nightmare + f. odair✔

08

VEAH SAT IN THE CORNER OF THE ENCLOSED SPACE, eyeing Octavia wordlessly as she gulped down glass after glass of water.

She despised the silence, it wasn't quite awkward but it was almost tense.

"I'm rooting for you, Tave," she said out of no where. Octavia glanced at her, using the sleeve of her wet suit to wipe the dribble of water along her chin.

"What do you me-" Veah vut her off.

"Your arena will be tropical, I'd assume. Possibly multi-climated as your suit seems to have a heat resistant texture, but is also fairly thick."

"Could it be cold- snow, maybe?" Octavia breathed, worried of the possibility for not only a cold environment, but a multi climated one.

"Good luck, Octavia Whether," 60 seconds remaining.

Veah placed the necklace from Adelaide around her neck.

30 seconds. Please enter the tube awaiting.

"Stay gold."

-

Haymitch Abernathy had given up. Tributes that knew nothing of the art of survival, and an escort who couldn't shut her damn mouth.

Of course, those were just more problems he drowned out with alcohol. He'd given up on society, on Panem.

As he exited the elevator, only one hour before the games began, he couldn't help but notice two tributes he knew should be with their stylists.

"Trust me, Breck," the red headed career insisted, reaching down to grab the district four males hand lightly.

"I know what I'm doing. Octavia is as dumb as a damn fly, and Chole is practically in love with me. If you think this scheme won't work, then you're just as dumb as her," Hahna finished, leaning up to give him a heavy kiss.

Breck didn't resist, but pulled away after a few moments.

"And you're sure they don't know you're trying to kill them?" he breathed.

"Not a clue."

And that was when Haymitch realized maybe the thirteen year old girl was worth more than he thought.

Maybe, his hopes of her survival was more than pity, maybe they were just that.

Hope.

-

Hahna couldn't believe it.

The podium had risen, to the point where she could just see the cornucopia in the distance, and was moving agonizingly slow.

She had waited so long to get here, and here she was. Standing in the exact arena where she would be crowned a victor. A queen.

She heard the beginning of the countdown, and then the famous catchphrase as a term of "good luck, even though you have a huge chance of dying, but still good luck," and then the gong.

And that's when all hell broke loose.

-

Choles eyes wandered the arena, hearing the countdown somewhere in the distance.

It didn't matter if he couldn't even swim far enough to get to the island where the cornucopia resided.

With a shaky breath, he bent over to attempt to position himself to dive in.

5

For Octavia

4

For momma

3

For Elouise

2

For Hahna

1

For myself

-

Alix was prepared.

He could win, oh he knew he could win.

But the girl- god, she was only two years younger than him and she was pretty. He liked how blunt, and rude she was even though everyone else pictured her as the sweet and innocent little girl.

It pissed him off immensely that those other two could just- take her from him. He wanted to protect her, make it to the final two and then whatever happened, happened.

Thats what he initially thought.

Now, even though she was pretty, and even though he liked her, he was angry.

And when Alix got angry, bad things tend to happen.

-

When Octavia reached the top of the arena, she let out an agonized breath.

Water, it surrounded her, and about 50 yards away was the cornucopia.

It was completely open, small, steel podiums set up separately around the cornucopia. The cornucopia. It was set up on a small plateau looking rock, razor sharp rocks on the edge. She spared a moment to look below her, where coral reefs were splayed about 6 feet below.

Fish, all kinds of fish big and small swam all over, almost near the surface.

"Oh my god. Oh my god," she hyperventilated, mumbling over, and over to herself.

I can't swim.

I cant swim.

And then the gong sounded,

And she jumped.