Calm Before The Storm {Finnick Odair}

Arguments and Apologies

As the music filling the TV studio ended, Hebe felt a hand on her wrist dragging her to the exit. Her brain felt frazzled with the events of the last few hours, her responses in the interview echoing through her skull. All she could hear was the words 'my sister Annie'. An inexplicable feeling of dread crept into her heart, the blood rushing in her ears.

Then she emerged from the darkness and into the blinding light, still being led forwards by that hand on her wrist. Finnick. She looked at him as they weaved through the crowd, but he didn't turn back even to cast a small glance of reassurance at her.

The people all about them chittered loudly. None of them seemed to have noticed the two new victors swerving toward the exit.

"Finnick, where are we going?" Hebe asked, confused as to why they seemed to be going away from the elevator that would take them back to the apartment.

"You're crowning." He replied shortly.

"Are you ok, did I -" She began, but Finnick cut her off quickly, snapping his head around to look her dead in the eyes.

"We'll talk about this later. For now, we have to get you to the car." His words cut into her like daggers; he'd never been this genuinely upset with her.

Soon they made it through the crowd to a back entrance where they met Ambrosia, and she reached forward to guide Hebe to an expensive looking Capitol car. Hebe had only been in a car once, on the way to the train station after she was reaped. She stopped and gaped for a moment before she was shoved inside.

"No time to gawk dear! The president's waiting!" Ambrosia said, as shrill as always.

Hebe nearly vomited on the plush carpet of the car. She had entirely forgotten what the crowning entailed. Indeed, she had forgotten there even was a crowning before Finnick so gently reminded her.

She reached up to nervously fiddle with her necklaces, before realising that both her fathers wedding band and Luca's arrowhead weren't there. She didn't even remember waking up from her sleep with them.

She avoided his gaze the entire way there. Instead she opted for either staring out the window at the cityscape, or directing her gaze into her lap. She rubbed her sore wrists, and noticed the small red marks of fingers from where Finnick's hands had been so tightly encircling them.

They finally arrived, and a man in a sharp suit came to open the door for Hebe. She took a second to collect herself, taking one deep breath. Then she stepped out of the vehicle and began to ascend the steps towards the balcony where she could see President Snow standing proudly.

On either side she was flanked by her new fans in the Capitol, all of them craning their necks to catch a glimpse of her. She was sure they were also there to try and spot her mentor, who trailed sullenly behind her. Although Hebe imagined he had put on the facade of smiling and waving for the crowds.

She continued to climb up the stairs, having to lift her dress slightly as she moved so as to not trip over in the massive high heels. All while keeping a bright smile plastered to her face.

Eventually she made it, and the steps flattened into a corridor that curved around the side of the building towards the building. She continued the act of being over the moon. Hebe felt constantly aware of the cameras filming her for all of Panem to see. It was strange to her to imagine Annie and her mother at home watching her right now.

Then she turned the corner and there was the President of Panem.

Snow stood next to an ornate throne, dressed in a purple velvet three-piece suit along with a matching white silk cravat. In the cravat was an amethyst pin, and hanging from his breast coat pocket was one of those old fashioned gold pocket watches. Pinned on his lapel was a small, perfectly formed, white rose. He was exactly as he looked on TV except his hair was slightly wispier and his wrinkles more defined.