Impavid

“Are you supposed to be a fish?” I deadpanned, staring at Bellona. Her wig for that day was sea foam green, pulled up into a very high pony that pooled in curls down her back. Her lids were painted blues and greens, and her lips were a tinted of blue as well. Her dress was scaled, as were her shoes, and her skin was glittering. “Or a lizard?”

She waved me off, laughing. “A fish, darling. You are too funny. Now Violet and Vienna are here to get you dressed. I’ve written your cards of welcome for the two victors from twelve, read over them please, darling.”

Two of my stylists walked in. It seemed I got to keep my team from my games all the way through my life. I’m not sure where that deal was made, but it didn’t bother me. I had become accustomed to the two twins named Violet and Vienna who worked on me. They had taken getting used to, with their overbearing capitol affection and bubbly personalities.

One after the other they came in my house, carting big bags and boxes of things. I kissed them both on the cheek, forcing a smile. I was the sweet, innocent girl again while they were here. It was easiest that way, instead of being my sarcastic, calculating self.

Sitting in the kitchen, I watched Violet get to work. The only way I could ever tell them apart was because Violet had violet colored eyes, and her sister Vienna had yellow. Other than the eye color, they were completely identical down to every hair and every piece of outfit.

In no time, they were pulling at my hair and lifting my chin, painting my skin and dragging me through what felt like hours of misery. Once, Vienna had told me that beauty was pain. I did not understand until she was putting hot wax on my legs and ripping the hair from them, leaving me silky smooth. (I wouldn’t be able to swim later, as the salt water would burn my newly waxed legs.)

Flipping through the cards, I went over the neat, penned in words that Bellona had written for me. They were better than I could ever come up with, and that was mostly because I was a sentimental person. In school, they had always told me I was a good writer, which was frowned upon. You didn’t need writing in district 4.

“This is so exciting!” Bellona said, coming into the kitchen and clapping her hands together. Every time she moved, the scales on her dress seemed to flicker a different color, like a fish swimming through the ocean. “Two victors! And you get to meet them! Oh it will be splendid.”

“How long is this going to be?”

“Not long, they’ll say a few words, honor the fallen tributes and say a few things about themselves and their lives. You just have to welcome them, say a few words and take your place next to Finnick.”

“Alright.”

“Stop talking!” The twins snapped, though not unkindly. I popped my mouth shut and let them continue working on me until they had me zipped into a dress and twirling in front of them to make sure that everything was in place. “You’re so beautiful.”

Violet shook her head and dabbed at her eyes. “You were by far our most beautiful tribute and victor, Lana. And they have you hiding all the way out here in district 4.”

Ignoring the comment, I went to a mirror. Unlike how I was usually dressed, it was extremely moderate, and very simple, in their terms. I wasn’t up done and ridiculous. My hair was very long and silky straight, flowing whenever I moved. I wore no jewelry, because the dress was delicate. It was a peach color, sleeveless with two knots on either shoulder. At the waist it changed to a black material I was unfamiliar with. It was smooth and flowed like the night water.

My face was very neutral, the slightest hint of color and softness in my cheeks. They had done it again. They had taken my rough, salted skin and cleaned it, taken my pursed lips and narrowed eyes and softened them, and they had taken my trust no one expression and melted it into a light, loving one.

“I don’t know how you do it,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Honestly.”

Complete and with my cards mostly memorized, I walked out my door followed by my team. Finnick was walking out of his home too, meeting me halfway on the sand. His hair was brushed back and styled perfectly, his face glowing with whatever they did to it. He wore a peach, buttoned shirt that was opened far down the chest, revealed the toned muscle.

It took a moment to get passed how beautiful he looked to realized we were matching. He had the same color top and black shorts on, melding with my colors. They often liked to do this; Finnick was the heart throb of the capitol and I was his rose of an apprentice.

At first, we didn’t say anything. We slipped into a car- which I could never get used to- and went to the justice building. Crowds of people were already stretched across the area in front of the justice building, screaming and clapping as Finnick and I exited the vehicle.

In our district’s eyes, we were still their pride. We were mentors, and I was the most recent victor from four. We were high society to them, people to be honored and looked up to. That always put me out, because I did not think that being a murderer earned celebration.

Smiling brightly, I waved. Finnick was giving smirks next to me, waving his hand and flashing his bright smile every once in a while. I was quite sure that I almost saw a handful of girls faint at the sight of him. Which admittedly made me twitch in annoyance.

As if sensing my tiny shift in tolerance for people, Finnick stretched his hand over, linking his fingers with mine. It was such a surprising act of affection that I looked at him abruptly, my other hand stopping my waving and with an arched brow. He looked at me and gave me a humorous smile. He thought my reaction was funny.

“Bastard,” I muttered, but I was smiling anyways, walking up the stairs. Finnick assisted me like the perfect gentlemen. Bellona was giving us a huge smile. In fact, her smile was so big that I thought her face was going to explode. Really. It looked like it would burst on her face. “Why is she smiling like that?”

“I don’t know but she looks like a shark.”

“But a happy one.”

“A happy shark.”

“Happy, happy, happy.”

Both of us were reduce into fits of laughter instantly as we took our places in chairs lined up on the side of the doors at the justice building. I was laughing so hard that I had to place my hand over my mouth to keep it all in, which made Finnick laugh even harder. And when he laughed, so did I, because his laugh was infectious.

The mayor of our district began talking, his apathetic voice echoing out over the crowd of people. While he spoke, Finnick and I continued to make quiet jokes about sharks and smiles. It got so bad that Bellona gave us a cutting look at one point when we were laughing too loud.

When the mayor was done speaking, Finnick and I stood up, walking to the mic. I smiled brightly, but nothing could compare to the dazzling grin that Finnick gave, making the female population in the crowd shriek. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, but he seemed not to notice.

“We would like to say a few words before our fellow victors come out,” I said into the mic, glancing down at my cards as I did so. The words were clear and easy to read. “We would like to express how welcome they are and how honored we are to host the two victors from district 12. Their hard work and dedication makes our hearts swell, for as mentors, we see their value and dedication.”

Finnick grinned, stepping forward with his cards. “Lana and I recognize greatness when we see it. We have seen it in our own tributes here in four, we have seen it in the eyes of many of you, and we see it in Katniss and Peeta as well. Make them welcome, four.”

Cheers erupted as we bowed slightly and sat down once more, the mayor replacing us. It took several minutes for him to quiet the crowd after we gave our speech, but Finnick and I were already distracted, sitting at the very edge of the stage talking.

Finally Katniss and Peeta were introduced. I stood up with the rest of the people on stage, clapping as the two victors exited the double doors of the justice building. She looked just like she did in every other district, Katniss. She forced a smile and waved.

Two young girls went forward then, handing the two victors their wreathes of flowers and congratulations. It was a district tradition, to give them wreathes made of dried seaweed and flowers. Both of them accepted them thankfully and approached the side of the mic.

Quietly, I watched them give their speech. The people of four were very quiet and attuned to what they were saying. We were a career district. We did not see anything wrong on the stage, or with their unemotional speeches about our fallen. People just wanted to see the two legends of the 74th hunger games.

“I forget we come from a career district sometimes.”

Finnick glanced at me. “Yeah?”

I nodded. “You forget, I wasn’t like everyone else. I wasn’t in the career pack.”

“Which I advised you to do.”

“I did a lot of things you told me not to.”

“Yes, like team up with the tributes from seven.”

“I liked them.”

“The boy tried to kill you.”

My eyes flickered to him. He almost sounded just as annoyed as he had back then. Days after my victory, he had taken it upon himself to yell at me for not listening to him and not joining the career pack, especially because the boy from seven had turned on me. “Who is sitting next to you?” I asked him very quietly as the two victors from twelve finished their speeches. “The boy from seven, or me?”

He ground his teeth together. It seemed that we were in fact having a small tiff between us, which was not uncommon. Finnick and I butt head sometimes over stupid things. Mostly it had to do with me not listening to him. “You still could have died.”

“Would have been one hell of a show.”

“One that I couldn’t watch.”

Something in his voice made me stir. Finnick looked at me, his eyes scanning my face. My heart fluttered slightly and I remembered the look he first gave me when I came out of the arena. It was there again, just a flicker of it, and it made my palms sweat.

But before I could reply, the crowd was cheering and we were standing to clap, the flicker in his eyes gone as we saluted the two victors from twelve as they turned to leave.

The flicker stuck in my head, though.