Allies (Katniss Everdeen & Finnick Odair)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

My own screams wake me up from the nightmare I was having. This is how I spend most of my nights, with nightmares, screaming, mutts and dead people.

Peeta comes rushing through the door with his hair a little messy.

"Hey, you want me to stay with you?"

My tongue feels dry so I just nod. He started doing this during the victory tour, staying with me every night, but tonight I felt brave enough to be by myself. Guess I was wrong.

I fall asleep in his arms eventually and have a dreamless sleep. In the morning when we meet Haymitch and Effie for breakfast we're already in the Capitol. As we eat, Effie keeps talking about how the Capitol invested a lot of money in new Tribute Living Quarters and a 'very special arena'. I can't help but wonder what kind of arena we will have this year, and because it's a Quarter Quell, it won't be anything but entertainment for the Capitol citizens and a nightmare to us Tributes.

We go through the mob of Capitol citizens and reach the Living Quarters, which are above the training center. Cinna and Portia start to get Peeta and I ready for the tribute parade tonight. I wonder what kind of suit will I be wearing, and when I see the charcoal colored dress I find myself frowning a little bit, but then Cinna smiles and presses a button that makes the dress go up in flames, metaphorically. Cinna never lets me down, I don't know why I doubted him for a second.

I put on the dress and Octavia, Flavius and Venia start doing my hair and make-up. The put a thick layer of eyeliner and eye shadow above my eyes, and a few other touches here and there. I end up getting ready before Peeta does, so I decide to go and hang around the horses for a little bit.

Not a lot of Tributes are out here, probably aren't done getting ready. And now would be a great opportunity to talk to some of them if Haymitch wants us to have allies, but I discard the idea because the only people I see are the tributes from District 6, who apparently can's stay away from the morphling and have a weird yellowish tone to their skin; the woman from District 3, Wiress I think, who's mumbling things to herself. Some Tributes I don't quite remember from District 5 and 9; and another figure standing a few feet away next to a horse.

Eyes the color of the ocean.

That's what first catches my attention when he looks at me. I don't know what takes over but my palms start to sweat. Not like when I'm nervous to give a speech or talk to Caesar, but a different kind of nervousness that makes my heart jump.

I didn't notice he was basically half-naked because I could only keep focused on his eyes but now that I'm looking, he's in really good shape and has a breathtaking body, the color of caramel. His hair's a little messy but that makes him look even better.

I've seen him on television before, as a mentor in previous games, but it doesn't do justice to what he looks like in real life.

It seems like I've been staring at him too long, but he finally decides to approach me. Do I look good? Will he like my dress? What am I thinking? Who cares if he does? I don't even care about this stupid dress and the make-up. I've been spending too much time with Effie...

He's a few steps away looking dazzling as always. His slow walk makes it even harder to concentrate. But I can't think of him as anything. Not even a potential friend because that would mean a risk for Peeta. I need to save him and make sure he lives. At all costs.

"Hello, Katniss." He says when he's  finally a few inches from me.

I swallow hard before pronouncing my first words to him.

"Hello, Finnick."

He smiles when I say his name and opens his hand which is full of sugar cubes. "Do you want a sugar cube?" he says in a seductive voice. "I mean, they're supposed to be for the horses but who cares about them, right? They have their whole life to eat whereas you and I, if we see something sweet, we better grab it."

"No, thanks." I tell him, trying to keep my voice steady. "But I would love to borrow your outfit someday."

"You look pretty terrifying in that getup. What happened to all your little girl dresses?" he says, putting another sugar cube in his mouth.

"I out grew them." I say.

"You certainly did." He says smiling. I don't know why he has this kind of nervousness effect on me. I mean, people of the Capitol, sure they love all the superficial stuff, but me? Why am I reacting like this?

I look away from him and turn to the horse next to me. "Such a shame about this Quell thing. You," he continues, "You, could've made it out like a bandit in the Capitol. Jewels, money..."

"Well, I don't like jewels and I have more money than I need so... What do you do with all your wealth anyway?"

"I haven't dealt in anything as common as money in years." He says looking at my through his long eyelashes.

"Well then how do people pay for the pleasure of your company?" I ask.

He steps closer until he's just inches from me and leans over so his lips almost touch my ear. "With secrets." He says and I can tell he's smiling now. He steps back a little but he's still really close. "What about you Girl on Fire? Got any secrets worth my time?"

I'm a bit startled at his insinuation but I decide to play along. "I'm an open book. Everyone seems to know my secrets before I know them myself."

He smiles. "Unfortunately I think that's true," he says. I turn my head a little bit and I catch a glimpse of Peeta and Cinna approaching us. And apparently so does Finnick, "I'm sorry you had to cancel your wedding." Another attempt at trying to pacify the districts...

"I know how devastating that must be for you." He says in a mocking tone. He eats another sugar cube before winking at me. "Have a good day."

He exchanges awkward acknowledgements with Peeta before turning around and smiling at me again. I can't help but smile a little, too.

"What did Finnick Odair want?" Peeta asks.

It takes a moment for me to regain my composure enough before I answer. "To know all my secrets." I say in my very own attempt at a seductive voice and Peeta laughs. I guess I'll leave the seduction to Finnick after all.

Cinna motions us to go with him and we climb up our chariot before joining the rest of the tributes in the parade.   

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Hey! just wanted to tell you guys that I'll try my best to write down the scenes that will stay the same as the book or the movie, but I don't have them memorized hehe so it'll change a bit, and it will have a lot of made up scenes as well :)

Thanks for reading and please share, vote and/or comment :D

Ally xx