"We are simply ash."
•••
It had been five years since Autumn's Hunger Games. She now lived with visions and voices that haunted her every night, watching her district partner die right in front of her eyes. Only one good thing came out of the Games...
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•••
The next two days were very boring. It was simply training, training, training. All of the time. Finnick and Autumn were training morning to night, only stopping to eat lunch.
The only fun part about training had been when Finnick came up to Autumn with a noose around his neck, asking her if she wanted to walk him. She simply replied that there were plenty of other fun things to do with that rope.
After morning training on the third day of being in the Capital, Haymitch came to the District Four floor.
"May I have a word with you both?" Haymitch asked as Autumn and Finnick walked off of the elevator.
"How long will it take?" Autumn asked. "We have to get ready for the individual evaluations in front of the Gamemakers tonight."
"It won't take too long, if you listen," Haymitch told them. They nodded, the three of them walking over to the sitting area.
Amethyst was off taking to the stylists for tomorrow's interviews and so nobody else was on the floor after Haymitch sent the avoxs away.
"What's going on?" Finnick asked as he and Autumn sat on a couch across from where Haymitch was sitting in an arm chair.
"Katniss wants Autumn as an ally," Haymitch nodded towards Autumn. "But not you, Finnick."
"Am I too dashing for her?" Finnick asked with sarcasm.
"More like too cocky," Autumn joked.
"No, she just doesn't trust you," Haymitch told Finnick.
"And she trusts me?" Autumn asked him.
Haymitch shrugged before saying, "It seems so."
"So what do we do?" Finnick asked him.
Haymitch stood up, pulling a golden bracelet off of his wrist and handing it to Finnick.
"Wear this in the arena," Haymitch told her. "Katniss knows who it's from."
"And you think this'll keep her from trying to kill me?" Finnick asked Haymitch, taking the bracelet from him.
"It couldn't hurt," Haymitch shrugged.
"Great," Autumn laughed. "He says she wants to kill you so he gives you a bracelet."
•••
Finnick and Autumn spoke quietly between each other as they waited for the calling for the tributes to begin.
Autumn wasn't sure yet what she was going to do in the room for the Game Makers. She wanted to do something big. She no longer cared what score she got or if she would anger the Game Makers.
Autumn couldn't help but let her mind wander to Tyson and the memories of her Hunger Games.
Autumn held on to Finnick's hand, feeling a panic attack creeping up on her. She began to feel like she was drowning, which often came with these attacks. She couldn't breath. Waves of water pooled in on her in her vision. Was it water or blood? Both of the liquids blended together in Autumn's eyes.
Autumn took a few deep breaths, trying to control herself and soon the water and blood left her vision.
"Finnick Odair," the robotic voice called over the speakers in the waiting area. Finnick stood up and placed him hand on Autumn's cheek, staring at her for a moment before walking down the long hall into the training room.
A few moments later, Autumn's voice was announced over the speakers. As Autumn got up and began to walk down the long hall towards the training room, she caught Katniss's eye. Katniss have her a nod, telling her she'll do great.
Autumn walked into the room, looking around at the weapons, dummies, paint, and obstacle courses set up around her.
"Ms. Reeves, you have ten minutes to display whatever skills of your choosing," Plutarch Heavensbee spoke.
Autumn got to work right away, knowing what she wanted to make. She grabbed two dummies and two knives along with black and red paint. Autumn stabbed each dummy with a knife, one in the chest and one in the stomach. She then took the red paint and spread it over the dummies knife wounds to symbolize blood. Lastly, Autumn took the black paint and put names on each. The one with the stomach wound was Tyson and the one with the chest wound was Peter.
Autumn then took a board of wood that was meant to be used to make fires and write in black paint, "The haunt me. They shall haunt you." She took both the dummies and placed them on the ground in prefect line of vision of the Game Makers. She spilled more red paint around them before taking the plank of wood and propping it up against the dummy's feet.
