𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑮𝑰𝑹𝑳 , 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐫

xxii. what we answer

"You guys look great." Octavia stands up, putting her arms around Rue gently, careful not to ruffle her hair or wrinkle her dress. Thresh gives Haymitch a handshake, prompted by Chaff. Octavia can faintly hear the man rambling to the boy about allying with his male tribute, Thresh is polite but it's clear to everyone that he has no interest in allying.

"You look beautiful, Rue," Octavia says, pulling away from the girl and bending down to match her height. Rue shyly grins, throwing herself back into Octavia's hug. The woman covers her surprise by returning the hug, this time allowing a hand to rub the girls back gently. Rue was scared, and as much as Octavia wanted to comfort her, there wasn't much for her to do. When they pull away again, Chaff begins talking—or slurring, to Rue, who giggles at his drunkenness. Haymitch had shown himself the way out, leaving Octavia and Thresh standing awkwardly.

"Hey," Octavia says, Thresh nods in response. The girl begins to chew her bottom lip, unsure what to say.

"Your brother would be so proud of you," she says, words spewing out before she can stop herself. Her cheeks grow red out of embarrassment and fear, not sure how he'd react to the mention of his brother.

"He'd be proud of you, too. They both would," he surprisingly reassures, the corners of his lips turning upward slightly. He steps toward the girl, putting his arms around her, allowing her to wrap hers around his waist. It was weird, she could only remember him as the ten year old boy he was when she left Eleven for the first time; and now he towers over her, comforting her, while he's the one suffering the same fate.

Octavia can only hope that somehow, the odds would be in his favor.

───

Caesar's obnoxious theme song booms aloud as the crowd cheers. He struts out with pride, pretending to be surprised at the cheers. Octavia and Chaff give each other a side eye that says 'this is bullshit'.

"Hello! Hello! Hello!" Caesar calls out theatrically, chucking at himself. Octavia begins to feel anxious at the memories that surface when she sees the stage. She remembers everything. Augustus' interview, her interview, it lingered through the back of her mind and made her start to feel dizzy.

Worst of all, she remembered her victory interview. She remembered the fake sympathy from Caesar. She hears the cheers when the crowd watched Octavia kill people. She hears the whispers as she watches her brother die, for the second time. Chaff pats his hand on hers, noticing her solemn face. She gives him a small smile.

Caesar brings out the first set of tributes. District One and Two are the only memorable tributes that Octavia noted. Cocky, calculated, and callous; the career pack would make for one of the more terrifying alliances.

Octavia picks at her fingernails, trying not to cringe at the painfully awkward interviews happening in front of her. During the District Four boy's interview, she can see him constantly looking out into the audience. Octavia follows his line of sight, settling her eyes on Finnick. The sight of him makes her weak. It felt like a lifetime ago that they were back in Eleven or in Four, just being them. She silently begged him to look over. He doesn't.

The interviews last for a few minutes each. None of the tributes stuck out to Octavia. When it got to Rue's turn, the audience collectively awed in mock sympathy. Octavia clenches her jaw but tries to keep a straight face, knowing that the cameras would likely pan to her.

Caesar begins to ask Rue about District Eleven. He asks her about her family. Rue gives quiet, polite answers. She is smart in a way that Octavia was never. Rue knew how to avoid stepping on any toes.