CHAPTER 29
PLAYING IT UP

MAGS assured Finnick she was hydrated as she sucked down the third serving he brought over for her. Bex watched him care for the elder Victor with keen eyes, taking in the way he helped her fall back to sleep. He crafted a pillow made from leaves just for her. Mags was out in minutes, laying delicately against a rock.

Katniss and Peeta drank as much water as they could before the Girl on Fire warned them they should be saving the spile for future endeavors. Finnick whispered, "Wait," as Katniss' hand was on the hilt of the spile. He plucked another large leaf and cupped a hand around it, filling it with water. Katniss yanked the spile out after, hiding it in one of the sleeves of her wet suit.

Bex assumed Finnick was going to gulp down the last of the water, but then he was sprinting over to her, careful not to spill. Her brow furrowed. He sat down in front of her, crossing his legs on the rock, and dipped his fingers in the water. He began to wash the thin streaks of blood and grime still stained to her cheeks. His hands were slightly dirty and there was dirt underneath his fingernails, but Bex allowed him to touch her as if he knew what he was doing.

Finnick avoided her eyes, but her stare lingered on his face for a long time. The wrinkles lining his eyes were deep from lack of sleep, and sweat gathered at his hairline, slowly dripping down the sides of his face. It was then, submerging herself back into his sea-green irises, that Bex remembered how easy it had been to like him when he visited Seven. And when she nearly kissed him. Twice. It had been almost too easy.

Bex Nassar certainly wasn't the first girl to be charmed by Finnick Odair. She just wondered if the butterflies in her stomach would ever fade.

They decided to use the last couple of hours of darkness to sleep. Despite the bags under her eyes getting heavier and heavier, Katniss took second watch with Peeta. With their backs slumped against a tree, Finnick curled his arms around Bex and allowed her to rest her head in the crook of his neck. She could tell that he was really playing up the relationship act, and frankly, she was too tired to object. She fell asleep to the rhythm of his heartbeat, to the scent of saltwater on his skin, and she wondered how this would feel every night in the comfort of her own bed.

A blaring alarm woke them up not even an hour later.

The tributes sat up, startled, as a high-pitched gong sound reverberated across the arena. They looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from, if it was a weapon. But nothing happened. It was just an alarm ... or a warning. They sat there and listened. No one breathed.

When the gongs ended, Katniss looked to her allies. "I counted twelve."

Finnick furrowed his brow. "Midnight?"

"Or the number of Districts."

As the words left her mouth, an electric whirring echoed in the distance. Clouds gathered over one section of the arena, and they could just about see it from their camp. Lightning crackled and then struck a single tree. A heavy rain shower followed soon after. Bex's lips parted at the sight, light reflecting in her black stare.

Peeta and Katniss shared a look, but didn't say anything. Mags went back to sleep. Finnick muttered, "Weird," before leaning against the tree once again. Something about the storm still rattled Bex though, and she found it hard to rest again. She leaned back and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would come to her, but nothing happened. Her body was denying it, even as her bones ached and begged for a few hours of peace.

Insects buzzed around her. Bex tried to ignore their sounds and focused on Finnick's breathing again. She tried to put herself back into a memory, just to ease her conscious. She wanted to remind herself of when they slept in her bed together, and they both woke from a nightmare, and the way Finnick made her forget all about it just by holding her close. The memory sent shivers down her spine, despite the extremely warm weather. Finally, she relaxed enough to fall asleep –

And then Katniss started screaming.

"WAKE UP!"

Bex sat up so fast that she banged her head against the tree trunk. Immediately, she noticed the fog beginning to envelop the camp. "RUN!" Katniss yelped, several bumps forming on her hand. "THE FOG IS POISON!"

Finnick helped Bex to her feet, grabbing their weapons along with them. The fog was everywhere, sifting through the trees. Bex could make out Peeta picking up Katniss, and then Finnick hauling Mags on his back. Disoriented, Bex almost didn't feel Katniss' hand locked around her arm until the younger girl was pulling her forward.

They ran through the night, the fog not far off their trail. Peeta was leading the group and cutting down any branches in their path. Bex struggled to keep up. Her body was tired and all she wanted was to rest. The fog was engulfing them on all sides. Bex was pretty sure she could smell it. It smelled like rain and flowers, practically inviting her in. The scent overwhelmed her senses, leaving her head cloudy and her vision tainted.

Her foot caught on a branch, sending her tumbling to the ground. Bex huffed and kept her forehead to the ground. Katniss was screaming her name, yelling at her to get up, but it sounded like a soft echo in her ears. She knew she needed to stand. But she couldn't. She needed to rest.

The fog reached out to her, skimming her exposed skin.

Bex shrieked louder than ever before.

Her skin felt like it was on fire. Every exposed inch was burning as if the fog was eating her alive. Large bumps erupted on her neck, hands, and sides of her face. She tried getting to her feet and running, but the fog caused her eyes to sting. Before she could trip again, Katniss caught her, and then hoisted Bex on her back as if she were a child.

Despite her injuries, Bex did not let go of that axe.

She blinked, hooking her arms around Katniss' neck as they raced through the trees. Bex started to gain her energy back, but the burning didn't cease. The bumps on her skin were monstrous and oozing some kind of mysterious liquid.

Peeta still led the way, even when the fog brushed against his cheek. He didn't falter. Bex hung onto Katniss as much as she could without suffocating her. She could hear Finnick panting from behind. He couldn't be too far off.

Katniss tripped and Bex fell off her back. Her spine slammed into the wet soil, but this time, she managed to get up. Peeta ran over to Katniss, helping her up, but the fog was faster than him. It grazed his face, just hitting his ear, before lightly touching the tip of Bex's nose. She cried out, tugging Peeta and Katniss with her. Looking over her shoulder, Bex realized she couldn't find Finnick. Panic exploded in her chest, and she stopped abruptly, scanning the jungle for a sign.

But just as he and Mags came hurtling through the trees, their screams resonated through the air.

"FINNICK!" His name spilled from her mouth before she could do anything. Bex abandoned Katniss and Peeta almost immediately, dashing through the jungle to get to him. Finnick was at least fifty feet behind them. She watched him tumble across the ground, taking Mags along with him. Bex called his name again, but his response was a thunderous shriek.

"Ah, Gods!" Finnick seethed, struggling to haul Mags back on him. "Mags, please! Please! Come on!"

Mags climbed up on him as Bex found them, reaching for Finnick's hand. He didn't hesitate to take it and allowed her to yank them forward.

They had stalled for far too long, though. By the time they found Katniss and Peeta again, the fog was creeping towards them, surrounding the tributes from every angle. Peeta had fallen into the grass with tears running down his scorched face. Katniss pleaded for him to get up as Bex exclaimed, "We have to move."

"We can't. We can't!" Katniss sobbed, turning to Finnick and Mags. "I can't carry him. He's too heavy."

Nobody breathed. The fog was getting closer. And when Bex noticed the empathy in Mags' eyes, she knew what the elder Victor was going to do.

As Katniss continued to plead with Peeta to stand, Mags laid a hand on Finnick's shoulder and kissed his brow. She began to hobble backward, right in the direction of the fog, as Finnick called her name. It was soft at first, but grew more desperate as Mags approached the deadly fog.

His voice was hoarse as he screamed, "MAGS!," at the top of his lungs. Bex had never heard anything so loud in her life. Finnick crawled towards the fog, hoping to catch her in time, but Mags was too deep in it. They could just see her silhouette through the clouds before she crumbled.

A cannon went off in the distance.

Finnick didn't stop screaming. His eyes tingled with hot, fresh tears. He was inhaling too much of the fog. Bex tugged on his hand, pulling him to her chest. He coughed and looked at her with bleary eyes. "We have to go, Finnick," she pleaded, squeezing his hand. "We have to get out of here. Don't let Mags die in vain."

He blinked, registering her words. Bex looked past him and noticed the fog two feet away. She yanked on his grip again. Finnick ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "Yeah, okay. Yeah." He slipped his fingers from hers and ran for Peeta, hurling him onto his back. "Come on, Peeta. Come on."

None of them had the strength to run anymore. Katniss and Bex helped hold each other up as they limped across the ground, whimpering softly. Finnick struggled to keep up with Peeta hanging on top of him. The fog was moving at an accelerated speed. It brushed up the back of their necks, sizzling their skin and bursting the lumps that had already formed. Bex felt a thick liquid run down her spine.

Before they knew it, the four Victors were falling. They somersaulted down a cliff and landed in a dirty pit. Soil and wet leaves entered Bex's mouth. She spat them out, blinking rapidly, as she still felt the ooze seeping down her back. Her axe landed a foot away. She could hear the trickling of water somewhere near them. A shiver ran through her body, and all she could do was watch the fog slithered closer to them –

Before stopping abruptly before the cliff.

Bex looked to Katniss with confusion. Katniss' eyes were dead, lifeless, but they still managed to catch the illusion before them. When both girls turned back to the fog, it was pushing up against an invisible barrier, as if the arena was cut off into sections. They had traveled from one part to another, and a forcefield had saved them. But that couldn't be possible. That seemed like too easy of an escape, unless ... something else would soon follow.

As the fog dissipated into nothing, Bex laid her head back on the ground, eyes drifting towards the sky. It was getting lighter. Their cover of darkness was almost up, and she was still exhausted. The silhouette of an animal crawled across a tree branch above, but it was gone as soon as she noticed it. Bex released a light breath and tried lifting her hand, just brushing the tips of her fingers over her cheeks. The large bumps felt solid and stung from just a slight touch. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

She couldn't fight like this. She might as well die right here.

Finnick gasped, and then released a series of whimpers.

It hurt to turn her head, but she did it anyway. Finnick lay a few feet away, covered in mud. Boils scattered across his exposed skin. He went still after shivering for a moment. Bex felt a wash of fear and was determined to get over there.

Pushing herself up on her elbows, she began to crawl through the wet earth. Bex heaved and gasped for air that wasn't in her lungs, but she wouldn't be stopped. "Finnick," she whispered, hoping he would wake. He didn't, his body as motionless as a statue. Bex dug her elbows into the dirt, using all her upper body strength to drag herself over to him. She couldn't let him die. Not today. Not ever.

With one last pull, she laid right beside him, and she sat there for a moment, just catching her breath. Her body was on fire, so you could imagine her surprise when she touched Finnick's skin and found it cold. It felt like he had been frozen in ice for a year. Her eyes darted around, wondering what she could do, but she came up with nothing.

He breathed in too much of the fog while carrying Mags and Peeta. That had to be the reason. But what was the solution?

His lips moved slightly, as if he was trying to tell her something, while his eyes remained closed. Bex could see them moving underneath his lids.

She finally let the tears stream down her cheeks, and she truly didn't know if they were real or just an act. Maybe she'd never know. Her bumpy hands trembled as she reached out and cupped his face. Her fingers felt scorchingly hot when she brushed them over his mouth. A tear dropped on the tip of his cupid's bow and slid down to his lips.

"Please." Bex didn't realize how desperate her words sounded until they came out. "Finnick, please, wake up. Look at me."

His body didn't move. But she noticed his lips purse, tasting her tear.

"Look at me, Finnick," she begged, voice rough and defeated. "I can't do this without you."

And finally, as if some God had heard her plea, Finnick's eyes fluttered. Bex croaked out a gasp. Her hands were shaking so much that she could barely hold his face, but he felt it, even as his whole body burned with the intensity of a hundred suns. Bex, without thinking, placed her forehead on his, and breathed in the saltwater that still lingered on his skin. Somehow, it outlasted the grime and blood coating his entire body.

A ghost of a smirk appeared on his lips. "You're good at playing it up, Flower Girl."

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A/N: finnick is so irritating sometimes shjsdhhdhsjhd when will he LEARN 😤 anyways, I hope y'all liked this chapter!! I always hate mags' death bc she was so sweet 😭 but it's required for finnick's character develop