°•°

ARYA WATCHED AS FINNICK TALKED TO MAGS, his stupid smirk on his face. Her jaw was clenched as she just narrowed her eyes. How could someones presence annoy her? She didnt get why or how it happened, but she knew that prescence was Finnick. They hadnt even really interacted with each other much. Just a few times at the mandatory Capitol parties that Snow made her go to. But each time, she had wanted to just punch that smirk off of his face.

Finnick met her gaze momentarily, his head tilting. She could see his smirk broaden as he raised an eyebrow at her. Arya just stares back at him, a not so pleasant expression on her face. But all finnick did was wiggle his fingers at her. Arya bit her tongue, a small scoff leaving her.

"Does he have to be everywhere?" She mumbles, mainly to herself as literally everywhere she turned, he was there. It was like he was purposely doing it to piss her off. Which, honestly, she wouldn't put it past him.

Wesley furrows his eyebrows as he glances over at her. "Who are you talking about?" He asks the woman, his eyes flickering over the room. It was clear that she hated someone within it and with Katniss not being there, he was trying to figure out who it was.

"No one." Arya mutters underneath her breath. But Wesley followed her glare and that's where his eyes landed on Finnick. He couldn't help but smirk to himself, raising his eyebrows.

"You don't like finnick very much, do you?" The man questions as he looks back at Arya. That would be the understatement of the century for her.

Arya despised him with a passion. If her job wasn't to kill katniss, she would go for Finnick right away. But what pissed her off more was the fact that he looked stupid hot in his outfit. You couldn't really blame her for looking though as the man had abs for days. That didn't change the fact that she hated his guts. And she knew not to give into his ego, otherwise he would never let her live it down.

But unbeknownst to her, Finnick saw how her eyes would drop every few seconds. Silently checking him out before her hateful gaze returned to her eyes. He knew more than one person was getting out of the games, haymitch had told him what was going to happen. But Finnick also knew that Arya wouldn't trust it. She wasn't a very trusting person.

And although she may find him attractive, even though she would never say it to his face, he knew he couldn't really charm her within the arena. As soon as that cannon went off, she wouldn't stop until they were all dead. So, if Haymitch didn't get her to turn and help them get Katniss and Peeta out... he didn't know how they would truly end.

He could always try and talk to her beforehand, flirt his way through a conversation. But even he knew that wouldn't work on her. Because her eyes were already set on what she wanted. And no matter what he did or said, Finnick couldn't change that.

"He's a dick." Arya says as she moves her eyes away from finnick, looking at Wesley.

"You're not very pleasant yourself." He denies, a teasing tone in his voice. Arya just stares at him and he didn't know whether he'd crossed a line.

"I can be nice outside the arena."

"Mhm." He hums, narrowing his eyes a bit. "I'll believe it when I see it." Wesley admits only earning a slight glare from Arya.

"I see why you two are buddies now." She retorts, crossing her arms against her chest. Wesley rolls his eyes playfully at her.

"Finnicks not a bad guy once you get to know him." He states with a shrug of his shoulders. Arya didn't really get that vibe from Finnick.

"I'll believe it when I see it." She mimics him, staring at the man. Arya glances back over at Finnick for a split second. "I'm going back to our room." Arya tells him, not even giving him time to respond before walking to the elevator. As she presses the button, she waits a few moments for it to get to the right floor.

When the doors open, she was slightly surprised at the sight she saw. Johanna had completely stripped naked from her dress. "Arya." Johanna says with a small smirk on her face. Arya looks down her for a second and she couldn't help but mirror the smirk, although hers held a bit of amusement in it.

"Johanna." She responds, raising an eyebrow at the woman. Arya wasn't surprised by Johannas behaviour. They didn't know each other much but she was one of the few victors Arya could withstand.

Arya turns to the elevator, stopping the door before it closed. She noticed that it was Peeta and Katniss with Haymitch between them. Arya couldn't help but internally smirk as she got on and turned to face the doors. She wasn't blind nor stupid, she could feel their eyes on her. As well as the numerous whispers they were trying to be discreet about. "Staring is rude, you know." She points out, catching their attention.

Haymitch chuckles, rubbing his chin a little bit. "Don't mind them." Haymitch says, his eyes moving to Peeta and Katniss. "They don't know how to speak apparently." He  mutters,  nudging them both. Arya just lets out a long sighs, playing with her fingers.

"Well, I suggest getting the talking done before the arena. I won't say much after that." Arya tells them, knowing they wanted to speak with her. It was clear by the way they had been whispering. Peeta exchanged a look with Haymitch and he was about to speak when Katniss beat him to it.

"Are you in these games for Snow?" Katniss questions, staring at the back of Aryas head. Haymitch resisted the urge to face palm. Creating an alliance never started with accusing the other person.

Arya was quiet for a moment and it was deafening. But as she turned to face then, her eyes instantly landed on Katniss. "I'm in these games for myself." She answers. There was only one way that she would get out, and that was by surviving.

"So, you don't have an ulterior motive?" Katniss asks her, tilting her head. Arya just stares at her for a moment. Sure, her motive was to kill the woman but she would've done that anyways. It's literally the whole point.

"Our job is to fight to the death." Arya points out. Why couldn't these two get that through their thick skulls? They weren't going into the arena to make friends. "There isn't much else to it." She says, crossing her arms.

"Of course there is and we both know it." Katniss snaps at her. Peeta moves his eyes to the girl, giving her a slight glare. Why was she just making this worse for them? And as he looked toward Arya she was... smirking? This woman was smirking about it and Katniss wasn't taking the hint that maybe she was a real threat.

"I'd be very careful with what you say, katniss. I already don't have much of a liking toward you." Arya points out, reaching out to run her finger along the woman. Katniss watches her carefully along with Haymitch.

"I guess the feelings mutual."

"A little mockingjay pin won't save you this time." Arya points out as she tilts her head. She understood the message that Cinna was trying to send. But Katniss wouldn't be so lucky within these games. "And Seneca Crane isn't here to save your ass again." She snaps, glaring at the woman. Katniss faltered slightly but tried to keep a strong front.

To Arya, Seneca Crane was weak and that was the reason he was killed. He knew Snow would be angry if he let two victors win and it was obvious what the clear choice should have been. All katniss and peeta got was lucky. The Capitol wanted a victor, so they got one. If it were up to Snow however, neither one of them would have made it out alive.

"You think I buy into this fake love story bullshit? I don't." She denies as she flickers her eyes between the supposed couple. Katniss glances at Peeta who was silently telling her to not provoke her anymore. "You might have won over the capitol but you have just royally pissed me off." Arya sneers, her eyes narrowing. Peeta wanted to say something to try and calm her down but he knew they were way past that.

Arya hated how they thought they won the games. No one ever won the games. Snow would always find a way to use and exploit you. "Congrats on beating the system--Oh wait, actually you didn't because here we are." Arya points out with a fake laugh. Did they think Snow randomly decided that this was the year to pull the victors? He clearly just wanted to get rid of them.

"We're here because you two couldn't just cut the bullshit and kill each other like every other game that has taken place." Arya states with a scoff. It wasnt even the fact that they faked their love which made her angry. It was a good tactic within the game to get sponsers. What pissed her off was the fact that every other game, no matter who was in it, it was always one victor.

Her brother couldve been the special one to get a second victor spot. But no, it was saved for the two people who barely even interacted before the games. If that was a rule whenever Arya played her games, she wouldve made sure to save the two kids. She wouldve allowed them to win. Hell,  she wouldve killed herself for either of them, had they made it to the end.

"Or maybe they should've just let you both die, at least then I wouldn't have to come into the stupid arena again." She finishes. Arya didn't want to play the games, she didn't want to kill anyone else. But it was a done deal and she would do what she had to do to survive.

"That wasn't our intention. We had no idea." Katniss denies, shaking her head. All they wanted was to not let the Capitol win. They were the ones changing the rules, they just decided to call their bullshit.

"You had to have some inkling that it would piss Snow off." Arya points out as she crosses her arms. Katniss tried to keep her eyes on Arya but the womans gaze was very intimidating. "Or maybe that was your intention all along." She adds, tilting her head. Arya wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing was a ploy to make Snow angry. They had already completed that when they won the games.

"Either way, whatever alliance you were planning on talking to me about, don't even bother. Because I am going into that arena to do the one thing we're supposed to." Arya states, staring at the group. She was not going to stray from her plan, no matter how much they tried to talk her into an alliance. Taking a step closer to Katniss, Arya could see the way Haymitch stepped closer as well. "And you know what, girl on fire? I'm coming for you first." She threatened, her eyes dark as she glared toward katniss.

Katniss knew Arya would be pissed off. Hell, most of the tributes would be because they had to fight again. But it seemed personal for Arya and Katniss couldn't figure out why. It had to do something with Snow but she would never get a reasoning out of the woman.

Arya eyes flickered to Peeta for just a split second but even then, he instantly looked away from her so she moved her eyes back to Katniss. "Play nice, Rya." She hears from behind her. Arya softened slightly at the sound of Matthew's voice but her gaze never wavered from katniss. "Save it for the games." Matthew tells her, earning a glance from the other three in the elevator. Arya finally turns her body to meet his gaze.

"What are you doing here?" Arya asks him, her eyebrows furrowed. Matthew just holds his hand out toward her.

"Being your mentor. Come on." Matthew says, gesturing for her to follow him. With one last look to katniss, Arya takes matthews hand and walks off of the elevator. As soon as they were out of sight, Peeta turns to Katniss.

"What the hell was that?" He asks, his voice a bit hushed since he didn't want Arya to overhear.

"She threatened me." Katniss tells him, not understanding why he was angry at her for defending herself.

"You could've been a little nicer yourself,  sweetheart." Haymitch states, referencing to the fact that she didn't even try to play nice.

"There is obviously no hope with her." Katniss denies as she crosses her arms against her chest. Peeta just covers his face, shaking his head. It didn't help that Arya already hated them, but what didn't help more was that fact that Katniss was antagonizing her.

"Well, not when your jeopardizing it."  Haymitch points out, his jaw clenched. Now he would have to work overtime in order to convince her to join their cause. Katniss looks at both of them and she could see that neither man was happy with her.

Arya walks alongside Matthew to her room, still confused on how he was even in the Capitol right now. "I didn't think you could be my mentor." She points out, glancing at the man. Matthew shrugs his shoulders.

"Technically, I can't. But Snow made an exception." Matthew tells her, seeing the way her eyes narrowed almost instantly.

"Why would he do that?" Arya asks, becoming suspicious.  Snow wouldn't ever do someone a favour and he knew how much Matthew helped her and visited her in the Capitol.

"Because he knows you need me." Matthew points out. Although he wasn't walking around without some sort of awareness. He knew that there was a catch, he just couldn't figure out what it was. Arya couldn't help but roll her eyes at the man.

"Okay, don't be so full of yourself." She mutters, shoving him back a little. Matthew chuckles as he stares down at her.

"That's you looking in the mirror."

°•°

KATNISS WASN'T THE BIGGEST FAN AT WHAT HAYMITCH SUGGESTED. He told them to try and make amends with Arya during training. Of course, it was the one place she had various knives she could use. But apparently it was so important to Haymitch that they had her on their side. Her eyes scan the room, narrowing them a bit. She saw the other tributes training but paid no mind to them.

Especially when her eyes rested on the familiar brunette. Arya was stood by one of the tables, sharpening a blade. "Peeta." Katniss mutters, making Peeta glance over at her curiously. She just nudges him before nodding in Arya's general direction. "Look." She tells him causing Peeta to look where she was telling him.

He instantly noticed Arya and he couldnt help how his palms got sweaty.
"Who should talk to her?" Peeta questions, although after yesterday, he knew it would most likely end up being him. Even though he would admit that he was a bit terrified of her. "I mean, that's what haymitch wants us to do, right? Try and change her mind?" He asks as he looks at Katniss who nods her head.

"I think you'd get more of a response." Katniss tells him and she could see the way that Peeta tensed for a moment. He only takes a deep breath, rubbing his hands together. Katniss seemed on guard as well, mainly because she felt protective over Peeta.

But she suddenly felt someone squeeze her hand and when she glanced over, she noticed Peeta giving her a reassuring smile. "Hey, everything's gonna be fine." He says, squeezing her hand once more. Katniss just sighs, not really believing it.

"We'll see." She mumbles, bringing her arms against her chest. Peeta continues to look at her for a second before making his way over toward Arya.

It seemed that she had noticed him walking over but refused to acknowledge him. That was until he was stood right beside her. "Do you mind if I join you?" Peeta asks as he looks at the numerous blades that were on the rack beside them. He could see the way she just took a glimpse at him before her gaze returned to what she was doing.

"Yes." Her blunt response was almost enough to deter him from what he was supposed to do. But Peeta stuck his ground, glancing toward Katniss. She just gestured for him to keep going. So, he clears his throat which makes her eyes slowly move back over to him.

"You're not big on friends, huh?" Peeta asks with a light, airy chuckle, although it was a bit shaky. Arya could only analyze him for a moment, standing up straighter as she put the dagger on the table.

"There are no friends here." Arya denies, placing a hand on her hip. The hunger games wasnt designed to have two victors. There was always one. And to be that last remaining tribute,  you couldnt have friends in the arena. "Did i not make myself clear yesterday?" She asks, tilting her head. It seemed that they weren't going to be easily denied.

"So, you're not being allies with Wesley?" Peeta asks her, raising an eyebrow. His eyes move over to where Wesley was training. Arya looks over as well, biting the inside of her cheek. She was hoping that no one would pick up on that.

But she decides to just shrug her shoulders, not wanting to give into Peeta's obvious ploy to make it seem like she cared. "He may be of some use to me." She responds, her eyes moving back to Peeta.

"We could be of use to each other." Peeta suggests, his gaze intensely stuck on hers. Arya had to hold back her smirk for the moment, a breathy laugh leaving her lips.

"And here I thought you were to be a married man." Arya knew that wasn't what he meant but she saw an opportunity to make him squirm so she took it. Peeta's eyes went wide, his jaw dropping for a moment.

"Oh, um-- that's not..." Peeta stutters over his sentences and all he could see was the woman smirking. He stops himself, closing his eyes for a second. "You're messing with me." He says, a sigh leaving his lips. Arya tilts her head, bringing her finger to his jaw.

"Am I?"  She asks, bringing his chin up a bit. Peeta clears his throat, reaching up to pull her hand away from him. Arya cocks and eyebrow up at him, her eyes glancing toward where his hand was on hers for a moment.

Peeta took a step toward her, glancing around the room. "I understand that you just want to win. But having allies can help with that." His voice was slightly hushed as his eyes made their way back to hers. Arya simply looks back at him, running her tongue over her bottom lip. A empty laugh leaves her as she too takes a step closer to the man.

"Or I can just kill everyone." Arya responds, grabbing his hand and pushing it off of her. She could tell that Peeta felt a bit defeated. "Peeta, you can fake what you want to the capitol. But dont even try and lie to me. We both know you dont really want to ally with me, its all Haymitch's idea." She explains to him with a slight roll of her eyes. Arya didnt want to ally with them, but they should at least sound genuine when asking her.

Peeta moves his eyes to the ground, although he was already caught in a lie. "Now, if you'll excuse me." Arya ways as she makes her way past him, their shoulders brushing against each other. Peeta just stands in the same spot, his jaw clenched a bit. Katniss had made her way over to him after Arya had walked away.

"Nothing?" Katniss asks him, raising an eyebrow. Peeta shakes his head, a sigh leaving his lips.

"She's not gonna turn." Peeta denies, crossing his arms against his chest. The two watch the woman walk over to the man in the suit who was there to help them train.

Arya just stares at him, looking him over for a moment before a scoff leaves her lips. "Seriously? Just you?" She asks him, placing her hands on her hips. The man was silent, probably told not to speak. "Come on, at least try and make it hard." Arya says with a small pout, scrunching her nose up. She could take him down in a second, it was barely a sweat.

The man turned his head up toward the gallery. Plutarch gave him a nod so he started to make his way toward the door. Arya waited impatiently, tapping her foot against the ground. After a second, the man returned with three other men in suits. She raises an eyebrow, a smirk forming on her lips.
"That's more like it." She says as she picks up two knives from the rack.

Arya turns to face them, getting into position as they do the same. "Your move." She tells them, gesturing with her knife. The man was still for a moment, just staring back at her. She made note of where the other ones were, making sure they didn't move either.

She heard a shuffle from behind her so she turned quickly, stopping the attack with her sword. It seemed that sparked it all since the other three attacked as well. Arya ducks, causing the sword that swung to go over her head. She kicks her leg out, one of the men falling down to the ground. Arya places her sword on their chest, indicating that they were out.

Arya turns her body, the two swords that were aiming for her, hitting each other instead. She escapes the triangle they were trying to pin her in. One of the men try and charge at her but she just moves to the side quickly, hitting their back and sending them to the ground. And before the other two could even move, she had her swords pressed to their necks.

She was barely even sweating and that's what swayed the tributes watching. Arya turns to face them, a smirk on her lips. She just walks off, heading toward the wall and leaving them all to just reel in what they had just witness.

"You know, I wasn't worrying before..." peeta trails off, sharing a glance with katniss. The woman was skilled, they gave her that. Finnick only had his arms crossed against his chest as he watched Arya sit by the wall.

He noticed Mags start to walk. "Mags, where are you--" She only waves him off as she walks over in Aryas direction. Finnick was cautious of this, his jaw clenching.

"She won't hurt her, Finnick." Peeta denies, stopping him from walking over as well. Finnick meets Peeta's gaze, just narrowing his eyes a little bit.

"Right, I'll just take your word for it." Finnick replies, shaking his head. His eyes go back over to where Mags was now sat next to Arya. Arya had stopped what she was doing and was now just staring at the older woman.

"The two kids in her games, she left them alone. I think she'll do the same for Mags." Peeta points out. He didn't truly believe that Arya would willingly go after Mags. But it didn't seem like Finnick shared his thoughts.

He saw the way Mags smiled at Arya and it seemed like the interaction was going okay. But finnick didn't want Arya within even six feet of Mags. "Well, maybe you have more trust in her than I do." He mumbles before setting off and heading toward the women. Arya tilts her head as she shows Mags how to twist a knife in her hand.

She stops herself though as she notices the feet that stood beside them. Arya looks up, meeting Finnicks gaze. "Can I help you?" She asks him quite bluntly. Finnick didn't say anything, he only grabbed her arm, pulling her up from the ground. "Hey, get your hands off of me." Arya announces with a scoff, yanking her arm away from his grasp as he tried to pull her away from Mags.

"Attack me all you want, but don't you dare lay a hand on her." Finnick demands, staring down at the woman. Arya just raises an eyebrow at him. "You touch one hair on her head, and I will kill you." He sneers, his eyes turning cold. Arya had to stop herself from laughing, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Is that supposed to be a threat? How about asking nicely?" She suggests, not taking his suggestion. Arya wasn't going to go after Mags but Finnick was moving up her hit list. He truly didn't know when to stop antagonizing her.

Finnick smirks lightly but it was more in a threatening way, a low chuckle leaving his lips. "You don't get nice, sweetheart." He denies, his voice venomous. Arya bites her bottom lip, a small laugh coming out as she just gives him a false smile.

"And here I thought I was your favourite tribute." Arya teases him, knowing it would just piss him off even more. Finnick just backs up a bit, rubbing his face as his eyes leave hers for a second.

"Just leave mags alone." Finnick tells her and Arya raises her hands up in defence.

"She came up to me." Arya points out with a shrug. Finnick didn't seem to like her comment all too much.

"You want to test me?" Finnick warns, narrowing his eyes. Arya wasn't fazed by his threat, merely rolling her eyes. She takes a step closer to him, one that he is very wary of.

"Don't worry, I won't take her out."  She assures him, her finger pressing against his chest and running down his stomach. Arya stops it just below his belly button, her eyes never leaving his. "Not that she'll last long anyways." Arya points out, tilting her head. She could tell that she struck a nerve as Finnicks face turned into one of pure anger.

Before she could blink, Finnick had her pressed up against the wall, his hand wrapped around her throat. It wasn't really enough to hurt her, but it was more to strike fear into her. "Finnick!" He could hear someone shout but he pays no mind to it. Arya just had her eyes stuck on his. He could see the hint of rage that he had laid his hands on her, but he could also see slight amusement.

Finnick leans in slowly, their eyes never deterring from the gaze. "You may act tough, but you have a weakness just like everybody else." He mutters to her, his grip tightening around her neck for just a millisecond. Arya had a hint of a smirk on her lips, knowing that while he was trying to get under her skin, she had gotten under his.

He was suddenly pulled back by some of the other tributes. Arya rubs her neck once it was free, her jaw clenched. Finnick was clearly angry at her but what she said wasn't exactly a lie. Mags wasn't exactly in fighting shape.

But she wasn't about to let him lay a finger on her and get away with it. Arya moves her eyes to the knife that was sitting on the table beside her. And without so much as a second through, she threw it in his direction. The tributes gasp as it strikes the board right next to Finnick by not even a centimeter.

Peeta and Katniss share a glance, on one hand not liking that there's already tension but on another, at least she may go after someone else first. Finnick turns back to face her and the tributes quickly stop him as he went to walk back over to her. The commotion seemed to get the attention of those up in the gallery.

"Everybody back to their room, training is over!" Plutarch announces, clearly wanting to end whatever was going on. Arya just stares at a pissed off finnick, a sly smirk forming on her lips. Pushing off the other tributes, she just drops her knives on the ground before making her way to the door.

Finnick watches her closely, his breathing still heavy and his glare only hardening. She thought she was invincible and that royally pissed him off. The fact she could tease him while all but threatening Mags... he didnt mean to attack her but he just wanted to shut her up. Here it was all just to scare each other,

But when they attacked each other in the arena, only one of them would be walking away unscathed.

°•°

SHE HADN'T EVEN BEEN IN HER ROOM ALL OF TWO SECONDS BEFORE SHE HEARD FOOTSTEPS COMING TOWARD HER. She prepared herself for the arguments that were about to be said. Arya had technically attacked the board next to Finnick but he did lay hands on her first, so it was self defence. "You threw a sword at Finnick?" Matthew's voice asks and it was clear he was both frustrated and angry. More angry at the fact that this wasn't exactly the way to showcase your abilities in front of the gamemaker.

"I purposely missed." Arya mumbles, not even looking at him. If she wanted to hit Finnick, she wouldve. Her intention wasn't to harm him, she would wait for the games.

"That's not the point." Matthew denies and he saw the way she rolled her eyes. "He's loved within the Capitol, Arya. You can't do that." He points out. She wasn't the only person who the Capitol loved. Finnick was one of the most popular victors as well and the fact she threw a knife was bound to cause some problems.

"He attacked me." She retorts, narrowing her eyes. Why was it twisted into the narrative that she attacked him without any sort of incentive. He had wrapped his hand around her throat, she had the right to feel pissed and retaliate.

"What did you say to him?" Matthew asks, already knowing that there was a moment before Finnick attacked that caused him to be so drastic.

"I didn't." Arya denies, shrugging her shoulders. She saw the way Matthew was looking at her. "He was the one threatening me." She adds with a huff, pressing her lips together tightly.

"Arya."

"Matthew."

"This isn't how you make allies." Matthew denies with a sigh, shaking his head. He wasn't surprised that she was already making enemies, just remembering the conversation with katniss on the elevator.

"Who says I need them?" Arya retorts with a shrug of her shoulders. She didn't need them when she won her games, why did she need them now? But Matthew didn't seem to agree with her.

"I understand that you believe you can do this by yourself. But please don't overestimate it." He says, knowing she wanted to be confident but believing she shouldn't feel threatened was not the way to go.

"Can you just let me do this?" Arya asks with a groan, growing frustrated.

"I'm supposed to help you not get killed." Matthew points out, his jaw clenching. The whole point at coming to the capitol was to be her mentor. Snow had actually allowed him and he wasn't about to waste this time with her.

"I won't." She snaps back at him harshly. Arya hated the fact that he was even just doubting her in the slightest. She knew it wasn't his intention but it didn't hurt any less.

"Arya--"

"I won't get killed." Arya assures him, a sigh leaving her lips. She didnt want to fight, nor create any bad blood between them. He was trying to help her, to support her. But she had came to terms with her decision on allies and he needed to understand that. "Now can we spend these last few moments together not arguing?" She asks, taking his hand in hers and giving it a squeeze.

Matthew let's out a long breath, nodding his head slowly. There was sadness in his eyes as he looked down at their hands. "Please, be safe." He pleads, his voice cracking in the slightest. Arya gives him a weak smile.

"I will." Arya never wanted to break a promise to Matthew and she wouldn't start now. She would make it back, no matter what she had to do.

"You know I love you." Matthew says.

"I love you too." Arya never said that lightly. Whenever she said the words 'I love you', it was to someone of the upmost importance to her and those people were very few and far between. The last person she had said it to was her brother Jacob right before he had died.

Matthew smiles as he places his hands on her cheeks, stroking them lightly.
"

You will come back." He assures her. But it wasn't clear if he was trying to convince her or himself.

From the moment she got reaped the first time, Matthew's love and protection of her only grew stronger. He hated how he couldn't help her, couldn't keep her safe like how he had promised. But whenever she made it back, he had never felt more ecstatic.  Matthew had held her the tightest he ever had before that night. But when he found out she was to be reaped again, it made him have more doubt this time.

He didn't want to doubt that she would come back, but it was harder knowing that Snow planted her within these games. Matthew wouldn't be surprised if Snow wanted her to kill Katniss and then get killed herself. He didn't trust a word that uttered out of that man's mouth. And he didnt trust when he said Arya would be left alone if she won again.

"I promise. I won't give up." She denies with a smile, shaking her head. Matthew had told her that before she went to the capitol the first time. 'Never lose hope. No matter how much it seems that the odds are not in your favour, fight. Fight like hell to make it back. And never even think about giving up. Because if you think that, then you've already lost.' She kept that with her, even after winning. And she would take it into these games as well.

"Good." Matthew replied, a sigh leaving his lips. "Cause if you do, I'm not planning your funeral." He jokes, half-heartedly. It earns a laugh from Arya as she closes her eyes for a moment. Shaking her head, a bright smile forms on her lips.

"How sweet." She responds, tilting her head. Matthew tries to smile back at her but his emotions were getting the best of him. So, he just pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her. Arya returns the hug, although she could hear his shaky breaths.

Matthew closes his eyes, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He was taking these few moments that he could in order to just be there for her. Snow had forbidden him to see her after the interviews. And as much as his mind didn't want to go there or even suggest it,

He knew it may be one of the last times they ever see each other.

°•°

ARYA WAS WALKING DOWN THE HALLS, just trying to have a clear mind in order to go into the interviews later on. She didnt know what to say, mainly because Caeser could ask her anything. But right now, her head was blank. "Just the girl I was looking for." Arya hears from beside her. She sighs a bit, not really wanting to be interrupted. Arya tried to walk faster, thinking maybe she could lose whoever it was. But he had already caught up with her.

Haymitch stops in front of her, holding his hands out in front of him. Arya bites the inside of her cheek, trying not to show her frustration. "Have a drink with me." He says, tilting his head. Arya was very obviously annoyed and it made its way into her eyes.

"I don't feel like it." She denied, going to walk but he stops her.

"I insist." Haymitch says as he ushers her to the closest bar within this floor. Arya watched as he made them drinks, not uttering another word. She was getting impatient really, mainly because she could be spending this time with Matthew.

"What do you want?" Arya asks him, crossing her arms. Haymitch holds out a glass toward her but she doesn't even look at it. He clears his throat, placing it back on the table.

"I'm here to make a truce." He admits with a sigh. Arya rolls her eyes, bringing her hand up to rub her face.

"Let me guess, keep katniss and peeta alive?" She questions, already knowing the answer to the question.

"It's in your best interest."

"My best interest?" Arya asks, raising her eyebrows as a scoff leaves her. Haymitch nods his head but she could only shake hers. "No, my best interest is killing both of them." She points out. Her best interest was killing all of the tributes and not getting killed herself.

"That's what you may think right now. Things are changing, I'm just trying to help you." Haymitch states as he glances around, making sure that no one was listening in.

"Changing how?" She asks, narrowing her eyes. Arya would let him elaborate but she wasn't sure what to expect.

"The revolution is coming." Haymitch's words hit her like a ton of bricks. The word revolution made her stay silent for a few seconds. Arya wasn't sure if he was being serious, if this was truly happening or if this was merely a ploy. She knew Haymitch wasn't Snow with his way of twisting words, but she had a hard time of telling truth from lies nowadays.

"Revolution?" Arya was curious but there hadn't been one ounce of chatter about it. Surely she would have heard it from Matthew of all people since he was in the districts more.

"The games aren't going to finish. We're gonna make sure of that." Haymitch tells her. Arya furrows her eyebrows, now confused more than ever.

"Who's we?"

"Some of the other tributes." Haymitch informs her and this causes a laugh to leave her lips. It wasn't a surprise that he had already spoken to other tributes, it was just hilarious how any of them agreed.

"I'm supposed to put my faith in them that their little plan will work?" Arya asks, shaking her head. She was not about to trust that her fellow tributes wouldn't kill her.

"Katniss and Peeta won't know about this. They can't. Not with Snow watching."

"But you tell me?" Arya asks him, raising an eyebrow at the man. She didn't even know whether or not to believe a word that was coming out of his mouth.

"Our plan is to get them out." Haymitch tells her and she just stood there for a moment.

Get them out? He didn't know who he was referencing to when he said 'our', but she was not about to blindly follow him. Arya barely knew the man, and although he had never really been a big fan of the Capitol, you could never really trust people. Not unless they really showed you who they were.

"You can't get them out." She denies, about to move past him because she didn't want to hear anymore of his nonsense. But Haymitch stops her.

"That's what our plan is for." Haymitch points out. Obviously he didnt want to go into too much detail since he wasnt one hundred percent sure whos side she was on. Arya watches him pull a gold bracelt from his pocket. "Wear this, and it will show you're on their side." He tells her, holding it out toward her.

Arya clenched her jaw, not even taking a second to think about it in her mind. She just pushes his hand away from her. "Haymitch, I'm not on anyone's side. I'm doing this for me." Arya knew she didn't have a choice to go into the games. But she didn't have to completely lose who she was. She had to go into it with the mindset that it was like any other Hunger Games. That she was killing Katniss purely because she was just another tribute, not because it was Snow's wish.

"What side of history do you want to be on?" That question was always coming, Arya knew that. Whenever there was a slither of conversation about a revolution, it was always, which side are you on. Arya knew there were innocent people on both sides.

But only one side was paying a price. A price that they couldn't even fight back on. The Capitol got to bask in the thrill of watching them kill each other. Did he think she would be for that? That she would just watch as Snow just completely played them for fools? Changing the rules of the game for his own entertainment?

Of course she wouldn't be against a revolution.  But he wasn't telling her much, and she needed solid facts before clinging onto some fantasy. They barely had fire power, at least not enough to take over even an inch of the Capitol. The Capitol would just take care of them, like they did in the first rebellion.

"Do you remember the last time there was a rebellion? It was the whole reason the hunger games started." Arya points out, shaking her head. The whole reason the hunger games was presented as an idea was as a punishment. What happened if they failed again? What then? What else could the Capitol take from them?

"You don't have to help us. All I ask is that you do not kill them." Haymitch says, even though he didn't want to leave her in the arena. He planned to get as many of them out as possible. But it was clear that she wasn't so easily swayed. But even his leniency was not going to be met.

"I can't do that." Arya denies, glancing away. He was their mentor, she understood that he was just trying to protect them. But it wasn't her job to just let them get away unscathed. She wouldn't even be the only one gunning for the most recent victors.

Did she hate how they won their games? Of course. But she didn't necessarily hate them as people. Sure, Katniss could get on her nerves, but the games weren't a place to be nice to people. Arya never wanted to kill people, it was just what she was made to do. And this was just another instance of that.

"You have Snow's ear, we could use that to our advantage. You just have to trust me a little bit." Haymitch says, lowering his voice a little bit. But as Arya met his eyes again, he knew that he hadn't gotten through to her.

"But I don't trust you, Haymitch. No one is trustworthy in the games." She points out with a small scoff. Just because he made this somewhat promise of a revolution, doesn't mean she was going to risk everything on an off chance it would happen. Especially with the way things were going right now.

Arya didn't want to be stuck in the Capitol. She didn't want to be under Snow's gaze every single second of her life. But she also never wanted to risk her own life, or Matthew's. And if she even attempted to ally with Katniss of all people, Snow would be sure to take the last thing she loved and rip it to pieces. He knew she would have nothing to live for after that. Nothing to fight for.

Taking a step toward Haymitch, she moved her head in the direction of his ear. Arya understood what he was trying to do, but he didn't truly think of what he was asking of her. And he didn't truly see that her so called, 'interactions' with Snow, never meant that she could somehow feed ideas to the man.

"And nobody ever has Snow's ear." Arya didn't even glance at Haymitch as she walked past him. Just making her way down the hall as she smoothed her hands over her dress. But a shaky breath left her lips as she got ever so further from Haymitch.

Arya never expected to return to her life after these games. At least not the life she remembered. Her life had been slowly breaking into pieces from the first moment that she had came into this world. And Snow held the last remaining pieces of her so called life in his hands. They were ever so fragile and limited.

And no matter what the result of these games were, those pieces would be chipped away until she faded into nothing.

°•°