Chapter One
I'm wakened gently by a woman who would be considered beautiful by many other men. Her flowing blonde hair wisps around her face as she leans over me and whispers softly in my ear that I must go before her husband returns. I gently lay her back down and kiss her sweetly on the lips before retrieving my clothes and heading towards the door.
"Will I see you soon?" She asks seductively, lowering her sheet to reveal her bare breasts.
"Of course, but never soon enough," I reply with a smile that she returns. I quickly leave her home and wish I could wash every bit of the past night off of me. Wishing I could wash the past few years off of me. I disgust myself more than anyone will ever know, more than anyone can ever know.
I make my way to the train station and when I arrive my stylists are there to greet me, excited to ride back to my district with me for the reaping. The 70th Hunger Games are coming up and once again, I must train two unlucky souls, and at least one, most probably both of which will die on my watch. That's the only good thing about me being forced into the Capitol's prostitution; it's a distraction when the games get tough.
While it's hard every year to watch as kids from my own district get killed, it was always worse when I actually knew them. The year after I won, I had to watch one of my best friends be betrayed by his ally and killed in his sleep. The next year, one of my sisters friends was crushed beneath boulders. After that I tried to keep any personal connection away from the games, if I knew them, I'd still pretend I didn't.
I was expected to keep my stylists company on the train, just as I'm expected to accompany many other lives in the Capitol. All I want to do right now is take a long hot shower, but that will have to wait. I laugh when someone tells me how lucky I am to have won the games, about how great my life is and the freedom and money I have. None of them understand that being a winner is almost as bad as being a loser. It's as if winning the games puts you in debt, especially if you're attractive, which I am. I used to be more than pleased with my looks, all the girls wanted me, all the boys envied me. But now, I wish I was normal, nothing special, maybe even ugly. That wouldn't work for the Capitol though. At first it was embarrassing, everyone knowing I messed around with so many women in the Capitol, but then it just became who I was. I've slept with hundreds of women, yet I can't remember a single name. Nobody understands why I do it, they just think I'm a pig, that I just like to whore around, nobody would ever understand what winners have to go through to keep the ones they love alive.
Mags is the only one who can relate. Although now she is old, when she won she was a beautiful young girl who caught the eye of many Capitol men. She refused services to them, and one by one her family caught diseases and died around her. She was the one who told me to give in, she told me it was life or death. I knew I had to listen to her, she was the one who got me through the games after all; she kept me alive, so I trusted her to keep my family alive.
It takes about a day and a half to reach my home district from the Capitol- District 4. As soon as I get off the train I will be rushed to the reaping and await the calling of the two unlucky tributes I will have to mentor through this years games. I see the station through my window and grab my bags and put them outside of my door for attendants to grab for me and place in my new room for when I return. I make my way down the train to the door and exit, with camera's flashing on me as I make my way through the station, flashing my award-winning smile and I hear women gasp as I pass.
I'm led to the center of town and I walk up the stairs for the 6th time in my life leading to the reaping stage. I take my seat next to Mags and she smiles at me, it's not a happy smile, but a pity smile, because she knows where I've been.
"How have you been my dear?" She asks gently, still smiling.
"I'm doing alright Mags," She puts a hand on my knee and looks deep into my eyes to see if I'm lying. I quickly change the subject "I wish I could say the same for them though," I nod towards the crowd of young men and women, waiting anxiously to see who is off to their death. At least we live in a career district, not quite as trained as District's 1 and 2, but our skills keep us just as good, without cheating quite as much. While most of the crowd is terrified, there are the few who wish they would be called on, wanting the glory for their families, and for the district, none of them really understand. No one ever volunteers in 4 though, while the children might want the glory, many parents forbid the act of volunteering, they think fate is taking it's course with who is chosen and it just needs to be played out, quite literally.
The crowd goes quiet as Milstra Trunch, District 4's escort, walks up the stairs smiling at the crowd. She has blue and pink streaks through her blonde curly hair. Her eyes look like they belong on a cat, and her skin is so tight against her bones, it's as if her jaw is popping out of her face. Her bright red lips engulf her face, and she looks over at me and gives me a little wink, I smile back at her; one of my best costumers.
Milstra gives a speech about the Capitol and why we're here. Nobody pays a lick of attention, everyone is too anxious and worried. Finally it's time for the reaping. Milstra excitedly calls out "Ladies First!" Just like every year and in every district. She puts her hand in the beautiful blue bowl that has mermaids and tridents carved into the sides, special for our district. We all watch as her hand comes out of the bowl with a little slip of aqua paper in it. She smiles as she walks over to the microphone, she opens the slip of paper and cheerfully calls out "Annie Cresta!"
Good I think to myself, I have no idea who at least one of this tributes are. It shouldn't be so hard this year. I just can't let myself get attached to either of them. But then I see her, Annie Cresta, she can't be older than sixteen, she has beautiful brown hair, her skin is tanned and her eyes, a dark green, shine, in the sunlight. She has a strong face on and refuses to look my way. Milstra ushers her to the center and introduces her to the audience. They applaud. I'm still staring at Annie when someone else walks up the stairs, I'm guessing he must be the male tribute, I've never seen him before and I didn't catch his name. The audience applauses again, and the tributes are rushed off to say their goodbyes, and I'm headed back to the train.
I'm quickly escorted to a new room, a smaller one then the one I had been in earlier. The larger rooms are for the tributes, to show them how amazing the capitol is before they die. I wonder if Annie will be in the room I had been in last night. I try to shake this from my mind. I can't allow myself to go on like this. I can't think about this girl, look at her, talk to her, mentor her. Mags will be taking all responsibility for her, and I'll be taking responsibility for whatever the guys name is. I should probably figure that out.
After I take a quick nap, I head down to dinner and quickly find out the male's name is Chip. I focus my attention on him and refuse to look at Annie. She never speaks a word to me though, so it's not very hard, except for the fact that she is so beautiful, but not in the way that same might think. It's not just the way she looks, it's the way she carries herself that catches my eye. I've been with many beautiful women in the past few years but this is the first woman I have had a real physical attraction to.
Halfway through dinner Chip asks me for advice and I speak loud enough so that Annie can hear too, I want to help her as well. Half-way through dessert she asks me if I can help her learn how to make good nets.
"I think you better stay with Mags for things like that." I reply, looking back at Chip now "She's your mentor."
"No, you are both our mentors, and you're the one who won because of your skills with nets and tridents." Annie shot at me "I don't want to kill anyone, but I have no problem with trying to capture them to protect myself to stay alive for my family."
"Well there's your mistake right there, if you won't kill someone, someone will kill you," I retort back, hoping to knock some sense into this girl.
"Then I guess I should just give up now and go kill myself? Does that sound good Mr. Boy toy?" I'm taken aback by what she has just said. But then I'm furious.
"Bite your tongue girl," I slam my fists on the table and stand up, Mags tries to reach for me but I push her off and walk towards Annie "You can begin to judge me when you win this damn game, until then I want nothing but respect from you." I'm yelling in her face now, everything else in the compartment is silent "Do you understand me Miss. Cresta?" I bark at her and she just looks down "Look at me!" I slam my fist down on the table in front of her, food from her plate splatters onto her. I take a deep breath "I said, do you understand me?"
Annie mumbles something.
"Sorry, what was that?" I say sternly.
"Yes, sir," She says looking up at me, anger in her eyes.
"Maybe one day you'll understand, just maybe," I leave them to finish their dinners without me. I walk into my room and lie back down on my bed. My head in pounding and I just need to calm down. Even the tributes think poorly of me, even they know what I do in the Capitol. But none of them understand it. As I think back to what I said, I hope Annie never has to understand why I'm like this. While I hope she wins, I also hope the Capitol leaves her be, and lets her enjoy her freedom. She's a beautiful young girl though, so I doubt it.
A gentle knock at the door startles me and I get out of bed and open it. Mags enters quietly and closes the door behind her. She looks at me with a concerned look and sits on the edge of my bed and pats it for me to sit next to her.
"My dear, I know how much you are going through and have continued to go through since the games," Mags puts her hand on my shoulder and gently rubs it. "But you must remember, these kids know nothing of this world, all they know is that in a week they will be placed in an arena to fight to the death. You need to give them hope to hold on to, to let them know that survival is possible."
"But it's not good," I murmur back to her.
"I can not disagree with you on that," Mags replies sadly "But it will be our responsibility to coach a winner, just as I coached you." Mags stands up and kisses my forehead. "Goodnight my dear, get some rest."
I watch Mags leave and I think about what she's said. Mags is like a mother to me, ever since I was forced into prostitution to save my own mother, she nearly abandoned me. It's a hard life trying to save people who are ashamed to be near you, but it would be harder to not try to save them at all. I have a sister who only listens to my mother, my father mysteriously vanished when I was younger, and my mother is barely my mother anymore. Thinking about disappointing the only good person in my life hurts to think about, so I know I have to change my attitude, for Mags.
I wake up in the morning, and head to breakfast. I'm the first one there, I begin to pile potatoes and meats onto my plate. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I smelled the food, I hadn't eaten much last night. I'm about to sit down when Annie walks in, she takes one look at me and begins to turn around.
"Please stay," I ask of her and she turns to face me looking confused.
"I didn't think you'd want me to, after last night." Annie says slightly embarrassed.
"Sit, please. I'll fix you a plate," She slowly sits as I begin to fill a plate of food for her and place it in front of her as I pour her a cup of hot chocolate.
"What is this?" She asks me referring to the hot chocolate.
"They call it hot chocolate in the capitol, it's delicious," Annie takes a sip and nods in agreement. We begin to eat in silence for a few minutes, but I can't stand it anymore.
"I'm very sorry for the way I acted last night, I had no right to yell at you. And if you would still like my help, I'd be more than willing to give you lessons," my apology is sincere and she meets my eyes as I'm saying it.
"No, Finnick. I never should have called you that, it's not my place. It was stupid of me and I really don't want to judge you, you seem like a very nice man. I would still love to take lessons from you." I can tell Annie means what she says as well, before I can respond though, Mags walks in and smiles at the sight of the two of us making small talk and comes to sit beside me.
"What's your skill my dear?" Mags asks Annie and she swallows hard.
"I'm a really good swimmer," Annie finally says. Mags lets out a breathy laugh as Annie says this.
"I'd be a bit worried if you weren't my dear," she shakes her head "Anything else?"
"I… uhh… not really," Annie shakes her head and looks down at her food. Before I even realize what I'm doing I'm standing behind Annie with my hands on her shoulders.
"That's what we're here for." Annie looks up at me, a little shocked.
"Looks like I missed something here," Chips voice comes from behind me. I turn to face him.
"Fix your plate and we all need to talk," I tell him. He fixes his plate quickly and sits down. I begin to inform them about the opening ceremony, and how to do anything the stylists ask of them, or it could end up badly for them. I then tell them they'll need to go directly to bed and be ready for their first training session with the other tributes. "I will practice with you both at night time, you will have to decide if you would like to practice separately or together."
" Separately," Annie says immediately "It will give both of us more time to train, while I train with Mags he'll train with you, and vice-versa," She looks at Chip "It will be better for us." He nods in agreement.
After breakfast I head back to my room to take a quick shower, I hear someone following behind me. As I reach my room I stop and hold the door open for Mags to come in with me. "What did I do now?" I sigh.
"Be careful with your feelings Finnick," She stays by the door "I don't want to see you get hurt." With this she leaves and I know what she means. I take a cold shower to try and focus better, it doesn't help. All I can think about is Annie Cresta. It's not only her looks that I like, it's her attitude, there's just something there that I like. I step out of my bathroom and put a towel around my waist when there's a knock at the door. I open it, expecting it to be an attendant or Mags or Milstra telling me to be somewhere. But it's not, no there standing in front of me, looking flushed and beautiful is Annie Cresta.