Hi guys,
I'm so sorry it took me so long once again. My laptop died and everything I had preplanned for this story died with it. So I wasn't really motivated to start from scratch again, but today I had an itch in my fingers and I wanted to write.
I hope you like what I came up with for you.
After Peeta's almost death we kept walking. It seemed like it was getting hotter by the minute and Kaia's tongue started to feel fuzzy and dry. Like it was getting bigger in her mouth after hours of exercise and not a single sip of water.
Katniss insisted on walking in the front. After Peeta collided with the force field she seemed almost paranoid and threw small nuts to her side. Now and then they would hit the field and burn with a sizzling noise.
"Hang on!", Katniss said suddenly and without furder ado, she started to climb one of the thicker trees. The other victors weren't upset that they could rest for a moment.
Finnick put Mags slowly to the ground and made sure she was stable before he pushed wet strands of golden bronze hair out of his glowing face. Kaia thought that it should be illegal to look so good even under those circumstances. Peeta sat on the ground, a heavy sigh cutting through the silence.
"We have to find water soon, or this will turn ugly real quick.", Finnick groaned. He hold his trident in his hands and kept watch over them, while they could take a breath. Kaia gave Mags a helping hand so the old lady could sit next to Peeta and hopefully rest a bit.
Peeta smiled at Mags reassuringly and said: "I'm sure Katniss will find something up there. She has excellent eyes."
But when Katniss came down she didn't seem too confident: "The force field has trapped us in a circle. A dome, really. I don't know how high it goes. There's the Cornucopia, the sea, and then the jungle all around. Very exact. Very symmetrical. And not very large.", after a short pause she added: "I couldn't find any traces of fresh water."
For a moment nobody knew anything to say to that.
"There must be another source of water! If there is only the sea where the games started, everyone would be dead in a matter of a few days.", Peeta said. He sounded sure of it, but Kaia had doubts.
The victor from 10 whispered: "Maybe they want them to be short... to be over. Too many weren't happy with the quarter quell." It was silent after that. All of them knew that it was dangerous to talk bad about the Capitol or the gamemakers. But at the same time, what should they do? They already were a part of the games.
Finnick looked into Kaia's eyes: "It's going to be dark soon. We should set up a camp. That way Mags can be better protected. We should take turns sleeping."
Katniss didn't look happy when he said, that he volunteered to take the first watch: "Not a chance." For her, it was almost laughable, that she could trust Finnick.
It was obvious, that Finnick was getting angry. He stood up and hold his trident. His hand gripped the metal and his knuckles were turning white. He raised to his full size and looked down into Katnis' face: "Honey, that thing I did back there for Peeta, that's called saving his life. The same goes for Brooks. If I wanted to kill either of you I would have done that by now." Kaia could see how furious he was. She walked up to the tall man and put her hand on his arm. Kaia hoped she could calm him somehow. Getting angry at Katniss won't help any of them or their plan.
"Maybe Finnick and I can take the first watch together if you're more comfortable with that?", Kaia tried to soothe the tense atmosphere, but she saw how Katniss shook her head. It seemed like an impulse Katniss wasn't even aware of.
The girl from 12 looked softly at Peeta: "Why don't you get some rest, and I'll take the first watch?"
Peeta looked at Kaia with almost sad eyes. Maybe he felt bad about how little his girlfriend trusted their newfound allies.
"Yeah, just for a little bit.", he sat down just where he stood a moment before, and his eyes were already closing.
Finnick was shaking his head as he still watched the two younger victors from 12. It was obvious he wanted to say more about the issue between him and Katniss, but a firm squeeze on his arm stopped him.
"Don't. We should rest if Katniss insists on keeping watch. You must stay strong if you want to carry Mags the whole way."
Kaia looked into his blue-green eyes and Finnick's face slowly wasn't as tense as before. She once again squeezed his arm and slowly started to step away. But one of his hands found her hips while the other still hold onto his weapon.
Kaia felt the heat of his touch through her bodysuit before she looked down. His big hand gripped her but his thumb softly stroked over the fabric that covered her skin. The golden bracelet on his wrist shone in the sun that was slowly sinking. Her breath hitched and her eyes wandered from his hand on her hip back to his face. Suddenly she didn't feel covered but very much exposed to his eyes. For a moment she was back in that room. When Finnick groaned under her touch and she melted at every contact his mouth made with her skin. How his hands were roaming over her flushed skin, a thin layer of sweat making them glow. Her breath got caught in her lungs.
She vigorously shook her head before stepping away from Finnick. His hand stroked over her hips and upper leg before falling back to his side. Kaia knew her cheeks were blushed, making her freckles pop even more. She had to look away from him and glanced over her shoulder back to where the older lady sat on the ground, quietly talking to Katniss that was standing close to her but keeping a close watch on the sleeping Peeta.
"We should really go back to Mags. She should rest for as long as possible.", she said. Even to her own ears, her voice sounded rough.
When he didn't say anything to that Kaia looked back into his face. That was a mistake.
Somehow Finnick managed to look disarmingly handsome and charming but at the same time also like a predator looking for his prey. He came closer to her much smaller frame and leaned down to her. Kaia fought the urge to take a step back, but she didn't want to give him the triumph. Finnick's soft lips hovered over her ear and suddenly goosebumps covers Kaia's whole body.
"You're thinking about that evening. Believe me, love, I am too. Every wake or sleeping minute I'm reliving those moments with you." His hand came back and rested on her waist. Finnick pulled her closer to his body. His lips now fully roamed her neck and cheek.
"But you know what I miss the most, love?", his voice became rough. He was almost growling into her ear. She couldn't let him do that... or could she? Should she? Kaia was sure, that, if there wasn't a life or death situation happening somewhere else in the arena, the cameras were on them and everybody saw how her eyes were closed from the overwhelming feelings he awakened in her. Ceasar was most likely having a blast.
But she still realized that she shook her head, answering him. She didn't know what he missed the most, but fuck, she wanted to know. She wanted to know it so badly, that she could almost forget the location of the sensual conversation.
"Wha... What do you miss?", she whispered. Without noticing she pressed her body closer against his.
Finnick grinned naughtily before whispering: "Your sweet little moans, love. You sounded so delicious, I didn't want to share a single second of it with them. In that moment you were only mine."
Kaia was sure her heart skipped a beat. Every inch of her skin felt hot but her brain concentrated on Finnick's voice and the touch of his hand on her waist.
"You can't say stuff like that. Not here.", she had to cough to force her voice out of her throat. She swiftly looked over her shoulder once more and saw how Katniss watched them.
Because of that Kaia finally pulled herself together and took a big step away from the beautiful man. His grin changed into a soft smile. But his eyes still sparkled with mischief.
"We will do much more than talk, I can promise you that, love." He winked at her and turned in the direction where Mags sat.
Kaia should have been glad, that he finally stopped... seducing her, but her mouth had a mind on its own: "You always call me love. You never do that with anyone else. Isn't that curious?"
He stopped for a moment and grinned at her: "No, I don't think it's curious. I would even say it is quite obvious... love"
When Kaia sat down she still felt Karniss' eyes on her, so she told herself to be brave and look back. Nonverbally she almost challenged the younger woman to say something about the interaction she just witnessed. But Katniss just raised an eyebrow as if to say: "Well, you two?" Kaia didn't know how to respond so she looked down at her hands.
Finnick, that was sitting a few meters away from them, cleared his throat and asked Katniss: "How is Peeta?"
"He is okay, I think. Dehydrated like the rest of us.", she sounded helpless.
Suddenly the Hunger Games theme started to play, and Kaia was startled. The three of them looked up to the sky... or at least at the force field that looked like the sky. Faces of the dead started to appear. Faces Kaia knew too well. After years as a mentor, many of them became dear friends or at least acquaintances. The male morphling. Almost nobody knew his name, but he once was a nice guy, Kaia had been told. Woof and Cecelia. Both were nice people, who didn't deserve this. Kaia didn't want to think about Cecelia's children who were still so little but already lost their mother in this dramatic way. She hoped that they didn't see how it happened. It would haunt them, like Tarek's death haunted Kaia. Seeder also didn't survive the first day. She was always so tough.
"Eight.", Katniss said, when the music stopped playing.
For a moment they were silent, thinking about the fallen tributes, and how it could have been them. Fuck, Peeta could have died twice.
Katniss was the first that heard the quiet beeping. She looked up and searched the sky above them for a silver parachute. And it landed right in front of her.
She opened the parachute and read: "Drink up. H."
"What is it?", Finnick asked but his excitement was noticeable.
"It's from Haymitch."
Kaia stood up and also looked at the small silver device in Katniss' hands: "It kind of looks like a small faucet, don't you think?"
Katniss jumped up and ran to the nearest tree: "It's a spile!"
"A what?", Finnick sounded confused. When he looked at Kaia he knew, that she didn't understand either.
"A spile. Sort of facuet, like Kaia said. You put it in a tree and sap comes out. But maybe something else is hidden in those trees.", Katniss explained excitedly while raming the spile into the tree using a big rock. After a few seconds of tense waiting water started to pour out of the tree. Everyone drank greedily and Finnick laughed for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Kaia didn't know before how much his carefree laughter soothed her until it had been missing.
"I'll get some for Mags.", he laughed and filled a big leaf with the fresh cold water.
Kaia smiled at him and then at Katniss: "We have a chance again!"
That night Kaia couldn't speel very well. No matter how she tried to lay on the floor, some root poked her in the back and she couldn't find rest. Maybe the problem is the games on its own. Kaia felt like she only slept for 10 minutes when she woke up. A gong-like sound could be heard that woke the whole group and shook the ground.
"I counted twelve.", Katniss said. Kaia rubbed her face trying to rub away sleep.
"Midnight?", Finnick suggested.
"Maybe the game has lasted 12 hours so far.", Kaia yawned. Finnick nodded. It was also possible. In the arena, everybody lost their sense of time.
Katniss added: "Or the number of districts."
A second later lightning bolts crashed into the tallest tree they could see. Even though it was far away from them, it was frightening. Nothing about it was natural, that was sure.
All of them sat there for a moment thinking about the meaning of the curious thunderstorm that only affected the very small space around the tree.
Kaia laid down again, she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.
Finnick told Katniss with a quiet voice to not disturb Peeta and Mags that were already sleeping again: "Well... if you're not gonna sleep, I will."
"Okay."
Kaia heard his exhausted groan when he stood up from his guard post. Her back was faced to him but she heard his slow steps getting louder. Somehow she wasn't surprised when a big hand landed on her shoulder.
"Can I sleep next to you?", he asked hesitantly. He sounded almost shy, but Kaia couldn't imagine, that Finnick Odair was ever shy.
At first, she didn't want to turn around so she laid still: "Why? Not enough space elsewhere for your ginormous body?"
Finnick chuckled softly before saying confidently: "No, but I'm sure that this space is much more comfortable."
After all, she turned around to look at his face. She didn't understand him. He could go from hesitant to confident in a fraction of a second.
"...okay."
Her answer almost sounded like a question but when Finnick smiled, Kaia knew that it was the right response. It was a real smile. A Finnick smile. Not a smile for the people of the Capitol. It was for her, and it looked different.
Before she could stop herself she said: "I like this smile the best."
Finnick froze for a moment while he was laying down behind her. But after a second he chuckled again: "You make it sound as if I have various smiles."
At first, there was still some space between them, but Finnick put his hand around Kaia's waist and pulled her closer. In this position, she could feel every inch of her skin.
"You do."
He squeezed his arm under her head and brushed her two braids to the side. Her head laid on his bicep like on a cushion.
She noticed how her heartbeat got calmer because of his presence when she whispered: "You have a different smile when you smile at the people of the Capitol. It is more a predator's grin. But you also smile in another way at Mags.", she hesitated before adding: "Or at me."
He didn't respond for a few moments. The only sign that he wasn't asleep already was his hand that slowly stroked Kaia's stomach.
"You do too."
Kaia's breath hitched: "Not everybody deserves the same smile. Some people don't even deserve a grin. I like your Mags-smile. It's so real and sincere."
Finnick hummed before asking: "But my Kaia-smile ist you favourite?" She could almost hear his grin. His hand was still caressing her stomach. It only stopped slightly below her chest.
"Yes, it is.", she breathed.
The man from 4 pressed his face into Kaia's hair and mumbled: "I like your Finnick-smile the best, love. I'm thankful that I'm deserving of it."
"You definitely are.", Kaia whispered.
Shortly after both fell asleep. Cuddled together, even though all of Panem was watching curiously. Many wondered if there were two pairs of star-crossed lovers in the arena that year.
