Querencia | Finnick Odair

Chapter V

As soon as we enter our floor I yell at my team to get that dress off me. Not my best moment, but I couldn't fake it anymore.

I didn't care if it was in the hallway, I didn't care that I didn't wear a bra, I just wanted it off. My team listens and I kick off my shoes, then storm off into my room, my bathroom and wash the make-up off, remove the pins in my hair and take a hot shower, washing off all the fake things, the fake smile, fake smirk. And then I break down, sobbing in the shower as the water hits my skin. It takes half an hour until I can pull myself together.

Once again I wander up to the roof in the night, but this time I wear a bikini and a blue, loose shirt over top. I sit in the hottub, my head leaned back, watching the stars, flinching when a grinning face moves into my vision.

"Finnick", I state and sit up straight. "Talisa. What a dress..", he quotes Caesar.

"Shut it", I say and Finnick smirks, sitting down next to me. "And I thought you hated white", he questions. "I do. Snow thought humiliating me with this dress was the way to go", I defend and look away. "Snow made you wear that dress?", Finnick questions once again. "Just said that didn't I?", I mumble. I can see Finnick grimacing, but don't ask what it is about. We sit in silence until Finnick speaks up once again.

"They left scars?" "The wolves did a good job didn't they?", I say and look at him. He reaches out. "Can I?", he asks. I shrug and he runs his thumb across my scars. I get goosebumps even though we sit in a hot tub. "It is rare to see something real, someone real here. But these just break the facade, show what you've been through. We are turned into perfect dolls, but these ...", Finnick explains.

"I get it. I like them, they prove that I can survive", then we fall into silence once again.

This time I leave first. Getting up and out of the tub, throwing the T-shirt over. "See you Finnick"

The interviews were the last thing I had to endure. This time it was a red two piece, that once again left little to the imagination. The top was basically a piece of lace held together by strings that went around my neck and once around to my back. The skirt has once again a slit and I sit straight on the soft seat. We already went over the formalities. The questions about my weapons and how I felt when I killed the others, how I liked the arena and how I found the food. Then we talked about the wolves. "That was a close call, wasn't it Talisa?", Caesar questions.

"You could say that, but it would have been boring if there wasn't at least one, don't you think?", I keep up the facade. "That just might be true my dear", Caesar chuckles.

"And I could get to know the Capitols generosity and their love, so it had something good to it as well", I smile warmly and Caesar looks touched.

"Sadly our time is almost up, but we have one more question. You removed Tristan's axe at the end of games. Why is that?"

I smirk. "Well, he was my final fight and tried to degrade me by calling me..lets say awful names. So I believe that he simply didn't deserve to lie dead as a warrior, a fighter. He should lay like he was. Defenseless. So I took his axe away from him", I explain calmly. Caesar smiles.

"What a brave woman. Thank you for your time my dear."

"Oh but with you it is always fun, I like taking the time and letting the people get to know me is important to me as well", I smile even more and Caesar officially ends the interview.