Whatever it Takes

IV

"Put more footing behind each hit, it will make the contact ten times harder."

Finnick twisted Cordelia's hips to stabelize her stance, adjusting her body so she was putting more weight on her back leg.

They had been training together for the past four and a half months, in prepartion for the reaping ceremony that was now just a day away.

The night of the Quell ceremony had been rather hard on her family. It took days for her father to speak, for her sister to stop crying. Every morning since, Greyson had come with her to the beach, collecting shells and watching the boats, just like they always did before. He was older now, understood truly the unlikeliness of his sister making it home a second time. So, he was spending every moment he could with her, getting their bond so close to what it was years ago. This only hurt her further, the idea of never seeing the people she loved the most ever again burning into the forefront of her every waking thought, and even the ones she had after she fell asleep.

But, what else could she do but put the energy into building her strengths? So, she spent most hours of the day with Finnick. They ran, helped out with heavy lifting within the district's square, swam laps every morning, ate more than they could bare. Whatever they could do to give themselves a better shot.

She never thought she'd consider herself a Career, though now they seemed more alike than ever.

"I know how to throw a fucking punch." She scoffed.

"Oh really because-"

Boom!

Without warning, Cordelia planted her feet and reeled her closed fist forward, the contact she made with his chin sending him back with a loud wince.

"Ow!" He groaned out.

"Because what," She pushed, her eyebrow arched in a challenging manner, "don't underestimate me Odair, it'll come back like a punch in the face every time."

Finnick rubbed his jaw with a shocked laugh, "Yes ma'am!"

"Don't call me ma'am," Cordelia was trying her best to feign harshness but, her smile betrayed her, "makes me feel old."

"Ah, twenty-three, almost twenty-four? Sounds like a grandma to me," She sent him a flat look, changing his tune immediately, "you look good for your age though! What are your secrets?"

She stepped closer, her voice falling to a whisper as her lips became just inches away from his, "Ah, I'd bet you'd do anything for one of those."

Her joke struck him in some way, she could see his eyes grow distant. Any time he got that look in his eyes, it brought her back to Snow. An apology crept up her throat, not having enough time to break out before someone else spoke up.

"Lia!"

She sprung back from the man in front of her, racing forward as her name kept being screamed out. Each cry came loud her, the panic swelling so familiar but, as she rounded the corner to Finnick's front yard and saw her brother and fiancé she was able to put her mind slightly at ease, only until she could read the looks on their faces.

Something was wrong.

Tears stained Greyson's soft cheeks, and Hudson wore this hardened look on his face, his chest heaving.

"What is it," She ran to her brother, cupping his face in her hands, "what is it, Grey?"

"They sent Peacekeepers to the Shoreline," He cried out, burying his face into her sweaty neck, "they set it on fire!"

He wasn't serious. He couldn't be. Cordelia's eyes searched Hudson's for any ounce of insincerity. And she couldn't find any. So now her feet carried her ten times the speed they had before, the three boys behind her as hot on her tail as they could be. Though Finnick was the only one who could match her speed, especially when it was her instincts pushing her. She was there in half the time it usually took her, and even if she had never been to the rundown warehouse in her life, the black smoke filling the otherwise clear blue sky was enough to provide anyone the perfect path.