Stay with me? [Finnick Odair]

14

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Chapter fourteen: doomsday parade
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DAY FIVE
Training days had went by pretty slow, I had been seeing less and less of Finnick as he disappeared most of the time, I had been spending restless nights in my study just painting what my heart felt and it actually helped get rid of some of the anxious feelings about this whole trip.

I went quietly station to station, steering clear of the knife sections per Finnick's orders, saving that for private training, and continuing to talk to Rosalie and Archer behind Oliver and Finnick's backs— just to get a little help in the arena.

The 'game masters' as Finnick called them, appeared early on the first day, a group of neatly groomed men and women dressed in ridiculously expensive robes. They had been keeping their collective eye on everything, the tributes, the training, even me. They watched me going station to station with Archer and Rosalie, I knew they were sensing an alliance but there was nothing they could do to stop us.

We were all sat in the dining room eating lunch, all twenty four of us in the one room, on the third day when the game masters began calling us out one by one— district by district. District four was, obviously, fourth and it was Oliver who was called first so I just gave him some last minute words of motivation and sent him on his way. He never came back. Leaving me with Archer, Charlotte, Rosalie and Peter until...

"Clementine Carter."

I rose from my seat shakily, earning some approving looks from the four of them, they all told me good luck before I went on my way into the gym. Smoothing out my clothes as if that would make a difference, I clear my throat, straighten my shoulders and make sure to look like I come from the Capitol myself.

I knew by the time I had walked through the doors they were already fed up with the lacklustre performance the other tributes gave, downing the last of their wine, they quickly ordered more as I went towards the knife throwing section.

There were so many different kinds of knives, carving knives, throwing knives, butterfly blades, you name it— it's there. I choose the purple and blue chrome butterfly blades and begin swinging one of them cockily around my hand, moving to the centre of the gym where the dummies were set up. I smirked to myself and looked directly at the centre of the target, gripping the handle tightly, I lifted my arm over my head and threw the blade with all my strength.

It hit the target. I was proud of myself but I knew I had to do something more to actually grab the attention of the game masters, eyes searching the gym, I couldn't help but notice they weren't even being decent enough to pay attention to me in my first try of the weapons. Hell, they were too interested in their banquet than anything else.

I became angry. Wanting to make them remember me for who I am, I lifted the second knife above my head and threw it as hard as I could— aiming for the head game master's head, but inevitably missing and lodging it in the pastel green wall just centimetres from his eyes. Everyone glared in disbelief that a tribute would dare throw a weapon towards the people who actually decide if she lived or died. I didn't care. I wanted to make them pay.

"This has been a pleasure, we should do it again sometime," I say, quite cockily, I throw the remaining knives to the floor and storm out without being dismissed. However, I didn't forget to send a sweet little wink towards the head game master before I left.

I didn't even bother to wait, I just headed straight for the elevator, anger still coursing throughout my veins, I had managed to contain it while I made my way up to my floor and rushed through the living room. The others were calling my name, even Finnick, to come and join and see what scores we got so we knew to either celebrate or worry immensely.

I knew what score I got. The lowest of the low.

I didn't want to wait around for that confirmation, I went straight to my room and slammed the door, making sure to lock it, I buried my face into my pillow and letting out the biggest throat-tearing scream I had ever let out since my nightmares began. I was so angry and alone, I didn't know what to do, so I decided to take that anger out on my wall beside my bed.

Luckily, it was incredibly thick and I didn't punch right through, but I left a pretty big dent and busted up my knuckles so bad that I could barely move them when I was done. My knuckles were raw, most of the skin taken off, bleeding far too much, it wasn't until the door was busted open that I had realised what I had done.

It was Finnick. He must've heard me screaming.

"Finnick," I choked, reaching out to him, he was at my side in a second and instantly gasped at the state my hand was in. "I messed up, Fin, I messed up bad," I mumbled incoherently, he couldn't figure out what I was saying, he placed his hands on my shoulders and looked me dead in the eye.

"Clem, slow down, what happened?" He asked, sincerity in his voice, I took a deep breath as my body stopped shaking and I managed to control the tears.

"I threw a knife at the head game master's head," I said, scared of saying it too loud. Finnick looked at me as if I was insane. "I was angry, they weren't paying attention to me, I wanted to make them so scared of me they had to pay attention," I had began to panic again, so I paused, took a breath, and continued. "I missed, but I messed up bad."

Finnick took a moment to contemplate what I had just explained to him, eyes batting like crazy, staring down at my bloodied knuckles, he let out a hefty sigh and chuckled airily before meeting my eyes once more.

"You didn't mess up, Clem. If anything, you just increased your chances at winning."