Sea of Flames | f. odair

CHAPTER 17 | THE ALLY

CHAPTER 17 | THE ALLY

You are my center when I spin away.

It wasn't what Cassia had planned, to break off from the Careers so early with around seven tributes still alive. They were inevitably going to have to separate, but Cassia had planned to do it on her own, or if Griffin complied, bring him with her as leverage for sponsors. Now, she was in another alliance with someone she hadn't been observing as much during training. She didn't know Azalea's motives, what she was skilled in, and she barely remembered what district she was from . . . perhaps Ten or Eleven?

Her skin was a smooth ochre under the dusky shade of the trees, her dark eyes feline while blinking at Cassia. Her full lips pulled into a cunning smile. "You really hurt yourself back there."

"I wasn't planning on it," Cassia huffed, looking down at her ring finger. It didn't appear harmed, only slight bruising beginning to surface, but there was no ignoring the intense throbbing that pulsed throughout her hand. She almost wished she hadn't done what she did, her injuries fracturing her capability to fight. Her side ached and the cut on her cheek still stung. But she knew it had been the only option at the time. She couldn't have faced that tribute without some leverage. And even then, he almost succeeded in killing her. How embarrassing.

Azalea jutted her angular chin to the cut. "I have antiseptic wipes in my pack."

Cassia's interest piqued. "How did you manage to get those?"

Azalea shrugged. "Sheer luck." She unzipped her backpack, careful to hold onto it so it didn't fall from the twenty-feet in the air where they relaxed on branches. She pulled out a white plastic package and handed Cassia one of the damp sheets.

Cassia pressed it to her cheek, warding off the stinging and gently dabbing at the cut until she was satisfied. "Thanks," she said while shoving the damp tissue into her pocket. She couldn't afford littering and a tribute tracking her.

Azalea leaned against the bark of the tree. "Aren't you going to ask me why I saved you?"

Cassia stared at her. She argued against her stubbornness that disbelieved Azalea had saved her, but she knew when to be honest with herself. If Azalea hadn't killed that tribute, she would be dead. This meant Cassia owed Azalea, and she hated that. She didn't want any ties in the arena, she didn't want anything holding her back. Yet, that all failed the moment she kissed Griffin. She was supposed to be alone on this journey and here she was kissing Careers and making alliances with strangers.

"Do you want me to?" Cassia asked.

Azalea shrugged. "Makes sense to, but either way, I figured we could both benefit from this alliance."

"Is that what this is, an alliance?" The silence between them was only broken by their even breaths, blue and brown eyes penetrating each other. Searching for any infliction of doubt.

Cassia's mind went to question what Finnick was thinking while watching them interact; whether or not she should kill Azalea and tough out the rest of the Games alone. She pictured his brow creasing and lips pulling back, calculating the degree of their alliance. She wondered if he was even watching now. Surely, he saw her almost suffocate to death. What was he thinking? Did he think she still had a chance of winning? At this rate, Cassia wasn't sure she was going to, her crooked and painful finger a sign that she wasn't making thoughtful decisions. And yet, there was something deep inside her that kept her going. A fierce ache in her chest that grew with the hunger to survive.

"It is." Azalea confirmed.

"Well then," Cassia sighed. "We better figure out what to do next." She figured the Gamemakers were satisfied with the most recent death and would wait for things to build up again before the need for blood grew once more.