➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳
"Do you think she'll regret it? Will she regret having won?" The tone of Finnick's question was almost desperate. Librae knew the boy needed the truth. White lies wouldn't relieve him.
"She will. Like we all do. But when she sees the faces of the ones she has fought for. The ones she loves, she'll realise it was worth it. It's a weird feeling, like a —'Ah, so that's why I did it.'— kind of thing." She replied, looking straight into the boy's eyes.
"Yeah, I know that feeling," he replied with a weak smile. Finnick was grateful for the honesty, although the confirmation of his thoughts hurt him.
"I knew the games would change her. Since months ago, when she started to have nightmares about the Arena, she became more gloomy. But I never expected to see her emotionally numb." He commented as he glanced back at Dove. She had started to toss and turn around. She wasn't mumbling yet, but he knew it was a matter of time.
"You know, in Melo's games, the interviewers asked Dove about her relationship with you. When she told us, I said I wouldn't approve, even if it was the best guy in all Panem." Librae joked, "I take that back now. If it's you, I know you'll make each other happy." It quickly changed to a caring tone. She was entrusting her daughter to him.
"We're not like that. Besides, I think you should worry about your love life first. When are you going to reply to any of Ron's obvious advances? Give the man a chance," Finnick had heard from both Melo and Dove how Ron tried to show his love for their mother since he met her, to no avail.
Ron Stafford, the winner of the forty-seventh Hunger Games. Although in Four there were many people with black skin, none was like Ron's. His skin was as dark as the night, which only helped to contrast his grey eyes even more. He was a man whose cold behaviour had charmed half Capitol. And yet there he was, desperately in love with Librae Ogilvy.
"Ron is not like that. We're just great friends," Librae replied with a smile. Finnick looked at her in disbelief. She said that even though she was blushing.
"Yeah. He's not like that, just like Dove and I can't stand each other," Librae snorted at his mocking remark. She was trying hard not to laugh out loud. Everyone was still asleep, and she didn't want to wake them up.
"OK. I'll pay more attention from now on. Happy?" Finnick nodded, still surprised at her reaction. There hadn't been many occasions in which he had seen her smiling. Laughing or snorting was inconceivable. "Alright. Now, off to sleep. Chop chop," she added with a smile. He recognized those words. Delia always said that when she wanted to send someone to bed.
The next morning, Delia rushed into the room with a big smile plastered on her face. "It's a big day! It's a great day! Oh, and here I was wondering where everyone had gone. Come on, sleepyheads. Ohan will be here in no time to get Dove ready," the escort announced with her usual cheeriness.
The firsts to wake up were Mags and Librae, who led Delia outside. Their kids could use five more minutes of sleep, since there was no need to wake them up so soon. The sunlight landed on Dove's eyes as her shield, her mother, left the bed. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around.
Last night, it felt as if a cloud had blocked her mind, not letting any information or emotion go through. But now, it was clearer. Although, not much more, but it was a step. Her emotions would take longer to stabilise. With some luck, they would be mostly back before her interview with Caesar, or she would have to fake them.
Only Melo, Finnick, and her were left in the room. The two boys slept peacefully, which was a first for Melo since his own games. Dove stared at them for a couple of minutes. She had always thought both boys resembled each other, at least, until now.
Of course, physically, they were similar. Same hair, same physique, even the same Capitol smile. Their attitudes were alike when inside the Capitol, both of them had to be charming and seductive. They were basically made to be sex symbols, the Capitol darlings.
Back in Four, those features died down considerably. No one could deny that both were charming and seductive, but those weren't their only traits. They were more than what the Capitol made them be, and that appeared not to reach everyone's attention. Sometimes, even Delia commented about her surprise whenever Finnick or Melo let their Capitol character aside.
"Morning, Dove. Where's mum?" Her brother asked. He was still half asleep as he looked around the room.
"Good Morning. I think she and Mags chased Delia out. They probably are either nagging or getting nagged." Dove commented. It was pleasant to have her sense of humour somewhat back. "Should we wake Finnick up? He'll miss breakfast," she added.
"No, let him sleep longer. He has barely slept anything since the games started," Melo replied as they both looked at the boy. "His nightmares got worse during the games?" Dove asked plainly.
"Yes, but that wasn't the only reason. He wouldn't leave the television or stop meeting with possible Sponsors." Melo replied with a serious face. He remembered the worst day of Dove's games. His sister had completely lost it in the Arena after her ally's death, and the only one who knew what to do about it was the boy she supposedly barely knew.
"When you fell to your knees after seeing blood on the floor, he told everyone we needed to send you something. The cameras showed your partner going in your direction. You can imagine how crazy everyone was becoming. Finnick kept saying to send something that would make you pull yourself back together. You had lots of Sponsors so getting anything wouldn't be difficult." He continued explaining.
"And then, he shouted 'A trident. She needs a trident'. Needless to say, we all looked at him as if he was crazy. But he insisted, and said something about an agreement with you. We couldn't say no after that. I'm surprised it worked. . ." Melo muttered, looking at the sleeping boy who had basically saved his little sister's life.
"Finnick told me to never get close to a trident unless I was in a dangerous situation. I didn't immediately understand when I saw the trident, thought. It wasn't until my partner appeared that I realised what the gift meant." Dove said. She moved slightly, trying to not wake Finnick up as she caressed his hair. "He saved my life. I honestly can't stop owing him."
"What do you even owe him, to begin with?" Melo asked with a playful smile. The joke was meant to lighten up his sister's mood, which didn't seem to work.
"I owe him for saving your life, for teaching me things about the Arena. Heck, I even owe him for my mental stability. . ." If she had to mention everything Finnick had done for her, it would be a never-ending list. But, what she didn't know was that Finnick secretly kept his own never-ending list about the things she had done for him.
"Well, the mental stability part works for both of us, so don't worry about that one." Finnick's playful tone startled them. Dove and Melo froze at the sound. Neither expected him to be awake. "No, keep stroking my hair," he said as he looked at Dove with puppy eyes. A light smile formed on her face, surprising not only herself, but also the boys, as she continued to play around with her friend's hair.
"Were you listening to everything, or did you just happen to listen to the last part?" She asked. Surprisingly, her mind was clearer than when she had woken up. Something like smiling wouldn't have been possible mere moments ago. The things you make me do. Dove thought as she ruffled the boy's hair.
"When you moved, the sun got in my eyes. I couldn't sleep after that, but I wanted to hear what you two were talking about. It was about me, so I technically didn't do anything wrong." His attempt to defend himself made Melo snort. He had heard those type of excuses from him before.
"OK, I can't wait anymore! Up, up, up! Oh. . . You're awake. Why are you all lying around in bed? Get here and eat breakfast! Today is a big day!" Delia shouted as she barged into the bedroom for a second time that morning. The three teens followed her outside quickly. It was better not to enrage their escort, moreover, when she was already somewhat annoyed.
An Avox placed a bowl of hot soup right before Dove when she sat at the table. Not even five minutes later, her prep team appeared with their usual behaviour. Words didn't leave her mouth. Thankfully, they weren't needed.
Ohan appeared hours after, dismissing the team with his hand. He dressed Dove in a puffy black dress, which remarked on her long-lost innocence. She looked like a widow going to her husband's funeral.
"Do you know about the theory of soulmates? I read a book once that said it only appears once in your life. I'm so sorry you found it and lost it so soon," there was it. Another piece of advice coming from Ohan. This time, Dove's head was clear enough to understand.
Everyone wanted her to act as if she would never fall in love again. Her true love, a poor boy from District Twelve, had died in front of her. She wouldn't recover from that, ever. How could anyone desire her when she was suffering from her feelings for a dead person? Not just any dead boy. Her soulmate. The only person made exactly for her.
"They speak the truth. When your soulmate dies, a part of you dies with them," Dove replied. Those few words were enough to tell Ohan she comprehended the situation and she was ready to play along.
The interview would take place down the hall in the sitting room. They cleared a space for the chairs and the cameras. Vases of soft blue and sea-green roses surrounded the space. Dove had to hold her urge to puke. How depraved was President Snow to remind her of her capability of choice even now?
Thankfully, there was no live audience, just a handful of cameras here and there with their crew. Her mentors were around in case anything happened, which helped her not to feel alone during that stressful situation. Caesar welcomed her with a hug once she entered the room.
"Congratulations, Dove. How are you doing?" He asked as he let go of the hug.
"I'm getting by. Thanks for asking, Caesar. How are you?" Dove replied with a faint smile. She was already playing her role of the pitiful girl. But she didn't feel as if it was entirely an act. Maybe she hadn't lost her soulmate, but she had lost a friend. Not just once, but twice.
"Oh, darling. I'm OK. Ready for your interview?" Caesar gave her an encouraging pat on her shoulder. Is he aware of the situation? Dove thought once he motioned her to take her seat.
"Not completely. But I know Alder wouldn't like to see me lying around all day when I've achieved to win. I have to be strong for him," she replied. There were no further questions after that until the actual show started.
Caesar started with a few jokes here and there. He managed to get a few chuckles from Dove, but nothing else. Moving on, he asked questions about her district and her family. A subject in which she explained little, close to nothing.
The interview was obviously having a gloomy atmosphere, but that was what Dove wanted. It wasn't long before Caesar asked her about her days of training with Alder. She explained briefly about how he approached her and how they clicked immediately. It wasn't exactly far off reality. It was only more romanticised than what had happened in reality.
"There's something that I've been wondering about for a while. We will sadly never know when exactly Alder realised his love for you. But what about you? When did you realise your deep love for the boy?" That was the question she had been waiting for.
"Well, Caesar. I think it was thanks to you." Dove announced with a chuckle. He looked at her in surprise and asked her to continue explaining.
"When you asked me to sing, I thought I had to take the chance to say goodbye to the people I loved. But then Alder came to my mind. And without realising I was singing about him," she explained. Luckily, she hadn't explained to Alder that the song was about the sea during the games.
"Was it then when you realised you loved him?" Caesar asked again.
"I was too confused at the moment to link it. But when he openly confessed to me during his interview, I just thought -Oh. So this is what love feels like-." Dove replied with a melancholic smile plastered on her face.
"I have to say that when I was watching you two, I couldn't stop thinking about what a beautiful couple you were. It was almost like you two were made for each other." There was it. Someone had obviously advised Caesar to bring up that subject. There was no way Alder and her were made for each other.
"Almost like soulmates, right?" Dove said. Alder, please forgive me for using you like this even after your death. She thought as she prepared herself to explain her absolute heartbreaking story about the death of her true love.
➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳➳