Chapter 13

Serena

"No, no. You have to shake your hips, like this."

Alida is teaching me how to dance, because for some reason she thinks it's important; but who knows, maybe she's right and Caesar Flickerman will invite me for a waltz. The problem is she's forcing me to dance in stilettos- sure, I can walk in heels, perhaps even run, if I really have to, but dance? I'm sure putting on a show for Finnick, who is making no effort to hide that he's about to burst out laughing.

I'll just let him laugh; I don't want him to get angry again. It took a lot of persuasion- and some tears too, something I'm not really proud of- to stop him from storming out of our quarters and having "a little talk" with Marvel's mentor, Gloss.

They're not exactly friends, but I've seen them together in past Games, and they're about the same age; not to mention they won in similar ways. I remember watching the edition where Gloss came out victorious- he fooled everyone because he looked younger than fifteen, and resembled a little angel- a little angel that had a liking for slitting throats.

And Finnick wanted to tell him that I have been doing "improper things" with Marvel.

"Finnick, please dance with her and show her how it's done," Alida pleads with exhasperation; she's so nervous that she's wrapped her braid around herself and is chewing on the tip. I must be the worst dancer in the world, for her to push me into Finnick's arms like this.

He promptly does as she says, but doesn't get any better: I may now be able to move around without stumbling since Finnick is holding me, but I keep stepping on his feet. "Come on, Reena," he teases. "How are we supposed to dance at your wedding?"

"Ha ha. Very funny," I say, as I avoid crushing his foot for what would be the fifth time. However, I am not amused in the least bit- at the word wedding, Marvel's smiling face came to my mind.

You've known him for three days and at least one out of you two will die. Control yourself, for God's sake!

"Alright, I quit," Alida says desolately. "We've been here for almost four hours and you keep tripping!"

"It's the shoes," I whine. "Why can't I dance barefoot? Why do I have to dance at all?"

"Because… Because it's fun! And you never know what to expect in your interview," she insists.

Personally, I'm more concerned about what I should expect in the arena, thank you very much.

"I have to talk to Felix," Finnick interrupts. "We'll start the content session after lunch, okay?" Without waiting for my answer, he walks towards the exit, stopping in the doorway for a moment in order to look for something in his pocket- most likely a sugar packet- before he leaves; I notice Alida has stopped nagging and is staring at the back of his neck in complete adoration.

"Alida?" I ask carefully when I'm sure Finnick is out of hearing range.

She doesn't tear her gaze away from the door. "Hm?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," she says dreamily.

I take a deep breath. Why me? "Do you… do you like Finnick?"

Alida blushes deeply. "N-No, of course not," she stammers unconvincingly. "I mean, he's amazing, and handsome, and-and… but he has Annie Cresta."

"You know about her?" I whisper, surprised by how heartbroken this girl from the Capitol sounds.

Alida nods vigorously, a tear trying to escape from her heavily made-up eye. "Yes. My friend Alva told me."

I have absolutely no idea who Alva is, but I put my hand protectively over Alida's. She sniffs loudly and wipes her nose with the back of her other hand (so much for teaching me about presentation). "Have you ever been in love?" she asks suddenly, recomposing herself.

"No," I answer, quickly looking away.

You're a liar, tells me my racing heart. A liar and a fool.

After lunch, Finnick takes me to the sitting room; I was worried he would want to talk about Marvel again, but it seems he's forgotten about it. Maybe I should have suspected he was up to something; it's just not like Finnick to let me get away this easily.

"Felix came up to me, and he asked me to present you in a way that… matches your outfit," he says, looking unpleased.

"W-What?" I ask, confused.

Finnick sighs. "He wants to keep the mermaid theme." I drop my face on my hands, picturing myself being carried to the stage. What's with Felix and mermaids? And blue? And blue mermaids? "Oh, don't worry," Finnick hushes. "He's assured me you will be wearing an actual dress. But you will have to act… what was it? Oh yeah, 'seductive and innocent, but deadly'."

I give him a You've got to be kidding me look, as I remember my pathetic attempt to seduce Thresh. "And how will I do that?"

"Smile a lot. Bat your eyelashes. Flip your hair. Act as if you don't have a brain. I don't know!" Finnick is now laughing. "Do I look like a beauty queen to you?"

"Actually, you do. Oh my God, it's Finnick Odair! He's so dreamy! I'm going to marry him one day!" I squeal mockingly in a Capitol accent.

The rest of the lesson goes surprisingly well, especially when compared to the presentation session; Finnick seems to have put aside his deep dislike for Marvel, and much to my joy, he dismisses me right after dinner.

This means I can go meet Marvel!

A little bit past eleven, I put down How to find your perfect lipstick colour- a truly fascinating book-and tiptoe my way through the corridor; it is as quiet as usual, which means everybody's asleep by now.

I'm almost reaching the elevator door when I feel someone coming from behind me and putting an arm around my waist.

"Put me down!" I shriek, as Finnick flips me over his shoulder- it's no funny business, being afraid of heights and having my head hanging about six feet over the ground.

Oh, and there's also the fact Finnick just caught me sneaking out.

And the award for the stupidest tribute goes to…

"Put me down now!" I repeat, lowering my voice but attempting to kick him in order to mark my words, as Finnick starts walking towards my room. When he reaches the door, he tosses me inside unceremoniously and locks it.

"Stay here," he orders from the other side of the door. "I'm having a little talk with your friend."

It takes me a moment to realize who he's talking about; then I remember I told Finnick about the swimming lessons earlier, when I was stopping him from confronting Gloss- he was just waiting for me to be stupid enough to try and sneak out again. But how would I know he would lock me in my own room and go to Marvel himself?

"What are you going to do to him?" I shout, in panic.

But no answer comes, meaning Finnick is already gone.

Marvel

I've been here for about an hour, after an intense etiquette lesson with Marcus (I can now say with proud I'm officially a gentleman), and she's not here yet. Maybe I should go to bed.

But she said midnight, so midnight it is.

"She's not coming."

My head darts up as soon as I hear the voice, familiar to me from spending years hearing it on television, and recently in much more unpleasant situations. I cross my arms over my chest and tilt my chin menacingly, knowing it will be of no use- Finnick Odair is older, stronger (more than Gloss, probably), and if he manages to push me into the pool I'm a dead man.

But still, if he wants a fight, he'll have it.

"Relax, kid," he says, holding out his palms. "I came here to talk."

"Then talk," I snarl, annoyed by the way he said kid. I'm not a child!

"Look, I don't know what you think you're doing with Serena, but it has to stop," he says angrily, causing me to snort; I've faced many enraged parents before, but this is just ridiculous.

"And why would I do that?" I ask scornfully.

Finnick seems to be restraining himself from hitting me. That makes two of us, then. "She's not like you, you know?" I raise my eyebrows, not understanding what he means by that. "She might have trained, and you may think she's a Career, but she's… she's innocent."

This causes me to grin widely. Innocent? She showed me to be anything but innocent last night.

"Oh, you think it's funny? Let me tell you this: Serena thinks she's safe, that she doesn't get easily attached to people, but she's wrong. What's worse, I think she's forgotten where she is and what she is set to do. She's a dreamer, and I want you to stay the hell away from her, since I can't seem to make her stay away from you, before she does something really stupid, like falling in love."

Who does this guy think he is?

"If she wants to be with me, I won't be the one to stop her," I say cockily. "She doesn't have to follow anyone's orders, much less yours. You're not exactly an example of virtue, no matter what Serena says."

Finnick clenches his fists and takes a step forward, but he restrains himself in the last moment. "She's like my little sis-"

"Like your little sister, yeah, I know. So what do you say you stop acting like her freakin' father? She's seventeen, she can make her own decisions," I say wearily.

He runs his hand through his hair, just like I do when something annoys me. "She's not thinking clearly. She can't see what you are doing."

Well, this is new.

"And what exactly am I doing?" I ask, amused. This guy is completely out of his mind.

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." Finnick points me an accusing finger. "You're messing with her head. Giving her hickeys. Convincing her to sneak out at night to give you swimming lessons?" His face is now twisted with anger. "She thinks you're in love with her!"

My smile fades and I take a step back; I wasn't expecting this.

How deep are my feelings for Serena? I've never put much thought into it. Am I fond of her? Sure. Am I attracted to her? A lot. But do I love her?

Hell yes.

This makes everything much, much worse: I will never, in a million years, be capable of killing Serena. Now I can only hope that someone else does it- though I'll guarantee that someone doesn't live much longer- or, if by any chance the Games come down to the two of us, that she doesn't feel the same way, and that she will have no remorse in killing me. Somehow, thinking that I might be slain by Serena hurts less than thinking she may not like me as much as she's shown. Compared to it, the idea of having a trident sticking out of my stomach is almost laughable.

I stare at Finnick, feeling my blood run cold; for the first time in my life, I can't think of anything to say. "What?" he asks, grinning. "Did you think I wouldn't find out your plan? That strategy is not new to the Games."

I finally find words. "There's… There's no plan," I say, trying to sound confident.

This wipes the grin off his face. "What do you mean?"

"It started as a joke," I say, embarrassed. "But then… she grew on me."

I swear that as soon as I tell Finnick this, all the blood drains from his face. "You're not pretending," he says, clearly not believing it; he seems about to tear out his hair. I nod slowly, confirming his words, and Finnick drops his arms in defeat. "So what are you going to do about her when you get to the arena?" he asks.

I shrug. "I don't know."

"Are you capable of killing her?" he asks accusingly.

"No," I mutter, choosing on that moment to study the bottom of the pool by my side.

He lets out an ironic laugh. "You say that now, but when you get there all you will think about is how to save your own ass."

"I mean it," I say indignantly. "I'm still ready to do whatever it takes to win, but I won't be the one to kill her, I guarantee you."

Finnick seems to struggle for a second, deciding if he should believe it or not. Finally, he demands harshly: "Take care of her whenever you can."

"I will, don't worry," I assure him in the same harsh tone. Then we look each other furiously in the eye, before he storms out, leaving me alone with my own thoughts.

So... this chapter came out shorter than I thought. However, the next one will be up soon!

As for Alida's friend Alva, she will be in one of my next fanfics... I just can't resist connecting all the little details and giving hints like in the Marvel movies (how ironic) :p

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter :)