"Guess who?" Finnick's hands covered my eyes so that my world was in gentle blackness. At the touch of his warm fingers, I relaxed. The reaping's next week, and I really don't think I'd be able to live through another. I only have two years left to go, and I'll be free from the reaping forever. I don't know how so many people manage to escape the clutches of the Capitol, but I really don't think I will. My Mother was reaped when she was thirteen, and she won because of the innocence of the other competitors. They wouldn't pass up a chance to put a Victor's child in the Games.
"Finnick." A smile reached my eyes, and Finnick removed his rough hands, and, even though he had only been blocking my sight for mere seconds, the brightness of the sun still blinds me.
"How did you know it was me?" He pouted, and I couldn't help grinning at his mock-moody expression.
"Oh, please." I grabbed his hand and pulled him to sit next to me on the steps of the grand justice building. The building was normally cold and lonely, but in the weak summer sunshine it had warmed slightly, and with the decorations they were putting up around the place, it was actually quite pleasant. "It was easy."
"What gives me away?" The beautiful boy next to me cried to the heavens, melodramatically, but he couldn't keep the grin off his face.
"The hands." I smiled, sticking my tongue out at him when he groaned. "They're just too you."
"What do you mean 'too you'?!" He tipped my chin up so I'd look him in the eye. "Are you insinuating there can be too much Odair, Miss Cresta?!"
"Why my dear," I brushed his hand away and stood, the sunlight winking off the small ring on my pinkie finger, the special one my father had given me. "I most certainly am."
I hadn't noticed him rise with me because of the brightness of the sun. By the time I had, it was too late. He grabbed me by the waist and flung me over his shoulder. Screaming, half with shock and the other with laughter, I knew I wasn't going to get away anytime soon. Even so, I beat his back pathetically with my weak fists. However, this just made him chuckle more. We got weird looks from the villagers until they realised who we were, and their looks changed to fond – we were recognised by everyone.
Despite our friendship, I was intimidated by Finnick. He was two years older than me, and had been training kids to kill one another for a good few years now. Not to mention the fact he managed to get out of an arena of 24 tributes alive.
And then there's the fact he's drop-dead gorgeous. Although that doesn't really bother me as much as it used to. It doesn't give you an instant insight into their personality, does it? No. So you can't judge people on appearance. It's not a person's fault if they're ugly, so don't judge them until you know them.
Thing is, we connected because of all the boring meetings and dinners we had to attend. Him, as a victor, and me, as a victor's daughter. At first, we started talking and joking about the posh-ness of the events, and then we started talking in public. Although he didn't attend school anymore, I still saw him round town, picking his way through the Saturday market in the town square or at the beach when he speared his fish.
The latter action I've never understood. Surely he didn't need any more money than he already has? Ma had always had more than enough to spend, but I never used any of the money she gave me. I just put it in the little box Finnick gave me for my last birthday in February and saved it up. We have our house at Victor's Village, as much as I hate it, and we get full meals on the table 3 times a day, 7 times a week. Surely he's the same? Often, I imagine it as his way to channel his stress. As the reaping's next week, he knows he'll have to go back to the Capitol soon, which will be stressing him out, big time. He's going back to the place where the treat him like filth unless he's sleeping with them.
I shouldn't know about what happens in the Capitol with his long string of lovers, but I do. Ma has mentioned a few times that 'she wouldn't mind a piece of him'. These comments always make me feel red hot and huffy. Why should she just add fuel to the fire? The Capitol ruins people's lives, and then uses them as public ridicule. Surely Ma knows that? As soon as she hit 16, 3 years after she won the Games, she had many men chasing her, but it took her around 10 years to settle down and choose a man to keep. Then, another few pretty female tributes came along and she was forgotten about. Usually, the Capitol let you off once you're married, as your popularity goes down. Back in the day, Ma was quite popular with her long, curly black hair, tanned skin and sharp green eyes that marked her from our district. I don't know how lucky Finnick's been.
I hope he hasn't had the abusive ones. I remember the time when Fa had just died and there had just been another Games, I was around eight. Ma had just been a Mentor, but she came back from the Capitol different. Her left eye was purple from a bruise, and she limped for at least a few months. When I was older, she explained that some people in the Capitol don't make love. They just have sex, which is more about pleasure; they don't care what they do to their partner's body; they just want to feel good.
But now life's better – Rake is our stepfather, and he takes care of Ma. I don't like him, but I have to tolerate him for Lycie's sake. That's pronounced L-eye-see. She's my little sister and I love her to pieces. If anything bad happened to her I'd probably go insane.
"Annieeeeee~" Finnick sang, not exactly tunefully, skipping along the edge of the beach District four was famous for. I had to refrain from yelping, and instead notified him in a calm voice,
"Finnick, if you don't put me down right this second, my lunch is going to reappear on your backside."
Well, let's just say I was upright again in a hurry. Then, he quickly checked my pulse and whether my skin was clammy. I just gave him a look that said 'what the heck are you doing?'
"Just checking you're okay." He beamed at me, finally deciding I was fine. Merely rolling my eyes, I threw myself down on the sandy beach. However, my expensive dress wasn't suited for the beach, and I could feel the dampness of the sand soaking through. Ma won't be happy, but screw her. It'll be fine. I'll hang it on the line and brush the sand off when it dries.
"It was your girly skipping that made me feel ill, thank you very much." I stuck my tongue out at him, and he laughed, knowing that it was true.
Then, we sat in comfortable silence for what must have been almost an hour. The sun was still quite high in the sky, so I guess it must be almost six. Mother will send Lycie along around seven when she thinks I've been out for too long, which is since school finished five hours ago. We start school at eight, when the sun's risen, and then continue through school until two, when we all go home for something to eat. Then we're free to do whatever we like with our day. Usually, I help Ahm with her house duties, because our house in Victor's Village is quite large and sometimes she can't handle cleaning it all. Of course, neither of us tells Ma this, as this would only lead to embarrassment and deduction in pay for her and punishment for me. However, today she was let off her duties, so I went to see how the town square was doing.
"Annie?" Finnick's voice was quiet, something I'd never expect. "Are you ever scared?"
Shock hit me like a wave; where was this coming from?
I swallowed, and turned to look at him. He was gazing right out to sea, watching the waves roll over each other in a constant dance of harmony. Ever since he'd been young, his father had taught him to swim in the water like a fish, taught him to dance with the waves and not step around them, taught him how to be at one with the sea. When Finnick was reaped, our area didn't have as much fish as usual, what with Finnick's father supplying most of our local fishmonger's. But everyone had admired Finnick in one way or another. The girls had admired his looks, their mothers, his charm, and their father's, his fishing skills. And then there were the boys, who had respect for him for the way he always refused to fight, his easy knowledge, and his way with girls. So when he disappeared to the arena, no-one really felt like buying or cooking. Everyone just concentrated on pooling the money to buy him that trident. But it turned out that the biggest sponsor was an anonymous source from the Capitol, whom we shall all be eternally grateful for.
They brought Finnick home.
"Of course." I smiled at him, gently. "I'm always scared."
At that, he looked at me, slightly puzzled, "But you never show it."
"No," I admit, "I've got better at that over the years."
At that, he stared deep into my eyes, and I looked back at his, so fascinatingly green. Like the waves, they dance with each other, the colours overlapping and swirling.
"What are you scared of, Annie?" He was almost whispering now. But he was close, so he didn't really need to say it much louder than that.
"Everything," And it's true. I'm still scared of this, that, and everything in between. "Especially the future."
"What about it?" Finnick shifted himself so he was facing me directly, as his previous position looked rather uncomfortable. Slowly, I started to draw sand circles in the sand, the cool, damp sand underneath like a therapy, and my head started to clear.
"How long is this going to go on for, Finnick?" I knew my voice was trembling slightly, but I didn't care. "Y'know, this whole 'let's torture kids for fun' thing? It's so stupid. The Capitol citizens live their life in frickin' heaven, whilst the rest of us are starving our arses off." I tried to make myself calm down and shut my eyes. But my mouth decided it had to keep going. "It might not be bad here, Finnick, but the videos of the children getting reaped in other districts – they have nothing."
Slowly, I re-open my eyes to see that they're full of tears. As the first one falls, I reached up a hand to brush it away, but another hand gets there first. It's Finnick's.
My eyes snapped up to meet his, and I can see he hasn't taken his eyes off mine. When he's finished gently wiped away the few tears I failed to keep, he takes my hand and holds it in his. But it doesn't feel weird. It feels natural.
"Those are… Strange thoughts. For a sixteen year old." His voice was slightly thick, and I realised that this had really shocked him. What I'd said.
"Hey," I felt suddenly indignant, "Just 'cause I'm sixteen, doesn't mean I don't know anything!"
"You've just proven that." His voice was serious, but his eyes were smiling slightly. He didn't mean it in a harsh way. "I've only just recently started to think that way, but I can tell from the way you said it that… You've been thinking that a long time."
He gives me a look, as if to check that he thought correctly. I nod, and start drawing circles in the sand again with my free hand.
"Since I was nine." I murmured, "And Ma came home from the Capitol… different."
His thumb ran over my hand, and I instantly felt relaxed, but a thought was niggling at the back of my brain.
"Why are you scared, Finnick?"
"Lots of things." He said, before he turned his head back out to look at the sea. I think maybe that's his therapy; the sea. Whenever he's stressed he comes down here to look at the fishers, and the beautiful waves that signify our District. It is rather peaceful, I'll give him that.
"Like?" He'd got something out of me, so I wanted something out of him.
"Stuff." I saw him swallow, so I gripped his hand a little tighter.
"Finnick…" At the sound of his name, he turned to look at me. Normally, his eyes were calm and collected, but now they had a spark. A spark that I knew from experience would grow the more passionate he got about the subject. He exhaled slowly, and then started to speak in a voice I had to strain to hear.
"I'm scared of exactly the same things as you are, Annie." He raised his hand, and started to run it through my hair. Something was rising up inside me, a curious wave of warmth I couldn't help but love. "That our world isn't right. That we should be helping the people in other districts who can't do the same things as us."
At this, he takes his hand out of my hair and touches my skin. Suddenly, I see where this is going. He hasn't just got friendship on his mind. But the thought doesn't scare me. It… excites me.
"Our world is barbaric." I agree, not taking my eyes of his. Suddenly, I felt a tug on my hair and a little girl's cry.
"Anniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie!"
I had to refrain from groaning, and turned around, breaking my hand apart from Finnick's.
"Lycie!" I exclaimed, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. "Is it seven all ready?"
"No." She said, pulling on my arm pathetically, trying to help me up. I got up anyway, making it looked like she helped me. "But Ma wants you back."
Lycie was only five, so went to school for the afternoon – from 2 until 5, as the younger ones found it more difficult to concentrate longer. At 8 years old, they switched to the longer hours. The equivalent of moving up school, only we didn't bother with that here.
For a five year old, she had a bit of a mouth on her, and was a very experienced tattle tale. But she was adorable, so that made up for it. And she'd never said anything about me helping Ahm with her house duties, so I guess I also owed her for that too. Damnit.
"Okay then." I glanced awkwardly at Finnick. "Umm… See you tomorrow?"
"Yeah." He didn't meet my eye. "Tomorrow."
I licked my lips. "Bye."
"Bye."
"Biy!" Lycie sang, oblivious, and started to drag me along the beach. Where in my house there will be an annoyed victor, expecting me to get my beauty sleep in case I get reaped next week.
Some days I think she understands the fear I have, but then in the weeks leading up to the competition she tries to prepare me. She makes me practise my skill, which is swimming. The Capitol usually put in a bit of each Career district in the arenas because they want their favourites to at least do well.
If I do get in, my mother wants there to at least be some sort of water area. Which there probably will be. The Capitol has always had a soft spot for us, even if we're not the richest or the prettiest district.
"Ma's mad that you didn't come straight home!" Lycie sang, her hand still in mine as she skipped, just keeping up with me, "But she says she didn't make you food because you're getting too big."
"What?" I was confused. Normally around this time, the districts are preparing their tributes for the games – building up their strength by feeding them the right food.
"Yeah." Lycie nodded rapidly. "She says you not pretty enough to be chosen to play the special game."
As much as I love Lycie, sometimes she just says the wrong thing. My previous elated feeling from being with Finnick and his motives had disappeared, and now I just felt fed up and angry. Boy, was mother going to get my questions when we got home.
Why did she suddenly want me to be reaped?
As we approached the house, I saw that the front door was wide open and there was laundry hanging up in the front yard of the house. It looked so casual that I couldn't quite believe that, in only a week, it would all be over. I would be in the Games, and would probably be dead within the first day.
But I couldn't think like that; there's still hope. I might not get reaped this year.
Oh, who am I kidding? The Gamemakers love it when children of victors are put into the Games, Ma told me so herself. But if I don't get picked, then Lycee will. And I could never put her through that. Never.
"C'mon," Lycee chose this moment to tug on my hand, pulling me closer to the house. "Mummy has really good pudding today."
Absentmindedly, I nodded, smiling at her, hoping beyond anything that if I did get reaped next week, it would save her from the whole horrific process. Her innocence was disarming, but unfortunately that was so far her only talent.
That was the first time I really accepted that I would be a part of the Games.