❖ Book 2 of 3 ❖
【 Slow burn fanfic 】
║ Catching Fire Reimagined║
It's the year of the 75th Annual Hunger Games. Isla Dunne, victor of the 73rd Hunger Games, can tell something is off after last year's games. They had tipped the scales, thanks to the...
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SURPRISINGLY, THINGS BETWEEN Isla and Finnick were not awkward the following day at training, or the day after that. Even as the two now sat together, awaiting their turn to display their skills to the gamemakers, they sit close to one another without a hint of tension. Isla curls her fingers around his, a sign of support for him, but also a means of comfort for herself.
The victors occasionally whisper to one another quietly, although they are supposed to be quiet. Isla isn't able to find many words, as she can feel her heart beating irregularly fast in anticipation. Finnick talks to her, sometimes cracking jokes, allowing her to just listen in an attempt to calm her. But all she can think about is how she had avoided throwing knives during training for the past three days, and now, she must do something for the gamemakers. It's either that, or get a low score. A part of her wonders if a low score even matters, since she has fans in the Capitol who will love her no matter what number shows on the screen, but she also doesn't want to appear weak.
She can't help but feel angry, too. Why does she need to prove herself to them? Why don't they just score the victors based on their individual games? It's clear to Isla that that would be a bit inaccurate, though, as some of these tributes won decades ago. It wouldn't be a clear representation of their capabilities now, as many have let themselves go over the years. But for her, and Katniss and Peeta, it seems redundant to test them again.
Before she can register what is happening, Finnick's hand is sliding out from hers. He places a hand on her cheek before walking down the dark hallway, and into the room where a dozen gamemakers will be waiting on a balcony. All watching him to see if he can still throw a trident just as well as he could ten years ago. Isla smirks at the thought, Finnick has changed a lot between the ages of fourteen and twenty four. He'll blow them away with how strong he has become.
About fifteen minutes later, Isla hears the robotic voice speak her name. It's her turn. She gets up, and hears Katniss whispering to Peeta- "How are we going to kill these people?". It sets something off deep within Isla, and now her heart beats with adrenaline, not anxiety. She'd show the Girl on Fire that she, in fact, will not be killing these people, at least not Isla or Finnick, by getting a high score. The score will let Katniss know that she has overestimated her sense of invincibility that the night lock berries so clearly gave her.
The room is quiet, and the gamemakers seem much more solemn than they had two years before. There's no feast, instead, they all just sit in chairs, staring. Isla introduces herself, and the one in front informs her that she has ten minutes. It's Plutarch Heavensbee, the replacement for Seneca Crane as head gamemaker.
Isla takes a moment to take in her surroundings, and all that's available to her. Surely, Finnick showed how much he's improved in the years, and would be destined to get a high score. But, the gamemakers have seen Isla's skills just two years ago. The only one unaware of her abilities would be Plutarch, but she imagined he had still watched her games.
