We Remain

Chapter 31: We Remain

"I know where Snow is hiding." Finnick whispers. I take a deep breath. "But it's a struggle." I feel the gun strapped to my thigh. At this point, I want to pull the trigger and end the reign of President Snow. "What do I have to do?" I whisper back. Finnick sighs. "His office is in the meeting room for the gamemakers. There's only one way in. But it's demeaning." Finnick sighs. I'll do anything to save her and kill Snow. 

 "What's your definition of "demeaning"?," I ask Finnick. He looks away with regret. "There are women who are presented in front of the gamemakers- Katniss forget I brought it up," Finnick brushes it off. Women "presented" to gamemakers? He put it in nicer terms. He means women show off their bodies for the gamemakers pleasure. "You aren't doing that," Haymitch's voice echoes in my ear. I'm taken aback. I feel a relief that he's here, still doing his best to mentor me. "Sweetheart, you aren't doing that. I won't let you," Haymitch's raspy voice says angrily. Finnick looks at me. "I'll do it," I say. Finnick shakes his head. Haymitch protests in my head. "You are going to take me to where I need to be," I look dead in Finnick's eyes. "Haymitch says he'll shoot me in the leg if I do," Finnick hesitates. I exhale, "Finnick, I need too. I don't want to, but I don't have a choice," I express. He blinks his eyes in nervousness. He nods ever so slightly. "What if Peeta finds I did this?," Finnick says. Then Haymitch's voice rings in my ears, "He shouldn't worry what Peeta will do!". I'm grateful he's here but I wish he could shut up. "Haymitch is threatening me," Finnick pokes at his earpiece. I pull it from his ear and tuck it in his collar. "Peeta's going to have to deal with it," I say.

 Finnick leads me up stairs. The gun at my hip is hitting me side as we walk up the stairs. "Huck!," Gamemakers say to Finnick as we walk. He smiles with charisma. Some whistle and make cat calls. Gale pears down at Finnick and me. His chest puffs out. "Huck, Shrader," Gale says with a forced smile. "Everything is okay hun," I touch Gale's shoulder and squeeze reassuringly. "I'm taking her to a special place, Baron." Finnick whispers closely in his ear. Gale let's us go. 

 We make three left turns. Women dress in short dresses or lingerie. "Ladies, I have a volunteer to help with your little performance," Finnick says with a raspy voice that isn't his own. The women giggle and one of them takes hold of my arm. She drags me into a room. My image of Finnick fades away from the mass amount of women crowding in front of him. The women powder their faces and pile the makeup on their lips and eyelids. "Oh you're beautiful," a woman smoking a pipe, blowing a white cloud in my face. I inhale accidentally and choke. "Oh hun, you shouldn't inhale," the woman with purple silk hair pats my back. She wears to much glitter around her eyes and her arms covered in designs. "HEY! AVOX!," a girls not much older than me, maybe nineteen yells across the room. Johanna walks over. Her eyes finally meet mine and widen. She struggles to keep her mouth perfectly tight. The young girl orders Johanna to get her some alcohol. She nudges my arm as she walks away. It was tacit, she meant be careful. 

 An elder woman, not much older than her thirties. She wasn't too old for her age but compared to the woman surrounding her, she stuck out of the crowd. "Ladies! Your performance will start in less than a minute. Good luck!" She walks out and the chatter continues. "May the odds be ever in our favor!," someone yells. All of them start laughing. "Nervous?," they ask me since I didn't laugh. "A bit. I just don't know what we are doing," my voice shakes while I say it. She smiles, "Hun, all you've got to do is act sexy." Oh gosh. The thing I'm not and I have to make it believable. I hope the odds are in my favor. 

 They all begin lining up by a red velvet curtain. They're shimmying in their dress and giggling. I still am in my silk baby blue dress. Girls pass by me and stroke my shoulder as if it was for good luck. Finnick as gotten me into trouble. But I'll do this, just to sneak into the office.