𓏲 . SURVIVAL GAME . .៹♡
                                                   CHAPTER SIX
                                       ─── REVELATIONS

The next evening, Velren found himself showered, washed,depilated and oiled, thanks to the help of Benjamin, Liam and Tom, who prepared him to meet his designer Isabella to get ready for the final interview with the infamous Caesar Flickerman before the Games.

Isabella and the prep team were extremely excited and kept talking about the honor of doing his hair, even though Tom and Liam kept whimpering with sadness because they had come to the conclusion that this was the last time they would see him again.

Isabella sighed as she fixed Velren's dress shirt and looked behind him in the mirror. Velren was amazed at what Isabella had achieved. The older woman placed a hand on Velren's shoulder. "The Snow Presidents wanted you to wear it." she told him.

"But why?" That was all Velren could say at that moment. He was a bit confused as to why the Snows wanted him to wear a dress shirt like this. It was a gorgeous dress shirt. No, even better, it was classy. The thick linen was neither the original white nor the yellow of age, but a delicious cream.

The cuffs and collar had been replaced with black velvet, and the buttons were gold and ebony cubes. Tesserae. Each had two tiny holes drilled through it for the thread. Over this he wore a black coat that sat on his shoulders and covered only part of him. He felt powerful, handsome and fashionable at the same time. And if tonight was to be his last, he would make sure he was remembered.

Isabella finished off the curly, messy haircut, which was longer on top and shorter on the sides and back, giving Verlen a casual and modern look, but she still managed to answer. "I don't know, but I altered this dress shirt a little." She said casually.

" I have something for you." she told him then and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a red rose, which she tucked into the pocket of his shirt. She smiled gently and patted his chest where she had placed the rose. "Don't worry about it. I grew it myself." she reassured him when she noticed Velren's disgusted grimace at the unexpected gift of a rose.

"Now listen carefully, Velren. I'm sure Caesar will ask you to twirl for him. And if he doesn't, you suggest it yourself. Only not right away. Save it for your big finale. Can you do that?" Velren nodded his head, unsure of what exactly was going on.

The night of the interviews as such an important night that almost everyone in the Capitol showed up for it. The building had a full house of excited people, and cameras were on every corner to get every possible angle on the tributes.

When Velren arrived, he went to his sister, who was dresses in a beautifully stunning long white dress. "Wow,Celestia, you look absolutely stunning." he exclaimed, a proud smile playing on his lips. Celestia turned to him, her eyes sparkling with a mix of excitement and nerves. "Thanks,Vel! You look very handsome." she said as she looked Velren up and down.

Velren smiled in thanks to his sister before he watched as the others came in wearing their usual outfits that matched the theme of their districts in one way or another. "Velren. " Celestia called,breaking his attention.. "I'll be right back, okay? I'm just going to say hello to Johanna." "All right. " Velren said simply, before his sister moved across the entrance hall to engage her friend in a warm hug.

While they were talking, Velren turned back to the others and his gaze fell on the man who walked in followed by a woman. Suddenly his heart began to beat faster and pound in his chest as he looked at the most attractive man he had ever seen.

Of course it was Finnick with Aurora. Tonight he wore a shirt that looked like a pirate shirt to match his district, along with a pair of dark green pants and a belt. In addition, he wore a gold necklace around his neck. The chain was prominent and eye-catching, with a shimmering golden pendant in the shape of a sea creature that resembled a fish or other sea creature. His stylist had opted for something much more modest this time, probably because he was going to be on stage.

Velren felt like he was caught in a dream. The world around him slowed, and it seemed as if they were the only two individuals in the entire room. A warm blush crept across his cheeks, and a sense of nervous anticipation washed over him. Despite the butterflies in his stomach, his feet moved forward on their own accord, drawing him closer to Finnick.

"H-hey,Finnick. " Velren stammered as he came to a halt in front of him; there was a fleeting moment when the words seemed to escape him. In an attempt to calm the racing rhythm of his heart, he took a deep breath. "Y-You look stunning. I mean, you always do, but today ... it's somehow especially great."

To Velren's surprise, Finnick began to blush uncontrollably at this compliment. "Thank you! You're not looking too bad yourself." he complimented back. Before Velren could say thank you, Celestia had returned and slipped under Velren's arm, not realizing that she had come back at the worst possible time.

"I'm back." Celestia said. "What did I miss?" She paused as she realized the Odair siblings were standing in front of her. "Wow, you look stunning together!" "Thank you." Aurora said, and pulled Finnick, , who didn't want to break Velren 's intense gaze, into the waiting line.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "What was that all about?" But Velren  didn't know what to say. Instead, he and his sister took their places in the waiting line behind Peeta, who wore an elegant white smoking and white gloves and looked around questioningly for Katniss.

At that moment, she came out wearing a huge, beautiful wedding dress. It was as white as snow and fell perfectly as she walked across the floor and made her way to stand in front of Peeta. Even in the dim light that barely illuminated the room behind the stage, it sparkled as if a million stars had been sewn onto it.

The girl seemed to sense that everyone was watching her, because she looked up, visibly uncomfortable with the attention. "A wedding dress? Really,Everdeen?" Aurora asked, and so broke the silence.

"The Snows made me wear it." Katniss replied in disgust. "Make them pay for it." Velren said, a slow grin forming on his lips. It seemed as if he could already imagine the death of the Snow brothers in his head, at his own hand with a trident or bow and arrow.

The mental image lingered, a grim fantasy taking shape as he contemplated the act. The thought of bringing about their end seemed to play out vividly in his thoughts, fueled by a potent mix of determination and perhaps a hint of revenge.

It seemed as if Katniss understood Velren's look of anger because she grinned back at him. "I plan on it. " she said, making Velren nod. "Good."

One by one, the tributes took to the stage, put on a great show and did everything they could to stop the games. At that moment, Velren began to wonder if this could work. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Caesar call out the next tribute, who was to take the stage after Aurora.

"Now! Up next." he began to say. "You all know him, all love him, all would like to be him or with him, all would die for him!" He winked at the audience, in which thousands of people were sitting. "The Victor of the 65th Hunger Games! Finnick Odair!"

The Capitol was beside itself with excitement. Their screams were so loud that Velren feared he might lose his hearing, even though he was standing behind the stage. And just when he thought it couldn't get any louder, it got even louder as Finnick appeared on the stairs, grinning and waving.

"Finnick." Caesar said, earning cheers from the crowd at the man's name. "I understand that you have a message for somebody out there. A special somebody." Finnick chuckled and smiled in a way that looked more like a grimace. "Can we hear it?"

"My love." Finnick began to say and looked directly into a camera. "From the moment I met you, you have my heart for all eternity and, uh, if..... If I die for you in that arena, my last thought will be of you and your lips, despite never tasting them." 

He seemed to tear up at the last line while the audience was losing their minds even more. A few people were nearly fainting, probably because they believed he was talking about them.

In that moment, Velren was flooded with an emotion entirely unfamiliar to him. Was it distrust? The disappointment stemming from Finnick never mentioning he had a girlfriend? Perhaps it encompassed those sentiments, but Velren was keenly aware of what it truly amounted to – jealousy. A feeling he never anticipated experiencing in relation to Finnick.

"Jealous?" he was suddenly asked by his sister with a knowing grin. "Why would I be?" Velren asked back, causing Celestia to sigh and roll her eyes.

The interview continued for a few more minutes. Fortunately, it was soon coming to an end, and the blond man walked to his spot beside his sister while the crowd behind them roared.

The rest of the interviews went by quite quickly. Johanna made it clear how angry she was about being sent back into the games, while the other tributes tried to help end the games.

Soon, however, the whole world seemed to hold its breath as Chaff made his way to the other tributes because everyone knew what came next. Or, more precisely, who came next. The audience murmured, some even letting out screams of excitement even before Caesar had spoken.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome." he began to say and smiled. "You know her . . . as the Girl on Fire." The audenice went crazy even before he was said her name. "The Victor of last year's Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen!"

The girl herself now appeared on stage, a radiant smile on her lips and in a beautiful dress. "Katniss Everdeen, you look fabulous. Doesn't she?" he asksed the crowd, earning more shouts and cheers. "My, my! Whoo, whoo, whoo! Now, Katniss, this is a very big and very emotional night for all of us. Wouldn't you say?"

"Oh, don't go crying on me now, Caesar." Katniss said teasingly and smiled. "I can't make any promises." Caesar responded with a chuckle. "You know me." "You know I wouldn't believe you, even if you did." she replied with a laugh.

Caesar let out a somewhat manic-sounding laugh. "I love her! The Girl on Fire is so cheeky." he exclaimed, and his laughter lasted for a few seconds before fading away. "But, Katniss, on a more serious note I think we're all here a little disappointed, more than a little disappointed, that a certain wedding did not take place. Aren't we, folks?" The audience responded with hums of disapproval. "Alas. But am I correct in assuming that this is the gown that you would have worn on that day, yes or no?"

"Yes, The Snow Presidents thought everyone would want to see it." Katniss said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "The Snow Presidents, as usual, were right." Caesar burst into a manic laughter. "Were they not, folks? I love it! I love it! Don't you love it, folks? It's incredible. It's so gorgeous."

Then he made a circular motion with his fingers, probably wanting her to twirl as she did last year. "Will you do us the honor? Please? Please? Please?" Silently, Katniss stepped forward and began to twirl in front of everyone. The entire building admired the dress as, after a few seconds, smoke rose from the bottom of the skirt. It burst into flames, eliciting a surprised gasp from the crowd.

The dress went up in flames; every inch of white fabric burned away, replaced by a dark charcoal hue. The peculiar fabric pieces that awkwardly protruded, one at her front and one at her back, now seemed to serve an actual purpose. They unfolded gently, like a bird stretching its wings for the first time.

As Katniss raised her arms, they lifted with her, hovering above her head. They were wings. "It's a bird." Caesar stammered out, clearly shocked. "It's got feathers. It's like a bird. It's like a, um . . .." "Like a Mockingjay." Katniss finished for Caesar. "Your stylist certainly has outdone himself this time, hasn't he? What theatricality! Cinna! Take a bow."

After a few more rounds of applause for both Cinna and Katniss, she joined the other victors. Then, the next tribute to give his interview was Peeta Mellark. "But, Peeta." Caesar said. "The wedding, the marriage, never to be?"

"Well, actually, we got married." Peeta admitted, seeming unfazed by the audience's gasps of shock. "In secret." "A secret wedding? All right. Do tell." "It's not an official marriage." Peeta explained to Caesar and the audience. "We didn't go to the Justice Building or anything. But we have this marriage ritual in District Twelve. I don't know what it's like in the other districts. But there's a thing we do, called the toasting. And, we did that."

"Were your families there?" "No, we didn't tell anyone." Peeta responded to him. "Not even, Haymitch. And Katniss's mother would never have approved. But you see, we knew if we were married in the Capitol, there wouldn't be a toasting. And neither of us really wanted to wait any longer. So one day, we just did it. And to us, we're more married than any piece of paper or big party could make us."

"So this was before the Quell?" Caesar asked him. "Of course before the Quell. I'm sure we'd never have done it after we knew." Peeta explained to Caesar and the audience, his tone becoming more and more upset with each word. "But who could've seen it coming? No one. We went through the Games, we were victors, everyone seemed so thrilled to see us together, and then out of nowhere-I mean, how could we anticipate a thing like that?"

"You couldn't, Peeta." Caesar assured the boy and put his arm around Peeta's shoulder. "As you say, no one could've. But I have to confess, I'm glad you two had at least a few months of happiness together." "I'm not glad." Peeta said. "I wish we had waited until the whole thing was done officially."

"Surely even a brief time is better than no time?" "Perhaps I'd think that too, have no regrets at all if it weren't . . ." Peeta trailed off, as if the words stuck in his throat. "If . . ." "If it weren't for what? What?" Caesar asked him, somewhat impatiently.

Almost everyone in the room seemed to lean in to hear what Peeta was going to say. The boy took a deep breath to calm his nerves before he looked at Caesar with a more determined expression. "If it weren't for the baby."

This brought the world absolutely loses control. The audience was now angry. They called for an end to the Games, demanded the Presidents to put a stop to it all. Once everyone had calmed down, Peeta joined his wife on the stage. Unlike the other tributes, he wore a smile on his face.

After Celestia had the interview with Caesar, in which she agreed with Johanna's opinion, Caesar called up the last tribute. "And last but not least." he began to say. "You all know him as as the Boy on Fire! The Victor of the 73th Hunger Games! Velren Black!"

When he walked onto the bright lights of the stage after his name was called, the Capitol was beside itself with excitement. Their loud screams when Finnick came out were nothing compared to this.

Velren put on a charming smile that would make any girl's heart beat faster and waved to the audience while he walked up the stairs to the stage. At the top stood Caesar Flickerman, a wide grin spreading across his face as he watched the man. "Velren Black, everyone!" he shouted once again. "Give him a round of applause! I mean, he looks as handsome as ever."

Velren couldn't stop himself from giving the clapping audience a wink before he quipped, "Of course! After all, I am Velren Black." The confident and cheeky comment from Velren caused both the audience and Caesar to burst out laughing. "I love him! The Boy on Fire is so charming." Caesar exclaimed, to which everyone cheered in agreement. "That dress shirt really does suit you." he then complimented him.

"Thank you. The Snow Presidents wanted me to wear it." Velren said with a hint of disgust in his voice as he thought about all the terrible things the Snows had done to him and his siblings in the past.

They had murdered his parents in cold blood in front of him and his siblings, used to sell him and his twin sister like two commodities, or at least their bodys. And for what? Were they driven by a desire for revenge, a thirst for power or a twisted combination of the two?

It all seemed meaningless now, especially when they were willing to sacrifice so many innocent lives. The thoughts of that and the daily lies of the Snows filled Velren with disgust. They were cruel souls that needed to be extinguished.

"Ah, the Snow Presidents have very good taste again, don't you think?" Caesar asked and turned to the crowd, who began to applaud. Velren couldn't help but roll his eyes. After Caesar had calmed the crowd, he turned back to Velren. "So tell me,is there a special woman or man in your life, besides your siblings?"

"Not really, no. " Velren replied after he had thought about it for a moment. "I don't believe it." Caesar countered with a theatrical gasp, his eyes widening in feigned surprise. "A handsome young man like yourself must get a lot of attention,right? Velren,tell us, don't be shy!"

"Well, there's this one man. But I'm pretty sure he just sees me as a friend." he said before he could stop it, and he wasn't sure if he was happy or angry about it.

The audience reacted with collective sighs and murmurs. "Well, I will tell you one thing." Caesar said with conviction and pointed dramatically at Velren. "You go out there and win this again. Then when you get home, he will have to go out with you. Right, people?"

The crowd began to cheer as if that was the right answer. "Thank you, but I don't think it's going to work out. Winning... won't help in my case. " Velren replied, to which the Capitol audience, momentarily taken aback, soon erupted into a series of reactions - some disappointed, others curious. "And why not?" Caesar asked in some astonishment.

"Because-he, um..." Velren began to say, and hoped Finnick wouldn't stab him with his trident after that. "He is going in that arena with me. " The crowd went into an uproar, wanting to know who Velren was talking about. "Well, that's bad luck ! Calm down all of you! Now I heard you've got a little surprise for us?"

Velren nodded and walked towards the center of the stage before he began to twirl in front of everyone. When he heard the screams of the crowd, he thought he must look stunning. Then he noticed that something was rising around him. Smoke from the fire, which engulfed his dress shirt.

Velren began to panic, was this supposed to happen? A dress shirt didn't just go up in flames like that. But then it turned into something bigger than a dress shirt. It now had long, glowing red wings that now adorned its outstretched arms.

Velren raised his arms and the radiant wings floated gracefully above his head. The design, resembling flames, cast an enchanting glow that bathed the stage in an otherworldly light.

As the audience murmured in disbelief, Caesar struggled to put into words the spectacle before him. "It's a - it's a - " he stuttered, clearly shocked by the unexpected turn of events. "It's a Phoenix. I'm a Phoenix." Velren finished Caesar's sentence with a confident smile.

"Well, hats off to your stylist as well. I don't think anyone can argue that that's not the most spectacular thing we've ever seen in an interview. Isabella, I think you better take a bow!" Caesar said and waved to Isabella to stand up. She did, and made a small, graceful bow.

The audience, stunned into silence, erupted into wild applause. Velren could barely hear the buzzer indicating that his three minutes were up. Caesar thanked him, and Velren joined his sister on the stage with a mischievous grin.

Velren took Celestia's hand in his own. She spontaneously turned to Peeta and offered him her hand, which he took and at the same time he took Katniss' hand in his other hand.

And then it happened. Up and down the row,the victors began to join hands. Some immediately, like the Morphlings or the Odair Siblings or Wiress and Beetee. Others unsure, but carried away by the expectations around them, like Brutus and Enobaria.

As all twenty-six of them stood in an unbroken line and all had their hands interlocked together, they threw their arms in the air in what must have been the first public unity of the Districts since the Dark Days.

Velren could sense that this was the beginning of a rebellion. The black-haired man looked up at Finnick and gave him a gentle smile, which the blond returned. Then the lights went out and plunged them all into darkness.

Velren could sense that a newfound hope and the spark that could ignite a revolution was growing.

━━ AUTHORS NOTE

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

I love jealous Velren😉I need ship names for Finnick and Velren! So I like you comment cute ship names for them. 🫶🏼 The best ones,I'll use and give credit...If I don't get names then I'll figure it.[I picked names already.]

Anyway,If you have any questions, feel free to ask away! I'll answer them when I can!

Also, if you are enjoying this story so far, I'd really appreciate with if you could like, comment, vote, and share it with your friends!

Until next time<3