The Silent Killer (A Finnick Odair Love Story)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Silence. Cold, frigid, raw silence. Deafening silence. Silence so loud it's nearly impossible to bear. A coffin buried deep within the ground. Silence.

"Asphodel?"

The silence is broken by his voice. The voice I thought I'd never hear again.

"Neutro," I state, rising to my feet. My pants are smeared in blood; it's dried in my hair. The blood of my enemies.

"You're alive?" He sounds surprised.

"I told you I'd prove them wrong," is all I reply with, my voice guarded. He may be from home, but that doesn't mean he'll hesitate to kill me.

"Allies?" he offers, holding out a hand. He looks hopeful. Neutro isn't a genius, but he's intelligent. He's strong, too.

"Yeah," I finally decide, shaking his hand. "Allies."

I'm taken from the memory when I hear Finnick softly whispering my name. I open my eyes to see Finnick looking at me lovingly. Light streams into our tent, but he doesn't seem to mind. He kisses me lightly, pulling me closer to him.

"How did you sleep?" he asks, concerned.

"No nightmares," I say, my voice raspy and my throat raw. "What about you?"

"I had you in my arms all night, so I slept perfectly," he says, kissing my forehead. "We should probably get up. We're heading into the Capitol today."

I bury my face in his chest, not wanting to move from our tent. It's warm and safe and ours. After we sit up and start to actually wake up, Finnick gently brushes my hair, carefully working out the tangles. He braids it neatly into the four-strand pattern he likes so much.

"There," he says once he's finished, then lifts me onto his lap.

It's dead-silent for several minutes as he lightly trails his fingers along my face and neck, studying me closely. His hand comes to where the scar on my neck is, and he looks into my eyes, as if asking for permission. I give him a small smile, so he gently tilts my chin up and begins lightly kissing the healed wound. The scar was impossible to surgically smooth away after I won. It was too deep, too inconveniently placed.

"I love you," he whispers between kisses. His lips move slowly to my neck and-

"Time to go!" Gale yells, bursting into the tent. Finnick ends the kiss, glaring sharply at him. The two of us stand up.

"Fine. We're coming. Now, get out."

I lay my head against his chest, watching Gale glare at us before shaking his head.

"I'm not leaving," he says stubbornly, stomping his foot.

"I'll punch you again," I threaten, making Finnick grin.

"That's my girl!" he says proudly, kissing the top of my head.

"Of course," Gale mutters to himself. "Leave it to Finnick Odair to praise his girlfriend for threatening me."

"It's kind of in her nature," Finnick points out, making me smile.

•••••

My boots are silent as I hold my blowgun in my hands, ready to shoot if necessary. My eyes scan over every crevice, every possible threat. Finnick is at my side, his trident held defensively.

"Wait," Cressida says, putting her hand up. We all stop. "Boggs, any mines?"

"Tons of 'em," he nods.

"Start shooting," she commands, and everyone with a gun obeys.

Finnick protectively covers my ears as the gunfire blazes, causing me to partially blush and partially roll my eyes at his protectiveness. At least he doesn't want me to get hurt.

"Get down!" Cressida yells, and we drop. I grit my teeth as the mines explode, sending darts and pieces of shrapnel over our heads.

After a while, we're in a house that cannot be identified as any different from the others. Cressida has Finnick and I sit on the sofa.

"Okay! So we're going to do a propo about you guys," she explains while we nod in agreement. Castor and Pollux start filming. "We're just going to ask you about your relationship and such, alright?" We nod. "When did you two first meet?"

"We formally met when Asphodel came to District Four on her Victory Tour," Finnick answers easily. "We had a short conversation, and I sat near her at the dinner that evening."

"When did you two start to develop feelings for each other?" she questions.

"I loved Asphodel before we even properly met," Finnick admits, rubbing the back of his neck. "I heard her telling her district partner, back when she was just a tribute, that she refused to be the weak little girl everyone expected her to be. She swore that she would be different, that she wouldn't die like every other District Five female tribute had. I fell in love with her determination, then, as I watched her in the arena, I fell in love with her. I did everything in my power to get her out alive. Then, when we started spending time together during the Quell, I fell even harder. I was prepared to die in the arena if it meant Asphodel came out alive."

Taking his hand in mine, I play with his fingers while I prepare myself to speak. I feel his eyes on me.

"He saved me," I murmur, my throat hurting. Still, I keep talking. "I didn't think anybody could ever see past me not being able to talk. I didn't think I really had anything to live for, but I was going to try to win just to show that the Capitol couldn't kill me. But Finnick...He gave me a reason to survive. Suddenly, I had something to lose.

"I guess I realized I loved him when I met up with him on the beach, right after I got out of bloodbath. The relief I felt when I knew he was still alive, when he hugged me once we stopped running...It all made sense. Why I was willing to die for him, why I felt so safe and comfortable with him...It just made sense."

Beaming, Finnick pulled me in for a kiss. I dropped his hand, instead lightly taking the fabric of his shirt into my hands. He wraps his arms around me, only ending the kiss when Castor clears his throat. Finnick looks annoyed before he remembers we're on camera and quickly wipes the frown away.

"Just a few more," Cressida promises. "Asphodel, is Finnick your first lover?"

I shake my head, "No, I had a boyfriend back in Five when I won. He was killed by Snow. I was upset, but I found him cheating on me before I left on my Victory Tour, so..." I shrug. "I wouldn't call him a lover, though. I liked him. I could be without him, and my feelings for him faded quickly.

"But I love Finnick. I couldn't live without him, and I'll love him for the rest of my life. If he dies," I choke back the lump in my throat, "I'll only be seconds behind him."