Dead in the Water | An Odesta Fanfic

Chapter Nineteen

The mirrors in the apartment were fastened tightly to the walls. Finnick had tried to take them off, pulling at them until the plaster on the walls was starting to crack, but they were secured in place. It was as if Snow had prepared that room just for him, with a mirror hanging on every wall. Everywhere Finnick looked, his own face was looking back at him. Sometimes he would catch the reflections of his own movements out of the corner of his eye and turn to find someone staring back – someone he didn't quite recognize anymore.

On the other hand, the mirrors did come in handy when it came to getting ready for parties. It was Friday evening, the night of Pricilla Dawnmark's gala. A gala in honor of what, Finnick couldn't even remember. Had she even told him? She didn't need much of a reason to go flaunting her wealth in front of half the Capitol citizens. But a room full of rich lie-abouts who had nothing better to do with their money was exactly where Finnick wanted to be tonight. So he forced himself to look into the mirror and trace his eyes with golden eyeliner.

It had taken more makeup than usual to cover up the dark circles under his eyes and hide the redness that never seemed to go away. But he had learned more than a few tricks from the Capitol prep teams and by the time he was finished, Finnick looked as if he got twelve hours of sleep a night and had never cried a day in his life. The golden eyeliner was the last touch. He had been told by countless clients that gold was his color, that it shone against his skin under the lights and made his green eyes pop. It should be enough to catch the eye of some wealthy Capitol woman and distract her while he glossed over the particulars of his tribute's predicament.

"Finnick?"

Bay was in the doorway, looking concerned, as he always did. "What are you doing back so early?" he asked.

"Haven't you heard?" Finnick went to his closet, digging through it and throwing clothes onto his bed until he found his vest. "There's a party at Pricilla Dawnmark's tonight."

"What? When did you get told to go?"

"Do I need to be told to go to a party?" said Finnick. "Can't I just get out and have fun once in a while?"

Bay looked at him with a frown. "Sure, because Capitol parties are everyone's idea of a fun night out."

Finnick ignored him and pulled on his vest. Threads of blue and green and gold wove together like a sort of elegant seaweed climbing up his back. It was fitted perfectly to his measurements, one-of-a-kind and made particularly for him before some old photoshoot. Which one it had been, he couldn't recall. There had been too many to keep track.

"Are you going to button up your shirt?" asked Bay.

Finnick looked down. "I did."

"You buttoned three."

At capitol events like this, Finnick often found that less was more when it came to his outfits. He gave Bay one of his most unbearable smirks, the kind that made Capitol girls swoon and any decent person turn their nose up at him in disgust. "What, are you trying to protect me from all the prying eyes?"

"Finnick –"

"This can't possibly be age appropriate."

Bay sighed and shuffled through Finnick's closet. "It's a party. At least try to look presentable and put on a tie or something." He pulled out a sea-green silk scarf and threw it across the room. "This should work."

Finnick caught it. "Because it matches my eyes?"

The glare Bay gave Finnick almost made him drop the whole act. Almost. But he did shut his mouth as he tied the scarf around his neck, so that most of his chest was covered by silk.