Flames to Embers

11- All Too Well

First off, let me give a HUGEEEE thank you to miaoca304 from Fanfiction.net for the amazing idea they've given me. Let's give them a hand!

*guy in the back row gives standing ovation*

*It suddenly occurs to me that he is the only person in the room*

*I realize there is no room*

*I begin to question my sanity*

Seriously amazing. If anyone else has masterful ideas, let me hear them. Just because this is a rewrite doesn't mean everything's going to be exactly the same.

The song that is used in this chapter is All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault) Give all credit to miaoca304 for this idea.

The lyrics won't be in order. I'm writing them as they apply to the story. I'll put the full lyrics at the end of the chapter!

"Now, Katniss," Caesar was saying. I pulled my gaze away from Finnick in the audience. Don't look at him, Katniss. I told myself. You are above him. You are above them all. "There have been some rumors, some confirmed by the man himself, that you and Finnick Odair are in a relationship together. What do you have to say about them?"

I took a breath. I had already constructed my lie. It was best, when telling a falsehood such as mine, to keep it as close to the truth as possible. "I guess you could say it was true, once. Finnick and I have been friends for years, as you all know. We decided to take our relationship a step further."

"But you used past tense just now. Enlighten us, Katniss."

One camera was trained on me, and the other found Finnick in the crowd, staring intently at me. I refused to meet his eye. I glanced up on the big screen and saw it was split, showing both of us.

"We broke up."

"Details, Katniss. We're all dying to hear the juicy details."

I felt immensely uncomfortable. The only way out of this question would be to make a spectacle of it. I forced a fresh tear to trickle down my face. It wasn't hard.

"I'm sorry, Caesar. It's just... it's still fresh. It's hard to talk about." I felt Peeta's arm go around my shoulders.

"Of course, Katniss. We understand." I was grateful when Caesar finally changed the subject. "Now, one more question for the both of you. It's customary for a Victor to have a special talent to spend time on once they're crowned. What are the two of you planning to focus on?"

I decided to let Peeta answer first, so I could spend some time dramatically wiping away my tears.

"I think I'll probably spend some time painting. I grew up frosting the cakes at my family's bakery, so art is really my thing."

"And what about you, Girl on Fire? Your talent is singing, correct?"

"Yes," I replied. "Yes, I sing."

"And you sing only covers, right?"

"As of right now, that's true, but I've actually started writing an original tune. I'm excited to share it with you one of these days." That's when Caesar decided to move onto the recaps.

...

I hesitated when I saw Finnick standing there, waiting for an elevator.

"We need to talk about this, Finnick," I said, as I called for a down elevator for Haymitch, Peeta, and myself. He ignored me, and continued staring straight ahead at the elevator. "Finnick," I said louder, my voice snapping at him. "Finnick look at me, say something." I could see myself saying the same thing to my mother. She blocked me out years ago, and now Finnick was doing it, too. I hated being ignored and blocked out. I hated it.