The Midnight Sun - Finnick Odair

v.

Walking down the hall to the steel barred doors to the training centre, I couldn't help but notice the training suits were uncomfortable. They felt too tight and I felt constricted, as if I didn't have enough to worry about.

The doors slid open automatically and we stopped, scanning the room at the other tributes.

"Split up and find allies. The more the better." Malachai spoke glumly.

"No." I replied simply, not bothering to look at him as I kept my eyes on Brutus throwing spears aggressively at the laser orange simulations before him.

"Then humour me for a minute." He said again, and this time I looked to see his smirking face, as he walked off, towards Cashmere and Gloss.

I rolled my eyes, walking the opposite way, past the other tributes. Johanna Mason, District 7. Good with an axe, I could see, and had a habit of getting naked. The Morphlings, District 6. Sitting in the corner in a woozy haze, painting their faces in pink swirls. Not threats – I'll take them out easy. Chaff, District 11. One hand but a watchful gaze that suggested he knew more than he let on. I slowed down my pace as I let myself watch him. I had always been fond of the citizens of District 11. The tributes had always seen compassion.

...

I walked around the stations, unable to find anything I'd be good at. No knives, anyway, though I had only walked half the centre yet.

To my left, a man, the same man I had seen before the tribute parade, sat quietly at the plant station, inspecting each one from every side, every angle. Without a second thought, I headed over to him, after all, Woof said today was all about making allies.

"Hi." I smiled, still unsure of how to make friends with someone I was expected to kill. He was so engrossed he hadn't seen me come over, and looked slightly startled, though composed himself quickly.

"Hi." He replied. "Alaska, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Alaska Truehart. District 8." I stuck out a hand, and he took it gently. For a man as muscular and fit as him, I wasn't expecting his touch to be so tender.

"Renly Rivendell. District 11." We shook hands for a second, then I let my hands fall to my sides. A silence engulfed us, so I looked at the station and spoke.

"So how are plants going to help you win the games?" I said light-heartedly, nodding towards all the plants he had laid out in front of him.

He chuckled slightly, as if I had missed something, played myself.

"A lot of these plants are edible. Some," he pointed to a pile to his left "have medicinal properties." He looked back up at me. "Life and death."

I scanned them all briefly. They all looked the same to me. "How do you know which ones are which. Which ones are good or not?"

He smiled "District 11's agriculture. It's just something we grow up with." He chuckled at something that had come to mind, and grinned fondly, shaking his head in amusement "My little sister Rue was always miles better than me with this plant stuff though. She could tell the good ones from the bad ones from practically a mile away, no inspections needed."

"Sounds like she's a good one to have around in a tricky spot." I smiled back, picturing a little girl with Renly's kind chestnut brown eyes.

"Yeah..." He trailed off, deep in thought, but came back to reality when he realised I was still standing there. Looking around, he picked up what looked like little purple-blue flowers, with green leaves around them that had purplish edges.