She didn't dress up this time around; she probably wouldn't have put clothes on at all if it hadn't been for Blight. The two of them weren't close, but they were there for each other in times of need. They were each other's shoulder to cry on or extra hand when it was needed. They had this mutual unspoken respect, one that didn't allow "thank yous" to be spoken, one that all of the Victors had for one another. Had. After this, after these Games, it wouldn't be the same.

They called her name. It wasn't a surprise. She stood up and walked to the stage hastily, snarling and pushing off peace keepers who attempted to usher her away from the crowd. They drew the name for the males, the pool had a more vibrant selection but not by much, there were four of them in total, three of them from some of the earliest Games. She watched as the gloved hand danced around the bowl and winced when the name was announced, it was Blight. With a grimace etched deeply into her expression, a look passed between the two victors, so many things swimming in their eyes. Fear, anger, hope, brutality. There was no hunger, no thirst or desire to win this time, she was open to her fate, and she was ready to die.

Within the first thirty seconds after their names were announced for the second time she was half-dragged, half-pushed onto a train. All of it felt like a dream. She was supposed to live the rest of her life in peace, supposed to be free because she killed eight kids, because she killed people's sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and friends. The atmosphere on the train had a dream-like haziness that put a sour flavor in her mouth. She wished it was a dream, wished that she could force her eyes open and that it would all be over.

She woke up screaming, and scrambling backwards, throwing punches in a colorful variety of different directions until she felt her knuckles collide against something solid and sturdy. Blight's face. Clarity sharpened her vision in no time, her eyes greeted by a shocked expression etched into her district mate's face.

"Dammit, Blight, what are you doing in here?" she asked, her voice hoarse from the fitful screaming of her slumber.

"We're here," he responded simply, pivoting on his heel and strolling out as if nothing had happened. Where? The question was on the tip of her tongue. Then, for the second time that day, it all came rushing back to her. Her brain was always fuzzy when she woke, her thoughts always muddled. But, come to think of it, she hadn't remembered ever falling asleep on the train.

With that in mind, she traced her fellow Victor's steps with her own, only stopping to wait for the automatic doors to open, emitting the mechanical hum as they overlapped to let her through. She wondered if one day, like humans, they would cease to open, refuse to let anyone pass. Yet, she knew if they did someone would come to repair them. It did not work that way for the people of the Districts, when they were broken and worthless and scared there was no way to fix them, their souls simply evaporated, everything they had worked for throughout their life. Gone. Just like that.

Blight stopped at the door that acted as a barrier between the train and the Capitol, and she did the same. His neck swiveling so his eyes were capable of making eye contact he asked, "You ready?"

She exhaled, it was an unanswerable question that no one was ever ready for, or what pursued, so after a moment's pause she replied, "As I'll ever be." They stepped over the border in perfect synchronization, their feet landing together. Everything felt fake. The air, heavy with pollution, felt artificial. The chants of her own name hung in the air like the smog that blanketed the city, but one was unique from the rest, a smooth sing-song that cradled her. "Jo! Johanna!"

"Finnick!" her voice rand out giddily, chasing in the direction his came from, sliding agilely through spaces between people. When she arrived at her destination she let his arms envelope her. "Long time no see asshole, would it have killed you to call?" she murmured against his chest. She could feel his smile.

When they untangled themselves, he gestured with his head toward the area she assumed was the training center. "Well, we've got a lot of catching up to do, then." She trailed him without hesitation, picking up her pace after a minute so they could walk beside one another. She could sense something was wrong, but she knew better than to ask, he'd explain soon enough.

It was a short walk from the station to the Center, when they arrived they took the stairs to the fourth floor. Either because Mags was good company, or because they didn't feel like hiking seven flights of stairs, she didn't know which one.

"We need to talk," Finnick stated as soon as the door closed behind him.

"Yeah, no shit," Johanna responded. "What's this about?

"I can't tell you here"

"Where, then?" she asked

"Roof," he whispered, pushing her through the door before adding "Tonight, after the chariots,"

Finnick wasn't a secretive person, he knew that the Capitol was watching them every second of every day, with exception of a couple blind spots, but it hadn't ever really stopped either of them from saying whatever was on their minds. Johanna could do it because they couldn't threaten her with anyone, Finnick because those he cared about were untouchable, because they were Victors. The Capitol hadn't ever threatened Victors up until the announcement of these Games. There were a couple exceptions, of course, blamed on accidents and what not, but that was mostly those who blatantly defied the Capitol and the Districts, the ones that even the Capitol citizens didn't mourn.

She knew something was going on and she wasn't about to pass up the chance to hear about it.

A/N - I hope you really enjoyed this chapter, I'm sorry it took a while, I had a week jam-packed with exams and I knew I wanted to lengthen the chapters more, hopefully there will be longer ones still to come. If you've been following this fic so far, thank you so much, please feel free to leave a review I'd really like to hear what you have to say. Thank you guys for reading, more updates soon to come.