𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 | Finnick Odair

𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢. I think I'm gonna call him out

Genevieve listened to Caspian recount the story again in the morning and watched Seraphina out of the corner of her eye, glad that she at least had the gall to look sheepish for sleeping through all the action. Maybe she would take the other girl out while she slept for irony's sake.

They filled their packs with fruit to eat on the move and Genevieve found herself missing the rich capital food she'd grown so accustomed to.

As they walked through the tree line, splitting up into district partners, she felt the sun beat down relentlessly on her bare neck and pulled her jacket off to avoid overheating.

They continued for at least another hour before they stopped to refill water bottles and eat something. Caspian gazed down at the lake as she hydrated herself. He was running both of his hands through the water, absentmindedly scrubbing at them to remove any dirt.

All of a sudden his face paled and he slumped forward, taking deep shuddering breaths.

Genevieve startled at his display of madness. "What are you doing?" She asked, looking at his haggard reflection on the water's surface.

"It's the same shade. That boy from yesterday, it looks like his eyes." He bemoaned monotonously.

"Caspian stop."

"I understand now. I can't ever escape him. Not even in my dreams." Caspian's eyes seem to glaze over and Genevieve didn't know what to do.

"Stop talking." She pleaded. What he was doing looked like a form of rebellion and she kew if he carried on nothing good would come out of it.

"It wasn't right for me to kill him. He wasn't armed. He couldn't even fight back." Caspian seemed to be going into some state of shock. His hands were shaking violently and his voice waverd with every word.

"Enough!"

"This isn't right. We're only children. I— I murdered him ..." Caspian groaned and Genevieve pushed him with such force that he fell onto his back, most likely crushing whatever food was left in his bag.

"Get it together. Nobody is going to punish you for this. Nobody cares if you killed him." She snarled, getting off of him and searching for any cameras that would have caught Caspian's descent into insanity.

"I care. I CARE THAT I KILLED HIM." Genevieve fell silent as Caspian did not attempt to get up from the damp ground.

"You killed the boy from five and this ..." She snapped, horrified that Caspian, who has been raised to kill from the minute he could walk, was so affected. "This is ridiculous— you knocked Leopold down at the academy and didn't care when he broke his leg— but this one boy? You didn't even know him. What about him is different? Huh? If anyone else saw you like this they would have driven a knife straight through you without a second thought. You're too vulnerable. So either get it together or leave."

"You're right. I don't know what I was thinking. I just—. Never mind." Genevieve nodded and helped him to his feet, her hands straying up to the pearl resting on her nape for comfort.

"Let's keep going. We've got a lot more area to scout before sundown." With that, they set off deeper into the woods. They made it about two kilometres before an ear-splitting screech cut them off.

Genevieve unsheathed a singular katana and Caspian's grip tightened around his trident. They took off in the direction of the noise, cutting through low-hanging branches and vines that stood in their way.

As they got closer Genevieve registered the sound of splashing and prepared herself for what she might see. They emerged in a small clearing similar to the one they had just left.

In the middle of the clearing was a lake that looked dark and murky, with a thick fog hovering over the surface. The trees surrounding it were tall and gnarled, casting eerie shadows over the water. Genevieve looked around for the source of the scream. The only sound she could hear was the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore. As she stepped forward a cannon sounded.

Unsure of what was going on her eyes fixed on the water as she searched for something. Stepping forward to look for any signs of a struggle she didn't see the creature lurking beneath the surface, watching her with cold, calculating eyes.

"There's no one here." Caspian shrugged, hailing himself up a tree branch to get a better lookout point.

Before she could agree with him, she felt something wrap around her ankle and pull her under. Genevieve screamed, but the sound was muffled by the water. She kicked and struggled, but the creature was too strong. It dragged her deeper and deeper into the lake, its grip never faltering. Her ears were ringing and she could hear Caspian's faint cries coming from above.

Genevieve fought with all her might, her thoughts focused on one thing: survival. She knew that if she didn't get away, she would never make it back to the surface. With a burst of strength, she slammed her heel into the creature's face and broke free of the strong grasp and swam to the surface, gasping for air.

The creature followed her, its eyes fixed on her as she swam to the shore. She stumbled out of the water taking deep gasping breaths, her heart racing with fear. She turned around to face the creature, ready to fight for her life. But it was gone, vanished into the depths of the lake.

Genevieve stood there for a moment, her body trembling with fear and adrenaline. She knew that she had been lucky to survive, and she vowed never to go near that lake again.

Caspian grabbed her hand to pull her away and it was only then that she registered someone else had been the first victim and the source of the cannon sounding.