FAILURE TO COMPLY ┃ f. odair

1.11 grove

The two legacies did not move from their hiding spot until the sun had long set and a chill had settled deep in their bones. Every place they wandered looked the same, only being able to tell buildings apart by how dilapidated they were. With the cover of night, they took their time and walked peacefully to conserve strength and keep at least a little warm.

By the time the sun rose, they'd travelled far enough to find the arena's edge: a large, concrete wall that stretched in both directions, presumably circling the city entirely. It wasn't quite as tall as the highest buildings, but the gap between them was enough that it couldn't be jumped, and it would be virtually impossible to climb. Even so, being on the outskirts gave them enough illusion of safety that they could be at ease.

"How are you feeling?" Maisie questioned her partner, hand braced on her shoulder while Calypso readjusted herself against the short wall of the rooftop they sat on. She felt unbelievably weak from the combination of thirst, hunger and aching pain all over her body. The bruises had already begun to form on her rib cage especially.

"Well, not great," she answered honestly. "But I'm alive. That's enough for now."

As if on cue, a faint chiming filled the morning sky like a heavenly song. Both looked up expectantly to see a parachute descending towards them. It was Maisie that stood and caught it from the air, opening the fairly sizable package. The first thing she pulled out was two bottles of water, handing one to the other girl immediately while opening the other just as fast. With her free hand, she unfolded a small note that had come with it.

"It's from Finn!" she exclaimed, more joy on her face than Calypso had yet seen, even outside the arena. "He says 'enjoy the feast'. Don't worry, it's safe to eat raw."

From inside, Maisie produced two tightly wrapped packages of cut and prepared fish. While it wasn't cooked, it was still very fresh and very edible. Taking incremental bites of fish and sips of water, life returned to them both tenfold, ravenous to eat something after days of going without.

"Look, it's pain relief for you I think," Maisie pointed out, pulling a small tube out of the parachute and handing it to her counterpart. Inside were five small white pills, labelled very clearly with a note that read 'best you stay strong'. "Finnick must be working with your mentor. That's good, right? We can definitely make it together now."

No. This was not Porter's doing, and Calypso knew it. This was Finnick's gift, a well done for keeping his sister alive. As long as she could be free of the pain, she didn't bother thinking too hard about the fact it was just his way of making up for the fact that he'd asked her to die. At least he was nice enough to not let her die in pain.

"Yes, that's good," she replied. She took out one of the pills and washed it down with a swig of water. Those words kept echoing in her head. They'd make it together. A lie. "We will. We'll make it."

-

The next two days were suspiciously calm. The pair of legacies kept themselves moving around the edge of the arena at a steady pace, surviving on their small supply of fish and water. In their downtime, Maisie continued to teach Calypso how to properly handle a spear, and Calypso taught her how to better throw knives. It felt natural, like a sisterly relationship that had always existed.

It was on the third day together that things changed. Even with everything looking the same, they were convinced they'd near enough completed a loop of the arena from where they started. Calypso raised a hand as they reached a street with just one difference than all the rest. A few drops of blood were visible at first, becoming more obvious as the red pools grew larger, heading for a two-story construct.