Heart of Gold • Finnick Odair

-36-

ROSALIE POV

After giving Peeta a moment to recollect himself, Finnick suggests that we keep moving and helps Katniss get Peeta up off the floor whilst I extend a hand out to Mags. She takes it graciously and I keep hold of her hand to support her small frame on her shaky legs.

When we begin walking again, Katniss is in the lead as she can 'hear the forcefield' and is closely followed by Peeta and I with Finnick at the back equipped with his spear and a sharp eye out for danger. Mags was sandwiched between Peeta and I, holding onto the formers shoulder as she held my hand from behind.

With Mags being older and Peeta being exhausted, Katniss quickly suggest we take a break. Whilst we sat, Finnick finds two large branches for the two to use as walking sticks.

After a few moments, we begin to move again. Katniss throws some nuts at the forcefield as we go. She keeps it on her left side, the side of her 'superhuman ear'. I notice Mags pick up a nut. She turned to me expectantly and showed me the item.

I take it, inspecting the possible food source for a second before nodding to her, letting her know it's safe. Mags must've known too, she's good with survival skills, though she tends to forget things recently with her age so I'm grateful she checked.

Katniss must've heard the peeling of nuts a few moments later and yelled in a hushed but panicked fashion for her to spit the mouthful out as they may be poisonous. "Don't worry archer, they're safe."

Katniss studies my face for a second, maybe trying to determine if I was telling the truth or concocting some lie to poison her, as if I'd do such a thing. She must trust me because she nods before turning again. 

Peeta immediately trusted my statement, eating the peeled nut Mags passed him without any judgment or hesitation.

We stop again but Katniss walks ahead and begins to climb a tree, hitching her bow onto her back.

"Be back in a minute," I notify Finnick as I follow, expertly climbing the trunk of the tree. My limbs moved routinely, like a robot who has been programmed to do this very thing my entire life. I reach the top a second or two after Katniss. She whips her head round before relaxing once she realised it was me. "I'm sorry. About Chaff. I saw your interviews and stuff over the years, I know you were close."

"Thanks," I swallow back dry tears. "Yeah, he's always been there. I'll miss him for sure. I'm sure Haymitch will too." Katniss just nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, back in the Capitol, Haymitch made a silent toast to Chaff as he looked into Rosalie's tearful eyes on the large screen.

I glance around the arena, the centre cornucopia is just an island with the rock paths sticking out and surrounded by seawater and the rest of the space is made up entirely of jungle.

Katniss turns her attention up to the sky and my gaze follows. I notice, by one particular cloud, a strange pattern in the sky. She readies her bow and I flinch from instinct. Katniss seems to cringe at my action mumbling a sincere, "sorry, I forget you're not comfortable around bows."

"No it's okay," I shake off my anxiety. "Gotta get used to it. Go ahead," I gesture for her to continue whatever she had planned.

She aimed her arrow to the sky, my eyebrows furrow in confusion. That is until it collided with some sort of invisible dome creating hexagonal shapes to appear for a moment.

We then head back down the tree, carefully placing our feet in the twisty vines of the broad trunk, and inform the three of our findings.

"The forcefield, it's a dome," Katniss states. "We're at the edge of the arena."

"We couldn't find any signs of fresh water," Katniss shakes her head in agreement.

A sense of worry settles over us.

"It's gonna get dark soon. We'll be safer with our backs protected. We should set up camp. Take turns sleeping. I can take first watch," Finnick speaks up.

Katniss scoffs, "not a chance."

Finnick leans back in amusement before standing, digging his trident into the soil as he did so, "Honey, that thing I did back there for Peeta? That was called saving his life. If I wanted to kill either of you, I wouldn't done it by now."

"Finnick," I warn gently. As the bronze haired boy turns to me, his eyes seem to lighten slightly as he makes his way towards me and Mags. In the corner of my eye, I see Katniss observing us before turning to Peeta.

I help Mags sit as she and Finnick begin pulling blades of sharp, two metre-high tufts of grass and weaving them together into mats to rest on.

Meanwhile, Katniss is keeping watch but keeps fidgeting and Peeta begins to collect more nuts, frying them with the help of the forcefield. Mags soon hands him a grass weaved bowl to put them in rather than the leaf he'd been using.

"Rosalie, you mind standing guard whilst I try do some hunting?" I nod at the archer and neither Finnick nor Mags make a complaint. Peeta, however, does. He tried to go with her but Katniss shoots him down, promising she'll be back soon.

I stand back, spear in hand, as Finnick and Mags make a hut of sorts out of grass to cover us from sun whilst Peeta gathers a feast of nuts in case Katniss is unable to find anything.

Speaking of, Katniss is back shortly. She holds up a skinned rodent, claiming it had recently drank but she hadn't been able to find its source.

"Can we eat him?" Peeta asked but they all turn to me.

"I don't see why not as long as we cook him, it looks similar to a squirrel."

Whilst we all agree, nobody wants to risk starting a fire. Peeta has the idea to use the forcefield however as he takes cubes of rodent meat and skewers them on the end of a sharp stick, letting them fall into the force field. They let out a satisfying sizzle before flying back. Whilst black on the outside, they were cooked and slightly moist on the inside.

We applause him lightly but quickly stop our celebration when we remember the situation we're in. 

Mags soon settles down on a grass mat and Peeta joins her side shortly after as a result of Katniss telling him to rest. He had agreed, reluctantly, asking for her to wake him when she tires.

Finnick and Katniss decided without words that they'd take watch together. Neither are very trusting of each other. I don't sleep under the hut as, one, there didn't seem much room, and two, I feel i'll sleep better knowing I have Finnick in my eyesight.

I position myself on the ground, leaning surprisingly comfortably against one of the large trees, letting the feeling consume me. This felt strangely like home, seeking comfort in the trees.