Die for You | Catching Fire

chapter forty-six

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chapter forty-six
HALVES INTO A WHOLE

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tw:
mention of torture, mention of abuse, mention of forced prostitution/sex trafficking

━━━━

Ptolemus is exhilerated but nauseous all at once as he and Finnick stand in front of the cameras and beneath the blaring lights. They're above ground and in the rubble from the bombings. Katniss, Haymitch, Plutarch and the others all loom behind the cameras to watch. After hearing that he and Finnick would be filming a decoy for the rescue, she demanded to be of use too, briefly talking about how her and Peeta met as well as finally delivering that line she struggled to get out yesterday. Thirteen is alive and well and so am I.

"You don't have to do this," Haymitch says, nodding in the two men's direction. He shoots Plutarch an irritated look.

Ptolemus remembers Shiloh leaving for the mission only a few hours ago. He's doing his part to save his sister. Now he's going to do his to save his wife. He clears his throat from the thick bile that's building. "Yes, we do."

"If it'll help her, I'm doing it," Finnick adds, looking pale.

The two exchange looks. They can see it again like they saw it in the bunker. The similar lives they've lived all at the hands of Snow. Finnick nods to Cressida as he balls up his rope in his hand. "We're ready."

The camera starts rolling, and Ptolemus inhales a shaky breath, trying to dig deep into the memories enough to speak about them without reliving them. It's a delicate balance as Finnick starts in an even and detached tone.

"President Snow used to... sell me... my body that is. I wasn't the only one."

Ptolemus straightens and stares right into the blinking red light for record. "He sold me too. The first time was at my eighteenth birthday party that he had thrown for me. All my guests were my... future buyers." There's the ghosts of all their colored faces and hungry stares in his direction as they poured glass upon glass of liquor for him. He fights to keep his tone even and to keep the sensations of their unwanted touches off him even now years later. "Some of them knew me as a baby."

Finnick hears him about to sink, so he continues. Ptolemus tries to listen as he glares silently just past the camera lens. Katniss has a look of absolute horror written across her features, jaw agape and eyes wide.

"If a Victor is considered desirable, the President gives them as a reward or allows people to buy them for an exorbitant amount of money. If you refuse, he kills someone you love. So you do it."

"He did it to my parents as well. Then they weren't profitable anymore and were wed instead," Ptolemus adds. He struggles to fight through the memories of all those parties and invitations. Priscilla's claws digging into his skin. "He did it to Cashmere and Gloss Kincade. To Augustus Braun. He would've done it to my sister had she lived and he even tried to do it to Sage that night I met her at the Gleam Gala."

"There were even more than that," Finnick adds. "And to make themselves feel better, my patrons would make presents of money or jewelry, but I found a much more valuable form of payment."

He raises his chin at his big reveal. "Secrets. And this is where you're going to want to stay tuned, President Snow, because so very many of them were about you. But let's begin with some of the others."