Pearls and Perils ・❥・Finnick Odair x Reader

Chapter 15

I retreat back closer to the trunk of the tree, letting the leaves and branches conceal me. But how will I do it? How can I single him out and overpower him enough to kill him? I sit there for a while digesting the question. I can't do it now, I'm unprepared, outnumbered and have no plan. I decide to focus on what I originally came here for: food and water. Maybe if I wait them out they'll leave. Ronan's voice is in my earshot now so I assume he's finally caught a fish. My body tenses up as I hear footsteps coming into the forest. The girl and boy from district one are below me, presumably gathering wood for their fire. I try to blend myself into the tree, ensuring that I'm covered by leaves and branches. I hold my breath until I can no longer hear any commotion below me. When it goes silent, I look down. They're gone. Phew. I scurry back to the side of the branch that's closer to the water. Ronan and the district 1 pair are about 30 feet away setting up a fire on the beach. If I can get down this tree quietly and walk in the opposite direction I should be fine. Slowly, I creep my foot down to the branch below me, still clinging to the trunk of the tree. I carefully continue the pattern, twisting and extending my body trying to reach the next branch. How does Micah make this look so easy? The muscles in my arms are burning from holding myself up. My foot slips, but thankfully I catch myself before I can fall. I'm so close, just hold on a little bit longer. Body shaking, I finally plant one foot firmly on the ground. I let out a sigh of relief. I start walking, careful to not make any noise, in the direction away from the career pack.

I wander down the edge of the forest until I feel like I'm far enough away. I emerge out of the trees, the coast is clear. I take my backpack off my shoulder and kick my boots off, leaving them on the shore. I walk into the water until it reaches my knees, and I patiently wait for any sign of fish. I spot one swimming a few feet away. I calmly approach it, making certain not to make any sudden movement. When I feel the time is right, I plunge my trident into the fish. I toss it back on the shore with my bag and repeat the process three more times. However, the fourth time I step back into the water awaiting the perfect moment to spear another fish, I feel a sharp bite on the top of my foot. I wince as I look down to see what it was. Some sort of black slimy water creature that's completely foreign to me quickly darts away. I immediately sprint back to the shore to examine my foot. No swelling, no odd bite mark or anything. I don't know what to do, whatever that never came up in training and I have no idea if its bite is venomous. I sit down, expecting myself to stop breathing at any given moment. I prepare myself to die. But I don't. I stay there a few minutes, still partially expecting to combust or something, but I don't. Well if I'm not gonna die then I gotta walk back. I get up and place the four fish I caught in my bag and refill my water. My feet drag on the sandy shore thinking about the long walk. My body is exhausted and feels like it will give out on me at any moment.

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I have to practically force my feet to keep moving. The only thing keeping me in motion is returning to Micah and making sure he's safe. I mumble prayers, if any god even exists in this world, that I'll get a good night's rest and my energy will be replenished. I also wish for Micah's safety as I think about the cannon I heard earlier. It must be late afternoon by now because the sun is starting to fade away. Infact, everything is starting to fade away. The trees are becoming lighter. It feels impossible to lift my feet. I can feel my heartbeat accelerate. I just want to close my eyes.

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I snap my head up and violently push my hands against the ground to get to my feet. The bright sunshine hits my eyes as I look left and right trying to regather my surroundings and remember what the hell happened. The sun is directly above my head so it must be the middle of the day. How long was I out for? My head throbs. I recall the moments before everything went white. How hard did I hit my head? Is that why it hurts so bad? That stupid slimy whatever the hell that thing was. I retrace what I last remember happening- I was just walking back to Micah. Micah! Shit I have to get back to him! For all I know I could have been out for days, is he still alive? I touch my shoulder to confirm my backpack's there. I spot my trident close by on the ground and go to retrieve it. I stammer my feet left and right. Fuck which way did I come from? Which way is Micah? I knew the direction before but now I'm completely disoriented in the middle of the forest. Everything looks exactly the same, just bundles of trees for miles. Still, I look around desperately for any sort of clue. That's when I notice the imprint of my body in the mud: lightbulb. I make out the curves of my legs. If I fell flat on my stomach, which was how I last remember me falling forward and how I woke up, I must have been walking in that direction. Relief comes over my body. I start in that direction, feeling confident in my educated guess.

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After an hour of walking, I quietly called out Micah's name trying to find him. I search for any sign of the trap I set up before I left, praying for a hint to his location. I take careful sips from my water bottle to try and make the rumbling of my stomach go away; telling myself I can eat as soon as I locate Micah and ensure he's safe. The sound of my squeaky boots against the damp forest ground is driving me insane. Then, as if some god above answered my prayers, I can make out the outline of my trap. I pick up my pace, half-jog half-walk, which is the fastest I can go right now in my weakened state. I whisper-scream Micah's name as I get closer, assuring myself that Micah has to be somewhere near.

"Y/n?" I hear faintly. A wave of relief rushes over me. I move closer, searching every inch of tree and leaves for him.

"Micah, where are you?" I say breathlessly. My eyes are still searching. I just heard him but he's nowhere to be found.

"Y/n?" He says again.

"Yes Micah I'm here where are you?" I say louder this time. I'm growing frustrated with my inability to find him.

"Y/n help! Help!" He screams in agony.

"Micah?" I yell, my feet shifting quickly as I whip my head. His voice sounds like it's coming from a different direction now, but all I see are a few birds. Still, I sprint that way. "Micah, where are you?" Eyes watering, I strain my voice. I hear Micah's screams and cries yet again. Suddenly, the sunlight is blocked out. Emerging over the trees like a wall is a swarm of black birds echoing Micah's helpless cries. I feel my stomach sink like a heavy rock to the bottom of the ocean. The birds dart straight towards me. I sprint in the opposite direction. I cover my ears but it's no use, I can still hear Micah's blood curdling screams for help. The speedy birds quickly catch up to me, ramming into my back and scraping my shoulders, I let out a scream. It's useless to climb the trees. It's useless to run. I helplessly collapse to the floor, curling up into a ball. I bury my head into the ground and cover my ears. The sound is excuritating. I sob as Micah's cries ring in my ears. It won't stop, it won't settle down. I can feel the birds flying around me, some momentarily stopping to hit me. I scream for it to stop, I plead and beg it all disappears. Another youthful voice emerges from the devilish swarm of birds, one that I could recognize anywhere.

Cora.

It's not real. It's not real. They're trying to break you but you're not going to break. Head still digging into the ground I hyperventilate. I struggle to find my next breath. Hot tears stream down my face. I know it won't do anything but I flail my arms at the birds and demand they shut up. Cora's pleas for my help feel like skin being ripped from my bones. She calls my name. The wails, which sound identical to the ones she let out right after our mother died, almost drive me to insanity. As if this wasn't enough, a third voice is added into the mix.

Finnick's.

AUTHORS NOTE: guess who's writing this instead of studying for finals 😛 again thank you for y'all's support and patience <3 also y'all's comments are so funny I'm like peeing my pants reading them