HURRICANE, finnick odair (hiatus)

ix. the start

CHAPTER NINE!

THE START.

IT IS AS IF HER LEGS move on their own accord. The young brunette sprints straight for the opening she had seen earlier, dropping her hand down to retrieve a small backpack which lays in open space. She tries to block out the screams of her fellow tributes as she flees the scene, putting as much distance between herself and the rest of them as she can. As she moves, all she can think about is those poor families who are having to watch their children perish on live television.

Rosalie manages to manoeuvre around the trees, letting herself slow down when she doesn't hear any noise behind her. Her lungs are burning as she averts her gaze, looking to find where to go next. All she notices is how the further she goes, the less trees there are, it's as if it completely transforms into a different landscape. Instead of the green shrubbery, she's met with large buildings, their windows smashed and several walls caved in.

The brunette knows that the Career tributes, the people she fears the most in these games, would still be back at the Cornucopia so she gives herself a moment. Her hand lays on the brick of one of the buildings, the scratchy surface rubbing against her fragile skin. She hisses lightly as it scratches, blood lightly seeping from her wound. She needs to be careful or her cause of death may be infection.

At this moment in time, the buildings appear to be the safest place for her and for that reason, she makes her way into the one that seems the least rickety. She enters one of the rooms that will allow for a quick escape, the back of it missing a wall, and takes a seat.

A loud booming noise can be heard and she knows that the bloodbath is now over. The Careers, more likely than anybody else, have probably already wiped out half of their competition. She hopes that Zachariah is okay, if she doesn't win maybe he can. It would at least benefit her family in some way, a few extra rations to survive on.

The canon sounds a total of thirteen times, that's thirteen children who have just been murdered in cold blood. The toll can be seen as rather high for the first day, and there will likely be more to come. However, with the arena being incredibly large, there is no doubt these Games will still last for an extended period of time. Rosalie has, unfortunately, seen it happen several times. Not everybody will die at the hands of others either, quite often there are other circumstances out of their control.

When the noises stop, she pulls her small backpack towards herself and opens up the zipper. The bag gets turned upside down, the contents spilling out onto the floor. A small bottle, filled to the brim with water, is what she sees first. The rest includes a beanie, which confuses her, a pocket knife, a small packet of dried fruits, rope and what looks like some sort of beef jerky. It's enough to keep her going a few days, well maybe not the water.