Sugar Cubes and Arrows
Chapter One
A/N: this is a reworked story from my old ff account, nyxsmoon.
"Finnick Odair, right?" The words tumbled out faster and louder than she'd intended. Peeta glanced at her in surprise, but she purposely kept her eyes locked on the screen. Haymitch raised his eyebrows, but nodded at her.
"Yes. He won his Games at fourteen, youngest ever, extremely humble." Katniss scowled and rolled her eyes as the man kept flashing arrogant smiles at the crowd.
"You're kidding." Haymitch snorted loudly, causing Peeta to startle slightly.
"Yes! I'm kidding he's a, peacock, a total preener. But he's the Capital darling. They love him here. Charming, smart," Peeta had sat up, practically leaning off the couch as the recorded Finnick raised his arms, flashing a bright smile.
"And very skilled in combat, especially in water."
Peeta leaned even farther forward, his elbows on his knees.
"And what about weaknesses?" His voice was deeper than usual, an edge to his tone. Haymitch eyed him strangely before speaking.
"One, Mags. She volunteered for Annie. Mags was his mentor, and," Haymitch seemed to hesitate. "Basically raised him. If he's trying to protect her in any way it exposes him." The old woman had wispy silver hair, and her bones looked as though they were about to break. Instead of speaking, she raised her arm, flicking her pointer finger rapidly across her chest. Katniss narrowed her eyes, watching the man on the screen pull the frail woman against his chest, embracing her tightly. She saw Peeta out of the corner of her eye, nodding.
"A guy like that has to know she's not gonna make it. I bet when it really comes down to it he won't protect her." She tried to keep her voice as cool as possible, though her stomach turned at the thought of letting an old woman like that die in the Games. Haymitch's gaze hardened.
"Well, Katniss, I just hope that when she goes, she goes quickly." Haymitch paused, looking at her with an unreadable expression. "She's actually a...wonderful lady." She looked away, feeling guilty for her comment. Peeta shifted uncomfortably next to her and leaned back against the cushions, looking extremely nervous.
Katniss stepped out of the elevator, tensing as she passed the Peacekeepers on either side of her. She heard loud cheering and glanced up in curiosity. Many Capital citizens were sitting on stands that were placed around a very large hole in the ceiling, cheering and calling her name.
She looked away, quickening her pace. She walked into the big underground arena, watching the other tributes continue to get ready as she passed. She stepped up to 12's carriage, absentmindedly petting the side of one of the horses. It snorted softly, and she frowned.
"How'd we get here, huh?" She murmured quietly. She continued stroking it, her mind wandering towards thoughts of her family and Gale.
"Katniss!" She whipped around quickly, startled at the sound of her name called by such a deep voice. She felt her stomach twist as she watched the tall, tan man walk towards her.
"Hello, Finnick." She managed to say as coolly as possible, raising an eyebrow as she looked him up and down. He was tossing something back and forth between his hands, watching her as he stepped closer.
"Would you like a sugar cube?" He held it up in an offering and came forward until he was directly in front of her. "They're supposed to be for the horses, but, I mean, who cares about them, right? They've got years to eat sugar whereas you and I, well, if we see something sweet, we'd better grab it." She tried to force the strange feeling in her stomach away, and instead resorted to glaring at him as she looked him up and down again.
"No thanks. But I would love to borrow that outfit someday." He smirked, quickly glancing her up and down, too.
"You look pretty terrifying in that getup. What happened to the pretty little girl dresses?" His question made anger burn in her stomach and she desperately wished he would go away. She looked away from him and back to the horse, hoping he would take the hint.
"I outgrew them."
"You certainly did." She looked back at him, and he flashed her a smile, making her stomach twist. "Shame about this Quell thing. Now you, you could have made out like a bandit in the Capital. Jewels, money, anything you wanted."
"Well, I don't like jewels, and I have more money than I need, so." She eyed him up and down, petting the horse nervously. "What did you do with all your wealth, anyway?" He snorted.
"I haven't dealt with anything as common as money in years."
"Then how do people pay for the pleasure of your company?" He chuckled and stepped closer, leaning towards her ear, effectively pinning her against the horse's side.
"With secrets." He leaned away slightly, giving her just enough room to shift and angle her hip towards him. "What about you, Girl on Fire? Any secrets worth my time?" He didn't move any farther away, his eyes briefly darting down to her lips before returning back to her eyes. In a feeling of defiance, she turned, facing him now, and stepped closer.
"I'm an open book. Everybody always seems to know my secrets before I know them myself." He didn't seem the least bit satisfied with her answer, and was looking at something over her shoulder.
"Unfortunately, I think that's true." He glanced back at her, not making any move to leave. She glanced away, suddenly uncomfortable about the way he was making her feel, and felt relieved to see Peeta and Cinna coming towards them. Finnick had seen them too, and stepped closer to her again.
"I'm sorry you had to cancel your wedding," He dropped his voice to a whisper, leaning close to her face as though he were about to kiss her. "I know how devastating that must be for you." The knowing look in her eyes made her stomach churn, and he popped the sugar cube in his mouth and grinned haughtily before stepping back.
"Have a good day." He snorted in amusement as the others came closer to them. "Peeta." He inclined his head slightly before sauntering away. Peeta's eyes nervously darted up and down Finnick's form before he gave a stiff nod, the other's cool demeanor having unnerved him.
"Finnick." It came out as more of a growl than a greeting. He stepped closer to Katniss, almost as though it would keep anyone else at bay. "What'd he want?" He tried to keep his tone light, but she could see how his gaze had darkened in anger. His entire attitude had changed with the short encounter with the District 4 tribute.
"To know all my secrets." She tried to laugh and play it off as though it hadn't unnerved her as much as it did.
"He'll have to get in line." He grinned at her, his easygoing nature returning as quickly as it had gone. She smiled at him in return, although she was almost positive it looked more like a grimace.
Haymitch clapped as they stepped off the chariots and approached him.
"Nice. Way to make friends out there, you two." He patted her on the arm as she got closer. Her eyes flashed.
"Well, we learned from the best." She bit out, glancing at the two people on his left side. Haymitch ignored her and gestured to the people next to him.
"I want to introduce you to some special friends of mine. This is Seeder," The tall black woman nodded graciously. "And Chaff." Before Katniss could comprehend what he was doing, the other tribute stepped forward and grabbed her face, and kissed her on the lips. "From District 11." She jerked back quickly, her eyes wide with shock, and felt her face flame as both men chuckled. "Uh, he's very friendly. Don't invite him over. He'll drink up your liquor. I'll see you guys soon." He nodded to both tributes before leading Peeta and Katniss towards the elevator. "Let's get some of that makeup off you and talk about these other tributes." Katniss felt extremely vulnerable and kept glancing behind her, trying to make sure Chaff wasn't going to follow them.
"These tributes are crazy." She hissed at him, growing angrier at the smell of alcohol emanating off him. Evidently, Haymitch did not see a problem with his friend's actions.
"No, not all of 'em. He's a good guy." He grabbed her arm as they approached the Peacekeepers on either side of the elevator doors. "Carry on." He said, saluting them. Katniss felt her stomach twist with anxiety. How Haymitch was able to speak to them like that- even drunk- was a mystery to her. The doors slid open and the three of them stepped in, Peeta selecting the button for their floor.
"You guys look amazing." A tall woman had slipped into the elevator seconds before it closed. Haymitch raised his brows in surprise, but inclined his head to her. Katniss remembered her from the reaping video Haymitch had showed them. Johanna Mason, District 7.
"Thank you." Katniss eyed her up and down and was suddenly extremely grateful for Cinna's sense of fashion. Her dress looked as though it were constructed out of tree bark, the collar touching the underside of her chin.
"My stylist is such an idiot. District 7. Lumber. Trees. Ugh. I'd love to put my axe in her face." She paused in removing her jewelry and Katniss scowled as the woman turned to Peeta and pulled her ponytail away from her neck, smirking haughtily. "What do you think now that all the world wants to sleep with you?" She startled in surprise.
"I don't think-" she began, but was immediately cut off.
"I wasn't talking to you. Unzip?" Katniss felt heat rise to her cheeks as Johanna smiled at Peeta.
"Uh, sure." He looked at both Katniss and Haymitch in turn, as though questioning if this is how they'd make allies. Haymitch was smirking and staring, obviously siding with Peeta. Johanna turned towards them, unabashedly showing herself. Katniss tightened her jaw, glaring at each man in turn. She looked away as Johanna's dress fell to the floor and the other woman began removing her shoes. It felt as though the elevator would never reach its designated floor. Finally, it dinged lightly, and the doors pulled open.
"Thanks. Let's do it again sometime." She walked out of the doors quickly, leaving her clothes behind, her ponytail swinging with each step. Peeta was grinning now, but upon seeing the look on Katniss's face, quickly stared at the ground. Haymitch snorted loudly, and Katniss could smell the alcohol on his breath as he spoke.
"Thank you. Johanna Mason. District 7."