Hey guys! The response I got was more than expected but I appreciate it so much! I'm still trying to figure out this website and the kinks in the story but I plan to update as often as possible. I only get to when I have the laptop but my brother has been stealing it lately. I hope you all enjoy!
Here he was again. He hated the Capitol, the people, the style, the customs; most especially he hated that he was alone here. At least in Four he had Mags and he could call Johanna. Here though, he was a slave.
It had been five years that Finnick had felt utterly alone. Five years since he made the decision not to mentor her, and five years he'd felt the guilt that Annie had died. Did he love her? Of course he did. She had been his friend since they were children, was he in love with her though? He wasn't sure, and now he'd never get the option in knowing. She wasn't going to come back; the most amazing swimmer he knew besides himself had drowned.
As Finnick walked the streets of the Capitol hand in hand with some purple skinned socialite, he couldn't help but think of the twelve year old who had outlived the only girl he knew he had loved. He didn't know anything about her; just that she had out-swam a natural born swimmer and beat his record of youngest victor. He had never been proud of holding that title, but he had never wished it would pass on to anyone younger than he had been. The games were sick. Even at twenty four he was wary of his own past self. How could the people of the Capitol want to be with him after the deaths he had caused? Nothing in this place made sense to him.
That night, after he pulled out of the purple skinned woman he leaned in and whispered, "Tell me a secret." The rich socialite, still coming down from her high proudly proclaimed back to him, "My uncle is one of Snow's best advisors. I can tell you what the card will say tonight. Don't worry though; I'm sure it won't affect you." But it did affect him, as soon as she uttered the words "existing" and "going back" Finnick knew it was himself going back into the games.
He hadn't always been willing to give into Snow's demands; he always held the fear that was why Annie had died in that arena. When she had died, he tried to quit giving out his services and the consequences had been horrible. Snow had offered him up to only the creepiest, biggest men who had serious daddy issues growing up. He hasn't been able to walk for a week after they were done with him. Since then, Finnick had merely been surviving waiting for a cause to go on. Apparently the only notice he was going to get was that he was meant to suffer then die.
Finnick was one of the few victors who knew of the rebellion. He knew that the twelve year old who beat Annie five years ago was the head of the cause, but he wasn't sure if she knew. He thought she probably had no clue; it wouldn't have been safe and he had heard of her overwhelming protectiveness of her younger sister. Would the rebellion be able to save him? He wasn't the priority, the girl from Twelve would be whether she knew it or not. He couldn't lead the rebellion; the citizens in the districts saw him as from the Capitol. Even if he would rather give up everything he had, he had his part to play and that part was to be defiled my Capitol citizens until they gave him inside news on Snow's latest plans. He didn't think calling Haymitch now would even matter but he would do it once he was back to his apartment. He'd taken the liberty to owning a place where the citizens in the Capitol couldn't touch him seven years ago.
Finnick had always felt for Haymitch. Though they both had lost everyone, Finnick never had to watch his family be fired down. Once Finnick got home he grabbed the phone he knew wasn't bugged, thanks to another victor Beetee, and dialed Haymitch's number.
"Hello" rang the most beautiful voice Finnick had ever heard. So beautiful he was silenced.
"Look if you're just going to keep breathing deeply into the phone and not say anything, I'm going to hang up."
Knocked out of his stupor Finnick replied, "No wait, I'm here, I must have dialed wrong. I'm looking for Haymitch-"
"No, this is his phone. He's knocked out drunk. Just give me a minute."
Before he could even get another word in Finnick heard a deep voice scream and a crash before he hear the angel's voice tell Haymitch to answer him damn phone.
"What?"
Remembering the reason he had called his voice immediately went hard. "The Quarter Quell tonight, victors will be reaped. I'm going back in."
Again instead of a reply he heard Haymitch's cursed words screamed out and then another crash.
Katniss watched as Haymitch tore apart his home in Victor's Village. Instead of stopping his actions she sat down into the chair he had previously occupied.
"Well Sweetheart, my source has told me victors are going back in; you and I most likely kid."
"What?" Katniss exclaimed, "They can't do that! That's not how this goes, we won, and they just can't send us back!"
"It's not like I can control this Kat, now go find brother dearest." Even if Katniss had accepted Haymitch to be a father figure, she still scowled at the crude mention of Peeta.
"Fine" She knew Prim would be with Rory at the Hawthorne's and decided she would spare her sister the details for now. Poor Prim had only just recently begun to show signs of happiness. After Katniss leaving for the games, having to return each year to mentor, their mother's abandonment, and the fear she would herself be picked at the age of twelve just like her sister, it was no wonder Prim only associated with Rory Hawthorne.
Upon arriving at the bakery, her mother attempted to stop her entrance.
"What do you want Katniss, I know you don't need bread, little Prim came earlier. Don't even think about starting trouble again."
"First off, don't even think about talking about or to Prim. You lost that right years ago. Second, you have no say over what I do and when I do it, you also lost that respect a decade ago. And third, I'm not here for you, so just back off." Pushing past her mother, into the bakery, and through to the stairs in the back that she knew led to the family home, she went to get Peeta. Upon finding him hunched over his desk doodling again, she informed him Haymitch needed him and that he had five seconds before she lost her wits, so they had better go. Once they reached Victor's Village, away from the glares she had been receiving from her mother, she pushed Peeta towards their mentor and then proceeded to run to the Hawthorne's home to break the news to Prim.
Finnick sat back in his room on the train, resting his head against the window. He couldn't help but think of that beautiful voice he had heard, the voice of an angel. He didn't know who she was but he needed to see her. Besides with all the signs he'd been getting lately, he didn't have much time left.
