Chapter 2

Tying knots. Untying knots. Tying knots. I continue the cycle with my rope as I sit on the sand, a few weeks later, while Kristi and Ellie swim. I'm trying to distract myself from the world around me, from the reaping this weekend, from everything. But it's not really working.

"Come on, Annie, join us!" Ellie shouts from the water. She smiles and disappears under the waves.

"No thanks, I'm fine!" I yell back as Ellie's red hair comes back into view. I go back to tying knots, and end up thinking about the exact thing that I do not want to think about: the reaping.

This will be my first reaping, since I'm twelve, and I'm not sure how to feel. Scared, of course, since I'm not a Career, but would it really matter if I'm going to die anyway? I mean dying in the arena, and yet I don't. Because eventually we will all die, so why does it matter at what age? Yes, it's not a nice thought, but it's still the truth.

I look up from my work and stare ahead into the bright sun. Blinking, I look around, and spot two figures walking toward where I sit. The direction they are going means that Kristi and Ellie will have to meet the two before me.

And sure enough, they spot the guys and rush out of the water, grabbing their towels. They walk up to them as they come closer, and all four stop far away from me. Which is perfectly fine, since I'm not in the mood to be a flirt.

I watch, my friends' backs to me. I see that the two boys are tall, and seem to be around, maybe, fourteen or fifteen. They're all talking, though I can't make out the conversation. I hear laughing, and get bored and decide to go back to my knots.

After a few minutes, I look up to see them still talking. Kristi and Ellie are still wrapped in their towels, their hair whipping and drying in the wind. Then suddenly one of the boys looks over Kristi's shoulder, and I swear that he's staring right at me. It's kind of funny, actually, because for some reason he seems kind of familiar. The other boy, faintly, as well.

He then turns to his friend, says something, and starts walking towards me. That's when I see it. This guy is the one who pretended to drown a few weeks ago, and that's his friend. I don't know their names, though, and they don't know mine unless Kristi and Ellie told them.

I fidget nervously with the rope while the boy walks slowly toward where I sit. I keep my head down until I sense that he's close to me and looks up. "Hey, um, I was just wondering, are you the same girl-" I nod my head, knowing what he means, and the boy stops mid-sentence. "I'm Finnick Odair," he introduces himself as, kneeling down and holding out his hand. I don't take it but continue with my rope, wishing I was anywhere but here. His presence is making me uncomfortable, with the events of that day not too long ago.

The boy whom I now know is Finnick, looks down at my rope. "I'm sorry we never got to meet properly. What's your name?"

"Annie Cresta," I answer quietly. Finnick pauses for a moment before speaking next.

"What'cha doing there?" he asks, treating me like I'm a helpless mute. I pause for a few seconds before answering.

"Just tying knots," I say softly, but loud enough for him to hear me.

"Are you self-taught?"

"My father was the one who got me interested. He works at a shop in town, and he knows all about knots." I stop tying and leave the rope in my lap. I lift my head and look at Finnick. His eyes are full of sadness and hope that I'll forgive him. Luckily for Finnick, I think I just might.

I take a good look at him. His hair is the bronze that I remember, and the length is long, but not too long. Finnick's eyes are what really catches your attention; as they are an incredible sea green, almost like mine. His smile is perfection, and of course his body is strong and muscular. He wears swim shorts and flip flops.

"It can really distract you from life when you need to be. It's almost like a meditation; it calms and relaxes you. Or, at least for me," I add. I look down at the sand and pick some up, and then dump it down beside me.

"Can you teach me?" I'm not sure if he's trying to flirt or is actually curious; though I'm about two years younger than him. I decide that he's just curious.

"Sure. Meet me here tomorrow?" Did I really just befriend that prankster jerk?

"Sounds good. See you later," Finnick says, and gets up. He dusts the sand off his shorts and walks over to his friend, whose name I still don't know. Finnick and his friend share a few more words with my friends before they all go their separate ways.

I watch as Kristi and Ellie walk back over to me, and the two boys disappear. My friends throw their towels on the sand and sit in front of me. "So who's your new friend?" Ellie asks.

"Oh, I had run into him a while back," I say, throwing my rope down beside me.

"What's his name?" asks Kristi. "He hadn't told us."

"Finnick Odair," I respond. "What about you guys?"

"We met his friend, Marcus Cabell," says Ellie. "He's nice. We were talking about the reaping and training. He seems like he could be a victor."

"What about Finnick?" questions Kristi. "Does he seem strong?" I think about it.

"Yeah, he seems like he could win the Games if he was a tribute," I say.

A few minutes pass as we sit in silence. Eventually, I take my rope and hold it inside a tight fist. I get up, and so do Kristi and Ellie. "We'll meet here tomorrow?" I ask, hoping their answer is yes. I don't really want to be here alone with Finnick.

"That's fine," says Ellie, and we separate as we all go home. The whole time I think about Finnick Odair, and what our friendship will become.

As planned, I spot Finnick Odair sitting on the sand the next day, accompanied by his friend Marcus. Ellie and Kristi strip of their clothes until they stand in their bathing suits and join Marcus. Finnick walks over to where I awkwardly stand by my friends' disregarded heap of clothes. "Do you want to sit over there?" he asks, and points to a spot not far off from the water.

"Okay," I respond, and, taking out two pieces of rope from my pocket, follow Finnick. We sit down beside each other, and I hand him his share. "I think you know how to tie a simple knot," I say.

"Of course." I watch his fingers fly as he ties a knot, and unties it just as quickly. Impressed, I take my own rope and tie a more complicated one.

"Here," I say, handing it to him. "Untie it." And he does.

"I guess you could say I'm a natural," he says, handing me back both pieces of rope. I smile, but only slightly.

"Are you done already?" I ask. By way of response, Finnick runs and dives into the water, splashing my clothes. Angry, I jump up.

"Join me!" Finnick emerges and gestures toward me, inviting me in. Sighing, I take off my wet clothes, revealing my bathing suit, and leave them in a pile on the sand.

Taking my hair out of its loose ponytail, I wade into the mass of blue. Finnick swims off, leaving me behind. I walk until I'm up to my neck in water, and dive underneath. I catch sight of Finnick's legs kicking in the water. He glances around, spots me, smiles, and swims faster away. I get it; he wants to race.

But should I really be giving my full attention to this boy who I don't really know? It might be a good idea to get to actually know Finnick before I give myself up to him. I decide to get out of the water, and sit down on the sand.

After a short while, Finnick joins me, seeming somewhat disappointed. I silently shrug it off and take out my rope. I sit quietly, only my hands moving as I tie and untie the same complicated knot. "I swam all the way out, thinking you were following me, Annie, you know?" he tells me as he sits down beside me. I look up at him, he being slightly taller.

"I'm sorry," I apologize.

"Then why did you do it?" Finnick looks at me. I then realize that I'm just as bad as him, playing the same game. Letting him think that something was true, when it wasn't, just like he did to me. I sigh once more and fiddle with my rope, now trying to focus my attention on tying knots.

"I don't really know you, Finnick," I say slowly, trying to put my thoughts into words. Finnick seems surprised by my words.

"Well, what do you want to know, then?" I put down the rope and began to think.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Green. What's yours?"

"Pink."

"Typical."

"W-what?"

"Most girls like pink. It's a girly color."

"That's so sexist!"

"Oh, is it?" Finnick smiles here.

"Yeah, it is!" I smile ever so slightly.

"Okay, okay, let me ask you a question, Annie."

"Go ahead."

"Do you still hate me for what I did a while back?" I'm taken by surprise. Maybe Finnick also saw what I saw with my joke on him.

"Um, yes, it was a cruel thing to do, but I think I'm over it."

"Good." Finnick smiles again. I like his smile. "So what else do you want to know?"

"Do you have any siblings?"

"No, do you?"

"No. How old are you, Finnick? I happened to miss that."

"Fourteen. And you are-"

"Twelve." I seem like such a child compared to him.

"You're mature for your age." I guess I'm not a child to him.

"Thanks." I smile. Finnick looks at me, right into my eyes.

"Listen, I've got to go, but can we meet here other time?"

"I'd like that." Once again, I smile, but this time, I look into his eyes. Finncik smiles and gets up to go. He whistles, which make my friends' and Marcus's heads turn from where they are in the water. Marcus nods his head, says some words to the girls, and they swim to the sand. Finnick turns to me, waves, and starts walking away, toward Marcus, where eventually, the two walk off together. I watch them go until I can't see them anymore. Kristi and Ellie start walking over to me. I smile at them as I stand up and gather my stuff, them starting to do the same.

The three of us walk away, side by side, until we enter the village where our homes lay and separate. Waving goodbye, I take a path that leads me to my house, which is one of the smaller ones in the district. It's brown that has steps that lead to a nice wooden porch in the front. I walk up the few steps, onto the porch and then into my house.

Taking the stairs up to the bedrooms, I spot mine and go inside. My room is a nice lavender with white to contrast it. I sit down on my bed and smile to myself. It'll be nice to have a male friend, because I'll admit Kristi and Ellie can get annoying sometimes. And Finnick, oh, he seems so... nice.