This is it, it's arena time!
The sound of the gong rings in my ears and I dive into the water without hesitation. I head straight to my left for the strip of land. I am slowly than I usually would be, the belt keeping me slightly afloat, taking away my ability to go underneath the waves fully. But it still only takes a matter of seconds for me to reach the shore before I'm up and sprinting towards the horn.
I am facing the tail end of the cornucopia, and have to run around to the side to reach the mouth. I only hesitate for a moment at what I see.
Finnick is already at there, trident in hand, as Katniss has an arrow loaded and posed to shoot him. I do not know how she got here so quickly, but I do not have time to wonder.
Finnick's eyes widen slightly just a few moments before I side tackle Katniss. We both go down, and her elbows flail, trying to catch me somewhere I'm guessing, as we roll across the sand.
It's almost too easy to pin her down. My breathing is heavy as I perch on top of her, glaring down as I feel her reposition her foot to kick me off. My foot snaps out to come down on her ankle, holding her down.
"We have a deal, remember?" My words and quick and harsh, and she nods. "It doesn't mean I won't kill you if I have to though." I get off of her, pushing her into the sand before I stand up and look to Finnick. He nods to me before turning his back to me.
I run over to the horn, knowing I'm covered and look over what's there. Weapons, all weapons. I shake my head slightly, grabbing a hold of a few knifes that vary and size, sticking them under the belt, and grab a trident.
I turn just in time to see Finnick kill the man from District Five. Seeing the death sets off something else in me and I feel the change as my mind goes instantly into the arena mindset.
I don't even have to think about my actions. I don't think of anything as my trident sails into Seeder's chest, who just days before I sat around and joked with. Who helped me after my victory. I feel nothing as I rip my trident from her chest.
I'm watching the life leave the eyes from the man from District Nine when I hear Finnick call out my name. My head snaps towards him, and he motions for me to come over. As I run over, I notice two other figures with him. Katniss is there, and Peeta has joined them somehow.
"We should get out of here, while it's quiet." Finnick's words are sharply spoken and I just nod.
"You lead; I'll take up the rear." I offer.
"I'm the rear." Katniss objects immediately and I shrug.
"Whatever." I glance to Peeta, "Stay in front of me." He nods and Finnick takes off down the beach, towards the end of one of the land strips.
I run my hand across my forehead again as we continue through the jungle. The sweat pouring from my skin.
"We should rest." It's Peeta who speaks up, Finnick nods and I just lean against the nearest tree. I don't even flinch when the cannons start to sound. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.
"A third of us in the bloodbath." I laugh at the end, shaking my head. I look to Katniss as she starts climbing a tree. "What are you doing?"
"I'm checking to see if I can see any water sources from up here."
"Good plan." Finnick comes and stands beside me and I lean into him slightly as we watch Katniss scale the tree. "She's a fucking squirrel."
"Defiantly part squirrel." I look around us, all of the trees have broad trunks, and I do not see any signs of wildlife or mutations. We wait in silence until Katniss comes back down, landing gracefully on the ground with a dull thud.
"What's it like down there?" Finnick's voice is harsh and Katniss turns to him.
"Did everyone put down their weapons? Protesting peacefully?" I ask, pushing myself off the tree and taking a step towards her.
"No." Her voice is hard, and I smile slightly.
"Exactly, because this isn't twenty four scared little kids this time around. Let's keep moving."
We continue through the trees, Katniss informing us that she did not see any water sources. Peeta leads us, using a machete to cut through vines, Finnick talks to him as he keeps up with the younger boy. Leaving Katniss and I in a tense silence bringing up the rear. I focus on the sounds of the arena, which is filled with bird calls.
I let out a sharp whistle, and only wait a few moments before I hear it repeated through the trees. "They're your mockingjays." I say curtly.
"What?" Katniss gives me a strange look and I sigh.
"The birds, mockingjays, your pin thing."
"Right, I just couldn't really hear you the first time." I just make a noise of acknowledgement. I made my obligatory attempt at conversation for the day with her. I let my mind wander slightly, to how at ease Finnick looks here, how at ease I feel. In comparison to how tense Katniss and Peeta both are. To viewers, they would look perfectly fine, but I can see it, because it's what I look for in tributes. Her shoulders move slightly stiffly as she walks, Peeta's back is tight.
I notice it as his arm swings down to slash away more vines. A sharp sizzling noise fills the air and I jump out of the way as the boy comes flying backwards towards me, almost knocking me down.
"Peeta!" I'm shoved aside and a growl rips up my throat right as I feel Finnick's arms go around me to pull me back. "Peeta!" Katniss screams before resting her head over the boy's chest. I can tell instantly that he's dead though, I've seen enough dead people to know.
Before I know what I'm doing Finnick has let me go and I rush forwards, ripping Katniss from Peeta and shoving her backwards. Finnick is by my side, as I hover over Peeta, instantly.
"You know what you're doing?" he asks in a rushed voice as I plug Peeta's nose and tilt his head upwards.
"I've done this more times than I'd like." I say before lowering my mouth to Peeta's breathing two quick breaths into him. I release his nose and remove my mouth from his, his body exhaling on its own. When I don't get an inhale, I reattach my mouth to his, breathing into him again. I repeat this process multiple times, and just when I'm about to give up, I come off of him again and stare down at him. I do not see an exhale and use the heels of my hands to press down firmly on his chest. "Damn it Mellark!" Just as my sentence leaves my mouth he starts coughing.
"Peeta!" Katniss rushes forwards and I get to my feet. I notice the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Careful," he coughs, "there's a force field up ahead." I burst out laughing as Finnick pats Peeta's knee.
"No shit. We should camp out here for tonight so Peeta can rest." Finnick looks to me and I nod, approving the idea.
"So how's life?" Peeta asks from his spot where he rests against a tree trunk. Katniss left a few minutes ago in search of food, leaving Finnick, Peeta, and I to wait for her return. Finnick laughs and I just roll my eyes.
"It's going great Peeta, how about you?"
"Well, considering I died today, not too good." Finnick nods his head in agreement.
"Basicamente você tem uma sessão de amassos comigo assim foi, obviamente, incrível" I mutter under my breath and Finnick clutches his sides.
"What?"
"If I wanted you to know, I would've said it in English." I smirk at Peeta, who frowns at me and Finnick, who continues laughing.
"I think that means you owe me one, since he got one and I'm kind of your boyfriend."
"You're my boyfriend?" I scoff at him, "Since when?"
"Since you admitted your undying love for me my darling." He makes a very big show of draping his arm around my shoulders and Peeta barks out a laugh. I take a deep breath before my elbow flies backwards, catching Finn in the stomach, he doubles over and I stand up.
"You two are strange." Peeta's smirking and I give him a look.
"I wouldn't insult the person who brought you back from the dead."
"Who said it was an insult?" I shrug, before walking over to the edge of our designated camp area. I stop at the sticks we've put down that mark a safe distance from where we know the force field to be.
"I feel like Katniss is lying." I say it aloud as I look to the force field, which I can't see but know it's there. "The Capital doctors wouldn't enhance her hearing, not even by accident." We had discussed how she knew it was there before she left. Finnick had brought it up, saying he heard her start to speak just before Peeta hit it.
"I was thinking that too." I look to Finnick, who's hand is still hovered over his stomach, and then to Peeta, who looks between us with narrowed eyes. "Just don't say anything; we know it's there now, she can't really have an advantage with it."
"Okay, we do need to find water though. Soon, my throat is killing me."
"Mhmm."
"Maybe they just want all of us to die of dehydration?" I shake my head at Peeta's suggestion, turning and grabbing some broad leaves off a nearby plant. I sit on the ground and start to leave the leaves together.
"They wouldn't do that, it's not exciting." Finnick is the one to answer him.
Later that day, once the sun has set and we're covered in darkness, I sit with Finnick. Katniss has returned from her hunt with a single animal. We decided to call it a 'tree rat'. He had known where to get water, and either Mags or Haymitch had sent us a metal object.
Katniss was the one to figure out what is was first, surprisingly. A spiel.
The water in this arena is in the trees, but like everything else, it's warm.
The feel of Finnick's lips on my neck brings me back to the present and I turn my face towards him. "You should sleep." He says his voice low so he doesn't wake Katniss or Peeta, who sleep a few feet away from us, some distance between them both.
"You know I can't." I look up to the sky again, the fake stars overhead. I smile, even though just a few hours ago we saw the faces of the dead in the sky. Johanna is still alive, as are Beetee and Wiress, Gloss and Cashmere.
"But you should, just even a few hours. Then I'll wake you so you can keep watch." His arms go around me more, bringing me up so that I'm in his lap. "I'll protect you."
"Sure."
"I will, you just think of how good that meat and District three bread was." I know what he's really saying. Nothing to do with the food we had. He wants me to think of how we'll break out of here in two days.
"It was good."
"I know."