THE SIREN'S SONG 𓇼 F. ODAIR

1 ~ the reaping

Carolina was standing thigh-deep in the water with so many regrets.

The day before, she promised her father that she would collect all of the fish from the traps before sunset. It was nothing out of the ordinary. Her father would ask her to do it maybe one or two times a week, but somehow, Carolina had completely forgotten to do it.

But she would never admit that to her father.

So, rather than owning up to her mistake, she snuck out of the house before sunrise in a fishing bib and her hair tied up in a braid. A rusted spear was held loosely in her left hand, and a frayed net was held in the other.

The small fish farm was luckily right in her backyard. Her father wasn't one of the farmers in the big factories that bred fish for Capitol pleasure, rather he caught fish to sell to Peacekeepers or trade with the local fishmonger. It didn't supply their family with much, nor did her mother's teaching job at the school, but they were lucky. She never had to worry where her next meal would come from.

It was when she was collecting the fish in the third trap that she saw Finnick swim by. That was the only time she saw him nowadays.

After Finnick had won his games, he stopped showing up to class. He hasn't even stepped foot near the academy. The boy had become a complete hermit.

Carolina would see him occasionally during required viewings from the Capitol where he would be smiling, but Carolina knew his smile was always fake. She had spent most of her childhood watching him put on that same plastic smile whenever a teacher walked into the room. 

In District 4, however, no one even saw the young victor until the reaping of the 66th games.

In the two years since Finnick had branched out a bit more. He would be seen in town, occasionally, or on the beach, going on runs. However, Carolina would mostly see him swim, every morning as the sun rose.

Stupidly, Carolina let herself get distracted.

A buzzing noise in her left ear caught her off guard, jolting her into action. She started swatting the air around her, all the while screaming. 

It was a bee. Just one, and it was as small as her fingertip. However, one sting and Carolina was a goner.

Her foot must have gotten caught in a nearby trap in her struggle, and that combined with the velocious swatting caused her to lose her balance. With a loud splash, Carolina fell backward into the water.

Moments later, hands grabbed her and pulled her out from under the water. Finnick was staring at her, his eyes frantic as if looking for any sign of injury. 

"What happened?"

Carolina noticed his breathing getting heavy. She took a step back from his touch but then placed her hand on his shoulders as if it would help him calm down. 

"It– it was just a bee. I'm okay."

Finnick also took a step back, and his shoulders slumped in annoyance. 

"You haven't changed a bit, Seymour."

"It could've killed me, you know," Carolina's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. It wasn't a good enough argument though, as Finnick was already swimming away without giving her the chance to explain herself. "One sting and I'm a goner."

The girl sighed. She wasn't making herself sound any stronger. 

Frustrated, Carolina grabbed the rusty spear and threw it at a fish that tried to escape the trap she got stuck in. 

It stuck right into its eye.

After gathering all of the fish into a net, Carolina made her way back to her house. She dumped the fish into the icebox by the back door and threw the fishing bib over a deck chair. Thinking she got away with her early morning activity, she opened the back door to sneak back to her room.