Finnick Odair is nothing short of a charmer.

I've met him before. Once when I was really little and he won the Games, and then a few more times when his tributes won and the Victory Tour passed through. It's strange to think that none of these things will happen again, at least I don't think so. No more Hunger Games. No more Victory Tours. No more dressing up for fake Capitol parties.

He speaks animatedly and captures all of our attentions, just like the old Finnick would, but there's something different in his eyes.

Katniss and Peeta were both different when they came back from the Hunger Games. Their eyes were darker, they had seen things they never wanted to, but this is different. Finnick is different. I guess we're all different.

"The power was running in 4 up until about two weeks ago," Finnick tells us. "It was easier to defend ourselves when we only had one way to protect. With our backs to the ocean we were golden." Ocean. I remember when Gale told me about the ocean. I wonder if we'll ever get to see. "After a while we figured out that no one was coming to help us."

"How do you know there are other trains still running?" Peeta asks. "If the power in District 4 is out what makes you think it's on anywhere else?"

"That's the thing," Finnick says, extending his hand and pointing toward Peeta. "The power is out in District 4, but the trains all run on a separate power unit."

"The Capitol's," Proja supplies.

"Exactly," Finnick nods. "If there's still power in the Capitol then the trains will still be able to run. The peacekeepers all got out of here somehow, didn't they? Besides, if we get to the station and we realize there aren't any trains or the doors won't open because there's no power, we know not to go to the Capitol."

"Why didn't you just check District 4's station?" Katniss asks. "Why go all the way to 10?"

"Zombies were too thick," he answers. Haymitch smirks at his fellow Victor's choice of words. Zombies. "Couldn't get through."

"How do you know 10 is any better?"

"I don't," Finnick shrugs. "Got to have some hope now, hm?"

Proja and a boy from District 4, a relative of a Victor who has passed, go scouting into District 10. Gale wants to go but knows that the kids won't be okay if he does, so he hangs back. Right now the children are entertaining themselves, Posy building a fairy house out of rocks and Vick staring at the clouds in the sky and Rory still trying to get Prim to kiss him.

I lower myself to the ground next to Gale and sigh, dropping my forehead against his arm. He reaches up so I fall unto his chest and twirls his fingers through the short length of my hair.

"I don't want to go in the district," I tell him. Gale lowers his hand from my hair and latches onto my hip, tugging me closer with one pull. "I don't want to lose anyone else."

"Me neither," he answers. I don't know which he agrees with, hopefully both, but I don't push him. "We're so close though," Gale whispers. "Can't you feel it?"

I nod my head forward, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be feeling. I wonder when Gale changed his mind about going to the Capitol. I guess it's sort of like what Finnick said, we've got to have some hope. Especially after all Gale's been through, all he's lost.

"Sure," I lie. Gale smiles slightly and tilts his head down to face me. He looks tired. Dammit, we all look tired.

Speaking of tired, Posy lumbers up to Gale and I. Her eyes are drooping and she yawns heartily. "Can we go to sleep?" she asks. Gale looks toward his sister, then back toward me, and nods. "I'll get Vick," the little girl tells us, and then she stumbles back over to get her brother.

Gale stands up and extends his hand, pulling me up as well. With our fingers entwined we stroll over to where our sleeping things are and wait for Posy and Vick to join us. Before we can sit Gale pulls me into his arms, his grip tight around my back and his chin resting on my head. I snake my arms around his waist and hold tightly, resting against his chest. My body fits perfectly against his like this.

"I know you didn't ask for this responsibility," he whispers. "I'm sorry." I try to peek up at him but his hold is too strong. "Posy, and Vick… they're not yours. I know that. If you ever feel like… like it's too much—"

"I love them," I cut him off. My voice is muffled against his shirt but I know he's heard me. "I love them and I love you and I'll do anything to keep them safe." The Hawthorne's are my family now, there's nothing I wouldn't do to make sure they get out of this.

Gale's body shudders as he lets out a deep breath, and then he finally releases his grip. Before he can lean down and kiss me, Posy and Vick are both here. We lay down and instantly Posy curls up to me, and Vick curls up to Gale. When the little ones have their eyes closed I glance across at Gale. He smiles at me before letting his own eyes shut.

Yes, the Hawthorne's are my family.

Proja and the boy from 4, I learn his name is Carter, are back by the time we wake up. The path isn't clear, they say, but it isn't swamped either. We should be able to get through easily enough, we should be able to get through without losing anyone else.

God, I hope they're right.

This time instead of Katniss and Peeta and Gale up front, it's just Katniss and Finnick. Gale and Peeta take somewhere in the middle, and then another Victor from 4 and Haymitch take the back.

"This isn't a sprint," Peeta reminds us. "We don't have to get there as fast as we can. We want to be safe, we want all of us to get through this, and we want to do it before nightfall, but we don't have to run." Posy clings to my leg, she isn't being carried this time. Neither is Vick. Not a sprint, we can do this.

Up in front of me I watch Delly sneak Proja a kiss, and then I smile to myself. We're going to make it through this, I know it.

The walk is slow. There are plenty of freaks lumbering through the District but it isn't as though they're a giant mob. Very dispersed, very easy to take down. The stench of death is awful, I can't help but wonder if we'll ever get to a place that doesn't smell like rotted flesh. You think after all this time I would get used to the stench of death. It's just one of those things you can never be okay with.

The day is spent with everyone looking over their shoulders. No one stops to break, we just keep our steady march. And it's easy.

It's so easy, that when we actually encounter a problem we're not prepared.

The station is in view. It's crowded. Dead with tangled greasy hair and wide gaping mouths wait for us on the platform. Without any of us actually talking we pick up our pace. No, it hasn't been a sprint up to this point but it might have to become one. Katniss flings her remaining arrows and forms a path that we can all squeeze through. Finnick uses a trident to spear through their heads and shove them back. Dead, dead, dead.

I reach down and lift Posy into my arms and she instantly clings to me, burying her face into my neck.

We have a path, we have a path. Left foot, right foot, it's not that hard. We can do this. The platform is crowded but we have people to take care of that. We can do this.

A circle is formed with the defenseless on the inside and the fighters on the out. We work toward the train. They hiss at us, they growl and stretch and reach for us. Only now do I consider that maybe they don't want us to join them, maybe they want to join us.

A life of death, a life of nothing but hunger is not a life that I want to live. It's not a life, no matter what happens, that can overtake me. So maybe the dead aren't hungering for our bodies, maybe they want our souls. Maybe they want to live again.

The thought stops me cold.

If it wasn't for Delly behind me shoving me forward I would've been too stunned to move. We just don't understand the dead. We don't know what they want, we don't know why they're so tragic.

"Let's go, Madge," Delly cries, tugging me forward.

"Got the door open!" I hear someone shout. "Move, move, move!"

There's a hole in our defenses. They're pushing through to us. They want our life and maybe they think they can get it through more death. More death, more death, more…

Proja screams, "Delly!"

And Delly screams, lifting her boot and thrusting it forward, knocking a few of the freaks over.

And then we're on the train and the door is being shut and Delly is dry sobbing and Proja is standing over her and we're all panting.

"Let me see it," he whispers. He tries to be quiet but he's so loud, he's the only one talking. Finnick and Katniss check the compartment and the surrounding ones for freaks. Proja pulls Delly's arm into his hand and shakes his head. "It's not so bad," he tells her. "It's not, it—"

"She was bitten," Peeta croaks.

"She's fine," Proja responds. I lower Posy to the ground before taking a step closer. "She's fine," he repeats. His gaze is locked on Delly who's eyes are filled with tears.

"We can't keep her here," Haymitch's voice booms.

"She's fine!" Proja screams. He stands up and spins away from her, sheathing his knife. "And I swear to God if any of you take a step closer I'll kill you, I swear it."

"Proja," Delly whispers. The light through the windows illuminates her arm. Teeth marks. Red. It's most definitely a bite. "They're right."

"No," he shakes his head, lowering back down to her. "No, no, no, they're not right and they're not taking you from me."

"Proja—"

"No," he whimpers. "I-I'll take you into another compartment. Okay?" The air is stiff and stale. Proja turns to face us and his face is pale. "I'll take her into another compartment away from all of us. She'll get better, she'll—" he cuts himself off and swallows a sob.

Without waiting for anyone to respond he bends down and scoops Delly into his arms, quickly carrying her down one of the hallways and into a different room. We hear a door click shut. The room is quiet again.

Peeta sinks to a chair defeated and drops his head into his hands. He rakes his fingers over his face and rubs at his eyes. "We weren't supposed to lose anyone," he whimpers. "We were supposed to make it here safe."

The train is fully stocked and loaded. Electricity. Running water. Food. There are enough rooms for all of us to have a bed.

There's a team of four, three people from District 4 and Haymitch, working on figuring out how to get the train to move forward, but they said it shouldn't take too long. There are manuals that have all the instructions in them, like a giftwrapped package just for us.

The air is somber and hardly anyone speaks. It's confliction between happiness at all we've found and been given on this train and terror and sadness for Delly. My eyes well up as though I want to cry but no tears fall. Am I capable of hurting anymore? One of my best friends has been bitten and all I can do is sit here.

"You're the mayor's daughter." I look up and find Finnick staring at me, his finger extending in my direction. "From District 12. Aren't you?"

"Yes," I nod. My voice is rough. Was it my fault Delly was bitten? She slowed to make sure I sped up. "You're a Victor, aren't you?"

"Funny," he chuckles. Finnick lowers himself down on the couch next to me. We're in the common room. Gale put the kids to bed but I don't think I can sleep. "I knew I recognized you. The short hair threw me off. Madge, right? Undersee?"

"Right."

Finnick smiles, proud of his realization and remembrance of my name, and eases onto the couch more. "I always think it's funny to see who makes it out of this mess alive, you know? Victors are an obvious one but a little girl from District 12." I narrow my eyes in his direction and he shrugs. "Just not what I'd expect, is all." There's a silence between us. "For a while it was believed that the Capitol removed all the mayors and their families from the Districts before all of this went down but now I guess that's been a lie."

"If that's true it didn't happen with my family," I say. If there's a chance for me to become hopeful it's now. Perhaps my father was taken to safety. Maybe I'll meet him in the Capitol. But this hope is false and I don't want to feed off of it. "If it weren't for the people I'm with I most certainly would be dead by this point."

"You have a reason to keep fighting," Finnick notes, tipping his head forward. "Good." He cocks his head toward the hallway that Proja ran down earlier and frowns. "I'm sorry about your friend. Both of them."

I lift an eyebrow and ask, "What do you mean?"

Finnick shrugs again, toying with the fabric of the couch. "The boy, Proja. When she dies it will ruin him." I think back to when Taftan was taken as well and my stomach is hollow. Proja is losing everyone. "He won't be the same."

"He'll pull through," I say. I'm not sure if I believe it or if I'm trying to convince myself of this. Proja is strong, he can make it through anything.

"Losing someone you love can be just as bad as being bitten," he says. "You turn numb."

It clicks. "You've lost someone you love."

"Haven't we all?" Finnick wonders. "Everyone thought she was mad, especially when she ran off into the woods on her own. When I found her…" he trails off. "She ran because she was bit. She didn't want to hurt anyone." He shakes his head again, "Made me swear to keep going. I've done so but been caught between the desperation of wanting to die myself and needing to appease her dying wish. In the end she wins out. She always wins out."

It's quiet for another second before he tilts his head at me and smiles. Without a word Finnick stands, tipping his head at me, and disappearing down a hallway.

He's given me my answer if anything is to happen to Gale. I would carry on. I wouldn't have a choice.

The train doesn't start to move until the morning. They say we have plenty of gas but we don't go full speed either. They say at the speed we're going it'll take about half the day to get to the Capitol. It doesn't feel like enough time to mentally prepare myself for what's ahead of us.

Peeta and I sit in the hallway outside of Delly's room. Every once in a while he'll squeeze his eyes shut and jerks his head to the side, probably trying to keep his thoughts from suffocating him. I reach over and grab his hand, and then he sighs loudly.

"It's not fair," he finally grunts. I don't think pointing out that none of this is fair will help. "Why do we have to keep losing everyone?"

"Delly's still here," I tell him.

Peeta narrows his eyes at me and says, "Not for long. And then when she's gone Proja might…" he trails off and shakes his head. "Not fair," he repeats angrily. "I hate this." He tilts his head toward me. "You remember when we were little and you and Delly would come into the bakery? You would bring jam and peanut butter in these little jars and Delly would bring napkins and we would make sandwiches for lunch."

I nod, "I remember."

"Why does that feel so far away?" I don't think he wants an answer, so I don't give one. I only twist my hand so our fingers lace and squeeze his hand even tighter. "I want to see her," he tells me. "Before she's too far gone. Before it's too late." Without waiting for me to respond he leaps up and knocks on the door, leaving me sitting on the ground. "Proja," Peeta calls. "I just want to see her." There's silence on the other side and Peeta drops his head against the door. "Please," he pleads. "I've known her my whole life, Proja, please."

Maybe Proja realizes that Peeta and Delly were friends long before they were together, or maybe Proja just can't take the silence anymore, but there's a shuffle on the other side before the door opens.

Proja peeks out, his eyes rimmed with red, and finds his brother at once. "It's just you two?" he asks. His voice is raw, like he's been up all night whispering things to Delly. Peeta glances down at me and then finds Proja again before nodding. "Okay."

Peeta helps me up quickly and we ease into Delly's room, clicking the door shut behind us. Only as I enter do I register that this is the room a tribute would stay in for the Hunger Games. The thought should shake me more than it does, but there are so many startling things I've seen lately I'm left how Finnick said I would be, numb.

Delly's resting on the bed with a cloth over her forehead. Her eyes are closed, but at the noise she opens them. Her arm where the bite was has been wrapped up, and it doesn't appear to be leaking through. When she sees me and Peeta she smiles, turning to face us more. Her hair is fanned out on the pillows behind her, her eyes aren't red yet.

"Hey, guys," she whispers. Peeta flinches, stepping toward her. "Don't worry. If I change Proja said he'd…" she trails off, glancing at the boy who's waiting by the door now. "What's up?"

"How you feeling, Del?" Peeta asks. He drops down to his knees by her bedside and I quickly follow. "Hanging on?"

"Hanging on," she nods. "I don't feel any different, really," she tells us. "I have a fever but… but that's it." I reach out and grab her hand, much like I had with Peeta earlier. "I'm mostly just scared."

"That's okay," I say. It's okay to be scared. "Peeta was just reminding me about when we were little and we'd make peanut butter and jam sandwiches in the bakery. Remember that?"

She chuckles slightly but knits her eyebrows in pain. "We would hide in the storage closet so your mom wouldn't find us, Peet," she laughs. "Remember when we'd use up all the chalk and just draw up and down the road?" Peeta smiles fondly and nods. "Your drawings were always so much better than mine," she tells him. "I was always so jealous."

Peeta then reaches out and covers both mine and Delly's hand with his own. He squeezes once and offers another smile, one so clearly forced and yet he doesn't make it seem so. He lets out a deep breath and whispers, "I love you, Del, Madge. You two are my best friends."

Delly blinks a few times before sniffling. "I love you too," I say, switching my gaze between the two of them. "So much."

Again she sniffles. "You guys should go," she croaks. "I don't want you in here if I—just go."

Without even a goodbye, Proja is rushing us from the room. His eyebrows are knit in pain as he ushers us out the door, his hands shake as he shuts it behind us.

Peeta and I resume sitting on the floor in silence. From the other side of the door we hear muffled sobs.

A/N: NO I'M SORRY okAY I AM soRRy. Also y'all think I like killing off Hawthorne's when I DON'T IT JUST HAPPENS. Things to note: if you haven't voted on the poll on my page I would love it if you could! Also: the sequel to Faded Lines is now posted and your thoughts on that would mean a lot to me! Shameless self advertisement. Back to this story, they get to the Capitol next chapter. I wonder what's in store for them there oOo. Stick with me! I warned you this would be a sad story, but it's not over and there are still things to happen. I promise you it'll be okay.