A.N - I had a massive spur of inspiration so here's chapter two of my Fabulous Finnick Fan Fiction~ See what I did there? ;)
I hope you guys enjoy this and please if you have a second, review? They make my day!
Content Appropriate for T: Language on occasion, reference to nudity and sexuality, gory mess later on.
I do not own the Hunger Games, nor any themes or characters relate to it, this all belongs to Suzanne Collins. or my own pleasure and hopefully for your enjoyment!
Have fun, criticise and comment if necessary! Much love and enjoy it!
Finnick Odair: Tribute
The prep-room is cold and my back aches from the metal slab I have been placed on.
"Welcome to the Capitol!" A woman dressed in all black declares as she enters the room, "I am Aurelia and I am your stylist, come sit up." She stands in front of me, arms placed on her hips impatiently. She's wearing black, tight leggings and a spandex tank top with black lace sleeves. I slowly sit and shiver as my back leaves the slab and my weight transfers to my legs, chilling them all the more. I stare up into her ebony face; her skin colour seems natural at least. She has a silver-blue teardrop tattooed to her left cheek and she has ice blue hair. Her make-up follows suit with big false lashes of a silver colour and ice blue lipstick.
"Well, well, aren't you a strapping young lad and only fourteen? I would've guessed higher." She smiles like a shark, her teeth are serrated and seem to have been split down the middle, and suddenly I am very afraid. "Stand up for me." She orders, her tone sharp. I oblige and stand in front of the estranged woman. I am very much aware of the way her gaze lingers over my form and I do not like it. She cups my chin and lifts it scrutinizing my face in a calculating manner.
"You are one handsome young man," She mutters almost to herself and turns around to her prep cart. "First to change is your hair!" She coos in an excitable tone. In her hands she holds gleaming silver scissors and a spray bottle of water. I groan inwardly, I always knew they would change me but not my hair!
"But if I am handsome as you say, why change anything about me? Wouldn't I look appealing as a rough diamond from District Four rather than a groomed pretty boy?" I say smoothly smiling a little too hard.
"You are a clever boy aren't you?" She peers at me, searching for an ulterior motive. She finds none and continues talking about colour schemes and how I should wear my hair. Should I wear make-up or keep it simple? Should I wear contacts or keep my natural colour?
"Finnick dear?" She asks, leaning close to me.
"Sorry, what?" I shake my head, unaware that I had gone off into a stare.
"I said would you be happy with an ancient, Old World mythology for your costumes?" She asks, smiling disconcertingly.
"Uh, what would I look like?" I ask, I am beginning to worry about this woman, she flits from one emotion to another… I hope all the Capitol aren't like this… I think to myself as she pulls up a glass panel. She taps a few glowing icons on her panel and a picture appears.
A painting of a battle at sea is displayed on the panel, great men in a boat are battling to tame some horse of the sea, strewn with barnacles and seaweed the horse is ten times as tall as the men and it takes the three to wrangle it. Above the unsuspecting men a man made of waves points a trident down upon them, he rises from the waves as a part of them. The God-like man towers over the fishermen and a feral smile alights his face, a crown adorns his curled tresses and he rides a horse made of waves. I stand in awe, marvelling at the painting on the panel.
"Well?" Aurelia prompts, "What do you think?" I look up into her eyes and I know I am glowing with anticipation.
"I'll do it." I smile, I want to make an impression, I made a promise.
I will not be late home for dinner.
Lucia and I stand together, we are waiting for the signal to mount out chariot. Lucia is dressed in flowing white robes that are embroidered with blue and green silk in the semblance of fish scales. Her hair is curled and a veil of golden netting obscures her coal black eyes and ties her locks to the back of her head. A crown of crab claws rests on the netting completing her look. Her robes sweep to the floor so I cannot see her feet. She is a very beautiful girl I realise and smile to myself.
"Final checks!" A loud, masculine voice booms overhead. Iranaeous, Aurelia and Alexio – Lucia's stylist – come to check us over.
"Right so let's check your make-up." Aurelia and Alexio both produce mirrors and we have a final chance to look at ourselves before the parade. I look myself up and down. My hair is artificially curled and extended to my waist, my eyes are my natural colour but I am wearing special clear contacts that emphasise my natural eye pigments so they shine out against my bronze skin. My chest is bare and waxed, a painful procedure I assure, but synthetic barnacles and a starfish cover my right side. I wear a white cloth tied at my left hip, the material rises a little uncomfortably high but I hold my head high. My feet are bare but of a single toe ring on my left foot. Finally I look back to my face, where atop my head rests a sandstone crown with rugged peaks studded with seashells and pieces of glass. I am the God-like being of the sea.
"You two look perfect!" Iranaeous squeals as he claps his hands together like a loon.
"Not quite," Aurelia smiles that toothy grin I despise, "Just one last thing." She pulls out a long wooden case with brass buckles.
"What's this?" I ask, curious beyond belief.
"Open it." She is grinning so wide I am surprised her jaw doesn't dislocate.
I do as she says and my eyes widen, encased in deep violet velvet is an intricately crafted silver trident. I slowly pick it up and it glows faintly. Lucia touches it to and it glows brighter.
"It's a marvellous piece of technology isn't it?" Aurelia is practically bouncing with excitement, her icy hair fans out around her as she does little spins, "The physical contact creates illuminations made from microscopic holes in the material, the body heat powers the light inside."
"I love it." And I mean it. I am in awe of this gift and I smile at Lucia, she's smiling too and we both feel that little bit more confident about the parade.
"Tributes," The booming voice pauses, "To your chariots!" Then silence. A few seconds of stunned silence lasts before a hectic buzz. Lucia and I nod at each other and spring up into our chariot, we are fourth in the parade so we need to be ready to go. Mere seconds after we have positioned ourselves, the parade begins. The District One chariot moves off, then two, then three, then we lurch forward. I am amazed as we exit the hall, the bright lights of the runway blind both Lucia and I and we squint out at the crowds. It is like a rainbow, but not a beautiful, natural rainbow. It is the kind of rainbow that appears in oil spills and spreads death and pollutes marine life, it is a chemical poison to my eyes. But, I smile and together as district partners Lucia and I lift the trident and as we do sparks shoot out of the ends in a different rainbow, a rainbow of fireworks and joy. The crowd erupts into thunderous applause and cheering, we have made our impression and it has been a big one. As we near the end of the runway I use my right hand to blow kisses out to the crowd and the women love it, I see them swoon. How pathetic. I think, but shake my head, Smile Finnick, just a little longer.
The parade comes to a close and then I see him, President Snow.
"Welcome Tributes to the 65th Annual Hunger Games," A pause as the audience settles down, "We honour your sacrifice and we respect your resilience. You all look so proud tonight and we love that, sleep tight tonight as the trials begin from here on out and may the odds ever be in your favour!" He roars before the Chariots move forward in order under the parapet where Snow stands. My stomach turns as I fully realise, I am a part of the 65th Annual Hunger Games.
We're sat at the dining table and frankly I'm stunned. District four has food and we don't starve like many other districts but we might as well be compared to what the Capitol has prepared for us. The long dining table is piled high with animals and vegetables I cannot name, the drinks are a fantastic moss green that tastes like lemons and strawberries.
"So, how do you like the banquet the Capitol have prepared for you then?" Iranaeous asks politely between mouthfuls.
"It's wonderful, such a generous offering!" I exclaim, truly excited, my fear from earlier forgotten.
"Well dig in! We have plenty more if you need it!" Iranaeous smiles as he takes in a mouthful of mackerel pâté.
I grab anything new I can see, some meaty looking ribs, some form of stew, a bagel with a creamy white sauce stuffed between it. Everything tastes divine even the bagel which I do not particularly rate has an exquisite range of tastes and textures.
"So you guys looked amazing out there!" Mags smiles warmly as she tucks into the same mackerel pâté as I have.
"We have Aurelia and Alexio to thank!" I admit humbly, wishing I could have kept that trident.
"Ah I suppose you are right," Mags nods, "Nonetheless your joint performance with the trident was a crowd stirrer." Mags nods in a serious manner, "You have already got the Capitol's attention in a good way, you won't have trouble getting sponsors, trust me."
We lapsed into a comfortable silence after that and continued to eat the bountiful feast before us.
As we all begin to place our cutlery down and exhale bloated and happy the Avoxes clear up our plates and I just stare, most of them are beautiful women behind the make-up and the rigid uniforms. Empathy strikes it's mournful gong as I wonder, do they eat as well as this? What did they do to deserve this treatment? And most importantly, does anyone deserve this?
"Are we ready for bed then?" Iranaeous asks as he stands in all his emerald glory.
"I certainly am," Mags admits with a yawn, "This has been a long day."
"Goodnight Mags," I wave as she leaves, "I am also going to bed, goodnight." I wave over my shoulder as I leave. Lucia and Iranaeous bid night to me as I leave the room and I enter the long corridor leading to our rooms, mine is the last room on the right and I press my finger on the identification panel on the wall.
Finnick Odair, confirmed. The computerised voice states as the door opens with a click.
My room has deep blue carpeting and a sky blue carpet, a window makes up the far wall and my bed has plain white sheets and two pillows. A bedside table with a lamp and a wardrobe lie to my left and a door to what I assume is my bathroom is on my right. It's pretty bare but is luxurious compared to the double bed and wardrobe back home in which both my parents and I have to share. I strip off the plain blue jeans and white t-shirt I had put on after the parade and climb into bed with only my boxers on.
My head hits the pillow and I am asleep in seconds. I dream of my ocean and of dead things swimming in it. I see Lucia and the shark, my mother and father, my boss at the fishing depot. Everything I know is dead.
I wake with a start as I remember the shark and its gaping mouth charging at me through the water and for once, I was the fish out of water. I wipe the sweat and hair back off my face and stare out of the window to my left and watch as the sun rises above the skyscrapers around me, I don't want to sleep anymore.
As the sky takes on a pearly pink-blue colour I push off of the bed and saunter into the bathroom. The bathroom was identical to the one on the train so I try the shower out this time, I turn the shower onto setting four and the smell of orchids and coconuts fills the round cubicle and I close my eyes, just letting the water rinse away the foul dreams and thoughts from my mind.
I step out of the shower and towel my hair dry and wipe away all of the residual water from my body. Today is the day the training begins; today I become a true tribute.
"Now, don't reveal your strengths until the final test with the Gamemakers." Mags warns us as we reach the floor or the training area. The doors slide open and she waves at us, "Good luck, my tributes." The doors close and we are in the room alone, no one else has turned up yet.
"Finally, we're alone for once." Lucia sighs with relief and her whole demeanour changes, her face is less tight and tired. We were friends once but once these games began I have known it has to end, soon.
"I know, it's been a while since we talked, even back at the District." I nod neutrally.
"Why did we drift apart Finnick?" Lucia turns her head to look at me, sorrow making her eyes pools of swirling ink.
"You got engaged, you got involved with more important things, I go to school, I fish, it was a natural separation." I look at her, knowing my face seems harsh but I can't afford to have feelings towards her, friendly or not.
"Oh…" She wants to say more but District One have arrived, my target group.
"So, you the D-fours?" The male tribute asks gruffly, he's around six foot six and is built like a bull, he has blue eyes like sapphires and his hair is cut tight to his skull, he could have black or brown hair but it is hard to tell.
"It's what it says on our shirts." I retort cockily, purposefully making a conscious effort of looking him up and down.
"Well, aren't you a smart aleck?" The girl snorts. She is a little shorter than my six foot three but her gleaming grey eyes and sleek black hair intimidate me more than the male, these two are deadly.
"Leave him alone, I think it's cute." The male chuckles, "I'm Illume, this is Tanzanite but we all call her Taz." Tanzanite bristles at the nickname but says no more.
I turn to see district two saunter in, the male is younger than me, barely thirteen and the girl maybe a little older. They both have dark blonde hair and muddy brown eyes, they walk together, holding hands. Siblings.
"So, District three, we saw your reaping." Illume asks in a rough tone, obviously trying to intimidate the younger kids.
"Yes, and don't take us lightly, I volunteered for a reason." The girl piped up, her voice oddly mature for her age.
"Yeah," The boy continued, "We're twins, we know what we are doing." There is a unique moment where both Illume and Tanzanite are speechless but the other tributes begin to filter in and the training officer steps up onto his podium.
"See you around, four." Tanzanite winks at me before dragging Illume off into the crowd huddled around the podium. I take Lucia's wrist and pull her along with me as I am eager to hear what he has to say. Lucia just fidgets beside me, I can see tears welling up in her eyes. This isn't good, if she appears weak now she'll be dead in minutes.
The officer begins to speak but I ignore it now, whispering to Lucia.
"Grow up, you have to deal with your situation," My voice comes out in a harsh hiss, "If you act weak now they will all clamour to kill you the second the gong sounds you understand?" My ferocity startles even me, but I have reason to be like this. I have watched the reruns of both my aunt and uncle's hunger games, they died before I was born and tragically at that.
"Finnick I can't do this." She whimpers, tears spilling over her lids, luckily no one has noticed yet.
"I promised I would look after you, but you cannot let me down, you understand, we have to work together." I grab her face a little too harshly as I make her look at me, she winces and looks up into my eyes. She says nothing, "Do you understand?" I hiss.
"Yes." She nods frantically, "I understand, I'm sorry." She places her hand over mine, suddenly I am blushing.
"Good, now listen to the official." I smile and we both straighten up, we're at the back so no one noticed our little outburst, I see Lucia hold her head high in my peripheral vision and I smile. I hope this keeps up, I'm going to need her… I think to myself as the speaker concludes his speech. I heard none of it but it doesn't matter, I know that you don't fight other tributes and that's the general idea of the speech. I hope.
"Lucia, come on, to the survival skills." I smile, trying to extend the arm of friendship once again.
"Sure, I'm a net weaver so I know nothing about survival skills." She giggles softly, and her hopes are lifted.
After an hour on survival skills Lucia learns how to start fires in the wilderness, how to create a simple but effective shelter and some basic edible roots and leaves. I learn how to make decent snares and how to lure wild prey into the snares, the rest I know. Knot tying is my forte, net weaving is natural to me and I have learnt how to blend in with my environment from my fisherman days. Stay still, stay silent, stay out of direct light and try to destroy your natural outline, stay low and concealed.
"I'm going to practice with the swords, I don't know what else I should, I'm pretty useless." Lucia says with a weak smile as I head over to the archery section. I will not show the other tributes my prowess with spears, knives and especially not tridents.
"No problem, I'll see you after." I smile and wave as I make my way to the moving targets and the bows. As it happens I am an awful shot and I realise the district ones are laughing at me, but wait until they see what I can do, just wait.
The next week passed in such a blur I hardly remember what night I had the sour but sweet salmon for dinner which I almost choked on after Iranaeous made some stupid comment about fishermen being inbred. I couldn't help but laugh at his ignorance over my own profession and life outside of the Capitol. He thought we all had webbed feet and two sets of eyelids. What idiocy.
"Crunch time." Mags says calmly as we sit alone in the sitting area in the main lobby, "Are you nervous?" She asks kindly.
"Surprisingly not," I answer truthfully, "I know what I am good at and I know what I can show them." I pause and look up into Mags' tired face, "I hope to win, even if it means having to kill Lucia, but tell my parents that I'm sorry if I don't." I look down, my eyes welling up, "You know how my mother has already lost so much to these games I couldn't-," Mags embraced me and I stopped dead in my tracks.
"Finnick my boy, you are one complicated young scoundrel, you will break many a heart and ensnare many a woman." She squeezes me tighter at this point, "But most of all you have a true, honest heart and tremendous willpower and for that I admire you, win if you can but know I will help your family through the loss if it comes to it." Mags lets me go and smiles one last time, "It's time to go, make your mark on the Gamemakers and on the Capitol." I stand and make my way out of the apartment for the last time.
I sit with Lucia outside the demonstration room, she's shaking ever so slightly and I hold onto her hand. She looks up at me with steely eyes.
"I am not nervous, it's adrenaline." She smiles oddly, something has changed over the last week in her, and she has grown.
"I hope so," I smile reassuringly, "Go get them Luce."
"Lucia Alabaster." The recorded voice echoes around the small corridor.
"See you soon, Finnick." Lucia smiles wearily and enters through the gate.
I nod and close my eyes, this is it. It's time.
Lucia exits the room with a faint smile ghosting across her lips.
"It went well then?" I ask.
"I messed up a little but nothing major, I'm confident I'll get above a five." Her smile wavers for a second before she waves, "See you at the interviews."
"Yeah, see you." I wave back, now beginning to feel nervous myself. I clench my fists and set my mouth in a thin line. I had to appear confident; I have to make an impression.
"Finnick Odair." The recorded voice says then silence. The metal grate raises and I stand, walking forward into my future, into my fate.
A.N - Thanks fore reading and please review!
-P.s if you have any suggestions to what I'm doing go for it!
-Esuta~