[Finnick Odair] The Trident and the Book Thief

The Sound and the Fury

Everyone wears black, even if Octavia who previously insisted the color made her look gaunt. Maximus slips a red flower into the lapel of his suit jacket, whilst her father can barely lift his head. It’s an open coffin, why Eleni doesn’t know. The look of her last struggled moment is still painted across Lucretia’s face. There’s nothing to her, she’s a stiff skeleton in a box and the ground is ready to take her. There’s no suffering anymore. The years of her absent agony are over. It strikes her, tearfully, that it was a long time coming.

President Snow had her grandfather killed some years ago and Lucretia never truly got over that, nor yet the stillbirth she’d had a few years ago. Morphling had been a reliable friend. Cassia slips her fingers through Eleni’s as President Snow takes his seat and Caesar Flickerman turns to the cameras. She wonders if Delia, Shaun, Mags and Finnick are watching. It’s being broadcast over her single station so it’ll be hard to miss. The games have even been delayed by a week as the country goes into a forced mourning.

As Flickerman speaks, her kiss with Finnick Odair drifts to the back of her mind. She glances at her sister, crying by her side, and she realizes her purpose is with her family. When the funeral is over she slinks back to her room with Cassia and they sleep together, like she does with Delia.

Yet she cannot sleep. She finds Maximus’ room in the dark hazy corridor and ignores the sound of her father clinking bottles in the foyer. His candles are lit. When she enters there’s a frenzy of panic as he tries to hide his lover under the sheets. When he sees it’s her every muscle in his body relaxes.

“What happened to knocking?” Maximum snaps at her as she sits on his chaise lounge. There’s a man in his bed, about their age, and he peeks self-consciously over the sheets. He’s an intern in her brother’s office.

“Would it kill you to be more discreet? I could have been father.” Eleni hisses and he rolls his eyes. He slips his jogger bottoms on and throws clothes at his lover, whom pink about the cheeks, dresses himself.

“He’s sending Cassia to live with Aunt Flavia. I overheard him on the phone. He wants her out of the Capitol, away from the cameras.” Maximus glances at the wall and Eleni furrows her eyebrow. Cassia belongs with her not with their ancient Aunt Flavia. “Wish he’d send me. This place is hell. I’d prefer a district.”

“No you wouldn’t.” Eleni says sharply. “I was going to look after her.”

“You have a job to do, Eleni.” Maximus says. “You think grandfather was just going to let you rot in your room crying? You’re a Snow. You don’t leave things half-finished and you don’t get to look weak to them. Weakness is a luxury we can’t afford. Every newspaper is clambering to tell the story… how our mother killed herself because our grandfather killed her father… how she spent years hooked on morphling just to cope. We’re the distraction.”

All that Cassia asks of her is to visit the Apartment she now lives in. She wants to meet the tributes and gaze across the sky-line from the other side of the city. No one can deny her that much. Eleni gives her a bag to hold and they’re escorted by four peacekeepers. Eleni can’t tell whether she’s happy or sad. She’s eager to see Delia and she has butterflies at the thought of reuniting with Finnick. He had seemed so upset that she might be leaving forever. She ponders Delia’s warning. When you’re that lonely you’d give everything to the first person who smiles at you.

When the door to the apartment opens she hears muffled arguing. Beauregard and Contricia are arguing over what dress Delia should wear at her interview whilst Mags lets steam out of the kettle in the kitchen. Finnick is lounged across the chair and he jerks upright when she enters. A wide grin breaks out onto Delia’s face and Shaun nearly slips from the sofa.

“Take the bag through to my room Cassia.” She tells her little sister, whom momentarily seems star-struck by Finnick Odair standing there in the living room, as though he can’t believe his eyes. “I’m back.”

“I can see that.” Delia hugs her tightly. “Oh thank-you thank-you. They’re driving me crazy. Contricia and Beau - they haven’t stopped fitting and… peeling me.”

“She’ll wear the teal dress. That blue one looks like a tea-cozy.” Eleni settles the argument in a sentence, for she knows neither stylist would dare question her. “Who cares if her armpits are shaved? They’re hardly going to be visible.”

“You’re staying.” Finnick says carefully.

“Yeah. Cassia only wanted to see where I live. Father is sending her to live with our Aunt in the North.” She smiles gently. There's a hopeful glint in his eye.

“You’re okay? I’m very sorry about your mother.” Shaun says and she hugs him too. He goes pink about the cheeks as his cheeks squish up against her. He’s the first one that asks and she thinks he’s sweeter than he lets on.

“I’ll be okay.” She says slowly. Cassia slips out of the room and flits over to the window. Eleni can feel Finnick’s stare as she kneels beside her sister. She wonders what he’s thinking, if he’s thinking.