Heart of Gold • Finnick Odair

-22-

ROSALIE POV

I see Finnick again the next day whilst our tributes are in the training centre. He's sat on the same couch as the day prior with a bowl.

"Sugar cube?" I accept his offer with a subconscious smile, taking one as I sit down.

"Has our dear President payed you a visit?" I can sense a hidden emotion in the question beneath the fake humour. Concern? Worry? But why would he care? His eyebrows are slightly scrunched in disgust too.

"Yeah, he came to congratulate me at my Victor's tour. We had a nice chat. I visit often to speak with his friends too." What this actually meant was: yeah, he threatened my friends, those I love, if I didn't do as asked.

President Snow and I's deal was that I attend parties to make contacts until I turn sixteen when I will have to please clients however they wish. In return, my loved ones stay alive, so why is Apollo here now? How is that fair? I've done everything asked of me.

I assume that, because he was aware of the situation, Finnick was in the same position as me. I felt more at ease with him now I possess this knowledge, he understands me like no one else ever will. An air of mutual understanding settles between us comfortably.

Time passed quickly for me as a mentor and I found myself stood in front of Apollo saying goodbye, knowing that tomorrow he'll be sent into the arena.

"Remember what I said, okay?" Apollo nods and I pull him into a tight hug as Chaff gave Teresa some last minute advice too. We'd decided that i'd train Apollo with Chaff's help and he would train Teresa. Only because I'd obviously be bias with my best friend.

"If I don't come back, give this to Luna." He gave me a folded piece of paper. "And look after her. I know you can't protect her from the games if she's reaped, but-"

"Don't worry, i'll do everything I can. Always. You focus on coming back though, okay?" We hug one last time. I feel his arms tightly wrapped around my torso as I rest my face against his chest, revelling in his safe embrace for what could be the last time.

Whilst Apollo was in the arena, he'd gotten into a nasty fight with one of the tributes, taking a knife to the leg.

He now sat in a tree in desperate need of medical equipment but he had only scored a four and, to be brutally honest, his black eye and blood-covered nose wasn't going to get him any attractiveness points.

I walked into the room of sponsors and an old man, a contact of mine, approached me. He was rich, I knew this, and he did too.

"Your friend ain't looking too good. He's gonna need some help."

Swallowing back vomit, I smile at the man, ignoring the sea-green eyes on me, as the older man wrapped an arm round my shoulders and led me out of the room to chat for a while. I already know he will be a frequent client when i'm of age because of his sickening glances and lingering touches on my arm.

When I walk back into the room, I see Apollo look up as his prize falls from the sky.

He opens it and reads the note from me, 'clean yourself up, I can't do ALL the hard work -R'. He smiles at the note knowing it's from me and because he recognises the joke, seeing as he's doing all the hard work. Though only me and the victor from four understood that he wasn't the only one working hard for the sponsors.

It's down to the last six. Usually district eleven and twelve don't get this far so that naturally made things more interesting for the Capitol.

However, Apollo's luck ran out when he was cooking a squirrel and the girl from twelve snuck up on him with a smug smile. Her brown hair blew in the wind and her arrow broke through the air and into Apollo's back. He looked down with a gasp as he saw the arrow poking through his stomach. Before he could turn, it was ripped out and he fell to the floor in a pool of blood. His face looked almost guilty? Maybe he was thinking of me and Luna watching.

I storm out the room in a hurry, tears in my eyes blurring my vision, knowing that back in district eleven, Luna Clay had also just seen Apollo die.

A hand grabbed my arm making me spin around defensively. Through blurred vision, I could just make out the face of the one and only Finnick Odair. Though he didn't have his camera smirk on his face, his expression wore a sympathetic look as he pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me.

He whispered soothing things in my ear as I let a few silent tears fall. He hid my face in case anyone would walk past the quiet hall so I had time to collect myself.

I had just lost yet another person. My best friend.

I have watched my brother die, by arrow. I have watched my crush die, by arrow. And now, I have watched my best friend die, by arrow.

It's like some sick joke.

And now I watched as the only person I have left stands on a platform, Apollo Clay's face in a big screen behind her, with pain in her eyes as the victor makes their speech.

The next year went by in a blur.

Throughout the year, I spent my time between Luna, helping Rue and her family, and in the Capitol making contacts.

When the reaping comes round again, I can't help but feel physically nauseas. I can't lose Luna, she's all I've got left. The knowledge that she's the only person left for Snow to use against me only eased my thoughts slightly though, i'm sure Snow could always find someone else. Maybe Rue and her family?

I was on the edge of my seat the entire reaping, my eyes stuck on the innocent girl just one year younger than myself. And I want her to stay that way, innocent. I don't want the Capitol to strip away the good in her. It's like a constant battle for me not to give in, to try keep the person I was, the person I am. It's a struggle i'd never want anyone to endure.

Luna Clay was safe for another year.

Both tributes died in the bloodbath that year. The boy died on his way to the cornucopia (where he'd been advised not to go) and the girl took a knife to the back and fell to the ground, left to slowly bleed out in the bloodbath area.

Hopefully, the fact that Luna is the last person left who I love will keep her safe from harms way. As long as I keep up my end of the deal which, unfortunately, would come into full force soon because next year I turn sixteen. Contacts will become clients. Conversations at parties will develop into mature activities. My last remaining innocence will be stripped from me.