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Chapter Seven
HOPE
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Now I have pluatarch Heavensbee's attention. He stares steadily at me as the juice from the peach he crushed in his hand runs through his fingers. Finally he clears his throat and says, "You may go now, Miss Graves."

I give a respectful nod and turn to go. I don't really want to talk about my session with anyone, I don't really want to reopen those wounds. I'm not sure why I even chose to do that since that's exactly what I did, reopen old wounds. I find myself crying on the elevator ride, as it opens up on my floor I see no one around and I quickly rush to my room. I decided to go take a quick shower myself, since my hands are stainded from the paint. As I stand in the water, I begin to wonder about the wisdom of my latest trick. What happens in training is highly secretive, so there;s no point in taking action against me when no one will know what my transgression was.

As we all gather for dinner, I notice Nolan's hands are faintly stanined with a variety of colors, even though his hair is still damp from bathing. He must have done some form of camouflage that he has been practcing. Once the soup is served, Willow gets right to the issue on everybody's mind. "All right, so how did your private sessions go?"

I exchange a look with Nolan. Homehow I'm not that eager to put what I did into words. In the calm of the dining room, it seems very extreme. "You first," I say to him.

Nolan seems to be struck with the same reluctance I'm experiencing. "Well, I — I did the camouflage thing, well, not exactly camouflage. I mean, I used the dyes."

"To do what?" his stylist asks.

I think of how ruffled the Gamemakers were when I entered the gym for my session. "I got one of the dummies and painted a name on it and then stabbed it with a sword." he says, "I wrote Snow."

Gasps were heard all around the table, even I sucked in a breath, not expecting that response. "What did they do? How did they react?" I question him.

"They seemed shocked." He answered.

There was a long puase at the table while everyone absorbed this. "And what exactly were you trying to accomplish?" Willow asks in a very measured voice.

"I'm not sure. I just wanted to hold him accountable, if only for a moment," says Nolan. "For killing all of those kids."

"That sort of thinking ... it's forbidden, Nolan. Absolutely . You'll only bring down more trouble on yourself and Katniss." Mica says.

"I guess this is a bad time to mention that I painted Monty and Calyptus, my friends from my Games." I say. This has the desired effect. After a moment of disbelief, all the disapproval in the rooms hits me like a ton of bricks.

"You'd have thought we planned it," says Nolan, giving me just a hint of a smile.

"Didn't you?" asks his stylists. Her fingers press her eyelids closed as if she's warding off a very bright light.

"No," I say, looking at Nolan with a new sense of appreciation. "Neither of us even knew what we were going to do before we went in."

We finish the meal in silence, but when we rise to go into the sitting room, Teak puts his arm around me and gives me a squeeze. "Come on and let's go get those training scores."

We gather around the television set and a red-eyed Mica rejoins us. The tributes' faces come up, distirct by district, and their scores flash under their pictures. One through twelve. Predictably high scores for Cashmere, Gloss, Brutus, Enobaria, and Finnick. Low to medium for the rest.

"Have they even given a zero?" I ask.

"No, but there's a first time for everything," Teak answers.

And it turns out he's right. Because when Nolan and I each pull a ten we give each other a hug. No one feels like celebrating, though.

"Why did they do that?" I ask.

"So that the other will have no choice but to target you," says Willow flatly. "Go to bed. I can't stand to look at either of you."

Instead of walking to my room like Nolan goes to his, I find myself walking to the balcony, the same one I stood on with Monty so many years ago. I sit ontop of the railing, the forcefeild keeping me from falling, as I look out into the city. I wish things could have turned out differently. I wish Monty was here, not as a tribute again, but alive. I wish Calyptus was too. I guess being a tribute again has resurfaced all these memories that the three of us shared.

The night before the games I couldn't sleep and came out here only to see Monty already standing here. It was wehn he had told me that he knew he wouldn't come home, but he wanted me to. I remembe telling him that he would, and I had honestly thought I could protect him, that I could save him. But I was wrong.

Tears begin to fall down my face before I can even stop them. I hear the door open behind me but I don't bother to turn around to see who it is. I figure its just an Avox coming to tell me that I need to come back inside. I feel a hand rest on my shoulder has I bring my knees up to my chest, trying to wipe away the tears.

"Are you okay, Ember?" Nolan asks softly. He takes a seat on the railing beside me. "I noticed that you didn't go to your room, and I was worried about you."

I glance up at him as I blink away the tears. "I'm fine. What about you? What you did, do you think they will try extra hard to kill you in the arena for it?" I ask, trying to divert the attention away from me.

I hear him let out a sigh, "I don't know, probably. But I'll be fine, don't worry about me." he says, but I can't help but worry. He and Willow are the only family I have left.

Deciding not to pry too much further, I answer his previous question, "I guess being back here reminds me of the first time. How I sat here and told Monty that he would make it back home... but, he... he never did." I sobbed out.

Nolan pulls me in for a hug and lets me cry onto his shoulder without saying anything. He leads me back to my room. I don't sleep much, but I did manage to fall asleep at some point during the night because I am woken up by Mica knocking on my door. Tonight we be the teleisved interview, so today Mica and Willow should be coaching us. More high heels and sarcastic comments, I think.

An Avox comes into my room with a note from Mica saying that, given how long we have been doing this, both she and Willow have agreed we can handle ourselves adequately in public. The coaching sessions have been canceled.

I head back to the balcony, since I can't really go anywhere else. I order a bunch of food, grab some blankets, and head down to the balcony for a picnic by myself when I see Nolan heading that way as well. He heads out there with me and we eat and lie in the sun. I snap off hanging vines and use my newfound knowledge from training to practice knots and weaves nets. Nolan does a quick stech of the scenery. We make up a game with the force field that surrounds the balcony — one of us throws an apple into it and the other person has to catch it.

No one bothers us. By late afternoon, I lie down on the blanket staring up at the roof as Nolan fiddles with some of the flowers that grow out here. I feel so warm and relaxed, sitting out here with someone who I have grown to love. He has become a father figure in my life that I have been lacking for years. And it scares me that both of us are going back to the arena, cause I know that it means one or none of us is coming out of it alive.

I turn my head just as the sun is starting to set. It's a spectatacular yellow and orange blaze behind the skyline of the Captiol. I stand up and walk over to the railing to get a better look at it. I'm glad I got to see this one because I can count on my fingers the number of sunsets I have left, and I don't want to miss any of them.

We don't go join the others for dinner, and no one summons us. "I'm glad. I'm tired of making everyone around me so miserable," says Nolan. "Everybody crying. Or Willow..." He doesn't need to go on. I know that he cares for her, she's the only one he has left aside from me. All his family was killed long ago. He never talks about it and I don't ask.

We stay on the roof until bedtime and then quickly slip down to my room without encountering anyone.

The next morning I am roused by the prep team.The usual chatter has been suspended. In fact, there's little talk at all, other than to have me raise my chin or comment on a makeup technique. It's nearly lunch when I feel something dripping on my shoulder and turn to find Neem, who's snipping away at my hair with silent tears running down his face. Kai gives him a look, and he gently sets the scissors on the tables and leaves.

Then it's just Kai, whose skin is so pale his tattoos appear to be leaping off it. Almost rigid with determination, he does my hair and nails and makeup, fingers flying swiftly to compensate for his absent teammates. The whole time, he avoids my gaze. It's only when Teak shows up to approved and dismiss him that he takes my shoulders, looks me straight in the eye, and says, "WE would all like you to know what a ... privilege it has been to make you look your best." Then he hastens from the room.

My prep team. My foolish, shallow, affectionate pets, with their obsessions with feathers and parties, nearly break my heart with their good-byes. It's certain from Kai's last words that we all know I won't be returning. Does the whole world know it? I wonder. I look at Teak. He knows, certainly. But as he promised, there;s no danger of tears from him.

"So what are we wearing tonight?" I ask, eyeing the garment bag that holds my dress.

"I figured I would do a dress that the people would love," says Teak and I can feel my heart drop at his words. He unzips the bag, revealing a gold dress that trails at the bottom, but my eyes land on the top which is see through aside from a piece that just covers my breasts. "I think this one is my favorite that I've made for you."

I mask my distaste for the dress with a smile, "It's beautiful," I force out. If it was so revealing that I actually would have liked the dress.

Teak helps me carefully into the gown. As it settles on my shoulders, they can't help giving a shirt of complaint, but I don't say anything. He decks me out in the shoes and the peal jewelry and a head piece that falls over hy hair. Touches up my makeup. Has me walk.

"You're ravishing," he says. "Now, Ember, because this bodice is so fitted, I don't want you raising your arms above your head."

I nod my head, I had no plan of doing so anyways. "Any plans for your interview? I know Willow left you two to your own devices," he says.

"No, this year I'm just winging it. The thing is, I'm not nervous at all." And I'm not. However much President Snow hates me, this Captiol audience is mine.

WE meet up with Mica, Willow, and Nolan at the elevator. Nolan is in an elegant tuxedo and white gloves. When Willow sees me she gives me a look of sympathy after seeing the dress that I have been forced to wear. She know I don't like these types of clothes.

The other tributes have alreayd gathered offstage and are talking softly, but when Nolan and I arrive, they stare at us for a moment and then go back to talking. But when Katniss and Peeta arrive eveyoe falls silent and stare daggers at her wedding dress that she is wearing.

I walk up to her just as Finnick does, "I can't believe Cinna put you in that thing."

"He didn;t have a choice. President Snow made him," she says, somewhat defensively.

Cashmere tosses her flowing blond curls and spits out, "Well, you look ridiculous!" She rabs her brother's hand and pulls him into place to lead out procession onto the stage. The other tributes begin to line up as well.

We sits onstage and Caesar Flickerman, hair and face highlighted in lavender this year, has done his opening spiel and the tributes begin their interviews. This is the first time I realize the depth of the betrayal felt among the victors and the rage tha accompanies it. But they are so smart, so wonderfully smart about how they play it, because it all comes back to reflect on the government and President Snow in particular. Not everyone. There are the old throwbacks, like Brutus and Enobaria, who are just here for another Games, and those too baffled or drugged or lost to join in on the attack. But there are enough victors who still have the wits and the nere to come out fighting.

Cashmere starts the ball rolling with a speech about how she can't stop crying when she thinks of how much the people in the Captiol must be suffering becuase they will lose us. Gloss recalls te kindness shown here to him and his sister. Beetee questions the legality of the Quell in his nervous, twitchy way, wondering if it's been fully examined by experts of late. Finnick recites a poem he wrote to his one true love in the Captiol, and about a hundred people faint because they're sure he means them. But I can't help but to think that it is about me. Nothing between us has been romantic, but over the years I have developed some feelings for him. But I have no way of knowing if he has feelings for me as well.

By the time Johanna MAson gets up, she's asking if something can't be done about the situation. Surely the creators of the Quarter Quell never anticipated such love forming between the victors and the Captiol. No one could be so cruel as to sever such a deep bond. When it's my turn I walk onto the stage a little nervous. The audience is an absolute wreck, poeple have been weeping and callasping and even calling for change. The sight of me in my golden dress, causes the people to cheer. Teak was right, they love it.

As I take a seat Caesar looks at me, "So, Ember, obviously this is a very emotional night for eveyone. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

I hesitate for a moment thinking back to last year's Games, how Peeta professed his love for Katniss, and for a moment I think about doing that as well, but decide against it. My voice trembles, "Only that I'm so sorry that the people are going to lose me." I hear the audience cry out at the thought, I know I am one of their favorites alongside Finnick. I try to think of something drastic like everyone else has, "And that I want to tell someone something." I start and then turn towards the crowd, letting out a shaky breath. " I never knew what love felt like until I met him. I never knew what  it was like to fall helplessly in love with someone I barely knew. But I fell in love with him, the most perfect guy in the world." I stop myself from saying the rest that comes to mind, like how he was always there for me, how he always knew how to make me feel better. How he is my best friend.  I hear the screams of the Captiol, thinking that I am talking about them, I smirk at all of them and head off othe stage.

Seeder quictely runiates about how, back in District 11, everyone assumes President Snow is all-powerful. So if he's all-powerful, why doesn't he change the Quell? And Chaff, who comes right on her heels, instsist the President could change the Quell if he wanted to, but he must not think it matters much to anyone.

By the time Katniss is introduced, the audience is weeping again. The sight of her in her whites silk bridal gown practically causes a riot. No more her, no more star-crossed lovers living happily ever after, no more wedding. I can see Caesar's professionalism showing some cracks as he tries to quiet them dwon so she can speak. He asks her if she wants to say something.

Her voice temples as she speaks, "Only that I'm so sorry you won't get to be at my wedding... but I'm glad you at least get to see me in my dress. Isn't it just ... the most beautiful thing?" She begins to twirl slowly, raising the sleeves of her gown above her head. The screams of the crowd intensifies. I see the smoke around her and I wonder if her dress has somehow caught on fire. The panic in her eyes tells me that she didn't know about this. Charred bts of balck silk swirl into the air, and peals clatter to the stage. She doesn't stop and for a split second she becomes engulfed in the strange flames. Then all at once, the fire is gone. She slowly comes to a stop, and she is in a dress of the exact design of her wedding dress, only it's the colr of coal and made of tiny feathers. Wonderingly, she lifts her long, flowing sleeves into the air, and when I see the white patches in her sleeves that look almost like wings.

Cinna has turned her into a mockingjay.

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Hey guys, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did then don't forget to vote and comment.

So for my birthday today I decided to publish a chapter for this book.

This is the dress that Ember wears

Thank you guys so much for 831 reads! Also thanks for 10k on the first book, Ember in the Flames! It means so much to me.