the humanity of things.

post the reaping of the 68th hunger games

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The train wouldn't reach The Capitol until the next morning, so the tributes and victors retired to their respective rooms to sleep for the night.

However, Freyja lay wide awake - the faces of all those innocent children embedded in her head. The tributes were - for the most part - rather evenly matched, which meant that the games would be that much harder.

The ones that really stood out to her were the careers from One and Two, Marius Eslinger from Five, Flick Claxton from Seven, Scout Charl from Eight and Keon Unger from Eleven. They all had one thing in common. The looks in their eyes held a spark that was animalistic.

The girl also found herself thinking about were Hadley, Oak Litvak from Nine, as well Birdie Sereno and Artie Vaccaro from Twelve. Their eyes also held a spark, except this spark was different. It was the spark that both she and Nolan held in their own eyes.

Innocence.

It was clear that they were going to be the underestimated ones this year.

But it was that look of pure terror on Hadley's face that she couldn't erase from her mind. Freyja knew that Hadley and everyone who took one look at the poor girl was aware that she stood an extremely slim chance of surviving the games.

And that was when the situation really set in.

She was going to be competing in The Hunger Games. There was a high chance that she would have to kill someone in the arena. That someone would kill her.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep, the brunette girl swung her legs over the side of her bad that was so comfortable, that she found it uncomfortable, and exited the room. All warmth left her as she walked down the corridor and entered the room where they had watched the reaping a few hours prior.

She had contemplated going to Finnick - as she knew he would've wanted her to - but she didn't want to wake him.

So she sat cross legged, secluded and alone on the luxurious couch, watching District Three's reaping. Watching the lost, horrified, confused look on the thirteen-year-old's face. She didn't even know her and already felt the need to protect the girl.

That was always Freyja's greatest strength. No matter who they are - human or animal - she felt a need to help them, which she knew would end up being her biggest weakness.

It was then the image of this poor, fragile child dying in the arena played in her head, in many different ways. In the Bloodbath, by being stabbed, shot by an arrow, being strangled. And it chilled her to the bone.

The fifteen-year-old was so lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice when someone had entered the room until she felt the familiar presence of the one person she could always rely on sit next to her, draping a blanket over the shoulders of her small figure.

"I went to check on you but you weren't in your bed." Finnick spoke up as he also stared at the screen, "Figured you might be here."

Freyja shook her head, "That's not my bed."

Finnick smiled slightly as she rested her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her, just like she had the day before when they were sat on the pier. Only now they were on a train that was heading into a game where children murdered each other for sport.

It was then that the girl started to break down, her body wracking with sobs, to which Finnick quickly responded to by tightening his arms around her, holding her as she sobbed, seeming to have expected it.

"I'm gonna did, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die." The crying girl muttered, over and over.

"No you're not." Finnick told her firmly, "I'm going to get you out of this alive. Whatever it takes. I promise you, I'll get you back to your Grandmother." He said pulling away to look her in her bloodshot eyes as he held her face delicately in his hands, "And I'm going to do my best to keep you as sane as possible in the process."

"Even if I won - which is doubtful - I'll never truly be free though, will I?" She asked, to which Finnick looked away, "I know about your nightmares, Finnick. When you're in Four I can hear you across the road."

"That's me." Finnick said, "This is you. And I'm here every step of the way. You're going to live, Freyja. I promise."

"Not all of us will." The girl muttered, her eyes travelling back to Hadley's innocent face.

Finnick sighed and turned off the screen before standing up and holding his hand out, "Come on, you need some sleep." He said, and Freyja took his outstretched hand and they made their way back to the girl's room.

After getting back into bed, Freyja grabbed Finnick's hand, "Will you stay with me?"

Finnick looked at the girl - the scared and vulnerable girl.

He gave her a warm, soft smile, "Of course."

Freyja moved over, so that Finnick could join her under the silk covers, snuggling into him as he did. She bit her lip, her mind still reeling.

"What're you thinking about?" The older boy knew, knowingly. 

"Twenty-three children die every year, Finnick. And those people in the Capitol, they endorse it. I don't want to be another pawn in their games."

"And you won't be."

"How?"

"You win."

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Freyja ran the back of her hand over her arm. It was smooth. Unnaturally smooth. The prep team had spent the past few hours waxing, plucking and scrubbing everywhere they could, leaving her feeling like a well-groomed dog.

She now sat on the bed in the dressing room that her hair and makeup team had lead her to, waiting for her stylist to arrive. She was apprehensive of the idea of being made over into a spectacle, but Finnick trusted this mysterious woman, so she did too.

Looking around the small room, Freyja cringed at the brightness of all of the furniture surrounding her when the door opened, revealing a slim woman with long silver hair.

"Hello." The beautiful woman smiled, "You must be Freyja." She said, making the young girl nod, "I'm Raina."

"It's nice to meet you." Freyja said in a small voice, swinging her legs back on forth.

Studying her stylist, Freyja relaxed, seeing how Raina wasn't as ostentatious as other Capitol citizens, though she did still hold herself elegantly. She could see why Finnick put his trust in her so easily.

"Is the part where you turn me into a giant fish?" Freyja asked in a quiet voice.

Raina let out a small laugh, "No. Not this year." She winked, reaching out and studying a curly lock of her hair, "This year, I'm going for something simple. Something elegant."

"I didn't think anyone in the Capitol understood the meaning of simple." The girl said, looking down as she played with her hands in her lap.

"Well, let's just say that I'm not quite like the others." Raina smiled warmly, "I'm sure Finnick may have told you that."

Freyja nodded, "He mentioned it."

"You and Nolan," Raina started, cupping the girl's face in her hands and studying her striking blue eyes, "Are this years underdogs. So I'm going to play into that."

Freyja cocked her head to the side, "And how are you going to do that?"

"Well, I watched your reaping," Raina said, her hands moving to rest on the girl's shoulders as she continued to study her, "And on that stage, my dear, you looked like-"

"A wounded bird?"

Raina nodded with a small smile, leaning back and clasping her hands in front of her, "Pure innocence. So that's what we're going to remind the Capitol of. Some people watch the games to see animalistic children rip each other apart."

A chill ran up Freyja's spine.

"This year we're going to remind them of the other side of that spectrum." The woman told Freyja, once again playing with a strand of her messy brunette locks, "We're going to show them your purity. And hopefully, sponsors will see the two of you for who you are. Children."

"Won't the other tributes also see us as that?" Freyja shrugged, "Small, weak, children that they can easily kill."

"And then get hate from the Capitol." Raina added, "Just trust me, dear. I know what I'm doing."

"Okay." The girl nodded with a small smile, "I trust you. Have at it."