FIRE ON FIRE ( cato hadley! )

chapter one

——☆ FIRE ON FIRE
chapter one: salt & the sea

     THE SALT AND THE SEA. The smell of home. Lilia Conway stood at the edge of the beach, her feet sinking into the cool, damp sand as she looked out into the horizon. The sky above was painted with a mixture of pinks and oranges as the sun set, casting a warm glow across the coast of District 4.

"Lilia Conway!" a familiar voice shouted, cutting through the peaceful atmosphere.

The girl smiled to herself, opening her eyes to see Finnick Odair jogging toward her. His messy blonde hair tousled in the wind, his green eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"Dinner's ready," Finnick called, slowing his pace and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just a few more minutes," Lilia pleaded, her gaze drifting back to the ocean.

Finnick shook his head, but there was a smile tugging at his lips. "You said that five minutes ago. Come on, everyone's waiting."

"Okay, okay..." Lilia finally obliged, her feet reluctantly moving away from the sand and toward the path that led back to her house.

The girl took one last glance at the ocean before turning to follow Finnick.

As they approached her house, the smell of her mother's famous seafood pasta greeted them, the scent traveling through the air and making her stomach rumble. Her parents loved to host dinners by the ocean, gatherings that Lilia looked forward to every week.

As they reached the door, Finnick paused and glanced down at her, his expression softening. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if searching for the right words.

"You know, you're lucky to have this," he said quietly, gesturing toward the house. "A family that cares so much."

Lilia looked up at him, a smile appearing on her lips, "I know. And that includes you, you know. You're my family too."

Finnick's smile widened, and he reached out his hand, tossing her blonde hair playfully. "Alright, let's get inside before your mom sends out a search party."

The two stepped into her house, where the familiar faces of her parents and her friends — Adrian Reed and Maya Holloway — welcomed them. Lilia's mother appeared from the kitchen, her face lighting up as she saw them.

"There you two are!" she exclaimed. "I see Finnick had to go out to the beach and drag you in again."

"Yeah," Lilia replied, glancing over at Finnick with a playful smirk.

"Well, we're glad you're here," her father added, coming up to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "Now let's eat before everything gets cold."

As they all gathered around the table, Adrian Reed, one of Lilia's oldest friends, was the first to start up the conversation.

"You won't believe what happened today," Adrian began, running a hand through his dark brown hair.

Lilia raised an eyebrow, "Oh, this should be good. What happened?"

"So, there I was," Adrian continued, gesturing with his hands, "out on the boat, minding my own business, when I hooked this fish. And I swear, this thing was a monster. It felt like I'd hooked a shark or something."

Beside him, Maya giggled, shaking her head, "A shark? Really, Adrian?"

"Hey, I'm serious!" Adrian insisted, though his grin gave him away. "It was fighting me with everything it had, pulling the boat, nearly tipping us over!"

"I don't believe it," Maya replied.

"Oh, come on!" Adrian spoke, turning to the boy beside him. "Finnick, you believe me, right?"

Finnick smirked, leaning back in his chair as he took a sip from his glass. "Depends. Did you actually catch this shark?"

Adrian chuckled, throwing up his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, you caught me. It wasn't a shark. But it was a huge fish."

The entire table joined in laughter, the sound echoing throughout the room. As Lilia glanced around at her family and friends, she felt a warmth spread through her chest, a sense of comfort.

She knew she was lucky – considering the world they lived in – to have such an amazing group of people surrounding her. Everyone was happy, and for a moment, the troubles of the outside world felt distant and unimportant.

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As the hours passed, and the table was cleared, the conversation inevitably shifted to the topic that had been on everyone's minds — The Reaping.

"Two days," Lilia said quietly, her eyes focused on the table. "It's hard to believe it's that close."

Maya nodded, "I know, I just keep thinking, what if one of us gets chosen?"

"The odds of that happening are slim," Lilia's father assured her. "It's best not to think about it."

Lilia felt a chill run down her spine at the thought, but she forced herself to smile. "You're right. We can't control what happens."

Finnick reached over, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Trust me, you'll be fine."

Lilia looked up at the boy, nodding once.

Although Finnick had not informed them much about what had happened during his Games, she knew that it had changed him. The effortless charm he used to carry, the happiness in his gaze...it was still there, but now, there was something else hidden inside. A weight. A burden.

She could see it in the way he hesitated sometimes, like now, his hand placed on her shoulder just a little longer than necessary.

She wondered what memories were flashing through his mind at that moment. The arena, the death, the violence. Things that no one should have to go through, let alone Finnick.

"Finnick..." Lilia began, her voice soft, hesitant. "Do you ever...think about it? About what happened?"

He didn't answer immediately, his gaze distant as he stared down at the wooden table. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, almost a whisper. "Every day. It's not something you can just forget, Lilia. No matter how much you want to."

Lilia's heart ached at his response. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like, being thrown into that arena, forced to kill or be killed.

And now, with the Reaping approaching, the thought of someone else she cared about having that same fate made her stomach turn.