A Million Pieces - Hunger Games (Catching Fire & Mockingjay)

Chapter 10

After the opening ceremony, Finnick and I watch Johanna climb into the elevator with Katniss and Peeta. She shoots us an exaggerated wink, smirking. The doors close just as she reaches for the zipper of her outfit. Finnick snorts.

"Poor kids," I say with amusement. We are about to walk into the elevator when someone catches my elbow. Frowning, I pull myself away, turning to face them.

"Haymitch," Finnick says pleasantly. "What can we do for you?"

"Just wanted to let you know the weather should be beautiful tonight," he says quietly, eyebrows raised. "Bit windy. Caspian will show you. Yeah?"

Caspian hasn't mentioned anything about this, but Finnick and I glance at each other and nod to Haymitch.

He smiles and his voice grows loud again. "Happy Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favour!"

My eyes narrow as we watch him walk away. "I'm guessing this isn't a usual occurrence?"

Finnick shakes his head. "If he wanted us as allies, he would just say it. What do you think? Trustworthy?

I consider this for a second. "He drinks too much. But I think so." I shrug. "It doesn't matter though. We trust Cas."

When we reach our floor, Caspian and Janus are waiting for us. Janus looks a lot happier than he did, so I'm guessing my incident didn't hurt our reputation as much as we had thought. I focus on Caspian though, who is watching us carefully. I gave him a discreet nod, and he relaxes.

I am shown to a room by an Avox so old I have to walk at half my usual pace. He gestures towards a door, bows slightly, and leaves. In all my years of living with wealthy victors, I have never felt more ashamed of my position.

I carefully take off my dress and lay it on the bed, then I spend a less graceful half hour figuring out the showers. I scrub away all the makeup and lotion and hair products, watching them slip down the drain. I plait my newly-dried hair and dress in the plainest clothes I can find.

Finally, I make my way back to the dining room, where another feast is laid out for us. Janus, Diana and Helen chat happily while Caspian, Finnick and I stay silent, quietly observing each other.

When dinner is finally over, we go to watch the recap of the opening ceremony. I sit in the far corner, next to Janus, because there's something about Caspian having a secret that makes me uneasy. Finnick and Caspian perk up while watching the chariot ride, teasing their friends and playing up our performance. But it just makes me sad, because so many of the tributes are old, sick, or generally falling apart. The costumes hang off their frames awkwardly, and they have to hold on to the chariot to stay upright.

Once I'm back in my room, I keep myself entertained by flicking through the different landscape options on the screen. I feel awe at every one of the pictures, but eventually, I settle on one of the beach. I'm leaning against my pillows, watching the waves crash against the sand when there's a quiet knock on my door.

Silently, I follow Caspian and Finnick to the elevator, and we go right up to the roof. I'm greeted by the sight of the Capitol, with its music and lights blinking in the windows. The wind is strong up here and I have to brush the hair out of my eyes. Haymitch is standing in one corner.

Casually, we make our way over to him. Caspian glances up, and I notice that the cameras are angled in an odd position, slightly too far. They just miss the corner we're standing in, without seeming too wrong. I greet Haymitch quietly, and the wind is easily loud enough to cover my words. He and Caspian stand side by side. I don't like this, Caspian facing us.

"There's a new plan," he says, something like excitement in his tone.

"I wasn't aware that we had a plan in the first place."