Calm Before The Storm {Finnick Odair}

Speeches

The morning of her Victory tour started just like any other, with the sound of her mother quietly knocking on the door, before turning the handle and stepping inside her room. She'd approach Hebe's bed cautiously, shaking her daughter's shoulder as she called her name softly.

Like a typical teenager, Hebe groaned and protested, turning over and shoving her face back into her pillow. Since the games, she had valued her sleep a lot more than before, cherishing the nights when she slept all the way through without the plague of nightmares that usually interrupted her.

Eventually her mother would dramatically throw open the curtains, and hit Hebe over the head with the morning paper until she rose from her bed, her usually neat hair a nest of curls.

"Ok mum, I'm up, no need to hit me with Capitol propaganda again." She sighed, holding her arms up to shield her from any further onslaught.

Juno laughed bitterly, "No, you'll have plenty of time to be attacked by it in the next two weeks."

Hebe groaned, sinking back down under her covers, but not before telling her mother she'd be down in a moment.

Eventually, she dragged herself from the warmth of her bed and over to her wardrobe, pulling out a random pair of trousers and a top, knowing that whatever she wore wouldn't be up to Tigris' standards so there was no point trying. She dragged the mismatched outfit into the bathroom with her, before stripping off her pyjamas and switching on the small shower.

She looked longingly at the bathtub, wishing she had time to take a long soak in it, but today was not the day. In fact, she doubted she'd have much time to simply relax for a while.

Hebe stepped under the stream of water, taking the little time she had to massage her scalp and rid herself of the headache that was forming from her mother dragging her from bed so early.

Darned Victory Tour.

She furiously scrubbed at her skin with a bar of soap, trying to remove as much of the dirt from her body as possible, not looking forward to the idea of being criticised by her prep team for being dirty.

Finally she decided that she was clean enough for the cameras, stepping out from the small cubicle and wrapping a towel around herself.

Hebe couldn't help but reminisce to the shower she had on the way to the Capitol, remembering the adrenaline that had chugged through her veins. That adrenaline had kept her going for so long. Just like she had back then, she sat down on the floor of the bathroom, and took a moment to calm herself.

Today, she was getting back on that train.

She would go to the districts, and be faced with the parents of the children she couldn't save.

She'd be faced with the parents of the ones she killed too.

Half way through, she'd celebrate her birthday, far away from home in some distant district

And finally, she'd be taken to the presidential palace, where Snow would force her to take a terrible job that would rob her of all her innocence.

Hebe took a deep breath, trying to remain optimistic. At least she was alive. Her mother was alive, Annie was alive, the people she loved were alive. And at least this time, she wasn't being sent on that train to die. Just to smile, wave, and give trite speeches.

She sighed, standing up off of the floor and beginning to get changed. Maybe she'd prefer the dying.

Eventually, she gathered herself enough to go downstairs. Maybe she'd try and force some food down her throat before the camera crews arrived. She glanced at the clock on the wall, taking note of the time. They'd be here in about 20 minutes.