❝ ALONE WE ARE STRONG,
TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER, ❞
in which talia riverthorn,
a citizen of district 4,
finds her heart torn
when she is forced into the
71st hunger games.
and the handsome,
mysterious finnick odair
is her mentor.
and as well...
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FOR THEM
Katniss slipped onto the bunk bed beside Finnick. He was sitting with his rope in his hand, tying and untying. Both of them dressed in 13's boring grey slacks, hair dirty and disheveled, both of them broken pieces of a game built to destroy them.
"I just realised something," Katniss begins. Her voice makes Finnick jolt, he stops tying his rope for a moment, "Snow's using Peeta to taunt me, he's using Mags, Annie, Johanna and Gwen too. I didn't...I didn't understand until just now, watching that stupid cat,"
Finnick takes in a deep breath, staring forwards at nothing in particular, until he looks at Katniss with sorrowful eyes. "After your first games, I thought the whole romance was an act. We all expected you to continue that strategy, but it wasn't until...Peeta's heart stopped and he nearly died that...I knew I'd misjudged you, and you love him,"
It was her turn to look away. She knew he was right, Finnick was rarely wrong.
"I'm not saying in what way, maybe you don't even know yourself, but anyone paying attention can see it," Finnick says and Katniss pulls in a deep breath.
"How do you live with it?"
"I drag myself out of nightmares and there's no relief in waking up, but its better not to give in to it," Finnick admits. Katniss turns to look at him and he breathes deeply, "It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together, as it does to fall apart,"
Her feet carried her almost silently towards the doors, she knew who awaited on the other side, but she knew exactly what she had to do. She'd heard Jamie get up just a few moments ago and whisper away to Rossan about going to the Capitol, to rescue the Victor's. He'd had an alert on his tag, asking for volunteers.
Talia lay still until he'd gone, and she knew, deep down, that she'd never be allowed to go. She'd never be able to get onto one of the hovercraft with Coin's actual, real permission to do so. But she had to go. She had to get her family back.
The door were opened ever so slightly, just enough to fit through. She pulled herself through, nearly tearing her grey overalls on the way. She looks over her shoulder, at the sleeping population of District 13. Finnick was in there somewhere. So close, yet so far. Seeing him would have to wait. She took a deep breath and ascended the long, winding staircase towards the hanger.
She got there without seeing anyone. Everyone was allowed to stay in bed this morning after such a long night. There were several people stood around the hovercraft, including Plutarch and President Coin. She could make out Rossan helping Jamie strap a gun across his chest. Rossan's head looks up and she ducks down out of view just in time. Or at least she hopes. Either way, he doesn't call her out.
She scurries around the right side of palettes loaded with unarmed bombs and presses her back against the one closest to the craft. She doubted they'd be taking any of them, it would attract way too much attention for a rescue mission.
"So, the whole city should be down," Talia catches the end of Beetee speaking about the invisible boarders that surrounded the Capitol and acted as a shield. It would alert the President of any aircraft that entered the Capitol airspace.
"Should? Or is?" Its Rossan.
"We don't know for sure, but it looks to be that way...This is why its volunteer only...There is a risk involved here," Beetee explains.
"Is everyone ready?" Asks another voice, Talia recognised it but couldn't place a name to it.
There were a few mumbles before everyone agreed they were ready to go. Plutarch, Beetee and Coin clear the area then, wishing them luck and that they'd stay in contact over the pilot radios. When Talia knows their backs are turned she stands and grabs the closest weapons she can find- a small handgun and a penknife. She runs then, seeing that the door is about to close and she just about makes it on board, sprawling herself across the door. Everyone gasps and curses, but the pilots are already in flight by the time she stands.
"What in the name of all things holy are you doing here?!" Rossan growls, he was strapped into the seat closest to her, holding his weapon steady.
"I-"
"Ma'am we need you to take a seat and strap in," The co-pilot says without looking back.
She wobbles to her seat, there was a lot of turbulence as they left District 13 behind. As she left Finnick behind.
"Do you have a death wish, girl?" A tall man asks, he was sat at the other end of the hovercraft, he looked to be leading the mission.
"Boggs, this is Talia Riverthorn," Rossan says, gritting his teeth. He would never forgive her for this.
"The Pearl of Panem stuck on a hovercraft headed straight for the middle of the Capitol, to one of the most protected buildings, full of armed soldiers and possibly deadly experiments? Sounds about right," Boggs says, a hint of a laugh in his tone.
Rossan didn't find it amusing. Talia took a moment to access everyone on board. Boggs, Gale, Rossan, Jamie, Henry and Alanna were all here. There were 9 members of the force all together, not including Talia. After all, how much use was she going to be with a hangun she had been taught to use twice and a penknife?
As the hovercraft gained speed she thought that this could be last time she sees the people surrounding her, alive. They could all die in the Capitol. They could never make it home.
"Command, we are entering Capitol Airspace within the next 10 minutes, over,"
The news shakes Talia to the bone. They were here. In the snake's lair. About to take the Victor's, his prizes, home. Home. Talia tilted her head back and wished for District 4. For the feeling of sand under her feet and water lapping at her ankles. The shells that decorated most things- photo frames, bathtubs, necklaces. The ringing of the bells that signalled the fishing boats were leaving the harbour and the stench of the fishermen when they returned after a hard days labour. The children who would hunt for pearls all day in an attempt to feed their family. The mothers who would lose child after child because she wasn't strong enough to give them good milk. The fathers who would bury their younglings and leave flowers and shells on their graves because they couldn't afford a proper headstone. The families who would see their children live to Reaping age, and have their son or daughter stolen from them to be forced to kill or be killed.
Fury filled her veins. Today would not be the day she killed President Snow. But as she sat there, the hovercraft crossing the shutdown shield border, she vowed; I'm going to kill President Snow.
_______________
Just gonna let you know now, I'm not afraid of killing characters :))))
