Fear; Its one of the only things in this crazy, messed up world that keeps people from being stupid, keeps them going, keeps them alive. But to much fear, its deadly. Thats what the Hunger Games is. It teeters on the brink of safe a savage fear and thats what some people find so amusing.
My name is Finnick Odair and this is my encounter with fear, I hope you find it entertaining.
Finnick Odair
Its black and the world is spinning. I feel like Im falling but it starts to fade and I see the sun. Suddenly Im in a feild of beautiful flowers. All vibrant shades of diffrent colours. Im afraid to take a step to ruin one of them. A path clears and I see Annie. Shes sitting on the ground, picking the flowers, their in her hair and in her hands. I start running and she gets up and reachs out her hand. I try to reach her but she keeps slipping away, fading into the distance.
"No!" I yell and now Im awake. I sit up in my bed, breathing heavy. My brother looks over at me, still lying in bed across the room from mine. He shoots me a ridiculous face and we both laugh. I throw my legs over my bed.
"Another bad dream?" he asks "You woke me up again." he says and I can hear the fatigue in his voice.
"Im sorry" I say with actual guilt because I would be angry if it was him waking me up this early all the time.
"Its okay, but why don't you just ask her out?" he replies but Im confused. He watches my confused face and smirks.
"I heard you mumbling about Annie" he says and I feel embarrassed. I wonder what other things he's heard me dream about.
"Because, what if she dosent like me?" I say standing up from my bed "Then Im sentenced to forever ackweirdness, we could never be close friends after somthing like that." I say looking for a clean outfit to wear.
"I dont get it, wouldnt that be better then forever alone?" he says with a grin.
"Dont worry" I say as I pat his shoulder "It will come with age" I say jokingly and I finish getting dressed and we both go into the kitchen.
My mother is already in the kitchen making us toast and I grab two slices and throw them on a plate. My sister walks from her bedroom to the bathroom. Her blonde hair in a tangled, frizzy mess.
"Wow Percila" I say "Control that bed head you got there!"
"Shut up!" she says and closes the door.
"Why do you always have to pick on your sister?" asks my mother.
"Cause its fun" I say with a mouth full of toast and she comes back out from the bathroom.
"Oh good, I thought I was going to have to go borrow the peacekeepers whip to tame that beast of hair" I say pertending to have a whip.
"Ha ha" she says sarcasticaly as she sits in my chair and takes a bite of my other peice of toast.
"Um hello? Hi, my names Finnick, I dont beilive we've meet before but you seem to be sitting in my chair... and eating my toast." I say sarcastically waving my hand in her face.
"Oh, what a shame." she replies. I try to push her off the chair and she pushs me back and we start fighting. My father walks in from his room and heads for the fridge. He grabs a bottle of beer and heads for the living room.
"You two woke me up you know" he says as he takes a swig.
"Finnick started it" says Percila.
"Whatever" I reply. I sit in the chair beside her and we all start talking.
"So what do you guys have planned for today?" my brother asks.
"Well todays the reaping" I say and the house goes silent. Some people in district four look forward to the Hunger Games but my family dosent. We see through Panem's thinly veiled toucher. We all think its sick and wrong.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." says my sister. Then its quiet as well eat our breakfast. My father gets up to grab another beer but my mother puts her hand on the fridge door.
"Dont drink to many, we still have to go to the reaping later" she says. My father swips her hand off the firdge door and begins to mumble profanity. He grabs another beer and walks to the door. He grabs his jacket and opens it.
"Dont tell me what to do" he says and stumbles out the door. My mother looks upset and I break the silence.
"Well, Im going to that fancy store by the beach soon" I say. "Does anybody need anything?" I ask.
"Nope, nothing for me." says my mother. My brother shakes his head.
"Oh! I need you to go get me some ribbon for my hair!" says Percila.
"Yeah ok" I say and I stand up.
"But you have to make sure its blue!" she says as I go into my room to grab my money off my dresser.
"And it cant be that ugly shade of aqua either, it has to be blue!"
"Yup, got it!"I say and grab my jacket and open the door.
"Dont forget!" I hear her says and I walk out the door and shoot her a thumbs up.
I walk up the street and see Annie with her friend Shimmer talking with each other. I walk over but as soon as Im close enough I start running. I run up to her and give her a hug.
"Happy Birthday Annie!" I say as I hug her.
"Thank you Finnick!" she replies.
"Awh, you two look so cute together" says Erin and I shoot her a look. She makes a ridiculous kissing face and starts laughing.
"So how was your mourning?" I ask Annie and she smiles.
"It was great, Shimmer came over and we had a little party, and my little sister made me the cutest braclet." She says and sticks out her hand and theres a braclet wrapped around her wrist. Its got blue glass beads with the odd shell here and there strung with them.
"Its wonderfull" I say with a smile.
"Well I gotta' go do some stuff so Ill see you two later, ok?" I say starting to walking backwards.
"Sure Finn" says Annie "Ill see you later".
I walk around the block another time and buy myslef a muffin since I didnt get to eat all my toast and walk back to the store. A couple of days ago I was walking past the store and looked in the window. When I did, I seen this small box. I looked closer and its was a music box, brightly coloured with beautiful flowers like the ones in my dream. When I had first seen the box I was mesmerized by its beauty and the first person that came to my mind was Annie so I told myself that I was going to buy it for Annie for her birthday and today is her birthday so I must. I walk in and look at the box. I pick it up from the display in the window and hold it in my hands. Its so beautiful. A girl walks over to me and looks at it with me.
"Have you opened it yet?" she asks.
"No" I reply. She grabs the nob on the top of the box and lifts it open. The inside was even more beautiful then the out. A hand painted scene of a field covered in the flowers, with the sunset in the backround. The lyrics to the song that is playing is painted on the inside of the lid,
Deep in the meadow, under the willlow,
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes
And when you wake, the sun will rise
Here it's safe, and here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
"Its amazing" I whisper as not to disturb the music.
"I asked the manager where they got it and they said that it was imported from district 12" said the girl. "I come here everyday to listen to it" she adds and I smile.
"Im going to buy it" I say as I bring it up to the cashier. I close the lid so whatever is powering it dosent die before I give it to Annie.
"Well, Im going to assume your not buying it for yourself so I hope the girl you give it to likes it" she says.
"Thank you" I say to her as she walks out the door. She turns back and gives me a smile then quickly walks out the door.
I buy the music box and as I walk out the store I remember about Percila's ribbon. I go back in and head to the back of the store. Purple, yellow, green, even that ugly shade of aqua she specifically asked not to purchase but no blue so I buy it anyways. I throw it into the bag with the box and I find Annie. I walk down the street and she still talking with Shimmer. I walk over and grab her hand.
"Come with me" I say smiling and genteelly pull her away and she does. Shimmer shoots me a wink and I can help but laugh.
"Where are we going?" asks Annie while shes laughing.
"Just wait!" I say. I put my hand over her eyes and lead her over to the beach and sit her on the ground. Shes laughing and so am I. I put the music box in her hands and take my hand off her eyes. She looks down at it is disbeilive. I sit down beside and look at it with her.
"Its beautiful Finnick" she says is shock.
"Here, watch when you open it." I say as I grab the lid and open it. The box strums out its high pitch tune and I can Annie's eyes are watering. She picks up the box and puts it in my lap.
"Its amazing Finnick" she says with a smile.
"Well, I hope you think so because I got it for you" I reply and put it back in her hands. "Happy birthday Annie".
"Oh, Finn" she says. She pulls me in forcfuly and holds me tight with a hug. I lean back and the wind blows her brown hair to her face. I push her hair away behind her ears and she puts her hand on my face. Its so cold. She leans in closer and millions of different things run throughout my head but then she kisses me and my brain stops. I stand up and reach out my hand to help her up and she gives me another hug. But this one is diffrent. She grabs me by my shoulders and puts her head in my neck. It feels more sincere then any other hug I've been given so I return the favor and hug her tight.
"Thank you" she whispers as we hug.
"Its no problem" I reply.
We both stand there and finally she talks.
"Well, I dont want to seem rude but I have to go get ready for the reaping" she says.
"No, its fine" I say with a smile.
"Really, because I ca..." I cut her off.
"No! Go get ready and Ill see you later" I say with a smile. I push her from behind untill were off the beach and were both smiling and laughing.
"So Ill see you later?" she asks anxiously.
"I promise" I say in reassurance and she walks away with a large smile with the music box in her hands.
I walk, almost run home. Im so happy but in other ways Im afraid. 'What does this mean? Are we dating now? Does this mean she likes me? I mean SHE kissed ME so she must. Or did she just do that to say thank you. Or the heat of the moment'. I ask myself millions of questions that can only be awnsered by her. Girls, their so complicated. Why cant they just be straight up and tell you these things instead of leaving guys wondering?
When I get home I open the door and Percila is standing almost right in the doorway.
"Did you get my ribbon?" she asks annoyingly. I throw the ribbon at her as I walk past and I can hear her freaking.
"No, no, you did NOT get me aqua!" she yells storming in my direction
"Look, it was the closest to blue that they had! You can even go check for yourself!" I say. She picks the ribbon off the floor and rushs into her room. She comes back out with her reaping dress and she holds the ribbon up to it.
"Does this look like it matchs to you?" she asks. The dress is a mutted shade of blue and the ribbon is a bright blue of a hole diffrent shade. Their completly diffrent.
"I think they match" I say and she looks at me.
"Here..." I pull her into the bathroom and take the ribbon. I part her hair into three and braid it down her back and tie the ribbon around the end in a bow. I pick up one of her hair clips that looks like a diamond and stick it in the middle of the bow.
"See? It looks fine" I say.
"Well, I guess" she says enthusiastically.
"It looks a-maz-ing!" I say pretending to take pictures with an imaginary camera.
"Okay," she says "Thank you" and she gives me a hug. She leans back from me and looks at me confused.
"You smell like perfume".
"Whatever" I say as I walk away but I cant help but smile.
I go into my room and get changed. I put on a nice striped dress shirt and my good pair of jeans. I come back out and sit on the couch with my dad who must have came back while I was gone. He looks at me with a smirk on his face.
"Whers your tie boy?" he asks me.
"I dont like wearing ties, they make me feel" I take a pause to think of the appropriate word "constricted" I tell him. Hes still looking at me with that weird smile and I get up to leave the awkwardness. He stands up with me and puts his hand on my shoulder.
"Good job with that girl today boy" he says patting my back.
"How did you know?" I ask him confused.
"Well," he pauses to take a drink from his beer "I seen the two of ya' kissin' by the beach. Shes a looker". I smile at him and then he sits back down. I go to walk away and he yells "Just dont get to friendly".
The bell sounds and a voice says "10 minutes until the annual reaping". My sister bursts out of her room in her blue dress and twirls. She looks amazing but I would never just say that.
"Well, I like the dress but Im pretty sure its the hair that pulls it all together" I say and she smiles. My brother comes out of our room and our mom comes out and grabs her jacket.
"Okay guys, lets get on the move" she says enthusiastically. We all walk over to the courtyard and its pretty full. I see Annie with her little sister. She gives her a hug and a peace keeper leads her over to her age group. Annie looks distraught. Its her sisters first year and I was upset too when it was my brother's. My sister walks over to her and they both walk together to their age group. I walk over to mine and my brother goes a little farther in front since hes younger. I stand there waiting for a while then the district escort walks to the stage.
"Hello, Im Evie Hedges, your district escort for this year!" she says in a peppy voice "Happy Hunger Games!" She talks and talks but all I can consentrate on is her looks. Her red hair, so bright it was un natural and lip stick to match. She was wearing an extremly tight dark blue dress and enourmously tall high heels. Her skin was so pail that it almost resembled plastic. 'What could possibly inspire a person to decorate themselfes in such a way? ' I think to myself and the anthum begins to play and they show the president explain the rules. Finally, Evie walks over the the female reaping bowl and sticks her arm in. Names fly past me. What if its Annie's sister? What if its my sister?! What if its Annie? I feel faint but I keep my balence. She grasps a name tightly in her hand and reads it out.
"Dawn Jeniter" she says. Everyone looks around and I find a group of girls all gasping and staring. Finally a girl starts walking toward the stage. Her long black hair blowing in the wind. Ive seen her before but where? Shes firmilliar. Then it hits me, shes the girl from the store I bought the music box. She walks to the stage and Evie congratulates her.
"Would anyone like to voulunteer for Dawn?" she asks. Nothing. No one but the wind willing to volunteer. She stares out to the audience pleading with her eyes. Her's meet mine and I give her a look of sympathy. I mouth the words Im sorry and she noods her head.
"Good darling, you look nice and strong" she says and tells her to go sit down. She looks like she might start crying but I can tell she wont. You have to look strong in front of the cameras or you wont get sponsors. Evie walks over to the boys reaping ball and Im still worried, not as much because if Kaitlyn had got reaped I wouldnt be able to do anything but if my brother gets reaped, at least I could volunteer. She sticks her hand down into the ball and swirls it around. She picks a name and pulls it up.
"Finnick Odair" she says. I look around then I realize thats me, thats MY name and Im suddenly dizzy. The world is spinnig. I walk into the pathway to the stage. Having to pass everyone I know. I look around at my brother. Hes holding tears. He looks at my with a face of guilt and I know he wants to volunteer for me. I shake my head. I look over to my right. I see Annie. Our eyes meet as I walk by.
"Finnick!" She screeams. "NO, you cant take him!" She jumps out from her spot and grabs my sleve. My sister is crying and I think I shed a tear but I wipe it away. The peacekeepers grab her by the arms and shes on her knees. Tears streaming down her perfect face.
"Please! Dont take him away!" She pleads with her face in her hands. I look up at the stage and back at Annie. I bend down on my knees and fix her hair. She looks up at me with her big sea green eyes and I kiss her on the forehead and give her a hug. She squeezes me tighly and my eyes are letting water out but Im not actually crying. Finally a peacekeeper pulls me up to the stage and they drag Annie back to her spot. I wipe the tears from my face and try to look as large as possible.
"Any volunteers?" asks Evie. All I can hear is Annie crying. Nothing, no one, nowhere. I try not to look up at the audience. I dont want to see my brother or sister or parents. Not now. I could be at risk of crying and I cant cry so I focus on a point out in the distance.
"Well, this will an exciting year for District 4 wont it?" she says but no cheers. Usually theres cheers for the tributes but none for us. I go and sit down with the girl from the store. What was her name? Dawn. She looks like a Dawn. Her long black hair blowing in the wind. Her bright blue eyes making it look even darker. She sits there, looking down at her hands, twiddling her thumbs as if shes bored but what eles can you do? Then it hits me. If were lucky, only one of us will die. If were not... no. I cant aford to think like this. I just need to stop where I am and, do what? I cant think. Then the ceremony ends and peacekeepers lead me and Dawn to the Justice building. They each bring us into our own room for us to have an hour to say goodbye. Now, now I can cry. I burst out into tears. My head in my hands, then I hear the door. I look up and I see my mother. I run up and give her a hug. Shes crying and so am I and then I see my father walk in behind her and I give him a hug. He smells of liquor but I still do. I hear him make a distorted noise and I go back and sit on the couch.
"Baby Im sorry" says my mother as I lean on her and she strokes my hair.
"I love you" she says and starts crying agian.
"Dont say that" I say quietly and I sit up.
"Im going to come home!" I say but they both still stair at me. I stand up. "I promise!" I yell.
"I know you will" says my father and pats me on the back. I see a tear run down his face and I hug him agian.
"You need to promise me you will be alright, Okay?" I say to both of them
"When you come home, were going to have a big party and I will order those speacial cookies you love," says my mother
"And Ill take you on a boat ride" adds my father.
"Deal" I say with a smirk and the peacekeepers come and take them away to soon. Then I sit back on couch and wait for the next person to come in. The door opens and my brother and sister walk in. Percila is crying and I can tell she has for a while because her face is red and puffy. I stand up and grab her and hug her tightly. She just stands there.
"Your going to come home right?" she asks.
I whisper "I promise" and she hugs me back. I look down at my brother and hes just staring into space. I bend over a little so me and him are face to face.
"Listen," I say "I love you both okay?" I say looking up at Percila and they both smile. "Dont you touch my stuff while Im gone okay?"
"Sure" he says and I hug him.
"Just look at it as some sleep without interruption" I say with a smirk and he smiles. "I love you" I whisper to him and he smiles. I sit back on the couch and Kaitlyn sits beside me.
"Here,"she says "take this" she takes out the clip from her bow and undose her hair and gives me the ribbon. She sticks the clip back in her hair and it looks ever better with her dress then the braid did.
"Thank you" I say and clutch the ribbon in my hand. Then the peacekeeper comes in and takes them away as well and I sit on the couch for a while before my last visitor comes in. Annie. She bursts through the doors and grabs me tightly. I stand up with her clinging to me still and hug her back. 'Wow, from friend zone to three hugs and a kiss in one day' I think.
"Finn Im sorry!" she pleads. I push her slightly back so I can see her face.
"Annie, none of this is your fault." I say in a calm voice. I sit back down on the couch with her, still holding her in my arms.
"But I could have helped you and..." I cut her off.
"Annie!" I say louder "Im going to come home" I say "for you" I say and place my hand on her check and her inflamed face lights up with hopefulness. She looks up at me and strokes her hand through my hair.
"Ive always wanted to do that" she tells me with a smile. I grab her neck and pull her in close and put my head on her shoulders.
"Im going to come home for you" I whisper to her. She crawls closer to me, almost on my lap and pulls out her wrist. She takes off her braclet her sister made her for her birthday and puts it on my wrist.
"For you" she says and I smile.
I pull up my hand with my sisters ribbon on it and show her.
"Can you tie this on there for me?" I ask her and she does.
"Thank you" I tell her. She turns more to me and now is on my lap and puts her hand on my shoulder and she kisses me. This time I kiss her back and put my hands around her waist. She puts her head im my shoulders and we wait for the peacekeeper to come. We just sit there. Together. Then she says it, the thing that breaks me.
"I love you" she whispers in my ear.
That did it. I start to cry again and she comforts me with hugs. Thats all she can do.
"I love you too" I tell and her eyes start to weal with tears. This time I grab her and kiss her and then the peacekeepers come in. She stands up and I hug her again tighter then ever and she walks away. She looks back at me and I throw her a smile, a real, happy smile, like nothing I have actually done before and she does too.
Another peacekeeper comes in after and takes me away. Im back with Dawn and she looks like she did before. Unlike me who probably looks red and inflamed from the crying. Evie escorts us to a car and she gets in with us and a couple of other people we leave. I leave everything Ive ever did and everyone I have even know in district 4. The car ride is short and when we walk out I can still smell the sea so we cant be that far from district 4. We get out from the car and board a large train. When I step on Im greeted by many funny dressed capitol people. Some of their outfits almost made me laugh.
"Okay" says Evie "This Samuel, he is going to be your designer" she explains in a peppy attitude. He's a shorter man, with short hair, almost bald. He's got a short scruffy beard, almost like he hasn't shaved in a couple of days and he dosent wear much makeup like the other people on the train. Just yellow lipstick. Although he isn't the most perfect man when it comes to facial feature position, his tanned skin is perfect. He shakes my hand and gives me a sympathetic smile.
"I see potential in these two" says Evie to him and he smiles.
She introduces some more people that I shake hands with and she shows us around the train. We get to the television room and theres an older woman sitting in a chair, she's maybe 60 and extremely short and small. Age has taken an obvious toll on her body but she still looks healthy.
"Maggie" says Evie and she turns around. "This is Maggie who will be your district mentor, she was the last person from your district that won the Hunger Games" Evie explains. 'Wow,' I think 'district 4 must really suck in the Hunger Games department if she was the last person that won'. She stands up and shakes both our hands.
"My name is Maggie" she says "but a prefer Mags" she says slightly louder as if to make Evie listen but shes in her own world. I smile and so does she. Now to think about it, I think I have seen her around district four a couple of times but Ive never really talked to her. She sits us down and we talk about things.
"So, whats your talent boy?" she asks.
"Well, um..." now that I thought about it, I dont really have a talent.
"Im pretty funny a guess" I say as last resort.
"If only you could heckle someone to death" she says and I can tell she's got her own sense of humor. I smirk and she smiles back.
"Well, I can tie some good knots" I say.
"Thats good" she says" Your going to be good in the snare training" she adds.
"What about you girly?" she asks Dawn.
"Im pretty good with knots too" she says.
"Anything else?" she asks.
"My father used to de-bone the fish so I know how to use a knife" she adds.
"Oh, that will be put to good use" says Mags. The television flicks on and its the reaping of all the districts. District one flashes on and both tributes are volunteers. Then 2 and 3 and finally 4.
"Oh look! Its district four" says Evie and she walks into the room. "Dont I just look darling in that dress?" she asks but no one answers. I see Dawn get reaped then me. When they call my name I look dazed and I almost trip multiple times on the way to the stage. Then Annie freaks out and we have our moment and I walk up. You can tell I cried and it made me look like a wimp. The other tributes must be putting me on their kill list right now. Then 5 and 6 go by, nothing special. In 7 a young boy is reaped and what looks like his brother volunteers and hes very large. 8 and then 9 and 10. In 11 a girl is reaped and then a boy volunteers after her. And 12 is normal then its over and the television is switched off.
"Well, I would say district 4 was the most dramatic" says Mags with a grin. I know she means what happened with me and Annie and then I become upset. 'I need to get home for her' I think.
