Pearls and Perils ・❥・Finnick Odair x Reader

Chapter 20

I take off, arms pumping and legs extending in order to lengthen my stride. I keep my focus on the bottles of water and grain that the careers had left. The wind whistles past my legs as the ground seems to vanish. The cornucopia just within my reach, I push forward. Breath stolen from my lungs, I finally reach it. I unzip my bag and shove two water bottles in it. I look up and around every few seconds. Next I grab three bags of grain, throwing it in my bag on top of the water bottles. My heart beats still thumping as if I'm still running. I zip up the bag and throw it over my shoulder and take off. I whip my head side to side as I run to prevent any sneak attacks, nothing, the coast is clear. My legs become heavy but I force myself to keep the same fast pace. I'm almost to the edge of the forest, almost out of the open and into safety. I push through the last few strides, I'm now completely winded, but at least I am secure back at my hiding spot. I sit in the same spot of the forest floor where I'm conveniently concealed by a bush. I give myself a few moments to catch my breath, once again relying on the breathing techniques my mother taught me. As soon as my breathing is steady, I rip open my bag and pull out my items retrieved from the cornucopia. I practically shove the first bag of grain down my throat. The new sensation tickles my tongue, I realized that I had only eaten fish up until this point in the games. I wash down the harsh grain with a bottle of water. I figure there's only three of us left so the games can't go on much longer, why skip out on fueling up now? I slow down on the second bag of grain, taking time to chew it as opposed to clogging my throat. I wonder about the whereabouts of the remaining careers. They obviously were far enough away from the cornucopia to not see me make a run for it. But then where in this arena would they be? As I continue munching, I try to put myself in the shoes of a career- where would I go? Unfortunately I draw a blank.

A cannon sounds.

I jump, spilling a slight amount of grain over my lap. I pop my head over the top of the bush to see if anyones there. Nobody.  What the hell? An accident? Mutts? Did one turn on the other? My gut spirals as I come to the realization that I'm in the final two. Almost instinctively, I start shoving handfuls of grain in my mouth. I chug down my second, and final, water. The gamemakers are either going to force us together, or the tribute from one that's still alive will come find me. Either way, I'm going to have to fight them to the death; and if I want to live, I have to be at my very best. I anxiously remove the small knife from my backpack. I start sharpening my trident, all whilst still incredibly concerned about my surroundings. I do it as quietly as you can, the sound of blade against blade isn't exactly easily concealed.

"Oh y/n." a mocking voice echos. A female voice, the girl from one. I immediately drop my knife. "It's only us two left and you know they want a show." She finds a camera, smiles at it, and waves cheekily.  She's out in the open, standing by the cornucopia, just waiting for me. A chilling sensation crept over every inch of my being.

"Come out y/n." she calls again, a strange thrill in her voice. "Unless you're scared." She laughs hauntingly. Her voice draws closer to me. I use my mothers breathing techniques, woefully aware it might be the last time I ever do. I have come to peace with the fact that I may see my mother soon. I get up from the bushes and step out into the open. Just 15 feet away from me, the girl from district one stands with a smirk on her face and a newly bloodied spear in her hand.

"Well if it isnt Finnick Odair's protege." she barks. " I've been looking for you the entirety of the games." My awareness heightens, suddenly noticing every shadow and rustle surrounding the girl. Though she's projecting confidence through her speech and facial expressions, she can't quite hide her body language, which clearly says otherwise. Still, she's taking slow steps closer to me.

"Obviously you didn't look hard enough." I protested. A scowl descends on her face.

"Obviously we looked hard enough to find Micah." she hissed. The fire of her words seep through my clothes and burn my heart, but I can't let her know they did. She's still inching closer to me.

"Congratulations you killed an unarmed 13 year old, what do you want- some applause?" I say through gritted teeth, failing miserably at hiding my anger and sadness. She purses her lips, thinking of what to say next.

"Okay enough with the formalities, who's gonna swing first?" She asks. Now taking several steps closer to me, coming within five feet. Rage festering in my blood, and her face just looking so hittable, I swing my trident at the side of her body. The force knocks her to the floor but she rolls over and gets back up effortlessly. She plunges at my abdomen with her spear, but I move to the left in time to avoid it. She threw herself at me, holding onto my legs and tackling me to the ground. Our bodies weaved through each other and dodged sharp edges.  I got back to my feet and tried to plunge her stomach with my trident, but I found nothing but ground. She jabs her spear at me but I'm able to block the attack with my trident. Sparks flew as metal met. She pulls away for a millisecond, then goes for my abdomen. The cold spear slashes from my right hip to my belly button. The laceration burns. I let out a scream in pain but my body physically won't let me stop fighting. I escape her attack at my head by squatting down. I propel my body back up and swivel around behind her. I stab my trident into her back using every muscle of my body. It cuts through her spine with a wretched sound. I can feel her body become heavy. I pull my trident out as she falls to her knees. She's trying desperately to crawl away, moving her weary arms and legs with no alacrity. Kicking her head, she falls to the ground face up. Tears pooling in my eyes and adrenaline spiking, I grip my trident with both hands. I stab my trident into her stomach, I pull it out and do it again, and again. I can't stop. I scream manically as blood splatters up onto my face and into my eyes. Tears spill onto my face in a steady flow. The cannon sounds. I let out one last low-bellied scream as I make my final stab, leaving the trident plunged in her abdomen. I cradle the fresh wound on my stomach, becoming weary of the sensation of my own blood spilling. I roll over to my side, still unable to stop my frantic crying and screaming.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victor of the 68th Hunger Games, y/n l/n from district 4!"

The world goes black.

Authors note: uhhh so sorry for disappearing for a month just to come back and slap you with this HUGEEE moment. But anyways, hope y'all are enjoying. Sorry for slow updates. Love you!