A/N. Sooo, this is my first fanfic and it probably won't be that good but anyway, please tell me what you think and if I should keep going. I love Katniss/Finnick fanfictions and I wanted to do my own. Hope you enjoy.
All rights reserved to Suzanne Collins. I own nothing at all.
Chapter 1
Katniss' Pov
Today is the day of the reaping for the 70th Annual Hunger Games. The air outside is heavy; the footsteps of the kids walking are the only thing you hear. Welcome to district 12, I think. My sister Prim and I are walking to the peacekeepers in charge. After we register with the peacekeepers, I try to let go of Prim's hand but she just holds on tighter.
"Katniss, I'm scared." Prim tells me, her bottom lip quivering and with tears in her eyes. This is Prim's first year in the reaping and it just scares me. What if Prim is reaped? N… no, don't think like that. I have to be strong for her. She won't be reaped.
"Prim, your name has only been in their once. They're not going to pick you." I reassure her, giving her a big hug. I smile at her and I look into her beautiful blue eyes. "Come see me right after the reaping and we'll go find mom, okay?" Prim nods her head, her little blonde braid bouncing on her shoulder. I give her hand one finale squeeze before she heads to the 12 years old section while I walk to the 17 years old section.
A few minutes later, the district 12 escort Effie Trinket walks on the stage. This Capitol woman is as chipper as usual. Her skin is pale and her wig is now a hot pink. As every other woman in the Capitol, she wears some really weird clothes and a tone of makeup.
"Welcome, welcome!" She says with the biggest smile on her face. She introduces the same video as every other year, before actually starting the reaping. "As usual, ladies first." She announces with her accent. Suddenly, the air is now dangerously silent. Everybody is dreading for what's coming. Effie approaches the big glass ball and slips her hand in, moving it around before she takes her hand out with a little piece of paper. Opening the paper slowly, she takes her time reading the name before announcing it.
"Primrose Everdeen" I feel my heart drop. I start searching around me, searching for my sister, my little duck. Not Prim, no, no, not her! I can see her walk out of the 12 years old section, her steps slow and tears in her eyes. I start moving, running towards her, yelling her name.
"Prim! No, Prim!" Two peacekeepers try to restrain me, but I'm not stopping my struggle. I can see her turn around, looking at me, crying a little harder. "I volunteer! I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" I scream, not thinking about what I got myself into. I know that I'll have to fight 23 other tributes, but I don't care. I couldn't let my sister go into the games. I push the peacekeepers away, running for Prim.
"Katniss, no! Don't do this, no!" She is now sobbing, pleading me not to do this.
"Prim, go to mom. Prim please, go see mom. It's going to be fine. Now let go." I try to reassure her, but it is not working. Every time she cries my name it breaks my heart. Suddenly, I see Gale approaching. He takes Prim in his arm, sending me a heartbroken smile.
"Katniss no! Please, no! Katniss! Katniss!" She struggles in Gale's arms, trying to get to me. I stand there and watch Gale take her to my mother, who is silently crying.
"Well, I believe this is district 12 first volunteer. Come up here, don't be shy! Come!" I follow Effie directions, going up on the stage, trembling but not letting any tears fall. I don't want to let myself look weak in front of everybody or the other tributes.
"I bet my hat that was your little sister wasn't it?" Effie asks me that question like it was obvious. She just wants to know the juice details.
"Yes, she is." I don't really want to answer but I have to look polite. Well, I think.
"And what is your name my dear?"
"Katniss Everdeen" I look around and I catch the eye of the other person on the stage. It is the one and only victor from district 12, Haymitch Abernathy. This man won the 50th Annual Hunger Games and he is, as always, drunk. I could see in his eyes the pain and the sorrow. I look away, not wanting to attract more attention to myself.
"Well, let's give a big hand for our first volunteer, Katniss Everdeen!" Effie is the only one to clap, the sound bouncing off the Justice Building behind us and going back to the people in front of us. Everybody take three fingers, put them to their lips and put them in the air. The district 12 way of saying goodbye. "Now, on to the boys!"
She walks to the glass ball, puts her hand in and she takes out one slip of paper. Again, the silence takes place while the escort opens the paper and reads. I'm just hoping Gale is not picked.
"Peeta Mellark" Oh no, not him. I guess the odds are never in my favors. A boy the same age as me with blonde hair and baby blue eyes approaches the stage. I could see him trembling and he had obvious tears in his eyes. As he gets on the stage, he catches my eyes in his, looking at me with incredible sadness.
"Here are our two tributes for this year's Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Shake hands you two!" She tells us smilling. As I shake his hand, I know that being in the games with someone I know is going to be extremely hard. "Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor." Hearing her say that is always disgusting. The people in the Capitol are so happy to send 23 kids to their death while the Victor gets to live the rest of his or her life happily in fame and fortune.
Peacekeepers come and take us into the Justice Building where our families can come to say goodbye. Effie walks in front of us while Haymitch struggles to stand up straight behind us. "Katniss, you will be waiting in the room on your right, Peeta in the one on the left." I give Peeta on last glance before walking into my room. I decide to sit in the chair, waiting for Prim to come. How am I going to say goodbye to Prim? I can't believe this is probably the last time I will see her. Wait, no, this IS the last time I will see her. I put my head in my hands when the door burses open.
"Katniss!" I stand up as I hear Prim cry my name, running into my arms. She starts sobbing on my shoulder and I kiss her forehead, trying to comfort her. I see my mother behind us, crying and watching Prim and I.
"Everything is going to be okay Prim." I pull away, looking into her eyes full of tears.
"You have to win, Katniss. Please, you have to try!" She pleads me, hugging me again.
"I'm going to try Prim. I promise I'll come back to you. Remember that I love you, you're my little duck." I know deep down inside that I'm making empty promises, but I have little chances of coming back.
"I love you too Katniss." After a little while, I pull away from Prim, making my away towards my mother, who has been silent since the beginning.
I hug her, but I don't pull away before I talk to her. "You can't zone out again, not like when dad died. You have to be here for her, especially if I don't come back okay? You understand me?" She nods and I get back to Prim when a peacekeeper gets in the room and tells us times up. I give Prim a finale hug and tell her I love her before my mother and Prim gets pulled out of the room.
Soon, the room falls silent while I wait for someone else to come. It's not long before Gale enters the room and gives me a hug. "Gale, please keep them safe while I'm gone." I know he will take care of them but I had to ask.
"I will, but you are going to come back. You know how to hunt. If you get your hands on a bow and arrow, you're going to be fine." I almost believe him, but I can't.
"Gale, there's 24 of us. Only one comes out."
"I believe in you. We all do." Suddenly, peacekeepers come in the room and take Gale away before I have time to tell him goodbye.
After he is taken away, nobody else comes to talk to me. I feel alone in the room, thinking about Peeta and if he is feeling the same way as me or if there is someone there visiting him. I spend a few minutes alone, before a peacekeeper opens the door and I see Effie and Peeta standing there, waiting for me to come. I get up from the chair in the middle of the room, walking towards them, trying to look strong.
We walk silently side by side, following Effie when I realise Haymitch is not with us. I look around and Effie must realise what I'm looking for. "Dear, Haymitch is already on the train. He passed out when your family came to say goodbye." Yup, makes sense.
When we get out of the Justice Building, we are greeted by a lot of peacekeepers and the citizens of district 12. I start feeling extremely uncomfortable knowing that everybody in district 12 is watching Peeta and I walk to our death. They are all looking at us with this look in their eyes that tells us they are sad to see us go, but hey, we had a good life! We arrive at the train stations and we are told to get in.
This train is so beautiful. Everything is so modern, the walls covered with blue wallpaper and the furniture is looking so perfect. Wow, talk about living in style. I guess the Capitol wants to show us what we could have if we survive.
Peeta and I go to the living quarters, where Haymitch is lying unconscious on the couch with is drink spilling all over himself. We walk past him and go sit on the second couch in front of the one he is on. He must have heard us coming because he starts moving and sits up before taking a sip of his drink. We sit there in awkward silence when Peeta decides to speak.
"So, aren't you supposed to give us some advice? Tell us how to survive in the Games." Haymitch looks at Peeta with wide eyes before starting to laugh right in our face. What, isn't it true? Peeta does have a point.
"Yeah, this is your job. You're supposed to help us get out of the arena alive." This makes him laugh harder, like this is just a big joke. Maybe he's just drunker then we actually thought. Or, maybe he's not drunk enough. I glare at him, trying to contain my anger. We are about to be thrown in the arena and our stupid mentor is not even helping us or giving us some advice. I can't believe this man actually won the Hunger Games.
Haymitch' Pov
I look at them, laughing in their faces. The boy, Peeta, has the look on his face every other tributes have after the reaping, but the girl, there is something special about her. Her gray eyes are full of fire, something you never see in a tribute from twelve. Yup, I have a fighter this year. She is determined to come back to sister. This one is coming back, I can feel it.
"Oh, you want some advice? Stay alive!" I take a big gulp of my drink before starting to laugh harder. Katniss is glaring at me and nodding her head. She grabs the drink from my hand, before throwing it in the trash can.
"I was drinking that Sweetheart." I can see in her eyes that she doesn't like me, but come on, no tribute from 12 is ever happy to see me. She gets up angrily and stomps out of the room. Peeta looks at me before going to his room, not saying a word. I laugh slightly. Oh, this girl is going to need a lot of work if she wants sponsors. With that attitude of hers, the only thing helping her is that she volunteered for her little sister.
I get up and go over and pour myself another drink since someone decided to throw away the previous one. I finish it in a second and I fill my glass again, before walking away to my room, getting into bed and passing out.
….
Katniss' Pov
I open the door to my room and I slam it after I stomp into my room. I throw myself on the bed angrily and I scream in the pillow. How am I supposed to win these games with that old drunkard as my mentor? He kept laughing in our faces like us wanting to survive is the funniest thing he ever heard.
I decide I should probably go to bed. I am going to need a lot of energy if I want to come back. I get into bed, throwing the covers over my hand before falling asleep.
….
I wake up to a loud knock on my door. I groan before burying my head into the pillow, putting the covers over me.
"Up, up Katniss! Today is a big, big day!" I try to ignore her but she just doesn't want to give up. "Come on, we don't want you to be late!"
"Fine, fine, I'm getting up. You can stop knocking." I slowly get out of bed, stretching before walking into the bathroom. I look at myself in the mirror, felling so much older than I was yesterday. I undo my messy braid, undoing the knots with my fingers, before walking to the kitchen. I see that Peeta and Haymitch are already at the table eating breakfast.
"Look who finally decide to join us." Haymitch is obviously drunk, even at 7 am in the morning.
"Yeah, yeah. You're not really helping us so I'm not going to bother asking for advice again. Okay with that?" I tell him sarcastically, grabbing myself a glass of orange juice.
"You are just so likeable aren't you Sweetheart?" He has this mad grin on his face, obviously trying to get under my skin. Mad, I take a knife from the table before slamming it onto the table between his fingers. He looks at me, surprised.
"Katniss, manners! That is mahogany!" Effie yells at me. I look at Haymitch, then at Peeta before taking the knife out of the table.
"I'm sorry Effie." I give her a small smile and I get up, not caring that I didn't finish my breakfast. I just want to be alone for a bit, not wanting to deal with my drunk mentor.
I go into the living room, taking a seat in next to the window, watching the Capitol come into view. I feel the train slow down and I see the Capitols buildings surrounding us. I can hear the scream from fans, who are waiting to see who while die next. Peeta comes and joins me, only he waves at them, smiling.
"Come on, join in. They will love it." I join him, showing them my most fake smile ever. I don't know how long I will be able to fake this, but I do it anyway. One thought goes through my mind at that moment.
Welcome to the Capitol!