The Silent Killer (A Finnick Odair Love Story)

Chapter Nine

"This is it," Evangeline murmurs. I decided not to wear my Victor's crown into the arena, so I left it with Atom. "Are you nervous?" I shake my head. "Just keep your head up and remember how you won before. Look for lies. Think quick. Be stealthy. Be smart. Okay?"

Thank you so much, Evangeline. For everything, I write onto a piece of paper.

"Of course," she smiles sadly. "You'll win this, Asphodel. I know it."

I can only offer a slight smile before I start rising into the arena. I instantly turn into my vicious killer self. I glance around me. Water. An island. Jungle.

Perfect.

This I can work with, I decide. I look to my left and see Finnick. Good.

The gong goes off and I'm the first one in the water. I swim as fast I can to the strip of sand and run down it. I reach the Cornucopia and immediately load up on weapons. I grab a vest laced with a dozen knives, as well as two belts with a dozen each. I hook everything on and look for my first target.

I smirk when I see Enobaria running to the Cornucopia. Without hesitation, I throw a knife and she moves at the last second, so it lodges hilt-deep into her shoulder. I run as fast as I can at the District Ten female and I throw a knife in between her eyes. I glance at the beach and see part of my alliance waiting for me. Finnick's watching intently, three tridents and a net in hand. I want to kill the Careers, but I suppose I'll have to wait.

A knife whizzes toward me and I move just in time. I turn and see the District Nine male drawing another knife. Within a second, he's dead with my knife in his heart. I quickly fill the empty slots on my belt, grab a pack of various knives, shove it into my belt, and run as fast as I can down a strip of sand to the beach.

They're still fighting at the Cornucopia, so me, Finnick, and whoever else is with us goes running. Mags is on Finnick's back, I realize. Katniss and Peeta are also here.

Where are Johanna, Blight, Wiress, Beetee, and Ryder?

We run through the thick jungle and I bring up the front. After a while, Peeta requests a break. As soon as I turn to face the group, Finnick's arms are wrapped around me.

"Just trust me," he whispers just loud enough for me to hear, "and I'll get us both out alive."

He presses a soft kiss to my neck and pulls back from the hug, staring intensely into my eyes. I nod as slightly as I can and he takes my hand in his.

"Should we camp here?" Katniss asks and I look up at her.

"No," Finnick says. "We don't have much of a choice."

"He's right," Peeta nods, getting up. "With no shelter, no water, no-"

My eyes widen as I see him heading straight for a forcefield. I try with all my willpower to scream for him to stop and I run at him when nothing comes out. He's about to step into it. Katniss screams. I tackle Peeta to the side and he falls just next to it. I push myself off him and drag him away from the forcefield.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" Peeta yells. Blankly, I throw a rock into the forcefield and his eyes widen. "You saved my life."

'You saw the forcefield, too?' Katniss mouths to me. I nod and instantly go back to Finnick. He kisses the top of my head and the five of us continue on in silence.

Finally, when we make camp, Katniss goes off hunting while Finnick and Mags weave mats. Peeta stands guard and I try to come up with a possible way there could be water in the arena.

I knock against a tree, thinking, but the sound catches me attention. I do it again. The noise is almost hollow. I run over to Finnick and wrap my hands around his wrist, pulling him over to the tree.

Drill a hole into it, I sign.

"Alright," he agrees instantly, "but why?"

Water.

His eyes widen and he immediately gets to work. Several minutes later, I find a hollow stick and he jams it into the hole. Finally, water begins streaming out.

Finnick makes me take a drink first, so I swallow several mouthfuls. Finnick drinks next, then fills a cupped leaf for Mags. Peeta takes his turn, then Katniss comes back as he's about to pull the stick out.

"Water?" she gasps.

"Asphodel found it," he replies. She thanks me before having her fill.

Finnick puts the now-completed mats into a little hut formation and suggests him and I guard. So everyone else falls asleep and once he knows that, he stands up and pulls me into his arms.

"It was for you," he says quietly. "The poem." He tightens his arms around me slightly. I wrap my arms around his neck and look up at him. "I don't care if you can't talk. I don't care if you're younger than me. I love you for you."

When he kisses me, I feel like I'm invincible. He hugs me closer to him and I don't keep myself from kissing back.

"I'm guessing this is an 'I love you too'?" he murmurs between kisses.

I nod slightly and kiss him once again. Suddenly, the national anthem plays and we reluctantly break the kiss. However, he still keeps his arms around me. Eight faces fill the sky.

Ryder's face is first and my eyes widen. The District Six male comes next. Then, both from Eight, both from Nine, the female from Ten, and the female from Eleven.

Ryder's dead.

How did he die? I ask.

"Enobaria killed him," Finnick says after a silence. "I stabbed her in the back. It was as much as I could do without being killed."

I nod slowly and Finnick kisses my forehead. The two of us sit against a tree and he tells me to get some sleep. I rest my head in his lap and fall asleep to Finnick running his fingers through my hair.

•••••

"ASPHODEL!" Finnick screams. "MAGS!"

I wake up instantly and jump to my feet. Mags shakes Katniss and Peeta awake and Finnick puts her on his back, then grabs my hand as we run.

"The fog is poison," he tells me as we run.

Him and I keep ahead of Katniss and Peeta, who have fallen behind for some reason. The three of us are a nice distance from the fog. But when we look back, Peeta is leaning mostly on Katniss. Finnick runs back to them. He hands Mags to Katniss, then takes Peeta himself. Once again, we're running for our lives.

"I can't," Katniss wheezes, "I can't carry her. Can you take them both?"

I roll my eyes, sling Mags onto my back, and take off running. But she makes me stop. We all stop. Her and Finnick share a long look and she gently kisses his forehead. She says something that I don't understand and before anyone can react, she walks straight into the fog.

Before Finnick can react, I take his hand and pull him along with me. But the fog has had too great of an effect. Finnick's arms aren't working properly and my legs are acting weird. So when we trip and fall down a hill, Peeta is with Katniss and Finnick looks at me.

"If I die in this arena, my last thought will be of your lips," he whispers, kissing me as we think we're about to die.

But death doesn't come.