hiya this is the rewrite of "If it tastes like fire." probably a little Au compared to the orginal. Annie x Finnick eventually/probably/ you'll have to see. Reviews greatly appreciated. xxx
Chapter One
She was almost sixteen when they reaped her.
"Ladies first?" The silly bitch with spiky green hair trilled. Diana had watched reapings in other districts they all did that and they all laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world. District four was a career district but it was rare for a girl to volunteer and no-one said a word when they read out her name. Behind her she could hear her cousin Annie sobbing, her fingers brushed past her skin. Not fast enough to grab onto her arm. As Diana walked up to the stadium, she could hear her moaning "Oh God, Oh God,"
There is no God, she wanted to laugh. There is the capitol.
Her father was a sailor with cautious ambition to be a Capitan of his own boat in a few years time. The only daughter her elder brothers had grown up and married not foolish enough to volunteer. She had inherited the good looks of district four from her mother. Waist-length dark hair, pearly skin and enormous sea-blue eyes. He had hoped, her father that his beautiful daughter might have married a rich man lived a better life pretending that every year for a few seconds she did not gamble with her children's lives. Apart from that they had always toed the line of invisibility. Until today.
Diana glared unashamedly when the seventeen-year-old hulk volunteered, shook her hand and peered curiously down her top. But she said nothing.
"Only let Annie in." She ordered the guard with more steely authority than she thought she was capable of. She took a seat and drew her knees up under her chin. Annie understood, she thought, she's stood by me like a sister each year. The thought of seeing her father or Annie's mother the aunt who looked and smelt so much like her own mother left a foul taste in her mouth.
"I don't want you to die." Annie said. They were sitting together backs leaning against the wall.
"Maybe I won't." She replied, there was a pause as they both reconciled themselves with the fact she was only saying that for Annie's benefit.
"Tell my father I'm sorry please." She said eventually "And make sure Owain she doesn't give his child a awful name."
"Like what?"
"Like Plutarch!"
They both began to laugh, forced laughter.
"I'll do better." Annie promised "If it's a girl I'll make them call it Diana."
"I think they'll name it after my mother first." Diana said softly, Annie squeezed her hand.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
That wasn't so hard she thought as they led her away. However, by the time she had reached the train her body disagreeing. Accept it she ordered her stiff shivery muscles, cold gooseflesh skin and knotted stomach, you are going to die and you might as well get over it or she thought glancing up at Secil overgrown physically, underdeveloped mentally like most careers and imagining briefly him snapping her neck... get over it! He grasped Finnick's the ridiculously handsome 65th Hunger Games victor hand ignoring Mags the other electric blue eyed mentor. When it was her turn to be greeted. She made a point of smiling directly at Mags and letting her eyes slide distractedly off Finnick's face as if he wasn't easily the most interesting thing in the room.
I blame them, Diana thought glancing discreetly at Finnick's rippling muscles as he reached up to run his fingers through his tawny hair. They are every bit as responsible for turning this into a circus as the Capitol. Perhaps if she was going to die, she could keep a little integrity.
"So tell me about yourselves." He drawled as they sat down to eat. Diana picked at her food but could not help snorting slightly as Secil spoke of bringing blood and honour to his district. Her eyes flicked up and met Finnick's amused smile.
"What about you sweetheart?" He grabbed her plate and piled it high.
"Hobbies, Interests…?" Seeing the look on Diana's face he trailed of, smiling brightly.
"You done mate, get some rest then?" Secil scraped back the chair and headed off to the sleeping-quarters. Mags silently followed.
"Diana you need to eat." He said. "Going in half-starved doesn't work in your favour, I promise you that."
"Don't try." She said "Don't even try."
"It's my job." He said bluntly. "You can pretend like it's not happening or you can face up to it."
"Fun job." Diana said playing with her fork. "What makes you think I want to win? I don't want to do that, if you want to help me, you'll let me kill myself nice and quickly. Before I get my eyes plucked out by birds, or my brains smashed out."
"Or better idea." He smiled winningly. "I teach you how."
She stabbed at a potato. "I think I would like that."
At the Capitol they stripped Diana of her clothes and hair. She could not help hating them her prep-team as they soothed and adored, tittered and giggled, treating her more like a doll than a person. She kept a mantra running through her head. You are a tribune, not a person. It would be easier she thought when the time came, if she had accepted that the real Diana had been gone for sometime.
Still she is more beautiful than she has ever been before in her life. They have gilded her lids silver, gummed lacy huge black lacy lashes making her eyes even more large and dramatic. Painted her lips a silvery-watery blue. They had braided her hair with gold net and pearls. She goes half naked, the curtain of hair covering her breasts, mother of pearl silk binding her legs. A mermaid how predictable… then she remembers her promise to Finnick to kill them with kindness and bites down the curl in her lip. Leaning against her chariot in the cold depot, Diana observes it is a great year for nudity. But not really a great year for nude people. The coal miners from district twelve are sallow and hungry looking even in the paint. The two from district seven a plump boy with glasses and a buck-toothed girl as tall as a tree and as scrawny as a branch are naked as well leaves gathered in certain choice areas like a thousand year old painting she had studied at school.
When the chariots go, the crowd is too large, too loud. She looks up at the night, at the stars. The wind rushes through her hair, flinging it back and exposing her chest. A wave of approval ripples in the crowd and she makes no attempt to cover herself, she tries not to think of her father and brothers forced to watch. Her fingers curled around the silver bar she leans forward and expertly caught a rose between her teeth. The petals felt like silk against her cheek. When the anthem stopped, Finnick swung her off the chariot like she was as light as a feather. She had spat the rose onto the ground.
"I can't walk in this thing." She called after him, with a harsh laugh shuffling like a penguin. He took two steps backwards and tossed her easily over his shoulder.
"Is Secil getting the same treatment?"
"Mags is taking care of him." He set her on her feet in the lift leaned his back against the glass doors. Finger the emerald clasp holding her 'tail' at her narrow hips.
"I could unwrap you like a present."
She takes a sharp intake of breath, her heart hammered. Reality seemed to crash inside her head. She slapped his hand away. "I'm not sleeping with you for favours in the arena, Finnick." She exploded.
He carried on smiling. A red-faze descended suddenly, unexpectedly and she went for him, nails and teeth.
They ended her toppling over and him holding her in a head-lock. "Not bad," He said releasing her. "Plenty to work on." Though and he strolled out the lift hands in his pockets. Leaving her frustrated and scarlet-faced, wobbling in her silly outfit.
