In Our Favor

Ch.8

📍The Arena
10:00am

I look up, but the brightness of the sun immediately blinds me. I'm fully lifted into the arena when my eyes finally adjust. The first thing I notice is water, so much water. I realize that we're on pedestals, and to get to the mouth of the cornucopia, we have to swim. I look to the sides of me in search of my allied tributes. To my right, I see a morphing and next to him, I see Finnick. I sigh a breath of relief knowing that he's not too far. To my left, I don't see anyone I know.

"May the 75th Hunger Games begin. May the odds be ever in your favor." The voice rings out.

A red holographic cube appears in the middle of the arena and starts counting down from 10. I take deep breaths as I try to slow my rapid heart beat. I look 3 people down to my left, and I see Katniss and Peeta. We make eye contact before I turn back to Finnick. He nods his head in the direction of the cornucopia, signaling that we go there first. He doesn't have to tell me twice.

3
2
1...

The timer hits 0. I quickly look to my left before diving. I see the male morphing immediately swim in the direction of the woods, at least I know he's not a threat. I hit the water and start swimming like my life depends on it, because it does. This is by far the bloodiest part of the games. And half of the arena sees a target on our backs.

I reach the rocky path and pull myself up onto it. I pick my feet up high as I slap my wet shoes onto the ground, running the fastest I can. The adrenaline I feel right now is unreal. I'm entering the mouth of the cornucopia when I feel a hand grab my foot. I look down to see a fair skinned girl who's struggling in the water, she's not taking me down with her. I pick up my foot and stomp my boot onto her head until she lets go, she doesn't come back up.

I turn my attention back to the weapons table, and I see my golden trinity. I grab a holster and put 4 spears into it before swinging it around my back. I also pick up a trident, and just as I do, I see a man running toward me on my left. He lets out a roar and raises his knife at me. I whip around and bring my trident down on his body, slashing a wide gash through his chest. The death canon rings out around me.

I run from the area I'm in when I bump into someone. I swiftly turn around and raise my trident, but I lower it when I realize who it is. Finnick.

"How many?" He asks me, out of breath.

"Two." I tell him. "You?"

"Three."

In the first 20 seconds of the hunger games, the Odairs have killed 5 people.

I look back in the water to see a brunette in a tussle with a blonde haired boy in the water. Just when I do, I hear footsteps coming from behind me. Katniss.

"Peeta! Wheres Peeta!?" She frantically asks.

"He's in the water!" Finnick shouts, pointing to the two boys.

All 3 of us run back onto the rocks and Katniss raises her bow. Finnick dives into the water without hesitation and swims toward the two boys. In a matter of seconds, all 3 of them go under. It's silence. Katniss lowers her bow and we make eye contact, hoping for the best, but thinking the worst.

Just then, Finnick reemerges to the surface, holding Peeta in his arms. He swims her over to Katniss and she lets out a relieved sigh. But the fight isn't over. I see the blonde haired boy emerge also, and he's swimming right toward me. I pull a spear from behind me, but I hold my shoot. The boy in the water is disoriented and unarmed. I wait for him to get close enough to the rocks before I throw my spear down at him, piercing his shoulder. As his efforts to swim fade, I take my spear out of him and slide it back into my holster. I look across the water at Finnick, Peeta and Katniss.

"Duck." Katniss nods.

Without a second thought, I crouch down, almost falling into the bloody water. Katniss raises her bow and shoots a clean shot behind me. I don't know who it was, but I hear their body thump and hit the water directly behind me. It was close.

We all run in the direction of the woods and make it there without trouble. The canon plays in our ears as we run further and further, only stopping when we're in the thick of the forest. We all crouch in the middle of closely grown trees.

"God it's hot." Peeta says.

Beads of sweat have already amassed on all of our faces, when Nikolaí said 'tropics,' he wasn't lying. The canon goes off again, 3 times. A wide smile grows on Finnick's face.

"Well I guess we're not holding hands anymore." He giggles.

"You think that's funny?" Katniss asks with a straight face.

"Every time that canon goes off, it's music to my ears." He continues.

She pauses. "That's sick."

"That's life. I don't care about any of them."

"Good to hear." She twists her machete.

"You wanna face the career pack alone? What would Haymitch say?"

"Haymitch isn't here." She challenges.

They stare each other down for a good few seconds, no one breaking. Peeta and I look at the two before looking at each other.

"Let's keep moving." He stands up.

"Yea." I agree, all of us following.