It was the interview night, I was dressed in a black capitol suit with a white shirt and a sea green tie; it's the color that emphasizes my district… the color of my eyes. Senthia said it's going to match them.

-"Any make up, Finnick?"

-"You're my stylist, you should know, right?" I say, smiling.

She returns the smile and says, "The thing is you don't need anything to look divine, this is why I'm giving you the choice."

-"Guess all that will probably go away soon?"

She looks at me… struck by my acceptance of my death.

-"Finnick…"

She says it and shrugs.

-"The truth is I've always loved you like a son. When I put the first parade outfit on you I felt like you were too good to be there. I always wished I had a son like you, although the age difference between us is…" She's silent for a second doing the math, "17 years, not the age difference between a mother and her son, but I always felt like I was your mother."

We're both silent for a while, then I step to her and kiss her forehead.

-"Thank you, Senthia. When I knew you were part of… us…" I don't know if it's safe to say "Rebellion" here…"I was happy because I knew you were a better woman."

-"If you do love me, son… get out of there safe."

-"I'll try, but I can't promise much. If I'm going to die, I'll be happy either way: Protecting Katniss Everdeen and what she represents, or an old man in his bed."

-"Well I guess we'll see how things will go, won't we?"

-"We sure will."

-"Then, for now, go and hit it with Caesar." And she smiles.

I memorize what I'd prepared for the last time.

Last time, I wrote a poem for the first and last time in my life. I always had thoughts of things to write, but they never sounded good to me, so I never did. But this time… the words I said to Annie before the quarter quell reaping could be the last things I ever say to her, and I won't let that happen. I won't go before she knows what's really inside me. So I don't care how bad that poem is, I'll just say it and if she's watching, she'll know it's to her.

I line up for my interview turn, behind the victors of the first 3 districts and Mags, when suddenly Katniss Everdeen appears. She was wearing a capitol wedding dress: Silk, with sleeves reaching to the floor, covered in pearls.

Cinna… is this really you? I don't even see you in that offensive… unmerciful thing. I look at the others and they all have the same expression of disdain on their faces. Some of them were only and purely jealous: She's been the star of the show; looking like burning coal in the parade, got 12 in her training session and now she's in a wedding dress, not to mention her being the one before the last to interview gives her the advantage of staying in the minds. But I didn't want to stay in their minds or get their highest degrees, and I also think all that is only a part of humiliating her, not honoring her.

I finally say, "I can't believe Cinna put you in that thing."

She replies, defensively, "He didn't have any choice. President Snow made him."

Well, I guess she has her reasons to love Cinna and defend him. And here is one more reason on my list of "Reasons I want to kill Coriolanus Snow".

Cashmere pulls one "Well, you look ridiculous!"

Will Cashmere ever stop being jealous of anybody who threatens to surpass her at anything? Not sure, perhaps one of us is going to kill her in that quell before she does.

Johanna stops by Katniss, adjusts her pearl necklace and I think she'd say something as nasty, but she only says, "Make him pay for it, okay?"

Thank you, Johanna, because this is exactly what I'd like to say. Will I stand in front of Snow and watch him die one day? I can't be sure, although Katniss seems like a good hope to begin with.

It's not long before the stage is mine. As I go upstage after Mags leaves and Caesar pronounces my name, the ladies start screaming, and the men start clapping or looking jealous. I ignore all that and only smile.

There go my three minutes.

-"So, Finnick Odair. It's been ten years since I had you on this chair and you were telling me you like swimming and sugar cubes, yet it seems like yesterday. You look dashing as always!"

-"Thank you, Caesar. You look as young as you were back then, man." I say it, smiling.

Most of the ladies laugh for no reason. That's not even funny! It's true!

-"Ah, stop flattering me, young man, how can anyone look young or fresh next to you? You're the heartthrob of every single lady in here, right ladies?"

Of course, they go screaming and making every kind of annoying and silly voice. I only smile back.

"See, Finnick, I envy you."

-"Thank you Caesar, thank you ladies."

Ah, here they go again.

-"So Finnick, is there something you'd like to say about how sad things ended up?"

-"Well Caesar… I guess I never imagined it. But if I'm going to go there and die, there is only one message I'd like to convey. A message to the one woman I've ever loved in my entire life. It's a poem."

-"You're not going to say her name, are you?"

-"No, I guess, but she knows it's her."

Half the ladies in that audience think it's them, I'm sure. Let them have that final fake pleasure.

I start reading my poem.

"I see traces of you in the ocean and traces in the sky

And I'm hoping that one day will be the day for you and I

In every face I see I always see a part of you

Knowing that my whole life is a lie and you're the truth

And every time I'm lost I see in your eyes the light

And a better chance in life and a new reason to fight

And if my death is coming I have no more reasons to lie

Before, for you I lived and now, for you I die."

-"Oh Finnick…" goes Caesar, leaving the rest for the ladies to do.

They scream, yell my name, faint, and everything else that is silly.

-"I'm sorry it's bad, it's my first poem ever."

-"No don't say that, it's wonderful. Now I'm sorry that your time is up, you, young man, are definitely so much sparkle to have around."

-"Yes, I'm sorry my time is up, too." I say it in my last 5 seconds and smile. I figure he got it, because he only gives a dark smile and says, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for Finnick Odair."

And the same silliness is repeated.

I go and sit with my precedents, and the female victor of 5 goes up.

To Mags and Beetee, the interview was just sad. I feel their hands caressing my shoulders and hear their reconsolidating words. Enobaria, Brutus, Cashmere and Gloss, all of them young and fresh and meeting the same humiliation as I, only looked at me in sorrow, yet we were never friendly enough to really show sympathy. Wiress is only numb as usual.

I watch the other interviews. Some are just stupid and they barely hear what Caesar says, like the morphling addicts of 6, the drunken guy from 5 and Blight. Some succeed to say smart things, like Cashmere, who erased the silly situation she had with Katniss from my head with a very smart and sarcastic speech, her brother Gloss, Beetee, Johanna, and Chaff and Seeder of 11. When they joined us, a lot of them sympathized just as much as Mags and Beetee, the others were just too drunk.

And it's finally Katniss' turn.

Katniss goes upstage and it's a worse mess than my all-lady crowd of lovers. She's a bride in her wedding dress, the star crossed lover of Peeta Mellark, and yet here she is, going to die. Even Caesar could hardly control it that most of Katniss' time went to waste.

When Caesar finally succeeds to stop it, he says, "So, Katniss, obviously this is a very emotional night for everyone. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

-"Only that I'm so sorry you won't get to be at my wedding ... but I'm glad you at least get to see me in my dress. Isn't it just ... the most beautiful thing?"

And she starts twirling.

Was it scary to me? Maybe. This girl was a spark of hope to me, and then, only then, I realized I loved her like a little sister. She represents everything I'm fighting for. Then, only then, when her dress started burning, I realized that Panem is catching fire.

On our line of seats, those who are involved in the rebels' plan specially, started panicking. I was scared, but all I knew is that I trusted Cinna.

-"Okay everybody calm down, please! This must be Cinna! It's only Cinna's work, she's not dying!" I say to them, and some of them listen to me and start to calm down.

I look at her behind the smoke and know I'm right. She's only as fine as ever, and the dress which burned to the last fiber, didn't leave her naked. Instead, a new dress was revealed. Black, feathery, with white spots on the sleeve.

A Mockingjay.

When the fire is over and everybody's done freaking out, Caesar looks at her in disbelief and says, "Feathers. You're like a bird."

"A mockingjay, I think. It's the bird on the pin I wear as a token."

Ah, Cinna, what have you done.

Snow is not an idiot. He must know a lot about this girl and her fire. This time it won't be just an amusing interview; someone's life will be on the line. And, because Katniss, Peeta, I and everybody Snow hates is already going to that arena to die, or so he thinks, now he only has Cinna to turn against: The stylist who set Katniss Everdeen on fire.

After that, I'm barely hearing anything. I drown in my thoughts about the rebellion… about the souls we might lose in war. Of course, Cinna will face the consequences of tonight. I will be targeted by Snow, but not before I drop all his little secrets. Everybody Katniss Everdeen loves will be targeted. Who is it that all of Panem knows Katniss loves more than anything? Of course Peeta Mellark or so they think, and her little sister. They might target my Annie or Mags if she makes it out of there. And because I'll be a soldier and I'll protect Everdeen with my life, I might as well lose it.

Well, no good thing comes without a price.

As I think, not paying attention to Mellark's interview, everybody around me suddenly silences. I swear I could hear the sounds of the wind outside.

-"What's wrong?" I ask Johanna who's sitting beside me.

-"She's knocked up."

-"Who?"

-"Everdeen."

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

The next day, we report to the launch room. Neither did Mags nor did I have a mentor to give us advice before we're dropped into the arena; our district has no other victors alive except Annie who's too unstable to mentor. Senthia puts me in a blue jumpsuit made of a thin fiber. This gives me an easy guess: The arena has something to do with water. This is a fiber we usually wear in 4 at the beach. Also, a shiny purple belt which Senthia put around my waist.

I wear my token, the mockingjay bracelet. I'm sad I won't be able to wear the trident necklace, my first hunger games' token which Annie gave to me, but this is crucial.

Senthia looks at me with teary eyes and whispers," Good luck."

I only kiss her forehead again, speechless.

Shortly after I walk into the metal plate and I'm surrounded by the glass cylinder. The glass feels a bit like a layer of tears covering my eyes.

And up I'm lifted.

I close my eyes until I feel like the plate is finally stable. I open them.

My arena. Are you kidding me right now, Snow? You want to get rid of me, you have to do much better. It looks like it was created for me.

It's a circle: A pink sky, a white sun and the sea, surrounded by a sandy beach and woods behind it. In the middle of the water lies the cornucopia on a small sandy island. From the little island of the cornucopia to the beach, there are strings of a sandy land. 12 strings to be exact, I assumed, because there was one between each two metal plates which, of course, hold tributes.

As I figured it all out, half of the sixty seconds before unleashing us passed, and in the others, I figured out what I will do: The easiest thing to me… swim to the cornucopia and get myself some good weapons. If Katniss Everdeen won't be able to swim, which is likely, because I have no information of any kind of water surface in her district, I'll go get her and Peeta myself, as for Mags, well… at the age of eighty, she swims like a sea turtle.

I finally hear the gong, and I jump to the water. Swimming seems even easier than usual. I swim better than sea creatures, but this time I felt like really, I was doing less than usual. I get to the cornucopia first, and I look for my weapon.

Here it is… a silver trident. And of course, a net. On the other side of the island I hear someone arrive.

Katniss Everdeen.

Lucky for me she knows how to swim, I don't have to go and get her. I still have to be careful, though. I have to remember that she didn't choose this alliance, and a girl like her is eager to refuse things she did not choose.

I stand behind her as she gets a bow and a sheath from the cornucopia. She's alarmed. Fast, she pulls an arrow out of the sheath and turns around, pointing it at whoever it is, even before knowing it's me.

I stand far enough from being a threat, yet my trident is just as ready as her arrow, and so is my body.

"You can swim, too. Where did you learn that in District Twelve?"

-"We have a big bathtub."

-"You must. You like the arena?"

"Not particularly. But you should. They must have built it especially for you."

My exact thoughts. Of course, Snow is powerful yet he's not requited to know of the arena before everybody does, he just counts on his game makers. And his head game maker is, unluckily for him, Plutarch Heavensbee. Maybe he thought if the arena is more suitable to me, it'll be easier to protect the mockingjay and her lover.

"Lucky thing we're allies. Right?"I say it and show her my mockingjay bracelet, all shiny under the white sun.

She looks at me, a bit taken, trying to figure out what the chances are. She seems to have finally figured out I hold Haymitch's approval, because she only says:" Right." She doesn't seem pleased about it, though. She must hate the idea of Haymitch dictating who she allies with.

From the other side of the cornucopia, I see that alcoholic from district 5 behind her. I yell at her,"Duck!"

She does it immediately, and I shoot my trident at 5. The trident hit him in the chest leaving him dead, I'm sure. As he falls on his knees, I free my trident.

I just killed again.

"Don't trust One and Two." I say to her. They don't know of the rebels' plan, and I know they must have an alliance formed already and the first they'll go for is Katniss and Peeta, and as their protector I'll stand in the way.

"Each take one side?"She says, and I give a nod of agreement.

On my side, I find nothing but weapons, weapons and more weapons of every possible kind. No food or medicine? No other kind of tools? Odd. Maybe on the other side Katniss has found something different.

I shout, asking if she'd found anything useful.

-"Weapons! Nothing but weapons!"

-"Same here. Grab what you want and let's go."

As I go back to her side with some things I found useful, I see Brutus close to us, and the rest of his little alliance on their way. Her arrows are definitely a more suitable weapon for getting them from this distance.

"Do something about that, would you?"

She starts shooting them. She hits Brutus' belt which turns out to be surprisingly strong and blocks the arrow, as he comes closer, she says, "Let's clear out."

I follow her. She stands in a position from which we both see Peeta still on his metal plate, unable to swim.

She drops her weapons and prepares to go and get him, but I put my hand on her shoulder and say, "I'll get him."

She looks at me in suspicion and thinks for seconds.

-"I can."

-"Better not exert yourself. Not in your condition." I say it dropping my weapons to give her trust, then patting her tummy.

I believe that she's pregnant just as much as I believe she loves Peeta, yet if this is a strategy set by him and Haymitch to get her sponsors, I better not ruin it.

I tell her to cover me and jump to the water. I swim to Peeta, and as I arrive, he looks at me in suspicion. Before saying a word, I show him the bracelet. He looks above me, to the cornucopia and I know what he sees: Katniss covering me with her arrows; she approves of me, too. Once he sees that, he jumps to the water. I hold his body beside mine with one arm and swim with the second. On my left, I see Mags swimming to Katniss. Now my alliance is complete. It's only left to Johanna or any of the others to bring us Beetee and Wiress later.

As I'm near the land, Katniss comes and helps lift Peeta up. He kisses her slightly and starts a little chat with her. I try to leave them their space, until Katniss mentions something about Mags and points to her. I look at her… she's swimming, only with a little difficulty. I realize now she's not as strong as I thought; coming to the age of 80, of course she had some weakness coming at her.

"Well, I can't leave Mags behind. She's one of the few people who actually like me."I say, and think "The way I am."

-"I've got no problem with Mags, Especially now that I see the arena. Het fishhooks are probably our best chance of getting a meal."Replies Katniss. Mags is not a person somebody could object, generally.

-"Katniss wanted her on the first day." Goes Peeta.

-"Katniss has remarkably good judgment."I reply, although it's not that difficult to see what's good in Mags.

I jump to the water again and get Mags, she's been away only a short distance.

-"Beetee figured out this is a flotation belt, from the look of it."

-"Look, she's right." I say to Katniss. "Someone figured it out."

-"What?"

-"The belts. They're flotation devices. I mean, you have to propel yourself, but they'll keep you from drowning."

Katniss looks to the sea a bit and suggests that we go. Mags takes an awl from her, puts it in her mouth, then lets me carry her; she probably can't handle a lot of climbing or walking either. Back in district 4 Mags' health and energy lowering would easily stay unnoticed, because she's mostly staying at home and most of the time it's me or Annie doing the house work now.

We start walking: Peeta first, then I carrying Mags, and finally Katniss. We climb for a while before I ask them to take a break. Katniss decides to use it to take a look at the cornucopia from up in a tree. I know what she'll find.

I, Katniss, the four careers, Johanna, even Mags… even those drunken or drugged 5 and 6… we're all murderers. We've killed to win the games, and we are still ready to. I know only two people who got into that place with good in their hearts and out of it unchanged: Annie Cresta and Peeta Mellark.

Peeta is, in fact, a better person than any of us. The rest of us with no exceptions are murderers. So, really, I don't expect much from those victors. They'll start killing each other as soon as their feet reach the land.

I look at Katniss' face and she's disappointed and shocked. I know how this can affect her: She'll feel she's not really safe with me; she doesn't know me. She knows everybody here is ready to kill now. I see in her eyes the intention to shoot me with her arrow, killing me in the nearest chance.

What is that girl trying to do? Save Mellark, Haymitch said. She's not trying to save herself, she's trying to save Mellark. So, even if she doesn't really love him that way, she has some sort of feelings for him. Brotherhood? Friendship?

Before she looks at me, I'm right under the tree with my trident, ready to go.

"What's going on down there, Katniss? Have they all joined hands? Taken a vow of nonviolence? Tossed the weapons in the sea in defiance of the Capitol?"

Of course, I know her answer.

-"No."

"No, Because whatever happened in the past is in the past. And no one in this arena was a victor by chance. Except maybe Peeta."

I'm not sure if Mellark took that as I intended it, but Katniss looked like she couldn't agree more.

We look at each other, trying to figure out what to do. I know what to do: If she'll decide to kill me, I'll only defend myself. I have my trident, and really, fire girl, I'm ready to die protecting you or as a soldier in the battle, but die by friendly fire? Sorry, I didn't live through things your sixteen year old brain couldn't even imagine to die like that. Not me.

We look at each other, and it looks like she made up her decision as I'm preparing myself to block an arrow.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.