The last goodbye

chapter 7

haymitch enters the room as soon as snow leaves.

"what happened" he asks quickly.

"newt they....they hurt him" i mumble. "they're going to kill all of them haymitch. i can't do anything right. he'll kill them. we have to get them out haymitch"

"we will mia. i promise" he says

by the time we reach the line for the interviews i have stopped crying. it took the prep team 20 minutes to remove all traces that i had been crying. it would take an expert to notice it.

"whilst we're waiting lets discuss allies" haymitch states.

"you" i reply.

"who else" he asks

"no one" i ask hopefully.

"tough luck sunshine. if you're my allie you also have a few others" he states.

i sigh. i knew better than to turn my back on haymitch. i couldn't anyway. which meant i would have to put up with more allies.

"like who" i ask

"beetee and wiress district 3" he says. i remembered them as the ones that had been struggling to make a fire. i was fine with that. "woof and Cecelia district 8, chaff and seeder district 11, blight and Johanna district 7 and mags and finnick district 4"

"nope no way" i snap "i am not forming an alliance with him"

"you know. i can hear you right" finnick calls. district 1-3 had already been called.

"you were meant to" i snap back.

"you have already accepted my alliance. they are also a part of it. so deal with it" haymitch states.

glaring i nod. there was no way i was going to let him do anything for me.

it takes forever but finally it's my turn.

"Amelia hallow. district 12"

as soon as i step onto the stage i know i'm going to have to change my tactic. if i played dark and mysterious snow would definitely kill my friends. so instead i force a smile and walk onstage.

there's a round of applause as i take my seat.

"well mia.can i call you mia?" he asks

"everyone else does" i smile. for some reason the audience finds this hilarious. it takes everything in me not to glare.

"how are you tonight?" he asks

"I'm great actually" i smile. "it's great to be back in the capitol again"

"that's right. you disappeared off of our radars for the last 5 years didn't you. what happened" he asks. i had a feeling snow had put him up to this.

"my mum got a new job just outside of the capitol running tests. because i was still only a child and i knew i'd miss her terribly if she left i asked president snow if i could move with her. he was generous enough to add a spare room into a house for me to stay in" i explain with a forced smile. it was all lies. but they didn't know that.

"so what brought you back in time for the reaping?" he asks.

"my mother was moved to yet another testing facility that was already over packed" i reply. "so i decided it was a good enough time as any to return home to my friends and family. it was just a lucky coincidence that the twist for this years quarter quell was the victors"

"and what about that business in the opening ceremony?" he asks "with you suddenly running back into the warehouse"

i had been expecting this question from the beginning. i already knew it was going to happen.

"i had actually received some bad news just before our turn. my mother had been hurt badly during one of her tests." i let a few fake tears roll down my cheeks. "she um.....i'm sorry it's just difficult to talk about"

"take your time" he comforts.

"she died from her injuries. she loved the capitol and just seeing so many smiling waving faces i guess i just lost it."

the alarm goes off signalling the end of my interview.

i walk over to stand beside chaff from district 12 on the stage.

haymitch comes out for his interview. he has a strange look on his face. but i don't really listen to his interview. i search the crowd until i find president snow in his private box. i give him a questioning glance and he returns it with a cruel smile and a nod of his head. i had done what he wanted.

haymitch's interview comes to an end and he comes to stand beside me. before i know what is happening haymitch and chaff on either side of have taken my hand and raise them above my head. it was out of my control but for the second time that night a real tear rolls down my cheek. the other victors stand holding hands as well.

the lights quickly switch off as the audience go into a chaotic uproar. i race from the stage as soon as the camera's quit rolling.

i just keep running with no idea where i was going. i just knew i had to get out.

i finally find a door into what must have been a garden because the doors weren't locked with a security code. i shove the door hard and stumble out into the gardens. the tears had stopped by then so i just lean against the wall catching my breath and staring out at the rose garden

the door opens shortly after but i don't look up expecting it to be haymitch or katniss or even peeta.

I'm shocked when finnick says "you ran out of there like you had a mutt chasing you"

i jump slightly and turn to see him leaning casually against a arch with roses threaded around it.

"what are you doing here finnick" i sigh "i'm really not in the mood for any more of your egotistical comments"

"good thing i'm not here for that" he smirks.

"i find that hard to believe" i reply.

"he has someone close to you doesn't he" he asks taking me by surprise. "can't be your mum. did he kill her? does he have your dad or something"

i smile slightly at the thought of snow trying to capture my dad.

"my dad doesn't live around here" i reply "as for my mum. she's perfectly alive unfortunately. if he had her i wouldn't give a shuck. he has some of my friends if you must know. a lot of them actually. that's the real reason i ran at the opening ceremony. he had them tortured then pictures were shown. he um. he tortured one of my best friends in front of me a few hours ago" i didn't know why i was telling him all this. he didn't need to know this. it just sort of came pouring out.

he is silent a moment "i guess i really do have to watch out for you firecracker" he states. "we'd all be dead if you were on the other side"

"i am on the other side though finnick. because of these games we are enemies" i reply. i thought for a moment. if it hadn't been for the games would finnick and i be friends? probably not. i don't think i could put up with is massive ego.

"i'm not your enemy mia" he says shaking his head. "remember who the real enemy are"

he turns and walks away leaving me staring after him in confusion.