Prologue

My bare feet sink into the damp sand, leaving haphazard footprints dotted behind me on the expanse of grey beach as I sprint for the sea. Its cold and drizzly, the rain misting in my hair and the wind whipping strands of it back into my face as I run, tugging them out of the elegant topknot my mother fixed up for me this morning. The waves ahead of me are rough, crashing up the beach and churning up a frothy mixture of sand, stones and seaweed before dragging them back into the depths and a few fishermen are around, struggling to push their tiny boats out against the tide.

I don't really see them. I just see the sea.

When I reach the water, its icy coldness and the slap of the waves on my bare legs slow me down a little and my run becomes a fast walk, - still determined, still heading out into the depths, but steadily, the chill of the ocean slowing me down. My dress is soaked within an instance by the spray, the pretty white cotton suddenly heavy and cold on my skin – ruined, probably, but its not like I'm going to need it again.

"Kid, what are you doing?"

I don't even glance at the concerned fisherman watching me as the water reaches my hip height and my walk becomes a desperate wade. The salt spray stings in my eyes and I wipe them furiously, striding forward against the current, my eyesight fixed on the dark, blurry horizon.

"What's she doing?"

"That's Cresta's girl, that is!"

"Come back you crazy kid, you'll kill yourself!"

All the fishermen are yelling now – some have even left their boats and are wading towards me – but I ignore them. Their voices are drowned out anyway, by the roar of the wind and the splashing of the waves surrounding me. I wonder briefly why they're here, why they aren't in the town square with everyone else. Do they even know what just happened?

When the water reaches my waist height I'm forced to stop, panting, my feet struggling to find purchase on the sand as the waves tug at me in all directions. Its freezing cold, and my limbs are already fatigued from the running. I can barely stand up straight, and my arms are flailing about me as I try to steady myself in the choppy water. If I go any further, the tide will be too strong and I'll be tossed out to sea like a rag doll, drowning in the icy waves.

But if I go back, I'm dead too.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realise that what I'm doing now is probably not going to help me - I've been told enough about the games to know that crazy very rarely equals sponsors. But right now I don't care - I just want it all to stop. A wave breaks over me, drenching my hair and shoving me backwards, but I just shut my eyes and wish this wasn't real.

"Miss Cresta, get back here!"

The peacekeeper's voice is faint over the sound of the wind roaring in my ears, but I hear it and its enough to spur me into attempting to move again. I'm in big trouble now because I've run, and that's something you don't do. You don't run, not once they've read your name out. You're theirs when that's happened. I take a tentative step regardless, but I wobble as the tide catches and I can't go further.

"Annie!"

I'm not sure if I imagine the sound of his voice, concerned and terrified, carried from the beach by the wind. I knew he'd follow me. When I'd been up on the stage a few minutes ago, I'd felt his eyes boring into me from where he sat in the victors chair, but had avoided looking back, so focussed was I on not crying. It was when the Peacekeeper had taken my arm, pulled me away from the stage and tried to lead me into the town hall that I'd cracked. I just screamed and broke free, running for my life, running for the sea.

"Annie!"

His voice is closer now, and I turn to see him, but just at that second a huge wave smacks into me from behind and I go under. Instantly, all is darkness and the roar of the waves, and I kick my feet furiously to try and find purchase, but to no avail. I'm being tugged back out into the abyss, tossed around helplessly like a rag doll in the current. For a split second my head resurfaces and I gasp and open my eyes to see the sky, but then I'm pulled back under again into the whirling blackness.

So this is how I'll die.

And then I feel arms around me, tugging me upwards, pulling my head towards the surface. I gulp in air when my face breaks it, clinging to my rescuer and burying my face in his damp chest. He's warm, his shirt sticking to his arms, his bronze hair dark and matted by the water.

"I've got you Annie, its OK," he says in my ear, holding my head above water and stroking my hair. "I've got you."

"F-f-finnick," I stammer, shivering wildly. He wraps his arms around me and lifts me up, holding me tightly.

"I'm here, Ann. You're safe."

"Finnick… I'm going to die," I choke out as he slowly starts to carry me back through the waves to the shore, where the peacekeepers are waiting.

"No, Annie. Its ok, everything's going to be OK." But I hear the crack in his voice and when I finally look up at his face, his sea-green eyes are filled with more pain and sorrow than I've ever seen them before – even more so than at his own reaping five years ago today.

And I know things will never be OK again.

AN: Hi everyone! I'm a new fanfiction writer and I hope you've all enjoyed my first chapter. Please drop me a review to let me know how I'm doing and if you'd like me to continue