DESTINE, finnick odair

CHAPTER ELEVEN

RYLIE

Of course, she knew she could have worded it better in the interview. But she didn't. The past was the past and Rylie did not even care. But she did care about one thing - the things Finnick said in the interview.

Stuck in conversation with Orna and Halle, Rylie barely knew what they were saying. Her presence was elsewhere. It was still standing, frozen in time, at that interview. The moment he said something about her being stunning. And Rylie was in trouble for calling him a player? To her it was nonsense. He was a player, everyone knew that, she was telling the truth. But him calling her stunning, that was a lie. Finnick Odair would never say that. He was into the blonde girls from the district, the ones whose skin was always golden brown from the sun and their eyes a majestic turquoise. Their lips would be full and desirable. And if not, he'd go for the dark and mysterious girls, the ones who disguise themselves, less like Rylie who was as transparent as an open book. These were girls like Rylie's sister. But Finnick played her too. So why, why on earth would he find her stunning. Of course, the rest of the world seemed to but Finnick? No, not Finnick.

Orna was waffling on about how, "Finnick only said what he said to save you from the consequences you'd face after saying what you said"

But Rylie wasn't buying it. Why would he say that? Why would he say that after everything that they'd been through recently. It didn't make sense to her. Not at all.

Orna, stroking Halle's hair affectionately, was clearly frustrated at Rylie. They were often like this with each other, but they both knew it would pass after a few hours. Orna was like Rylie's sister, she was her best friend. The only person who really looked after her. The times after her games, Orna knew the way Rylie was still struggling. She sacrificed her job in the Capitol to stay in District 4. She helped her through everything. Rylie would always be grateful for Orna.
She was as gorgeous as the sunlight, she radiated warmth and golden flames.

"I honestly can't believe you'd do this. How many times have we been over scripts and what to say. Rylie you should know by now" Orna ranted, now braiding Halle's auburn hair.

"Sorry, what was that Orna? I stopped listening" Rylie said, sarcastically smiling at Orna,

Orna replied with a sigh, shaking her head like an angry mother.

"Get me a coffee, that's the least you could do" Orna dramatically cried, her fingers still intertwined in Halle's hair, "I'll deal with you later"

"Alright, boss" Rylie smirked, completely unbothered my Orna's tantrums. She knew they'd pass.

Rylie crept out of the kitchen, seeing Orna occupied with Halle. The kitchen was bright, painted a pale green on the largest wall. The sunlight crept through the large window facing into the gorgeous garden behind the house. The kitchen was the heart of the house. Rylie knew her mother would have loved a kitchen like this. The girls loved to cook in their mother's legacy. They would spend evenings laughing over glasses of wine, cooking whatever recipes their mother had left for them in her little notebook. It was an old brown leather book, the spine reading, "Ashtide's secrets". It was one of the last things they had of her. Each page, her beautiful handwriting leaving behind memories of her life. At the bottom of every recipe, there would be little notes for the girls reading sweet messages. It bought them together, gave them a reason to keep going. They knew their mother would be proud of them, so they spent most of their time in that kitchen together.

Walking over to the window, Rylie put her hand on the cold window pane.

She could see Finnick outside with Nova. They seemed happy. Rylie let a small smile cover her lips, after all that could have happened with them, all she wanted was happiness for her sister. And deep down, she wanted it for Finnick too. Whether they'd ended their romance, if you could even call it that, or not - Rylie wanted them both to be happy. And she wanted her sister back.