A.N.: Hi guys, here's another one, please let me know what you think, it means a lot. (warning: there's some violent content in this chapter)

Lana's POV

Every step I took to move out of the train seemed to drain all the energy that I had. The one thing I wanted the most was to come back home, by now crippling anxiety took over my body.

I had killed 4 people in that arena with my own hands. Throwing knives or no throwing knives, I killed them.

I had to blink a few times to get used to District 4's sun to see the crowd that waited for my arrival cheering and clapping. I looked at Finnick from behind my shoulder with a soft smile. They didn't hate me.

My eyes rifled the people, looking my mother's face and there she was. Her striking blue eyes smiled at me and I had to cover my mouth to stop myself from hysterically crying from happiness to see her face.

Stepping down the train I ran among the people into her arms and then I allowed myself to cry.

"I'm so happy to have you back Lana." She said squeezing me in her arms.

"I missed you so much mom." I sobbed against her shoulder.

It didn't take us long to move into our new home at the Victors' Village. A white marble rectangular mansion, with a ridiculous number of divisions. The garden was green and well-kept and it had some palm trees surrounding it.

Among the twelve houses in the Village, mine was between two other mansions habited by Victors I hadn't had the pleasure to meet yet, due to their mentally ill state. One was in colors of brown and the other one in a soft yellow tone. Finnick's was a light pearly tone, three houses away, just across the street.

"It's a nice place." My mother said the first night we spent there.

"It is." I acknowledge while I managed to pierce some shells with a silver needle.

I could feel my mother's worried stare. Genevieve Reed wasn't unaware of the fact that Victors came back to the District more impaired than an old torn piece of cloth.

"Lana… listen." The old woman sighed, reaching out for my hands. "You don't have to talk about if you don't want to."

"Mom…" I mumbled.

"But I don't want you to ache all by yourself." my mother added.

"You don't have to worry about it." I squeezed her hands showing her a soft smile.

It would have been much easier to tell my mother the truth, but I couldn't do it to her. She saw what I had to do to come back alive. I knew she had watched every single second of those 6 days, that must have been hard enough for her, I can't put this weight on her shoulders.

I blink a few times to get accustomed with the light trying to force back all my fears. I needed to be brave right now. The arena was some sort of abandoned city. Trashed buildings, broken windows, trashed cars. The only thing that looked well preserved was the geometrically designed metallic structure right in front of me.

As I saw the countdown I ran through my mind the plan I traced with the other careers. Help take the cornucopia and stop whoever wants to take it from us. In that moment I didn't know why I volunteered, I wasn't willing to kill. But I had to, I had no choice. You can't see them as people, I thought, they all want to kill you.

The gong went off and before I could think I was sprinting into the Cornucopia. Diamond, the girl from 1 was the first to get there grabbing a bow and a pack of arrows taking just a second for her to start shooting them at the tributes that surrounded her.

I was the second to arrive and the first thing I did was to get my hands on a belt of throwing knives. I looked around me and I could see that the girl from 5 had got herself an axe and was now looking at me, devouring me with my eyes getting ready to swing the axe in my direction.

I grabbed one of my knives and when I was about to throw it, a spear penetrated through her neck.

The girl fell to the ground and I could see Jax, the boy from 1.

"Thanks." I said as he took the spear back from the girl's cold body.

"Let's finish this." He said walking in the direction of District 11's girl who was hiding behind a pile of food.

Her dark brown eyes looked at us begging for mercy.

"I had your back, now you have mine." Jax said gesturing to the small frightened girl.

"What?" I asked looking between both Jax and the girl.

"We don't want weak girls in our team." Jax mocked "Prove you're not one."

I took a deep breath, this was it. I had to show the careers I was strong otherwise I would be the first they would try to kill during the night. I had to show them what I could do.

Taking my knife, I aimed and closed my eyes before throwing it. The knife pierced the girl's right eye making it a painless and quick death.

"Why the frown Reed?" Jax asked patting my shoulder "She was dead anyway."

Finnick's POV

It always felt nice to be home again. I hated every single trip to the Capitol for obvious reasons. Here in District 4 it was just me and the ocean, but this year was different, I came back with someone else.

I've been spending time with Lana a since we came back last week. We mainly take walks on the beach or go for a swim and her mother Genevieve usually invites me to have dinner with the two of them since I live alone in my house.

I knock on the door of her white house and it only takes her a few seconds to answer it.

"Hi, how are you today?" she asks stepping out of her house before closing the door.

The girl was wearing a baby pink shirt, shorts and flats and, as always, she brought a small container with her where she keeps the shells that she collects during our strolls.

"Good, it's a warm day and the company couldn't be better." I told her causing her pale cheeks to flush a little. "And you? I haven't asked you how you're liking your house yet."

"It's nice, of course." Lana said looking back at her house as we stepped away from it. "My favorite part is the bed, it feels like sinking into a soft marshmallow every night."

"Yeah, that's the stuff." I chuckled "Believe me, after all these years it still feels like heaven to lay down."

Once we got to the beach we walked side by side listening to the crashing waves as we always do. The sand squished slowly through my toes as we gaily walked down the shoreline. My all-time favorite place to be was the beach and from what I could see, Lana feels the same way.

"Finnick…" she called me once we stopped at our usual spot to sit down watching the ocean. "I've been thinking."

"About?" I looked at her observing her facial expressions while her eyes fixated on the ocean.

"Will I have to mentor other tributes?" the blonde frowned at the horizon " You know, like you did with me and Peter."

"Yes." I answered against my will, I couldn't stomach to see her upset "You have to during the first years."

"You've been doing it since you were 14." She pointed " Why are you still mentoring? Why do you keep doing that to yourself? You hide it behind a smirk, but I know it breaks you Finn. There are other Victors."

Damn… She was a good reader. In that moment I found myself staring at her thinking of how did she penetrated so deep into my soul.

"You're right." It was the only thing I could say "It breaks me. But the other Victors are either insane or a lot older than me. Mags doesn't deserve to go through it again, so I do it."

"I know." The blonde nodded turning to look at me "You don't have to do it anymore though."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not insane and I'm young." She added "I can keep mentoring by myself from now on. You don't have to go back."

My eyes connected with hers while my hand reached for hers. A mix of feelings raced through my brain and heart.

"Lana, I will never leave you alone." I promised her holding her hand "That includes mentoring. I'll be by your side until you don't want to do it anymore."