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"Yes, of course. Hard to forget. I've been waiting seven or eight years for you to finally tell me what you wanted." Dove replied. Surprise overtook her smile once she looked to her right, where Finnick was supposed to be standing. Instead, she saw him on one knee while showing her an open wooden box. A beautiful ring made of different wires rested on a small red cushion. "Oh my God, Finnick!"
"I would honestly love to use it right now. But that wouldn't be fair to you," he said, clearing his throat before continuing. "Dove Ogilvy, we've been together for a long time. We've been through so much. And, sincerely, the six weeks I was without you were the worst of all my life. I can't think of a future without you. I know you're the only one I want to share the rest of my life with. Would you marry me?" Finnick declared while Dove covered her mouth with her hands, not believing her eyes or ears whatsoever.
"Yes! Obviously yes!" Dove exclaimed, waiting for Finnick to get up to hug him. "I love you."
"I love you too," he whispered, taking her hand to put the ring on her finger. As he bent down to kiss her, the door to the Hummingbird room burst open, taking the couple from the sweet moment to acknowledge the person's presence. Melo, who had regained his old habits, entered the room with a worried expression. "Melo, what is it?"
"President Coin. She has proposed the idea of Dove singing to show she's on the rebel side. They want to have the Rebel's Songbird alongside the Mockingjay to inspire the rebels," Melo announced, walking to the beachside of the room where the couple was.
"She wants to send me to Two, then?" Dove questioned, alarmed.
"No, I think she's thinking of a more inside propo type of approach. Plutarch is still wanting to record a celebration, so he might create a small concert at 18:00—reflection," he explained, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"A concert, huh? That brings back memories," Dove chuckled bitterly, shaking her head to take those thoughts off her mind.
"He wants a celebration?" Finnick said, snickering slightly as he intertwined his hand with Dove. "I think we can give him one." He added, raising their hands to let Melo see the ring clearly.
"When did you—?" Melo trailed off, placing his head in his hands with an exasperated sigh. "I interrupted, didn't I? Fuck. Sorry."
"Hey, recognising your wrongdoings, it's a step to getting better. I'm glad you're finally realising it. And it only took you twenty-five years of your life!" Johanna exclaimed as she got closer to the group. "Don't ever walk off like that again, Dove. You know that if you're caught roaming around alone, they'll put you again under continued monitoring."
"I'm sorry, Johanna. I just needed some time to myself," Dove apologised, which Johanna only replied with a chuckle as she shook her head.
"Either way, we've got an interesting story from Ron. Want to hear it, boys?" Both nodded. Finnick let go of Dove's hand to wrap an arm around her waist, while Melo only stood next to Johanna, waiting expectantly for Ron's news.
"And that's what he said," Johanna finished explaining about Gale's misunderstanding, which they also found hilarious. "I've got bad news for the lovebirds, though. It's almost 22:30—lights out. So, I'll have to escort future Mrs Odair over here to our room."
"Oh, I wasn't thinking about changing my last name," Dove muttered, glancing at her fiancée.
"That's all right. I understand your last name is important to you. But, I have to say, Dove Ogilvy Odair has a nice ring to it," Finnick said, smiling at her while she chuckled at his suggestion.
"OK, but Finnick Odair Ogilvy sounds way better," she commented.
"Yeah, we get it. You two are a lovey-dovey couple of lovebirds. Can we move on?" Johanna intervened, crossing her arms in exasperation.
Melo and Finnick ended up accompanying the girls to their compartment, saying goodbye to them before going back to the new compartment they had been given after the bombing.
The next day, as Dove ate breakfast with her family in the cafeteria, two very well-known figures left their trays of food right across from her on the table. Ohan and Delia, her stylist and escort. Two people Dove hadn't truly thought of since she had been captured by the Capitol were right in front of her. "Ohan? Delia?"
"Good to see you again, Dove," Ohan greeted, getting up from his seat to receive a hug from Dove, who remained as stunned as the moment she had laid eyes on their figures.
"How are you, sweetie?" Delia asked, wrapping her arms around Dove. Without her make-up, extravagant wigs, and high heels, she was the most difficult to recognise out of the two of them. However, it didn't seem as if Delia missed those accessories too much.
"I'm as good as a hijacked refugee can be. How come I didn't see you before in here? No one told me you were here," Dove said, taking her seat between Finnick and Angel again.
"Plutarch wanted us to concentrate on the Mockingjay. We barely had time to do anything else these past weeks. And your doctors also recommended for you not to see anything that would remind you of the Capitol . . . and we were considered as possible triggers," Ohan explained, staring at his food as if it had teeth.
Delly, who had taken a seat next to them after Prim joined them, changed the conversation to a livelier subject. Peeta's recovery. He had done some progress during the last weeks, not enough to be as happy as Delly was, but, well, that was the way she was.
"Soldier Ogilvy, you're required in Command. President Coin wants to speak with you. Alone," Boggs announced, standing at the end of the table as he looked directly at Dove.
"You need to find new ways to call them. There's literally four 'Soldier Ogilvy' here," Johanna said, although she received no reply as Boggs remained silent.
"Is it urgent? Breakfast time is not over yet," Dove questioned, getting a nod from Boggs in reply. "OK, I'm going. I'll see you later." She added, kissing Finnick's cheek before following Boggs until Command's entrance.
"After you," he said, opening the door for her to enter. Dove didn't remember having ever been in Command. There were many lights. Many screens. Although not many people. President Coin and Plutarch were the only ones inside the room. "I'll be waiting outside. Your check-up with the head doctor is scheduled just after this meeting, so I'll be the one escorting you."
"All right," Dove answered, watching as the door closed behind her. Turning around, she met the distant look of President Coin alongside the warm smile coming from Plutarch. What a pair. She thought. "Did you want to see me?"
"Yes, please take a seat, soldier," Coin replied, pointing at the chair in front of a computer screen. Dove nodded, sitting on that same chair as a few images were displayed. They were mostly about Katniss, Gale, or Ron in Two. "These are recent photos taken from District Two. It seems they had come up with an idea to win over the district. I've spoken with my colleagues, and we all have agreed that there's a need for a propo with the Rebel Songbird's voice in it."
"In short, you'll be singing while we show pictures of the Mockingjay taking over District Two," Plutarch added, making it easier for Dove to understand what was really going on.
So they want to use me, just like they're using Katniss. If I was disposable enough to be left behind at first, what makes me so important now? And this is supposed to be better than the Capitol? Welcome back to hell, Dove. How does it feel to be another person's puppet? Dove thought, repressing a bitter chuckle as she stared at the images.
"I'll do it, under the condition that I'll help Katniss kill Snow. I don't care if I have to learn archery. I want to be there, too. Katniss isn't the only one that wants to see him dead so badly," Dove proposed, waiting to see if her position was anywhere as high as Katniss' to be doing any demands.
"That would be fantastic!" Plutarch beamed happily. "Just imagine. The Mockingjay and the Rebel's Songbird ending an era of tyranny together after leading the rebels to victory."
"All right, I'll allow it," Coin said calmly, staring at Dove up and down as if she was trying to figure the victor out. "Any more demands?"
"No," Dove replied firmly. She was dismissed immediately. And, as he had promised, Boggs was right outside waiting for her to escort her until the hospital wing, where he left her to go back to Special Defend.
"How's Peeta?" Dove asked Haymitch as she waited for her name to be called by the head doctor. "Did Delly bring back any new childhood memories?"
"Some. But he's not doing much better. He just remembered Katniss' father singing the Hanging tree's song. Something we luckily didn't air, therefore the Capitol couldn't use against you two." Haymitch explained, putting his hands on his hips.
"Oh, yeah, he told me something once. That both Katniss and her father, every time they sang, the birds stopped to listen to them, right?" She questioned, glancing at her fellow victor just as her name was called. "I've to go. Fill me in with the details later."
After two long hours of the same discussion, the head doctor finally agreed to let Dove walk on her own around Thirteen. It was a temporary decision since if there was the tiniest evidence of her condition worsening, she would go back to have an escort.
Prim stopped Dove from getting out of the hospital wing, saying she had to check on the remaining scabs from the poison, which still lingered in her body even after weeks of treatment. "I'm glad you're starting to eat normally. You have no idea how worried I got after hearing about what your illness really was." The little girl said.
"It's still difficult. But I don't want to worry everyone again, so I just eat the food they put on my plate without thinking twice," Dove explained, raising her arms, which had the most scabs, for Prim to examine.
"It looks like they're taking a bit more to heal. Although, I doubt it'll take longer before they peel off. Maybe a week or two," Prim declared, pulling Dove's sleeves over her forearms again, covering the scabs with them.
"Thank you, Prim. Will we see you at dinner, or will you be eating it here?" Dove questioned, following the girl outside the room to the hospital's hallway.
"I'll eat it here. But, I'll go to eat supper with you. They say there might be a propo tonight from Two," Prim replied, clearly concerned about her sister's safety.
"You don't have to worry, Prim. Katniss will be fine." Dove promised, hugging her tightly before walking out of the hospital wing.
"Hey, how are you feeling? What did the head doctor say?" Finnick asked just as she stepped foot outside the hospital. He had probably been waiting for her to come out since the session started.
"I'm not sure how I'm feeling right now. And he agreed to let me walk around alone . . . Finnick, do you know of anywhere here in Thirteen where I could practise archery?" Dove questioned, watching as Finnick's face lit up at the mention of practising archery.
"Actually, I do," he said, showing Dove the way to Special Defence, where there was a gigantic armoury. He explained about his new trident, which Beetee had designed for him, with such enthusiasm that it amazed Dove as well.
The room, as expected, full of targets and weapons, was even wider than what Dove had thought. Beetee, who remained in his wheelchair, greeted them as they entered. "Here for training?"
"Dove wanted to try archery out," Finnick explained briefly, causing a huge grin to form on Beetee's expression.
"Archery? Wouldn't a trident be better, though?" He said, pointing at the special weapon section, where a few tridents were listed carefully. "I prepared one especially for you, Dove. Would you mind trying it out before practising archery?"
"Sure," Dove replied, taking the trident from the spot Beetee had pointed at. She weighed it with her hands, getting used to the feeling before smirking at Finnick. "You against me like the old days?"
"Old days? Last time was three months ago," he pointed out with a chuckle, taking his trident from the wall. "But, you're on."
The two walked to a training space, which was prepared for close fight battles as there was nothing in the way. There were only targets and dummies on the sides in case the exercise changed, but nothing else.
Dove and Finnick didn't realise how long they'd been battling until Johanna entered Special Defence's armoury with an exasperated expression. "It's dinner time, you idiots. Angel has been going crazy ever since Boggs came to get you at breakfast. And she's driving me nuts, so you'll be going to eat your meal and calm her the fuck down."
"We're going. No need to freak out," Dove muttered, leaving her trident back to its rightful place alongside Finnick, who was also surprised at their friend's reaction. At their usual dinner table in the cafeteria, Dove suddenly remembered her unprinted schedule. She was informed that, right after dinner, they would record her song to accompany the rebels' images coming from Two. "Oh, I almost forgot. Coin and I have a deal."
The trigger word made everyone stop eating to pay attention to Dove's explanation. Everyone except Ohan and Delia, who didn't know the horrible connotation behind that simple word. "I will sing for the rebellion. But, when we win this war, I will assist Katniss in killing Snow. I must have a somewhat influential position if she accepted that. Although it was mostly thanks to Plutarch since he wanted this amazing shoot of the Mockingjay and the Rebel's Songbird ending an era of tyranny together."
"That sounds just like him and his Capitol behaviour . . . no offence Delia, Ohan," Angel said, realising her words halfway through the phrase.
"None taken," Ohan answered, while Delia just shook her hand dismissively with a warm smile. "Anyway, we will get you all dressed up with Katniss' prep team. They're . . . they're not taking the whole 'Capitol refugee' well, so don't be too hard on them."
"I thought my voice would be the only thing being recorded. I have to show off for the cameras too?" Dove questioned tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose as the memories overwhelmed her. With Finnick's reassuring words, she could finally calm down after a few seconds. She took her hand off her face, letting it fall on the table, which made her concentrate her attention on her engagement ring. "Oh, we didn't tell you, did we?"
"Tell us what?" Librae asked, staring intensely at her youngest daughter as Finnick widened his eyes slightly in realisation.
"Well, I asked if she wanted to marry me," Finnick said, letting Dove take over as both intertwined their hands over the table.
"And I said yes," Dove added, a chuckle leaving her lips as she saw her family trying to process the announcement. Melo and Johanna, who obviously already knew about it, congratulated them, being joined by the rest almost immediately.
"Plutarch will be thrilled with the news," Muscida said playfully.
"You bet he will. He's been waiting for this marriage since we came here," Melo commented, resting his head in the palm of his hand. "I remember perfectly how badly he wanted Angel and Annie to have a marriage ceremony instead of just filling in the papers."
"That and we also promised him a wedding. What were Johanna's words again? 'How can we have a wedding without the bride, and the groom looking like this?' all that while pointing at a passed out Finnick," Angel mocked, receiving a playful nudge from Annie.
"Oh, believe me, he was so passive-aggressively mad when I told him that. It was hilarious," Librae mentioned, getting up from the table after looking at the cafeteria's clock. "Angel, darling, we've got to go. We're scheduled to be in Command right after dinner, remember? Dove, do you want to come with us? You're going to Command, too, right?"
"Oh, yeah," Dove muttered, turning to kiss Finnick before getting up. "I'll see you later."
This time, there were more people in Command. Her mother and sister sat by her side as Plutarch and a Capitol refugee, who Angel said to be called Fulvia, explained to the rest what the propo's concept was. It wasn't a long explanation, as a team consisting of three people approached Dove shyly, or rather cautiously, to guide her to the room where she would have the make-over.
Dove had never doubted the magic prep teams could perform, but looking at herself in the mirror left her speechless. Her bushy and uncontrollable hair wasn't completely back, but it was close. The scabs left in her body had been carefully covered, only revealing some to not let anyone forget what the Rebel's Songbird had gone through.
They wanted to show that, even though the torture, even though the pain, even though everything she had lived in the past ten weeks, Dove Ogilvy was back. And she was stronger than ever. She was ready to fight. A reality that, deep down, Dove knew would never happen. No one in their right mind would let someone as mentally unstable as her on the battlefield.
"All right Dove. I'll give you a sign when we're ready, wait three seconds, and sing. Got it?" Cressida declared as Dove entered the room where everything for her part of the propo was being prepared.
"Got it," she affirmed, nodding her head decisively. The platform on which she was supposed to perform was oddly similar to the Capitol's, which she didn't like, but there was nothing to be done by then.
Thankfully, Plutarch had called a few other people into the room to watch the performance. Haymitch, Finnick, Johanna, Muscida, Melo, and Mags stood against the wall as they saw people going from one end to another, bringing stuff or moving things, depending on the orders.
Meanwhile, Delia spent her time making sure Dove's hair was in a perfect position, not too far off her face, but also not covering it too much. "I have to say I missed this uncontrollable hair of yours," she whispered, taking the last strand of hair to put it behind her ear.
"Me too," Dove muttered, waving goodbye as Delia went to stand next to the victors and Ohan, who had joined them a few seconds ago. Her eyes now were concentrated on Cressida, who finally gave her the signal. One, two, three. Dove counted in her mind, looking down at her feet as she sang.
"No time for rest
No pillow for my head
Nowhere to run from this
No way to forget.
Around, the shadows creep
Like friends, they cover me
Just wanna lay me down and finally
Try to get some sleep . . ."
Dove breathed in, keeping her eyes on the ground as she tried to calm down her frenetic, beating heart. It wasn't a good time for memories to reappear in her mind, much less when the tape would be viewed by everyone in Panem.
"We carry on through the storm
Tired soldiers in this war
Remember what we're fighting for . . ."
She finally raised her eyes, meeting Cressida's stunned face for a split second before concentrating again on the camera. She would like to have a quick glance at Finnick or her siblings, anyone really that could reassure her. But there was no time. She was on a trial. She hadn't seen it, but she was sure. Coin was analysing every movement and every word Dove said or did. It didn't matter where, Capitol or Thirteen, Dove Ogilvy was still a puppet.
"Meet me on the battlefield
Even on the darkest night
I will be your sword and shield, your camouflage
And you will be mine
Echoes and the shots ring out
We may be the first to fall
Everything can stay the same, or we could change it all . . ."
Time was ticking away. Dove internally concentrated on reciting every word as perfect as she could. Imagining the dot of red light coming from the camera as the foggy reflection of her hair through the mirror after a long, warm shower. She wasn't singing for the rebels, nor for anyone else. She was going back to her true memories, where singing was merely something she did to vent her emotions to feel better. Not a way to survive or be used.
"Meet me on the battlefield
We're standing face to face
With our own human race
We commit the sins again, and our sons and daughters pay
Our tainted history is playing on repeat
But we could change it if we stand up strong and take the lead,"
Theo and Rhett, who had entered the room barely moments before the performance started, stood next to Finnick, noticing his pained expression. It was no secret to any of the victors what was happening, much less how President Coin acted towards those who defied her position. The more Dove was in the spotlight, the more vulnerable she would be.
"When I was younger, I was named
A generation unafraid
For the heirs to come, be brave . . ."
Everyone was absolutely silent in the room, making Dove's voice the only sound resonating on the walls. The sound of her voice. The lyrics. The way she glowed while singing. All of them seemed to daze those who hadn't heard her sing live before into a daydream state, making them forget reality for as long as the song went on. It was the perfect demonstration of a mermaid luring its prey into a trap.
"And meet me on the battlefield
Even on the darkest night
I will be your sword and shield, your camouflage
And you will be mine
Echoes and the shots ring out
We may be the first to fall
Everything could stay the same, or we could change it all
Meet me on the battlefield . . ."
The song was close to an end, letting Dove calm down. It hadn't been too long since the last time she had performed in front of a camera. But at that time, they had also carried her and Peeta out, unconscious and bloodied.
"We could change it all," Dove breathed out, looking straight into the camera. Somehow, her body knew better than herself what to do to make clearer on which side she was. Before she knew it, she had whistled the four popular notes that Rue had taught Katniss, which later became some kind of rebel sign, and raised her left three middle fingers in the air. After a few seconds in which no one spoke to stop the recording, Dove's memories overwhelmed her to a point she had to say "Cut."
She stepped down from the platform and walked to her family and friends, finding immediate comfort in Finnick's arms as he whispered comforting words. "How did I do?"
"Perfect," Finnick assured her, kissing her forehead as Melo patted her back comfortingly. The rest of the room got back to work quickly, taking the footage to edit it as fast as possible, while others merely dispersed to follow their schedules.
"Mum and I were dismissed from our work until tomorrow morning, thanks to the propo. With some luck, Katniss will be back soon, and you won't have to do any more," Angel said, walking to the group and grabbing her wife's hand reassuringly as she looked at her little sister.
And, yes, Katniss would definitely go back to Thirteen, but not exactly for a good reason, as everyone expected. In the televised broadcast of the Mockingjay taking over Two and successfully making them drop their weapons, she got shot.
Katniss Everdeen had been shot on live television right after the propo with Dove's voice had been aired, leaving everyone in confusion and worry. Annie, who was closest to Prim during the broadcast, wrapped her arms around the little girl, letting her cry on her chest while Angel rubbed Prim's back comfortingly.
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