THE SIREN'S SONG 𓇼 F. ODAIR

3 ~ the lust act

As Finnick led Carolina to a separate room, all she could think about was every horrible interaction the two had had.

There were too many to count.

It all started when they were 5.

Carolina was sitting next to her father on the dock behind their house, creating snell knot after snell knot as he worked on tying far more complicated knots for his traps. Her father had spent the past month teaching her how to tie that knot, and she was finally starting to get the hang of it. Carolina was proud of herself, and at the time, all she did was show off her new talent to anyone who would listen.

As they worked, Carolina's mother opened the screen of their back door and yelled out, saying that Mrs. Odair was there to buy fish from her father.

"I'll be right back, Carol," her father had said before standing up. "Keep working on the knot."

Carolina nodded and turned back to her fishing line and hook. She was already used to her father having to leave to sell fish to the locals. At least twice a day, someone would just come up to her family's front door and ask for Marvin Seymour.

However, she wasn't used to the locals' children just waltzing onto her dock like they owned the place.

Carolina was so focused on her knotting that she didn't even notice a boy come out from her house and sit down right next to her.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked, causing Carolina to jump.

She quickly turned to see that a boy who was about her age was sitting right beside her, staring at the line and hook in her hands. Carolina's shocked expression quickly turned into one of excitement.

"I'm tying snell knots," Carolina smiled. "Do you know how to make one? I can show you."

The boy scoffed.

"I already know how to tie a snail knot. Who doesn't?"

Carolina looked at the boy with her head turned to the side and her face scrunched in confusion. However, at the sight of his confident expression, Carolina bit back her words. She wasn't going to bother to correct him, so instead, she said.

"Ok, show me."

Finnick hesitated for a moment before taking the rope and hook from her hands. He wrapped the rope around the hook a couple of times and tried to weave the rope through itself, but nothing he was doing was sticking. After watching him struggle for what felt like forever, Carolina decided to speak up.

"Do you want me to help you?" the girl asked. She reached for the fishing line and hook. "Here, let me show you."

Before she could grab the line and hook, he moved his hands out of the way.

"No, I got it! I'm almost there."

"No, you don't! Just let me show you!"

Carolina grabbed onto the knot Finnick was creating, but he was stubborn. He pulled his arms back again, causing Carolina to pull back even harder. The two started to go back and forth, but the fishing line was too old for that much pressure. It snapped almost immediately, sending Carolina straight into the water.

When she emerged, she spit out a mouthful of water and wiped a dead fish off her shoulder. Her eyes shot to the boy who had pushed her in in the first place, only to see that he was staring at her with a wide smile on his face.

He had enjoyed it.

Carolina glared at the boy and did the only thing a 5-year-old could do in retaliation.