Chapter Fourteen: Training Begins
Finnick is surprised when he wakes up the next morning to find Stell still asleep beside him. She's lying on her stomach, one arm underneath the pillow her head rests on, the other over it. She's facing him, her features soft as he studies them. He watches the rise and fall of her chest, fixates on how her hair falls. Some of it in front of her face, most of it behind her.
She almost always wakes up before him, the more he thinks on it, he determines this is only the second time he's been the one to wake up first. He doesn't dare move.
The wall-to-wall window of his room is currently set to block out the view, so the morning light isn't penetrating through at all. They had needed it before going to sleep. Being only on the fourth floor, the lights from the surrounding buildings tended to keep them awake. Finnick and Stell hadn't discussed sharing a bedroom at all, she had just followed him after they'd finished discussing training with Amos last night.
Training, he remembers, which starts at ten o'clock. Not that they needed to be on time, everyone had been there before and it's not like they changed the rules. But still, Finnick doesn't want to show up too late.
He shifts slowly, using his elbow to prop himself up to look over Stell's still form at the clock. It was almost eight-thirty. Even for Finnick, that was sleeping late.
His gaze goes back to Stell. She usually wakes up around six, and while all he wants to do is let her sleep as long as she's able, he knows Amos will want to go over the plan for today again. So, he first lets out a sigh, then slowly reaches out towards her, moving a few strands of hair away from her face.
"Stell?" Finnick's voice is still rough with sleep, "Time to wake up, love." He brushes the back of his knuckles over her cheek, a smile pulling at his lips when she frowns and lets out a groan of protest. "Training day." He reminds her, though all she does is turn her head so he can't see her face.
He lets out a chuckle, then wraps an arm around her bare midsection and pulls her closer to him, "Finnick." She groans, finally opening her eyes.
Finnick kisses the top of her head, looking down at her as she just stares straight ahead, "Yes?"
"Why do we even have to go again?"
"To show the others we're actually still fit." She scowls, as if they can't just tell that by looking at the two of them, "And to work on gaining Katniss and Peeta's trust."
"Oh right," Stell lets out a yawn, "I have to be nice today."
"You do." He agrees, his smile widening as he watches her stretch her arms upwards, looping them around the back of his neck, "That can't be a comfortable position for you." He comments as he stares down at her. In response, she shakes her head, letting him go a second later before turning over and pressing him onto his back. He lets her do so, a smile still on his face as she lays on his chest, her chin resting on the back of her hand so she can still look him in the eye. "Better?"
"Yeah," She replies, "The view is better too."
Finnick rolls his eyes, "You're stalling."
"Me? Never."
"So, I'll talk to Katniss, you can talk to Peeta." Finnick says, trying to get back on topic.
The playful grin slips from her face before she willingly contributes, "Perfect, Peeta and I can bond over our shared disability." She knocks the stump of her leg into Finnick's knee to emphasize her point.
"He'll love that." Finnick answers softly, not looking away from her. And then, it feels like it's just the two of them in the world. He dares not question her good mood in their situation. As always with Stell, he just appreciates the moment, the time with her and her allowing him to be with her like this. When she smiles again he whispers, "Kiss me."
She does, leaning forwards and pressing her lips gently against Finnick's. He's just putting an arm around her to hold her close when the door opens, "Fin- aw fuck." It's Amos, "Stop that."
Stell sighs, returning to her previous position on Finnick's chest, they both look over at their mentor, "Yes?"
"I liked it better when you hated each other." He comments, a grimace still on his face, "But get up, we need to talk before you go down there." He's gone a moment later.
"You made us get in trouble."
"I did?" Stell asks incredulously, "You're the one who asked me to kiss you."
Finnick shrugs, "I guess so, but you didn't have to oblige. I actually thought-" A pillow flies through the doorway suddenly, Finnick letting out a laugh as Stell rolls off of him just in time to not get hit.
"Now!" Amos hisses from the doorway again.
Finnick sits up and tosses the duvet aside, glancing behind him to see Stell stretching, her arms held out to either side, "You want your leg?"
"No," She says too quickly, "I thought I'd just hop around all day," she reaches across the bed and snaps her fingers, "Yes, I want it." Finnick rolls his eyes but stands up all the same and grabs the prosthetic from its spot on the floor.
"You could've just said yes."
"You could've just handed it to me." She points out as she puts it on, swinging the limb back and forth once it's properly attached. Finnick's shirt from the night before lays on the ground by her feet, so she bends over to pick it up before holding it out to him, "See?"
"Thank you." He doesn't put it on though, just tosses it into the hamper that sits in the walk-in closet that he now stands in. "See you at breakfast." He calls after her as Stell exits the room, making her way down the hallway to her own to change into the training clothes that've already been laid out.
She takes her time getting ready, not arriving at the breakfast table until a quarter till ten. Finnick's there, half his breakfast plate already gone. They all look up as she enters the room, her hand finding the chin of an avox who stands quietly. She pauses, tilting the maimed woman's face upwards from its normally submissive position, "You damned woman," She comments, "You must love seeing us all like this." Stell tilts her own head, raising her eyebrows, "Don't you? Go ahead and answer."
Finnick puts his fork down with an audible 'clink', "Stell."
The avox narrows her eyes a little, making Stell laugh, "Oh right, you can't." The Victor lets her hand fall from the avox's chin, pleased when it doesn't just return to its normal position. Instead, the woman continues to hold her gaze.
"Finished?" It's Mags. Her tone as rough as Stell's ever heard it.
The young Victor lets a lopsided grin slide onto her face, then pats the avox's cheek once, "Yes." She saunters over to the table, taking the empty seat beside Finnick. "We already established that we're supposed to try and gain Twelve's trust, anything else to add?" She looks to Amos and Mags as she piles food onto her plate.
"Try and learn some new skills," Stell wants to interrupt, but she's been a mentor long enough to know better. Anything Amos and Mags have to add could be the difference between life and death, even before the Games begin, "You both won before because you can fight, because you didn't hesitate at the thought of killing someone else, but this is a Quell. It's different, the arena itself will try and kill you ten times more than it did last time."
"You mean the Gamemakers." Finnick counters.
Stell looks to Mags between bites of her eggs, the old woman watching the interactions carefully with her hands folded atop the table. The women stay silent as the men ponder what sort of atrocities could be in the arena this year. Old traps of years past are brought up: caverns that collapse if you touch the walls, pools of toxic water that burn your skin, grass with tips sharp as razors.
By the time they actually get back around to talking about potential alliances and who to seek out, it's already ten o'clock. Stell and Finnick don't make it down till about half past and are pleasantly surprised to see that they aren't even the last to arrive.
Attala has already gone over the training rules with the group but makes sure to pull aside the pair from Four to remind them personally before letting them go on their way. It seems none of the other Victors have noticed their arrival, and Stell and Finnick part ways to go about their respective duties.
Stell is sure to take a detour though, spotting Gloss and Cashmere at the knife throwing station. She heads straight towards one of her few friends in the world, his arm opening to embrace her in a half hug easily. Gloss presses a kiss to the top of her head, drawing the attention of more than one tribute in the large room, "It's good to see you." He murmurs.
She looks up into his eyes, once again taken aback at how similar they are to Reed's, "I'd feel better about it if you were a mentor," She lets her gaze shift to Cashmere, "Both of you."
Cashmere shrugs, continuing the twirl a knife between her fingers, "We weren't surprised," She grins then, holding the knife's blade out to Stell, "Let's see if you've still got it."
Stell steps out from under Gloss's arm, "Tridents are my thing, so you know."
"You hit our boy from thirty yards out with a knife," Gloss remembers, "But this is further."
Stell shrugs, flipping the blade in her hand a few times before setting her feet and letting it fly. It streaks through the air, spinning end over end before lodging deep into the back wall with a thud. She's missed, but just by centimeters. Behind her, Gloss sighs, "Sorry, Stell you don't make the cut for the alliance."
Cashmere laughs as Stell scowls, "Give me another," her eyes are narrowed at the one that missed as Gloss hands her another knife. Stell looks down once it's in her hand, double checking her grip that she naturally assumed.
Her body stays relaxed as she moves, walking down the throwing range until she's only ten feet from the target, her right foot stepping forwards as she throws with a lot less power than before. The blade only flips once in the air now, and hits the target with a barely audible thud. This time, it hits the middle, but doesn't stick as well and falls to the floor. Wordlessly, Stell walks back to the line, her jaw set tightly, and holds a hand out for another try.
Gloss snickers, shaking his head at her as he hands her a third knife. "Do you want-"
"No." She cuts off the trainer, "I know what I'm doing."
Gloss and Cashmere have their arms crossed over their chests, it's Gloss who quips, "That's why she's doing so poorly," Cashmere smirks, "Because she knows what she's doing."
Stell's eyes don't leave the target, "Fuck off, both of you." She takes a breath, sets her feet, and throws again. The blade turns end over end again this time, hitting the dummy deep in the shoulder.
Cashmere shrugs, "Not a kill shot that's for sure."
"It'd slow you down." Stell points out.
"And give me another knife." The blonde smiles at Stell's glare, picking up two more blades and handing one to her brother, "Ready, Gloss?"
He grins, stepping up to the line. They throw at the same time, with no hesitation, both blades sticking right over the heart at the other end.
Stell glances around, she sees Peeta glancing their way, and when she catches his eye, he looks away quickly. "Wow." She deadpans to the siblings, getting laughs from both of them, "I'm devastated, really, but if you'll excuse me." She waves as she turns on her heel and makes her way towards the boy from Twelve, making a mental note to return to the knife throwing station later on, "Hey, Peeta." She says it as though they've been friends for years.
He's walking towards the plant identification station, but Stell loops her arm through his as he greets her, "Stellar."
"Come throw tridents with me." She's not asking, and Peeta lets her lead him away, "And it's Stell, only stuck up Capitolites call me Stellar. How's the leg?" She asks, genuine curiosity in her voice as she inclines her head at his own prosthetic.
Peeta shrugs, "I've gotten used to it, though it feels like it's still there sometimes."
"Yeah." Stell lets go of his arm as they reach the rack that holds the spears and tridents, "That never really stops," She shrugs once, "sorry they couldn't save yours; I didn't think the cut was that bad myself."
Peeta's surprised by her words. She really sounds like she means them, which is something he wasn't expecting from Stellar Mere. "Thank you." He watches her pick up a trident and turn it over in her hands, "How'd you lose yours?"
She glances up at him, a smirk playing on the edges of her lips, "You didn't rewatch my Games?"
Peeta steps forwards and grabs a spear, "I did," He confirms, "I just don't remember all of it."
"Mutts." She says simply, tapping her prosthetic with the end of a trident, "Got myself sliced up by their claws, there was some sort of flesh-eating poison involved." She steps up to the line and faces the dummies on the far side of the wall, "It was good motivation to kill everyone before I couldn't walk anymore." She takes a breath, then lets the trident fly as she exhales. The trident pierces through the air, straight as one of Katniss's arrows. Peeta's eyebrows disappear under his blonde hair as it lodges right into the dummy's chest with an audible 'thud'. She inclines her head towards the dummies, "Your turn."
Peeta takes his turn, the spear arching through the air. It sticks, but it hits the dummy's shoulder and doesn't lodge as deep. "I remember you picked off almost everyone at the end, a bit terrifying actually." He looks over at Stell, who stands with her arms crossed over her chest. She's still staring down at the spear he just threw.
She chuckles at his words, "If you don't terrify people a little bit then what's the point?" A look of concern is on Peeta's face in the next moment, "You." She points at him, "Weren't terrifying at all. The star-crossed lovers of District Twelve." She glances around the room to find Katniss. She's easy to spot, over with Finnick at the knot tying station. A smile tugs at her lips as she watches him fashion a noose and then pretend to hang himself for Katniss's amusement.
"I didn't want to be terrifying." Peeta tells her, sincerity lacing every word, "And I do love Katniss." He watches Stell walk over to the rack and grab another spear, "What about you and Finnick?"
She hands it to Peeta, "Finnick and me?" Peeta opens his mouth to speak but she cuts him off, "No, hold it more in the middle, and not with all your fingers."
Peeta speaks as he follows her instruction, "The timing of your relationship seems remarkably coincidental." Smart kid, Stell thinks, she holds Peeta's gaze for a moment longer than necessary.
Stell can't help but chuckle, "Doesn't it?" Her quip is sarcastic and Peeta isn't really sure what to make of it. Is she confirming what he illuded too? Was the relationship between Stell and Finnick all just a ploy?
Stell looks over her shoulder again towards Finnick, "He's grown on me though. Now, go ahead and try it from there and keep your elbow up as you throw." Peeta does as he's told, the spear traveling a bit straighter this time, he's able to get more power behind it. Stell nods approvingly, watching as one of the trainers takes the weapons out of the dummies and begins bringing them back. "I know it's hard to trust the new leg, but they can take a lot."
Peeta nods in understanding, surprised at how talkative Stell is. He watches as she holds a hand out for the trident as the trainer gets closer. She catches it easily and begins to spin it around. The movements are slow and easy, she spins it behind her back, taking it in her other hand as it picks up speed a little. "How long have you been using one of those?" Peeta wonders aloud.
She makes the weapon spin in front of her now, crossing over to her right hand, "Got my first one when I was six." Stell changes her grip, grabbing further down the trident's shaft as she swings it behind her back. Peeta flinches as the weapon's prongs end up inches away from his neck. "Now it's like an arm extension." She's smirking at him.
"Hey!" One of the trainer's is yelling at her, "Put down the trident!" Stell rolls her eyes, letting the weapon fall from Peeta's throat and takes a few steps towards the targets. She throws it again, hitting her mark. She turns towards the trainer, whose stopped running towards her, and puts up her hands, "Happy?" She sneers.
"I knew it." Johanna Mason has a playful glint in her eye as she saunters past them, completely naked, "Heartless already causing issues."
Stell flips her off, a gesture that Johanna returns without hesitation. She notices Peeta's questioning look a moment later, "Only she gets away with calling me that. But Nuts and Volts," She nods towards the pair from Three who crouch by the fire-starting station, "Everyone calls them Nuts and Volts."
Stell and Peeta don't spend much more time together after that. He asks her about some of the other Victors, of whom Stell has quite a bit of insight. She throws him a few inside tips that Haymitch didn't mention: Cashmere can't swim very well, Beetee has almost zero skill in hand-to-hand combat, Wyatt can kill you in about a hundred different ways with just a rope.
She spends her remaining time before lunch at the combat stations; getting practice in fighting someone other than Finnick and honing in her mediocre sword fighting skills.
When lunchtime swings around, she rolls her eyes as Finnick, Chaff, and Bonnie begin pushing the tables together into one large group. Stell isn't surprised, most of them are friends so it really does make it more convenient to eat lunch as a large group.
She's just grabbed her plate and turned around when she spots Johanna moving to take the one spot next to Finnick, "Hey, Mason!" Stell barks out, her chin tilted upwards, "Don't take my spot."
Finnick, who already has his plate of food in front of him, grins cheekily, "Yeah, shove off, Jo." He laughs, "The most beautiful girl in the world wants to sit next to me."
Johanna rolls her eyes, but takes a step away from the chair, "I don't know how you two even get along now." She sits next to Peeta instead, who sits with Katniss on the other end of the table, "They hated each other for years."
"But look at us now," Finnick's still grinning ear to ear as Stell takes her seat. He reaches over, pulling her closer by the underside of her chair.
As he turns his head, she grumbles under her breath, "Try and kiss me and I'll punch you."
"Thanks, love." The Victors around them laugh at the exchange.
From across the table Katniss watches silently. She's not happy about having to make allies, or that all the Victors seem to be such good friends. They've all broken off into private conversations now, speaking in more hushed tones than Finnick and Johanna were before. The latter is conversing with Peeta, asking him about how his paintings been going.
By the time lunch is over, Katniss needs a reprieve, so she heads over to the archery station. Just the feeling of the bow in her hand makes it easier to relax, and she takes a breath as the glass door slides open for her to enter the training area.
Stell, who sits tying a net together beside Finnick, notices from across the room and abandons her task, "I'm gunna go watch." She tells Finnick as she stands up. He gets up as well, hovering a hand over the small of Stell's back for a moment as they towards the glass room.
From the inside, the walls darken for Katniss as the simulation begins. Stell and Finnick can still see inside from the outside. They watch as Katniss stands perfectly still in the center, her grip steady on the bow.
Stell crosses her arms over her chest, leaning into Finnick as the first hologram appears in front of Katniss. She shoots it easily, turning in the same moment to take aim at the next target.
Woof and Seeder, come up beside Finnick, shortly followed by Brutus and Cashmere.
A hologram runs on the balcony above Katniss, jumping down at her from behind. Katniss is ready though, rolling over her shoulder and shooting the enemy before it can get to her. She just keeps shooting them. She doesn't miss. Not once.
Finnick turns his head, leaning over so his breath warms the skin behind Stell's ear, "Now are you okay with having her as an ally?" The walls lighten, the simulation turning off. Beside Stell, Wiress begins clapping eccentrically.
Stell rolls her eyes, taking a step back before shoving Wiress further away from her. The older Victor stumbles as step, letting out a squeak as she's moved. Stell doesn't stick around to see Katniss's narrowed eyes at her actions, she just makes her way back to the knot tying station, intent on finishing the net she'd abandoned minutes before.
That night Finnick brings up Katniss's shooting skills again, "We should request her as an ally." His hair is still wet from his shower and sticks slightly to his forehead.
Mags nods her head, "That's been the plan." Her accent is thick and makes Stell smiles a little.
"You can talk to Haymitch tomorrow, he listens to you better." Amos chuckles slightly, "I don't think he takes me seriously."
Julian hums thoughtfully, "Not many take Haymitch seriously."
"He's brilliant." Mags states, leaving no room for rebuttal. She turns her gaze to Stell, bringing her into the conversation by simply saying her name.
Stell shrugs, "Let's do it, but I don't trust her."
"It's not about trust, you know that." Amos reminds her, "Just keep yourselves alive, keep them alive." Finnick's head snaps up, his eyes narrowing at Amos before glancing towards their escort and the avoxes, "For as long as you can." Amos adds on, "Then you can split off." He's covering his tracks, but not doing a very good job of it. "Who else do you want so far?"
Stell sighs, putting her fork down on her now empty plate and leaning back in her chair. Everyone looks at her, but she just shrugs and points to Finnick. "Don't you have any preferences?" He questions her, looking a little more than done with her attitude.
"I do," She confirms, "But I want to see who you want first and then I can say yes or no."
"Or you could just tell me now," Stell raises her eyebrows, "For fuck's sake." Finnick groans, "Katniss for one."
"Yes."
"Peeta, Johanna, Beetee, Wiress-"
Stell cuts him off, "No."
"No?" He parrots, "No to who?"
"Wiress, we don't need her, the woman's batshit crazy."
"We could say the same about you." Amos pipes up, ignoring the middle finger Stell sticks up at him from across the table.
"She's a genius." Stell shrugs at Finnick's correction, "Was there anyone else you wanted?"
Stell tilts her head, thinking on it for a moment, "Right now? No. Maybe Blight, Wayne may be good too. I'll have to see though."
"Fair enough." Amos puts his hands down on the table, "You two should get some sleep. Mags and I will talk to the other mentors, see what else we can come up with."
"Start thinking of what to say in your interviews." Julian reminds them, "You can never be too prepared."
Stell wakes up too early the next day. She tries closing her eyes again to drift off to sleep, but it doesn't work. Her brain is buzzing too fast, her nightmares too strong.
Even with Finnick's arm draped over her, she feels entirely trapped by the Capitol. So, she carefully, slowly, slips out from underneath him. She's thankful that he doesn't stir and quietly reattaches her leg before padding out of the bedroom and making her way to the living room.
It's dark and she leaves the lights off, finding the projector remote in its usual place on the coffee table. She can't help but think back to this same feeling she had seven years ago, when she was a tribute before. There were so many things she'd done wrong then, both before, during, and after the Games.
She had once been a believer that, for the most part, the past should stay in the past. Nothing anyone did was going to change it, that was impossible. Then she'd killed Reed and her District had held it against her for years. They didn't care that she'd made a mistake, didn't care how she felt about it.
It's easy to find, easy to sit back on the couch and prop her feet on the coffee table, easy to press play.
Claudius's voice is the first thing to sound, "Ladies and Gentlemen! Let the Sixty-Ninth Hunger Games, begin!" The reruns of the Games always have the same beginning. Claudius announcing the beginning of the Games, with the portraits of the final eight flashing across the screen.
Their names come back to her as they flash by: Marcus, Diamond, Sirius, Tripp, Harrison, Reed, Gram, and of course, herself.
Then they go into the Reapings. They go in order, starting with District One. Stell's eyes zero in on a much younger Gloss and Cashmere, who would've only been in their fifth and sixth year of mentoring at that time. The tape doesn't focus on them though, instead, it's on Harrison and Diamond. They look like twins, with their light hair and muscled bodies. Stell had forgotten how blue Diamond's eyes were, and the camera makes a point to zoom in on them.
Next is Two. Marcus is big, his blonde hair shining in the bright sun as he stands proudly beside Opal, who he dwarfs. Her long dark hair is perfectly straight and even as they shake hands, they narrow their eyes at one another.
District Three's tributes, Pascal and Delly, aren't given much screen time. Just long enough to show their faces then the screen's on to District Four, where of course, they take their time. Stell remembers the day, watches as Julian practically skips up the steps. She sees Finnick, only eighteen at the time. He sits quietly beside a much younger Mags, his eyes scanning the sea of children in front of him. He would've been standing in the front row, if luck had been on his side four years prior to that day's events.
"Stellar Mere!" The camera pans towards the section of sixteen year old girls, zooming in as Stell's shoved forwards by the girl beside her. She watches herself glare at Eliza for only a second before starting the trek towards the stage. It's interesting to her, watching Finnick perk up as she gets closer. He sits straighter in his chair, turns his whole body to watch her make her way up the steps and stand behind the reaping bowl.
Stell feels her heartbeat pick up as Julian picks a slip from the boy's side, "Reed Baltic!" She can't help the lump that forms in her throat at the sight of him. He's already near the front, with the rest of the eighteen year old boys, so it doesn't take him long to reach center stage. She's vaguely aware of the commentators talking about how it seems as though these two tributes already know one another as Stell watches her and Reed shake hands. They don't let go though, each keeping ahold of the other as the anthem plays, signaling the end of the Reaping.
The rest of the Districts go by quickly, most tributes Stell remembers their names, but some she doesn't. Ruby from District Eight, Fuller and Maggie from Twelve. They all died in the bloodbath anyways.
The tape shows clips of the Opening Ceremonies; Stell and Reed draped in what looks like seaweed. It's there that it's said for the first time and the rerun is sure to play it. "Caesar, that girl from District Four may be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen!"
"She's stunning! The most beautiful girl in the world!"
From there it's straight to training scores and interviews. Stell scores a ten, having shown off her skills with a trident. Reed had matched her, along with Harrison and Opal. She recalls that even before the training sessions the alliance had already been confirmed among Districts One, Two and Four for that year. They had considered asking the District Eleven tributes to join, just based on their sheer size, but District One had scoffed at the suggestion. Looking back, it would've made things easier in the arena, but things were always clearer in hindsight.
They play Stell's full interview. She frowns at the dress Naboo had put her in. It's beautiful, there's no doubt in that, but the deeper chest cut in the front and low back really shows off a lot. And she was only sixteen.
And at sixteen, she's the epitome of confidence. "Do you want to know what I told my mentor the first night on the train?" She's asking Caesar, who places a hand on her arm.
"Finnick Odair?"
The younger Stell smirks, "You've heard of him?" the crowd laughs, the camera showing Finnick in the next frame. Even at eighteen he had mastered his signature, devil-may-care smile, and he dons it now as he points up at his tribute. The crowd goes wild at the sight of him, Stell has to wait for them to quiet down before continuing, "I told him I was this year's Victor. He believes it, so should you."
They talk about how Stell likes the Capitol, about her training score, and about Reed. "He's like a brother to me, he's been my protector for as long as I can remember." And as they pass one another on stage, Reed takes ahold of Stell's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze because only he knew how hard her heart was pounding for those three minutes.
Reed's interview is shown briefly. But Stell finds herself rewinding it again just so she can listen to the smooth cadence of his voice. She remembers how it sounds when he got excited, or anxious, or angry. The latter makes her chuckle, he got loud when he was mad.
She'd get loud right back at him.
He talks about his training score, also a ten, and that he'll be one to watch out for. Caesar asks what they'll do if it ends up being Stell and Reed in the end. To that, the boy just chuckles, "We'll cross that bridge if we get to it."
Caesar wishes him the best of luck before Reed makes his way up the steps to where the tributes stand following their interviews. Stell remembers how boring it had been, standing there for the entire time having to look interested. Her and Reed had whispered a few comments back and forth about the other tributes, but that was mainly when someone got especially nervous and fumbled up their words.
What the rerun doesn't show, but Stell remembers clearly, is Fuller puking all over the stage as soon as he walked into view. It hadn't been a great first impression for the boy from Twelve, but he never stood a chance anyways.
Claudius Templesmith's voice echoes around the living room a moment later, "Let the Sixty-Ninth Hunger Games begin…may the odds be ever in your favor." Stell's breath catches at the aerial view of her arena. The cornucopia was set in the fallen city's central park, a large grassy area with sparse trees that had start to become overgrown. The park only went out about fifty yards every direction until the city began, the buildings fallen into either a half or completely ruined state.
The camera first pans outwards, showing the rocky shore that welcomed you to a toxic ocean. Then it pans inwards, showing Stell waiting on her plate. She remembers scanning the area around her as well as trying to see what was in the cornucopia.
She watches herself smile as she spots the trident just inside the mouth of the large metal structure. It was for District Four, she knew that. The countdown reaches ten. She cracks her knuckles, getting ready to run straight ahead.
Running anywhere else was never even a consideration to her.
The gong sounds, and then the camera keeps changing. The first kill goes to Marcus, who takes out Fuller by driving a sword into his abdomen. Stell's back on the screen then, a knife now in her hand as she keeps running towards the cornucopia. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots a backpack a few feet away and reroutes.
Bobbin, the boy from District Eight, almost has a hand on it when she bears down on him, not slowing for one step before tackling him to the ground. The boy is smaller than her, even though they're the same age. All he does to try and stop her is put his hands up, but she doesn't hesitate to plunge the knife into his chest. Blood spurts out at her, covering her arms.
She pushes him slightly to the side once she's done, quickly grabbing the pack before continuing on like nothing happened. Reed's already there, holding a trident in each hand. He's got blood on his legs, "Don't worry," The camera picks up his words, "It's not mine." Then he's tossing her the smaller weapon, "Let's go use these."
They both turn their backs to the entrance of the cornucopia then. The rest of their allies have arrived and it's only Stell, Opal, and Harrison who add another kill to their roster before the bloodbath ends.
The Career pack is going through supplies when the cannons begin, booming seven times in total. Marcus is eager to find out who killed who, disappointed with himself that he didn't get the most. He and Stell both killed two. Reed tells her he got the girl from Twelve, which makes them and District Five the only two to be completely out of the Games within minutes of it starting.
Stell lets out a shaky breath before picking up the remote and rewinding the tape. She watches the bloodbath again. This time, she studies it, looks for holes in her fighting, mistakes she made.
She shouldn't have gone with the overhead throw to kill Ruby, a quick jab would've worked just fine, would've been faster, less blood. Throwing the knife at Bobbin would've been better than just tackling him. He could've had a blade of his own that she couldn't see.
The cannons sound again, she pauses it again, "Don't." Finnick's voice sounds from close behind her, making her jump slightly, "Don't watch it again," Stell turns, wondering how long he's been there, "I think twice is enough, don't you?"
"What did you think of it?" She asks him, watching as he walks around the couch.
Finnick shrugs, "Both our tributes stayed alive, you were in the Career pack. I was happy with it." Stell hums, shifting a little as Finnick sits down beside her, "You don't have to stay up with me." She tells him.
He turns his head to look at her, his sea-green eyes carrying an emotion she can't really put a name too, "I'm not letting you watch this alone." She just nods, looking back to the projector and resuming the tape. "When's the last time you saw this?" He asks.
the memory of seeing all this before is vague. The mental images blurred by the sheer amount of drugs they had pumped into her system just an hour before she took the stage, "My crowning."
