Control | P. Mellark

Chapter six

A/N- sorry its a bit short and so late, was busy with work and a family vacation, hope you still enjoy!

In her pain she cried at the feeling on her arm. Screams, from inside the jungle echoed off her cries. The two, now stood behind a tree looking down the way towards the scream and soon out tumbled three people drenched in blood.
"Joanna?" Finnick muttered before running out of their hiding spot towards the trio.
"Joanna!" He yelled louder.
"Finnick!" She yelled back running at him expecting a hug despite being drenched in blood and the tall boy happily obliged, "Where's Seriea?"
Finnick lead her to the two still sat in the light shade of a tree as the girl winced and twisted from the pain.
The two made it back to the girl who was curling into Peeta's hold crying in pain.

Seriea's journey home was long and tiring, sharp pains rang through hed leg as she sat in the train taking her home, a new metal leg sat where should have been her real one. Walking was the hardest on the scar. Each night she sat up staring at her wall as screams echoed in her head, dark circles growing deeper under her eyes with each night. When she got home, most of the district was smiling and cheering her on as she smiled and strut through the crowd. She looked around, ignoring Finnick's small whispers and chatter to those around them. At the end of the crowd stood her mother, a tall, proud woman with long dark blonde hair and a stoic face- once the kindest woman that could be seen in the district- she stood still as her daughter approached her with a sour look on her face.
"Momma," Seriea's eyes watered as she smiled her first genuine smile since before the games.
"I'm not your mother, you disgraceful child." Her mother sneered and stared down the girl with distaste and hatred in her eyes.
A cold feeling ran through the girl as her mother turned and walked away from her, tears ran down her face as her smile fell.

"I don't know what to do." Finnick muttered, watching the girl cry made him want to claw his heart out.
Soon Beete joined them with a quick solution, "What if we amputate it."
He was and calculating as ever, finding the quickest solution to a problem.
"No," Finnick quickly answered, shaking his head, "I'm not putting her through that again."
"Do it," Seriea whined, surprising everyone around her, "make it stop, please!"
Her pleas echoed in their mind as she babbled, clutching onto Peeta's shirt.
When the argument broke out she could barely keep herself awake, but the quick sharp release of pain jolted her awake again. Just after a seering pain ran straight up to her shoulder and through her chest.
Johanna had taken it upon herself to take care of it, using her axe to cut just above her elbow. Peeta didn't even realize that Johanna was so close until he felt her next to him after the fact.
Seriea's cries died down after a few minutes as she basked in the slight tingle of pain, Finnick used clean leaves and part of his suit to make a bandage for her until they could cotterize it.
Looking up at her friend Seriea gave a tired smile with heavey eyes before muttering, "Thank you."
The group made camp on the beach for the night before the fallen tributes where shown. Seriea slept peacefully, still clutched onto the blonde baker boy. Katniss seemed uneasy as she stayed awake watching the two sleep in an awkward position. Finnick soon joined her after Johanna fell asleep.
"Thanks," He nudged her in the shoulder as he sat down with her.
"For what?" She finally looked away from the two.
"Understanding that she needs someone to hold onto right now, it helps with the pain." He looked out to the water, "I would know, when she lost her leg she held onto me for hours, sobbing in pain just looking for some release for it."
"Yea, Peeta was a bit different, I didn't know he lost his leg till the interview, we hadn't seen each other. I wonder who he held onto." She stared ahead with him, looking into the cornucopia.

Moving into the house in victors village was difficult, a large beautiful home with small flowers decorating the way in. Inside was dark but homey, a new normal. Seriea hated it. It was cold and empty, despite all the furniture and decorations. She was all alone again. No family to make it feel like home.
Finnick lived next door and Annie just across from her with Mags next to the red head.
The nightmares were the worst part of being alone. Most nights she suffered alone in her cold bed, the room only being light by the moon, some nights Finnick would hear her screams and come to comfort her, the two decided to share a home only a month after she got back. It almost felt like she belonged here with him they quickly settled into a routine; wake up, eat breakfast together, work on their hobbies, settle into the front room with the other victors and talk about whatever they felt like, have dinner all together and then going to bed. It was nice, until Finnick was called to the capitol.

When Seriea woke up, it was morning and the bandage on her arm had been changed into clean new gauze.
"What..." She began to ask as she sat up.
"It came in a parachute while you were asleep, along with a salve that cauterized it." Finnick helped her to sit up from in the sand as he wiped some of it from her cheek and hair.
With a nod she stared at her arm, the other half of it was gone, probably buried by Johanna. Peeta was leaned against a tree next to where Seriea now sat, finally freeing him to stand.
"How are you feeling?" Peeta asked, leaning forward with a hand on her back.
"Better, thank you." She smiled, "I'm sorry for that whole ordeal."
"Don't be, I think I understand more than you realize." His smile was small but comforting, like he was trying to tell her something underneath it.
"Beete has a plan, in a few hours were gonna move to that tree," Finnick pointed at the biggest tree in the arena, "He's going to run the wire he made from the tree to the sand and hopefully electrocute the other tributes."
"It will work." Beete spoke up from the other side of the charred fire.
"Of course it will, your the smartest person I've ever met." Seriea grined over at him, but he noticed something. Her eyes, they looked dim, like she was dead and moving on auto-pilot.
So far the plan was moving along fine, we all made it to the tree with the wire and had it all wrapped along the trunk.
"Katniss and Johanna will take the spool to the shore and Finnick and Peeta will stay here as gaurds." Beete spoke up handing the spool to Johanna and walking back to the tree.
"Why can't it be me and Peeta, Johanna can protect you." Katniss tried to plead, obviously nervous about splitting up from Peeta.
"I need two gaurds, this is my plan, you said you'd follow it. Plus Seriea only has one arm, she needs someone here aswell."
"It'll be fine, I see you at midnight." Peeta comforted her, but Seriea noticed the way he didn't kiss her, he hugged her and pecked her cheek and they parted ways.
Peeta approached her, a small weiry smile graced his face as he stood to her side. For about two hours everything was going to plan, it was quiet and Beete was babbling about something to do with the currents. Everything was fine until the careers showed up, Peeta and Finnick fought them and Beete seemed to panic, he took the end of the wire that was severed by them and tied it to a spear.
"Beete wait!" Seriea screamed as Finnick ran after Katniss and Johanna, while Peeta chased off the careers.
It was too late, he tried stabbing the force field with it, sending him flying back too the forest floor.
"Seriea!" Peeta yelled from one of the paths.
"Peeta!" She yelled back, grabbing the spear in her one good hand.
She ran after him finding one of the careers on him, pinning him to the ground slowly over taking the fight.
Quickly Seriea used all her might and swung the spear at the tribute, he quickly dodged alowing Peeta to scurry to his feet.
The tribute was huge, Brutus was true to his name, with sharp teeth and buldging muscles. Together Peeta and Seriea fought him, swinging her one arm as best as she could, cutting into his arms and legs served as a good distraction. With Brutus getting ahold of her he bit into her shoulder ripping a chunk out before dropping her to the floor. Blood spilling from his mouth and chest as a machete stuck through his back. Peeta stood there a minute breathing as Brutus dropped to his knees as the cannon went off his head hit the ground.
"Seriea?" The girl heard Peeta a few feet away as she breathed deeply, holding her shoulder with her good hand.
"I'm okay," she gasped out as she tried to roll to her side to sit up.
Quickly he helped her, sitting her up and supporting her weight against his chest.
"We need to get back, Beete is by himself." Seriea rasped, he throat feeling impossibly tight.
"Just wait a second, you need to catch your breath."
Peeta ripped part of his shirt and tied it to her shoulder, doing his best to slow the bleeding.
A loud crash was heard above them and as they looked up they saw the dome force field begin to fall apart. Peeta jumped over Seriea, shielding her from the debris.

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