𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐗 𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 - Finnick Odair

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

     Phoenix slid her knife back in its holder, a smile spreading across her face as she realized what seeing Johanna again meant for their alliance. The last time she saw the younger girl was at the start of the games. Phoenix remembers the inner battle she faced while watching Johanna flee from the Cornucopia with Blight, Beetee, and Wiress.

"It's Johanna," Phoenix muttered, her face lighting up at the thought of seeing her friend again. Without a second thought, Phoenix sprinted towards Johanna and her alliance. "Johanna!" Phoenix called out, her voice full of joy and relief, finally catching the attention of the bloodied girl from District 7.

Finnick called out Johanna's name as he ran behind Phoenix. They watched as Johanna turned her head at the sound. She rubbed her eyes, needing to be sure the sight in front of her was real and not a hallucination caused by dehydration. Now reunited, they all knew they had a better chance of protecting Katniss and Peeta and eliminating any remaining threats.

It wasn't until Phoenix and Finnick got closer to Johanna that they noticed the blood that stained not only her skin and wetsuit, but also Beetee and Wiress. Johanna realized this was all real, and nearly screaming with joy at the sight of Finnick and Phoenix running towards her. "Phoenix! Finnick!" Johanna yelled, ecstatic that she no longer had to deal with the tributes from District 3 alone.

Once in front of her, Phoenix wrapped her arms around the bloodied Johanna, not caring if any of the blood got on her. "You're safe," Phoenix muttered before letting go. "Barely," Johanna replied, releasing her hold and turning to watch as Katniss and Peeta came into view.

"What happened?" Finnick asked, glancing at the three of them covered head to toe in blood. "Well, I got them out." Johanna started, pointing her ax towards Beetee and Wiress, who both looked even more disheveled than she did. "We were all the way in the jungle, where I thought it was gonna be safe, that's when the rain started. I thought it was water, turns out it was blood." Her knuckles were now white as she gripped the ax tighter.

"Tick Tock," Wiress muttered, a small smile on her face. Phoenix's attention went fully to Wiress, since it was one of the first times she had heard her speak. She watched annoyance spread across Johanna's face as the words left Wiress's mouth again. "Hot, thick blood, it was coming down. Choking us." Johanna's voice rose over Wiress's as the older woman repeated the same two words.

Phoenix could tell Johanna was growing more fed up with Wiress and knew it would not be long before she snapped. "That's when Blight hit the force field." She paused, remembering the moment clearly. "He wasn't much, but he was from home." Johanna's tone was more somber this time around. The group went silent, the only noise coming from Wiress. "Tick Tock."

"What's wrong with her?" Katniss asked, voicing what most of them had been thinking. Wiress was now pacing around the beach, still muttering the only two words she seemed to remember. "She's in shock. Dehydration isn't helping. Do you have fresh water?" Beetee asked as he continued to wash the blood off himself. Katniss nodded at the older man, knowing Peeta had the spile. "We can get some."

Wiress suddenly grabs both of Johanna's shoulders and repeats the same two words right in her face. "Stop it! " The now infuriated Johanna yells, grabbing Wiress and pushing her onto the sand. "Hey!" Katniss shouted as Wiress hit the ground. Katniss quickly grabbed Johanna, and the girls began pushing each other.

Finnick wrapped his arms around Johanna, pulling her away from Katniss. "I got them out of there for you!" Johanna blurted, and Phoenix's eyes widened in shock and anger at what Johanna had just said. Johanna thrashes in Finnick's arms, seemingly not realizing the weight of her words. "Let me go, Finnick!" She shouted as she felt the water around her. Phoenix's jaw tightened as she followed behind Finnick, shaking her head as they went deeper into the water,

Now with Finnick and Phoenix at her side, Phoenix watched Finnick drop Johanna into the water. "For me? What does that mean?" Katniss's distant voice called out in confusion, sending a jolt of nerves through Phoenix. She had already slipped up with Peeta, and now Johanna was saying this to Katniss.

What if they started to catch on?

Johanna was still mumbling obscenities as she wiped the blood from her skin. Phoenix helped her, listening to the words spill out, each one making her more upset. She placed a hand firmly on Johanna's arm and leaned in close, her face just inches away from the girl's ear. "You need to watch what you say, Johanna." Phoenix's teeth were clenched as she forced herself to keep her tone calm for the cameras, even if all she wanted to do was scream.

Johanna tensed at the tone, then scoffed, rolling her eyes at what Phoenix had said. Her grip on Johanna's arm tightened, fingers digging into her skin as she pulled her closer. "I'm serious," Phoenix muttered. Johanna hesitated before finally forcing out a low, reluctant "Sorry."

Phoenix didn't ease up right away, staring hard until her words settled between them. Only then did she release her hold, both of them going back to cleaning the blood off her as if nothing had happened.

Now standing on the beach, Phoenix caught the distant voices of Katniss and Johanna. Only for her gaze to drop to the empty belt that once held her knives. With a tug, she tore it off her, throwing the empty belt onto the sand below her. Before she could move again, a pair of hands snaked around her waist. Looking down, she sees Finnick's hands securing the belt that was once around his waist, around hers.

Turning, Phoenix is met with Finnick smiling down at her, his gaze soft despite the chaos around them. She lifted a hand to his face, cupping his cheek. She couldn't help but focus on the scratches that covered one side of his face. "What happened?" Phoenix asks, not noticing the marks earlier. Her thumb brushed carefully over the marks, tracing them as she waited for an answer.

Finnick hadn't even realized the scratches were there. "The mutt attack, I'm guessing." He said, though it sounded more like a question than an answer. "First scratch this pretty face has ever seen? " Phoenix teased. Finnick chuckled at the comment, his hands still resting on her waist.

Nodding his head slightly, Finnick opened his mouth with a faint grin. "It is. Think you can still love me?" He jokes, his smile widening as Phoenix rolled her eyes playfully. "Nothing could stop me," Phoenix revealed, her thumb gently brushing along his cheek, slightly under the marks.

A smile curved across Finnick's lips. " I'm glad the feeling is mutual, Nixie," He whispered, grabbing her wrist and placing a kiss on the palm of her hand. Phoenix relaxed into his touch, focusing on the feeling of his lips against her palm. For a moment, she forgot all about the ache and pain that weighed on her body.

A blinding surge of light and a deafening boom tore them from their moment, forcing Phoenix and Finnick to whip their heads towards the sound. Phoenix let her hand drop from Finnick's face, though he still held her wrist and waist for his comfort. They stood side by side, watching as a distant tree was repeatedly struck by lightning.

"It's a clock!" Katniss exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to her and Wiress. Both Katniss and Wiress looked ecstatic at the realization. " Wiress, you're a genius!" Katniss called out, cupping Wiress's face. The two were quick to make it back to the sand, with an idea already forming in Katniss's mind. Phoenix's heart raced a bit as the words left Katniss's mouth.

"We need to go back to the Cornucopia."