CHAPTER 26
ALLIES

BEX'S mind was swimming as she leaped off the pedestal, landing right on the line of rubble nearest to her. Her feet stumbled. She was close enough to fall, but she didn't. She breathed, snapping her head to the Cornucopia, and ran for it, eyes set on the three axes waiting for her. Without one of those, she was completely defenseless, and she wouldn't dare allow herself to go down here without a fight.

As she ran, many of the others swam, diving through the water as fast as they could. Some stopped to breathe as water invaded their lungs. Some continued on and pulled others down into the ocean. Bex heaved relentlessly, trying not to distract herself by the other tributes, but it was so difficult. She needed to be alert at all times, while also attempting to not lose concentration.

Only a few others took her approach – sprinting across the stones to get to the Cornucopia. One tribute darted the other way, to the beach, and disappeared within the jungle. Bex was approaching another tribute in front of her. Upon noticing her, the woman tried to move faster, but Bex was determined to beat her. She had no idea who she was. Probably from District Nine or Ten. Her name suddenly didn't matter as Bex tackled her from behind and shoved her into the water. She didn't come back up.

It was then that Bex found Katniss racing through the water on her left. Bex was set on getting there first. She needed an axe. She wasn't going to let anyone stop her from getting one, not even Victors she was friendly with.

She jumped, finger latching onto the rocky edge of the Cornucopia. As she pulled herself up, Bex noticed Brutus running out and away from the Cornucopia, a stack of weapons underneath his bulky arm. One of the axes was gone: the smallest size, best for throwing. Bex released an angry and tiresome growl. She ran into the mouth of the Cornucopia and grabbed the next size up: the medium axe, able to be thrown long distance with a little heavier blade. This would do for the time being.

It felt right to have her fingers enclosed around the handle. A frenzy ensued in her mind, as if welcoming her home. She hadn't felt this relentless in a very long time.

It was terrifying.

Weapons clattered to the floor next to her, and Bex whirled around as she heard an arrow being notched in a bow. She already knew who she'd be turning to.

In any normal circumstance in the arena, Bex would already be aiming her axe for the other person's face. But when Bex met Katniss' cold grey eyes, her hands shot up, defenseless. She had to protect the Mockingjay.

Katniss dark brow furrowed. She looked around, but her arrow didn't waver.

"Don't shoot!" Bex pleaded. "I'm on your side!"

Realization danced across her stare. "We're allies," she said.

"Yes," Bex nodded. "We're allies. Don't shoot." The same kind of frenzy within Bex seemed to effect Katniss as well.

She stood up straighter, hand growing tight around her axe. Averting her eyes to the water, Bex spotted Nico swimming over, Cecelia not far behind. There was already a scratch lining his cheek. He must've gotten into a scuffle in the water, but he made it out alive.

Nico was going to come through for her. Bex released a breath of relief.

Suddenly, another body appeared beside Katniss. Screams were ringing in the air as she turned, arrow aimed at the person who decided to sneak up on her. Bex swallowed hard at the sight of him, the familiar queasiness creeping into her stomach.

Finnick paused beside them, reaching out to stop Katniss. But it wasn't just that. He was showing off a gold bracelet on his wrist.

"Good thing we're allies, right?" He snickered.

Katniss' stare darted from him to the bracelet. "Where did you get that?"

Finnick wiggled his fingers. "Where do you think?" He looked up, over Katniss' shoulder, but not at Bex. "Duck!"

In a split second, Finnick dashed over to where Bex was crouched down, reaching over her and grabbing his trident. Just as Bex turned her head to see where he was aiming, Finnick was throwing the trident, sinking it deep within the District Nine male's chest. A cannon fired.

Bex met his eyes. They were wild and full of fury, making her insides twist. She glanced down at that golden bracelet again. It was a sign. A sign for Katniss to trust him.

He must also be part of Plutarch's deal. He had to protect Katniss.

"Don't trust One and Two," he finally said, breaking Bex's stare. "I'll take this side. You two hold them off. I'll go find Peeta."

Katniss turned back to Bex with a worried look. The older Victor rolled her eyes and lifted the axe to her shoulder. "Keep your eyes on the prize, Girl on Fire. Finnick will get your boyfriend just fine." Over her shoulder, Bex waved over to Nico as he was within feet of the Cornucopia. "Over here, Nico!"

"How do I know that I can trust him?" Katniss asked, nocking an arrow.

Bex assumed she was talking about Finnick. "Because you can trust me," she replied confidently, "and that's all that matters, okay? If you trusted my guidance at the Training Center, then you can trust it here."

"The stakes are different now."

Her eyes narrowed. As she opened her mouth to give Katniss a snarky reply, Gloss sprung off the side of the Cornucopia, running for Katniss with a sword. He lunged. Katniss didn't have enough time to aim. Bex ran for him, ready to block her. It was time to receive the killing blow, and for once, Bex was glad for it to be honorable.

But she wasn't quick enough. Bex didn't receive Gloss' wrath. She didn't feel the blade pierce her skin.

It was Nico.

He had jumped in front of both them at the last second, allowing Gloss' sword to bury deep into his chest, the sharp tip coming out of his back. He staggered, and then groaned, blood spurting onto Gloss' face like a fountain. The Career yanked out his sword, causing Nico to collide with the floor, spine crushing with a loud crack.

Bex shrieked. The sound made Katniss shiver. It sounded almost like her own scream when her sister's name was called at the Reaping last year.

Gloss had vanished before he could endure Bex's wrath.

When she looked back down, a pool of blood had gathered at Bex and Katniss' feet. Nico's body began to slide off the Cornucopia before it completely flopped into the ocean. He was submerged by the waves, but Bex knew he could still be saved. A cannon hadn't gone off yet.

Adrenaline pumped in her veins. "Watch this," she ordered towards Katniss, laying her axe at her feet. The Mockingkay shot another arrow at one of the Careers trying to ambush them, hardly paying attention to Bex.

Until she heard someone plummet into the treacherous waves.

Bex didn't think as she plunged into the water cannonball-style. All she knew was that she needed to get Nico. She needed to save him. Her eyes stung outrageously as she opened them underwater, searching for her friend. She could hardly breathe. Water was entering her lungs. And she couldn't swim.

But there he was, sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean. Bex could hardly see through the foggy water. Nico was staring up at her, reaching for her hand. She tried to swim further down, but it was difficult. Propelling herself forward, she reached out for Nico, itching for his grip. He just kept sinking. He wasn't swimming towards her, and she couldn't get to him with the water entering her throat, slowing her down.

Bex wished she treated him better. They all should've. No one had believed in Nico and this was how he would go.

A cannon fired above water. It was for him.

Bex screamed, even though she knew it fell on deaf ears. More water ventured into her lungs, flowing through her bloodstream. Alarm ricocheted throughout her entire body. Her arms flailed around as she struggled to push herself up. She was sinking along with Nico's corpse.

This could not be happening. How pathetic would it be for her to die in water, out of all things?

Bex's anxiety reached its peak. She tried pushing herself up, but it didn't work. Her lungs were failing. They were losing oxygen every second. And she started to feel dizzy. Blackness began to coat her vision.

She blinked rapidly, eyes trying to adjust, before noticing a dark figure swimming towards her. Her heartbeat thrummed against her chest. She couldn't recognize them, and she certainly didn't want to right now. Her arms flailed again, and she pushed herself back. She didn't stop. She kept moving backward, but the figure was getting closer. Bex opened her mouth, allowing water inside, and screamed.

That was when the back of her head slammed into something hard.

Darkness consumed her.

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Bex wasn't sure how long she'd been out when she finally opened her eyes. The sun was extremely warm, but she still shivered as if she'd been living in an iceberg for a year. She immediately began coughing up water. Salt lingered on her tongue as she clutched the lip of the Cornucopia, hacking up all the water that had once been in her lungs. Bex gasped for air. It felt so good to actually breathe.

Finnick's hands hadn't left her chest until she eventually laid back, heaving excessively. He placed one hand behind her head and the other on her cheek, hitting it slightly. Her skin had been a pale blue. Color was finally returning to it. "Bex," he called, "I need you to open your eyes. Can you hear me?"

Only somewhat. His voice was drowned out by the crashing waves. Bex coughed up one last bit of water and fluttered her eyes open. Her head was dizzy; her vision fuzzy. But Bex still lifted her left hand, trying to focus on the ring still sitting on her finger. It hadn't moved at all. Her good luck charm remained.

She huffed and sat up. As she held her head in her hands, she tried to focus on the group around her. With blurry eyes, Bex could make out Finnick, Katniss, Peeta, and Mags, all huddled around her. She looked out into the vast ocean and could just barely recognize Cecelia and Woof running off the beach. Everything felt like it was spinning. Her chest hurt and her mind felt like it was fizzling out, like the targets at the Training Center.

"Bex," Finnick said again, and she turned to him this time. "Bex, can you swim?"

Her reply was more water rising up her throat and out of her mouth. Bex hacked again, one hand on her chest.

Peeta ran a hand through his wet hair. "I don't think she can."

An ache pounded against her temples. It almost hurt to breathe now. Bex felt like the whole world was crumbling. Tears pricked at her red-rimmed eyes as she remember Nico's death. All the blood – there had been so much blood. She hyperventilated at the thought of it. Bex shook her head, remembering how he reached for her. She tried to save him, but she wasn't strong enough. If only she learned how to fucking swim –

The blood. She had been standing in it. Nico's blood was crusted on her shoes.

"We have to move," Katniss complained. "The Careers will be here any minute now to claim the Cornucopia. We don't have enough strength to fight them again."

Finnick held up a hand. "I know, I know. But she almost drowned. Can you have a little compassion?"

"No!"

He didn't listen to her. With one hand stroking her cold cheek, Finnick asked, "Bex, can you move? We need to go."

Water came up her lungs. She hacked for what felt like the hundredth time, and finally, it didn't hurt so much to breathe anymore. But the memories were resurfacing, and she couldn't push them away. She had been drowning, sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean. Sobs began to rack her body, leaving her a shaking mess. She had never felt this way before: so broken down and terrified.

"Peeta, we're leaving. We can't wait for her," Katniss hissed, tugging on her District partner's hand.

Finnick turned to her. "Katniss, stop."

Bex got to her feet then, surprising the group. She wobbled a little and her vision was still blurred, but she stood, tugging her axe along with her. Her chest rose and fell in an extreme manner. Her stare was manic. Finnick stood in front of her, hands out, and asked, "Are you okay?"

Her eyes darted from Finnick – drinking in the sea-green, reminding her of the water that almost consumed her – and then to Katniss' sharp, grey stare. Peeta didn't know what to do. He was frozen with one foot behind him. Mags held out a hand, hoping to calm her nerves.

The last thing Bex needed was to calm down.

Her head felt like it was cracking. She needed to get out of here now.

In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not her fake relationship with Finnick. Not her agreement with Plutarch. The realization that she almost died was hitting her in the worst of ways. She couldn't stop thinking about the water, how it had pulled her down. Her hands were shaking as she gripped the axe tightly. Finnick was saying something to her, but she couldn't hear it.

Her back turned before she could think otherwise. Bex began to sprint. She hopped off the Cornucopia, running across the rubble faster than she should've. Her lungs burned, but she didn't care. She just needed to go far away. She couldn't be near this water anymore.

"BEX!" Finnick hollered, approaching the edge of the Cornucopia. Katniss was yelling for them to move, that the Careers were coming, but Finnick could only focus on Bex, tumbling off the rubble and into the sand. "BEX, COME BACK!"

She ignored him and dashed right into the heart of the jungle.

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A/N: so...........nico is gone and bex is going a little coo-coo because she almost died. typical hunger games fashion! seriously tho, I'm sad to kill off nico, but this is the hunger games, so we should expect a lot of death. I also thought his death was very fitting and noble – you know, saving katniss and all for the future revolution. his death won't go unnoticed tho. it will, of course, haunt bex for a while – probably the rest of her life – and will be a huge source of her anger in future chapters.

thank you to everyone for always reading, commenting, and sharing your thoughts 💞💓