fire kills, finnick odair

11.

⋆｡‧˚ʚɞ˚‧｡⋆

Bailey had found herself missing home; Every waking moment that wasn't spent on her survival, was spent reminiscing on everything that she had left behind.

She wasn't sure how well her father would be coping, she wasn't even sure if he was still alive. For all Bailey knew, he could have drunk himself to death, poisoning his body so that he didn't have to watch his daughter's life lose all meaning.

"Head up, little one."

Finnick seemed to be the only constant in a world full of chaos, the anchor holding her down and reminding her of her purpose. But even the memory of him sometimes faltered; How could she put all her faith into a man she barely knew?

"We were never strangers, Bailey. Not even for a moment."

The thought of never seeing him again, and never getting to experience everything she so desperately longed for, made her feel sick to her stomach. And so, despite it being an all to real possibility, she chose not to dwell on it too much.

Every time she replayed their kiss in her head, or dreamt about the comforting scent of sea salt and honey, she sparked up a conversation with Katniss, trying to rid her mind of what would most likely be an incredibly painful loss.

"I would bet everything on you."

A few days had now passed since the start of the games and Bailey already felt as if she'd been to Hell and back. Her feet were sore from the way her leather boots rubbed at her heels, a low rumble was always present in the pit of her stomach and she had developed a splitting headache that made her eyes feel heavy.

Bailey and Katniss were, once again, sitting on adjacent branches of a tree - they thought this to be the safest place for them, especially since Katniss was a hunting expert who spent hours hiding in trees and Bailey could tie a perfect knot with her eyes closed.

The two were sitting in silence until Katniss' softly spoken words cut through it, "I miss my sister."

Bailey looked towards her ally, an expression of sympathy laced within the relaxation of her brows, "Prim?" She questioned.

Katniss gave a slight nod, holding the small, golden mockingjay pin between her thumb and forefinger, "She gave me this pin when I was reaped. It's a sign of loyalty. I think that's why Cinna gave it to you."

Bailey was about to reply, but was instead interrupted by the shrill sound of laughter travelling over the dense canopy of green and brown. Whoever it was, they were acting too cocky to be anybody other than the Careers - a fact that made Bailey's entire body tense up in fear.

The footsteps and chatter were getting closer with each second - luckily the allies were high enough in the tree to not be spotted in the darkness. Led by Cato, the careers jogged along below them, followed by a familiar sandy blonde.

"You sure she went this way?" Cato asks Peeta, his voice full of resentment as he pulls the 12 boy along.

"Yeah," Peeta replies, his voice as tense as the muscles in his jaw, "I'm sure."

Bailey and Katniss share a worried look with each other, neither needing to speak to understand what the other was thinking.

This was a game of kill or be killed, Peeta wasn't to be blamed for just trying to survive.

*

As the sun started to rise the next morning, rays of yellow and orange illuminating the sky, Bailey was watching the darkness in front with beady eyes as she waited to see if anyone would emerge from behind the shrubbery.