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011. hear my plea to the fallen ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SITTING ON THE SHORE OF THE BEACH, ESTHER RECOLLECTED HER THOUGHTS OF THE EVENTS THAT OCCURRED. Now having the time to comprehend the attack they faced on the cornucopia, Esther felt the guilt and regret of leaving Wiress' side eating at her. The girl believed that if she hadn't left Wiress, then she could have possibly stalled Gloss until everyone realised they were being ambushed by the Careers packs. If not, then it'd be her that would have passed instead of Wiress.
Wiress had a purpose and hope towards the group, being the reason Katniss figured out the arena was formed as a clock, depicting the attacks of each hour within each wedge of the cornucopia before it spun violently. Esther hadn't even been able to help Finnick, still getting the man injured whilst he would have protected her through everything thrown their way. Esther felt like she was rendered useless, straying away from the group as there was no reason for her to be there.
Atlas noticed the distance the girl was putting towards everyone. Even Finnick took note of the girl's change in behaviour. As much as the man wanted to reassure the girl that everything was okay, that Wiress's death wasn't on her hands, he knew Esther better than anyone. He knew the girl would take the fall for Wiress, allowing the undeserved shame to bubble in her chest. Atlas's hearing tuned in and out of the group's plan in having to hunt down the rest of the tributes, only leaving three left against them. Yet, the careers pack was the last thing Atlas was worried about as he knew they wouldn't attack due to being outnumbered, which Finnick emphasised.
Instead of the boy usually paying attention to the plan, his focus was solely pointed towards Esther, sitting by the beach, the waves crashing against her figure. Without a word being spoken, the group's eyes followed the boy when he took a seat next to Esther, remaining in silence. It engulfed them like a warm hug, wrapping its arms around them. Finnick slightly smiled kindly at Atlas's actions, knowing he could trust the boy with his sister's life the moment they came back from the forest. Finnick might have trusted Atlas before then—the time when Esther was attacked at the centre, and he wasn't there to protect her, having Atlas as her saviour against his District partner.
But what gained Finnick's trust the most was when the man was busy in having to resuscitate Peeta back to life due to the impact of the forcefield, needing Atlas to check on Esther's wellbeing. So, without having to worry, Finnick pointed his attention back to Katniss and the others as they spoke amongst themselves.
Atlas didn't mind the silence surrounding them, but he instantly turned his head towards Esther when she lightly spoke, almost thankful to be able to hear her vocalise her thoughts. "During my first games, when I killed someone the first time, I went into shock," announced Esther. Atlas frowned at the girl's words, shaking his head, reassuring her that she didn't need to speak about it if she didn't want to. Yet, Esther nicely retorted against Atlas's comforts, needing to say what was buried in her mind. "I can't remember much of what happened afterwards. I only remember the blood—there was so much blood. You don't think a simple stab wound could have someone bleeding that much, but it didn't stop."
