CHAPTER 18
EXPERIENCED KILLERS

THE train came to a slow halt in front of the new Training Center. It was situated in the same place as the last one and built entirely from the ground up. This new building was taller with a top that curved to a sharp point and a transparent elevator that could be viewed even outside the Training Center, made just for the Capitol's curious eyes.

Bex tried to forget about the painted symbols she saw during their ride here. She pushed them to the back of her mind, right in the same place where her concern for Finnick resided. Just the thought of his name sent a wave of panic into her gut, but she did not falter. She couldn't anymore. Bex fiddled with her ring as a distraction and followed the rest of her team off the train. An Avox waited at the bottom of the stairs and helped her off with a gloved hand.

Her team huddled together as they each took in the new pretty building before them. You almost wouldn't believe this place trained children to be cold-blooded killers. The outside made it look like a hotel, but the inside was equipped with weapons that most would shiver to even behold. Something beautiful could be so deadly underneath the surface. The Capitol had built Bex Nassar the same way.

She turned to peer across the tracks. Various other trains pulled into the station, all adorning numbers related to the Districts from which they were journeying. A giant number 7 was plastered on the side of her train. Her eyes narrowed as she counted the other Districts entering the Capitol. One and Two seemed to have gotten here the earliest. Figures. District Twelve's train wasn't far behind them, which meant the Capitol's favorite lethal lovers were waiting in the Training Center as they arrived. (Unless Haymitch Abernathy, the only other living male Victor from Twelve, happened to be picked.) Then, there was Eleven's train, Eight, even –

Four.

District Four's train sat in front of Three's. They must've arrived just before they did. Bex absentmindedly started to walk towards it, abandoning her team in the crowded station, but her feet were moving without her control. Her breath hitched as she stood on her tip-toes, trying to catch a glance of the team venturing off the steps of the train. There were too many people, though. She couldn't see, and she was left with nothing but disappointment.

Someone laid a hand on her shoulder. Bex looked back and discovered it was Johanna. "Are you good?" She asked, one brow quirked upward.

"Ask me later," Bex groaned.

Johanna curiously looked over her shoulder, right at District Four's train up ahead. Her dark eyes flickered back to Bex. "C'mon, let's go inside."

Leading her back to the group, Bex waited with her team to cross the street and head into the Training Center. She hadn't been inside here in years, and with good reason. She hardly liked being near it, in fear the old memories of her time within it would resurface. They always did.

She walked across the street with Phoenix leading the way. His suit was a vivid fuchsia pink with gold accents. Bex was pretty sure that he could be seen from a mile away, even in a crowd. A group of spectators and photographers lined the outside of the Training Center, waiting to get a glimpse of the Quarter Quell tributes before tomorrow's parade. Bex kept her head high as she walked through them, smiling and waving when she needed to. Nico stiffened and allowed Johanna to guide him through the crowd. He had never been trained for this, but Bex had. Far too well.

"Oh, Phoenix Demi!" A man with green and yellow hair approached, arms flung out. "How we have longed to see your face again!"

Bex arched a brow as Phoenix embraced the man. He was flocked by three different women, all adorning hair with different shades of purple and surgically-modified cat eyes. The rest of the team stood back as their escort hugged every single one of them, kissing their cheeks and exclaiming how much he missed them. The group then approached Bex and the others, flinging their arms around them and kissing their foreheads, spewing excessive amounts of admiration and respect for what they're about to do. "THE FLOWER GIRL!" They cooed in Bex's direction, eyes lit up. Photographers swarmed them like a hive of tracker jackers.

Bex blinked a few times when the green-and-yellow-haired man planted a kiss right on her lips, but she tried to act as if it didn't faze her. He then turned to Phoenix and squeezed his arm. "We must catch up soon," he insisted, tugging his herd of women back.

Phoenix nodded while leading his own team away. "Absolutely! Ta ta for now!"

They rushed through the circle doors of the Training Center before the photographers and Capitol citizens could reel them back in. Bex glanced at Nico as they entered the building and muttered, "Ta ta?" Nico replied with a simple shrug.

She kept her head down. The Training Center may be new and rebuilt, but the memories still remained. It had a new appearance, but nothing could change its purpose. This wasn't a building to marvel at and praise the décor. This was a place where killers were made, and no amount of rebuilding could change that fact.

The new elevator was something, though. She'd give it that. They entered and the doors slammed shut in front of them. The elevator was clear on all sides, inviting a welcoming view of the outside, as well as the twelve floors that surrounded the entire building. Bex took a deep breath in and leaned back against the railing, turning to Phoenix as he pressed the button for the seventh floor.

"Who even were those people?" She asked.

Phoenix snorted, "I have absolutely no idea."

The elevator doors opened to reveal the whole floor they had to themselves. The tribute living quarters were completely redecorated, as Phoenix had said, but something about this room seemed so much bigger. It was so wide and open and bright. That might've been due to the glass walls rounding one side of their floor, greeting them with a view of the Capitol. Their bedrooms must be even bigger. Bex stepped out with Nico and looked around in awe.

"Snow always outdoes himself," Phoenix muttered.

An Avox appeared in front of the dining table, holding out a tray of bubbly, green champagne. Bex hesitated to take it at first, afraid of what scientific properties it held, but Johanna went right in without skipping a beat. She lifted one of the flutes and smirked towards the Avox, "Don't mind if I do."

Phoenix and Nico slid into two comfy seats surrounding the dining table. The chairs were made of white leather and the table was stacked with piles of food and various drinks. The Avox held out their tray further, beckoning Bex closer, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Instead, she studied them carefully, tilting her head to the side.

They looked male, and the stature, the height, the prominent muscles – something about it was familiar. Their face, too. Full lips were pressed into a tight line, but Bex could still see where their two dimples still resided. The dye job to their hair was messy, the blue fading into brown at the top of their slicked-back curls. Their dark eyes held no life in them, but the scars that littered their cheekbones told a different story. They once had a life, one that had been taken from them, along with their tongue.

Bex didn't realize how long she had been looking at the Avox until Johanna snapped in front of her face. She blinked and looked towards the young mentor, who was gesturing for her to come forward.

Nico poured himself a full glass of some fizzy purple liquid as Bex stood behind his chair, leaning against it. "They certainly redid these living quarters," he said, still in shock. "Iliana will be excited to see it. When will we be seeing her again?"

"Soon," Phoenix answered, biting into a chocolate cookie with red icing at the top. "The Tribute Parade is tomorrow, so you can bet she'll be here bright and early in the morning."

Nico sighed and sat back in his chair. "Great."

"Speaking of tributes ..." Johanna took a sip from her glass and leaned against the chair at the head of the table. "We should probably sit down and discuss this year's. We need to rethink everything we know about the Games. These are all experienced killers, and it's better for us to know them now before they take the first chance they get to threaten you two at the parade tomorrow."

Bex felt a wave of nausea take over her body. Everything Johanna said was all true. Their competition was experienced killers and so were they. It just felt weird to think about; it always had. Bex held a hand to her forehead and rubbed. "Can it wait?"

Johanna looked at her dumbfounded. "Not really."

"Nico and I can do the research on our own," she argued, padding out of the dining hall. "Right now, I'd just like to lay down."

Nico pushed his chair out a little, but didn't stand to follow her. He sent her a concerned look and asked, "Are you okay?"

The District Four train interrupted her vision, and she began to overthink if she had truly seen a flash of bronze hair getting off of it, heading into the bustling crowd. She dragged a hand over her eyes and pulled herself out of the memory. Bex's stare flickered over to the Avox, now standing in the corner of the room. She swallowed hard and looked away,

"I just ..." Her hands slapped against her sides. "This place makes my brain hurt."

Bex spun on her heel and walked down the hall. She assumed these new living quarters had the same layout as the old ones, but on a much wider scale. "See you later! Maybe," Johanna shouted after her. Bex drowned her out, heading to the first bedroom on her right.

Despite the lavish décor changes, the room felt so similar. The whole layout looked like the same one she had eight years ago. When she mentored each year after and took the tributes to the Training Center, she didn't step foot in her old room. She tended to sleep on the couch, even though it did numbers to her back. But now, she was here again, and Bex couldn't help the flood of memories that invaded her mind.

She remembered crying on her bed, debating on suffocating herself with her own pillow. She remembered almost breaking that body mirror with her hairbrush. She remembered standing on her balcony and watching the Capitol people cheer for her below.

This wasn't the exact same room, despite some similarities, and Bex wouldn't make the same mistakes she did eight years ago. She huffed and shut the door before walking over to the bed. The comforter was as soft as a cloud, the mattress even softer. She laid back on her with hands beneath her head and sighed.

Looking up at the ceiling, she almost wanted to laugh at the mirror hanging above her. Bex stared at her reflection and imagined someone beside her. She turned her head to the other end of the mirror and watched the ghost of Finnick Odair smile at his reflection.

A groan escaped her lips. She closed her eyes and wished for the thoughts of Finnick to fade away again, just so she could get a grip on reality. It was kind of hard to do when you keep thinking about someone you asked to go away months ago.

That time with him in Seven was so different. Bex had felt better. Finnick's presence had awoken a spirit in her that she hadn't known that she still possessed. She missed smiling so much it hurt. She missed when he danced with her in the living room and she could smell the ocean on him. She missed teaching him to chop wood and how he almost got himself in the eye. She missed how tight he held her against his chest after they both had a nightmare, the way his arms felt like they could protect her from everything, even herself.

Bex wanted to feel that way again, but she couldn't. Not anymore.

She dragged a hand through her hair and sat up, reaching for the remote on the side table. No matter how trashy the Capitol television shows were, they always could help her forget. She pressed the power button and a large hologram screen appeared, revealing Caesar Flickerman's large smile.

Bex grabbed one of her pillows and screamed into it.

"As you all know, this is a very special year for the annual Hunger Games. The Quarter Quell pits our Capitol favorites against each other in the arena." Caesar held a stack of speech cards in front of him and flipped to the next one. "They're all cunning, smart, and skilled. They all know one another, except for our two outsiders from District Twelve. My favorite lethal lovers."

So Katniss and Peeta had been Reaped. Poor kids.

Bex watched Caesar laugh enthusiastically into the mic. "Way to show favoritism," she muttered to herself.

A video appeared to the left of Caesar as he shuffled through his cards. It was of this year's tributes from District One, Cashmere and Gloss. Bex should've expected it; they obviously volunteered.

"Gloss and Cashmere from District One," Caesar announced. "Our favorite brother and sister duo, and the only known siblings to win the Games. They won back-to-back games, both volunteers. A very beautiful pair of siblings, but also very lethal."

Caesar was right. Gloss and Cashmere won their Games just a few years shy of hers, and Bex remembered watching them with a mixture of horror and awe. How could two beautiful people be such deadly killers? She guessed that maybe she could say the same thing about herself now. But unlike Bex, they both looked so happy to volunteer. Cashmere's painted pink lips were pulled into a righteous grin, eyes pinned on the camera.

Bex wondered if she volunteered with her brother to save herself from Snow's contract. Just for a little while.

The video skipped to another pair. "Brutus and Enobaria from District Two," Caesar introduced. "Also volunteer tributes. These two have always loved to participate in the Hunger Games in any means possible. Both skilled and tactical. Definitely, a pair to watch out for."

The projection flashed to a video of Brutus with a microphone shoved in his face. He grinned like a mad man as he said, "I can't wait to get back into the arena."

Enobaria stood next to him and flashed her filed-down fangs. Bex grimaced at the sight of her. "Not that scary bitch with the weird teeth," she muttered. Enobaria frightened her both as a teenager and even now. Brutus was also terrifying, what with his bulging muscles that could crush her skull with one snap and his talent with a spear.

How was she going to be able to kill these people?

"Next up is Beetee and Wiress from District Three," Caesar said once the camera turned back to him. A video of two tributes at their Reaping materialized beside him. "As much as we can remember of their Games, these two are definitely not fighters. But they're incredibly brilliant, which can do a lot for you if you know how to use it well."

Beetee looked confident and aloof as he stood before the camera at the Reaping. Wiress, who stepped next to him moments later, was clearly in a daze. She looked around with glazed eyes, hardly facing the camera. Despite this, Bex had no doubt that they were clever. Anyone in the technology business had to be. It would be beneficial to have allies like this, those who could definitely be on her easy-kill list in the end.

That's if she survived the Cornucopia bloodbath. A shiver crawled down the length of her back.

The District Four insignia emerged on the screen before flashing back to Caesar's shit-eating grin. He flipped to a new card in his hands. Bex held her breath.

And then his face appeared.

"Finnick and Mags from District Four," Caesar tattled on. "Finnick – a fan favorite amongst us all. Our Golden Boy! One of the youngest to ever win the Games. He's charming, smart, and very skilled at combat, especially in water." The announcer looked to the video beside him, where Finnick was shooting the camera a dazzling smile.

Bex felt her nostrils flare. He was at a Reaping and he was smiling. How could he even force it onto his lips?

Caesar turned back to face the audience. "As for his tribute partner, Mags has been a beloved mentor for years. She volunteered at the Reaping for another Victor, Annie Cresta, and we commend her for her constant bravery and selflessness. Back in her Games, she was also skilled in water, fish hooks, and catching other tributes in nets."

Mags was an elderly woman who had seen better days, not equipped to survive the Games. But she still volunteered for Annie Cresta. Bex could only assume that this had to be the same Annie that Finnick tried to pursue. But he couldn't. He'd been robbed of love because of this terrifying world they'd been thrust into. What was the point of winning the Hunger Games when every day they had a new game of play?

Bex felt like her head was spinning. Caesar opened his mouth to introduced the tributes from District Five, but Bex shut the TV off before she could hear anything else. The projection fizzled out until her room was only lit by the sun. The large windowpane that led to the balcony on her right allowed a gracious amount of daylight, almost warming one side of her face.

She closed the curtains and engulfed herself in the darkness. Bex didn't want the sun right now; she just wanted everything to stop spinning. No one was safe anymore. Not her, not Finnick, not even a Victor as old as Mags. She wanted to sleep the day away and not have to face reality until she had to.

The darkness enveloped her like a warm blanket. She welcomed it, curling her arms around a pillow and snapping her eyes shut. Her mind settled; her worries floated away. Bex found comfort in her dreams, where nobody – not even President Snow – could hurt her.

━━━━━━

A/N: oooooo we got the tribute parade next chapter, folks!! finally we'll get to the interesting stuff ☺️

also I made this random playlist for finnick and bex lmao. whenever I write this fic I always play slow songs (even while writing action scenes?? idk) and I realized that bex and finnick slow dance quite a few times, so I made this slow dancing playlist for them. here's the spotify code!