Control | P. Mellark

Chapter Two

Back in the tunnel Finnick jumped down and gently brought Seriea to her feet. The click of her heels was a welcomed noise for the girl. Walking with Finnick to the elevator with an easy silence that hugged the two like a gentle blanket. Inside the elevator wasn't much different, only when Finnick pushed the button to the top floor did Seriea speak.
"Top floor? What, you have a secret girlfriend for me to meet?" Seriea smirked and nudged her district partner.
"Ha ha, very funny. I just wanted to show you something on the roof. It's really cool." He smiled down at her and pulled her into his side as a crushing hug.
When the ding rang through their ears they moved to the hallway before climbing the stairs to the roof. The wind howled around them as Finnick led her to a corner of the roof. Dark and away from the light of the hallway.
"Seriea I need to tell you something." Suddenly Finnick wasn't smiling, or joking we were stood in darkness with an uneasy feeling building between them.
"Okay."
"There's a rebellion. Some of the other tributes are in on it and we've all got the same goal. To get Katniss out of the arena and to 13."
Seriea's breathing got heavier as sharp breaths tore through her lungs, "I thought there was no 13."
"It's hard to explain, we don't have much time left, are you in?" He took her shoulders gently and looked into her eyes, pleading with her.
"I'm in."

The next day, training began. Joanna was as menacing as always and Finnick was following Katniss around with a smirk. Seriea decided to go make a fishing hook, just to make sure she still could. Mags loved making them when they all sat together back in four, and right now being closer to Mags felt right. Twisting and wrapping smoothly around a small hook with a small smile. After a minute someone approached and stood to her side watching. She paused her fingers around the thread and looked up at them. Katniss Everdeen stood with a soft blank face watching my hands.
"It was brave of you to volunteer like that." She muttered, like she was unsure if she should talk to the girl.
Seriea dropped the thread and faced her with a smile, she brought her hand up and gently moved the hair on her shoulder slightly to place her hand over her heart.
"Prim's my sister." She looked away slightly before refocusing.
Sereia nodded slowly, understanding what she meant.
"Do you want ne to show you how to make these?" She asked, turning back to the hook.
"Yeah, and then I could show you how to shoot." She smiled and took her spot next to me. Both of us smiling.
Once she knew how to make the hook Katniss led the shorter girl to the shooting area.
"Do you want to come in with me?" Katniss held out a smaller bow for her.
"No, I'll watch first." Seriea smiled nervously and slightly stepped away.
"Okay."
Katniss began her exercise easily and by the end of it, every tribute was watching. Finnick stood behind Seriea with a smirk as he watched the archer. He knew that she would be a good leader and ally, even if she didn't know they were allies yet.
"She's amazing." Seriea whispered, knowing Finnick could hear her.
Looking around at the other tributes watching Katniss aswell she felt a sense of dread build in her gut and spread to her chest.
Once Katniss finished she looked out the window, expecting to see Seriea standing there but was met with every tribute watching her and Wiriss clapping. Leaving the room as everyone dispersed felt awkward for her as she stood in front of Seriea, alone once again.
"I can't do that." Seriea whispered, a light blush dusting her cheeks.
"Don't worry, you don't have to if you don't want to." Katniss reassured her quickly. An awkward air filling between the two once again.
Soon the odd duo split to separate ends of the training room, Seriea choosing to check out the camouflage area. She was soon joined by the second tribute from twelve. A tense silence that neither wanted to break formed around the two. Seriea let him watch her paint her arm to look like the rock front in the room next to her. Adding some red and blending a little and going back for yellow was her plan but was stopped by Peeta taking the brush from her finger tips.
"You need to blend the red more before adding the yellow or it'll have too many streaks." He spoke softly and blended throught the red and picked up the yellow himself and adding it to her arm.
Once he finished she walked over and placed her arm against the stone.
With a smile she looked up at him, "Thanks, paints never been my strong suit."
He smiled back at her and nodded, "In twelve I decorated the cakes we sold at the bakery."
"I didn't know that." With an amazed breath released she stepped away from the fake cliff side, "You know, I actually went to a bakery in twelve during my victory tour, bought almost every sweet thing in the place."
A slow breath released from him as he nodded, "I rember, I packaged a lot of cake that day, my mom was the happiest I'd ever seen her."
"I'm glad."
"Seriea!" Finnick yelled across the room, waving for the girl to join him.
"I'll see you later." With a wave Seriea skipped away from the blond baker boy.
Despite the situation, Seriea was a ray of sunshine, she smiled genuinely at nearly each person she saw. Seriea didn't let her leg of metal slow her pace when she need to get somewhere, always skipping along with a bounce in her step. She commanded attention with every step. Her voice, oh her voice, she sounded like a melody that was always playing, like soft bells constantly ringing, like how honey tastes when mixed with sugar. She was a siren, no doubt about it.