lover/fighter - Finnick Odair

Chapter 42 - Cloudburst

Rhea takes the next day to get herself back under control. As an emotional wreck, she can't handle this complicated situation, she is very aware of that. She is not even sure whether she would be able to cope with all of this if she were in ideal condition, but unfortunately, she has no choice.

She makes a list and carefully works through all the points one by one. First a healthy dose of sleep, which is long overdue, and a few wholesome meals, which her body definitely needs. In between, she takes the pitiful remains of her phone on a trip into town to replace the device and, with the help of a professional, at least recover the data from the old one if possible. It will take some time, but she is told she can pick it up the next morning.

Staying isolated until then suits her just fine, because she still feels uncomfortable in the presence of others, a feeling she definitely hasn't missed to this extent. Her relapse yesterday must have left deeper scars than initially assumed. Great. That doesn't make it any easier for her when she inevitably has to face the trigger.

She also keeps an eye on the events in the arena, because now that she has slept and her nerves are no longer quite so frayed, she feels remorse for not being able to show these deaths the appropriate amount of sympathy and respect.

She finds out that Hector is back on his feet thanks to the extremely patronizing gift from his sponsors. Meanwhile, she bites her lip so hard that she tastes blood.

She is equally disgusted as she listens to Caesar and Claudius subliminally complain that there is not enough excitement for their taste. There doesn't seem to have been any more deaths or serious confrontations in the arena yesterday, and because of the Capitolites' short attention span, the first ones are already starting to get bored.

Presumably for this reason, the Gamemakers are forced to act again and start playing around with the arena near midday. Where there had just been sunshine and blue skies, everything turns dark within a few seconds, far too quickly to be natural. It starts with a strong wind and the temperature drops abruptly, both merely the forecast for a heavy downpour that suddenly rains down on the tributes. The precipitation is so heavy that you can barely see straight and anyone without a dry hiding place is completely soaked in a second.

As it has hardly rained in the arena so far and the days have been warm, the ground is dry and firm. The huge amounts of water can't be absorbed and instead run down into the valley, forming real torrents in some places where you could previously walk without any problems. The mountain river becomes a huge raging stream that quickly reaches the edges of the riverbed and overflows them.

The Gamemakers manage to flush out most of the tributes, but that is not enough for them. As they run half-blind through the arena in search of shelter, the rain suddenly turns to hail. Thick balls of ice pelt down on the ground like projectiles and anyone who hasn't yet found something to hide under feels the pain. All they can do is protect their heads and accept the bruises that this is sure to leave behind.

When it stops, unrest reigns again in the arena, the fragile peace successfully shattered by the Gamemakers. Only one person has barely noticed any of this. Lindel has retreated deep into his tunnel, which he only leaves to get food and water if possible. So far, no one has been able to track him down here.

For a boy of only 13 to make it to the last 8 is rare, but the fact that he seems to be the only one to have escaped almost entirely unscathed so far doesn't seem to please everyone. People want to see dramatic scenes and a victor who only wins by avoiding every fight is not exactly very popular, as was demonstrated last year. It seems reasonable to assume that the Gamemakers are targeting him specifically with their next move.

Everything is quiet for a few minutes, the calm before the storm. The clouds have dissipated somewhat, and the sky is now light gray, but then a rumble goes through the arena. The sound does not come from the sky, but from the earth, which immediately begins to shake. Slightly at first and then more and more intense. Stones bounce around on the ground, trees are swaying while losing needles and pine cones. The animals in the forest jump nervously out of their hiding places and birds flee into the sky in flocks. Panic breaks out again, but the options for action in such a situation are limited. Most are smart enough to find a flat area and wait on the ground for it to end.