The Silent Killer (A Finnick Odair Love Story)

Chapter Twenty-Six

I don't know if I'm being unusually attached, but I refuse to let go of Finnick. If I don't let go, he can't be taken from me. He's my one weakness. I can't lose him.

"Asphodel," he tries to coax me, "you have to eat."

I don't want to eat the bread. I want Finnick to survive. I want him to be okay. My appetite is long gone.

"Please?" he tries again, his sea green eyes shining with innocence. I sigh, reluctantly taking the bread. I eat a tiny bit, then hold the rest out to him. "No. You need to eat it all." He lays his head on my shoulder. "You have to keep up your strength."

"Okay," I sigh, giving in.

I eat a little more, but he still shakes his head. So I finish it. My stomach twists and churns, but I force myself to keep it down.

"We should go," Jackson says suddenly. "The Peacekeepers will be after us as soon as they realize we aren't actually dead."

"She's right," Messalla agrees. "We need to get to Snow as fast as possible."

"Who's killing him?" Castor asks. I glare at the floor.

"Me," I say firmly, making it obvious that there's no room for negotiation.

"Why does she get to do it?" Leeg 1 sighs.

"Why do you think I was put into the Games? The first time?" I ask quietly, ignoring her question initially.

"You were Reaped," Jackson answers. "Just like everybody else."

"Every slip of paper in that bowl had my name on it," I reveal, making the room go quiet with tension. "In Five, we had to take these intelligence tests. I excelled. They put me through more tests. Day in, day out, all I did was take tests.

"Until, of course, there were no tests left to take. Nobody had ever reached that level of intelligence before in District Five. It was unheard of. So I was taken to Three. I took more tests.

"Eventually, I exceeded their tests. Finally, I was taken to the Capitol. I mastered their's as well. While I was there, I found out things most people are murdered for knowing. I found out about nuclear weaponry conspiracies.

"I found out the truth about Thirteen. I found out their tactics from the Dark Days. I learned their deepest, ugliest secrets. All because I was smart enough to know how to hack into some computers and how to plant a few devices. It wasn't hard, not for me.

"Snow found out, though. He gave me two choices. The first was immediate execution, but it would be done privately, and I could choose the method they used to kill me, since I already knew them all anyway. The second option was guaranteed participation in the Hunger Games. I would at least be given a chance at survival.

"I knew District Five had never had a female victor. I knew, physically, my chances were slim. Nonetheless, I chose to be Reaped. I knew I had to be smart about it, so I spent the seven months leading up to the Reaping training and studying. I learned everything there was to learn about survival.

"I learned ancient forms of martial arts. I studied every form of combat you can imagine. Twelve hours a day, every day, I trained either physically or mentally, no matter what. Then, I was Reaped. When I arrived at the Capitol, I overheard Snow plotting my death.

"He told the Gamemakers to make sure I died in the Bloodbath. He said they'd all be murdered if I didn't die within the first day. Now here I am. You can guess where they are."

I look up at Leeg 1, then stand. Finnick gently touches my shoulder, and I visibly relax.

"The only other people that deserve to kill Snow as much as I do are Finnick and Johanna. Johanna isn't here, so she made me promise to kill him with her axe."