You Asked For This - Finnick Odair

To Kill or Not To Kill

"The world either breaks or hardens the heart."
— Nicolas Chamfort

...

Cora lovingly rolled her eyes and smiled at Finnick. Then, her eyes caught sight of Beetee. He was flailing around in the waves, but managing to keep his head above water. It had to be the belt keeping him afloat because Cora could clearly see that Beetee couldn't swim.

"Finn," she said, gesturing her head to the struggling man. "The belts are flotation devices."

He looked at Beetee and realization dawned on his golden face. "Good catch," he said to her before turning to Katniss and Peeta. "Look, she's right. Someone figured it out."

The District 12 couple also turned to look at Beetee.

"We won't drown?" Peeta asked.

"You'll have to propel yourself, but yeah, they'll keep you from drowning," Cora confirmed.

The four geared up and ran away from the Cornucopia, towards the jungle surrounding them. The beach was full of sand, but the tree line wasn't too far from the shore. The trees had smooth trunks and few branches. Cora and Finnick didn't have places like this back in 4, only the occasional palm trees.

The earth underfoot was very black and spongy with lots of tangled vines and colorful blossoms, making it incredibly hard to keep a steady footing. The sun was hot and bright and the air's heavy with moisture. It was more humid than even District 4.

Peeta led the way, cutting though patches of vegetation with a long knife Katniss had given him. Katniss made Finnick and Cora go next. This was partly because she didn't fully trust them, but it was also because her bow and arrows were better suited to the jungle than Finnick's trident (and even Cora's knives).

The group climbed the steep incline rapidly for about a mile before they finally stopped to rest, all of them breathing heavily. It was more so for Katniss and Peeta's sakes that they rested. Finnick and Cora always had to be working out in order to stay in shape for their patrons, so they could've gone for at least another mile. But Katniss and Peeta, even with the recent intense training, needed to not over-exert themselves.

It also helped Katniss play the role of being pregnant. Cora and Finnick could tell that the seventeen-year-old girl wasn't carrying a baby, but they had to keep the act up (especially if they wanted sponsors).

The foliage hid the Cornucopia and stretches of land from sight, so Katniss climbed up a tree to get a better view of where they were.

While Katniss was up in the tree, Cora and Finnick shared a look. The girl didn't trust them at all, despite Haymitch's bangle. It only made sense that she might try and kill the two of them now, while they weren't serious threats. Preemptive self-defense.

It was no shock that Katniss didn't like Finnick, even if she was okay with Cora. But, if she wanted to kill Finnick, she'd have to kill Cora too. Finnick's presence made all of Katniss's trust for Cora evaporate into the humid air. She'd likely try to kill both of them and just get it over with.

"You keep an eye on her," Cora whispered in Finnick's ear. "I'm going to go check on Peeta."

The man nodded and casually held his trident in a defensive position, waiting for the Girl On Fire to come back down. Cora got up and went to sit next to Peeta, her knives secured to her body with the help of her belt and some cleverly tied netting (thanks to Finnick).

"Worn out?" she said with a smile as she sat down next to the blonde teenager.

"A little," he answered with a breathy voice. "You?"