saving serena , finnick odair (ON HOLD)

chapter nine

The District 7 boy flips his sword in his hands as he listens to what the instructor is telling him. Serena wonders if he's actually listening or if the words are just emptily bouncing through his head and straight back out his ears.

"What you looking at?" A familiar voice says behind her as Roman's body presses against her back. She's currently hiding behind a large pillar and somehow, her friend has found her.

"If you just tried to scare me, it didn't work." Serena mumbles flatly as she keeps her eyes trained on the tall and muscly figure at the sword area. "And if you must know, I'm eyeing up our biggest competition."

"Who? The District 7 male?" Roman asks as he follows her gaze.

"Yeah. I'm thinking, if we were actually playing allies," She says this quietly after glancing around to check the careers aren't within ear-shot. "I'd want to be allies with him." Serena watches intently as he swings the deadly weapon at the instructor and the man dodges (barely).

"I think the others are thinking about asking him to join us, anyway." Roman nods his head to the 4 other careers, all carefully analysing the District 7 male's positives and negatives from the opposite end of the training room.

"We could tell him our plan. Draw him out to the woods with us to help us kill two of them off." Serena suggests as she turns her body to face the only other person in this room from home.

"No, we need to ask Dyra first before we put ourselves in danger."

"Come on, Roman. We don't need to be babied, we can make decisions ourselves-" Serena tries to argue but the boy just roughly shakes his head and steps away from her.

"No, we can't. Serena, I don't think you've fully grasped the concept that that every single person in this room wants you dead. You can't trust anyone because they'll stop at nothing to get home. What if we tell him and it backfires? We'll end up being the ones slaughtered in the woods rather than them. It's not safe." Serena lets out a long breathe after Roman mutters his words carefully and quietly. He's right. The only people Serena could trust were those from her home. Roman, Finnick, Kai and the rest of her mentors. They were the only ones who wanted her to stay alive.

"You're right. I'm sorry." She looks at the floor swiftly and stares at her toes.

"I'm always right." Roman states and the girl's head whips up with a wicked smirk. The boy is giving her a lop-sided grin and it doesn't even falter when she slaps him on the arm.

"Shush. You're starting to sound like one of those dummies." She jabs a thumb dramatically toward the 4 other careers, who are sniggering at the little girl from District 8. "Come on, I bet they're wondering where we are."

The pair walk over to their "allies", matching arrogant smiles burnt on their lips, a brand that will never fade away. "Who's ready for tomorrow?" Blaze, his tall and strong structure turns towards the District 4 careers, and speaks with excitement clung to every word. The sincere grin sends an icy chill down Serena's spine, trickling slowly which makes it difficult to withhold her shivers.

"Beyond," Roman says with a hearty laugh. If Serena didn't know any different, his laugh would send her tumbling into her grave with fear. The District 4 male slings an arm around Blaze with a grin as Alexis runs her fingers devilishly across her axe, admiring its malicious beauty.

"Can't wait for the capital to see that I'm not just a pretty face." Price, the most dazzling, yet deadly girl in the room remarks. She flips her high pony-tail behind her shoulders and flashes excited eyes at Remus, who stared uninterestingly at the other tributes in the room. Then, he lets out a snigger, and speaks words that no child should ever speak.