unforgivable ➸ finnick odair

T H I R T E E N

The night flew past with surprisingly little difficulty - so easily, in fact, that I woke up the next morning with a broad, slightly sadistic grin on my face. Everly looked mildly concerned for my mental wellbeing, but I waved her inquiries off as I went about my morning routine with a cheerful bounce in my step. Gently lowering my head into the cool lake water, I eased the sticks and leaves out of my tangled brown hair, as well as carefully washing the wound that Fresia had inflicted upon me early into the games. The cut had scabbed over and no longer stung at all, so I decided to permanently remove the bandage. My eyes lazily watched the lightweight strip of faded white cloth sink slightly into the water, floating along aimlessly.

"Hunting?" Everly suggested as soon as we were finished up with our breakfast. The large bird was long gone, and I had only a few beef strips and crackers left - Everly too only had a small amount of dried nuts and berries remaining. Hero and Glitter had been kind enough to gift us some dried berries and a 5-pack of crackers, but they wouldn't last us very long and weren't filling meals anyway. I cursed our stupidity in not raiding Shark's backpack before departing.

"Definitely." I agreed, picking up my trident and checking to make sure that I had all my knives secured in my vest. Although I had started off apprehensive in both my capabilities and the weapon itself, my trident had grown on me. Everly brought along her axe as usual, wet blonde hair dripping water down her back.

The forest was filled with life this particular morning. Birds flew circles above our heads, and even though we couldn't see them we could hear animals scampering around, stepping lightly on the leaves that littered the ground. This meant that there were plenty of those large bird things waddling around. By the end of the day, we had managed to snatch two, and decided to do the same as we did last time. After filling our grumbling stomachs and carefully placing the other cooked bird in my bag, we decided to continue exploring the forest.

Turns out that was a bad decision. No, not a bad decision. A horrible decision.

Walking along, I felt a smile bloom on my face as I looked around. Everly was falling into step just in front of me, axe loosely held in one hand. Even though I knew that all of this was fake, all Capitol made, I couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of our surroundings. Black-feathered birds sang songs, the same soothing melody soon being echoed all around us. The leaves on a large bush to our right rustled, but I shrugged it off as another of those fat birds. We already had enough food anyway.

Suddenly, the bush was torn in half, revealing a brunette boy our age with a crazed glint in his dark eyes and a red-stained dagger clutched menacingly in his hand. I could vaguely remember him - Kieran, District 7. Everly's district partner. He looked quite well-off - a few bruises and grazes here and there. The thing that worried me the most were the waves of insanity that seemed to flow off of his body. 

"Surprise!" he grinned, showing off an array of bloodstained white teeth. And then, before I could react, he lunged forward. Not at me, though. At Everly. A high-pitched scream escaped from her throat as he stabbed the dagger not once, not twice, but three times into her stomach. 

My body un-freezing, I sprinted forward, pulling him off of her and sinking the trident into his back. He let out a guttural yell and fell to the ground, but I spared him no compassion or pity. People like him didn't deserve my pity. Instead, I focused the entirety of my attention on Everly, who's breath had already turned shallow and unsteady.

Knowing that there was nothing I could do, I sank to my knees at her side, gripping her hand in mine like I had with two other friends only two days ago. Unlike May and Bolt, however, Everly didn't seem scared. In fact, she seemed prepared. Prepared to face her fate, prepared to knock on Death's door with a wide smile on her face, proclaiming herself to be his next customer.

"There was nothing you could do," she whispered shakily, no trace of a scared stutter in her voice. Her lips twisted into a sad smile as she slowly reached up and wiped away the tear that was making it's way down my cheek. 

"Hey, don't cry. This was gonna happen sometime soon anyways," she reasoned weakly, still smiling that stupid smile. My throat losing it's ability to function, I just nodded, running my trembling fingers through her beautiful blonde hair. Her eyes flickered over to her bag, and I did as she wished, taking the items I needed - food, water, those kind of things - and then gently placing the bag into her pale hands.

"El." She said, and I immediately refocused on her.

"Yeah?" I asked quietly, eyes welling up again.

"Win this. For me." She said, making it seem like an order. I found myself nodding. Seemingly satisfied, Everly's eyes closed, the smile still on her face.

The cannon fired. Only one, I realized. That meant that the scum called Kieran was still alive. Hatred lighting up inside of me, I picked up my trident and walked over to said scum, who was just clinging onto life. His eyes widened as I approached and he raised his hand slightly, as if he was shielding himself from my wrath. This boy killed Everly. I would show no mercy.

My trident sunk into his chest, and I took pleasure in the pained gasp that escaped his chapped lips. Once wasn't enough. Twice wasn't either. I carried on and on and on, blood soon covering the entirety of the ends of the tines. I carried on even after the cannon had fired.  I carried on until all that was left of Kieran Woods was a mutilated, unrecognizable corpse. 

Exhausted and drained of energy, I mechanically grabbed my bag and trident and left the bloodstained forest path, not bothering to even lay a hand on the scum's backpack. The day had reached it's end, and soon night would come, bringing along with it a string of seemingly endless nightmares. Somewhere inside my head, I knew that Everly would now be a regular feature in them.

Because I had failed, yet again. Failed her, just like I had failed Bolt, the bright-eyed boy from my district, from home; failed May, the blossoming butterfly, who radiated light and forgiveness and joy; failed my mother, who had already lost a beloved child to the relentless games, who might now lose another; failed Breeze, who was a needless casualty in our stupid, stupid world.

I had failed Everly, just like I had failed everyone else.

If these games are going at a faster pace than considered normal, it's because I REALLY want to get to the next part. Sorry if it's obvious and/or bothering you :)