A/N: Hello, thank you so much for reading this story. The idea has been kicking around my head since I first read about Annie. I love her, even more than Katniss. I think her insanity is a testament to the fragility of the human mind. It shows the reader that the tributes are not machines, as they appear to be. They are human, flesh and blood with feelings just like us. It was my goal to portray Annie as a normal girl until the end of the games when she snaps. So here you have it! Have fun, feel free to favourite, and check out my other stories. Oh, and May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favour! ** Chapter 4 is here, its just at the bottom. Scroll down a ways and you should be able to find it**
The Hunger Games: Annie's Story
Desirae Ann
**Chapter 1: The Reaping**
"Annie Cresta." The words came clear as day through the speakers lining the square. I swallowed the hard lump that had magically appeared in my throat. This was how I was going to die, I just knew it. Slowly, I made my way to the lifted platform with Uniformed Capitol Guards hot on my heels. The man who escorted our district's tributes, Crestius, smiled widely on stage. He had on a coral colored suit which made him look almost taller and more muscular than he really was. His hair had been died different shades of glossy blue for the occasion. I mounted the stairs and the guards let me travel them alone. As I approached my mark, I stole a glance at Finnick Odair. All the girls loved him. He had been the victor five years ago at the age of 12. His first year eligible, and he was chosen. My older brother had volunteered to go in his place. But Finnick was head strong and determined to face the games. And boy did he ever. When he came home a victor, he was more of a God than a Man. Then again, by looking at him, you would never be able to guess which he was. And now he was to be my mentor. I stood alone on the stage as applause erupted from the audience. Parents happy their little girl wasn't going, girls more than grateful that they had not been chosen, and boys now assured their love interest was not to be sent off to die. District Four was a career district. But unlike the districts before us, no one was willing to volunteer. Around here volunteers were very, very rare. If you volunteered, you were considered a fool. My brother was only being brave when he did it five years ago. He was eighteen and it was his last year. Back then, he had nothing to lose. Now he is older with a wife and children. Every day he is silently grateful to Finnick for saving him. And now, he will need to hope Finnick can ward off death, because I'm next. Crestius leans into the microphone and calls the boy tributes name. It's Malick Nise. Malick was in my grade, the same age as I. The crowd of boys parts for him, as it did for me. Guards fallow him to the stairs, and then he is on his own. He finds his mark and stares, white faced, at the crowd. And there the two of us stood, both scared out of our wits. I could see he was trying to be brave and strong, but he was wavering. Tears were brimming up. I saw our faces on the screens that lined the square. I look like a fish. Here in district four, we make our living off of fishing. It's our life source. And looking at my eyes there that day, I had the same look a fish does when it realizes the hook through its mouth is about to be its demise. I had a hook in my mouth, and there was no pulling it out. All that was left now was for me to be reeled up into an unfamiliar world where I would surely die. Malick had the same sort of look. We stood motionless as the Panem anthem played. My stomach was replacing the bones in my feet and filling in my toes by the time I got to leave the stage. My legs felt like rubber, and I think my mother noticed my funny way of walking. It felt like every cell in my body was dead, like I soon would be. My mother rushed to me and wrapped her arms around me.
"Annie, Annie, my sweet Annie." She cried into my hair and repeated the same sentence. My Dad came up behind me and wrapped his arms around the two of us. Even he had tears in his eyes. My brother, James, and his wife came up behind him.
"Annie, this is so horrible." My sister in law, Sheridan, cried. He daughter ran up behind her, just finding her way back from where they kept the youngest kids.
"Annie, we'll help you. We'll plan. We'll figure this all out." My brother assured me. Malick came up behind me and tapped my back.
"Annie, I'm sorry this had to happen." I knew he wanted to say more, but he couldn't think of anything. I felt like I needed to say something to, but my brain was buzzing to hard. I couldn't think of anything to say. I just nodded and smiled. "See you at the train station tomorrow." He said, almost apologetically. I walked slowly with my family back to our house. Everything inside me felt heavy. The whole way my Mother cried. She wouldn't stop; she just kept crying and crying. The walk from the main square to our home in the nicer part of town wasn't that long. In no time, we were home. At home, they had watched the televised version of the reaping. Inside, Granny shuffled from one end of the parlor to the other.
"Annie, you stupid girl! Looking like a dyeing fish. You might as well have laid on the ground and flopped around! You'll get no sponsors with a mug like that!" She threw her arms up, sending her shawl flying.
"Mother, hush!" My Mom stuck up for me.
"Oh can it, April. You saw her face. Who would sponsor someone so stupid, so useless looking."
"Anyone who wants to bet on a victor will bet on Annie." James strode in behind the rest of the family. As my family argued over my performance I left the parlor. I walked across the hall to the dining room. The darkness was ominous. Dark, heavy red and gold curtains covered the windows. The large oak table in the middle of the room now had a red table cloth cutting its way down the center of it. The chair cushions, normally white, were now red. I sensed a theme. The chandelier above now had red sashes draped on it. The red charger plates were now slid under the white eating plates. The napkins were even red. Red like blood. Red like my blood. After I couldn't bear the sight of my normally welcoming dining room, I stormed into the kitchen. Our maid, Lisa, was busying herself.
"Did you do that?" I asked, gesturing to the dining room.
"Your Grandmother told me to." She was a shy girl, only two years older than me. She worked to support her Mother and younger brother. Times were tough in the outer parts of the city, and that was where Lisa was from.
"Granny thinks I have no chance, I'll show her. Finnick will train me to be better than all the rest!" With my courage restored, I marched out of the sun drenched kitchen, through the dark hall, and out into the main room. No one was in the parlor, so I marched up the large staircase. Upstairs, my mother was in my room.
"You wore this you're first reaping." She was still crying, and currently rifling through my closet. "You looked so pretty in it! Green is your color, it matches your eyes." The dress my mother was holding was almost identical to the one I now wore; chiffon, light green, and very beautiful. The one I now had was knee length with little pleats in the skirt. The neck line had little green and turquoise gems attached to it. It was then I remembered Malick's compliment. He had told me I looked beautiful and that I probably wouldn't be picked. Guess he was wrong.
I had changed out of my dress and into a pair of khaki pants and a white tank top. I pulled my long brown hair into a wavy ponytail and slowly went downstairs. I sat in my typical dinner seat with Granny to my right and my younger sister Emily to my left. I was the oldest daughter at sixteen.
"The 70th Hunger Games." My brother ate a fork full of mashed potatoes. Nothing on my plate looked edible in my eyes. Potatoes, some kind of fish, steamed vegetables, and a tall glass of milk usually would have been an ideal meal. But at this point, a bullet seemed more like it.
"Shame we won't have a victor in district four this year." Granny grumbled.
"Why do you keep saying things like that?" Usually, I would have never said that. Under normal circumstances I was a well behaved, perfect little girl. But these were not normal circumstances.
"Because they are true!" Granny yelled. "Look at you, slouching in your seat. You ungrateful little pig! Put food in front of you and you can hardly look at it. Lisa worked all day, but obviously it was for nothing."
"I hardly think Annie needs to eat at a time like this, she has bigger fish to fry." My father spoke up.
"Henry, don't you start! This girl won't last a second in the arena because of all the codling you two do. Now she needs to go fight for her life, with what skill? She can hardly catch a fish! Sorry to break it to you, Annie, but you're as good as dead." Granny got up from the table and stormed off. But not before she gave my back a good whack and said "Sit up straight, for Heaven's sake!" When the stinging had gone, I slouched back down. Everyone resumed their supper. James looked up at me.
"So, Annie, what's the game plan?" he asked.
"I was supposed to think of one already?"
"No, but do you have a general idea of what your plan is?" His eyes seemed to twinkle, almost mischievously.
"I can't fight, so I guess I'll hide." I joked. But in that moment, that seemed to be the best thought to cross my mind all day.
**Chapter 2: To the Capitol**
Early the next morning, I gave up trying to sleep. The night before we had talked strategy for hours. Use tridents, use nets, use traps, try and use a bow and arrow. And on the outside, I agreed with all these tactics. But on the inside I knew they would never work. Around two in the morning we gave up, exhausted. I went to bed like everyone else, but I didn't sleep. The entire house was silent as I rolled out of bed, still in my pants and tank top from the night before. With easy, silent movements, I crept to my closet and retrieved a jacket. It took everything I had to sneak down the squeaky steps and silently slip out the front door undetected, but I did it.
Once outside, the world felt colder. But with the cold came crispness in the air. My lungs filled with it, waking me up. With an easy stride, I made my way down to the square. The giant screens and speakers were still there; this way everyone could watch me and Malick leave. I went past that and through the main business hub of the town. Once past that, there was nothing but open fields. I walked down a gravel path to the pier where I usually would go fishing in the summer. After standing there a few moments, I noticed the cliff a little ways above and to the left of the pier. It wouldn't take very long to get there, so I started the climb. In no time at all, I was standing at the edge of the world. The edge of the country as we knew it. I turned and looked at all of district four, namely my city. From here, it looked like I was on a hill. A hill that rose out of the ocean and swooped down into a field which gave way to a city. But it was what was behind me that interested me the most. I turned to face the ocean again, and was greeted with salty blasts of air. At the bottom of the cliff were jagged rocks. It crossed my mind then that one leap, and it would all be over. A quick drop to my certain doom. I would be at the mercy of the waves and the rocks. But then another thought crossed my mind. My family had been torn apart, why tear up another one? There was no use in me offing myself here and not in the arena. That way, the district would only loose one girl instead of two. With my mind made up, I stepped away from the cliff's edge and down the hill, back to the pier. I sat with my feet dangling over the edge, my eyes fixed on the horizon. The sun was slowly rising, and I knew it was the last district sunrise I would ever see. It's funny how you never notice the little things, like the sun coming up, until you know you'll never get it back. Once it had risen above the horizon I got up. I knew it was time to go. I blew a kiss to the ocean and promised I would be back. Although, I knew fully well that I shouldn't promise that at all. My odds of coming back were one in twenty four.
Back at home, everyone was still asleep. I had been gone for two and a half hours. My clock said it was 7:26 when I arrived back in my room. I curled under the covers, closed my eyes, and drifted into a light sleep. It was a cruel, uncomfortable, dreamless place. But I could tell this state was the one I would be in from now on; asleep but just barely. At 8:00 my Mom came in and woke me up. As I rubbed my eyes, she dashed to my closet and pulled out the dress she had picked the night before. It was knee length, black, and silky. Its sleeves were rather odd; big and billowy till about two inches above my wrists. They it tightened around my hand. It had a fairly low neck line and a dropped waist. When it was on, it was smooth against my skin. My Mom left the room after zipping me into it. I admired myself in the mirror until she came back with a black hat.
"I wore this to your Grandfather's funeral. It's full of sorrow, like I know you are." Maybe her giving me her funeral dress should have unsettled me, but it did the exact opposite. She kissed my head and led me into the bathroom. Inside she curled my hair in a way she never had. Most of it was tucked away in itself and big round curls lined my face on either side. For the first time in my life, my hair was silky smooth and not a frizzy mess. I smiled in the mirror. Mom then put on my makeup. My eyelashes were painted, I got to wear bright red lipstick, and Mom put my base on one shade to light. In that moment I remembered a trip my school had made to a museum once. In the museum was a picture of a woman who lived hundreds of years ago, long before Panem existed. I remembered the name plate below the picture read Marilyn Monroe. Unlike her, my hair was brown. But other than that, we both had bright red lips and greenish blue eyes. I smiled at my reflection, wondering if other people would see its perfection. I looked up at my Mom who had tears in her eyes.
"I know this is hard Mom, but don't worry. Just don't watch the games."
"Annie, you know they make us watch it. I just couldn't handle it if I needed to watch you…" she stopped, the tears choking off her words. Without even thinking, my legs carried me up out of the chair and my arms wrapped themselves around my Mom. She shook with sobs.
"Mom, you're going to be just fine! You have James, you still have him. Finnick will help me win, don't worry."
"Oh, that Finnick, he doesn't worry about anyone but himself. Don't put your life into his hands, Annie. Think for yourself." For some reason, her words stung.
"Finnick will help me and Malick survive. Never doubt that." I took my Mom by the shoulders and held her at arm's length away from me. "I will fight. I will come back. I will win these Games." I kissed her cheek and left the bathroom. Something was stirring inside of me that I had never felt before. Perhaps it was fear, churning in me like the ocean. Or maybe it was a new found courage that would help me in the games. Whatever it was, it gave me enough energy to survive my goodbyes. I kissed Granny and told her I would make her proud.
"I never doubted you for a minute, Annie." She smiled her wrinkled, wise smile.
"Then why did you say all those nasty things?"
"Someone had to." She winked, and I didn't fully understand her reasoning. She pulled me in once again and kissed my cheek. "Good luck, my little Annie." She whispered in my ear before releasing me.
"I'll watch every day, and cheer you on every step of the way. Make it out alive, kid." James smiled, tears slowly rolling from his eyes. He was the only sibling I had, and leaving him was one of the most painful things imaginable. My Dad came up with a big grin, trying to hide his tears.
"See you when you get home." My heart broke when he wrapped his arms around me tighter than he ever had before. I hugged him, knowing it was probably the last time I ever would. After I said goodbye to Sheridan and her two children, I stared at the steps. Mom should have been down by now. As Granny told me to go before I was late, she made her appearance. In her hands was a tiny box.
"Here you go, Annie. This will be your object from home." Her eyes were red and swollen, like she had just finished crying. "It used to be Granny's, till she gave it to me. I was going to wait until you were 18, but that may never come." She opened the box, and I couldn't help but gasp. "They are all real. The pearls are from the ocean that surrounds the district. The gold is from the mines that they found. That's a trident, that's a fish, and that's a heart. It's for you to remember home." She choked up a little as she turned me around and put the necklace on me. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I knew I would never take it off.
"If I die, I'll have home close to my heart." I smiled, tears streaming down my face. I didn't normally cry, but this was a cause to cry. I hugged my Mom for a long time before my Dad said it was now or never. I needed to leave. I pulled away from my Mom and left out the door alone. I walked down the street to the square, which was packed with people. Malick, Finnick, and Crestius were all already there. There was a black car waiting to take us down the road a ways to the train station.
"We thought you were going to chicken out." Finnick joked as a Capitol guard opened the car door for us. Crestius circled around to the front passenger seat. Finnick crawled in and over to the far side of the car. I went in next with Malick right behind me. The door slammed behind him, causing both of us to jump.
"Smile and wave." Finnick advised. Crestius rolled down his window as did Finnick. Both put of winning smiles as they stuck their hands out the windows. Malick fallowed suit and waved. I sat, sandwiched between the only two men I could trust for the rest of my life. The numbness was back inside me. I didn't have the energy to wave or be the perfect tribute girl. I was a dead woman. I was a pawn in their games, but I wouldn't play fair.
We arrived at the train station quickly. Finnick hustled us along, making sure we didn't slow the process down any. Malick walked ahead and Finnick grabbed my arm to keep me beside him.
"You need to smile. So far, you haven't been the charming girl I know you are. You need to win over their hearts, and their wallets. If you want to survive, smile and act happy. Once we are on the train, you can wallow all you want. Fake it for now." He released me and let me walk ahead of him.
The train was at least fifteen cars long. A sleek, silver snake. The windows were all tinted so I couldn't see inside them. In front of the entrance doors was a podium and a mike. Crestius stopped Malick right in front of the doors. I and Finnick followed suit.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the District 4 tributes! Malick Nise and Annie Cresta!" The crowd that had gathered at the station erupted in applause. Crestius gave a little speech, as did Finnick. He promised the District a victor; a promise he shouldn't have made because he couldn't keep it for sure. Then with a fake smile, I approached the mike. It was my job at the moment to give a speech. What I gave was not a speech.
"Goodbye, District 4. May the odds be in my favor!" Was all I could manage to croak. It was slow, but eventually the applause caught on. Malick needed to speak after me. He did the exact same thing with a devilish sort of grin. We gave one last wave and boarded the train.
"How dumb are you two?" Finnick asked a sort of ferocity in his eyes. "Those weren't speeches! They were hardly statements. You need to up the ante. Your interviews at the Capitol need to blow them away. All you're doing is setting yourselves up for failure." He went on and on, but I didn't listen. Instead I fingered the pearls and small gold charms on my necklace. When he was done lecturing us, he stormed off.
"Boy, we sure made him mad." Malick said, pale as a ghost. His dark brown hair looked even darker in comparison to his skin. His eyes were still as grey as they were before all of this happened.
"Are you feeling alright?" I asked, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me with cold stone eyes.
"About as alright as a boy being sent to his death with a beautiful girl can be."
I had been on the train only two hours and was already ready to off myself. It would be a whole two days before we made it to District 3. There wasn't anything to do on the train besides pace. I paced my small room a million times. I noted every detail of the place; the gold swirls in the red carpet, the small lines on the cream walls, the stitches in the white blankets, the folds in the curtains. Inside my head was a inventory of every item that belonged to me on the train. When I wasn't taking inventory of my room or pacing it, I paced the halls. I would sit on the sofas in what was supposed to be our living room and count the trees that flew by. Sometimes Malick and I would have staring contests just to pass the time. The more time we spent on the train, the better we got to know one another. He, Finnick, Crestius, and I had a car all to ourselves. Every district did. We only shared one, and that was the dining car. The dining car was where everyone ate, obviously. But it was also a place to meet and size up the competition.
District 12's tributes looked almost the weakest. The girl was very small and very skinny with auburn hair and black eyes. The boy was taller, but just as skinny with light brown hair and forest green eyes. Their names were Violet and Andy. District 11's tributes looked a little bit stronger, but not by much. The girl was older than the boy, probably around my age. She had dark tan skin, silky black hair, and big brown eyes. The boy was probably 13 with scared brown eyes and brown, curly hair. I came to find out the girls name was also Annie, but she went by Ann. Ann's fellow tribute was named Guy. District 10's tributes looked to be no challenge at all. The girl, Raven, was taller than me but far too skinny for her own good. Her hair was waist long and dark red. Her eyes were pleading, a light green. Markus, the boy tribute, was wider then her but just as tall and thin. He had black hair and the same green eyes. District 9's tributes, Amanda and Vaughn didn't stand out much from the tributes before them. 8's were a little more intimidating. They were both tall and muscular. And from then on, they just got more intimidating. Looking at myself and Malick, we fit in better with the weaker tributes. It was during my time in the dining car I learnt that strength, agility, and will were key in the games. None of which I really had. It was during the visits with my competition that I found out we were all the same; a bunch of scared kids fighting to stay alive. It wasn't until the real careers got on the train that I saw what real competition looked like.
Almost two weeks after we had left, we finally arrived in the Capitol with all districts accounted for. It was also the first time in two weeks that we saw Finnick. He had hid in his room the entire trip, planning tirelessly. Malick and I weren't too sure what his plans were, but we prayed they were good. On the morning of the last day, we all met in the main part of the car. Finnick had evidently just shaved, judging by the small cuts on his face. Crestius was wearing a sea green suit which looked very good on him. Malick was wearing a green shirt and black pants; something he would normally wear. I was wearing a emerald green dress which matched his shirt. Finnick was wearing a black suit with a green tie. He looked very handsome, and without other girls around to ogle over him as well, I allowed myself to marvel his looks. Strong jaw, green eyes you would just swim in, perfect teeth and blonde hair you wanted to run your fingers though endlessly. Finnick Odair was a picture of perfection. It made me feel bad for Malick. He was handsome, but not in the same way. Finnick was manly, Malick was boyish. Malick still had that playful sparkle in his eye and a sort of crooked smile. And then there was me.
"How do I look?" I asked Finnick nervously before we exited the train.
"Gorgeous as always, Annie." He winked at me and offered me his arm. I linked mine in his and faced the door. With my free arm, I patted Malick on the shoulder.
"Here goes nothing." I smiled at him and offered him my arm. He took it, and the three of us stood linked together as the automatic door swooshed open. Fresh air greeted us for the first time in weeks. We breathed it in and basked in the glorious warmth of a Capitol sun. We exited the car and walked onto the platform, still joined together by our arms. Looking up and down the wood walkway, I saw nothing but teenagers. All putting on a brave face, but with fear dancing in their eyes.
**Chapter 3: Secret Love**
Looking down the train station platform, I saw all the tributes together at once. It was a sight. Boys and girls of all ages, sizes, and colours, all looking at one another the same way. Just then, a terrifying thought crossed my mind; I was going to need to kill these people. Then, an even more terrifying thought arose; these were the people that were going to kill me. One of the faces I was looking at now would soon become the last face I ever saw. I shook off that idea as best as I could and continued down the platform with my arms wrapped around Finnick and Malick's arms. They were both very muscular and comforting to hold. A feeling of claustrophobia crept up and greeted me at the gates of the station. Everyone was trying to get out at once which made it increasingly difficult.
"Stupid people, when are they going to learn?" Finnick said to just us. "We are all going to the same place, you will get there no faster that I will." He hollered above the heads in front of us. But I had a sneaking suspicion that no one heard him. I stole a look at Malick, and he looked just as afraid as I felt. His skin was pale, almost green. He must have seen me out of the corner of his eye because he looked down at me with a grim smile.
"What a way to start, huh?" He croaked.
"Yeah, it's nice to finally get off the train." I tried to make awkward conversation. It hadn't crossed my mind until then, but Malick and I hadn't really spoken up until now. We each had different groups of friends. We both came from the inner neighbour hoods of the city, and we were both from money. Now, if he had lived in the outer neighbour hoods I would have understood our isolation from one another at school. But we were just the same.
"You two better get used to this." Finnick interrupted us. It was then I realized neither of us were speaking. We were just staring at one another. Finnick had a glimmer of what looked like jealousy in his eye. "This being rushed everywhere, being pushed around, ordered. Its going to be the way you are treated the rest of your lives."
"So you've already given up on us?" Malick asked.
"What do you mean?" Finnick now looked puzzled.
"You think we are going to die in the arena; that there is no hope we will make it out. You said the rest of our lives. And if we lose, all of this is the rest of our lives."
"Victor or not, you will be ordered like this for the rest of your lives. And I will never give up on you two. Your chances are good." He gave a little smile.
"One in twenty four isn't good." I reminded him.
"Annie, did you not look at these people? I could break them in half one handed with my pinkie finger." He laughed cockily.
"Don't be so sure. Did you see 1's tributes? The guy was like three of me put together." I could almost hear the panic in Malick's voice.
"Yeah, but what is he going to do? Say 'hey I am bigger than you, lie down and die'? No, you're going to use your brain. I can almost guarantee your brain is like three of his put together." I spoke this time. Finnick looked impressed and Malick looked convinced. We finally squeezed through the gate, still arm in arm. We walked to a blue car with a four painted on it and got in. This was going to drive us to our new home; the training center.
The training center was almost in the middle of the city. I had seen the Capitol on television, but this was nothing like that. The buildings were taller than any cliff or wave I had ever seen back home. There were twinkling lights everywhere, even now in midday. Cars, trucks, cabs, and other vehicles zipped around the streets. Women and men walked all over on their cell phones with briefcases. A few smiled and waved at us. People who weren't on the phone called 'May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favour' at us. All of them looked un-human. Their skin came in every colour of the rainbow and then some in every shade imaginable. They wore bouffant hair pieces that were dyed in every color. They all wore makeup; the men and the women. They had painted and tinted skin and eye brows. I even saw one woman whose eyes changed color rapidly. The people of the Capitol looked more like circus entertainers that people at all.
"You couldn't pay me enough to dress like that." Malick laughed when we were finally inside the training center.
"Oh my boy, you might need to change that opinion." A man approaching us laughed. "I am Leaf, I am your stylist. I'm here to make Panem fall in love with you. But with looks like that, my job will be easy." He winked at Malick and shook his hand.
"And I am Willow." A woman stepped forward. She had light purple, silk hair. Her skin was a pink pastel. When I looked at her eyes, I was astonished at the clarity of them. They were like two pure rubies; blood red and sparkling. She had on metallic gold lipstick, but no other makeup. Her dress was made of something that resembled gold foil. It was short and strapless. She wore matching shoes. "I will be your stylist, Miss. Annie." She kissed my hand and left a little gold mark.
"Don't you worry Malick, Leaf was my stylist. He is the best there is! A little old, but I trust him." Finnick winked at Leaf and gently punched his skinny arm. Leaf wore all skin tight black clothes. His hair was shaved on one side and shoulder long on the other side. It was dyed black with violet and red hues. He wore red lipstick and thick black eye makeup. It was then I was glad I got Willow; she seemed simpler. But it wasn't until that afternoon that I found out that Willow was by no means simple when it came to her clothes.
"So, Annie. Are you comfortable with nudity?" She asked, leaning forward in her chair and folding her hands in her lap. We were in the main room designated to district 4 tributes.
"What?" I was shocked. "Uh, uh, um, uh, no." I finally spat out a no.
"Well, you have a great body! Not to muscular, but by no means skin and bone. Its not uncommon for tributes to go out in their birthday suits for the Tribute Parade." She winked at me.
"I would rather wear clothes. And from what I know, I'm pretty sure Malick would like the clothes option better." Now I felt nervous.
"Fine, suit yourselves. If you don't want sponsors, whatever. I will make sure every inch of skin is covered. Perhaps diving suits are in order?" Willow wasn't angry, but she wasn't pleasant. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I apologize. That was harsh. It should be up to you two what you wear, not Leaf and I."
"Ladies, are the costumes worked out?" Right at that moment, Leaf and Malick entered the room.
"Annie has turned down the nude option." Willow sighed and turned in her plush arm chair to face Malick. "What about you, Malick. You would be okay with riding the chariot naked right?" When she asked, Malick got the same look I'm sure I had when she asked me; shocked. The more time I spent with Malick, the more I learnt we were alike.
"No thanks, I'll keep my clothes on for now." He laughed it off.
"Fishnets." Leaf stopped dead in his tracks. At the word, Willow's eyes light up.
"Leaf, you are a genius my dear! Pure brilliance." She clapped her hands quickly. Then she reached for the sketch pad and pencils that sat on the table in front of her. Malick knelt on the floor in front of me. He sat his elbows on the low white plastic table and sat his head in his hands. Leaf flopped down on the couch next to me and across from Willow. We all sat and stared at Willow's hand as it darted from here to there on the page.
"Costume planning, my favorite." Finnick's voice surprised us all. He had just swaggered into the room and sat on the couch on the other side of me. He flopped his arm around me, draping it across my shoulders. "You two pass up the nudity? I bet the nation would love to get you out of your clothes, Annie." He winked at me.
"Yeah, her naked wouldn't be that bad." Malick spoke up. "But me on the other hand, that's a different story!"
"Malick, I am positive if you stripped down, the ladies would love it." I smiled at him, sensing the tension between Finnick and him.
"Done!" Willow squealed. She flopped the pad down on the table for us to see. The girls design, my costume, was hard to understand. Luckily she explained the lines. "This is all made of fishing net. We will give you something to act as underwear, and maybe something for your top. But hopefully when we gather the net, you will be covered up if you know what I mean. It'll end in about the middle of your thigh, so nice and short. The top has a few strings from the net cut and wrapped around your neck. They call it halter top. Your belly and legs will really show through, but your more private areas will be nice and covered." She looked up for my opinion.
"I love it!" I was truly speechless. It was a gorgeous dress now that she had explained it. "I was thinking maybe we could incorporate scales in there somewhere. Maybe on my legs and belly, because you can see them? That way we look like fish caught in nets."
"And at the end of the parade you cut yourselves free and viola, nudity!" Finnick joked.
"Or not." I rolled my eyes playfully.
"And I didn't forget you, Malick. Your costume is behind this one." Willow flipped the page. When she did, I watched as the blood drained from Malick's face. His costume was basically a skirt.
"I refuse to wear a fishnet skirt. That's stupid." It took a while for him to formulate the sentence. He was speechless as well, but for all the wrong reasons.
"Your top part can be painted with scales. And the skirt is bunched in certain places to cover you up." Willow assured him.
"Malick, these are amazing costumes. And Willow is right. To gain sponsors, we need to step out of our comfort zones. We need to take risks. It could mean life or death in the arena." I slid out from under Finnick's arm, off the couch, and onto the floor beside Malick. I laid a hand on his arm and tried to look reassuring.
"I guess you're right. What do we have to lose?" He smiled at me. "I guess these are our costumes."
"These are your costumes." Willow smiled, almost playfully.
After dinner Finnick called us back to the main room. Malick and I were already in our pyjamas.
"You have the parade tomorrow. You won't need to speak, just wave. I doubt we need to strategize for that. It's the interviews we need to prepare for." This was the most serious I had ever seen him.
"What about in the arena? We have no plan for that yet." Malick interjected.
"I know, that's coming. Now let me finish. I am not going to make you two play the lover's angle. That's not fair, and it's a lie. You don't need to be hopeless romantics."
"How do you know we aren't lovers?" I teased him. He looked me dead in the eye for a few second, then returned to our lecture.
"Instead, you are going to be enemies. You are going to act like the sight of your fellow tribute disgusts you. When Caesar asks you about home, say you loved the ocean. You loved the sea, the fish, the birds, the salt, all that. But when he asks if you were friend back home, act revolted. Say things like 'friends? More like ways to cure a upset stomach. I practically barf when I lay eyes on him' or 'you couldn't pay me enough money to be friends with her. If you guaranteed I would be the victor of these games, as long as I befriended her, I would sooner die'. Those things will make the sponsors have to pick sides. Annie will gain the male ones, and Malick will gain the female ones. Everyone will be happy. And when it comes to your interview costume, the sexier the better. This is when people will be getting a good look at you. At the parade tomorrow, they will see you driving buy in a chariot. But there, you will be sitting in a chair for them to observe. Sexy is good." When he finished, all three of us were silent.
"But I don't hate her." Malick said under his breath.
"I can't tell a nation I hate Malick. He is the only person I can trust now besides you and Willow. And when my enemies outweigh my friends, I can't afford to make more enemies of my friends." There was a sort of fire within me powering me now. I couldn't say I hated Malick. I couldn't say I hated Finnick. I could only say I hated anyone else with tribute in their title.
"When we are around here, in private, you two can be friends all you want. You can have arts and crafts time in the morning, music time in the afternoon, and naked pillow fights at night. I really don't care! But when you're in the public eye, you need to hate one another. Are we clear?" Finnick was getting a little testy now. We both nodded. "Now, I am going to bed. I will be with Willow and Leaf tomorrow to wake you. Crestius will join us for breakfast, and then we will start getting you two ready. Good night Malick, goodnight Annie. Sleep tight." He got up and stormed off to his room. Malick and I remained silent, the idea of being mortal enemies slowly filtering through our heads. I was the first to get up and go to my room. I walked through the wooden door, and the light cream walls greeted me. The room here was exactly like the one on the train. The same gold and red carpet, gold folded curtains, cream walls, and white bedding. With a sigh, I flopped down on my bed. There was a knock at my door which caused me to sit up fast.
"Come in." I called while the blood rushed to my head.
"Sorry to bother you." It was Malick. He stood there awkwardly, as if he forgot his reason to come visit me.
"So, how about that naked pillow fight Finnick proposed?" I joked. This put him at ease a little bit.
"I have a feeling you would regret starting it once we got into it." He smiled. "May I come in?" He asked.
"Such a gentleman! Why yes you can enter my slumber chamber." I joked. He rolled his eyes and sat gently on the bed beside me. "And I don't know why you keep saying you naked would be a bad thing. As far as I can tell, your not a eye sore."
"A way to ward of Finnick's death glares, I guess. He likes you. To be honest, I would love a naked pillow fight." He winked at me and I rolled my eyes. Then he became serious. "Annie, I cant fake hating you. Your one of the sweetest people I have ever met. There is no way I'll be able to tell everyone I hate you."
"It won't be easy, but we have to do it. Malick, I don't want us going in there with no edge. We are up against the careers. We need to be able to leave one another and form new alliances." The truth of my words stung me.
"New alliances? Annie, I could never leave you in there. I couldn't help facilitate your death." He laid his head on my shoulder.
"I know. But by staying together, we are running a higher risk of getting each other killed."
"That makes sense when you say it, but when I try to explain it to myself it gets all mixed up." He sighed.
"Malick, when they say go, you need to forget about me. You need to run as fast as you can, get what supplies you can safely, and get out of there. Forget about me. Know why?"
"No, why?"
"Because I will be doing the exact same thing as you. When the countdown is done, no one is my friend. It's me against the world. You won't matter, no offence. It's just better for the both of us." I petted his hair, which comforted me as well as him.
"Okay, I'll do that." We sat in silence for a while before he spoke again. "Annie, when they are saying the countdown, know what I'll be thinking of?" He asked softly.
"No, what will you be thinking of?" I asked, just as softly.
"You. I'll be thinking about these last few weeks together. All the staring contests and stupid little games on the train. I'll be picturing you in your parade dress, because I know you're going to look stunning. I won't be thinking of the nasty ocean, or gross fish, or the choking salty air of home. The only thing on my mind will be you. The way your hair falls around your shoulders, how your eyes twinkle when you laugh, and how your smile seems to put the world into slow motion."
"I know the only thing I am going to be able to think of is my Mom, my Dad, my family. My house. District 4. But as soon as they say on your mark, Im going to erase that all." I said.
"Then, when they countdown, what will you think of?" He asked, hope in his voice.
"You, of course. You have been my rock these last few weeks. I know that as soon as they say go, Im going to need to let all these feelings go. So I will immerse myself in them, drown in them, feel them with every cell until they say that word. And then, my world will literally shatter and the only thing existing will be the arena." I didn't say it to impress him or to make things even. I was being honest; truely honest.
"But before that, you'll think of me?" He assured.
"Yes."
"And by feelings, what do you mean?" He had caught me.
"I like you, Malick. I like you a lot. And if we had more time, I'm sure I could grow to love you even. Before all of this, I never realised how great of a guy you are." I smiled in spite of myself.
"Too bad we don't have more time, huh?" He joked. "Maybe I should be a little more grateful for these games."
"Why on earth would you do that?"
"I got to get to know you, and you got to know me. They could have picked any other girl or any other guy. And they picked us."
"Fate picked us." I reminded him. He took his head off my shoulder and looked me in the eye. He cupped my face in his hand and pulled me closer.
"Well then, I guess fate wants us together." He smiled his crooked, devilish smile, and kissed my lips. The kiss was the most fantastic thing I had ever experienced. My whole body was on fire, little bursts of energy exploded in my blood. I wrapped my arms around him, and he wrapped me up in his. We laid back on the bed, entwined together. The kiss lasted for some time and left us a little breathless.
"That'll be pretty hard to forget." I joked when it was done.
"You don't need to forget it." He smiled as he stood from my bed and adjusted his clothes. "Just keep it secret, locked away. Just so when you're going through tough times, you can remember it. I know that's what I'll be doing." He leaned down and kissed me softly. "Goodnight Annie Cresta." He smiled and quietly left my room. 'I love you' was on the tip of my tongue, but it didn't feel right to shout that now. Instead I laid under the covers and replayed my magical kiss over and over again.
**Chapter 4: Meetin Panem**
The next morning I woke to a hard knock on my door. Finnick, Willow, and Crestius all piled into my room.
"Sure, come on it." I murmured groggily, rubbing at my eyes.
"Sorry to wake you, but we really need to get a move on." Crestius smiled meekly at me. When he wasn't on camera, he was a very quiet man.
"Yes, so much work, so little time. Right now, breakfast is top priority." Willow smiled and handed me a housecoat which she had carried in with her. I looked at her with sleepy eyes, and then I looked at Finnick. The morning light was streaming through my window and landing on his glossy blonde hair. He didn't have it done, so it hung about his face like a shaggy dog's. His skin glowed in a God like manor. One day, Finnick would make a fine husband for a lucky girl. But, she would need to be able to handle jealousy very well. And that was a major reason why I didn't chase after Mr. Odair like a love-sick school girl. By the way they acted, I'm almost positive the girls back home would be reaped if they thought they could get with Finnick.
Presently, Finnick's intense green eyes were trained on me. He looked as if he was enchanted; under a spell. It sent shivers down my spine.
"Where is Malick?" I asked innocently.
"He is with leaf in the main room. We really need to hurry, Miss. Cresta." Crestius seemed worried. I walked over and gave him a hug; an action I didn't consciously plan to do. He gave a kind of squeal of shock, and then hugged me back gently. I smiled up at him.
"You're a good escort, and you can call me Annie." When I let go of him, I stole a look at Finnick. His eyes were twinkling violently, and his face was almost as green as his eyes with envy.
"I don't know what you are trying to pull or who you are trying to be," Finnick wrapped his hand around my upper arm and pulled me back from the rest of the group. "But stop it. No one likes a tease."
"I have no clue what you are talking about." I defended myself.
"Don't give me that. Kissing Malick then making a move on Crestius, and leading me one. Who do you think you are?"
"Look, Finnick, I don't know what you're talking about. But you're delusional. I hugged Crestius because he deserves a little love and respect. I feel bad for him, he seems so stressed. I just wanted to show him I appreciate it. And as far as me and Malick's relationship goes, that's none of your business." There was a sort of venom in my words that I had never had before.
"Well, Annie, I know you think you're a real catch. But news flash; you're not!"
"So, Finnick, if I'm not a catch why are you so obsessed with me?" I hissed obsessed like a sea serpent.
"I'm not obsessed. I am simply looking out for you. You need someone without a pair of rose colored glasses on, and that's why I'm here."
"No, you're here to teach me. You're here to advise me. And so far, all you have done is hit on me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready for the Opening Ceremony and the Tribute parade." I pulled my arm from his grasp and quickened my pace.
"Here you go, put these on." Willow handed me a pair of flesh colored underwear.
"What are these supposed to cover?" I asked jokingly.
"Only the essentials." She winked at me and turned around as I slipped them on under my housecoat.
"Honey, you need to take that off to. I need to paint on your scales." She smiled at me, trying to be comforting. "It's just me here, not like I haven't seen you butt naked before." She winked at me. I slowly untied the silk ribbon that tied it together and allowed the blue robe to slowly slide off my shoulders, down my body, and to the floor. I crossed my arms and awkwardly waited for Willow to have the body paints ready.
"Why is it taking you so long?" I asked, rather uncomfortable.
"I need to get just the right amount of glitter with each colour." She was mixing like a mad scientist. After a few minutes she wiggled over, pushing a tray full of paints. I stepped up onto a pedestal, and at least fifty bright lights shone down on my tan body. Willow leaned in and began to paint on scales with a small brush. She painted on my hips, on my shoulders, my knees, elbows, and a little bit on my ribs. When she was done, she wheeled a ceiling high mirror in front of me. Under the lights, I looked like a fish in the ocean. It reminded me of the way certain fish's scales shimmered in the summer afternoon sun. How the water made them sparkle even more. The scales were all different pastel colours with generous amounts of sparkles.
"Its…" I was speechless. I looked beautiful. Willow clapped her hands and excused herself for a moment. I stood alone in the room and marveled at my naked body with just the underwear and scales. A smile slinked across my face.
"Looking good, Annie." A male voice came from behind me. I quickly covered my chest and whirled around. With the bright lights in my eyes, it was hard to tell who it was. But then, as he approached, I made out the figure. His hair was slicked back now, and he wore a sharp grey suit.
"Leave right now, Finnick." I demanded, feeling violated.
"Relax; you are not the first girl I have ever seen naked."
"Well I certainly might be your last if you don't get out of here." I threatened.
"What are you going to do?" He asked smugly. I had no response, so I turned around. He stepped up on the pedestal with me. He kissed the crook of my neck gently and wrapped his arms around mine. As if a spell had been cast, I closed my eyes and surrendered to his soft kisses. "They missed the scales here." He laughed softly.
"You would just smudge them if you had." I giggled like a little girl. He used the grip he had on my arms to twirl me around. My eyes snapped open; my arms were up in the air in his hands, my bare chest was to his, and my toes were curling under. My stomach did flips as he slowly lowered my arms around his neck. That's when he leaned in for the kiss. My mind didn't register what was happening before it was happening. Finnick's kiss was much more passionate and experienced than Malick's. Then, remembering Malick's kiss, I pulled away from Finnick.
"What's wrong?" He asked, confused.
"This; this is wrong." I bent down quickly and snatched up my robe. I held it defensively in front of me.
"Annie, if you die in there, you will have never known love. I can change that for you." He came closer to me.
"Malick can give me love to, and he does." I stepped off the pedestal and ran out of the room.
Hours had passed since Finnick had kissed me, but the feeling was still buzzing on my lips. The gears in my mind were working as Willow dusted body glitter all over me one last time. I was standing beside the Chariot, waiting for Malick to get there.
"Those stupid boys, always late!" Willow was complaining, but I didn't hear it. My mind was far off in a different place. It was in a place where Finnick and I were together. It was exploring the idea of being with him forever. Although, at this point, being with Finnick forever seemed like a preposterous proposal. Just as my mind showed me what it thought Finnick and Annie babies would look like, Malick arrived. When he walked in, any romantic ideas of Finnick vanished.
Malick looked more Godly than Finnick. He had no shirt on, and his ribs were scales. His lower legs, shoulders, and upper arms were painted with scales. His muscular body was accented with glitter in all the right places. They had designed his fishnet to just barely cover him. His sandy blonde hair was slicked back and his blue eyes sparkled. His smile seemed to be made of small lights.
"You look amazing." He smiled down at me and leaned in for a kiss when he reached me.
"Oh no you don't, you'll smudge her lipstick!" Willow chastised. I looked down at my fishing net dress, sure I looked like a rat compared to him. The dress was held up by my neck and ended about half way down my thigh. It was indeed made of white fishing net. It was bunched a great deal over my chest. But other than those two spots, it was pretty much just a net. You could easily see my scales, which seemed to please Willow. She had twisted my hair up and placed a crown on my head. The crown looked as if it was made of tiny scales and pearls. My lips were different shades of blue; flat navy blue on the outside, then metallic turquoise on the inside. My eyes were done in the same way. I felt pretty, but not beautiful. And Malick made it worse. "One last touch." Willow sang. She held a velvet box in her hands, and what was inside shocked me.
It was the necklace my Mom had given me. The pearls had been shined and so had the golden trident, fish, and heart. Willow slid it onto my neck
"When I made the neckline, I designed it so it was low enough to show off the necklace." She smiled at me. I felt tears well up.
"This means so much to me." I smiled gratefully at her.
"Don't cry, missy!" She laughed.
"Alright, time to board the Chariot. Now, you don't need to worry about falling off. It won't go that fast, and holding on isn't necessary." Crestius helped us up into the Chariot.
"Remember," Finnick came up to the Chariot and avoided eye contact with me. "You two hate each other." We nodded silently to him, and he smiled. Crestius, Willow, Leaf, and Finnick waved us off, wishing us good luck as the Chariot pulled away.
I got to look at the rest of the districts. District 1 had the most revealing costumes; shimmery pieces of fabric wrapped around key areas of their bodies. I felt sorry for District 12; they wore full coal miner outfits. Obviously their stylist didn't want them to win sponsors.
Our Chariot sped along past the rafters full of Capitol residents. People waved and threw blue roses at us. We smiled and waved at them, standing as far apart as we humanly could. Although we didn't like it, we knew Finnick was right when he said hating each other was a good angle to play.
The tribute parade was over before we knew it. We sat at the end of the road we had come in on. In front of us, President Snow addressed us. On television, he could strike fear into your heart. But in real life, he could fill your soul with it. He was undoubtedly one of the most feared men in Panem's history. I didn't really listen as he wished us good luck and gave a short speech. It wasn't very long until we were off again, this time turning around and heading back down the parade route. When we were done waving, smiling, and blowing kisses for the second time, the Chariot arrived back where it had stared.
"You two looked amazing out there." Finnick complimented. "If your muscles, sweet innocent boy looks, and tan don't win you sponsors, Malick, I don't know what will." He smiled confidently at Malick. "And you, Annie, you looked like a Sea Queen out there. The scales were perfect, and so was the dress. The charming oozed out of you. You'll gain many sponsors." He seemed a lot more pleased with us now.
"And they showed a little skin, which always is a bonus." Willow winked.
"Now all you need is high scores in training and get your interviews perfect and you will be sitting pretty." Crestius was overjoyed.
"And, Malick, the women will go insane when they find out Annie isn't on your tail." Finnick beamed. Malick's smile wavered until Crestius spoke up:
"I must admit, that is a brilliant angle. The people will see you both as available, and want to save you so they can obsess over you later. It's a great move, big game changer."
"See, I told you. Now, go back to your rooms and get rested up. Training starts tomorrow, and the Game Makers will be watching. Your performance needs to be tip-top. Don't let the Careers scare you, and don't let anything get under your skin." As he spoke, Finnick came up behind us and wrapped his arms around our shoulders. This was the happiest all of us had been in a long time. But the happiness was about to end. None of us foresaw what training would bring; and it wasn't anything to smile about.
**Up Next: Chapter 5: Career Fear**