( CHAPTER TWO )
THE TRAIN RIDE

OCTAVIA HAD MADE SURE that Elias was in front of her as they boarded the Capitol's train, watching him like a hawk. He was not to be out of her sight around the other tributes, and soon, she would let him know. She swallowed as Elias let out a small whimper, the little boy was so afraid and he was melting her heart, whether he knew it or not. Call it maternal instincts, but Octavia was going to be his protector.

The inside of the train was decorated with over-the-top style, typical of the Capitol. Chandeliers, plush seats, tables with mountains of mouth-watering food. All in all, Octavia let out a bitter chuckle as she knew what the Capitol was saying, "We know you're gonna die, so here, have some complimentary food along the way." It was ridiculous and it really pissed her off.

"Take a seat, take a seat." Stormi smiled, gesturing to all the empty seats around. Octavia glanced down at Elias, gesturing with her head that he could take a seat. Sitting down on a loveseat, Octavia occupied the spot next to Elias, her guard up at all times. Elias curved in closer to the brunette, practically curving himself into her side as he took comfort in her. Octavia and him weren't complete strangers. In fact, they were next door neighbors and Elias' family only consisted of his father, who was rarely home as he was seen drinking in the bars a lot. So, naturally, Elias had become a large part in their lives.

"Congratulations on being chosen," Stormi grinned. "You're going to be showered with attention in the Capitol."

A fake, plastered smile graced Octavia's face as she nodded in thanks. "Great!" Stormi smiled. Octavia had to bite her tongue to keep back her snarky remark, but when Stormi giggled, it seemed to strike something in her.

"Is that before or after we're forced to our deaths by the CAPITOL Gamemakers?" Octavia sneered, glaring at the girl. Stormi's smile fell and seemed to be taken aback by Octavia's hostile remark. The girl was intimidating when angry, that was for sure, Stormi thought.

"Uh, well, uh-" Stormi stammered, not able to come up with a response.

"A way to piss off the Gamemakers." A smooth voice from the back interrupted. Turning to face the voice, Octavia found herself staring into the greenest eyes she had ever seen. There, leaning on the door to the connecting hallway to the compartments, was Finnick Odair. Octavia had watched his Victor winning when she was little. If he was cute then, he was absolutely gorgeous now. Octavia raised in an eyebrow, pulling that mask back on. Attractive male or not, you're gonna be treated the way she wanted to treat you.

"And a way not to get any sponsors." Finnick added.

Octavia scoffed. "Is that supposed to scare me?" She faked pouted, before laughing. "You're gonna have to do better than that." Sensing the obvious tension, young Elias spoke.

"You're our mentor?" He piped in, nervously playing with Octavia's fingers he had gripped onto. Finnick shifted his gaze to Elias, giving him a charming smile. Octavia could see why the women in the Capitol swooned.

"Yes, I am," Finnick greeted. "Finnick Odair. And you?"

Elias looked up at Octavia, before looking back at Finnick. "I'm Elias," he responded in a quiet voice, his shyness taking over. Finnick smiled at him with a genuine one, looking over at Octavia expectantly. She stared back with both her eyebrows raised, jaw clenched tightly.

"Octavia," she gritted her teeth, not caring that Elias was finding comfort in playing with her fingers as she stared Finnick down.

"You're going to be trouble," Finnick groaned, looking up at the roof of the train and mumbling something, like he was praying. Octavia smirked, at least he wasn't stupid.

"Now, now." Stormi smiled. "Perhaps it was just the shock of the situation." Looking over at Octavia, she beamed. "Would you like to take a shower before dinner starts?"

"Yes, please." So she did have manners, Finnick thought.

Stormi smiled. "Third compartment on the right," she informed her.

"Thank you," Octavia said. "I'll be back for dinner."

Finding her room easily, Octavia stepped in to see a lavishly decorated room in white and blue, the theme, she realized, was that of the sea. Minus all the crystals and pearls that were stuck to everywhere, it was a pretty room. Spotting another door, Octavia figured it was the bathroom and shut the hall door and locked it behind her.

Stripping down, she entered the lavish bathroom and looked herself in the mirror, taking her hair out of the traditional braids her mother had put in. Her hair was nothing impressive, just brown hair that had a slight black tone to it. Her eyes were a soft green color, complimenting her tan skin.

"Please help win." She murmured to herself, shaking her head and hoping into the shower that she had already turned on, trying to wash away all the worries she had, but even water couldn't help her from the dread she was feeling.

When she had stepped out of the shower, Octavia searched the drawers and found a pair of black yoga shorts that reminded her of spandex as she slipped them on, over her clean underwear. The shirts, on the other hand, were slightly small. Grabbing the complimentary robe, Octavia slipped it on before stepping into the hall, glancing left and right before sneaking over to look at the first door on the left, seeing it labeled "Mentor".

A mischievous grin spread across her face as she quickly crept in, searching his drawers for a t-shirt. "Yes." She whispered, grabbing the navy blue one as she slipped out, like she had never been there, before she slipped off the robe and tossed it on her bed, slipping the shirt over. She really didn't feel like wearing her bra at the moment and the large t-shirt did well to hide her frame as it came down to the tops of her thighs. Thank God.

"What are you wearing?" Stormi gaped, staring at Octavia as she strolled into the dining car. Octavia shrugged, glancing to see Finnick's stunned face as well.

"Clothes," she replied, grabbing a plate as she searched for the foods she liked. Finnick seemed to still be in shock as he made no comment.

"Aren't those... how did you... why?" finished Stormi.

"Yes, the shirt is Finnick's, I got it out of his room." Octavia explained, grabbing a chicken thigh and taking a bite, very unlady like in Stormi's opinion. "And," she swallowed the bite. "it was because the other shirts were a little too tight for my liking."

"You went into my room?" Finnick questioned, flatly. This girl had troubled written all over her.

Taking another bite, she shrugged. "No," she claimed, Finnick raised an eyebrow. "I talked the clothes into walking out the door." Elias let out a laugh, pausing from eating his mac-and-cheese as he sat at the table, Octavia chuckled as she heard Finnick take a deep breath and let it out, like he was calming himself.

"Hey, you asked, I answered." Finnick snapped his gaze back on her, and he couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. This girl reminded him on Annie in ways, definitely not all, but in the little things she did. Especially her soft green eyes that matched Annie's.

"I apologize about the wrong size," Stormi sighed. Octavia shrugged.

"It's fine."

"She's always been picky about her clothes," Elias spoke, earning a nudge from Octavia as she laughed and smiled fondly at the boy.

"You two know each other well?" Finnick questioned, looking between the two. Close tributes could be a problem.

"He's like family," Octavia spoke. Elias nodded.

"Octavia and Indra took me in." Finnick swallowed, harshly. Indra Argent? The Hunger Games victor? The woman that brutally killed all the other tributes with a sword?

"Indra Argent?" Octavia's gaze snapped onto Finnick, narrowing her eyes.

"She's my mother," Octavia spoke, stiffly.

"That's perfect," Finnick grinned. "I have the perfect angle for you and Elias!"

Leaving the table, Finnick rushed off to his room to ready everything, leaving the three others behind, baffled.

After dinner, Finnick was still in his compartment, leaving the three to watch the rest of the Reapings. Watching the screen, Octavia saw that Caesar had chosen blue as his color this year. Maybe secretly rooting for District 4? She could only wish.

The screen flashed to District 1. The tributes were Careers, but nothing overly special. Then District 2 came on. First was the girl, Clove. She seemed to be very sadistic looking, like she'd take joy and thrill in the kill.

"She looks scary," Elias mumbled.

"The Career Tributes from District Two normally do." Finnick said, coming back into the room.

The male tribute caused Octavia's heart to hit the floor and her throat to close up. Stepping forward to volunteer was a boy just as good looking as Finnick was, without the maturity that comes with age. But what made her heart drop was the sheer size of him. He was huge, like a titan. 'How can I go up against that?' She thought. He looked so confident and sure of himself. 'The bigger the opponent, the harder they fall,' Indra's words echoed through her head, but Finnick's low whistle brought her out of her thoughts.

"He's huge!" Elias exclaimed. Finnick nodded, not bothering to give a response.

"The bigger the opponent, the harder they fall." Octavia said, holding her head high as she narrowed her eyes at the screen. "That's what my mother always says."

Finnick nodded, agreeing. She wasn't wrong, but he still didn't bother to comment. District 2 had tons of sponsors that were very rich and willing, so it would be hard to defeat an opponent from 2, they were practically made for it. Finnick just didn't know that Octavia could handle her own just fine.

The District Four Reaping came onto the screen and showed Octavia as she walked up with her head high and eyes determined, she looked fierce. No wonder her mom looked proud, she looked like a warrior as she gracefully took the stage and stood next to Stormi with her head held high and jaw clenched.

"We could play the fierce warrior..." Finnick mumbled, pondering the thought. "It would be a good way to say you're there to win."

Octavia nodded. "My mother always used to call me "little Heda"," Finnick looked at her, curiously, gesturing for her to continue. "Heda means battle: female warrior. We could play that end."

Finnick nodded. "I think you just came up with a brilliant idea," he smirked. "Heda."

Octavia chuckled. "There's then the second in command," she glanced down at Elias. "That's him." Stormi and Finnick nodded, before everything became quiet until the Reaping videos were over.

"This is going to work," Finnick said, rubbing his clean shaven chin as the Reapings came to an end.

"How is that?" Octavia questioned, raising an eyebrow. Finnick looked at a tired Elias and then to her.

"We'll talk about it later," he concluded. With the Reapings over, there wasn't anything else to do until they got to the Capitol besides getting some sleep. Getting to her door, Octavia stopped when she heard her name being called, turning around to see Finnick standing there.

"My shirt, please." Finnick demanded, a smirk on his face. Octavia sneered, gritting her teeth as she glared at him. Slipping one arm out, she covered her breasts with her arm before lifting it off with the other. He took her figure in quickly. It was almost completely feminine. Her stomach was toned, just the right amount of feminine in it. She had curves all in the right places, the muscles complimenting them. Her breasts weren't bad either his eyes traveled back up to her face. Now he just had to figure out their best advantage and Heda was going to play a part.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," she snarked, walking into her bedroom and shutting the door.

"I will if you let me!" Finnick shouted, arrogantly. She growled back in annoyance, slipping her bra on and then a shirt. She hated sleeping in bras, but it would have to due.

"You wish!"

Finnick grinned, leisurely walking back to his room. Oh yes, with her temper and sass, he had just figured out the best angle for both herself and Elias.