A/N Fiana fantastic (aw bless!) and others thank you so much for the reviews, this chapter was quite a toughie to write, didn't really want to send her off to the arena, but on the third rewrite... I kinda had to. Anyway I hope you all like this tell me what you think xx

Chapter Four

"You didn't stay for the interviews," Diana sat up slowly in bed, Finnick a dark figure against the yellow light of the corridor, is leaning against the doorframe.

"I didn't have much desire, to acquaint myself with my murderers and victims." She said coldly lying back down and staring up at the crack on the ceiling which absorbed her attention for the last hour or so.

"Dana…" She can almost feel him roll his eyes. "You should of stayed, looks like you're the favourite."

"Whoopee-fucking-do." She said.

"Jesus Christ Diana! Do you want to survive at all?"

Her eyes suddenly pricked with tears. She had not wanted that nine, the hope or the attention. Especially, especially from fucking Finnick Odair. Oh a week ago she might have been as starry eyed as everyone else, but it wasn't serious. She thought briefly of every 'darling' and every 'sweetheart', every single god damn caress. Should she be grateful? That for the last week of her short and unremarkable life she had felt wanted and desired by Finnick Odair no less. Or should she feel used? A tool for Finnick's attention as much as the capitol's. Should she just accept the fact that sooner or later a prettier nicer girl would be selected for district four and by that time he would have long forgotten her. The fact that she is dwelling on this now, when she is as good as dying… shallow bitch.

"Secil's right you know, you shouldn't have spent all that time with me." Diana cut across him.

Finnick groaned, striding away from the doorway into the room.

"What!" She stood up as well. "Face it Finnick look at me, look!" She gestured her slender form violently. "I might be fast ish, I might be able to throw and fight. But the other careers are fucking mountains. Yeah I might be pretty but guess what I'm going to be pretty right until I go into the ground."

She sat back down on the bed and put her head into her hands. "Be honest with me Finnick." She said. "Did you pay me all that attention because… because you thought I could win? Or because I'm just..."

He shakes his head. "Dana no," He kneels down in front of her, peels her hands away from her face and squeezed both her hands she tried not to look into his oceanic eyes "I really do care, it's just well the only thing you can do is win, darling."

Win, win. She can't even dare hope. Earlier in the bath, scrubbing hard at the silver shit in her hair. She had thought about drowning herself and realised devastatingly she did not have the courage, all opportunities had slipped through her fingers the last thing she had of worth. The only thing she ever had of worth. Her life would be lapped up by her audience. Cowardice tomorrow might save her life, at least it hinted a touch at self-preservation. Something she seemed to be severely lacking in. Can she even kill? The aspect of the games she has concentrated most on is her extensive ability to die. Can she kill? Does she even want to?

"Is it so hard to believe Dana that I understand how you feel, I was fourteen…" Finnick carried on.

"And as cocky as hell." She said but she was smiling.

"Well maybe, sweetheart, but it's the games. All you can do is win, won't you at least promise me you'll try?"

She inclined her head slowly. A silence followed , Finnick tried to catch her direct gaze.

At last he said. "I'll make sure, if it doesn't go your way… They put you by your mother."

"Thank you." She breathes.

He smiles at her and stands back up. She follows him with her eyes as he strolled over to her bedside cupboard and picks up the plastic grey remote. Finnick pointed it at the large window and flicked through flashes of colour until waves of crystal blue and green lick at the glass.

"There," he says. There was a high herringbone sky the evening they buried her mother, sea birds. A jade winged albatross flew through the

"Yes." She walks forward pressing her forehead against the glass.

When she turns back to Finnick, holds out a little yellow bottle. He shakes it at her. "Sleeping pills," He leans over and kisses her gently but firmly on the forehead. They'll help." He promises. "Goodnight."

Diana stuffs them into her mouth, they taste like bitter paper and when he leaves she spits them both out into the sink. She covers herself in a heavy pile of blankets, flicks off the false horizon, rolls away from the dark empty screen and despite herself falls into a chilly uncomfortable sleep. It is a old dream. She and her mother are sitting together on the kitchen table. When she suddenly gets up and begins to walk. She doesn't answer when Diana calls, her mouth bobs like a dumb gold-fish when she attempts to scream for her mother. And even though she runs and runs and her mother only seems to drifts gently she will never catch her and never give up trying. Somewhere in the uncomfortable period between sleep and consciousness, a old memory resurfaces. She is twelve it is reaping day her first, her mother the mother who wanted a daughter more than anything else grips her hand tightly, presses her lips to the top of her forehead as they walk away safe (this time) from the town centre. "You know," She hears her mother saying. "My sister and I made a pact that if either of us were reaped we'd volunteer for the other. I don't know why but it made it more bearable somehow."

When she wakes up it is still dark, she fumbles around her neck and takes off her mother's wedding ring a slender intricate band of silver. A wave holding a seed pearl on a bit of string around her neck. You are allowed to take in one thing provided it is not a weapon into the arena. She was going to wear it But she cannot afford sentiment anymore and she doesn't want any part of her mother present… She is thankful that at least her mother has not lived to see her die.

As for Finnick, Diana had made up her mind. If he's been playing her the fool for his own amusement, then she is going to make him regret it. If not, if for some unbelievable reason he's genuine. Well then she is going to create something worth coming back for. She gets out of bed and pulls off the baggy shirt she slept in, runs her fingers through her hair and pads across the cool living room into his bedroom. Finnick is still asleep, she climbs onto the bed with him on her hands and knees. Throws back her hair, like she's seen girls do in capitol shows she kisses him very softly on the mouth and his eyes flicker open.

"Dana?"

"You going to wish me luck?" She murmurs, pressing her lips to his neck.

He sits up gently pushing her away. "This isn't the time." He said.

"It's the end of me." She said, "What could be a better time?"

"Dana, you don't what you're doing, please just go back to bed."

She stands up and is about to stalk away when he says "In for a penny," and grabs her arm and pulls her back onto the bed with him.

He leans over and kisses her and kisses her until she's toppled flat on her back arms wrapped around his neck.

"Good luck then." He rolls off her wrapping his sheet around his hips.

"Where you off to?" She says sitting up herself.

"I'm getting some sponsors for your sorry ass, I suppose you're really going to have to win now."


At seven she was escorted by two silent peace-keepers down to her stylist. The look on her face when her normally chatty stylist opened his mouth was enough to freeze any attempt at conversation. She was dressed in the tributes black and grey unitard, with high protective leather boots. No jacket. Mags had warned her earlier to be observant with the clues in the outfitting. The material feels like cotton, breathable. Hot then. Her heart sank a little, cotton is not exactly water-proof. They painfully braid her mermaid's hair in zigzags across her scalp. He kissed her Finnick Odair kissed her, the memory of it pulses through her blood, far more absorbing even than the prospect of imminent death.

Secil glared at her when they climbed up the stairs into the helicopter, but it didn't matter they were allies now. Her and the other careers, they were allies and Finnick Odair had kissed her. Well, Diana supposed she's really gonna have to win now.