"I like it." I said with a genuine smile, my eyes wandering all over the beautiful dress that lay before me. It was an elegant white frock, fading into a sea blue colour at the end. It reminded me of home, the white beaches with the blue oceans just waiting for us to dive into.

"I'm glad. I've asked Xavier to go a bit light on your make up." Dylan said. "Put the dress on. I'll go see if Finnick needs anything." He walked out of the room and as he was going out, Newt rushed in, his breathing heavy and fast.

"I was just talking to Haymitch. We are having a meeting tonight after the interview, you know, just to go over everything once more for tomorrow...", He trailed off.

I mumbled a small 'okay', my mood dampening at the thought of the games tomorrow. "You know it will go as planned, right?" Newt asked, taking a step closer towards me.

"Yeah." I said, not fully sure.

"Come here." He said, his voice warm and filled with love. My lips trembled but I held back the tears and I threw myself into his arms. He held me in his protective hold and murmured sweet things into my ears. "You have nothing to be afraid of, (Y/n/n)." He said, keeping me at an arm's length, so I could look into his chocolate brown eyes.

"What if I mess up? What if Finnick gets killed? What if.. what if I dont see you again?" My voice trembled and a tear rolled down my cheek.

Bringing his hand to my face, he wiped the tear away with his thumb. "The plan is going to work out just fine. Trust me, it's gonna be alright." I nodded, closing my eyes, trying not to think about the games. I didn't have to try though, because every thought was wiped away from my messed up head when Newt pressed his lips against mine. He placed one of his hands on my hips and pulled me into his embrace, while placing the other on my cheek. Our lips moved together with love, passion and desperation.

We pulled away when we ran out of breath and rested our foreheads together, breathing in bliss.

"We need to go." I whispered. He nodded his head in reply.

"I'll see you soon, yeah?" He said. I mumbled a small 'Okay' with a smile, after which he left the room, before briefly kissing me again. Taking a deep breath, I began to get ready for the interview.
____________________________________________________

"I'm sorry, I just can't stop crying..." Cashmere's voice was heard through the speakers.

"Stupid drama." Finnick said with a roll of his eyes. The both of us were waiting for our interviews, which we decided to give separately.

"I just want to get this over with." I said with a sigh, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I've written this sort of a message for Annie, I'm going to tell it on stage."

"That's a good idea." I said with a smile. "It shows everyone how much of a softie you really are." He let out a small chuckle.

"What are you going to do for your interview?"

"Speak my mind." I replied. "Not too much though. Dont wanna anger Snow, now do we?"

"Good luck with that."

A few moments passed by, when Beetee was being interviewed, Finn suddenly said, "Are you going to tell them about your relationship with Newt?"

"I don't think so. What if they do something to him? I suggest you dont say that the poem's bout Annie either."

"Yeah, I dont think I will."

"Next up we have, from district 4, Finnick Odair!" Caesar Flickerman's voice echoed through the room a minute later.

"See ya." Finn said and got up, before placing a brotherly kiss on the top of my head.

He walked onto the stage and an overly cheerful Caesar began his talks. A few moments later he said, "Finnick, I understand that you have a message for somebody out there. A special somebody. Can we hear it?"

Finnick smiled in a way that made him look almost innocent and shy. "My love, you have my heart for all eternity. And if... if I die in that arena, my last thoughts will be of your lips." He looked deep into the camera, as though he yearns for more moments with his special somebody.

"Would you please let us know who the lucky lady is?" Flickerman asked.

"Nah, I'd rather it be a secret." He said politely with a laugh.

I drifted my eyes to the crowd, and a dozen Capitol snobs swooned at Finnick, thinking that he was talking about them.

A few small talks later, Caesar called my name out. I walked onto the stage, my head held high, as Finnick walked to the back and stood with the other tributes. I sat down on the expensive couch and had a stoic expression.

"Dear, dear (Y/n)! How bittersweet it is to see you again. Tell me, how did it feel when you bravely volunteered for Annie Cresta?"

"It wasn't an act of bravery." I said with a shake of my head. "None of us should be here. None of this is worth it."

There was an awkwardness in Caesar's voice when he continued, "Ummm....(Y/n), tell me, how is life with your mystery man? Do tell us his name!"

"Well, life would have been much better with him if I wasn't going to potentially die in the arena." I kept my answers short. I wanted to rant out all my emotions on stage, but I knew better.

He had no clue what to say next, for he knew I was pissed. "Well umm... I, uhh, hope you do make it out alive." I raised my eyebrows at him and sighed.

"Caesar, you say the same thing over and over again to all the other tributes." I played with the hem of my dress, being careful not to tell something directed towards Snow. "I do hope whatever happens in that arena, it does something better to help this world we live in. I think I'm done here now." I stood up and walked to the back, standing next to Finnick. He had a small smirk on his face and pride in his eyes. He reached for my hand and gave a squeeze. I looked down at my feet, the rush of adrenaline bringing a smile to my lips, which I tried to suppress, as I kept rethinking about my conversation against the Capitol with Caesar.

The next few interviews went by in a blur, Johanna screamed profanities at the crowd and at the Capitol, few of the tributes calmly finished their interviews, Katniss Everdeen meanwhile, walked up to Caesar in a wedding gown.

"Am I correct in assuming that this the dress you were going to wear for the wedding?" Caesar asked, his voice laced with fake sorrow and regret.

"Well yes, president Snow thought everyone would want to see it." She replied.

"President Snow as usual was right." He said. I snorted and rolled my eyes at that. "Give us a twirl Katniss!"

She stepped forward and started to spin and when she did, the bottom of her dress caught fire and it slowly made it's way up until her wedding dress was no longer there, rather a black-ish blue bird like costume was on display. She lifted her arms up and wings emerged from the beautifully fitted dress. The crowd cheered wildly as she finished her little twirl.

A mockingjay. The symbol of our rebellion.

Her stylist certainly made his point. Katniss confirmed to the crowd and Caesar that it was indeed a mockingjay. Cinna recieved an ovation for his 'theatrical work of art'. Katniss got another massive round of cheers and applauses as she made her way to the back. In the end, It was finally Peeta's turn for the interview.

He was given a warm welcome as he came onto the stage and started a nice conversation with Flickerman. A while later, Caesar said, "But Peeta, the wedding, never to be?"

"No actually we got married." Peeta replied which made the entire crowd gasp. I raised my eyebrow at Finnick and he too, had a confused expression. We looked at Katniss who had her eyebrows furrowed for a moment, before regaining her posture. "We want our love to be eternal." He clarified. "You know, Katniss and I, we are luckier than most. And I wouldn't have any regrets at all, it if weren't... if it...if.." He hesitated quite a bit. Caesar prodded him to go on, and Peeta finally finished his sentence.

"If it weren't for the baby."

The crowd clamoured excitedly, gasps filling the room. My eyes widened, even though I knew it wasnt true, for Katniss was herself surprised for a quick moment.

That was a good move, Mellark.

The audience began to murmer amongst themselves. Then they all stared to stand up and demand for the games to stop. Caesar tried to calm them down, but in vain. I caught a glimpse of Haymitch raising his flask to Peeta, who had a smirk on his face. Flickerman whispered something in his ears and with a nod, Peeta walked to where Katniss was and gave her a hug.

The crowd began to shout and all the tributes on stage began to hold hands. Finnick grabbed my hand and smiled reassuringly. I laid my right palm onto Beetee's outstretched one. When a chain was formed, we raised our hands simultaneously, as an act of defiance. The best part was that Snow could do nothing about it.

The lights went off and amidst the chaos, Finnick pulled me away, towards the backstage. We pushed through the rushing Capital employees and walked into the dressing room and Dylan and Nat immediately greeted us with hugs.

"That was bloody brilliant, a little chaotic, but brilliant." A British accent came from behind me. I smiled widely and rushed into Newt's open arms. He pulled back a little and placed a kiss on my lips with a grin.

"Plutarch and Haymitch want to meet us. Let's go!"