𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐈𝐄 ━━ finnick odair ✓

𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧. ( let the games begin )

  A knock at my door rouses me from bed. I'd been awake for a bit, just unwilling to leave the relative safety of my sheets. There's no more time to suspend belief in my situation. Today is the day I become a competitor or die. The person who knocked is gone when I open the door. I sigh and let it click shut. Today is the first day I put thought into the way I get myself ready.

I stand in front of the mirror, taking myself in as fully as possible. I forgo changing out of the comfortable shorts and shirt I'd worn to bed, I'd be receiving my official uniform before entering the arena. The next thing I focus on is my hair, what I decide to do with it could have a large impact on my performance. I decide to pull it back into a tight ponytail to keep it out of my eyes. Then I moisturize my skin as much as possible, lathering my lips in particular. With no clue about what the arena contains, it can't hurt to go into it with completely healthy extremities. I rub the nail polish off with a serum I find in the cabinet, not wanting to have anything shiny on my body to negate camouflage. When I can think of nothing else to do, I make my way to the common area.

Finnick sits on the couches in front of the television, leg bouncing as he stares at the black screen. A complete reversal of roles from the time we first met. He doesn't move when I enter the room, but addresses me with a short "Try to eat as much as you can." I say nothing in return but know what he says is good advice. Wade, Seamus, and Fierian all sit at the table already. I try to quickly focus on filling myself, but it proves very difficult. The biscuits which seemed pleasantly textured a few days ago are now impossible to swallow for the dryness of my mouth.

Seamus seems to have no such problem, shoveling bits of sausage and gravy into his mouth and chewing loudly. The image is enough to make me put my fork down and stop trying entirely. I do manage to drink about a liter of water and a cup of thick, pulpy apricot juice, so I feel that's a good enough try for breakfast.

"Is that all?" Finnick asks.

"Yes," I respond, hoping not to receive a lecture.

"I couldn't eat a bite the morning before," he admits, laying his palm on my shoulder. "It's time we should be going anyway. Do you have everything you need." I nod and gesture with open arms to myself, indicating there's nothing else to bring.

Finnick and I go alone. Wade informs him that they'll be over in a few minutes. I'm relieved not to have to take another look at Seamus until the games begin. We take the elevator down to a room that leads to an outdoor platform. On the platform sits a hovercraft, ladder extended downwards for me to climb onto. "This is where I leave you," Finnick says, standing slightly behind my left shoulder.

I turn to him and bury my face into his chest. I have no idea what compels me to do so, but I can't pull myself away from him once he places his arms around me. We stand still for a moment like this. I expect tears to come but none do. I'm too petrified even to cry. He says nothing, allowing me to comfort myself as long as I choose. I know that I'll stay here forever if I don't peel myself away now, so I do so without turning back to look at him. "Thank you." My voice sounds steady as I call this out, leaving him behind for good.

When I step up onto the ladder and my hands make contact with it, my muscles become taut. It must be sending a series of electric pulses through my nerves to achieve this strength of a hold. The ladder slowly lifts me into the safety of the hovercraft. It slides to a stop and the panel closes below me but still I remain petrified against my will. A small dark man in a white lab coat approaches me from my front. He holds out a large needle for me to see, this must be the tracker they use to locate us in the arena. He confirms as much, explaining that this will be taken out if we exit alive, but to remove it in the arena would be deadly. In it goes to my forearm, nestling against what must be the radial arterial vein. He's right, an attempt to remove this without surgical precision could be catastrophic.