Fawn In The Dawn | Peeta Mellark

ten

Finnick and I stood in the rubble once more. Lights shined on us as we now were broadcasting live amongst all Panem as a distraction. This was our time to tell all. I held Finn's hand as we soon began. "This is Finnick Odair," he began.

"And Arizona Stark." I spoke up, gripping his hand tighter, feeling the comfort of him beside me. I dont know how I would have done any of this without him.

"And we're coming to you from Distract 13, alive and well." He continued. "We've survived an asault from the Capitol but we are not here to give recent news. We're here to instead speak of what the Capitol and President Snow put us through." The light from the side began to blind me and I began feeling light headed.

"Follow, hurry." A woman said, as two peacekeepers pulled me down the small hallway that felt as if it were enclosing on me. My feet could only go so fast. This was the first time I was able to have a normal outfit on. A door nearby was closed and she knocked harshly. Opening, was a man holding a drink. He was roughly in his 30s and looked sleezy in every way possible. "Thirty minutes." The woman said as the two guards beside me shoved me in, locking the door behind us.

"Arizona Stark. You are more spectacular than on television." He brushed my hair behind my left ear. After his small talk, he began peeling off my clothes. I tried to fight back, but I was weak from exhaustion and dehydration. There was nothing I could do. No words could escape my mouth, and I was sick from the neglect I had been through.

"The moment you leave the arena, you're a slave." Finnick spoke, truthfully. A tear began to trickle down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. Save your tears for your pillow, Arizona. "President Snow would sell my body. And I was not the only one." He looked down to me, considering he only knew of my truths. "If a Victor is considered desirable, he would sell you for a night of pleasure. And if you refused, he would kill someone you love."

"The first time I had to, I bit the mans ear nearly off. He didn't want to risk my disordinance, so instead of selling me, he starved and tortured me." I unbuttoned the bottom of my shirt and revealed my abdomen, showing my rib cage and how far it was sticking through, along with the scars, bruises, and damage he had caused. "At times, he would have people place a rat in a bucket and press it against my flesh, burning the end of the bucket, causing the rat to eat and dig into my skin. If I wasn't going to oblige to his demands of sleeping with strangers, he wanted to make my body as undesirable as possible." I said, with confidence, trying to remain emotionless.

"To make me feel better, my patrons would make presents of money or jewelry. As if that actually mattered to me. I found a much more valuable payment, secrets." Finn said, smirking into the camera. Hoping Snow would grow infuriated. "I know so many good secrets of our great president, Snow. I know how he posioned so many just to keep power. His favorite thing."

"A cowards tool." I spat, now gaining even more confidence with this tell all. Finnick glanced down at me with a smile, before pressing his cheek against the top of my head.

"He stopped every mutany before they even started. Even to allies who were threats. Snow would drink from the same cup just to avoid suspision, but antidotes don't always work, which is why he wears roses that reek of perfume. To help cover the scent of blood from sores in his mouth that will never heal." Now he really was keeping the public audience captivated. Even I was hanging on to his every word.

"Snow held us in a room where we had glass windows seperating us. I slept next to the window as Peeta was beside me, in his own cage. We would witness Snows people come in and torture each of us, poking us with prods, beating us. Every time someone got food, our mouths would water watching them eat because we never ate on the same day and we were lucky to get at least a single meal a day. I would witness others being driven crazy to the point of sleep depravation. I became physically ill after the first games I was in, and it just increased in these holding cells." I confessed as Finnick looked to me. Feeling sorry and hurting because Annie was in those rooms as well.

"Snow kills without mercy and rules with deception and fear. His weapon of choice is the only thing suited to such a man, poison. Perfect weapon for a snake." Finnick said once more.

But all of a sudden, we were cut off when Katniss was now being aired. "President Snow, this is Katniss. I need to speak with you. Can you hear me?" She asked as Finn and I watched upwards at the broadcast.

"Miss Everdeen, what an honor." Snow spoke up and I felt my body stiffen. Finn pulled his arm around my shoulder. "You couldn't run from this anymore you couldn't run from the games."

"Please, you've won." She pleaded.

"You claimed you didn't want a war, and that is just what has happened. You think I don't know your friends are in the Tribute Center?" He said before abruptly cutting the line off, causing an eery silence in the air.

"Shit." I muttered, still holding Finn's hand, as I led him inside and the two of us rushed to see Katniss crying over Gale, thinking she has lost him. I rushed over to her side and we held onto one another, because she knew Peeta held my heart, and I was trying my hardest to keep her sane, in the midst of all this panic. That's what most of us did these days, holding on to one another. Looking for support. What else did we have?