Finnick rubs his eyes as he looks at Devon, looking exhausted when he sees what she did to her appearance. She looks pathetic, huddled up on the beach and her tiny frame is hidden baggy, ratty grey sweatshirt. Her nearly bald head only has a few tufts of black hair left and Finnick does not know how he can salvage her before she needs to be sent to clients. If she gets sent to them looking like this, then they'll complain, and either her or her family will be punished. He is lucky that he sent out a request for Eta to come to District Four because Devon and Finnick need to do a commercial for the advertisement of the upcoming Victory tour.
He sighs and stands up, holding his hand out. She doesn't make a movement to take his hand and instead she just stares at the rolling waves, made brilliantly bright and shiny in the sun. Finnick shook his head and grabbed her hand, pulling her up and she just sighs, but complies with no complaints. They make their way back to Finnick's home in the Victor's Village, passing Mags who is sitting on her porch, her cloudy white hair in a tangle of curls, covering her stunning blue eyes as she stares, silently, at the glimpse of ocean she can see. Beside her is small Annie, who sees Finnick and jumps up, running to him, and he smiles and holds his arms out to her. She jumps on him and he holds her close, cradling the small girl close to his body. She smiles and her head is pressed into his shoulder.
The love that radiates off them is so obvious and beautiful to Devon. She smiles softly before nodding to Mags, but before she can make her way over to the elderly woman, Eta seems to magically appear beside her. Her bald head is painted with bright blues and purples, and her white see through dress shows off her beautifully slim physique. The woman nods towards Finnick's house, indicating that Devon has to go with her now, and she does. Mags rises from her seat and joins the two, which makes Devon feel safer with the comfort the old woman provides. Inside the massive house, there is an elaborate spa on the second level, complete with hot tub, hair styling mirror and chair, and full length mirrors. The whole room is laden with marble and gold, and it is a disgusting display of the Capitol lavish lifestyle. She sees the Eta has lined up several wigs on the sparkling white counter, along with a case of makeup. Three of the wigs are black to match her natural colour, but are all different lengths and range from curly to whip straight. Another one is shoulder length and dark blonde, and the final is platinum white and waist length. She raises her eyebrows when she sees them, but Eta just shrugs.
"They're in style, now sit down and hold still." She instructs and Devon nods, takes a seat on the leather chair, and shuts her eyes as Eta begins her work. She feels Mags clutch her right hand tightly and it causes Devon to smile happily. She keeps her eyes shut as Eta begins glossing over her skin with a subtle glitter, before drawing a thick black liner over her eyes, then putting more balm on her lips and cheekbones. She feels Eta put a cap over her already bald head, then fastens it tightly to her scalp. Eta spends another fifteen minutes finishing her preening before walking away and collecting Devon's clothing for the day, and once again she dresses Devon while the girl's eyes are shut.
"Open and look," Eta instructs as she steps back, her diamond heels clicking loudly on the floor. Devon eyes flicker open and she chokes on the sight of the unrecognizable person staring back at the mirror. Eta chose the black wig which is shoulder length and whip straight, with long jewels in her ears and her face is shimmery and gold. Her dress nothing more than a sheer gold piece of silk and barley covers her body. She swallows hard and blinks back tears before forcing herself to nod at Eta, trying to be thankful. The sophisticated woman looks weary before sending her out of the elaborate bathroom and to join Finnick, who was dusted in gold and matching trousers. The filming crew from the Capitol were already waiting for them, standing in front of a beautiful backdrop of palm trees, flowers, and a small waterfall. Finnick and Devon stand in their place, and with forced smiles, they ask for the crowd of the Capitol to watch Cato and Devon embark through the Districts during the Victory tour.
Cato steps back from Cerys, and shakes his head. The girl raises her eyebrows before nodding, and turning around and walking out of the dimly lit, dark bathroom. Cato breathes out, heavily, and doesn't say a word to stop her. She deserves better than him and she will find him.
He walks over to his fresh clothing folded in his bag, slipping on his sweatshirt and sweatpants and the soft fabric feels good on his skin. He slips on the heavy bag and quickly makes his way out of the tall building, and into the dark street which is only lit by the tall street lights. He walks quickly through the vacant street. Some of the houses still have lights on, but most are dark because the inhabitants need to wake early for school or work, and he has to do the same because tomorrow a film crew from the Capitol will arrive and want Cato and his mentor, Enobaria, to film a video to promote the tour. He knows Finnick and Devon have already done theres, and soon they'll be played back to back.
He arrives at the village soon and makes his way to his large family home, where only his father remains awake. The tall blond man is sitting at the dining room table, a glass of whiskey in his hand. His father was at one time a Peacekeeper general who oversaw the troops in District 10, before an accident in a collapsing barn caused him to lose his left leg and nearly all the feeling in his arm. The frayed, old man is just a shell of his once proud, arrogant father. Now, he spends his days drinking and avoiding looking at his son because Cato is just a reminder of the strong man he once was. He glances up at his son quickly, before looking back down at the amber liquid in his glass. He instead nods in the direction of the velvet clad living room where the large screen sits.
"That girl was on earlier," he mumbles as he takes another long swig of the whiskey. Cato nods his thanks and makes his way to the room, turning on the screen and it emits a soft glow on to the large room. Some pathetic Capitol sitcom is playing, but he only waits a second before the commercial comes on to the screen. There stands Finnick in all his glory, grinning and talking to the camera enthusiastically, while Devon stands quietly beside him. Cato shakes his head and shuts off the screen, cringing at the forced interaction of the two. He makes his way upstairs to his bedroom, and drops on his large bed, breathing out deeply. He often wonders if he could just run away from this place. Take his sister, leave their alcoholic father and emotionless mother behind. He could go into the forest with Valora… and maybe Devon. They could run away from the Capitol, it's forces, and their life which is now going to be controlled by the Capitol until they died. They'll be forced to watch their tributes, to be told when to smile, and to be prostitutes until they're undesirable.
He sighs and rolls on his side, waiting until the knock comes for Enobaria to arrive and announce it's their turn to film for the Capitol. He reaches down into the bag and clutches the bottle of oil, unscrewing the lid and breathing in the scent. He knows he can't run away, but fuck he wants to. Maybe it is possible? When they're on the train, he could try and stop it, and run off into the woods before they stopped him. He doesn't want this "glamourized" lifestyle anymore. He wants to fight against those trying to control him, and maybe she will too. When they're together, he'll ask her. But it'll have to be on paper then burned, so the Capitol will ever know what they're saying. Maybe, just maybe, they can escape.