LEIA WAS SITTING NEXT TO FINNICK, AND HE WAS TERRIFIED. She had been doing her best to comfort him, but she was struggling to get him to say something. He had just been sitting there and staring at the ground while leaning his elbows on his knees and propping his head on one hand. It took fifteen minutes for him to speak. "I'm scared, Leia."

"I know," she responded. She leaned forward so that her face was kind of near his. She reached over to his free hand. She was hesitant and kind of nervous, but she wrapped her fingers around it. She was relieved when he interlocked "It'll be okay, though."

"What's going to happen?" he questioned, but neither of them knew the answer to that. No one could predict what would happen, no matter how hard they tried. The arena could be anything, and they would not know until the start of the Games. She wished so desperately that she could tell him what would happen, but she just did not know.

"You're going to win," she answered. She was sure that he had a chance if he really wanted it. Part of the reason no one under fifteen had won yet was because they always psyched themselves out before they could even try. He needed to believe. "That's what's going to happen. You have Isla—"

He shook his head, cutting her off, "Actually, she allied with the Careers."

"Well, you have me," she pointed out. He needed to know that he had someone rooting for him on the outside. She was not sure if he had any family back home, but she wanted to be supportive enough for a million family members and friends. She firmly believed that having someone out there that wants you to win gives you something to fight for. "I'll be out here cheering for you and going around with Mags to help get you sponsors."

"Who's going to waste their money on a lost cause?" he groaned out, and he flopped back into the couch. No one wanted to sponsor someone that was not going to win. However, from what Leia had heard, a lot of people thought he had a really good chance with the score that he got on the Individual Assessments and his confidence during the interviews.

She rolled her eyes because she was sick and tired of him feeling sorry for himself. She knew that he could do it, and moping was not going to help. He was strong and smart and attractive, and he needed to believe that himself. "You're not a lost cause. You're an underdog. Everyone loves an underdog."

"If you say so," he breathed out. Although, she was not so sure he even was an underdog. He had amazing skills, and he was fast. If there was water in the arena, the others were screwed because he knew exactly how to swim stealthily and sneak up on things in the water. He could climb and fight and run, and he was going to be perfectly fine.

"I do say so," she confirmed, and they both looked up as Mags stepped into the room. They knew that that meant that it was time for him to go. Before he got up, she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. "You're going to get in there and fight like hell to stay alive. If you die in there, I'll kill you."

He laughed as they pulled away. He looked her in the eye, and she could barely breathe. She knew that it was not the time to be admiring him, but he was just so perfect. She snapped out of her trance when he began speaking. "Thank you for everything you've done for me."

"I didn't do anything. Apollo—" she started.

He cut her off before she could finish speaking because she had done so much more than just do his makeup. She had given him the confidence that he needed to go in there and try and win. If he did end up surviving, it would be because of her and everything that she had done for him. He would be forever grateful for that. "I don't mean the costumes. I mean you believing in me."

"Of course, Finnick," she told him. She would do it a thousand times again if it would make his experience a little bit easier. She wanted him to feel as comfortable as possible before the Games so that his mind was clear and so that he would not panic once he got in there.

He stood up, and she mimicked his actions. He nodded at her before heading over to where Mags was standing there and watching them talk. "Goodbye, Leia."

"I'll see you soon."

《✵》

LEIA WAS FREAKING OUT BECAUSE THE GAMES WERE ABOUT TO START. She had kept it together in front of Finnick because if she panicked, then he would too, but she was so scared. Of course, she believed in him, but it was hard to watch someone you cared about in a dangerous situation and not be able to do anything about it. It was more than she could bear, but she was going to sit there and watch for him.

All of the tributes were standing on their platforms and looking at their surroundings. They were in a lush, tropical landscape with a mesmerizing bamboo forest, a verdant atmosphere where sunlight filters through a dense canopy of emerald leaves, casting dappled shadows upon the forest floor below, which is carpeted with a flourishing tapestry of ferns secretly hiding infected mosquitos with a deadly hint of malaria, waiting to jump out at the Tributes with their unorthodox poisons. Towering bamboo stalks, slender and graceful, sway gently in the warm breeze, their rustling leaves creating a soothing melody that echoes through the forest. The air is alive with the sounds of nature — the gentle rustling of bamboo leaves, the distant call of exotic, tropical birds, and the occasional chatter of monkeys swinging through the trees above. A chorus of insects fills the air with their ceaseless hum, adding to the symphony of life that permeates the forest.

And in the middle of the large clearing that they were in was a huge metal cornucopia filled with weapons and survival supplies. It was everything that one might need to win the Games, right there in front of them. And they would have to fight to the death for it. The camera landed on Finnick for a moment, and he was ready. Mags had told him to run immediately away from the cornucopia and get as far as he could. However, he was eyeing a bag a couple of feet away from him, and Leia got nervous that he was going to grab it when a voice came on the speaker

"Let the 65th Hunger Games begin, and may the odds be ever in your favor.. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

Finnick took off, but in the completely wrong way, which was definitely not what he had been told to do. Leia looked over at Mags who was sitting next to her in the suite, but the woman looked surprisingly calm. So, Leia just turned back to the television and muttered to herself, "What are you doing? Get the hell out of there."

The Odair boy snatched the backpack and then turned on his heel and sprinted away. The other Tributes were too focused on the bloodbath to notice or care that he was running. In a few seconds, he was in the jungle and hidden by the thick trees. The Calore girl frowned when she saw something shiny in his hand, and it took her a moment to realize that it was a dagger.

There were cannons going off in the distance, causing him to look back for a second. He regretted it when he collided with someone. He looked up to see the girl from District Seven — Juniper — standing in front of him with a pained expression. He looked down, and his eyes widened when he saw the knife in his hand plunged into her abdomen. She began collapsing, and he removed the weapon just as she fell to the ground. Leia's hand flew to her mouth in shock.

"Shit. Sorry!" he exclaimed, and he looked like he was going to cry. He had just killed someone by accident, but he knew that she was probably going to kill him if he hadn't. So, he shook it off for the time being and kept on running.

When he made it to a seemingly secure place, he decided to check and see what was in the bag that he grabbed. He opened it to see some twine, rope, another knife, an empty canteen, and two loaves of bread. Overall, it was an amazing haul. They never gave out that much stuff, especially not in a backpack that was close to the pedestals.

He packed everything back up, keeping one of the knives in his hand, and he kept walking to see if he could find a safe place to set up camp for the day. It took a couple of hours, but he finally came across a really thick tree that had a hollowed out spot about twenty feet up. It was pretty well-concealed, so he climbed.

Leia breathed out a sigh of relief once she comprehended that he was safe, and she prayed that it lasted the rest of the night.