My eyes were drooping. I sipped coffee anxiously, watching Finch sleep. I was surprised he could sleep with me watching him like that. But I wasn’t taking any chances. I’d brought him so it was my responsibility to protect the District from any threat he might bring. Not that I’d seen anything remotely threatening about his presence. When he’d fallen asleep, I checked his clothes for concealed weapons, and found nothing other than an old hair clip. Besides, Capitol citizens are dumb at the best of times, and just because Finch has a shred of common sense, it didn’t mean he was some evil mastermind plotting to kill us. I was just being paranoid. As I knew Coin and everyone else back home would be. I massaged my temples.

 This is going to be a disaster.

 And it seemed the day was going to begin as it meant to end. In chaos. A few miles from the District, Elliott burst into my room, grabbing me by the collar.

 “What the hell are you playing at?”

 “Get off me! Now!” I snarled “Or I’ll make sure Coin never lets you out of the District again!”

 “She won’t anyway! Or you! Not now that you’ve done this! Brought this abomination to our home-”

 “Hey! You listen here! This boy has an alibi! He’s innocent of any crime of the Capitol until proven guilty!”

 As though on cue, Finch stirred from his sleep, woken by our argument. Elliott let go of me, shoving me away and grabbing hold of Finch’s neck, squeezing hard. Finch choked, gasping for air and attempting to prise Elliott’s fingers away. I reached for the gun concealed under my hat and pressed the barrel to Elliott’s temple.

 “Don’t make me do it,” I said quietly.

 “You wouldn’t.”

 “Want to test that theory?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. But he was right. If I did it, what would Father say? What would Mother think of me? Besides. It’s only a Capitol boy…I was shocked at my own prejudice. You’re just as bad as your brother. Angry at myself, I was about to pull the trigger. But then in a whoosh, the air left my brother, like a deflating balloon. In a flash, I watched Finch’s palm strike under Elliott’s nose, forcing his head back onto Finch’s arm, which calmly snaked around Elliott’s neck in a headlock. Elliott struggled breathlessly and without success. I watched Finch in horror, his face still a sickening purple colour. He tried for a smile.

 “Man. Your people really don’t like me.”

 “Don’t take it personally. My brother doesn’t like anyone,” I said. It didn’t feel right to joke after what had just happened, but it made Finch relax a little.

 “So everyone else will be more welcoming?”

 “I didn’t say that,” I said. Finch nodded in understanding. This was never going to be easy, he knew that. But I think he was really beginning to see what he’d let himself in for. Elliott grunted, trying to escape in vain. Finch was strong. I called for someone to come and restrain Elliott. The on board doctor reluctantly knocked him out with a sedative and he lay limply on the bed.

 Finch opened his little suitcase out on the bed and chose some drab grey clothing. Then, with no regard for my presence, he began to undress. I averted my eyes immediately, feeling incredibly awkward. I couldn’t even leave the room without seeing him, so I had to stand there.

 “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable,” Finch said. I could hear him pulling on a pair of trousers “In the Capitol, we’re much more open. We don’t feel awkward about nudity.”

 “You don’t say,” I muttered, blushing. “Did you, uh…have you had defence training? That was pretty impressive.”

 “Yeah. My dad taught me. Said I’d need it,” Finch said.

 “He was right. Are you…are you OK?”

 “Fine. It’s fine, really. I get people trying to strangle me every day,” Finch said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes.

 “Prepare for landing,” the intercom said. I sat down on the bed and Finch did the same, keeping his distance from Elliott’s sleeping body.

 “Karissa…will you vouch for me? If they give me a trial?”

 I looked at the boy with blue hair, and saw the fear rooted in his heart. It was then, somehow, that I knew I could trust him. I reached over to him and took his hands “Yes. I’ll fight your case. Even if it kills me.”

 Finch grinned “Drama queen.”

 I smiled “Watch it, Capitol boy.”

***

 I couldn’t protect him.

 The moment we arrived, I was taken away by soldiers and locked in a cell, deep deep down in the bottom floors of District 13. I screamed and kicked and thrashed, but they’d already made their decision. I was a traitor, and so was he. Because he came from the Capitol, and because I helped him. My cries died down as I realised no one was coming to help. I had to be patient. I had to wait.

 So I waited. Three days, I waited. I was fed bread and water twice a day. When they finally came for me, I was pacing up and down. They let me out the cell.

 “Where are you taking me?” I asked.

 “To Finch Stark’s trial.”

 I gritted my teeth as they led me into the room. The two guards placed me at a podium, as though I was going to do a speech. Coin looked down her nose at me snootily.

 “I’m sorry about keeping you confined. But I didn’t want you conferring with Finch,” she said, as though Finch was some sort of accomplice in a murder or something “Your uncle and father are standing as your defence. Though I doubt there’s much they can say.”

 I gritted my teeth. I could see Finch slumped in a seat. His face was bruised.

 “What did you do to him?” I snarled.

 “He was out of order. He had to be restrained.”

 “Out of order? You threw him in a cell for no reason! Like you did with me!”

 “Quiet! We had plenty of reason. But we’re not here to talk about our reasoning. Why, Miss Verona-Grey, did you bring this boy home with you?” Coin snarled.

 The whole room was watching me. Finch stared at me, and I looked at him apologetically. He’d just made the connection between me and my mother. I felt guilty, even though I’d done nothing wrong. I straightened myself up on my podium, glaring at the spectators. To my right, my Mother, Father and Uncle Drew sat. At least they are on my side.

 “You sent us out to visit the Capitol, and you instructed us to blend in. We tried our best, but Finch picked up on the fact that we weren’t Capitol citizens.”

 “How could he tell?” the head judge, Laelia Sears, asked.

 “My…we didn’t have the right…nails. And we weren’t used to the customs.”

 “Continue.”

 “And Finch came and sat with me while Elliott was in the bathroom. Apparently, that’s not uncommon in the Capitol. So he knew something was amiss. And the reason he knew about District 13 is because of his family. His father is Eli Thimbletooth.”

 I watched my Mother’s mouth gape. It wasn’t often I saw my Mother surprised. She stood immediately, walking up to the podium, and began to gesture. I translated for her.

 “She says she knew Eli. He was her mentor during the Hunger Games. She hasn’t seen him since, but she knows Valeria sent him a letter telling him about 13.”

 “You can’t prove that,” Coin said quietly.

 “Actually, I can,” Finch said. He stood without being invited to. I could see the defiance in his piercing blue eyes as he pulled the letter from his pocket. Coin looked furious. A murmur travelled around the room. He handed it to Laelia who read over it quickly, nodding as she did.

 “Yes. I think this is reliable evidence of Eli Thimbletooth’s relationship with Finch. However, I need to know, Karissa, why did you choose to bring him here?”

 “Eli wanted his son to break free from the Capitol,” I said with rising confidence “He understood that war would eventually come, and he wanted Finch to be allied with the right people. He knew he couldn’t leave himself, because the Capitol was his home, and after what happened to Valeria…it would never have been safe for him to try and leave. If only you would let Finch speak, you’d understand that he is independent minded. He doesn’t conform the Capitol’s rules. He’s different. I’ve seen it. And I want him to be a part of this community.”

 “Nonsense!” Coin cried.

 “Isn’t this what we’re fighting for?” I shouted “Isn’t this war about becoming equal again? How can you ever expect equality if you won’t allow someone from the Capitol a second chance?”

 “They don’t deserve second chances. After all they’ve done to us!” Coin screeched.

 “You think people like Finch are the ones who are hurting us? No! They’re not. Yes, they watch The Hunger Games. But that’s what they’ve been taught to do! Their ignorance is no fault of their own. They’re brainwashed.”

 Finch looked mildly offended, but the room was in uproar. I knew what I’d said made sense, and people were finally listening.

“Order in court!” Laelia demanded. “Council, I think we’ve heard enough. This trial will end today. Come to your decisions.”

 I waited two hours for the decisions. I was allowed to sit with my Mother who sat tensely, her hand rested on my knee comfortingly. Coin kept a watchful eye on both Finch and me, sat on opposite sides of the room. They were insistent on keeping us apart. Finch smiled sadly at me, and I was angry with myself, for not fighting harder to protect him. Someone beat him. Someone hurt him…

 The council, excluding my family and Coin, had made a decision. Laelia cleared her throat.

 “Karissa Verona-Grey. Please stand.”

 I took my place on the podium again, heart pounding.

 “You violated District 13 laws by bringing Finch here. However, we have decided that your decision was justified. You will be allowed to keep your rank as Soldier, but you are hereby suspended for two weeks to work in the kitchens.”

 I breathed a sigh of relief. Coin looked angry, but she was about to be made angrier still.

 “Finch Stark. Please stand.”

 Finch stood and made his way over to me, standing beside me on the podium. He was shaking. No one could see us behind the podium, except my family, so I took his hand to steady him. He squeezed my fingers.

 “To prove your allegiance to us, you will have a three month trial here in the District. You will wear a tracking device so that you don’t stray, and you will be under supervision by Soldier Verona-Grey at all times. That includes sharing their family’s quarters and abiding by their family rules.”

 “Thank you. Thank you!” Finch said. Laelia smiled and many people in the courtroom clapped. Coin was not amongst them.

 “Dismissed!” Laelia declared. As people began to file out the room, I realised Elliott was absent. I hurried over to my family and my father hugged me.

 “Thank God,” he said quietly.

 “Where’s Elliott?” I asked “Is he OK? I know he is angry, but-”

 “Karissa,” Uncle Drew said, grabbing my shoulders. I swallowed.

 “What’s going on?” I asked suspiciously, “Is something wrong?”

 Father sighed “Karissa…your brother is gone.”

I'm aware this a poor excuse for a chapter, but I'm really busy with exam prep and Camp NaNoWriMo, so I'll edit this when I have some time! <3