Annie lingered in the doorway of the council room and watched Johanna stalk inside, her hands on her hips as she planted herself across the table from the President.
"What's the plan, Coin?" she demanded. "How are you going to get them out of there?"
President Coin was too busy shuffling through papers to realize she hadn't been called by her proper title. "We're holding an emergency meeting now," she informed her. "If you take a seat, Miss Mason, we'll discuss it in a moment."
"Annie's here too."
At this, Coin finally blinked up from her papers. Her mouth hardened into a line as she stood, "Miss Cresta, I asked you not to return here."
Annie's heart leapt into her throat as she fumbled for a response, "President Coin, please, I filled out the paperwork-"
"And you have not been approved to attend these meetings," Coin told her. "I'm asking you one last time to leave."
"She deserves to be here!" Johanna jumped in. "She's closer to Finnick than anyone!"
"Yes, we're all well aware now of Miss Cresta's relationship with Mr. Odair, but that does not qualify her to join the war council."
Annie wasn't entirely sure what Coin meant, and her voice began to shrink under her gaze, "I just want to help."
The President's eyes grew cold as she stepped up to her, pinning her against the doorframe, "Then tell me, how do you plan to help? Are you prepared to become a soldier?"
The thought of having to wield another weapon and fight another battle made Annie sick, "N-no."
"Do you have special knowledge of weapons, technology, politics?"
"No…" She felt tears prickling at the back of her eyes.
Coin's glare was unwavering as she asked, "Then what, exactly, do you plan to do to aid this cause?"
Annie stood beneath her, her knees wobbling as she failed to form an answer.
"I could use an assistant," the words reached across the room in the sigh of a Capitol accept. A bare-faced woman sat at the far end of the table, her hair bound up in one of the District-issued handkerchiefs.
"Excuse me, Miss Trinket?" Coin arched a skeptical eyebrow at her, and the woman began to swivel impatiently in her chair.
"Well, I'm used to working with an entire prep team," she explained. "So I could use an assistant to help me with 'The Mockingjay.'" She rapped her damaged fingernails on the table with the last words.
Coin gazed at her for a moment. By now Johanna had wedged herself between the President and Annie, glaring. The rest of the council stared on in quiet curiosity.
Finally, Coin dropped her shoulders in exasperation. "We need to start this meeting. Miss Cresta, you may sit in as a probationary assistant to Miss Trinket, but if you act inappropriately in any way, you will be dismissed. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," Annie nodded vigorously, but Coin had already turned away from her,
"Then let's not waste any more time." Coin returned to her station, and Annie reluctantly sank into the seat beside her new employer.
The woman let out a gasp of relief as she placed her hand over Annie's, looking her in the eye as she whispered, "Darling, please tell me you know something about fashion."
Annie blinked at her in surprise, "I-I don't, sorry."
Her face slipped for only a moment before she patted the back of Annie's palm, "Well, it's always good to have an extra set of hands." She offered a wry smile as she introduced herself, "Effie Trinket, former District 12 Escort."
Escort. The word sent a shiver down Annie's spine. She looked to Johanna as she dropped into the seat beside her, but she only shrugged before President Coin called for their attention.
"We're going to begin," she announced with one last glance at the door. Katniss Everdeen's seat was still empty, but they couldn't afford to wait. "As you know, the Capitol has dealt an unexpected and potentially devastating blow to our cause. We need to form an immediate response as well as a long-term strategy for combating future Capitol propos."
"And what about getting them out of there?" Johanna interjected.
Coin stiffened, "Considering their recent actions, it seems best that any efforts to recover Peeta Mellark and Finnick Odair from the Capitol should be suspended."
"Are you serious?" Johanna's eyes widened in indignation.
"They've committed treason by speaking out against our cause," the President explained sternly. "And it's likely they've provided the Capitol with information that could be used against us. They've chosen their side."
Johanna slammed her hand on the table, "They wouldn't have done any of that unless they'd been forced!" She turned to Annie expectantly, "Would Finnick ever side with Snow unless he was forced?"
Annie felt all eyes turn to her, and she quickly choked out, "No."
"Really?" Coin swiveled toward Plutarch. "Mr. Heavensbee, did you not report to me that Finnick was reluctant to join our cause going into the Quarter Quell?"
Plutarch glanced reluctantly at Annie before he answered, "He was."
Everyone was staring at her again, waiting for her to explain Finnick's actions—to explain how it felt to go into the Hunger Games with the one person you loved more than anything else in this broken world, to explain how it felt to know that you would most likely watch them die a bloody, gruesome death. They wanted her to explain why Finnick was reluctant to gamble both their lives when he knew he had a chance to save her. Johanna kicked her shin under the table, but Annie didn't even know how to begin.
"He was concerned for Annie's welfare," Beetee spoke unexpectedly from his corner of the table. "Most of us had nothing left to lose going into the Quell. Finnick's family was at risk."
Effie Trinket pouted her lip at the sentiment, and Annie cast him a grateful look. He nodded in return, but Coin remained unconvinced.
"Then why would he defect to the Capitol now, if you're here?" she asked.
It was a question Annie hadn't yet considered. "…I don't know."
"Regardless of their motives," Beetee told them, "the longer they're in the Capitol, the more propos they will probably do for Snow. It would be in the best interest of our cause to recover them."
For once, Coin seemed caught off guard.
"He has a point," Plutarch murmured.
The President sat back in her chair, "Let's table this discussion and move on to the matter at hand."
Johanna began to protest, but Coin talked over her,
"I need time to consider what's been said about Mr. Mellark and Mr. Odair. In the meantime, we need to form a response to the propo they've just released."
Plutarch shifted forward, "I don't know how we're going to do that without the Mockingjay."
"Katniss Everdeen is still refusing to cooperate," she reminded him. "We can't sit and wait for her to change her mind."
"We need someone credible to speak out against the Capitol," he argued. "Katniss is who the people want to hear from."
"Why does it have to be Katniss?" Johanna contested. "Because she's a Victor? You've got three Victors right here."
"Katniss has become a symbol-" Plutarch started, but Johanna refused to listen.
"If people will listen to Finnick and Peeta, why wouldn't they listen to us?" she asked, and he seemed hesitant to reply.
"Miss Mason is right," Coin nodded. "We need as many people speaking out against the Capitol as possible. We'll set up a propo for any Victors here who wish to participate." She looked to Plutarch, who ducked his head,
"Of course, Madame President."
She jotted down a note in her booklet, "We'll add this to the Victors' schedules. If this propo is successful, we can create more. Mr. Heavensbee, can you have it ready to broadcast by tomorrow night?"
"Earlier, if needed."
"Then let's get to work," she shuffled her papers together as she stood. "This meeting is dismissed."
No sooner had she spoken the words than Johanna spun to face Annie. "Why didn't you speak up?" she hissed.
"I-I did," Annie stammered.
But Johanna glared at her as she shoved away from the table, "If Finnick ever gets out of there, it won't be any thanks to you." Before Annie could respond, she stormed out of the room, leaving a hole in Annie's chest.
"She's a rude one, isn't she?" Effie spoke into her vacuum of silence. Her voice remained chipper as she added, "I wouldn't pay her any attention. Besides…" She grinned with pale, scarred lips, "It sounds like you and I have work to do."