Summary: At first she thought it was a dream then she thought it was an ill-fitting simulation, and lastly, she realized she must've ticked someone off to end up here.

SI/OC district 4 centric pairings undecided


Warnings: Obv violence, gore, death, language etc


Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games


Everyone was waiting for him, one could feel the excitement in the air as the train pulled into District 4.

Finnick Odair was back.

The youngest victor to ever win, the youngest to come back and survive it all. And as Andromeda expected, the Capitol ate it up.

They loved him.

Completely and utterly were enthralled with him and everything he was, at least when it came to looks. From the cameras and the interviews, you could see and hear it. Other victors got cheers and fans, sure but Finnick? He got everything, people throwing anything and everything they had at him.

Flowers, chocolates, money, jewelry, clothes, weaponry, proposals, love, and stalkers from all walks of life.

From the last interview after the games, they had to have triple the security and for the first time had to put up some sort of force field gate to keep the audience from rampaging onto the stage and grabbing him. To her, it reminded her of the crazed fans of those boy bands back in the day, down to the crying and rose throwing.

District 4 was excited too.

It was the first time in almost twenty years since someone from District 4 had won the games. And the people needed this.

Everyone was living off the pride of having a victor, it didn't matter if he had killed his fellow tribute, that he had brutalized others with that beautifully crafted, and expensive trident of his. When he had received that from the games, you could hear the screams and roaring cheers both from the games live audience, the hosts, and from inside the houses of District 4. Everyone was proud, everyone was happy, and for the first time in a while, so was Andromeda.

She knew he was going to win. He was strong, fast, lethal, and he knew how to use his assets to his advantage. Sure District 4 tributes were the jacks-of-all-trades but none of them could compare to Finnick. How he was able to play them, how he was able to possess the hearts of everyone he met and was able to completely remake the game into his own whim.

And all at the age of fourteen.

A part of her knew she was forgetting something, something big that was going to happen to Finnick, but for the life of her she couldn't remember it and so let it be, allowing herself to get lost in the euphoric happiness throughout the district, even the Peacekeepers were far more lenient now.

It was a few days after his return, once he was situated in the Victors Village that he and Andromeda finally saw one another again. It was also the last day they would talk for a very long time.

Blonde hair and halfway grin came into her view of sight as he sat himself down beside herself, "How are you?"

She hummed, "Good now that you're back. I think everyone's high off the games."

Finnick nodded, "Seems like it. On my way here, I had to lose the crowds four different times," she laughed, "I'm sure it'll die down after a few weeks."

"Yeah," he stated skeptically.

Andromeda shrugged, flicking off a flower petal from his shoulder, "How are you though Finnick?"

A silence passed through them as she waited for him to respond as he looked far off in the distance, eyes unable to meet hers as he shifted on the ground, "Everyone keeps asking me that. 'How did you do it?' 'How does it feel to be a victor?' 'What was it like knowing you won?' So many questions, over and over again and I-"

He shook his head, his blond locks falling over his face shrouding his eyes, "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. I killed people Andromeda. I killed my fellow tribute, I let her die," his eyes now on her as she tried taking his hands into hers to calm him down only for him to back away further, pushing her aside, "No! I don't deserve any of this. I don't deserve to be praised or loved, this-this sickness of the games, it's not worth it and I'm disgusted by it!"

She looked down, "I can't possibly know what you're feeling Finnick but I-"

"That's just it, no one else knows what it's like, the pain we go throw! We may have left the arena but we died there! And we can never go back!" He shouted, tears building his eyes as he stood, "I'm sorry Andromeda, this-this was a mistake, I'll see you later" he told her turning to run, shaking.

"Wait!" she called out, going to grab him, wrapping her arms around his waist dragging him onto the ground as she stumbled over her feet as they went tumbling, "Finnick wait please." She shifted her hands to hold onto his wrists, unable to wrap her small fingers all the way around but still tried her best, "I don't know what it's like that's true. Everyone here can't understand the trauma you all feel before and after the games," he tried pushing her off him as she forced him to stop, "But you have me, lean on me Finnick. Let me take some of your pain please, you don't need to suffer alone."

The wind blew by them, their hair tangling with one another as she leaned her forehead on his, "Please Finnick," she pleaded with him once more voice filled with desperation. Desperation for him to stay and not leave her like everyone else. Desperation to keep him from doing something stupid, keep him from doing something he'll regret. And the desperation of herself being wanted and needed by him, the only person she has in her life.

But the stillness of form, the soft shaking of his shoulders and the ragged breaths escaping from his lips, all of it betrayed her and her feelings as he tossed her aside onto the ground. Pushing out from her grasp he kept his eyes away from her face, "I have to go Andromeda."

And just like that, he left her. Standing there in the sandy fields where they used to gossip and laugh, now replaced with the bitter memory of rejection that formed inside her.


It was two and a half years since she had seen Finnick Odair.

No, that was a lie.

It had been that long since he talked to her.

After that day, the day he pushed her away from him, Andromeda tried talking to him again, but every time he ignored her, avoided her, and went as far as pretending she didn't exist. And for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why.

Why had he cut himself out of her life?

Had she said something? Was there something about her existence that offended him? She had replayed the conversation over and over again in her head on repeat always trying to figure out what had gone wrong and if things could've, should've ended differently.

The first year was the hardest.

The avoidance from him, the way he wouldn't notice her stares, the blank faces that used to be full of grins and laughs only a few years prior. It hurt her. Hit Andromdea deep down in a place she didn't even realize she had.

When her brother died, she mourned, cried, and screamed. With her mother, she had accepted and tried to move past it, and her father's death she did everything to not blame herself. But their exits from her life didn't sting like this one, didn't bring her such anguish because she knew he was alive still.

Finnick Odair was alive, living in the same district as her, yet pretending she didn't exist. And she watched him, at first, watched every interview and fan event in the Capitol. Heard all the rumors, gossip, and tabloid equivalent drama that surrounded him and the people he was in relationships with.

She knew there had to be a reason why he was doing it, at least she hoped there was but Andromeda didn't know. She couldn't remember a story that she read once so many years ago, a lifetime and a half prior. Hell, she couldn't even place if his actions, the ones he dated and entertained both in the district and in the Capitol could've been explained. There was a feeling that there was something more to it, but all that was left from the story of the Hunger Games was just of Katniss Everdeen, a girl who at this point in time was barely even ten.

By the second year of ignoring her, Andromeda had stopped trying to get his attention. Going back to blending in with everything else in the District, pretending she too didn't exist like how he was being with her. And by the third year, she had completely pretended he didn't exist either.

It was during the second year when she had met a new friend. A young freckled face girl with a warm optimistic smile and charming demeanor. The girl's name was Cassandra, and she started repairing Andromeda's heart little by little.

Then again, it was hard not to be drawn to the young girl, a child really to herself, barely eleven years old. Cassandra wasn't like the others in the district. She didn't work, didn't really go to school, only really ever found by her older sister's flower stand. Not out of choice though as the young girl couldn't exactly see in order to work.

Glossy diluted eyes had met Andromeda's grey ones and she knew at that moment, she wouldn't be letting this one go, not like Finnick.

With Cassandra, she tried to do things differently. Tried making her happy, keeping her optimistic and innocent as long as she could, helping her family out and by the late half of the year, the second of their friendship, Andromeda had moved in with the girls older sister and her husband, Helena, and Menelaus.

Things started looking up for Andromeda. She had a friend again, a family of sorts that looked after one another and soon enough she stopped wondering or caring about Finnick Odair or his paramours.

Which must've been why fate had become so cruel to her yet again.

The 68th Hunger Game Reaping had arrived once more. The two games following Finnick's went badly for their district. The tributes of the 66th games were too confident, narcissistic and far too proud of Finnick's win, dying within the first forty-eight hours. And last years games went to the 'little brother' of the Capitol, August Bruan, roman solider incarnate, needless to say, District 4 hadn't had much success at all.

Because of the results in the past two years, their district had humbled themselves once more, the cheers and district pride dumbing down significantly, and had mostly become their usual masks once more.

This was her fourth year being up for reaping, and it was the fourth time she wasn't picked, not like it matter either way. Despite no longer having a strong desire to die anymore, if she could wait until she was older, more experienced then she would. However, the fates or gods didn't care as the name the District 4 Capitol Escort pulled out from the large fish bowl wasn't her name no, it was someone far worse.

"Our District 4 female tribute is Cassandra Locke!"

It was like slow motion. Time had stalled, slowing down for Andromeda, as her brain had to re-register and process the words as they rung out in the air and people clapped. She had spun around, finding Helena behind them all. Their eyes met one another in a panic shock as Andromeda knew what she had to do.

There was always a time for people to volunteer. It was normal for it to be done, at least for some districts. But when the time to volunteer was always different for each district.

For District 1, they pulled a name and then asked for volunteers, and if the tribute still wanted to participate, the one picked, the volunteers and them would have to fight it out. District 2 was probably similar, from what it seemed they probably duked it out before the actual reaping to avoid confusions like District 1 usually got into. District 3, 5, 6, and 12 all asked for volunteers before the name pulling as it made it fairer while District 4 and 11 would ask for volunteers after the names were drawn.

It didn't take a genius to know what Andromeda was about to do. Giving Casandra's sister a nod in affirmation, as her sister was twenty-two and too older to do it herself, Andromeda sidestepped into the aisle.

"I volunteer as tribute!"

Her voice rang out as she knew all eyes were now on her just as the escort had asked if anyone would volunteer. It wasn't as heartbreaking or emotionally driven as Katniss had been from either the books or the movie, but it was something.

Keeping her head up high, body posture relaxed and cool, she made her way to the stairs, allowing the Peacekeepers to come up behind her. The games didn't start the moment she entered the arena nor did it start during the chariot rides, no the games started here and now.

And could she feel it, the stares and half-hearted cheers and claps, filled with confusion shock? It had been far too long since a girl had volunteered for District 4 especially one who was related to a previous tribute, it just wasn't done, yet there she was doing it.

Funnily enough, she took it with stride. For all the years they all had ignored her, they were now forced to cheer and support her, seemed fitting. As she made it to the front of the stage, on the shell lined podium, he couldn't help the grin that blossomed on her face as she looked out onto the crowd.

The bittersweet but thankful look from Cassandra's family drew her eyes first as she gave a small curt nod of her head before someone else stole her attention.

All the previous victors of the games had to be there for the Reapings before the Mentors would follow the tributes on the train to the Capitol. While this happened, the other victors, however many there may be would follow on a different train a few days later to promote and do various sponsor things while the games occurred.

And so the four previous victors of District 4 were there, lined up against the wall watching the events take place, and she knew which one was watching her specifically. She could feel those sea-green eyes on her back as she tilted her heads sideways, glancing over to meet those eyes and throwing him a small smirk as Finnick Odair frowned in response.

.

.


A/N: Reminder District 4 only had 3-5 tributes. From the Wikia, it says that there's a new District 4 tribute every 20 years, which is actually really weird and sad? But I'll be changing that (obviously soooo). And the only known Victors of 4 are Finnick and Mags. There is canonically another female tribute, (aka three) but I decided to add one more cause adding OC's and changing the games are more thing, I guess!