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"no one person, no one alliance, no one nation, no one of us is as smart as all of us thinking together" - james g stavridis ________
Coralia took the trident in her hand, feeling comfortable. They had a simulation - holograms that looked like people made out of orange blocks charged at them. Coralia never remembered how safe she felt with a trident in her hands until she was holding one.
The trident was above Coralia's head, as she spun and brought it into the hologram's chest, causing orange blocks to fall to the ground and disappear. She threw her trident at one that was making its way towards her; rolling forward into a summersault to retrieve the weapon. One after another, she impaled with her trident. Finnick had taught her well. She realized people were watching her. One was Finnick, who gave her a proud smile before walking towards the ropes. The other two were Katniss and Peeta. Katniss gave her a nod before walking elsewhere. Peeta, however, stayed.
Peeta extended his hand, and she shook it.
"Peeta Mellark." He introduced himself.
"Coralia Underfell. I told your fiancé yesterday, but it's nice to meet you both." She said, shaking Peeta's hand with one hand, and holding her trident with the other.
"You're very talented with your trident." He noted.
"I learned everything I know from Finnick, and my father. I saw you in the games, you know. How're you so strong?" She asked, putting her weapon down.
"My family owns a bakery. I'm always the one to haul the flour. Guess it payed off." He replied.
"I suppose so. I better continue training. Good luck, bread boy." She said, smirking as she walked away. Coralia liked to think she was funny; she had the same sense of humor as her father. Coralia knew that Marina was the funnier sibling of the two. Marina never failed to make anyone laugh. Whether it was a snarky comment, or a joke that was genuinely funny, it never failed to make people laugh. It did intimidate some people, though.
As she thought of her sister, she found herself by Johanna, who was swinging an ax around.
"Lia, I knew you'd end up here at some point. Just can't resist me, can you?" Johanna laughed, putting her axe down, and pulling the brunette into a hug.
"I can't help that you're irresistible, Jo." She joked, hugging her back. Though Snow wasn't watching at the moment, it still made her happy to think that even their small interactions pissed him off. They were interrupted when Katniss started shooting her arrows at the holograms, not missing a step.
The crowd gathered around the window, and Coralia could see Peeta looking at her with pride.
Coralia wasn't sure how she felt about their relationship. On screen, it appeared fake and uncomfortable. She could also tell when tributes were lying; as she had done the same thing. Every tribute had.
However, seeing them in real life, it seemed a little more believable.
Finnick snuck his arms around Coralia's waist as she got back on the training mat. She laughed, making her way out of his grasp. They fought like this for a while; they always knew what move the other was going to make. She climbed up on the taller mats, as Finnick turned to listen to something Johanna had said. She jumped off the mat, landing on Finnick's back.
Finnick laughed, causing her to chuckle. They were in a horrible situation, but if they could bring any light to it, they were going to. Pretending not to be broken in a horrible moment was a special skill for both of the victors. They knew they needed to learn how to not hide their emotions, but they didn't have time.
She saw Katniss glancing at them, but Coralia couldn't tell what she was thinking.
***
Finnick and Coralia sat on metal crates, waiting for their individual assessment. Coralia had noticed over the years, no matter what situation he was in, Finnick always had a smile on his face. It had taken a while for him to actually open up about his emotions that he bottled up so well. She remembered him breaking down when Snow had sold her.
Coralia had been home alone, waiting for her sister and father to get back from town when her doors opened, and revealed guards from the Capitol, and Snow, himself.
When he gave her the ultimatum, she wanted to refuse, but he painted a vivid picture in her brain. When she had accepted, Snow told her that she would be leaving District Four that night, and could not tell her family the truth. She wanted to see Finnick, but he was in the capitol. She had to lie to her family, saying that Snow wanted to interview her. Marina seemed leery about it. They ripped her from her house that night, taking the train to the Capitol. Coralia didn't understand how this was considered living. She had just killed five people, and now Snow wanted to prostitute her out for money - as if he didn't have enough already.
She had been in the Capitol for two days, with two different men paying for her time. She was scarred, and felt unclean. She caught sight of Finnick's fluffy hair down the hall, and had shouted his name, running into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her tightly as she sobbed into his chest. When she looked up, she could see he was crying as well.
"Finnick?" Her voice cracked.
"I feel useless. All I want to do is protect you, but there's nothing I can do. He'll kill them all if we tried anything. This isn't fair. It's not fair." He cried, stroking her hair. His crying turned to anger; he clenched his jaw, and his breathing got heavier.
"I wish the world was only us." She said, still holding onto him.
"One day, it will be. I'll get you out of this." Finnick told her.
"District Four; Coralia Underfell, report for individual assessment."
