The first secret... Hunger Games are not mine. :)
I meet lots of famous victors, none are all too thrilled to meet me – some compliment my style though. Mostly I notice how the other victors handle their sorrow. Drugs, and alcohol in particular. I accidentally tried the alcohol solution is district Eleven.
Thomps informed me right after district Eleven that the Capitol will now provide a pre-written thank you speech during the District Tours, for not only me, but the future victors as well. I'm glad Finnick Odair's drunk and crying ramblings will be the stamp on that new rule.
A shot of fear goes down my spine as the train rolls back into the Capitol. The colorful city comes into full view. It is night when we arrive. The buildings are lit up with large shots of purple and yellows. The train pulls into a different spot then before. Clearly this spot is not waiting for frightened tributes ready to jump into the tracks the next second. I am greeted by an overwhelming sea of people. I actually have to blink a few times to make sure it isn't the sea.
They scream and cheer my name. I am led out of the car by peacekeepers, they're dressed in black not their typical white though. Mags and Thomps scurry quickly behind me as I wave and wink towards handfuls of people. They all eat it up. We near the grand banquet hall. And grand it is.
The doors alone on this massive building, which are adorned with a large flag with the number '4' on it, by the way, are well over seven meters tall. They open at the push of a button and a blast of cold air hits my face. My eyes glimmer in the light as the Capitol's finest stand there cheering my name. I am taken a back, I try let it all soak in... but it's just so much.
I walk in slowly. My black suede shoes that Noqall had gotten hand made for me leave tiny ripples in the expensive pink carpet. Large marble pillars jut up around the building, each with a banner of my face. The people are ecstatic to greet me and I am felt hundreds of times in a sea of hands. People from all over, politicians, actors, business men, Game Makers! All of them want to shake my hand.
It's been little over an hour and I still haven't moved. The cameras take millions of photos and record every cocky smile I rear towards a person. I feel someone link arms with me. I ignore it at first, finishing my conversation with the Head Game Maker – who congratulates me on my success with the mutant bears.
The person linked on my arm begins to lick my ear. I turn. It's no one I recognize, but everyone else here does. She wears a thick but clinging red satin dress. There are odd cones shaped on her breasts and triangles padded at her hips, giving her an odd figure. Her hair is dyed to an effulgent shade of red, while her lips form a slew of lighter shades. But all red – I think I know her favorite color.
I catch the eyes of the two peacekeeper body guards. This is a test. I take the woman and pull her in close. Giving her a long kiss on her lips, pulling away for only a second and then letting it hang in the air for a minute. Then I pull fully away. The crowd takes a breath, like it was the most beautiful thing they've seen.
Her eyebrows curve in a seductive manner towards me. I offer more of my arm to her so she has more to hold onto, and we walk together through the hall. She points at food now and then. All of it looks delicious to me. I pull her over to the one table and we stop to 'eat' some berries found on the other side of the world. I look at her, pretending to tell her about how pretty she looks.
"And what is your name gorgeous?" I ask, stroking her hair so the people around us assume we are only flirting. She plays at my game with me.
"Just a girl looking for a good time tonight." She pouts a bit, the plastic in her lips protrudes downwards a bit. "How do you not know my name yet Finnick Odair? I've managed to hear lots about you." Her hands move up to my neck as I tickle her chest with kisses.
"Don't forget my dear, we don't get Capitol Shows in the Districts. Your name would certainly be helpful to me."
"Gemma Wulls." She smiles, giving me a playful bite as I feed her a decadent cracker topped with these 'berries from the jungle'. She scoops them into her mouth ever so slightly. "Hard to believe you're only fifteen." She tugs on my hair.
"Your mind matures quickly after going through something like I have." I let her feel my abs. "But bodies are ready young." I step away from her, letting her feel the lack of warmth she had been supplied from with my arms – this is the first time we've been separated this whole night. I turn back again. "Bodies are best to be used when you have them right?"
"Are you implying something Finnick?" Her eyes twinkle mischievously. I put my hand on her triangle hips.
"Depends on if you're ready for it."
She giggles. "Finnick, the night is just getting started." Her playful face leaves as she leans into my ear. "You have to work for your pay." With that she saunters over to the caviar table. I notice they keep their caviar dipped in champagne. The taste on my tongue is pure satisfaction in my mouth. I have only had caviar twice before. We sell it from our village, but it's so popular I've only ever snuck a taste. The other time was in District One, yesterday. I love the stuff.
We keep working our way through the food tables. They're ridiculous. With this and that. Crazy, I would hate to imagine how much it costs – but money doesn't matter now. I am set for life. Eventually both me and Gemma start getting full. We are forced to stop eating and start talking to the people.
"What a beautiful couple you two make. Such chemistry!" A short stout girl named Effie says. She has a glimmer of desire in her eyes. She must only be in her early 20s. "Finnick." She sighs. "Someday I hope I can be an escort for new tributes like you. I've had such a predicament getting on the TV though. Always a problem here and there." I look over her body and stature and compare her to Gemma. Her nose is a little too big, she's very short and there seems to be too much flesh built up into certain areas of her body. I think she looks fine.
"Effie. You're a doll. You'll never get on the TV looking like the way you do sweetie. You'll have to go under the knife and get rid of," Gemma swirls her hands at Effie's entire existence. "That." She blurts out in disgust. She strokes my cheek. "I'll be back Finny, I'm going to get something to wash down this taste in my mouth." She looks at the saddened girl. "Toodles!" She totters off.
I look at Effie. So much of her is hurt. "It's alright. I think you look fine. They're probably thinking of where to assign you to. Which district I mean." I smile at her. She doesn't smile back.
"She's right you know. All the Capitol cares about is how you look. No problem for someone like her."
I laugh, "Are you kidding? I bet she's has so much plastic in her body they're shipping her all the way from District Three!" Effie smiles. I give her a pat on the shoulder. I don't know why, but something in that girl's eyes just yell we're going to meet again.
"Finny! Let's dance!" I am pulled out to the middle of the hall. The ground is mahogany, a favorite of the Capitol, and there is a large ball of crystals spinning around us with millions of little lights. The music is weird. There are weird booms and noises, but it makes an interesting beat. I almost step on Gemma's toes four times before the music stops. She needs a break and I take a note to get better at dancing.
"Finnick!" I almost don't answer to my name anymore, I just pretend I don't hear people – they're too tedious to deal with. I turn around to this particular voice though. It's Thomps. I had almost forgotten I had a big show with Ceaser tonight. I look over and see Gemma standing at the roasted duck table.
I give her my hand and then in a deep voice, "My dear will you join me tonight. I have a date with Ceaser and a couple of cameras." I wink to her. Her eyes light up and then she clings to me.
I pray President Snow is watching. I want to show him all the effort I am putting into this.
We are shuffled into a long black car. The seats are so plush and comfy I wish I could just go to bed now. Noqall joins us and starts adding this and that to my hair. Not doing too much but making sure I look good. I watch outside the window. We're moving fast around the town with so many twists and turns. I feel the wheels stop and we exit.
Hundreds of flashing lights... for a minute I am back in the games. The earth is falling beneath me, I am being swallowed up by something, I can see all the stars as I am dazed from hitting my head. I step backwards only to be caught by Gemma whose eyes shoot me a concerned look. Everything seems to be going in slow motion. I feel like someone has just paused my life forcing me to look at it so far. But I don't want to.
I jolt back to reality. Gemma is holding onto my arm smiling. I plant a perfect kiss on her cheek as the cameras snap the moment forever.
We slowly walk along the dark blue carpet towards Ceaser. We finally reach him and he runs down to give us a big hug. He kisses me on both my cheeks and he kisses Gemma's hand.
He settles the crowd as he looks towards me. "Finnick. I feel like it was just yesterday you and I were sitting here talking about your odds for survival. And look who made it tonight."
I want to point out that it's only been six months but instead I smile at the audience, "I remember how remarkable the Capitol was last time... so imagine my surprise when I return and find this lovely girl." I brush my nose against Gemma's. She giggles. The crowd aw's.
We talk about some other things, like how I will never be a single man. The interview is simple and boring, I do my best to act but it takes a lot out of me. And now, instead of getting on the train to head back home, I have to head home with Gemma and please her.
I open the door to her apartment. There's a large window the kind that spreads out over the whole city. The marble floor makes a weird tune when Gemma clomps over onto it. She takes something out of a big door that has cold air coming from it. It's a little vial. She drinks half of it and hands the rest to me. I drink it and she points to the bathroom past the hall. Confused to why she wants to have 'fun time' over there I slowly start to walk. Until I feel a hot bubbly feeling in my stomach. I run and grab the porcelain toilet bowl, looking down into its repulsiveness with a sense of it being all too familiar.
I begin to hurl the 10,000 dollars worth of food I had tonight. Watching it all pile up in a disgusting mishmash. The mushrooms, the chocolate, the caviar, the sugar cubes. It all comes up and I can't stop it. I hear Gemma doing the same thing. What was in that vial?! After 20 minutes I am finished. I hear Gemma's heels clicking on the floor again.
"That's better." She looks at my disheveled face. "What's up with you?" She tries to add things together in her head for a moment. "We're always on camera Finn! We can't put weight on!" She strokes my chest. "Not that a man as active as you could though." Then I realize what she's wearing. Nothing. Well, except her heels – which she kicks off onto the cold bathroom floor.
"Let's save water Finn. You love the ocean... let's shower together." She turns on the crazy complicated contraption that the people use in the Capitol to wash off. She sets its settings and beckons me to join her. I oblige. I have to don't I?
I gently thrust her in a lackluster manner. She seems to find it the best thing ever. All I can think about is how badly I want to go home. The steaming hot water covering my body and washing away the night helps a bit.
I can't even look in Gemma's eyes. I can only think of the sea. I don't want to come back here after only a two day stop at home. At some point she has had enough and walks me to the living room. It's 2 in the morning.
"I know you want to get home. Here's your first payment." I look at the coffee table there are piles of gems and a big wad of cash. I would be ecstatic if I knew I didn't have that times ten back home.
"I don't want money." This catches her off guard.
"Then how do I pay you? What do you want?" She eyes me attentively. She gives me the same face Mags gives me while awaiting me to figure it out in my head... wait Mags...
"Secrets."
She laughs. "What could the great Finnick Odair do with my secrets? Trying to black mail me, honey?" Her face breaks into a serious one. "I don't think so."
I step back, "Not about you. About the way things work here." I sit down. "How do I get ahead?"
She processes this and sits down with me. "You don't say no. You never say no. When you say no bad things happen." She speaks softer now, even in the comfort of her home. "The most loyal are rewarded. When I was auditioning for the movie about the destruction of District 13 another girl got the part right before I went in. For big productions that get sent to the districts, President Snow personally sees to all the actresses and actors." She stops to take a breath, to remember a certain memory.
"Anyways, I was distraught when I didn't get the part." She looks at my pretend face of disbelief. "I know right? How could they not choose me?!" She takes a minute to compose herself. I can feel we're getting to the juicy part of the story. "I walked back to the crummy motel I was housed in at the time. I didn't live in a place like this yet. But I heard something weird. It was that girl's voice! The one who got the part. I listened closely to hear what was going on... I even waited outside behind a plant. Then I saw him come out. One of the right hand men of Snow."
"He's kind of like a yes-man, always saying that Snow is the best blah blah. I heard the girl crying inside. I thought she cheated to get the part until I heard her call a news company and she told them who she had slept with. She closed the door after the conversation had began. But it all worked out in the end. She was in the news for some freak accident, and I got my call for the part."
"What was the yes-man's name?"
"Grig Wash I think, he's still around... still being a disgusting pig." She rolls her eyes. "Oh, moral of the story apparently, don't piss off the Capitol." She looks at a clock and then rolls over on top of me. "I told Snow I was paying for you for 3 weeks you know. He called to ask. Told me if you were trouble to call him. But you've been a good boy." She licks my nose. "Did my secret suffice for you?"
"So when I come back from Four I am to pretend we're still madly in love?" She looks disappointed.
"Yea, you can pretend. This is just for my new movie coming out, being with you is good for it. Snow let me be the first to have you as a present for being so good lately." She smiles. "I hope you don't mind me plugging it in." I start to get up and gather my things. Her eyes watch me slowly. "Do I need to think of a secret for every night now?" She giggles. "I like being a gossip." I look at her.
"No, I'd appreciate it more if you introduced me to people and showed me around."
She grabs my hand, "What are you going to do with the information." She gets serious, "Blackmail with the Capitol doesn't work. They'll kill you." I'm going to wait till the right time to reveal it all, but that's what I say in my head.
"I'm just putting my mind at ease, that's all." I smile and give her a kiss goodbye. She waves as she opens her legs for me to show me her crotch while she's on the couch. "Bye Gemma."
I tousle my hair and unbutton my shirt in the elevator. You never know where the cameras are. I refuse to be played with. But it's a long process – revenge.