Cage me like an animal • F Odair¹ •

XIII

"I don't think I'm getting any sleep any time soon."

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*Finnick POV*

Finnick Odair could not remember the last time he had been so frantic. He was with a client, but he had managed to have a moment to himself, checking up on his tributes, just in time to see Athena caught in an explosion at the house in which she had wanted to rest. There was no canon, which meant she was still alive, but she was buried somewhere between all the rubble. She must have been injured, and who knew how long she could last, being buried under there. Finnick had only stopped for a moment to be shocked, before leaping to his feet and dressing as quickly as he could.

The client, Sabrina Lush, a woman with skin dyed a light pink and golden hair, who had previously been sleeping, woke up at the sound of him getting dressed. She was on her feet immediately, wrapping a blanket around herself and frowning.

"Finnick? But where are you going? The night is still young, isn't it?"

"Look, Sabrina, sweetie - I'd love to stay," he lied, only because he knew he still had to keep up appearances, "but I need to go. One of my tributes - Athena - I need to help her, she got caught in an explosion."

"So she died?" said Sabrina, shocked and confused.

"No," Finnick said. "But she might, if I don't find Mags so we can do everything we can to help her. I'm sorry, but I need to go now."

"But - but you said we were only just beginning..."

It took an enormous amount of effort to stay patient. He could not lose it now. If he lost his cool if he gave any sign that he did not truly love her, Finnick would be in serious trouble, and Snow would make Mags pay for it. He could not risk it. He walked forward and placed his hands on Sabrina's shoulders.

"Sabrina," he said, as calmly as he could. "Sweetheart, I would stay if I could, but my tribute is in serious danger. She could die if we don't help her, and it's my job as a mentor to do what I can for her. My tributes, my responsibility. I don't know what I'll do if she dies and I didn't do everything I could to help, okay? I'll be back when I can, but right now, Athena Maris needs me."

He waited for her response. For a moment, it looked as though Sabrina was still going to try and convince him to stay. Then, something in her seemed to shift, for she was saying, "Oh, it's so sweet that you care so much! Your tributes should feel so lucky to have a mentor like you! Here, I'll give you one hundred right now to start you off. Do with it what you feel you need to do."

Sabrina moved away quickly, grabbing her purse and digging through it until she found the correct amount of notes. She placed it in Finnick's hands.

"Now hurry along, do what you need to do for her!"

"Thank you, Sabrina, Finnick said, grateful that the interaction had gone even better than he had been hoping, and he was out the door and hurrying back to the tribute tower within moments.

Alayne, as he had been expecting, was asleep. Once she finished her duties as an escort and the tributes were in the Games, she left any other responsibilities that might rest to Finnick and Mags. Neither of them minded; Alayne staying out of their way really did nothing but help them. Mags, like he had known she'd be, was wide awake, pacing up and down the sitting room, her eyes on the television as she bit down on her nails nervously, looking distinctly frazzled.

The television was no longer showing Athena, not that he had expected it to (why would they focus on an unconscious girl, after all?), instead showing a group of tributes trying to find some sort of shelter for the rest of the night. Mags turned away as Finnick strode into the room, and the two rushed to meet each other.