L O C K E D- Finnick Odair

FIVE

《'°•~Chapter Five~•°'》
If I Win

THAT EVENING AT dinner, we have pasta, something I've only eaten in the Capitol, along with warm bread, salad, some sort of meat, and for desert, a chocolate cake

Lilac and Finnick's stylist join us. I feel awkward for eating like a slob in front of her, but she doesn't judge me once.

Her and Valentina blabber on for what feels like hours. I glance at Finnick every so often, and he has the expression of a bored child.

At last, we're excused to go back to our rooms. I changed into a different pair of pajamas from yesterday, these ones being pink with little flowers patterned onto the fabric.

I feel fifteen again. A small, malnourished teenager who refused to speak to her stylist or anyone in the Capitol that approached her. That fifteen year-old girl wouldn't believe me if I told her she's killed people. She wouldn't believe me if I told her she survived the Games. She also most certainly would not believe me if I told her she had to go back to the Games with her old best friend, Finnick Odair.

I'm a grown woman now. I can't keep locking myself away, hoping it'll somehow keep me safe.

I sleep in until noon. Valentina finally forces me to wake up and tells me we're meeting the stylists in ten minutes to get us ready for the interviews. I head down to the T.V. room, where Finnick is looking at a magazine.

He realizes I'm there without looking up. "God, Capitol fashion is atrocious," he glances up at me. "Cute pajamas."

I tilt my head to one side in annoyance. "If I lived here, I would die my hair green and tattoo my face."

"It's a good thing you don't live here," he says. "Because I would've died before I even got to the arena."

Before I can respond, Lilac enters. "Emmeline, let's go." She takes my hand and leads me out of the apartment. I turn around to get a glance at Finnick, and he's still staring at me.

Our prep team showers me, scrubs my hair, and throws makeup onto my face like it's nobody's business. They put my hair in an updo, and somehow, they glue pearls and little shells onto the sides of my head.

Once my dress is on, it's just Lilac and I. I turn around to look in the mirror. My eyes widen, and I am at utter loss for words.

The dress is beautiful, the most stunning thing I've ever worn it almost brings me to tears. It's long and black, and real white pearls scatter across the entirety of the fabric. It must've been so expensive. "I love it."

Lilac puts her hands on my waist, her touch calming my nerves. "I thought you would," she says quietly as she clips on the same necklace from the night of the parade. "You look beautiful, Emmeline. I hope you know that."

I turn around to look at her. There are tears welling in her eyes. She tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I pull her in for a hug, and she tucks her chin over my shoulder.

She sniffles and wipes a tear away. "Remember, the tributes are mad. They're going to say things to make the audience mad," she tells me. "You're smart. I suggest you do the same."

Was Lilac a part of the plan, too? She had been wanting me to rebel against this Quell stuff ever since I met her, so was it possible I was going to see her again after the Games? I hoped so.

I'm taken to the Academy where I meet Finnick and the other tributes. I approach him, and when he sees me, his eyes widen.

"Woah," he mutters. "You look really beautiful, Whitlock." My stomach hurts as he says that, and the way he's looking me up and down isn't helping. He takes my hand and softly kisses it.