The waves wash up against my feet as I knot the rope in my hands. It calms me. "Annie!" My mum calls from the house. I slip my sandals back on and start climbing the rocks back to our house on the edge of District Four.

"Coming mum!" I shout once I reach the top of the rocks and start running across the grass to my mum, who is waiting with her hands on her hips. When I reach her she embraces me into a hug.

"I told you not to go down to the beach today Annie," She brushes my hair out of my face with her hand. "Not today, the Peacekeepers might have been around, and then what would you have done?" My dad appears at the doorway with bags under his eyes, he obviously had to work overtime again.

"Sorry mum." I don't want to argue with her today. Not on the day of the Reaping.

"Come on, let's get inside and have some breakfast." I follow her into the house. The smell of soup and bread comes from the kitchen and I sit down on one of the old chairs by the old table which has been repaired countless times.

We sit in silence as we eat our breakfast. I drink the soup as soon as it is in my bowl, not caring when it blisters my throat.

"Calm down Annie, Finnick won't be here for a while yet." Finnick Odair is my best friend who won the 65th Hunger Games five years ago. We were friends before that though, and that's how we've stayed best friends because, after the Games, Finnick doesn't know if people want to be his friend or want his money. I love him, but not in that way. We have always been best friends, ever since we can remember.

"But, I want to be ready when he does come. He has to get there early because he's got to mentor this year, he got away with it last year because of his cousin's birthday." I have finished my breakfast so I wash my dishes and then head towards the door. "We will carry this conversation on later."

I run upstairs to get changed and pull out of my wardrobe one of my mum's old dresses; it is a long turquoise dress with long sleeves to match. Once I have tried it on I realise that it fits perfectly, I throw my hair up in a high ponytail and leave it like that.

Then I run back downstairs to find some shoes; I find some strappy sandals with gold shells on. I then walk back into the kitchen where my mum and dad have just finished breakfast. "There she is." My dad walks over and embraces me into a hug that I return. At his words my mum turns around and gasps.

"Annie, sweetie, you look beautiful."

"Thanks mum." I murmur. I'm no good at clothes-related conversations.

Luckily, before my mum can say anything else there is a knock on the door. I hug my mum and dad and they wish me good luck before I run to the door where my best friend is waiting for me.

"Finnick!" I run into his arms almost knocking him over.

"Annie! Why are we shouting and hugging?" He pulls himself out of my grasp and ruffles his bronze hair.

"I don't know I must be happy to see you." I don't want to tell him that it's because the Reapings are today and I may die soon. "I don't know why, I mean, who could possibly want to see you?" We both laugh.

"Annie," his voice suddenly turns serious and I look up into his sea-green eyes, "I want you to take this. Consider it a Reaping gift." His voice turns harsh at the word. I watch as he delves in his pocket and takes out a beautiful necklace with a multi-coloured anchor made from shells. I take it from him and hold it up to my face; it smells of the sea, in fact, it doesn't just smell of the sea, it smells like my little cave by the beach.

"It's beautiful Finnick. Where did you get it?" I don't want anyone except him and my family knowing about the cave.

"I made it myself with shells from the beach." He takes it from me and walks behind me, "Hold your hair up." I obediently do as he says. "There." He fastens the clasp behind my neck; his gentle fingers barely touch my skin.

We walk to the kitchen to see my parents; they were good friends with Finnick's parents until President Snow got involved. When Finnick turned sixteen President Snow threatened his parents if he didn't do a certain job with the people of the Capitol. Finnick ignored the President which resulted in his parents' deaths. From then on Finnick has been finding out secrets about the President.

"Hello Finnick," My mum greets him and she offers him a seat "Would you like to join us for breakfast?"

"That's okay Mrs Cresta, I already had breakfast. Annie and I were just about to go for a walk and I said I wanted to say hello to you first." Why he feels the need to make up excuses I'll never know.

"Well, we better get going then. Bye mum, bye dad." I take him by the wrist and drag him out of the house.

"Bye Annie!" They shout and I shut the door behind me.

"Race you!" I shout childishly and attempt to run towards the rocks that lead down to the beach, but Finnick grabs my hand before I get the chance. "What?"

"There are Peacekeepers all over the beach today in case anyone tries to make a swim for it. Come this way, I just got some money; we'll go buy some bread." Because he won the Games five years ago he gets a certain amount of money each month, in one month he has enough money to last a family for a year. Many people think that all of the people in District 4 are, what's known as 'Careers' but not all of us are like that, most people are, I'll say that, but we only go in the Career pack because we can, it's a way to survive, the Careers don't tend to die until near the end of the Games. If I were reaped I'd go in the Career pack because I can.

When I look up I realise that we're in the Merchant Town, outside the bakery. We walk in together and the smell of fresh bread seems to perk us both back up. We walk up to the baker, Mr Haller and ask him for a fresh loaf of bread. He gives it to us and says, "Good luck Annie." I notice Finnick's hand clenches into a fist.

"Thank you Mr Haller." And then I drag Finnick out of the bakery to get some fresh air. "Finnick, you need to calm down." I brush his bronze hair out of his eyes, "The Reaping is today and no one can change what's going to happen. Anyway, this is my last year, if I get through today I'm free and you can stop worrying about me."

"But Annie don't you see? No one is ever free, what if one, or both, of us have children then we'll go through all of this again. We will never be free from the Capitol."