Fall Away

I somehow managed to get back to my room, though my knees were shaking so much that I could barely keep myself upright. As soon as I walked through the door, I was practically attacked by Adri.

"What happened? Are you okay? What did he say? Can I get you anything?" He asked, wrapping me in a bone-crushing hug and lifting me off the floor as he bombarded me with questions.

"Can't...breathe." I squeaked, though I wasn't sure if he was crushing my lungs or if I was still shaken up from the conversation with President Snow.

"Down, boy." Finnick drawled sarcastically, rolling his eyes. I peered over Adri's shoulders to see him lounging on the sofa easily.

I ignored Finnick, forcing back the urge to tell him to shut up before he caused some sort of scene. I wasn't sure I could handle babysitting the two of them while trying to think through everything President Snow had said. "I didn't know we were allowed in other tributes' rooms." I murmured.

"We're not. I snuck over." Adri said with an easy shrug.

All I could think about was President Snow's reaction if he knew Adri had broken the rules, and my stomach twisted. I wanted to smack Adri and call him an idiot, but the nausea overcame me. I ran to the bathroom, barely making it before I hunched over in front of the toilet and vomited.

Finnick and Adri both yelled out something, but I couldn't hear them. My ears felt like they were plugging, and my vision started to sparkle. I felt hands rubbing my shoulders and pulling my hair back, but I could do little more than vomit.

By the time my stomach settled and the retching stopped, Finnick had gotten me a glass of water and was slicking toothpaste on my toothbrush while Adri watched me like a hawk.

"What's wrong?" Adri murmured. "Did something happen?"

Finnick scoffed, and I heard him start to make a sarcastic remark. I whipped my head up to glare at him, and he reluctantly shut his mouth.

"I found out why we're here," I explained, gently shifting back into a sitting position, careful not to make any sudden movements in case I triggered another round of nausea. "He didn't know that I couldn't have kids. He thought we intentionally defied him."

Finnick's brow furrowed. "You...you can't have kids?"

I shook my head. "When Ingrid stabbed me, it damaged some...vital parts." I said, trying to avoid naming anything specifically. It was childish, but I was always embarrassed when naming reproductive organs.

He nodded, but his eyes remained distant and thoughtful.

Adri took advantage of the silence. "You should get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a long day, and we can't afford to look weak in front of the other tributes."

I grimaced, though I knew he was right. I went to stand up, but Adri quickly scooped me up before I could even try to get on my feet. "I can walk," I muttered.

Adri raised an eyebrow. "Oh, my dear wife, you're ever so welcome for the help." He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

I crinkled my nose and made an annoyed expression in protest, but I didn't say anything more. I just wanted to crawl into bed and wake up back home in District 1 with Adri by my side. I just wanted to forget that today had ever happened.

As soon as I stepped into the training arena the next morning, I knew I was in for a long day. Everyone in the arena was displaying masterful expertise with various weapons, never landing outside the outer rings of a bulls-eye. There was pure fiery determination in all of their eyes, like nothing else existed in the world apart from the targets and the weapons.

Of course people would be expecting me to head straight to the knife station, but I knew that I couldn't just conform to expectations. Instead, I grabbed a spot in the line for hand-to-hand combat, watching the instructor as he practiced with the girl from District 2. I quickly grew tired of watching them, and seeing as there were several people in line in front of me, I took the time to scope out the arena. Finnick and Adri still hadn't arrived yet, but they still had plenty of time before they were required to show up. Besides, it was important that I proved to everyone that I didn't need Adri by my side for everything.

"Okay, the line is getting a little too long. Everyone break up into pairs, and we'll do a group instruction." The trainer suddenly said, and my stomach dropped. Did he honestly think that was a good idea? Tributes 'practicing' their fighting on each other? I was pretty sure that tributes weren't allowed to fight against other tributes before the Games, but I also knew that the Capitol wanted to raise the stakes this year. If they could get some tributes to establish grudges before entering the arena, it would make for a much more interesting Game.

I looked around me in search of a partner, but everyone seemed to have already paired up -- most people paired with the other tribute from their District. "I can wait. I'll just head over and work with the machetes for now," I murmured to the trainer.

I was just about to turn away when I heard someone coo from behind me, "No need. I'll be more than happy to spar with you, 4."