9

By the time I can even blink, it's morning again and Percy and I are waiting in the cafeteria along with the other districts. We're fed lunch if they haven't called our name yet. And they haven't for District Four so far.

I woke up earlier today thinking that today would be dreadful, but I now know that in two day's time will be a lot worse because I have no clue how to dazzle Panem in front of a ton of cameras. But now I need to think about what I will do to impress the Gamemakers. I can show them amazing knots. I could spar like yesterday. Hmm…I don't know.

Odair tried to talk to me this morning about what I could do. He even asked if I knew what I should do. I sort of rolled my eyes and replied with a, "I'll just wing it." I think he was purely upset with that concept, but I've never been one to plan anything that in advance. I wait till the last possible second. I know that may be bad but that's how I am.

Percy and I finish our meal just as we hear a voice call, "District Four, Percy Neptune." I give him a squeeze of the hand as he gets up and he nods to me and gives me a look as if to say, "Show them what you're made of Annie." And with that, he's gone.

I have to wait, and as I wait I finally see the other Districts staring at me. I'm a little unnerved by this. But I don't have time to think on it because soon I hear, "District Four, Anneliese Cresta."

I get up and make my way through the door of no return. I find all the Gamemakers meet my eye as I enter the room. I smile warmly at them, and some even return it. Hmm…what to do what to do? I make my way to the knot station without even thinking about it and pick up some rope. Thin rope almost like twine but made of this plastic like substance made especially in the Capitol.

I know they don't want to see me tie a bunch of knots so I pocket it in the black pants that I'm really surprised Clayton gave me for today. He makes that up with this green skimpy halter I'm wearing though along with my favorite shoes. I head to the sparing station and ask for my sparing trainer from yesterday.

We begin to fight…I guess you could call it that. I avoid him pretty well. At least five minutes pass and he has me pinned. Almost better than the yesterday. Almost. I smile and raise my eyebrow and I see the recognition cross his face a split second before I knee him in the groin again. He falls over me, and I fish out the rope in my pocket and tie up his hands and feet together.

I turn to see the Gamemakers. Few are clapping and I see several nods of approval. "You may go," I hear Seneca Crane announce. I nod and give a little bow. I realize the sparing trainer is still tied up so I pull one end and he's loose again. He looks a little thrown that he didn't know which piece to pull to release himself.

I walk away and land myself on the elevator to the fourth floor. No one is in sight so I go to my room and decide on taking an extra long shower. It feels good. Really good better than the first time I used it and smelled the sandalwood. After the seemingly endless supply of hot water fades to just warm, I step out to dry myself on the mat.

I decide to brush my hair. It feels silky to the touch, and it even looks shiny as I let it fall down my sides. I wrap the towel around me because who knows who's in my room. Luckily no one is and I grab some tan pants and a salmon colored top.

No one is in the dining room or sitting room. Hmm…I wonder where everyone is. Well, I don't really ponder that. So I walk to the terrace and gaze at the city. I haven't seen the Capitol except from the train that brought us here. It's quite beautiful, but beauty apparently has a heavy price. Beauty at such a heavy price, Odair's words ring in my ear. I really thought I knew what he meant at the time. But now, I'm not so sure.

Killing children year after year. It's great for population control, but we're not that big of a country. Panem is quite small from what I've learned in school. Why have something as the Hunger Games? Why is it so important to show that the Capitol is mighty and powerful? Why is it that children have to pay for…my thoughts become broken as I hear footsteps next to me on the terrace.

I look to my left and notice Odair. He's looking out at the city as well leaning on the railing. Finally he turns to me with sadness in his eyes. I give him a questioning look as he speaks, "Annie, one day you'll understand why people do the things they do." He sighs as he looks pleadingly at me.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me Odair," he winces at the use of his last name. "You're an…" I want to say adult but he's only two years older than I am. What does age matter in the matters of maturity? "…you're a victor. No one questions their actions. So why should I question yours?"

He sighs again and opens his mouth to speak, but I hear Azure calling us for dinner. I turn away and move fast enough so I'm far from his grasp.

Dinner is lovely tonight like any other night I've been here except for conversation. I haven't felt particularly loquacious since I've arrived.

"So how was the training session?" asks Mags. She looks at both of us, and I give Percy a look that says, "You first." He smirks and rolls his eyes.

"I threw spears and knives and made a net, and that was about it," Percy pauses, "They seemed pleased."

"Goodie!" cries Azure clasping her hands together. Clayton nudges me as I roll my eyes. He chuckles.

"What about you Annie?" asks Ophelia. I've almost forgotten her. She's so quiet.

"Hmmm…" I say. "Well, I sparred for a bit. He pinned me, kneed him in the groin, and tied him up," I finish and shrug as I bite into whatever is left on my plate. I see Percy smile, and Mags eyes light up with pride, while Odair looks at me incredulously.

I hear them chatter about how well this could help our scores. They seem to think we're good. I'm not entirely sure. You never know with the Gamemakers.

However, we soon find out as we sit to watch the scoring in the sitting room. Percy on my right and Clayton on my left. Clayton opens his arm so I can lean into him. I smile because he must know how exhausted I feel even if I didn't exert myself that much. He reminds me a lot of my dad, and I almost wince with emotional pain.

Caesar Flickerman fills the screen. Our headshots that were taken of us earlier this week fill the corner as he speaks and gives us our score. He gives certain commentary to particular tributes. Boys are first, and Pavo receives a nine along with Ralla. No surpise there. Calidus receives a ten. I roll my eyes, and Nata a nine. She'll be furious.

Seely and Sila receive a nine and eight respectively. Then, Percy's picture is up on the screen. We wait with bated breath. "District Four, Percy Neptune," states Flickerman. He looks down at his paper and back to the screen, "Ten," he calls. Ten Percy got a ten.

Percy looks shocked as I gaze at him. "Congrats," I whisper. He gives me a weak smile as he faces the screen again. Flickerman clears his throat. Here it comes.

"District Four, Anneliese Cresta," he pauses. I grip Clayton's hand for dear life. I feel like I'm waiting forever. Tell me how horrible I did. I know I wasn't the greatest. I was only in there for the shortest amount of time…"Seven," I hear. I look up at the screen and sure enough a seven flashes on the screen. I release a breath I didn't know I was holding. Seven, I can live with that.

And, I hear our group congratulating us both. Districts Five and Six receive an average of a six or seven, then District Seven's boy appears and he receives a ten as well. We'll have to watch for him. All other scores range from the lowest of a four to the highest of a seven. I feel particularly sorry for Twelve's fours. They always seem to be low. Always. I wonder if that is because they don't learn their trade until they're eighteen. They're not prepared like the rest of us are.

Clayton and Ophelia are about to leave to finish working on our interview outfits and I pull Clayton aside. He looks at me questionably but doesn't say anything.

"Do you think you could get me some twine or…or rope or something?" I ask him. We're near the elevator. No one's heard but I still look across the room to make sure.

"Of course Annie. Any particular color or anything?"

"Umm…I don't know…" He nods. "Percy doesn't have a token like I do," I say and Clayton smiles. I heard Percy earlier this week say something in passing. And it now just donned on me.

"And you want to make him something?" I nod. He smiles wider. "That's thoughtful. I think Ophelia said something about indigo and gold, possibly blue. I'll ask her and get it to you tomorrow." And now, I smile.

"Thank you Clayton."

"Night Annie, sleep well." I hope so.

I make my way to my room without any disturbances. I slip off my clothes and pull on a night gown, and I fall into a blissful sleep until I hear the screaming in my dreams. Only, I realize that it's not my dreams. They're coming across the hall outside of my room. I run to the door and wrench it open and see Percy standing in his doorway as well. He looks as alarmed as I do.

The screaming starts again, and I notice it's coming from Odair's room. My eyes go wide. I hope he's alright. "Percy," I say still looking at Odair's door, "go find Mags or Azure. They'll…" But I don't finish my thought because it's cut off by another blood curling scream. I rush to Odair's room pushing open the door and not waiting for Percy's response.

Odair is tangled in his covers. Thrashing about. I kneel next to the bed and place my hands on his shoulders as I say, "Shh…Finnick…shh…it's alright…it was just a bad dream…Finnick…you're alright…you're safe."

"Annie," I hear Odair say. I look up at him and see tears in his eyes.

"I'm here," I say as he makes room for me on the bed. I sit and put his head in my lap. I brush his hair out of his eyes and take note that I see Mags smile and nod at me as she closes the door.

Apparently I have it taken care of. The tribute taking care of the victor. "Shh," I coo to him again. I see him look up at me, and he looks like himself again. I begin to push myself off the bed and am pulled back by Odair's grip.

"Annie, please," he begs me. I turn back to him and in that moment I see Lucy with a bad dream at night asking me to sing to her. I've done that every night since Uncle Wallace died. I smile weakly. What has Lucy done without me? Who's singing her to sleep?

"Alright," I say. And I let Odair pull me down on the bed. But it looks like he's comforting me instead. His arms wrapped around me like a teddy bear.

"Sing," he demands. He sounds all too much like Lucy because she never asked either. I don't fight it. I'll sing.

"What?"

"Anything," he tells me. I ponder this for a few moments and settle on a song that Uncle Wallace sang to me long before Lucy was ever born.

Up in the sky where the clouds form

The fairies dance and await the storm

Down in the water where the seahorse plays

Where we wait for the rest of the day

I hear him ease up. He's less tense now. He seems to know this song too because I hear him hum as I continue.

Out in my boat I would like to stay

To hear the lasting song of a mockingjay

But something pulls me home

Hidden beneath all the seafoam

He stopped humming, but I continue. He did ask me to sing.

And the siren sings her lullaby

Hoping we have said our good-bye

She pulls us in, thinking she's somehow won

But she forgot the circled sun

Odair begins humming again. I wonder if it's because he didn't like the horrible part of the rhyme.

He calls to us near where the clouds lay

As the fairies hop as the storm strays

The water's calm and the shore is white

The circled sun will not turn out his light

I think Odair is asleep because halfway through the last verse he stopped humming. I try to gently pull away, but Odair clings to me.

"Annie, please stay," he whispers into my hair. I pause. Should I stay? My reasoning is that he's my mentor. I should do as he asks because he'll help in the arena. But something else pulls at me and I'm not sure what, I push it aside as I nestle back down into the mattress.

"Alright," I say. "Goodnight Odair." I close my eyes and feel Odair smile as he says, "Night Annie." And I fall back to sleep. It's peaceful. I dream of my family, Mom and Dad, Mary, Lucy, Wallace, Emmy, Connor, and even Finnick.


Author's Note: Thank you to who all are reading. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Part two will be up soon. While you wait, why don't you send me over a review? Tell me what you think. Like, hate, constructive criticism, anything. Again, thank you for reading.