Fire is Catching

Chapter 7: Free Day

CHAPTER 7: FREE DAY

Georgina, Domino, Zero, Connie, Kora, and Domino's stylist who I haven't bothered to learn the name of, all gather in the lounge to watch our scores from the Gamemakers.

"Alexandria Winter, District 5." Claudius Templesmith reads dramatically. "Two. Yikes."

I jump up from my seat and burst into applause. Georgina, Domino, and Zero think it's funny, Connie lets out an 'oh', Kora and Domino's stylist hold in their grins.

"What'd you do?" Georgina asks me.

I smile bashfully. "Made the outline of a Mockingjay on the target with knives."

"I guess they think you should stay away from art and stick to talking." Zero says. I shove him playfully.

The show ends with Everdeen and Peeta getting 12s. Seriously? I'm sure they did something rebellious, but they get 12s? I got a 2. Even when she's rebellious, she gets a higher score.

"I'm going to go see Cashmere and Gloss." I tell the group.

The blonde siblings are on the first floor of the building in their rooms. Sleeping. Booooooooring. I jump on each of their beds and yell, "CASHMERE GLOSS, CASHMERE, GLOSS!"

Cashmere wakes up first. She rubs her eyes. "What?" She asks groggily.

Gloss fluffs up his hair. "Why am I awake?"

"We are going to prank people." I tell them excitedly.

Gloss is up in an instant, stripping down in the open and changing. He also picks up his sister's clothes and lays them out on her bed. "We'll meet you outside while Alex tells me her plan." He tells her.

I lead Gloss outside. "Why're you being so nice to your sister?" I ask.

He shrugs. "We could all use some cheering up."

Cashmere walks out of her quarters and into the hallway, dressed in stylish comfort. She loves fashion. "Now, this plan?"

I smirk.

***

I lie in wait outside Finnick's door, setting up the tripwire. I have it cleverly placed outside his door. Cashmere and Gloss have poured the paint in front of it, so when he falls, he'll fall into the bright red paint. Cashmere is getting a Capitol attendant to call Finnick out of his room, and Gloss is poised in Finnick's closet, making sure all goes well from the inside.

The door opens and I shrink back into the shadows. Finnick steps out and looks at the paint questionably. He then looks at where I am lying. "Nice try, Lexi."

I look up to see his arms wrapping around my waist. He picks me up and throws me over his back, laughing.

"FINNICK!!!!!!!!" I screech. "FINNICK ODAIR PUT ME DOWN!!!!!!"

Finnick is having the time of his life. He runs through the halls of his floor, laughing his head off.

"FINNICK!!!!!!"

"Not today, Lexi!"

At the end of the hallway, a streak of blonde hair disappears behind the corner. It's Cashmere.

I let my smirk grow as wide as my ego. From behind us, Cashmere shoves Finnick into the paint we had wanted him to trip on in the first place. I fly off his back and thank Cashmere.

"How'd he know?" Cashmere asks me, looking at a red Finnick with an amused expression.

I sigh in knowing. "Gloss."

Cashmere rushes to Finnick's room and comes back a few seconds later, dragging her brother by the ear. Finnick climbs up and tackles me into the paint, turning me red.

I flick paint at Gloss's face, and he jumps away from his sister. Finnick throws paint at Cahsmere, and in a few minutes we are having a full-on red paint war.

By the end of the hour and a half fight, we are all dripping with red paint, our clothes drenched.

Finnick, Cashmere, Gloss, and I all lie down in the hallway on our backs. We're dripping wet still.

"I never dreamed this would happen." Cashmere says softly. Her brother pats her hand.

Finnick and I are quiet. We both knew this was going to happen.

Cashmere sighs. "I'm about to become a murderer again."

Gloss sits up and looks at Finnick and I. "Cash and I have an alliance with the tributes from 2. Hopefully they'll do most of the killing. We know you two will have an alliance together."

"Let's make a promise." Cashmere says. "That we won't kill each other, unless we're the last ones left."

Finnick and I know we might have to break that promise. I don't think I could ever kill Cashmere or Gloss.

"Okay." I tell Cashmere.

Finnick nods. "Yeah." He says. "Sounds good."

***

When I trudge back to my floor after the paint war, I am still all red. Georgina is in the dining area when I come back.

She looks at my red body. "Have fun today?" Georgina asks.

I sigh, and sink down into a chair. "I don't know how I'm going to kill these people, Georgina."

She gives me a sympathetic look. "Pretend they're all Winston."

Winston was the guy who I fought the final battle with. We can all guess who won.

"If you want to come home to Lilyanna, you'll have to use your willpower." Georgina tells me. "Who're your allies?"

"Finnick, Mags, Johanna, Beetee, Wiress, Blight, Everdeen, and Peeta.

Georgina's eyes widen slightly. "That must be the biggest alliance for years. And you managed to get in Everdeen's alliance? You're on a roll, Alex."

At least I'll go out with a record. I need to do something that can help me be remembered by people. Sweep them off their feet with shock.

"You have interviews tomorrow." Georgina says. "I talked to the other Victors. Almost everyone is going to try and stop the Games. Maybe we can start an uprising in the Capitol."

She takes a break from eating her bagel to look at me for my opinion.

"Yeah." I say. "It's fine, I'll think about it."

Georgina sighs. "What is up with you? I know you're about to go back into to the Games, but if you want to come back to Lilyanna you'd better buck up and deal with it."

I nod wearily. "I'm going to go to bed. G'night Georgina."

She sighs. "Goodnight, Alex."