"I'm going to get you out of there,"
Finnick's voice was firm, each word sharpened by perseverance.
"How?" the young girl challenged, her tone tinged with desperation.
"You're out here, and I'm trapped in there."
Finnick's eyes swept over her, his...
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────── "—𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵." ──────
The train ride was suffocatingly silent, the quiet only punctuated by the clatter of cutlery as Andreia ate quietly, the weight of impending doom heavy on her mind. Andrew's voice echoed with rising frustration as he tried to coax anything useful out of Finnick Odair, each attempt met with cold sarcasm and detached arrogance. Desperation tinged his words, but Finnick remained a stone wall.
As the train jerked to a halt, Andreia and Andrew exchanged a glance, a silent acknowledgment of the hoard waiting outside. The muted roar of the Capitol's citizens filtered through the walls, a frenzied mob eager to feast their eyes on fresh tributes. Finnick stood abruptly, gripping Mags' hand as the doors hissed open.
The Peacekeepers stormed in, five of them, with ruthless efficiency. Two flanked the seasoned victors, while the remaining three descended on the siblings, their eyes glinting with an almost predatory intent.
"Move it, out!" The tallest of them snarled, seizing Andreia's arm with a crushing force. She barely suppressed a cry as the Peacekeeper yanked her out of her seat, dragging her into the chaos. Andrew was shoved along behind her, the grip of the Peacekeepers like iron shackles.
Blinding flashes assaulted Andreia's senses as they stepped into the cacophony outside. The Capitol citizens, a grotesque mass of color and sound, surged forward with primal hunger, their painted faces twisted with manic glee. The Peacekeeper struggled to keep her on course, but the crowd was relentless, their hands clawing at her, their screams a deafening wall of noise.
"Get behind the barricades!" the Peacekeeper barked, his voice barely cutting through the madness. Andreia opened her mouth to protest, but a hand shot out from the crowd, clamping onto her wrist with a vise-like grip.
She was yanked backward with terrifying force, her body jerking like a ragdoll as the Peacekeeper's hold slipped away. The woman who had grabbed her shrieked with triumph, her unnaturally large, purple eyes gleaming with obsession, " I've got her! Andreia Baylis! I've got her!" she howled, her voice shrill and deranged as she dug her nails into Andreia's skin.
Panic surged through Andreia, her mind a whirl of terror and disbelief, "Let me go!" She urged trying to pry the woman's hands off. Finnick's head snapped around at the commotion, his eyes widening in alarm.
Without hesitation, he fought his way back through the grasping hands, his muscles straining as he tore Andreia from the woman's grasp. "Get off!" Finnick growled, pulling Andreia to his side, shielding her with his body as he pushed her toward the safety of Mags. Behind them, Finnick berated the Peacekeeper, his voice cold and sharp as steel.
