District 4 welcomed us back with open arms, specifically the arms of an overjoyed Andante, who tackled me into a hug at the first sight of us. I squeezed the boy tightly with a chuckle as he moved to hug Finnick, I was followed with a hug from my parents, another from Asher and an apprehensive squeeze from Addison. It was more than I had expected from her, I was grateful for it.
I walked them back to their house, saying goodbye to them as I went. Andante gave me a friendly smile, gripping my hand and running back in the direction of the Justice Building. I had noticed something in his eyes before I left, not sinister, but unsettled, like a storm brewing over the horizon.
Little Phoenix was wide awake by the time Finnick, and I had wandered around to visit the new parents. Ophelia, who was flat out exhausted, collapsed on the sofa with a pile of blankets. Finnick and I took turns nursing the child, giving Reign and Ophelia a rest from the complete lack of sleep they had had in the past week. With the small bundle secure in my arms, I stepped out onto the balcony, gently rocking the child into a sleepy haze, the repeated sound of the waves followed by the gentle patter of rain on the roof was sending me into a tired trance as well as the baby in my arms. "Careful," Finnick chastised me, lifting Phoenix from my arms, and leading me over to the porch swing, "You look exhausted," Finnick told me fondly. I yawned in response, resting my head on his shoulder, I let my eyes flutter shut to the sound of the waves crashing onto the shoreline.
"Hey there little Phoenix," Finnick cooed to the baby, I pursed my lips to restrain the laughter bubbling in my stomach, "It's your Uncle Finn here with your Aunty Rory, we've just come back from her tour, someday you'll understand what that means, but for now you're safe," He whispered to the boy fondly, "You know kid," He continued, "As stubborn as she is, I love her with my whole heart- the way your father loves your mother, I have faith that someday you'll know what it feels to love someone that much. I won't sing you to sleep, god knows I'm terrible at that, your mother's a beautiful singer, so's your Aunty Rory but she'd never let anyone know it."
I fell asleep on his shoulder after that, it was sweet listening to Finnick talk to the child and the idealistic half of me said that someday, in the distant future the child in his arms would be our own. It was a long way off, impossible even, a distant light on the other side of the pier that fell just out of my grasp.
Finnick woke me up not long after and with a gentle kiss on Phoenix's head, he handed the baby back over to Ophelia. Reign gave me a short hug before we left, passing me a fresh loaf of bread and some other essentials groceries I had not had time to buy. "Come to the Cove with me," Finnick said, holding me in his arms from behind as I fumbled to unlock the door, "Just you and me, like old times,"
I pushed my front door open, walking inside the house, Finnick flipped me around, pressing me against the doorframe and holding my waist, "Like old times?" I raised an eyebrow.
He wore a cheeky grin on his face as he leaned down, pecking me on the lips, "But better," He smiled, pulling me into another passionate kiss, "Because now you're truly mine,"
"I was always yours," I responded, stepping away from the wall, "I'll go get ready," I told him, wandering over to the staircase of my house.
"I'll join you," Finnick remarked.
I let out a loud laugh, "You're a pig," I told him as he smiled, shaking his head, and walking out of my house to get himself ready. My hair was thrown into a messy bun, and I wore a light blue dress with long flowy sleeves. Addison had made the dress for me before my games, even now, it was still one of my favourite dresses I had ever owned.
Finnick greeted me at the beach, wearing his usual at-home attire of a cream sweater and black pants. He held a large woven picnic basket in hand, a wide grin on his face, "Don't you look dashing," I joked, taking his free hand, he chuckled at my comment, kissing my hand that was grasped around his own.
"I love you," He told me, as we set off down the narrow sandy path. I missed the beach on my tour, I'd missed everything about the water, the waves lapping at my feet, the sea breeze on my skin, the smell of salt and driftwood. Further, towards the Cove, the environment became better preserved, I noticed a small pod of dolphins, jumping through the waves. The sun was setting on the horizon, lighting the sky in beautiful colours.
We reached the rocky cliff, to any normal person it would have meant the end, not for us. "Race you," I told him as I began clambering up the side of the cliff face, Finnick was right behind me. I felt the coarse stone beneath my feet as the familiar footholds guided me up to the top of the cliff. The rain from hours ago had cleared, leaving the sky clear and serene. The waves at the bottom of the cliff beckoned to me as I closed my eyes, taking in the beauty of my favourite place in the world.
Finnick had set out a blanket inside the Cove as I climbed down the rock, food sat in the middle of the blanket, fresh bread, cheese, wine, berries. A bouquet of red chrysanthemums sat in the centre of the rug, and I laid down, popping a strawberry into my mouth. Finnick brushed the hair out of my face, looking down at me fondly. Everything felt natural at the moment, I could finally forget about the heavy weight on the back of my mind and breathe.
Now that the tour was over, I could return to my normal self, not the pearl of the Capitol, not the Nightlock of the Districts, not a victor, just Aurora. I had forgotten how it felt to be my genuine self, It felt secure, no matter how futile this bliss would be in the long run, I could bask in that relief for now.
We arrived home hours later, Finnick kissed me goodbye before knocking on the door of Mags' house, I wandered back towards my house, noticing a person sitting on the front steps. "Mrs Castellan?" I asked the woman, who stood up uncomfortably, wringing her hands together.
"Aurora," Mrs Castellan greeted me tentatively, "Sorry to be disrupting you, it's just-"
"It's ok, tell me what's going on," I told her kindly, she stumbled onto the pathway beside me as we walked out of the victor's village.
"It's my husband, he's been wanting to talk to you," She explained, and I bit my lip, surely it could not be anything good. We walked past the main street and through the justice building, Mrs Castellan flinched at the sight of passing peacekeepers, though they nodded at us politely.
I recognised the change in buildings, I had never lived in the outer area of the district, even before the games. Father's pearl business had kept us above the poverty line, but we were in the minority in that regard.
Mrs Castellan led me to a grey stone house, rickety and dripping with water, the two smaller Castellan kids sat out the front of the house, holding each other's hands comfortingly as we passed them. I tried to smile at them, but all I could notice were their eyes, vibrant blue like their older brother's and suddenly I watched Thorn die all over again. I caught myself before I showed any more weakness than I needed to. Mr Castellan sat in the corner, holding a picture frame in his hands, his eyes were puffy and red, his hair matted, and I noticed scarring over his arms. I had seen that scarring before, on Tiberius from District 7.
"Whipping scars," Mr Castellan answered my question, noticing where my eyes were focused, "About four weeks old, I guess they don't publicize that kind of stuff on your side of the District,"
I hated the fact our district had sides, a poor side, and a rich side. A side where children practice killing each other and a side where half would be better off dead anyway. "That kind of stuff?" I asked about his previous statement.
Mr Castellan grimaced, standing up and gesturing me out the door, "Figures," He grumbled. I followed him down the dull streets, ignoring the stench of fish guts and dried blood. "Have you ever been to the docks?"
No, I had not. The docks were the workplace of almost all the men and women of District 4. There was a large fleet of boats, each boat had its crew of workers, the crew had its hierarchy inside each ship. Captains were the more generously paid, most of them lived nearby my old home. The small group of sailors came next, their houses were scattered all over. The poorest were the fishermen and women like Mr and Mrs Castellan.
The docks were busiest at this time of night, when the sun was setting at the boats pulled into the shore. People were scrambling around each other, peacekeepers stood threateningly at the bows of the ships, holding large guns as the townsfolk scurried past them. Something was different here, not just the physical and social differences, it was in the atmosphere, the same I had felt in District Five. The atmosphere of rebellion, I could see it brewing in Mr Castellan's eyes. "Mr Castellan, what have you been planning?" I uttered fearfully, I could tell something big was about to happen, as if the elastic had finally tensed to a point where it would snap.
"Not just me," Mr Castellan said, "People are angry, they were angry before, but anger without hope is like water without heat, nothing boils. You gave us hope when you won Aurora, you showed us that solidarity between the Districts is possible,"
"Anyone can team up with anyone in the games, it doesn't prove anything, they're still all dead anyway," I told him stiffly.
"Beck, Elsie, Thorn, hell even Sage- they fought with you in those games because they knew you were the strongest, they would have died a lot sooner without you," Mr Castellan explained, "Tiberius and that District 8 girl, they allied with you on the first day because they knew that together you would be able to weaken your biggest threat, and you did."
The atmosphere was getting worse, the rebellion had been clouded with something else I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "Dad!" One of the Castellan children leapt into his father's arms.
"They're making us get on the boat, they're rounding us up from the meeting place as we speak," Mrs Castellan whispered fearfully, Mr Castellan gripped his wife's hand as they held their children comfortingly.
"Mr Castellan, what's going on?" I said anxiously, I noticed a herd of peacekeepers bringing a large group of frightened people onto the docks.
"You wouldn't have seen ones like this before, this is what they do with the masses." Mrs Castellan, "Sweetheart you need to go," She told me, "Hide,"
Mr Castellan pushed me in the direction of a mass of barrels, the crowd of people gathered onto the boat, and I noticed a peacekeeper push the Castellan family onto the deck of the ship. There was something terribly wrong with the boat and I scanned the crowd for any source of danger, that's when I noticed a familiar tuft of fluffy brown hair, caring for a group of frightened children on the ship.
"Dante?" I stood up from my place behind the barrels, his head popped up and his mouth formed my name quietly. I had seen something different in his eyes earlier this morning, but I had ignored it. He and Mr Castellan were fighting for the same cause.
And now they were being executed for it.
"Andante!" I called thoughtlessly, hurtling towards the docks and up the ship before the peacekeepers could send it off.
"Aurora what are you doing here?" Andante roused me, before pulling me into a strong hug.
"Me? What are you doing here?" I roused back.
"Listen, the people need something to fight for -"
"You're only fourteen," I told his letting a tear slip out of my eye. The boat was pushed off the docks and I heard something rumble from below deck.
"Explosives," Mr Castellan explained, the children on the ship were now in tears. The rumble resounded again.
"Aurora, you need to get off this boat right now," Andante told me calmly, "You can swim to the other side of the docks, that's where Mother and Father will be waiting for the survivors,"
"They let you do this?" I questioned, my heart sinking.
Andante's face fell, "It's been their idea from the start,"
They had not told me any of it, and now two hundred people were about to die because of their plans. "Take all the children with you, and anyone fit enough to swim," Mrs Castellan instructed me, I took her daughter in my arms and let a tear fall from my eye.
"Dante I'm not leaving without you," I told him.
Mr Castellan put a hand on my brother's shoulder, "Go, son, I'll take it from here," he said as Mrs Castellan placed fond kisses on her children's heads. Andante called all the younger population over to the side of the docks. "Andante you need to dive now," Mr Castellan roused over the terrified screams of the people.
"Why aren't they coming?" I whispered as some of the healthier people jumped into the depths below, swimming against the tide into the right of the docks.
"There's something they need to do," Andante said, the Castellan children take his hands and jump off the side of the boat. I looked back towards Mr Castellan and noticed something in his hand, a large key. He moved towards the side of the boat and, opened the hatch that led to the bottom of the deck. At least 50 peacekeepers burst out of the trap door, holding an extensive amount of weaponry. Mrs Castellan fled over to me, shoving me into the water as I heard the gunshots ring into the sky. I screamed in pain as I felt a bullet graze me on the arm, suddenly the rumble got louder as the boat burst into the flames, sinking rapidly to the ocean floor.
My eyes were clouding over tiredly as I tried desperately to swim towards the docks where the survivors would be waiting for me. My fear of drowning had once again settled, by the time I had come close to the docks I had scratches and splinters decorating my arms from the debris of the explosion. The saltwater seared my skin as I cried out in pain, Reign dove into the water from the port by the victors' village where a small crowd had gathered.
Ophelia and Mags pulled me out of the water as I spluttered and coughed the saltwater out of my lungs, "They're all dead, the peacekeepers blew up the ship," I sobbed as Finnick collapsed next to me holding me close to his body.
"No," My mother said breathily as my Father and Andante stood beside me, "The peacekeepers were supposed to shoot the rebels and throw them into the water, we couldn't go down without a fight,"
Reign's eyes widened in shock, "You planted the explosives?"
"The Capitol does not suspect our involvement yet, so if anyone asks, no we didn't," Andante responded, kneeling to examine the cut on my face, I flinched away from the boy, crying out in pain with the movement of my hands.
Finnick gingerly lifted my hands and I finally noticed how truly mangled they had become, a bullet wounded resided in my left forearm, both arms were covered in cuts and splinters. "She needs medical attention," Ophelia said calmly.
"Aurora honey, we're sorry you had to see-"
Finnick lifted me up in his arms protectively, glaring at my Father, "No," He scowled at them, Reign Stood next to him and Ophelia beside him, even Asher and Addison stood beside us, Addison gripped Finnick's arm for comfort. Mags held her hand as the other three members of my family stepped away from the angry mob.
"This is your doing, don't come near us again," Ophelia growled at them.
Andante opened his mouth, "Finnick please try to understand-"
"When Aurora's willing to forgive you, so will I," Finnick snapped.
"I don't want you stepping in a hundred feet of the Victors Village," Reign added as Finnick began to walk in the direction of the hospital with me in his arms. The rest of the group followed us wearily. I was still crying when we reached the hospital.
50 peacekeepers dead.
100 civilians slaughtered.
And it was all my fault.
Part 3 was a little bit shorter but anyway.
hope ya'll are liking it so far, we're about halfway through the story now.