Timeframe: August, Year 108. District Four. The Blue Residence.
“Kai, c’mon! You never tap out this early and Cordelia’s shrimp-on-a-stick is ready. Get your ass in gear!”
Finn, Marshall, and Fjord were drunk out of their minds and likely about to get Finn’s parents out of their beds with threats to kick all of them out. All they cared about was celebrating that one of their friends wasn’t dead, not even close. Instead, he was their district’s newest celebrity and, in the words of Marshall, “he had to be treated like it.” All Kai wanted to do was head to “his” part of the beach where his friends technically couldn’t follow without an invitation. Instead, he was stuck sitting on one of the Blue’s uncomfortable benches at near midnight on a Tuesday.
While his friends partied outside and ate more than they should, Kai excused himself into Finn’s kitchen. Dehydrated out of his mind, he chugged a glass of water and then another before taking a break. It wasn’t like he’d be asleep at home anyways. Their faces, all their faces, kept him awake most of the night. He hadn’t slept well since the night before the Games. This is exactly where he would be if he was at home, only with nicer countertops and water that didn’t taste like it was from the ocean.
The wooden floor creaked and gave away a spy peering around the corner. Her big, red hair would’ve given her away had it not been for the obvious tiptoeing.
“Delta? Shouldn’t you be asleep, girl? Your parents are going to flip their lids if they find out you’re awake.”
“No they won’t.” The three-year-old apparently had a limited vocabulary, but most of it was demanding and sassy, according to Finn anyway. “What are you doing?”
“Your brother and all of our friends are being big idiots. I’m waiting for them to crash so I can go home.”
Delta didn’t respond, but she did come into the light of the kitchen. She wore a nightgown not unlike most of the little girls in Four who dreamt of being a mermaid. She didn’t seem the type and it didn’t suit her, but he couldn’t blame her parents for buying it. Even if it clashed with her personality, she still looked cute in it.
“Do you want some water?” he offered, which resulted in her nodding. Her poured more and even though he pitied her for thinking it was any good, handed it to her. “Don’t spill it or we’ll both be in trouble.”
“I’m not,” she whispered. Something told him it wasn’t her first time sneaking into the kitchen at such a late hour. She was always around when he and Finn hung out, often times trying to tag along wherever they went. Kai didn’t mind at all, but Finn outright refused and it was often a topic of argument with his parents. Kai wished he had siblings.
“You don’t come to our house anymore,” she suddenly spoke up, mouth still moist with the water she definitely leaked onto her dress.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been a little busy. I can start coming over more if you want me to? So you can hang out with me and your brother?”
Delta’s eyes grew bright and she nodded with excitement. Kai knew Finn would be pissed, but it didn’t matter. Kai needed more people around like Delta, ones who didn’t worship the ground he walked on for being a murderer.
“I saw you on t.v.” she spoke again, sending fear into his heart.
“Oh yah? That was just for something dumb. You shouldn’t watch it, you’ll think it’s super boring.”
The young girl giggled, though quickly transitioned into a unmistakable yawn that said she was struggling to keep her eyes open. She tugged at her dress and keep moving her feet from side-to-side. Kai went to grab her hand and led her into her bedroom down the hall. Careful not to wake her parents in the next room, he lifted her blanket as she crawled in and let it fall to cover her.
“Sleep tight, Delta, don’t let the sharks bite. And don’t tell your brother we’re friends. He’ll be jealous.” The young girl used to head to seal the promise and gently closed her eyes as she fell back asleep.
Kai watched as Everett walked Delta’s once lively body to the water. He wept silently, tears staining his face. All his efforts hadn’t been enough to save her. Nothing could have saved her. Not even if he had been right there alongside her. As she floated in the open ocean, Kai didn’t think of how Finn would take it or how District 4 would collectively mourn the death of one of their children.
Instead, Kai remembered the young girl as the one never too many steps behind. The girl that would incite her brother’s rage and get him into trouble for yelling at her. The girl with the water spilled all over her dress and the floor after promising not to. She never listened, but that’s who she was.
He then hoped Everett’s method of tucking her in to sleep was as good as his had been all those years before.
