A/N:Hey! I'm still here! I haven't fallen down a hole or anything! Just to give everyone a heads up, I'm not going to be updating any of my other stories for a while apart from this one and 'Together.' I think I've been fretting so much about finishing Chapters on time that I haven't really thought them out properly so for a while, this and 'Together' will be the only stories updated. I hope that's OK.
Disclaimer:I don't own the Hunger Games. It would be cool to compete in them though!

Chapter Thrity Six-Hard yet Wonderous

We walk up to the man and he meets us half-way. "Pleased to meet you Mr. . . ?"

"Dalis," the man smiles. " ."

"Looks like with a wig," Cat mutters drily.

"Cat!" Kaliana barks.

"Sorry, this is Cat and she's got a real attitude issue," Maurice says, shooting her a look. "I'm Maurice, that's Kaliana and this is-"

"Primrose Mellark," says. "I know. Everyone knows about you. Even before the games."

"Because of my family right?" I sigh.

"Yeah, because of your family. But also because of your Games," he replies.

"If everyone knows her then shouldn't she be recognized out here in the open?" Maurice asks.

"Well, yes, but we're going inside now," replies, heading back to the Justice building.

"Wait!" I say, running to join him by his side. "How's this going to work?"

"How's what going to work?" frowns.

"This!" I reply. "As in how are we going to convince everyone to uprise?"

"Well, before we get to that, I have some news for Maurice here," says, not bothering to turn to look at Maurice as he spoke.

"Maurice?" I frown.

"Me?" Maurice says as well from somewhere behind me.

"Yes, you," replies, as if he couldn't bear to look him in the eye. I stop and let walk ahead while the others come up beside me. I hook arms with Maurice as he comes in step beside me. I can feel the curiousity and confusion seeping from him as we go.

The Justice Building is a bit more well kept compared to the one back in District 12. Not exactly clean and pristine but not crumbling and on it's last legs like the one back home. A few pieces of plaster fall to the ground as we walk through the foyer and the floor's a bit grimy but it's not too bad.

"Maurice, please come with me. The sooner we get this done the better," sighs. He sees my arm still hooked round his. "Uh, I guess Primrose can come too." He leads us both to what must be his office. Maurice and I take a seat infront of his desk and sits at his seat. "So, are you two. . . ?"

"We're engaged," I say.

"I see," nods.

"What is it you want to tell me?" Maurice asks.

"I'm not sure how I should put this really," mumbles.

"Just put it to me straight," Maurice says.

"Ok, uh, you know your father?" asks.

"Not personally but I know enough," Maurice says carefully.

"Well, he was a great icon for this district and they were all devastated to learn about his death. He was hope that maybe the younger kids choosen for the Games can win
but. . .when the second rebellion happened and your father. . . um. . ."

"Died," Maurice says shortly.

"About that," says with a wince. "Not quite."

"What?" Maurice asks.

"What are you talking about?" I ask. "My mum saw him die."

"So she saw him tore to shreds by the mutts until he was completely gone?" asks, ignoring the growl from Maurice for the choice of words.

I frown. "Not exactly."

"Why?" Maurice asks, his voice hard but steady.

"Uh, well, you see, the mutts were set out to kill Katniss not anyone else."

"But quite a few soliders died then too," I point out.

"People who were 't important," says.

"Don't you dare ever say that," I snap. "Don't you dare. Those people scarificed themselves to save my parents. Nobody isn't important. I have been to the pits of hell and back and I have never met anyone before who wasn't important. We all are. Your important, Maurice is important, my parents are important, heck, even Teggs Melaky is important and she murdered an eleven year old girl!"

raises his hands in surrender. I sigh and rub the bridge of my nose.

"What's my dad got to do with this?" Maurice asks.

"The Capitol have him," says quickly.

"Excuse me?" Maurice asks, his voice still hard but wavering.

"He didn't die. . . the Capitol have him prisoner."

"That's not funny," I say.

"I never said it was funny. It's the cold, hard truth," replies.

"That can't be right," I snap.

"Dad died," Maurice says unsteadily.

"That is just cruel and cold hearted and just plain wrong!" I snap. "This is his dad we're talking about!"

"The Capitol took Finnick Odair into custody the same week that the rebellion ended," says, trying to keep calm. "When Peeta Mellark was rescured from the Capitol President Snow lost himself as he had no hold over Katniss Everdeen anymore. When he figured out that her and the group of rebels weren't killed in the pods attack he sent the Mutts out on them in the sewers. Killing a couple of the rebels along the way they found Finnick Odair shouting to the others that he'd stay and hold them off. They roughed him up a bit, which is obviously what your Mother saw Primrose, and, recognising him as a past tribute, dragged him back to President Snow."

"My mum nightlocked him! There was an explosion!" I declare.

"The mutts must have gotten him away fast enough."

"And how do you know all this?" I ask coldly. Maurice is stunned into silence so I ask for him.

"I used to be President Snow's right hand man," replies.

"I thought you were from this District?" I ask.

"No. I was born in the Capitol. I moved here after the rebellion," answers. "Kaliana contacted me at the start of the Games and told me about the plans for the third rebellion and told me they needed an inside man. So I took the job."

"If Finnick Odair was in the Capitol he would have been found in the cells when the rebels won for that short period of time," I point out.

"They're not stupid you know," sighs. "President Snow knew there was a possiblilty that he'd lose the fight so he didn't just keep the lad in the cells."

"Where did he put him then?" I ask.

"I wasn't even told. Nobody knew but Snow himself."

"I don't believe you," Maurice finally says. "I bet your still with the Capitol and your stuffing me with false hope because that's what you bastards thrive of!"

"Maurice, don't," I say, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down now."

"No Primrose, seriously, this is my DAD we're talking about here. The man who loved my mum, the man I never met, the man who I love with everything I have and everything I'm worth! He died before I was born. Full stop."

"Maurice, there's a possiblilty your dad's alive," says carefully.

"Don't give me false hope. Please," Maurice whimpers.

"It's not false Maurice," sighs. "It's proper hope we have here. Seriously."

I look from Maurice to back to Maurice again. Maurice looks so hurt and confused that all I want to do it throw my arms around him and tell him that it will all be OK.

This news is hard, obviously. Maurice has grown up thinking his Dad died for the Districts during the second rebellion and yet here is , telling him there's a chance Finnick's alive. Wait, how will Annie react? Will she be able to handle it? Yes, this news is hard. It's hard yet wonderful at the same time.

"Maurice, we should take this as good news," I say to him.

"But if he's in the Capitol then he's better off dead," Maurice mumbles.

"You don't mean that," I reply.

"Oh really now? You'd rather my dad was tortured then?"

"No, of course not!"

"I don't know what I should be feeling right now!" Maurice cries out, tears streaming from his eyes and soaking his face. "I don't know what to do!"

"Maurice, we're going to try and get him out. Just like we're trying to get Zeb out," assures.

"Zeb? Just like your trying to get Zeb out?" Maurice snaps. "If your going to try as hard as you are with that boy then we have no hope!"

"You don't mean that!" I snap. "They're trying as hard as they can to help Zeb! We all are!"

"Stop kidding yourself Primrose!" Maurice snaps back. "Face it! He's as good as dead!"

That's when I lost it. Whether his father is alive or isn't that gives him no right to talk about Zeb like that.

So I slap him.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!" I scream. "I LOVE ZEB! Don't look at me like that I mean AS A FRIEND!"

I leave before he can reply as I don't want to hear it, catching my sleeve on the door on the way out, ripping it in the process. Why do they always think that Zeb and I are a couple? Can't I have a friend whose a male? I mean, Zeb's good looking enough and all that but I only see him as friend. I want him to be with Kaliana. I want him happy. I have only known him for the amount of time we've been in the games but he's the bestest friend I've ever had before in my life.

If there was one thing Maurice couldn't understand it was the weight of the Hunger Games. Only people who have fought in it and survived can know what it's really like. If Zeb can get out of this alive then it would be a connection between us. Someone who will understand the nightmares that will be sure to come, the hatred and the hurt. I may not have killed anyone anyway in those Games but it doesn't make it any easier.

A/N: Now, I don't believe Finnick Odair would be alive if there was a fourth book about life after the rebellion but I needed him to be for my plans for the story to continue!
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