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Chapter 2
As the train pulled out of District 4 I felt the familiar knot start to form in my stomach-another visit to the Capitol. This would be my fifth trip back for the Hunger Games-the fifth year of most likely watching two more kids get brutally murdered, and the fourth year of being sold to President Snow's highest bidders. Maybe it was better not to win the Games, I thought once again as I entered the dining car.
Jake was the only one at the table and I assumed Trixie was off fetching Annie. As I took my seat across from him, Jake fixed me with a critical stare. I cooly made eye contact and raised a single eyebrow in amusement. He smirked.
"If I had been in your Games I could've beaten you," he said unexpectedly.
"If you had been in my Games you would have been a scrawny 13 year old," I shot back. "Arrogance will get you killed." I added after a short pause. I was the mentor here after all, so no matter how much I disliked him I should probably throw in a little advice and do the job properly.
"Only if you can't follow through," he retorted.
I shook my head in disbelief. He may not be willing to learn now, but he would learn soon enough in the arena. Why he clearly felt the need to challenge me, I honestly have no idea. I had already been through that hell and back, and now I was going through a new hell. Most likely it had something to do with the fact that I was only a year older than him. He was clearly very competitive.
Thankfully I was saved from giving a response by the arrival of the three ladies of our party. Trixie was babbling on a mile a minute about her agonizing decision of whether or not to dye her hair light blue or light green, Mags was nodding along, but clearly not listening, and Annie wasn't even trying to stay engaged in the horrible story, but was clearly somewhere else in her mind.
I instinctively began to study her more closely as she took the seat to the right of Jake. Her eyes weren't vacant; she was clearly very aware of her surroundings. She seemed to be assessing her situation-analyzing something. Her brow creased and she bit down lightly on her bottom lip as she continued to think.
"You think you can handle this, Cresta?" Jake asked in what was clearly supposed to be an intimidating and domineering manner. "You ready for this?"
Her brow smoothed out and she pressed her full lips neatly together, giving him an idle glance.
"Born ready," came the quiet, clear response. I nearly choked on the drink I was sipping and was pleased to see that she had unsettled Jake slightly as well. I felt her eyes snap to my face at my reaction and quickly tried to regain my composure. Her eyes were a mixture of amusement and hesitation. As I stared into those green eyes I wondered if she was uncomfortable being with me in this setting; if she wondered if our acquaintance would be forgotten on my end; if I was a different person where the Capitol was concerned-she, of course, had heard the rumors and gossip of my Capitol affairs, everyone in Panam knew.
I felt my lips begin to curve up into a smile and she gave me a questioning look.
"So," I said, trying to ease the slight awkwardness that had settled over the room and assure her that nothing was different. "You get to see all your admirers today, or was there only time for half of them?"
Her nose scrunched up slightly and she gave me a small smile. I had seen that look a few times in the last couple of years. It was always the one she used when trying to understand what exactly I'm talking about. She never asked outright, but it was always clear that she was waiting for further information. My grin spread into a full smile. I wasn't giving her any more than that. Finally, she gave in and spoke.
"What the heck are you talking about, Finnick?" she asked, giving a slight shake of the head, her long brown locks swaying gently against her cheeks. She rarely actually said my name, and my heart seemed to skip a bit when she did. I had heard a lot of women say my name over the years. They loved to say it-over and over again-until they wore it out. They said it with lust and desire, and with what I can only assume was supposed to be seducing tones. But in Annie's sweet voice it sounded so innocent.
"Oh, you know," I said, waving my hand in her direction they way I did when I was teasing her every now and then in the market. I was shocked and admittedly quite impressed when the first time I tried this a couple of years ago she didn't even blush, much less giggle ridiculously like all the other girls.
Now was no exception. She simply rolled her eyes and gave another slight shake of her head before turning back to her dinner, and not for the first time was I struck by how sincerely unaware she was of her beauty.
'Well," Mags started all businesslike, interrupting my train of thought. "Let's get down to it. In a few minutes we will watch the recap of the reapings and begin working strategies from there. We will arrive in the Capitol tomorrow afternoon. The day after that is the opening ceremonies."
We watched the reapings in relative silence before Jake and Annie headed back to their compartments for the night. I followed Mags to her compartment and plopped down on the bed.
"What do you think, Mags?"
She smiled me and handed me a couple of sugar cubes before popping one into her mouth.
"I think we have a chance this year."
"We're a Career district. We have a chance every year," I point out. "What do you think of Annie?"
"Oh! So that's who you want to talk about," Mags said slyly, grinning at me. I rolled my eyes.
"I'm just trying to be a good mentor," I said, holding up my hands.
"Hmmm," Mags hummed disbelievingly. "She's a pretty little thing."
I felt Mags shoot me a furtive glance. I knew she was waiting for me to respond, more specifically to admit that I thought she was pretty. I just shook my head giving no response.
"How long have you known her?" Mags pushed.
"A couple of years," I shrugged and popped my last surfer cube in my mouth.
"And you never noticed how pretty she was?"
I sighed.
"I'm not blind, Mags," I said, shooting her a fake, exaggerated smile, which she countered with a genuine one. "Can we get back on topic here?"
"Sure, sure," Mags allowed herself one last annoying smile before becoming serious. "Annie's an interesting one. I'm going to need to observe her more."
I nodded. I had been observing Annie for years and yet she still managed to surprise and confuse me, so I guess I couldn't expect Mags to get a reading in less than a day.
"Jake, on the other hand," Mags was saying. . .
". . .is a jackass," I finished.
Mags raised her eyebrows at me. "Is. . .confident."
"Mags," I said standing up and heading towards the door. "I'm confident. He's arrogant."
"We'll continue this tomorrow," was Mags' response, which means that she knew I was at least somewhat right.
I wandered through the train compartments. It was past midnight, but I didn't feel like sleeping. I should probably get my rest while I could. It was not like I would get any in the Capitol-for multiple reasons. I was approaching the sitting compartment as I shook my head, trying not to dwell on what was waiting for me. I slid the door open quietly, but stopped short when I realized the room wasn't empty.
Directly in front of me, sitting on the couch with her back towards me was Annie. She appeared to be in a grey pair of sweatpants and a dark green fitted pajama tank. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun with fly-aways falling down the back of her neck and around her face. As I approached her carefully from behind I noticed she was clutching a mug of tea and seemed to be simply staring off into space.
I placed my hands on the back of the couch next to each of her shoulders and leaned down so that my mouth was right next to her left ear.
"What are you thinking?" I whispered. A small smile graced her lips and she remained staring straight ahead.
"Hello, Finnick." In the time it took me to round the couch and sit down next to her I had a million other questions I wanted answered. She hadn't given any sort of indication that my sudden appearance startled her. How could be have possibly heard me come in?
I took my seat on the opposite end of the couch and stared at her expectantly. After a bit she turned her head to look at me.
"What was your first impression of me?" she asked suddenly.
I was momentarily stunned.
"Well. . .," I cleared my throat. Honestly, it was her eyes. They really were a shockingly bright green. But I didn't want to tell her that, and besides I had a feeling she was looking for something deeper.
"Quiet," I started. "Shy, sweet, innocent, kind." I was rewarded with small smile, but something was still clouding her eyes as she glanced off into space to the left of me. I took a deep breath.
"But that's only one facet of you."
Her eyes snapped back to my face and she raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"You are also strong, tough, smart, observant, a hard worker. It just takes time for people to see those things." Again, I was granted small smile.
"I know how to survive, Finnick," she stated quietly. And that's when I realized where she was taking this: the Games. She had already begun strategizing. What was she thinking? Was she going to win by simply surviving? It had been done before, but not much and certainly not by anyone from a Career district. Was she even considering joining the Career pack? That somehow didn't suit her, and it would definitely mean killing.
"So," I began. "No killing?" Her response was immediate.
"No hunting. I'm not really an aggressive person. If attacked, however, I will fight, and I will win." The conviction in her eyes and the matter-of-fact way in which she said it made me instinctively sit up straighter. Some form of surprise must have shown on my face because she let a soft laugh escape her lips and shook her head slightly.
"I'm not weak, Finnick," she whispered. With that, she took the last sip of her tea and stood up. "It's late. We should get some sleep."
As I followed her down the hall I couldn't help but mull over this new information she had given me. Annie Cresta was definitely a many layered, complex girl, and I was completely fascinated by her. I was so lost in my thoughts that when she stopped in front of her door I nearly ran into her. She put her hand on the knob and turned to look up at me, holding my gaze steadily for a long pause before I broke the silence.
"Goodnight," I whispered before turning immediately down the hall towards my own room. Yep, I definitely wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight.
END OF CHAPTER 2! THOUGHTS?
