Dead in the Water | An Odesta Fanfic

Chapter Five

When they made it back to the apartment after training, Kai was already falling asleep on his feet. Annie guided him towards his room, insisting that he take a nap before dinner, then stopped in the living room to join Bay on the couch.

​"Cresta!" he said as she sat down. Annie had never been called by her last name before, but she rather liked it. It reminded her of the other sailors talking to her father while they worked out on their fishing boats. "How was training?" he asked.

​"Alright." Annie propped her feet on the table in front of her, wondering what her mother would say if she saw her daughter with manners like these in the capitol. "Kai tried to make friends with every tribute there. I don't think he understands that friends and allies aren't the same."

​Bay laughed. "How did he do?"

​"Most people just seemed confused. Even Atala seemed confused. I don't think the Games were made for people like Kai."

​"Were the games really made for anyone?" Bay said quietly.

​Annie leaned back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling as she spoke. "There was a boy back home – a few years older than Kai, maybe. Not much. But he used to bully Kai something awful. Beat him up and everything. I don't know why." Annie thought about it for a moment. "Just for being a decent kid, I guess."

​"Sometimes there's not much of a reason."

​"We tried to tell Kai to fight back. We told him that it was okay to defend himself, to block the punches, to throw a few back if there was no other way. But he never did. He could never stand to see someone get hurt, even if they were hurting him." Annie sighed. "Some people seem to be built that way, angry and aggressive. Beating people up – like you said – without much of a reason. They do well in the games, don't you think? But people like Kai? He couldn't hurt someone if his life depended on it. And I don't think he understands that it does."

​Bay sat silent for a moment, and Annie began to worry that he might have no consolation for her. She found that she was beginning to rely on it – on the constant support and reassurance that Luna and Bay gave them – no matter if she believed it or not. But he then looked up at her again and spoke.

"It might not seem like it, but being friendly isn't so useless in the games either. Being likable can get you sponsors. And no," he said, seeing her face. "It doesn't have to be like Finnick, charming all of the capitol into sponsoring him. It's not his looks. Kai is genuine. He's authentic. He doesn't have to put on a show like so many of the others do. People will like him for who he is."

"But what if the other tributes see it as a weakness?"

"You mean, take advantage of him? Trick him into an alliance?" Bay nodded. "We should talk to him. Warn him, at least." He looked over at her and still seemed concerned. "How did today go? For you, I mean?"

Annie traced her finger along the blue waves on the pattern of the pillow next to her. "The Careers asked me to join them."

Bay stared at her, his eyes wide. "Did they? That's amazing! We'll have to change our strategy a little, of course, but –"

"I turned them down."

He was still staring at her, but it was more out of shock than awe now. "You – what?"

"I turned them down." Annie repeated. "They didn't want Kai to join them. Thought he was a pushover or something. So I turned them down."

Bay stood up and began to pace. "But you understand that they're going to go after you first, right? If they can't get you on their team, they'll want you dead. You're a threat."