Querencia | Finnick Odair

Chapter 19

Katniss wakes up when the sun is rising. She sees the food and a small smile finds its way on her face, but then she sees that she has been scratching at her skin and washes it clean, asking Haymitch for something against it. And almost immediately a parachute settles in the sand in front of her.

"That was fast", I say and Katniss opens it, slathering her skin with some grey-green ointment.

"Looks like you are decomposing", Finnick teases but we soon join and treat our skin. The itching stops and the scabs peel off. But it still looks hideous.

"Poor Finnick. First time in your life you haven't looked pretty?", she says and I grin. Maybe the girl isn't so bad after all.

"Must be. The sensation is completely new. How have you managed all these years?", he counters and I chuckle.

"Just avoid mirrors. You get used to it."

"Not if I have to look at you all day", he says and Katniss smiles as well, truly smiles.

They wake Peeta while I crack more shells open, watching the fun from afar, but laugh non the less at Peeta's terrified expression.

A small bread loaf is the next gift we receive. It's from District four and we feast on the shells and the bread until a wave rolls down from the opposite side of the Cornucopia. I grab a bowl with water because I carry all my weapons on my body, as well as the medkit. The others gather their things too and we watch as a body is plucked from the trees.

Almost half is down, thirteen are alive. And its been only a day.

I really hope that Johanna is not the body that is now in the hovercraft, carried off to District 7 where nobody is there to mourn her. But then three figures stumble onto the beach a few meters down.

"Who is that? Or what?", Peeta asks.

"I mean, probably tributes. We look like we are decomposing, maybe they got red ointment", I say and look at them.

One is staggering and limping, the other circling around the third. The third one curses and stamps on the ground. Finnick and I exchange a look.

"Johanna!", I call out and run over, seeing that the other two are Wiress and Beetee.

I arrive and raise my eyebrows. "How did this happen?"

She just waves her hands and shoves Wiress, who is mumbling something, to the ground.

"Hey! Lay off her!", Katniss calls out. I see Johanna's expression and step back.

She slaps Katniss and is then carried off into the water by Finnick, cursing all the way through.

Katniss then turns to help Wiress clean up, while Peeta and I carry Beeta to our camp.

"We need to wash him and then look at his wound. It might need stitching and definitely needs to be bound."

He nods and we lay him into the shallow water, his jumpsuit is glued to him and his wound. We need some time to get it off him and soak his undergarment as well.

The sunroof now serves as a mat on which we place the man. The cut is long and has different depths. At his ribs, it's deeper than around his lower body. He lost a lot of blood.

I remember the times I helped Macie and Aiden.

"Okay. I will clean and sterilize it. He needs something to bite on."
Peeta hands me his purple belt and I put it between Beetees teeth, then take out the sterilizer from the medkit, sterilize my hands and then dab his wound with a gauze pad. And of course, it burns and hurts and he groans.

After I take out the needle with the thread and start stitching. Like I did it with Macie. It is a lot harder, but it works.

I don't have a balm to put on it. The Aloe Vera balm was helping Aiden, so maybe if it grows here I can use it.

"Peeta. Take watch for a second, keep him still. I need to look if a plant grows here."
He only nods as I walk into the jungle, looking around on the ground for the hard spiky plant. And it takes time. But then at a clearing, I find a bundle of them, growing on harder, not moss-covered ground. I cut a few and hurry back, where Beetee is still lying on his stomach.

"Got what you were looking for?", Peeta asks and I nod, pressing the gel-like substance out of the plants and onto Beetees' back, where it is supposed to calm the irritated skin. Then I place clean gauze pads on his back and use the tape to secure it on his skin.

The others join us and Johanna eats. She looks at me questioningly and then around. I nod slowly, confirming her suspicion that Mags is in fact dead.

We then decide to rest for a bit and Katniss and Johanna take watch while we lie down to sleep and rest. I even take off my katana and curl up to Finnick, who pulls me close, despite our disgusting skin. His head rests next to mine and I close my eyes.

I don't fall asleep instantly, remain awake enough to listen to their conversation.

Johanna asking about Mags, Katniss explaining that I had to carry her and couldn't take them both. Johanna asks if she has thanked me for saving her ass instead of saving Mags. Katniss mumbles a no. And then asks Johanna a question.

"So, these two...do they, you know?"

"Do they what?", she almost hisses.

"Do they love each other?"

My friend chuckles. "How blind are you girl on fire? Just look at them. And if you feel bad now, please do. Because they actually love each other."

I sigh and cuddle further towards Finnick and then finally fall asleep.

At first, my dreams are of District 9, the wheatfields, my old house, me working on the fields, the sun beating down on me. But then they transform into something different, the sun is no longer golden, it is white, the sky almost pink. My body is in pain and then I am running through the jungle away from a danger I don't see. I then stumble over something and roll down a hill before stopping. My heart is beating rapidly and I look up. And see Finnick. Bleeding from his chest. With no pulse. I scream. And then I wake up. My breathing ragged and fast, my body covered in sweat.

"Hey, hey. Shhh. Everything is fine", I hear Finnick's voice soothing me and I throw my arms around him.

"You...You...Oh, God. You were dead", I whisper and cling to him.

"Not yet shortcake, not yet", he whispers back.

Only after a few minutes I loosen my grip on him and let him lay me back down. "Rest my darling. Everything will be fine", he calms me and presses a kiss to my temple.

My new found sleep doesn't last long because Katniss urges us all to leave. Something about the arena being a clock. And it makes sense. Why the fog stopped, why the wave stayed within the one segment. We all decide it is best to move, except Johanna who disagrees simply because it is Katniss idea

"Johanna", I say firmly and she rolls her eyes.

"Okay, okay."
We pack up and Peeta tries to lift Beetee, who seems to be getting better. But the man protests, talking about wire and I remember the spool we had to remove from his belt to undress him. On that note. I help him redress and take the wire that is still lying in the sand.

"I got your wire Beetee. Now hop on", I say and turn to Katniss.

"Where to firegirl?"

But Finnick speaks up instead.

"I'd like to go to the Cornucopia. Just to check the clock theory and reload on weapons."