"Welcome back." Echos through her head as she tries to get her barrings, Finnick's voice sounding so far away even though he is sitting right next to her.
Caroline failed, she promised to bring Stefan home, but she is coming home instead. There is nothing to come back to when she made her peace.
She did make another promise that she intends to keep. "I would like to speak with Marcel."
Finnick doesn't answer immediately, unsettled by her request. He takes her in, her unnaturally pale skin, the purple bags under her eyes, the bones that stick out from the weight loss during the games. Even her voice makes him worried; it is void of everything. But what gets to him is the way she is void of light.
"Why?" Finnick breathes.
"Please." Caroline's voice cracks with the first hint of emotion since waking up.
Finnick stands, eager to help, even if he doesn't know how to accomplish this, "Fine, but after, I need to prepare you for the crowning of the victor."
Caroline nods, but he can see that she's not there. Finnick is hesitant to leave. Finnick sends one parting glance before exiting the room.
He finds Lorenzo casually leaning on the wall across the door, which would have surprised Finnick under normal circumstances.
"I need your help," Finnick says, knowing Lorenzo will help without butting his nose where it doesn't belong.
Lorenzo raises an eyebrow, silently letting him know he will help. Finnick sighs, "Caroline would like to speak to Marcel."
Lorenzo pushes off the wall and takes a deep breath before speaking, "Marcel is not in a good place right now."
Finnick nods, "I know, but she's gone, and the Capitol needs her."
Finnick begins to realize the magnitude of what he is asking as Lorenzo exhales.
Lorenzo claps Finnick on the shoulder, "I'll try."
He's off before Finnick could even say 'Thank you.' He watches Lorenzo walk down the hall. It's been a while since he felt this useless.
Finnick turns and grips the door handle, but he doesn't move it. His knuckles are white with the force of the grip. This is the first time he hasn't known what to do since the fateful day he became a tribute for District 4. Kill or be killed was his life in the games, and then teach the tributes after him the same process. He has had many make it far; but never back home. This year he bet on Alaric's tribute winning, not even letting the thought of Caroline coming back go through his head. He didn't make peace with her death, but he respected her decision to bring Stefan home. He lets the handle go, not knowing what to do. He turns around, letting the wall support him as he counts the hours down until District 4 surrounds him; 47 hours.
Finnick doesn't know how Lorenzo does it, but soon Marcel is walking toward him. Finnick moves to greet him, back stiff from the time waiting, but he doesn't know what to say. Marcel stops in front of him, arms crossed and face stoic.
Finnick wants to say something, but there are no words. Instead, he gestures toward Caroline's door. Marcel gives him a slight nod before opening the door; Finnick briefly sees Caroline's empty blue eyes focus on Marcel before the click of the door cuts him off.
The same click snaps Caroline out of her daze from seeing Marcel. The last time she saw him, he was with Davina. Caroline swings her legs off the bed and folds her hands in her lap, ignoring the machine's tug at her skin. Marcel takes three steps in before stopping to cross his arms. He remains standing. Caroline tilts her head to look at his face; if he weren't blinking, she would have thought he was a statue. Caroline fiddles with her fingers before gathering the courage to speak. "She loves, loved you," Caroline struggles to get the words out.
Marcel doesn't move a muscle as Caroline struggles to stay composed. "She knew this was going to crush you, that you would blame yourself. When we started spending downtime together, Davina would always talk about how worried she was about you. She knew she wasn't going to make it. It was a fact, one she made peace with, but what she didn't make peace with was hurting you. You are, were her everything. Her family." Caroline pauses as if realizing that Davina will always be in the past tense.
Caroline swallows the lump in her throat, the one that is bringing tears to her eyes, "She made me promise that you would know that she doesn't want you to blame yourself. You gave her the best chance at life. And then the best chance in the arena, you gave her so much. She wants to give you the peace of knowing she doesn't blame you and never will. Please don't blame yourself; it was never your fault." Caroline begs.
Marcel hangs his head and sighs, "Thank you." he whispers before leaving.
Caroline watches him leave; the door stays closed for a moment before Finnick walks in. She can see the worry in his grey-blue eyes, even though he acts as if nothing happened.
"What did you do to him?" He asks softly.
Caroline shakes her head, her messy locks fluttering around, "Let's get ready for the ceremony."
Finnick snaps back to the character the Capitol expects, one that is fake now that Caroline has spent time with him. He begins to list what she needs to do, and she absorbs the information quietly.
Time doesn't seem to pass as Caroline recites what Finnick says, his eyes reveal that it's not what he wants, but he doesn't say anything. She watches as he stands, briefly thinking about telling him to give up, but knowing he won't, no matter how much it will take out of him. Caroline knows it will take all of him before he sees it's not worth it, but by then, it will be too late. She keeps her mouth shut and watches him hover by the door.
He opens his mouth but closes it. Finnick is at a loss for words. Caroline watches with dull blue eyes as he runs a hand down his tired face, "Try and get some sleep. The stylists will wake you when it's time."
Caroline doesn't move, and Finnick stares at her for a moment as if expecting something, but he gets nothing. The door shuts firmly behind him.
"I'm sorry," Caroline whispers before laying down and closing her eyes, seeing nothing but the hell she just left.
He moves from the door as if it burned him, thinking of anything to do to take his mind off of how helpless he is, something Finnick Odair is not used to feeling.
Finnick begins to search for Lorenzo, thinking he can at least distract himself by asking him how to repay him.
Finnick knocks on District two's door, convincing the Capitol representative he needs to talk to Lorenzo about the games.
Finnick stands there without a care in the world, his body appears to relax to someone who doesn't know him, but his eyes reveal everything; they hold a hurricane of blues and greys full of doubt.
Lorenzo opens the door, an amber liquid in his hand, "Finnick?" He asks, taking in the man before him.
Finnick doesn't know what his eyes convey, but Lorenzo allows him in.
"I need to be sober for the ceremony," Finnick says as Lorenzo pushes the glass in his hand.
"You'll be sober by then," Lorenzo says, pulling up a chair.
Finnick glances down, looking at the amber swirling in the cup. It's bourbon from District 6, Lorenzo's favorite. He feels his mind relax as the liquid burns down his throat. "Enzo," Finnick pauses, not wanting to burden his friend.
Enzo sits and gestures for him to continue. Finnick knows from experience that Enzo rarely judges; after all, he has seen some of the worst humans have to offer.
"I don't know what to do," Finnick admits, eyes closed in shame.
Enzo chuckles slightly, "Of course, you don't. You push your guilt aside by coming to the games year after year and watching 23 tributes die. Nobody else tortures themself like you."
"I see you here, year after year as well." Finnick retorts.
Enzo smirks, "I wasn't here when you were a tribute, and in your first year as a mentor, I was a tribute. Plus, somebody has to watch as you run into the ground."
"How do you handle it?" Finnick asks.
Enzo drowns his drink before pouring another, "What I did in the arena chases away my other demons. Now I have to slay these demons."
Enzo's not joking. "That doesn't seem healthy." Finnick quips.
"I never said it was," Enzo answers.
Finnick finishes his glass before asking, "How do I help her?"
"You don't," Enzo responds.
Finnick looks up from his glass and finds honesty in Enzo's deep brown eyes. Enzo leans forward, his body no longer appears relaxed in the chair, "She's the only one who can help herself."
Finnick nods, feeling the double meaning of that phrase.
"Plus, you're always one year ahead of me; I have yet to face this problem," Enzo adds.
"Thanks for the drink," Finnick says.
Enzo leans back in his chair, "Anytime. Now go shower. You look horrifying."
Finnick smiles before leaving. Soon he will be back in District 4. There, he can then ask the other victors for advice. For now, they need to make it through the crowing of the victor.
Finnick leans against the elevator as it brings him up two floors, thinking about what it would be like to bring Caroline back in a box. The amount of sadness hits him like a hurricane, surprising him with the amount of care he feels for Caroline. In their short time together, she somehow managed to carve a way into the small circle of people Finnick cares about.
Instead of pushing the thought away to spare him the pain, he continues it. He thinks about how Caroline wouldn't face the guilt and grief that comes with the games. Before he could divulge anymore in the what-if, the bell of the elevator rings, signaling he's on his floor.
He heads to his room to prepare for the ceremony but pauses by Stefan's door. The Capitol cleans the rooms after the victors go back to their districts. Finnick opens the door. He's not sure what he's looking for. The room is neat and void of anything personal, just like Finnick expected. He begins ruffling through the draws, looking for anything to offer comfort to Stefan's loved ones, but deep down he knows it's for Caroline. He finds a book wrapped in Stefan's shirt from the day he was reaped.
Finnick sits on the edge of the bed and takes the book out, he hesitates before opening it, not wanting to intrude on a dead man's privacy. It's a journal, starting from the day Stefan was reaped and ending on the morning he entered the arena. Finnick is shocked to find the last pages hold letters for Damon, Caroline, Bonnie, Alaric, Giuseppe, and himself. Finnick doesn't look over any of the other letters, out of respect, despite his curiosity. He gently rips out the letter addressed to him, not wanting to ruin the book or let the others know of it. Finnick neatly folds the letter, waiting to read it, and places in it his jacket's pocket. Finnick folds the shirt over the book and takes it with him, sans the wrinkle on the bed and missing book, the room is exactly how Finnick found it.
Finnick places the book neatly in his suitcase, under some of his shirts. He quickly changes into the outfit laid out for him to wear to the ceremony, pocketing the letter in fear of losing it. Finnick packs the rest of his meager belongings, leaving the suitcase by the door. 31 hours left, Finnick thinks.
Finnick must say, Saffron, outdid herself this time. She makes Caroline look regal, mournful, broken, and beautiful, like a perfect Capitol tragedy. Caroline, though, doesn't follow his instructions. He wanted her to seem heartbroken but still full of life. She does not shed a single tear nor move aside from blinking. She is a statue, but she is broken and lost. Her blue eyes are glassy from the tears that have yet to fall. She does not follow his instructions, but he is impressed with how she's handling it; the Capitol will think she's changed, not into a monster, but a survivor, and it may help her. Finnick glances at Alaric; he's standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him. Alaric is here physically but not mentally, if his red-rimmed eyes and shallow breath have anything to say.
Finnick focuses on the ceremony. He holds back a shudder as President Snow kisses Caroline's cheek. He is almost glad Caroline is not as expressive as she was before the arena; otherwise, she probably would have shivered with disgust, fear, or both.
The words and everything wash over him, paying them no mind after hearing them for as long as he can remember. The ceremony couldn't be over soon enough, and Finnick taps Alaric on the shoulder, bringing him back from his self-loathing, before heading to meet up with Caroline before the party.
"Caroline." He whispers, and she stops.
She stops and waits, not looking for him. Finnick stops, he reaches out a hand to touch her shoulder so she would turn to him, but he thinks better of it and lets his arm fall to his side. "Caroline," He breathes, watching as she turns around.
"I'm sorry." She whispers, not making eye contact.
"What?" He asks, but then realizes she's apologizing for not following his instructions. "You were," he leaves the sentence hanging; great is not the right word.
Instead, he says, "You don't need to apologize. We should talk about the party."
She nods, her blonde curls bouncing up and down, "I know. Mingle, be grateful for their undying admiration for my ability to kill children, and dance with whoever asks."
"And then we can go home," Finnick says.
Caroline's eyes are looking into his, but she is no longer looking at him. He realizes that her home is her family, and one of the pieces will never return home. Finnick sighs and pulls her out of her trance but gently touches her elbow, "Let's go."
Finnick lets her go once they are at the party. Finnick watches as she grabs a plate of food and then begins to talk to people. She has a smile; it's fake, but so is everything about the Capitol.
She doesn't eat anything on her plate. No one notices; Finnick is both relieved and sad. Relieved, no one needs to point out her weaknesses, but unhappy because she shouldn't be here being the President's new toy.
"If you stare any longer, people will start talking." Finnick sighs; he would know that accent anywhere.
He turns to find Enzo leaning on the wall next to him with a drink in his hand. "Go mingle. After all, you are Panem's biggest playboy."
Sometimes Finnick finds it hard to take the mask off. But he is having a hard time putting it on. "I'll keep an eye on her," Enzo says. Finnick nods in appreciation.
Currently, Finnick has a girl hanging off of him, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. He's not paying attention when President Snow is standing close to Caroline. He doesn't know what he's saying, but he remembers all too well the subtle threats Snow left him seven years ago.
Snow leaves Caroline alone in the middle of the room, and Finnick almost pulls away from the girl Snow probably made a pretty penny off. But Enzo sends him a look as he walks toward Caroline, and Finnick feels the girl tug on his arm. He turns to face her, a smirk easily slipping on his face as he takes the lead, and soon they are out of the room.
Caroline is standing in the middle of the room, gripping the glass with white knuckles. President Snow already took so much from her and now wants her freedom. He didn't exactly say what he wanted, but there was a bad feeling in her gut. Caroline turns around, blue eyes frantically searching for Finnick; he's nowhere in sight. The panic begins to bubble, and her eyes find Alaric, drunk, talking to someone she doesn't know.
Then someone walks up behind her, "Can I have this dance?" The accent sounds like nothing she's heard before. She turns and finds Lorenzo St. John, of District 2, smirking at her while holding out a hand. She doesn't answer, and he gently takes her fingers off of the glass and places it on a tray of an Avox that walks by, "Thanks, mate." Enzo says before turning his attention back to her.
Caroline's blue eyes are alive with fear. Enzo takes her left hand and places it on his right shoulder, then gently lifts her right hand and rests it on his left while placing his right hand on her waist. He turns them so she can see Snow and the door, making her feel more at ease.
He leans forward, and for a moment, she thinks he's going to kiss her, but he whispers in her ear, "Thank you." He pulls back, and she tears her eyes from Snow to look at his face.
He must see her confusion because he chuckles softly, "I don't know what you said to Marcel, but you took some of the burdens off his shoulders. He seems freer."
Caroline finds Marcel talking to some Victors, and he doesn't seem any different than he did this morning.
Enzo's smile pulls her back to him, "You're just going to have to trust me, gorgeous."
Caroline knows the song is ending soon, but she doesn't want it to; she doesn't want to let go of him. Once the song ends, Caroline holds on a little tighter, but Enzo expertly moves her hand into the crook of his elbow. "Just focus on the task at hand, and tomorrow you will be in District 4," Enzo says in a whisper, and then he passes her off to the game maker.
The rest of her night is filled with dancing and thanking people for congratulating her on killing innocent children.
She spends the whole night talking to different people and dancing with them, all while avoiding President Snow.
She knows she is only avoiding him because he is letting her.
Finnick appears before they leave.
Caroline nods at him while she leads a surprisingly coordinated Alaric out.
On their way back to the training center, Caroline takes some pictures with people from the Capitol. Her smile feels more like a grimace, but she doubts the Capitol's fake residents will notice.
She lets out the breath she didn't realize she was holding when the train shuts them out from the Capitol, leaving the only three residents of District 4 in the Capitol alone. The missing member of their groups is painful, so much so that Caroline doesn't find her breath.
Caroline steadies herself before leaving; neither Finnick nor Alaric comments.
Caroline stops in front of the door that housed Stefan for one night. It marks the last time he would see his home. She wills herself to open the door to a room that holds no trace of Stefan. Soon she will be surrounded by reminders of Stefan everywhere. Caroline closes her eyes and pushes the door open. When her eyes open, they find a room void of anything personal. Tears prick, and her eyes begin to water; she hasn't cried since opening her eyes after her unfortunate victory. She knows that Stefan's decision to come was the only peaceful choice he could have made with himself. With that knowledge, she slips out of her three-inch heels and crawls under the covers, wrapping them around her in a cocoon of sorrow as she begins to cry her heart out. She knows Alaric and Finnick could hear it if they walk by; she knows they won't bother her; they have been through this before.
Caroline awakes with a jolt. She doesn't remember falling asleep. She takes in her surroundings; she's in Stefan's room on the train. Her heart stops at the thought of Stefan, but now's not the time to grieve for her brother. Caroline sits up; yesterday's clothes are wrinkled from her restless sleep. She swings her legs off the side of the bed, feeling weak in the bones of her broken soul.
The train has stopped, which must have woken her from her dreamless sleep. Her head snaps toward the door at the sound of a gentle knocking. Her blue eyes are wide with fear; once that door opens, she will have to face District 4 without Stefan Salvatore.
Caroline takes a few hesitant barefoot steps toward the door, resting her hand on the handle. She takes a deep breath and rips the door open as one might do with a bandage.
Finnick Odair stands on the other side of the door; his eyes are a steel gray, and his bronze hair is neat. He is dressed casually in jeans and a nice shirt, but he is grim. "We're back, sunshine," The nickname sounds hollow to her ears.
He is holding an outfit for her, something Saffron probably thought to put together for her arrival in District 4 as a victor. "Thank you," Caroline says in a voice that sounds foreign to her ears.
Finnick nods as he hands her the clothes and says, "You have ten minutes."
Caroline nods in understanding before shutting the door. She quickly changes, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror before leaving. She looks like she did the day she left, with a few more scars, but essentially the same. Her eyes are empty. A piece of her died back in the arena; now she is less than whole. She is coming home incomplete.
A/N I should probably give you some background information about the victors, I had to make some changes to the Hunger Games history line to fit The Vampire Diaries characters:
11 Hunger Games Victor Mags of District 4 age 76 (won at age 16)
38 Hunger Games Victor Porter Millicent Tripp of District 5
44 Hunger Games Victor Drake of District 4 age 44 (won at age 17)
45 Hunger Games Victor Chaff of District 11
48 Hunger Games Victor Alaric Saltzman of District 4 age 44 (won at age 18)
50 Hunger Games Victor Haymitch Abernathy of District 12 age 37 (won at age 16)
57 Hunger Games Victor Finn Mikelson of District 1 age 30 (won at age 18)
58 Hunger Games Victor Marcel Gerard of District 2 age 29 (won at age 16)
59 Hunger Games Victor Bay of District 4 age 30 (won at age 18)
60 Hunger Games Victor Elijah Mikelson of District 1 age 29 (won at age 18)
61 Hunger Games Victor Mason Lockwood of District 4 age 28 (won at age 18)
62 Hunger Games Victor Enobaria of District 2 age 27 (won at age 18)
63 Hunger Games Victor Gloss of District 1 age 23 (won at age 15)
64 Hunger Games Victor Cashmere of District 1 age 22 (won at age 15)
65 Hunger Games Victor Finnick Odair of District 4 age 20 (won at age 14)
66 Hunger Games Victor Lorenzo St. John of District 2 age 21 (won at age 16)
67 Hunger Games Victor Augustus Braun of District 1 age 22 (won at age 18)
69 Hunger Games Victor Johanna Mason of District 7 age 19 (won at age 17)
70 Hunger Games Victor Ion Howard of District 5 age 19 (won at age 18)
71 Hunger Games Victor Caroline Forbes of District 4 age 17 (won at age 17)
72 Hunger Games Victor has yet to be announced
If I got any of the ages wrong, please let me know. Their current age is based on Caroline's age of the 71 hunger games.
I don't know how many of you made it down here, there's a lot of information above, but if you did make it down here, Thank you! I hope the change of perspective from Finnick to Caroline and vice versa wasn't confusing, if it was I will give a heads up of who will be narrating the chapter in the beginning. For right now I will stick to Caroline and Finnick's point of views, but I will be adding characters in later. If you would rather it just be Caroline's point of view, please let me know and I will adjust. Once again, thank you so much for making it this far, I hope you enjoyed the story. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!
Until next time!