The Assassin (Finnick Odair X OC)

Chapter Ten: Day One

Chapter Ten: Day One

"You don't seem nervous." Finnick observes as I step out of the small curtained-off area, dressed in the garb for the arena. It's simple clothing - to be expected. Things that won't be worn easily but, at the same time, are loose and comfortable.

I managed to get Snow to allow me to wear my combat boots, although he forbade the ceramic knife.

They're much more comfortable than the weird sneakers that they gave the other trainees, broken in and easy for me to run, climb, and fight in.

Although the stylist is usually the last person that you see, Terrence decided that he no longer wanted to remember me, forcing Finnick to be the person saying farewell to me. So, here we sit - well we're not sitting but you get my point.

"Should I be?" I zip up the windbreaker that they gave us and look up at him.

The room is small and all grey. There's a pod in the corner that I have to sit in to get up to the area but, looking at the clock above it, I've got around seven minutes.

"Um, yes. Yes, you should be." He speaks rapidly. "You're going into an arena with twenty three children who want you dead. If you're not nervous, then you're insane-"

"Do you ever lighten up?" I cross my arms, giving him a look. "I'll be fine."

He opens his mouth to retort but closes it, sighing instead. "So you're insane."

"Finnick." I say his name and he snaps his eyes up to my face. "Stop worrying-"

"How can you say that?" He takes a step towards me, anger igniting in his eyes. "This could be the last time that I see you."

"Well, you won't be too angry about that, right? I know how annoying I've been, always refusing your help." I smile, joking.

Finnick's anger doesn't change. "I'm serious, Kai."

"As am I." I counter, taking a step towards him to prove myself. "You're worrying enough for the both of us anyway, aren't you?"

He stares at me intensely. I don't back down from it.

"I swear, if you survive after all of this-" He finally mumbles, looking down.

I'm going to live, I want to tell him. I'm a trained killer - these children will not be hard to kill - who has instructions from President Snow himself. There's something about the vulnerability in Finnick's face that makes me want to tell him and, for a second, I waver.

He could know. Snow didn't explicitly state that no one else could know.

But it's implied. I can't comfort him, tell him that I'll be back in around two to three weeks - two if Snow has his way.

"Listen, Finnick." I start softly. He looks up as I speak, searching my face for something - I don't know what he wants from me. "I can't tell you why I'm so confident, but you need to trust me. I'm going to be fine."

"How? How are you so sure?" He presses.

I shake my head and step back, starting to move towards the pod.

Finnick acts immediately, instinctively. He grabs my wrist and pulls me towards him, hugging me tightly. I blink twice, shocked, before I gently place my hands around him as well.

It's comforting, in a strange way. Finnick has no idea what I'm going to have to do in the arena but, for this moment, I'm feeling quite peaceful.

I don't know how long we hug.

Long enough for a beeping sound to leave the clock on the wall, breaking the trance. We jump apart and I walk into the glass pod, turning around to look at him. He walked over as well, and pressed a button on the exterior of the pod, sealing it off.