THE MERCILESS SIREN | CHAPTER EIGHT
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summary: It is the 66th Hunger Games when Oceana Fontaine is reaped as tribute, and at just thirteen years old, the odds are certainly not in her favour. As much as it is seen as an honour for Oceana to represent her district in the games, it is also practically a death sentence. But Oceana knows she needs to go home and is determined to, no matter how low her chances are and with the help of her mentors, she might just do that. But if she is to win, she will have to learn where her biggest strengths start to turn into her biggest flaws and weigh her options carefully as she starts making choices that pushes her morality and the lengths she will go to for love.
tags: slow burn (finnick x oc), eventual violence, the usual stuff when it comes to the hunger games, weapons, not sure what else
I glance above me to see the Gamemakers, they’ve arrived early. There’s about twenty of them dressed in deep purple robes and are in the elevated stands that surround the entire gymnasium as they wander about to watch us, jotting down notes and eating at the banquet that has been set for them. Most of them are ignoring us but I can tell they have their eyes fixated on at least one tribute which means that they’ve most likely watched me.
I’m done practising my wrestling when it’s time for lunch. I make my way to the dining hall and find Gill sitting together with the Careers all at one table. The rest of the tributes seem to be eating alone. A part of me feels guilty for sitting with the Careers when the rest are all sitting alone but Clifford had told me to be friends and to be nice to them so when I’ve taken enough food for myself from the carts around the room, I make my way to them. “Hello.”
They smile at me and Briar makes some space for me to sit. We talk about everything under the sun except for anything remotely related to the games. We all have our cards close to our chest. Despite that, we manage to forge good friendships with one another as we learn about each other's districts and what we do in our free time. But then, I remember that in just a few days we’d be fighting against each other no matter if we’re allies or not, so it’s better to not get attached.
When we go back to training, I focus on the combat and weapons training stations once again, as requested by Finnick and Coral for the first day. I head to the sword fighting first and don’t bother to try my best with it, managing to hack off a few heads and limbs of the practise dummies before moving to the trident station.
I stare in awe at the tridents, they’re all much fancier than the ones in the Academy. I look at the practice dummies in the distance as I pick a silver one to use. Other than throwing knives, using a trident was one of my favourite things to do in the Academy and so it’s probably the one skill I’m confident with. The trident feels comfortable in my hand, almost like an extension of my arm as I throw it and hit the practice dummy square in the chest. I practise at the trident station a couple more times before moving on from it, going to the hand-to-hand combat station. I finish the majority of the stations on weapons and combat, and end the day with axe wielding.
I try to spot Gill in the herd of tributes leaving the gymnasium to go to each of their floors to debrief with their mentors but I don’t see him at all. I stand by the elevator for a couple more minutes only to see him reappear behind the racks of weights talking to Chase and Giselle. “Thanks for waiting for me,” he smiles as we enter the elevator together, exchanging goodbyes with them.
When we reach our floor, we’re greeted by the delicious smell of food and Stella who welcomes us back, ushering us to the dining table as she talks about how well she thought the first day of training had gone. We listen carefully to Clifford who praises us on managing to become friends with the rest of the Careers. The usual liveliness and chatter is present and it’s a breath of fresh air after the intense environment of the gymnasium. There’s a plate of salmon and a glass of water already set when I sit down next to Finnick, smiling at him as he smiles back.
“Great job out there, you two,” Clifford smiles, raising his glass up, “cheers, everyone.”
We clink our glasses against one another before resuming with our usual conversations before it’s time to debrief about the training day. We’re being told who had been watching us and how the other tributes are in comparison to us. It’s vague and brief, but I assume it’s because our mentors will be going into more detail with us individually. I take a seat on the leather couch, melting into it as I look at Coral who comes in last, shutting the door behind her.
We continue to discuss strategy and I’m given their comments based on what they’ve seen at the training session, alongside some advice.
“Now, about the weapons station…” Coral continues, flipping through her notes to find what she had scribbled down.
“I promise I’m way better than it looked like,” the words leave my mouth abruptly without permission. They look at me in confusion. “Well, it’s just that Clifford said not to show our full ability so I didn't really bother trying too much.”
“You’re telling me that’s half of your ability?” Coral asks, she seems surprised.
“Yes?” Now I’m confused, was she upset that I didn’t try my best? But that wouldn’t make sense because why would I want to let the other tributes know what I’m capable of. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” Finnick lets out an airy laugh, “it’s just that you hit every bullseye and every practice dummy square in the chest, Oce. Saying that’s impressive is an understatement.”
“Exactly,” Coral smiles, “well, at least we know that you’re good at weapons now…”
I’m not sure how long the debrief lasted but what I do know is that by the time we’re finished with it, I’m exhausted and ready to collapse on the bed. I don’t have any trouble sleeping unlike the previous night and wake up before dawn. The sky is still dark and I try to go back to sleep but fail, so I start getting ready for the day. A similar outfit awaits me at the front of the closet which I change into once I’ve finished showering and brushing my teeth.
I close the door gently behind me, I might as well catch the sunrise if I can’t go back to sleep. The weather today is much colder than yesterday’s, but that doesn’t bother me as I lean on the panels and watch as the night sky slowly gets replaced by hues of pink, purple and orange. At this time, the city is also slowly waking up.
“Looks like we had the same idea.”
I turn around to see Finnick. His brown hair is slightly messy and he’s dressed in a jumper with some pants. “Looks like this has become our meeting spot.”
He stands next to me and looks into the horizon. “The view you get from here is pretty,” he comments. It’s true, the only thing that can beat this view is the one you get on the Cliffs. Even the beach at sunrise or sunset isn’t as pretty as this.
“I think the only view that can beat this is the one at the Cliffs,” I smile as the cold wind blows in my face. “Gosh, I miss home.”
“What do you miss the most?” Finnick asks, looking at me over his shoulder. “Surfing? Diving?”
“Probably the more simple things,” I shrug.
“Like?” He asks.
“Like watching the sunsets on the beach, reading in my room, maybe even going to school,” I laugh. I never thought that I would be saying that I miss going to school, but I truly do miss going to school. I miss being with Aurelia, I miss surfing with Cordelia, I miss laughing at Pearl’s jokes, I miss attending classes at the Academy with Ms Bronte. I miss everything about home that I feel my heart start to ache out of sadness and longing.
Finnick sighs, “I get that.” Silence falls as we both watch the city wake up as the sun rises. The sky is now blue and clear but the weather still remains cool. I can tell he’s not sure of what to say and I don’t blame him, it must be difficult for him as well. Then I think about what might happen if I were to die in the games, how would he react? We’ve become so close in the past few days, would it affect him? I want to tell him not to get attached but I can’t seem to do that, I enjoy his company more than anything. It feels comforting. Maybe it is selfish of me to do so but I can’t help it, I like being around him.
Soon, it’s time for breakfast and we make our way to the dining table. The victors and Gill come out of their rooms one by one and Clifford gives his usual pep talk as we eat our breakfast. I get ready to go to the gymnasium as I bring my hair into a ponytail but not before I visit Coral and Finnick in the study. We go over what I need to do at today’s training session, which are mostly the survival skills and how to build things like a makeshift shelter and how to set up snares. They also make sure to tell me to go to the station where I’d learn about what is edible and what is not.
I head down to the gymnasium with Gill and have my district number pinned to my back once again. The minute all the tributes have arrived is when we’re allowed to begin going to our chosen stations and I start the day off by learning how to make snares to capture animals.
I’ve learnt how to make snares, tie a variety of knots, how to start a fire and how to make a hammock by the time it’s lunch. I sit with the tributes of District 1 and 2 like yesterday and we talk about the same topics as yesterday alongside comparing what we had eaten for breakfast. I can tell it’s hard to find a topic to talk about so most of lunch is spent just eating in silence, we’ve exhausted almost all the subjects we can talk about.
After lunch, I learn about what plants and animals are edible or not. It’s a tough list to memorise but I somehow manage to do it eventually. It’s good to be smart in the games other than being good with weapons and combat. What's the use of being able to throw a spear when you’re not able to tell the difference between a nightlock berry and some innocent blueberries? I finish the day off at the ropes course and go back to the District 4 floor with Gill.
When we get back, we eat dinner as Clifford and Stella grill us on the same things as yesterday— what tributes we should watch out for, who was watching us and nearly every moment of the day. It’s much more serious than yesterday but I figure it’s because we’re closer to the games. I debrief with Finnick and Coral before escaping into slumber.
It’s the third day of training now and I’m waiting for my turn to be called out of lunch for my private session with the Gamemakers. It starts with District 1 with first the boy tribute and then the girl tribute. I wish Giselle good luck as she leaves the table, she echoes it back and now I’m left sitting opposite of Gill. Since the opening ceremony, we haven’t talked much. There’s an awkward silence in between us and it’s broken when Gill’s name is being called. “Good luck, I’m sure you’ll get a good score.”
“Good luck to you too,” he smiles, “show them what you got.”
Soon enough, after about fifteen minutes, they call my time and it’s my turn. I retie my hair, fix my posture, take a deep breath in and walk into the gymnasium. All the Gamemakers have their eyes on me as they sip their glasses of wine. It’s time to put on a show. I follow Finnick and Coral’s advice to look confident and show off my skills with the different weapons. I approach the station with the knives and take three of them from the rack as I try to relax my body to pretend like they aren’t there. My anxiety and nerves are starting to settle in as I start to realise how important it is that this session goes right. I can feel their eyes on me but regardless, I close my eyes and pretend that I’m in the Academy. My mind goes blank as soon as I throw the first knife as it lands on the target with a loud thud. I throw the second and third one before stepping back. Thank goodness, I’ve hit bullseye.
I glance back at the Gamemakers who all seem rather unimpressed so I head to the archery station where the bows made of metals are and sling the quiver of arrows over my shoulder. I’m not sure if the Gamemakers can see me but I shoot the arrows anyway before going over to the station with the tridents and spears. I throw them at the dummies before going to the slingshot station. I’m starting to grow frustrated with myself because no matter what I do, I can’t seem to capture their attention. Still, I refrain from doing anything silly on impulse and remind myself what Gill had said and Coral’s words to me. I have to show them how capable I am– that I’m worthy of a high score.
Suddenly, an idea comes to mind. I pick out every weapon I can possibly carry before approaching the Gauntlets. It’s a difficult obstacle course; the platforms rise upon landing and I must jump from platform to platform in the quickest time possible. I take a deep breath and mutter words of encouragement to myself before taking my mark and running onto the first platform.
Platform to platform, I throw the knives at a variety of practice dummies and objects as I race through the course. I throw one last knife as I finish off the course, looking up to see the Gamemakers finally looking somewhat amazed at my skill and heave a sigh of relief. But, just as my time is up, I catch one of them laughing as they attempt to open a bottle of wine.
Are they being serious right now? I can’t help but feel angry. I had risked my own safety to try to impress them and yet they’re treating it like some kind of joke. I can’t imagine how it would be for the tributes from 12 or 7 now, if they were willing to push aside a tribute from 4, they would probably not pay attention to them at all. I try to prevent myself from throwing a knife at them so I continue showing off my skills until I’m dismissed. Taking one last glance at them, I realise that I have failed to impress them as they continue drinking their wine.
author's note: hey! thanks for reading all the way! sorry for the long wait but chapter eight is finally out! if you like this consider commenting and reblogging, it'll mean a lot to me :) as always constructive criticism is welcomed!
i keep reblogging things but guys don’t let this drown 😭🙏🏻
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