"Now, I think we can all agree that this year's Games were something special." Caesar Flickerman's words are met with cheers of agreement from the Capitol audience. "What a show!"

Dahlia could barely stand to listen to the man as he riled up the crowd. Juno had, once again, clothed her in a standard black ensemble to stick with the theme of her nickname. But Dahlia just wanted to rip the restrictive outfit from her body. She yearned for comfort. For home.

"I can't do this." Dahlia mumbles, tears gathering in the corner of her eye as she struggles to breathe properly. She had been pacing back and forth in her black heels, stressed out of her mind as she tried to find her strength.

Alaric grasped her shoulders to root her to the spot. "Yes, you can." He assured her, staring into her eyes to ensure she would believe his words. He had been her only tether to sanity. "You just need to play the part of a ruthless Victor. That's all they want."

"But I don't want to become that anymore." Dahlia whimpers, remembering her final moments in the Games. She hated the character she had become in that moment. That wasn't her. That was The Black Dahlia. But now, that's all anyone expected of her anymore. They didn't care for anything else. "Please don't make me do it."

"Hey, it's alright." Alaric gently shushes her, heart breaking at the pain the young girl was going through. "You will never have to go back in that arena. That battle is over." And her next one was just beginning. You can't take the Games out of the Victor. It stays with you until the day you die. "Juno won't be very happy with you if you ruin all her hard work." Using the pad of his thumb, he softly brushes the tears away as Dahlia inhales a few calming breaths. "You're a champion, my dear and heavy is the head that wears the crown. So now it's time to prove your strength."

"... very excited to see her again." Dahlia tunes back in as she is guided over to the edge of the stage. "We've loved her from the beginning, cheered for her all the way. Ladies and gentlemen... The Black Dahlia!" A roar of applause erupts from the audience as Dahlia steps out onstage. Some clamber to try and catch a glimpse of the newest Victor. Dahlia is surprised by how easily her mask slips back on. The subtle smirk curls the end of her lip, alluring eyes scanning the crowd with a dark gaze. "Oh! Isn't she stunning?"

"Oh, Caesar." Dahlia purrs, delicately accepting Caesar's outstretched hand. "You sure know how to make a girl feel welcome."

"Anything for our new favourite Victor." More cheers from the audience at Caesar's words as Dahlia grins smugly. "I didn't think it was possible after Finnick Odair stole all our hearts last year." Many members of the crowd practically swoon at the mere mention of Finnick's name. "Have you had an opportunity to speak with Finnick yet? You did team up with one of his Tributes after all."

"I haven't yet had the pleasure." Dahlia replies, not wanting to mention that she had in fact spoken to Finnick before. Those moments were for her to know and keep close to her heart. She didn't want to share that with the world. "But when I do, you'll be the first to know."

"Ooh, lucky me!" Caesar claps his hands like a giddy child before finishing it off with an exaggerated chuckle. "Now, your games... You put on such a spectacular show."

"All for the lovely citizens of the Capitol." Dahlia deflects the praise onto the onlookers, who holler obnoxiously for themselves.

"You killed a whopping seven tributes, including the entire Career Pack!" Caesar exclaims as if it was a groundbreaking achievement. Dahlia forces a smirk onto her face at the reminder, flashes of each tribute's face popping into her mind. It's not exactly something she wants to celebrate. "How does that feel?"

Horrible.

"It feels amazing."

Lies.

"What would you say was your highlight kill?" Caesar questions, quirking a brow in curiosity.

Dahlia hums as she pretends to think. "My first kill, Apollo. That was the moment I realised that the Careers are just as human as the rest of us. They are capable of dying as well. It gave me the confidence to target the other Careers."

"Yes, I remember that. Can we see a clip?" Dahlia manages to disguise the way her body tenses at the suggestion. The screen behind her lights up with the video of her swiping the katana across Apollo's mouth. Dahlia's heart pinches as she sees Cove standing next to her. "And that's the first time we saw your signature smile." Tearing her eyes away from the screen, Dahlia nods at the enthusiastic host. "Did you have that idea before you went in or did it come to you in the moment?"

"Well, I certainly wanted something to be remembered by but I didn't plan for it to be carved smiles." Dahlia jests, faking a chuckle with the rest of the audience. "But you can't deny that it is memorable, Caesar."

"Well, it's not the way I'm going to be remembered." Caesar laughs, turning to the crowd for their agreement. "I wonder if I could ask about Cove?"

The onlookers quiet down into a somber silence as the mood changes onstage. "Of course." Dahlia swallows dryly, fighting hard to maintain a passive and unbothered expression.

"I think all of us here tonight could see the bond the two of you had." Caesar pats her hand in sympathy, but Dahlia struggles to work out whether he's being genuine or not. "It came as a surprise when she chose not to ally herself with the Career Pack. How close did you become?"

"She became more than an ally." Dahlia explains, her cold-hearted persona temporarily melting away. "She became a friend... family." She stops herself before she can get too emotional. Dahlia Blossom may mourn for her friend, but The Black Dahlia doesn't. "But there could only be one winner."

"Indeed." Caesar nods along in agreement. "Now, we can't let you leave without talking about that showstopping finale!" The audience screams their eagerness loudly for Dahlia to hear. She keeps the fake smirk plastered on her lips but inside she feels like crying. These people found entertainment in Dahlia's suffering. How do they think any of this is acceptable? "Such raw passion and anger-- It was incredible!"

"I wanted the satisfaction of killing the final tribute without the aid of weapons." Dahlia skirts around the deeper details, hoping Caesar doesn't try to dig any further. But of course, the odds weren't in her favour.

"It's extraordinary that you and your district partner would end up in the final two, even though you weren't allies." Caesar points out.

"I was as surprised as anyone to see him still alive." Dahlia comments through gritted teeth. "Wyatt and I hadn't seen eye to eye even before we went into the Games." Caesar rubs his chin in intrigue, hinting for Dahlia to tell him more. "While I remained confident that I could win, Wyatt was content to accept that he had already lost. I was merely giving him the death he had been preparing for."

"Well, you certainly didn't give him a merciful end." Caesar remarks with a small chuckle.

"Mercy shows weakness." Dahlia states sharply, almost mechanically like a robot. "He knew he was destined to die in the Games. Who am I to meddle with fate?"

"Poetic words from our beautiful murderess." Caesar concludes, bringing the interview to a close. "Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 66th Annual Hunger Games... The Black Dahlia!"

Grasping Dahlia's hand, Caesar thrusts it into the air triumphantly as the crowd shrieks madly. Dahlia tries her best to smile but it's difficult to keep this up. When she's led off to the other side of the stage, her heart sinks as she realises that Cove isn't there cheering on the other side. The memory unwillingly dances across her vision as if watching the past unfold before her very eyes.

❛ Dahlia is surprised to find Cove waiting for her. The blonde hobbled over to her with one heel dangling from her fingers and the other still strapped to her foot. "You did so well!" She squeals, nearly collapsing into Dahlia.

"Woah, there! So did you!" Dahlia responds in between small giggles. ❜

The laughter rings in Dahlia's ears like a faraway song, the words long forgotten but the sentiment never lost. Back to a time of innocence and naivety. When Dahlia could fool herself into thinking it was all just a nightmare. She yearned to go back to that moment for just one more second with Cove. She should've laughed more with her. Learned more, hugged more. Their time together was short... Too short.

As angry tears finally manage to force themselves from her eyes, Dahlia practically rips the heels from her feet and throws them to the side remorselessly. Her chest heaves with panting breaths as her fingers start to rake through her hair. She tries to stop the sobs escaping her lips but it's no use. The panic consumes her every thought and soon, she's trying to muffle the sound of her distressed screams. The Capitol can't know that their ruthless Victor has a heart after all.

Suddenly, a soft touch on her shoulder has the girl whipping round to snatch her assailant's wrist with a tight grip. Instincts from the Games had kicked in so she was surprised to see Finnick grinning down at her.

"Woah, that's quite a firm grip you've got there." He chuckles teasingly, making Dahlia release his wrist immediately and turn away. Embarrassed to have been caught at such a vulnerable moment, especially by Finnick, Dahlia quickly tries to wipe away any evidence of her breakdown. This time, Finnick is the one to grab her wrists and ease them gently away from her face with soothing whispers, "Hey, hey. No. Don't do that."

"I'm fine." Dahlia mutters in between her downhearted sniffles.

"For someone who's so good at putting on an act, you're not a very good liar." Finnick points out with a faint smile. "You don't need to pretend with me. In fact, I'd much prefer it if you were just yourself."

Dahlia avoids eye contact, inhaling deeply to calm her breathing. "I don't really know who I am anymore."

Tilting her chin up with a tender touch, Finnick stares deeply into those dark, captivating eyes. "Then I look forward to discovering that together."