Love at Sea (Finnick Odair)

Chapter 16

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"We're a unit remember," he quoted Tyler.

As other tributes filter into the rooms, Taiya takes her time to analyse everyone. There is a noticeable decline in health as the districts go on. The girl from 12 is the same age as her, but half the size. You can see it in their bones. The only ones that look healthy as such, were them and the tributes from 1 and 2.

"Theo, they're children," Taiya stuttered as she looked around. The two tributes from 10, were young, too young.

Theo shook his head and turned her so she couldn't see them anymore. "They're not children anymore ok? They're competition." Taiya glared at him incredulously. "Can't afford to empathise for them, Tay. Look, with how everyone is sizing them up, I doubt they'll make it past the first night. It's better that way," he assured, touching her chin quickly.

"Fine, fine, ok. Where do we go first?" Taiya whispered to Theo as the head trainer ran through the stations.

"Weapons. That's where 1 and 2 will go," Theo said, jerking his head to the station filled with deadly weapons.

"How do we talk to them?" Taiya asked as the head trainer finished up talking.

"Like this," Theo smirked as he steered her over to where the tributes from 1 and 2 were waiting for them. "I'm Theo, this is Taiya, District 4."

"Well well, 4," the boy from 2 smirked back. "You two look half decent. One looks very decent," he winked at Taiya who wanted more than anything to shrink into Theo's side but stood straight and smiled confidently back at him. He nodded when he saw this. "All right, well I'm Marcus and this is Calista," he said gesturing to his District partner.

"I'm Cotton, District 1," the other girl said introducing herself, failing to introduce her district partner as the others had done.

"I'm... I'm Hero," the boy spoke up, glaring at Cotton.

"Got any strengths you can bring to the group, 4?" Calista asked.

"I want to hear about your strengths first," Theo snorted.

"Fair enough, fair enough. Why don't we work in teams?" Marcus suggested. "How about Taiya, Hero and I work on one station and the rest of you work over there and we can evaluate each other and compare notes at lunch?"

Divide and concur. That was going to be District 2's strategy. They knew splitting Theo and Taiya up made them weaker. They were playing the Game even in training.

"I was hoping you'd suggest that," Taiya flirted. Tyler may have told them to stick by each other's sides but if they refused now it'd make them seem co-dependent.

"You ever thrown a knife before?" Marcus asked her as he grabbed a knife and stood ready to throw it.

"We have academy's in 4 too you know, but please go ahead and demonstrate," she challenged with a smile.

Marcus smirked before he threw the blade, it landed directly in the heart of the dummy. "I just figured as the mayor's daughter you wouldn't have needed as much training," he taunted.

"Your dad's the mayor of 4?" Hero asked.

"He was," Taiya answered tersely as she stepped forward to pick up a knife. "He died. But you seem awful interested in me Marcus, got a little crush?" she asked.

Marcus smiled at her. "Just like to know who I'm allied with."

"Well, yes," Taiya mused as she ran her finger over the blade. "My dad was the mayor, but trust me. I know plenty," she said as she threw the blade. It landed directly in the head of the dummy and she turned to Marcus and Hero to smirk. "You're up Hero," she sung as she stepped over to Marcus.