Deja Vu Battle | 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝟑 (Part 1) ✅

31.

The lockdown was breaking Aries the longer he stayed here. He found an abandoned room thick with an oppressive silence, broken only by the occasional clink of Aries's bottle against the floor as he took another drink.

The bitter liquid did little to dull the ache inside him, but it was better than sitting there sober, letting the weight of everything crush him. He stared at the ceiling, trying not to think about Estella, but she lingered in every corner of his mind. Snow still had her.

But Estella was stronger than that. She had to be.

The harsh cough from someone broke his reality. Across from him, Finnick's breathing was shaky, his head hung low. The trident he always carried lay forgotten by his side. Groaning internally Aries let out a sigh, he was hoping to be alone but somehow Finnick latched himself on him.

"Annie always hated the Capitol," Finnick murmured, more to himself than Aries. "But she never hurt anyone. And now... now I don't even know if she remembers me anymore. What they must be doing to her... I'm afraid she's... gone."

Aries took a swig from the bottle, staring into the darkness of the room. He wasn't good with this kind of conversation. His default was to push it all away and keep it locked down. Sharing his own fear or pain just wasn't an option, and watching Finnick spiral made him even more determined to keep his emotions buried.

"You want the truth?" Aries said, his voice low and cold, but with a dark edge. "She's probably fine. Well, I mean, assuming 'fine' means 'brainwashed into a pretty little Capitol doll.' But hey, she might like the change, right? New hobbies, new friends. Maybe a whole new personality."

Finnick flinched at the remark, but Aries wasn't about to apologize. It was easier to be harsh than admit that he understood Finnick's fear all too well. The Capitol was methodical in its cruelty. If they wanted to break you, they would. Estella had told him that herself more than once.

"That's not funny, Aries," Finnick muttered, his voice shaky with barely suppressed emotion.

"Good thing I wasn't trying to be," Aries replied dryly, staring down at the nearly empty bottle. He swirled the liquid around lazily. "Look, Odair, you want me to say she'll come out of this fine? That everything's going to go back to normal, and you two can live happily ever after in some nice beach house? That's not gonna happen. Not in this world."

"I just don't want her to suffer," Finnick whispered, his hands trembling slightly. "I'd do anything—give up everything—just to know she's safe."

Aries's jaw clenched at those words. That was something he understood far too well, but the thought of admitting it—of saying how much he wanted Estella safe, how much he missed her—was unbearable.

So instead, he stayed silent, feeling the familiar bitterness rise in his throat. Everyone knew how much he cared for Estella, but he wasn't about to make it easier for them by showing it. Vulnerability was weakness, and Aries had sworn off being weak a long time ago.

Just then, another figure appeared in the doorway. Katniss, her expression unreadable, hovered for a moment before stepping inside. Aries felt his lip curl in irritation. "Great. Just what this miserable gathering needed"—the girl on fire with her holier-than-thou attitude and perpetual frown.

"I heard you guys were down here," Katniss said, her voice cautious. She glanced between Finnick and Aries, then stepped further into the room. "I thought I could—help. Or, I don't know. Just... be here."

Aries snorted, rolling his eyes. "Oh, great. Another heart-to-heart from the Mockingjay herself. This night just keeps getting better."

Katniss shot him a look, but instead of biting back, she sighed and sat down next to Finnick. Her posture was stiff, clearly uneasy in the quiet tension of the room. She looked at Finnick, concern clouding her eyes.

"I know what it's like," Katniss said softly, though her voice carried that same edge she always had. "Peeta's still out there... and I can't do anything to help him. It's driving me insane, thinking about what they might be doing to him."

Aries grimaced at the mention of Peeta bringing out even more disdain in him. "Oh, so this is just a support group now? Great. I'll start." He raised the bottle sarcastically. "Hi, my name is Aries, and I'm trapped in a rebellion I didn't ask to be part of, in a bunker with a bunch of broken people. And my girlfriend is currently Snow's lab rat. But hey, at least the booze sucks."

Katniss stared at him, unamused. "I'm trying to relate, Aries."

"Don't bother," he replied flatly. "You can't."

Katniss's jaw tightened, but she didn't argue. Instead, she turned her focus back to Finnick, whose head was still in his hands. "I'm just saying, I get it. The feeling of being powerless. You're not alone in that."

Finnick nodded weakly, but Aries couldn't hold back the sarcasm bubbling up. "Powerless, huh? Coming from the girl who singlehandedly started a revolution and got the entire District to worship her as some kind of flaming symbol. Yeah, you're real powerless, Everdeen."

Katniss glared at him, but before she could respond, Finnick spoke, his voice hollow. "It's not about power, Aries. It's about what we can't control. I'd trade anything—give up this whole rebellion—if it meant I could just save Annie."

Aries felt a pang at that, but he kept his expression cold, his tone biting. "Yeah, well. Welcome to life, Odair. We all lose. Just depends on how much you're willing to let them take."

The room fell into silence again, the weight of their collective pain hanging in the air. Finnick, is broken and desperate to save Annie. Katniss, clinging to the hope that Peeta could be rescued. And Aries, hiding behind his sarcasm, refusing to let anyone see how much it tore him apart not knowing what was happening to Estella.

The truth was, he was terrified. He was terrified Snow would break her, twist her into something unrecognizable, and there would be nothing left of the girl he loved. But that fear stayed locked inside, buried deep, where no one—especially not Katniss—could see it.

As the minutes dragged on, Katniss leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. "Do you ever wonder," she began slowly, "if we'll even survive this? Like, really survive?"

Aries chuckled darkly, taking another swig. "Survive? Oh, we'll survive, Everdeen. The question is, what's left of us when we do?" He glanced at Finnick, who sat quietly, lost in thought. Aries rolled his eyes and added with a sharp smirk, "Though judging by tonight's therapy session, I'd say the answer's 'not much.'"

Katniss shot him a glare, but Finnick actually let out a soft, hollow laugh, shaking his head. "You might be right."

"Of course, I'm right," Aries said, his tone dry. "Now, if you two could leave me to drown in peace, that would be great. I'm trying to avoid feeling anything tonight."

Katniss sighed, rising to her feet. "You're impossible, Aries."

"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," he quipped with a sarcastic smile, lifting the bottle in a mock toast.

As Katniss made her way out of the room, Finnick stayed behind a moment longer, glancing at Aries with a sad but understanding look. "You know," Finnick said softly, "you don't have to do this alone."

Aries's smile faltered, just for a second, but he quickly masked it with a scoff. "Alone is the only way I know how to do it, Finnick." And with that, Finnick left too, leaving Aries in the dimly lit kitchen, alone with his thoughts once more.