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Well, enjoy chapter 3!

Chapter Three

My mom cries as she shows the letter to my dad who glares at its contents. "That...horrible man!" he says loudly.

"Dad, calm down, please!" I beg, worrying that a peacekeeper might overhear him through the open windows and ask him what the trouble is.

"Sorry, Aurie," he says, remembering peacekeepers (who are, despite their names, anything but peaceful) patrol the Victor's Village periodically.

"He can't do this," Mom repeats from earlier in my room.

"Unfortunately, he can and he will," I reply heavily. "I guess I should pack. I have no idea how long I will be expected to be there. Hopefully, no more than a few days."

As long as he doesn't kill me, I think, though what I did to bring that punishment on myself, I have no idea. Except for the conversation with Finnick, I haven't done anything to deserve a reprimand. Maybe I really can't trust Finnick Odair, the Capitol's favorite victor.

I'm unable to eat breakfast, so I head back to my room and silently pack enough clothes for a few days. Whatever Snow wants from me couldn't possibly take more than that.

Once I'm packed and ready to go, I announce I'm going to see Beetee and Wiress, hoping they'll have some sort of idea of what Snow wants.

However, if I was expecting solid answers, I'm sorely disappointed. Beetee furrows his brow, frowning and letting me know that he never received one of those notices from Snow, which makes my stomach drop to the floor. I had been holding out some pathetic hope that maybe it was standard protocol for all new victors to be summoned by Snow right after the Victory Tour wraps up. As I leave to ask Wiress if she knows anything, he mutters something so low under his breath that I can't decipher what is, but it makes me think he knows more than he's letting on. I just wish he'd tell me what he suspects Snow wants from me; it might make things a little easier on me. Or, maybe not; what if Snow really is going to hurt me and Beetee doesn't want to terrify me too much?

Wiress shakes her head when I ask her if she'd ever received summons from Snow before. "Sorry, Aurie," she says softly and pats my back. "Well, you are a lovely person…" She trails off and looks past me as though something caught her eye, then looks back at me and says, "Such a lovely person. Stay strong, Aurie. See you soon."

Well, so much for there being an advantage in having fellow victors as neighbors, especially since they're pretty brilliant! Well, Wiress isn't always quite with it. Sometimes she seems like her head is in the clouds, while other times she's able to carry on a lengthy conversation. Perhaps she's the worst if she had a nightmare the night before or something. I suspect I may start having nightmares featuring President Snow.

The worst part of this trip, other than not knowing what Snow wants and the very real fact that I could be severely punished, is that I am to go alone. Not having Wiress or Beetee with me makes me feel completely isolated. They've been by my side the entire time, except for when I was in the arena, of course. I involuntarily shudder at the thought of going back there.

The train trip is lonely, as expected. I don't even have Sella or Pietra for company. I have no one to talk to, since the only attendants are Avoxes, who as far as I know, are people who had their tongues mutilated for some sort of crime and are unable to speak. Could that be my fate?

I run my tongue over the roof of my mouth and then my teeth, suddenly treasuring the ability to speak and how much I would be devastated if that was taken from me.

That night, I do have a nightmare. It's not of President Snow, but of various tributes from the arena threatening to smash my head in with rocks. They promise they'll go easy on me, but when Moarey, from District 2, holds my arms down and Sharlton (her district partner), begins to cut into me with a knife, I know it'll be anything but easy.

I scream myself awake, finding the silky sheets coated in sweat. Feeling lonelier than ever, with no one to talk to about the nightmare, I stare out the window, unable to see anything in the darkness. I'd give anything to have someone, anyone to talk to right now. I'd settle for my shallow prep team, even.

I refuse to go back to sleep and eventually, dawn breaks and I pull on some clothes, dreading what the day could possibly hold in store for me.

After we pass through the mountains that cut off the Capitol from the rest of Panem I see the highrise buildings creep closer; the train begins to slow down.

Unlike when I arrived here with Parick for the 67th Games, or when I arrived here a couple of days ago for my Victory Party, where the crowds were cheering and waving at me, there's only a small stream of passengers disembarking and boarding trains near me who probably often frequent the train station to take trains to other parts of the Capitol. No one pays much attention to my train and when I step off, very few people notice me, thankfully. The last thing I feel like right now is to deal with hero worshipping.

"Aurie?!" says a boy to my left, sounding very shocked to see me. Well, apparently someone noticed me.

However, the boy who just spoke lacks a Capitol accent. I whip around, thinking he sounds very familiar, but I'm still wondering who I'll see since I can't quite place where I know that voice from, and my mouth falls open when I see Finnick heading in my direction. "What are you doing here?" I ask, completely bowled over.

"I could ask you the same question," he says, furrowing his brow.

"Snow summoned me," I admit. He tells me that he also received summons from Snow, which makes my heart pound in nervousness.

What could we possibly have done to be both summoned here at the same time? I wonder, growing more fearful by the second, more certain than ever that someone overheard our conversation two days ago.

Soon, a Capitol woman approaches us. "Aurie Cransin? Finnick Odair?" We nod, me wondering why she bothered confirming our identities when she certainly must know who we are. "I'm President Snow's assistant, Corella. Follow me please."

Like the good victors we are, we obey her command as she takes us to a car. We get in and don't say anything. I don't look anywhere, other than at my lap, where I begin fiddling with my thumbs, trying not to get a panic attack. That's the last thing I need right now!

The car stops after a short trip and she tells us to once again follow her, so we do. She takes us into a hotel and says that President Snow will see us shortly, but in the meantime we are to wait in one of the rooms that she booked for us.

Once inside the room, Finnick immediately begins pacing back and forth. I find a pen on the table next to the one bed in the room, wondering what they're playing at by giving us only the one bed to sleep in. Well, maybe I won't be back here; maybe I'll be locked in a room and be tortured. Unable to get visions of being burned nonstop by fire ants or some other horror out of my head, I grab the pen and click it repeatedly as I watch Finnick pace on the lush light green carpet, unable to think of anything else to do, but guessing that Snow wants us as nervous as possible, so he'll surely make us wait in here so that we can suffer for the maximum amount of time. He wouldn't want to put an end to the mental torture he knows he's putting us through.

I sit on the bed, fully aware of the close confines we're in. Though Finnick looks as gorgeous as ever, I don't find myself as affected as I was two days ago. I suppose it has to do with how preoccupied I am. Otherwise, I'd probably be unnerved being alone with him in this room. He's a flirt and I would like to think he'd never lay a hand on a girl unless she wanted him to, but I have to remind myself I don't know him well at all.

Doing anything flirty or romantic is clearly the farthest thing from his mind as he continues pacing, practically wearing a path into the thick, soft carpet, now also muttering under his breath. He turns toward me and says, "Aurie, you didn't say anything to anyone about our conversation on the way back to the tribute center, did you?"

"Do you think I'm a fool?" I snipe back, immediately regretting lashing out at him. "Sorry."

"It's ok. I understand how you feel. But, did you…"

I cut him off. "No, I'd never repeat our conversation, not even to my parents." What'd be the point, anyway? It'd just get my parents angrier than they already are at the Capitol. "Did you, Finnick?"

"Of course not. I've been playing their games for 2 years now. I know when to keep my mouth shut."

"Why did you open your mouth around me then?" I ask, looking back down at my hands, resuming twiddling my thumbs.

"You're the first person I've met since I won who's not only my age but seems really normal. I was the youngest victor by four years until last year and Jax isn't exactly normal."

"And you are?" I raise my eyebrows.

"I'd like to think I am. Unlike him, I didn't consider going to the Games some huge honor."

I shrug and lie down on the soft pillows and stare at ceiling, lapsing into silence, awaiting Snow to finally decide to meet with us. I throw the pen back on the table and instead decide to start filing my nails with something I have in my little rucksack I brought from home.

Finnick loudly flops onto the end of the bed, but doesn't say anything more to me. Instead, he plays with the bands on his arm, twisting them around his wrist and staring at them like they're entrancing. I see his lips move but don't hear him make any noise; I wonder what he's talking to himself about.

Finally, after what feels like 3 months, someone knocks on the door and Finnick goes to see who it is. He opens the door and our escort for the day, Corella, reappears, announcing she'll be taking us to see President Snow now.

We file after her silently and endure another silent ride to Snow's mansion, where I was just 2 short days ago. She takes us to a side door far from the entrance I used when I arrived at the party (which now feels like 7 years ago), then we follow her into an elevator and we endure another silent ride to the floor his office is on. The doors open and we follow her once again and she deposits us in a waiting room and bids us, "Good day."

Like that's possible, I think bitterly and sit down in a chair; Finnick squeezes his hands over and over again. I stare out the window at the stupid, shallow Capitolites far below who could never imagine a life so stressful when their biggest concerns are when their next party invitation is coming.

Finally, the receptionist sends Finnick in to see Snow. I try to relax, refusing to let Snow see how much he's unnerved me as I'm sure that was his main intention. I focus on breathing deeply, determined to keep up this farce when it's my turn to go to his office, waiting for whatever punishment he hands out to me.

Another lifetime passes before Finnick steps out of Snow's office, looking down at the carpet. He shuffles toward the chairs devoid of energy and clunks down in one of them two away from me, holding his hands together, cracking his knuckles.

"Finnick?" I ask softly, wondering what Snow could have possibly said that garnered that reaction from him.

He glances at me, those beautiful sea green eyes full of fury; I look away and try once again to breathe deeply, not knowing of a time I've ever seen him look so angry, except possibly when he was in the Games and those from Districts 1 and 2 killed his lovely district partner. The receptionist immediately calls my name and says that President Snow will see me now.

I take another deep breath and with the most confident stride I possess, I walk into Snow's office, hoping I'm not walking closer to being thrown into a torture chamber or worse, heading toward my deathbed.

"Well, welcome back to the Capitol, Miss Cransin," Snow says, gesturing for me to sit at the chair by his desk.

I'm suddenly hit with the most bizarre combination of smells ever: Roses and blood. He has a rose pinned to his suit; however I've never smelled a rose that was capable of emitting such a strong scent. As for where the smell of blood comes from, I'm at a loss.

"So, you wanted to see me?" I ask in as polite a voice as I can muster.

"I most certainly did, Miss Cransin. You're our newest victor, after all, and I wanted to personally offer you my congratulations."

I open my mouth to ask him why he never did this for Beetee or Wiress and if that's all he wanted, then why is Finnick here looking like he'd love to catch Snow in one of his nets and spear him with his trident? Instead, I think better of it and close my mouth and remain silent.

"Of course, I'm sure you've guessed that's not all I wanted to offer you, or else why would Mr. Odair be sitting outside my office right now?"

"Right," I say tightly.

"You and Mr. Odair are two young, beautiful victors - our youngest right now, as a matter of fact - only recently legal in terms of the Capitol. Our residents become adults at 16, while it is 18 in the Districts."

"Yeah, that's true," I say, wondering why the heck he's telling me all of this. Is he going to demand that I marry one of his grandsons who took a liking to me? Does he have a lonely granddaughter who no one cares for because she's the president's granddaughter and he's going to force marriage on Finnick, too? I mean, who cares that Finnick and I are considered adults in the Capitol but not the districts?

"Of course, Miss Cransin, you are now 17, are you not?" I nod. "I wanted to have you enjoy your time in the spotlight, to properly appreciate your Victory Tour and what you've done to earn a place amongst the other 66 victors who came before you."

"I killed people," I say in a low voice.

"Now, now, I wouldn't think of it like that. You've done your country a huge honor and you should bask in the glory of it. Miss Cransin, you would not believe how many admirers you have in the Capitol."

I do a double take. "I have several admirers in the Capitol?" Hmmm…Beetee and Wiress never told me that; I only knew that a few men seemed interested in me at my party but I figured it was because I was the most recent victor and being a victor here means being considered the most popular celebrity.

"Of course. You are a beautiful young lady, Miss Cransin. Now, your admirers are truly desperate to spend more time with you. Remember the men you danced with at the Victor's Party?" Slowly, I nod, really not liking where this conversation is heading. In the back of my head, I suspect I know what he's eventually going to say, but I start praying he'll say something else. "Well, they are aware that you are of age to consent to what they'd like from you. Can you guess what that might be?"

"I'd rather not. I'd rather not spend any additional time with them," I admit, feeling my stomach begin to sink to the floor as I think, So I guess he's not going to force marriage on me. But, what could he possibly want from me instead? Consent to…what exactly?

Snow smiles viciously and says, "I thought you might say that. You really don't like Capitol men very much, do you?" I shake my head, starting to grow angry at him for gaining the upper hand on me; he's probably thrilled at how confused I am. "They paid very extravagant amounts to sponsor you. You should be very grateful for them; without their help in getting you that device you used to electrocute multiple tributes you would not be here now. So, you should understand that there is a debt to be repaid, correct?"

"It was a gift," I say softly. "They can have it back. I'll give them any money they want for their troubles."

"They have enough money to live comfortably, Miss Cransin. However, many of them are truly lonely men who just want the company of a beautiful woman."

The way he says, "beautiful woman," makes my skin crawl. I certainly don't feel like a woman, anyway; I feel like a young girl who should be in school right now. Then, I think back to Finnick calling me beautiful and how different that made me feel; I shake my head at Snow.

"I don't want to spend time with them in any shape or form," I reply firmly, gripping the armrests so tightly I wouldn't be surprised to see finger indentations there.

"I don't think you understand me, Miss Cransin. I am not giving you a choice. Either you agree to my terms of spending time with those that I choose for you, or you will suffer grievous consequences."

"I'd rather die than do anything with them," I say.

"Ah, I thought you might say that, but you see, I won't kill you. That would just end your suffering immediately. No, Miss Cransin, I will kill your family and friends, slowly, one by one. You'll have to sit there helplessly knowing you could've done something to keep them alive."

"No!" I scream. "No, please, no, you can't do that to me!"

"Miss Cransin, behave yourself. This is not becoming behavior of a victor. I can do whatever I want, you'll find, as I am the president. And you'll agree to entertain citizens of the Capitol in every way possibly, including sexually. Now, I know this is not an easy decision, so I will give you until tomorrow to formally make up your mind. I expect you'll come to the right decision. Or else, I will have no choice but to show you what happens to victors who think they are too good to submit to their duties as winners of the Hunger Games."

I get up from the chair, unable to say another word to a man so vile that he'd demand I…sell myself…to avoid watching my family be murdered. I shudder at my miserable sentence, stumble toward the door, yank it open and head out to the reception area, now completely understanding why Finnick looked so furious.

I briefly wonder if he'll be waiting for me in the reception area and am immediately greeted by him sitting there, still looking angry.

"Aurie?" he asks in a low voice.

"Let's go, Finnick," I say, doubting my ability to hold it together for a few minutes longer. I am sure I am going to start crying or screaming and start ripping out my hair, and I refuse to do that in that maniac's building where he can likely witness my hysteria on one of the various cameras he has throughout his mansion.

We head for the elevator and I punch the down button so we can journey back to the first floor, step through the doors into an elevator car when it's made available and finally, I collapse against the back wall, my legs shaking uncontrollably.

Once the doors open on the first floor, I grip Finnick to keep myself upright and walk as though I'd drunk all of Chaff's and Haymitch's liquor as we head in the direction of the hotel. Finnick grips me back; I hear him grind his teeth and mutter soft curses under his breath so quietly no one around us would be able to hear what he says. I stay silent, unwilling to talk about the horrifying offer from Snow out in the open.

I wish I'd died in the Games, I think, remembering my mom's tearful plea for me to come home and how determined that made me. What would she think now knowing that my fate is to become some sort of slave for the Capitol? She'd want to murder Snow for sure, but would she rather I had died in the arena instead of being subjected to this new kind of horror?

I can't answer that question, not truly being able to comprehend a parent's love for her child.

I also have no idea when or if I'll even be able to tell her. Would Snow really kill my family and friends if I say no? I know he's a horrible person, but maybe he just wants me to live in fear, every day wondering if he'll kill someone I love. I don't want my loved ones to die because I refused Snow, but the thought of having to do anything sexual with the Capitol freaks that would be so vile as to pay for my time is too awful to contemplate.

Finally, Finnick grabs my arm to pull me to a stop - I had just been walking along blindly holding onto him the whole way for support. I look at the building and see that it's the hotel we were at earlier, so we head inside and back to our room.

He shuts the door behind us and we sit down on the bed a few feet apart but face each other.

"What did Snow say to you, exactly?" Finnick asks, gazing at me with those beautiful sea green eyes, which are now full of concern.

If only I wasn't feeling so traumatized, because the way Finnick's looking at me would probably make me melt inside on any other given day…

"He told me that I had a lot of…admirers. Men. He told me I was young and beautiful." I start gulping, feeling my throat constrict as I'm on the verge of tears. I shake my head and continue softly, "He said they wanted to pay for their time with me and seeing as I'm 16 which is the age of consent here, they could…have it."

Talking about Snow's cruel words breaks forth the dam I'd built up – finally, I burst into tears. Finnick moves close to me and pulls me into his arms. I'm so grateful for the warmth of a nice person, that I wrap my arms around him tightly and soak his shirt with my tears – he stays silent and just lets me cry, only breaking the silence every now and then to say, "Shhhh, it's ok, Aurie."

I cling to him like I would any family member back home and say, "No it's not! Snow said he'd kill my family and friends if I refuse. I told him I'd rather die than do anything with these men. He wouldn't really do that, would he? He's not that cruel and twisted, is he? He's just threatening me, isn't he Finnick? Come on, tell me it's just an empty threat! Did he say something similar to you? Is it that bad for you when you spend several weeks here flirting, anyway. You sure looked angry."

Finnick hands me a tissue so that I can blow my nose and when I look at him to thank him for the small gesture, I see his eyes have grown wet, but there's still a bit of rage there. "And just because I flirt with the women here I want to be forced into prostitution with them? Come on, Aurie, you're from District 3; aren't you smarter than that?"

Well, that was awfully rude of me, wasn't it? I think and cringe. I offer an apology for being so insensitive but make the excuse that I'm just distressed that I'm not thinking properly.

He shakes his head and says, "Well, it's what they're all going to think, isn't it? People already think I'm slimy for coming here and flirting; they'll expect me to have affairs with these women now that I'm old enough to." He wrinkles his nose and explains how he only flirted and did it at Snow's insistence thanks to being so popular with the Capitolites here. "Apparently, he'd never seen someone become so popular in all his years as president and he said he could not let down all of the people who sponsored me." Finnick goes on to explain that Snow told him that seeing as they paid all of that money for him to get the trident he was expected to make multiple appearances at the Capitol, going to various parties and charming the women and then he'd spend time with the other victors filming Capitol propaganda to get everyone "excited" about the Games. But, seeing as he was only fourteen, he found it repulsive that he'd be expected to do any of that; he was a victor now so he could do whatever he wanted, so he jumped on the next train home, thoroughly disturbed that women in their 20's and 30's were attracted to someone so young. Unfortunately, he came home to see his mom and sister weeping; his dad had been in a boating accident which he found suspicious because apparently his dad was a master of the seas. It occurred to him that Snow meant business about his proposition for Finnick seeing as he keeps the Hunger Games going and delights in watching 23 district children die year after year, and apparently can kill off victor's loved ones with ease, so when he showed up in the district, Finnick agreed to his terms.

Finnick laughs bitterly. "You know what he said to me then?" I shake my head. "It was something to the effect of, 'Ah, the women will be ever so pleased, Mr. Odair.' Then he went into how fortunate I was to only be 14 or else I'd be spending more time in the Capitol like many other victors, whatever that meant - I was so naïve! He said to me the next year when I was mentoring for the first time that I was still lucky to be 15 because the women were supposedly "in love" with me. I tried not to throw up at that comment and instead acted like what he said meant nothing to me, even though it confused me about him saying I was lucky. As for why he didn't demand me selling myself right when I turned 16, he just told me he wanted me to 'slip into a false sense of security' like the 'arrogant' victor I am. I was just stupid to not have seen this coming! I'll be 17 tomorrow; I should've figured he'd sentence me to something a lot worse than shooting ridiculous Capitol propaganda and only coming across as a vain jerk by flirting with endless women at mind numbing functions. But, do you get it, Aurie? If we don't want the rest of those we love to die, then we have to do what he says."

He drops his head into his hands and shakes his head back and forth.

"There's no way out of this? Snow is serious? I'm gonna be sick," I reply, feeling every bit of food I've eaten that day threatening to make a reappearance. The room begins to spin, too. "Finnick, I think I might…pass out."

"Hold on, Aurie, put your head between your legs and take deep breaths until it passes," he instructs and because I barely comprehend what he says, he pushes my head down and commands me to breathe deeply.

Once the feeling passes, I sit back up and look at Finnick, whose eyes look red, as though he's finally realized what it means to be an appealing victor and that he no longer has control over his life. Somehow, in the almost 3 years I've known of Finnick Odair, I never thought I'd see him cry. He really is different than everyone thinks. Capitol Finnick, as I'm calling him in his head, would never look anything else than perfectly put together and of course, he'd always look very happy.

"Finnick, I…can't…do…it," I say, trying not to cry hysterically again - I've got to get a grip; I've seen and caused death. Of course, that's probably contributing to how unhinged I feel all the time. "I mean, I really can't. I don't want to do a damn thing with these disgusting pigs who might look like creatures from nightmares and who might be double my age, or more!"

And, of course, I really just want sex to be something special, with someone I love. I don't voice this to Finnick, unsure if he'd laugh at me for having such romantic notions of sex. He may not like flirting with women here, but I'm sure he doesn't have the same ideals that I do. He is a boy, after all. He'd probably find it amusing that I'm still a virgin at 17.

He shakes his head. "I really don't want Snow to kill my mom and sister or my aunts, uncles or cousins. I don't want him hurting my friends. This is a living nightmare, one that doesn't go away. But, could you live with yourself if they kill your parents?"

"No, I love my parents so much!" I say and start crying again, despite all of my attempts not to. "Finnick, this is the worst thing in the world! I'd have died in that arena if I was forced to have sex with someone. I mean, if they threatened killing me if I didn't have sex with someone, I would've let them kill me."

Finnick does a double take at this announcement; I wish I'd kept my mouth shut. Though, I don't know why I care so much what he thinks; he's not the one I have to have sex with to keep Snow from killing my family.

"Sure, you'd let them kill you, but it's different when it's your family."

"You're going to say 'yes' to Snow, aren't you?" I ask in a low voice.

"Aurie, what choice do I have? None!" he says in an exasperated voice. "If you can live with your family and friends being killed, then tell Snow 'no'."

"I can't live with them being killed but…I c-can't, Finnick. I mean, I really CAN'T!" I'm aware of how my voice has gone up several octaves.

"Shhhhh," Finnick says, pulling me back into his arms, which has a relaxing affect, as his arms feel so strong and protective. "Why not, Aurie? I mean, it'll be horrible, but if you picture some gorgeous boy you like back home, I'm sure you can get through it. A boyfriend, maybe?"

"I'm a virgin, Finnick!" I admit and then cry even harder.

"Oh shit," he says softly.

"Good girls don't do this stuff in District 3," I tell him. "Only the slags do it and then it's well known who they are. The rest of us wait until we finish school at 18, get married and get good jobs and if we haven't found a boyfriend by then, we keep looking. Sex is just not much of a priority when we're so concerned with inventing new technology or even just mastering the stuff that's already out. Plus, in my case, I wasn't even interested in any of the boys in my district. I don't know why; they just don't appeal to me." Not like you do, I finish silently. It's astonishing that I just admitted to someone I barely know that I've never had sex before. My friends all know that, but that's because I've been friends with them for years and none of us are slags.

"Really? You've never been interested in one single boy from your district?" Finnick furrows his brow in surprise. "What about someone from another district?" He winks so I know he means himself, and this bit of lightness in the midst of such a depressing situation actually makes me laugh.

"Yeah, Odair, I'm definitely in love with a certain District 4 boy. Any chance you can introduce me to Carlyle?" (Carlyle is the victor of the 59th Games. While he's good looking, he's too old for me. Still, I could not resist faking Finnick out like that.)

Finnick laughs, hard. "Good one. I have Carlyle's number; he's one of my neighbors of course so I'll let him know you're interested."

I giggle, honestly relieved for a break from the depressing matter at hand. "Please let him know as soon as you're back in 4."

He laughs and then gazes into my eyes – our laughter dies away and I feel my heart speed up. For the first time that day, the closeness we share feels a little more than just two people desperate for someone to hold onto during a miserable moment.

"Aurie," he says softly.

"Hmmm?" I reply equally as soft, staring into those sea green eyes. Despite everything, I can feel myself drowning in them and thinking that maybe it's not such a bad place to be.

"I have something to tell you." He sounds so serious that I stop staring into his eyes and listen to him carefully. "Um, I'm a virgin too."

My mouth falls open. "Seriously? You? Finnick Odair is a virgin?"

He frowns at me. "Why is that so hard to believe? I don't want any of those Capitol women, you know!"

"You must have girls from District 4 after you all the time, though."

"Yes, I do. Not the ones I actually want. The girls I want are girls like you, the good ones, the ones who avoid 'Capitol flirt' Finnick Odair. The girls who want me are the slags. I had a girlfriend when I went into the arena. I though she would've been my first at some point, but when I came back, of course I was different than she expected, thanks to all of Snow's (and the Gamemakers') mutts. Besides, I'd seen and caused death. I knew she'd be angry at me not talking about her in my interview with Caesar, but my stylist told me I'd be more likely to have sponsors if I was single. So, she broke up with me a month after I came back, which I should've expected, but didn't." He shrugs like it's no big deal but considering I know what it's like to have people look at you differently after your Games, I know it's anything but. He goes on to say that he never told anyone this before, which makes me feel pretty chuffed, even if it's petty, but I can't help it. He explains his friends of course knew his girlfriend dumped him but not exactly why, but he feels he can really talk to me since I'm the only victor who's his age and surely, the only other virgin to come out of the Games in quite some time. Then, he laughs a couple of times, very falsely and then shakes his head. "This whole situation is fucked up, Aurie. And, we're completely trapped with no way out."

xxxxxxx

Well, hope you liked the "big reveal" (well, it wasn't quite so big considered it's spoiled in the story description). If you haven't followed/favorited, it'd mean a lot if you did (if you like the story enough to do so)! Also, please review! Reviews mean everything.

Til next time... enjoy your week.