Love at Sea (Finnick Odair)

Chapter 16

"So we were trying to work out which direction 12 was in," Finnick coughed nervously. "It's hard to tell after Plutarch spun us around."

"Good old Plutarch," Taiya smiled wryly.

The tension in the group was palpable. Finnick, Johanna and Beetee were all sitting on high alert, just waiting for the moment she snapped. Katniss and Peeta weren't entirely sure of what was happening, but they definitely knew to tread carefully.

"Why don't you just wait for an active sector? We know what half of them are, just base the time on that," she sighed as she lay down on the ground and closed her eyes.

"It must be monkey hour," Peeta suggested.

She could hear them whispering. Finnick and Johanna. She could hear them whispering between themselves, about her.

"I'm going for a walk," Taiya leapt up.

"That doesn't sound like a wise idea," Beetee tried to reason.

"Well I'll make it productive," Taiya snapped as she leaned down and ripped the spile off of Katniss's belt. "I'll go get water."

"I'll come with you," Finnick stood up to follow her.

"I don't need a babysitter."

"I just want to watch your back."

"I'll be fine Finnick. I just want a quick walk. By myself. Please," she whispered the last bit to him.

"5 minutes," he whispered back nervously. "5 minutes and then I come after you. But if something happens... scream. Scream and I'll come running. And don't leave this sector"

"Ok," Taiya agreed, running a hand softly down the side of his face before she turned and walked into the jungle.

As soon as she was by herself again, her bottom lip began to wobble. One was alive. One was dead. One was alive, but who?

"Stupid girl on fire," she muttered to herself. "Self-righteous. Going to get everyone killed. Overrated. Murderer. That's not fair. We're all murderers, what makes her different? She didn't know Gloss and Cashmere, why would she let them live? I told them to stay away, why couldn't they stay away?"

"Taiya," a voice whispered. Cashmere's voice.

Taiya's head immediately jerked in the direction she heard the voice come from and she stopped her mutterings.

"Cash?"

"Taiya."

That was all it took for her to run off sprinting. Sprinting further into the jungle. Cashmere was here.

*********************

"Is she ok?" Peeta asked Finnick. Taiya had only been gone two minutes, but he couldn't take his eyes off the direction she'd walked in.

"I don't know," Finnick sighed honestly. "I should at least follow her. I mean this is ridiculous."

"Just give her a moment," Johanna tried to calm him down. "If she can pull herself together it'll be better for everyone."

"I didn't realise how close she was to Gloss and Cashmere," Peeta realised. "I mean I knew they were friends but... how's your leg?" Peeta asked Finnick.

"Well, as soon as this stuff starts working and it'll hopefully be good as new," he moved his leg to look at the treatment cream he'd applied to it. "Taiya always did get good sponsorship gifts. We should think about our next move."

"So besides Brutus and Enobaria, who's left?" Katniss asked.

"Maybe Chaff. Just those three," Peeta answered.