Uncharted Waters [1]

Chapter 6

Mira pried her heavy eyes open and was greeted by the luxurious chambers she slept in, reminding her of her current situation. She sat up, lost in thought, until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She whipped her head to see Mags, with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You poor girl. You've been through so much," She says studying Mira's face and noticing her eyes were slightly puffy indicating that she had cried last night.

"Up now- we're almost there." Mags touched Mira's cheek lightly and helped her off the bed.

When Mira was finally off the bed, Mags gently pushed her toward the bathroom. "Off you go now," She heard the older woman say, looking back to see Mags leaving the room. She turned around to face the bathroom door and was about to step forward when she quickly whipped her head behind her and scampered to the door of her chambers to check if it was locked. She didn't want a repeat of a certain event. After ensuring it was locked the second time, she continued to do her business.

Mira stepped out of her compartment and came face to face with Finnick who looked like he too, had just stepped out of the shower. They stared at each other, quietly observing each other's features until Finnick was the first to break the staring contest with a charming grin. "Like what you see?" Blood rushed to Mira's face. "Like what you see?" Mira countered, making Finnick's grin wider at her sudden boldness. 

The train's sudden change of speed made Mira lose her balance. If it weren't for Finnick, who caught her by her arm, it would have added to her humiliation. 

Realizing she was still in Finnick's grasp, she raised her eyes to look at him. She realized how close they were in that narrow hallway, and remembered a certain memory of last night, where she was also in this same situation, but with a different man. Finnick leaned in, and Mira was almost sure he was aiming for a kiss, so she closed her eyes. Not until she felt his hot breath in her ear as he whispered. "As a matter of fact sweetheart, I do like what I see." Before Mira's legs turned into jelly, Finnick let go of her arm and straightened. He observed her one last time, winked, and then turned to leave. 

"You better move sweetheart, we're almost here." Mira watched Finnick retreat and followed suit, almost forgetting how to walk because of her rapid heart and jelly-like legs. 

Damn Odair for making her feel this way. She was still to confirm if Finnick remembered her from all those years, but all the teasing and cockiness depleted all those thoughts. He wouldn't remember her, would he? If he did, he would have regarded it by now. Mira shook that thought and sauntered to the place where she first entered the train.

"Always the late one. Best get over this habit deary, tardiness won't go well in that arena." Thalassa scolded. Mira blushed, quietly sneaking a glance at the person who seemed to always cause her tardiness. Mira observed how Finnick seemed to be lost in thought, staring at the closed doors of the train. Mira stood right beside Destan who looked emotionless and stiff. Mira turned her gaze outside the glass windows of the train and saw a mass of people, waving and cheering for them. Mira glances over to her mentors, Lassie looks excited to be back, while the others look serious, even Eldoris seems to look sober for the first time since they boarded the train. 

"It's best to try to win them over, it wouldn't hurt to smile. You both have something that the other tributes don't, use it." Mira snaps her head to Finnick who still looks lost in thought and turns her attention to the crowd outside the train.

Mira closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She can do this, she's used to the attention back at District 4. But the moment the train passed the horde of weirdly dressed people, all the confidence she thought she had came flying out the window. They were waving, cheering, and their excitement and curiosity were clear on their faces. The moment the doors opened, the cheers got louder. The tributes of District 4 stepped out of the train, and the cheers were almost deafening. Mira could barely hear what their mentors were telling them. All she saw was the smooth movement of Finnick's lips as he tried to tell them something.