Liberosis - The Hunger Games

17

Only my closest friends knew my fear of drowning.

Allowing me to rephrase that, I only had one friend, that person was Finnick. He knew everything about me, only he knows where my fear of drowning started and only, he knew that the fear even existed.

I can imagine the lump forming in his throat as I thrashed around in the water, fighting desperately for the oxygen that I needed. I was only a minute in, but this feeling to drowning was so real, I could feel my chest closing up, my lungs screaming for air.

But I was from District Four, I could swim before I could walk. Finnick and I had breath holding competitions nearly every day, I could hold my breath for nearly ten minutes. Clovis would hold me here long enough for me to drown, I don't know what he expected from me but I wouldn't go down this easily.

I hated the feeling of being so out of control, especially in the element. I had grown up in water, I was about to die in it and there was nothing I could to about it. The boy's hands gripped into the back of my neck, plunging me further into the water, so far down that my face was grazing the rocks on the water, I could see the blood from my cheek floating to the surface.

Cover Addison's eyes don't let her see me go. Not like this. I thought to myself, praying that somehow Andante and I were telepathically connected. All the good memories seemed to rush into my mind in a blend of colourful thoughts. All the happy times in my life are being flushed out of my mind as the water creeps down my throat.

Finnick, my mind jumps to him again. It always does, I know he is probably watching me now, I know he's praying for me to hold on. I cannot, I cannot do it anymore. I want him to take my hand, to tell me to stop competing so hard at our breath-holding competition, to remind me that we are in District Four and that the games cannot hurt me.

I'm lying to myself, perhaps the delusion of having my best friend by my side will make he try and hold on longer. My lungs were on fire, I felt like I was going to give up when the force on the back of my head released abruptly, Clovis' figure splashing into the water beside me.

Elsie drops the log she had hit Clovis over the head with as Beck and Thorn help me to my feet. They came back, why did they come back, where's Finnick.

I leapt onto the river bank, coughing and spluttering as I regained my breath. Beck pulled me from the water as Thorn dragged Clovis' unconscious figure beside us. Elsie sat beside me, crying frantically, and apologising for leaving me alone, "It's fine," I cough out with a lungful of water, "You're safe, that's water matters."

"You nearly drowned!" Beck exclaimed in response.

"Oh gee, did I really?" I shoot back sarcastically. My lungs felt like they were beginning to work again as I spewed up the last of the water, I rolled onto my back before yelping in pain, remembering the welts that had formed from the acidic waterfall.

"What happened to your back?" Thorn's finger grazed over my skin, causing me to flinch away.

"The waterfall's acidic, that's how we got rid of the mutts," I explain, scooting into a seating position. I hated everything about today, praying for it to be over as soon as possible, my wish was seemingly granted as the sky soon began to light up with pinks and oranges.

"What mutts?" Elsie asked, moving behind me to examine my wound.

"Just some rabid, hyena looking things with hides made from real human flesh, no big deal," I said, the image of their drooling fangs branded into my mind. Elsie determined that my back would need an expensive antiseptic cream, but for now she could manage with a special type of water plant that secreted some weird painkiller. The tingle of the plant on my back was soon replaced with a soothing coolness. Beck packed a few more of the leaves into his bag, helping my off my feet and leading me down the bank.