Brute (Finnick X oc)

* 1 *

The camera started rolling.

"Hello. Good evening. And a big welcome to all in Panem. I'm Caesar Flickerman. And whoever you are, whatever it is you're doing, if you're working, put down your work. If you having dinner, stop having dinner."

Peeta gripped my hand tighter. Why is he nervous? The capital and the districts adore us.

"Because you are going to want to witness this tonight. There have been rampant speculation about what really happened in the Quarter Quell. And here to shed a little light on the subject for are very special guests. Please welcome Mr. Peeta Mellark and Ms. Cypress Bennett."

The camera pan to us. I tried to smile but something held me back from doing so.

"Peeta, Cypress, a lot of people feel as though they are in the dark." "Yeah, I know I can speak for the both of us, I know how they feel." I nodded at what Peeta said.

"Now, so set the stage for us. Talk us through what really happened. On that final and controversial night." "Well, first off, you have to understand that when you're in the Games you only get one wish. It's very costly."

I looked slightly around the room. Peacekeepers where at the ready if anything where to happen.

"It costs your life?" "I think it costs more than your life." "How do you mean? What's more? What's more than your life."

Peeta looked at me to answer.

"He means, to murder innocent people, that costs everything you are." "Yes." "So you hold on to that one wish." "That night, my wish was to save Katniss. I should've just run off with her earlier in that day like she'd wanted."

"But you didn't. Why? We're you caught up in Beetee's plan?" "No, I was caught up in trying to make allies." He lifted up our hands.

Did Peeta not want to be my friend?

"Then they separated us that's when I lost her." "I told Peeta I would protect her. I hid her in a ditch. And ran to find Johanna since I thought Katniss would be okay." As I spoke it was like I left my body, I don't know what I was saying. I barely remember any of that. I looked up at the celling trying to hold back tears I don't know why they formed.

I wish someone would explain.

"I made it back to the lightning tree. That's where I saw her, she had her arrow pointed at Finnick. I wanted to save him. It's taken me two games to realize you can't keep your promises in that arena. In that split second before the lightning I didn't try to save Katniss. I tried to save Finnick."

I looked at Peeta pleading for him to go since tears threaten to escape my eyes. I'm saying all these names but no face appears in my head.

Why can I say all these things but not remember.
How is that possible?

"And then the lightning hit and the whole force field around the arena just blew out." "Yea but, Peeta. Katniss is the one who blew it out." Peeta shook his head.

"No." "You saw the footage." "No, she didn't know what she was doing. Neither of us knew there was a bigger plan going on. We had no idea."

Bigger plan?

"You had no idea. Cypress did you?" "No, I knew nothing." "All right. Well, there are many who find this suspicious to say the least. It seems as though she was part of a rebel plan, with Finnick included and Roland."

Roland. My best friend. I started to breath heavy. I remember him but not his face.

My hand went up to my necklace, the cold metal that once laid on my neck was gone.

I tried to remember when I wore it last but I never take it off!

"To be almost killed by Johanna? Or part of a plan to be paralyzed by lightning? No, we were not part of any rebel plan. We had no idea what was going on." Peeta's voice started to raise, I gripped his hand tighter and rubbed my thumb back and fourth on the back of his palm.

"All right. I believe you, Peeta Mellark. Thank you." "Yeah." "Cypress do you agree with what he said?" I looked between Peeta and the camera.

"I had no idea this rebellion was happening. And I do believe if Katniss knew about it she would have told Peeta. And, seeing she wanted to leave that night, if she knew about it, she definitely didn't act like she did."

I'm not in control of myself. My mouth moves because of me but the words that are being formed are from another person.

"And what about Finnick and Roland? Do you think they knew?" I stared at Caesar, my face twisted as he said their names. He said it as if he said a curse word. Like you aren't supposed to talk about them.

"Are they the face of the rebellion?" I asked. Caesar's mouth opened and closed. "Exactly. That's my answer." I smiled fondly at the camera.

"Well, I was going to ask you to speak about the unrest, but I think you two might be too upset." Caesar asked. I'm getting really tired of him putting words in my mouth.

"No, I can." "Are you sure?" "Yeah absolutely." "Yes." "Thank you." We both sat up and stared into the camera but slightly passed it to read off the teleprompter.

"I want everyone who's watching to stop and to think about what a civil war could mean." "We all almost went extinct once before. And now our numbers are even fewer."

What the heck am I saying? Why am I doing this?

"Is this really what we want to do? Kill ourselves off? Killing is not the answer." I looked at Peeta.

"Then why do we have the hunger games?" I mumbled. I looked over to some Peacekeepers who held a syringe tightly.

"Everyone needs to lay down their weapons immediately." I read off. "Peeta, Cypress. Are you calling for a ceasefire?" "Yeah. We are." I looked at Peeta. Then back at Caesar.

"Cypress do you agree?" "I... Uhh..." as I stumbled over my words Peeta gripped my hand tight my fingers where pushed together making me squirm.

"Yes. I agree." "We want everyone to stop this senseless violence. This is not the path to change. It's not the path to justice." "Thank you, both of you. Cypress Bennett and Peeta Mellark."

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