CHAPTER 52
AN ALTERNATIVE PLAN

FINNICK and Bex shared one of Snow's largest guest rooms all to themselves. Even in the wide, king-sized bed with satin sheets, she could hardly get a wink of sleep. She pressed her head into the pillow, squeezed her eyes shut, even hurdled herself into the confines of Finnick's arms. Nothing was ever enough though. She was kept awake by the shadows of her own mind.

Snow's words haunted her, echoing in her ears like a chant. She couldn't stop thinking about what he said in that greenhouse. Bex already knew he was charismatic, but she never thought his tricks would work on her. He was just trying to get in her head, and it was working. His words made sense. Why would he kill all those Capitol citizens? He was never wasteful – this she knew for certain.

Believing him felt like a foolish decision, but perhaps, she had been the fool all along.

Eventually, she'd been able to get some sleep. Finnick had woken up sometime during the night, and despite her killer acting, he knew that Bex still wasn't asleep as she pressed herself against his chest. Once he started humming in her ear and caressing her hair, she was out like a light. Sometimes even the simplest of gestures were able to silence her loud thoughts.

Bex rolled over on her side when the sun began to filter through the cracks in their curtains. She rested her chin on top of Finnick's bare, freckled chest as his eyes began to flutter, teasing her with a small glimpse of ocean green. He rubbed at his lids before fully opening them. A grin quickly made its way onto his lips at the sight of Bex laying on top of him. He wound his arms around her waist and chuckled, "This is what I want to wake up to every morning."

She smiled softly. "Good morning."

He repeated it back to her before craning his head forward and pressing his mouth to hers. It was a sweet kiss – hardly innocent, but gentle enough. It made her heart thunder against her rib cage and her insides turn to goo, even on a day like today, where things were bound to wrong. They were here for an execution after all.

"And good morning, Victors!"

Bex immediately moved away and fell on her side as she heard the doors to their suite opened. Phoenix now stood in front of them in a flashy, neon yellow suit with a sequined trim, hands in the air at his own arrival. Finnick sat up and placed a hand behind his shaking head. With a chuckle, he muttered, "I knew I didn't lock those doors last night."

"Phoenix," Bex said, beaming wide. She got to her knees and crawled over to the edge of the bed, where her stylist was waiting with open arms. She embraced him tightly and leaned back. "I didn't know you were invited here."

His brow shot up. "You think I would miss Snow's execution? I've hated that old man for years."

Finnick got to his feet and walked over to the stylist, embracing him quickly. "Good to see you're well, Phoenix."

"Same to you, Mr. Odair." Phoenix leered towards Bex for a moment before clapping his hands together. "I've come to you with business, sadly. President Coin wishes to speak with you both."

Bex and Finnick furrowed their brows. They nodded at Phoenix's request, despite their confusion. The stylist gave them privacy to change. Bex pulled on a dark blue sweater, a pair of cargo pants, and the same boots and jacket from the day prior. As she brushed her hair back into a ponytail, she caught sight of Finnick yanking his head through a knitted, cream-colored turtleneck in the mirror. He paired it with a pair of taupe pants and fancy shoes. Bex bit her lip to hide her smile. He could honestly look good in anything.

Once they were finished, Phoenix led them downstairs to the first floor. They walked past the expansive kitchens and the water fountain in the foyer. Snow had even put up several different statues of himself in various corners of the house. Bex's mouth curled in disgust. Finnick chuckled softly at her expression, guiding her forward with a gentle hand on her back.

"Coin asked for all the Victors to meet in Snow's old conference room," Phoenix explained. "This was where he used to organize dinners with his allies and entourage. I would bet he killed people in this very room too."

How convenient, Bex thought.

Phoenix approached two large white doors and placed a hand on the golden handle. "Good luck," he whispered before opening the doors for them.

Walking inside felt like striding into the lion's den.

Everyone turned towards Finnick and Bex as they were led inside. Phoenix shut the doors behind them swiftly, careful of any onlookers. The rest of the Victors were scattered around the room, talking with grim expressions. Katniss was settling down in a chair next to Haymitch, who looked like he already had a drink in him since arriving in the Capitol. Even Annie was there, chewing on her bottom lip nervously.

"Hi," Bex blurted, a suspicious tone to her voice.

"Thank you for coming, Miss Nassar and Mr. Odair." President Coin stood by the head of the table and gestured to the open seats. Unlike the rest of them, she was wearing her normal grey attire, accompanied by a shorter haircut. "Won't you join us?"

Johanna smirked from her corner, raising her hands to mimic Coin. Bex sealed her mouth together and attempted to not laugh as she and Finnick sat down. Everyone else followed suit. Enobaria took the free seat on Bex's left and sent her a tight-lipped smile. She was careful to reveal any teeth.

"I have invited you all here for several reasons, but first ..." Coin laced her hands together. "I have an announcement. I have taken the burden and the honor of declaring myself interim President of Panem."

Bex's brow pulled together. She looked to Finnick, who sent her a warning glance.

Haymitch broke the silence with a chuckle. "Interim? Exactly how long is that interim?"

"We have no way of knowing for certain." Coin narrowed her pale eyes. "But it's clear people are far-too emotional right now to make a rational decision. We'll plan an election when the time is right."

Katniss was glaring at Coin when she turned towards the teenager.

"The time is never going to be right, though," Bex muttered, crossing her arms. "People are going to live with this trauma for the rest of their lives. Everyone knows what happened. It aired live on TV."

Every Victor was looking at her like she was crazy. Even if Snow hadn't told her this, she wouldn't have been that surprised at this revelation.

Coin simply tilted her head to the side and studied Bex curiously.

"All I'm saying is that there will never be a good time." Bex raised her hands in surrender. "You need to plan an election. Soon."

"She's right," Peeta agreed, sitting up in his chair.

"In due time. I promise," Coin said. She stared at Bex for a second longer before getting back to her point. "But I have called you all here for a more important vote. A symbolic vote.

"Tomorrow," she continued, "we will put Snow on trial. The courts are already in our favor. So I expect tomorrow evening, Snow will be executed. Hundreds of his accomplices also await their deaths: Capitol officials, Peacekeepers, Gamemakers. But the danger is once we begin, the rebels will not stop calling for retribution. The thirst for blood is a difficult urge to satisfy."

Johanna was smirking, as if she already knew where Coin was going. Bex narrowed her eyes in her friend's direction.

"I offer an alternative plan. A majority of five may approve it. No one may abstain." The President paused, pacing the room for her next words. "The proposal is this: in lieu of these ... barbaric executions, we hold a symbolic Hunger Games."

Everyone's face went numb. Bex felt a shiver crawl up her spine, but besides that, she was as frozen as a statue. The small teacup in Haymitch's hands almost slipped from his grip. Johanna began to chuckle darkly and leaned her head back. "You ..." She scoffed, not believing it. "You want to have another Hunger Games with ... the Capitol's children?"

"Several of them just died," Bex seethed, "right outside these gates."

"You're joking," Peeta murmured.

Coin shook her head. "Not in the slightest."

"Is this ... Plutarch's idea?" Haymitch asked.

Bex slowly slid her gaze back to Coin. If it was ... she might just bash his nose in.

"It was mine," Coin admitted.

New nose for you then, Bex thought viciously. She then looked towards Katniss, hoping for something – a word, a grimace – from the precious Mockingjay. But the young girl was speechless. She looked like she was hardly fazed. Her grey eyes seemed glazed over; her entire expression went completely blank. She hardly moved a muscle. Her spine was rigid.

"This balances the need for revenge," Coin attempted to justify. "The least loss of human life."

"Still children," Finnick muttered. Bex looked over at him, realizing that was the first time he'd spoken in minutes. Like Katniss, he didn't know what to say.

Coin leaned in. "What was that, Mr. Odair?"

"I said, 'They're still children.'" Finnick replied without hesitation. "A loss is still a loss. No child deserves to die. No one deserves to suffer the same way the Districts did for years. I thought this all was supposed to end?"

The President sat back in her seat. She exhaled heavily through her nostrils. "You may cast your votes now."

"No," Beetee said immediately. "We need to stop viewing each other as enemies."

Johanna sat up. "I think it's more than fair. Snow's got a granddaughter. I say, yes."

Bex glanced at her friend, confusion etched across her face.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, Bex," she scoffed before leaning into the table. "We've all suffered from nightmares for years because of what we went through in our arenas. It's time the elite get a taste for it."

"I agree," Enobaria said, speaking for the first time. She did her best not to reveal her empty gums. Bex wondered if she'd ever get them fixed, or would she live with it as a reminder that she survived the worst. "Yes. They need to understand what we've lived through."

Peeta cleared his throat. "No. I won't allow history to repeat if I can help it. My vote is no."

"This way of thinking is what started these uprisings," Annie whispered. "No."

"I'm with Annie. I vote no." Finnick spoke up, adjusting his position in his chair, but his arm never left Bex's shoulders. "So would Mags and I'm sure several of the other Victors that were thrust into that Quarter Quell."

Johanna shrugged. "Well, they can't, because Snow killed them."

Bex chewed on her bottom lip. She thought she could taste blood, but it might've been her imagination tricking her. The table went silent as Coin turned to look at the last few votes.

"It's down to Haymitch, Bex, and Katniss," she muttered.

Bex slowly lifted her eyes, meeting Coin's from across the room. She noticed how the light of the fire behind her made the President look more menacing, as if she was cloaked in the darkness of her own shadow.

She understood then that the ruthlessness would never end. The Capitol's traditions for murder and abuse of power would only continue in Coin's reign. If she was in favor of holding another Hunger Games, of killing Capitol children ... then there could only be one person that dropped those bombs in front of Snow's gates. Bex swallowed hard.

Snow had been right.

"No," she finally uttered, "I cannot subject any more children to the torture I went through. Not even Snow's granddaughter."

Coin's eyes narrowed as they slid to Katniss and Haymitch. The teenaged girl was looking at her hands, chewing the inside of her cheek. After a moment, she realized everyone was staring at her and waiting for an answer. She cast a glance towards Haymitch, and then flickered her grey stare towards Peeta. She was eyeing him down, glaring at him, attempting to sway his choice.

Peeta exhaled and looked down. He muttered softly, "I change my vote. Yes."

"Peeta," Annie sighed, shocked. Haymitch didn't know what to do.

Katniss finally turned to Coin. Their eyes locked as Katniss said, "I get to kill Snow."

"I expect it no less of you," the President replied.

Katniss' jaw clenched. "Then I vote yes." She paused. "For Prim."

"Haymitch," Coin called, growing impatient.

The elder Victor had been resting his chin on his fists, but slowly sat up into a sitting position. Katniss swung her head and stared, urging him with a simple look.

Don't do it, Bex thought. Don't.

"I'm ..." Haymitch shook his head. "I'm with the Mockingjay."

Coin sat back, trying to hide the smile creeping up on her mouth. "That carries the vote. We'll announce the Games after the execution."

Bex turned to Katniss, surprised to find the young girl's eyes on her profile, as if they were sharing a secret. The secret about the bombs. Despite getting the results she wanted, Katniss looked anything but happy. Her lips were pulled down into a grim frown, her face etched with lines of pain and misery.

It became a staple in her expression. Katniss carried that same glower through Snow's trial, when she had to get up on the witness stand and testify against him. She frowned through every single testimony, through Atlas Pacuri's and other Capitol officials' statements. Even when the judge announced the guilty charge on Snow and his conspirators, Katniss was still frowning. Not a single execution could satisfy her.

As she walked down the long stretch of pavement to the heart of the Parade Center, drums banging with every step, Katniss didn't stray from her scowl. Her lips sealed in a very thin line and painted a neutral pink, while her eyes were decorated in black glitter and dark shadows. She was wearing her Mockingjay outfit, a black bow and arrow in hand. The Victors watched on from the sidelines with their hearts in their throats. Bex stood beside Finnick, holding his hand so tight that she was sure her wrist could break.

Katniss frowned as she nocked an arrow on her bow, aimed right for President Snow's jugular. He had been strapped to a wooden pole, coughing blood while red stained his teeth. Coin watched from the podium above – Snow's old spot – and waited with bated breath.

Finally, Katniss' lips pulled up into a sneer, and she lifted the tip of her arrow higher, letting it fly right into Coin's chest. The President gasped before tumbling from the podium and laying in a pool of her own blood.

The crowd turned into a riot. President Snow was cackling, blood dripping down into his white beard. Even as the rioters charged at him, tearing him apart, his laughter filled the stadium. Katniss was dragged away by her team, but she, too, couldn't stop herself from chuckling.

Their reign of terror was over now.

Bex looked over at Finnick as chaos erupted amongst them. With troubled eyes and a wary expression, she said, "I'll love you forever."

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A/N: can y'all believe we only have the epilogue left and then it's over??? 😭😭😭😭