unforgivable ➸ finnick odair

T H R E E

"Time to get up now, Electra! We've got a big, big day ahead of us!" Eleanora sang outside of my door. I groaned, mind and body still half-asleep. Rubbing my eyes furiously, I tumbled out of my bed, landing on the ground with a thump. 

"Coming!" I shouted back, pushing myself off of the ground. Someone, probably Titania, had laid out my training gear on my bedcovers - a t-shirt, pants and boots. All black, except for the red and grey stripes on each sleeve and on the sides of the pant legs. The number 5 was printed on the back of the shirt. Swiftly getting changed and washing my face, I entered the dining room. Everyone else was already there, silently eating breakfast. Bolt had a rather scared look on his face.

"Remember what I said last night," Sean said when we were about to leave. Bolt and I nodded firmly before stepping into the elevator. The door closed and it was just us in the awkward silence.

"Good luck Bolt," I smiled at him before we separated.

"Thanks. Y-you too," he stuttered back. The tributes gathered around the woman running the training centre. She gave a small speech about the rules - really simple stuff, like not fighting other tributes and not killing anyone - before we were allowed to disperse. The Careers went to their respective stations as per usual. The District 1 girl, Glitter or something stupid like that, immediately grabbed a spear and started throwing, hitting the heart of the humanoid target with every powerful throw. Her counterpart, also called something very unfortunate - Hero? Whatever, their parents were definitely on drugs when they named their poor kids - made a beeline for the swords and started swinging. I watched in mild, morbid fascination as one dummies head toppled to the floor and another was practically cut in half from his vicious swing. 

District 2's boy, Rhys - finally, someone named something even remotely normal! - headed over to the archery station and grabbed a bow with a surprisingly large amount of care. One would've thought that such a large boy would prefer swords and spears over delicate weapons like bows, but he proved me wrong, hitting the bullseye with every shot. His district partner, Claudia, grabbed an axe with a bloodthirsty grin on her face and started throwing. Her throws hit the very centre as well - predictable for the careers. I noted all of their special skills down for later.

I could see Bolt at the poisonous berries station, chatting brightly with the District 11 girl, May. She had dark skin, dark hair and dark eyes, but her smile was as bright as the sun. Grinning to myself, I noticed Everly alone at the climbing station and quickly joined her.

"Hey!" I greeted her. She gave me a warm smile.

"Hey, Electra. It's nice to see you again," she said. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail, with a few loose strands framing her oval shaped face, and her sapphire eyes were staring determinedly at the task at hand.

"Um, so Everly, I was wondering... wouldyouliketobeallies?" I blurted out nervously. She giggled.

"Can you repeat that?" she laughed. 

"Would you like to be allies?" I said again, making sure to talk much slower. She smiled and pulled me into a spontaneous hug.

"Of course I want to be allies, El. Can I call you El?"

"Only if I get to call you Ev."

"...Fine. You strike a hard bargain Reine."

"Whatever, Edmonds."

---

Lunch had come and go quite quickly - Everly, Bolt, May and I had shared a table; Everly and May became fast friends, and I'm proud to announce that I now have 3 allies. While chatting to them at our lunch table, I was able to learn all of their strengths and weaknesses, which when it comes to allies is always helpful.

We were all quick, sly and nimble, but we all had different weaponry strengths. Everly excelled with an axe - 'District 7 heritage' she claimed. I don't think being able to hit a humanoid target in the heart by throwing an axe can be explained by heritage, but whatever she says. Bolt is, just like he said, decent with a dagger - his main advantage is his small stature and quick pace, which would allow him to swiftly sneak up behind someone and - literally and figuratively - stab them in the back. May, as she had just found out today, was excellent with a bow - a natural born sharpshooter. Her first shot was just centimetres off of the red bullseye circle, and by the time she went to leave all her shots were hitting the very centre of the target. And me? I discovered that I had an affinity to the katana. It was similar in style to the sword, but much lighter. The way it sliced through the air and simultaneously through the dummies neck was extremely satisfying.

We were now nearing the end of the day. Most other people had left, so now only the district pairs from 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 were left in the training centre. The two from 4 were hanging around the trident station, and I hesitantly joined them, eyeing the three-pronged weapons with much apprehension. They were good weapons and there was no harm in giving it a go, but they had also killed Breeze. In my head, I saw Finnick's weapon sinking into my 12-year-old sister's stomach, emerging coated in her lifeblood, and shuddered.

Stop being a coward, Electra. You're better than this. My mind scolded me. Nodding to myself and squaring my shoulders, I marched over.

"Hello, my name is Electra, 17, District Five. Mind showing me how to use a trident?" I asked the girl briskly. She had long, tangled brown hair and doe-like eyes.

"Sure. My name's Ocean, 17 as well." she introduced herself and began guiding me through the process of holding and preparing to throw one of the weapons. After much of her and her district partner Shark's instruction, they finally allowed me to throw the trident.

"Remember everything I said, Electra. And... now!" Ocean ordered. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I let the trident fly, our eyes tracking it's movement as it seemed to cut through the air in slow motion. My eyes widened as it sank into where a human's heart would be. 

"Great job, Electra! You're a natural," Shark said approvingly as I stayed rooted to the spot, memories of the 65th games replaying through my head.

"Th-thank you so much, but I need to go. Like, right now, but thanks!" I hurriedly said before sprinting out. Bolt, noticing my departure, followed me out after a quick goodbye to May and Everly.

"Are you okay?" Bolt asked me, wide-eyed, as the elevator rose up to our floor. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Bolt."

"Anytime."

Dinner passed in silence. Desiree and Sean asked questions, we gave short answers, then the awkwardness relapsed. After finishing my dinner, I stood up. 

"I'm sorry, but I need some fresh air. I'll see you later." I said and immediately left before Desiree could get another word in. Entering the elevator, I pressed the button directly above '12' and let the elevator shoot up.

Of all the weapons in the world, I just had to be good at that one?