Stay with me? [Finnick Odair]

87

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Chapter eighty seven
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"I don't even know why you bothered to put Clementine, Finnick and me through training, Plutarch," Katniss says with a lighthearted laugh adding to the tension rising between the others, and Plutarch seems to frown at what she says.

"Yeah, we're already the three best-equipped soldiers you have," Finnick adds with a cocky smirk on his lips, looking down at me, I give a light roll of my eyes at his comment and he replies with pulling a face at me; both of us laughing after, but then we're interrupted by Plutarch.

"Do not think that fact escapes me," he says with an impatient wave. "Now, back in line soldiers Odair, Carter and Everdeen. I have a presentation to finish."

Of course, we retreat at once and the three of us stay quiet until the end of the presentation. Our lighthearted humour towards the realisation the three of us had does not make up for the fact that they're sending three victors back into the games, just when we thought we had escaped it, they pull us back in and we're all going to have to fight our way out of it — whether we all make it out alive or it's just one of us, someone has to be there for the anticipated surrender.

Once the meeting is over, Finnick, Katniss and I meet in the hallway. I stare at the door to Command. "What am I gonna tell Mae?" I sigh, looking to Finnick for advice, he gives me a look of sympathy and wraps his arms around me. I immediately feel safer in his arms, lazily slipping my arms around his torso, and I bury my head in his chest; listening to the soft, rhythmic beating of his heart. Katniss shrugs her shoulders.

"Nothing," she says. "That's what my mother and sister will be hearing from me," she says and I know she's right not to tell them, but there's something in the back of my mind that I can't ignore.

"Doesn't she deserve to know what I'm going into?" I ask, Finnick moves his hand into my hair and begins curling it around his finger. "What if she sees the holograph—"

"She won't," Katniss says firmly. "It's classified information. It must be," she adds and I begin to feel a little bit better about the situation. "Anyway, it's not like an actual games. Any number of people will survive. We're just overreacting because — well, you know why. You still want to go, don't you?"

"Of course," I say without hesitation. "I want Snow dead as much as you do."

"It won't be like the others," she says firmly, seemingly trying to convince herself at the same time. Then, a twisted grin takes over her face as she realises something utterly beautiful. "This time Snow will be a player, too."

I smile at this. Knowing that there's nothing to protect Snow from the games now, knowing he can't hide behind the cameras and watch as we kill each other, it's the most beautiful thing I've heard in my entire life. Haymitch arrives moments later, having not attended the meeting, he doesn't know that the Capitol is mapped out like an arena, but just as we're about to tell him he gives us something else to think about.

"Johanna's in the hospital."

"What?" I say almost immediately. I know Johanna's had some problems with training, but I assumed she would've made it out of the exam perfectly fine.

"Is she hurt? What happened?" Katniss asks for me and Haymitch gives a short sigh.

"It was while she was on the Block," he informs us. "They try to ferret out a soldier's potential weaknesses, so they flooded the street."

This doesn't seem to register with Katniss or Finnick, but I know some of the ways they tortured her in the Capitol — I got a couple glimpses in on my way for my torture sessions, so what Haymitch tells us next doesn't surprise me. "That's how they tortured her in the Capitol. Soaked her and then used electric shocks," he says. "In the Block she had some kind of flashback. Panicked, didn't know where she was. She's back under sedation." Finnick and Katniss just stand there, Finnick's arms tighten their grip on me as if I'm about to slip away from him, and I see Haymitch's eyes flicker down to me for one second. "You three should go see her. You're as close to friends as she's got."

Looking up at Finnick, I see the way his jaw is clenched and I move my hand up to his cheek. He looks down at me, but this only appears to make him worse. It's like he can see the things they did to me. The way they tortured me. And it doesn't sit well with him at all.

"I better go tell Plutarch," Haymitch continues. "He won't be happy. He wants as many victors as possible for the cameras to follow in the Capitol. Thinks it makes for better television."

"Are you and Beetee going?" Katniss asks.

"As many young and attractive victors as possible," he corrects himself. "So, no, we'll be here."

Finnick doesn't wait for any longer, he places his hand in mine and takes me with him down to see Johanna in the hospital. She's lying on the bed with her eyes wide, fighting against the powerful sedation of the drugs she's been administered, terrified of what sleep will bring, and when Finnick and I enter the room she barely acknowledges us. Finnick talks to her for a while, but I just stay off to the side. Johanna and I haven't spoken much, so I'm not sure if she'd even want me talking to her.

When she looks over at me, it's as if something registers in her brain and she gestures for me to come closer. I do and she places her hand on mine, her touch softer than I recall, terrified of what might happen if she makes a wrong move, but when nothing happens and she realises she's okay she looks up at me. "They were there, Clementine," she says to me. "They hurt me again."

I nod my head. "I know, Johanna," I say, my voice is barely louder than a whisper but I force myself to stay strong for her.

"You know what they did," she whispers to me, eyes filling with tears. "You were there. They —" just as she was about to start rambling, Katniss appears beside me and holds out a white bandage with something inside of it. Her brows furrow as she looks at Katniss. "What's that?"

"I made it for you," Katniss explains as she places the bundle in Johanna's hand. "Something to put in your drawer. Smell it."

She cautiously lifts the bundle to her nose and takes a sniff. "Smells like home," she says, her voice cracking as tears begin to fill her eyes once more.

"That's what I was hoping. You being from Seven and all," Katniss says with a small smile appearing on her lips. "Remember when we met? You were a tree. Well, briefly."

Suddenly, Johanna's hand moves from mine and she takes Katniss' wrist in an iron grip. "You have to kill him, Katniss."

"Don't worry," Katniss assures, keeping herself calm as Johanna cuts off the circulation to her hand.

"Swear it. On something you care about."

"I swear it. On my life." This doesn't seem to be enough for Johanna.

"On your family's life," she insists. Katniss gives a nod.

"On my family's life." Johanna finally lets go and Katniss rubs her wrist, thinking of something and smiling down at Johanna. "Why do you think I'm going, anyway, brainless?"

This makes her smile. "I just needed to hear it," she says while pressing the bundle to her nose, closing her eyes, we all decide to quietly move out of the hospital to allow her some time to calm down.