The Life of A Victor || Finnick Odair

CHAPTER 38

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Dove looked at her surroundings. A beach suddenly appeared out of nowhere under her feet. It was a weird place. Everything seemed to go around a lake in the centre, while a forest enclosed the place around it. The forest was the furthest thing she could see, no mountains or buildings in the distance.

Birds chirped behind her, where an entrance to the forest made its appearance. The sun was bright, allowing her to follow the path with barely no complications. However, the more she distanced herself from the lake, the darkest it became, and the gloomier the birds' chirps got.

However, Dove didn't stop walking until the chirping stopped abruptly. That wasn't a good sign. Scared, she turned around to run to the lake, but the path was no longer there. She was trapped in the forest, birds watching closely her every move, silently, like a predator to its prey.

Vines crawled their way up on the trees, covering her view and creating a sort of cage around her. Flowers bloomed in them, which she recognised immediately. Clematis vines. She thought, while desperately looking around for an exit.

A Mockingjay landed in front of her, staring intensely at her before singing Alder's death song. Dove fell to her knees. That was too much to handle at the moment. Another Mockingjay joined the song, followed by others until there wasn't a part of the forest in which it didn't echo.

Dove covered her ears with her hands, hitting her forehead repeatedly on the ground to keep herself sane. Two boots appeared in her sight. They were part of the 67th Hunger Games outfit, which was the same for all tributes. Looking up, she saw Alder's eyes. He looked down at her with a mocking grin.

"Did you miss me?" He asked, crouching down to her position on the floor. "Did you really think you could ever forget me? Evade me? I'm right here, Dove." He commented, pointing with a finger to her forehead.

"And I'll never go away. You're a murderer! You killed both your allies! How could you kill us mercilessly?!" Alder yelled, causing the Mockingjay's chirp to echo his voice, overthrowing his death's song.

"Alder, I'm sorry! " Dove cried, letting tears leave her eyes. "But I. . .Wait. What do you mean mercilessly? You asked me to do it. . .You're not Alder!" She realised, raising her head to look at the boy directly in his eyes.

"You're not him! He forgave me! I only killed him because I didn't want my friend to suffer anymore! Is it truly that horrible? " Her yells echoed around the forest louder than the Mockingjays' chirps. He seemed displeased at her answer.

The boy in front of her, who once she believed to be Alder, turned into a mass of fog, slowly surrounding her. Once it came in contact with her skin, an involuntary scream left her mouth. Her body felt as if it were burning. She was no longer capable of controlling or moving her arms or legs. The world spanned around her, not letting her concentrate. Her body fell into a pool of blood, calming her pain for a second before the burning sensation came back again.

"Ah!" Dove screamed horrified as she sat up in her bed. Her eyes frenetically looked around the room as she tried to stabilise her breathing. That room wasn't her own, it was her train's assigned chamber. A hand suddenly stroked her back, startling her.

"Don't worry, it's me." Finnick's hushed voice caused her to let out a sigh. Her heartbeat was going crazy, and probably, even him could hear it thumping frantically.

"You almost gave me a heart attack," Dove whispered, a hand rested on her chest as if that action would instantly calm it down. Annie's mumbling made her look back in front of her. "Since when is Annie here?" she questioned, glancing to her left, where Finnick sat.