BLOOD ON MY HANDS || Finnick Odair

six; let the games begin

Eden had fallen asleep that night with a smile on his face.

It was strange, because he knew there were various other kids crying themselves into unconsciousness at that very moment, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he would be having a daughter with the only woman he had ever wanted to marry. Flora was curled in his arms when he woke up, just as she had been when he'd fallen asleep.

She didn't let got of him as they ate fresh fruit and the same fluffy biscuits — pancakes — for breakfast, or when they were taking a final shower before being escorted back to their rooms.

He was dressed in a pair of black fitted jeans and a long sleeved green tee-shirt. Flora matched him, though her clothes were designed to expand with her belly and hips, so they were slightly too big. Fawke and Titus seemed to enjoy dressing them both in green.

The table was silent as everyone ate, no particular words needing to be said. Flora just held his hand beneath the table, and the two awkwardly ate one handed.

"The two of you must be excited," Valynn spoke cheerfully, breaking the silence. Eden awkwardly looked to his left to find Flora mirroring his hesitant and confused expression. "Big day today," she explained, mistaking their confusion.

"Um, yes, that's true," Flora agreed uncomfortably, setting her fork down to rest a hand on her belly. "It is a big day."

Nodding in a pleased manor, Valynn helped herself to breakfast, and the entire room fell silent for the umpteenth time that morning. When she was finished eating, she pleasantly said her goodbyes with a kiss on everyone's cheeks, and left the room.

"We'll do what we can," Emery spoke up gruffly after a few minutes, a tiny dribble of a thick sugary liquid called syrup — an odd name for something he enjoyed very much — making it's way out the corner of his mouth. "We like you two, and...well...we'll do what we can."

"What he means to say, is we know you'll both be amazing," Moira sighed sternly. She nudged Emery's elbow, which made him drop the piece of pancake that had previously been en-route to his mouth, but only earned herself a dramatic fake stab to the arm before he resumed eating without saying a word.

Knowing it was the best kind of goodbye they could hope for, Eden offered his his older mentor a tight lipped smile and continued eating the last good meal he would ever have.

A hovercraft was already waiting for them on the rooftop, and was filled with seven districts tributes already; it was there to take them to the arena. Eden helped Flora climb the sturdy but narrow steps to ensure she didn't fall, then let her walk through the door first with his palm pressed to the small of her back.

Two Peacekeepers escorted them to their seats.

The lay out of the hovercraft was simple; tributes from 1 through 6 were on the left hand side, starting from the door and leading down the line. Then starting back opposite from 1 on the right hand side was Districts 7 through to 12.

The boy from District 3 — Eden had heard Cesar call him Lark in his interview — was sitting across from him, nervously fidgeting with the straps of his seat belt. His District partner was staring blankly down at her hands. Beau was on her other side, and was alternating between rolling his shoulders and chewing on the inside of his cheek.

A woman was moving down the center isle, going dutifully from left to right and injecting something into each tributes inner forearm while murmuring something quietly to each of them.

"This is your tracker," she explained simply when she reached him. "The stiller you are, the more efficiently I can place it."

Eden cringed as he felt a sharp pressure in the place the needle broke his skin, but it was gone as quickly as it came. He held Flora's hand, and she only whimpered for a brief moment. When the woman moved on, he uncomfortably rubbed his sore arm against his side and shuddered at the feeling of the metal implant under the surface of his skin.