𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝- Finnick Odair

𝐯𝐢.

𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝐯𝐢.

Beatrice felt at least partially better by the time morning came. Gloss held her hand as they entered the Training Center, where the male from District five was heaving his breakfast onto the floor by the swords station. Gloss squeezed her hand. "I'll choose our allies?" he offered.

"Please," she said. "I'm going make sure I can still hold a sword."

He nodded before releasing her and heading toward the knife-throwing station. Beatrice made for the swords.

Johanna was already occupied with an ax, effortlessly swinging the weapon back and forth at some imaginary target.

Beatrice picked a sword, turning it over in her hands. The weight was good. She had feared she might have lost muscle mass after fifteen years. A few cursory swings made sure she had the motions set in her head.

She turned her attention to the training dummies.

And she let all of the anger that had been mounting inside her for weeks take over.

It didn't take long for one of the instructors to join her rather than let her destroy the dummies. They used heavily blunted swords, practicing swings and grappling techniques. Everything Beatrice had learned about swords came back quickly enough.

Gloss joined her sometime before lunch, practicing with a sword of his own. "Enobaria and Brutus had some choice words about you," he noted.

"Not Two," Beatrice said. "That's all I ask. Not Two. Anyone else."

"Bea- -"

"Sarrel wanted me to help choose our allies. I say Enobaria and Brutus are a no."

She didn't look at him. She kept her eyes focused on the trainer, dodging every swing. 

"District Two doesn't have a vendetta against you," Gloss said.

She shrugged. "Not Brutus and Enobaria. That's the only thing I have to say."

"Then who?" he said. "You hate Finnick, and he's the only other I can even think would be useful. Katniss and Peeta won't side with us, you know that."

"Then we're on our own. That's fine. I can handle alone."

"Beatrice."

She looked at him, dropping her sword. "I'm going learn about poisonous plants. Enjoy the swords, Gloss."

She was quickly distracted, however, by Katniss, who had led Mags over to the archery station, where the old woman watched in awe as Katniss began to take down every hologram that came at her. Even as the pace sped up, as more holographic forms came charging, Katniss shot straight and true. Soon enough, everyone was watching.  When the simulation ended and Katniss turned away to look back at Mags, she realized she had an audience.