Finnick leads me to his room, curiously the one right next to mine, and I wonder if this could be purely coincidental. His room is pretty much the same as mine, but there's a television on the wall opposite his bed. Evidently that's a privilege reserved for mentors. I'm a little unsure of where I'm supposed to sit, seeing as there isn't a chair. Just the bed and the floor. I pretend to be pre-occupied looking around, so that he'll sit down first.

'I'm not going to make you sit on the floor, Annie.' He says suddenly, dropping onto his bed and tapping the space next to him. I'm still unsure. Will this look way too incriminating if someone walks in? I don't want a scandal. And I also don't want to give Regan another reason to kill Finnick. I tentatively sit on the opposite end of his bed, safely away from him if anyone should happen to stop by. He gives me a slightly hurt expression, then reaches for the remote control to the television, and switches it on.

The recaps are just starting, as we see the square in District 1 erupt with applause as their first tribute is revealed. She's a tall, slender built girl, but I can tell by the way she carries herself that she's highly skilled. She's older as well, either the same age as me, or eighteen. The boy looks like every District 1 male tribute does. He volunteered after a short, twelve year old was reaped. This volunteer is massive, and muscles are practically all there is of him.

'Watch out for that pair,' Finnick mutters darkly. 'and with Gloss and Cashmere as their mentors, they've got experience you can't contend with.' I realise as soon as he's said. They're brother and sister who won in consecutive years not so long ago. I swallow hard and try not to show my fear.

As District 2 begins and we hear their escort ramble on about some pointless little thing, Finnick strikes up another conversation.

'You smell nice, by the way,' He says abruptly. 'I was going to say after I noticed in the corridor – but that might have been a bit inappropriate.' He smirks.

'Thanks,' I smile back, not really sure what to make of this compliment.

'You like strawberries, then?'

'Yeah,'

'Want some?'

'What?'

He gives me that sweet smile, then gets up and walks over to a counter next to his dresser. He hits a button and says 'strawberries' into a panel, and after a few seconds, a bowl of strawberries rises up from seemingly nowhere. He hands the bowl to me, taking a strawberry for himself as well. He grins at me before popping it into his mouth.

I nibble on the strawberries as District 2's first tribute steps forward. It turns out that both the ones who were reaped were replaced with volunteers. This is what a typical Career District should be, rather than the unlikely thing that happened in my district earlier. They're both muscular types, and they both looks like they could snap me in half in a millisecond. Finnick gives me a worried glance, and it looks more like he's judging whether or not they could, rather than trying to give me a message.

'They're going to kill me, aren't they?' I ask weakly.

Finnick swallows. 'No. 'Course they're not.' But I'm not convinced, and I'm not sure he is either.

District 3 doesn't make much of an impact on me, although Finnick tells me never to underestimate people, because that will be a lot of tributes' weakness.

Then our district comes up. I see the expression Finnick was talking about, as I watch myself step up to the stage. I do look confident. I look like a Career, like I've been waiting for this day. It scares me to see that look in my eyes.

'See what I mean?' Finnick asks me. 'That look is going to win you so many sponsors.'

'Really?'

'Really, really.'

'Why?'

He looks me over for a moment. 'Because you looked like a Career when you stepped up there,' His eyes run me over a second time, and he smirks at me. 'and because you're gorgeous.'

I can definitely feel myself blushing now, and I can tell he notices. He grins at me and turns his attention back to the screen.

'I mean, I do look pretty good myself.' He jokes, watching the camera pan in on him in his Victor's seat on stage.

'Great, all the cameras can focus on you instead. That suits me.'

'Nah,' He shifts in his position on his bed and puts his feet against the wall behind my back. This only reminds me of the fact that he's still only a teenager, too. 'the cameras will be on us.'

We've been talking through most of the districts, and only put our attention back to it when they've reached 7. The girl who's reaped looks strange. She's got pale skin, like me, but with the deepest chocolate hair you could ever imagine. She's shaking, but her expression is hard. I wonder silently if she's putting that face on to cover up how scared she is.

'Johanna,' Finnick mumbles, as the camera switches to the Victors. I can't tell if his voice contains resent or loyalty. He turns to me. 'you better watch out for seven.' I remember who she is now the cameras been on her longer. She won last year. She pretended to be so weak in the beginning, like she was going to drop dead of starvation any moment, but it was a set-up. When more of the tributes had killed each other, and got down to single digits, Johanna started killing. Not just killing, she was murdering them, and quickly. After she let her little act drop, it was less than a day before she was crowned the winner. Finnick has a right to be worried about District 7. I'm terrified now. I don't realise it, but I'm shaking. I only notice it when Finnick slides his arm around me.

'Come on, Annie,' he whispers. 'keep it together. You've got one thing they don't have, anyway.'

I look at him. I've got nothing they don't have! They're all skilled and muscular and have mentors with unbelievable skill!

'You've got me.' He says sweetly, his voice coated in honey. If he wasn't holding me up, I'd pass out. I'm fine though, because I can feel the warmth of his body next to mine. It feels… nice.

'Thanks.' I manage to say, though it's very quiet. He smiles at me seductively, again. He needs to stop doing that, else I'm going to have a heart attack before I even get to the arena!

His arm starts to slip away. He thinks I don't like it. He's mistaken my speechlessness for dislike… That's not true, I don't want him to sit back.

'Don't,' I say without even thinking first. 'I like it.'

His eyes lighten a little, and his arm falls back into its place around me, then he pulls me closer to him and slowly leans back on his bed, so my head's resting on his chest as we watch the last district. I can hear his heartbeat in my ear, and it's comforting, it's a steady beat. Reminds me of what humanity is.

I didn't even realise I'd fallen asleep, until Finnick wakes me up softly.

'Annie,' He whispers gently.

'Mm?' I wake up slowly, and realise where it is I've fallen asleep. Right on his chest. Oh, God. How awful does this really look? I'm so embarrassed that I just want to hide my face, but right now, the only place I can hide is in the arms of the person I'm trying to hide from.

'Sorry,' I mutter, with nothing else to say, as I quickly scramble off him.

'Don't apologise,' He laughs musically. 'it's late, I only woke you so you can go to bed. Obviously you're tired.'

I laugh nervously, still very embarrassed about falling asleep on him.

'Don't be embarrassed!' He grins at me, mirroring me as I get off his bed. 'You're pretty when you sleep.'

And I'm blushing again, without even recovering from the last one! I must look so red right now…

'Awww,' Finnick ruffles my hair. 'sugar.' He grins at me as I push him off me playfully.

'Don't call me sugar.' I tell him moodily. He pouts at me and folds his arms.

'So what do I call you?'

'Annie.'

'Mm,' He considers it. 'don't think so, sugar.'

'Ugh,' I moan at him. 'I'm not a kid, you know.'

He raises his eyebrows like this is shocking news, then resets his face. 'Cause I'm really going to cuddle a kid like I just did with you.'

I give him a quizzical look. I knew there was more in that hug. 'Probably a good thing.'

I reach for the door and open it, cold air from the corridor hitting me instantly.

'Night, sugar.' Finnick grins at me one last time.

'Night, Finnick.'

And I shut the door.

My dreams are plagued that night. All I can think about is the Games, and those horrible Career tributes. They're all around me, boxing me in, closing in on me. There's nowhere to go, I'm backed into a corner. They've got weapons; so many weapons! The District 1 girl has got a spear, and she's holding it confidently, and grinning at me menacingly. The boy has a mace, a huge mace, and he's holding it with one hand, resting it on the other, his muscles flexed. District 2's boy has a dagger, and he's wiping blood off it with his jacket. Who's blood is that? The girl has an axe that's also covered in blood, but so, so much more. It's dripping off the blade and periodically splattering onto the short grass she stands on. Where's Nick? Why isn't he with them, or with me?

'There's no one left to save you now.' District 1 girl says in a husky voice, running her fingers over the tip of her spear. I'm shaking violently, and I can feel myself drenched in sweat, but there's nothing I can do, they're going to kill me. Every muscle in my body is clenched, trying to protect myself with no shield, as they all lift their weapons towards me.

I feel the spear first, it penetrates deep into my abdomen, then scorching my insides as it retracts. I can feel the thick, hot blood drenching my shirt from my wound, and my eyes aren't watching the Careers anymore. I don't see when the dagger plunges into my thigh, then rips through, pulling my skin along with it in a thick line of searing pain. I'm gritting my teeth so I don't scream, but I don't know why I'm not screaming. I want to scream.

My mind's not working as the mace smacks me across the face, and I feel my jaw and cheek bones snap like twigs under its strength. I drop to the ground involuntarily, my broken jaw hitting the ground with a smack that imprints yet more painful shoots through my bones.

I force myself to look at District 2 girl, the only one left to hurt me, and I know hers will be the final blow. Her axe glitters in the sunlight, the blood sparkling with familiarity. She lifts it above her head, ready to swing it down onto my neck. I scream then, for the only time, because I know it will be my last word. My body convulses as I scream the only thing my brain can think of.

'Finnick!'

I bolt upright, my eyes wide and I'm breathing so heavily I can hear my heart beat in my eardrums. The door opens and I instinctively back into the wall, only reminding myself of what it felt like to be trapped by the Careers. He sees the panic in me, and rushes over, by my side in seconds. He pulls me close to him, and it takes me this long to realise I'm crying. My head nuzzles into his shoulder, where it seems to fit perfectly, and I can feel one hand stroking my hair and the other placed comfortingly on my back.

'Shh,' he soothes. 'it's alright,'

I spend what seems like hours crying into his shoulder, and I'm convinced he must be completely repulsed by this, because I'm drenched in my own sweat. He seems undeterred, through, and sits on my bed, still holding his arms around me.

'You okay now?' He asks my quietly, his head resting gently on top of mine as he cradles me to his chest. I nod weakly. 'Going to go back to sleep now?' I shake my head, the ability to speak now lost on me.

'Can I help?' He asks again.

'Just don't go.' I whisper hoarsely.

'I won't,' He says softly. 'I won't.'

I sigh and sink a little further into his chest.

'Sing?' I ask quietly, finally thinking of something that will help.

'Sing?' He repeats confusedly. 'I don't sing.' He says, and I can hear a tint of nervousness in his voice.

'Please,' I whisper, snuggling up against him more.

He pauses for a moment before responding. 'Sing what?'

'Anything.' I tell him, as he starts stroking my hair again, though I think this is more for his benefit than mine. He sits there for a moment, before he eventually gives in, and his voice starts singing.

'I tasted, tasted love so sweet,
and all of it was lost on me.
Bought and sold like property,
Sugar on my tongue.'

His voice is angelic. It just makes everything seem to fizzle away until there's nothing left but his sweet, melodic tone. I don't know the song, but it doesn't matter.

'I kept falling over,
I kept looking backward.
I went broke believing,
that the simple should be hard.'
The world is irrelevant. There's nothing else. Just me and Finnick, drifting through the clouds and nothingness. Only his voice…
'All we are, we are,
all we are, we are.
And every day is a start of something beautiful.'

A tear slips down my cheek. It's not from fear though, it's because his voice is so beautiful. That song… It's perfect. It eases my mind, like a soft waves that just washes over the bay, all the seaweed and debris being washed away with it, leaving the shores carefree and clean.

'What's that song?' I ask him finally, once the silence has brought me back to earth.

'I don't know,' He answers in a whisper. 'I heard it before my Games. Someone played it in the launch room. It's from years ago, before the Dark Days.'

I don't reply. That song is like some kind of legacy to me, and he's passing it's message down to me. A butterfly, full of life and vibrant with colour, that flutters past, energy glittering on its wings, and something else… sugar…

'I'm cold.' I say suddenly, the sweat that lingers on my skin turning icy.

'Get back into bed, then.' He tells me sweetly. Sugar…

'But then you won't be there.' I'm speaking my mind now, the pathway between my brain and my mouth has become one way traffic.

'I can be,' He whispers. 'we just have to be careful, okay? Don't want anyone to get the wrong idea.' I nod and let him help me back under the covers. He gets in next to me and I rest my head back on his chest, while he starts stroking my hair again. It relaxes me, makes me feel calm, like… sugar.

'Finnick,' I say, my mind on the edge of shutting off again.

'Annie,' He replies similarly, so that I smile.

'What's the wrong idea?' I don't stick around to hear the answer, as I just fall straight to sleep against his chest, rising and falling… rising and falling… like my boat.

A/N: the song Finnick sings is All We Are by Matt Nathanson. Just saying:') review? Thanks xoxo