THE TRAIN journey was quiet, almost peaceful in a way because nobody disrupted one another: Finnick stayed in the lounge, Francesca stayed in the bedroom, and Genevieve was only making small talk with the boy because she knew the girl wasn't in a talking mood. It was hard to talk when she had just volunteered to kill herself in another arena— Frankie only felt hatred towards the Capitol.

Having to see the Capitol again, acting happy and joyful, was the last thing that Francesca wanted to do. She still had nightmares, was afraid of deep waters, her head was still cursed with images, and everywhere she went she was reminded of a particular District 12 girl. Knowing that, in the upcoming days, she'd have to get dressed up in a stupid costume, have interviews with Caesar, and meet the other Tributes in the training centre was mortifying.

"Everything will be different, because it's a Quarter Quell. The Capitol has spared no expense. A new training centre, new Tribute living quarters, and of course, a very special arena." Genevieve explained, "But, this year, you'll be facing other Victors. Capitol Favourites—"

"We are Capitol Favourites." Francesca replied knowingly, stabbing her fork into a piece of chicken on her filled dinner plate.

They had arrived in the Capitol and, luckily, Frankie hadn't seen any of the other Tributes on her way inside. The three ate dinner at the long fancy table, and Francesca had almost forgotten how rich they were. She remembered the last time she was here with Kipper.

"You'll still need allies." Genevieve replied smartly, she looked at the girl opposite her, "Luckily for you, your brother knows a few Tributes."

"Johanna Mason." Finnick added, taking an elegant sip of the drink in front of him, "You'll like her."

In the background, images were projected onto a TV screen showing the video footage of the Reapings for the Quarter Quell. In between conversations, Frankie caught a glimpse of a few Tributes they would be up against: Cashmere and Gloss, Brutus and Enobaria, Wiress and Beetee, The Morphlings, Johanna and Blight, Woof and Cecelia, Chaff and Seeder, Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen. Going into this arena with one leg was suicide and, deep down, Finnick knew that too.

Genevieve introduced the names of some Tributes when they appeared on the TV screen, and Francesca kept hearing the name 'Girl on Fire'. She assumed the title belonged to Katniss Everdeen, from 12, because her costume for last years Hunger Games was dazzled with orange flames. Her and Peeta Mellark had a love story which made them both Victors; Frankie despised them both because she didn't think they were actually in love. Their love was, in Frankie's opinion, an act, and they both got to live; Frankie's love for Cherry was real yet she had to watch her die.

The couple from 12 had a wedding due, though the Games were the reason why it was cancelled. Francesca refused to believe their love was real and she hated to think that Cherry could've been saved— they changed the rules for Peeta and Katniss, so they could've changed the rules for Cherry.

***

Compared to her first Hunger Games, her outfit had lacked in even more material— at least, for her first Tribute Parade, her bikini top fitted her. Her stylist, Harlow Roosevelt, had deigned two long skirts for both siblings to wear, made out of a weaved material that looked similar to fishing nets. They were a light brown, but the texture made them slightly see-through in certain lights. Finnick was bare chest and Francesca was wearing a golden bikini top that barely covered her chest.

She felt restricted, unable to fully move or else her chest would be exposed... but maybe that was the point. She was Francesca Lou Odair, and the Capitol knew her because of what Snow put her through after her Games. They knew her for her body, not for who she was as a person.

Francesca's hair was darker now, as she had dyed it after her first Games. It was a dark brunette, almost black in some lights, and Harlow styled it to be wavy and cascading down her back. Her makeup was more dramatic this year: dark eyeshadows, gold glitter, huge eyelashes which Kipper would've compared to spiders.

Frankie wore only one boot, mainly because Harlow had said that a shoe would cover her battle wounds. Apparently to her stylist, her prosthetic leg made her look strong, though Frankie thought it made her look weak. The Tributes would already be plotting to hunt down Francesca first because her subtle limp was noticed by those who watched her like their prey.

"Are you okay?" Finnick asked for the hundredth time, his eyes lowering to her prosthetic leg subtly but also scanning her facial expressions too. He knew how hard his sister was impacted by her Games, so this experience would not be easy.

"Yeah." The girl nodded, as they walked towards their chariot. Frankie kept her eyes on the horses in front of her, unable to seek the strength to look at the other Tributes in the eyes.

Though, her brother was leading her away from the animals, and somewhat forcing her to mingle with the Tributes; he ignored Frankie's complaints on the walk towards them. "Katniss." Finnick called out to the brunette haired girl, walking towards the most recent Victor who was stood by her black horse.

"Hi, Finnick." Katniss' voice was dry, as her eyes scanned their clothing— or lack of clothing. Frankie noticed that her eyes met with the prosthetic leg for a short moment, before she greeted with a nod, "Francesca Lou."

Finnick fiddled with the white cube in his hand, challenging, "Do you want a sugar cube? I mean, it's supposed to be for the horses, but... I mean, who cares about them right? They got years to eat sugar, whereas you and I... well, if we see something sweet, we better grab it."

"No thanks." Katniss replied in the same flat tone, though she glanced at Francesca, and to her surprise, Katniss remarked, "But I would love to borrow that outfit someday."

"Knock yourself out." Frankie deadpanned, her tone laced with harsh sarcasm, "What happened to your pretty little girl dresses?"

"I outgrew them." Katniss shot back.

"You certainly did." Finnick gave a smile, "It's a shame about this Quell thing. Now, you... you could've made out like a bandit in the Capitol. Jewels, money, anything you wanted."

"Well, I don't need jewels and I have more money than I need, so..." Katniss replied, "What did you do with all your wealth, anyway?"

"I haven't dealt with anything as common as money in years." The boy shook his head with that same smile.

Katniss mused, "Then how do people pay for the pleasure of your company?"

"With secrets." Finnick stepped forward with a challenging whisper.

And it was true, before Mag's had her first stroke, she was able to tell Frankie about the prostitution that took place in the Capitol. And, after Finnick's first Games, Francesca was able to piece together that it was happening to him. One night, Finnick actually opened up about it to his sister, and the boy had told her that, instead of money, his customers would pay for his work with Capitol secrets. Snow's secrets.

He never spoke about it again.
So Frankie never asked.

"I'm sorry about your wedding." Francesca spoke up bitterly, "I know how devastating that must be for you."

Finnick snickered at his sister's words, before nodding slightly at Katniss, "Have a good day." They turned around to see Peeta Mellark, and her brother greeted simply, "Peeta."

"Finnick." The boy replied, and he seemed much nicer than Katniss. Peeta seemed a lot nicer than most Tributes, especially Francesca. He added, "Francesca Lou." The girl just nodded in greeting.

Frankie glanced at her brother with a shake of her head, lowering her voice as she glanced back at the pair from District 12, "Was that really necessary?"

"Yeah," Finnick nodded, "I was seeing what all the fuss was about. Gen said we need allies—"

"Pretty sure she hates us, Nick." Francesca interrupted sarcastically, as she stepped onto the carriage. She could feel her brother's eyes on her, checking if her leg was okay; Frankie struggled, but didn't ask for help, as usual. Finnick climbed in afterwards, and the two siblings stood up next to each other.

Soon, the Ceremony had started, and District 4's team of stylists and escort was ushered out into the audience. Carriages exited the tunnel one by one, revealing the Tributes to the thousands of Capitol Civilians; this moment was important. This was the first time the Capitol saw the Tributes in person, so it was the perfect time to set a good example for themselves. Luckily for the siblings, they were both loved by the Capitol.

As expected, the crowds cheered loudly: The Darlings of The Capitol. Finnick held his little sister's hand when the carriage started moving, reassuring her and maintaining her balance. Francesca's unhappy expression was soon replaced with a fake one: her eyes lit up, her smile wide, her spare hand waving and blowing kisses to the audience— Finnick did the same. She wanted to throw up and run home.

At the end of the horse's runway stood President Snow at his golden podium. He was dressed in a rich suit and looked down at the Tributes arriving in front of him. Francesca stared up at him, her smile vanishing in an instant, refusing to look away from his cold eyes until the carriage stopped.

***

"That was splendid!" Genevieve greeted them with an uncharacteristically warning smile.

Harlow Roosevelt followed next to her, clasping his hands together, "Fabulous! Both of you— breathtaking."

The siblings thanked them, before their team was quickly distracted by another stylist's compliments about their outfits. Finnick and Francesca took their distraction as an opportunity to head towards the elevator and arrive back at the safety of their room.

Frankie sighed when she reached the elevator, letting out a breath as she leant on the wall behind her, "This makeup is itchy."

Finnick chuckled slightly, before the doors reopened by an unexpected hand stopping them. The siblings were met with a middle-aged man with blonde shaggy hair and a forced surprised look on his face, almost as if he purposefully stepped into the elevator to see them. Finnick seemed to recognise him, giving him a small nod in greeting whilst Francesca pulled a confused face at the unfamiliar man.

Finnick greeted, "Haymitch."

"We meet again." The man mused, watching as the door's shut, leaving the three in a small box with no cameras or security. He looked between them casually, "I'm gonna let you in on a secret..."

a/n:
it's my birthdayyy!!!
i hope you enjoyed this chapter<3