A fate worse than death~~A Finnick Odair story~~

7. The bloodbath

My hands were shaking, my whole body was shaking. I knew very well that the second I stepped onto that platform, my life was over. But I had known this for a week, I had been given a whole week, I thought I had gotten used to the thought of my impending doom, but now my whole being indicated that it was not true.

Jamie was in the room opposite mine, I had seen when he had entered. But the door could not be opened from the inside, I had tried. When the first wave of panic set its claws in me, I had toiled at the door to get it open, I had jerked at the door, even thrown myself against it, but nothing had helped. Then I cried, really I didn't know why, the tears wouldn't make any difference and it wasn't as if I was going to survive the carnage, but still I had cried.

The tears have long since run out. Now I just sat there on the floor in front of the door, staring at the elevator-like platform that would take me to my death. I waited, I didn't know what, just something, ennything! But despite my anticipation, I was still not alarmed when the door opened and Finnick stepped inside.

"How are you holding up?"
"Not good..."
"Come on, you'll make it--."
"Finnick please! We both know I'll be dead before the day is out!"
"Lizzy..."
He stopped when he saw the tears that had started to flow down my cheeks again. Then he sat down next to me and put an arm over my shoulder.

"Lizzy, it's okay, you're going to be okay."
"I'm scared Finnick."
"Don't! It'll work out, I promise"
"I'm scared, scared to die."
"You will not die."

I snorted before continuing.
"Well, well I will! I thought I was okay with, with that, but I'm not! I don't want to die!"
"You're not going--."
"Finnick I'm 12, no one thinks a 12 year old can win, not even me!"
"I believe in you Lizzy..."
"Then stop! After this you will never see me again!"
"Please Elizabeth!!"
"No Finnick!! I'm scared and I want to go home but I'll never come home again!!"
"Elizabeth..."

He sounded hurt, so hurt but I didn't care.
"Just promise me one thing!" "Ennything."
"Please keep an eye on Ian, he's only 4, he doesn't know anything about the world, protect him when I can't, can you promise."
"I promise, but you won't die!"
"I already know, it's okay, I'm just.....scared."

So as if he finally realized the ones I did a week ago he said in a softer tone.
"Don't be, there are far worse fates than death."
I smiled, before Finnick pointed and said.
"You should probably get on that."

So I did. If anything safer in the thought of my brother truanting be safe. But before the tube wrapped around me, I heard Finnick's last words.
"See you on the other side."

~~~

Then I went up. My heart pounded louder than ever and the anxiety of the fear hit like waves on the beach that was my mind. It was like a storm in my head and it didn't get any better when the sun temporarily blinded me. In a panic I searched for that familiar face, but I only saw other tributes, the boy from 3 was next to me and the girl from 8 three platres to the right, but then I saw him.

7 platforms to my right was him, Jaime. He seemed to catch sight of me too because he smiled, or at least I thought he did, just as if he wanted something out of the last thing I saw to be friendly, but that's how it started.
20,
19,
18,
17.
I was staring down at the ground to avoid any kind of attention that might lead to an earlier, or more painful, death when I discovered it.

The ground benith me wasn't ground at all, it was water!
That was why the sun had been reflected like that, and on closer inspection of my sourondings I noticed that I had an island not far behind me, maybe even a mainland!! 10,
9,
8,
7.

And with that I had made up my mind.
3,
2,
1,
0.
I dove into the icy water and swam, not towards the Cornucopiat like so many others, no I swam towards land, away from the screams and splashing of the other tributes and, hopefully, away from an early death.

When I reached land I wasted no time. I ran and ran. My lungs screamed and my heart raced, but I didn't stop. All I could think about was distance equals safety, distance equals safety. The further away from the Cornucopiat the better.

I only stopped when I reached a root ball. It was getting dark and it was big enough to hide me for the night. Several cannons had been fired, but I had stopped counting after 6, instead I had spent energy on staying alive and if I made it through the night, I would soon know who was dead.

~~~

The stars had filled the night sky where the music began. Pictures were shown of those who had fallen and the whole time I had a lump in my stomach. What if Jamie's picture was next, what if the only one who could imagine being my allie was already dead.
But he couldn't be dead, he was gifted with a weapon, and if I had survived, shorly, shorly he had too, right?

The lump in my stomach grew when I thought about the allies thing. He was the only one who was willing to help me, and I, I had left as soon as the timer ran out, I had just left him, but he wasn't dead, he couldn't be dead!

The picture show came and went, Jamie's picture wasn't there and finally I was able to breth out. Without knowing it, I had been holding my breath.

I got it to a total of 11 kills. No one was from district one or two.
But Jamie's picture hadn't been shown, he was alive.
But my image hasn't litt up the night sky either. The little girl from District 4, against all odds, had made it through the first night, so far.

Both the male and female tributes from District 4 were alive.
So fare.

~~~

"Congratulations Finnick, both of you on your first night, not bad." Haymitch Abernathy was the first to congratulate Finnick.
Both of Haymitchs tributes had died in the bloodbath, they had been poor swimmers and one had tried to grab a bag. He had not been succesfull.

"It's thanks to Mags."
"Ohh yeah Mags, how is Mags?" "Good, she's good."
Mags usually didn't stay in the room with the other metors, she didn't like the games and only watched them if she had to, and then only in the safety of her own bed.

But even though he alone had to represent four, Finnick was proud. Elizabeth had made it through the bloodbath. It was pure luck that the arena this year had been a water arena, but never the less, she had made it.