fire kills, finnick odair

03.

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Bailey and Derek were walking through the solemn streets of District 4 hand in hand, their clammy fingers intertwined in a symbol of solace. Before leaving the shell they once called home, Bailey had splashed her face with cold water, hoping it would hide the tears staining her cheeks. She felt as if her cheeks were a bright shade of scarlet, but her father had reassured her she looked perfectly fine.

As they made their way to the justice building, Bailey had her head rested on Derek's shoulder, as she realised he smelt of a strange mixture of alcohol and cigarette ash - an aroma that made Bailey's nose twitch and yet she still committed the scent to memory. She watched the way her dad's eyes crinkled when he smiled, and the way his bushy brows wiggled as he spoke. If this was the last time she was to see her father, she wanted to remember every small detail about him. At least then she'd have somebody to keep her company during the lonely nights in the arena. If she even made it past the first couple of minutes that was.

When they reached the vast group of people crowded around the justice building, Derek's grip on Bailey tightened; he didn't want to let her go. The young girl turned to face her father, her eyes threatening to well up at the sight of him struggling not to cry. An almost guttural sob escaped him as he wrapped his arms around his daughter, Bailey burying her head into the crook of his neck.

The optimistic sides of the pair knew that Bailey may not even be picked, but their trauma had reshaped them into pessimists; the stirring feelings present in their guts wasn't a good sign, and Bailey's name was in that bowl too many times to even consider holding onto hope. And so, as they stood there in an almost animalistic embrace, they said their goodbyes.

After a few moments, Derek reluctantly pulled away.

"Head up, little one." He smiled, his thumb grazing his daughter's chin, before walking away towards the crowd of fellow grieving parents. A small sob escaped Bailey's lips as she watched her father's retreating form, but before she allowed herself to fully break down, she forced herself to stand up straighter, wipe her nose with the back of her hand, and blink back any tears sitting on the precipice.

Bailey makes her way over to a long queue of people, joining at the back behind a young girl she thought couldn't be older than 13. If she were to be reaped today, she thought, at least everyone else would have another year to live, at least this child before her would be fine.

As she reaches the front of the queue, a rather hard faced woman takes Bailey's hand in hers, pricking her index finger with a small needle. She doesn't even seem to register the pain, used to the feeling from past years of the reaping.

Even stood so far from the justice building, Bailey could still see Finnick standing off to the side, his head hung in order to not make eye contact with any of the respective tributes. His hands were clasped behind his back, not sure what to do with the limbs in such a moment like this. She noticed how his sandy brown hair fell across his forehead as he looked down, his Adam's apple bobbing under the taught skin of his throat as he swallowed.

Bailey was pulled from her daydream by the sound of feedback emitting from the microphone as Mayor Alodia tapped a slender finger on the metal.

"My friend's of District 4, welcome to the reaping day for the seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games!" The Mayor speaks, a false wash of excitement evident in her tone. The regal woman was dressed in a three-piece pantsuit, her hair neatly slicked back into a ponytail. She smiles out at the crowd, who return her idiocy with sad faces and silence. Bailey begins fiddling with her hands, picking at the raw skin around her nails.

"This is a day for both repentance and thanks," The Mayor continues, "I'm sure that whoever is chosen today, will represent our district well."

Mayor Alodia steps aside and is replaced by District 4's very elaborate escort - Estelle Astor. Estelle wears the look of the capitol well, luscious locks of bright blue hair cascading down her back in tight curls. Various other shades of blue are evident in her outfit - a two piece suit with a half unbuttoned crisp, white shirt.