Ch.1
"A free fish isn't possible, Mr. Gillion," the young woman said firmly. "It just isn't possible. You know the District policies- the economy is going down the toilet." She bit her lip in slight agitation before adding, "It also doesn't help that you are so damn persistent. The number of days in a row you beg me doesn't change my answer." Mr. Gillion, a slightly overweight man with a complex comb over, rolled his eyes. "Fuck you, Annie." Annie watched him remorselessly as he stomped off, turning the corner, and disappearing from her sights. Annie picked up a salmon and began slicing it into small pieces. She packaged it neatly, setting it atop the other boxes. When she looked up, she gasped. "Damn," she muttered. "You scared me." It took an elongated moment to recognize the man before her. He was not a regular visitor to her family's seafood business. No. This man was royalty. The impressive gold tone of a king's crown matched this man's skin and thick hair. His chiseled body constricted her eyes in an uncomfortable stare; he was tall and toned. She couldn't tear her eyes away. That was when she stopped breathing; she felt her inhalation restrict as her eyes met the most beautiful sea green set she had ever encountered. "You gonna answer me, fish girl?" He inquired teasingly. Annie reddened instantaneously, forgetting that the man was real. "I know that I am an impressive eyeful, but even victors need to eat." Annie studied him, and her normal personality returned; the nature that forced her to micro analyze every aspect a person possessed. "Victors don't have to lack common courtesy," Annie sassed, holding a box of chopped salmon in her tiny hands. "They can be respectful. An amazing feat, I know, but it is possible." The man chuckled. "Feisty one, aren't we?" His deep voice was almost hypnotic, but Annie's mind mandated that it become one that she was indifferent to. "Just honest," she replied. "You have to pay the price like anyone else." The athletically-built man nodded and asked, "Do you know who I am?" There was an absence of arrogance in his voice; instead of sounding selfish, he simply appeared puzzled, mystified by the way the young woman treated him. It was uncustomary. He was used to women flinging themselves at him the way a rubber band leaves a teenage boy's fingertips. Annie placed two hands on her curvy hips and replied, maintaining an intense eye contact, "You are Finnick Odair. The darling of the Capital. You won the 65th Hunger Games at the age of 14, the youngest person to ever win. You're a womanizer, an obnoxious flirt that cares for nothing- no one but himself." For the first time in his life, Finnick was rendered speechless. He studied the woman's eyes; they were a mystifying green that perfectly matched his own. He did not detect nastiness in them, but rather, a controlling defiance that he assumed was hereditary. He nodded politely, reflecting a small part of his real self before replying, "I wasn't hungry anyways. But I heard your speech to that man earlier. The economy is hard nowadays. Too many people in District 4 and the rest of Panem can't catch a break. I have a little something for your business." He placed a stack of dollar bills on the table and said, "It isn't much. I haven't dealt in tangible currency in years. It's the best I can do." Annie was rendered speechless, stumped by the seemingly self-centered victor's generosity. "T-thank you," she stuttered. "Not a problem…" His voice trailed off. "Annie," she finished for him. "My name is Annie." "Annie," he repeated with a nod. "Thank you very much for your company, Annie." Finnick gave her a final- and slight- grin before walking dejectedly in the same direction Mr. Gillion had taken. Annie ran two sets of long fingers through her tangled brown hair. Finnick Odair had just visited her. Finnick Odair. The most sought after man in the history of Panem- and she had treated him with unnecessary contempt. She rolled her eyes at her stubbornly. It was time to close shop. After placing the boxes of salmon in her purse, Annie strolled off towards her home. She opened the door to her beach house, placing the bag on the ground, and readying herself for bed. She lay awake for hours, thinking of the famous man she had encountered an hour earlier. "Finnick," she whispered to herself, laughing in utter amusement. "Finnick Odair doesn't care what my name is." She sighed contently and rolled onto her side. Why would Finnick Odair want to know the name of an eighteen year old girl that sassed him? That treated him with such indifference when he was, after all, one of the most beloved competitors in Hunger Games history. Annie closed her eyes, and drifted off. She dreamed of Finnick's sea green eyes and the wad of cash he had given to her that matched it.