Finnick would've collapsed if Mags hadn't been holding him up. Watching Birch attempt to kill Rae nearly did it for him. Mags had warned him the second they saw their tributes not to get attached. But he failed, him and Rae bonded immediately. She was now like a little sister to him, even though they had only known each other a few weeks.

Mags looked at him with a grim shake of her head. Finnick knew what that meant but he refused to acknowledge it. Rae wasn't dead until she was dead. He still had hope and he wouldn't let it go. There were only two left, her and the guy from 5. She had a year at the academy and knows her way around water. But he was sixteen and fast. Finnick sat in silence as he painfully watched Rae claw herself away from the scene, unable to even look at her leg.

"Mags, is there anything I can do? I have to do something or I'll go insane."

"There's nothing to do, fishface," Called Johana Mason, the newest mentor and Finnick's good friend. "She's good, but now she's vulnerable. You need to prepare for the worst."

He sighed and walked over to her "She can't die Johanna, she just can't."

It was her turn to sigh, "Finnick this is why you don't mentor."

"How did you know I don't normally mentor, this is your first year!"

She smirked, "Me and Annie had a little chat."

He groaned and walked away, only to be pulled aside by Haymitch, who is one of Finnick's closest friends and one of his mentors after he won his games. "You okay kid? This is pretty brutal."

Finnick was twenty two, so he definitely wasn't a kid but he didn't argue. "This is rough. I can't just sit and watch this anymore."

"Well you broke rule number one, what did you expect?" Haymitch chuckled, but it lacked humor.

Mentor rule number one is to never, ever get close with your tributes. Finnick exhaled sharply, knowing it is stupid. He knew he shouldn't have gotten attached, but she reminds him of his late Mother. Who died in a tragic "accident" after Finnick refused one of Snow's jobs for him. He glance at his screen to see Rae trying to hide in a cave. He flicked his eyes to the screen that showed Crassus Silvergaze, the only other tribute left. He was struggling almost as much as Rae was: he hadn't drank any water that day and had an outlandishly big gash going down the side of his face. The blood drained from Finnick's face when he realized how close he was to finding her. The capital wouldn't even need mutts this time. This was about to end now.

"Come on Rae, get up." He pleaded, holding on to Mag's hand with a grip so hard she had to pat his arm to get him to loosen up.

They watched in silence as Crassus realized he had found her and slowly started stalking the cave. Finnick was sweating as he looked on. Rae was huddled with her knife in hand, obviously ready to attack. But something wasn't right, normally when she's about to get someone, she holds her knife differently. She planned something. Finnick thought as hope bloomed through him. Mags noticed too as she squeezed his hand. Soon they were surrounded by Johanna, Haymitch, and even Carter Peacethorn, a past victor from district nine who normally keeps to himself.

They watched as Crassus carefully made his way to the entrance, but as he went to step inside, he stepped right on a tracker jacker nest that Rae had very carefully put there when no one was paying attention. A few moments later… It was only little Rae alive in that big arena alone. She had won the 72nd Hunger Games.