CHAPTER 4:
"Not a good turn out," commented Finnick, as finally, the tributes who had decided to show up for training, were allowed to roam free.
Only about half had attended in the end, not that Kailani could blame any of them. She would have been happy to find something better to do with her time as well. There was no use hiding away in her room though, as tempting as it was, it was much more productive of her to be down in the training rooms. To hide away would mean she had given up, and she had not given up. Not quite yet.
"No, but everyone'll be here on the last day," said Kailani, her voice almost distracted as she tried to decide on what station she was going to go to. Combat or survival, it was a difficult choice.
Finnick rolled his eyes, "Only because they have to be here, then."
She shrugged, she didn't really care whether people showed up or not. There would be no escaping the Hunger Games, no matter how hard they tried. "Are you going to go and outshine everyone with your trident?" she asked.
Finnick glanced around, noting the stations that were occupied, "I think I'll build up to that," he said, finally, "Maybe tomorrow."
Kailani made her decision, "Well, I'm feeling rather tired, I might just do something easy today." She looked fondly at the fishing station. Their mentors had given them no instructions on how to play out the next few days, how to act, who to befriend. There was no point, everyone already knew each other and what they could do. Katniss wandered over to the fire starting station where Beetee and Wiress were struggling to start a fire with the matches they held, and Kailani watched her go. She was important that girl. Rumblings of a rebellion had been going on for years, but always underneath the surface. Now however, that had all changed, and Katniss Everdeen was at the centre of it all. Her mentor knew that better than anyone else. Already, Haymitch was organising things for her and Peeta, he had a plan apparently, but not one his students were to find out about. He did not need to relay anything further. If the Gamemakers caught wind of some kind of mega-alliance, particularly one District Twelve was involved in, they would become suspicious, Finnick and Kailani were not fools, they knew that. He had asked how they felt about an alliance, and they said they were willing to participate. It was as simple as that. They expected any other information would come in the next three days.
"If you're going to go to the fishing station, I don't see the point of you having come down here at all. You could be upstairs eating chocolate pudding right now and it would be more constructive," Finnick said. It was a fair point, but Kailani didn't really care.
"I have all night to eat that, besides me going to the fishing station is no different from me practicing with my spear. One is just considerably less effort than the other, and this way I can socialise as well."
"Alright, alright," he conceded, "You have your fun, I'm going to go and throw some knives."
"You do that." He did need the practice, he could wield them, he was not as good as throwing them. He was much too used to throwing spears and tridents. Then again, she was no better. The two split up, and happily, Kailani sat herself down at the fishing station. The trainer was surprised to see her, he had been sure she already knew everything he had to teach and more. To be fair, he wasn't wrong, she just enjoyed the process. He eventually gave up attempting to teach her anything, and as no one else had wanted to join them, battled on who could make fishhooks faster. Kailani, of course, won, but she promised that after lunch she would teach him a few things that made it all a lot easier. And she did. The trainer was in amazement of her technique. It was simple, effective and fast. She was nowhere near as good as her mother though, she had learned what she could, but Mags had a natural talent for it. Even now, she was probably still quicker than her.
"I was so sure that the trainers were meant to be teaching us, not us them."
The trainers head snapped up, surprised to have more company. He had been so enraptured in trying to make a fishhook out of an earring he had not heard anyone approaching. Kailani had though, she didn't even look up from her work to acknowledge Finnick.
"Not much left that he can teach me, Finn," she mumbled, carefully threading weight onto her hook. It had to be just right.
He waited until she had finished what she was doing before speaking again, "I brought you a friend," he said.
Finally, Kailani looked at him and standing to his left was Katniss, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Finnick must have stolen her away from somewhere else. She was sure she had heard two sets of footsteps, it was good to know she had not entirely lost her touch. Kailani smiled, "Katniss!" she greeted, brightly. Her hand patted the seat next to her, "Come, sit, perhaps we can teach you a few things."
Katniss did as she was told, and sat down. Finnick grinned, "You won't be able to learn from anyone better," he guaranteed. He leaned forwards, his arms winding around Katniss as he picked out a simple nail and placed it in front of her, "I would start with this if I were you," he said, lowly.
Katniss looked torn between feeling uncomfortable, and resisting the urge to hit him. Kailani thought it best she intervene before she decided on the latter. She poked Finnick sharply in the stomach and he jerked backwards, "Stop bothering her."
Katniss shot her a look of gratitude.
"I wasn't bothering, merely helping," he said, innocently. The grin on his face widened, "Was someone feeling left out?"
Before she could even think of an appropriate response, his arms wrapped around her tightly and he pulled her back against his chest.
Katniss could not help but stare at them. No one else seemed to notice, or perhaps it was just so commonplace they were used to it. But she was beginning to think there were more to the rumours than she had originally thought. They were so at ease with each other, and sometimes the looks they exchanged, she was sure there was love there. Katniss had seen enough of them on television over the years and in person to know that. If it were true though, she wondered why they didn't utilise it in these Games. There had been no indication of a romance so far, nothing at all. If the Capitol knew Kailani Allyn and Finnick Odair were in a relationship, the people would go berserk. Even if they really weren't, surely the smartest thing for them to do would be to pretend otherwise. The advantage they would gain would be enormous. They would blow her and Peeta out of the water completely. So, that begged the question as to why they didn't do it. There had to be something that she was missing.
Finnick placed a light kiss to Kailani's cheek before pulling away. She rolled her eyes at him. "I don't think hugging is considered training, you know," she said.
"No, but I bet I would get full marks if I did that in my private session."
Kailani laughed, "I would not be surprised at all if that happened."
Neither would Katniss if she were being perfectly honest.
"I'll leave you both to have your fun," he said, finally, winking at her, "I think I've distracted you both long enough."
"Yes, you have." Kailani waved him away. "Now go."
He smirked, but left them to their own devices nonetheless. Immediately, Kailani launched into the basics of making a good fishhook. Their trainer did not even bother to interrupt her. Katniss listened to every word she said, which materials were better than others, how to make the hooks as strong and sturdy as possible, tips to being able to make them faster if you had very little time. She was glad Finnick had dragged her over to the fishing station because Kailani was a fantastic teacher. When she managed to make a fishhook out of a nail she had bent and attached it to strands of her own hair, Kailani had beamed at her proudly before moving on to more difficult concepts.
"So…" she started, glancing sideways at the District Four tribute, "Are you and Finnick…" Kailani raised an eyebrow. "Uh, you know, together?" she trailed off, awkwardly.
Kailani's hands paused in their movements. Her brown eyes slid across to look at her and Katniss had to force herself not to fidget under her gaze. Finally, Kailani shook her head, "No."
Maybe she had misread the signs, Katniss could hardly call herself an expert in the matter. "Oh, sorry, I just thought-"
She chuckled, "I know what you thought, and you've not been the only one." Kailani returned her attention to the intricately detailed fishhook she was making. "Finnick is my best friend in the world, but that's all." If she was bothered by that fact, then Katniss for the life of her couldn't tell.
"So, you two have known each other a long time?"
Kailani smiled fondly, "As long as I can remember."
Katniss watched as her expert fingers continued on her creation. Kailani would be a good ally, Haymitch would most certainly approve. She was a good person, one of the better ones she had met so far that was for sure. But she was dangerous. It was impossible to tell whether her words were truth or lie, and she had no doubts that with her would come Finnick. Having those two in an alliance could be lethal. Katniss refused to risk it.
"I don't know how you put up with him," she said, shaking her head.
Kailani giggled, "He is a handful," she agreed, "But that's just a part of who he is. He has his good qualities as well, even if he doesn't show them to everyone."
Strangely, Kailani never asked any questions herself. Not about her, or Peeta, nothing at all, she was content to give instructions on fishhooks and help out where she could, rather than gather information. Her basic instinct it seemed was just to look after other people. That did nothing to make Katniss feel better at the thought of killing her. By time Kailani deemed her fishing skills adequate enough, she sent her away to another station. She didn't want her to stay at the same station for the rest of the day. Katniss chose archery.
It had been a long day, all she had wanted to do was wind down. She had hardly intended to impress everyone there with her shooting. According to Haymitch, at least half of the tributes had put in a formal request to be allies. It was a shame she didn't want any of them.
"Any news?" asked Finnick, his voice low.
They sat on the floor of his bathroom, the shower running on high to block out their voices in case anyone was listening in. Apparently, no one thought it was strange that Kailani was in his bathroom. He decided not to dwell on that.
Taking a sip of her tea, Kailani shrugged, "Only bits and pieces," she said, quietly, "There might be a chance we can make it out of this, but Katniss and Peeta come first. They are the symbols of this rebellion, the hope, the heart, they are the priority."
"Protect District Twelve, we already expected that. Do we know who else is in on this yet?"
"From what I've heard it's us, Three, Six, Seven, Eight and Eleven."
Finnick's eyes widened slightly, "That's a lot of people." He wasn't sure there had ever been an alliance so big in the arena. Including Katniss and Peeta that would be fourteen tributes, over half of the field. Not to mention that they had the new head Gamemaker on their side. Plutarch Heavensbee had been plotting to overthrow the Capitol for a long time, now he was finally in a position to do so. He hid his intentions well though. He was a valued and trusted citizen of the Capitol, no one would ever expect him of rebellion. "And Katniss and Peeta are still to know nothing?" he continued, "Surely they will get suspicious."
Kailani shook her head, "They don't know us well enough to become suspicious, not really."
"Katniss will be the biggest problem, she's too mistrusting. We can't help her if she's trying to kill us."
"We just have to earn their trust, we can do no more than that."
"And hope she doesn't shoot an arrow through our skulls," he muttered.
Kailani nudged him with her foot playfully, "It'll be okay."
Finnick gave a small smile, "Perhaps."
There were so many ways in which something could go wrong though. She always looked to the positive side, she still held hope, which left him to be the one who worried. This plan could fail miserably, and then what? Everyone they loved would be killed, if they were not dead already. The rebellion would fail, the districts would be forced into compliance once again and the dictatorship they lived under would continue.
"It is better than nothing," she said, knowingly, as if she could read his thoughts.
As ever, Kailani had a point. "So, what else is there?" he asked, "I assume they plan to get whoever they can out if there is still hope for us as you say, but how?"
She shrugged, "You got me, I have no idea."
"Beetee and Wiress must have something to do with it, if anyone could do it, they could."
"With the right instruments, yes."
"I expect he will take care of that." They were already taking enough precautions, but still, it was better not to say Heavensbee's name out loud. It was always better to be safe than sorry.
"The important thing is keeping Katniss and Peeta safe. That is our job."
Finnick nodded, "Then that is what we will do."
The next two days of training passed by quickly, as they usually seemed to do. There was not enough time in the world to prepare all of them for the Games again. Three days of training may as well have been a few minutes for all the good it did. Some of them made the most of it though. Katniss did her best to be nice and make friends, she spent time with everyone in those days. Each time Kailani looked over she was training alongside a different tribute. Peeta was exactly the same. The two were trying their best. They even attempted to make nice with the likes of Enoboria and Brutus. It was a good effort, but rather pointless. Those two were clearly prepared to kill and honestly they were probably going to enjoy doing it too. After basically achieving nothing in her first day of training, Kailani got stuck into it for the last two, utilising mainly the combat stations rather than the survival ones. Her spear work was as flawless as ever, her and Finnick teamed to try and teach Katniss and Peeta some basic techniques in case they were stuck with such weapons, but starting from scratch was not easy. It was like when they taught some of the children back home. To be fair, Katniss and Peeta were still children. But at least they were quick learners. In exchange, Katniss gave them a lesson in archery and Peeta gave them tips on camouflage. In their small amount of time in the training centre, they all tried to refresh any of the knowledge they lacked, learn the basics of that which they had no idea and hone the talents they already had into deadly precision. If anything, the bond between them all only became stronger. When they were so close into entering an environment where they had to kill each other, that was not necessarily a good thing. They had their alliance of fourteen which was something, but even if they didn't kill each other, there still the large possibility of having to watch their friends die. In fact, it was almost a certainty. Soon, some of the people around them would be dead and there was absolutely nothing they could do about that. But they knew that the moment this had all started, none of them were new to the Hunger Games. It did start to get to them though, in their own little ways. Gloss snapped sparring with Kailani, she could see in his eyes, she'd been with him on enough intimate occasions to know how to read his tells. His blows were harder, his words even sharper as he forced her to use all of her strength, not to "play around". He would kill her if he saw the opportunity, she would do the same but it was still hard. It got to a point where even Cashmere was telling him to cool down, where Finnick wanted to interfere but neither did anything until he knocked her to the ground and pinned her down.
"And now you'd be dead," said Gloss, his eyes dark as he breathed heavily. Kailani winced at the tight hold he had on her.
"We're not in the Games yet, Gloss," snapped Finnick, "How about you tone it down?" Gloss didn't even spare him a glance, just continued to stare down at her before a cruel sneer stretched across his face.
"So caring, but not in the way you want, right Lani?" he whispered, his words meant only for her. Kailani went stiff beneath him and she barely managed to keep the shock from her face as what he said, sunk in. She had told him a lot of things in their time together, and apparently, he had no qualms about throwing them in her face. Honestly though, she had thought he was better than that. Gloss chuckled coldly, and pushed himself to his feet. "You better watch yourself, you'll be killed if you put up a fight like that in the arena."
Kailani dusted herself off, ignoring the small audience that they had attracted. "I don't think that will be a problem," she spat out, giving him a dark look as she stormed past him. She knew what he was doing, she wasn't completely stupid. This was hard on all of them and while she and Gloss had agreed to keep things between them strictly casual, Kailani had to admit, she had a soft spot for him as he did for her, apparently. There would come a time where they might have to kill each other, Gloss was just doing his best to make that easier not just for himself, but for her too and she appreciated that, she did. However, throwing Finnick in her face was just one step too far. Kailani was seething, it was only the morphling woman from District Six that soothed her ugly mood, tugging her to the camouflage station. It was difficult to stay mad around those two, the drugs had addled them to the point where they were almost like children with eyes that sparkled with wonder and the time passed quickly as they took to painting her so that she could not be seen amongst the shrubbery. Though, it was quite the effort to scrub off. The shower rooms were empty by time she emerged. Empty, except for one. Gloss sat there, his face set into an unreadable expression as he leaned against the wall.
"I could have sworn this was women-only," said Kailani, coolly, rubbing a towel through her hair.
He shrugged, "There was no one around."
"Oh, well that makes it much better."
Gloss sighed, "I'm sorry about earlier, I…"
"Was a bit of dick?" provided Kailani, raising an eyebrow.
Gloss rolled his eyes. "Yes, I was a bit of a dick. I went too far, but I felt like I had too. Kailani, we're all going into the Hunger Games again, only one person can come out alive and if that person is going to be anyone, it's going to be Cashmere, I can't afford for there to be any other distractions."
Immediately, Kailani could feel herself soften. Gloss was going into those Games completely expecting to die, all he wanted was for his sister to get out, that was all. This time, it wasn't about glory, about pride, it was about protecting someone he loved. "It's okay, Gloss, I know." Her voice was soothing, and she placed a hand on his cheek. "Besides, we agreed this was all for fun, remember? Nothing else, nothing more, just some fun, just a way to relive the stress."
There was a gleam in an eye, and in an instant, he tugged her down onto his lap. "That's right, and come to think of it, I am feeling a bit stressed," he said, his voice low.
Kailani laughed, "Oh, is that so?"
"Yeah, that's so." His mouth crashed into hers, and she moaned. There was a very real chance she was going to be late for dinner.
The final day of training ended with the private sessions. Each tribute had fifteen minutes before the Gamemakers to show off their skills and talents. Later that night they would broadcast their individual scores, ranging from one to twelve. Only about half of them were planning to take it at all seriously. At lunch there was a lot of joking about what they were going to do. Sing, dance, strip, Kailani was considering just sitting down and staring at the Gamemakers until they felt uncomfortable. She knew though that she was just going to go in there, pick up a spear and spin it around a bit until they dismissed her. She didn't really care about her score, everyone already knew what she was capable of. She could get a score of one and she wouldn't care. They must have been feeling generous, because they gave her a nine. Not even she could contain her shock though when the scores for Katniss and Peeta came in. Both of them had scored twelves, making Hunger Games history.
Asher shook his head at the television screen, "I don't know what they did in there but this is their punishment. The Gamemakers wanted them to be made targets, " he said, as Mags nodded her head in agreement.
"No doubt about that," said Kailani, "But why bother? All of us will be able to see through it."
"Because they're idiots," stated Finnick, simply.
No one could argue with that. The tributes wouldn't be fooled, the Gamemakers were unwittingly showing their own cards. They wanted District Twelve targeted, so in other words, they wanted Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark dead. Their job in the arena just became that much harder.
Kailani blanched, "They want to do what!?" Her eyes went wide and she could barely believe what she was hearing. Maybe the water was running harder than she thought and she had misheard, because there was no way they were planning to do something as insane as that.
Finnick watched her in amusement, "Destroy the arena," he repeated. Again, the two sat on the floor of his bathroom. Now that training had finished, they had the entire day to themselves. Interviews were not until tomorrow night and they needed no counsel on how to play them. They already had a good idea of what they were going to do. For the whole day they were able to do nothing but be themselves and enjoy what little time they had left. They planned on making the most of that opportunity. Their role in the Games had to be sorted out first though.
She shook her head, unbelievably. "How?" she breathed.
"We were right, Beetee has something to do with it. I'm not a hundred percent about the details though. It'll be clearer once we're in there."
"And then what? What the hell do we do once the arena's been destroyed?"
"There will be a hovercraft to pick us up. The bread we receive from the sponsors will tell us when and where, with the district it's from indicating the day, and the number we're given the hour."
Kailani shook her head, her mind reeling. It was a risky plan, but if everything went right, it could work.
"This is insane," she muttered.
"But it's better than nothing," Finnick grinned, echoing her words from the other day.
Kailani smiled, "Yes, I suppose it is."
Their day off might have been considerably more enjoyable had they been allowed to do anything. Their options were rather confined. They missed the ocean, the smell of salt in the air, the freedom. They had gone up to the roof, there was at least some space up there, and Johanna joined them. It was already occupied though. Katniss and Peeta were there. Johanna would have been happy to interrupt them, they didn't own the roof she said. But Kailani thought it was best to leave them be. They were young, let them have their time. Instead, they went to the ground floor. There were Peacekeepers everywhere, watching their every move, it was hardly relaxing, but they tried to enjoy themselves. And they did- for a little while. Surprisingly, it was Kailani who had gotten fed up first. Between the suspicious Peacekeepers, the looks Johanna kept giving her and Finnick in general, she just couldn't handle it for any longer. She stormed off without a word.
"Did I miss something?" asked Finnick, as Kailani disappeared into the elevator.
Johanna rolled her eyes. She wanted to yell at him until he realised that yes, he was missing something. He was such a fool. They both were. He and Kailani were as bad as each other. For once, she held her tongue though. "Just the stress getting to her," she answered, casually.
Finnick sighed, "I should talk to her."
She wouldn't give away much though, they both knew that. Johanna could see the hesitation written across his features, the way he glanced at the elevator, the way his feet shifted. As much as he wanted to help her, he wanted to be rejected even less.
"Yes, you should," she said, her tone softer than usual. Finnick looked at her surprised and realising her mistake she cleared her throat, "You know, otherwise I'll have to be the one to deal with her and I've dealt with enough of her drama for a lifetime."
He raised an eyebrow, "What drama?"
Johanna could have kicked herself. For years she had managed to keep her mouth shut, she hadn't let anything slip, whether it be intentional or an accident, she had said nothing. Until now. Going back into the Hunger Games and the fact that it was only days away, must have affected her more than she realised. She would never have said something so obvious before. Maybe knowing that they were all going into this together, that they could all be dead in a matter of days was what messed with her brain. Johanna was not concerned with herself so much as Finnick and Kailani. She had no family, they were all dead, but she did have those two. The only two who would put up with all her shit to find something more. They were like her family now, her best friends and while she would never say anything so sappy out loud, she was glad she had them in her life. Maybe the reason she had slipped up was because, before they all tried to kill each other, she wanted Finnick to know the truth and Kailani to not have to lie. Deep down, she was sure Finnick knew Kailani kept something from him. He may have deluded himself otherwise, but she was so sure he knew. And Kailani, the secrets, the lies, they ate away at her. She seemed to feel worse about them every year she saw her. The Capitol was already taking away their right to live in peace, and now she realised, they were also taking away any chance Finnick and Kailani had to be together. The possibility, while small, was there. Perhaps in a few years when Kailani found the courage to man up and tell Finnick everything, something could have happened. But not anymore. One of them or both could die in that arena. Even with the chance of a few of them, rather than just one, making it out alive, the odds most certainly, were not in their favour. If anything, Johanna's anger at the Capitol, and above all else, the President, only intensified. It burned underneath her skin and she longed to have an axe in her grip. Finnick looked at her expectantly, and Johanna resisted the urge to cringe. Then again, that anger would pale in comparison to Kailani's if she didn't fix her mistake, and fix it quickly.
Johanna waved an unconcerned hand through the air, "Oh, just the usual. You know, grabby politicians and all that crap," she said.
Finnick's gaze darkened "What?"
"Nothing for you to worry about, Finnick." She shoved him into the elevator and pressed the numbers of their floors, the same as their respective districts. "Just go and talk to her." There was a ding and the door slid open. "Go."
He sighed, "Yeah, okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Johanna." Finnick called behind him, giving a half-hearted wave. The door closed again and she let out a breath of relief. That was way too close. She hoped Finnick didn't rat her out. She was in no mood to be murdered during her interview. Then again, she thought bitterly, she supposed the crowd would find it entertaining.
Finnick didn't even bother to acknowledge Mags and Asher as he entered the room. His eyes sought out only one person and she was not there. His shoulders slumped, he didn't understand. One moment Kailani had been fine, the next she was angry. It didn't make sense. He had the feeling Johanna knew something, but if she did she wasn't saying anything. This was not what he needed. This was not what any of them needed just two days before they entered the Hunger Games.
"If you're looking for Kailani," said Asher, his voice unreadable, "She's not here. She came in, and then left."
Finnick sighed. "Do you know where she went?"
"Nope."
"Thanks," he muttered, grumpily.
Well, there was nothing he could do but wait for her to get back. Finnick was halfway down the hall, almost out of hearing distance, when again, Asher spoke up, "And might I suggest fixing what the hell it is you did, and quickly. You shouldn't be distracted in there, it will get you killed."
As if he didn't already know that, and to be fair, he wasn't the one who had made her angry. At least, not that he was aware of. But Finnick was in no mood to argue. "Got it."
She didn't get back for another two hours, and when she did, it was only the sound of the shower that alerted him to her presence. Without even bothering to knock, he stepped into Kailani's room. Again, she was nowhere in sight. The worry gnawed at his insides, and perhaps he should have waited, but Finnick was feeling impatient, he couldn't help but bash on her bathroom door. "Kailani?" he called.
There was no answer, and he knocked again. He knocked and knocked until finally the door swung open, and Kailani peered out. Her hair was dripping wet and a towel was wrapped around her body. He definitely should have taken his own advice and waited.
"Yes?" she ground out.
"Um, I just wanted to talk to you."
She raised an eyebrow, "Right this very second?"
"Well-"
"Just wait Finnick, after my shower we can talk." She gave him a comforting smile. "I promise."
Kailani disappeared back into the bathroom. Well, at least he knew she wasn't too angry with him. She would have been much snappier if she were.
So, he waited. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Thirty. An hour. Until finally, she emerged, the scent of flowers filling the room.
"Oh, Finnick, you weren't supposed to stay," she chided, spotting him spread out on her bed.
He grinned, he didn't mind, her bed was nice and comfortable. Besides, it was not as if he had anything else to do.
"You did say to wait."
She rolled her eyes, running a brush through her hair, "That wasn't what I meant."
Pushing himself up into a sitting position, Finnick stared at her. She seemed a lot calmer now, her annoyance having disappeared. If anything was still bothering her she hid it well. Her eyes caught his in the mirror and she paused in her movements. "What?" she asked.
"Are you okay?"
A look of confusion crossed her face, "Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"
"Um, maybe because you stormed off a few hours ago. What was that about, and where have you been?"
She sighed, putting the brush down and turning to look at him. "It was so tense down there, with the Peacekeepers and everything, I suppose it just got to me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left like I did. I went up to the roof and tried not to interrupt Peeta and Katniss' little picnic, I needed the fresh air."
He shook his head, "It's okay, you don't need to apologise, darling. We should never have gone down there." A grin spread over his features, "But hey, we still have the rest of the day, right?" Her eyes sparkled as she nodded. "There's been enough angst already, let's have some fun."
And they did. It was like they were six year-olds again, free and innocent, running about as if nothing mattered. Mags watched over them fondly. For the rest of the day they pushed the dark thoughts looming in their minds to the deepest recesses of their brains and locked them away. They could be dealt with tomorrow. As the sun set and the sky darkened outside their windows, Finnick ordered them a feast of food and they all had a picnic in his room, even Mags and Asher joined them. Kailani fiddled with the settings of the control panel until the sounds of the ocean filled the room and light breaths of air blew through their hair. If they closed their eyes, it was almost as if they were home again.
Unfortunately, they weren't, and Kailani had never been gladder to see Gloss lying lazily atop her bed, waiting for her. He wore no shirt, and she had no issues with staring at him. He really was a sight to behold, and he absolutely knew it. "I thought we agreed earlier would be the last," she said, closing the door behind her.
He shrugged. "We did, but I decided it wasn't enough."
Kailani shook her head as he pulled her down next to him. "You are so spoiled."
His blue eyes gleamed, mischievously. "I know." His lips pushed against hers firmly, and she melted in an instant.
It really had not been a part of her plan, spending her last night with him of all people. Something told her it wasn't exactly his either, but they didn't complain. They had helped each other through a lot, this was no different. Except that it was, they couldn't help it, but it was. It was more desperate, neither wanting to let go. There had always been an unspoken rule between them they would never stay, that they would never get too close but it seemed pointless now given that they would be walking to their deaths. At least, he was. District One probably hadn't even been approached to join an alliance in keeping Katniss alive, they were too untrustworthy. She leaned her head against his chest, and sighed. Kailani almost thought they should have done this more often, stayed with each other, actually acted like normal human beings rather than the ruined ones they were. A single sheet covered them both, and with his fingers combing through her hair, Kailani found herself dozing off. It was comfortable, it was warm, it was nice.
"What are you thinking?" asked Gloss, quietly.
Her hand found his and she twined their fingers together. "That we should have done this more often," she said.
"Finnick probably would have found out if we had, my sister too."
Kailani rolled her eyes. "Please, your sister already knows. Nothing gets past her."
Gloss chuckled. "Good point, but Finnick…"
"Yes, he probably would have found out," she agreed. Kailani pushed herself up on his chest, ignoring the fact that the sheet covered only her bottom half. His eyes flickered to her exposed breasts, and she poked him.
"Hey! Ow, that hurt you know."
"He would have found out," she continued, "But I wouldn't have cared."
Gloss raised an eyebrow at that. "You love him."
"And he loves Annie. I couldn't have pined over him forever, I love him a lot less when I'm with you."
He stared at her, thoughtfully. "Could you ever have loved me?"
Kailani tried to keep the surprise off of her face, this wasn't the Gloss she was used too but there was no use lying to him. "Yes."
"As much as him?"
His eyes watched her, waiting to see what her reaction would be. She knew he had seen what he had expected too. Gently, she placed a hand against his cheek. "You're the only one that could ever have come close." He flashed her a small smile. The first genuine thing she had ever seen him done, she was much more used to smirks and scowls from him. Her face twisted into a frown. "But I thought we weren't meant to be doing feelings, Gloss. You're making me break all of our rules tonight."
"Sorry, it seemed like a good time." He leaned up and kissed her lightly on the lips. She groaned, and allowed him to pull her back down against him. That was when the door slid open, and someone swore. Kailani shot up in an instant, and Finnick gaped.
"Finnick! What the hell do you-"
Gloss cleared his throat, loudly. "Babe, sheet," he reminded.
She looked down and cursed, tugging the sheet up around herself. "Get out, I'll deal with you in a minute." Finnick however, didn't move. He was frozen, his eyes switching between her and Gloss at rapid pace. Kailani glared at him, furiously. Some people really had to learn how to knock, even him. "Finnick."
"Go on Odair, out you go," said Gloss, cockily, waving him out.
Kailani could feel a headache coming on. "I'm naked, Finnick. Please get out of my room." As if in a trance, he did as he was asked. There was an almost horrified look in his eyes as the door slid closed behind him and she sighed.
"Well, would you look at that, you were right, he did find out because I stayed."
The irony of the situation was not lost on her. "You better go," said Kailani, getting up to find her clothes, "I'm going to have to talk to him, besides you wouldn't want Cashmere to start questioning you, because you know she will."
He couldn't argue with that. They moved around the room in a well-practiced silence, finding their clothes, righting themselves. It was routine they knew well, but this time, Kailani couldn't just let him leave with a smirk and cool remark. They weren't just mentors anymore, they were tributes going into the games for yet another turn and he knew that as well as she did. He hovered by the door, awkward for once.
"You know, this can't change anything, it won't," he said, firmly. "I'll kill you if I see the chance, I expect you to do the same."
She nodded, "I will, but…" Kailani hesitated. She was treading into dangerous waters, but it was just something she had to do, she had to give him the chance. "You don't have to take the path laid out for you, you know."
"What are you-"
"Just listen to me. This won't be like the other years, it won't be like the times we won, it will be different and you can make a better decision. Not just for you, but for your sister as well." For everyone, she thought, but didn't say that out loud. She had already said too much as it was. "Don't forget that, okay?" His eyes narrowed, as if trying to see the deeper meaning and nodded, slowly. Kailani let out a breath of air, and pushed up onto her toes to kiss him one last time. His hand wrapped around her waist, and it might have gone further had she not pushed him away. "I'll see you at the interviews." She opened the door, and with only a passing glance towards Finnick, Gloss left the apartment. Rather unwillingly, she stepped aside to allow Finnick in the room. He could barely even make eye contact with her. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"I probably should have knocked," he muttered, sullenly. His head snapped up, and he looked at her, disapprovingly. "But Gloss, 'Lani, really? The guy's a tool."
"He has his moments," she agreed, "But it's none of your business."
"It is if it's him."
She knew she was supposed to be smoothing things over with him, it would have made everything so much easier but she was tired, and she definitely was not as comfortable as she had been ten minutes ago. Normally, she would act like the perfect best friend, be nothing but a bottle of sunshine but tonight she just wasn't in the mood. So, she decided to rub it in just that little bit more instead. "It's not like this was the first time, this has been happening for years."
Finnick blanched, "What?"
"Look, it was casual, we had our fun on occasion, what's the problem with that?"
"The problem!? The problem is that-"
"No, we're not going to do this. Look, Gloss and I are both going into these games, we know where we stand we just had to get whatever we felt out and be done with it, and it's done, so how about you drop it, okay?"
Finnick frowned, but nodded his head nonetheless. They didn't have the time to be arguing, and he knew it.
Too quickly did the new day come and too quickly were they all ushered off to get ready for their interviews. The prep team tugged and pulled at her hair, and Kailani sighed. It was going to be a long day. She had a headache, Finnick was still slightly awkward after last night, she was just in a foul mood altogether. Some of the others still held the hope that they could put an end to this ridiculous Quell, that perhaps if the crowds turned against it enough they would be called off. It was unlikely, but they could still turn the crowd against the government in general. Snow made a grave mistake bringing them all together, before they turned on each other, they would stand united against him, against the Games and against everything he stood for. One day, whether it be later on tonight, or sometime in the future, Snow would realise his mistake. Until then, they just had to keep fighting. Kailani was prodded, poked, pinched, pulled, painted, but finally, after hours of work and being treated like a doll, she was done. And even she had to admit, looking at herself in the mirror, she looked good. She wore a blue, floor-length, satin dress that fell over the curves of her body and pooled at her feet like water. The neckline plunged low, and the back was open revealing more than enough skin to please the crowd. Her hair was left out this time, the long strands curling down her back smoothly, and her make-up matched the dress perfectly, shades of blue used on her eyes, lips and nails. She really did look stunning, and judging by Finnick's momentary loss of composure, he thought so too. She grinned, well, she always had been good at the interview.
"Thank you, thank you!" smiled Caesar Flickerman, his hair and face highlighted lavender for this particular year's Games. "Thank you for being here tonight, on the eve of the 75th Hunger Games!" The crowd let out a loud roar.
The tributes had all gathered off stage as Caesar began his usual spiel. A large screen on the wall broadcasted the video feed live for them to watch as they waited. One by one, or perhaps in pairs if they preferred, Caesar would call them out, they would have their allocated three minutes and then would move on to stand on the large stage behind them. It was quite straightforward, really. Katniss and Peeta were the last tributes to arrive, and the others all fell silent as they did. Their eyes fell to her dress, glaring daggers at it. Whether it was from envy or something else, she had no idea. She supposed the dress she wore wasn't just any dress, it was a wedding dress. It was her wedding dress.
"We have never seen anything like this and we will never see anything like it again," continued Caesar, his voice low and dramatic, leaving the crowd hanging on his every word, "Because tonight, on this stage, twenty-four of Panem's brightest stars will vie for the ultimate crown. Tonight will be their final opportunity to express their thoughts and our final opportunity to express our love, and heartbreakingly, say goodbye to all but one."
Finnick was the first to break the silence, "I can't believe Cinna put you in that thing."
"He didn't have any choice," defended Katniss. It was not Cinna's fault and she would not let him be criticised. "President Snow made him."
Cashmere tossed her flowing blonde locks back, "Well, you look ridiculous," she spat, grabbing her brother's hand and pulling him into position to walk out on stage.
Kailani smiled at her sympathetically. Katniss was confused, the tributes seemed to be torn between anger and sympathy. Johanna Mason even stopped to fix her necklace before her dark eyes looked at her seriously, "Make him pay for it, okay?"
Despite not having any idea of what she meant, Katniss nodded.
Caesar looked between Cashmere and Gloss, only the first interview and already the air was sombre. "You became everyone's brother and sister," he said, sincerely, "I don't know how we're going to let you go."
Gloss leaned around his tearful sister, his face as composed as it could be, "We're not going by choice." Caesar wanted to sigh, so this was how the night was going to go. He couldn't say he was surprised. "You are our family and I don't see how anyone can love us better."
Cashmere let out a tiny sob and Caesar immediately turned to her, "Are you alright, dear?"
She shook her head, trying to find the right words, "I just- I can't help thinking about how many people in the Capitol must be suffering because they are going to lose us." The tears streamed down her face, "It breaks my heart."
It was only when the interviews began did the understanding set in for Katniss. The looks of anger, how they felt. Every one of the victors that surrounded her felt betrayed, felt cheated that they had been recalled into the competition. Their feelings ran deep but they were careful, and so wonderfully smart at how they played it. Their words always came back to the government and President Snow. These people were still fighting their situation. And if they were still fighting, then so would she.
"Beetee," began Caesar, "You have contributed so much to Panem over the years, I don't know who we will miss more, you or your brain." The crowd laughed, but the male victor of District Three would have none of his attempts to lighten the mood. There may have been seem of them unwilling or unable to defy the Capitol, but he was not one of them.
"The Quarter Quell were written into law by men," he said, his voice firm despite the twitching, "Certainly, it can be unwritten."
Caesar struggled to find a way to spin those words into a positive light, into something less accusing towards the Capitol. He could come up with nothing. The members of the crowd were muttering amongst each other. Caesar nodded, "Yes, interesting concept," he managed.
Finnick looked over at Kailani, "You're next," he said, "You ready?"
She met his gaze, "Always."
"Kailani, your smile usually brightens up any room, " said Caesar, eyeing the solemn woman before him, "I'm not sure I've ever seen you without it, except for this evening, tell us, why is that?"
She let out a long sigh, "Well, Caesar, I could try, but I think everyone here would know it isn't genuine. I do not want to lie to any of you, not tonight. You see, I'm worried. I'm worried for my dear mother. You all know who she is, did you also know she turned eighty-two this year?" Caesar nodded. "With me going into the Games again, and Finnick as well, I worry about what will become of her when we are gone." A horrified silence had settled over the audience, and if Caesar looked close enough he could see that many had begun to cry. "We have done this before and the odds are in our favour even less than they were they first time around." She turned out to the crowd, her eyes filled with sadness. "I doubt I will be seeing any of you again. To all I have met, to all I was going to meet and to all who would see this farce ended, it has been a pleasure."
Many of the other victors nodded their heads approvingly. With every interview that passed the crowd was becoming increasingly more distressed. Their plan was working exactly as they had hoped it would.
"Finnick, I understand that you have a message for somebody out there, a special somebody," said Caesar, "Can we hear it?"
The heartthrob of Panem stared straight into the lens of the camera, his face almost pained, "My love," he began, "You have my heart, for all eternity. If- if I die in that arena, my last thought will be of your lips."
Kailani battled to keep her face carefully blank of emotion. She knew the camera would be on her after that, they just never seemed to get the message despite their constant denials that they were not together. It was him and Annie, she knew that at least a few of them knew that. Annie. The guilt she was so good at ignoring rushing back with such force she almost cringed. It gnawed at her insides and Finnick coming to stand next to her did not help one bit. She felt sick.
"We have seen a lot of tears here tonight," Caesar began, "But I see no tear's in Johanna's eyes. Johanna, you are angry, tell me why."
She laughed bitterly, "Well, yes. I'm angry. You know, I'm getting totally screwed over here. The deal was that if I won the Hunger Games, I got to live the rest of my life in peace. But now, you want to kill me again. Well, you know what? Fuck that!" she screamed, "And fuck everybody who had anything to do with it!"
Both Katniss and Peeta couldn't help but gape at the screen as Johanna walked off to join the others. No one but them seemed surprised at her outburst, it was as if they had expected it. They understood that she was angry, but to so out rightly attack the President for his actions. They couldn't decide if she was brave or stupid.
By the time Katniss was introduced, the audience was an absolute wreck. People had been weeping, collapsing, yelling and even calling for change. The sight of her in her white silk bridal gown nearly saw a riot break out. Almost all of her time had been spent by time they quietened enough to hear her talk.
"So, Katniss," started Caesar, "Obviously this is a very emotional night for everyone. Is there anything you would like to say?"
"Only that I'm sorry you won't get to be at my wedding," she said, her voice trembling, "But I'm glad you at least get to see me in my dress. Isn't it just the most beautiful thing?" She began to twirl slowly. That's when it happened. It began to change. Tendrils of fire ate its way up from the bottom of the dress, changing white to black, but having no effect on Katniss herself. When the smoke cleared, that's when they all realised what she was. Black wings spread out from behind her, the feathers ruffling as they stretched. Cinna had turned her into the Mockingjay.
From the look on Caesar's face, he knew exactly what it was and furthermore, the message behind it, but he did his best to brush past it. The victors too, knew what it meant. Some of them exchanged brief glances. Cinna was playing a dangerous game.
Peeta and Caesar shared their usual banter in the last interview of the night. Katniss and his feelings for her and the Quell were a running theme throughout. He even revealed that they were in fact already married, and that they had had a traditional ceremony back home, just the two of them. It was a conversation going much smoother than the others had.
Caesar put a comforting arm around the young tribute's shoulders. "I must confess, I'm glad you two had at least a few months of happiness together."
Peeta shook his head, "I'm not," he said, "I wish we had waited until the whole thing was done officially."
Caesar looked taken aback, "Surely even a brief time is better than no time?"
"Maybe I'd think that too, Caesar," he said, bitterly, "If it weren't for the baby."
It took a moment, where everyone was in a kind of shocked silence, and then the bomb exploded. Accusations of injustice and barbarism and cruelty flew in every direction. The crowd moaned and shrieked and cried. Despite his best efforts, Caesar could not rein them back in again. Peeta joined the other victors and immediately took Katniss' hand in his own. That's when it happened. Along the line, all the victors began to join hands, join as one. A few, like Enoboria and Brutus were unsure, but too caught up in the demands of those around them to refuse. For the first time since what must have been the Dark Days, there was a public show of unity among the districts. And the government realised it too. As they raised their joined hands in the air, the cameras stopped rolling and the lights went out, plunging them all into darkness. But it was too late.
Everyone had already seen.