THE SIREN'S SONG 𓇼 F. ODAIR

73 ~ the snake vs. the mockingjay

In the following weeks, Carolina moved from the medical room to her own personal quarters in the Presidential Palace. It felt surreal. She had spent years in that very mansion, constantly under surveillance, worrying that one wrong move would cause her world to blow up into a million pieces. It was a prison.

And now, it was a symbol of their freedom. The victors living in the very place that broke them down into almost nothing.

Carolina was free to wander the halls with no repercussions. She was allowed to sleep right beside Finnick. She was able to do whatever she wished without staring eyes burning into the back of her head.

Carolina was right in her assurances to Reef. President Snow was tried and inevitably found guilty of his crimes, and Coin decided to make Katniss Everdeen fire an arrow straight into his heart in a ceremony attended by thousands.

It was supposed to be symbolic, but Carolina couldn't help but think that the show was still on, and she didn't know if it would end with Katniss's arrow.

She got her answer on the morning of Snow's execution.

That morning, she woke up in bed with her head on Finnick's chest. He was already awake, staring down at her with a soft smile. His eyes were the first things she saw that morning. They were brave but sad.

"Hi," he whispered.

When Carolina stared back at him, she couldn't help but smile and muttered, "Hi."

"How are you feeling?"

"Good," she nodded. "You?"

Finnick leaned down, kissing Carolina's lips softly. He ran a hand up her jaw and into her hair as he kissed her longingly. Just like the first time their lips met, a shock trailed down Carolina's spine, and she leaned into him and deepened their kiss.

When Finnick pulled away, he still had a dimness behind his eyes.

"Perfect."

Carolina knew that there was nothing she could say to help him. There was nothing she could do to bring back every single person they had lost. So, she chose to believe him.

"We have a meeting soon," she said instead. 

No one would tell her what the meeting was about, despite Carolina's constant pestering for answers. All she knew was that she and Finnick needed to be in a conference room within the next hour, but not knowing anything else drove Carolina insane.

As if he could read her mind—and after knowing her his entire life, Carolina wouldn't be surprised if he could—Finnick sighed.

"It's probably a production meeting for Snow's execution," he said, running his hand through her hair one last time before sitting up to get ready. "There's nothing to worry about."

Carolina nodded and started to get ready as well. As she got dressed, she couldn't stop her wandering eyes from turning to the window. In just a couple of hours, President Snow would be dead, and she would be allowed to go home and never have to see the mansion ever again. The thought was calming, in a way.

About ten minutes before the meeting was set to begin, someone knocked on the door of their room. Finnick was seconds away from opening the door when Annie poked her head in.

"Annie, wait for them to let us in." Carolina recognized Reef's voice in seconds. "I don't want their activities to scar you."

Carolina stifled her laughter at his words, opening her mouth and moaning loudly, "OH, FINNICK!"

Finnick's head snapped in her direction in shock but moments later, his face lit up. He ran to the wall and started hitting it in an unsteady beat.

"YES!"