Sunshine | Finnick Odair

| part 4 |

The entire population, except those needed for essential jobs, is required to attend Coins speech. We follow directions to the Collective, a huge room that easily holds the thousands who show up. You can tell it was built for a larger gathering, and perhaps it held one before the pox epidemic. I stand with my family griping tightly to some rope I was allowed as part of my recovery.

Someone nudges me bringing me out of my thoughts, "Finnick! How are you doing?"

"Katniss" I say, gripping the rope in my hand. Relieved to see a familiar face, "Why are we meeting here?"

"I told Coin I'd be her Mockingjay. But I made her promise to give the other tributes immunity if the rebels won," Katniss tells me. "In public, so there are plenty of witnesses."

"Oh. Good. Because I worry about that with Aurora. That she'll say something that could be construed as traitorous without knowing it," I say.

"Don't worry, I took care of it." She gives my hand a comforting squeeze.

"Katniss Everdeen has consented to be the Mockingjay, provided the other victors-Peeta, Johanna, Enobaria, and Aurora-will be granted full pardon for any damage they do to the rebel cause"

In the rumbling of the crowd, I hear the dissent. I suppose no one doubted Katniss would want to be the Mockingjay. So naming a price-one that spares possible enemies-angers them.

"Your doing the right thing" I whisper in her ear. She gives me a smile in return.

The president allows a few moments of unrest, and then continues in her brisk fashion. "But in return for this unprecedented request, Soldier Everdeen has promised to devote herself to our cause. It follows that any deviance from her mission, in either motive or deed, will be viewed as a break in this agreement. The immunity would be terminated and the fate of the four victors determined by the law of District Thirteen. As would her own. Thank you."

|Aurora|

Tonight was cold making me grateful I had a blanket at least. I was huddled in the corner of my sell with my knees up to my chest as best as I could with a now very big baby bump in the way. I better not give birth in the shiny white Capitol. They will take my daughter away from me. I can't have that. It was like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

I felt most comfortable in the corner of my cell knowing I could see all angles of entry. I spent hours upon hours thinking about everything and anything. Finnick. Caspian. The whole rebellion. The main thing the games have taught me is that damaged people are dangerous, we know we can survive the worst of things. The games put people through the unimaginable. All that pain and suffering. Having to watch Casper die. No one but the victors know the pain that surges through our veins. We were children thrown into an arena expected to kill. Most had no experience and would die with in hours. But the victors had to live with the trauma of surviving. People think they know the victors. They think we handel the situation of the games. No one in Panem knows what happens when the camera are shut off. They don't know what it's like to wake up screaming in the middle of the night from memories flashing through your mind. The guilt of knowing you survived when so many didn't. The mind numbing cocktail of sadness, anger and guilt. They pretend that the Capitol is so good, trying to keep everyone safe. But they don't know the truth, only the lies.

"Aurora get up" a peacekeeper with a gun in his hand shouts through my cell.

"Can't you leave me alone for one day" I huff as I slowly begin to stand up. I have no idea how my body still finds the strength to move let alone do anything else. The peacekeeper grips hold of my arm leaving bruises behind.

"You don't have to hold me that tight, it's not like I can run off in my state" I snap at him yanking my arm away.

They throw me into the dark room that I have come to dread. Suddenly, I feel the sharp pain of the injected into my neck sending an excruciating sensation throughout my body.