°•°

PEETA WALKED OVER TOWARD WHERE ARYA WAS SAT, her gaze on the water as she seemed to be trapped in her thoughts. He bends down, tapping her on the shoulder in order to get her attention. Arya turns her head, seeing that it was Peeta. He just offers a small smile as he rests his arms on his legs. "We're gonna start heading to the tree." Peeta informs her and she nods her head a bit.

Arya knew they were getting closer to the end. She was just waiting for a good opportunity to slip away from everyone. Arya knew if she stayed after they took the careers out, that Johanna would force her out of the arena with them. But she didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay and go out her own way. That was always the plan.

The others wouldn't understand. Especially Johanna. Arya knew she would bring up Matthew and how he was a good reason to want to live. It wasn't like she didn't want to live. She just was afraid what would happen if this revolution failed. Arya didn't want to be taken to the Capitol. She didn't want to know what Snow had in store for her, if he didn't just have her executed right then and there.

The risk of losing was just as high as winning, if not higher. So, she'd rather stay and go out while watching the others get to freedom. Or, what freedom would be in this world. Arya wasn't even sure where they would be taken but it would at least be far from the Capitol. If she could disappear like Lucy Gray did, that would be ideal. But she would settle for this route instead.

"Okay." She responds, her voice quiet. Arya can't help but groan as she stands up, bringing her hand to her abdomen. Peeta sees this, watching her carefully as she starts to walk across the beach. A rush of pain goes through her and she could feel the sweat lingering on her skin.

"Are you still all right? Do you want me to stay behind with you?" Peeta asks her, sensing that something was wrong. Arya just drops her head for a moment but shakes her head nonetheless. She just had to fight through it, she'd be fine.

"No, I'm good." Arya denies. But that didn't stop Peeta from moving in front of her so that she couldn't walk any further. He lifts the bandage that covered her wound, his eyes widening when he realizes it looked worse than it did before.

"Arya, that looks infected." Peeta points out out with a concerned expression on his face. "Why didn't you say anything?" He asks her, meeting her eyes. Arya didn't want anyone really worrying though. She wasn't exactly someone who most people needed to look after.

"I'm all right, Peeta." She assures him, a small sigh leaving her lips. Arya began walking to through the trees but not without Peeta very closely behind her. "I can survive a little infection." Arya admits, biting her tongue. It wasn't like she would fight it though. But really, this isn't exactly a fast way to go out.

"I should tell the others--" Peeta stops in his step when Arya grabs his arm. He moves his gaze back to her, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Don't." Arya cuts him off, staring at the man. She didn't need them all stopping just for her, that would only take up time that they couldn't waste. "Just let them focus on the task at hand." She tells him. It did seem like Peeta was debating it in his mind, his eyes kept dropping to her stomach.

But ultimately, he lets out a sigh, clenching his jaw. "Fine. But I'm staying next to you." Peeta tells her and Arya knew she couldn't argue with him about it. He would stay beside her no matter what she said. As they turn to start walking again to meet with the others, Katniss noticed they were a bit far behind.

Waiting for them to catch up, she gives a curious expression to Peeta. "Peeta, is everything okay?" She asks the man. Peeta shares a glance with Arya before he nods his head.

"Yeah, just gonna guard the back with Arya." Peeta tells her. Katniss nods her head slowly, her eyes moving to Arya for a second. It seemed she wanted to say something more but didn't, instead just walking back to where she was originally.

Arya had her hand pressed against her abdomen as she walked beside Peeta. It was a few minutes before he had said something to her. "Look, I want katniss to get out of here alive. But you also deserve to win." Peeta says, catching her a bit off guard. Arya didn't think anyone in this arena wanted her to be the victor. Well, katniss and peeta were really the only ones thinking that way because they still thought there was only gonna be one person coming out of this.

"Get Katniss out, it's okay." Arya assures him with a nod of her head. It was clear to everyone that Peeta loved Katniss and wanted her to survive. He would sacrifice himself if that meant that she got out. Arya admired that.

"Why?" Peeta asks her, a bit confused. Arya lets out a sigh as she glances around the forest for a moment, she was mainly trying to stop herself from falling over any roots that they were passing.

"Snow would never have let me win these games anyways." She admits, shrugging her shoulders. Peeta had forgotten about that. She did say that no matter what happened, Snow wanted her dead because of what she did. He wished he could do something to help her.

"I'm sorry." Peeta apologized. Arya looks back over at him. She could tell he was a genuine guy and he really did care about the people around him. Both of them just got the short end of the straw. Peeta felt like he didn't have a reason to get out of the arena other than katniss. And Arya felt like even if she did get out, she'd only put Matthew in more danger.

"Me too." Arya responds with a pained smile. Maybe if they had met under different circumstances, they mightve been able to form a real connection with each other. Peeta is one of the few victors that shes really hit it off with right off the bat. Thats how she knew she could trust him.

Especially with something that she needed to get out. "Peeta." She says softly, getting his attention again. The group wasnt really in ear distance so she knew she could speak freely. Peeta moves his eyes back to hers. "If you do get out of here, can you give a message to Matthew for me?" Arya asks him and he nods his head.

"Of course."

"Tell him, it's not his fault." Arya says, her eyes staring into Peeta's. Furrowing his eyebrows a bit, he didn't really fully understand what she meant. He didn't know if it was because she was sure she wasn't making it out alive, or if it was something else.

Either way, he nods his head, squeezing her arm a little bit. Arya bites the inside of her cheek, turning her gaze away from him. They continue to walk in silence as they catch up with the group ahead of them.

Arya just hoped that Matthew would understand. She didn't know if he was watching the games, or if they could even hear most of the conversations that took place. But she needed him to know that this was her decision, and he did everything that he could for her.

°•°

THEY WERE A PRETTY DECENT WAY INTO THE WOODS WHEN THEY HEARD THE FAMILIAR SOUND RING OUT. The light in the sky shines down on them as the fallen tributes were displayed in front of them. Arya was pressed up against Peetas arm as she felt her energy depleting. She didn't want to make anyone aware so she just kept her mouth shut. Peeta kept checking on her a few times but she would always assure him that she was fine.

"Snow probably has mine set and ready to go." Arya mutters as she tilts her head. It was only a matter of time before some fog, a monkey, or even a God damn tiger attacked her because Snow surely told the game maker to attack her directly.

"What? He's totally rooting for you." Peeta jokes with a smirk. Arya rolls her eyes playfully, laughing as they all continue walking. Peeta was holding onto her arm, helping her step up the hill they were going up.

But Finnick noticed that they were kind of falling behind and had been since they started. He waits for them to reach him before starting to walking beside them. "You two good? You're kind of lagging behind." Finnick points out, flickering his eyes between the two.

"Taking the scenic route." Arya responds sarcastically, looking in front of her. Finnick seemed annoyed by her comment, just letting out a small scoff as he shakes his head.

"I seriously don't understand what he sees in you." Finnick mutters. Arya furrows her eyebrows, turning her head back toward the man.

"Who?"

"Your boyfriend." He tells her. Arya's lips parted slightly as she could only stare at him. She didnt know what he was talking about or who he thought was her boyfriend. But he clearly was making things up in his mind like a delusional person did.

"My what?" Arya questions, watching as Finnick met her gaze.

"Matthew's your boyfriend, isn't he?" Finnick asks, raising an eyebrow at the woman. Arya had to stop herself from audibly gagging at the suggestion that she was in a relationship with Matthew. Not that he wasn't a good looking guy, Matthew would just would also throw up at the suggestion.

"Who told you that?" Arya asks him, really confused on why he would even ask. She could see Finnicks jaw clench, an half annoyed, half frustrated expression forming on his face. His eyes slowly move over toward Johanna and they could both notice the way she was smirkikg to herself.

Arya shakes her head, smiling lightly as she rolls her eyes a bit. Of course Johanna would mess with Finnick. But she still didnt understand why he even wanted to know. "Matthew has known me since I was literally in diapers. He's a big brother to me." Arya answers him, correcting the misinformation he had in his hand.

Finnick would be lying if he said he wasn't relieved to hear that.  Even though that didn't even rule out her being with someone. "Oh." He responds, nodding his head. Finnick moves his hand to rub the back of his neck. "So, no boyfriend?" Finnick questions her. Arya blinks a few times to push away the dizzy spell that had suddenly appeared for her.

Since she didn't answer right away, Peeta took the liberty to say something.
"Who'd put up with her?" Peeta teases with a smirk on his lips. Arya would tackle the man again if she wasn't sure she would lose this time. She settled for glaring at the man.

"Walking on thin ice." Arya mumbles back toward him. Peeta just laughs but it stops when he sees her bring her hand to her head, closing her eyes, her footsteps halting. Finnick seemed to notice this as well.

"Woah, you good?" Finnick asks her, bringing his hand to her arm. Arya didnt reply, a small groan leaving her lips. "Arya?" She stumbled forward, almost dropping to her knees but they both quickly reached out to grab her just in time.

"Guys! Hold up!" Peeta calls out to the others as Arya tries to take a few shaky breaths. The group turn their heads, seeing Arya nearly on the ground with Finnick and Peeta beside her.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." She mumbles as she pushes both Peeta and Finnicks hands off of her. Peeta shakes his head, not really wanting to continue if she was like this, not when she was starting to almost pass out.

"Arya, you're not fine." He denies, worry in his tone. The group had made their way back to the trio, all of them confused on what the hold up was.

"What's going on?" Wesley asks, immediately making his way to Aryas side which all but nudged Finnick out of the way. He couldn't help the glare that formed in his eyes as he stared at the Asian man.

Arya moves her gaze to Peeta, giving him a warning look but he didn't care. He wasn't going to allow her to get worse. "Her wounds infected." Peeta informs them.

"Peeta." She groans, hitting his arm. See, if she could abuse Peeta, then honestly she was okay.

"I don't care. I'm not gonna let you suffer in silence." Peeta retorts as he crosses his arms against his chest.

"Seriously, I'm fine. We're losing time." Arya assures them, pushing them all away as she moves to stand up. Johanna stops her from going anywhere though, a hand on her hip.

"Let me take a look." She says in a stern voice. Arya just rolls her eyes, clenching her jaw. If only Peeta could keep his mouth shut. Johanna reaches forward, moving her bandage out of the way. She winces as she sees the yellow skin. "Arya." Johanna scolds, practically like a mother scolding their child for doing something they shouldn't.

"Jo, it's not that bad." She denies, crossing her arms against her chest. Johanna just stares back at her, a blunt look on her face as she was not exactly persuaded by her words.

"You collapsed." Johanna retorts, pointing out the obvious. Arya tilts her head back with a slight groan.

"I took a second to breath." Arya didn't understand why everyone was making it into such a big deal. She was still on her feet and she was still very much alive.

"Finnick or Wesley can carry you--" Katniss interjects of course. Arya didn't need every single person chiming in, especially with a suggestion like that.

"Oh, my god. I'm not an imbecile, I can walk." She states, shaking her head. But finnick had enough of her blatantly disregarding them and acting like she was all okay when it was clear that her injury was getting worse.

"For once in your life, just accept our help." Finnick all but snaps at her. Arya narrows her eyes as she just stares back at him. She had her lips pressed together tightly. Arya never wanted to do anything Finnick said, but if she said no, surely he or Wesley would forcibly carry her anyways.

Rolling her eyes, she lets out a small huff of air as she nods her head. Finnick holds out his trident toward Wesley who takes it, before moving his arms to Arya. She was skeptical as he placed his hand on her back. Arya didn't like people touching her, not unless she really knew them or she initiated it. But she could tell Finnick was being careful which is one thing she could tolerate.

He moves his arm to her legs before lifting her up. Arya wraps one of her arms around his neck to stabilize herself. She meets his gaze for a second, her body pressed against his chest. Clearing her throat, she just glances away from him, looking anywhere but at him. Finnick starts to walk with the rest of the group, starting their journey once more to the lightning tree.

°•°

MAKING IT TO THE TREE, they all allow Beetee to be the first one near it. Arya honestly felt like it had taken them hours, even though it was probbaly not even very long. She just had to deal with Finnick's commentary the whole way when she couldnt even escape it, given how she was being carried by him. "Minimal charring.  It's an impressive conductor." Beetee admits as he looks up at the tree. It was a moment before he turned to face the group. "Let's get started." He tells them.

Arya looks at finnick, raising an eyebrow at him. "You can put me down now." She tells him, more demanding as a small glare rested in her eyes. Finnick sighs but places her down gently, his eyes making sure she was steady on her feet. "Finnick, I'm not a broken glass." Arya states as the man had taken quite some time to finally let go of her.

Finnick rolls his eyes a bit, a small scoff leaving his lips. "Sorry that I'm worried, sweetheart." He responds, crossing his arms against his chest. Arya shrugs her shoulders a little bit.

"Why would you be worried about me?" Arya questions, not really looking for an answer. It was more something that she already knew what he was gonna say. He didn't worry, he just needed her to stay alive.

Wesley moves over to her, his hand going to her shoulder. "You all right?" He asks her curiously. Finnick just had to bite his tongue from saying something.

"Yeah." Arya says, nodding her head before they focus on Beetee again.

"Typically a lightning strike contains five billion joules of energy. We don't want to be anywhere in the vicinity when this hits." Beetee admits, his body turning to where Johanna and Katniss were standing. "You two girls go together now. Take this. Unspool it carefully. Make sure the entire coils in the water. You understand? Then head to the tree at the two o'clock sector. We'll meet you there." He explains to them and they slowly nod their heads. Although, Katniss was glancing in Peeta's direction.

"Don't get electrocuted." Arya says with a tight smile. Johanna rolls her eyes playfully as she shakes her head. Peeta clears his throat as he moves toward Katniss.

"I'm gonna go with them as a guard." Peeta tells the group, knowing of his and Katniss's plan which relied on them being together. But it seemed beetee had other ideas.

"No, no. You're staying here to protect me and the tree." Beetee retorts.

"No, I need to go with her." Peeta says with a scoff, shaking his head.

"There are two careers out there. I need two guards." Beetee points out. It was more logical to have multiple people protecting him.

"Then you can have Wesley." Peeta points out, showing that they weren't exactly short people. "Or Finnick can guard you just fine on his own." He states, really just wanting to suggest anything that allowed him to go with Katniss.

Arya gasps as she places her hand on her heart. "What am I, chopped liver?" She asks, a small pout on her lips seeing how Peeta didnt even mention her. But she knew it was most likely because he knew she was injured and didn't want to overstress her.

"Yeah, why can't finnick and Johanna stay with you and Peeta and I'll take the coil?" Katniss states, crossing her arms against her chest. Beetee didn't seem very pleased with the way they were both going against the plan. He moves toward the woman.

"You all agreed to keep me alive until midnight, correct?" He asks her, raising an eyebrow at Katniss who stays silent for a moment.

"It's his plan, we all agreed to it." Johanna points out, staring at Katniss as well.

"I get that you two wanna stick together, but it's not your call." Wesley denies as he flickers his eyes between Katniss and Peeta. It was obvious they wanted to split from the group but they couldn't really allow that to happen.

"Is there a problem here?" Finnick asks, staring at them as he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Excellent question." Beetee says, all of them now looking toward Katniss. Katniss knew she couldn't keep pushing without making it suspicious so she decided to just go along with the plan.

"No. There's no problem." Katniss denies, shaking her head. She moves over to Peeta, placing her hand on his cheek before pulling him into a kiss. Arya glances away from them for a moment. "I'll see you at midnight." She whispers toward him and he just nods his head.

"All right, let's go." Johanna says with a sigh, moving her hands to her hips as she stops beside Arya. "Don't die on me. You better be here when I get back." She warns, pointing her finger at the brunette. Arya just scrunched her nose up a bit.

"No promises." She half jokes. But Arya most likely wasn't going to be here when Johanna and Katniss returned. Johanna didn't seem to find what she said funny.

"Arya." She says in a stern voice. Her eyes then move over to Wesley. "You'll watch out for her?" Johanna asks him and he nods his head at her. She was reluctant to go with Katniss but she walks through the trees with the woman

Not before glancing back toward where Arya was stood next to Peeta. She couldn't help but worry for her, mainly because she might end up having to be alone with Finnick and it would no doubt lead to an argument. Which when they were trying to defend off the careers, it wouldn't exactly be the best thing.

°•°

ARYA KEPT GLANCING TOWARD THE WOODS, trying to plan when to attempt to get away from the group. But it was near impossible when she had Finnick, Wesley and Peeta standing guard. It seemed if she made one slight move, at least one of them was looking in her direction. So, it was either just bolt for it or get up and act like she's going to do something else.

She went with the second option since she didn't think her infection would allow her to run very far. Arya pushed herself off of the tree she was leant against, starting to walk toward the trees. It seemed she was right about her prediction since the moment the branch snapped beneath her foot, Wesley was looking toward her.

"Where are you going?" Wesley asks her, catching the others attention as well. Arya sighs as she didn't even want to stop walking, maybe that would give them a hint to just leave her alone. But once again, luck wasn't on her side.

"Checking the perimeter." Arya responds. It was a good answer, if she wasn't visibly injured to everyone. If only she had kept her infection a secret, she could've possibly gotten away with it.

"You should really just sit down." Peeta denies, a frown forming on his face. He understood that she wanted to keep them safe by checking the area, but they could do it while she stayed with Beetee. Arya rolls her eyes, rubbing her face as she turns back to face them.

"I'm fine." Arya says, not wanting to get into a full blown conversation.

"I'll go with you." Wesley suggests, knowing that was a good solution. And he wasnt about to let her go without any backup.

"No, you stay here." She retorts, mainly just wanting to be alone. But at this rate, that was never happening.

"You can't go by yourself." Wesley denies, shaking his head. She could barely stand up, and he knew she thought she was tough, but she wouldn't be any threat against the careers in her condition.

"Yeah, one of us should go with you." Finnick agrees with a nod of his head. Arya looks at the man with a disgusted expression.

"I'd rather take the risk of dying then take you." She admits, a scoff leaving her lips as she crosses her arms. Finnick rolls his eyes. He shouldve expected a comment like that.

"You're already not doing too well, now are you?" Finnick points out. She could barely speak without having to take a deep breath, she couldn't go out in the woods alone with the careers still out there.

"I still look better than you." Arya retorts as she looks him up and down. Finnick let's out a breathy chuckle.

"No chance."

"No wonder you don't have a girlfriend." She says, narrowing her eyes a bit. Finnick just stared at her, a small smirk forming on his lips.

"You're one to talk." Finnick retorts, raising an eyebrow at him. Wesley groans as he tilts his head back a little bit.

"Okay, either I go or he does because I'm not going with both of you, I'd knock myself out at this rate." Wesley admits, holding his hands up. He loved them both separately. Together, they were a nightmare to be around.

"I'll go. You stay with Peeta." Finnick tells him. Arya instantly turns around, cursing lowly to herself a she just shakes her head. Of course Wesley wouldn't argue with it.

"Hallelujah." She mutters, making her way through the trees and hearing finnick following behind. "My freaking savior." Arya says, hitting the branches out of her way.

"I don't get what your problem is." Finnick states, barely even getting anywhere from the main area with the tree. Arya didn't really care much to actually wonder what he was talking about.

"With what?"

"With me." Finnick says sharply. Arya glances in his direction.

"If you don't see it, then I can't help you, sweetie." Arya admits as she just shrugs her shoulders. Finnick hated how she gave cryptic answers to everything.

"I did nothing to you. You're fine with everyone but me." Finnick points out. She had no issue making friends with Peeta or Katniss after she decided against killing the woman. But him, she had an issue with.

"I have issues with many people." She responds with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Not here."

"What exactly is your question?" Arya raises an eyebrow at him. She didnt really want to guess what his mind was trying to piece together.

"Why don't you like me?" Finnick asks, staring at the woman. Arya just presses her lips together, pretending to think as she tilts her head to the side.

"That's very broad." She states, continuing to walk through the woods.

"You make it seem like I'm some evil villain." Finnick replies as he moves in front of her so she would stop trying to walk away from the conversation. Arya just stares up at him.

"Maybe you are in my head." She answers him simply.

"But you won't give me a reason as to why it came to be that way?" Finnick asks her. That's what he didn't understand. She wouldn't even give him a reason. He couldn't fix something that he didn't even know how he caused the issue.

"Figure that out yourself."

"Is it something I said to you?" He questions, watching her facial expressions to try and get any leverage. "Did I do something? At least give me a hint." Finnick seemed to be irritating her with the way that he just wouldn't simply leave her alone.

"This!" Arya shouts toward him, causing him to be quiet for a second. "You following me like some lost puppy because you feel like you have a mission to accomplish." She says with a scoff, staring at him with annoyance in her eyes. Finnick seemed a bit hurt by her words. "My plan was never to get out of this arena. Whatever haymitch put in your mind, that's all him." She points out. She couldn't control what Haymitch told him, but she clearly didn't want saving so Finnick should just leave her the hell alone.

"So, what? You hate me because I'm trying to save your life?" Finnick questions, his jaw clenching as he furrows his eyebrows.

"Oh, please. You don't actually care enough to get me out. You're just doing it because it's what you were told to do." Arya points out with a roll of her eyes. Haymitch told him to get her out, so obviously he was. But that wasn't what was going through Finnicks mind.

"How the hell do you know how I feel?" He asks with a scoff, glaring at the woman. Finnick felt like she was just projecting her own issues onto him. Arya glances away from him. "No, hey. Everything you are saying about me is something you've made up in your head." Finnick points out. He didn't believe he actually did anything to warrant this type of behavior from her.

"Really? Because I think you're cocky, which you are. I think your ego-maniacal, which you are. I think you use people to get what you want, which... oh, yep! You do. You are quite literally the most irritating, self-centered person I have ever met and I seriously don't get how you walked around the Capitol with that high and mighty attitude."

Finnick understand where most of that was coming from. But it was literally only because she only interacted with him at Capitol parties for a mere few seconds. He could never show his true self to her because she didn't give him enough time to do so. Arya was only seeing what he put on, a facade.

"Everything you just said about me, is the persona that Snow made me create. You think I can just walk around, being myself and the Capitol would just accept that? Not all of us got special treatment from Snow and can act like a complete spoiled brat because you got whatever you wanted."

Arya felt her gaze darken toward him as she hears him. He couldn't possibly know what she had to go through. Just because it was seen that she was Snows 'favourite' didn't actually mean shit. It just meant that things she went through, weren't made publicly known to everybody.

"You have no idea about my time in the Capitol." She denies, hating how he even implied that she got it easier than any other victor. What, should she thank Snow for not out right selling her? It wasn't like there wasn't a version of that made for her.

"Really? Because I have a pretty clear picture of what that looked like in my head." Finnick responds, clearly set in his mindset. Arya couldn't even stand to look at him anymore. So she went to move past him but he gripped her arm. "You're not going anywhere." He denies. He wasn't about to let her just walk off because he knew she wasn't coming back.

Her gaze drops to his hand before meeting his eyes once again. "Let me go."
Arya demands. How dare he even lay a hand on her. Finnick just takes a step closer to her, his body looming over her as he stared down, practically into her soul.

"Walk back to the tree or I swear to you, I will throw you over my shoulder and drag you back there myself." Finnick threatens, glaring down at her. Arya returns it, her jaw clenching as she ripped her arm from his gaze. He suddenly went to grab her but she moved out of the way.

She narrowly missed his hands as she pushed the man away from her. Finnick just quickly grabs her arms, pulling her toward him. Arya stumbles forward a bit, feeling his hands on her waist as he pushes her back against one of the trees. One of his hands wrapped around her throat, but it was more just placed there.

Arya only stands there for a second, not making any move to get out of his hold.

"You're gonna have to press a little harder if you actually want to hurt me." Arya tells him, a small smirk forming on her lips. Finnick seemed shocked by her comment a little, his hand loosening around her neck. He just backs up as she brushes his arm away from her.

Arya starts to walk toward the trees when his voice stops her. "Where are you gonna go?" He calls out after her.  There was no where to go in the arena and if she wanted to escape, she needed to be with them.

"I'm not going anywhere, Finnick." She denies. Arya wasn't escaping. She was simply going to find a quiet area and go in peace. That's what she decided on anyways. "Nowhere but to see my family." She mumbles, looking down at the ground as she passed the tree.

Arya didn't get a response, only a light grunt from behind her. She bites her bottom lip, half expecting a witty comeback. But she got nothing. "Oh, now you become quiet?" She asks, turning around to where Finnick would be.

Her eyes go wide as he sees Brutus on top of the man, his trident out of arms reach as he tried to stop the sword from piercing his chest. Finnick used most of his strength to push on Brutus's arm but that only made the career tribute more determined as he fights back twice as hard.

Finnick groans as he moves his head back, further away from the blade. His eyes flicker to his trident, but unless he could somehow get Brutus off of him, he wasn't able to grab it, it was too far away from him. As his eyes go back to Brutus, about to try and summon up the strength to throw the man off, a knife goes through his neck.

Brutus goes still, blood dripping from his mouth before he goes still on top of finnick. Finnick was now able to push him off before the man fell toward him. As the career hits the ground, the loud sound of the cannon going off, Finnick looks above him, noticing Arya standing there. She had her dagger in her hand as she was just staring back at him.

Finnick was quick to get up, grabbing his trident. He glances around for a second, seeing if Enobaria was going to come out from somewhere. "We need to get back." Finnick says, sensing that they weren't the only ones who had been attacked. He starts to move before noticing that Arya wasn't following him.

"You do." She replies, looking down at the ground. Finnick walks back over to her, taking her face in his hands. She allowed it for a moment, seeing how desperate he was.

"Arya, we can get out of here. We can be free." Finnick assures her. He didn't want to leave her behind. She could be a pain in the ass but she didn't deserve to be abandoned in the arena.

"What even does that mean?" Arya asks him. She was genuinely curious what this 'free' world would entail. They didnt know where they would be whisked off to and that was if they could escape from the Capitol's grasp. "Finnick, I'm not gonna risk it all on an off chance that we win." She denies, shaking her head. Deep down, she was terrified and she knew he could see that.

Finnick just thought she would use that as motivation to get out. To give the revolution a shot. But she wasn't budging. "What's the alternative?" He questions, wanting to know what she was even going to do if he left her behind. Finnick didn't see another way out of this.

"Not having to worry about being captured." Arya says, fiddling with her fingers. Even if Haymitch rescued them, they could still be taken. And she wasn't about to be taken by Snow. She wouldn't come out of that alive.

"You won't be captured if you just come with me." Finnick points out, grabbing onto her hand and trying to pull her with him but she rips it out of his grasp. She shakes her head, tears in her eyes.

"No."

"Stop being so damn stubborn." He was growing angry by this point. Angry that she wouldn't just trust him. Finnick would let her blame him if this all didn't work out. Hell, he'd kill her if it meant that she didn't get captured. He knew she'd rather be dead than in the Capitol.

"Just, go, finnick." Arya tells him, taking a step back. "They probably need some help." She points out. They didn't know what was going on with the others but they knew it wasn't good. But Finnick doesn't move from his spot.

"I'm not just gonna leave you." Finnick denies. No matter what she thinks about him, and not matter how much she thinks he doesn't care about her, he would fight for her. Although, that wasn't always enough.

"Go." She states, staring at the man in front of her. When he still doesn't moves she shoves her hands hard against his chest causing him to stumble back. "Go!" Arya screams at him, her voice filled with pain. Finnick could barely bring himself to take the first step back.

Finnick turns around, hesitating as he starts to walk back toward the lightening tree. Arya doesn't even watch him, instead sitting down against the tree that was next to her. She just twists the dagger in her hand. Finnick had walked a few steps but stops, his head dropping. He turns to look back at Arya but she wasn't even looking at him anymore.

He debated in his mind what to do. But he couldn't do anything against her will. If this what was she wanted, maybe he should just let her go through with it. Although, Johanna was going to be seriously pissed when she found out. Finnick didn't see another option though. So instead, he faces forward and starts running back to where they came from.

Arya understood why Finnick wanted to save her. He thought she would want to go back to Matthew, to not have to live in fear. But if she did that, that's exactly what she would be doing. She'd still be looking over her shoulder every single day until Snow was dead. It didn't matter where she was or who she was with. Matthew had his own family to protect, and she was not about to jeopardize any of them.

Truthfully, what she thought about Finnick was right. Maybe she was wrong about her interpretation of him, but he also had a point. Maybe she just didn't see the real him or have enough time to break through that barrier. Arya could've tried to make a friendship with him over the years, but his personality was what pushed her away. Again, maybe it was just a persona. But that was all she saw. Maybe if they met under different circumstances.

She hears the thunder crackle in the sky, her eyes moving over to the left. As the lightening strikes, she notices something shoot toward the sky. Arya was confused for a second before an explosion filled her ears. She couldnt help but laugh as she watched the dome start to crumble around them. They had actually done it. Broke through the barrier that the Capitol thought was indestructible.

Arya smiles as she brings the dagger up to her neck. If everyone else got rescued, that was enough for her. She prayed it worked out for them. Arya just knew that luck was never on her side. If she had went, maybe it would transfer onto the rest of them. Either way, she really didn't ever want to harm anyone again. She had taken too much in this lifetime, and she wished she could undo what she did. But there was no button for reversing time. This would just have to do for her.

A branch snaps in the direction that Finnick had left. Her eyebrows furrow as she glances over. Had he come back? She wouldn't put it past him. Arya carefully stands up, using the tree as leverage. She starts to walk toward where the sound had come from.

But before she could make it two steps, something hit her on the back of the head causing everything to go black, her body dropping against the ground.

°•°

This is the end of part one.

I know it was short, but mockingjay part one has a lengthier storyline and goes more into depth about her past. Catching fire was really just the introduction to her character and kind of sets up the dynamics between some of the characters

This is why I'm debating at least publishing the tributes for my prequel because there is mention of a girl from her games in part two and she's kind of a big stepping stone into finnick and Arya and how they come to be. I need opinions lol. Or should I just have a chapter or part of a chapter, kind of having a small back story for it?