The Perfect Truth: A Finnick Odair Novel

Chapter 4

A/N: here, we enter the arenaaa

Warnings: violence, death, swearing i think,

Word count: 1457

 The clothes this year puzzle me. They consist of a tight, blue, fitted jumpsuit that I predict Finnick will comment on - if he isn't killed - a wide, plastic purple belt and a pair of nylon shoes with rubber soles. I rub the stuff between my fingers. It's not waterproof, and definitely not made to keep out the cold, judging by the thinness. I glance down at the gold mockingjay pin and pray that Peeta will remember to take it off my body and give it back to Kat once he wins.

Sickened, I feel the plate I'm standing on begin to rise, a feeling I've only felt once before, a feeling I despise as much as the President. As I emerge, the ground seems to shimmer, glittering, catching the sun. And then I realise it's not the ground. It's water. There are twelve spokes coming from a small bit of land around the Cornucopia, and between each are two tributes. Water. I'm lucky I know how to swim. Many of the tributes won't, which means that District Four will have a big advantage. As the sixty seconds count down, I flick my glance around the wheel. Peeta can't swim. So once I get my weapons, I go and tow him away before he meets a watery grave.

'Ladies and gentleman, let the Seventy fifth Hunger Games begin!' Claudius Templesmith, the announcer, shouts. Jumping forward, I dive into the water and start swimming, using the even strokes my father taught Kat and I when he showed us the lake, deep in the forest. I'm strangely buoyant, and I cut through the water, scrambling onto the sand of the small beach around the Cornucopia. Quickly, I yank a bow from the giant pile of weapons, grabbing a slim sword and shoving it through my belt, along with as many knives as I can, before I sense someone behind me. I yank at the sheath of arrows, but it won't come out, so I just pull out an arrow and spin around, almost shooting Finnick, who stands there, glistening and gorgeous, a trident in his hand. A little voice asks why I shouldn't kill him. I'm in the Games now. I need to get to Peeta, and right now Finnick's in my way. The logical conclusion being to get him out of my way as fast as I can.

His bronze hair is wet, and he's smiling a little, but I can see that the muscles in his upper body are rigid through his jumpsuit, his hands clamped around a trident.

'You can swim,' he says. 'How did you learn that in District Twelve?'

I shrug, fingers tensing around my bowstring, slowly pulling it back. I could send an arrow through his eye, but he could very well kill me with the trident.

'Well?'

'We have a big bathtub,' I reply. 'You must be having a field day, with the Arena like this.'

'Lucky thing we're allies, right?'

Immediately, I tense up, wondering if I can do it, kill the man who helped me through Kat's Hunger Games, even if it was just straight up, desperate, dirty fucking.

'I can't go gallivanting around the Arena with you,' I snap. 'I've got responsibility on my hands and I don't even know if I can trust you.'

He holds up his wrist. On it is a solid gold bangle patterned with flames. Before I get to question anything, Finnick raises one of his tridents. 'Duck!' He yells, in a voice I've never heard before, so urgent, nothing like his normal seductive purr. It takes me by surprise, and I obey. The trident flies above me head and buries itself in the man from District Five's chest.

'Split up,' I say, reckoning we'll have enough time before any of the others get to the Cornucopia. 'Find anything useful and take it.'

Finnick nods, and I circle around the giant golden horn. Nothing but weapons. I grab another bow and quiver full of arrows, when I hear splashing on my right. Quickly, I turn, shooting at Enobaria. She ducks, but her partner, Gloss, isn't so quick, and he gets an arrow in the calf.

'Finn?' I yell. 'You get anything?'

'Just weapons!'

'Same here!'

Yanking out a sword for Peeta, I sprint round to the side of the Cornucopia Finnick is on, and see Brutus barreling towards him, belt stretched between his hands like some sort of shield. Reloading, I shoot, but he blocks, and this sort of purple liquid spews from the belt, leaving it clear and covering him with the fluid. I reach for another arrow, but he ducks and rolls, submerging back in the water. I reckon the Careers, Enobaria, Gloss, Brutus and Cashmere will have planned to ally with each other, so I turn to Finnick.

'I have to get Peeta before this place gets any more nasty.'

'I'll get him, babe.'

My heart pangs at the old nickname, maybe meant to calm me, maybe just slipped out accidentally, but I narrow my eyes at him. I can trust him, but can Peeta? Will he drown him? 'I can, too.'

'Aderyn, if I wanted to kill him, I'd have to kill you first.' He's right, and I know he's being serious. He only tells the truth when he uses my first name. I don't even know if he does it on purpose, or if it's subconscious, but either way, he's yet to use my full name and lie.

Neatly, Finnick dives into the water, and I watch him swim swiftly over to Peeta, grabbing him by one arm. Swimming with the other arm, he cuts through the water as if he could tow Peeta along all day. I decide to back down one of the struts, keeping my bow loaded; it's safer, since I'm not as good at swimming as Finnick. I spot someone paddling towards us and almost shoot them, but it's Mags. I wait on the beach for Peeta and Finn, helping the elderly woman out once she reaches the shore. Quickly, I check my fellow District Twelve for any injuries and hand him the sword, hoping that if he has to, he'll have the guts to use it.

'So, we've got allies?' Peeta asks once Finnick helps him out of the water.

'Mags too,' I say.

'Well, Mags and I are a two for one package.' Finnick says, and I remember that she mentored him. He laughs, but it's bitter. 'She's one of the few people who actually likes me.'

I hear Peeta snort. 'Aderyn wanted her as an ally on the first day.'

'Aderyn has remarkably good judgement.' Finnick proclaims, scooping Mags up and boosting her onto his back with little to no effort. She pats her belt and says something I don't quite understand, but Finn does.

'She's right,' he says. 'The belts are flotation devices. Look, somebody's already figured it out.' He nods over at Beetee, who flails in the water but stays afloat. I hand Peeta a knife and a sword, and we make our way toward the jungle, away from the Cornucopia.

The water, which is seawater, evaporates easily from my jumpsuit in the jungle heat, and I find myself sweating in the muggy, humid air. We need water, and soon. Peeta takes the lead, slashing the branches away with the knife I gave him, and I take the rear, with Finn carrying Mags between us.

'We need water,' Finn says, voicing our thoughts.

'I'll climb a tree and try to find some,' I tell everyone, then scale it and peer out at the Cornucopia. It's a mess of red, and I can still see little blue figures fighting, some floating in the water, dyeing it a horrible pink.

'What's going on, Ryn?' Finn calls.

'Killing. And lots of it.' I reply, climbing down and sighing. 'I couldn't see any water, apart from the salt water down by the Cornucopia. But we need some.'

Mags exhales and says something, to which Finnick replies,

'Yeah. No one in this Arena is a victor by chance. Except maybe Peeta.' We all turn our gazes to him, and he shifts uncomfortably. I know Finn's right. Peeta would have tried negotiating first. Finnick killed the man in District 5, and I would have killed Brutus if I could. But Peeta? No way. And maybe that's why I know that I have to get him out of here - so Kat will have him and his words by her side as she leads the rebellion. Yes, maybe they'll mourn when I kill myself, kill Finn if I have to, just to make Peeta win, but they don't need us. They need him.

She needs him.

sorry for more of the filler chapter shii but stuff happens soon i promise plz dont stop reading