Stay with me? [Finnick Odair]

113

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Chapter one hundred and thirteen
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Katniss and I are escorted to the front doors of the mansion, receiving instructions from Plutarch on the way. Just before we exit the mansion, Plutarch slips one of my throwing knives into my hands; whispering to me that Coin ordered it. And I can only think of one reason why. I'm not the one who is to be carrying out the execution, Katniss is, but Coin has never fully trusted Katniss. So, my only thought as to why she ordered for me to have a weapon is that she suspects there is a chance that Katniss won't follow through with the execution.

If that does happen, she knows I will be the one to kill him.

I stuff the knife into my belt, nodding towards Plutarch to assure him that I will follow through if Katniss doesn't. In the City Circle, spectators begin to spill out to watch the execution. Guards, Officials, Rebel leaders, and the other victors take their places outside. The applause outside rises, indicating that Coin has stepped out onto the balcony. Effie taps our shoulders, urging us forward, and Katniss and I step out into the cold winter air. The roar of the crowd grows louder as Katniss and I walk to our positions. Once Katniss reaches her position, I step a couple paces behind her and stand at ease; my hands folded behind my back and my feet shoulder-width apart, like the good soldier I am.

As Coin looks down at us from the balcony, I can tell she spots the throwing knife in my belt glinting under the sun. She smiles at me, nodding her head once as if to praise me for taking orders.

Katniss stands so they can see her side profile and we both wait patiently. They escort Snow out and the crowd goes insane, he is propped up against a post and they bound his hands behind him. It's completely unnecessary, but they do it anyway. He's situated ten metres away from us, which is just close enough for me to recognise the look of pure amusement in his eyes as Katniss reaches behind her and locks the arrow in place on the string of her bow. She aims, getting it in position, but then she hesitates.

She watches Snow for a good few moments, a hushed silence sweeping over the crowd as they wait for the moment where she releases the arrow. Anybody else watching would just think she's doing this for dramatics, that she's been instructed to make sure the cameras positioned around us capture every little detail, but I know exactly what's going on in her mind.

Snow must have said something to her before his execution which makes her hesitate at the crucial moment. There's no other place she could've gotten that white rose than from Snow's mansion, so my only thought is that she found where they were keeping him and he said something to her that sent her mind into total shock and confusion.

In one second, before anyone can stop her, Katniss has made up her mind. She shifts her bow upwards and releases the string. It pierces Coin's chest. She is sent tumbling over the side of the balcony, landing on the floor. Lifeless.

Snow begins cackling at her actions. As if this is amusing to him. It soon dissolves into strangled coughing, which results in blood spilling all over the white rose which is placed in his lapel. Katniss is surrounded by guards, but I am left alone. I unsheathe the knife from my belt, doing exactly what I promised I would do if Katniss didn't follow through with her instructions. I pull my arm back, throwing it forward and release the knife; launching it forward as hard as I can. It sticks in Snow's chest. His coughs catch in his throat, his blood spills onto the floor and I see his eyes latch onto me.

I did it. I killed Snow.

Finally, all those years of torture and pain have led to something good. I get to watch Snow die in front of me, knowing I was the one to take his life from me like he took the life from so many people that I care about.

Katniss is taken away from me, thrashing and kicking like a wild animal, screaming at the guards who are taking her away to let her go. I turn my head to see Peeta standing beside me, a sad expression playing on his face as he watches Katniss being carried away from the crowd. He has teeth marks on his hand, which produce fresh drops of blood that collect on the ground beneath his feet, but he doesn't seem bothered by his wound. I look to the ground to see the all too familiar deep violet pill, crushed into the concrete by a guard's boot.

She tried to poison herself.

She must think that she's going to be executed for killing Coin, for betraying the rebels, but Peeta managed to stop her before she could bite down onto the pill. I look back up at him to see his eyes are on me. I want to assure him that she'll be okay, that they wouldn't dare hurt the Mockingjay, but even I can't know for sure what they'll do to her.

Finnick reaches me, pulls me back to the front doors of the mansion and directs me back to our room. I can't know for sure what's happening outside, but all I need for me to stay happy with the events that took place is the image of Snow with my knife sticking in his chest; blood spilling out onto the concrete.

I strip myself of my Sparrow costume and step into the shower. I don't bother with shampoos or body wash, I just stand in the warm water and allow it to coat my fragile skin. After a while, I hear a knock at the door.

"Clem?" It's Mae. She sounds worried. "Haymitch and Peeta are here, they want to talk to you."

Here we go.

They probably want to ask if I knew anything about what Katniss planned. If I knew that she was going to kill Coin. So, I make them wait as long as possible before stepping out of the shower and pulling on the large sweater and jeans that I got out of the closet. Once I step out of the bathroom, I see they have brought a guard with them. I don't know if it was their decision, that if I admit that I knew what Katniss was planning then they'd have me taken away to wherever they were keeping her. But it doesn't look like the guard is wanted here at this exact time, judging by the looks on their faces.

"Clementine," Haymitch says as I move across the floor and sit on the bed beside Finnick. "We wanted to ask you a few —"

"I didn't know Katniss was going to kill Coin," I interrupt, shaking my head, and I see Haymitch's jaw clench at my interruption.

"Then why did Coin order for you to have a weapon as well?" Peeta asks, making everyone turn their eyes to me. I sigh.

"Because Coin suspected Katniss wasn't going to follow through with the execution," I explain. "I don't know if someone told her Katniss wasn't going to do it, but she gave me a knife and ordered me to complete the execution if Katniss didn't. That's all I know."

"You didn't hear anything from Katniss about a plan to kill Coin?" The guard finally speaks up, raising an uncertain eyebrow at me.

I shake my head. "Nope."