A/N - This is my version of Finnick's Games. Finnick is my favorite character in the series!
Please review and tell me what you think!
I wake up to the sound of seagulls cawing madly. I lay down with my eyes closed for a minute, slightly confused for a moment as to where I am. I run through the events of last night in my head, then jolt awake with a start. I've fallen asleep on the beach again.
My mother told me to be home by midnight last night! I am in so much trouble. So much. She's always in an extra bad mood on Reaping Day.
I'm going to be grounded for the next year, I just know it. I shake the sand off of my skin on my bare chest. I feel asleep after some late night swimming, my trunks were covered in sand. I start to make my way slowly to my house.
I'm already late, no use rushing home just to get yelled at.
After taking fifteen minutes to walk a five minute distance, I take a deep breath and walk into my house, ready to face the wrath of mom.
I creaked open the door, and peaked inside before I walked in. The kitchen was only occupied by my little sister, Lucy. Lucy is only 11 now, so she doesn't have to be in the Reaping later today.
"Oooo, Finnick!" She said upon seeing me, "You're gonna get it! Momma is soo mad!"
Her young, rosy face looks smug, and her curly bronze hair is all over the place.
"Shut up, Lucy!" I snap back at her. Little sisters are the worst. "No on likes you!"
"Mom!" She calls out, angered at my insult. "Finnick's home and he's being mean!"
"FINNICK TIBERIUS ODAIR!" I hear her voice shrilly call from upstairs. I hear thumping, indicating that she is storming her way downstairs. I give Lucy a look, which she returns.
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS?" She hollers upon entering the room. She has bags under eyes, and her face is red from the yelling. "I COULDN'T SLEEP A WINK LAST NIGHT! I CALLED ALL THE NEIGHBORS, NO ONE KNEW WHERE YOU WERE!"
"I'm sorry, Ma!" I say weakly, trying to calm her down. "I just feel asleep on the beach, after a long swim! It won't happen again!"
"That's what you said last time, Finnick!" She said, not yelling anymore, but speaking very sternly. "And the time before that! I've had enough with your staying out all night!"
"Well, maybe I'll get reaped today, and you won't have to worry about that anymore!" I say, lightly, trying to calm her down with some humor. Her face grew more livid. Aw, crap.
"DON'T EVEN JOKE ABOUT THAT, FINNICK!" She screamed, turning around and heading back upstairs. "THE REAPING IS IN TWO HOURS, GET YOURSELF READY."
I sighed, and headed to my room upstairs. Our family is not super poor, but we aren't super rich either. My dad works on the boats, collecting fish, he sometimes takes me along, too. He is the more laid back of my two parents, he was still sleeping. Everyone got to take Reaping Day off.
I grab a pair of dress pants and a button down shirt from the closet in my room, and head to the bathroom to take a shower.
I look in the mirror at my reflection. There is sand all over my torso, and in my bronze colored hair. My green eyes look slightly bloodshot from only getting a few hours of restless sleep on the beach. I shake some of the sand out of my hair, and get in the shower to wash the remaining grains out.
I dry myself off and dress in my nice clothing. I rub the towel on my head, to dry off my hair. A few grains of sand fall out, and I sigh. Sand is so difficult to get out of my hair.
After getting myself ready, I get a bite to eat in the kitchen. Most kids are really nervous when Reaping Day comes around. It doesn't really scare me that much, though. I am only fourteen, and I don't have any tesserae, so my name is in the Reaping three times.
And, even if I get chosen, 50 percent of the time, someone volunteers in District 4. I don't have much to worry about.
I only get through half of my orange in peace before Lucy is back, dressed in nice clothes, but not looking nervous at all, because she's only 11.
"Go away, Lucy!" I snarl at her. She really gets on my nerves. Always sucking up to mom and dad, when actually she's a wolf in lamb's clothing. "You're such a little brat!"
"And you're a jerk!" She says, her eyes narrowed. "I hope you get reaped today! I hope you go into the Hunger Games!"
I snorted. Yeah, right. The chances of me going into the Games are very slim.
"Well, keep hoping, loser," I say, still laughing at her. "Cause it's not going to happen."
"I really hope it does!"
"Hope what does, sweetie?" My mom says, making her way down the stairs, putting an earring back on her left ear.
"I hope it stays sunny like this for the rest of the week!" Lucy says, brightly without missing a beat. She's so good at lying, it's scary. I don't bother trying to tell my mom what she actually is hoping, because I know she won't believe me.
"I hope it does, too, darling!" She says, running her fingers through Lucy's hair. Lucy shoots me a smug look, and I just roll my eyes. "Finnick, are you ready?"
"Yeah, ma," I say, throwing away my orange peel. "I'm ready."
"Mark! Let's go!" My mom calls up the stairs to my dad.
My dad looks a lot like me, only older. He's straightening his tie as he walks downstairs.
"Hey, Finn!" He says when he sees me. "Nervous about the reaping?"
I roll my eyes, and wave my hand, as if to say 'yeah, right!'
"Good! No use being nervous," he says as the four of us walk out our front door and make our way towards the square, which is about a ten minute walk. "It won't change anything!"
My dad and I have always been close. He takes me on his boat all the time, and he's taught me how to tie good, strong nets, and how to stab larger fish with tridents.
"Mark, your son stayed out all night again last night," my mom said, her voice crisp. I could tell she was still angry at me.
"Our son, you mean?" He asks, his eyebrows raised. "I'm pretty sure you gave birth to him."
"Yes, OUR son," My mother says impatiently. "Don't you have anything you'd like to say to OUR son?"
"Finn, don't stay out all night," he says half heartedly, to appease my mother. He gives me a wink when she's not looking, though.
We make it to the square, which is already packed with people. I say goodbye to my family, then head over to the fourteen years old boy's section.
"Finnick!" I hear someone call out. Oh, great. I know that voice. "Finny! Over here!"
I look in the fifteen year old girl's section, and sure enough, there she is. I sigh and walk over to her; I really need to break it off with her.
"Hey, Val," I say when I reach her. Val is my girlfriend. Sure, she's pretty, I guess. Long blonde hair, blue eyes and tan, and she's an older women (even if it's only one grade), but she's really clingy, and it's starting to get on my nerves.
She leans over and gives me a big kiss on the lips. I wish she wouldn't in front of all these people.
"Aren't you, like, so nervous about the Reaping?" She says, giving a pouty face. "I am! Like, my name is in the drawing one more time than last year! So, I'm, like, even more nervous than last year!"
"Nah, I'm not that nervous," I say truthfully. She sighs and bats her eyelashes.
"Aw! That's my Finny!" She says, proudly, stroking my cheek. "So brave!"
She tries to give me another kiss, but I back away.
"Finnick!" She says, with a hint of anger! "I could get reaped! Kiss me!"
"Listen, Val," I say, taking her hand. I know how to break up with girls, you have to be sweet and sentimental and all that crap. "I don't think we should be together anymore."
"Finnick Odair!" She says loudly. Yep, she's angry now. "You aren't breaking up with me on Reaping Day, are you?"
"I don't want to make a scene, Val," I say, quietly, attempting to calm her down. "You know I care about you, I just don't think we work well together as boyfriend and girlfriend. We can still be friends."
"I DON'T WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU, FINNICK!" She yells, causing everyone's attention to turn towards us. "GET OUT OF HERE! AND IF I'M REAPED, DON'T BOTHER COMING TO SEE ME!"
I just sigh, and go to stand with the other boys my age. I knew she wouldn't take it well; she's a drama queen.
"You break up with Val, Finnick?" My friend, Liam, asks me, walking over to me. "I could here her screaming for all the way over here."
"Yeah, she was getting too clingy," I say, shrugging. Girls always wanted to date me, but they were always more interested in me than I was in them.
Don't get me wrong, I like girls just as much as any fourteen year old guy. But, all they wanted to do was talk about feelings, and that crap. I just liked the kissing.
"Settle down, citizens!" I hear our mayor say over the buzz from the crowd. "The Reaping is starting!"
Our plump mayor gives the same speech that he gives every year. Blah, blah, blah, Dark Days, blah, blah, blah, Hunger Games. After about ten minutes, our district's escort takes the mic.
"Hello, District Four!" Frenchie Lilkens says, in her weird Capitol accent. "I am so glad to be your escort again this year! Now, let's Reap this year's tributes, shall we?"
She sticks her hand into the names of the girls of the district, and grabs a slip of paper.
"This year's female tribute for District Four is Miss Lina Foster!" Frenchie says enthusiastically. "Come on up, Lina!"
There is a cry from the audience to volunteer, as there sometimes is here in our district.
A confident, good looking girl makes her way to the stage with her head held high and proud.
"My name is Crystal Whitman, and I will be the next victor of the Hunger Games!" She says upon reaching the stage.
The crowd cheers for Crystal, as she smiles and waves.
"Well, no onto our male tribute!"
She sticks her manicured hand into the male's names, and searches around for a piece of paper.
"Our male tribute this year is Mr. Finnick Odair!"
What? Me? I look around for a second, and realize that no one is going to volunteer. I walk to the stage, trying to seem confident.
Frenchie shakes my hand.
"My, my!" She says, smiling. "Aren't you handsome? Looks like we've got some great tributes this year!"
I shake Crystal's hand, hardly aware of what's going on around me.
Aw crap. I'm screwed.
A/N - So, what do you think? Let me know! :)