By 'I'll update either later today or tomorrow,' I totally meant in a few days? Hehe. Sorry 'bout that.
Shout-out to:
brookeyy14: thx so much!
EmberLex: I love how enthusiastic you are! Also, yeah. Finniss is the best. Zahra is going to get the other mentors thinking that way *hint, cough, wink, dropkick*
My friends have officially decided that I am Johanna Mason and Finnick is my husband (?) I'm totally cool with it, except, like, who ships Johanna and Finnick?
Remember my lovelies: Keep calm and tie knots! First person to review saying that they got that reference gets to make a Victor for the district of their choice! (Not twelve, as Katniss And Haymitch are all alone…)
One more thing; THIS WILL AFFECT THE REST OF THE STORY: Do you guys prefer if I went between several POV's throughout the games (Katniss, Haymitch, Finnick, Zahra.) Or have one chapter that's from Katniss POV and the one after it in the Mentor's POV.
"Hey, Katniss!" Zahra calls to me. I turn and see her behind me.
"Oh, hey. How's Lydia?"
"Great! You can meet her on the Victory Tour once you win."
I laugh and then try to look at her sternly.
"Shouldn't you want your tributes back?"
"Oh, I do, Kat. It's just… you're my best friend. I can't lose you like… like…"
I notice tears in her eyes and pull her into a hug.
"I'll be back. I swear on my life."
She snorts. "That's not very helpful. That's like saying that once you're dead, I can kill you."
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
We both laughed, but then Zahra's face turns serious.
"Swear on Prim's life. Or Finnick."
I hesitate, but then I realize that she would never kill Prim or Finnick if it's necessary.
"I, Katniss Maple Everdeen, swear on the life of Primrose Dahlia Everdeen and Finnick Almond Odair, that I will survive the 70th Hunger Games and come back and meet the beautiful, intelligent, amazing Lydia Honor Rosnam." I say. I'm being serious, but I do have a little fun, using middle names, describing Lydia, and putting my right hand up.
"Thank you, Katniss." Then, Zahra bursts out laughing.
"Finnick's middle name is Almond? I would expect that from 11 maybe, but from 4? I thought it was, like, Bay. And yours is Maple! That sounds like my district. And Dahlia should be 11 also!"
I raise an eyebrow at her. "Oh really? What's your middle name?"
She blushes.
"Indigo."
"Ah, Zahra Indigo Avlis. It's pretty. I think it reminds me of a certain District."
"Shut up." She hisses.
"Hmm… Maybe it would sound nice with a District 8 person. You know, how they do textile and deal with all sorts of colors. That includes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. I think I'm forgetting one. Oh, that's right. I think it's indigo. Maybe it's Cecelia's middle name. You should ask her. She is mentoring this year."
"Fine. I'm sorry, Katniss. Happy?"
"Indubitably."
"In… what?"
"Yes, Zahra. I'm very happy."
"Please welcome the Victor of the 66th Annual Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen, the Girl in Fire!" Caesar screams.
Caesar: Now, Katniss, This is your second time going into the Games. What will you miss the most?
Katniss: Prim as well as all you lovely people in the Capitol.
Caesar: Could you tell us about your relationship with your fellow Victors?
Katniss: Those of us who mentor almost every year sort of form a few groups, but we're all very tight. There's the older group, which is Enobaria, Brutus, Beetee, Wiress, Mags, Nova, Jared, (AN: District 5) Eva, (AN: 6)Blight, Cecelia, Woof, Seeder, Chaff, and Haymitch. The younger group is Cashmere, Gloss, Finnick, Zahra, Augustus (AN District 1, Victor of 67) Britt (AN District 4, Victor of 68) and myself. I think I'll miss them a lot. We're all such good friends.
Caesar: But you'll be back soon, right?
Katniss: I'm not sure, Caesar. Peeta and I are very close.
Caesar: Then we'll miss you. Do you have more flames tonight?
I stand up and spin. My floor-length red dress erupts in flames. It burns away, revealing a shorter dress with flame designs on it.
Caesar: Oh, wow. Thank you! One more question. Did you find a boyfriend yet? You are seventeen.
Katniss: *Giggle* My mom says I'm not aloud to date until I'm eighteen.
Caesar: Do you have your eyes set on someone?
Katniss: yes…
Caesar: Well, who is it?
Katniss:It's…
The buzzer goes off Caesar sighs in annoyance and dismisses me, welcoming Peeta.
Peeta is likable, cracking jokes and Caesar and him complement each other. The last question throws me off some.
Caesar: Katniss said you two are close. Anything romantic?
Peeta: Actually, Caesar, I'll tell you, if you can keep a secret.
Caesar: go ahead.
Peeta: I actually love Katniss. And I'm pretty sure she loves me, too.
Caesar: How long have you known her?
Peeta: All my life, but I only spoke to her recently… because… because I didn't know the truth.
Caesar: The truth?
Peeta: I told you I love Katniss Everdeen. And I do… as a sister. Because… she is my sister. We share a mother.
The timer goes off, and before I know what I'm doing, I have Peeta pinned to the wall.
"What was that?" I scream in his face. "You can't go around, giving away family secrets!"
"It will help us!"
"How? We can't get sponsor gifts. Actually, don't answer that question. Did you think about the rest of our family? Mom has probably been shunned. All three of them must be beyond embarrassed. If my dad was still alive then he'd be embarrassed. Prim is probably going to be picked on and bullied at school, at least until I get home. What were you thinking?" I punch his arm and am about to punch him some more, but strong arms pull me into the elevator. I scream
"How could you? I'm going to kill you! How could you do this to Prim? I'll kill you, Peeta!" I don't actually mean it, but I'm so scared, I just want someone to respect me.
Whoever picked me finally drops me on my bed and sits next to me. My eyes clear, and I finally see that it is Finnick.
"Sorry, Finnick."
"It's fine." He reaches out and combs his fingers through my hair. "Is it true? About you and Peeta?"
I silently nod. "That's why I asked you about secret siblings and said I loved Peeta as a brother."
"Can I stay?" He asks me. I nod again.
I wake up to Finnick thrashing in his sleep. Again. For the third time since I volunteered.
"Finnick!" I call. He is awake, but is very traumatized.
"Finnick," I say again. I sit up and he lays his head in my lap. This is the worst he's ever been after a nightmare.
"Come on. It was just a dream."
"She was torturing you, Katniss. She drew a twelve on your chest with her knife, but you didn't die. She wrote on your forehead. Stay away from her, Katniss."
"Shh. Shh. Who? You need to tell me who it was, Finnick." I say, calmly stroking his hair. For a nineteen year old, he certainly acts like a scared little boy sometimes. But then again, I bet I still act like a scared little girl after my nightmares.
"It was Brooklyn. That girl from District 9. She's dangerous." He sounds like he was panicking again.
"Shh. Just go back to sleep. I'm right here."
He begins to shake.
"No. No. I can't go back there. They just get worse every time I try to sleep. Make them stop, Kat. Please. Help me."
I kiss his forehead. I've never seen him like this.
"I'm sorry, Finnick. I can't. We all get them. Just try and think positive. Tell me what you'll do tomorrow."
"I'll eat breakfast with Britt, Lucinda, and my tributes. Then I'll come up and see you before you leave for the games. When you leave, I'll cry with Zahra, Britt and Cashmere while Gloss and Augustus mock us. Then we'll point out how they're probably being torn apart by this, and then I'll watch anxiously during my shift, Britt will take over and I'll go to an appointment with some insane Capitol lady. So what's the point in telling you this if it's just making me feel worse."
"Oh, Finnick. What are we going to do with you?" I sigh.
"You could kill me." He says meekly.
"Finnick! I don't want you to die. You're my best friend. I need you. Please don't do that."
"Why did I ever volunteer as tribute?"
"If you didn't then I would never have met you."
"Nah. I would be a world famous supermodel. You'd meet me when you visited District 4 for your Victory Tour." He says honestly, even though it sounds like he's cracking a joke.
"But you kept me alive. You intrigued me, Finnick. I wanted to get to know you better." After a few minutes I say, "I'll be eighteen next year. So would Rue and Cami. That means Cami's sister will volunteer next year."
"But Rue and Cami are dead. Just like everyone else who ever meant anything to the world." Finnick says in his fragile, half-sane state of mind.
"Finnick Odair! I don't want to hear you say that ever again. Yes, they meant a lot to us. Rue and Lana and Cami and… and," I struggle to say the word I have been asked time and time again never to say. "Annie." Finnick makes an awful choking sound in the back of his throat.
"But we mean a lot to the people around us. We can't lose hope. Not like… Annie. She gave up. You can't. Please don't do this to me. I know I'm being selfish, and it's a lot to ask, but I need you and you need me. If I started mindlessly ranting about how I needed to die, you would be at my side in an instant, giving me this same speech. Don't let go, Finnick. Don't let go."
He makes the choking sound again, and I kiss his forehead.
"Just go to sleep. I'll be right here and I'll wake you up before the nightmares get bad." He nods and falls asleep in my lap. I run my fingers through his hair, thinking about Peeta and how I said I would kill him. I should apologize and explain myself before the arena. Then my thoughts change the the handsome, bronze-haired, green-eyed, tan boy in my lap. If he committed suicide, like Absurd Annie Cresta, who shot herself shortly after I won my games. She was Finnick's best friend, since even before they both won the Games. She left a short note saying:
Finnick-
I'll miss you. See you in a few years. Tell Katniss I said "hi"
-Annie
And that was it. Annie loved me, and I have no idea why anyone, anyone, would like me. I'm broken and hopeless. Pessimistic and heartbroken. Completely helpless. I'm scarred and torn. Finnick is the same way. No wonder all of us Victors get along so well.
Finnick POV
After I woke up, broken and scared,once Katniss got me to sleep again, I didn't have another nightmare.
I wake up to Katniss smiling down at me, her hand playing with my hair.
"Good morning." She yawns and I notice the dark circles under her eyes.
"Did you sleep at all last night?" I ask her, frowning.
"No. You know how it is before the games, Finnick. No one ever sleeps. Happy Hunger He's, by the way."
"The odds are most definitely in your favor this year, Katniss."
"You should get back to your tributes." She says. She starts to crawl out from under me.
"Wait!" I say desperately. She raises an eyebrow at me.
"Yes?"
I pull her face down to mine. Our lips touch, and I swear I see sparks. I've never felt this way. I've only ever kissed Capitol women, and they never felt like this. Her lips were soft and firm. They fit with mine perfectly. After a few seconds, she pulls away, gasping.
"Finnick that was…"
"Go ahead and hate me. I don't care anymore." I cut her off.
"... Amazing." she finishes.
"You liked it?"
She nods.
"Honestly, Finn. Zahra's been shipping us since I went to see her before her games."
I ship it too...
Whew! First kiss and a suicidal Finnick Odair! Again, sorry about the late update. I feel pretty great, cuz this has been one of my longer chapters. I had another announcement, but I can't remember it currently. It was important… oh, well. I'll add it in once I remember it.
