You Are My Sunshine // A Finnick Fanfic

Chapter Six - Cage

I looked over and spotted Tobias talking it up with all the other Careers, laughing at something funny I guess. I didn't feel like meeting them, not today at least, not when I should be devising a plan to win against them. I turned and walked into the medical section, reading some of the signs and walking over the dummies laying dead on the concrete floor.

"Are you looking for a lesson?" I heard a voice ask and I turned to find an older man standing tall with his hands behind his back. I looked at him with a smile, looking back at the Careers and considering introducing myself, but then I saw them picking themselves a sword or a spear.

It reminded me of what Finnick told me, that they were going to intimidate other tributes by showing off their skills. I wasn't going to do that, I already knew what weapon I was good at and it was none of those fancy things. The only people who had to see what I can do in combat was the Gamemakers, no one else. I turned back to face the smiling man.

"I would love one, thank you." I said, stepping forward.

I gripped tightly to the rings that hung from the bars, not looking down, knowing all too well that it would screw me up. It wasn't every high nor was it very hard, it was just the pressure of all eyes on me that was making me nervous. They weren't making us go by districts, we just had to get in line and wait our turn. Tobias was one of the first to go, just like the other Careers whom of which I learned their names. The girl from district one was Xena and the boy was Cadogan while the district two girl and boy was Lucia and Arlen, but they didn't know me and I'm sure Tobias never cared to mention me to them.

My hands were sweating as I swung my body forward, latching on to the next ring and almost slipping right off. I had never done these before but apparently it was one of our mandatory exercises, I don't know why but it was.

I put as much momentum as I could into my next swing, reaching over and grabbing the other ring swiftly, maybe a little too swiftly. The moment I latched on to it, my fingers slipped and the ground rushed up to meet me, my back slamming against the edge of the second platform.

The wind rushed out of my lungs as I looked up to the sky, glancing to the side and watching as the Careers, including Tobias, laughed and walked over in the other direction. A red rush of heat entered my face as I tried catching my breath, feeling like the biggest idiot out of all the tributes.

"Try this." I heard a soft voice tell me and I turned to see the little District 12 boy. He was sitting on his butt, hugging his knees to his chest and taking big breaths. "It helps when you get winded."

I did as he told me, sitting up with him and bringing my knees close to my chest, holding them there tightly. I took three deep breaths and felt the air returning to my lungs once again and my body began calming down. I shifted my eyes to meet his and he smiled at me, standing up and holding his hand out for me to take and I accepted, getting back to my feet. I retied my hair and looked around but it was only the two of us standing at the rings now but we were still being watched by the instructor.

"Come on twelve, hurry it up!" He called and the boy turned to me.

"I can show you how to do it if you stay and watch." He told me and I nodded, watching as the boy turned and climbed up to the platform.

The boy, being too small to actually reach the rings, took a step back and then took a running leap, latching on to the ring and swinging to the next one almost immediately. It almost looked like he was flying as the boy swung from ring to ring effortlessly with such grace, it was like he had done it hundreds of times before. Maybe he had.

When it looked like he had miscalculated the next ring, the boy surprised me when he looped his foot through the next one and used it's momentum to save himself. He was rather talented with this, finishing the course two times faster then any of the other tributes.