Pearls and Perils ・❥・Finnick Odair x Reader

Chapter 9

"Up up- Agh!" Seraphina shrieks in horror. I whip my head up from her startling wake up call. It's still pitch black out, but by now Seraphina has turned the light on. "Finnick, what are you doing here?" Oh shit Finnicks still in here. Cuddled up and his shirt off, I'm sure we looked suspicious as hell. Finnick rubs his eyes but then sits up quickly when he notices Seraphina standing in the doorway.

"Y/n had a nightmare." Finnick states hastily.

"Mhmm." Seraphina questions. "Well this is it. Today is the day. Make haste and come out here for final goodbyes." She slams the door. I fling myself out of bed, adrenaline already pumping from the thought of the games being today. Finnick follows close behind. I can't look at him. I don't want to say goodbye.

In the common area, everyone is waiting for us. Only Fortuna and Ronan's stylist will come with us. Finnick, Mags, and Seraphina must stay here. I immediately find mags and embrace her in a warm hug. Her hugs are so motherly, protective but loving. She rubs my arm and gives me a huge grin. I thank Seraphina, who is still looking at me strangely on account of who she found in my room this morning, for everything that she's done. She embraces me, which catches me off guard, but it's oddly comforting.

Then there's Finnick.

I don't even know where to start. I don't know what to say. I try to think of the perfect thing to say to him at this moment, something beautiful and poetic. But I just can't find the words. He pulls me in and hugs me tightly, his head resting on mine. I don't want to let go.

"You're going to win." He whispers discreetly in my ear. "I love you." My body tenses slightly and my head tingles at those words. I. Love. You. In any other moment a declaration of that sort would have overwhelmed me and nearly thrown me over the edge. But from him, in this moment, it was exactly what I needed to hear.

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Fortuna and I board the hovercraft from the roof and immediately I'm injected with a tracking device. I black out most of the ride. My thoughts are so jumbled I can't even string together a coherent idea. They block out the windows when we start to get close to the arena. I study the behavior of the other tributes while on the hovercraft. The boy from district one looks bored. The girl from district five is gnawing on her knuckle. Micah is bouncing his leg. The boy and girl from district two are laughing with each other. The girl from district nine is whispering something to herself. Ronan is trying to keep a straight face but the way his eyebrows are sitting is a dead giveaway of his nerves. The hovercraft lands and everyone files down the ladder that leads into the catacombs beneath the arena. Fortuna leads me to my launch room and begins preparations. If I'm going to be slaughtered might as well look good. I wash my face and brush my teeth. Fortuna tightly weaves two Dutch braids into my hair. The clothes arrive. My posture straightens in anticipation, the clothes can be a hint at the climate. First Fortuna reveals a very thin wetsuit. My eyes light up: water. Next she takes out a hefty jacket. I'm confused with the combination, maybe there's water but it gets very cold at night? Finally, she presents a rugged pair of boots. Now I'm beyond confused.

"I've seen them use boots like these before." Fortuna states. "Mountains. They're best for hiking." This is the first time Fortuna has genuinely helped me. However, this concerns me. The land in district 4 is relatively flat, the idea of looming mountains causes a pit in my stomach. I change into the outfit, somewhat struggling to get the wetsuit onto my body as it clings to my skin. I lace up my boots. Double knot them. Triple knot them. After I'm dressed there's nothing to do but wait, which is probably the worst thing to do right now. I gnaw obsessively on my finger nails until Fortuna gasps and acts like me ruining my styled nails is the worst thing at this moment. I grow restless, I can't sit still on the couch so I get up and pace the room. Fortuna offers me a glass of water which I chug down so vigorously you'd think I haven't had any in years. Fortuna tries to comfort me, which in itself is a rare sight, but is tremendously bad at it. Finally, after what feels like a decade, a voice announces that it's time to prepare for launch. I stand on the silver circle and a clear cylinder encloses around me. Fortuna mouths 'good luck' to me as the platform begins to rise. It's total darkness for a little bit, but when I look up I can see light. My eyes are still adjusting when I hear a voice booming from the loudspeaker.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the 68th Hunger Games begin!"