The Life of A Victor || Finnick Odair

CHAPTER 11

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The next day, the sisters were surprised by the appearance of a Capitol doctor in Mags' home. They supposed President Snow wanted a doctor to give a 'diagnosis' of what Dove's illness was thought to be.

Once the doctor was done with the medical examination, he talked to Dove in private. Only to explain to her the different symptoms she should start to fake gradually, as the week passed.

When he finished giving her the details, the woman left without giving any explanations to either Mags or Angel. The sisters assumed it would be the last time they would receive a visit from a Capitol person, given the information they had received. But, the following day, two additional doctors were on Mags' front door by the time they arrived from school.

Dove had two theories about these visits. Either President Snow wanted the doctors to search for an incurable, but not short-term deathly illness that would allow her to move around the Capitol. Or, he wanted an excuse with all the doctors' visits to say they didn't know what illness she had. I vote for the latter. She thought.

The purpose for the visits was clear. However, they were scaring Mags. Not only Capitol people came to her house every day for the next six days after the second visit, but also because after visiting, no doctor could answer the Victor's questions about the youngest illness.

To make it worse for the elder, Dove had started feeling bad since the first doctor had come to visit. All according to the plan the first doctor had assigned her. Dove had to start gradually showing signs of tiredness, inability to move properly, and to rest at bed most of the day, to make her illness believable. Days later, a doctor would stop by and give her the medication that would make her 'unknown' illness stabilize. 

She did as she had been told, and soon after she was excused from going to school. Her sister was the one to go and come back alone from the fourth day on. At first, she had only faked being fatigued for one and a half days. Then, she started to make like moving was getting difficult for her, until she could barely do the basics to stay alive. 

Days went by quickly, and soon it was the last day of the Victor's Tour. Her brother would have an interview with Caesar Flickerman in no time about his life as a Victor. Typically, the questions would be about the Victor's Games, the talent they have picked up for the past few months, family, things like that.

As Caesar appeared on the stage, he presented her brother to the crowd. Melo looks like a Capitol man, everything about him yells 'Hey, I was created by Capitol people!'. His shirt is not properly buttoned up, so they want to make him look more appealing. Oh God, he's truly getting sold to the Capitol people, isn't he?  The realisation hurt. The more she looked, the more she convinced herself she wasn't wrong. Like the crowd, who were drooling at the sight of him. 

Her brother took a seat on the couch assigned to him. He laughed and flirted with the crowd every time he had a chance. Most questions were expected. Caesar asked him about the talent he had picked up, to which the boy replied to elaborate about how he loved to cook for his family and other Victors. However, things got serious once Caesar asked about his little sister's illness, leaving him star-struck.

"Now, a bit more seriously. We have received information that your little sister's illness has worsened since you left for your Tour. Can you tell us when did she start showing these symptoms with constant fatigue and her gradually lacking capability of movement?" Thankfully, the boy got the message about what he had to say rather quickly. Still worried about her sister's sudden 'worsen' in health since he left for Tour, he tried to lie as well as he could.

"She's always been a very fragile girl, and having so much energy on her didn't help with her fatigue at all. But, I'm not sure when it started, because it took us a bit to recognise it was an illness. At little over three years ago. Has she really worsened while I've been away?" Although his words were convincing, he felt as if anyone could see right through him at the moment.