Unbelievers


She found him on the side walk, leaning against the wall of the building facing the busy Capitol street.

First off, Annie knew she shouldn't have been walking by herself. Whether it be the instinctive drive of a human being to avoid places where one could be mugged, or just years of insistence by her father that she shouldn't walk around in the Capitol alone, but whatever the case, Annie had always been a good girl. And good girls weren't supposed to walk alone in the city at night. But for once, Annie was walking by herself to her car at night, because she had just gotten out of a meeting that had run late with her fellow software engineers and didn't take up their offer to hit the bar afterwards, because even though she got along with her fellow coworkers Annie wasn't friends with them. Whenever she went out with them it always felt like she was on the outside looking in and she would rather just go home and curl in bed with her three cats then worry about entertaining other humans while they consumed copious amounts of liquor. So that's why she was there, walking on the street at night, and maybe that was the luckiest day of her life. Even though it didn't seem that way at first.

His face was bruised, and his lip was split. He had obviously wiped the blood off his face so the only remnants of blood was the small stain on the collar of his grey tee shirt. He sat there as he smoked a cigarette, but the faces he made when he took a puff told Annie that he was a social smoker. And judging by the shape he was in, Annie didn't fault him for lighting one up. She hadn't realized she had paused in front of him before he looked up to her and gave her a beautiful smile. Even as bruised and battered as he was, Annie knew she was looking at someone who possessed a rare and spectacular form of beauty, even though it was weird to think of a man as beautiful, but that night was weird so why shouldn't she think he was beautiful when he really was and Annie was half-dumbfounded by it.

"Hey there." He greeted, and Annie looked behind her and saw no one else and he chuckled, "Yeah. You."

"Um…uh, yeah?" She asked, confused as the man blew smoke circles into the air, before snuffing out the cigarette on the side walk.

"I know I may look rough right now, but if you're sweet I can give you something nice." The man just about purred, his teeth were so white they were just about reflecting the headlights of the cars that passed by.

"Um…what?" Annie asked, unsure if whether it was the blank look on her face or the way she shifted between her feet that made the man roll his eyes, as if he was saying something totally obvious to her and she just wasn't getting it.

"Something nice. Should I spell it out for you?" He asked, getting up and relying heavily on the wall behind him to do so, and she was just struck dumb by his green eyes…but they weren't really green. They more like green blue, the same color that the Mediterranean was the time that she went to Italy with her family. And she was so captured by his eyes she wasn't even listening until he said, "Pay me, and I'll make you feel better than ever. That's a guarantee."

Her brain started working again as if the fog in her mind was evaporated by the flashing white of his smile, except at that moment it was going into overdrive. Her face flushed a deep red and she could see the amusement on his face.

"I'm not interested." She choked out and he sighed and kicked the cigarette butt.

"Shame." He said simply.

"I can help you though." She offered and he raised an eyebrow.

"With what? Finding Jesus?" He scoffed and it was her turn to roll her eyes.

"Maybe with your face?" Annie said, before motioning down the street. "I live close by, and my car is parked over here. Would you at least let me get you an ice-pack?"

"Sure." The man said, with an odd sort of smile, before motioning ahead, "Lead the way."

The drive over to Annie's apartment was quiet and awkward, the guy just stared out the window and Annie was breaking out into a cold sweat because she had no idea what she was doing. She eventually got them back to her place, the doorman giving both of them a weird look as they got into the elevator and traveled up to her apartment. With shaking hands she stuck the key into her door, and by some miracle she managed to get the door open.

"Wow. Nice apartment." The guy said, sounding surprised.

"Thanks." Annie said softly. Her trendy warehouse loft-styled apartment was furnished with sandy colored hardwood floors, accented with white furniture and cream colored walls, with blue pillows and sea-décor. It was one bedroom, one bathroom, with a kitchen and living room and overlooked by the loft which she considered to be her office and where most of her work was done. Annie could already spot one of her cats, her sleek beautiful black cat Naiad resting on the railing of the loft. Her other two cats, one large Main Coon mix named Percy and a tabby cat named Siren were probably sleeping somewhere else. "Throw your jacket on the coat hanger, I'm going to grab the first aid kit from the bathroom."

Annie left the man alone, as she walked into the bathroom, just remembering she was wearing her work outfit: a pencil skirt, a cream colored blouse and blazer, and high heels. She really couldn't wait to get into her sweatpants and crawl into bed. Her weekly Saturday meeting was the only day she actually ever bothered to dress like a human being. Just then she nearly giggled at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. Here she was with a male prostitute in the house and she was thinking about sweatpants and meetings. What an odd night, she thought as she shuffled around the bathroom. Annie grabbed the first aid kit when she found it, as she took of her heels and threw them into her bedroom before turning the corner with the first aid kit in hand.

And there she found the man shirtless, revealing his chest, chiseled with gorgeous muscles and tanned golden by the sun. It was the kind of body she would've expected to see on a surf board back home in District Four.

"Woah!" She gasped, completely thrown for a loop, "What are you doing?"

"Huh? Just getting comfortable." He purred, "Like what you see?"

In response Annie fished around the corner, pulling out her fluffy pink bathrobe and chucking it at his head, her face probably a shade of purple.

"Get uncomfortable." She ordered, "And sit down, I'm cleaning up your face."

"You're serious about that?" The man asked incredulously as Annie walked to her fridge, pulled out a bag of frozen peas before placing it in his hand.

"Dead serious." Annie told him before pointing to the ottoman like a mother sending her child to time out, "Now sit."

He actually had the nerve to start laughing as he sat down before he winced as he placed the frozen peas to the side of his face. Annie checked his face over, trying not to secretly marvel at his perfect jawline or kissable mouth. If his face hadn't been so obviously swollen and the area around his eyes going black and blue, she was sure it would be hard to resist him. She checked his cheekbones, nothing chipped as far as she could tell. All his teeth were still there, despite the split lip. And his nose definitely wasn't broken. And his eyes were almost at the same level of dilation so he most likely didn't have a serious head injury, despite the growing bump on the back of his head. Thankfully it seemed like he had just gotten socked a few times in the face, though she definitely wasn't medically trained so she couldn't really tell. So with a q-tip and disinfectant she tended to all his scrapes and cuts to the best of her ability.

"You're pretty young to have all this. You an heiress or something?" The man asked, and Annie rolled her eyes.

"Hardly. I finished high school when I was seventeen, finished college at twenty one, and now I work as a head software engineer and programmer." She explained simply.

"You must be really smart." The man observed, sounding impressed.

"I don't know about that. I'm just good at my job." Annie admitted before tossing the final q-tip in the trash can. "There. Cleaned up as much you can be, but just keep holding that there. Are you okay?"

"I guess." He admitted, before saying gratefully, "Thank you."

"No problem." She said, sticking out her hand. "I'm Annie. Annie Cresta."

"Finnick Odair." He said, taking it. "And before you ask, yes. It's my real name, not my work name. You aren't a customer, nor do you seem like a serial killer so I figured there's no reason not to tell you."

"I guess not." Annie said with a smile. "So am I going to hear the story about how someone attempted to ruin your face? A scorned lover perhaps?"

"I wish!" Finnick laughed, "Nah. I was walking home, I work at the Cornucopia-"

"The brothel." Annie said, a little relieved. In Panem prostitution was legal, but of course there had to be regulations followed. Though it was sleazy in her opinion, the Cornucopia was a legal brothel on the south side of the Capitol. One of the most expensive ones too. If this guy worked there then he wasn't a lowly streetwalker, but rather a high-end callboy.

"Yeah. Anyways, I was walking home and some guys mugged me and took my money. End of story. But the scorned lover thing might be a good way to spin it to my roommates." Finnick chuckled, "Considering I lost what was supposed to be the rest of our rent and groceries this month, and with my face in this condition I'll have to take some days off. I figured maybe I could get you off and scavenge what I could, but no can do. I don't normally fuck people I'm on a first name basis with."

"Well, how about this?" Annie said, reaching over to her purse and pulling out her wallet and one hundred and fifty dollars. "Will this at least cover part of it?"

Finnick gaped at her like a fish, before shaking his head furiously.

"I didn't do anything for you though." He protested, "I won't take your money if I haven't earned it."

"Fine. Then you owe me a favor. Think of it as a loan or something." Annie said, "Just take the money, Odair. The only thing I ever spend my money on is Chinese food and my cats, just put it to good use."

"Okay." Finnick said, "Do you have a pen and paper?"

"Yeah, sure." Annie said quickly getting up, and grabbing a piece of scrap paper and pen for him. In large, bulky, crammed together writing, he jotted down a number.

"This is my number…if you ever want me to repay that favor." Finnick said, and she smiled at him.

"You can take the peas if you want."

"Yeah, that'd probably be a good idea." Finnick said awkwardly, before saying, "Thanks a lot Annie Cresta."

"You're welcome, Finnick Odair." Annie said, feeling something warm inside her chest. "Keep the ice on to keep the swelling down and your face should be fine. And you might want to get checked out by a doctor if you develop a headache or nausea. You might have a concussion, but in any case make sure you get a lot of sleep."

He gave her a brilliant smile, and left her alone in her empty apartment.


Annie was a private person. It wasn't that she disliked the company of other people. It was more that she liked to have personal space. She liked her time alone, she liked the quiet. Annie had grown up in a huge, noisy family, and there had never been a moment to herself. So she relished in her quiet time, in her place that all belonged to her. That's not to say she had a rough time growing up or something. She had a good relationship with her family, who she called about three times a week, especially her father who held a special place in her heart. But she was also far away from them, so it left her feeling very…separate.

So she had joined an expensive gym, and went to exercise classes. It was during a yoga class that she eventually found people that she could consider friends and would consider themselves that as well. That was where she was that morning, spreading her mat on the floor as Delly and Madge put their mats next to hers.

"Hey. You're looking tired, Annie." Madge said, and Annie resisted the urge to tell her about what had happened last night. After all, it was Madge and Delly who were the heiresses, not Annie. Madge's father was the governor of District Twelve, and Delly's family owned a trendy, popular shoe company that had been around since forever. They were both blonde haired blue eyed and curvy, and could've been sisters by anyone's view. Mostly due to the fact that while Madge was more demure and polite, and Delly was outgoing and personable, they both shared an insatiable appetite for gossip. And what had occurred last night would have been the fuel for a very interesting conversation.

"Just a late meeting." Annie said, deciding to keep the events of the previous night to herself as she tried to stretch out her tense muscles. "Where's Katniss and Johanna?"

"Peeta's got some big client coming to the bakery for a consultation and Katniss wanted to be there for moral support. Johanna is…well, I'm pretty sure if what she told me last night was true, she is still in bed with the smoking hot guy from the Hooka bar." Delly giggled, naming the other girls in their group. Johanna and Katniss were more like her, girls who had worked into the socialite level of society. Though it would seem to anyone that Katniss and Johanna would rub each other the wrong way, they were friends until the end, and owned an up and coming athletic line of clothes and outerwear together. Katniss's boyfriend Peeta was the owner of a trendy bakery downtown that just seemed to be getting bigger and busier by the day. Annie really thought what Katniss and Peeta had was wonderful. They balanced each other out to a tee, and they were both so sweet (though Katniss could seem taciturn in the beginning, she was actually very caring). Johanna on the other hand was a wild spirit to the core, the sort of girl who treaded the line of fashionable bluntness and downright insanity all too often. But if she grew to like you she would defend you until the end of time.

Annie sometimes wondered why all of these wonderful people considered themselves her friends. She was happy they did, after all she didn't have any family nearby and they filled up the void of her time with their coffee runs and funny girls' night outs. But it was like everything. Annie just felt content. Nothing more and nothing less.

Annie smoothly went into a sun salutation, and breathed out as class began as she tried to organize her thoughts while her body moved. She imagined it like waves. The people around her experienced emotions like waves, sometimes they crested other times they crashed into shore leaving them breathless. But there was that movement between phases, like the moon cycle. But she was nothing, nothing really excited her or saddened her. She was just a tidal pool, cut off from the ocean, teaming with internal struggle like a stagnant pool. A person who was just empty. Annie had been that way for as long as she could remember. No matter what she did, she could just never shake the bone deep sense of complete emptiness. And why? She had everything a person could ever want for. A family, friends, a good job, a good home. She had all of it, and had tried to get all of it as if that could be the magical cure. But none of it was.

She had just accepted it one day. She could even remember it, the anticlimactic climax of her life, as she sat in a coffee shop drinking her black coffee. She had just gotten promoted to her three figure salary and all she was doing was sitting there feeling no different than when she hadn't had that ridiculous amount of money on a check, as a couple of teenagers sat in front of her and laughed and talked and she realized that Annie Cresta would never be like that. Annie Cresta was just one of those people who was just never meant to be happy, and that was it.

Maybe that was why she had helped Finnick last night. Maybe it was just because, helping him had lifted her stagnant emotions just a little bit and that had taken the weight that was crushing her off her shoulders just a little bit. It had made her feel that distant echo of happiness that she had long since forgotten. She hoped that Finnick was able to get his rent together, not that in this town a hundred and fifty bucks would cover a rent. But hopefully it was a little help. And just for letting her feel hopeful and a little happiness, what had transpired last night was worth it.

Yoga went by quickly and before long, she was sitting with Madge and Delly at their favorite coffee shop. Both of them had gotten a chai tea latte or something, while she had gotten just a plain black coffee when suddenly Madge's phone rang. She picked it up, and held it to her ear,

"Hello? Katniss? What's up?" Madge asked before suddenly her eyes widened, "No way. No way! Peeta proposed?"

"What?" Delly squealed excited, "Ohmigoodness tell her to send a picture of the ring!"

"Tell her congratulations." Annie said honestly.

"Yeah. Yeah, Delly's having an aneurism and Annie sends her congrats. Yep, we're at the regular coffee shop." Madge said, "Come and swing by and tell us all the details. Does Johanna know? Really? She helped Peeta set it up? That girl's a sneak! Alright. Alright, see you when you get here!"

Madge hung up the phone and her and Delly shared a squeal of delight while Annie just smiled.

Katniss and Johanna arrived, Katniss still obviously flushed and sporting a white-gold band with a simple diamond, while Johanna smiled widely. Apparently, Peeta with Johanna's help had flown in Katniss's mother Alyss and younger sister Prim, for what Katniss had believed to be a consultation for a wedding cake. When they walked through the door, Peeta had gotten down on one knee and proposed, and thankfully Katniss had accepted.

"I was a little worried there that Brainless was going to blow it," Johanna said, "But by the time he popped the question Katniss here looked ready to blow him."

"Johanna." Katniss said with a roll of her eyes.

"So what are you going to do for the wedding? Have you even thought about it?" Madge asked excitedly.

"I dunno. I want it to be soon, I don't want to put it off you know? Maybe at the end of the social season with just family members and a few friends." Katniss said, referring to the season that they were currently going into. In upper crust society it seemed like all of the parties and galas and events were going on, and concentrated during this time in spring and early summer. It was the way things had been going since forever.

"Great idea!" Delly said, "The wedding could be like the grand finale. Then you need to get to work then, planning everything. Of course Peeta is going to make your cake and cater the wedding. And you know, Rue and Thresh run that pretty high end floral business."

"Cinna could give you the most gorgeous gown." Madge said, referring to Katniss's good friend, the famed fashion designer Cinna. Annie had been to a few of his fashion shows with Katniss, and couldn't imagine a better person to help Katniss.

"And your Uncle Haymitch is married to the famous wedding planner right? Effie Trinket." Johanna asked and Katniss face palmed. Haymitch Abernathy, who wasn't actually Katniss's Uncle, but her deceased father's good friend, was the owner of an important mining company and though surly and fond of drink, was another of Katniss's most important family members.

"Oh God. I need to call them. I'm sure Effie will take the whole wedding upon herself." Katniss groaned, "I'll have to beat it through her skull that pink and leopard print is not the kind of wedding I want."

"Well, that's great isn't it?" Annie said, "I'm happy for you."

"Now all we need to do is find Annie a plus one." Madge said, and Annie blinked.

"What?"

"Annie don't you think we all don't know that you're the only one in our group that doesn't have a date for the social season?" Madge said and Annie flushed.

"Wha…who's Johanna going with?"

"Thresh, obviously." Johanna said, naming the previously mentioned Thresh, whose family business was extremely well known and was also Johanna's on and off boyfriend. Annie really liked Thresh, and hoped that they would actually stay together this time, but like anything with Johanna, who the hell knew what was going to happen? "Now come on, who could you ask? There has to be someone."

"Why don't you go with one of Peeta's brothers or something? I'm sure I could set you up." Delly offered happily, referring to Peeta's two older brothers Rye and Bannock. Rye was a hot shot lawyer who was also fond of women who only stayed around for one night if he could help it, and while big, quiet Bannock, who owned the other location of the bakery was someone Annie had enjoyed spending time with, she was pretty sure that Lavinia Rochelle, the equally quiet but absolutely stunning supermodel had her eye on him and Annie didn't want to get in the way of someone who really wanted Bannock.

"No, no. I'll figure something out." Annie promised awkwardly, and just like that the topic was dropped and the rest of the girls continued to talk about wedding plans as Annie continued to wonder what she was supposed to do.


"Hey." Finnick greeted her properly startling Annie and almost making her spill her coffee all over the table. She gave him a wobbly smile as he sat down opposite of her because she couldn't believe what she was about to do, "Cool place. I've never been in here before."

"Yeah. I come here a lot." Annie said before sighing, "Sorry if I'm bothering you. How's your head?"

"I'm doing alright. I started feeling a little nauseous after I got back to my apartment and went to the doctor. I've got a minor concussion, but after a few days of sleeping all the time I'm feeling better." Finnick said, "And trust me, this is far from bothering me. Thanks to you I was able to get the rest of the rent straightened out, and considering you called me I'm guessing you want me to repay that favor."

"Yeah…but it's a little more than a small favor. I was really hoping you could help me out." Annie sighed, "As you're probably aware…social season's coming up."

"Oh, I'm definitely aware. It's the busiest time of the year." Finnick said, "A lot of…tourism so to speak."

"Well…there's a lot of events I have to go to. And…I need a plus one." Annie said tiredly, "My friends are really busting my ass about it."

"You want me to be your plus one to a bunch of socialite parties?" Finnick asked, eyebrow quirking up. "Me? Why? Couldn't you just find a date?"

"I don't go to all of them. And all the guys I know have girlfriends, and it would be too late to try to find someone else." Annie said, "It's just to the ones my friends are hosting. Delly's family having a tea party/golf tournament. Madge's father is hosting a fundraiser gala for the arts, Johanna is throwing an engagement party for my two friends Katniss and Peeta who are getting married, and at the end of the season is their wedding. I'll pay you whatever you want, but we've got to make it realistic-"

"Wait. Wait a second. Delly? Madge? Johanna and Katniss? You can't mean the Cartwright Shoe Co. daughter, Governor Undersee's kid, and those two girls from District Outdoor? Peeta Mellark-The one with the reality TV show about the bakery? You know them? You're friends with them?" Finnick said, sounding more shocked by the moment.

"Um…yes?"

"Holy shit. Um…wow. What on earth has my life come to?" Finnick asked with a chuckle, probably not knowing that Annie shared that exact sentiment. "What kind of business do you work for? Don't tell me you're from the mafia or something, because I really try to avoid that shady shit."

"I work for Gamemakers. And like I said, I'm just good at my job." Annie said with a roll of her eyes, "I'm as far from shady as you can get. I'm actually horrifyingly boring, as I'm just a normal girl from District Four."

"Right. A girl from District Four who just so happens to work for Gamemakers, a Forbes list level company, who's asking a callboy to go with her to parties. That's totally normal." Finnick scoffed, shaking his head before saying, "But you know what? Alright. I'll do this. But to pull this off it'll need to be really realistic."

"I've got an idea." Annie said after a moment's thought. "So, tomorrow night the girls and I are going to Crane's, you know the club? To celebrate Katniss's engagement."

"Yeah, that's a pretty cool club." Finnick said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We could 'meet' at the club, you know, you pick me up or something. They all know I'm from Four and we can just…pretend that we knew each other from the District."

"That's not a huge stretch considering I'm from Four." Finnick said and Annie blinked.

"Really?" Annie said, remembering how she had thought he looked like a District Four boy. Huh. Associations were powerful things.

"Yeah. I'm from Beachside." Finnick said, naming the more tourist driven section of Four, nicknamed as it contained the best beaches and resorts, though most of the people lived in lower income working households. "What part are you from?"

"Harborside." Annie said, naming the more affluent area of Four. "My parents owned Cresta's Clam Shack."

"No way." Finnick said, eyes wide, "I've been there before. Hell, maybe we have actually met before."

"Maybe." Annie said, feeling strangely comforted by that fact. He was a District Four guy, a boy that Annie might've met on the beach by a fire pit during summer vacation, and roasted marshmallows with on driftwood spits while complaining about the teachers at school or talking about classic rock music. A guy she could've gone on his father's fishing boat with before going to her family's restaurant and sharing a fisherman's platter with until they had eaten enough fried seafood to last them for a while. How different their lives had turned out, Annie thought sadly.

"So how about this. We met on the beach during one of those parties, and hung out but it wasn't anything too serious." Finnick said, spinning the story with ease, "We stopped seeing each other when you went to…"

"Capitol U." Annie supplemented.

"Right, because we didn't think a long distance relationship would work out. But we were still on good terms. Lost contact for a while, you were going to school and got your degree, and I was working on my dad's boat, and taking a few years off from school. But now I'm thinking about going to college to get a degree in…"

"Education." Annie said, starting to get more comfortable with this idea, "And you're here visiting your friends who go to Capitol U or one of the other colleges. But they got too wasted at the bar and you still wanted to go to the club-"

"So I just so happen to be there and meet you again. Sparks fly. Your friends tell you that this is fate and that you need to invite me to be your plus one, and after a bit of convincing you invite me." Finnick said, before smiling proudly, "It's the perfect plan. Except…I don't own anything nice enough to wear to swanky parties."

"I'll explain that, and they'll jump all over you and volunteer their own wallets." Annie said, "that's the way they are. I'll cover all your expenses, and…what do you think will be a fair payment for each thing I go with you too?"

"Well…I don't know. I'm a callboy, not an escort." Finnick muttered, "Well…normally people are charged 300 dollars per hour, and I get 200 per day. So…200?"

"No way. I have to pay you more than that." Annie said, shaking her head, "This stuff is like torture. And besides I'm keeping you from your work and you'll be playing make believe with me. 200 isn't a fair trade."

"You're way too good of a person for this town." Finnick said with a cluck of his tongue, "I owe you a favor and you still want to pay me for nothing but bringing you to rich people parties for two hours or something."

"Well I don't think it's nothing. Let me give you four hundred per event, and pay for any expenses that come with it like renting you a suit or something." Annie said and Finnick sighed,

"If that's what would make you happy. That's the business I'm in."

"It would." Annie said, "Are you up for this?"

"I was born ready." Finnick said with that gorgeous smile of his, "I'll be able to get into Crane's easy. I know a guy. Just tell me when to be there and I'll be there."

"Okay. Now tell me would you like something to drink or something to eat? My treat." Annie said with a small smile of her own.

Finnick smiled back at her, and began to talk, giving her a rundown of everything she could possibly need to know about him. It was then that Annie began to think that this might work, that maybe, just maybe, she would somehow be able to convince her friends that this random guy, this callboy she had just met was someone she would go out with and invite to be her plus one.

After all, the story they were spinning had to be easier to believe then the real one, because the truth was stranger than fiction, and even though neither of them probably believed that this would work, they were just going to have to make it work. She was just going to have to pretend to be in love with Finnick Odair, and Finnick Odair was going to have to pretend to be in love with Annie Cresta.

And all she could do at that point was to hope for the best.


So this is a thing I may or may not finish eventually.

...I've got a lot on plate right now guys. It's like for real an issue. I always dig myself into these holes and now I'm in o deep think I'm halfway to the center of the earth and dinosaurs and Josh Hutcherson are gonna jump out because that's how big this effing hole has gotten.

Anyways...

Fandom4lls was a fundraiser that I was invited to take a part of even though I'm not sure I'm half as good as formulating words in my brain space as most of the other contributors but you know what apparently they haven't figured that out yet so we're all good my friends! :)

But in all seriousness and mushiness, in being a part of the HG fanfiction community you can just feel the love for these characters and the high level of craftsmanship. I was so honored to have even been considered worthy enough to donate one of my fics to help a cause that is so important that I cried for like three hours nonstop for real because I'm just one nineteen year old chick who likes writing for fun, and the idea that this hobby can bring happiness to others really just makes me feel grateful.

If you want to find out more about Fandom4lls please look them up cause their awesome, and I'd also like to say this fic is also the 400th reviewer of RY, GriffindorNay's request which is crazy and I absolutely love you. I hope you enjoyed this very late fic and I hope I did your request some justice.

I love all of you, review/fav/alert if you so please. And until next time~OMGitsgreen