the lucky one | finnick odair

...ready for it?

-now playing "...Ready For It?" by Taylor Swift-

Cove couldn't sleep the entire night before her games. She knew she should of, there was no guarantee of peaceful and safe sleep in the arena, but her mind wouldn't stop running through the different possibilities of what could happen to her. The only time when she stopped thinking was when Luna knocked on her door, alerting her it was time to get up.

"Hey kid, it's time to get you to the arena," Luna said sympathetically. Cove nodded before brushing her teeth and sitting in the same stool she had been in every time Luna got her ready. Luna split her hair down the middle and started french braiding her hair. Instead of braiding it all the way down, she finished the hair by putting it in two low side buns. Luna then pulled out the outfit for Cove to wear in the arena.

The outfit consisted of a pair of blue skinny jeans, a flowy mauve pink top, a thick black windbreaker, and a pair of wool socks with black combat boots.

"Can you tell anything about the arena based on what I'm going to wear?" Cove asked emotionless as she changed.

"I don't know, this year it's odd. The windbreaker and wool socks could mean snow, but the flowy top could mean heat. It's weird," Luna said thinking about previous year's outfits and their environment. Cove nodded before leaving her room, not looking back.

The walk to the aircraft felt long, even if it took two minutes. It was like time was slowing down, as if God was trying to let the kids savor their last moments of peace before anarchy broke out.

Cove was sat next to a District Eight girl who looked like she was shaking and a District Twelve boy who looked zoned out. She searched the rows of tributes until her eyes landed on Rush, who smiled as they made eye contact. Cove then made eye contact with Celleste, Chrome, Velvet, and Lux. They all nodded at her without smiling, as if showing their alliance with her. Something shifted in Cove's brain as she made eye contact with Lux, like her mind was trying to warn her of something.

Cove was trying her best to remain calm and prepare herself by closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, so she didn't notice someone in front of her until she felt a pain in her arm. She winced as she looked down seeing a small bulge in her arm, her tracker.

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Cove was escorted to a private room, giving her some last minutes with Luna who would make sure she was ready for the fight. As she walked in, she was surprised to see Koi instead of her stylist.

"Koi? What are you doing here? Is Luna okay?" Cove asked worriedly.

Koi smiled gently at her, the first time Cove had ever seen her smile. "Luna's fine, she's with Rush right now. I requested to be here with you instead of her," Koi said softly.

"Why?" Cove asked surprised. She thought that the woman didn't like her by all of her deep stares and glares, sharp as knives.

Koi took a deep breath before touching Cove's face gently. "I see myself a lot in you. The same pain in your eyes, the same false innocence," she mumbled. "I know you didn't volunteer for glory, Cove. I know President Snow asked you to volunteer," the older woman continued, "because I had the same look in my eyes when he asked me to volunteer, too."

"What?" Cove asked sharply, taking a step back.

Koi sighed before continuing her explanation. "I was in love when I was sixteen, with the mayor's son. It was great. We spent our afternoons swimming and our nights in the woods, talking about our future. That was until the mayor had done something to upset President Snow and the President got revenge the only way he knows how. Through loved ones," Koi said, her voice cracking and tears beginning to slide down her cheeks.

"My beloved Arlo had his tongue cut out, turned into an Avox for the Capitol. I wasn't allowed to see him ever again. But, in an act of rage in the loss of my lover, I begin to act out. I would start protests against the Capitol and spray paint walls with threats. I thought I was clever and could hide my identity well, but Snow has ways of knowing everything," Koi took a deep breath, "When I was walking home from the market one day, a truck of Peacekeepers pulled in front of me and threw me in their truck. I was then taken to the Capitol to meet Snow. He said he knew of all that I've done and he knew how to fix the issue. He then, uh-" Koi cut herself off, tears slipping down her face.

"You don't have to continue," Cove said trying to reassure the woman.

"No, I need to do this. I need you to understand," Koi said, straightening her back. "He brought Arlo into the room. It was the first time I had seen him in months. He then had a Peacekeeper shoot him in the head right in front of me."

Cove immediately gasped and tears filled her eyes.

"I was a sobbing mess on the floor. Snow then had me lifted up by Peacekeepers and told me that I would be in the next games. He said I needed to know what my actions could do to others," Koi finished.

"Koi, I'm so sorry," Cove said as she immediately wrapped the woman in a hug. Koi stilled for a moment before wrapping her arms around the young girl.

"You remind me so much of myself, Cove Alora. And that's why I know you'll win your games. Win for yourself and win for Finnick. Don't let Snow take your love away," Koi said as she held the young girl's face.

Cove nodded before wiping her tears. There was then an announcement telling them that Cove needed to be in the clear tube to be lifted into the arena in one minute. Koi noticed Cove's breathing start to pick up.

"No, Cove. You will stay strong and stay calm. You will be okay," the older Victor said before guiding the young girl into the glass tube.

Cove looked at the woman again, she had thirty seconds.

"If I don't come out, tell Finnick and my sisters that I love them," Cove begged.

"You will be able to do it yourself," Koi promised as the tube began to close.

"You remind me of my mother," was the last thing Cove Alora mumbled to the Victor before the tube began to rise. Koi put her hand on the glass, exactly where Cove's was, making a silent promise to see the young girl again.

Cove took a deep breath, sunlight immediately blinding her as she stood straight on a pedestal. She only had one thing on her mind.

Cove Alora was going to win the fucking Hunger Games.

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ARE YOU READY FOR IT? BABY, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!