Something Worth Living For [THG] // Finnick Odair

XXVI

"Where were you?"

I give a little scream as I walk into the apartment. Ryle is on the biggest couch looking at me. He turns on the light of the living room and now I can see his bloodshot eyes.

"So? Where were you Danieka?" Ryle insists. "Hope you weren't with that boyfriend of yours."

"I felt like I could use some more training, I was in the gymnasium." I say to him, ignoring the boyfriend remark, besides it is obvious about being in the gymnasium, I am still sweating.

"Really?" Ryle asks me, clearly not believing a word I said. "At this time?"

"I couldn't sleep." I lie. "And there's nothing to do here, so I thought of going to train instead of wasting my time."

"Okay." His tone tells me he still doesn't buy it completely.

"Why were you crying?" I ask him before he can interrogate me even further, I need to distract him from the subject.

"I wasn't crying."

"I saw and heard you earlier." I say. "And look at your eyes now, it's obvious, you know?"

"It's none of your business." Ryle says, his voice quickly turning cold.

"I told you where I went, even when it was none of your business."

"This is personal, okay?" Ryle says in a different, scary tone. "Just drop it."

"Alright. I'll drop it, but then you must stop getting into what I do as well."

"Whatever."

Ryle walks out of the room, brushing me slightly. He goes to his room and slams the door. I sigh and walk to my own room but I don't stay there, I go to the bathroom. I take off my clothes that are wet by the sweat and leave them all over the bathroom's floor, I haven't been bothering with the clothes anymore, I just leave them all over the floor now. I have always been messy, I can't help it. I'm going into the arena, where I can die in a few days, the least I can care about is being neat.

Showering has always been difficult with all the buttons but I manage to get the water started and just at a perfect temperature, not too hot or too cold, just perfect. I jump in and my body instantly warms up as the water touches it, it feels really nice. I wash my body quickly and trying not to get my hair wet. I grab a towel when I'm done and go back to my room.

I decide to wear what I always wear, shorts and a plain shirt. So they don't think I have been up, I also leave my hair in a messy bun, with some yawns here and there and a sleeping look, everyone will think I just got up.

It is 7:10 a.m. already, I took about thirty minutes on showering and getting dressed. I think my training and talk with Finnick lasted more than I thought, unfortunately, time always flies by when I'm with him.

I open the door and walk out of my room and go down the hallway, straight to the dining room. I don't know why, but I'm starving, my stomach grumbles as soon as I can smell the food being cooked for breakfast.

I spot Ryle, Brutus, and Lyme already at the table. Brutus is reading the newspaper as always, while Lyme is drinking her daily black coffee. Ryle is just playing with his hands, feeling completely awkward and out of place.

"Morning." I murmur as I sit next to Ryle.

"Good morning." Everyone says, it's probably the first time they all have answered to me, Brutus doesn't stop reading the newspaper though but at least acknowledges my presence. Normally only Ryle and Enebry talk to me during meals, and most of what Enebry does is scolding me for my 'bad' manners.