The Life of A Victor || Finnick Odair

CHAPTER 26

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"Go with Ohan. He has to get you ready, and take your medicine once you're there." Melo spoke up. Dove had already forgotten about the usual outstanding welcoming to the new Victors. She did as he said and followed Ohan through different corridors until they reached below the training tribute station.

As the doors of the lift opened, her crew almost threw themselves on her while tearing up a bit. Neari was the one who showed it the most. Her eyes filled with tears as she patted Dove's head, whispering reassuring words. Whereas, Mareshah and Quedell looked at her with pride.

The crew guided her to the dining room, where Dove could have her first meal as Victor. After eating as much as her stomach allowed her, the three got her to her room. They prepared her for the stage as Ohan went outside, probably to get her dress.

During that time, the three never shut up about the Games. The only good thing for Dove was that they did not need her in the conversation. Neither did they talk about the games in itself. They only mentioned what they were doing during certain events.

At some point, Quedell made the fatal mistake to bring up Dove's song to Alder. He said how moved he was as he listened to her sing. Neari and Mareshah quickly shut him up. They didn't care about any other tribute's death, but Alder was supposed to be the boy she loved. It appeared to be some kind of taboo.

"Don't worry about it, Dove," Neari reassured her just before the door opened, revealing Ohan with a dark green dress.

Dove didn't utter a word as they put it on her. It was a long, loose dress that covered from her neck to her toes. The sleeves were the same as the one for the interview, tight until the elbow and, from that point on, they were loose.

The tiara was no longer pure white but black, and the flowers on each side had changed to dark green and blue. She no longer wore anything sea-green coloured or mermaid related accessories.

"Have you given up on the whole mermaid goddess thing?" Dove spoke up as she glanced at Ohan.

"The mermaid already sacrificed her tail for her loved one. I figured it wouldn't be fitting for a girl mourning the death of her lover." Ohan said. Dove didn't grasp completely what he wanted to tell her, but she understood one thing. Everyone was expecting her to be absolutely heartbroken for Alder's death.

Dove was indeed suffering from her two allies' deaths. Alder had obviously been more special to her than Clem. But the memories of their expressions asking her to kill them haunted her. She knew she had done the right decision. If she hadn't killed them, they would have continued to suffer, and that was something she would not forgive herself for the rest of her life.

Once Neari helped her put on the shoes, Dove looked at herself in the mirror. Her loose hair was dripping blood, staining the dress. Horrified, she took her eyes from the mirror to her dress. Once she had a better look, there was nothing. No blood on the dress, although she wasn't sure about her hair.

"Ohan, I beg you. Braid my hair on my back." Dove spoke up. She wasn't confident she could confront that problem during the interview. It would probably take her weeks before she could look at her hair without a nauseous feeling.

Ohan agreed after noticing the expression she had given to her own hair. He decided to use the opportunity and decorate it with the same marbles they had placed for her last interview.

Once she was ready to go. Her prep team and Ohan guided her to the training facility, just below the stage where she would have her grand arrival. The anthem played as Dove heard Caesar Flickerman's usual chatty self before introducing her prep team.