lost | the hunger games

• xviii •

❝WE'RE BACK, BITCHES.❞

octavia blake, the 100

☾

Rue had Ben's eyes. That was the first thing I was struck by when I had seen Rue on the fallen tribute platforms during my Victory Tour. I can't pinpoint specifically what it was about her eyes that made me see Ben so quickly, but I swear I could see him. Her eyes held the same mischief, although I'd say that Ben had a lot more sarcasm.

Seeing his eyes so clearly through Rue, I couldn't just do nothing when she'd begun to starve in the Hunger Games. I also owed Ben. I didn't protect him in the games, but maybe I could at least help his baby sister get a fighting chance.

"It's from our district," Finnick inspected the bread closely. It had just been gifted to us by Plutarch (not that anyone else knew that besides Finnick and me). I could smell the salt and seaweed in the bread, observing the basket of the rolls intently. My chest ached from the distinct reminder of home. Smell does make memory stronger. This was probably the last comfort food we'd ever have. A large part of me didn't want to share it with our allies, despite them being the whole reason we were here in the first place. My fellow mentor was feeling the same way. I could see it in his eyes and in the way he carefully handled the bread with his nimble fingers.

"It's green," Katniss said flatly. I could feel her eyes on me, but I made sure my blank face gave nothing away. I knew that she'd connected the dots.

Finnick, on the other hand, had no idea what I had done for Rue or that Katniss knew about it. Instead, he took Katniss's comment with offense, saying, "It's because of the seaweed. This is one of District Four's specialties! They'll go well with the shellfish, too."

"District Four specialty." Katniss hummed in repeat. She said nothing more and removed her eyes from the side of my face.

I didn't understand why it mattered so much anyway. No—of course, I did, but I had just wished Katniss didn't make such a large deal out of it. It was one sponsor gift that I just happened to help set up. Like I said: I owed Ben and his family. It wasn't hard getting a sponsor to send her some bread either. I had connections all over District Four, including the wealthiest of the wealthiest. All I had to do was make a couple calls and Rue had received a slice of seaweed bread, tinted its signature sea green.

I plucked my own roll from the basket in the center. I rip it right down the center and raise it close to my nose. My eyes shut for only a second, and the warm breeze of the beach dusted my skin, carrying the salty sea air into my nose. The waves sounded so familiar, so comforting, even if only for a second. The sand buried between my toes before being washed away by the waves. The ocean on my back as I floated away, staring at the sky. God, I could see the sky, see my mother floating next to me. A smile graced her lips, nothing but love in her eyes for her only daughter. Thankfully, the bread covered the tiniest tremble of my chin. But before I could lose any more composure, I quickly open my eyes and place a chunk of the bread into my mouth. A mask of boredom donned on my face.

Too much, too much, too much. I had no idea what had brought that on. It was as if my brain had decided to bring up every painful emotion that I've managed to stuff in compartments so far, far away. It was all just so . . . overwhelming.

I risked a glance at Finnick, who had his eyes closed. I guess we had the same idea. Not caring about our allies watching us, I comfortingly rubbed my knee against his. He opened his eyes, the same melancholy feeling painted on them.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything when an ear-piercing scream emerges from the wedge of jungle across from where we sat. The jungle shook the same way a person would shake the trunk of a tree for fruit. A tsunami wave large enough to top the trees came crashing through the jungle and splashing into the water. But before it traveled any further, it came to a halting stop, acting the same way the fog did. The water calmed down, spreading into an aggressive circle that reached our tiny campsite. We scrambled to keep everything close before it floated out to the water.