The Price of Peace (Finnick Odair)

Victor's Lap

The cold clung to her aching fingers as Evadine crept through the mountainous glaciers. Her heartbeat skipped every once in a while when her own reflection moved in the ice, thinking it to be another tribute. 

Every time the ice cracked or shifted she jumped. The constant fear of an attack clung like bile in her throat. She had to keep moving, one of the first things about surviving in a freezing environment is to keep moving steadily. You sweat, even when you don't know it, so to avoid dehydration move slowly and consistently. 

Her throat hurt from dehydration. She hadn't consumed any of the snow, for fear of cooling down her core temperature too much. She would have made a fire but no kindling was around. 

The ice cracked once more causing her stomach to drop. 

Evadine froze, aching hands tightly gripping her axe as her green eyes scanned every inch of her surroundings. Something was wrong, something was very, very wrong. 

A low rumble echoed through the gap in the ice. Snow crunched beneath her boots as Evadine lowered her center of gravity. The low rumble turned to a growl as the little siren caught movement in the corner of her eye. 

This time it wasn't her reflection at all. 

Through the sheet of ice, she could see it. The white fur around its fangs was stained red with her blood. It's horns created a demonic silhouette as the beast stalked the ice for an opening.  The horned polar bear that had gifted her the scars on her arm that still somewhat ached. 

The beast had a large gash in its skull, right where she had buried her hatchet on the second day. Blood poured down it's snarling snout from the wound that killed it. 

"EVADINE!" She heard the familiar voice of Finnick Odair, the boy she had come to love. Her eyes snapped away from the beast and there he was. His features were blurred from the ice that separated them. 

He pounded on the ice, panicked as the Bear turned to him. 

"Evadine! Help me!" Finick cried, banging harder on the ice. 

"Finnick!" Evadine cried, running towards the ice and using her axe to try and cut through. Her hands stung with the strength of each hit as she tried to carve her way to him. The bear stalked closer to Finnick and the view of them grew more shattered as she took chunks out of the ice. 

"No! No! No! Finnick! Just hold on! Finn!" She panicked. 

She saw the shadows, the slight movement behind the ice as the bear lunged. She screamed hearing Finnick's dying cries as he begged her to save him. 

"FINN! NO NO NO NO NO NO! FINNICK!" 

BOOM!

"FINNICK!" Evadine cried, springing up and fighting the hands that clawed at her. 

"Evadine! Evadine, my love, it's me! It was just a dream! You are out! You won the games, you are free! You're alive Eva, I'm alive!" Finnick gripped her thrashing arms trying to keep her from clawing at herself or him anymore. 

Evadine calmed enough to examine her surroundings. There sat a shirtless Finnick, fingernail fresh marks on his chest as he tried to hold her wrists as carefully as possible. 

Her frantic breathing calmed as she sunk into his warm embrace. 

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Evadine whispered into his neck as Finnick held her close. 

"It's okay. I get them too. We're okay Evadine. We're out." He continued to whisper calming words as he held her close. The moment he had heard her screaming his name from the other room, he had raced over in a pannick. He had been on edge and hadn't slept for days as he watched the games. He was terrified that the moment he looked away, she would die.