"When was the first time you met Annie?" asked Katniss looking at her friend who was sitting next to her with tears in his eyes and a rope in his hand. The young man started to smile at her question because it brought back happy memories of district 4, of his beloved home.
"I don't remember the exact moment. I knew her all my life, she lived across my house but the first time we said something to each other was after I had won my games. We didn't get alone at the start but we eventually became friends. It was one day at the beach…" he said followed by a pause. Ever since he arrived at district 13 some memories had been kind of blurry but he knew he could never forget her no matter what happened. "Yes, it was at the beach. It was a sunny day and you know how horrible the nightmares and the memories are after the games so I went to the beach to get away from everyone…"
It was a sunny day in district 4 like any typical day. Everyone was working at the docks or at the markets and Finnick Odair, the newest victor, had just come home from his victory tour. He hated everything around him, his new house, the fortune he had, everything. He was curled up in his room with the door lock and he couldn't helped crying. He just felt so guilty. His parents had tried to help him but it was useless. Finnick didn't even wanted to be around them. In fact he didn't wanted to be around anyone. So he went to the beach searching for solitude.
Beaches in district 4 were normally crowed but Finnick had a beach for his own at the other side of the district.
It was really far from the docks that's why nobody ever came to it, despite that it was a beautiful beach. When he arrived at the beach he was surprised to find a girl sitting at the shore with a large net in her lap. The girl was wearing a green dress and her hair was long and tangled. Finnick could feel his anger rise, he wanted to be alone but why did she had to be here today at his beach. He walked up to her but she didn't even flinch at his presence because she had all her attention on the net she was knotting.p
"Hey. Annie, right?" asked Finnick trying to sound as calmed as possible. The girl looked at him for a while and she just nodded with her head. The victor could tell that she didn't wanted him around either. "Ok, so here is the thing…I would really appreciated if you could go somewhere else. I really want to be alone right now"
"This is a public beach. I can be here if I want to, just because you are a victor doesn't mean that you own everything" she said back to him looking him in the eyes. It wasn't the answer the boy was waiting for, usually people treat him like a hero so they did everything he said. Finnick hated that but he had grown accustomed to it.
"Look If you want an autograph or something I could give it to you another time but right now I would really like to be left alone, please"
"I came here to be alone too but you don't see me kicking you out and no, the last thing I want right now is your autograph" said Annie really annoyed. Finnick just stared at her with shock, it was the first time someone from district 4 didn't wanted his attention maybe he misjudge Annie Cresta. "I know it must be hard for you to understand that some of us don't want you around".
"Fine with me. We don't have to interact with one another I'll be doing my thing and you'll do yours" said the victor throwing his shirt in the sand and then he went into the sea for a swim.
It had been three hours since they shared a word. Finnick was now at the shore sitting far from her, he just wanted to cry but he also didn't wanted Annie to see him so weak instead he just stared at the ocean and from time to time he looked at her still working on her net. He had to admit that the net she was knotting was beautiful he had never seen something so complex before.
"You are really good at it" said Finnick looking at the net that was still sitting in her lap.
"I thought you said that we didn't have to interact with one an other" said the girl with a really calm voice, that didn't sound annoyed.
"I know. It's just that I had never seen something like that before it looks really difficult."
"It is" she answered and continued with her work while Finnick couldn't stop watching her finger tying so many nots at the same time. "What do you mean with that you have never seen a net before? You are from district 4. How on earth have you never seen a net?"
"What I mean was that I had never seen a net so…different like that before" he said and his words where follow by a long silence between the two of them. Finnick felt kind of graceful that Annie was there, seeing her working on the net helped him to stop thinking about the games. "Could you teach me how to do something like that?" asked the young victor. He was looking for a distraction from everything that happen in the games and in the capitol and he thought that this may be perfect for him.
"Why would I do that? Besides… why do you, Finnick Odiar, want to learn how to make a net?"
"I don't know I just think it might help me get my mind out of things" he said with a more serious tone. Annie didn't wanted to teach him but she could see something more behind his words. She felt that Finnick was hurt in the inside and she couldn't help pity him for that.
"Alright but you have to do something in return"
"What do I have to do?"
"We need someone to help us with the deliveries at the market and I don't want to admit it but your presence could help the business a lot. They will pay you and it will only be for a couple of month until we find someone else"
"Ok, I will do it" said Finnick without thinking it twice. He actually wanted to work at the market that meant that he didn't have to spend the whole day in his new house. The house that was given to him as a reward for killing innocent children. Annie was kind of surprise at his respond she thought that he would take his words back after her condition but he did the exact opposite. They spend the rest of the afternoon at the beach together. Annie was teaching Finnick the basic knots but the young man was really impatient although he was trying to stay calmed and paid a lot of attention to his teacher.
"I should get going. It's starting to get really dark" said Annie while she was standing up.
"I'll walk you home besides I am going in that direction I want to visit my old house" said Finnick. He missed his old home near the docks, sure it was really small and it didn't had everything that his house at the victor village had but he found it more comforting. It brought back happy memories while the other house represented his nightmares.
"So how is everything at school?" Finnick asked Annie who was walking beside him. Ever since he became a Victor he hadn't come back to school. It was really common that children in the districts stopped attending to school specially in the poor districts but four was not an exception.
"I don't know I stopped going six months ago"answered Annie with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Do you miss it?"
"Yes, I had always liked school. Most of my friends still go so now we don't see each other so often as we used to"
"Then why did you stopped going if you liked it that much?"
"I needed to take care of other things. It was for the best at the end, besides I kind of like my job so that at least is good. Why did you stopped going?"
"It just wouldn't be the same. After you win the game people start to treat you different like you are some kind of god or some shit like that, but I do miss it a lot"said Finnick he missed doing normal things that kids his age did like hanging out with their friends or going to school but despite his popularity in Panem he didn't had many friends, in fact his only true friend was Mags, district 4 oldest victor and his former mentor.
When they arrived at Annie's house they could hear glass shattering and a scream coming from the inside. It startled Finnick. Since his games any loud noisy kind of freaked him out. He knew that Annie's father had a bad reputation in the district for being always drunk and lazy at his work but he could related somehow to the screams he was hearing, they sounded like his voice every time he had a nightmare.
"I should get in. So…I see you tomorrow at the market?" said Annie standing on her door before entering her home.
"Yeah, that was the deal after all. Then we can go to the beach so you can teach more about knotting... Is every thing alright in there?" asked Finnick looking at the net she was holding in her hands all curled up. Annie answer with a nod a entered her home immediately little by little the screams started to fade and small sobs where left in it's place.
The young victor cross to the other side of the street where his old house was. Finnick always felt nostalgic when he was there but at the same time a feeling of comfort and warmness was present in his old home. The house was really small, it only had three bedrooms and one bathroom, it was nothing compared to his mansion in the victor village. He missed living in the old house so much. It was the only place where he could really think of hope and happiness. He had lived there his whole lived and all his happy memories came from it. He remember how not so long ago he had been laying on his bedroom with a smile across his face and with out all the fears he had now. He walked inside and stared at the photographs that were still there of his family. He entered his bedroom and sat down on the floor with his head against his bed. Finnick couldn't hold it anymore. The tears started to run down his face and they didn't stopped until he felt asleep.
When he woke up he felt miserable. He had a massive head ache from all the crying and his neck was really sore. Finnick could tell it was early because of the fog that was outside his window. He made no attempt to stand up, he just wanted to stay there forever with out the capitol bothering and threatening him. Suddenly he remember the deal he had made with Annie so he got up and took a shower before heading to the markets.
Finnick rarely went to the docks because he felt everybody looking at him and today was not exception but his mind was focus on his deal with the young Annie Cresta. She was talking to another girl in one of the stands and as he came closer she noticed him and made her way towards him with a serious expression on her face like always.
"Come with me so I can introduce you to my boss"she said while Finnick gave her a small smile. He followed her to the centre of the markets where a familiar man was writing on an old notebook.
"Hey Brian, this is the guy I was telling you about. I am sure you know his name" said Annie trying her best not to roll her eyes. The man expression was angry but it started to softened at the sight of the victor. Finnick realised that he knew this man.
"Finnick, boy, what are you doing here? I haven't seen you since you came back. You disappear completely, how is your mother doing?" said the man giving Finnick a small hug and a pat on the back. Brian was an old friend of the Odairs and he was a very caring man. He was just forty years old but he looked so much younger and his smile was warm and friendly. Finnick did miss him a lot. This deal with Annie was so much better than what he had thought.
"It's nice to see you Brian. It really has been a long time since we saw each other. Why don't you come down to the victors village? I'm sure my mother would love to see you"
"Yeah, that would be real good but tell me something, why does district 4 newest victor need a job for?"
"I made a deal with Annie besides now that I know that you are going to be my boss I am going to enjoy working here" said Finnick smiling to Annie, who was besides him.
"It's amazing to see you boy. Right now I am taking care of some work related stuff but I really would love to talk to you and your mother. Annie is going to teach you everything you need to know about the business if you have questions she is the one who will answer all of them. The best employee I ever had really" said Brian while Annie smiled shyly at his comments.
Finnick and Annie said goodbye to Brian and made their way to the store. They spent the whole afternoon storing boxes and delivering thing all across the district. Annie was right after all, his presence did helped the business. Everybody who saw Finnick working in the stall made their way to it and started to order all sorts of things just to have a little chat with him. The job was complicated but he enjoyed it a lot, besides he didn't think about the games at all during the whole day and he had seen Brian again which made him happy to know that he still had people who didn't see him as a monster or as a hero. Brian saw Finnick just as he was, a teenage boy no different than the other.
When they finish their shift they made their way to the beach to work on the other part of the deal. Annie was quiet as usual but she seemed to be less bother by his presence.
"How do you know Brian?" she said breaking the silence when they were sitting on the sand with nets and lose ropes in their laps.
"He is a friend of the family. My father and him knew each other when they were little but they lost touch, and then he met my mother and they became good friends. When my mom started to date my father Brian hang out with them too. He is a really cool guy. We used to go fishing together in my fathers boat" said Finnick smiling fondly at the memory.
"What happen? Why did you lost touch?"
"The games happen. It is not so wonderful as everybody thinks" said Finnick not wanting to talk about it. He was happy and he wasn't going to let the games take that away for him now. "What happen yesterday at your house? Your dad…he didn't seem to be…well"
"It's nothing he was just a bit depressed" said Annie and her words were followed by a long silence but it didn't felt uncomfortable it felt nice and peaceful. Finnick had to admit that he enjoyed the small girls presence even if she still hated him. Annie was the person he needed in his life to get out of all his misery. She was helping him more than anybody ever did with out even trying. He owned her a lot.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed if you have any suggestions or ideas for the story be sure to let me now.