Shades of Gold and Blue | Finnick Odair

Twenty Five

"Stop it, it's all slimy!" Annie cries as she tries to move away from the hydrating mask that I'm trying to position on her face.

I let out a huff as she squirms away again, Marina and Heidi laughing as they watch the two of us struggle with each other. "It's hydrating, not slimy – it detoxifies your pores."

She eyes the offending object with distaste before looking back at me, "My pores aren't toxified."

I snort in mild amusement but continue my advances until I have it moulded against her face, I look back and smile at my handiwork – desperately trying not to laugh at the glare that Annie is giving me.

"Are you happy now?"

"Very," I smirk at her and she sticks her tongue out at me in a childish move of defiance.

I turn to the girls and wave them over, the two of them much more willing participants than Annie had been. So far we had painted our nails, applied hair masks and drank mocktails – it had been a wonderful night of indulgence for the two little ones, who had begged to join Annie and I's girls night despite their mother insisting that they weren't to ask.

Heidi scrunches her nose up as I smooth the mask onto her face and her sister laughs at her, "Momma said Finn was going to be on the television tonight -he's talking to Caesar Flickerman."

Marina sits up excitedly, "Can we watch it?"

I look to Annie and she shrugs nonchalantly at the prospect, "Okay, but after that it's bed time for you two. Your Momma wanted you in bed by eight."

Annie laughs, "It's eight-thirty already."

Heidi grins, "We won't tell, will we Mina?" Marina shakes her head in solidarity and I roll my eyes.

"You two are incorrigible."

I giggle under my breath as I hear Heidi whisper to her sister, "What does incovergable mean?" Annie and I glancing at each other in amusement as Marina shrugs in confusion.

I double tap my communicuff, the ensuing chime making the three others in the room jump – not used to the sound, "Connect to TV, D4,12."

The television in the room lights up and the others watch in amazement as the screen fills with my dashboard – the shows that I watch most frequently, the music I like, the photos stored on my communicuff. I speak into my communicuff again, "Play Capitol One."

Capitol One was the main source of information and entertainment within the Capitol – it held the same shows on a daily basis and ran 24 hours to constantly keep people up to date. In a city where trends could be changed in a matter of minutes, people were constantly tuned in to ensure that they weren't left behind. No one wanted to be wearing yesterday's styles or listening to last week's number one.

The lights dim in the room automatically as the television spirals into whirls of colour – the familiar staging of the Caesar Flickerman show coming into view. Marina moves to cuddle up to me and we lean against the sofa as Caesar talks with one of his guests, though thankfully it doesn't seem that we've missed Finnick's appearance.

"Who is that?" Marina asks quietly, looking somewhat disturbed at the lady's wild black and blue curls and long silver-plated nails.

"That's the head of Biological Weapons, Bellona Vickers." I look at the woman sat laughing with Caesar on stage and cringe as her laugh bellows from the speakers, almost seeming to scratch at the air around us.

Heidi looks at her with disgust, "Why is her hair like that?"

I laugh, "I suppose because she wants it that way."