Uncharted Waters [1]

Chapter 4

"There is a swelling storm and I'm caught up in the middle of it all."

- Waves (Dean Lewis)

~

The moment the anthem ended, the two tributes were escorted through the big doors of the Justice building. Mira and Destan were placed into separate rooms, this time allotted the tributes to bid farewell to their loved ones. 

Mira bit her lip as she walked towards the window that overlooked the vast ocean. She closed her eyes and took steady breaths that helped her calm down. She focused on nothing else but her breathing until she was interrupted by the door opening. 

Her grandparents came in first. The moment Coraline stepped inside the lavish room, she took big steps toward Mira and pulled her in a motherly embrace, not bothering to stop her wailing. Hurley then follows, placing a hand on his wife's back and another on his granddaughter's head. 

"I should've let you have been a career! I shouldn't have been selfish enough to keep you from training how to defend yourself-" Coraline began, but Mira cut her off by holding her grandmother by her shoulders and giving her a small, assuring smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Nana, blaming yourself won't help anything. I know how to fish, which would be enough to keep me alive." She assures her grandmother but is unsure of her own words, too. Would all that knowledge of fishing be enough for her in that arena? She wasn't even sure if there was going to be water. What if it would be like one of those years where the tributes were all placed in a desert without any water supply? Mira shook off the thought and focused on comforting her distressed grandmother. "I'll be fine, Nana." She says in a soft voice, not fully convinced herself. 

Coraline tries to blink away the tears in her eyes to fully look at her granddaughter and caress her cheek. "You don't deserve any of this. You both don't deserve any of this." Mira knows that she is talking about her and her mother. Coraline couldn't handle her emotions anymore and walked away to sob on the couch to let Mira and her husband talk.

Mira averted her eyes from her sobbing grandmother to her grandfather, who was trying to not let his tears out. When Hurley notices his granddaughter looking at him, he masks his real emotion by giving Mira instructions on what to do. "All those street smarts you learned as a kid should be applied in that arena. You can run. I see you every time you try to sneak out of the house just to go to that place you love. You're good with a spear, you're good at fishing, you can do that. If you get a hold of a weapon like that, you're good to go. If not, you can make one. You're good at making things. You can use other methods to kill-" Before he can continue, Mira cuts her off by holding his grandfather's hand.

"I don't think I can bring myself to kill someone, papa." She says honestly, and that made Hurley mad. Mira was surprised; this was the first time she saw his papa angry, which scared her. 

"You have to, Mira! You have to kill. If you won't, they-" Her papa raised his voice, but Mira cut him off again. "They are children, papa!" She exclaims in frustration, blinking away the tears threatening to fall. Seeing this, Hurley's face softened and placed his hand on Mira's shoulder, lowering his voice. 

"Those children you speak of, Mira, will kill you without batting an eye. Promise me you'd kill if you had to." Hurley says firmly, looking directly into Mira's blue eyes. Mira shifted, refusing to look at her grandfather, but Hurley gripped her shoulder a little harder to grab her attention. "Promise me."

"I promise." Mira blurts out without thinking, and Hurley pulls her in for a hug. 

"Here." Hurley reaches into his pocket and takes out what looks to be a handmade anklet made of pearls. "This was your mother's token. She made it when she was just a little girl." Mira stared at the piece of jewellery that once belonged to her mother and took it out of Hurley's hand. By then, Coraline had finished crying and walked towards her family.