Katniss and Johanna had gone insane. They were no longer fun to hang out with.

Taiya was able to keep up with them in training, but they were no longer matching her vibe. They were taking training way too seriously for Taiya's liking.

Taiya had thrown a fit when they told her she was getting moved into a higher-up class with her other two friends. She had no intention of joining in the war, so what was the point in changing her training? She could just stay in the beginner's class so she had something to do with her days.

But then Johanna taunted her and teased her about being the loser of the three. Taiya knew it was a manipulation. But she fell for it. Hook, line and sinker.

Today was the first day though that she properly was flat out refusing to train. The drill for today was called the 'Block'. It was deep underground in 13, an artificial Capitol city block. The exercise consisted of breaking into squads of eight and attempting to carry out missions. It was a perfect simulation of what being in the war in the Capitol would be like.

The anxiety over the idea of the exercise set her off. And she didn't have Finnick on hand to calm her down.

She'd been standing at the back of the class muttering to herself when Johanna looked back to check on her. Johanna's eyes instantly widened as she took in the pale shade of Taiya's face. Taiya had looked after her the other week in the rain, she needed to look after Taiya now.

"Tay, it'll be fine," Johanna touched her arm as she walked over to her.

"No! No! No!" Taiya shoved her friend off, her hands were shaking, and her palms were sweaty.

"Taiya, it's ok, you're safe."

"Be quiet!" she yelled at the empty room, slamming her hands over her ears, and drawing everyone's attention to her. Johanna hadn't realised how bad she was. Before that, her breakdown had gone relatively unnoticed. "No, no, no, get out of my head!"

"Taiya," Johanna tried to pull her to the side, but the girl was refusing to move. "Tay, no one's speaking. You're fine Tay," she tried to reassure.

"NO!" Taiya collapsed onto the floor.

"Get Finnick!" Johanna snapped at the class.

Katniss was the only one to move, she immediately started running out of the room to get the only person who'd be able to break Taiya out of this fit.

"He's going to kill everyone," Taiya clawed at Johanna's arm. "He's going to kill us all."

"Who? Who?"

"Snow!"

The room seemed to close in on Taiya, her hands returning to clutch her head in an attempt to ward off the invisible assailants attacking her mind. The artificial sounds of the Block, meant to replicate a war zone, were now blending with the haunting words of her dead loved ones.

"Snow's not here, Tay. You're in District 13. We're safe I promise. We're going to kill Snow. He won't be able to hurt us anymore," Johanna tried to reason.

"He's in my head!" Taiya tried to press her hands closer together, and Johanna had to grab them and hold them back, not wanting her to bruise her face. "They're all in my head."

"Hey! The only real voice here is mine ok. Listen to my voice. Don't listen to them. They're not real," Johanna coached.

Taiya opened her eyes and looked at Johanna, she knew what the girl was saying was true, but she still couldn't quieten the voices rattling around her mind.

Taiya moaned before closing her eyes and continuing her disjointed muttering.

Johanna continued to speak, low and soothing, attempting to ground the girl in the present. "You're here with me. You're with friends."

The door to the training area aggressively swung open, and Finnick rushed in, his eyes widening at the sight of Taiya on the floor.

Johanna was a little jealous, he'd gotten there way faster than she could've imagined. His fitness was definitely above her own.

Without hesitation, he slid onto the ground to be by Taiya's side, one hand gently pulling her into his side, the other cradling her face.

"Taiya, sweetheart, it's me. You're safe," he murmured into her ear, his voice a comforting melody. She would wake up in this kind of state occasionally and it would always take a while to calm her down.

Every time he saw her like that he was filled with rage. Snow had tortured her. He wanted nothing more than to get revenge on Snow for what he did to her.

But then Taiya would talk about how happy she was that he was choosing to stay with her and he'd feel guilty for misleading her.

Katniss raced into the room a minute later, a worried expression on her face as she leaned against the wall, out of breath. Finnick kept his attention on Taiya, no one else in the room registered to him.

"He's going to kill us, Finnick! Snow is going to kill everyone in the streets," her voice trembled.

"Snow can't get us here Taiya," Finnick assured. "I won't let him."

"What are you idiots looking at? Don't you have anything better to do?" Johanna snapped at the class, making them all panic and turn their gazes away from the sobbing girl. Johanna scared them all.

Finnick maintained his soothing words, encouraging Taiya to focus on him. Slowly, her panicked breathing began to ease and she grasped onto his arm.

Now that she'd calmed down slightly, Finnick glanced up and caught Katniss' eye. "Get Tyler," he instructed her quietly. "Tell him to meet us at the hospital."

Katniss nodded before sucking in a deep breath and taking off running again.

Taiya slowly opened her eyes and was quickly surveying the room for imminent threats. Finnick's hold on her grounded her, and she was able to distinguish what voices were coming from the room, and which were coming from inside her head.

Theo was not in the room.

Her dad was not in the room.

They were dead.

Snow killed them.

"Get me out of here," her voice shook.

"Come on," Finnick helped her stand up, keeping a supportive arm around her as he guided her out of the training room.

"What happened?" Tyler asked.

Both he and Finnick were slumped on chairs outside Taiya's therapy room. She was in there with Mrs Everdeen.

She'd started taking these therapy sessions a little more seriously lately. They couldn't hear the words that were being spoken, but they could hear her crying.

"I wasn't there," Finnick's voice shook. The sound of her crying had him crying. "I wasn't there Tyler," he dropped his head into his hands.

"Finnick," Tyler lay a hand on his back, struggling for the best way to word what he wanted to say. "I know this was a bigger breakdown than usual, but you know the voices slip into her mind when she's away from you for too long. How are you going to go to the Capitol? I know you. You'll be worried about her. It'll make it dangerous for you if you can't concentrate Finnick."

"I need him dead," Finnick moved his head to the side so he could see Tyler. "I need Snow dead," he sat up. "He did this to her," he sniffled, trying to get rid of the tears. He needed to get himself under control before Taiya came out. If she saw him upset it would just make her feel worse. "I don't care whether it's me or Katniss or whoever. Someone needs to kill him. I need to make sure it happens. That's the only way she'll ever feel safe."

Tyler went to say something else when he abruptly cut himself off. The door to the therapy room was opening.

"Tomorrow," Mrs Everdeen told Taiya.

"Yep, yep. I'll be here," Taiya agreed, not looking back as she shut the door. "Oh hey, Tyler. How are you today?"

"Yeah I mean I'm -"

"Awesome," she cut him off, obviously not listening to a word he said. Her eyes were studying him, and both he and Finnick could see her mind whirring. She shook her head quickly before looking over at Finnick. "You need a shave babe."

He wasn't in dire need of a shave, but he still ran his hand over his face.

"Do you want to do it?" he asked, wondering if that's what she was hinting at,

"Yes!" she enthusiastically fist-pumped the air and grabbed his hand. "Bye Tyler," she dragged him away.

Finnick looked at Tyler one last time before he was dragged out of the hospital. There was obviously something on her mind she didn't want Tyler to know about.

Taiya dipped her fingers into the cream and started applying it to Finnick's face, her touch gentle yet distracted. She was avoiding eye contact, if their eyes made contact, she knew he'd use that as a starting point to ask her questions. And she didn't want that

"Sweetheart," Finnick said, his tone gentle as he went to begin a little speech he'd made up in his head.

"No talking, seaweed brain," she hushed him. "You'll mess up the shave."

Finnick's eyes were on her hands. He could feel it when she was applying the cream and now he could definitely see it. They were tremouring, revealing the unease that still lingered.

He trusted her implicitly, but her trembling hands made him nervous. She was about to take a razor to his face after all.

Taiya straddled him knowing that would give her the best angle and Finnick's hands found their usual place on her hips, the feel of his hands on her body worked to keep her a bit more grounded.

Her focus was on the razor. He had such a pretty face. She didn't want to mess it up. The razor moved across his face, her strokes were much slower than usual. She was being extra careful.

Finnick, not wanting to add to her anxiety, remained silent. Despite her distress, he did enjoy moments like these. They were mundane. Nothing life-threatening was happening. It was time just for them. And he always appreciated moments like that.

Taiya grabbed under his chin, redirecting the angle of his face, and in doing so, he was able to meet her eyes for a moment.

"Taiya," he murmured softly.

She sighed, flickering her eyes to his before immediately moving them back to the section she was working on. "After," was all she said, and Finnick let it rest.

He tightened his grip on her hips, offering reassurance without words. His thumb stroked up and down until she was finished. She reached over and grabbed a towel, wiping away any excess cream before studying her handiwork.

"Hot," she smiled. "As per usual."

He just watched her, he was going to let her make the first move.

She held his face and sighed. "I love you."

Finnick's eyes softened further as he saw the desperation in her eyes. "I know," he nodded. Her love for him was so genuine, so profound. Even though she was in evident distress, the words still made his heart flutter.

"I love you so, so much," she laid her forehead against his.

"He's going to pay," Finnick promised, his tone firm. "For what he did to you. Snow will pay."

Taiya pulled back as she looked down at him. She squeezed his jaw lightly as she took a deep breath. "I don't care if Snow lives happily to 100," she whispered, biting her lip as she rocked herself.

"Taiya?" Finnick urged gently.

"I don't care if he lives out the rest of his days happy if it means you're not in danger," she confessed, her fingers brushing some of his hair away and curling through one of his curls. "I want him dead. I need you though. Want and need. There's a difference," she swallowed. "I'm so glad you're not going to the Capitol," she dropped her head into his neck, and Finnick's arms immediately moved up to grasp around her back, holding her close.

The guilt was overwhelming. He had to go to the Capitol. He had to see that man dead himself. Taiya's fear and trauma was clouding her mind. She said it herself years ago, they couldn't start a family with that man in charge. That was what she wanted. A family with him. And the only way he could give her that was with the man being dead. So he had to see to it himself.

"Pew, pew, pew, pew," Taiya made gunshot noises as she stood with Peeta and pretended to shoot guns on the firing range.

Plutarch had Cressida shooting propo's of the group training.

Taiya had refused to go to any more simulation training, which Tyler agreed with. So she'd just show up for morning workouts now and then she'd go and sit in on Finnick's training session.

Gale and everyone else in his session had been warned that they weren't to mention the Capitol when Taiya was around, partly because no one wanted to set her off, and because they were still determined to keep it from her that Finnick would be leaving.

Peeta started showing up for morning workouts a few days after Taiya's last meltdown. He was able to attend completely shackle-free (although he did constantly have a pair of guards around him).

"Does the noise help this feel less ridiculous?" Peeta asked as he lifted the gun and aimed it at the target. His gun didn't have any ammunition, it was all for the camera. So Taiya removed her gun's ammunition in solidarity.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Check it out. Pew, pew. YES!" she cheered throwing her arms up. "Two perfect shots! And no one will ever know," she winked.

"Alright," he nodded. "Pew," he pretended to fire a shot. "How was that?"

"A little to the left," she shook her head.

Peeta had apologised to her the same evening after he'd made that rude comment to Finnick. He hadn't meant to upset her.

He still had to listen to a lecture though, not that it was unwarranted.

He didn't even know why he'd wanted to upset Finnick. It was fair to say he felt sufficiently guilty after Taiya had finished lecturing him. So he'd apologised to Finnick as well. It only took one look from Taiya for Finnick to forgive the younger boy. He'd never know the extent of what the two of them went through together in the Capitol, so if Taiya was willing to forgive him, he would as well.

"What's with all the bad haircuts?" Peeta asked as they looked at a group who were currently doing running drills on the side.

"Oh, it's the people who are going to the Capitol," Taiya explained. There was a signature haircut, a super short buzzcut that symbolised those who'd been selected. More and more people every day would show up with the same hairstyle.

"So it's really happening," Peeta sighed. It seemed like such a far-off fantasy a year ago. A rebellion against the Capitol. And yet it was happening.

"Well now that I'm not in training all day, Gloss and I have been sneaking around and eavesdropping where we can," Taiya dropped her voice as she told him. "They're planning on sending the first round of soldiers into the train tunnels. They want to secure those to stop them sneaking Snow or any other high-ranking Capitolites out."

"Do you think -"

"Taiya!" Johanna yelled as she sprinted up to them excitedly. "Peeta! Guess what! Guess what!"

"What?" Taiya asked.

"Soldier York recommended Katniss and me for the exam!" she excitedly shook Taiya's shoulder. "If we pass this we're going to the Capitol."

Taiya struggled to smile, but she managed to pull it off. "When's the exam?"

"Now," Johanna beamed. "We're headed there now, but I wanted to tell you first. I'm off to the Capitol!" she cheered before running back over to Katniss, who was actively avoiding Peeta.

"What about Tyler?" Peeta asked.

Taiya's eyes widened. "What about Tyler?"

"Is he going to the Capitol?"

Taiya glanced at Peeta's guards and turned away from them, signalling to Peeta he was about to be invited into a secret.

"He thinks he's going to the Capitol," she whispered.

"He thinks?" Peeta frowned in confusion.

"I've hired Gloss for a very important job. Don't tell anyone," she pleaded. "I feel bad enough as it is."

"How old is Tyler?" Peeta asked.

"Old."

"How old?"

"37."

"That's not old, Taiya."

"Well I was hoping his old joints would give way and he wouldn't be able to go," Taiya lamented. "But unfortunately the man is fighting fit. So I'm taking matters into my own hands."

"What's Gloss going to do?" Peeta asked nervously.

"He's just meant to distract him in his exam somehow," Taiya shrugged. "I figured it was best I didn't know the specifics. That way I can plead innocence."

"Do you think he'll believe that?"

"Not a chance."

Finnick told Taiya his training session today was taking place in the Block. Not a lie. It just wasn't a training session. It was an exam.

He specifically scheduled his for the morning, he knew she'd be doing morning workouts with Peeta. She wouldn't come looking for him that way.

He passed.

He'd already obtained an exception to getting his hair cut from Plutarch. Plutarch had agreed immediately. Finnick was constantly warning everyone to keep their mouths shut around Taiya, but he wouldn't be able to explain away a soldier's haircut to her. It was only the fact that she was so traumatised that she hadn't put together yet what he was planning on doing.

The guilt was eating him alive.

But he was determined.

Squad 451.

That was the stamp he'd been given. He was sent straight to command.

There were a few people already gathered around when he got there. Plutarch was one of them.

"Finnick," he greeted with a wide smile, urging him to come into the room.

Katniss' friend Boggs was there. Gale was there. And five others he didn't know. This was his squad. Squad 451.

"You're with us," Boggs nodded as he checked the stamp on Finnick's hand. "We're the sharpshooters unit."

That seemed like a fancy way of saying non-combat unit.

"We're going to be the soldiers on camera aren't we?" Finnick sighed. The ones not doing any work.

"Every squad has an important role," Boggs tried to explain.

"You'll be out of the direct line of fighting. Maybe I'll finally get on your fiancée's good side," Plutarch joked.

"What are you planning on telling her anyway?" Gale looked at Finnick with a glare. "Hey Taiya I'm headed out to get bread, be back in a few weeks?" Gale scoffed.

Finnick was not so amused though. He crossed his arms and leant forward towards Gale threateningly.

"Let me make myself clear one last time. No one mentions a thing to Taiya. If anyone does, I promise you, whoever it is, I don't care who, I'll spear you. That is if she leaves you alive. She's handy that one," he glanced over at Plutarch, making sure the man knew he was included in this. "She doesn't need a weapon to kill you."

Plutarch gulped, his hand drifting to his shoulder. Who knows what she would have done if Tyler hadn't arrived at the perfect moment? Buck hadn't exactly leapt to his defence.

"So," Finnick smiled, clapping his hands. "Who are we waiting on?"

"Just Katniss," Boggs answered. "She should have just finished her exam so we'll give her 10 minutes, if she doesn't show up, she failed."

Finnick frowned as he looked around. "What about Tyler?" he asked. The man had gone into his exam just before Finnick had.

"He failed," Plutarch shook his head. He was so disappointed. He had really wanted to broadcast the District 4 team in the Capitol. They were wildly popular. He'd wanted Tyler, Finnick and Taiya. But all he'd ended up with was Finnick.

"He was on target to pass," Boggs elaborated. "But one of the guys we had acting as the Peacekeepers in the simulation made a mistake. He wasn't meant to charge him. That wasn't in the script. But he did, and he knocked him over. Tyler's got a sprained knee. He won't be healed enough to leave with the rest of you."

"One of your Peacekeeper actors went rogue?" Finnick frowned in confusion.

"I don't know what I was thinking when I told Gloss he could be a Peacekeeper," Plutarch lamented his error. "We took him out of the rotation immediately. He'll be locked up for 24 hours as punishment."

Finnick glanced down. There was no way in hell Gloss would ever ask to be a Peacekeeper in the exams. He hated Peacekeepers with a passion, and he'd made his stance on helping District 13 abundantly clear.

There was only one reason he'd ever do something like that.

Taiya.

She'd asked him to. Finnick put it together pretty quickly, he was just hoping no one else would.

"We should probably keep that bit of information about it being Gloss from Tyler," Finnick chuckled nervously. "You don't want that fight happening indoors if he found out."

Plutarch nodded. "Good point," he agreed, writing down a note on his pad.

At least Plutarch didn't seem to connect the cause to Taiya. But he knew Tyler would figure it out. Taiya was way too anxious and terrified right now to have her and Tyler fighting. He needed Tyler by her side when he was away. He'd be better equipped to handle any issues than Buck would be at least.

The door to the room slammed open. There was Katniss. Eager as ever.

Boggs smiled as he walked up to his protege. "Let's see it," he checked out her hand, confirming her placement with the group. "You're with me. It's a special unit of sharpshooters. Join your squad," he nodded over at the rest of the group.

Finnick could see the happiness in her eyes at being surrounded by friends. Somehow she managed to take calm steps as she walked over to join the group. She was doing everything she could to fit the role of soldier, and not a 16-year-old girl.

"Let's begin," Plutarch nodded his head and launched into his big speech about what they would encounter in the Capitol. He'd absolutely rehearsed this speech many times.

Then he hit a button on the panel next to him, and a holographic image of a block of the Capitol was projected in the air. Finnick hated where his mind went. He didn't recognise this particular block, but he knew Taiya would. Whilst in the Capitol, Finnick had been escorted to and from apartments, he wasn't allowed to wander.

Sometimes if Taiya would get drunk with Johanna he would bribe the driver to let them walk home. That was the only route he knew in the Capitol. From the party to home.

Taiya, on the other hand, essentially had free roam of the Capitol. Snow trusted her. She could walk to and from Seneca's unsupervised. She could go shopping unsupervised. She could do as she liked. Snow knew she wasn't going to step out of line. Snow had her subdued. He still did. But Finnick knew how beneficial Taiya's knowledge of the Capitol's geography would be to a squad. She knew shortcuts. She knew the streets. If the squad ended up without a map, she would have no problem taking over.

But she couldn't be anywhere near the Capitol. He promised her she wouldn't have to go back until it was liberated and safe.

"This, for example," Plutarch explained what they were looking at. "Is the areas surrounding one of the Peacekeeper's barracks. Not unimportant, but not the most crucial of targets, and yet look," Plutarch typed in a code on a keyboard, and then lights began to flash. They were an assortment of colours and blinked at different speeds. "Each light is called a pod. It represents a different obstacle, the nature of which could be anything from a bomb, to a band of mutts. Make no mistake, whatever it contains is designed to either trap or kill you. Some have been in place since the Dark Days, others developed over the years. To be honest, I created a fair number myself." Good old Plutarch. "This program, which one of our people absconded with when we left the Capitol, is our most recent information. They don't know we have it But even so, it's likely that new pods have been activated in the last few months. This is what you will face."

Only a victor could read the map the way Finnick was seeing it.

He glanced over at Katniss. Her mind had gone to the same place.

Confined space. Deadly traps. Controlled by the Capitol.

The only thing missing were children trying to murder each other.

This was an arena.

Finnick hadn't even noticed his feet pulling himself closer to the table. Katniss was two steps ahead of him.

Finnick reached out to caress one of the steady red lights.

"Ladies and gentlemen…"

"Let the Seventy-sixth Hunger Games begin!" Katniss finished for him. "I don't know why you bothered to put me and Finnick through training, Plutarch," Katniss laughed.

"Yeah," Finnick smirked cockily. "We're already the two best-equipped soldiers you have."

His mask was back. He never used this tone of voice when he was being himself. In truth, his blood had run cold. Taiya had predicted this. He had no doubt Seneca had likely constructed some of these pods, and he always loved to share his projects with Taiya. There was no doubt in his mind that Taiya had mentioned this before in one of her breakdowns. 'They'll kill everyone in the streets'. She'd cry that sometimes after a nightmare. This was what she meant. Now he understood. He finally understood what she'd been telling him since she was brought to 13.

"Do not think that fact escapes me," Plutarch waved his hand. "Now back in line, Soldiers Odair and Everdeen. I have a presentation to finish."

Finnick could feel the looks Katniss and him got throughout the rest of the meeting. Suspicious looks. Doubtful looks. Could these two traumatised victors be able to handle going into the arena for the third time? Finnick knew he could. He could because he knew what he was fighting for. He knew Katniss could. Bring it on. Just about anything was worth it if it meant he could guarantee Snow would die. He knew Katniss would agree with him there. But he also knew that she would have been equally as disturbed by that map as he was. Because they were traumatised. They were scarred. They didn't want to go into another arena. But they needed to.

Finnick and Katniss both gravitated towards each other in the hallway. Victor immediately seeking out victor.

"What will I tell Taiya?" Finnick sighed. Because Gale did have a point, how was he going to explain a prolonged absence to her? He had to leave her as stable as he could. He wouldn't be able to help her when he was away. So he had to leave her so she wasn't worrying.

"You don't want her to know the truth right?" Katniss asked and Finnick nodded. "So tell her nothing. That's what my mother and sister will be hearing from me."

"If she sees that holograph…"

"She won't. It's classified information. It must be."

"I think she already knows though," Finnick ran a hand down his face. "She'll know from Seneca. He told her everything. She knows. I think she's been trying to tell me, but I've been missing the signs."

"Well it's not like an actual Games," Katniss tried to reason. "Any number of people will survive. Not just one. We're just overreacting because- well you know why. You still want to go, don't you?"

"Of course. I want to destroy Snow as much as you do," Finnick nodded. "After what he's done to Taiya and me. I need him gone so we can be free."

"It won't be like the others," she said firmly before a smile slowly came across her face. "This time Snow will be a player, too."

Comforting…

But Snow didn't fight fair.

Haymitch came stumbling around the hallway corner, hurrying over when he spotted the two of them. The look on his face had Finnick on edge. He looked worried.

"Johanna's back in the hospital. So is Tyler. Taiya's with them."

Finnick's eyes widened. Johanna in the hospital? Finnick had just assumed the rageaholic girl had been sorted into more of an active squad unit.

"Is she hurt? What happened?" Katniss immediately questioned her mentor.

"It was while she was on the Block. They try to ferret out a soldier's potential weaknesses. So they flooded the street," Haymitch explained.

Finnick frowned. Taiya had mentioned it in passing, but she'd never elaborated, and he never pushed for answers, but he did know that Johanna had developed a fear of water. But she was a good enough swimmer. He had no clue why that would have affected her.

"So?" Katniss frowned, equally as confused.

"That's how they tortured her in the Capitol," Haymitch explained. "Soaked her and then used electric shocks. In the Block, she had some kind of flashback. Panicked, didn't know where she was. She's back under sedation.

Finnick just stood there. Fury running through his veins. Johanna was tighter-lipped than Taiya when it came to what happened in the Capitol. But the higher-ups of District 13 would have known, and yet they still flooded the Block with water. Forcing a flood on someone who had just been tortured by water. That was barbaric. This went past just finding weaknesses. This was their own form of torture.

This was perhaps the first time he'd agreed with Taiya's violent distaste for District 13.

"You two should go see her," Haymitch said. "Taiya's already there, you two are the only other ones as close to friends as she's got. I better go tell Plutarch. He won't be happy," Haymitch continued. "He wants as many victors as possible for the cameras to follow in the Capitol. Thinks it makes for better television. But we're all dropping like flies. Taiya was already out and now he's lost Johanna and Tyler in one day."

"Are you, Buck and Beetee going?" Katniss asked.

"As many young and attractive victors as possible," Haymitch corrected himself. "So, no. We'll be here. No doubt keeping your troublemaker of a wife distracted," Haymitch tapped Finnick's arm gently. "Looks like it'll just be you two out there representing us victors," he said before walking away.

"You go first. I'll go in a bit," Katniss mumbled. Finnick just nodded and took off toward the hospital.

He spotted his wife first, her blonde braid being the first thing he saw.

"Hi," Finnick laid a hand against her back as he came to stand by Johanna's bedside.

"Hey," Taiya sat up straighter, wiping the tears from under her eye.

Johanna was teasing her for crying, but it was difficult seeing her best friend like that, so Finnick didn't remove his hand from her back.

Johanna looked destroyed. She was wearing the signature white hospital shift, stretched out on the bed with a drip in her arm. Her body was drenched in sweat and she was staring at the ceiling with wide eyes, trying to beat the drugs to stay awake. She looked terrified. She was trembling.

Finnick knew that look.

He'd had it. Taiya had had it.

It was the look where you knew your dreams were going to be worse than reality. It hurts to stay awake. It hurts to fall asleep.

It's completely and utterly exhausting.

"Haymitch told me what happened," Finnick said softly, not missing the way Taiya tensed under his hand. But Johanna just chuckled.

"Of course he did. I don't know what I expected," she chuckled bitterly. "Who'd want me on their team anyway? I'm not like you guys. I don't want to do what they tell me. Of course, they'd do anything to weed me out."

"I'm going to knock the teeth out of the person who authorised that," Taiya growled, squeezing Johanna's hand.

"Why don't you just have Gloss kneecap them as well?" Johanna taunted.

"Shoosh!" Taiya hissed at Johanna, stealing a quick glance at Finnick.

"Oh please as soon as Plutarch said Gloss I knew whose orders he was acting under," Finnick scoffed. "Does Tyler know though?" he looked over at Tyler who was on the other side of the hospital. Given he wasn't in a strop yet, Finnick was going to guess he hadn't worked out who'd instructed that Peacekeeper to break ranks.

"Not yet. Hopefully not ever," Taiya answered. Wishful thinking. "To be fair he wasn't mean to get injured. Gloss was just meant to throw him off so he'd fail. I didn't mean literally throw him."

"Since when has Gloss been reliable?" Johanna huffed.

"No lip Gloss slander please," Taiya raised her hand. "Please no one tell him I said that. I'm not allowed to call him lip Gloss anymore."

"That's what you bargained with? The nickname lip Gloss?" Finnick frowned in disbelief.

"He went for it," Taiya shrugged.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Finnick asked Johanna, rerouting the conversation to the real issue at hand.

"Don't be daft," Johanna snorted.

"Fair point," Finnick nodded.

"I could go for some pudding," Johanna looked over at Taiya.

"Are you serious?" she groaned. "Jo, they're going kick me out. Mrs Everdeen said if I did it again she'd send me back to my compartment."

"I'm miserable. You have to cheer me up."

"What's she talking about?" Finnick asked, looking between the two friends.

"Just wait and see Peacock," Johanna smirked. "Your wife here is good entertainment value."

"I hate you," Taiya grumbled before she turned to face the hospital. "Cover your ears," she warned Finnick before she took in a deep breath. "PUDDING!" she roared as loudly as she could, making everyone jump, including Finnick, who despite the warning, had neglected to cover his ears. "I NEED SOME PUDDING HERE STAT! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"

So Johanna derived glee from Taiya making a spectacle of herself. Finnick wasn't exactly surprised.

"PLEASE!" Taiya then threw herself out of her chair dramatically and onto the floor.

Finnick immediately went to help her up, but Johanna pulled him back. "Let the fish stick flop," she smirked. "This is the best part."

"I'll die without some pudding," Taiya cried out as she dragged herself across the floor so she was in the middle of the hospital. "PUDDING!"

"Taiya good grief!" Tyler reprimanded her.

"Do you have pudding, sir?" she asked, sitting up on her knees. "No? Then why do you speak!" she threw herself onto her back and wailed loudly.

Johanna was just chuckling.

Taiya only stopped when a shadow stood over her. "Oh. Hi Mrs Everdeen," she smiled at her therapist, giving her a small wave.

"Out," she pointed her finger to the doorway. "That was three times too many."

"But I only did it three times?" Taiya frowned.

"Exactly," Mrs Everdeen nodded. "The first time was one too many. Let's go," Mrs Everdeen ushered her out.

"You owe me!" Taiya yelled back at Johanna, who was still chuckling.

Finnick knew she would be waiting just outside the door for him, so he turned to look at Johanna who was smiling widely.

"Johanna," Mrs Everdeen sighed as she came to stand at the end of her bed. "This is a hospital, can we please keep the drama performances to a minimum?"

"You kicked out the only one insane enough to do it so, yeah, I guess so," she shrugged and Mrs Everdeen left.

"How did you get her to do that?" Finnick frowned. There was nothing Taiya wouldn't do for Johanna.

"The first one was her idea. I thought it was funny."

"You two are insane."

"Well given we have matching bracelets," Johanna waved her mentally disoriented bracelet at him. "I'll cop that."