lavender haze | finnick odair

prologue

In the heart of District Eight, where the air was thick with the scent of different dyes and the hum of looms echoed in the streets, Lavender Blush's voice was a cherished and peaceful sound. Among the clatter of machinery and the relentless rhythm of textile production, Lavender's singing was a fresh breath of life, a melody that wove its way through the daily hard labors, giving her neighbors a moment of tranquility.

The Blush girl was known throughout the district for her delicate nature and ethereal beauty. She was the definition of soft femineity, always walking around in pink glittered fabrics, and with rumors that she had stolen the very clothes she had hand-sewn. With her gentle, honey-blonde curls and doe-like eyes, she was the embodiment of kindness in a world that despised and destroyed such people. Her voice, clear and sweet, could drown out even the loudest factories, drawing smiles from the weary workers and hope from the distraught.

Her mother, Sage Blush, was a stylist in the Capitol, specifically Head Designer of all of the stylists, meaning she oversaw everything related to the fashions being put on all tributes and Victors. Known for her impeccable taste and trendy designs, Sage worked hard to support Lavender, trying to rise above the poverty that gripped District Eight. The mother was determined to give her daughter a better life, knowing Lavender was too talented to be stuck working in sewing factories until her fingertips were cut off. But no one could ever be too safe, especially in such a high position of power.

In preparations for the Seventy-Third Annual Hunger Games, the busiest time of the year that was filled with spectacle and pageantry, Sage made an error. There was a miscommunication in an interview the Head Designer did, accidentally tipping her toes in the murky waters between politics and fashion, and suddenly, Lavender's name was drawn on Reaping Day. The shock was palpable, the air heavy of disbelief as Lavender, walking on shaky legs and trembling feet, stepped forward to take her place on stage beside her fellow district tribute.

The Games were a complete nightmare, an arena where Lavender's softness seemed like a sure death sentence. But, beneath her gentle exterior was a resilient core of steel, something that even surprised herself. She used her voice, singing her allies to sleep with a whimsical lullaby, before viciously slashing into them, allowing her to emerge as the Victor that no one had expected.

Lavender's victory was bittersweet. The Capitol, always hungry for their newest form of entertainment, seized upon her talent and forced her into a new role, a superstar. She was just a puppet for their entertainment, and that had to be the most painful thing her mother had to watch her daughter go through. Her songs, once a symbol of hope and peace in her district, became tools of propaganda, her image manipulated to serving the Capitol's needs and latest trends.

Yet, even in her iron-cladded cage, Lavender's spirit was not crushed, a sign of hope glimmering off the reflection of her sequined outfits. During one of her many performances, singing just after the ending of the Seventy-Fourth Games, she caught the eyes of Finnick Odair. The handsome and cunning Victor from District Four was no stranger to the Capitol's games, both inside and outside of the arena. He saw Lavender's wings, bolt-locked in her chained cage, begging to soar. He knew she understood the price of survival and the heavy burdens of fame, and so, he picked up his shimmering lock cutters and headed straight towards her cage.