The sound of the waves crashing against the beach and the feeling of the bright sun on her skin slowly wakes her. The waves reaching out their hands touching her toes and slowly ebbing away.
"Annie! It's time for you to get ready now darling," her mother says calling out the window of their small beach house. Annie, the awkward, young girl, slowly rises, hair stiff from salt and sand, and eyes wide like she is frantic. She doesn't walk but dances her way to the house which is occupied by her mother and father. Her mother was beautiful once, blonde with the greenest eyes. Her father was tall and handsome brown hair and blue eyes. Annie on the other hand was average, dirty blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and a slightly crooked smile.
She followed her mother to her bedroom. On the bed lay a plain white dress made of worn lace, and next to it a ribbon, matching Annie's eyes, for her hair. "Thank you," she whispers and her mother nods and slowly walks out leaving Annie alone with the dress. She slowly pulls the dress over her hair and looks down at herself feeling lovely and sad in the lace dress. She picked up the ribbon and brought it to her hair, tying it around a wavy mess of a pony tail. When she entered the kitchen she saw tears in her mothers eyes and her father began to smile.
"You look beautiful," her father spoke. He walked over to the small, nervous Annie and gave her a hug. "This is your first year they wont call your name I promise."
He walks slowly through the door of his shack like home, off the beach. His hair wet from his early morning swim in the ocean, trying desperately to clear his mind. As he enters the house his mother is already awake cooking bread that smells of the sea. "There are some clothes for you on my mat," she calls to him as he walks into the only other room of the house besides the kitchen. As she said there is a white button up and a pair of kaki shorts. Next to the two articles of clothing lay a golden chain. As the boy does the last button of his shirt his mother walks in tears in her eyes. She slowly bends down to pick up the gold chain and pulls it over his head. "G-g-gi I'm sorry, Finnick. You look so old."
"Is Dad going to be there?"
"Of course sweetheart. Don't worry okay you wont get called." He hoped so much it hurt, that he wouldn't get called. Every part of his being was pained at even the thought of going into the games.
He couldn't stand to be inside any longer so he ran out the front door and down to the beach. His feet met the water up to his ankles and he stared at his reflection thinking that maybe, just maybe this was all just a nightmare. "This is a horrible thing they do," a girls voice rang in his ears. He turned and was confronted by a small dirty blonde, blue-green eyed girl who wore a white dress and a crooked smile.
"It's awfully really. They enjoy the pain of others."
"I really hope you don't get called."
"I hope you don't get called. I wish no one ever did." That was all that was said then Annie walked back to her house and Finnick stood in the water waiting for the bell to sound signaling everyone to the town center.
And when the bell did sound the people in the district were being told that today they were to lose two more children. Unknowing parents were going to have to say goodbye to their terrified children and children would have to say goodbye to their lives.
Slowly and unwillingly the entire district walked to the town square. Here the children were separated by age and gender. Finnick stood with the other fourteen year old boys. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously. As they waited there he saw Annie with tears running down her face standing in the same place as all the other young twelve year old girls. The first year is hard for everyone.