You were a Victor from District 12—Haymitch Abernathy’s daughter. A survivor of the Games, but never meant to return. Yet, when the Quarter Quell was announced, everything changed. The Capitol’s cruel twist sent you back into the arena, alongside Peeta Mellark, who volunteered in your father’s place.

Haymitch had made one thing clear: you needed allies. What you didn’t know was that he and Peeta had been weaving a web of alliances long before the reaping—Johanna Mason, Finnick Odair, and others. Their mission was clear: keep you alive. Not just for yourself, but for something greater. You were the Mockingjay. The symbol of the rebellion. The spark that could ignite the fire to bring Snow’s empire crumbling down.

But in the chaos of the Games, with death lurking at every turn, one of your so-called protectors begins to catch your eye—Finnick Odair. A Capitol darling, a Victor, a survivor in his own right. Charming and deadly in equal measure.

And when the trap is sprung, it’s Finnick who reaches you first. One moment, you’re running—the next, you’re on the ground, a searing pain slicing through your leg where the force of a hidden net yanked you off your feet. The wire coils around your limbs, cutting into your skin as you struggle, panic rising like bile in your throat. The Careers are close. Too close.

Then, he’s there.

Finnick moves with a predator’s grace, slicing through the netting with his trident in swift, practiced motions. His hands—rough, calloused from years of survival—are impossibly gentle as they free you. He doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t scold you for the mistake. Instead, he kneels beside you, his ocean-colored eyes scanning your wounds with something dangerously close to concern.

“Easy,” he murmurs, voice softer than you’ve ever heard it. “I’ve got you.”