"Ok, that's Gale?" Taiya confirmed as she and Gloss lined up in the queue in the cafeteria.
"Yeah, he's the one sitting next to Boggs," Gloss nodded.
"Oh god he's sitting two seats down from Tyler," Taiya sighed. "We're going to get in trouble."
"No we won't," Gloss shook his head. Taiya could only frown. "It'll just be you getting in trouble."
"You're an ass," Taiya grumbled as they made their way over to the table.
"And action," Gloss whispered to Taiya as he stopped behind Gale.
"Hey Dale," Taiya greeted with a wide smile.
Gale slowly looked up with a frown before it softened on seeing her. He'd been the one to carry her out of her cell in the Capitol. "It's Gale," he corrected.
"Oh god I am so sorry," Taiya gasped in feigned shock. "Gale Cawthorne right?"
"Hawthorne. Gale Hawthorn," he smiled lightly.
"Oh god," she laughed. "What am I like!" she tapped her forehead dramatically. "Gale Hawthorne, I'm so sorry, I swear I'll never forget again!"
"What can I do for you?" he asked, not quite sure why she was talking to him.
"Taiya, come on," Gloss leaned over Boggs, strategically cutting off Tyler's view, who was watching the both of them like a hawk.
"Just wait, Gloss!" Taiya lectured her friend with an eye roll. "Sorry Gale, I just wanted to see if you knew how Katniss was going. I know Peeta hurt her real bad, and I just feel guilty. I knew he wasn't alright and I wish I could have done more to warn her."
Hearing this, Tyler went rigid and he leaned backwards, trying to catch her attention from behind Gloss. Taiya caught his eyes and he widened them dramatically in warning. He knew she didn't feel bad at all. He knew she was up to something.
"She'll be alright," Gale answered, all too happy to discuss the famous girl on fire. "They don't know how damaged her voice will be though. We'll have to wait and see when she wakes up. But she'll survive. She always does."
"Oh, that's such a relief to hear," Taiya sighed dramatically, quickly glancing at Gloss who gave her a quick nod. Mission accomplished. "Well, I'll catch you later Gale, let's go, Gloss," she quickly walked away and around to the other side of the table, taking a seat opposite Tyler. "How's it going Tyler?" she asked the stiff-jawed man.
"Fine," he answered tersely as his eyes flickered between the two smiling friends.
"AH!" Gale exclaimed as he spat out his coffee. "Urgh, that's horrible!" he looked at his mug of coffee in disgust.
"Are you ok?" Taiya asked as she popped a bit of bread in her mouth, refusing to look at Tyler.
"Yeah," he didn't look up from his drink as he stared at it accusingly. "I must be tired or something. I think I put salt in there instead of sugar."
Taiya had to try to contain her snigger as she felt Tyler shove her foot under the table. "It's ok. That happens sometimes. Annie does it all the time."
Taiya did feel bad about using her vulnerable friend like that, but it did have its desired effect on Gale.
"I uh, I think I'm going to head downstairs and practice my shooting," he mumbled as he stood up, picking up his half-eaten tray of food.
"I think I'll come with you," Boggs stood to follow. He thought perhaps Gale was taking Katniss being in the hospital harder than he was letting on. So he probably shouldn't be in the shooting range by himself.
As soon as Boggs was out of earshot, Tyler kicked Taiya's shin under the table.
"Ow! What was that for?" she complained.
"Oh please, you know what that was for. You put salt in his coffee!" Tyler hissed.
"I did not!" Taiya denied, and technically she wasn't lying.
"Well, I know he didn't do it himself."
"But I didn't do it," Taiya smiled at him. "I just stopped to talk to him. He did rescue me after all, I should probably talk to him a bit. My saviour."
"Did she put you up to this?" Tyler asked Gloss.
"Put me up to what?"
"To putting salt in Hawthorne's coffee!"
"Don't know what you're talking about," Gloss shrugged as he returned to his meal.
"Oh god Buck was right," Tyler rubbed his eyes.
"What was I right about?" Buck asked as he joined the table.
Taiya and Gloss' eyes instantly widened. "Nothing!" they both spoke up together.
"What did you do?" Buck immediately turned to Taiya.
"Absolutely nothing," Taiya denied.
"They put salt in Gale Hawthorne's coffee," Tyler grumbled, like a disappointed dad.
Buck turned back to look at Taiya and Gloss who were nervously looking at him. He was scary.
"Nice!" Buck nodded appreciatively. He didn't like Gale either it seemed.
"Buck!" Tyler looked at his friend in dismay. "I explicitly made her swear last night she wasn't going to misbehave."
"Yeah and I told you she was lying," Buck shook his head, still struggling to comprehend how Tyler believed that in the first place. "I mean come on, Hawthorne is a pain in the ass. I say let her have this one harmless little prank."
Both men completely missed the side eyes Gloss and Taiya shot each other. They definitely weren't stopping at one.
Taiya's eyes were drawn to a bronze-haired figure as he entered the cafeteria. It was him. Finnick. Seeing him come in, she immediately leapt up, leaving her tray abandoned and made her way towards him.
She didn't know what her heart was doing. Was it beating fast out of excitement or fear?
It was as she was walking towards him that she found she was struggling to recall the exact shade of sea green his eyes were, she couldn't recall where the corners of his eyes crinkled when he laughed. How could she ever forget these details? These details that meant everything to her?
She knew Snow had been playing games with her, but it wasn't until this moment that she realised how much he'd gotten in her head.
She was walking towards him and she realised she couldn't do this here. They couldn't have their first discussion in the middle of the District 13 cafeteria. Taiya wasn't used to other people watching Finnick and her in their element together, and she wasn't about to start now.
So she walked past him.
This was the moment she knew he was real, and not a mutt. No mutt could replicate the emotion he exhibited then.
The sound of a heartbreaking may be imperceptible to the human ear, but the energy change felt in the surrounding area was deafening. It was like watching a dead swallow fall gently down to Earth. A slow, devastating scene.
Taiya hadn't intended for this reaction. She'd just meant to stand behind him, at the tray cleaning station so she could whisper to him.
But her perceived brush-off had hurt him.
"Hey," she whispered from behind, and she watched as his whole demeanour lifted. "I don't want people listening in. Meet me in my room in an hour. Alone."
"Yeah. Yeah, of course," Finnick nodded, it was hard to miss the sound of his smile in his voice.
Taiya glanced down and quickly brushed her fingers across his palm that lay by his side, running them down his palm and to the end of his fingers. His fingers twitched as she reached the end, desperate to feel her touch again.
"I… I love you," she assured before she turned and left the cafeteria.
"Johanna Mason?" Taiya asked the younger girl she knew to be Katniss' sister.
"I'll show you," the younger girl smiled. "Follow me," she put down her chart and waved Taiya over to a far corner of the hospital. Johanna was being kept out of the way partly because of her damaged appearance, and partly because she kept snapping and swearing at everyone around her. "She's been asking for you."
"Finally," Johanna scowled when she saw Taiya approach.
"Good luck," Prim whispered before hurrying away.
"Hello to you too," Taiya rolled her eyes as she took a seat beside the bed.
"How'd you get let out?" Johanna frowned.
"I used my charm."
"But you're a nut?" Johanna asked with genuine confusion.
"Thanks," Taiya scoffed.
"Did Tyler bribe your way out?"
"I think so yeah," Taiya admitted with a smile. Her smile fell as she looked Johanna over. She knew Johanna had been tortured, and she knew exactly how. But she hadn't been able to lay an eye on her friend the entire time they were in the Capitol. And now that she could see her… it was devastating.
"Peeta tried to choke the lights out of Katniss," Johanna smirked. "Good kid. But I guess they've locked him up pretty well now. Are you just biding your time before you go apeshit on their asses?" Johanna's eyes lit up.
"Gloss and I are taking a more subtle approach for revenge."
"Oh crap," Johanna turned her head away in disappointment. "You two are either going to go too small or too big."
Taiya could only nod. "Yeah to be fair, Gloss' first suggestion would've blown this whole place up."
"I'm not against that," Johanna shrugged.
"With us inside?"
"Ok, I'm a little against it."
"Have you seen Peeta?" Johanna asked solemnly and Taiya instantly knew the conversation was turning serious.
"No," Taiya shook her head. "Haymitch said he's on lockdown. No one is allowed to see him."
"How's that meant to help him?" Johanna snapped.
"Apparently they have to evaluate him. What's the fuss about over there?" Taiya glanced to the other end of the hospital where people were gathering.
"They're waking up the girl on fire soon," Johanna rolled her eyes.
"So all the attention will be on her?" Taiya smiled and Johanna merely huffed.
"Perfect then," Taiya smiled as she pulled out a keycard from behind her back.
"Now where did you get that?" Johanna's eyes lit up deviously.
"I lifted it off of Prim," Taiya flipped the card around, to hide it up her sleeve. "She's sweet. But, while they're all worried over Katniss, I'm going to check on Peeta."
"Oh thank god," Johanna sighed in relief. "I don't trust these doctors with him. They don't know him like we do."
"Trust me, Jo. When it's clear I'm going to check on him."
"They'll spot you."
"I'm stealthy."
Johanna just snorted.
"Hey! I am stealthy. One time I broke into Buck's house and hid in his pantry for two hours without being spotted."
"Why in the world would you do that in the first place?"
"To scare him."
"And did you?"
"Oh yeah," Taiya laughed. "Big time."
"Nice!"
"How are you though? Like actually."
Johanna sighed, she knew they'd have to have this conversation, but it didn't make it fun. "I can't sleep. I can't even close my eyes," she swallowed. "I think he broke all of us Taiya."
Taiya shook her head in denial. "No. Don't let him do that to us. We got out. We're free. He didn't beat us. Jo," Taiya grabbed her friend's hand and squeezed it tight. "If we stick together, and support each other, he can never win."
"Can't exactly support each other when we're all being kept separate," she grumbled.
"I'm here visiting you now aren't I?"
"Yeah but, you're out walking around while I'm stuck here."
"Yeah well, I think they knew discharging me was going to be better for the doctors than the hassle of keeping me here. I don't have a lot of physical marks of what happened to us."
"You have mental ones," Johanna turned her head to stare Taiya blankly in the eye. "Deny it all you like but I can see through your mask. I always have been able to. You're smiling to my face now, but you're not ok. You told me how it was for you after your Games, you can perform, and put on your game face. But inside you're drowning. That's what's happening now."
"I know," Taiya groaned. "I know. I just. I just want to be at home. Not inside this prison. And I think I'm trying to keep myself occupied so I don't think about it too much. But I can't break right now because I might…"
"Kill some doctors?" Johanna interrupted with an evil smile. "Oh, I so wish you got one. Just one!"
"If I had killed one they'd probably kick me out of here so maybe not a good idea Jo," Taiya rolled her eyes.
"They're going into Katniss' room," Johanna's eyes lit up. "Go! Please, go check on him."
Taiya's head whipped around to see that yes, everyone was filing into Katniss' room now, no one was watching Peeta's door.
"I'll be back," Taiya quickly squeezed Johanna's room before she jumped up from her seat and raced on her tiptoes to the door she knew Peeta was locked behind.
The first swipe she did on the door flashed red.
"Crap, crap, crap," Taiya panicked as she pulled back the card and shook it, for some reason thinking that would activate it. But she swiped it again, only for it to flash red. "No," she moaned, stamping her foot. Maybe Prim didn't have clearance to Peeta's cell.
"Taiya!" Johanna's voice hissed, and Taiya turned her head to look at her friend, thinking she was warning her about someone coming. "Turn it around," Johanna mimed in the air.
With a frown, Taiya looked down to see that even from a distance, Johanna was right. Taiya was scanning the wrong side of the card. "Oh," she laughed to herself as she turned around the card and swiped, and the door flashed green.
"Idiot," she heard Johanna grumble as she slid through the door and softly closed it behind her.
There was one more door to get through before she could reach Peeta. But this one wasn't sealed with a key card, it was a door handle lock, and she did not have the key.
She'd never been more grateful for Kenna in her life she thought as she pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and unpicked the lock just as Kenna had shown her. There was a click as she heard the lock move back and she smiled smugly as she flung the door open and waltzed in.
"Hey boo," she greeted Peeta.
"Taiya!" his eyes widened in relief and he tried to move, only to be held back by restraints. His hands and feet were tied down to the bed.
"What the hell!" Taiya hissed as she raced forward and instantly undid his restraints. "How dare they do this to you!"
"Taiya…."
"Peeta," she breathed in relief as she sat beside him and pulled him into a hug.
It was hard to keep the look of despair off of her face. He looked worse than Johanna. He looked worse than the last joint interview they'd been forced to do together. He was painted black and blue with bruises.
"What happened?" she breathed as she pulled away.
"Where are we?" Peeta asked, not releasing his hold on her forearm.
"District 13. They rescued us. Do you remember what happened before that? You left to do an interview and they didn't bring you back for days! We were so worried Peeta, we thought…"
"There was an attack," he cut her off. "I heard them talking in the mansion. They thought I couldn't hear, but I could. They were planning an attack on 13. I warned them and they… why would I warn them?" his eyes darted around in confusion. "Why would I want to warn them? Katniss is here."
"That's probably why you wanted to warn them," Taiya tapped his hand.
"No. She's a MUTT!" he roared.
"Hey! Hey!" Taiya tried to calm him down. "I agree," she said to placate him and he immediately relaxed. "Katniss is a mutt." He'd been injected with tracker jacker venom every day they were locked up. She knew how to deal with him when he had these little meltdowns.
"We're not safe here," he held onto her hand. "They won't stop until we're dead. It's like the voices said to you," he said and she stiffened up. She knew now that she was out of the Capitol and clearheaded that, despite how much she may wish it to be true, those voices weren't real. The voices were from her dead loved ones. Cruelly used against her to tell her lies. The ones that spoke to her were dead. "You have to kill her. It's the only way we'll be safe. Have you seen her?" his eyes began to darken.
"No," she shook her head and he instantly relaxed. "You knocked her out pretty good, they're keeping her sedated."
"That means you could take her out Taiya, this is our chance," he grabbed her hand. "She's a liar. Nothing she says is true. You can't trust her. You can't!" he began to work himself into a panic.
"Hey, bread boy!" she grabbed his bony shoulders, trying to ground him. "I hate her."
He nodded as he let out a sob. "She's a mutt, a monster. The Capitol designed her to ruin the world. Nothing she says is true."
"Everything about her is a lie they want us to believe," Taiya went along with him. She'd learnt in the last few days they'd spent Capitol together, he'd reached a point where the only way to have any kind of normal discussion with him, was to agree to his Katniss slander and then try to change the subject. "What happened to your eye boo?" she asked as she gently touched beneath his left eye. It was bright red.
"Got punched," he grumbled. "For trying to help Katniss. What a waste of my time."
"Johanna got out as well. She's being looked after," Taiya tried yet again to orient the subject away from Katniss.
"She's ok?" he asked, captured victor bond prevailing.
"Well ok is probably a stretch. Even before we were taken," she lightly joked. "But at least she won't be electrocuted anymore," Taiya scowled.
"Are you ok?" he asked. "How's your leg?" he looked down at the bandage wrapped around her calf from where she was bitten by the lizard that one time.
"Almost all healed. They say I should only need the bandage for another week or two."
The door being slammed open had Taiya and Peeta both jumping to their feet, ready to attack anyone who was coming for them.
Too bad it was just Haymitch.
"What are you doing in here?" he hissed as he raced over and gently helped Peeta back onto the bed.
"I'm visiting my cell besties. What are you doing in here?" Taiya crossed her arms as she glared at the older man.
"I'm coming to get you out before you end up locked up again. You're not allowed in here. Do you understand how much trouble you'll be in if you're caught?" he demanded. "How did you get in… Not important. What is important is that Plutarch and a doctor are headed this way. Johanna is stalling them by screaming obscenities at them, she's also doing it so they'll up her morphling dose. They'll give it to her so we don't have long. You've got to get out of here. If they find out you broke in… god Taiya," he brushed his hair back in stress.
"How'd you know I was in here?" Taiya frowned.
"Johanna flagged me down."
"Nark!" Taiya snapped in outrage.
"She's helping you out," Haymitch rolled his eyes. "How are you Peeta?" he redirected his eyes to his tribute who was solemnly staring at the ceiling.
"The same as last night and the same as this morning. Rubbish."
"Tay didn't cheer you up?" Haymitch frowned.
"She did," he admitted. "But now she has to leave." The boy sighed as he looked down at his limbs. "Tie me back up. If they're undone they'll know she got in."
Haymitch darted forward and lightly restrained Peeta. "Hey. I'll get her back in soon. The next time with permission. Hold in there buddy," he said quietly, gently squeezing Peeta's slimmed-down shoulder.
"YOU CAN ALL ROT IN HELL!" a loud scream reached the room.
"Time to go," Haymitch grabbed Taiya's arm and hauled her out of the cell room.
That was Johanna's signal.
"I'll be back!" Taiya yelled back her promise before she left the room.
"How did you even get in there?" Haymitch asked as he shut the door behind him.
"I picked the lock," Taiya shrugged as she slumped against the wall in frustration. She wished she'd had longer with Peeta.
"How do you know how to pick locks?" Haymitch asked curiously. It seemed like a strange skill for a mayor's daughter to have up her sleeve.
"Kenna taught me."
"How did she know how to do it?"
"I dunno. She wanted to sunbathe on my pier one day so she broke in. I don't live there so she figured I wouldn't mind."
"Did you?"
"Well, I wasn't thrilled she broke into my house. I gave her a key after that and she moved in. I don't use it, I live with… Finnick," Taiya said after a deep breath.
"Why would she teach you how to pick a lock though?"
That's when Taiya's face lit up as a wide smile beamed up at Haymitch. "She taught me because I wanted to break into Buck's place." Taiya let out a small giggle and continued before Haymitch could even ask. "I hid in a cupboard and jumped out and scared the hell out of him when he got home. Scared the shit out of him," Taiya bit the tip of her thumb to try to stop giggling. "He didn't speak to me for two weeks after that."
Haymitch's stern face eased up as he watched her. He'd been worried about her. Her eyes had been dull every time he'd seen her. That just was so unlike her. But now as she thought back on this memory, she looked more like herself.
So she was slightly back to herself when she reminisced on torturing her friends… it was an interesting coping method.
"Haymitch," Plutarch greeted as he entered the reception area of Peeta's cell. "Miss Ambersnow," he frowned in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
"Here," Taiya walked forward and handed the ex-Gamemaker Prim's keycard. "I was hoping the card would work for the cell as well. No such luck."
"How did you…"
"Time to go!" Haymitch placed his hands on Taiya's shoulders and steered her out. He knew Plutarch wanted her healthy and stable enough to get involved with the campaign and film some propos, so it was unlikely he'd rat her out to Coin, but Haymitch didn't want her to answer any more questions. She'd only incriminate herself which could impact her likelihood of seeing Peeta again, and oh boy did that kid need some visits from friends.
"I'm just going to sit with Johanna again for a bit," Taiya tried to pull out of his grip to no avail. For an old man, he had hands of steel.
"Not a chance," Haymitch pointed over at the unconscious girl. "She's out for the count. Morphling works quickly."
Taiya could only sigh. Morphling was so addictive. She hoped Johanna wouldn't become reliant on it. But her friend needed it now. She was in agony. Her hand still twitching, even in her sleep from the residual fear of the electrical current running through her body as she was tortured.
An extraordinarily cruel torture technique. Johanna had refused a bath upon arrival at 13 because her fear of water now ran through her with such ferociousness.
"Gale!" Taiya called out as the man exited Katniss' hospital room. She tapped Haymitch's hand and he groaned before releasing his grip on her.
"Oh, hey Taiya," Gale glanced at Haymitch in confusion.
"I heard from the rumour mill you have privileges to go above ground?" Taiya queried. Gloss was the rumour mill.
"Yeah," Gale nodded with a frown. "I'm sorry Taiya, but they won't approve you going up."
"No, sorry. I don't want to go up," she shook her head. "I was just wondering if you could do me a favour."
"That depends," he shoved his hands in his pocket as he shifted his weight to another foot, not quite sure where this was leading.
"Could you grab me a whole bunch of grass?"
"Huh?" he tilted his hair.
"Did you watch much of the Games? The straw type. Like what we used to make the grass mats and baskets. I want to make Peeta a present."
"Oh," Gale nodded, taking a moment to understand what she was getting at. "OH!" Pirate hats. "Do you think that will help him?" he asked curiously. They were at a loss with what to do with Peeta. They couldn't expose him to Katniss, it was too dangerous, but they couldn't keep him locked up forever. That wouldn't help him or Katniss.
"It might help bring his focus in a bit. It's worth a try. I want to try. He hates Katniss right, well I'm not associated with Katniss, so maybe I can try to get through to the real Peeta."
"Yeah," Gale nodded as he studied her face. She was with Peeta in the Capitol. That would have created a strong bond, and they got along so well in the Games. It was worth a try. If it calmed him down and could potentially eliminate a threat to Katniss, he would try it. "I'll see what I can do next time I go up."
"Thank you," Taiya said sincerely as she exhaled in relief. Maybe she'd have to take Gale off her and Gloss' list if he could help her with this.
She'd bolted from Haymitch as soon as they'd gotten close enough to her compartment. She was just glad Gloss wasn't there. She wasn't expecting Finnick for another 10 minutes.
Which meant she didn't hold back on her meltdown.
She swiped the vase holding a bundle of basil and rosemary off of the dresser. That was Buck's attempt at a 'feel better' bouquet he'd stolen from the greenhouse.
The glass shattered all over the floor and she let out a wail as she ripped the top drawer out. As she did, something flew out of the top and bounced along the floor.
She frowned as she walked towards it, she hadn't added anything into her drawers. Neither had Gloss.
Her eyes widened as she recognised what it was.
Her most prized possessions.
She reached down to pick it up before she started crying her eyes out. Her sea glass necklace Annie had given her before she went into her games, along with Theo's ring, and her engagement ring.
She loudly sobbed as she undid the clasp and lifted off the engagement ring.
She didn't even hear the door to her compartment open.
But she felt the warmth she was so desperately craving after all of this wrap around her and hold her to him.
Finnick.
"Finn," she sobbed.
"I know," he nodded, kissing the back of her head. "I've got you, babe, I've got you."
Taiya pulled out of his hold, jolting him as he jumped back. He'd gone onto default mode and hadn't even thought about how she'd react. She'd been cold since she'd gotten here to everyone but Gloss. He shouldn't have thought he'd be an exception.
But he was always an exception.
She was just switching angles.
She threw herself at him, clasping her arms around his neck, engagement ring held tightly in her fist as she held onto him for dear life.
"I'm sorry for being mean," she sobbed.
"You're not being mean," he smiled gently as he kissed her hair, arms tightly wrapped around her back. "You just needed to acclimatise."
"No. I need you," she shook her head, burying her nose into his neck. "I don't want to be mean to you. I want to be nice."
"I know you do," he laughed softly. "Do you want me to get a nurse?"
"No!" she panicked, tightening her hold on him even more, not that she could hold him much tighter than she already was. "If you get the nurse you won't come back."
"I'll come back," he laughed louder. "I promise. I'll always come back for you."
"Please, please don't leave me."
Finnick's smile fell and he was so glad she couldn't see him. That had haunted him since the day the Games ended. He knew she didn't mean it like that. But he'd left her, willingly or not, he'd left her in the arena and she got taken.
"You're mad at me," she cried out. She didn't need to see his face to feel his shift in emotion.
"I'm not mad at you," he pulled back, placing his hands on her cheeks as he stared down into her eyes. Eyes he'd missed so badly.
"Then why do you want to leave?"
"I'm not leaving Tay, I'm not leaving," he swore.
"I need to sit down," she sniffled as she wiped her arm under her eyes, cleaning up the waterfall of tears that had flooded down her cheeks.
"Ok," he placed his hands on her waist and slowly led her backward to sit on her bed. "Here we go," he warned before he lowered them both onto the bed.
They sat in silence together for a few minutes while Taiya tried to get her sobbing under control and Finnick rubbed his hand up and down her back.
"What's in your hand?" he asked quietly.
Taiya slowly unclenched her fist, revealing the ring he'd given her sitting as good as new in her palm.
"Where did you get that!?" he gasped, holding his hand underneath hers as he raised it higher to his eyes. "I thought it'd been lost."
"I don't know," Taiya shrugged. "I found it just as you walked in, it was in the drawer."
"The drawer that's been thrown halfway across the room?" Finnick clarified as he looked over at the mess she'd made.
"That's the one," she half smiled.
"You and I are going to get a bad rep in this place," Finnick chuckled to himself.
But Taiya did not.
She frowned as she looked up at him. "You didn't."
He didn't answer, he only grimaced.
"Oh Finn," she sighed as she lowered her head.
"You want to talk about it?" he asked gently as his glance went back to the mess she'd made in the short time between when he'd heard her compartment door open and close and when he ran in.
Taiya's chin began to wobble. "I wouldn't even know how," she stuttered, eyes filling with tears.
"Ok," he nodded, trying to think of which direction to take now. "What made you mess up the room right now? What was on your mind?"
"I hate him."
"Who?" He knew, but he still had to ask.
"Snow. He took everything from us. He's a liar, he's a liar," she began crying again and Finnick instantly enveloped her in another hug as he peppered her head with kisses.
"I know sweetheart. I know."
"Johanna, Peeta," Taiya tried to even out her breathing. "They're so broken. They look like hell."
"I won't tell them you said that."
"He destroyed them. They're skin and bone."
"Darling," he pulled back so he could look her in the eyes. "What about you?"
Taiya shook her head frantically. Her eyes widening.
"Babe…"
"No," she wailed. "I can't."
"Hey," he rested his forehead against her. "He can't hurt you. Here, hold my hand," he urged, and Taiya turned her palm down, clasping his hand, engagement ring in the middle. "I've got you. It's you and me here. You and me. That's my whole world. Always ok. I'm not leaving you. I swear. I would never. You've got me for life babe. But right now I need you to talk to me. Plutarch told me about the deal Snow offered you before the Games."
Taiya tried to pull back, but he wouldn't let her.
"I'm glad you didn't kill Katniss babe. I like her. And like you said, Snow's a liar."
"I know he is," she closed her eyes.
"Why don't you tell me what happened when you woke up?"
"He was there when I woke up," Taiya's voice shook. "Right by my bed. He tried to tell me you left me on purpose and abandoned me. I didn't believe him."
"That's my girl," Finnick smiled as he kissed her forehead.
"He said he rescued me because he's always been fond of me. So at least we know he doesn't always lie," she tried to joke.
"Tay."
"I know. He just lied and lied about you. He said he wanted to rescue you from the rebels so you could rejoin your Capitol friends," Taiya sneered in disgust, not missing Finnick stiffen. "He's a foul pig."
"You've got that right."
"He was… he was having Johanna tortured. I could hear her screams. I could hear them the whole time. Hers and Peeta's. They made sure we could hear each other's screams. That way even when we were in our cells, we were still being tortured. It never stopped," her voice quivered. "He tried to sell me."
Finnick ripped back from Taiya and she looked up at him, his eyes wide with despair as tears filled his eyes.
"No, no, no, no," Taiya was quick to reassure him. "It didn't work, it didn't work. I promise. I was ok. I was saved."
"I'm so sorry."
"I was ok, I was ok. He sold me to Romulus Crane. Rommy. He helped me. Kenna's still with him in the Capitol. He grabbed her when he came for Mags, Annie and Todd."
"Tyler told me she was in the Capitol. Is she OK?"
"Rommyy will keep her safe," Taiya nodded. At least she hoped he could. "He heard about Snow shopping a package deal from his friends. A victor and her friend. So he bought us before some sadistic creep could. He paid extra to get 'exclusive rights' to me," Taiya shuddered. "So no one else could buy me. I got to go to his place twice a week. It was the only time I got a break. He knows the truth about Seneca."
"He was ok with it?"
"Yeah," Taiya swallowed. "He was sad, but he tried to hide it. He was kind to me.
"I never thought I'd feel gratitude towards a Capitol citizen," Finnick tried to cheer her up. "I'll have to thank him when we finally win this and get to him and Ken."
Taiya didn't have anything to add to this, she just shot him a quick smile before her face fell and she leaned back against the headboard.
Finnick spun around and sat beside her, leaning against the headboard also as he reached over and tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear.
"You had a bruise," he ran his thumb across the place he'd noticed in her first interview.
"You saw my interview?" she smiled lightly.
"Yeah. Seaweed brain. Message received."
Taiya couldn't help but laugh. She'd prayed he'd be able to see through the bullshit she spoke and see her actual message, and he had.
"I really needed to hear that at the time. So thank you."
"Kenna punched me."
"That… wasn't quite what I was expecting," Finnick frowned.
"I would never sleep with Rommy willingly, Snow knew that. I had to sell that something happened to get me into line. So when he left the room I had Kenna hit me. I forgot she got Tyler to train her a couple of times so she could hang out with him, hurt like a bitch. The girl has a killer left hook. I think Kenna and Rommy are a thing though."
"Kenna and Romulus Crane?" Finnick's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He knew she was trying to change the subject away from what happened in the Capitol to gossip, and he was letting her. She'd told him some, it barely scratched the surface, but she would tell him in bits and pieces, he knew that. She just needed time.
"Yeah. I was always a little out of it when I was over, but they always sat awfully close to one another. I swear I caught them holding hands, but as soon as I looked over they stopped and came and sat with me. Cowards. How was District 13?"
"This place has good vibes. I've been living it up," he lied.
But she didn't believe him for a second. All she did was lift her eyebrows and he smiled.
"It's strange. They have rigid time schedules," Finnick pushed up his sleeve to show her his timetable for the day.
"You're meant to be in a meeting."
"I'm right where I need to be. I don't care what this says," he pushed his sleeve back down. "Well I mean I'm definitely not meant to be here. Tyler and Buck said I wasn't allowed."
Taiya looked up at him, hurt shading her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Plutarch's rules," he pecked her cheek with a kiss. "I'm not meant to be alone with you until you've had 'adequate group exposure' with me," he mocked Plutarch's voice. "Stupid rule."
"Why? Do they think I'm lying and would try to kill you like Peeta did to Katniss?"
"That's exactly what they're worried about," he smirked.
"Well then why'd you come here?" Taiya challenged, returning his smirk.
"Meh, you're smart. If you were going to off me you'd cover it up. There's no way you'd take me out in your compartment where all signs point to you."
"Don't be an ass," she shoved him lightly. "You're not funny."
"I think I'm hilarious."
Finnick's eyes glanced down, he hadn't caught her slip the ring back onto her finger, she must've done it when she'd changed positions. But now that he'd noticed it, his heart was swelling with joy.
All those torturous nights seemed inconsequential now that he had her beside him again. He'd never forget the pain or the torment. But the relief he felt having her with him, the positive emotions would outweigh any negative ones.
Now he just had to get her to confront her time in the Capitol. They couldn't allow her to retreat into herself like she had 8 years ago. They'd given her the first two days in District 13 to be bitter, but now they had to support her and help her through it.
All of them needed psych degrees and lots and lots of therapy to deal with all of their respective issues.
"I love you," Taiya whispered from beside him, breaking him out of his thoughts. She'd been studying his face while his mind ran away with its ideas and plans.
"I love you too," he smiled at her, eyes getting teary again. He'd been missing the sound of those words, and he was so, so glad to hear them again. He was worried he never would. "You're everything to me."
Taiya lifted her hand to his cheek as she studied his eyes. That was the shade of green that she loved. How she could ever have forgotten this shade she had no idea. She was logging it and locking it in her mind. She'd never allow herself to forget again. She couldn't be apart from him. She just couldn't bear it.
After she was done studying the colour, she studied his expression. Eyes soft, waiting for her next action. He wouldn't bring up another conversation unless he knew it was something she'd be comfortable with, and he definitely wouldn't make a move unless she was comfortable.
Remembering those lips, she hadn't been locked with for far too long sent a wave of longing through her veins.
And so she pulled him roughly by the collar of the ugly, wretched District 13 jumpsuit to her, colliding with his lips in a rush of fiery passion.
It didn't take long for Finnick to spring into action, all he'd needed was a sign, and this was it.
His hand snaked around her waist and pulled her flush against his body, and the other caressed her jaw, his thumb stroking her cheek.
But this wasn't close enough for Taiya. She grasped his shoulders and flung her left leg over him, pulling herself up so she was sat on his lap.
It felt like it did every time. Wild fireworks exploded everywhere he lay his hands, stirring up the butterflies that sat in her stomach, slaves to his touch. It was impossible to think of anything but the feeling of his hands on her body.
His lips moved against hers, firm and passionate but still careful. He didn't want to upset her or push her. He knew how temperamental her moods were when she was traumatised, but he was letting her lead, she had complete control over him, and she always would.
It was when Taiya's fingers tugged at the bronze curls at the back of his head that he couldn't stop the groan from slipping from his throat. Taiya smiled into the kiss proud to have elicited such a noise.
Finnick's hands grabbed her thighs and hoisted her up higher, pressing their bodies even closer together, hip to hip.
This time it was Taiya that the moan erupted from as she leaned back slightly, pulling him with her, refusing to break their hold.
Flames of passion burned through their bodies like a circuit, it felt right.
Finnick smirked into the kiss, pushing his hips up as he kissed her fervently, a hand moving up to wrap itself in her hair.
They were both lost in the kiss.
Taiya lowered her hands to his collar and gave it a small tug before her hands slipped slightly lower and she undid the top button of his jumpsuit.
"Absolutely not!" Gloss' voice broke through the haze and their lips immediately parted, but their bodies did not. "Immediately no. No, nuh uh. Get a room, guys."
"We have a room. Get out," Taiya retorted.
"Fine, get another room," he stepped further into the room, determined not to leave. "Come on guys," he groaned. "You're on my bed too! This is a shared space you know," he complained like a toddler. "Get your hand off her ass dude, don't paw her in front of me, she's basically my sis- get your hand off her ass."
Finnick raised his hands in the air reluctantly, but Taiya didn't release him. She also ignored Gloss' mention of her being like his sister. She knew it was not a conversation he wanted to have. He was doing everything in his power to avoid thinking about his actual sister, he'd processed as much as he could with the mental tools he had, but he was at a roadblock. He needed pranks to keep distracted or he'd break down with crippling devastation.
"Why are you here?" Taiya breathed, trying to slow her thudding heart.
"Tyler sent me in here to make sure Finnick didn't sneak in. You know apparently, you two don't have permission to be alone together. Tyler said he figured you'd be breaking that rule. But now I guess I know why he sent me and didn't do the dirty work himself. My mind is scarred, my innocence is gone," he rubbed at his eyes, trying to erase the image he'd walked in on from his mind.
It was the first whimper that woke Gloss.
It was unfortunate, but he was used to it given they'd been sharing a room for a few days in the Capitol as well.
So he was up and bounding across the room before she started thrashing.
And then she started screaming.
"NO! NO! NO! PLEASE NO! I'll be good! I'll be good! Please don't," she roared bloodcurdling as he grabbed her and pulled her up so that she was resting against him.
"Tay, Tay, wake up. You're ok. They're not here. They're not here," he tried to smooth as he kept her arms pinned, stopping her from attacking. She'd gotten him good in the nose the first time he tried to wake her up.
"Please, I promise," she cried.
"You're safe, you're safe," Gloss spoke close to her ear, hoping to break through her subconscious panic. "You're safe."
Taiya jolted awake at the same time the three men from next door burst into the room.
Taiya was panting wildly as her head whipped around the room, still kicking her legs around, not fully understanding that she was safe.
Finnick didn't even stop, as soon as he entered her immediately raced to her side, kneeling beside the bed, grabbing her hand and placing a hand on her cheek.
"Tay, sweetheart," he said, trying to grab her attention.
"Don't touch me!" she screamed in a panic as she tried to pull away from both Gloss and Finnick. "Please don't touch me!" she repeated and Finnick immediately released her cheek, but Gloss kept a hold of her, if he let her go she was likely to scratch their eyes out.
"Babe," he managed to lock her eyes with his, and the panic started to leave her eyes.
He went to take ahold of her hand but she jerked away. "Please don't touch me without telling me," her voice shook as tears fell.
"She's okay," Gloss whispered to him. "She just takes a long time to ground herself when she wakes up from a nightmare. "Here, I'm passing you over to Finnick, he's going to sit behind you," Gloss moved, allowing Finnick to take his spot on the bed to comfort her.
"Thanks," Finnick whispered as he pulled her into his chest. His arm was laying across her and he could feel her racing heart. She was terrified.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," her body shook. "Just tell me first before you touch me."
"Ok," he agreed. This was raw and unfiltered. The Taiya that was walking around in the daylight was wearing a mask that gave off the impression she was doing alright. When he'd walked in on her meltdown earlier today he knew she was keeping a lot of her feelings to herself, this was the most insight he was going to get into how she was really feeling for now, and it was heartbreaking. "I'm just going to grab your hips now and move you up? Are you ok with that?" he asked quietly and she nodded. "There we go," he said after moving her up and into a more comfortable position.
But she was still crying. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," he shook his head and he began to get upset himself, he couldn't let her see him upset. He had to look after her.
"Please don't be upset with me," she always knew.
"Never."
"Does this happen often?" Tyler asked Gloss as he kept a cautious eye on the couple.
"Every time she sleeps," Gloss nodded.
"We didn't hear anything last night," Buck frowned.
"We didn't sleep last night," Gloss confessed. They'd been up all night scheming a week's worth of pranks. Taiya was too scared to sleep and every time Gloss went to sleep he'd see his sister taking an axe to the chest whilst his body was falling back into the water. Both were keen for an all-night distraction.
"The lizards," Taiya's voice shook. "They were there. They killed them."
In her dreams, Snow's forms of torture would blend together. Sometimes when she was thrown into the voice room, there would be a chained lizard mutt in the corner, desperately clawing as it tried to reach her. And then in her dreams, the lizards would be there tearing apart her loved ones whose voices she heard, and even those whose she didn't hear.
The lizards tore apart Theo each night. They tore apart her parents. Shark. Tyler. Buck. Kenna. Mags. Annie. Johanna. Peeta. Seneca. Romulus. Haymitch.
Finnick.
"Breathe," he whispered to her, loudly breathing in and out as he tried to coach her breathing rhythm.
"She usually takes about fifteen minutes to calm down," Gloss explained to Tyler and Buck. "He's helping more than I could though. She'd still be trying to fight me off by this stage."
"Alright," Tyler ran a hand down his face. If there's one thing he knew about Taiya, it's that she didn't have a healthy outlet for trauma and she'd just cover it up and resist help until it was forced on her. This time was trickier because they didn't know exactly what she'd been through while she was captive. At least in her Hunger Games recovery, they knew exactly what she'd been through. This time was a mystery. She wasn't beaten up as badly as Johanna or Peeta were, but she was vulnerable mentally and Snow knew that. He would've torn her apart and she was now covering up her scars.
He didn't want to allow her to fall into the same destructive behaviour she had after she won her Games, he'd have to monitor her very carefully.
Uncomfortable with 4 men watching her with pity now that she'd calmed down enough, Taiya focussed her gaze on Buck.
"I told Haymitch about that time I hid in your cupboard."
"Huh?" Both Tyler and Finnick frowned, not knowing what she was talking about, whereas Buck's eyes widened.
"You didn't tell him," he shook his head in denial. "You can't of. You wouldn't. You couldn't."
"I did," Taiya nodded with a smile.
"Oh god," Buck panicked. "He's going to make so much fun of me," Buck raced out of the room.
"Add Buck to the list," Taiya smirked up at Gloss, trying to relieve some of the tension in the room.
"What list?" Tyler demanded.
"Nothing!" both Gloss and Taiya smirked.
Something else had happened that time Taiya had broken into Buck's house. That was the real reason he didn't talk to her for two weeks. He'd made her pinky promise not to tell anyone what she'd seen. She hadn't broken that pinky promise. But she was very excited to see how Buck would react the next time he saw Haymitch. If there was anything Buck knew how to do well, it was to make a situation awkward. Honestly, Taiya didn't even think Buck's secret was that bad, but the man was terrified of it being revealed.
"We need to get a room switch," Gloss sighed. He didn't want to swap. He and Taiya had each been using each other as emotional crutches. But she needed Finnick. They shouldn't be in separate rooms. And now that they knew Taiya wasn't going to try to kill him (quite the opposite actually) the best thing for her recovery was to have Finnick by her side.
"I'll talk to Plutarch tomorrow, and see if I can push it through."
"Does it have to be Plutarch?" Gloss nervously ruffled his hair.
"Why?" Tyler queried, automatically suspicious.
"No reason. No reason at all," Gloss shook his head.
Tyler was going to end up with bald patches at this rate from pulling his hair out. "You two are just… I can't… any trouble you two get in, it's on you, I'm not covering your asses."
No one believed that.
"Plutarch is the only one who'd side with us about a room change," Tyler explained. "If you two are going to stir up trouble, could you at least not mess with the ones that have the power to influence our time here?" he asked exasperatedly as he looked between them.
"Eat the rich!" Taiya chanted as she threw her fist in the air.
"You're going to be ok? Or do you need to come to our room tonight?" Tyler asked her.
"I'll be ok," she confirmed. She definitely wasn't sleeping anymore tonight.
"It's OK if you have a nightmare, Tay. We'll be here," he tried to comfort her. "Just yell if you need us." He then turned to exit and began muttering to himself. "Unbelievable, childish, reckless antics, going to get us kicked out…"
"Finn, I'm OK you can go back to your room."
"I think I should stay," he denied. "I can help you in the night."
"I'm not going to sleep again tonight love," she confessed, she wouldn't hide the truth from him.
"Tay, you need to rest."
"It's not worth it, it just makes me feel worse," she shook her head. "But you do need rest. Look, Gloss and I are going to enjoy our last slumber party and with any luck, tomorrow you and I will have a compartment of our own."
"I don't want to leave you."
"It's just for tonight. If I need anything, trust me, you'll hear me."
"If you need anything at all, even just a glass of water."
"I swear," she held up her pinky for him to clasp. He hated it, but he linked his pinky around hers and shook. She wanted to be alone and he could tell. But he knew her, and he knew she was being truthful when she said she and Gloss were going to enjoy their (hopefully) last night as roomies. Neither one was going to sleep, so they may as well entertain themselves as best they can.
"Just yell," he kissed her lips quickly before standing.
"I love you."
"I love you," he returned, brushing his hand over her cheek before he turned to the door, calculating the hours he'd spend apart from her just waiting for the morning.
"Finn!" Taiya called out before the door could close behind him.
"Yeah?" he spun back around.
"Don't put sugar in your coffee tomorrow," she warned.
"Wha… whyyyy?" he moaned. He was obsessed with sugar.
Gloss just laughed. "Oh trust me, man, don't do it," he shot a smile at Taiya.
"And don't tell Tyler or I'll be very disappointed in you," she frowned. She and Gloss did not need a nark, because Tyler would definitely sell them out to avoid any trouble.
Finnick's eyes widened. "Tyler's going to kill you two," he muttered.