THE SIREN'S SONG 𓇼 F. ODAIR

51 ~ the lightning strike

An unpleasant chorus of clicking started at eleven o'clock that night. Carolina tried not to think of the source, but she couldn't help it. Were they flesh-eating beetles? Mutts that had pincers that could easily cut off someone's limbs? What would have happened if she had strayed into that sector of the arena?

Not wanting to find out, the entire alliance stayed off of that part of the beach. The insect mutts were staying inside of their portion of the jungle, but there was still a chance that they could come out in a swarm.

Johanna was still walking around the beach late into the night, holding her ax tightly in her hand and mumbling to herself. Katniss and Peeta were close to the water, whispering to each other. They had tried to sleep for the first half hour that Carolina kept watch, but they eventually gave up.

Beetee, Wiress, and Finnick were the only ones who fell asleep right away. Wiress and Beetee slept calmly in the sand, but Finnick's sleep was restless. He constantly turned in his sleep, and his face contorted in a mixture of horrifying emotions. When Carolina heard her name come out of his mouth, she moved from her position in the sand to sit beside him.

Every time his breath hitched or his body shook in his sleep, Carolina would run her hand through his hair, and the soothing effect would be instantaneous.

At midnight, the lightning struck and Finnick jolted awake with a sharp cry. His hands gripped the sand around him as he tried to figure out where he was. His eyes flew around the beach wildly, and his rapid movements didn't stop until Carolina cupped his face and turned him to face her.

"What happened?" she asked quietly, so as to not wake up the others.

"You were dead."

"Well, I'm still here," Carolina said. "Finn, we're both still here."

Finnick stared at her for a moment before nodding slowly.

"I can't sleep anymore," he said. "You should sleep."

"Are you sure?" Carolina asked. "How much sleep have you gotten since entering the arena?"

"Doesn't matter," Finnick shook his head. "I'd rather be tired than have any more nightmares."

"Fine, but don't hesitate to wake me up if you need anything."

Carolina sighed but decided to lie down beside him and close her eyes. When she woke up next, there was another basket of twenty-four rolls of District 3 bread. They had twenty-six rolls in total, so they each took three again, leaving five for those who lasted another day.

She turned her head and saw that Finnick in the water, swimming with Katniss and Peeta. Katniss discovered that the sand could be used to exfoliate the scales that had popped up from the blisters inflicted by the fog. Carolina smiled as she saw Finnick return to his pretty, perfect self.

"Are you jealous?" Finnick joked, running up to Carolina to show off his smooth skin. "I'm officially back to being the more attractive tribute from District 4."

"I preferred the sea monster," Carolina rolled her eyes. "Now, go put on more medicine. Your skin still looks raw."

Finnick smiled cheekily at Carolina before turning around and walking back to where Katniss and Peeta were reapplying the green paste.

Beetee called the group over around 9 o'clock that morning. He had spent his entire morning fiddling with wire beside Wiress, forming a plan on what the alliance's next move should be.

"I think we all agree our next job is to kill Cashmere and Gloss," he said mildly. Carolina's heart dropped at his words. "I doubt they'll attack us openly again, now that they're so outnumbered. We could track them down, I suppose, but it's dangerous, exhausting work."