The Experiment (Finnick Odair)

One

     "LUX!!!!!" Finnick's voice was lost over the sound of the wind and waves. "LUX!!!"

     He climbed over a rock, scraping his knee in the process. Damn it. He felt the cold ocean water lap over his bare foot as he climbed back down on the other side. He didn't see Lux anywhere. They needed to get back before the storm got worse. 

     He sprinted on the sand, a sharp shell or twig occasionally poking his bare feet. 

     Sand blew into his eyes, forcing him to stop and rub the particles out. What if she's dead?? 

     What a stupid thought. The number one rule of  Exteriori is to never assume until you can prove your assumption. So far, Finnick had no evidence that Lux was dead. He had to keep looking. 

     Finnick called out Lux's name again, and this time, he heard the faintest of a reply. 

     He ran forward. "LUUUUUXXXXX!!!!!!!" 

     He turned and saw Lux threading in the water twenty yards offshore. The waves would crash over her head, making her visible for only seconds at a time. Why isn't she swimming? 

     Lux waved her arms above her head before another wave caused her to go underwater. 

     Finnick decided that Lux probably couldn't swim back, so he ran into the water, ignoring the freezing water shock and all of the debris slapping his thighs. He forced his arms out of the water and started swimming a sloppy freestyle. 

     He was pushed back a few times by the waves, so he took a deep breath and dove underwater. That decision was as equally terrible. He couldn't see anything and he felt some slit wedge underneath his eyelid. Who knew such a small particle could burn like hell? 

     He didn't stop. He pulled through the water, each stroke burning. His lungs soon screamed for air, but he stayed under until he felt a foot kick his nose. 

     That forced him to the surface. He blinked the water out of his eyes and stared into the face of Lux. "Why aren't you swimming?" 

     "Well, you should have told me that you put a trap into the water!" Lux screamed. Because of the wind, it sounded more like a stage whisper. 

     Finnick didn't answer. There wasn't enough time to. Instead, he dove back under and felt the rope of his booby trap in his fingers. He dove deeper, feeling along the rope and found where it was tied to Lux's foot. 

     Let's just say, untying a knot when you're practically blind isn't an easy task. Especially a knot made to withstand a 145-pound girl and a hurricane combined. 

     But, eventually the knot loosened enough for Lux to kick herself out of the trap, kicking Finnick in the forehead twice in the process. 

     The last kick threw Finnick's senses off course for a moment, but in a storm, a moment was way too much time. Lux pulled him to the surface and helped him swim back to shore. 

     Finnick finally felt sand under his feet and climbed out, collapsing into the sand. 

    "Finnick! Get up!" Lux said, crouching in front of him. 

     Finnick groaned, rubbing his forehead, vision fading for a second before coming back. "You...kick...hard." 

     Lux smiled before wrapping her arm around Finnick's waist and helping him back up and walked to a rock beyond the reach of the waves and biting wind.