Aria Mitchell, victor of Panem's 70th Hunger Games, wanted it all to end; the pain, the nightmares, the exhaustion of living in hell under the devil- President Snow himself.
Capitol darling Finnick Odair comes stumbling into her life, allowing Aria...
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___________________ ARIA'S POV - Present Day -
It's still light when my eyes flutter open to adjust to the brightness. The sun is soaking sections of my skin as it seeps through the leaves above us.
My body is still sore but the pressure on my skull is long gone, giving me a sense of happiness and relief. I don't feel so down in the dirt with exhaustion but instead pretty alert and ready for action.
Warmth hugs my side and I remember that I slept in Finnick's arms like a baby. If I'm being honest I've never felt so protected in my life. It's like I knew subconsciously that I could sleep peacefully without having to be fearful of an attack.
As much as I'd like to stay in Finnick's arms for a lifetime I know I need to clean myself up. Dirt and blood and sweat sticks to my skin like an extra layer. I feel disgusting and kinda feel bad for Finnick as he had me up against him.
I begin to shift around, a yawn escaping my lips. I look towards my allies with a grin, feeling lucky to see all their faces again.
"You're awake," Peeta says, smiling.
"Yep! Nothing a little nap can't fix." I beam happily despite the reality we're all in.
The whole group seems to be relieved that I've recovered a lot from today's earlier events. It's easy to tell by how they smile at me but Finnick's is truly remarkable. His smile is one of pure elation, comforted by the fact that I'm okay.
I sneakily give him a kiss on the cheek to which the whole group, bar Johanna, respond with an "ohhh!" in unison. I guess Johanna already suspected something between us two, especially by the way she smirks in knowing and satisfaction. I chuckle at her expression.
I lift myself from Finnick's lap and onto my shaky legs. With the help of Katniss I stabilise myself before brushing the grains of sand from my wetsuit. I can practically see the darkened patches of blood; Brutus' blood. I barely prevent myself from throwing up right then and there which signals that I need to wash myself now.
I turn to the waves and I practically feel Finnick's anxiety rise at me moving away. Although the water is within a few feet I don't blame him for feeling anxious, especially after almost losing me for the second time.
"I'm just gonna wash myself off," I inform the group, directing my vision to Finnick with a reassuring glance. His tense shoulders relax at my voice.
I practically dive into the water, and although warm, it doesn't stop me from feeling unbelievably refreshed. I rub at the wetsuit harshly, trying to rid myself of every drop of Brutus' lifeblood. I see red fade into the water and I don't know whether I wanna gag or sigh in relief.
I sit in the waves whilst scrubbing myself clean of grit and plunging my face under the water. The group are talking about the clock but I don't bother to truly listen in on it.
