The Life of A Victor || Finnick Odair

CHAPTER 37

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"So it really was poison," Librae muttered as everyone in the room glanced from Dove to Finnick, worriedly. Both had barely arrived a few hours ago from their eventful week in the Capitol. Melo and Angel sat surrounding their little sister on a couch, while Annie and Mags did the same with Finnick on the one right in front of them. The rest of the Victors sat on the one facing the television or on the armchairs.

"The Capitol cameras caught you fainting, and later they said your illness complicated. Although I don't think many bought that crappy explanation." Ron, who was seated next to Librae, explained with a bitter chuckle.

"How did he give you the poison?" Dove glanced from her siblings to her mother, who had asked the question, she was embarrassed. It was so obvious, yet I fell for it so easily. She thought, clenching her hands tightly.

"He first told me to decide between what he called 'company' or 'reminder of illness'. And then he refused to explain what they were about. I panicked. I didn't want to be sold off, and I chose the latter without thinking about it properly." Dove confessed, lowering her head to her hands as she closed her eyes.

"Then he gave me some sort of brownie, which most likely contained the antidote, and then he poured me a glass of wine from his own bottle. I can't believe I still didn't get it after all that. . ." Dove muttered, a hand rubbed her back, trying to comfort her, while another rested on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"And then? Did you perform right away?" Muscida asked, shifting to a more comfortable position on her seat. Dove shook her head, which was still hidden in her hands. She was ashamed to have fallen for the president's trick and didn't want to talk about it, even though she knew she had to.

"We talked for a few minutes before President Snow asked her to perform. Then, she drank the wine and went to the platform." Finnick explained after seeing how difficult it was for Dove to answer the questions. "She sang, coughed blood, and then fainted, just like what you saw on the news," he added.

"Dove, it's OK. Even if you knew what was happening, you still had to drink the poison." Angel reassured her little sister, which caused Annie to look at them weirdly. The new Victor didn't know Dove's personality fully well yet.

Of course, Dove was scared of having drank poison. But at the moment, it wasn't her primary worry. After all, before she fainted, she hadn't got the time to fear what would happen. The only thing she couldn't understand was why she hadn't realised sooner.

I could always catch on to President Snow's schemes, so why couldn't I that night? Moreover, when it was so fucking obvious! She thought, lifting her head from her hands to run her fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm down her anxiety, although they ended up getting tangled in it.

"Did you meet him again before you came back?" Her mother asked, before grabbing a hold of Ron's hand. Dove shook her head. She only woke up for her last performance, and it had to be cancelled because of her slightly damaged throat. She had been passed out for almost five days.

"I caught a glimpse of him when Dove fainted. He was smiling from his balcony, and he raised his glass in my direction." Finnick spoke up, getting everyone's attention on him. "It was as if he was taunting me, mocking me silently. . ." He muttered, causing Mags to rub a hand on his back to comfort him.

"This will happen again, won't it?" Dove wondered out loud, looking at her mother, who was the best at predicting the Capitol's decisions. Librae only glanced at her feet, but it was enough to reply to her question. It would. It would most likely happen again.

"If he's doing that for his own entertainment, it's probable," Ron said, side-hugging Librae as he glanced at Dove, worry clear in his eyes. "Everything's a game. We're still in the Arena. It would be better for all of you to remember that. Our lives are no longer our own," he added, looking around at the younger Victors.