Heart of Gold • Finnick Odair

-61-

After raiding the cupboards for food and drinks, the squad settle back down to recover from the stress of the day.

Katniss and Gale sit together, Rosalie sits in between Johanna and Finnick, and Peeta sits on Finnick's other side.

After some convincing from Rosalie, Peeta finally decided to eat something as he sat quietly on the couch.

Johanna was also uncharacteristically quiet but they understood why, being in the Capitol again was very difficult.

Johanna had her back resting against the couch and Rosalie's shoulder as she sat at an angle with her feet propped up on the table. Rosalie had her head resting against Finnick's shoulder and he rested his chin upon her head, their hands a tangled mess in his lap.

The anthem begins to play as the tv turns back on and Johanna sighs dramatically as she rolls her eyes.

Like it would happen in the arena, the faces of the known (or more 'important') tributes appeared on the screen with the music playing in the background.

Cressida, Capitol.
Castor, Capitol.
Pollux, Capitol.
Messalla, Capitol.
Finnick Odair, District 4.
Johanna Mason, District 7.
Rosalie May, District 11.
Peeta Mellark, District 12.
Katniss Everdeen, District 12.

Finnick smirked and shook his head lightly as his name and picture appeared causing Rosalie to playfully elbow him in the side. In response, he kissed her temple with a soft smile, enjoying the way her cheeks still darkened slightly when he did things like that.

However, all humour was lost when his voice comes out of the tv causing Johanna to tense and look away from the scene, hiding her face in Rosalie's shoulder.

Finnick could feel his wife's figure tense too as she lifted her head from his shoulder but, unlike Johanna, she was unable to take her eyes off of the man on the screen as if she were frozen.

"So Katniss Everdeen, a poor unstable girl, with nothing but a small talent with a bow and arrow, is dead. Not a thinker, not a leader. Simply a face plucked from the masses. Was she valuable? She was extremely valuable to your rebellion because you have no vision, no true leader among you. You call yourselves an alliance. But we saw what that means. Your soldiers are at each other's throats."

Suddenly, President Snow is cut off as it becomes static. His face and voice is replaced by President Coin.

Whilst Rosalie did enjoy the shock that was evident on Snow's face, she couldn't help but feel as though the replaced image was no better than the one it had replaced. It certainly didn't put her anymore at ease.

"Good evening," she greets over the tv now. "For those of you who don't know me, please allow me to introduce myself. I am President Alma Coin, leader of the rebellion. I have interrupted a broadcast from your President in which he attempted to defame a brave young woman. 'A face picked from the masses,' he called her."

"I believe it was actually 'plucked'," Johanna mutters from her seat uncomfortably.

"As if a leader, a true leader, could be anything else. I had the privilege of knowing a small town girl from the Seam in District 12 who survived the Hunger Games and the Quarter Quell and rose up and turned a nation of slaves into an army!" As her voice raises, her eyes become water as she speaks begins to speak tearfully.

"Oh boy, is anyone really buying this? These tears? Really?" Rosalie groans and Katniss scoffs in agreement from across the room.

"Dead or alive, Katniss Everdeen will remain the face of this revolution. She will not have died for nothing."

"I had no idea I meant so much to her," Katniss deadpans.

"Imagine her happiness when she hears you survived," Finnick quips.

"Her visions and ours will be realised. A free Panem with self-determination for all. And in her memory, we will all find the strength to rid Panem of its oppressors. Thank you. And be safe," Coin says followed by a whistle and an image of Katniss in front of the Panem symbol reading 'remember the Mockingjay' underneath it.

"Snow's in his mansion, where is that?" Katniss asks to nobody specific as she stands from her seat and makes her way towards the large table.

Johanna reluctantly removes her feet from the table when a large map is projected.

Everyone gathers around whilst Cressida begins to explain the map, telling the group that there's at least seventy/seventy-five blocks between them and the City Circle.

"S- seventy-five blocks?" Finnick asks in shock. Cressida nods. "Alright, cool, just checking," Finnick says sarcastically, his eyes wide in shock.

After some planning, and finding out there are pods just about every ten steps, the group decide that neither the streets nor the roofs are safe enough to attempt, leaving the group with one option.