CHAPTER ELEVEN!

PEARLS.

FOR SOMEBODY WHO IS SO AFRAID OF GETTING CLOSE TO PEOPLE, Elena found herself liking Katniss and Peeta more and more as the time went on. She knows that shouldn't, when they reach the finale they'll turn on each other so quick — Katniss and Peeta would protect each other, Finnick and Elena would do the same. It's odd saying she'd kill for him, something that once would have been seen as a rather huge overstatement but in their circumstances, is completely normal.

Elena gently wrings the water out of her long, blonde hair. Finnick stands beside her, washing the surface of his weapon as Peeta gets some water from one of the nearby trees using the spile Katniss had been sent. The is an eerie silence amongst them, almost as if they're too afraid to break it with their words.

The blonde decides to wash the dirt off her hands, her eyes straying to Peeta for just a second. She inhales sharply and taps Finnick's arm, his gaze directed on her instantly as she gestures to the boy. Katniss also seems to follow their gaze.

"Peeta?" Katniss speaks in a quiet tone which causes him to turn his head to her. "Walk over here slowly,"

Peeta turns back to grab the spile and comes face to face with a vicious baboon. Elena clutches a knife tightly as the boy slowly stumbles back to her, her free hand gently grabbing his arm and pulling him back so they're standing beside each other. The animals surround them, staring them down.

"Get to the beach," Katniss mummers quietly and before they even have the chance to move, the animals attack.

Before Elena can process it, Finnick pushes her out of the way and stabs one of them with his trident. Elena busies herself with killing some of the less aggressive ones, even though they are still quite vicious. When she turns again, she spots Katniss being held down in the water by one, her instincts taking over as she stabs it in the back. Katniss emerges from the water with a loud gasp as Elena helps her up and they continue to fight with the animals.

"We gotta get to the beach!" Peeta's voice is more desperate now, their survival depending on whether or not they get away.

Elena is quick to follow him, the two running forward. Just as she goes to warn him of an oncoming attack, a woman throws herself in front of him. Peeta kills the baboon and looks over to Elena for help, her body moving to help carry the woman away. The teenagers drag her to the beach as Katniss and Finnick keep the oncoming animals away from them.

"The water," Elena manages to croak and Peeta nods, moving the body to the water where it would be more peaceful.

The woman, who Elena believes is from District Six, lays on her back in the shallow water and watches the sky. Elena stays by her side, allowing the morphling to hold her hand tightly as the pain overcomes her. She looks up at Peeta almost begging him to save the woman but Peeta lowers his head instead.

"It's incredible, isn't it? All those colours. Don't worry about anything else, it's ok. We'll be here with you," Peeta says soothingly to the woman who is slowly fading away in his arms.

Elena shuts her eyes tightly when the canon fires, signifying her death. She'd just thrown herself in front of them, more specifically Peeta, and now she'd paid the price. The grip on her hand is now slack and she lets the other woman's hand fall into the water beneath her. Peeta helps Elena out of the water and away from the body which is now being picked up by the Capitol.

"I think she just sacrificed herself for me, for us. Why?" Peeta's voice is quiet, Elena turning her head so that they can look each other in the eyes.

"I-I don't know,"

Later that afternoon, Elena sits on the sand with her back to the rest of the tributes she's allied with. Her eyes are stuck on the spot where that woman had just died, a million thoughts rolling through her mind as she simply stares. There is a gentle breeze that pushes her wet hair away from her face, the air quite calming and yet cold and unforgiving at the same time.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Peeta takes a seat beside her in the sand as his eyes watch the ocean. Elena manages a small nod at his question, the view something she's seen a million times before back home. She knows District Twelve don't have that, she went there on her victory tour. It was probably the place she dreaded the most, everybody seemed so sad and so lost. In District Four, there was joy around the water and yet she found that in Peeta's District, there didn't seem to be much to smile about. Therefore, she pities him and Katniss, she wishes that they had a somewhat better life than what they were given.

"You okay?" His next question gains her attention more so than the last.

"You never get used to seeing people die," Is all she speaks in response.

"No. I don't think you do, it's not really something you want to be alright with and yet, we'll probably see it a million times in our life time. The way things are, the way it's always been for us,"

"I'm sick of seeing it,"

"Me too,"

Peeta fiddles with the sand beside him, pick up grains in his hand and letting it sift through his fingers. The crashing of the waves is something rather abnormal for him, it's peaceful almost. Elena on the other hand, allows her feet to enter the cold water, somewhat connecting her to home as she sits there.

"What's District Four like?" Peeta suddenly questions as he tries to strike up a conversation with the quiet girl. "I didn't get to see much of it whilst I was there,"

His question brings a small smile onto her face, memories of her home present in her mind. Days where her mother and father would take her and Jace down by the water to have some time together. How her and Jace would build sandcastles and have competitions about who's was better, each of their parents always siding with one child so it was a tie.

"There's a lot of water and fish which to most may seem not that exciting but I used to love it when I was a child. Not so much anymore," Elena answers softly, the smile she had managed to display falling from her lips.

"Home isn't that exciting either. Spent most of my days at the bakery," Peeta responds and Elena nods when she remembers the time they'd spent together in the training centre. "I've always wondered what it would be like to swim, you know? Didn't expect this to be when I'd have the opportunity,"

"Recreational swimming is a lot more fun than swimming away to save your life. Maybe one day you'll get to learn,"

"Only if you'll be there to teach me,"

Elena looks at him, the smile slowly pulling at her lips again as she shakes her head. They both know that the two of them won't get out of this unscathed, one or both of them will end up dead.

"Maybe my brother could teach you, I don't think I'd be much use," Elena says. "He was always a big swimmer. Didn't get much time to do it when I came home though, he was stuck taking care of me,"

"From what I've seen, your brother adores you. He's the furthest thing from stuck, Elena. He loves you, you help those you love," Peeta's voice is gentle as he turns to look at her as well, their eyes connecting.

"Maybe,"

"You shouldn't do that to yourself, people stick around because they care, not because they don't have a choice. The loyalty Finnick has for you is like nothing I've ever seen before,"

The said man watches the two teenagers from further up to beach, Katniss sitting beside him. Neither of them are the slightest bit bothered by the conversation, Katniss looking for tired than anything. Finnick studies Elena's face, a smile pulling at his lips when she smiles herself.

A few voices can be heard further down the beach and Finnick takes off, the sound of Johanna Mason becoming more prominent. Peeta and Elena look over but before Elena can make her way over, Peeta grabs her hand in his.

"I care," is all he says before he moves away.

Elena looks down at her hand and opens it up to see a small pearl laying in the palm of her hand.

NOTE!

Hi everyone! Sorry for the wait! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter!