AN: Hello, this is my first story so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.:) a lot of Finnick/Annie fanfiction I have read place Annie as timid and shy, but I'd like to cast her in a different light. I might not post frequently but I'd be grateful if you stuck around and gave me any tips. Thank you all!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games, though I'd like to own Finnick Odair...
Chapter One
The seniors of District Four Training Academy sat on the tiered bleachers in the gym, each laughing and talking amongst themselves with the principal, Casio Abate, looking on. A smile was teasing the corners of his lips, a ghost of pride in his eyes and a shimmer of hope played in his mind. This year, surely, there would be a victor from Four. This year, District One and Two would lose and Four would prevail.
"Okay, okay!" He clapped his hands and all fell silent. His eyes browsed the twenty five expectant students sat before him, all fidgeting excitedly. There were a few that he had extremely high hopes for; those that were top of the class, of course. He smiled warmly at his stars and raised an eyebrow as a group of girls giggled excitedly. "Okay, ladies, settle down. I'm sure you're all very excited to train with our victors – don't get any other ideas. Let that be an incentive for you to win, okay girls?" Another giggle achieved an exasperated sigh from Casio. "Without further ado, then, may I introduce District Four's current victors," he paused as the room erupted with applause. "… Mags Farlane…" The applause continued as the haggard looking seventy-three year old shuffled into the room. "… And Mr Finnick Odair!"
Finnick joined Mags as she walked to the front, linking his arm through hers to support her. He flashed a dazzling grin at the adoring pupils, causing a few girls to swoon and squeal. Casio invited him to the middle of the floor in front of the pupils to speak.
"Wow," he laughed. "Every year I come here I say this, but you guys are looking fierce!" The students looked at each other and laughed euphorically, grateful for the compliment. Finnick appraised the crowd, his eyes being drawn to a few that looked the most promising. A young girl with long, dark hair sat next to a burly, muscled boy with coal black eyes and hair to match his skin. He looked tough – not someone Finnick would have liked to fight against. There were others; a girl with fierce red curls and harsh cheekbones that forced her lips to curl into a grimace; a boy with brilliant, piercing blue eyes and huge muscles. "Yes," Finnick nodded. "You'll do."
"Finnick and Mags are here to help you out as much as they can in these last few days before the reaping. Two of you will be volunteering or be chosen this year, remember, so make the most of what little time you have…" Casio warned ominously. "Mags will be setting up some training stations for your more unusual survival techniques, such as knots, camouflage and hammock-making along with your basic edible insects and plants, your shelters and, of course, snare-setting. Finnick will be handling the more physical aspects starting with hand-to-hand combat at 9. After that you'll receive personal timetables for individual time allocated to Finnick, Mags or private training on the assault course. Got it?" He looked around at the teens who were, thankfully, listening intently. They nodded and grinned, leaping from their seats as he gave instructions of where to go for Finnick's first class.
They made their way to the outdoor training arena, funded by the mayor, which spanned one square mile from the academy all the way to the sea front. In this arena, would-be tributes could experience different types of terrain, from sandy to rocky, and other basic obstacles they would face in the Games.
Finnick stood on top of a crate in front of the model Cornucopia, clapped his hands and placed his fists on his hips saying; "Pair up." The odd number of the class left a group of three friends rolling their eyes and looking around to see if there was another student on their own.
"Don't worry about it," Finnick jumped down and walked towards the girl he'd noticed earlier; the girl with long, dark hair. "You can come with me, Miss…"
"Cresta. Annie Cresta," she offered politely. Ignoring the jealous whispers from her classmates, she met Finnick's smiling sea blue eyes with her own determined deep greens.
"Okay, Miss Cresta, pull up a crate," he winked at her but she was seemingly unaffected by his signature charm. Turning to face the rest of the group, he continued. "Mr Abate has told me you're all very skilled with your weapons, but there may be a time when you're without them. I'm just going to teach you how to attack and disarm. You never know, it could just save your life!" Picking up a small knife, safety cover concealing the blade, he turned to Annie. "If you'll hold this, I'll demonstrate how I could disarm you. Would that be okay?"
"Yeah, sure. Try your worst," she smirked arrogantly. Finnick offered his hand to help her off of the crate but she ignored it, jumping down. She assumed a fighting stance; one leg in front of the other with her torso facing him. Her arms were poised, slightly outstretched, with one hand clutching the knife and the other waiting for his attack, fingers curled and ready to clench into fists or grasp him. Finnick's position mirrored hers, the only difference being his lack of weapons. He lurched suddenly and she twisted her body around. His arms circled her waist and constricted her. She bucked her hips backwards, earning a groan of pain and a surprised laugh, ducking out of his grip and making some distance. Finnick turned around slowly and Annie hid her smile as she waved the knife before him.
"Go, Annie!" The boy Finnick had noticed before, with eyes as black as the dead of night, called out. The class started applauding as they watched Annie attempt to outwit the mentor. Finnick moved towards her once more and lunged, grabbing her slender wrists with one large, strong hand. She glared at him as he plucked the knife from her grasp and waved it right in front of her face with a complacent smile. He seemed slightly annoyed, as if he'd picked her because he was confident he could beat her, so when he turned to face the crowd and began to speak, Annie crept up on him and gracefully leapt onto his back and took the knife again. Finnick didn't allow himself to be fazed, though, and slipped his arms around Annie's legs to hold her in place. A few girls sighed jealously at the sight of Annie being piggy-backed by Finnick, but she was far from amused. Deciding not to struggle so as not to fall from his back, she remained sat awkwardly with her arms crossed, wearing a disgruntled expression. She glanced at her friends who wiggled their eyebrows and laughed, then made a rude gesture with her hands behind Finnick's back, discreetly. He was telling the class how to keep calm whilst under attack; "But, of course, if you lose it and snap his neck it's not really a big deal, right?" He laughed. Annie laughed, too, causing Finnick to finally address her. "Would you like me to put you down?" He asked. She raised an eyebrow and nodded. He instructed the class to choose a weapon from the Cornucopia and try to disarm one another before letting her slip off his back slowly. Before she walked to stand with her friends again, she turned and asked –
"In the arena, if I leapt on someone's back and disarmed them, do you think I'd get the same treatment as just now?"
"Well, no, of course not!" Finnick laughed.
"Funny," she frowned. "I thought you were meant to be showing us what the arena was really like."
Finnick shifted awkwardly where he stood. "Thank you for your input, Miss Cresta. Official complaint forms can be found in the Justice Building."
"I'd consider filling one out, but the only response I'd get back would be an autographed photo of you."
"You hold me in low regard," Finnick frowned. She shrugged and rejoined her friends.
"What was that about?" One of the girls murmured to her. Annie shrugged again, "He seems to love positive attention so I thought I'd give him something negative for the first time since he won. I'm sure he'd be more helpful if he wasn't looking to seduce every girl and make every boy want to be him." She murmured, rolling her eyes. They glanced at each other with tight lips and raised eyebrows, then suddenly pounced. Annie watched her two best friends, Anastasia and Minerva, fight each other. The girls in her class were all beautiful, of course, but when it came to fighting they weren't afraid to chip a nail. They were trained to do the job – and do it well.
Minerva's knife skidded across the grass to Annie's feet and, snapping out of her reverie; she scooped it up and joined in the fight too. Finnick watched her thoughtfully. She emerged from the struggle victoriously; two knives in her hand, and dashed back to the Cornucopia to return them. She sat down at the base, as all winners had been instructed to do, smiling happily at her achievements and panting slightly. Finnick simply couldn't take his eyes off of her – this girl would most definitely bring Four a Victor.