lover/fighter - Finnick Odair

Chapter 39 - And so it begins

A whole five days pass before she sees Finnick again. Five days that could just as easily be five years, as they are overflowing with happenings and emotions.

Not much happens on the first day. It's spent preparing for the interviews and all Rhea gets out of it are a few text messages with tired descriptions from Finnick about how hard it is to get his tributes to cooperate. Other than that, the ratings from the demonstration are revealed. Like the other Careers, Finnick's tributes both scored high, with Coralie getting a 9 and Hector even getting a 10.

The lowest score awarded was 3 points for Talia, a 12-year-old girl from District 3. Hector shares first place for the most points with Ajax from District 2. In between everything has been there, with the Career Tributes undisputedly dominating the upper field.

On the second day, the much-anticipated interviews finally take place. One by one, all 24 tributes are brought on stage to Caesar Flickerman and questioned in front of the watchful eyes of the Capitol. At least this time none of them were put in a silly costume. Instead, every single one of them was dressed up to the nines in outfits that could almost be haute couture. Tastes are still debatable, but at least nobody has to be ashamed of their outfit.

Rhea has been following every word from back home. She has memorized every face and every name and burned them into her memory. And it's just like Finnick said. You can give each tribute a title that describes the role they have chosen. The innocent type, the funny type, the charming type, the confident type, the above it all type, and then some. Some play their role better than others, but most seem to have a clear plan.

By the end of the day, there is already a realization that surprises Rhea. For the first time, she is paying full attention to the Games, and she is determined not to behave in any way like the other Capitolites do. Now she is shocked to discover that she has already broken this resolution when she realizes that she must have unconsciously picked out a favorite among the 24 faces.

It's one of Johanna's tributes, a boy, just 13 years old, with the pretty name Lindel. Rhea can't help it, but with his hazel eyes and dark curls, he looks far too much like Tarek's younger brother Elija. The fact that they are also the same age doesn't make it any better.

Elija is Mirella's second child and the quietest of his brothers. While his younger brother Philip is more like Tarek in character and is already quite a whirlwind at just 7 years old, Elija is rather shy and reserved. However, as his siblings usually take him with them on their adventures, you don't notice this at first glance.

Rhea remembers how he broke his arm two years ago during one of their explorations. It wasn't hard to tell from Tarek's unusually guilty expression who had the stupid idea of climbing around in the ruins of an old factory. Unfortunately, in the poorer neighborhoods, there aren't many things for children to keep themselves busy, so they often get creative in unsettling ways.

After Linus had treated him, the little one clung to Rhea's arm for weeks whatever she was doing. But how could you send him away when he looks at you begging with those big eyes? When Elija feels insecure, scared or ill, he becomes very clingy, which has always been the case and has always melted many a heart.

Now Rhea can't help but feel the same tug at her heart whenever she looks at the District 7 boy. She doesn't quite know what to make of Johanna Mason yet, but she fervently hopes she's doing all she can to help the little guy, because as much as she wishes she could just grab him and take him home, there's nothing she can do.

After the interviews, Rhea notices her increasing tension for the first time. Again and again, she catches her leg bobbing up and down, a nervous tic she has had since childhood, whenever she is forced to wait for an unpleasant event that she knows is coming. She cooks dinner, mainly to relax, because she can hardly get a bite down.