Dead in the Water | An Odesta Fanfic

Chapter Thirteen

That night, the pictures of the fallen tributes were projected against the sky as Panem's national anthem played. Annie held Kai in her arms as he cried, watching the faces of his friends shining overhead. There was Athena, the girl from district 3, Nico from 5, Walker, Mazie, both tributes from district 10, Fern, and Ember and Basil, the tributes from 12. Of course, there was also the girl from district 5, who Annie had killed. She felt a strange sort of ache in her heart when she looked up at the picture. Did she have a family back home? Little brothers and sisters? Did they watch on their TV as the life went out of her eyes, just as Annie had?

​She didn't dare tell Kai what she had done. The Careers and their allies hadn't been his friends, but every death in the arena was a tragedy to him. As it ought to be, Annie supposed. But it was hard to feel so distraught when every death was one step closer to bringing Kai home. She was counting the tributes as they appeared in the sky. Ten tributes dead. Fourteen left. At least six were careers and the allies they had collected. Two were her and Kai, of course. But what of the other six? Could they be trusted? Did it really matter?

​Kai buried his face against her shoulder as the anthem ended and cried until it seemed he couldn't cry any more. Then they sat there in the silence, huddled under some dense bushes for safety, shivering as the night grew colder. Annie hadn't imagined that the arena could be any more unpleasant, but it was worse at night. A heavy silence settled over the forest until Annie was almost afraid to breathe. In the darkness, there was no telling where the other tributes might be. They could be hiding just beyond the next tree and she would have no idea. But she kept on staring out into the darkness as if it might keep them safe.

​She felt Kai shaking next to her. Whether it was from sobs or the cold, she wasn't sure, but she slipped off her jacket and laid it over him. He looked up at her as he felt the jacket settling on his shoulders.

​"Annie," he whispered.

​"What is it?"

​"I can't sleep." It sounded as if he were about to start crying again. "I'm worried about everyone out there."

​Annie pulled him close. "I know." she said quietly. "But you need to at least try to get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

​Kai nodded. "I know, and I'm trying – it's just hard to think about anything else."

​"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Annie. "Do you want me to tell you a story?"

​"I don't think you've told me a bedtime story since I was little."

​"What do you mean? You're still little!" Annie tried to laugh, but Kai didn't smile. She sighed. "I know, maybe you're too old for stories, but might help you get your mind off of everything."

​"It might." said Kai.

She thought for a moment, trying to get out of the arena and remember home. "Mom used to tell me the story about a girl who fell in love with the sea."

​"With the sea?"

​"Yeah." Annie could still remember those cold winter evenings, before she had little brothers or any real responsibilities. She would curl up between her parents, a fire roaring in the hearth, and nod off to sleep to the sound of her mother's voice. "Sometimes I would spend hours looking outside at the ocean and mom used to say, 'Don't spend too much time watching the waves. You'll turn out just like the girl who fell in love with the sea'."

​"What happened to her?"

"She was just like me. She would watch the ocean waves from her window, like a friend rolling up on the shore to visit her. When she was outside, the waves would bounce and play around her just like any other kid might have done. And in the evening, she would watch as it reflected the sun and turned the most brilliant pinks and purples and reds." Annie paused at the memory. "It's not so hard to fall in love with the sea, I'd say."