Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Attack

CA SSANDRA

When I entered my son’s room, I half-expected him to be awake, but he was

fast asleep.

He had his arms wrapped around his favorite teddy bear, Teddy, and for a moment, I didn’t want to wake him up. He seemed so peaceful, and I was about to put him through so much stress.

But not as much as I would be if we went to Anemond.

So, I leaned down and gently touched his arm.

“Finnick,” I whispered, and when he didn’t rouse, I said his name again. After a moment, his nose crinkled and his eyes blinked open.

“Mommy?” he said, and he yawned lightly.

“Sorry to wake you, baby,” I said, and I gave him my most apologetic smile. “We have to go.”

“Go?” he repeated back in a confused voice. “Go where?”

“I’ll tell you on the way there,” I explained. “For now, we just need to get ready,

okay?”

Finnick nodded, though his gray eyes were concerned. I pulled the covers aside and helped him down. We walked over to the closet, and we got him dressed.

After I zipped up his jacket, I picked out a couple of fresh sets of clothes and packed them in a small backpack.

“Put this on,” I instructed him.

“Can Teddy come?” he asked hopefully, and he glanced over at the stuffed bear he’d left on the bed. I studied the toy carefully. We were running low on room, but Teddy was his favorite toy. I couldn’t ask him to leave it behind when I was already asking so much of him.

“Okay,” I said. “But we have to put him in your backpack, okay?”

“Okay!” Finnick agreed. We carefully put Teddy in his bag, and once he was secure it was time for shoes.

Finnick and I went downstairs, and after we were fully dressed, I did a quick scan of the house. It seemed like I had remembered everything we needed. I glanced at the clock. It was time to go.

I scooped Finnick into my arms and held him close.

“Hold on tight, baby,” I said, and I wrapped my jacket around him to conceal him

further.

I carried him out of the house and into the night.

The street was completely empty, with only the streetlights out to light our way. I glanced around and made sure we were alone. Luckily, everyone else seemed to be asleep. I held Finnick tight and then took off toward the forest.

fear.

On the way there, Finnick let out a soft sound of worry.

“Are we going to the forest, Mommy?” he asked, and his tone was painted with

“Yes, baby.” I said. “I’m so sorry we have to go there, I know you don’t like it. But I need you to be brave, okay?”

“Why do we have to go?” he pressed. I considered my words carefully.

“You were right before,” I decided. “The man we saw today. He’s very bad and very dangerous. So we have to go somewhere to keep us safe.”

It wasn’t a total lie. Asher Collins wasn’t a good man, especially considering

what he had done to me.

When Finnick didn’t reply, I asked him the question I know he didn’t want to hear. “Are you afraid?”

“No,” he said firmly. “I’m not afraid. Let’s leave. I’ll protect you. I can walk-”

“Not now, sweetheart,” I said quickly as he tried to wiggle in my arms. “Not before we pa*s the sentinels. Just stay here for right now.”

I held my son closer to my chest, and Finnick sighed.

“Okay,” he said simply, and he fell silent. It was for the best. Finnick would have been fine on foot, but there was a short interval just before midnight when there would be no guards around. This window was our only hope and it was minutes

away.

So, I quickened my pace and kept walking.

Not too long after, we made it there, and to my delight, there were no guards. around. I let out a sigh of relief and then walked straight into the forest..

After we made it a good way in, I set Finnick down and reached into my pack. I’d brought a flashlight, a compa*s, and a knife with me. Retrieved them all, and after I put the knife in my pocket, I turned on the flashlight.

The forest was pitch-black around us, so we needed to rely on the flashlight to see. I used the light to check the compa*s. I wasn’t an expert navigator, but I knew enough to get us through. We needed to avoid the forbidden section of the forest, so I had to find us a shortcut that would get us out of Wegalla, If I timed things. correctly, we could be on the other side of the forest by the morning.

In the meantime, I needed to take every precaution to keep us safe. Now that I couldn’t shift, I needed to keep my wits about me and keep us from making too many sounds or running into any predators.. Luckily for us, my father had taught me how to use a knife when I was a girl, but I’d never had to use one before.

I took Finnick’s hand in mine. This was his first time entering the forest, and I could tell he was scared because his palms were wet. I felt pangs of guilt go. through me. Putting Finnick in this much danger wasn’t fair, but I had no other choice. I couldn’t let the nightmares of Anemond come back to me, not again, and I wouldn’t let them take my son.

So, we began our walk through the forest.

At first, the two of us were too afraid to speak. We continued on for an hour in complete silence, carefully maneuvering through the sp ikey trees together.

Once we were a little further in, I relaxed my grip around Finnick’s hand, and when I did, he cleared his throat.

“Mommy?” he asked me quietly.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“How do you know the man is bad?” he wondered.

I considered my answer carefully. “Well… I didn’t tell you earlier, but I do actually know the man. I’m sorry I lied about it.”

Finnick fell silent.

“I just didn’t want you to worry about it, baby,” I explained. “I didn’t want you to worry about me.”

“It’s okay, Mommy,” he said very maturely. “I understand.”

The boy was already wise beyond his years, and again, I found myself admiring his emotional intelligence. He was going to be an extraordinary man one day, but for now, he was my best friend.

Not too far ahead, fireflies began to light up, and Finnick grew excited. He dropped my hand and immediately rushed ahead.

“Look, Mommy!” he exclaimed, forgetting we needed to stay quiet. “I’m going to

catch it!”

“Finnick!” I called after him, but he kept going. He ran until I couldn’t see him anymore, and I started to panic.

“Finnick!” I called again.

Suddenly, I heard a gasp, a thud, and then a scream.

“Mommy!” Finnick yelled louder than I’d ever heard him before. I ran as fast as I could in the direction of his voice. Adrenaline kicked in and didn’t stop until I spotted the top of his head with my flashlight. I sped even faster as Finnick screamed again.

When I reached him, my heart stopped in my chest. Half of my son’s b*dy had fallen into a hole and was trapped between rocks.