I want to apologize in advance for such a slow chapter, I needed a filler to lead up to the next few chapters- including the rescue scene! Thank you to everyone who continues to read, favorite, follow, and review!
That night, the first news cast with Peeta was streamed into District 13.
Ramsey and Zane had been talking when it first flickered on to the televisions, Finnick having left them to catch up. He couldn't help but hope that Zane's survival would drive Ramsey to finally leave her room.
Katniss was brought to a lack of air the moment Peeta's face lit up the screen, the brunette forcing her way to the television.
Peeta looked fine- healthy.
He spoke of the arena. No one had ever spoken of the arena on television, and certainly not with Caesar Flickerman.
Things began to take a turn for the worst when Caesar spoke of how suspicious Katniss blowing out the arena was.
"Really? And was it part of her plan for Johanna and that psycho Ramsey Clyde to nearly kill her? For that electric shock to paralyze her? To trigger the bombing?" Peeta screamed, his eyes wild.
Ramsey could hear the broadcast through her opened door, both hers and Zane's eyes snapping towards the sound.
Zane looked back to her, raising an eyebrow in question.
That psycho?
She sighed and shook her head, her lips pursing.
She wasn't a psycho, she couldn't be.
Right?
She had been hearing that for years- she was insane, a lunatic, a psycho, a monster- all of it. But was she the only one? She wasn't the only one who had killed in the Hunger Games, obviously. So she couldn't be the only one who matched all of those names.
Right?
Katniss decided that night that she would be the mockingjay. With Gale by her side and a list of demands, she decided to present them to Command the following day.
Zane had left later in the evening, Ramsey still in disbelief that he was alive. How had her brother gotten there? Escaped the clutches of the Capitol and made it to District 13? It all seemed so impossible.
Katniss had demanded her conditions, and had received every one of them- including the pardon for all of the remaining victors upon their freedom. Her and Gale were allowed to go hunting, which they excitedly did every moment they could.
Things between the two of them fell back into normalcy.
Coin announced the pardon of the victors to everyone in District 13. Everyone was required to attend, though Ramsey was granted an excuse- she wouldn't have shown up anyway.
Katniss' prep team was released from their confines below District 13 and Katniss began her attempts at shooting "propos" to send to the Capitol and the other districts.
She was also introduced to Beetee's extensive armory for her and Gale. Arrows with explosive tips, lethal tips, everything of the sort.
Beetee had even made a new trident for Finnick, whom had tested it out a few times as well.
"Tell Ramsey I've been working on a dagger for her. It's a little hard, considering she prefers close range altercations, but it'll be just as well as any of your weapons. Maybe it'll be some motivation for her to come out."
Katniss nodded at Beetee's words with disgust.
She had entirely forgotten that Ramsey was in District 13, she hadn't seen her since the day she woke up.
Her blood burned hot as she thought of the hatred for the small blonde victor.
She would tell Finnick about Ramsey's dagger. She wouldn't be caught dead speaking to her directly.
"You know, Miss Ramsey, I've been throwing around the trident that Beetee made for me." Finnick grinned, his eyes falling to the blonde.
She barely spared him a glance over her shoulder before she returned her attention to her desk, animatedly sighing. Finnick could only chuckle and shake his head for a moment before trying once again.
"Word on the street is that he's even been working on a knife for you."
Her ears perked up, the thought of a dagger in her hands already making her mind run frantic. She swallowed thickly, tasting bile in the back of her throat.
"Silly Finnick, there are no streets in District 13." She smirked as she spun to look at him, the corners of her mouth twisted up in satisfaction.
"Oh, I'm sorry, could you tell me how you would know that? Considering you never leave this room."
The smirk dropped from her lips at his words.
He grinned triumphantly across the room at her, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the pillow on her bed. He shut his eyes for only a second when the small body was pressing against his in aggression.
His eyes snapped open to find Ramsey's face not inches from his own, a lethal stare on her gorgeous features. He gulped as he felt her weight on him.
"Mr. Odair, I assure you. Upon Johanna's safe arrival, I will leave my compartment. When that is to occur, I promise, I will go get my dagger from Beetee. And do you know what I'll do with it?"
Her lips curled up and her eyes blazed with ambition and threat.
"What will you do with it?" He cocked his head to the side, sweetness dripping from his every word. His hands gently grasped her waist, the contact not even phasing her as she smiled.
One end of her smile lifted up even further than the other as Ramsey leaned in, her lips just barely brushing the tip of Finnick's ear when she whispered.
"I'm going to stab you with it." She shrugged her shoulders as she pulled back, her sweetheart smile making an appearance.
"What am I going to do with you? You're morbid." He chuckled as she rose from the bed, proudly marching back towards her desk.
She shrugged once more, plopping down into the chair.
Katniss flew out to Eight a few days later. They wanted to film her being real, being the person that Panem fell in love with, the Mockingjay that would lead them to victory.
Finnick had begged to go, pleaded, even. He was denied.
It was said that on the off chance something went wrong and he perished, Ramsey would be too volatile for Thirteen to handle.
And so instead of visiting the hospital in Eight, Finnick found himself in Special Weaponry with Beetee and his new trident. It was amazing, Beetee had worked his magic once again.
"Zane, you still haven't told me how you got here. I watched the hovercraft capture you!" Ramsey exclaimed, her jaw set in place. She was sick of her brother not answering her questions. He had always told her everything when they were kids, so why were things different once they had been reunited?
"Listen, Rams, it's a long ass story for some other day." He shook his head, gesturing with his hands for her to dismiss the topic.
But she wasn't having it.
"I have plenty of time right this moment." She pursed her lips, her palms growing sweaty with anger.
They stared at one another, two similar faces holding the same similar agitation with one another. Cold gray eyes on cold gray eyes, pursed lips, nostrils flaring from their small noses.
"I'm not doing this." Zane broke his stare, shaking his head once again and beginning towards the door.
"Zane! If you leave without telling me, I don't want you to come back in."
The words left her lips before either of them could react. But she didn't regret them. Zane's secrets were too much at a time like this. She needed to know.
He slowly turned and faced his little sister, overwhelmed by how much she had changed since he had last seen her.
Ramsey had always been happy, always sweet, always very mild. She was a follower, soft spoken, and always very afraid of things.
She was too afraid to follow him when he left.
This strong and threatening being in front of him was not the little sister he remembered.
He had watched her get reaped, her parade, her interviews, her scoring day. It was all mediocre. It was what he expected from her. He expected her to die.
But she didn't.
The games began and Ramsey had become something out of a nightmare. She was deceitful and hateful and sneaky- wily- even. She was downright terrifying.
He didn't even know who she was anymore.
"Good."
His lips formed a thin line as he spoke, turning his back harshly and leaving.
Ramsey watched where his body once was, her heartbeat pounding in her ears, her blood hot and her body vibrating.
He had left.
Again.
There was a growing unrest in District 13 following the release of Katniss' propo. The Capitol had a response within hours. Peeta was making Katniss think too much, which was exactly what Snow wanted.
He wanted Katniss to overthink, to be weary of those around her, to question why she was willing to be the mockingjay.
"Plutarch has asked me to film some propaganda to fuel the resistance, a sort of 'We Remember' for the fallen tributes. Tell some stories, rile the districts up a bit by making it personal, ya know?" Finnick explained, his left arm behind his head as a pillow and his right gently stroking Ramsey's hair.
Her eyes closed in serenity, the blonde nodding a "m'hm" for Finnick to continue on.
"I think they'd like it if you did a couple, too."
Her jaw tightened at his words and he sighed.
"None of the others liked me, Finnick." Her voice was quiet, her eyes remaining shut.
He sighed again and rolled over to look at her, her features were scrunched slightly, he knew she didn't like discussing it.
"That doesn't matter, Ramsey, the people probably want to see that you're alive too."
She sighed, running a hand down her face and opening her eyes.
Finnick was leaning over her, his sea green eyes boring into her face and his eyebrows scrunched together. She wanted to smile up at how handsome he looked. But she couldn't, not then.
"The people never liked me either, Finnick. They liked that I was a monster, but I wasn't a favorite. That was you."
Her words silenced any further attempts on his part.
The next day, the Capitol launched its attack on District 13. Peeta was undoubtedly beaten for having given his warning live on television, but it was because of this that everyone in Thirteen was able to survive.
The sirens blared and people herded further and further underground into the bunker, everyone calmly following the directions as they rang out overheard.
Finnick's heart and stomach flew into frenzy.
Ramsey.
She wouldn't leave her compartment, she was too stubborn. She'd die before she'd leave.
"Ramsey!" He screamed, pushing towards her room. He flung open the door, the lights flashing and sirens screaming.
Ramsey sat at her desk, her stare hard, her jaw locked.
"Ramsey, we have to go! The Capitol is attacking us."
She stared at him calmly, a thin eyebrow cocking slightly.
"I'm not leaving."
Finnick flexed his jaw before sighing and moving forwards towards her. He wasn't playing around with her safety.
Her eyes widened as realization set in as to what he was going to do. She scooted back in her seat, turning away her face slightly.
"Finnick, don't you dare. Don't you dare touch-"
He snatched her into his arms and flung her small body over his shoulder.
She pounded on his back with her fists, punching and kicking and wriggling in his grasp.
"Finnick Odair, so help me. Let me go!" She squealed, her face growing red with the blood rushing to it along with her anger.
He paid no attention to her protests as he carried her down the long flight of stairs leading down to the bunker.
It only took Katniss a few minutes to realize that Prim wasn't there. Her mother explained that Prim was supposed to head right down, and it was then that she knew she had gone back for Buttercup.
She went crashing against the tide, nearly running into Finnick and the struggling Ramsey tossed over his shoulder.
Gale and Prim came storming down the stairs in the last moment, just barely slipping through the metal doors as they churned shut. They were all locked in.
That's when the first bomb hit.
The bunker shuddered and the lights flashed out. Their shelter erupted with various noises, shrieking, whimpering, some hysterical laughter, and some sounds of comforting. The generator rose to life and a dim light appeared, sounds of relief exploding.
It was then that Finnick approached Katniss and her family, Ramsey's small form tucked under his arm.
Katniss' eyes found her immediately, squinting down into tiny slits.
Ramsey's arms were crossed, her teeth clenched, her eyes shooting from one side to another, it seemed as if she could leap from her skin at any given moment. But she was smaller.
"It's nice of you to join the rest of us." Katniss spoke, her voice low, her eyes deep set on Ramsey's face.
Ramsey's eyes snapped to Katniss, her nerves already coiling.
Their relationship had gotten worse with their time apart, if possible.
She pressed her lips together, hers and Katniss' eyes holding onto one another.
"Ramsey, c'mon, let's get our packs." Finnick mumbled to her, gently grasping her forearm and beginning to turn her in the other direction. But she held her ground, her feet planting themselves there.
"They should've saved Johanna instead."
Ramsey's voice was venomous as she held their stare for one more moment before allowing Finnick to whisk her away towards the supply station.
