The Life of A Victor || Finnick Odair

CHAPTER 14

"Well, it's better than nothing at all," he said, trying to cheer her up, which gained a snicker from her. "Want to have a little nap here? I'll wake you up when we have to go back, I promise," he said.

She nodded reluctantly. It was obvious he wouldn't stop until he convinced her. She moved a bit to her left, where Finnick sat, and leaned her head on his shoulder. Not even five minutes passed before she fell asleep on him.

He just stared at her sleeping face, taking some strands of her hair out of her face, so they would not bother her. Her peaceful sleeping face made him forget everything. As he started to feel sleepy, he carefully laid down with his arms around her, making sure not to wake her up.

Once he was lying on the ground, Dove moved slightly. He looked at her, thinking the movement had woken her up, but it hadn't. Her eyes were still closed as she approached him even more, laying her head on his chest and laying her right hand on his shoulder.

"Well, I'm trapped," Finnick murmured with a snicker. Carefully, he rested his right hand on her back, protectively. And just like that, he fell asleep, too.

Hours went by quickly, the sun rose in the sky, announcing the next day had begun. Finnick's eyes fluttered open. The bright sun wasn't letting him sleep anymore. As he stared at his surroundings, it surprised him to have slept perfectly fine during an entire night. It had been two years since he had slept like that.

Looking down, he spotted the bushy red hair of Dove. She seemed really comfortable using him as a pillow. Her breath was slow, and the hand that once was on his shoulder was now placed under her cheek. Looking around, it didn't seem anyone was watching the scene.

Fishermen were never that close to the rocky part of the beach in the early hours of the day, which gave them less than an hour to go back to Victor's Village without being spotted. Dove's hair would complicate things, though. It was difficult not to notice her.

As Finnick stopped wondering, he decided they had been there for far too long. He had to wake her up now, or they wouldn't make it back unnoticed.

"Dove. Dove, wake up," Finnick muttered, shaking her slightly. The shaking succeeded in waking her up. She was stunned at how long she had been sleeping. Looking around, she saw Finnick staring at her.

"Didn't you say you would wake me up? Why are we still here so late?" she asked. It wasn't an angry tone, but her stunned face didn't let her be too expressive.

"Well, I technically did wake you up, didn't I? And about that, we should go back now, before they notice you," he replied, with a smile on his face.

"Why are you so sure they would notice me before you?" Finnick looked at her in disbelief. "I can literally spot you in the dark. I think they can notice you now," he stated mockingly.

"Fair point, but that's because you're a stalker," he laughed while shaking his head. "Can we discuss this when we're in Victor's Village, please?" Dove nodded. The two got their things and left the beach. It was lucky that few people were around.

Once they got to her front door, they let out a sigh. It hadn't been easy to avoid the people walking around town, even if there were few. Dove looked at Finnick, still panting slightly. She wanted to ask him if he had slept as peacefully as she had.

During the entire night, she hadn't suffered from any nightmares. She might have dreamt something, but she didn't remember, which meant it hadn't been bad. Spending the night at the beach had been worth the risk. She felt refreshed with energy.

Then an idea popped up in her head. Dove hugged Finnick, as she had been doing for weeks. He hugged back, placing his arms around her waist.

"Any nightmares?" She whispered in his ear. "No, you?" he replied, the same way she had done. She shook her head. Smiling slightly as she thought of something to say.

"Want to try it out again? This midnight?" she asked jokingly. "Let's go somewhere safer, then. If we get caught, it could end horribly. How about you come to my house instead?" Dove thought for a second. It surprised her. He had accepted her proposal and invited her to his house at midnight.

"You wouldn't be thinking anything improper, now, would you?" she joked. Finnick laughed nervously, shaking his head. "I would never do such a thing. Moreover, to a child," he replied.

"Says the child himself," Dove retorted mockingly. "Anyway, good to know. See you later, then," she added, breaking the hug and entering her house, leaving Finnick in front of the door. She watched discreetly from the window as he went to his own house.

And like that, they created another tradition. Dove went every night to Finnick's house. They chatted and sometimes ate together. After all that, they went to sleep until the sun rose. Not a single nightmare during the six remaining days before the Reaping.

Six entire days until the last day of freedom for Dove. The last night before becoming an official tribute. She was already at Finnick's house, talking about anything that wasn't Hunger Games' related.

To her surprise, Finnick announced he would be a mentor in her Hunger Games, alongside Mags. She and her district partner would have four mentors this year. Her mother, Melo, Mags and Finnick. Quite a combination. Two mentors were specialised in combat, and the other two were specialised in survival.

Was this another of President Snow's challenges? It looks like he's giving me the right to decide. Either become like Finnick and Melo and get sold, or play nicely, and you'll get rewarded with the joy of keeping your family. And it probably was as she thought.

She wouldn't change her plans. Dove was going to play President Snow's game. Everything was going according to President Snow's plan.

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