Pearls and Perils ・❥・Finnick Odair x Reader

Chapter 12

I'm still coming out of a deep sleep when I feel something cold on my foot. I think nothing of it until the feeling spreads to my legs and I realize it's not just cold, but wet. Mind still groggy and only focused on sleeping more, it takes me a few seconds to process this. When I open my eyes, water is filling into the cave, and fast. A flood. I remember the gamemakers using one a few years ago. I throw myself up and grab my backpack just in time to avoid the water touching it. Trident in hand, I rush towards the opening of the cave against the flow of water seeping in. When I reach the opening water is already to my knees even with the elevation of the mountain, only the tips of trees in the forest can be seen. A cannon booms. I make my way further and further up the mountain but it feels useless, whenever I take a step the water rises with me. My legs burn. The water is slowing me down. I slip and fall in. Obviously swimming isn't a problem for me but I fear I'll lose grip of my trident or damage supplies and food in my backpack. I try to steady my breathing, finding myself treading water. I almost want to laugh, the gamemakers really thought they could kill me with a flood? The water is relatively calm, despite the fact that it's still rising. No large waves or riptides. Another cannon booms. I'd forgotten that outside of district four most people don't know how to swim. Even though I'm a strong swimmer I start to get tired, especially because I'm using one arm to cling to my precious trident. I notice the tip of a tree and swim to it as fast as I can, hoping that holding onto it will provide me with some sort of rest.

Something else catches my eye though, in the distance I see a lot of movement. As I swim closer I can confirm it's another tribute, a boy I'm pretty sure. He's flailing around in the water, desperately bobbing in and out and throwing his arms up and down. The closer I swim to him the louder his cries get. I finally reach the tree that I had originally spotted, I cling to it. The water has stopped rising and is now just stuck here. Hiding behind the tip of the tree, I watch the boy through branches and leaves. My heart tells me to go save the guy, I can't just sit around and listen to his screams as he drowns. But my brain tells me that everyone else in this arena is going to have to die at some point if I want to go home. I wince as his screams become muffled and splashes become smaller. I question my humanity. I question if I'm a terrible person. I question if this is worth it. I watch as his head goes under one last time.

Silence. No more flailing arms. No sign of the boy at all. It's eerily quiet and still. A few minutes pass and I anxiously anticipate the boom of a cannon. However preparing myself for it doesn't make it any better when the cannon actually goes off. It sends a heavy wave of guilt over me, knowing that I could have done something but chose not to. I cling to the tree, taking deep breaths. Yet another cannon booms. Several minutes pass. Eventually I feel the water start lowering, I shift my hand down the tree as it does so. I start to question how this is even possible, I mean how do they do this shit? Where is the water going? Is there some sort of giant drain somewhere? The water takes a while to disappear, but once it does I find myself back on the ground in the forest. The first thing I do is check my bag to assess the damage. Surprisingly, everything's intact. Sure my grain is a little soggy, but I'm lucky I didn't have any important supplies that could have gotten ruined by the water. Completely disoriented from the flood, I assume I'm somewhere in the middle of the forest. I can't tell which way is north, south, east, or west because there's no sun and I'm surrounded by thick forest; I can't even see the coastline. My only option is to wander aimlessly and hope for the best. I close my eyes, spin around, and stop randomly. I start walking in the direction I landed.

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I feel so exposed. I'm all by myself, and still injured, in the open forest; anybody could sneak up on me. When my mind wanders I try to force myself to focus. A single moment without my guard up could end in me getting killed.

"Psst y/n." A voice whispers. I snap my head around and raise my trident. I take a position ready to attack. My head is on a swivel, trying to find where the voice is coming from. 

Author's note: HEYY IM BACK! Again so sorry about slow updates but I appreciate all the support so much!!