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During the following days of training, Katniss seemed to spend more time with everybody, especially Dove. Although, Finnick always ended up tagging along with them, even giving Katniss an hour of trident lessons for an hour of archery for both Dove and himself.
"You weren't kidding when you said you were bad," Katniss commented as she saw Dove trying to shoot the targets. "You know what? I give up. I'm going to the trident station. And if that also fails. . . For the first time in years, I might drown my sorrows in food." Dove replied, walking hurriedly to the trident station as she left Finnick and Katniss behind in the middle of the archery session.
"Don't worry about her. She's really stressed right now. It's better to give her a bit of time to figure out her own thoughts. If you observe, you'll see her make up her mind while holding the trident." Finnick told Katniss, letting the hand that held the bow fall to his side.
"How do you know all that?" Katniss questioned, turning slightly to face him. "I'm a very attentive person," he answered.
Maybe it was the strict eating schedule, the absence of vomiting, or both. But for the first time in months, Dove could finally lift a trident. It was like the first time she did it. Heavy, but not hard to manage. Her precision while throwing was astonishing, even to her. However, the fighting with the trainer was quite basic, pretty different from Ron's reaching during the last months.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Finnick get out of the archery station. He would be a great partner in fighting with tridents. "Odair, over here! Wanna fight?" She called, raising the practice trident in the air as he chuckled. That day, the only thing that got them out of the trident station was dinner, thanks to Johanna, who reminded them of the time.
"So, who won?" asked Johanna while eating from her plate. "Neither." Both replied, getting a weird look from their friend.
"Finnick obviously contained himself, because he could easily knock me down in seconds. But I think I did fairly well." Dove commented, staring at her plate of food as if it was trying to harm her.
"What will you do during the private session?" Finnick asked Johanna, although the rest of the victors joined in, joking about the different things they could do. Sing, dance, strip, tell jokes, and more.
"I'm so tired that I think I'll just nap," Dove muttered, eating the last bit of bread Finnick had put on her tray. "Why am I not surprised?" Johanna replied, snickering at the way Dove narrowed her eyes in her direction.
"Do you want to rest? I'll wake you up when my name is called." Finnick assured her, shifting to his right as Dove wondered whether or not to take his offering.
"Better wake me up when Beetee's name is called." She said, resting her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes. He kept his promise, and as soon as Beetee's name was called, he shook her softly to wake her up.
"Can't I just skip it? Who cares about my score, anyway? I'll die." Dove stated, catching Peeta's attention from Katniss to her.
"Stop saying that," Finnick muttered, stroking her arm as he side-hugged her. "You know I'm right," she replied.
Almost an hour later, Dove's name was called for the private session. Before getting up from her seat, she wished the other good luck in their own session. "You too. Good luck," Peeta replied.
For a second, Dove hadn't seen him, but Alder. I must be so stressed that I'm imagining things. She thought, closing her eyes tightly, before thanking Peeta for his encouragement and walking into the room.
Alder. . . Would he have been here with me if the both of us had survived like Katniss and Peeta? Would we still carry the love act? She continued the rambling as she entered the room.
Fifteen minutes was the time limit to show her abilities to the Gamemakers. Her knowledge in survival or her skills with the trident, she could pick any, even both, if she had the time. It was a simple task, but she no longer felt like doing that. Alder's face, voice, everything was stuck in her mind, not letting her ignore it for even a second.
But soon she realised it wasn't only Alder. Clem, Hazel, Rye, and the rest of her year's tributes. All of them were on her mind. Their names, their families, their expressions. For a split second, Dove felt relief. She would meet them shortly. She could finally apologise properly for each of their deaths.
She raised her eyes, watching as Plutarch Heavensbee stared at her. That year's new Head Gamemaker, a smirk on his face as he analysed each move. I'll die and apologise to them. But first, I have to do a little something for them. Dove thought, walking hurriedly to the camouflage station and getting the paint, before going back to the centre of the room.
She sat down, her back facing the Gamemakers as she painted on the ground. From One to Twelve, every tribute's name and every death were written. "Alder Caldwell—Death: Mutts. Clematis Wright—Death: Poisonous Blood Loss. Edric Dawson—Death: Dove Ogilvy. . ." She muttered under her breath as she continued to write.
"Dove Ogilvy—Death: Give it your best shot." Her name was the last. Finally, she got up from the floor, got the paint back to its place, and faced the Gamemakers. Some were confused, others were shocked. But Plutarch only nodded, satisfied, and dismissed her.
"How did the private session go?" Ron asked when he saw her entering through the door to the living room. Dove didn't reply. She only threw herself onto the free coach and buried her head on a pillow.
"I think I might have fucked up Finnick's chances of survival." She muttered, raising her head to meet everyone's eyes. "What happened?" Muscida asked, sitting next to Mags on another couch as they stared at Dove.
"I got angry at the Gamemakers and painted my year's tributes names and deaths on the floor, my name included. I fucking wrote 'Give it your best shot' after my death label." Dove said, turning around in her resting position to face the rest.
"Dove," Delia said, which caused Dove to let out a sigh. Her escort was surely going to tell her off for doing that during the private session. "Well done," she stated simply.
"Come again?" Dove asked incredulously. "I said well done. Not for putting your name in there, that was dumb, but for calling them out for Alder's death. You two deserved so much more than this," the escort stated, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Dove sat up, staring baffled at Delia, who smiled at her kindly. "There's nothing we can do now about that. We'll have to wait for the score reveal in some hours." Rhett spoke up, getting up from the couch and walking to his own room. An action that the rest followed, leaving Finnick and Dove left in the room.
"What's the real reason?" Finnick whispered, sitting next to her on the couch. She sighed loudly, trying her best to explain her reasoning before doing such a stupid action.
"When my name was called, I wished everyone good luck. Peeta also wished me good luck and I. . . I saw Alder for a split second instead of him." Dove confessed, closing her eyes to calm down her dizziness. "It's not the first time that happens. They are so alike. . . I don't know. It must be because of my nerves."
"What did you feel when you saw Alder?" He asked, resting his hand on top of hers comfortingly. "I'm not sure. . . Guilt, probably. Then, I got angry. And now I'm so afraid. My stupid stunt could get you killed, Finnick." She muttered rapidly, barely paying attention to the pronunciation of words as she continued to ramble.
"Hey, that won't happen. I promised you I would be with you during each step along the way, and I will be." Finnick reassured. An idea clearly popped up in his mind. He got up from the couch and extended a hand towards her, which she took to get up. "Tomorrow there's nothing on the schedule. Is there anything you want to do?"
"Sleep in," Dove replied quickly, her lips forming into a smile as they walked to her room. They no longer cared about the session's result. However, it was difficult to ignore it when Delia came barging in excitedly, shouting their scores. Finnick had scored a ten, while Dove scored a twelve.
"Seems they want me dead quickly." She said plainly, laying back down for a few seconds. Alder's face popped up in her mind, and she knew she had to ask. "What about Peeta and Katniss?"
"Also twelve," Delia replied, which caused Dove to sit up quickly. "What have they done? Why do they want them dead as well?" she questioned. Her escort could only shrug in reply. The sessions were private for a reason. A tribute could only tell their partner, mentors, escort, and stylist if they wanted. No one else should know.
"They must have been angry that their wedding didn't take place, that they did something stupid too," Finnick commented, sitting up as well. "Don't worry, Dove. Ron spoke with Haymitch. We'll be their allies. Although, Katniss is a bit hard to persuade, so I have to use my token option to convince her we're not a threat."
"Wait. Your token? Are you sure you don't want to bring something from home? Why go to such length for an ally?" She asked incredulously.
"Well, I don't really have anything that important to me. And Katniss is a really great ally. You saw her shoot too, the other day. Peeta might not be all that, but you still care about him, and that's enough for me to want him as an ally." He replied after Delia left the room.
"What will you do if it's them or us? Will you be able to kill Peeta knowing that? Can you seriously kill him after spending days watching each other's back in the Arena?" Dove pointed out, looking at her hands as she closed her eyes again. "I'm not blaming you for your decision. I just want you to know that I care more about you than anything and anyone else in this world. If we ally with Katniss and Peeta, we'll have to kill them at some point. Are you willing to face all that?"
"Yes," Finnick said plainly, patting the space next to him. Dove complied and moved close to him, resting her head on his chest as she listened to his heartbeat. "Let's get some sleep, OK?"
As usual, no nightmares attacked. Sleeping by each other's side was calming, almost addicting. The relaxing sensation of opening their eyes, knowing the other was next to them, brought them peace. Although, not for as long as they remembered why they were in the Capitol for.
"In the end, we couldn't sleep in," Dove muttered, seeing as it was barely past Dawn when she woke up. Finnick was already awake, watching anything the Capitol's television could offer mildly entertaining. "Oh, are you watching the new gossip there's around the Capitol?"
"What new gossip?" Finnick asked, taking his attention off the television to look at her. "It seems Finnick Odair, during the last visit, left the Capitol without having as many lovers as usual. Rumours say he might be in love." She replied, raising her eyebrows with a smirk.
"No." He replied with an exaggerated surprised tone. "I can't believe you. For real? The Finnick Odair?"
"Yes! I couldn't believe my prep team, either. They even claimed to know who he's infatuated with." Dove stated, laughing softly as both continued to act surprised and excited.
"Really? And who's the lucky person?" Finnick asked, this time truly curious to know the rumours about his supposed lover.
"The last woman he was with. I wish I had paid more attention. I just remember them saying she was a redhead." She replied, taking a hand to her chin as she tried to remember any further detail about the woman.
"Well, they got the redhead part right." He said. There were a few seconds of silence before they burst out laughing. The Capitol gossips that the prep teams discussed while getting the tributes ready were usually silly. Sometimes fashion, other people, or even Victor's public activity. "Is there anything you want to do today?"
"Lying in bed would be great. I'm not really in the mood to do anything else. Although, we'll have to have the meals outside the room, or my father will kill us before we enter the arena." said Dove, a chuckle escaping her lips as she imagined a very angry Ron lecturing them for eating in the bedroom. Not even being in the Capitol let them have an excuse to do that. "I miss our home. We could bring the breakfast to bed there."
"Don't tell him we did that, though. There's still a whole two days until we go to the arena. I don't want to spend them with a furious Ron," Dove laughed at his request, nodding in agreement.
Before they knew it, the night of Caesar's interviews was upon them. The last night before going to the Arena. In just twenty-four hours, some of the surrounding tributes around Dove would be dead. Who knew? Maybe she would be part of them, too.
"First it was Goddess-mermaid, then it went to just mermaid, and now you're a full songbird? Ohan should get his ideas straight." Finnick commented, staring at her up and down as they waited for the interviews to start. District Twelve were the only ones left to arrive. There was no sign of either the tributes or the mentor.
Dove looked down at the skirt of her dress. It was black, which was surprising, but it was even more astonishing seeing herself covered in feathers. From her loose dress to her cape, everything was black-feared decorated. The flowers on her hair were the only ones to hold on to some colour, a deep green similar to her eyes, that stood out against her blood-red hair, which was over her right shoulder in a loose braid.
"From what I heard, it seems President Snow gave him the idea," Dove replied, her lips forming into a sad smile as she ran her fingers through the dress. She didn't hate black, but it reminded her too much of her supposed grieving time for Alder. A time she tried hard to forget.
"I can't believe Cinna put you in that thing," Finnick told Katniss, who just recently appeared next to Peeta and their crew. She was dressed in one of the wedding gowns displayed months ago. Just as Dove thought, the combination between a dress obviously made for Capitol's display and a young innocent girl from Twelve didn't match.
"He didn't have any choice. President Snow made him," Katniss defended her stylist, clearly annoyed at the others' criticism.
"It's just. . . It screams Capitol everywhere. . . I mean, you look beautiful, but it's not something I would have pictured you on your wedding day." Dove said softly, trying not to insult either the girl or the stylist. The dress would look stunning in a Capitol person, not a girl like Katniss.
"Make him pay for it, OK?" Johanna added, straightening Katniss' pearl necklace. "Come, Dove. We've got to get in line." Dove nodded and followed Johanna to her spot, where she walked alone to join Finnick before entering the stage.
Cashmere, from District One, was the first to be interviewed and also the first to complain subtly about the Quarter Quell. There was an unspoken agreement between all victors. They were going to try their best to stop the games. Even if they knew it wouldn't happen, they had to try.
"Dove Ogilvy, District Four!" Caesar Flickerman announced, causing Dove to get up from her chair. She had been spaced out for far too long. Blinking away her dizziness, she walked next to Caesar, who received her with a few jokes.
"Well, Dove, I have to say you look absolutely beautiful in that. What's the concept this time?" He asked, motioning the crowd to look at her black-feared dress.
"It's pretty simple, Caesar. Since I won my games, I've always loved to sing for everyone. Singing is my favourite way to express my feelings. I once did it for Alder, and if you allow me, I would love to do it again." Dove replied, a shy smile forming on her lips as she looked at the floor.
"Do you. . . Do you mean you fell in love with another person?" He questioned, completely stunned, to which Dove nodded. "And who's that? You can't leave us like that! We must know. The waiting is killing me!"
"I fear I can't say it, Caesar. They don't know how much I love them. I would give my life to them in a heartbeat. But they'll never know. I. . . I haven't felt like this since Alder. . . It's so confusing. . . And when I heard about the Quarter Quell, I realised I could never be with them." Dove told him, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. "I guess that's just my fate. In my book, there's no happy ending."
"Oh, don't say that. You know what? You go out there, win the Games, and go back to Four to meet that person," Caesar proposed, although Dove only laughed faintly.
"It's not so simple, Caesar." She muttered, shaking her head as she heard faint cries of sympathy amongst the crowd. "Anyway, I would love to sing for them. My last song. Is that alright with you?"
"Of course!" He replied, turning back a few steps to let everyone's attention focus on Dove. She raised her head, glancing from Ohan to the horizon while she prepared herself to sing.
The lyrics were simple, and the music wasn't needed. The sound of her voice made everyone fall silent. Some cried at the meaning of the song. The narrator of the story, Dove, was apologising to their lover, the unknown lover, for leaving them. She asked for forgiveness since she knew her death was near, while still professing her love.
The song ended with the promise to see each other on the other side, which she called heaven. Finally, as the song ended, the buzz that declared the end of the interview clouded everyone's cheers and sobs.
Caesar dismissed Dove while holding back a few tears. On the way to her seat, she caught sight of a few of her fellow tributes' expressions. Johanna looked at her proudly. Katniss was still trying to figure her out. And Finnick just stared at her, completely baffled, as he walked past her to Caesar.
When he got to the centre, his Capitol smile was back on. Caesar asked him a few questions before landing on romance, to which Finnick replied, saying he had a poem for a special person.
"My love, you have my heart for all eternity, and if I die in that Arena, my last thought will be of your lips." Finnick recited, causing at least a quarter of the crowd to faint, thinking it was meant for them.
However, the true receiver of that love profession, Dove, was trying to contain her emotions from showing. When Finnick's time was up, he took his seat right next to her. A quick glance was enough to sink her further into her thoughts.
Dove didn't even pay attention to Katniss' interview until the dress caught on fire and the wedding dress became a Mockingjay one. That's the sign of rebellion some whipped people had hidden in their clothes. Wait. . . Why would her stylist get himself in such trouble when it's clear this will not go overlooked by Snow? Dove wondered, seeing as Katniss went back to her seat, Peeta taking her place in the centre.
But it's not only her stylist. Finnick, Johanna, and the other victors have no reason to form an alliance with Katniss or Peeta. They're not the weakest, but they're easy to hunt down. Moreover, with Peeta's prosthetic leg. . . So, why is everyone so keen to be with them? Her thoughts paused just in time to hear Peeta's new bomb drop.
"If it weren't for the baby," he said bitterly, causing everyone to reject the idea of letting a pregnant woman between the tributes. They speak of injustice and barbarism when in twelve to thirteen years they wouldn't mind that same child going to the Games. Dove thought.
Peeta went back to his seat when the buzz made its presence. Caesar tried to gain the crowd back, although he didn't succeed. The anthem played loudly as all the tributes got up from their seats. As everything had been up until then, everyone made an unspoken decision to form a tribute chain, holding each other's hands to show unity.
Rebellion. That's what is going on. We're rebelling. Dove realised, glancing at Finnick, who had a tight hold of her hand as they rose them in the air alongside everyone else. He knew of it. That was why he had proposed the idea to ally with Twelve. That was why he went out of his way to make his presence known to them.
Finnick was part of a rebel plan without telling her. A plan she didn't know how many more were on it. Or even what they were supposed to do. But judging how everyone stared at Twelve, something was clear. They had to protect the faces of the rebellion.
Let hell begin. Dove thought, looking straight at a camera before the screens changed to complete darkness.
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