Fall Away

I paused, staying on the platform while I gauged Cashmere's swimming. She was slow, struggling to keep her head above the rough waves. It was hardly a surprise; few people in District 1 learned how to swim. Though there were a few lakeside beaches, they were few and far between, leaving with little need to learn to even stay afloat. Besides, it was the luxury goods manufacturing District -- their jobs didn't lead them anywhere near water, not like in District 4.
Once I was confident that she couldn't catch me, I dove in, moving my arms as fast as I could and kicking with all my might. There was a strong current underwater, and I wouldn't have put it past President Snow to put some kind of shark-related muttations in the water. I could hear Cashmere's desperate splashing paddles grow further and further away as I swam forward, finally reaching one of the long lines of rock leading to the Cornucopia, and I heaved myself onto it, scrambling to my feet. Most people were still trying to swim over -- it looked as though a few tributes might simply drown before ever getting to see the bloodbath.
Katniss was one of the first people to reach the Cornucopia, and I saw Finnick run up next. I took off at full-speed, doing my best not to slip on the thick patches of moss covering the rocky path. I needed to get the knives; if I didn't have those, I was hopeless. I could see other tributes starting to climb onto the rocky paths, pushing my legs to move faster, and just as I reached the edge of the Cornucopia I felt an arrow whiz past my head. I froze, glancing up to see Katniss holding the bow and arrow with her eyes trained on me.
"Behind," she said, and I looked over my shoulder to see Brutus dive into the water, barely avoiding Katniss's shot. I shivered, realizing how close he'd been to attacking me.
"Thanks," I said with a curt nod, scrambling into the Cornucopia. So far, it was just Katniss and I, and I briefly wondered where Finnick had gone to before I spotted them; the knives. I grabbed one of the shoulder packs and pulled the zipper open, filling the bag with as many sheaths as I could get my hands on and casting a glance over my shoulder every few seconds to make sure the coast was clear -- and, though I was ashamed to admit it, to make sure Katniss hadn't changed her mind and decided to plant her next arrow in my back.
When I was satisfied I'd gotten all the knives I could manage, I grabbed a few of the simple spears and hunched down by the mouth of the Cornucopia, helping Katniss guard the supplies. The man from 9 was coming up along the rock beside Katniss, only about 20 feet away, and I launched into action, throwing the spear and planting it in his shoulder. Not a lethal hit, but I was proud just the same -- it would make it damn hard for him to swim to the beach after the bloodbath was over, and there was no way he could survive here without any water.
Someone came up behind us both, and though Katniss and I turned at the same time, her instincts proved faster than mine; she had an arrow ready to fly in seconds. I glanced up to see who it was, and froze. Finnick.
"Good thing we're allies, right?" Finnick said with a half-smile, raising his arm and showing her some kind of gold bangle.
I cast a careful glance up at Katniss, watching her expression. Neither Finnick nor Katniss had noticed me there, and I weighed the decision heavily in my head in case this all went south. I had to protect Finnick, of course -- he was my friend; but Katniss was pregnant, and after Peeta had been the only tribute to show me any kindness this year, could I really plant a spear in her chest and ruin his family?
Katniss finally spoke, not lowering her poised arrow. "Where did you get that?"
"Where do you think?" Finnick challenged, his confident smile only growing wider. "Duck," he said suddenly.
And, despite her obvious doubts, Katniss did. I scrambled backwards, slamming my back against the side of the Cornucopia as I noticed the man from 5 rush towards us, and with killer precision Finnick grabbed his trident and flew it forward, sinking deep into the man's chest and knocking him to the ground -- a quick kill.
"Don't trust 1 and 2," Finnick said as a cannon roared loud through the arena. His eyes fell on me, and for a second I got to see his full expression -- the Finnick who fought in the arena, who killed on impulse, who was just as he'd been described: dangerous. Then, something in his expression softened, and even though he still wasn't quite the Finnick I knew, he was closer. "Winnie, you stay here and help Katniss. I'll take this side, you two stay and hold them off. I'll go find Peeta."
Katniss turned, eyes wide as she realized I had been hiding behind her the whole time, before she nodded. I noticed a figure moving quickly towards us over the paths of rock, and realized it was Enobaria. I flung a spear at her as precise as I could, but she was too far; she turned and dove into the water before the spear had a chance to even graze her.
"He's over here!" Finnick called, and just like that, Katniss was off, not sparing another thought to watch her back in her desperation to reach Peeta. I stayed a few moments longer, making sure the coast was clear and that no one followed us.
"Where is she?" I heard Finnick demand as soon as Katniss had reached the other side of the Cornucopia.
I opened my mouth to tell him I was okay, but the man from 8 heaved himself out of the water right at the edge of the rock surrounding the Cornucopia, less than a foot away from me, and his hand shot out, wrapping his fingers around my ankle and tugging me towards him. A scream escaped my lips, and I fumbled for the nearest spear, slamming it forwards and through his skull, right in the middle of his forehead. A loud cannon sounded through the arena as his body slumped back underwater.
"Winnie!" Finnick cried, and in an instant he was back on my side of the Cornucopia, running to my side. Even though I turned my head to look at him he still scooped me up from where I was lying on the rock, pressing his fingers deep into the side of my neck to check my pulse.
"I'm alive, I'm okay!" I assured him, and suddenly his fingers disappeared from my neck as he took my face in his hands, inspecting me for signs of harm.
"I...you weren't with Katniss, and I heard your scream, and then a cannon..." he breathed, before he remembered where we were. He straightened up, pulling me up along with him, and led me around back to Katniss without another word.
I saw Katniss standing on the edge of the rock, watching two tributes fight in the water. No, not just two tributes -- one of them was Peeta. The tribute he was fighting landed a good punch to Peeta's jaw, and Peeta kicked him away, turning to swim towards the nearest pedestal. He had just started to climb back onto it when the tribute returned, wrapping his arms around Peeta's waist and pulling him back into the water.
"Peeta!" Katniss screamed, pulling an arrow at the ready, but she knew it was no good. Her arrows were useless when the target was underwater, and the pedestal was in the way of a clear shot.
Finnick dove into the water, swimming towards Peeta, but before he could reach him the tribute grabbed hold of Peeta's shoulders, trying to use him to stay afloat, but instead they both sank deep into the water. A long moment passed without any sign of movement, and I could feel Katniss's panic growing as she stood next to me, helpless. Finnick swam around where they had both disappeared, trying to find any sign that they were rising back to the surface, but a sudden cannon blast made my stomach sink.
Several long seconds passed, and I was just about to start expecting the second cannon when a limp body rose to the surface; then, just a moment after, the other popped up to the water's surface, gasping for air. He turned to face us, and I could feel all three of us feel the relief in harmony -- Peeta.
Finnick swam to Peeta's side, wrapping one arm around him and towing him back to the rocks as Katniss stowed her arrow. I glanced around, trying to figure out where the other tributes were. Most of them had already fled to the beach and were disappearing into the jungle, but I saw a few people picking through the weapons stash inside the Cornucopia. My heart sank as I realized the Careers had found their weapons source -- and there, dead centre, was Adri; brandishing a machete with a filled burlap sack clutched in his other hand. I had no doubt he, like me, had filled the sack with more blades.
Adri glanced over at me then, meeting my gaze, and for a second I hoped, however foolishly, that he'd call out to me and run to my side, sticking with me like we'd originally planned. But as soon as he noticed me he looked away again, leaned over to whisper something in Cashmere's ears before they both turned back to the weapons display, evidently in no rush to leave.
"We need to hit the beach before the Careers finish collecting their weapons. Once they've got their supply, they'll come for us," Finnick said as he pulled himself back up onto the rock.
Katniss nodded, though she eyed Finnick warily as she pulled Peeta over the path to the shore, like she still didn't trust Finnick to fling a trident her way as soon as her back was turned.
"You coming?" Finnick asked, noting the way I kept casting quick glances over towards Adri.
I paused, sparing one last glance at him, knowing this might be the last time I ever saw him, before nodding and turning away. "Let's go."