. SURVIVAL GAME . .៹♡
                                                   CHAPTER SEVEN
                                          ─── BETTER ODDS

The dreaded day had come – the time of the Games. Velren was transported beneath the arena in a floating hovercraft to the dim catacombs. His designated outfit lay on a table at the side of the room. Isabella went to fetch it while Velren remained motionless, staring at his arm where a doctor was inserting the tracker. His face showed no emotion as the cold prick of insertion ran through his body.

Isabella helped Velren into his outfit, and he immediately noticed how thin and tight it was. Around the waist hung a slim, violet belt. Velren could imagine that the arena would have a humid climate. 

"sixty seconds until launch." A voice reminded the both of them. "Just one more thing." Isabella said with a small smile. Velren nodded and looked down at the brown-haired woman. 

He watched as Isabella pulled a tiny golden ring from her pocket and gently slid it onto one of Velren's fingers. The ring was emblazoned with the delicate image of a phoenix which flew elegantly around a mockingjay. "Don't forget, when you're in the arena, remember who the real enemies are." she whispered.

Velren smiled at her and pulled the woman in a hug. "My dress shirt last night, it was wonderful," he complimented her after they had separated from each other. The stylist smiled proudly at him. "Well, you are our Phoenix. Now drink some water, this suit is thin which means you're going to be experiencing heat, maybe tropics."

Velren followed the instructions, took a seat next to Isabella on a chair and emptied half of his glass. He wanted to avoid having to go to the toilet shortly after the bell rang.

After Isabella stood up and indicated that it was time to leave, Velren stepped onto the platform. His body was as nervous as at the beginning of his first game. The crucial moment had arrived. The glass tube enclosed him, and he gave Isabella one last wistful smile as he waited for the platform to lift. But it didn't happen. 

Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal three peacekeepers armed with clubs. They began to attack Isabella, her pitiful screams echoing in the room. Velren hammered desperately against the thick glass as one of the peacekeepers took out a weapon.

 "No!" he screamed as the gun went off. Isabella's blood splattered against the glass and dripped onto the floor, and the platform began to slowly lift Velren into the arena. "No, no, no," he screamed as he watched them drag her dead body out of the room.

Velren found himself breathing deeply and sucking in the air sharply as he looked around thoroughly to take in his new surroundings. The air lay heavy and warm, a gentle breeze caressing his face as his eyes gradually adjusted to the bright lighting. Water surrounded the area of the cornucopia.

He felt right where he belonged, in the arena, with the climate and the water surrounding him, right at home in the thirteenth district. He had grown up in a place like this, which gave him an advantage over the others.

He stood as straight as he could and surveyed the people around him. He couldn't see Celestia, Finnick, Aurora, Katniss or Peeta. Velren heard the Capitol's favorite announcer, Claudius Templesmith, his voice booming throughout the arena. His calm voice shook his bones. "Ladies and gentlemen, let the seventy-fifth Hunger Games begin!May the odds be ever in your favor!"

They were forced to wait sixty seconds before they were allowed to move from their plate.  Sixty seconds until the act of killing began. Velren saw the cornucopia in the distance, amidst the great expanse of water, and best of all, he saw two tridents, something he didn't doubt Plutarch had made especially for him and Finnick.

He observed the people next to him. Strangers whom he had never seen before stood on both sides of him. One of them was an older man, perhaps in his late forties. The other person was a woman with dark skin. Velren straightened his shoulders and leaned forward, ready to jump into the water.

He was practically born in the water. From the moment he could walk, he swam. During his school years, swimming and the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were mandatory classes for him. Velren had no doubt that some of the Victors never had the privilege of learning to swim. For some of them, it seemed likely that they would drown before the bloodbath began.

There were five seconds left on the clock. Five seconds until the victors, who were still holding hands last night, would fight each other to the death.

After the gong resonated, Velen took a deep breath and plunged into the  water.  He attempted to open his eyes, but the piercing saltwater compelled him to shut them once again. With each paddling stroke, he fought against the waves that threatened to pull him underwater. He earnestly hoped that no sinister creatures, akin to sharks, lurked beneath him.

Velren struggled to get onto a narrow strip of stone, bravely suppressing the stinging pain of the sharp stones piercing his skin, and finally pulled himself deftly across. His eyes immediately scanned the Cornucopia area and he spotted the man from District 6, already walking purposefully towards the coveted center. 

Velren determinedly quickened his pace, for should his opponent reach the Cornucopia before him, he would have the decisive advantage of preventing Velren from escaping. Nevertheless, Velren never lost sight of the urgent goal of finding Katniss, Peeta, Celestia, Finnick and Aurora in this dangerous arena.

He forced himself to stand up on the rocks and immediately realized how slippery they were before he started rushing towards the cornucopia. When he got there, he grabbed the trident without giving it a second thought.

 Just as he was about to turn around, he bumped into someone. He staggered back slightly before he looked up and saw the man from District 6 standing in front of him.

 Velren felt the coldness of the metal in his hand as he gripped the trident tightly. The man from District 6 stood in front of him with a serrated knife. He tried to strike him, but Velren ducked swiftly, narrowly avoiding the knife, and taking the opportunity to make a quick advance. With purposeful skill, he elbowed his opponent in the stomach before he plunged his trident deep into his attacker's chest in a lightning-fast maneuver.

 A pained scream rang through the air as the man staggered back and the knife fell from his hand. Velren grimached when  his opponent struggled for breath and finally slumped to the ground. Blood began to seep from the large wound while the thunder of a cannon echoed through the air.

He pulled his trident out of the man's chest and was about to continue his search for the others when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Velen immediately whirled around and presented his trident to the victim.

"Hey, it's me! Velren, hey, hey, it's all right. " the person said after raising  the  trident just in time to avoid being impaled. Velren looked into the person's face and found familiar sea-green eyes. "Allies, right?" It was Finnick. He looked kind of wild. His bronze curls were sticking to his forehead, damp from extensive swimming, and his skin was already marked with blood splatters.

"Finnick." Velren gasped in relief and quickly lowered his weapon. "I--"  "Come on." he interrupted him, interlaced their fingers and pulled a surprised Velren behind him. They quickly ran to the other side of the Cornucopia, where Katniss had just shot a tribute in the leg with an arrow that sent him falling into the water.

Finnick and Velren approached her quietly from behind. Katniss heard their footsteps behind her and quickly drew another arrow, which she skillfully tucked into her bow as she turned to face the two men.

Finnick raised his arm slightly, and a golden bracelet shone in the light of the artificial sun. At the same time, Velren raised his hand with the golden ring, which also sparkled in the light of the artificial sun. This caused Katniss to let her gaze wander between Finnick's wrist and Velren's finger.

Katniss looked up at them with distrust.  "Good thing we're allies, right?" Finnick asked her with a confident smirk. She frowned and didn't lower her weapon.  "Where did you get that?" she asked.  "Where do you think?"  Velren and Finnick shot back as if from the same mouth.

For a split second, Katniss seemed to realize, but Velren noticed a tribute approaching her from behind. "Duck!" he commanded her with a firm  voice, which she did immediately.  His trident whizzed over her  head and there was a sickening thud as it found its target. The man from District 5 sank to his knees before the cannon sounded to signal his death.

Pain flickered in Velren's eyes before he shook himself and walked over to the man. "Don't trust One and Two."  he said while he pulled his trident out of the man's chest. "Finnick and I will take this side. You hold them off."

Finnick looked over at Katniss and saw that she was looking for someone. "We'll go find Peeta." he told her, who shot an arrow at a tribute and was already looking for him.

The two men ran quickly through the Cornecopia in search of Peeta. They spotted Celestia and Aurora who pointed to two tributes struggling in the water, one of whom undoubtedly had Peeta's dirty blonde locks. The other tribute attacked Peeta with his fists. "We found him, over by that platform." Aurora said.

 "Go get Katniss!" Velren shouted towards Finnick. He nodded and left them. Velren put his trident to the side and dove into the water, causing his sister to yell at him for being an idiot. But then she remembered that he was the most stubborn person she knew.

Velren swam even faster as the tribute pulled Peeta under the water to drown him and he saw the blood around the duo.  When he reached the two, Velren attacked the tribute from behind. His strong hands gripped the attacker's neck. 

With brute strength, Velren tore the tribute away from Peeta and dragged him to the surface. A bloodcurdling crash echoed through the arena as the two opponents collided. Velren didn't hesitate for a moment, but immediately attacked the still dazed tribute.

His blows were precise and merciless, the blood mingled with the clear water and the desperate cries of the  tribute reached Velren's ears. With a determined look, Velren pushed the tribute back under the water. The bubbles rose as the battle raged beneath the surface. Velren's muscles burned with exertion, but he did not give up. His will to survive drove him on.

Suddenly, the tribute's resistance eased and Velren felt his grip loosen. The tribute gasped for breath, but Velren did not let up. With the last of his strength, he delivered a final blow to his opponent's head and the tribute drowned in the icy water.

Exhausted and flooded with adrenaline, Velren swam back to the surface while the faint sound of another cannon rang out. His eyes searched for Peeta, who was also swimming back to the surface, breathing heavily but alive.

Velren quickly grabbed Peeta and helped him to the other four. It took longer than usual, but Velren made it to them. Aurora  grabbed Peeta's arm and pulled him out of the water, while Finnick did the same for Velren.

Velren swore he saw Peeta say a quick "thank you" in his direction, to which he nodded  before the blond boy hugged a worried Katniss.

 "Velren Lucian Gray Black!" Celestia shouted angrily and  her twin brother immediately sensed he was in trouble when she spoke his full name.  She suddenly punched Velren, who was soaking wet, on the shoulder one after the other, as hard as she could without hesitation, ignoring the pained expression on his face.  "God, you're such an idiot sometimes!" "Celestia,I-" he tried to defend himself, but was interrupted by his twin sister.  "No, shut up! I have every right to be mad with you! You could have been killed! Do you even think before you act?"

He couldn't help but roll his eyes before he looked back at the cornucopia where the careers were gathered. "We should probably get out of here." he remarked, and nodded his head in the direction of the careers. "Now."

The group ran away from the Cornucopia, heading straight for the forest. No, it wasn't really a forest; it was the kind of forest Velren knew from his first games: a jungle. Velren and Finnick led the group and only stopped when they reached the end of the sand, where the jungle began to rise sharply. There, they let the younger tributes go first. "Katniss, Katniss, go, go, go." urged Finnick, but it seemed she needed no further encouragement as she followed Celestia, Aurora, and Peeta.

They ran as quietly as possible through the dark and eerily silent jungle. While the sun was hot and bright, the air was warm and heavy with moisture, and Velren felt like he was experiencing the kind of heat wave that occasionally happened in District 13. Sweat was rolling down his face, and his lips already felt dry and moist.

They ran for another minute until their strength was completely exhausted. "Okay, wait, wait!" Velren exclaimed with a slight gasp before  he sat down to the dirt packed ground to catch his breath. Peeta followed his example, followed by Celestia, who placed a hand on her chest. Aurora sat down next to her and wiped the sweat from her forehead, while Finnick knelt down next to his younger sister and patted her shoulder reassuringly. Katniss was the last to slowly lower herself to the ground.

A buzz of flies surrounded them, and tall green plants seemed to grow in every inch of the ground. "God, it's hot." Peeta commented with a gasp while sweat ran down his forehead. "We should really look for fresh water." Aurora then suggested.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

At the sound of the canons , all the tributes looked up, slightly startled by the sudden loudness. The oldest of the Odair siblings smiled . "Well, I guess we're not holding hands any more." Finnick said,and he and Velren began to chuckling.

Celestia tilted her head and was visibly annoyed with them. She punched them both on the top of the head with her hand as hard as she could. "Oi!"  Velren gasped and rubbed his head in disbelief. "What the bloody hell did I do?" "You're encouraging him!" Celestia said sharply and looked sternly at Velren with narrow eyes.

"You both think that's funny?" Katniss asked in disbelief and glared at them. "Little bit." Velren joked and smirked as his twins sister swatted his arm. "Every time that cannon goes off, it's music to my ears." Finnick replied to her and pointed his finger up to the sky while he ignored Aurora's warning hand on his knee. "I don't care about any of them."

"Good to hear." Katniss remarked as she pulled out a machete. Velren held his trident tightly, ready to ram it into her chest if she tried anything to attack them both, eyes narrowed on her. "You really want to face the career pack alone,Sweetheart?" he asked her. 

 "What would Haymitch say?" Finnick asked then. "Haymitch isn't here." she replied to him. "Ah, really? I didn't even notice his absence. That really is a surprise." Velren replied with a hint of irony in his voice, to which Finnick laughed and Katniss rolled her eyes.  "Very funny,Black." she said with a sarcastic undertone in her voice.

Aurora and Celestia gave Peeta a cursory glance and he understood completely before he stepped forward and stood in their way. "Let's keep moving. " he suggested  and began to walk ahead. "We need water."

Velren continued on his way with his trident firmly in his hand, ready to use it if needed, followed closely by Finnick. Peeta led the group, gripping the machete tightly, while Finnick and Velren trailed directly behind him. Behind them walked Katniss, Aurora, and Celestia.

Velren was surprised that Katniss allowed them to go in this order, but he understood the reason when he saw Katniss draw her weapon. If he and Finnick attempted to harm Peeta in any way, it would mean instant death for both of them.

The heat got worse and worse the further they got into the jungle. Vines were blocking their way. Peeta cut them down as they went and cleared the way, which helped a little. He did that until...until...

"PEETA! NO!" Katniss shouted in vain as Peeta hit the force field with his machete. There was a loud bang and the boy flew back into Finnick and Velren, who were thrown back like the others.

Velren landed on his back with a hard thud, while Finnick landed with his face down right on top of him . A low groan of pain escaped the dark-haired man as they both looked up at the same time. Their faces were only inches apart.

They could feel the other's intense, hurried breath directly on their faces. Finnick fought the impulse to lower his gaze to Velren's lips. Velren, on the other hand, could not resist this desire - he was mesmerized.

In that moment, Velren lost himself completely. His heart was racing, but he dared not move a muscle. Any movement could lead to their lips touching.

 Finnick hadn't moved to get off him. He was more concerned with suppressing the blush on his face caused by the proximity of their faces. Under different circumstances he might have leaned down and-

"Is everything okay with you guys?" Celestia interrupted and looked down at her brother and friend. She had a knowing grin on her lips.

Velren and Finnick reluctantly turned their gaze on her.  Like a sudden flash of lightning, the realization of what almost happened pierced them and they both jumped awkwardly to their feet, caught by embarrassment. "Yeah -" "All good -" they both replied one after the other while their gaze wandered away from another, as if the ground was more interesting than the moment.

Katniss stood up and quickly made her way to Peeta. "Peeta? Peeta?" she asked  and  turned him around and cupped his face. Her fingers traced over his lips, where there was no warm breath, even though he had just been panting moments ago.

She pressed her ear against his chest, to the spot where she always rested her head, where she knew she would hear the strong and steady beat of his heart. Instead, she found silence. Then she looked at the other four. "He's not breathing. He's not breathing." She told them before she looked back to the boy, panic finally setting in. "He's not breathing! Peeta!"

Finnick rushed to Peeta's side and pushed Katniss away from his lifeless body. She drew her bow, prepared an arrow, and this time, it was Aurora who intervened. She seized the girl by the arms und pulled her to the ground, thus halting the attack. "Stop!" she exclaimed and crossed Katniss' arms behind her back. Katniss tried to wriggle free from her grip, but Aurora held her firmly. "Look here. Look here. Everything is fine." she reassured her.

Katniss abruptly stopped her movements and relaxed in Aurora's grip as she realized that Finnick wasn't trying to harm Peeta but rather attempting to save his life. Aurora let go of Katniss, allowing her to crawl back to Peeta, while Finnick started chest compressions. "Peeta? Peeta?" she asked, her eyes filled with tears, extending a trembling hand to run her fingers through his hair.

"Come on. Come on." Finnick muttered, and while he pushed his hands down in quick movements just below the chest line, Velren,Aurora and Celestia joined at his side. "Please, wake up." Katniss sobbed, while Finnick leaned against Peeta's chest and listened intently. "No." Katniss' crying intensified as Finnick continued to hear no response and had to continue chest compressions. "Please, wake up."

"Come on!" Finnick said before he leaned down to Peeta to perform more breathing exercises, and Velren,Aurora and Celestia were only able to watch with a worried look on their faces. Finnick quickly continued the chest compressions. "Come on. Come on, Peeta."  Velren whispered while Finnick gave him two more breaths to save him. 

Velren was already expecting a cannon sound, but it never came. And suddenly there was a gasp. Not only Katniss, but also Finnick and Velren leaned forward. "Peeta. Peeta." The girl gently touched Peeta's face and everyone saw how he was now breathing regularly. "Oh my God." she said while  Finnick leaned back in relief. "Be careful. There's a force field up there." Peeta said  jokingly , to which Velren laughed and sighed in relief.

Katniss laughed as well, but there were tears running down her cheeks. "You were dead! Your heart stopped!" she blurted out before she really thought about whether that was a good idea. She slapped her hand over her mouth because she was making those horrible choking noises as she sobbed.

In that moment, Velren realized that the fear in Katniss' voice was too real. Despite her feigned love for Peeta, this fear seemed different, more convincing. Maybe it wasn't just an act, at least not in the way they assumed. A glance at Finnick, Aurora and Celestia revealed that they shared the same thought.

"It's okay."Peeta assured Katniss softly  as he pulled her into his arms, his hand resting gently on the back of her neck. Despite her persistent, intense sobs, it seemed he couldn't really comfort her. "It's working now." he said. She nodded, but the sobs didn't stop. "Katniss?" Now Peeta was worried about her too, which added to the madness of it all.

"It's okay. It's just her hormones." Aurora said. "From the baby." Celestia added quickly. "No. It's not -" Katniss tried to say, but was interrupted by an even more hysterical fit of crying that seemed to only confirm what Aurora and Celestia had said about the baby.

Finnick, Velren, Celestia, and Aurora exchanged glances. Velren, closely followed by Celestia and Aurora, stood up, took Finnick's arm, and helped him to stand up. They felt it was an invasion of their privacy to watch the other two and simply waited until they stand up by themselves.

Velren tightly gripped his trident and looked concernedly at Finnick, who still panted a bit from the climb and the heat and the effort of bringing Peeta back from the dead.  "Hey, you okay?" he asked him. "Yeah,I'm fine. How about you?" Finnick asked quietly.  "Could be worse."  Velren replied to his question and even in this situation he couldn't hide his sarcasm, which Finnick ignored. "I could be on fire."

━━ AUTHORS NOTE

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask away! I'll answer them when I can!

Also, if you are enjoying this story so far, I'd really appreciate with if you could like, comment, vote, and share it with your friends!

Until next time<3