Finnick's Story - By Aaliyah McLean

Surviving for You

Finnick's POV.

I wake to the sound of birds chirping in the trees. I wake gracefully thinking I am in my own bed at home. I open my eyes and see the trees and ice down below and I am brought back to reality when I hear a blood-curdling scream and a cannon sounding above. I stretch in my position on the tree and untie the rope around my waist. I climb down the tree and begin to pack up my belongings. I grab the backpack bag that I collected at the cornucopia and begin to walk south. If I have thought this through properly, I will hopefully end up at the lake. I really need fresh water and although it isn't going to be hard to find it around here, I think my best bet at safe water is the lake.

I continue to walk south and come across little obstacles along the way. I hear only one cannon as I am walking. Around about four hours of walking I hear something crackling. Like a fire. I start to walk in the direction of the sound, my trident out in position. I try not to step on any branches as I walk because it will snap and alert the person that I am here. I hide behind a tree as I approach the person from behind. My trident is out in front of me and suddenly I hear a twig snap. I snapped it. She turns around to face me, but I don't look at her immediately. I just plunge the trident forward and hope it hits her.

"Finnick NO!" She screams, and it is at this point when I look at her. I hit Ivy.

"Ivy!" I say breathless and drop my weapon. I look at the place where I skewered her. Not too bad! I could definitely have done more damage but for now, she will live. I crouch down in front of her, so I can see the blood. Her waist is covered in the stuff. Blood falls down her waist and legs and all the time she just looks at me with a soft though shocked expression. Like she's scared of me.

"Is it alright?" she asks looking directly away from me and the wound. I can see her holding her breath as if not to feel the pain.

"It's fine, you'll live," I say sounding annoyed. I stand up and say, "Sorry."

I begin to walk off in the direction of where I thought the lake would be when she stops me. "Finnick wait." She runs up to me wincing at the pain of her hip. "Can we be allies? I mean, I've been trying to survive for a day and I already been hurt twice. I need help and... well, you're as good as the rest, if not better."

I ponder this for a while trying to see where she was hurt the first time. Then I spot it. A welting burn on her left leg. Puss falling out of it with bloody finger marks all over the spot. I tilt my head trying to think of where I've seen this before, but I haven't talked to Ivy since after the interview, so I couldn't have seen it on her.

She follows my gaze down to her leg and sighs. "I got that trying to kill one of the other tributes. District Eight Female. She was absolutely crazy. Swinging at me from every angle and then this fireball flew out from nowhere and hit her square in the face, but it hit me also. Thankfully she was the one who fell down, so I had the chance to live, but I literally ran for the hills."

"Yeah, I killed her," I say flatly and Ivy inhales quickly, looking down at her feet.

"So how about it? Allies?" She presses again. I wait before answering the simplest answer in the dictionary.

"Sure."

Annie's POV.

No! No, no, no, no, no...

They can't be allies! They just can't. I won't be able to watch this if they are going to be allies. But I have to. Imagine what will happen if they both live out the entire games as I was hoping Finnick would. They would have to fight each other. That can't happen. I need air. I can't breathe. I take one last look at the tv before I go outside. Finnick is trying to find some plant that will help with Ivy's wounds.