District Four had fallen into an unstable silence after a broadcast from District Twelve. Apparently, things got heated up there as well, and, to the victors' dismay, Katniss's cousin had been caught in it, which cost him to get flogged. It all happened and stopped just as quickly; the boy being flogged, Katniss stepping up to save him and getting punched, then Haymitch — followed by Peeta — coming to help, and then, nothing. A flash of white and the broadcast was over.
Days had passed, but the riots and floggings had not. In District Four, there were less than what Johanna told them over the phone, but the occurrence was still worrisome. Many buildings had transformed into provisional medical camps, in which the victors helped out by providing medicine and gauzes apart from help whenever the Peacekeepers weren't near.
"She's out of it again."
Things were getting worse in all the districts, and the Reaping for the Quarter Quell was just creeping around the corner. In a few more months, Theo's last year in the lottery of death would officially be over; one way or another. Olive no longer knew which one would be better. Did she want her little brother to go through the same as she or Annie had gone through? All for what? Survival? What kind of life would that give her little brother? It didn't matter what anyone said. The life of a victor wasn't worth the pain.
"Olive."
Without her memories of the Games, Olive didn't allow herself to drown in sorrow for too long, or that's what she intended. Only bits and pieces had come back to her, and, despite being horrible, none were from the worst moments she had seen during the Recap with Caesar. She just remembered Jackson, and his district partner, how she had tried to save both of them despite all reason telling her not to.
A hand caressed her cheek. "Liv?"
Her eyes snapped out of her daze, realising how close she was to one of the living room's windows. When had she got there? Just two minutes ago, she was sure she had been in the kitchen, helping Annie and their father cook the food for the grand meal all District Four victors would enjoy together before that night's special broadcast; Katniss's and Peeta's future wedding outfits.
"You were pacing. Is everything OK?" asked Finnick, his hand leaving her cheek to hold her hand.
"Oh, yes. It's just the whole thing of my old house being used as a hospital," Olive replied, squeezing his hand softly. "I'm worried about Miss Owens and the kids."
"When are they moving in? Do you want to go pay them a visit?" Finnick suggested, causing Olive to smile at him.
"Maybe tomorrow, when they take people in. They'll probably need help. Today they just bring everything they need." She paused and glanced around the room, not spotting her little brother anywhere. "Where's Theo? He's supposed to go get our mother's paintings and books, and give Miss Owens the gauzes she asked for. Did he go already?"
"No." Finnick shook his head with a light chuckle. "He's still sleeping like a log upstairs."
"This kid," Olive said in a playful tone, accomplishing to enlighten Finnick's mood. "I'll go get him up."
"What will you do?" Finnick raised an eyebrow, feeling tempted to go watch when Angel started asking for his help in the kitchen. "Can't believe I'll miss the fun."
"Well, an angry Angel is way worse than missing any fun, that's for sure," Olive said, laughing softly as Finnick huffed playfully. "Just go. I'll be back in a minute."
"Alright." He nodded, but quickly stopped and turned around. "About the moving thing."
"Tonight." She smiled and kissed him. "They all know already, though. Nobody here is good at lying or faking not to have noticed, you know? I think it's a family treat."
"Do you—"
"Finnick!"
The couple glanced at the kitchen door in unison, watching a very furious Angel fold her arms over her chest. She went on rambling about some things she needed him to help her with, but Annie quickly put a stop to the madness. With a simple kiss on the cheek, Angel stopped in her tracks and looked down at Annie.
"Newlyweds," Finnick and Olive chorused, feigning disgust at the recently formed couple.
"As if you two weren't the definition of newlyweds," said Angel, her hand trying to cover the blush that had grown in a second from Annie's intervention. "You're worse than we'll ever be."
Finnick and Olive exchanged a knowing look, their smiles turning into smirks as they prepared themselves to answer in unison. "No, we don't cause others to have diabetes like you do."
"Sure, 'cause you creep them out." Angel chuckled. "Forget it. I just need Romeo to help out. Olive, if separation anxiety gets too bad, you can always help too."
"I'll be there in a minute. I have to get Theo out of bed first." Olive gave Finnick a quick kiss and went up the stairs, hearing Angel and Annie laugh together about something she couldn't understand, though apparently neither did Finnick, since he wasn't laughing either.
The door of the bedroom was left ajar, letting Olive peek before walking in silently. Theo was still sleeping on the bottom bunk; years had passed, and Gianna still outright refused to exchange places. Olive would miss seeing them first thing in the morning, but it wasn't as if she was going anywhere far, she would still see them every morning, or, at least during their mandatory family dinners, which all victors and Angel had long ago been included.
She sat on the bed, being careful not to wake him up or hurt him. Seeing Theo sleeping peacefully was a rare sight. Not many years ago, when Annie and Olive still spent the entire night in the shared bedroom, they would constantly wake everyone up during the night while battling through their nightmares. However, after being caught by Annie while on her way to Finnick's house, Olive explained to her twin about her dreamless nights whenever she was with him, which developed into Annie asking Angel to meet in her respective victor's house. Just like they had imagined, it worked for Annie too, allowing her twin to celebrate the third month without any panic attacks, and the fifth since her nightmares forced her to have a sleepless night.
With her attention back on her little brother, Olive brushed a couple of Theo's hair out of his face, thinking of a way of waking him that wouldn't make him jump out of the bed.
You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are grey.
Theo's eyes fluttered open, slowly tuning in to reality as Olive kept singing without minding that he was already awake. She kept stroking his hair, a soft smile forming on her lips, which Theo copied.
You'll never know, dear
How much I love you
Please don't take
My sunshine away.
Theo waited until the song was over to raise an eyebrow mockingly at his sister. "Mum's lullaby. To wake me up. Really?"
"You used to love it when you were a kid," Olive said, ruffling his hair some more.
"I turned eighteen last week, Liv," he defended, chuckling slightly at her sister's attempt at bothering him by messing up her hair.
"So what? Are lullabies prohibited after turning eighteen?" She gasped dramatically. "Have I been breaking the law?"
Theo nodded, his eyes hardly open as he replied, "yeah, now, while you wait for the Peacekeepers to come and drag you to jail, why don't you let me sleep five more minutes?"
With a scoff, Olive began listing his chores, also reasons for which he had to get up. "Because we have family dinner. You still have to go pick mum's sketchbooks before Miss Owens and the poor kids get to our home back in the town. Give them the gauzes, and, if you're oh so merciful, give the kids some food, too. Think of the kids, Theo. The kids."
"I'll think of the kids once I'm out of bed, and it doesn't sound so weird. Also, I need a coffee." His eyes shot open, staring into Olive's as his lips curved into a playful smile. "My dearest sister whom I love and appreciate with my life, heart, and soul, would you mind—"
"Yeah, I'll make the coffee. Now, get up." Olive ruffled his hair one last time and walked out of the room, leaving the door closed behind her to let Theo change his clothes in peace.
The kitchen was in complete turmoil as she walked through the door. Angel and Gianna were running around, giving orders, while Finnick, the siblings' father, and Annie followed them the best they could. Apparently, most things had been finished; only some minor details were left to be taken care of.
"Joe, could you check on the bread, please?" Angel asked, turning to the siblings' father, who nodded in response.
"I'm glad you and Finnick like cooking, Angel," said Joe, turning the oven light on. "Olive and Annie have no appreciation whatsoever for cooking. I hope you two will take care of my helpless children."
"Dad," the twins reprimanded in unison.
"Don't worry, Joe," said Finnick, who seemed to have gained more confidence around the family over the years. "We would never let them starve, right, Angie?"
"Right." Angel nodded along with a short, playful smile.
"We know how to cook," argued Olive, her hands leaving the mug with Theo's coffee on the counter.
"You're not that great at it, though, honey," said Finnick, giving her a light peck.
"Fair enough," Olive mumbled.
"At least you're better than Librae. That's something." Gianna tried to cheer them up, but only made the twins turn to look at her with worried expressions.
"I would be genuinely worried if we weren't," Olive said, while Annie simply nodded.
Time flew by between laughs. Theo left after gulping down the coffee, Angel finished nagging everyone as the food was finally done, and Joe left the front door open; the victors would come in without knocking, regardless. Once they all arrived and sat down at the table, they waited for Theo to get back from town, leave the books and drawings he had retrieved from their home, and join them. With the television left on like background music, stories and funny anecdotes were brought up; many of which only the elder victors knew.
"And then I got on one knee and—" Clem cleared his throat, causing Rhett to correct himself. "I mean, the love of my life, Clem, got on one knee and asked me to marry him."
"And he squealed with joy. Even Mags and Muscida heard, and they were the entire block away from us," added Clem, a smile forming on his face as his eyes landed on his husband. "Best day of my life."
"Better than our wedding day?" Rhett glanced at the young adults around, coming to a conclusion before continuing. "Or our honeymoon?"
"You didn't squeal on either of those occasions."
"And that's why I love you."
"Not in front of the kids," Muscida said, clearly amused at her former mentors' interaction. "Their minds aren't corrupted yet, especially little Theo's."
"I'm eighteen." Theo huffed.
"Still a kid," Joe said, ruffling his son's hair. "You'll be forty, and we'll still see you like a child, Theo. Accept your fate."
Theo pouted and folded his arms, causing Gianna to chuckle and lay her arm over his shoulders. "Aw, is my cute baby brother mad?"
"Yeah," said Theo in a child-like voice.
Chatter didn't die down until late afternoon when the broadcast of District Twelve's victors' wedding gowns was five minutes away from starting. They all laughed, cracking jokes about Caesar's new hair colour. Between jokes, Finnick's and Olive's eyes locked, deciding to give the news right before the first photos were displayed.
"By the way, I'm moving in to Finnick's house," Olive said plainly, causing her family to smile at them.
"About time," said Ron, his eyes travelling from them to their recent couple. "Annie, Angel, you two are next."
"Mm–hmm," agreed Librae, her smile widening as Ron held her hand tighter. "I can't believe Katniss and Peeta got ahead of all of you. Those kids go fast. I bet they're eager to appease the beast."
"With all the trouble they have unintentionally caused, I'm sure he didn't really give them another option," Clem said, resting his head on his hand, while the other searched for his husband's hand.
"Well, that means less attention on us." Rhett held his husband's hand and glanced at the young couples with a playful smirk. "Don't get too excited just yet, alright? We still have the Quarter Quell ahead of us before you can get ahead of yourselves and Finnick and Angel get on one knee."
"Who says it'll be them?" Annie asked, causing most to look at her, surprised.
"Yeah," Olive backed her twin up. "We could be the ones to propose to them."
"I doubt it." Ron flashed them a mocking grin, making Librae stare at him plainly.
"Is that a bet?"
"Alright—"
Peeta's outfits had just begun to be shown when Gianna cleared her throat to get the victors' attention. She put on the clearest fake, yet menacing, smile, and stated calmly, "how about you stop betting on other people's love lives, and concentrate on your own? Or better, watch the damn broadcast that we've been waiting for hours."
Mags chuckled and turned up the volume, letting them listen to Caesar's comments about the gowns perfectly. To the Capitol's standards, they appeared to be beautiful. To their District Four standards, however, they didn't look good on such innocent children. Out of the two, Katniss's dresses were the worst ones. They were covered in something: gems, jewels, or even feathers. There was nothing simple; it all was so extravagant that it forgot it had to suit Katniss's personality, not only her body.
"Mum's drawings would look better on her than those monstrosities," said Gianna, causing those outside the Cresta family to glance at her, confused. "Our mother had a sketchbook filled with flowers that she wanted to use in wedding dresses. There are about four or five pages of wedding dresses at the end."
"The Fire Lilies she so much loved," Olive muttered. "It would be ironic if the girl on fire wore a dress with those decorations, don't you think?"
"Better than those things for sure," Theo said disdainfully, scrunching his nose at the last dress being shown. "Worst is, the Capitol is the one to vote on which one she'll wear. Like, come on, it's her damn wedding, and she can't even pick her dress? Or Peeta his suit?"
"They look good," said Annie. "Not great, but … good."
"Yeah." Angel searched for Annie's hand to intertwine it with her own. "Anyway, it's not like it's their actual wedding. Let's hope things work out for them, and they can have a real one."
"I don't know. You really think she has any feelings for him?" asked Finnick, his eyes travelling from Olive to the others.
"Yes," chorused Annie, Mags, Theo, and Olive.
"No," denied Gianna, Joe, Rhett, and Librae.
"Maybe." Ron, Muscida, and Clem shrugged.
Angel took a sip from her glass of water and sighed. "I don't think she knows it herself. Right now, she must be only thinking of those she has to protect, right? I mean, her own damn cousin got flogged. In my opinion, there's not much time to think about romance there."
"That's right, this year will be the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Hunger Games, and that means it's time for our third Quarter Quell!" chimed Caesar through the television.
The anthem played as President Snow took the stage. A young boy dressed in a white suit followed behind him, holding a simple wooden box. The anthem ended, and President Snow began to speak about the Dark Days from which the Hunger Games were born. Every twenty-five years, the anniversary of the Games would be marked by a Quarter Quell — a worse version of the Games — to refresh the pain and suffering inflicted after the rebellion.
As if anyone could forget or not know about it, President Snow went on to explain what happened in the only two Quarter Quells Panem had celebrated so far. "On the twenty-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district was made to hold an election and vote on the tributes who would represent it."
"Polly …" Mags mumbled, tears threatening to leave her eyes.
"On the fiftieth anniversary," the president continued his demoralising speech, "as a reminder that two rebels died for each Capitol citizen, every district was required to send twice as many tributes."
"Poor Haymitch…" Librae muttered to herself, which made Ron wrap an arm around her shoulders to bring her closer and kiss her head.
"And now we honour our third Quarter Quell," said President Snow.
Everyone sat at the edge of their seats, either gripping onto their own clothes or each other's hands. Who knew who would have to mentor that year, or how would it be? What if they changed the rules and only those above eighteen could be chosen that time? It sure would send the message of not ever escaping the Capitol's fury in Olive's opinion.
"On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors."
No. Olive thought. No, no, no. That can't be.
The floor wobbled under her feet, and the walls crept closer with every second that passed. If she weren't sitting on a chair, she would have fallen, or perhaps run off. Olive didn't want to be in the victor's house; the same thing that was condemning her back again to the lottery of death.
"We played their damn game!" shouted Librae, her hands running furiously through her hair as she paced around the living room. "We did all they asked for, and now they want to fucking kill us again?" Her eyes landed on the president, who acted unfazed by the news. "Son of a—"
Angel had to get Annie out of the way quickly to evade the glass aimed at the television. "Librae!"
That's right. I'm not the only one condemned. Olive realised, her stomach turning around and the meal she had eaten threatening to make a reappearance. Mags deserves to spend her time until her last days in Four. Muscida and Librae have suffered enough, and there's no way I'm letting Annie die. I'll volunteer. I have to. They won't die. I won't let that sick bastard get away with killing them.
"We're going back," Annie mumbled. "We're going to die."
"No," said Angel decisively, cupping Annie's face tenderly as they locked eyes. "I won't let that happen, Annie, I promise. I'll find a way."
"Don't bother," Olive said plainly, her eyes hardly showing any emotions as she continued, "Annie won't go back. I'm legally considered a woman. I'll take her place."