"Did you meet her in your district?" Katniss filled the silence as Finnick's head snapped upwards, processing her question through her gestures.
He shook his head, elaborating, "I was her mentor,"
"Is it true? What everyone says about you two?"
"What does everyone say about us?" Finnick questioned in return.
"That you two... you're in love or something." Her words made her feel like his heart was going to break loose from his chest. He looked down at a sleeping Scarlet, looking as if she were a work of art—gilded and inlaid with gold.
"Nothing's going on." He falsely reassured, only to take a turn in the conversation, "How is Peeta?"
Katniss took the hint. "He's okay, I think, just dehydrated like the rest of us."
Silence washed over them before the anthem sounded, the tributes feeling a sense of deja vu. The noise made Scarlet jump awake with a sharp gasp, feeling Finnick's hand squeezing hers tightly.
She looked up in the sky, watching images of the fallen tributes, three of them she killed in cold blood.
"Eight." Counted Katniss.
Finnick hummed, subconsciously stroking Scarlet's hair, making her warm smile to herself. A chime rang out along with a metal container, falling from the sky.
Katniss ran over to the parcel and opened it carefully, the other three watching curiously.
"What do you think it is?"
"It's from Haymitch," Katniss replied, intrigued and confused by the unfamiliar device. She stared at the object, "I think it's a spile."
"What the hell is a spile?" Scarlet said, sharing a look of confusion with her partner.
Katniss knocked the spile into the nearest tree with a rock, careful not to break it in the process. She looked at it eagerly, expecting something to occur.
Then a gasp came out of both of the girls' lips when the water poured out, Katniss quickly took a large sip as Scarlet held Finnick's hand to help him stand, urging him to look as a grin formed on his lips.
"You're kidding me!" Finnick exclaimed.
Peeta went on to drink some and Finnick allowed Scarlet to go before him, she made sure to drink up quickly, the cold liquid soothing the dry spots of her throat before moving away to let him have a turn.
