09

BLOODBATH

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At first, it was just a bright, white light that blinded her eyes until she managed to focus on the land around her. The podiums were separated out with two per sector around the cornucopia which was situated on a large, jagged rock in the centre. She looked below her to see the podiums were poking out of the water and she would either have to swim to the cornucopia or swim to the rocks at the side and run. Either way, she was getting that sword if her life depended on it.

"Let the 75th Hunger Games begin. May the odds be ever in your favour."

Evelyn felt her eyes zoom in on the mouth of the cornucopia to hunt for the sword that she knew Snow would have provided for her, she felt relieved when she found it amongst the blades and axes.

"10, 9, 8, 7..."

Next Evelyn searched for Finnick, looking all around for his golden hair and blue eyes. Hoping that he was close by, she also knew that he had the advantage of being the best swimmer in the arena.

"6, 5, 4..."

And she caught the eyes of Enobaria who she shared her sector with, she grinned to reveal her sharpened fangs that she could easily kill with. Fangs that she had killed with.

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Evelyn thought back to the 68th Hunger Games just as the countdown was about to finish. There were three seconds remaining, the twins from District 7 shared a teary smile between them and jumped off their platforms and onto the fresh snow.

Both of their bodies exploding upon impact due to them stepping off to soon.

Deep down Evelyn knew that they had planned that, they couldn't bear the thought of one of them having to die and only one colour survive and that they had no power over who. So they did the only thing they thought they could have, they both ended their own lives.

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"3, 2, 1."

Without hesitation, Evelyn broke the surface of the water after filling her lungs with enough air to keep her underwater for as long as she could. As soon as she saw the rough edges of the rocks she pulled herself up, running to the cornucopia to make sure that she got her weapon before anyone else.

That sword may as well have her name on it.

Upon arrival she noticed that Katniss had just beat her by a split second, raising an arrow to her face. Evelyn held up her hand to reveal the golden ring on her finger. Finnick arrived next, not surprised to see them both looting the cornucopia. He also showed her a golden bracelet on his wrist that Haymitch had given him.

"Good thing we're allies, right?" he spoke up with a small grin.

"Where did you get that, both of you?" she asked, switching between the two tributes. But Evelyn was too busy suiting up. She grasped a series of throwing daggers and their sheath and wrapped them around her thigh before looking up, still panting from the swimming and running.

Evelyn glared at her before replying. "Where do you think? Haymitch," her eyes widened, "Finn, duck!"

She waited for Finnick to move out of the way before throwing one of the daggers at the District 5 male. The dagger found home; hitting him in the throat and watching his body wall backwards with a lifeless thud. The boom of the cannon sounded through the arena for the first time. She turned and strapped a machete to her other thigh in case anyone needed it.

"Don't trust one or two," Evelyn informed before retrieving the dagger from her victim's throat and wiping the blood off, realising that she had just killed someone.

"We'll take this side and you hold them off," Finnick ordered Katniss, implying that he and Evelyn should be a team. Evelyn found it stupid that Katniss agreed to it so quickly, "We'll find Peeta."

On the other side of the cornucopia, they two tributes could see Mags wildly pointing at Peeta and another tribute still fighting in the water, "Go and get Katniss!"

Evelyn ran down the rock isle between the water to Mags as Finnick and Evelyn were soon to join them. Upon arrival, Finnick noticed that Mags held Evelyn's sword as she jumped in to save the District 12 boy from his certain death.

A cannon sounded.

"Evie!" he called out as he joined her in the water, hoping that it hadn't been her who had died. He couldn't handle it if it was her.

But Evelyn had something else on her mind, she had jumped in to save Peeta. She had tried to grab his attacker by the throat and slit it with a dagger than had gripped in her hand ready, but as soon as she took a foot to the gut and she inhaled out of habit. Memories from seven years ago resurfaced before she could.

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The District 4 female, Lou, had smashed the ice using Evelyn's sword and tackled her, both of them falling into the depths of the freezing water that made them both want to scream and call for help. Yet Evelyn managed to grip onto the eighteen-year-olds neck with both hands and push her downwards whilst Lou kicked and thrashed below her, doing anything in her power to live.

The District 4 tribute also gripped Evelyn, taking a handful of her knotted hair in her hand and pulling it harshly back to try and get her to let go of her throat. But Evelyn had not let go, not once. And she had no plan to.

So when the cannon boomed and only she escaped the ice, she was proud. Victorious.

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Evelyn felt a pair of arms wrap around her body and pull her to the surface, gasping for air and coughing the water from her lungs. Eve climbed onto the rocks with Katniss's help; Finnick and Peeta right behind her. The five tributes began running into the tropical forest behind the cornucopia with Mags on Finnick's back.

"Hold up, hold up," Finnick repeated to slow down the group so they could all stop and catch their breath. Evelyn turned to Peeta and passed him the machete that she had strapped to her other thigh.

"Thanks," he muttered before wiping sweat from his head, "God, it's hot. We've gotta find freshwater."

Three consecutive cannons boomed above them. Evelyn couldn't help but let her mind shift through each of the tributes. She hoped that it wasn't Wiress or Beetee. They only wanted to survive. She also hoped that it wasn't Johanna, she would hate for her brother to have to watch her die. Johanna just needed a chance to redeem herself.

"I guess we aren't holding hands anymore," Finnick remarked with a laugh, earning glares from everyone else.

"You think that's funny?" Katniss asked.

"Every time that cannon goes off its music to my ears, I don't care about any of them."

"Good to hear," she replied with a disgusted tone in her voice.

"Do you want to face the career pack alone?" he asked back. Teasing her. Tormenting her. "What would Haymitch think?"

"Haymitch isn't here."

Peeta and Evelyn shared a glance. "Let's keep moving," Evelyn stood up and helped Mags to her feet and on to Finnick's back so they could continue their journey through the forest in the heat.

It was a while before they started to slow down due to exhaustion, Evelyn had fallen behind Peeta as he cut the vines from above them so they had a clearer path to walk through. That was until Katniss shouted at them, "Peeta!"

He thrashed the machete down one more time and hit an invisible barrier that exploded with sparks in front of him. The force from the blast sent him flying back, knocking the group of tributes behind him to the ground.

Evelyn felt her head sting with pain as she rolled onto her back with a wince, her ears ringing due to harsh contact with the dirt. She felt Mags take her head in her soft hands and check her over quickly before she sat up to see Finnick performing CPR on Peeta's unconscious body that smoked from his clothing.

Evelyn held her breath and waited for him to finally take his own, wanting Peeta to be alive. And when he finally took that breath, she smiled weakly. Evelyn stood, patting Finnick on the back, making him look up at her and his eyes widen at her ripped stitches on her face.

"Your cheek-"

"I'm fine, I really am. So is Peeta, thanks to you," she smiled.

She helped Finnick stand just in time to watch Peeta and Katniss kiss passionately before them both stood up themselves, "We should keep moving and stay away from the force-fields. We could bounce-" she looked on the floor and picked up a handful of stones and chucked one at the glimmer, making it bounce off with an electronic noise "-Stones off them so we don't run into them again."

"Good idea," Finnick replied before placing Mags on his back once more and they set off walking again.

"Guys, we should stop here," Katniss said after a while, "I can climb up the tree and see where we are."

"I think we could all use a break anyway," Evelyn muttered before sitting down next to Peeta whilst Katniss climbed the tree to the very top. The rest of them were left on the ground. Sweat dripped down their necks and the air was stiff to breath.

She felt Finnick grip her knee before plopping down next to her with a soft groan. "I never had time back in the Capitol, but the video you gave me, of Aeliana, I couldn't thank you enough. After six years I finally got to see my daughter," he smiled brightly and he considered resting his head on her shoulder, "You're right, she does have a devilish grin and sparks in her eyes."

"She didn't get that from me," Evelyn replied softly, her brows raising ever so slightly. "You would love her personality too. She is cheeky but respectful, feisty but calm and just overall talented. She learned to play the piano and it's all she will do, if she isn't playing music she is reading books. Or drawing. Or helping Bailee in the gardens."

"Does she ever ask about me, about the letters?"

"She hasn't seen the letters, she is too young to read them and understand what they mean. The day of the reaping I wrote her my own letter, about you, about us, and left them with every single letter that you sent since you started sending them to her," she played with the ring on her finger. His eyes fell on the golden ring.

Evelyn and Finnick hadn't fallen in love instantly. It took months of endless flirting, ridiculous bouquets of flowers and him waiting around every corner in the Capitol for her to even accept an invitation to dinner. But when she did fall... she fell deep and much harder.

But the 68th games were also waiting around every corner. Each time she closed her eyes, took a breath or blinked, she was plunged back into the frozen tundra of the games. Eve became too paranoid and cautious, practically pushing Finnick from her life and isolation herself from everyone and everything around her. It was her biggest regret in life. She lost years of time with him at her side, years she would never get back.

"But yes, she does ask about you all the time," Evelyn answered simply and stood up when Katniss came down from the tree.

"The forcefield, its a dome. We are at the edge of the arena, I couldn't find any signs of freshwater," she pushed her hair back and took a few deep breaths.

"It's going to get dark soon," Evelyn added to the conversation.

"We will be safer with our backs protected, we should set up camp here and take turns sleeping," Finnick replied from the floor whilst Evelyn helped Mags get comfortable.

"I can take first watch if you want," Evelyn shrugged off, "I don't think I can sleep anyway."

Katniss just shook her head, "Not a chance."

"Katniss, my love, if I wanted you dead, you would be dead by now. I didn't jump in to save your husband back there just to kill him later on. If you want to take the first watch, take it. I honestly don't care," Evelyn laughed before stepping off to the side to be alone to sharpen her sword in peace.

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love my girl