The Heiress {Finnick Odair}

President's Gala

Amara White was nothing like Finnick Odair expected her to be. After a long berating from Iris, who was appalled that Finnick had no clue who she was, she forced him to sit down and watch her most recent performance.

What surprised Finnick the most was that she was so young. When Iris spoke of the girl, she made it seem like the young star was in her 20s or 30s. Finnick did not expect to find out the girl was just as old as him.

She was a great singer, and she definitely knew how to perform. Finnick noted the way that she blew kisses at the camera, would wink at it, and look directly at the lens. There were times it felt like she was speaking directly to him.

The other thing he noticed was that she was extremely pretty. Finnick wouldn't admit it, but after Iris and Mags settled down for the night, he turned the TV back on and watched the performance again before going down a rabbit hole of watching her interviews.

"Amara White!" Caesar announced to a crowd of screaming Capitol elites. The interview took place a year prior, and Amara was grinning as she walked out. She waved to the crowd, again blowing kisses, and she kissed Caesar on each cheek. He turned bright red and laughed.

"Amara, we are thrilled you're here," he said.

"I'm so excited to be here too," she said, bouncing a little in her seat. She really was excited. Unlike Finnick, she did not have the weight of the games as the two spoke.

"For those of you who don't know, Amara's newest album just hit record sales," Caesar told the crowd, who started cheering, before turning back and grinning at her. "And what you don't know, Amara, is that just before you walked on stage, I got word that you've received 2 million streams since it was released just this morning."

The crowd cheered as Amara's jaw dropped. Then, tears started to form in her eyes. She was smiling and laughing and overjoyed. She was everything the Capitol expected her to be, and she loved every second of it.

He wasn't able to watch any more once he heard movement from Mag's room. He shut off the monitor and skirted into his room, closing the door quietly. He fell asleep that night with the image of Amara White painted on his mind.

She was everything he knew the Capitol expected him to be. When he was mingling with the Capitol, he would need to be the boy he was before the arena. He would need to be fearless and charming.

He just didn't know if he had it in him.

By the time their train landed, Finnick was promptly moved back into the Tribute's Center.

"But I'm not a tribute anymore," Finnick protested, and Iris rolled her eyes, actually pushing him into the elevator and selecting the fourth floor for him.

"This is where all the victors stay when they are in the Capitol," she told him. "You might as well get comfortable because you will be a mentor here soon so you're expected frequently. Besides, who wouldn't want to live within these lavish four walls?"

As if on cue, the door opened, and the three of them stepped out and into the District Four living quarters. They looked the same as they had the last time he was here. Each of the floors was designed to remind the tributes of home. The walls were painted a light blue, and shells hung as wall decorations.

He knew he would get used to it because even from walking in, he felt more at home than he had the first time he walked through those doors. He was a victor. He was not going back into the arena ever again.

This was the life he would have.

"Okay!" Iris clapped her hands together, grabbing Mags' and Finnick's attention. "We have about an hour to get you ready for this party. So, take a shower and Reiner will be up soon to make sure you're properly dressed."

**

The only real reason Amara came to these events was the food. Her manager had her on a strict diet leading up to a show, but she wasn't allowed to say anything when Amara was in public, so she ate as many sweets as she could stuff in her mouth.

The other, less pertinent reason in Amara's mind, for coming to these events is that she loved meeting fans. There may be a time when that novelty wore off, but it hadn't yet, and Amara was loving every second of it.

"I loved your newest single," a woman gushed. "It really resonated with how I've been feeling recently. Your one line about feeling alone in a crowded room was something I could totally relate too."

"Me too!" A man jumped into the conversation.

And just like that, Amara was surrounded. She was signing autographs, kissing babies, and promising she'll consider to attend dinner parties she knew her manager wouldn't allow. But, she basked in the fun of it all.

Amara was everyone's friend. Through her music, people felt like they really knew her. In the last year, she had met no less than twelve babies named after her. She was starting to consider copywriting her own name.

When Finnick Odair arrived, everyone seemed to hold their breath.

Amara didn't watch his games. They were the week she was preparing to turn in her newest album, so she didn't have the opportunity, but she did watch the highlights.

She wasn't able to tell very much just from watching each of his kills, but from the looks of everyone in the room, it was obvious they were expecting something big from these two stars meeting.

Thankfully, she was already in the back of the room when he entered. She did watch him grin and hold out his arms.

"Let's get this party started!" he smirked, and the crowd cheered. Like when she arrived, Finnick was immediately pulled in different directions. Soon, he was signing autographs, kissing babies, and agreeing to go to dinner parties Amara knew he would never attend.

"Miss White," a voice broke her from watching the newest victor. She turned to see President Snow standing next to her. She smiled up at him, a wide grin that the president couldn't help but reciprocate. The two of them always had a good relationship.

"President Snow," she greeted. "Thank you for extending an invitation. You know I always love coming to your home."

He nodded and glanced over at her manager to see the woman completely fixed on Finnick. He let out a cough and snuck a piece of chocolate into her hand with a wink.

This was why she loved President Snow.

"Did I just see you giving my daughter chocolate?" The teasing voice of her father came from behind her. Both Snow and Amara turned to see Edwin walking over and shaking his head. Amara quickly unwrapped the chocolate and shoved it into her mouth.

"No," she said with a mouthful of the delectable chocolate. President Snow laughed and Edwin rolled his eyes, pulling his daughter into his side.

"I believe Celeste is looking for you," he said. Amara winced, causing both the president and her father to laugh. Still, she began the trudge over to her manager, who smiled widely at her, grabbing her hand and waving over a group of people who were trying to get Finnick's attention and failing.

All their focus immediately went to her, however, and Amara grinned and batted her eyelashes. She was looking everywhere but the famed new victor, and everyone seemed to notice that he was staring straight at her.