"Hurry up and catch me a fish, will you?" The sun beat down onto my face, on the warm April day as I sprawled across the coarse sand, getting the dry crystals lodged in my hair. I clutched my rope in my hands as I twisted and knotted it until something that looked like a net was formed. I set it on the sand, pleased with my creation, until, piece by piece, the rope fell apart, self-destroying the hard work I had put into it.
"Well Miss Cresta... If you think it's so easy, why don't you try?" I looked up from where I was perfectly comfortable being lazy and gave Fin my best glare, and of course, he just laughed and went back to catching a us a decent meal while I picked up my rope once again and went to work.
"You got me there, you know I can't catch anything with a trident. That's why I have you as my hunting partner." I pushed myself off the sand, throwing down my rope and walked down to the waters edge, splashing around in the shallow waves. Finnick knew better than to let me go anywhere near that weapon. Last time, I almost poked his eye out, as well as cutting my neck so severely that he had to race me back to his mother to patch me up. I couldn't leave the house to make nets until two weeks later.
"And a real great help you are to me." He said sarcastically, splashing water towards me, getting the tips of my sandy hair wet. I ignored his childish acts and wrung out my damp locks, as another splash of water hit me again, this time fully soaking my hair and face.
"Stop Finnick! We're not supposed to be here and you're just making it more evident. Bad enough you're soaked, doesn't mean I have to get in trouble too" I raced out of the waves laughing before he could do something to make me regret coming out to the lake today, but slowed to a stop when I heard the shout of voices in the distance.
My heartbeat slowed to a near stop as I took a cautious step closer to the now louder voices. I didn't fully understand the mumbles from the people, but I assumed that my predictions were accurate.
I steadily turned, careful where I stepped, as I didn't want my feet to land on any twigs, or crunch a shell in the process, for that would not be good. I made eye contact with Fin, for the silence between us was deafening, yet the voices in the distance grew more and more forceful. Slowly, I squatted down and tapped my fingers to the ground, lifting them up and pressed them to the warm surface again, alerting the boy in the water to make an inaudible escape from the open shores.
Disappearing under the water was his cue to me that he would be okay and that now it was on my shoulder to find a way out; he would swim away and find me by the field that separated his house from mine.
Silently, I slipped away from the sandy beach and into the woods. As soon as I was at a secure distance away from the beach, I broke into a sprint, gliding through the trees and branches, occasionally tripping and stumbling on loose weeds. Even the grace I had from racing this path for years didn't stop the roots to grow from trees, and it certainly didn't stop the Peacekeepers from checking the area.
As the green wonderland of forests passed by my eyes, I could only hope that Finnick was okay, and that he as well, had gotten out. If I was lucky, he made it out unnoticed and the only witnesses were the mockingjays in the distance and the clouds drifting by. Although, if he was unlucky…
I wasn't going to think about the consequences of that because at times like this, I needed to stay positive, in hope that the only person I can threaten is myself.
In the space before me, I could make out a wide meadow, notifying me that I have successfully reached my destination. Gathering twigs and branches was my way of occupying myself as I waited for my companion to return from our adventure. Sadly, this meant that we wouldn't be bringing home any fish tonight, so fresh leaves and berries is what we were stuck with. Not the worst, but exceedingly far from the best.
The quick snap of stems was how I knew I wasn't alone, but I knew this couldn't have been my friend, because Finnick Odair would not have broken the stems. He would know to step over them, disguising the fact he was there. What surprised me was to see my hunting partner standing before me.
Holding up my forgotten rope.
Along with two Peacekeepers.
