Heart of Gold • Finnick Odair

-33-

KATNISS POV

"Remember, Katniss, today's about making allies," Peeta reminds me.

As we walk into the training centre, I see someone reaching over the side of a bench into some plants, "so far i'm not overwhelmed by our choices."

"I guess we just try figure out who we trust least and work our way backwards from there," Peeta offers and I agree.

I notice immediately that not everyone's here.

The morphlings are, they are the ones throwing up. Gloss and Cashmere are throwing knives together, sibling bonding. Johanna is throwing her axe about with a threatening glare, her partner Blight is wondering around looking rather bored. Brutus is spear throwing. Enobaria is fighting with one of the experts. Mags is at some sort of fishing station and Finnick is at the tridents. Beetee and Wiress and making a fire, or attempting to. District five, eight, nine and ten aren't here yet, neither is eleven.

I decide it's safest to make my way over to Beetee and Wiress. I give them some advice and take a seat. The fire smokes.

They start discussing that there's a force field to separate us from Plutarch and his gang and I feel like an idiot around them as they giggle at my 'stupidity'.

I watch as Rosalie enters alone. Chaff mustn't be coming unless he's doing separate training in his room or something. It wouldn't surprise me with his hand and all if he isn't bothering.

She moves towards Mags and a soft smile takes place on her face. She signs with her hands and speaks at the same time, "Hey Mags, it looks good."

The older woman smiles at her kindly. I decide to approach. Mags seems trustworthy and, as much as I do hate to admit it, Haymitch is probably right that it'd be better to have Rosalie as an ally than an enemy.

"Hey," my voice comes out quieter and more shy than i'd hoped. Rosalie makes me a bit nervous. "That's beautiful. I saw you volunteer for that young girl. Who was she?"

"A friend," Rosalie mumbles, speaking for Mags, looking down at the older woman's fishhook rather than my eyes.

"It was brave."

The old woman signs something to me but I don't understand and look to Rosalie desperately for help. Luckily, she had been watching Mags and translated, "she said you were brave too, volunteering last year."

"Prim was my sister, you volunteered for a friend didn't you?" She's looking at me in the eyes for the first time and I see the pain in her constantly glossed over eyes.

"Yeah, she was my best friends sister."

Finnick came out of nowhere, wrapping his arms around Rosalie's waist and the girl visibly relaxed into his embrace as she allows herself to lean back into him.

She allows Finnick to drag her away to a rope tying station.

"If you teach me how to make a fishhook like that I could teach you how to hunt," I offer to the older woman.

As she's showing me, a laugh pulls my attention away. It's the beautiful sound of Rosalie May's laugh. She's stood with Finnick shaking her head as a loose noose hangs around his neck.

Once I've poorly learned how to make a fishhook, I lead Mags over to the simulation to show off with my bow but we see that a crowd has gathered at the entrance. I stand beside Peeta and before I can ask why all the Tributes are gathered, I see why.

Inside the simulation room, Rosalie has a spear and is fighting on the hardest level. She's quick and strong at the same time, light and agile on her feet and perfectly precise with her actions. A few of the opponents throw knives at her but she doges them gracefully without much effort. Every spear she throws hits her intended target just as she wants it to. The rumours weren't lying, she's got good aim.

Me and Peeta are sat on the couch when Haymitch arrives, "good news. At least half the Tributes want you as an ally."

"Well, they saw her shoot," Peeta says proudly.

"Well, sweetheart, you've got your pick of the litter," they both turn to me.

I know they'll be disappointed before I even speak, "I want Wiress and Beetee."

"Johanna called them 'Nuts' and 'Volts'," Peeta says.

"Well, okay, good, who else?" Haymitch stays hopeful.

"Mags," I know what their reactions are gonna be but it still annoyed me when Peeta sighed and turned around. I would suggest Rosalie but i'm not too sure she wants me as an ally. "Alright, fine, then no one."

"I'll tell them you're still making up your mind," Haymitch leaves.