Sea of Flames | f. odair

CHAPTER 21 | THE FLOOD

Pushing her hair out of her face, she made it up one more branch before watching as the water hurtled toward her at an unnatural speed, tearing up everything in its path, well above her head. There was no way she would be able to out-climb it. She braced herself for the impact, trying to keep her breathing even. But there was no way of preparing for when the wave hit her.

When it finally consumed Cassia in icy darkness, she had the faint recollection of being a toddler at the beach; being hit by a wave, salt water pushing its way down her throat and up her nostrils. Her small body tumbled for a few terrifying seconds. Then her father had scooped her up and patted her on the back, telling her she would be all right.

The arena wave felt different.

Under the water, Cassia somersaulted again and again, the sky and ground forgotten entities as her mind emptied. The current was so strong, she could barely control her movements. The sporadic push and pull of the water had her fighting against it in a fit of frustration, but the more anxious she grew, the more she realized she would die at any second if she didn't relax.

She couldn't calm herself by breathing, so she bit down on her tongue and focused on the pressure, reminding herself that she was in the last stretch of the Games. That maybe, she could win, that maybe she could see Evelin and her father. She started kicking her legs and extending her arms, navigating the dark water like a creature of the sea—as if she had lived under the waves her entire life. Years of swimming and hunting in dark waters made it easy to spot when a sharp branch would try to impale her, feel the flow of the water change at the last second. Her lungs only burned slightly; used to being underwater for long periods of time. She wiggled her body to contort around blurry objects that tried slamming into her.

For the first time since leaving home, she wanted to laugh at the Capitol. For their ignorance in the superiority of Four. She was too adaptable to the waves of the water. It was as if they wanted her to win.

When she felt her lungs burn uncomfortably and her throat constrict, she made her way to the surface. Above, she pushed her hair back—free of the elastic awhile ago—scoping out the arena. Or, what was left of it. She felt like a fish in a bowl.

All around her, she saw water and the triangle tops of trees. Two miles away the tail of the Cornucopia glimmered. She started swimming toward it, the water ebbing its strong rush.

Her leg was not in good shape. Every flutter made her sharply inhale and her eyes burn. She could only hope the Games would end soon. Which she felt selfish about, but she knew that she wasn't going to last much longer.

Almost at the Cornucopia, she watched as more of the metal was revealed, lower and lower the level of the water sank back into the ground like a sponge. She halted, keeping herself afloat while she felt herself being brought back down to the ground. It was then, that she knew the real finale had begun.

A foot of water remained in the clearing where Cassia had entered the arena, in the field of the tall grass; now under the water. She stood, spotting a boy a few yards away. He coughed, slumped against a fallen tree, his fair blond hair flat against his forehead. Ezra. That meant Clio was dead.

Cassia knew she couldn't run. It had been forced by the Gamemakers for them to meet. This was the end of the Games, the moment everyone would be watching, handing in their final bets. She looked around for a weapon, but there was nothing visible in the foot of water. She would have to use her hands.

Ezra wiped his mouth and looked at her. Fully facing her, she saw that he was not safe from the brutality of the Games. A long piece of wood ran through his side, puncturing many vital organs. Cassia guessed he wouldn't live long. And she was right, watching helplessly as he leaned against the tree and coughed, sputtering up blood and saliva.