ODDS

ᴡʜɪꜱᴘᴇʀꜱ

Finnick

"𝓦𝓸𝔀, 𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓼 old." I began with a teasing smirk. "You're just- so old."

Alana rolled her eyes, holding back a laugh as best as she could, even if it was a complete and utter failure.

"I mean, come on. You're so clumsy, we for sure though you wouldn't make it to your sixteenth birthday."

Her eyes squinted at this and her jaw dropped in denial. She tried pushing me over, but only managed to make me take a small step back. I'd seen it coming from a mile away.

"I'm not that clumsy! It's only clumsy when I'm not paying attention, loser."

I gave a loud laugh. "And resorting to name-calling? Are you positive you'll be eighteen? Because you're acting somewhere in the twelve-ish range."

She grinned, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I'm not arguing with you. You're too much of a lost cause."

"Ouch." I smiled down at the girl, one eyebrow popping up.

She shrugged in a playful manner, starting to walk away. Before she could get any further, I grabbed the small of her waist and hoisted her up over my shoulder, making her scream in surprise.

"Finnick Odair, put me down right now!"

I laughed, starting to march closer to the water. She stopped struggling, looking into the direction of my pursuits, and I imagined her eyes got wide.

"Fin, do not throw me in that water! Do you hear me? I swear, if you do, you'll regret it." she warned.

I clicked my tongue, feeling the water rise above my ankles.

"You know, I really don't think there's anything you could do to get back at me. You're too pure for petty things like that."

"Fin." she warned.

I looked over my shoulder, sporting my signature smirk, which only made her frown.

And I let her fall into the water.

We weren't kids anymore, and I knew that. I really did.

But even with so much change, so many years of experience and so many traumatic moments, just so much change, I still saw the glimmer of who she had been. I hoped that same glimmer made a home in my own eyes, that when she saw me, she saw pieces of the boy I once was, before the deaths, before the murder, before the games.

And I chose to revel in that as time went on. As long as she was there, and I was here, I only had the memory of her to get me by.

So when her face came up after the usual, glowing emblem of the country, and that glimmer was gone, my heart completely shattered. Every muscle ached as I craned around the people to see her.

Small.

Thin.

Pale.