Re-uploading from my old account. Not stealing.
He loves me. He loves me not. I repeated to myself. I stared at him and plucked the petals off the pink Dianthus in my hand. I ran out of petals on he loves me not and discarded the naked flower to the sand.
"Hey!" I heard a voice. It was his. He was standing waist deep in water with a small group of boys. He held a trident full of fish and ushered me towards the water. Of course I eagerly obliged, almost forgetting the net I had for him lying net to me.
My toes hit the cold water and I only stepped in a few inches before I decided I shouldn't go any further. I wasn't allowed to get my new white dress wet. He rolled his eyes and waded out to meet me. He was so handsome. Bronze hair and tanned skin with such beautiful sea-green eyes. I was mesmerised.
He cleared his throat. I snapped back to attention. He expectantly held his hand out for the net. I blushed scarlet.
"H-here you go." I passed him the net, our hands touching for a bare second. My face turned rosier.
"Thanks." He grinned.
"N-no problem Finnick." I stuttered quietly.
A short and silent pause was wedged between us.
"Bye," I said quickly. I turned on my heel and stalked back to the beach, mentally slapping myself for acting like such an idiot.
"Finnick and Annie, sittin' n a tree." The other boys taunted and laughed from the water. I had never felt so humiliated.
"Leave it guys, she's just a kid." Finnick spoke calmly and made his way back into the water.
With tears gathering in my eyes I grabbed my towel from the sand and ran back home. There was no way that I was going to let him see me cry.
I knew for sure she would never love me.
Ten Years Later
I tied my curly dark brown hair into a very tight ponytail. I attempted to smile at my reflection, but my smile was weak and my green eyes showed no sign of happiness what so ever. I was dressed a loose and pale blue dress that went down to my knees with baby pink shell embroidery on the chest and sleeves. Simple brown brogues and pale pink socks were on my feet. It was typical Reaping attire.
"You look lovely darling." I looked through the mirror and saw my parents standing at the doorway, gripping tightly to one another for support. I was their only child. Seeing me go to the Reaping each year must have been horrible for them, considering that that year I was only sixteen. I smiled at them in the attempt to make them feel better.
"Don't worry, I have two years left and then I'm finished." I said. This seemed to cheer them up slightly, which made me feel better too.
The bell rang in the distance and I knew that it was time to go. I ran up to my parents and held them in a tight embrace. I let go and a tear ran down my mothers face.
"We will have dinner when you come back from the Reaping." My mother said, her voice breaking.
"With extra seaweed. Just like you like it." My father added for reassurance and slipped an arm around my mother's waist. I nodded in reply and we left our home. I took one final glance at it, in case I would never see it again.
After signing in we all stood in neat groups, The Justice Building and screen were ahead of us. A very brightly dressed woman named Lola Clementine stood on the stage we were facing. She bore a purple floral dress with a yellow wig and an eager grin consuming her face.
Along with her on the stage are the Mayor and the previous Victors, two middle-aged men and an older woman and two empty chairs. One was next to the old woman and one where the Mayor's daughter would have been sitting. They all wore sad expressions and it almost made me mad at them. It was all over for them but was still happening for us.
"Happy Hunger Games. And may the odds ever be in your favour."
There was a very pregnant pause.
"Welcome to the 70th Hunger Games Reaping!" She spoke proudly, clapping her hands. Everyone else was deadly silent; she was definitely thrown by that.
Lola cleared her throat. "Well, I guess now it is time for a special film."
More silence.
"From the Capitol." Lola added to make it sound like it actually meant something to us. She nodded her head to the screen, and images started to appear.
After watching a dull propaganda film about the revolution it was regrettably time for the Reaping.
"Oh I wish I could watch that again." Lola squealed. Obviously she was lying. No one could watch that more than once without being tempted to boredom. "Well now that thrilling part is over," Lola grinned brightly. "It is now time to choose a female to represent District Four in this years Hunger Games." Lola pranced towards the bowl on the left. She shuffled her hand around in the glass bowl for a good minute and each second, the ringing in my ear was growing louder.
A folded piece in hand she made her way to the microphone again, cleared her throat and spoke a name.
"Annie Cresta."
My entire world froze. I went numb.
Someone please volunteer!
"Where are you dear?" Lola got on her toes and looked out towards the crowd.
Anyone!
The girls parted in front of me. Someone from behind was pushing me forward. I had no choice but to walk.
Please!
"There you are dearest," Lola said and ushered me up the steps.
The clicking of my shoes on the concrete sent shivers up my spine and I didn't want to look up in fear that I would break down in front of my entire District. It was very difficult for me to hide my face due to my tight pony tail so I just kept my attention down to my shoes. I stole glances at my mother crying in my fathers arms. I wish I hadn't.
"Are there any volunteers?" Lola asked and looked around the girls.
I looked too, pleading silently to them and only getting blank expressions. I recognized more than a few girls that just lowered their heads down to the ground. I couldn't blame them; I would have done the same.
"Now for the gentlemen." Lola spoke in what seemed like eternity. She did the same for the boys.
The cameras tried to capture a nice shot of my face. I was too nervous to look back and just kept staring at my shoes, waiting for the next damned soul.
"I volunteer!" A boy dressed in a cotton white shirt and dark blue trousers shouted before Lola could pull out a name.
I glanced up for the first time and immediately knew the reason why he volunteered. He was around six foot two with pale golden hair and piercing clear blue eyes. Not to mention that he was completely chiselled. District Four was considered a career district but not as many people volunteered here as they did in Districts One and Two.
Unlike me, he pushed his way through the others and strode confidently up the steps of the Justice Building. That moment I knew he wasn't a damned soul, but a victor.
"What is your name sir?" Lola asked with a hint of mischievous flirting in her voice.
"Rio Ellwitt." He replied confidently looking over the crowd like he owned the place. He towered ten inches above me and looked about eighteen. I guessed that since this was his last chance to be apart of the Hunger Games, he decided to volunteer, it seemed so crazy to me.
With a sigh the defeated looking Mayor rose out of his chair and replaced Lola at the microphone and began to read the Treaty of Treason, mandatory at the Reapings. It was long, dull and I had heard it four times already. I listened because hearing it one last time couldn't hurt.
A delicate hand was placed on my back and I turned to find Lola ushering Rio and me together.
"Come on you two, shake hands." We did as we were asked, his handshake was firm and his eyes were unwavering on mine.
I knew that I was going to die.
I was staring out the window of the Justice Building when my parents barged into the cold and dark holding room. I ran up to them, holding them tighter than I ever had before. I tried so hard not to cry.
When I pulled away my mother's cheeks were wet with tears and my father held out a small piece of net in my face.
"What's this?" I asked, taking the gift carefully in my hands.
"It's the first knot you ever tied when you were three." My father answered. His eyes shiny with oppressed tears. He laughed weakly. "You learned how to tie nets before your own shoes." My father pressed his lips together.
Did he know that I was going to die too?
With shaky hands my mother took the net from my hand and fashioned it into a bracelet. "Please accept this as your token."
"Of course, mom." I smiled a fake smile. We all embraced one more time.
"Times up!" A Peacekeeper called from the door signalling my parents to leave.
"I love you," I whispered to them.
"We love you too. So much." My mother replied and gently kissed my cheek.
The door closed and everything except my rapid heartbeat was quiet. And everything except the lone tear trickling down my face was still.