"Dahlia Blossom. Don't let the name fool you. She's better known as the Black Dahlia. And she didn't earn that nickname by smiling and looking pretty."
"She sure knows how to perform for the camera."
"Because she knows how to play the game. She alwa...
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Mentoring any tribute for the Games is difficult for every Victor, but things were personal for Dahlia this time. Before arriving in the Capitol, she'd passed on every scrap of knowledge in her arsenal and coached Lavender as if she were going to perform in a beauty pageant. When those train doors opened, the younger Blossom had plastered on a dazzling smile and waved to the crowds like a professional. Then, before she knew it, her little sister was whisked away to be pampered and preened, leaving Dahlia to her own conflicting thoughts.
"What's going on in that pretty head of yours?" Finnick asks cheekily, strolling up to the girl as she waits for the elevator.
"This isn't your floor, Finn." Dahlia states, ignoring the question and avoiding her friend's gaze in favour of staring ahead. "What are you doing up here?"
"Looking for you." He replies, more seriously this time after sensing the gloominess in her tone. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry about the predicament you're in."
"What predicament?" Dahlia asks emotionlessly, refusing to remove her eyes from the gleaming metal of the elevator no matter how much Finnick stared at her.
Eyebrows scrunched in confusion at the girl's strangely cold behaviour, Finnick clarifies, "Lavender going up against Annie in the Games. I know it must be difficult to--"
"It's not difficult at all." Dahlia interrupts frigidly, eyes narrowed and set firm in determination. "I will do what I can to ensure my tributes are prepared for the Games. You should do the same with yours. My sister is my priority."
"What about Annie?" Finnick questions in disbelief, hurt by Dahlia's aloof and formal composure.
"What about her?" Dahlia retaliates, turning briefly to quirk a brow in Finnick's direction before the elevator dings. She steps inside stiffly, leaving Finnick behind with a gaping mouth.
Just as the elevator doors begin to close, the boy snaps out of his shocked daze and catches it before he can be shut out. Slipping inside quickly, he stares Dahlia down with a passionate gaze. "You made a promise to Cove that you would look after her sister. Now you're just going to turn your back on her when she needs you the most?"
"What do you want me to do, Finnick?" Dahlia spits out harshly, allowing her hardened exterior to crack ever so slightly. It's just enough for Finnick to see that she's been struggling internally with this decision. "What exactly do you expect from me here?"
"I expect you to keep fighting." He argues back, jaw clenched in frustration with how easily she's giving in. "The Dahlia I know wouldn't back down from this. She would be fighting with everything she had to make sure both of those girls have an equal opportunity to make it back home."
"Well, maybe I'm tired of fighting." Dahlia retorts as she steps closer to Finnick so he can see the evident exhaustion in her eyes. "What has fighting back ever got me? Death and pain for the people I love. So excuse me for trying to protect what's left of my family!"
