Realisations

There was a knock on Arnold's door, but the knocker didn't wait to come in.

Lorna entered, wearing a Capitol style pyjama in bright pink, clashing horrible with her hair.

"Arnold? I'm done crying, I swear." she was, too. She was empty. She was in shock of the whole thing. And she knew that without her brother, she would not make it far. What she also knew, was that even with him, she didn't see how she could win.

"Can I sleep here? I don't want to sleep alone..." she whispered.

Arnold peeked around, snorting at Lorna's appearance.

"What the fuck are you wearing? I refused to even touch the pyjamas I found in that drawer. Hence why I am sleeping in trousers and a shirt," he began, shrugging. "I was kind of looking forward to contemplating how not to get murdered but the Careers. By...by myself."

And that was his answer. Cruel. It hurt him to say it to his little sister.

But he didn't want to realise exactly how much pain he'd be in if he ever had to fight her.

"I couldn't stay in those clothes, they reminded me of home." She almost flinched at his words.

But then a spark of her usual self shone through her pathetic stupor, "Stop talking like that. Don't- don't let it change you." She sat next to him.

"What are we going to do?"

Arnold rolled his eyes.

"What do you mean, what are we going to do? What happens every year. People fight. People die. Only one person wins. And it isn't going to be me," he stated, simply, not meeting her eyes.

"Why not? Why couldn't it be you? They won't let it end without some sort of showdown, they'll try to make it be us, but there are no guarantees."

"You're right. And I'm not going to win. Now go. I want to sleep," Arnold said, hating the supposed malice her heard on his own voice.

"Fine!" She slammed his door on the way out; unable to understand why he was acting like this.

Childish as it may have seemed, she had to let out her frustration. So she took a beautiful glass vase and wished with all her might that she could smash it.

But she didn't.

Finnick stopped her.

"You won't get any sponsors if you break their stuff."

Lorna didn't answer. But she did set the vase down.

"I don't know why he's acting like this." She muttered.

"Your brother? Yeah, that's the Games, sweet cheeks. It's what they do to people." For a moment his eyes turned sad. She bit her lip, thinking of Finnicks friend, Annie. Everyone knew Annie had lost something in her mind in the Arena. But what scared Lorna most, was that before the Games, she and Annie had been very much alike. And somewhere deep inside, Lorna knew she wouldn't leave the arena much better off than Annie had. And she was pretty sure Finnick knew that, too.

Lorna shook her head, "He'll come to his senses. He will."

Finnick looked at her sadly and the redhead turned to go to her room.