her back and stabbed him in the gut, pushing the blade in all the way to the handle so that it stuck out of his back.

Enoch wheezed and blood began to pool in his mouth. He dropped to his knees but Knox kept her hold on the katanas handle.

"Say 'hi' to your sister for me." She whispered in his ear. She pulled the sword from his gut and he collapsed onto the sand, Knox stepped back as life slowly left his eyes.

A cannon fired, signalling his death. The others were all looking at her, she sighed deeply, "I told you," she said, referring to their earlier conversation.

She walked over to the water and cleaned the blood off of her katana as well as her face. A hover jet came and collected Enoch's body.

She put the katana back in its sheath and returned to where she was sitting previously on the sand as if nothing happened.

Someone sat down beside her, "you okay?" Asked Johanna.

"Why wouldn't I be? It's not like I haven't killed people before." Knox said.

"Katniss told me you heard Lenox's voice from the Jabberjays," Johanna said, she gently grabbed Knox's hand and held it.

Knox closed her eyes and sighed deeply before opening them again, "I'm fine," she said, "it wasn't real, Lenox is in a better place now."

Lenox was her district partner in her games, but he was also her best friend, someone she would do anything for. She would have even died for him but he would have done the same for her, and he did.

Knox laid her head on Johanna's shoulder and Johanna pressed a kiss to her head.

Knox turned her head to look at Johanna, she leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. It lasted no more than a second.

Knox lifted her head from Johanna's shoulder and placed her hand on her cheek. Her eyes fluttered shut as she reconnected their lips and moved her hand slightly into Johanna's hair. Their lips danced over one another slowly but passionately. Johanna moved her hands to rest gently on either side of Knox's neck, her thumbs brushing over her jaw.

There was nothing special or different about the kiss but Knox felt that same spark as their lips collided that she had never felt before with anyone other than Johanna. She didn't understand what it was but she craved it more than anything.

When they pulled away for air they pressed their foreheads together gently and kept their eyes shut, their breath mingling.

⚔️

"I have a plan." Announced Beetee. The group of six gathered around to hear it. "I have a plan. Where do the careers feel safest? The jungle?"

"The jungle's a nightmare," said Johanna.

"Probably here on the beach," Peeta said.

"Then why are they not here?" Asked Beetee.

"Because we are." Said Johanna, "we claimed it."

"And if we left they would come," Beetee said. Finnick nodded slightly, "Or stay hidden in the treeline."

"Which in just over four hours will be soaked with water from the 10:00 wave." said Beetee, "and what happens at midnight?"

"Lightning strikes that tree," said Katniss.

"Here's what I propose." Beetee started, "we leave the beach at dusk. We head to the lightning tree." He pointed towards the huge tree, "that should draw them back to the beach. Prior to midnight we then run this wire from the tree to the water. Anyone in the water or on the damp sand will be electrocuted."

"How do we know the wire's not gonna burn up?" asked Knox.

"Because I invented it. I assure you it won't burn up." Beetee assured.

Finnick, Johanna and Knox shared a look. "Well, it's better than hunting them down." Said Johanna.

"Yeah, why not?" Said Katniss, "if it fails, no harm done anyway, right?"

"All right, I say we try it." Peeta nodded.

"So what can we do to help?" asked Finnick.

"Keep me alive for the next six hours." Beetee suggested, "that would be extremely helpful."