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

8. Blades and allies

Elizabeth jolted awake, the sound of a cannon being fired in the air had awakened her. She knew very well that she couldn't stay under the root roll that hade both hid and kept her alive during the night, but where would she go.

Finally, the sound of her rumbling stomach made the girl decide. She thought she heard running water during her escape from the bloodbath, maybe she could find a slightly hidden source of water and if she was lucky there could even be berries there and just maybe, just maybe fish. If there were fish, everything would work out, because if there was one thing the young girl knew, it was fishing.

She travels slowly and silently in the shadows. Always ready to hide at the slightest sign of life. But any suspicions she might have had of persecution vanished when the young girl found the source of the sound. For a few minutes she crouched in the shelter of a bush, but when no one appeared she ventured forward. Slowly she squatted down at the edge of the stream. She cupped her hands and lowered them into the cold water. So carefully she raised her hands, now filled with water, to her mouth and took a small sip. The water tasted cold and fresh, and only when she realized it was fresh water did she also realize how thirsty she was.

Once again she dipped her hands into the water and you drank greedily. She was so overjoyed to find water and so thirsty that she didn't notice the approaching steps, or the watching eyes, not until it was too late.

The blade of the knife was pressed against her throat and someone hade her in a headlock. She couldn't even turn to see who it was that would end her life. Hot breath felt against her ear and then him whispered something. All she would know about her killer was that it was a man

"What?"
It came out shaky and the tears that were now starting to run down her cheeks didn't make matters any better.
"Give me everything you have, and I will consider letting you live."
She had nothing.
"Please, please I have nothing promises!"
"Then why should I let you live!"

She felt the knife blade pressed harder against her throte, and in sheer terror she could only scream. "Please, please I'm only 12!!"

Before she had time to react, the knife blade had disappeared and she had been spunn around in someone's arms.
"Elizabeth?"
Unable to see her attacker from the tears, she could only nod.
"I, I thought you were dead!"
"I'm not! Not unless you kill me!" "Elizabeth--."
"Please just make it quick!!"

"Elizabeth, it's me, it's Jamie!"
Jamie?
Slowly she wiped the tears that had obstructed her sight and yes, it was Jamie!
"But what are you doing here!!" "Water..."
She shuck her head as if the answer was wrong before continuing.
"Or, drinking, trying to stay alive." "Here? In the open?!"
"Yes..."

She only now realized how stupid she had been, if she ran into anyone other than Jamie she would already be dead.
"You can't stay here."
"I know...."
But before she could continue, he grabbed her arm and started walking. "You come with me."
His voice suggested he didn't want to be contradicted, but she couldn't hear any threat, so, somewhat hesitantly, she followed.

"Sooooo....."
What on earth is there to talk about in a killing arena filled with lots of kids?! "You thought I was dead?"
Hmmm, yes, yup smooth Elizabeth. Really smooth.
"Yeah...But you're not, so that's good!" Mhhh yes, even smoother Jamie.
"I am not."

We walked for a while more in suffocating silence before I tried again.

"I knew you were alive though."
"Oh really, how?"
"Well, maybe I was looking at the big illuminated sky with pictures at night."
"Haaa, probably."
"Jamie, haven't you seen the sky? And where on earth are you taking me?!" "No, and you'll see, but back to you, how did you get through the night?"
"I hid myself."
"Oh really? Maybe your place is better than mine?"
"I doubt it."
"Why?"
"Because my place is...was a root roll." "Ahhh, well, no, then my place is probably better."
"Probably..."
Then it was quiet again, and we walked some more.

"So here we are!"
My gaze shifted from Jamie to the grassy hill, I didn't say a word, but I didn't need to.
"What! It's good!"
"It's grass Jamie."
Maybe I was better off in the root role after all.

"Ohh come on Elizabeth you are a child! Use your imagination!!"
"I don't have one."
Jamie looked at me, somewhat disappointed. Then he huffed allowed, took a few steps forward, parting some grass and plants to reveal a small hole in the hill that sat in the middle of the sea of ​​plants.

"It's a tight squeeze, but you can handle it."
Then he crawled in through the hole and left me outside.

I stood there for a short while, wondering if I should follow, what if he was trying to trick me!
But then I realized that if Jamie wanted to kill me, he would have had plenty of chances. So I carefully separated the plants and crawled inside.

But I couldn't understand what he meant when he said tight squeeze.

The cave, hill, mountain thingi what ever, wasn't huge on the inside. I could stand up and it was maybe two to three bigger steps to the other rockwale, but that was it.

"What is that?"
"That's my bed!"
I had pointed to a pile of what looked like moss on the floor, but it was apparently a bed.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"It's really comfortable."
"Hmm?"
"The bed I mean."
He gesticulated against the moss pile, but I must have looked confused because he continued.

"You look like you won't believe me, but it's comfortable!"
"Okay fine I believe you."
Never said it wasn't.
Without saying anything, Jamie pulled out a small bag from one of the rockwales and began rummaging around.

"What are you doing?"
"Checking supplies."
"Ohh okay..."
"Are you hungry?"
Yes!! I wanted to scream, I had noticed how spoiled I had become with all the food in the capital, so now just one day without food I felt like I was starving.

But I didn't say that, I wasn't that ungrateful, instead I said.
"Yeah, a little, but I can handle it."
He looked at me skeptically before making up his mind.
"You were good at edible berries and that stuff right?"
"Yes, or maybe not good, but I can probably avoid dying."

"That's good enough for me, there are a couple of bushes with different berries not far from here. If you continue away from them, you'll find the beginning of the stream you were by before."
"Okay, and?"
"If you pick enough berries for us both, I can fish."
"Okay."
I nodded excitedly, but my excitement quickly faded.

"But I have two conditions!"
With one sentence he had me on the edge of my minde whit consciousness, ever so I asked.
"What?"
"Number one, at the slightest sound or suspicion that anyone other than us is there, you immediately run here and hide."
I nodded in agreement , it didn't sound too bad.

"And number two!"
He pulled out a knife that he kept beside his leg in some kind of sheath. Shit was he going to kill me now?! "You monst carry a weapon at all times!! This knife to be exact!"
He held out the knife and smiled at me as I slowly accepted it.
"What did you think I was going to do, kill you?!"
"No!"
My face turned bright red.
"Okay tomato-face, come on, I'm getting hungry!"

He had started crawling through the opening before I even got the knife in place.

But as I sat there waiting for him to get out, I understood what he meant by tight squeeze. For me, who was small, there was plenty of room, but for him, who was both taller and wider than me, there wasn't as much, and the sword he had strapped to his back didn't make matters any easier.