𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 (Finnick Odair)

𝚒𝚒.

𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛: 𝚒𝚒.

𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚏 𝚊𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚙. Saffreen decided to skip her schedule that morning. She needed to help Finnick.

It wasn't as if anyone would really care. They had accepted that Finnick wasn't following his schedule. Was barely getting out of bed to receive it at all. Saffreen had been everything they could ever ask for up until then. And it wasn't as if they'd punish her.

She had gone from the Capitol's darling to the frail creature who did everything she was told.

So, not much had changed.

She got Finnick out of bed. That was the first task. Once she had managed to get him onto his couch, she made the bed, fluffing the pillows, carefully flattening the blanket.

She cleaned whatever she could. Sorted out his drawers, though there wasn't much in them. 

When she finished, she sat with Finnick, lacing her fingers through his. "Nice job," he said, offering her a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"It wasn't much work," she answered.

He nodded slightly. Saffreen knew that all he wanted was to climb into his bed and hide away from the world. She felt the same, most days, but she fought as hard as she could not to. If she gave in, she would never leave that bed.

"Want to take a walk?" she offered.

"They'll drag us where we're supposed to be," Finnick answered in a voice choked with fatigue.

"No, they won't," Saffreen said. She tapped on his plastic medical bracelet. "Mentally disoriented. Remember?"

"You aren't," he said. He waved her bare wrist in her face. "You have no excuses."

"I have one excuse," she said, and he raised an eyebrow half-heartedly.

"You. I'm going to make sure you don't go stir crazy. There's a meeting at 18:00. You're coming with me."

"I don't want to," he whispered. His voice was so weak that Saffreen almost gave in.

"We all have to."

He groaned. "Why?"

"I don't know," Saffreen admitted.

She supposed they'd find out soon enough.

She kept a tight grip on him as everyone began to gather. A part of her feared that if she let go, he would fall away. Just disappear into his head and never return.

Nearby was Katniss. She looked up, realizing that Saffreen and Finnick had arrived. "Hey, you two," she said with a flash of a smile. Saffreen waved hesitantly. Finnick made no moves. He was clutching onto Saffreen for dear life.

"Finnick," she said gently. "Katniss is here."

Katniss joined the pair. "Finnick!" she said a little too loudly. "How are you doing?"

"Katniss," he said, reaching out with his free hand to grip her by the wrist. "Why are we meeting here? Saff didn't know."

"I told Coin I'd be her Mockingjay. But I made her promise to give the other tributes immunity if the rebels won," Katniss answered. "In public, so there are plenty of witnesses."

"Oh. Good. Because I worry about that with Annie. That she'll say something that could be construed as traitorous without knowing it," Finnick said.

Saffreen nodded. "I feel the same about my mother. She doesn't know anything, but they could twist her words so easily."

Katniss's eyes got big for a moment. Then, she said, "Don't worry, I took care of it," and squeezed Finnick's hand before hurrying away.

She spoke quickly to Coin before she made way back over to Finnick and Saffreen.

Coin spoke simply. Katniss had consented to being the Mockingjay, on the condition that the other victors, Peeta, Johanna, Enobaria, and Annie, would be given a full pardon.

There, of course, were those upset about this. Coin allowed a moment of unrest to follow her announcement. Then she continued on. "But in return for this unprecedented request, Soldier Everdeen has promised to devote herself to our cause. It follows that any deviance from her mission, in either motive or deed, will be viewed as a break in this agreement. The immunity would be terminated and the fate of the four victors determined by the law of District Thirteen. As would her own. Thank you."

In other words, they, and possibly Katniss, would die.

This place was starting to feel like the Capitol.

Saffreen looked at Katniss, who stood with her back rigidly straight, her face impassive. At least, mostly so. Saffreen saw the fear behind her eyes.

Saffreen reached for her hand. Katniss let her take it without a word.

In a near whisper, her voice wavering, she told Katniss, "It'll be okay. It has to be."