Uncharted Waters [1]

Chapter 9

"W-what?" Mira looked at her mentor with wide eyes.

"I said, hit me. As hard as you can." Finnick says again, his lips pursed, making his dimples pop out and his arms spread slightly, waiting for her to move. 

"But I don't want to hit you." The timid girl says making her mentor roll his eyes. 

"Well, you have to baby girl. Sooner or later you gotta hurt someone, or else they'd hurt you first." Mira looked down and plumped on the lush sofa behind her. 

How could Finnick train someone who looks like she doesn't even want to hurt a fly? Knowing about Mira, he already expected that training her would be difficult. Not only does he need to develop her skills in combat and survival but he also needs to develop her skills mentally and emotionally. This is to ensure that she would remain sane to make it through the tantalizing days inside that arena. 

"Do you know death, Mira?" 

Mira was taken aback by Finnick's question, and her eyebrows furrowed. She couldn't help but feel offended that he would think of her as dumb as someone who wouldn't even know what death was. 

She was sheltered, not stupid. 

"Of course I do," she sighed and plopped on the couch behind her. "Every time I go fishing with Papa, I see lots of fish and other sea creatures die-"

"That's not what I meant sweet girl." Finnick Odair couldn't believe his ears at what he was hearing. He knew for a fact that this girl was naive and clueless but comparing the death of sea dwellers to the death of a living human? 

"You didn't let me finish Mr. Odair. I am not stupid, nor am I ignorant as you believe. It's quite surprising that you think so little of me." The golden boy hated himself for being the reason that the girl in front of him looked hurt. "Of course, I know what death is. The games, my mother, I know death too well. And I might be meeting him soon, too." Her voice softened at the last part as Finnick's gaze hardened, his jaw clenching at the girl's foolishness. 

"Don't you have a little faith in yourself?"

"Oh I do, believe me. But faith and hope are two very different things." Mira stands up and walks towards the glass pane overlooking the empty streets of Panem. She furrowed her eyebrows, placing her palm on the glass to have a better look. 

Strange. 

She was expecting to see the colorful madness also known as the citizens of Panem. 

It took a while before Mira realized she was not the only one looking down the big window. But Finnick was less interested than Mira, having both his arms behind his back, eyes peering below without leaning forward like her. 

"It's an illusion. It's so that you wouldn't have to see the ruckus they cause because of the arriving tributes. Once the others arrive, I believe the window will go back to normal." 

Mira turned her head to look at the boy by her side. She didn't understand until now, but she could now see who the Darling of the Capitol was. To them, he was the dazzling boy with a killer smile. But if you were to look closely, he was just an illusion. 

Mira could still see the boy who hid his cries with the crashing waves. 

"Now sweets, are you just going to stare at me the whole day or are you going to learn how to defend yourself?" Finnick says with a dimpled grin on his arrogant face. 

And the cocky Finnick was back.

Mira's face fell as she sighed, making Finnick raise an eyebrow.