"I never wanted this to happen," Salvatore sighed, his arm around Rini as he had another drink. Even through the makeup and the flashy outfit, he looked exhausted. He slumped over like someone had dropped an extra fifty pounds on his shoulders since the last time Rini had seen him. She sat close to him on the couch, letting him hold onto her lest he burst into tears like he had when they first boarded the train.
Finnick sat on one of the other couches, his legs sprawled open casually. Even that did nothing to take Salvatore out of his woe. "Yeah, we didn't either."
Salvatore sniffled and he finished his drink, setting it aside and drawing Renata closer to him. "Hasn't enough happened to you? I wish…oh, if I could, I would have a few choice words for the president…" He trailed off and looked around; forgetting for a moment that even joking about such things could be dangerous. He looked up at the recap that was playing, his eyes narrowing when it came to District Twelve. "This is that damned girl's fault. If she would have just died like she was supposed to, then everything would be back to normal!"
Rini bit the inside of her cheek and she shared a glance with Finnick. If she had to die in order for things to change, she would. What Salvatore perceived as normal was a hell for everyone living in the districts.
"Don't worry, Sal. Once this is over and twenty-three of us are dead, you'll have everything back to the way it was," Finnick murmured, getting up and retreating towards his private car.
"Finnick, I didn't mean-" The escort started, but it was no use. He sighed and pursed his lips, shaking his head. "Now I've gone and upset the both of you."
"You're fine," She reassured him, patting his knee. "The announcement was a surprise for us all, and now…" she trailed off and shrugged. "We never thought this would happen."
"Me either. Rini, I have to ask you something. And please be honest with me," He grabbed her hand so tightly that she swallowed, wondering if he had somehow found out about the rebel plan. "Why did you volunteer? I didn't call your name, why didn't you just let someone else go for you?" He was demanding her now, the tears back in his eyes.
Renata was taken aback for a moment, searching his eyes and wishing that she could tell him the truth. "Because…" She cleared her throat and gave him a small smile. "Because I love Finnick. I couldn't let him go back in on his own. Even if one of us could win, I don't…I didn't want him to go through it again without me. That's what's got him so angry, you see. I could have been safe and I ruined it all. A poor decision on my part, but," she shrugged and gave him a sad smile. "Not much we can do about it now." That much was true. It just wasn't the entire truth. Good enough.
Salvatore swallowed and he pulled Rini close. "We can try," he whispered in her ear. "We can always try."
Renata pursed her lips as she lay beside Finnick, neither one of them talking. He wasn't asleep, she could tell without looking at him. She desperately wanted to talk to him about the plan, about what they could expect and what might take them by surprise, but she had a good feeling that they were being recorded. So instead she looked up at him and smiled a little, kissing his jaw.
"You need to sleep, freckles," He murmured, smiling. "No funny business."
Renata grinned and she sat up, getting a better look at him. "Nothing funny here. I promise." She kissed his lips softly, feeling like she was going to burst if she couldn't say something about the plans.
Finnick sighed into the kiss and he didn't protest to Renata climbing on top of him, his hands fitting themselves to the curve of her hips. It was nice to have an excuse to do this, to stop thinking about the thousands of things that were going to need to be done before and during the Quell… He didn't even want to think about what would happen after, or worse, if the extraction plan were to fail. So instead he kissed and caressed his young lover, shivering at the feeling of her weight on his. He was about to propose they lose their clothes when Renata suddenly broke the kiss and gasped. "What? What's wrong?" He asked, watching her intently. "Did I do something?"
She shook her head and he could see that she was struggling to speak. "What about Salvatore?" She asked, her face laced with worry.
"Salvatore?" He asked, completely lost. He tucked a curl behind her ear and silently prodded her for further explanation.
Rini furrowed her brows and swallowed, moving down and putting her lips to his ear. "Will he be safe? After?"
Finnick laughed like she had said something funny and he rolled over so he was on top of her, that boyish grin on his face. His eyes held the same uncertainty she felt and he leaned down and gave her a long, lingering kiss. "I think its best we keep this between us. I don't want to break his heart, he's always had a little crush on me," he murmured, brushing her hair back.
She nodded in understanding and swallowed back the new fear she felt. She knew that Leona and the kids were safeguarded; they had a spot on a hovercraft secured for them. But there were other people that mattered to her that could answer for her actions. Salvatore and Fascal, her prep team; they were of the Capitol, but they were tied to her, and that could be enough to end their lives. And the thought of Salvatore and Fascal being tortured to get information about her made her stomach hurt with guilt. No, it was better if they remained in the dark. It was safer that way.
Renata was pulled away from Finnick the second they left the train. He was whisked away to be prepped for his stylist just like she was, without as much as a word of goodbye. It felt so unreal. She'd been in the Capitol several times since her games, but being back as a tribute again was something she had never anticipated. Despite having regular beauty appointments to keep her appearance to the highest caliber for the customers, her prep team still worked at her for a good two hours before they called it quits.
Her velvety skin tingled as she waited for Fascal, seated comfortably on a plush couch. They had trimmed off a few inches of her curls and her hair seemed to have more lift than it had before. The ringlets bobbed every time she moved her head and she snorted, thinking that she must have resembled a sea anemone.
She shivered and pulled her robe tighter around herself, knowing that she would just have to remove it for Fascal. It wasn't that she was embarrassed to be nude, but she had sworn that she could see a small change in her stomach. It had to have been her brain making her see things, but she kept her robe on all the same.
At last Fascal entered the room, dragging a garment bag. With Cinna becoming such a huge name in the Capitol fashion the last Hunger Games, it meant that Fascal had become less in demand. But only barely, because he looked as crazed as ever. The first thing he did when he entered the room was take her face in his hands and kiss her. "How refreshing it is to see my muse again," He murmured, the crazed look making way for a serious one. He held her face for a moment and just looked into her eyes like he was searching for something in them. "Since you seem hell bent on breaking my heart by voluntarily going into the games, would you like to see what I've come up with? I promise you'll be more covered up than Finnick."
Her brows rose, wondering what Finnick's stylist was doing to him. "I'm ready," she nodded, giving him a small smile. He was mad at her, but he would still help her. It was thanks to her that he was such a household name, after all.
"Stand up, robe off," He directed, turning away before he could break down and smile. "Honestly Rini, what were you thinking?"
"Do you want the same speech I gave to Sal?" She sighed and stood in front of the floor length mirror, beginning to untie the robe. She watched him in the mirror as he lugged over the black garment bag and hung it up.
"No, I suppose not," Fascal sighed and he unzipped the bag, looking at Rini. "Robe off. Eyes closed."
She smiled and bit her lip, doing so. She let him manipulate her legs and her arms as she slipped into what felt like a bodysuit. "Can I look?"
Fascal didn't answer her and when she opened her eyes, she saw him staring at her with a look of agitation on his face.
"What's wrong?" Rini furrowed her eyebrows and she looked into the mirror, her eyes widening. She appeared to be naked with pieces of seaweed winding around her ivory skin. They covered up enough of her that she wasn't naked per se, but dangerously close. The color of the bodysuit matched her skin so perfectly that she was afraid to ask if she was actually wearing skin. And when she looked at the parts of the seaweed that were supposed to be covering her nipples, she could see why Fascal was aggravated.
"I thought I could hold them off from breast implants for a couple more years," He groaned, rubbing his temples. "I had your old measurements, this is a disaster!"
"I didn't have any implants, Fascal," she mumbled, turning around to see the pieces crawling up her backside.
"What? Why then…" He trailed off and stared hard at her for a moment before his eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open.
Renata's cheeks flushed and she looked around nervously. "What?"
"Are you pregnant?" He asked softly, giving her a look.
Her cheeks turned darker and she bit her lip, shaking her head. How had he figured it out that quickly? And here she thought she could hide it. "No, I'm not," she mumbled.
"Really? Because I heard news from someone that there was a bad bunch of the birth control going around and a lot of people got knocked up-"
"Well I'm not," she interrupted him, swallowing when he looked taken aback. "Can we just…fix it?"
Fascal pursed his lips and he nodded, wasting no more time in beginning to alter the outfit.
"Whoa," Rini's eyes widened when Finnick got into the elevator with her, her eyes unable to help but go to the knot at his crotch. "That's-"
"Shut up," Finnick murmured, sighing heavily and leaning against the wall when the doors closed. He let his eyes wander over her body, following the strips of seaweed up her legs. "I didn't think Fascal would put you in anything so revealing."
"Yeah, well…" She turned around and grinned, "Mine is a bodysuit. I at least feel more covered than you." She grinned wider when he grumbled and leaned up to kiss his cheek, leaving a green lipstick mark there. "Uh oh. That's no good." She wiped it away and laughed, blinking when the doors opened. "That was fast."
"Ready to watch me make a fool of myself?" Finnick sighed and he made a surly face before emerging from the lift with her, effectively cloaking his mood and wandering further into the chariot room.
Renata surmised the other tributes as she walked beside Finnick, noting that they were by far the most scantily clad ones. Her eyes fell upon the female tribute from Twelve and a chill went down her spine. "Should I go introduce myself?" She made a move to go to Katniss, but Finnick stopped her.
"Let me. You find Peeta." And with that he was gone.
She sighed and turned around, looking for Katniss' partner. She finally saw him at the edge of the room beside a familiar face. "Hey, you," She grinned, approaching the two. "Long time, no see."
Haymitch did a double take and then grinned at the young girl. He kissed her cheek and raised his eyebrows at her get up. "That's interesting."
"It doesn't catch fire, but I suppose it's alright," She laughed, looking at the blonde boy beside him. "Hi."
"Peeta, this is Renata Crane. Well, I guess you aren't going by that name anymore, are you?"
She shook her head and smiled, keeping her eyes on Peeta. "Just Rini is fine. It's nice to meet you," She held out her hand to him, noting his firm grip.
"Crane? As in Seneca Crane?" Peeta asked curiously. He pursed his lips and slowly let his hand fall to his side. "Sorry for your loss."
"I'm really sorry about all this. Your wedding…I was devastated to hear about all this. I mean, we all were, I guess." She looked around at the other people in the room, feeling her blood chill at the sight of Enobaria baring her teeth. "Oh, jeez."
Haymitch laughed and he clapped Rini on the back. "How about instead of standing around here feeling sorry for each other, we go find Katniss. About time you met her, right?" He winked, alluding to their time together in the last games and the heaps of Seneca's money she'd spent. They headed towards the chariot and Renata noticed Peeta straightening himself up a little when he saw Finnick so close to his fiancé.
As if on cue, Finnick looked over his shoulder and he grinned before turning back to Katniss. "Have a good day," He murmured before popping a sugar cube into his mouth and facing around. He smirked at the look of unease on Peeta's face and gave him a small nod. "Peeta."
"Finnick," he murmured and moved towards Katniss.
"Talk later?" Haymitch asked Rini, and she nodded before leaving with Finnick to head to their chariot.
"I don't think I made much of an impression on him. Any luck with Katniss? Where did you get sugar cubes?" She asked, raising a brow.
He shot her a look and smiled sheepishly, "I found them."
"What, just lying around? That's gross," Rini laughed and she stepped up onto the chariot. The horses were getting antsy as the parade neared its start and she grabbed onto the handle in front of her for support.
"They were for the horses," he muttered as he stepped up onto the chariot beside her, towering above her.
"I see."
"They're not actually half bad," He popped one into his mouth and crunched on it, doing a decent impression of a horse. "Want one?"
"Are you trying to seduce me?" Renata feigned shock, opening her mouth when he offered her one. Her heart fluttered when he leaned in and left a very soft, brief kiss on her lips. "Alright, I'm ready to leave now."
Finnick laughed and he had some of her lipstick on his face. He almost toppled off the back of the chariot when the horses pulled forward, but made a graceful recovery. He was relieved that she was here with him. Still a little mad, of course, but that was in the back of his mind. With her here he didn't have to be alone, he could lean on her and she on him. He believed that they could do this if they were together.
"Ready?" He asked, having been asked that question by many people since their arrival at the Capitol.
Rini smiled and she slipped her fingers with his. "Ready."
Finnick rested on the bed in Rini's assigned room, listening to her hum as she showered. There came a quiet knock on the door and he opened one eye, sitting up abruptly when he saw a Peacekeeper. "What?"
"There's someone here to see you," he said before leaving, assuming that the man would follow.
A familiar face was standing by the elevator when he emerged, making him stop in his tracks. No…he couldn't be expected to perform, not when he was a tribute. "Marielle," he said simply, going beside her and raising his brow. "What are you doing here?"
"It's not for what you think," She murmured, chewing on her lip. "I need to talk to you. Can we talk here?"
Finnick chewed on his lip and he thought of Renata in the shower. "Erm, we can go in here." He motioned for her to go to the small parlor room and he let her settle down into a chair. "Is something wrong?"
Marielle shook her head, playing with her fingers. "No. Not really. I just couldn't stop thinking about the last time you came and saw me. How afraid I was."
He furrowed his brow and sat down across from her, reaching out a hand for her to hold. She was having difficulty saying what she came to say, and that made him nervous. "I made you afraid? I'm sorry." He had acted like a bit of a lunatic, asking her if she'd taken a pregnancy test and insisting she did. He trusted her enough to take one without him watching and had been openly relieved when she told him it was negative.
"I wanted a child for so long," Marielle began quietly, holding onto his hand. "Even before I married Olivier, I knew I wanted to be a mother. Then when we did get married and we decided to start trying, nothing ever came of it. And we tried so hard. When nothing still happened, that's when we started looking for other methods and inviting different practices into our bed. I think he was just tired of me crying," she sighed and swallowed.
Finnick stared at her intently, his heart beating faster. "Marielle…"
"You've known me a long time. That's why I think this was fate."
The posh apartment suddenly felt like it was suffocating him and he knew he had to have looked like a caged animal looking for an escape. What was she talking about?
"I feel so terrible about lying to you. Finnick, I'm pregnant."
Hello friends, I'm having a great time planning out what all these two have in store! Especially since i'm rereading catching fire and imagining how Rini fits in with it all! I hope you enjoy the chapter and leave a review please :D
You all are the best!
-Kelsey xx