It wasn't a week after Chess had dropped his bomb on us that Katniss and Peeta came through on their victory tour. Adrian had me dressed in a short blue dress and curled my hair. It wasn't much but it was enough to make me feel like a human again. I had been pulling all nighters with Finnick pouring over books, writing letters, basically trying to get the word out in the most discrete way possible.
Now I was sitting in a folding chair in the front row of the Victory tour. I had to leave in a few days to head to the Capitol for the President's ball, an event that I had been dreading for months. Hank sat next to me, arms crossed. His presence calmed me down for some reason. I really didn't want to make the guy my human security blanket, but for now, his calm steady demeaner did wonders for my constant state of panic.
The sound of murmurs from the crowd was loud enough to drown out any individual conversations so I leaned over to him. "Did you hear about District 11?"
He nodded.
I had been watching the broadcast when it cut off in the middle of Peeta's speech. Right after he had offered money to the tribute's families.
"I heard the Peacekeepers shot a man." he said, his voice a low rumble in his chest.
"That's what I heard too," I sat up straight when I saw the camera turn towards me.
I smiled and gave a wave. Hank just looked up, his face an expressionless mask. The curtain swung open, Katniss and Peeta walked out onto the stage. They were stiff as they delivered the speech written on the cue cards. I could see the fear in Katniss's eyes as she clung to Peeta, even though their shoulders barely touched. They kissed each other briefly and walked off the stage. Had I looked like that? Terrified. Terrified that something was going to happen to the people that I loved if I said something wrong. No, I had just been stupid on my tour. Not a thought in my head for the people that I loved. Only vengeance and anger had clouded my mind then. I would not make the same mistake twice. The girl, her name had been Juliette. I saw the bloody stiches in her lips and shuddered. My thoughts came back to something that Finnick had told me after the fact, "Anger makes you reckless. Reckless gets you killed."
My mind was still pouring over that sentence when Hank gently took my arm and lead me to the banquet hall where the celebration would take place. I stepped in the room and the alarm bells in my head started going off. Something was wrong. Peacekeepers lined the walls as Katniss and Peeta were paraded through the center of the room and out to the train. I moved, meaning to step forward but a Peacekeeper stuck his arm out in front of me.
"No contact with the Victors, Miss Beatty."
I stepped back, wondering what the hell was going on, but Peeta had seen the encounter and made eye contact with me. He smiled and gave me a little wave before turning and whispering a few words into Katniss Everdeen's ear. She looked back and seemed to pick me out of the crowd with her cold grey eyes. I pressed the middle three fingers to my mouth and she looked at me, puzzled. Then they were herded out the door and onto the train.
The theme for the Capitol ball was "Phoenix from the Ashes." No doubt leaning into the idea of the "Girl on Fire," after all President Snow was very original. My prep team was bubbling over with excitement, so much so it was hard not to feed off of their energy. I had been their ticket to the big events of the season, but now as long as I attended the Capitol ball, they could too. While they did my makeup they chattered like the seagulls that always swarmed the beached. They discussed everything, from they were all planning on wearing to the biggest designers, the newest trends, and the juiciest bits of gossip that they could muster. Soon Adrian came in and started on my hair, his heavy rings clinking on his fingers as he braided. Soon he put the finishing touches on my hair before he turned my chair to face him as he fixed one of my lashes.
"I decided that instead of drawing on the phoenix like every other person, I wanted to draw from the ashes."
"Okay..." My confusion must have slipped into my voice because he smiled, and beckoned to my prep team.
They brought out a large black ball gown.
"Wow. Adrian, it's beautiful." I ran my hands across the layers of carefully placed fabric. "I'll never understand how you do it."
"I even put in pockets." he said, a delighted grin on his face and I smiled at him, "
You really know the way to a woman's heart." I crushed him in a hug, "Thank you for always making me look pretty."
He gave me a big squeeze, "It is always an honor Sage."
I stepped into the dress and Adrian zipped the back. He spun me around and fluffed the skirt of the gown.
"I think you're ready!" He said as Finnick rapped on the door.
"Beatty, are you ready to go?"
"I'm coming!" I picked up my skirt and made my way to the door.
Adrian scurried ahead of me, comb in hand, and threw the door open. Finnick was standing on the other side dressed in a black silk shirt with a crushed velvet suit coat hanging over his arm.
He threw out his arms "Spunky is all grown up." He hugged me. "You look great Sage,"
I gave him a small smile, "You don't clean up too bad either Odair."
We walked into the ball and I held on to Finnick for dear life. People swarmed around tables bursting with so many different kinds of food and drinks that it would have taken several lifetimes to try them all. People also swarmed over the two of us. I felt people touching me, some caressing my shoulder, my waist, my arm, and I couldn't help feeling like the pony at the petting zoo. Like they owned me, and because of that they could pet me like a dog. There was a trumpet blown and the voice of Caesar Flickerman boomed over the crowd, "Ladies and Gentlemen! Please welcome on the final stop of their victory tour, the Victors of the 74th Hunger Games! Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Melark!" The crowd exploded into cheers as the couple walked into the party. While I watched them someone brushed up next to me. I looked over to see Chess, sharply dressed in a gold suit with his brown hair slicked back.
"Oh my gosh hi!" I said and embraced him.
"Hey Beatty, long time no see."
"Nice suit."
He smiled at as the music began to play. "Can the guy in the nice suit get a dance with the girl in the pretty dress?"
I looked over at Finnick, not necessarily asking for permission, but not wanting to leave him alone. He caught me looking and waved me away
"Go ahead Beatty, I have some people I need to find."
I turned back to Chess, "In that case I would love to."
I let him lead me onto the dance floor. As we danced I watched the the over the top costumes that were worn by the Capitol citizens sway around us. I thought I spotted one of the members of my prep team before they darted out of view.
Chess leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Look, there's the star crossed lovers... Does the girl in the pretty dress think that we should cut in?"
I raised my eyebrows, "Now why would a girl in a pretty dress and a guy in a nice suit do that?"
"Because I wanted to at least know what Katniss is about, but when they were in 2 I wasn't allowed to talk to either one of them."
"Same thing happened in 4," I said.
We were inching towards the happy couple when a memory came to mind, "They are engaged by the way Chess," I said,
"I know, but why do you feel the need to remind me of that fact Beatty?"
"Because from personal experience you tend to whisk new Victors into closets and I wasn't sure that it wasn't some type of initiation."
He laughed, "I only do that to green eyed Victors from District 4." He winked, and I laughed,
"Finnick too?"
He snorted and the Capitol couple next to us looked at him, "Oh yeah, Finnick and I go way back."
He gently spun me and the fabric of my dress hit Peeta in the leg. Peeta stepped on it and then tripped, his prosthetic leg. Crap, I'd forgotten about his prosthetic leg. Thankfully Katniss caught him before he took a real digger.
"I am so so sorry!" I said, "Are you okay?"
"Don't worry about it, I'm fine!" He said before looking up to see who it was.
"Oh my gosh! Cupcake girl!" Before I knew it he was hugging me,
"I'm surprised you remember me!" I said, and he smiled,
"It seems like you follow me around!"
I laughed, before turning to Katniss,
"Hi! I don't believe that we have met, I'm Sage Beatty." I held out my hand and she shook it gingerly. Up close she looked like a startled deer.
"Katniss, it's nice to meet you."
Her grey eyes looked the same as they did in my nightmares.
Chess introduced himself to Peeta and then asked Katniss to dance, which she accepted only after giving Peeta a questioning look. He just gave her a encouraging smile before turning to me. Chess swept her up in his arms and began leading her across the floor.
Peeta turned back to me, looking sheepish. "Well, I think my date just got stolen. Would you like to dance with me?"
He held out his hand and I took it.
"I would love to dance with the famous Peeta Melark."
He swept me onto the dance floor, right next to Katniss and Chess.
"Congratulations on your engagement by the way," I said and he smiled,
"Thank you!"
We danced in silence for a while, before he broke the silence,
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah of course,"
"Do you get nightmares?"
"Yeah, all the time."
He took in that information before inevitably deciding to press the subject further,
"If you don't mind me asking, what about?"
I thought about it. Strange subject to be discussing in the middle of the Capitol ball, the reason for those nightmares.
"I see the people that I love dyeing, Dakota, the boy from District 2's face as he died, after I killed him. I see Maggie. But the more time that passes the more I see my friends and family. The more time that passes the more real they feel." I looked into his eyes, now dark with thought.
"So it doesn't get better?" I shook my head,
"No, it doesn't. A question for a question, what do you see?"
His eyes closed for a minute before he answered in a slightly shaky voice.
"Cato getting ripped apart by those mutts," he looked over at Katniss, like he needed a reminder that she was still alive. "Katniss being ripped apart by those mutts, her falling to my feet dead."
He closed his eyes again, "But now I'm hearing that it doesn't get better. I was kind of hoping that someday they would just go away,"
I squeezed his shoulder, "Sometimes it helps to find something that you love to take your mind off of it."
He nodded, "I started painting what I saw a few months ago, it kind of helps to put what's going on in my head on onto paper, but they don't stop coming. Even when I give them a voice."
His big eyes bored into mine, desperately searching for help that I couldn't give.
"I'm sorry Peeta, but if I find something you'll be the first person I tell."
He pursed his lips, "Likewise."
We danced in silence after that. Katniss and Chess danced back over to us as the song came to an end. I thanked Peeta for the dance and Chess kissed Katniss's hand.
"It's been a pleasure, Miss Everdeen."
Her smile was cold, calculating, but it was still a smile.
"The pleasure was mine," she said as Peeta slipped his arm around her waist.
He looked at me one last time, and I knew that the help he was asking for, it wasn't just for him.
It was for her. It was all for her.
Heeyyyyyy, soooo sorry about the late update but I gave you a long chapter to make up for it!!! Thank you guys for all of the support that this book has gotten, it means the world to me!
All the Love🖤
Buckaroobelle