CHAPTER 14
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

BEX refused to tell Keaton about her conversation with President Snow. No matter how much he badgered her for information, her lips were sealed. She couldn't let him in on Snow's threat, his picture of the future. It would just get Keaton riled up and afraid. He was daring enough to join the secret rebellion – she knew he would – and Bex couldn't have that right now. He would be dead meat.

It was more of a time than ever to play the game. A game of loyalty – for Keaton's sake, above all else. She wasn't losing him.

Although it killed him inside, Keaton respected her wishes. His curiosity was off the charts, but he knew it would do them no good to argue about this, especially when Bex was still a bit shaken by Snow's arrival. Instead, he came up with an idea to get her out of the house, to get some fresh air. She'd barely left in two days, even with Finnick pestering her.

Keaton informed her that his business' competition – "the muddy, cruddy Thorton's," he called them – are now trying to sell their wood by the Trading Square. "Can you go down there and check out their prices for me?" He asked optimistically. "I need to know if I should lower my own rates or not, depending on theirs."

Much to his surprise, Bex immediately agreed. She was feeling much better today, and truthfully, that was only because she was now fully blocking out her conversation with Snow. She wouldn't tell anyone that, though.

The sky was cloudy today, but the air was warm. Only a slight chill fleeted through the trees. Bex dressed in cargo pants and a t-shirt, making sure to zip herself into a light raincoat in case a downpour came and went. As she slipped on her boots, Finnick walked out of the bathroom with wet hair and a fresh set of clothes on. He shook his hair out with a towel and asked, "Do you want to hang by the lake today? I think you mentioned it's a mile out from the Village."

Bex paused lacing up her boots and glanced towards him. Indeed, she did tell him about the lake near the center of town. She only mentioned it in case he wanted to swim by himself, but definitely not with her. Bex couldn't swim. The farthest she ever got in that lake was the waist up.

Finnick arched a brow at her silence. "You did mention you had a lake around here, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's just ..." She looked back down at her boots and finished lacing them. "Maybe later. I have to do something for Keaton right now. Hang out here and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Is it anything I can help with?" He asked, and she halted at the doorway of her bedroom.

She pointed at him as if he were a pet. "Just stay here. I don't need you getting into any funny business."

Finnick chuckled. "Not your dog, Bex Nassar."

She rolled her eyes. "We'll see about that."

After kissing her brother on the cheek, Bex headed outside and a cold breeze blew past her wavy hair. She noticed Johanna watering her half-dead rose bush outside her house and thought this was as good of an opportunity than ever to ask her to come. For the first time, Johanna Mason jumped at the chance to leave her house and immediately threw on her hiking boots before locking the door behind her. "Every time I run out of that sweet bread, I want it even more. I'm pretty low," she used an excuse, but Bex assumed there was another reason she agreed.

And she was right, because about twenty minutes into their walk, Johanna blurted, "Can I ask why Snow visited you?" Her dark eyes were filled with apprehension, fixated on Bex. "I know, you probably don't want to talk about it, but –"

Bex's stare slithered over to hers. "No," she replied, expressionless.

Johanna paused and nodded her head. They continued to trek into the town square and a sliver of sunlight shown over the horizon. Bex turned back to Johanna to apologize, but the other girl said before her, "I get it. But ... Nico and I are here if you need us. We can't keep letting Snow bully us. Look what happened to Blight."

She nodded.

"We don't want that to happen again," Johanna finished.

Bex opened her mouth to speak, but a crack echoed out in the distance. The two women stopped short, looking up at the sky, before they realized the sound came from a few hundred feet ahead of them. Bex took a few steps forward and held a hand up for Johanna to stay silent. A crowd had gathered in a circle in front of the farmer's market, right before the Justice Building.

It wasn't just a crack they heard. That was the sound of a whip.

The two Victors started off into a sprint, skirting past the market and the Thorton's wood prices. They flew by every stand without even blinking, completely focused on the circle of people ahead of them, and then they began shoving through the crowd. Bodies were squished together, jam-packed like in the paper factory. Bex and Johanna were suddenly covered in sweat and forcefully asked people to move. The crowd was massive. Another whip crack rang through the air.

Bex and Johanna finally got to the front of the circle. All the color drained from their faces.

A post was nailed in the center of the crowd. Cuffed to it was a man with no shirt. Red lashes oozing blood were scattered across his back. A Peacekeeper stood a few feet behind him, throwing back his arm and giving the man yet another lash with the whip in his hand. This Peacekeeper wasn't normal though. He had no helmet, revealing his slicked-back red hair and wild, light blue eyes. His white uniform was stained with splatters of blood and grime. He was Alec Salomon, Head Peacekeeper.

And then, Johanna was running. Her hands were out to attack him and claw at his uniform. The look in her eyes was desolate and vengeful, even as she screamed, "STOP! STOP! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Bex gasped, too frozen to move.

Johanna was held back before she got close to Alec. Two Peacekeepers dragged her away by the collar of her shirt. She tried grabbing for them behind her head. Tears ran down her cheeks. "Let him go!" She cried, attempting to yank herself away. It didn't work. The Peacekeepers were too strong. Johanna seethed, "You can't treat me like this! I'm a Victor."

Alec suddenly whirled around, facing Johanna with a crazed stare. The Head Peacekeeper of District Seven had always been a bit harsh, but this was an entirely new side to him. Something to be terrified of. Even Johana feared for her life as his eyes pinned on her.

"We can treat you however we want. Snow's orders." He chuckled darkly. "Perhaps, we can chain you to the post next?"

His statement struck something in her, something that made a shiver run down her spine. Bex hurried out into the circle. She halted in front of Johanna and the Peacekeepers, arm out in defiance. Swallowing down the lump lodged in her throat, Bex lifted her chin and announced, "You need to stop."

The man at the post cried out for help.

Alex cocked his head to the side. "And what are you going to do about it?"

Her hands formed into fists, and suddenly, her father's old hunting knife that she kept hidden in her jacket felt incredibly heavy. She had good aim. She could easily lodge the knife in one of Alec's eyes. But then, her stare shifted to the gun at his hip. His hand rested right on top of it, ready to shoot her down.

Everyone was silent. The man at the post sniffled quietly. Even the breeze seemed to stop as Bex met Alec's gaze once again. "Just let my friend go. Please." She took a few steps forward and the Peacekeepers before the circle followed, guns drawn. Bex halted. "You know us, Alec. Any time I've seen you at the markets, I've been nothing but nice to you. The people of Seven sell you meat and cheese and the best wood around. You buy from my brother directly. President Snow's orders aside, you know us. Johanna has always been –"

Alec jabbed the end of the whip in Bex's direction, causing her to go quiet. He glared towards Johanna. "She's agitated the people. She interrupted me ­–"

"Hey, hey!" Bex's voice was becoming rough, almost grating. She raised a hand to stop him. "There's a big wedding coming up in the Capitol, right? For the two lovers from District Twelve? We want this to be a happy time. Can we let that happen?"

The Head Peacekeeper looked around with wary eyes. Johanna grunted against the tight grips that pulled her back. Bex held her breath as Alec turned to her.

"Please," she muttered, "let her go. Let him go." She pointed to the man chained at the post. "I'm sure whatever he's done is not worth all this effort."

A beat of hesitation. The crowd looked around, waiting for Alec's next move. He shook with rage, but finally, lowered the whip. Then, he wrapped it around his hand and then hung it on his belt. "Let her go," he ordered towards the Peacekeepers holding Johanna. The young Victor fell to her knees before Bex lifted her. Alec then pointed to the post. "Unlock him. This was just his warning. Next time he disobeys, it will be punishable by death. No exceptions, not even for Victors."

Bex didn't want to know what the man did, but whatever it was, it couldn't be worth all the lashes. She held onto Johanna as the man was unlocked and he slumped to the ground with a thud. A family rushed out to help him, weeping while trying to get him upright. She could only guess it was his wife and children. No child should have to witness this horror. None of them in this square should've.

Uprisings. Riots. Rebellion.

There were more Peacekeepers than ever now. Bex scanned the square and could count fifty more than usual. This was the price for hope, for the uprisings. Stricter rules and even stricter enforcement, intended to keep everyone in line.

Alec cocked back his gun and shot a bullet into the sky. The sound alone was enough to make their ears ring, and Bex stumbled back with Johanna. Everyone started to scatter. "CLEAR THE SQUARE!" Alec shouted at the top of his lungs. "Everyone is under curfew! Anyone out after dark will be shot on sight!"

Bex released a shuddering breath. This was the start of the end.

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Terror ran through their veins, even faster than their feet could carry them. Johanna and Bex dashed back to the Victors' Village before the crowd could disperse. A twenty-minute walk became a five-minute run at their speed. It was understandable – from the racing of their hearts, the fear in their eyes. Something was very wrong and suddenly, everyone was in danger.

Especially, Finnick. If they found him in Seven, that is.

As the two Victors sprinted down the path to the Village, just nearing the gates in the distance, they noticed the insane amount of Peacekeepers dispersed around the District. They'd clearly been building up their taskforce for weeks now. Bex noticed, but she ignored it, preferring to live in ignorance and fear. Now they were wreaking havoc. Yelling at the elderly, condescending children, shouting about curfew. It was absolute chaos in Seven and there was no one to blame but hope itself. This was their punishment for having hope.

The gates to the Victors' Village were wide open as they passed through. Bex and Johanna used all the strength they had left to shove the gates closed. It didn't prevent Peacekeepers from coming in, but they knew better than to come to the Village unannounced. Bex needed time. She didn't have much of a plan to keep Finnick safe from Snow's new spies distributed throughout her District, but it was all they had. Even though it killed her inside to do it, and she wouldn't dare admit that.

The two went their separate ways when they arrived back at their houses, sharing a worried look before venturing inside. Keaton and Finnick were waiting in the living room, laughing at some silly Capitol TV show and making fun of the two hosts. They sipped on steaming cups of coffee and didn't even turn when Bex arrived. Their attention finally went to her as she stood just behind the couch, staring down at them with concern. As Keaton spun to face her, he took a sip of coffee and asked, "So did you get those prices –"

They stopped dead in her tracks, noticing how pale she suddenly looked, the worry hidden beneath the dark pools of her eyes. Finnick placed his mug on the table beside him and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"I – I just ..." Her mouth hung open as she fought for words. She didn't even want to describe this. "I ... I just saw a man get whipped in the Square."

Keaton stood. "What?"

Bex rubbed at her eyes and mumbled, "Peacekeepers. They were everywhere. There are so many of them now. And there's a stricter curfew too. Anyone caught outside after it will be shot."

And then, her eyes snapped open, fixated right on Finnick. He was frozen in place.

"You need to get out of here. Go back to Four," she muttered.

Keaton walked around the couch and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Bex, c'mon. Think rationally about this –"

"You didn't see it, Keaton." Bex jabbed a finger towards the window. "Dozens of them. They're all here, and they're Snow's second pair of eyes. If they find Finnick in District Seven –"

"I'll go."

Bex and Keaton both turned to Finnick with wary expressions. His hands were up in surrender and his throat bobbed. Bex took a step forward, but her hand was too numb to grab his. Finnick's once lively sea-green eyes were hurt, as if she told him this news to upset him.

"If that's what you really want," he finished, backing away and heading for the stairs.

Her brows crossed. She followed him up the stairs to her room and murmured, "Wait, Finnick. Listen."

Keaton sighed and took a sip of his coffee. "Crazy kids," he mumbled.

Bex found Finnick in her room, already hauling his bag on the bed and stuffing it with his things. She lingered by the door, watching his expression contort with a mixture of rage, hurt, and confusion. Bex had always been good with hiding what she truly felt, but ever since her mask fell off with Snow, she had never been the same. Her eyes were filled with fear; her hands itched to hold him.

"I don't want you to go," she whispered. "I selfishly enjoy your company a bit too much."

Finnick's lips curled into a smile at the words he said to her days ago, but still, something painful lingered in his expression.

Bex took one step further into the room. "I'm not asking you to leave because I want you to –"

"I know," he rasped, zipping his bag and throwing it over his shoulder.

Her brow furrowed. "Then why do you look like that? Like you're mad at me?"

"I'm not angry with you, Bex." He strode over to where she loitered at the door, his chest inches from hers. Bex wanted to drown in the sea-green of his eyes. Most people didn't see the flecks of the gold that sparkled in them, but she did. She got close enough to witness it in the morning sun, unlike anyone else. Bex Nassar saw the Finnick Odair that most would kill for.

"I'm just ..." His jaw clenched. "I'm just tired of that old prick doing whatever he can to control us. Our survival is never enough. He just takes and he takes and he takes even more." He shook his head, meeting her dark stare. He, too, wondered what it would be like to drown in those pools of pure onyx. "I'm tired of him keeping me away from what I truly want."

Bex pursed her lips. "You're his Golden Boy. You get everything."

As if gravity pushed him forward, Finnick Odair leaned down, their noses brushing against each other. Bex's eyes were wide, watching him intensely, drinking him in. Their stares never left each other's, not even when his lips lightly brushed her own, and she felt the sizzle of electricity against her mouth. It was like that night they were dancing all over again. Except this time, they were both fully aware of what they were doing, the implications one little kiss held.

If he kissed her right now, no one would know. Not the Peacekeepers, not Snow. Not even Keaton. But it might just ruin everything in ways neither of them could explain.

Finnick sighed against her lips and drew back. "Not everything," he muttered.

Just an hour later, Keaton and Bex escorted Finnick down to the train station, her father's hat covering his head. Despite the simplicity of the disguise, no one noticed him, and he got on the train safely before a Peacekeeper could check his identity. He slipped in through the doors, and then he was off. No hug. No goodbye. They didn't have time for those.

But something still lingered, and Bex felt it as she touched her lips in the dead of night, wondering what could've been.

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A/N: hehehe we love a good slowburn!

so finnick is gone. peacekeepers are here. which only means one thing: we're almost done with act i! next chapter will be the last of act i, and then we'll be moving onto the actual plot of catching fire in act ii. I hope you guys enjoyed my little portion of act i where I completely ignored the canon lol, but we all gotta do that sometimes!