Hidden Below

Chapter 19: Peace

As my eyes fluttered open, I watched as the tarped roof of my hut got closer. Squinting my eyes, I braced for impact, slow to notice the pair of strong arms wrapped around me. As I reopened my eyes, I shoved him against the shoulder in frustration, careful not to jostle him too much as he held me in his arms. He had lifted – flung me up – from the comfort of my warm bed.

I watched as his face wrinkled, revealing his unabashed joy. Those golden curls bounced in time with his laughter.

"Rise and shine, Kelp." He managed through the fit, bouncing slightly to readjust his grip.

"Finn," I groaned, pursing my lips to avoid releasing the grin that threatened my features.

"Hold on." He suggested, revealing a mischievous smile. My hands instinctively gripped the fabric that rested on his shoulders. He impossibly grinned wider at my reaction, setting off to a sprint out of my room with me in tow.

"Finn!" I scolded before burying my face into his shoulder.

I listened as the sound of laughter grew, my parent's distinctive voices filling the space of the small hut. "Good morning, Finnick." Sabrina chimed through a giggle. "Drop her and I will drop you, understand?" The threat didn't hold the venom it should have. Confidence bled into her tone that it would never come to fruition.

I felt Finnick's chest rise and fall as his voice carried. I couldn't hold back the fit of laughter it birthed, my restraint lost.

"You awake, Kelp?" He asked, pulling back slightly to read my face.

I gave him a playful glare, granting him the answer he required.

"Set me down," I requested, placing my palms flat against his chest. Reluctantly, he complied, placing a firm grip underneath my arms as he waited for my feet to hit the ground.

Once I was on the floor, I spun to find my parents as their faces faded from glee to caution. As if at any moment I would disappear once again.

"Hey." Such an insignificant greeting, and yet it was all I could manage. I hadn't spoken with them since I learned the truth of our situation – our voluntary family. I had so many questions for them, and not sure I wanted a single one of them answered. It would be so much easier to fade into the gentle bliss of voluntary ignorance.

"Kelsey. We gave you that name." Sabrina offered. They knew that Tham had told me. Nausea swirled in my gut as I fought my body's inner turmoil in deciding between fight or flight. "You were our child as much as you were theirs. We love you as our own, Kelsey."

I started when Finn placed a hand at the small of my back for support, filling my desire for comfort. "Do you know what they named me? Before they..." I trailed off, wishing I had never continued the thought in the first place.

"Marina." She revealed, her eyes softening at the confession.

"Do you know anything about them?" I felt Finnick trailing the pads of his fingers down the sensitive side of my wrist, drawing a line to my palm. He was ever-so-gentle as he laced his fingers with mine, entrapping my hand in his.

"I think that is a conversation better had when I am off hunting," I spun, looking at him in disbelief, only then noticing the delicate awareness that rested upon his features. "and after you have woken up a bit." He finished.

I looked down at my feet in contemplation before nodding. The sense of relief in the room at my decision was practically tangible. As if the hut itself released a deep breath. I turned to face my parents, feeding the urge to lock them in an embrace. To my surprise, I found them both in front of me before they pulled me in. The warmth of their collective touch filled my soul, so relieving that I didn't dare fight to suppress the tear that had begun its trail down my cheek.